bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Opioid dispensing 2008–18: a Queensland perspective
Authors: Suckling Benita , Pattullo Champika , Donovan Peter , Gallagher Marcus , Patanwala Asad , Penm Jonathan
Published: January 2023

Objective This study provides an overview of opioid dispensing in Queensland from 2008 to 2018 by recipient age, drug, oral morphine equivalent and remoteness. Methods Data were obtained from the Queensland Monitoring of Drugs of Dependence System database for 2008–18 and analysed using data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics to account for population growth. Opioid dispensing by age, drug, oral morphine equivalent and remoteness were assessed. Results The number of prescriptions for Schedule 8 opioid medicines dispensed in Queensland increased from 190 to 430 per 1000 population over the study period (2.3-fold increase). Oxycodone had the largest increase in dispensing over the study period of 3.1-fold, with tapentadol increasing rapidly since initial Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme listing in 2013 to the third most dispensed opioid by 2018. By 2018, opioid dispensing among the oldest Queenslanders, those aged 85+ years, occurred at triple the rate for those aged 65–84 years. When adjusted to report oral morphine equivalents (OME) in milligrams (mg), there has been an increase of approximately 1.9-fold over the study period. Results were also presented by geographical area, including a heatmap and analysis by remoteness. Prescriptions dispensed per 1000 population were 416 for major cities, 551 for inner regional and 445 for outer regional, and highlight that inner and outer regional areas have higher rates of prescriptions when compared to major cities (32 and 7% higher, respectively). Conclusion This study highlights changes in opioid prescription dispensing by drug and OME, as well as the variation in dispensing rates when accounting for remoteness. Further studies to link statewide databases, and to better understand drivers for differences in dispensing by location, will provide valuable insights to further inform policy and service provision.
Rhyming prose and archaizing
Authors: El-Zawawy Amr M.
Published: January 2023

The present paper discusses the translation of the maqāmāt (i.e., assemblies) from Arabic into
English. The focus is on two main issues: the translation of rhyming prose into English and the problem of archaizing the language
when translating old literary texts, especially Arabic ones. The discussion of these two topics draws on different views,
especially Catford’s, Newmark’s, and Pym’s, and examples translated by the author and compared to Prendergast’s translation ([1915] 2015), the only rendition available. This discussion also touches upon the
dichotomy of foreignization versus domestication, as explicated by Venuti (1997). The paper concludes that translating expressive
texts is quite an undertaking, particularly if they are contingent on rhyming prose and archaisms as their basic features. Another
important conclusion is that the translator should keep an eye on the temporal distance between the two texts (i.e., the source
text and the target text). Archaisms are therefore proposed to sprinkle the translated text with that perceived aspect of time.
However, this does not mean that the target text will appear incomprehensible, for archaizing should be confined to the lexical
level and some syntactic constructions which characterize literary prose.
The

m

α
8

-order Foldy–Wouthuysen Hamiltonian and relativistic corrections to Coulomb systems
Authors: Zhou Wanping , Mei Xuesong , Qiao Haoxue
Published: January 2023

The

m

α
8

order nonrelativistic Hamiltonians of scalar, spinor and vector particles in the electromagnetic field are studied by applying the Douglas–Kroll–Hess approach. The result of the spin-1/2 spinor agrees with the Hamiltonian of the nonrelativistic quantum electrodynamics (Zhou et al 2019 Phys. Rev. A 100 012513). Additionally, the

m

α
6

-order relativistic correction to few-electron Coulomb systems and the

m

α
8

-order relativistic correction to two-electron Coulomb systems are derived. The singularities of Hamiltonians of Coulomb systems are separated out and cancelled. The regularized Hamiltonians up to

m

α
8

-order for scalar and electron in the Coulomb field are obtained. Their numerical results agree with the relativistic theory. The regularized Hamiltonian, up to

m

α
6

for few-electrons in the Coulomb field, is also derived.
Cr dopant induced tailoring of intrinsic defects and trap distribution in MgAl2O4 nanocrystals: electron spin resonance and thermoluminescence
Authors: Savita  , Kumar Sanjay , Vij Ankush , Thakur Anup
Published: January 2023

Thermoluminescence (TL) response of γ-irradiated Cr3+ doped MgAl2O4 nanocrystals is studied to investigate the impact of dopant ions on intrinsic defects and trap distribution. At low doping concentration, the broad TL glow curve has a dominant incomplete peak attributed to deep F+ centers around 673 K and contribution from shallow

V

M
g

,

V

A
l

,

M

g

A
l

and

A

l

M
g

trapping states in low temperature region. TL glow curve intensity and trap distribution is found to be influenced with increase in Cr doping concentration. Electron spin resonance spectra show the interaction of electron spins at paramagnetic F+/V− centers with isolated and paired Cr3+ ions with increase in Cr doping concentration. Cr3+ ions doped at octahedral sites are found to be perturbed by the presence of

V

M
g

,

M

g

A
l

,

A

l

M
g

etc defect centers and may cause the formation of Cr associated defect clusters at higher doping concentration. A trapping mechanism is proposed as per the TL response obtained upon γ-irradiation to comprehend the intertrap charge transfer among various shallow and deep trapping states.
Regularity criteria for 3D MHD equations via mixed velocity-magnetic gradient tensors
Authors: Jia Xuanji , Zhou Yong
Published: January 2023

A well-known regularity criterion in He and Xin (2005 J. Differ. Equ.
213 235–54) shows that if the velocity gradient tensor belongs to

L
q

(
0
,
T
;

L
p

(

R

3

)
)

with

2

/

q
+
3

/

p
=
2

,

3
/
2
<
p
⩽
∞

and

1
⩽
q
<
∞

, then the corresponding weak solution to the 3D magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equations is smooth on

(
0
,
T
]

. In this paper, we prove that the role of the velocity gradient tensor can be replaced by the combination of the diagonal part of the velocity gradient tensor and the non-diagonal part of the magnetic gradient tensor or by the combination of the diagonal part of the magnetic gradient tensor and the non-diagonal part of the velocity gradient tensor. The main interest among others is that the diagonal part of a gradient tensor is related to the deformation while the non-diagonal part is related to the rotation. Thus, our theorems may provide us with a new viewpoint to understand the potential singularity of the 3D MHD flow.
Oscillation period of the truncated simple pendulum
Authors: Torcal-Milla Francisco Jose
Published: January 2023

In this manuscript, a non typical kind of simple pendulum called Truncated Simple Pendulum is analysed to obtain its oscillation period, frequency, and angular frequency. It is easily derived that its motion can be viewed as the concatenation of two pendular movements with different lengths, contributing each one to half of the period of the complete oscillation. An analytical formulation is derived and corroborated with an experiment showing high agreement. This experiment could be interesting as a proposed exercise for the students or as a laboratory practical work. Besides, the gravity acceleration can be determined from each singular experiment and averaged to obtain it with lesser experimental error. In addition, it can be used to evaluate energy conservation theorem and small angle approximation (Law of isochronism) for the pendular oscillation. The level of the manuscript makes it appropriate for undergraduate students and introductory physics courses.
Teaching uniform linear motion using an Arduino sensor and a smartphone device
Authors: Karakotsou Christina , Zafiriadis Ilias
Published: January 2023

In this work, we designed and implemented an Arduino-based experiment to study one-dimensional uniform linear motion. The position of a small vehicle running at a constant velocity in one dimension, is measured using an ultrasonic sensor. A Bluetooth module connected to an Arduino board is paired with a smartphone, where data are acquired and position vs time curves of the vehicle are plotted on the smartphone’s screen. Students can share the experimental data via their smartphones and study uniform linear motion through guided experiments. The educational experience of the classroom implementation of the project is also presented. The results show that pairing an Arduino-based sensor with an android device, improves students’ comprehension of motion, enhances their motivation and cultivates positive attitude and anticipation for the forthcoming science lessons.
Everything can be magnetized: simulating diamagnetic and paramagnetic response of everyday materials in magnetic balance experiments
Authors: Laumann Daniel , Ries Matthias , Heusler Stefan
Published: January 2023

Magnetic properties are universal and inherent in all matter. While most experimental approaches focus on ferromagnetism and electromagnetism, few experiments exist to analyse diamagnetism and paramagnetism. To demonstrate these mostly unknown types of magnetic, magnetic balance experiments represent a simple and compelling approach. However, phenomenological experiments are not sufficient to develop a fundamental understanding of these types of magnetism. This paper presents an interactive simulation that can be used to complement magnetic balance experiments. It enables learners to understand diamagnetism and paramagnetism more deeply by incorporating interactive visual models gaining insights beyond the real experiments. Among other things, the simulation enables the analysis of substances without the possibility of detecting magnetic properties in real experiments, it visualizes the temporal evolution of magnetization and explains the influence of eddy currents.
Dynamic cone-beam CT reconstruction using spatial and temporal implicit neural representation learning (STINR)
Authors: Zhang You , Shao Hua-Chieh , Pan Tinsu , Mengke Tielige
Published: January 2023

Objective. Dynamic cone-beam CT (CBCT) imaging is highly desired in image-guided radiation therapy to provide volumetric images with high spatial and temporal resolutions to enable applications including tumor motion tracking/prediction and intra-delivery dose calculation/accumulation. However, dynamic CBCT reconstruction is a substantially challenging spatiotemporal inverse problem, due to the extremely limited projection sample available for each CBCT reconstruction (one projection for one CBCT volume). Approach. We developed a simultaneous spatial and temporal implicit neural representation (STINR) method for dynamic CBCT reconstruction. STINR mapped the unknown image and the evolution of its motion into spatial and temporal multi-layer perceptrons (MLPs), and iteratively optimized the neuron weightings of the MLPs via acquired projections to represent the dynamic CBCT series. In addition to the MLPs, we also introduced prior knowledge, in the form of principal component analysis (PCA)-based patient-specific motion models, to reduce the complexity of the temporal mapping to address the ill-conditioned dynamic CBCT reconstruction problem. We used the extended-cardiac-torso (XCAT) phantom and a patient 4D-CBCT dataset to simulate different lung motion scenarios to evaluate STINR. The scenarios contain motion variations including motion baseline shifts, motion amplitude/frequency variations, and motion non-periodicity. The XCAT scenarios also contain inter-scan anatomical variations including tumor shrinkage and tumor position change. Main results. STINR shows consistently higher image reconstruction and motion tracking accuracy than a traditional PCA-based method and a polynomial-fitting-based neural representation method. STINR tracks the lung target to an average center-of-mass error of 1–2 mm, with corresponding relative errors of reconstructed dynamic CBCTs around 10%. Significance. STINR offers a general framework allowing accurate dynamic CBCT reconstruction for image-guided radiotherapy. It is a one-shot learning method that does not rely on pre-training and is not susceptible to generalizability issues. It also allows natural super-resolution. It can be readily applied to other imaging modalities as well.
Postural and longitudinal variability in seismocardiographic signals
Authors: Azad Md Khurshidul , Gamage Peshala T , Dhar Rajkumar , Sandler Richard H , Mansy Hansen A
Published: January 2023

Objective. Low frequency cardiovascular vibrations detectable on the chest surface (termed seismocardiography or SCG) may be useful for non-invasive diagnosis and monitoring of various cardiovascular conditions. A potential limitation of using SCG for longitudinal patient monitoring is the existence of intra-subject variability, which can contribute to errors in calculating SCG features. Improved understanding of the contribution of intra-subject variability sources may lead to improved SCG utility. This study aims to quantify postural and longitudinal SCG variability in healthy resting subjects during normal breathing. Approach. SCG and ECG signals were longitudinally acquired in 19 healthy subjects at different postures (supine, 45° head up, and sitting) during five recording sessions over five months. SCG cycles were segmented using the ECG R wave. Unsupervised machine learning was used to reduce SCG variability due to respiration by grouping the SCG signals into two clusters with minimized intra-cluster waveform heterogeneity. Several SCG features were assessed at different postures and longitudinally. Main results. SCG waveform morphological variability was calculated within each cluster (intra-cluster) and between two clusters (inter-cluster) at each posture and data collection session. The variabilities were significantly different between the supine and sitting but not between supine and 45° postures. For the 45° and sitting postures, the intra-cluster variability was not significantly different, while the inter-cluster variability difference was significant. The energy ratio between different frequency bands to total spectral energy in 0.5–50 Hz were calculated and were comparable for all postures. The combined cardiac timing intervals from the two clusters showed significant variation with postural changes. There was significant heart rate difference between the clusters and between postural positions. The SCG features were compared between longitudinal sessions and all features were not significantly different, Significance. Several SCG features significantly varied with posture suggesting that posture needs to be specified when comparing SCG changes over time. Longitudinally comparable SCG feature values suggests that significant longitudinal differences, if observed, may reflect true alternations in the cardiac functioning over time.
Reduced transport models for a tokamak flight simulator
Authors: Muraca M , Fable E , Angioni C , Luda T , David P , Zohm H , Di Siena A , Upgrade Team the ASDEX
Published: January 2023

In this work, a very fast integrated transport model involving every region that interacts directly with the plasma of a tokamak, has been developed. The confined region is modeled in 1.5D, while the scrape-off layer has a 0D structure. For the core region, a physics-based analytical regression based on a set of simulations with the transport model TGLF [Staebler 2005 Phys. Plasmas
12 102508] has been produced. For the H-mode regime, an average edge-localized-modes model is applied in the pedestal region. In the scrape-off layer a two-point model for electron temperature (exhaust) and a particle balance for the species density at the separatrix have been implemented. All the models have first been validated individually in a standalone setting. Finally, six fully integrated simulations of an L-mode discharge, and five H-mode discharges, have been performed in the Fenix flight simulator [Janky et al 2019 Fusion Eng. Des.
146 1926, Fable et al 2022 Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion
64 044002], including transients, matching the experimental trajectories of an ASDEX upgrade discharge during flat-top and ramp-down. A broader validation including more discharges and the ramp-up phase is planned for the near future.
Enhanced electrical stability of thin film transistors based on nanocrystalline silicon films
Authors: Xu Hongyuan , Wan Guangmiao , Mai Jiaying , Jiang Zhixiong , Liu Bin , Zhang Shengdong
Published: January 2023

In this work, nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si) films were achieved by using normally processing method of amorphous silica thin film transistors (a-Si TFTs), plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). The effects of PECVD process parameters on the crystallization rate of nc-Si films were comprehensively studied and then an optimized nc-Si film has been achieved with a crystallinity of 50.87%. The electrical properties and stability of nc-Si TFTs are further investigated and compared with a-Si TFTs. The ΔV
th of the nc-Si TFTs are 0.14 V and −3.32 V under positive bias-temperature-illumination stress (60 °C, 30 V, 6000 nit) and negative bias-temperature-illumination stress (60 °C, −30 V, 6000 nit) after 1 h, which are 1.96 V and −5.51 V for a-Si TFT, respectively. The result reveals better photo stability of nc-Si TFTs than a-Si TFTs which is attributed to fewer defect states in nc-Si films.
Strain relaxation of semiconductor membranes: insights from finite element modeling
Authors: Mooney P M
Published: January 2023

Finite element (FE) models were employed to better understand the process used to fabricate elastically strain-relaxed in-place bonded semiconductor membranes for application as engineered substrates for semiconductor devices (Cohen et al 2005 Appl. Phys. Lett.
86 251902; Owen et al 2008 ECS Trans.
16 271; Owen et al 2009 Sci. Technol.
24 035011; Mooney et al 2014 Semicond. Sci. Technol.
29 075009; Salehzadeh et al 2014 Semicond. Sci. Technol.
29 085002). Initial structures consist of a compressively strained, square semiconductor membrane atop a sacrificial layer that is subsequently removed by etching in an hydrofluoric acid (HF) solution. Elastic relaxation of the compressive strain bends the free area of the membrane toward the substrate. But for the dimensions of most of the structures employed in the fabrication of in-place bonded membranes, the bending by elastic strain relaxation alone is not sufficient for the membrane corners to contact the substrate. FE models, therefore, confirm that an attractive force between the surface of the membrane and the surface of the substrate in the HF solution must act to hold the membrane in place during the wet etching process. FE models also confirm that in the etch solution the interface between the membrane and the substrate must be a sliding interface in order for the membrane to lie flat on the substrate once the sacrificial layer has been completely removed.
Passive topological waveguide controlled by the boundary of the patterned area of external magnetic field with the hybrid quantum Hall and valley Hall effects
Authors: Fang Yun-tuan , Gong Ping , He Sailing
Published: January 2023

Topological waveguides with arbitrary pathway are desirable for many applications. In this paper we construct a triangular compound lattice consisting of magnetic dielectric rods. By breaking the space symmetry and the time-reversal symmetry, the structure generates topological edge states (TESs) from the hybrid quantum Hall effects and valley Hall effects. This topological edge waveguide pathway can be arbitrary arranged just by the external magnetic field. The hybrid topological phase provides a new and ultraflexible way to the reconfiguration of the TESs.
Correlation between plasma characteristics, morphology, and microstructure of sputtered CuAl alloy films with varied target geometry
Authors: Alwen Adie , Hodge Andrea M
Published: January 2023

The effect of target geometry on coating microstructure and morphology is correlated to changes in deposition conditions, plasma characteristics, and film growth during planar and hollow cathode sputtering. The sputtering plasma properties for the two target geometries were characterized via Langmuir probe analysis as a function of power density and Ar pressure to determine the evolution of ion density for each configuration. Films were then synthesized at the low (0.4 W cm−2) and high (1.2 W cm−2) power densities and characterized using x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and electron backscatter diffraction to link changes in texturing, morphology, and microstructure with variations in ion density and sputtering deposition conditions caused by target geometry. It was observed that varying target geometry led to an over threefold increase in deposition rate, homologous temperature, and ion density, which altered the morphology and texture of the film without significant changes to the grain size.
Direct prediction of inelastic neutron scattering spectra from the crystal structure*
Authors: Cheng Yongqiang , Wu Geoffrey , Pajerowski Daniel M , Stone Matthew B , Savici Andrei T , Li Mingda , Ramirez-Cuesta Anibal J
Published: January 2023

Inelastic neutron scattering (INS) is a powerful technique to study vibrational dynamics of materials with several unique advantages. However, analysis and interpretation of INS spectra often require advanced modeling that needs specialized computing resources and relevant expertise. This difficulty is compounded by the limited experimental resources available to perform INS measurements. In this work, we develop a machine-learning based predictive framework which is capable of directly predicting both one-dimensional INS spectra and two-dimensional INS spectra with additional momentum resolution. By integrating symmetry-aware neural networks with autoencoders, and using a large scale synthetic INS database, high-dimensional spectral data are compressed into a latent-space representation, and a high-quality spectra prediction is achieved by using only atomic coordinates as input. Our work offers an efficient approach to predict complex multi-dimensional neutron spectra directly from simple input; it allows for improved efficiency in using the limited INS measurement resources, and sheds light on building structure-property relationships in a variety of on-the-fly experimental data analysis scenarios.
Text classification in memristor-based spiking neural networks
Authors: Huang Jinqi , Serb Alexantrou , Stathopoulos Spyros , Prodromakis Themis
Published: January 2023

Memristors, emerging non-volatile memory devices, have shown promising potential in neuromorphic hardware designs, especially in spiking neural network (SNN) hardware implementation. Memristor-based SNNs have been successfully applied in a wide range of applications, including image classification and pattern recognition. However, implementing memristor-based SNNs in text classification is still under exploration. One of the main reasons is that training memristor-based SNNs for text classification is costly due to the lack of efficient learning rules and memristor non-idealities. To address these issues and accelerate the research of exploring memristor-based SNNs in text classification applications, we develop a simulation framework with a virtual memristor array using an empirical memristor model. We use this framework to demonstrate a sentiment analysis task in the IMDB movie reviews dataset. We take two approaches to obtain trained SNNs with memristor models: (1) by converting a pre-trained artificial neural network (ANN) to a memristor-based SNN, or (2) by training a memristor-based SNN directly. These two approaches can be applied in two scenarios: offline classification and online training. We achieve the classification accuracy of 85.88% by converting a pre-trained ANN to a memristor-based SNN and 84.86% by training the memristor-based SNN directly, given that the baseline training accuracy of the equivalent ANN is 86.02%. We conclude that it is possible to achieve similar classification accuracy in simulation from ANNs to SNNs and from non-memristive synapses to data-driven memristive synapses. We also investigate how global parameters such as spike train length, the read noise, and the weight updating stop conditions affect the neural networks in both approaches. This investigation further indicates that the simulation using statistic memristor models in the two approaches presented by this paper can assist the exploration of memristor-based SNNs in natural language processing tasks.
Premature atrial contractions promote local directional heterogeneities in conduction velocity vectors
Authors: van Schie Mathijs S , Ramdat Misier Nawin L , Razavi Ebrahimi Payam , Heida Annejet , Kharbanda Rohit K , Taverne Yannick J H J , de Groot Natasja M S
Published: January 2023

Aims

Loss of cell-to-cell communication results in local conduction disorders and directional heterogeneity (LDH) in conduction velocity (CV) vectors, which may be unmasked by premature atrial contractions (PACs). We quantified LDH and examined differences between sinus rhythm (SR) and spontaneous PACs in patients with and without atrial fibrillation (AF).

Methods and results

Intra-operative epicardial mapping of the right and left atrium (RA, LA), Bachmann’s bundle (BB) and pulmonary vein area (PVA) was performed in 228 patients (54 with AF). Conduction velocity vectors were computed at each electrode using discrete velocity vectors. Directions and magnitudes of individual vectors were compared with surrounding vectors to identify LDH. Five hundred and three PACs [2 (1–3) per patient; prematurity index of 45 ± 12%] were included. During SR, most LDH were found at BB and LA [11.9 (8.3–14.9) % and 11.3 (8.0–15.2) %] and CV was lowest at BB [83.5 (72.4–94.3) cm/s, all P < 0.05]. Compared with SR, the largest increase in LDH during PAC was found at BB and PVA [+13.0 (7.7, 18.3) % and +12.5 (10.8, 14.2) %, P < 0.001]; CV decreased particularly at BB, PVA and LA [−10.0 (−13.2, −6.9) cm/s, −9.3 (−12.5, −6.2) cm/s and −9.1 (−11.7, −6.6) cm/s, P < 0.001]. Comparing patients with and without AF, more LDH were found during SR in AF patients at PVA and BB, although the increase in LDH during PACs was similar for all sites.

Conclusion

Local directional heterogeneity is a novel methodology to quantify local heterogeneity in CV as a possible indicator of electropathology. Intra-operative high-resolution mapping indeed revealed that LDH increased during PACs particularly at BB and PVA. Also, patients with AF already have more LDH during SR, which becomes more pronounced during PACs.
Influence of four fiber-rich supplements on digestibility of energy and nutrients and utilization of energy and nitrogen in early and mid-gestating sows
Authors: Wisbech Sigrid J , Bruun Thomas S , Bach Knudsen Knud E , Nielsen Tina S , Theil Peter K
Published: January 2023

The digestibility of energy and nutrients in fiber-rich diets depends greatly on the fiber source but most data are from studies with growing pigs. The purpose of this study was to investigate the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of nutrients in different fiber-rich diets and to quantify whole-body metabolism and utilization of energy and nitrogen (N) in gestating sows. Four fiber-rich diets based on sugar beet pulp (SBP), soy hulls (SH), palm kernel expellers (PKE), or a mixed fiber (MF) were formulated, with an average daily intake of total fiber (TF) of 471, 507, 651, and 437 g/d, respectively. A total of 48 multiparous sows were stratified by body weight at mating (day 0) and assigned to one of the four diets throughout gestation. Body weight and backfat were measured, and body pools of fat and protein were estimated using the deuterium oxide dilution technique at days 0, 30, and 60. On days 30 and 60, urine and fecal grab samples were obtained. On days 15 and 45, heart rate was measured to estimate total heat production. The ATTD of nutrients differed across treatments (P < 0.001), while in vivo organic matter digestibility deviated with up to ±3.3% units from in vitro enzyme digestibility of organic matter. The ATTD of energy was highly negatively correlated with intake of lignin (P < 0.001), while ATTD of N was highest (negatively) correlated (P < 0.001) with intake of insoluble non-starch polysaccharides (NSP). The ATTD of all nutrients except NSP was lowest in PKE-fed sows and highest, except for N, in sows fed the SBP diet. The ATTD of N was highest in the MF-fed sows and ATTD of NSP was lowest in the MF-fed sows. Sows lost most energy as heat (53% to 72% of gross energy intake), followed by energy in feces (15% to 17%), urine (3% to 4%), and methane (0.5% to 0.9%). Energy for maintenance accounted for the majority of the heat production and the total energy retention was lowest and highest in the SBP- and PKE-fed sows, with a retention of 3.3 and 13.3 MJ/d, respectively (P < 0.001). Sows lost most N through urine, the lowest and highest N loss (relative to intake) was observed in SH- and SBP-fed sows (50% to 63%, respectively), while 14% to 26% was retained as body protein. In conclusion, the fiber-rich diets were utilized efficiently by gestating sows with respect to energy with ATTD values above 82% in all four fiber-rich diets, whereas the high TF content in the diets compromised the N utilization in gestating sows.
Characterization of mutants deficient in N-terminal phosphorylation of the chloroplast ATP synthase subunit β
Authors: Strand Deserah D , Karcher Daniel , Ruf Stephanie , Schadach Anne , Schöttler Mark A , Sandoval-Ibañez Omar , Hall David , Kramer David M , Bock Ralph
Published: January 2023

Understanding the regulation of photosynthetic light harvesting and electron transfer is of great importance to efforts to improve the ability of the electron transport chain to supply downstream metabolism. A central regulator of the electron transport chain is ATP synthase, the molecular motor that harnesses the chemiosmotic potential generated from proton-coupled electron transport to synthesize ATP. ATP synthase is regulated both thermodynamically and post-translationally, with proposed phosphorylation sites on multiple subunits. In this study we focused on two N-terminal serines on the catalytic subunit β in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), previously proposed to be important for dark inactivation of the complex to avoid ATP hydrolysis at night. Here we show that there is no clear role for phosphorylation in the dark inactivation of ATP synthase. Instead, mutation of one of the two phosphorylated serine residues to aspartate to mimic constitutive phosphorylation strongly decreased ATP synthase abundance. We propose that the loss of N-terminal phosphorylation of ATPβ may be involved in proper ATP synthase accumulation during complex assembly.
Customizable, reconfigurable, and anatomically coordinated large-area, high-density electromyography from drawn-on-skin electrode arrays
Authors: Ershad Faheem , Houston Michael , Patel Shubham , Contreras Luis , Koirala Bikram , Lu Yuntao , Rao Zhoulyu , Liu Yang , Dias Nicholas , Haces-Garcia Arturo , Zhu Weihang , Zhang Yingchun , Yu Cunjiang
Published: January 2023

Accurate anatomical matching for patient-specific electromyographic (EMG) mapping is crucial yet technically challenging in various medical disciplines. The fixed electrode construction of multielectrode arrays (MEAs) makes it nearly impossible to match an individual's unique muscle anatomy. This mismatch between the MEAs and target muscles leads to missing relevant muscle activity, highly redundant data, complicated electrode placement optimization, and inaccuracies in classification algorithms. Here, we present customizable and reconfigurable drawn-on-skin (DoS) MEAs as the first demonstration of high-density EMG mapping from in situ-fabricated electrodes with tunable configurations adapted to subject-specific muscle anatomy. The DoS MEAs show uniform electrical properties and can map EMG activity with high fidelity under skin deformation-induced motion, which stems from the unique and robust skin-electrode interface. They can be used to localize innervation zones (IZs), detect motor unit propagation, and capture EMG signals with consistent quality during large muscle movements. Reconfiguring the electrode arrangement of DoS MEAs to match and extend the coverage of the forearm flexors enables localization of the muscle activity and prevents missed information such as IZs. In addition, DoS MEAs customized to the specific anatomy of subjects produce highly informative data, leading to accurate finger gesture detection and prosthetic control compared with conventional technology.
S-01-2: ASSOCIATION OF EXPOSURE TO AIR POLLUTANTS DURING ADOLESCENCE WITH BLOOD PRESSURE IN YOUNG ADULTHOOD
Authors: Wu Jingjing , Lu Yao
Published: January 2023

Objective:

The effect of long-term exposure to air pollutants during adolescence on blood pressure in young adulthood is uncertain. We aimed to assess the association of air pollutants exposure during adolescence with blood pressure in young adulthood based on a nationwide sample of Chinese college students.

Design and method:

This cross-sectional study of incoming students was conducted in five geographically disperse universities in China during September and October 2018. Mean concentrations of particulate matter (PM) with diameters < = 2.5 um (PM2.5), < = 10 um (PM10), and nitrogen dioxides (NO2) at participants’ residential addresses during 2013–2018 were collected from the Chinese Air Quality Reanalysis dataset. A generalized linear mixed model was used to estimate the connection between air pollutants exposure and systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and pulse pressure (PP).

Results:

A total of 16,042 participants (18.2 ± 0.7 years of age, 54.0% male) were included in the final analysis. After adjusting for potential confounding factors including age, sex, body mass index, drinking, smoking, physical activity, humidity, temperature, and so on, a 10 ug/m3 increase in PM10 and NO2 was significantly associated with 0.86 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.51, 1.21] in SBP, 0.83[95% CI: 0.52, 1.13] in PP, respectively. Similarly, 1.69 [95% CI: 0.92, 2.46] in SBP and 1.76 [95% CI: 1.09, 2.43] in PP were found for each 10 ug/m3 increase in PM10. However, there was no correlation between PM2.5 and SBP, DBP, and PP (P > 0.05).

Conclusions:

Our study suggests that exposure to air pollutants during adolescence may contribute to a significant correlation with elevated blood pressure in young adulthood. The findings of this study emphasize the impacts of air pollutants exposure on potential health and the need of minimizing pollution exposures in the environment.
Implementation and Evaluation of an Interprofessional Health Systems Science Professional Development Program
Authors: Gonzalo Jed D. , Hamilton Maria , DeWaters Ami L. , Munyon Ryan , Miller Erin , Wolf Heidi , Wolpaw Daniel R. , Thompson Britta M.
Published: January 2023

Problem

Few interprofessional development programs focused on learning knowledge and skills in health systems science (HSS) have been described. The authors implemented a professional development program (the HSS Academy) for interprofessional clinicians and trainees. The authors describe the HSS Academy, report preliminary outcomes, and describe strategies for use in other programs.

Approach

The HSS Academy (an 8-month active learning classroom and project-based curriculum) was implemented at Penn State College of Medicine in 2015. To create an interprofessional environment, participants were selected from various professions and phases of training. The curriculum was anchored in HSS competencies (e.g., high-value care, quality improvement, social determinants of health, health system strategy and delivery) and included 2 distinct threads focused on systems thinking competencies and academic skill development. It featured course speakers and faculty from diverse roles and disciplines both inside and outside the health system, application of HSS competencies in local system contexts, and networking with interprofessional colleagues.

Outcomes

From 2015 to 2021, 121 of 128 participants, including physicians, medical students, and nurses, completed the HSS Academy (95% completion rate). Over 90 individuals, including faculty and system leaders, contributed to the HSS Academy as educators. Comparisons of pre–post evaluations demonstrated statistically significant self-perceived improvements in HSS knowledge and skills, systems thinking, and HSS teaching knowledge and skills. Projects (n = 110) most commonly focused on health care delivery, quality improvement, or patient safety. Teaching strategies to meet each objective, several barriers encountered, and strategies to address those barriers are described.

Next Steps

Next steps will be to address financial support for creating and sustaining the HSS Academy, ensure a mutually shared understanding of the HSS Academy’s goals among all stakeholders, facilitate meaningful change from scholars’ work, and provide networking and opportunities for scholars to continue work in HSS after completion of the HSS Academy.
Multidisciplinary Pain Management: A Tale of Two Outcomes
Authors: Butler Stephen H. , Loeser John D.
Published: January 2023

Economic implications of pain management. By Loeser JD. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand 1999; 43:957–95. Reprinted with permission.

Multidisciplinary pain management was an invention of John J. Bonica, M.D. He started the Multidisciplinary Pain Clinic at the University of Washington in 1960. This clinical service evolved over the years, and when John Loeser, M.D., became its director in 1982, he collaborated with Bill Fordyce, Ph.D., to create what was known as “the structured program.” The program has served as the model for pain treatment programs throughout the world, many of which have fared better than that at the University of Washington. The migration of Stephen Butler, M.D., to Uppsala, Sweden, in 2000 has given us the opportunity to contrast multidisciplinary pain management in the Nordic countries with that in the United States.
Synovectomy in juvenile idiopathic arthritis: A systematic review
Authors: Badin Daniel , Leland Christopher R , Bronheim Rachel S , Balmuri Nayimisha , Lee R Jay
Published: January 2023

Background:

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is an inflammatory arthropathy with onset in children younger than 16 years. Treatment is primarily medical; however, surgical interventions, such as arthroscopic or open synovectomy, can be beneficial. Many studies have investigated synovectomy in JIA, but the results of these studies have not been synthesized to our knowledge. Therefore, we performed a systematic review of the literature reporting synovectomy as a treatment for JIA to provide clinical recommendations regarding its risks and benefits.

Methods:

On March 8, 2022, we searched the Cochrane Library, Embase, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science for studies evaluating clinical outcomes of open or arthroscopic synovectomy to treat JIA in patients younger than 18 years. We included only studies published in English and excluded studies of synovectomy to treat other arthropathies, septic arthritis, hemophilia, or foreign body arthropathy. The level of evidence for included studies was determined by using the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine criteria. We qualitatively analyzed clinical outcomes data, including patient-reported pain relief, rates of symptom recurrence, and postoperative complications.

Results:

Of 428 articles assessed, 14 were included in our analysis. One was a randomized trial, 1 was a case-control study, and all others were case-series. Studies consistently reported that synovectomy was associated with improved function and decreased pain postoperatively. However, comparisons with modern medical therapy were lacking. Rates of arthritis recurrence varied, with increasing symptom recurrence with longer follow-up and re-synovectomy rates up to 15%. Oligoarticular disease and early disease course were associated with better response to synovectomy, whereas systemic and polyarticular disease were associated with poor response. Stiffness requiring manipulation under anesthesia was the most common complication (4% of all included patients).

Conclusion:

Although synovectomy is associated with positive functional outcomes and pain reduction postoperatively, there was inadequate comparison thus inadequate evidence to recommend it over modern medical therapy. The current literature suggests that synovectomy should be offered only to patients for whom medical management has failed, while noting the risks of decreased range of motion and symptom recurrence over time.
Trends and distribution of birth asphyxia, Uganda, 2017-2020: A retrospective analysis of public health surveillance data
Authors: Komakech Allan , Aceng Freda L. , Migamba Stella M. , Nakamya Petranilla , Mutumba Robert , Bulage Lilian , Kwesiga Benon , Ario Alex R.
Published: January 2023

Background

During 2018-2020, almost half of all neonatal deaths reviewed in Uganda were due to birth asphyxia. In 2015, Uganda adopted the Every Newborn Action Plan interventions to renew focus on surveillance for birth asphyxia and other childhood-related illnesses. In 2016, Ministry of Health implemented an evidence-based educational program for birth attendants about neonatal resuscitation techniques to improve management of birth asphyxia. Birth asphyxia is reported on a monthly basis in Uganda as part of routine reporting. We described the trends and distribution of birth asphyxia in Uganda during 2017–2020 following these renewed efforts.

Methods

We analysed birth asphyxia surveillance data from the District Health Information System 2 during January 2017–December 2020. We calculated incidence of birth asphyxia per 1,000 deliveries at district, regional, and national levels. We used line graphs to demonstrate the trend of birth asphyxia incidence with the corresponding reporting rates at national and regional levels and used logistic regression to evaluate significance of the trends. Using choropleth maps, we described the distribution of birth asphyxia incidence at district level.

Results

The average national annual incidence of birth asphyxia increased by 4.5% from 2017 to 2020 (OR=1.05; 95%CI=1.04-1.05, p=0.001), with national quarterly reporting rates of 70-80% over the same period. Incidence in the Northern and Eastern Regions increased 6% (OR=1.06; 95%CI=1.05-1.07, p=0.001) and 5% (OR=1.05; 95%CI=1.03-1.05, p=0.001), respectively, over the study period. Bundibugyo, Iganga, and Mubende Districts had rates of >60/1,000 during each of the four years of the study period. The least affected district was Kazo District, with an overall incidence of 3/1,000 over the study period.

Conclusion

The incidence of birth asphyxia increased nationally from 2017-2020. Continuous capacity-building in birth asphyxia management, with emphasis on the most affected districts, could reduce the burden of this public health problem in Uganda.
Improving cardiovascular risk prediction beyond pooled cohort equations: a prospective cohort of 304,356 participants
Authors: Elliott Joshua , Bodinier Barbara , Whitaker Matthew , Tzoulaki Ioanna , Elliott Paul , Chadeau-Hyam Marc
Published: January 2023

Background

Pooled Cohort Equations (PCE) are used to predict cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Inclusion of other variables may improve risk prediction.

Objective

Identify variables improving CVD risk prediction beyond recalibrated PCE.

Design

Prospective cohort study; sex-stratified Cox survival models with LASSO stability selection to predict CVD in non-overlapping subsets: variable selection (40%), model training (30%) and testing (30%).

Setting

UK population.

Participants

UK Biobank: 121,724 and 182,632 healthy men and women, respectively, aged 38-73 years at baseline.

Measurements

Personal/family medical history; lifestyle factors; genetic, biochemical, hematological, and metabolomic blood markers. Outcomes were incident hospitalization or mortality from CVD.

Results

There were 11,899 (men) and 9,110 (women) incident CVD cases with median 12.1 years follow-up. Variables selected for both men and women were: age, albumin, antihypertensive medication, apolipoprotein B, atrial fibrillation, C-reactive protein, current smoker, cystatin C, family history of coronary artery disease, glycated hemoglobin, polygenic risk score (PRS) for CVD and systolic blood pressure. Also selected: apolipoprotein A1, lipoprotein(a), white blood cell count, deprivation index (men); triglycerides (women). C-statistics for recalibrated PCE were 0.67 [0.66-0.68] and 0.69 [0.68-0.70] in men and women, respectively, improving to 0.71 [0.70-0.72] and 0.72 [0.71-0.73] with LASSO stably selected variables. Categorical net reclassification improvement (7.5% risk threshold) versus PCE was 0.054 [0.038-0.070] (men) and 0.081 [0.063-0.099] (women). Addition of targeted metabolomic data to LASSO stability selection did not improve predictive accuracy.

Limitations

Analyses were done in a single population study and require external replication.

Conclusion

Additional personal/family medical history, blood-based markers and genetic information improve CVD risk prediction beyond PCE.

Funding source

National Institute for Health Research Academic Clinical Fellowship (JE); Medical Research Council studentship (BB); European Union H2020 (MC-H).
Neck pain service utilization and costs: association with timing of non-pharmaceutical services for individuals initially contacting a primary care provider. A retrospective cohort study
Authors: Elton David , Zhang Meng
Published: January 2023

Background

Neck pain (NP) is prevalent and costly. NP clinical practice guidelines are similar to those for low back pain (LBP), emphasizing non-pharmaceutical and non-interventional first-line approaches. Primary care providers (PCP) are frequently consulted by individuals with NP.

Objective

Examine the association between guideline concordant incorporation of non-pharmaceutical therapies, use of imaging, pharmaceutical, and interventional services, and total episode cost for individuals with NP initially contacting a PCP.

Design

Retrospective cohort study using identical methods to a previous LBP study

Setting/Patients

National sample of individuals with non-surgical NP occurring in 2017-2019.

Measurements

Independent variables were initial contact with a PCP, and the timing of incorporation of 5 types of non-pharmaceutical therapies. Dependent measures included use of 13 types of health care services and total episode cost.

Results

70,252 PCPs were initially contacted by 124,780 individuals with 137,274 episodes of non-surgical NP. 30.9% of PCPs and 22.1% of episodes included at least one of five non-pharmaceutical services at any time during an episode. Active care (13.7% of episodes), manual therapy (10.8%), and chiropractic manipulative therapy (9.4%) were the most common non-pharmaceutical services. 7.4% of episodes included a non-pharmaceutical service during the first 7 days with these episodes associated with a modest reduction (risk ratio 0.28 to 0.78) in the use of prescription pharmaceuticals. Younger individuals from ZIP codes with higher adjusted gross income were more likely to receive a non-pharmaceutical service in the first 7 days of an episode. When included during an episode, non-pharmaceutical services were associated with an increase in total episode cost with the smallest increase associated with chiropractic and osteopathic manipulation.

Limitations

As a retrospective observational analysis of associations there are numerous potential confounders and limitations.

Conclusions

Non-pharmaceutical services are infrequently provided to individuals with non-surgical NP initially contacting a PCP. For these individuals, non-pharmaceutical services, if provided, are most commonly introduced later in an episode after receiving pharmaceutical, imaging, and interventional services. For individuals with NP initially contacting a PCP there is an opportunity to increase the guideline concordant incorporation of non-pharmaceutical services early in an episode.