bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
PDE for the joint law of the pair of a continuous diffusion and its running maximum
Authors: Coutin Laure , Pontier Monique
Published: July 2023

Let X be a d-dimensional diffusion and M the running supremum of its first component. In this paper, we show that for any
$t>0,$
the density (with respect to the
$(d+1)$
-dimensional Lebesgue measure) of the pair
$\big(M_t,X_t\big)$
is a weak solution of a Fokker–Planck partial differential equation on the closed set
$\big\{(m,x)\in \mathbb{R}^{d+1},\,{m\geq x^1}\big\},$
using an integral expansion of this density.
Perceptions of an automated benchmarking dashboard for antimicrobial stewardship programs among antimicrobial stewards within the veterans’ health administration: a multicenter qualitative study
Authors: Jones DeShauna , Marra Alexandre R. , Livorsi Daniel , Perencevich Eli , Goto Michihiko
Published: July 2023

Objective:

To evaluate the impact of a multicenter, try automated dashboard on ASP activities and its acceptance among ASP leaders.

Design:

Frontline stewards were asked to participate in semi-structured interviews before and after implementation of a web-based ASP information dashboard providing risk-adjusted benchmarking, longitudinal trends, and analysis of antimicrobial usage patterns at each facility.

Setting:

The study was performed at Iowa City VA Health Care System.

Participants:

ASP team members from nine medical centers in the VA Midwest Health Care Network (VISN 23).

Methods:

Semi-structured interviews were conducted pre- and post-implementation, with interview guides informed by clinical experiences and the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). Participants evaluated the dashboard’s ease of use, applicability to ongoing ASP activities, perceived validity and reliability, and relative advantage over other ASP monitoring systems.

Results:

Compared to established stewardship data collection and reporting methods, participants found the dashboard more intuitive and accessible, allowing them to reduce dependence on other systems and staff to obtain and share data. Standardized and risk-adjusted rankings were largely accepted as a valuable benchmarking method; however, participants felt their facility’s characteristics significantly influenced the rankings’ validity. Participants recognized staffing, training, and uncertainty with using the dashboard as an intervention tool as barriers to consistent and comprehensive dashboard implementation.

Conclusions:

Participants generally accepted the dashboard’s risk-adjusted metrics and appreciated its usability. While creating automated tools to rigorously benchmark antimicrobial use across hospitals can be helpful, the displayed metrics require further validation, and the longitudinal utility of the dashboard warrants additional study.
Branched-chain amino acids as adjunctive-alternative treatment in patients with autism: a pilot study
Authors: Aspragkathou Despoina D. , Spilioti Martha G. , Gkampeta Anastasia , Dalpa Efterpi , Holeva Vasiliki , Papadopoulou Maria T. , Serdari Aspasia , Dafoulis Vaios , Zafeiriou Dimitrios I. , Evangeliou Athanasios E.
Published: July 2023

The branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) is a group of essential amino acids that are involved in maintaining the energy balance of a human being as well as the homoeostasis of GABAergic, glutamatergic, serotonergic and dopaminergic systems. Disruption of these systems has been associated with the pathophysiology of autism while low levels of these amino acids have been discovered in patients with autism. A pilot open-label, prospective, follow-up study of the use of BCAA in children with autistic behaviour was carried out. Fifty-five children between the ages of 6 and 18 participated in the study from May 2015 to May 2018. We used a carbohydrate-free BCAA-powdered mixture containing 45·5 g of leucine, 30 g of isoleucine and 24·5 g of valine in a daily dose of 0·4 g/kg of body weight which was administered every morning. Following the initiation of BCAA administration, children were submitted to a monthly psychological examination. Beyond the 4-week mark, BCAA were given to thirty-two people (58·18 %). Six of them (10·9 %) discontinued after 4–10 weeks owing to lack of improvement. The remaining twenty-six children (47·27 %) who took BCAA for longer than 10 weeks displayed improved social behaviour and interactions, as well as improvements in their speech, cooperation, stereotypy and, principally, their hyperactivity. There were no adverse reactions reported during the course of the treatment. Although these data are preliminary, there is some evidence that BCAA could be used as adjunctive treatment to conventional therapeutic methods for the management of autism.
Effects of partial replacement of red and processed meat with non-soya legumes on bone and mineral metabolism and amino acid intakes in BeanMan randomised clinical trial
Authors: Itkonen Suvi T. , Karhu Piia , Pellinen Tiina , Lehtovirta Mikko , Kaartinen Niina E. , Männistö Satu , Päivärinta Essi , Pajari Anne-Maria
Published: July 2023

The transition towards more plant-based diets may pose risks for bone health such as low vitamin D and Ca intakes. Findings for the contribution of animal and plant proteins and their amino acids (AA) to bone health are contradictory. This 6-week clinical trial aimed to investigate whether partial replacement of red and processed meat (RPM) with non-soya legumes affects AA intakes and bone turnover and mineral metabolism in 102 healthy 20–65-year-old men. Participants were randomly assigned to diet groups controlled for RPM and legume intake (designed total protein intake (TPI) 18 E%): the meat group consumed 760 g RPM per week (25 % TPI) and the legume group consumed non-soya legume-based products (20 % TPI) and 200 g RPM per week, the upper limit of the Planetary Health Diet (5 % TPI). No differences in bone (bone-specific alkaline phosphatase; tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5b) or mineral metabolism (25-hydroxyvitamin D; parathyroid hormone; fibroblast growth factor 23; phosphate and Ca) markers or Ca and vitamin D intakes were observed between the groups (P > 0·05). Methionine and histidine intakes were higher in the meat group (P ≤ 0·042), whereas the legume group had higher intakes of arginine, asparagine and phenylalanine (P ≤ 0·013). Mean essential AA intakes in both groups met the requirements. Increasing the proportion of non-soya legumes by reducing the amount of RPM in the diet for 6 weeks did not compromise bone turnover and provided on average adequate amounts of AA in healthy men, indicating that this ecologically sustainable dietary change is safe and relatively easy to implement.
Anomic suicides on rise during recently emerging crises: revisiting Durkheim’s model
Authors: Kar Sujita Kumar , Singh Shivangini
Published: July 2023

Suicide is a global public health issue, with behavior differing across genders, age groups, places, and sociopolitical settings. Emile Durkheim characterized anomic suicide as occurring when social standards fail, resulting in purposelessness and directionlessness. Young people who are experiencing social issues are in danger, even if they do not voice suicidal ideas. Prevention interventions should target these people by strengthening resilience, minimizing social dysregulation stress, and fostering the development of life skills, coping resources, and social support. Anomic suicide has important psychological and societal implications, emphasizing the importance of fostering social cohesion and assisting persons experiencing purposelessness or a lack of direction in life.
Genetic structure analysis and genetic fingerprinting of pomegranate cultivars (Punica granatum L.) by using SCoT molecular markers
Authors: Sadeghi Seresht Elham , Karimi Hamid Reza , Malekzadeh Khalil , Mirdehghan Seyed Hossein , Mohamadi Mirik Ali Akbar
Published: July 2023

Genetic diversity and genetic relatedness among 50 genotypes from eight countries, including Iran, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Syria, Lebanon, India, Yemen, and the United States located in two continents of Asia and the America, were assessed using SCoT markers. A total of 213 bands were produced; 100% of them were polymorphic; the average polymorphism information content (PIC) was 0.39. The mean Nei's gene diversity and Shannon's index were 0.33 and 0.49, respectively. Analysis of molecular variance suggested significant genetic differences within pomegranate populations. 99% of variance occurs within the populations, whereas 1% of the variation was recorded among the populations of pomegranate. Cluster analysis using SCoT markers able to group genotypes based on their geographical origins. Based on cluster analysis, the genotypes studied were divided into two main groups. The first group included most Asian genotypes, while American genotypes along with some Asian genotypes were in the second group. In the first group, Iranian genotypes were grouped with genotypes from Afghanistan and India. In the second group, the genotypes belonging to the America were in the same group as most of the genotypes of Turkmenistan. According to the present study, SCoT markers can be used to evaluate genetic diversity, identification and DNA fingerprinting pomegranate genotypes of different origins. This information can be used in breeding programs and the management of pomegranate collections.
Fatal Places? Contextual Effects on Infant and Child Mortality in Early Twentieth Century England and Wales
Authors: Reid Alice , Garrett Eilidh , Jaadla Hannaliis , Schürer Kevin , Rafferty Sarah
Published: July 2023

This paper takes, as its starting point, Preston and Haines’ observation in Fatal Years that social class was the most important influence on infant and child mortality in England and Wales in the early twentieth century. A subsequent study suggested that this could in part be due to the spatial distribution of the different classes across different types of place, and that some of the mortality differences by social class might actually reflect the contextual effects of healthy and unhealthy places. Although this line of argument has received a considerable amount of attention in health geography literature, it has rarely been examined for a specific historic period, and then only within particular urban areas. In this paper, we apply multi-level models to a complete count individual-level dataset of the 1911 census of England and Wales, comparing influences on infant and child mortality at the level of the individual couple and for two spatial levels. We find that although most variation in infant and child mortality operates at the individual level, there is also important variation at the two spatial levels and part of the mortality differences between social classes is better explained by the areas in which people lived rather than by their social class. A consideration of independent variables at all three levels suggests that different spatial scales capture different sorts of influences on early age mortality.
Übergangspflege - Transitional Care
Authors: Bernhard-Kessler Claudia
Published: July 2023

Das Praxishandbuch zur Übergangspflege bietet pflegetheoretische Begründungen und pflegepraktische Umsetzungen der Transitional Care. Die erfahrene Pflegefachfrau und -wissenschaflerin Claudia Bernhard-Kessler:

erläutert, wie sich Drehtürentlassungen und Versorgungsbrüche bei Verlegungen aus Gesundheitseinrichtungen antizipieren und vermeiden lassen und wie eine Übergangspflege zur Stabilisierung und Bewältigung von Lebensübergängen und Transitionen beitragen kann
klärt den Begriff der Übergangspflege, ihre Bedeutung, Entwicklung, Ethik und Ausbildungsangebote
beschreibt eine Theorie der Übergänge und Transitionen, unterscheidet ihre Arten und Elemente, nennt notwendiges Handwerkszeug, wie Taktgefühl und Beratungskompetenz und skizziert organisatorische und rechtliche Rahmenbedingungen
fächert die inhaltlichen Bausteine der Übergangspflege auf und erläutert zugrunde liegende Konzepte der Bewältigung, Biografie, häuslichen Desorganisation, erlernten Hilflosigkeit, Motivation, Reaktanz, Selbstbestimmung, Selbstmanagement, Selbstwirksamkeit, Systeme und des Selbstwerts mit Beispielen und Interventionen
bietet praktische Beispiele für die Planung und Umsetzung der Übergangspflege aus der ambulanten Pflege, für die Situation des Heimeintritts und bei Menschen mit chronischen Erkrankungen, Migrationshintergrund, Long-Covid-Syndrom und Selbstvernachlässigung
entwickelt und verbessert das Entlassungsmanagement durch geplante Übergangspflege und bewusst gestaltete, bewältigte und stabilisierte Übergangssituationen.
Occupational Stress
Authors: Chen Peter Y.
Published: July 2023

The workplace can be a major source of stress, and this can cause health problems that have a negative impact on the individuals, organizational, and society. This concise, evidence-based volume, written by a leading occupational health psychologist, explores how work conditions and organizational characteristics pose threats and harms to people’s wellbeing through the lens of occupation stress theories and models. The author then summarizes the potential adverse impacts of major job stressors across individuals, families, organizations, and nations. In a final section, several evidence-based prevention strategies targeting individuals, management, and organizations are explored, including recovery from work, job crafting, and supervisors as change agents. Practitioners can modify and tailor these actionable strategies to assist employees and organizations in managing occupational stress. This book is essential reading for clinical and occupational psychologists, managers, supervisors, and anyone interested in making the workplace a healthier place.
Temperature Calibration of Elevated Mg/Ca in Planktic Foraminifera Shells From the Hypersaline Gulf of Aqaba
Authors: Levy N. , Torfstein A. , Schiebel R. , Chernihovsky N. , Jochum K. P. , Weis U. , Stoll B. , Haug G. H.
Published: July 2023

The Mg/Ca of marine calcareous Planktic Foraminifera (PF) shells is commonly used for sea surface temperature reconstructions. However, compared to open marine environments, hypersaline (>40) oligotrophic seas have been shown to accommodate PF with higher Mg/Ca and divergent temperature to Mg/Ca relationships. To investigate influencing factors of PF Mg uptake in hypersaline regions, we measured the Mg/Ca of two flux‐dominating PF species, Globigerinoides ruber albus and Turborotalita clarkei, derived from a monthly resolved time series of sediment traps in the Gulf of Aqaba, northern Red Sea as well as the corresponding temperature, salinity, and pH values. The PF exhibit elevated Mg/Ca which cannot be explained by post‐deposition or interstitial sediment diagenetic processes. G. ruber albus displays Mg/Ca trends that strongly follow seasonal mixed layer temperature changes. Conversely, T. clarkei Mg/Ca trends do not follow temperature but rather show significant Mg/Ca enrichment following mixing of the surface water column. We present a framework for incorporating elevated Mg/Ca into global Mg/Ca‐T calibrations for G. ruber albus and present a new Mg/Ca‐T calibration suitable for hypersaline marine environments.
Improved Constraints on the Recent Terrestrial Carbon Sink Over China by Assimilating OCO‐2 XCO2 Retrievals
Authors: He Wei , Jiang Fei , Ju Weimin , Chevallier Frédéric , Baker David F. , Wang Jun , Wu Mousong , Johnson Matthew S. , Philip Sajeev , Wang Hengmao , Bertolacci Michael , Liu Zhiqiang , Zeng Ning , Chen Jing M.
Published: July 2023

The magnitude and distribution of China's terrestrial carbon sink remain uncertain due to insufficient observational constraints; satellite column‐average dry‐air mole fraction carbon dioxide (XCO2) retrievals may fill some of this gap. Here, we estimate China's carbon sink using atmospheric inversions of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2 (OCO‐2) XCO2 retrievals within different platforms, including the Global Carbon Assimilation System (GCAS) v2, the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, and the OCO‐2 Model Inter‐comparison Project (MIP). We find that they consistently place the largest net biome production (NBP) in the south on an annual basis compared to the northeast and other main agricultural areas during peak growing season, coinciding well with the distribution of forests and crops, respectively. Moreover, the mean seasonal cycle amplitude of NBP in OCO‐2 inversions is obviously larger than that of biosphere model simulations and slightly greater than surface CO2 inversions. More importantly, the mean seasonal cycle of the OCO‐2 inversions is well constrained in the temperate, tropical, and subtropical monsoon climate zones, with better inter‐model consistency at a sub‐regional scale compared to in situ inversions and biosphere model simulations. In addition, the OCO‐2 inversions estimate the mean annual NBP in China for 2015–2019 to be between 0.34 (GCASv2) and 0.47 ± 0.16 PgC/yr (median ± std; OCO‐2 v10 MIP), and indicate the impacts of climate extremes (e.g., the 2019 drought) on the interannual variations of NBP. Our results suggest that assimilating OCO‐2 XCO2 retrievals is crucial for improving our understanding of China's terrestrial carbon sink regime.
Sampling‐Based Methods for Uncertainty Propagation in Flood Modeling Under Multiple Uncertain Inputs: Finding Out the Most Efficient Choice
Authors: Hajihassanpour Mahya , Kesserwani Georges , Pettersson Per , Bellos Vasilis
Published: July 2023

In probabilistic flood modeling, uncertainty manifests in frequency of occurrence, or histograms, for quantities of interest, including the Flood Extent and hazard rating (HR). Such modeling at the field‐scale requires the identification of a more efficient alternative to the Standard Monte Carlo (SMC) method that can reproduce comparable output probability distributions with a relatively reduced sample size, including detailed histograms of quantities of interest. Latin hypercube sampling (LHS) is the most evaluated alternative for fluvial floods but yields no considerable sample size reduction. Potentially better alternatives include adaptive stratified sampling (ASS), Quasi Monte Carlo (QMC) and Haar‐wavelet expansion (HWE), which are yet unevaluated for probabilistic flood modeling. To fulfill this gap, LHS, ASS, QMC, and HWE are compared to quantify sample size reduction to reproduce output detailed histograms—for Flood Extent, and average and maximum HR—while keeping the difference below 10% to the reference SMC prediction. The comparison is done for two test cases with two (i.e., inflow discharge and Manning's coefficient) and three (i.e., further including the ground elevation) input random variables, and a real case with five input random variables. With two input random variables, all four alternatives yield sample size reductions, with QMC and HWE considerably outperforming the others; with three and more input random variables, HWE becomes inflexible and LHS underperforms. Still, QMC is a better choice than ASS to boost sample size reduction for the real case and shall be preferred in probabilistic flood modeling. Accompanying research codes are openly available online.
Imaging and Modeling the Impact of Multi‐Scale Pore Connectivity on Two‐Phase Flow in Mixed‐Wet Rock
Authors: Wang Shan , Mascini Arjen , Ruspini Leonardo C. , Øren Pål‐Eric , Bultreys Tom
Published: July 2023

The wetting properties of pore walls have a strong effect on multiphase flow through porous media. However, the fluid flow behavior in porous materials with both complex pore structures and non‐uniform wettability are still unclear. Here, we performed unsteady‐state quasi‐static oil‐ and water‐flooding experiments to study multiphase flow in two sister heterogeneous sandstones with variable wettability conditions (i.e., one natively water‐wet and one chemically treated to be mixed‐wet). The pore‐scale fluid distributions during this process were imaged by laboratory‐based X‐ray micro‐computed tomography (micro‐CT). In the mixed‐wet case, we observed pore filling events where the fluid interface appeared to be at quasi‐equilibrium at every position along the pore body (13% by volume), in contrast to capillary instabilities typically associated with slow drainage or imbibition. These events corresponded to slow displacements previously observed in unsteady‐state experiments, explaining the wide range of displacement time scales in mixed‐wet samples. Our new data allowed us to quantify the fluid saturations below the image resolution, indicating that slow events were caused by the presence of microporosity and the wetting heterogeneity. Finally, we investigated the sensitivity of the multi‐phase flow properties to the slow filling events using a state‐of‐the‐art multi‐scale pore network model. This indicated that pores where such events took place contributed up to 19% of the sample's total absolute permeability, but that the impact on the relative permeability may be smaller. Our study sheds new light on poorly understood multiphase fluid dynamics in complex rocks, of interest to for example, groundwater remediation and subsurface CO2 storage.
Impact of Stochastic Ocean Density Corrections on Air‐Sea Flux Variability
Authors: Agarwal Niraj , Small R. Justin , Bryan Frank O. , Grooms Ian , Pegion Philip J.
Published: July 2023

Air‐sea flux variability has contributions from both ocean and atmosphere at different spatio‐temporal scales. Atmospheric synoptic scales and the air‐sea turbulent heat flux that they drive are well represented in climate models, but ocean mesoscales and their associated variability are often not well resolved due to non‐eddy‐resolving spatial resolutions of current climate models. We deploy a physics‐based stochastic subgrid‐scale parameterization for ocean density, that reinforces the lateral density variations due to oceanic eddies, and examine its effect on air‐sea heat flux variability in a comprehensive coupled climate model. The stochastic parameterization substantially modifies sea surface temperature (SST) and latent heat flux (LHF) variability and their co‐variability, primarily at scales near the resolution of the ocean model grid. Enhancement in the SST‐LHF anomaly covariance, and correlations, indicate that the ocean‐intrinsic component of the air‐sea heat flux variability is more consistent with high‐resolution satellite observations, especially in Gulf Stream region.
Knife’s edge: Balancing immunogenicity and reactogenicity in mRNA vaccines
Authors: Lee Jisun , Woodruff Matthew C. , Kim Eui Ho , Nam Jae-Hwan
Published: July 2023

Since the discovery of messenger RNA (mRNA), there have been tremendous efforts to wield them in the development of therapeutics and vaccines. During the COVID-19 pandemic, two mRNA vaccines were developed and approved in record-breaking time, revolutionizing the vaccine development landscape. Although first-generation COVID-19 mRNA vaccines have demonstrated over 90% efficacy, alongside strong immunogenicity in humoral and cell-mediated immune responses, their durability has lagged compared to long-lived vaccines, such as the yellow fever vaccine. Although worldwide vaccination campaigns have saved lives estimated in the tens of millions, side effects, ranging from mild reactogenicity to rare severe diseases, have been reported. This review provides an overview and mechanistic insights into immune responses and adverse effects documented primarily for COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. Furthermore, we discuss the perspectives of this promising vaccine platform and the challenges in balancing immunogenicity and adverse effects.
MicroRNA: trends in clinical trials of cancer diagnosis and therapy strategies
Authors: Kim Taewan , Croce Carlo M.
Published: July 2023

As a type of short noncoding RNAs, microRNA (miRNA) undoubtedly plays a crucial role in cancer development. Since the discovery of the identity and clinical functions of miRNAs, over the past few decades, the roles of miRNAs in cancer have been actively investigated. Numerous pieces of evidence indicate that miRNAs are pivotal factors in most types of cancer. Recent cancer research focused on miRNAs has identified and characterized a large cohort of miRNAs commonly dysregulated in cancer or exclusively dysregulated in specific types of cancer. These studies have suggested the potential of miRNAs as biomarkers in the diagnosis and prognostication of cancer. Moreover, many of these miRNAs have oncogenic or tumor-suppressive functions. MiRNAs have been the focus of research given their potential clinical applications as therapeutic targets. Currently, various oncology clinical trials using miRNAs in screening, diagnosis, and drug testing are underway. Although clinical trials studying miRNAs in various diseases have been reviewed before, there have been fewer clinical trials related to miRNAs in cancer. Furthermore, updated results of recent preclinical studies and clinical trials of miRNA biomarkers and drugs in cancer are needed. Therefore, this review aims to provide up-to-date information on miRNAs as biomarkers and cancer drugs in clinical trials.
Care access and utilization among medicare beneficiaries living with Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Pearson Caroline , Hartzman Alex , Munevar Dianne , Feeney Megan , Dolhun Rachel , Todaro Veronica , Rosenfeld Sheera , Willis Allison , Beck James C.
Published: July 2023

An estimated 90% of people living with Parkinson’s disease (PD) in the US are covered by Medicare health insurance. How these beneficiaries use and engage the health care system is important to understand in the face of a rapidly growing PD population. Here, we analyzed health care utilization patterns of those with a PD diagnosis enrolled in Medicare in 2019. By our estimates, PD beneficiaries number 685,116 or 1.2% of the total Medicare population. Compared to the overall Medicare population, 56.3% are male (vs 45.6%), 77.9% over age 70 (vs 57.1%), 14.7% people of color (vs 20.7%), and 16.0% are rural residents (vs 17.5%). Our analysis identified significant disparities in care. Surprisingly, 40% of PD beneficiaries (n = 274,046) did not see a neurologist at all during the calendar year and only 9.1% visited a movement disorder specialist (MDS). Few Medicare beneficiaries diagnosed with PD use recommended services such as physical, occupational, or speech therapy. People of color and rural residents were least likely to access a neurologist or therapy services. Despite 52.9% of beneficiaries being diagnosed with depression, only 1.8% had a clinical psychology visit. Our findings emphasize the need for further research on population-specific barriers to accessing PD-related health care.
Visual field prediction using a deep bidirectional gated recurrent unit network model
Authors: Kim Hwayeong , Lee Jiwoong , Moon Sangwoo , Kim Sangil , Kim Taehyeong , Jin Sang Wook , Kim Jung Lim , Shin Jonghoon , Lee Seung Uk , Jang Geunsoo , Hu Yuanmeng , Park Jeong Rye
Published: July 2023

Although deep learning architecture has been used to process sequential data, only a few studies have explored the usefulness of deep learning algorithms to detect glaucoma progression. Here, we proposed a bidirectional gated recurrent unit (Bi-GRU) algorithm to predict visual field loss. In total, 5413 eyes from 3321 patients were included in the training set, whereas 1272 eyes from 1272 patients were included in the test set. Data from five consecutive visual field examinations were used as input; the sixth visual field examinations were compared with predictions by the Bi-GRU. The performance of Bi-GRU was compared with the performances of conventional linear regression (LR) and long short-term memory (LSTM) algorithms. Overall prediction error was significantly lower for Bi-GRU than for LR and LSTM algorithms. In pointwise prediction, Bi-GRU showed the lowest prediction error among the three models in most test locations. Furthermore, Bi-GRU was the least affected model in terms of worsening reliability indices and glaucoma severity. Accurate prediction of visual field loss using the Bi-GRU algorithm may facilitate decision-making regarding the treatment of patients with glaucoma.
Machine learning dislocation density correlations and solute effects in Mg-based alloys
Authors: Salmenjoki H. , Papanikolaou S. , Shi D. , Tourret D. , Cepeda-Jiménez C. M. , Pérez-Prado M. T. , Laurson L. , Alava M. J.
Published: July 2023

Magnesium alloys, among the lightest structural materials, represent excellent candidates for lightweight applications. However, industrial applications remain limited due to relatively low strength and ductility. Solid solution alloying has been shown to enhance Mg ductility and formability at relatively low concentrations. Zn solutes are significantly cost effective and common. However, the intrinsic mechanisms by which the addition of solutes leads to ductility improvement remain controversial. Here, by using a high throughput analysis of intragranular characteristics through data science approaches, we study the evolution of dislocation density in polycrystalline Mg and also, Mg–Zn alloys. We apply machine learning techniques in comparing electron back-scatter diffraction (EBSD) images of the samples before/after alloying and before/after deformation to extract the strain history of individual grains, and to predict the dislocation density level after alloying and after deformation. Our results are promising given that moderate predictions (coefficient of determination $$R^2$$

R
2

ranging from 0.25 to 0.32) are achieved already with a relatively small dataset ($$\sim$$
∼
5000 sub-millimeter grains).
Performance investigation of state-of-the-art metaheuristic techniques for parameter extraction of solar cells/module
Authors: Sharma Abhishek , Sharma Abhinav , Averbukh Moshe , Jately Vibhu , Rajput Shailendra , Azzopardi Brian , Lim Wei Hong
Published: July 2023

One of the greatest challenges for widespread utilization of solar energy is the low conversion efficiency, motivating the needs of developing more innovative approaches to improve the design of solar energy conversion equipment. Solar cell is the fundamental component of a photovoltaic (PV) system. Solar cell’s precise modelling and estimation of its parameters are of paramount importance for the simulation, design, and control of PV system to achieve optimal performances. It is nontrivial to estimate the unknown parameters of solar cell due to the nonlinearity and multimodality of search space. Conventional optimization methods tend to suffer from numerous drawbacks such as a tendency to be trapped in some local optima when solving this challenging problem. This paper aims to investigate the performance of eight state-of-the-art metaheuristic algorithms (MAs) to solve the solar cell parameter estimation problem on four case studies constituting of four different types of PV systems: R.T.C. France solar cell, LSM20 PV module, Solarex MSX-60 PV module, and SS2018P PV module. These four cell/modules are built using different technologies. The simulation results clearly indicate that the Coot-Bird Optimization technique obtains the minimum RMSE values of 1.0264E-05 and 1.8694E−03 for the R.T.C. France solar cell and the LSM20 PV module, respectively, while the wild horse optimizer outperforms in the case of the Solarex MSX-60 and SS2018 PV modules and gives the lowest value of RMSE as 2.6961E−03 and 4.7571E−05, respectively. Furthermore, the performances of all eight selected MAs are assessed by employing two non-parametric tests known as Friedman ranking and Wilcoxon rank-sum test. A full description is also provided, enabling the readers to understand the capability of each selected MA in improving the solar cell modelling that can enhance its energy conversion efficiency. Referring to the results obtained, some thoughts and suggestions for further improvements are provided in the conclusion section.
Prediction of hub genes and key pathways associated with the radiation response of human hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells using integrated bioinformatics methods
Authors: Sato Yoshiaki , Yoshino Hironori , Ishikawa Junya , Monzen Satoru , Yamaguchi Masaru , Kashiwakura Ikuo
Published: July 2023

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are indispensable for the maintenance of the entire blood program through cytokine response. However, HSCs have high radiosensitivity, which is often a problem during radiation therapy and nuclear accidents. Although our previous study has reported that the combination cytokine treatment (interleukin-3, stem cell factor, and thrombopoietin) improves the survival of human hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) after radiation, the mechanism by which cytokines contribute to the survival of HSPCs is largely unclear. To address this issue, the present study characterized the effect of cytokines on the radiation-induced gene expression profile of human CD34+ HSPCs and explored the hub genes that play key pathways associated with the radiation response using a cDNA microarray, a protein–protein interaction-MCODE module analysis and Cytohubba plugin tool in Cytoscape. This study identified 2,733 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and five hub genes (TOP2A, EZH2, HSPA8, GART, HDAC1) in response to radiation in only the presence of cytokines. Furthermore, functional enrichment analysis found that hub genes and top DEGs based on fold change were enriched in the chromosome organization and organelle organization. The present findings may help predict the radiation response and improve our understanding of this response of human HSPCs.
Role of face masks and ventilation rates in mitigating respiratory disease transmission in ICU
Authors: Arumuru Venugopal , Kusuluri Rajendra , Mirikar Dnyanesh
Published: July 2023

Indoor environments are major contributing locations where the respiratory virus transmission occurs. Higher air change rate (ACH) values (up to 12) have been recommended in hospital environments to reduce virus transmission. In the present study, the Large Eddy Simulation (LES) data of particle transport in a typical intensive care unit (ICU) is used to calculate the infection risk in close proximity interaction. Three different ACH (6, 9, 12) rates with face masks and one case with a healthy person wearing a face shield are considered. The average resident time of the droplets in the ICU is calculated to find the optimal ACH rate. Of the different types of masks analyzed in the present study, the triple-layer mask has shown the most resistance ($$0 \%$$

0
%

probability of infection) to the penetration of virus-laden droplets, while the single-layer mask has shown the highest risk of infection (up to $$97 \%)$$

97
%
)

. The results show that the ACH rate has little effect on close proximity transmission. The ACH 9 case provided optimal value for the particle removal, while the ACH 12 has inferior performance to that of ACH 9. From an energy consumption view, our results recommend not using higher ACH in similar indoor environments. Inside indoor environments, it is advised to wear a three-layer face mask and face shield to reduce the risk of infection.
Design of a novel dual-polarized microwave sensor for human bone fracture detection using reactive impedance surfaces
Authors: Nouri Moqadam Aslan , Kazemi Robab
Published: July 2023

This paper presents a novel miniaturized dual-polarized transceiver sensor system for detecting fractures in human bone tissues. The system features a patch antenna and a Reactive Impedance Surface (RIS) layer that reduces its size by 30% compared to conventional designs, resulting in enhanced fracture detection accuracy. Additionally, the system includes a dielectric plano-concave lens that adapts to the human body and improves impedance matching for optimal performance. The lens contains via holes filled with a lossy dielectric material similar to human fat tissue, which concentrates electromagnetic (EM) power and increases penetration depth for more effective crack detection. To detect fractures, two identical sensors are placed opposite each other on the tissue and moved simultaneously. The amount of EM power collected by the receiver sensor is measured using S-parameters; the transmission coefficient (S21) phases and contrast between the crack and surrounding tissue are used to construct images of fractured bones. Full-wave simulations and experimental measurements on a semi-solid human arm mimicking phantom demonstrate the proposed dual-polarized sensor's ability to detect the location and orientation of narrow cracks in the millimeter range. The system exhibits reliable performance across different human bodies.
HGF/c-Met signaling promotes the migration and proliferation of deer antler MSCs
Authors: Wang Miao , Lin Chuan , Jia Xiaodong , Fang Di , Gao Qinhua , Han Chunmei
Published: July 2023

The complete regeneration of deer antlers is based on the proliferation and differentiation of stem cells. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) of antlers have an important role in antler regeneration and rapid growth and development. HGF is mainly synthesized and secreted by mesenchymal cells. After binding to its receptor c-Met, which transduces signals into cells to stimulate cell proliferation and migration in various organs to promote tissue morphogenesis and angiogenesis. However, the role and mechanism of the HGF/c-Met signaling pathway on antler MSCs are still unclear. In this study, we established antler MSCs with overexpression and interference of HGF gene by lentivirus and small interference RNA, observed the effect of HGF/c-Met signal pathway on the proliferation and migration of antler MSCs, and detected the expression of downstream related signal pathway genes, to explore the mechanism of HGF/c-MET signal pathway on the proliferation and migration of antler MSCs. The results showed that the HGF/c-Met signal affects the expression of RAS, ERK and MEK genes, regulates the proliferation of pilose antler MSCs through Ras/Raf, MEK/ERK pathway, affects the expression of Gab1, Grb2, AKT and PI3K genes, and regulates the migration of MSCs of pilose antler through Gab1/Grb2 and PI3K/AKT pathway.
NiCoP/MXene nanocomposites via electrostatic self-assembly for high-performance supercapacitor electrodes
Authors: Liu Shuling , Li Ying , Zhang Wei , Wang Jie , Xu Wenxuan , Wang Chao
Published: July 2023

Electrostatic self-assembled NiCoP/MXene composites have excellent electrochemical performance.
A review on reactive oxygen species (ROS)-inducing nanoparticles activated by uni- or multi-modal dynamic treatment for oncotherapy
Authors: Lin Jinyong , Li Dong , Li Changhong , Zhuang Ziqi , Chu Chengchao , (Ken) Ostrikov Kostya , Thompson Erik W. , Liu Gang , Wang Peiyu
Published: July 2023

The multi-modal therapy has superior anti-tumor efficacy to the uni-modal using nanoparticles inducing reactive oxygen species (ROS). The multi-component nature of cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) enables multi-modal excitation with a single treatment.
Convergent micro-wave assisted synthesis of quinazolinone and its precursor using the bio-sourced solvent pinane
Authors: Richieu Antoine , Bertrand Philippe
Published: July 2023

High yields of diamide intermediates 7 or the final quinazolinones 8 can be prepared selectively under microwave irradiation using pinane as the solvent.
Liquid marble – a high-yield micro-photobioreactor platform
Authors: Nguyen Nhat-Khuong , Tran Du Tuan , Chuang Ann , Singha Pradip , Kijanka Gregor , Burford Michele , Ooi Chin Hong , Nguyen Nam-Trung
Published: July 2023

This paper demonstrates the use of a transparent liquid marble as a micro-photobioreactor for microalgal culture, with enhanced performance due to high light transmissivity and large surface area.
Multifunctional flexible ferroelectric thick-film structures with energy storage, piezoelectric and electrocaloric performance
Authors: Sadl Matej , Prah Uros , Kovacova Veronika , Defay Emmanuel , Rojac Tadej , Lebar Andrej , Valentinčič Joško , Ursic Hana
Published: July 2023

Flexible ferroelectric PMN–35PT thick film structures with energy storage, piezoelectric and electrocaloric performance were prepared by the room-temperature aerosol deposition method.
Synthesis of continuous MoS2:Er films and their enhanced NIR photoresponse for photo communication
Authors: Wang Lei , Ji Xiaohong , Zhang Qinyuan
Published: July 2023

Enhancing the near-infrared (NIR) photoresponse of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is essential for its photoelectric applications including photo communication.
A novel flexible sensor for double-parameter decoupling measurement of temperature and pressure with high sensitivity and wide range
Authors: Fan Leijin , Yang Xiaofeng , Sun Hu
Published: July 2023

A flexible two-parameter sensor based on the thermal-resistance effect and piezocapacitive effect is proposed to achieve the completely decoupled measurement of temperature and pressure.
Synergistic enhancement of the near-infrared luminescence properties of Ni2+-doped SrTiO3 perovskite phosphors and their application
Authors: Zhu Fengmei , Gao Yuan , Ding Junjie , Qiu Jianbei
Published: July 2023

A synergistic strategy to efficiently improve the near-infrared luminescence of a Ni2+-doped SrTiO3 perovskite-type phosphor both in terms of luminous intensity and thermostability by cation site substitution.
Ein Gespräch werden und voneinander hören: Wie Therapie das Liebe(n) lernen unterstützen kann
Authors: Fischer Alexander
Published: July 2023

Dieser Beitrag nähert sich aus philosophisch-therapeutischer Perspektive der Frage nach der Möglichkeit des Liebe(n)lernens. Hierzu wird in philosophischer Reflexion ein pragmatischer Liebe(n)sbegriff erarbeitet, der wiederum Ansatzpunkte für die Arbeit mit Klienten hervorbringt. Auf diese Ansatzpunkte wird sodann fokussiert, um eine individuell gestaltete Therapie anzuregen, die Klienten beim Liebe(n) lernen hilfreich sein soll.
Endlich sein
Authors: Leßmann Astrid , Spielmann Walter
Published: July 2023

Ist eine liebevolle Begegnung in einer psychiatrischen Einrichtung überhaupt möglich? Befunde über die aktuelle Situation in Medizin und Pflege sind nicht selten düster, in vielerlei Hinsicht alarmierend. Altbekannte, berechtigte Forderungen stehen auf der Tagesordnung und finden nicht zuletzt auch angesichts anderer gesellschaftlicher Herausforderungen wenig Resonanz. Dass es dennoch, von der breiten Öffentlichkeit meist unbemerkt, im praktischen Tun möglich ist, Menschen bei existenziellen Herausforderungen aufmerksam, liebevoll zur Seite zu stehen, soll stellvertretend für andere psychiatrische Einrichtungen mit einem Beitrag aus einem Tageshospiz deutlich werden. Darüber hinaus möchten wir zeigen, dass allein schon das Da-sein für Menschen in ihrer letzten Lebensphase zu sinnträchtigen Begegnungen führen kann, die auch aus psychotherapeutischer Sicht Beachtung verdienen.
Measurements of beam characteristics on a 70 MeV H− cyclotron system for ISOL beam production
Authors: Kim Jongwon
Published: July 2023

A 70 MeV H− cyclotron system was commissioned in order to measure the beam characteristics for the isotope separation on line (ISOL) operation in the energies range between 40 and 70 MeV. Using internal beams, the cyclotron magnet was precisely isochronized by applying the Smith-Garren method, achieving a main-coil current margin of 0.2 A for the beam stability. In the center region, beam profiles were measured by a differential radial probe to verify the specified dee voltage of 50 kV, which allows well-defined turn separation. Extracted beams were then used to check the beam line alignment by monitoring beam losses on segmented collimators and measuring variations on beam profiles. We measured transverse emittances of the cyclotron beam at a current of 25 µA by observing the beam profiles with upstream quadrupole strengths varied, which was the first time for this kind of 70 MeV cyclotron. Transmission efficiency along the beam line was measured as above 98% at a current of 100 µA. A temporary beam line was installed in the ISOL area, and we measured beam current distributions using a beam profile monitor shaped by wobbling at 60 Hz at a target location for beam diameters of 2 and 5 cm. A specific current distribution is generally required to reduce the maximum thermal stresses induced on the target. Finally, a maximum beam power of 50 kW was successfully tested at 70 MeV for 6 h.
Normative and mechanistic model of an adaptive circuit for efficient encoding and feature extraction
Authors: Chapochnikov Nikolai M. , Pehlevan Cengiz , Chklovskii Dmitri B.
Published: July 2023

One major question in neuroscience is how to relate connectomes to neural activity, circuit function, and learning. We offer an answer in the peripheral olfactory circuit of the
Drosophila
larva, composed of olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) connected through feedback loops with interconnected inhibitory local neurons (LNs). We combine structural and activity data and, using a holistic normative framework based on similarity-matching, we formulate biologically plausible mechanistic models of the circuit. In particular, we consider a linear circuit model, for which we derive an exact theoretical solution, and a nonnegative circuit model, which we examine through simulations. The latter largely predicts the ORN

→

LN synaptic weights found in the connectome and demonstrates that they reflect correlations in ORN activity patterns. Furthermore, this model accounts for the relationship between ORN

→

LN and LN–LN synaptic counts and the emergence of different LN types. Functionally, we propose that LNs encode soft cluster memberships of ORN activity, and partially whiten and normalize the stimulus representations in ORNs through inhibitory feedback. Such a synaptic organization could, in principle, autonomously arise through Hebbian plasticity and would allow the circuit to adapt to different environments in an unsupervised manner. We thus uncover a general and potent circuit motif that can learn and extract significant input features and render stimulus representations more efficient. Finally, our study provides a unified framework for relating structure, activity, function, and learning in neural circuits and supports the conjecture that similarity-matching shapes the transformation of neural representations.
Gravitational redshift test of EEP with RadioAstron from near Earth to the distance of the Moon
Authors: Nunes N V , Bartel N , Belonenko A , Manucharyan G D , Popov S M , Rudenko V N , Gurvits L I , Cimò G , Molera Calvés G , Zakhvatkin M V , Bietenholz M F
Published: July 2023

The Einstein Equivalence Principle (EEP) is a cornerstone of general relativity and predicts the existence of gravitational redshift. We report on new results of measuring this shift with RadioAstron (RA), a space very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) spacecraft launched into an evolving high eccentricity orbit around Earth with geocentric distances reaching 353 000 km. The spacecraft and ground tracking stations at Pushchino, Russia, and Green Bank, USA, were each equipped with a hydrogen maser frequency standard allowing a possible violation of the predicted gravitational redshift, in the form of a violation parameter ɛ, to be measured. By alternating between RA’s frequency referencing modes during dedicated sessions between 2015 and 2017, the recorded downlink frequencies can essentially be corrected for the non-relativistic Doppler shift. We report on an analysis using the Doppler-tracking frequency measurements made during these sessions and find

ε
=
(
2.1
±
3.3
)
×

10

−
4

. We also discuss prospects for measuring ɛ with a significantly smaller uncertainty using instead the time-domain recordings of the spacecraft signals and envision how 10−7 might be possible for a future space VLBI mission.