bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Theoretical investigation of the impact of intra‐ and inter‐layer coupling of high TC superconductor Nd2‐xCexCuO4
Authors: Yayeh Zewdie , Kahsay Gebregziabher , Negussie Tamiru
Published: August 2023

The aim of the current study is to investigate the impact of layer coupling on the characteristics of high TC superconductor Nd2‐xCexCuO4 (NCCO). In this study, the intra‐ and inter‐layer couplings are taken into consideration. By applying the double time Green's function (GF) technique and formulating a model Hamiltonian, the transition temperature (TC) of superconductor Nd2‐xCexCuO4 is computed quantitatively by considering the intra‐ and inter‐layer interactions as independent variables. By increasing the layer interactions, the increase in TC is observed. Furthermore, TC is calculated by taking into consideration different number of interlayer interactions as independent variables which subsequently resulted in the enhancement of TC. Besides, TC has been computed as a function of electron doping as a result of which a dome shaped figure has been perceived in the temperature versus doping phase diagram. The superconducting order parameter (Δ) has been also reckoned as a function of temperature and is observed to gradually decrease as temperature increases and eventually vanishes at TC. A slight increment in TC is observed as the doping values of charge carriers increase. Our findings are discussed in connection with the experimental studies of superconductivity (SC) in Nd2CuO4 based layered compounds.
The association of urinary BDNF, ATP, and MMP‐2 with bladder compliance in children with myelodysplasia
Authors: Sekerci Cagri Akin , Kutukoglu Mehmet Umut , Basok Banu Isbilen , Fidan Mesut , Cam Sebahat , Yucel Selcuk , Tarcan Tufan
Published: August 2023

Aim

The purpose of our study was to evaluate the relationship of urinary brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), adenosine triphosphate (ATP), matrix metallopreteinase‐2 (MMP‐2) with urodynamic findings and upper urinary tract deterioration (UUTD) in children with myelodysplasia.

Materials and Methods

Children with myelodysplasia evaluated in outpatient clinic between 2022 and 2023 were included. All patients underwent urinary ultrasonography, voiding cystourethrography, urodynamics, and DMSA scintigraphy. Urine samples were collected before urodynamics. Control urine was collected from 10 healthy children. Urinary biomarker values of patients and controls were compared, and subgroup analysis was performed.

Results

The median age of 40 children (26 girls) included in the study was 108 (8–216) months, and the control group (six girls) was 120 (60–154) (p = 0.981). Urinary BDNF, MMP‐2, and ATP were found to be significantly higher in children with myelodysplasia compared to the control (p = 0.007, p = 0.027, p = 0.014, respectively). The three biomarker values were similar in children with bladder compliance below or above 10 cmH2O/mL (p = 0.750, p = 0.844, p = 0.575). No difference was found in terms of UUTD in all three biomarkers (p = 0.387, p = 0.892, p = 0.705). A negative correlation was found between urinary ATP and compliance (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

In this study, all three biomarkers were found to be higher in children with myelodysplasia than in controls. There was a negative correlation between urinary ATP and compliance. Urinary biomarkers may contribute the follow‐up of children with neurogenic lower urinary tract deterioration in future with their noninvasive features. However, the lack of standardization and the inability to reliably predict risky groups are important shortcomings of urinary biomarkers.
Chris Huang: Bringing his experience to Purdue University Fort Wayne
Authors: D’Orio Wayne
Published: August 2023

When Chris Huang took his first job as registrar in 2006, he didn’t know what he didn’t know. He had worked in admissions, so he did understand much of how a college operates. And he thought his lack of experience was in some ways a benefit; it would allow him to attack the wide variety of registrar tasks with a fresh look, instead of defaulting to operating the way it had always been done.
The propagation of Hermite–Gauss wave packets in optics and quantum mechanics
Authors: Briggs John S.
Published: August 2023

The two‐dimensional paraxial equation of optics and the two‐dimensional time‐dependent Schrödinger equation, derived as approximations of the three‐dimensional Helmholtz equation and the three‐dimensional time‐independent Schrödinger equation, respectively, are identical. Here the free propagation in space and time of Hermite–Gauss wave packets (optics) or harmonic oscillator eigenfunctions (quantum mechanics) is examined in detail. The Gouy phase is shown to be a dynamic phase, appearing as the integral of the adiabatic eigenfrequency or eigenenergy. The wave packets propagate adiabatically in that at each space or time point they are solutions of the instantaneous harmonic problem. In both cases, it is shown that the form of the wave function is unchanged along the loci of the normals to wave fronts. This invariance along such trajectories is connected to the propagation of the invariant amplitude of the corresponding free wave number (optics) or momentum (quantum mechanics) wave packets. It is shown that the van Vleck classical density of trajectories function appears in the wave function amplitude over the complete trajectory. A transformation to the co‐moving frame along a trajectory gives a constant wave function multiplied by a simple energy or frequency phase factor. The Gouy phase becomes the proper time in this frame.

Key Points

This paper builds a bridge between quantum mechanics (QM) and classical optics in that

the identity of the paraxial equation of optics and the Schrödinger equation of QM is shown,

the Bohmian trajectories of QM are defined in optics,

the Gouy phase of optics is defined in QM and given a new interpretation and

The space and momentum wave functions are equivalent along a trajectory.
Labor mobility and the Affordable Care Act: Heterogeneous impacts of the preexisting conditions provision
Authors: Connolly Laura , Hampton Matt , Lenhart Otto
Published: August 2023

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) preexisting conditions provision ensures that insurance companies can no longer deny coverage, charge higher premiums, or exclude coverage due to a preexisting health condition. In this paper, we evaluate the impact of the provision on labor mobility. We use data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics for years 2009 through 2019 and estimate difference‐in‐differences models to determine whether the provision improved labor mobility for individuals with chronic conditions. While females respond along the extensive margin by being less likely to work, males experience broader labor mobility improvements. Men are more likely to start a new job, become employed in a different industry, and move to a different state in the post‐policy period. Labor mobility improvements are largest among males with household incomes greater than 138% of the federal poverty level, males ages 35 to 49, and males with conditions first diagnosed more than 10 years ago. Last, we show that the policy improved access to health insurance coverage and reduced the likelihood that health impacts the amount or type of work, which ultimately increased labor market flexibility. Our results highlight the heterogenous impacts of the provision on different subgroups of the population.
Maternal SARS‐CoV‐2 infection: The potential vertical transmission of SARS‐CoV‐2 and impact on neonates: A review
Authors: Xia Wei , Peng Zhoujie
Published: August 2023

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2), a large, lipid‐enveloped, single‐stranded RNA virus, is a highly contagious virus that caused coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19), declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020. Pregnant women are usually considered at high risk for infectious diseases, including COVID‐19. Maternal SARS‐CoV‐2 infection can adversely affect the pregnancy and birth outcomes, such as abortion, intrauterine growth restriction, and prematurity. Some meta‐analysis suggested that the outcomes of newborns are different between symptomatic and asymptomatic pregnant women but similar in asymptomatic and SARS‐CoV‐2 negative group. Maternal infection increases the risk of vertical transmission; also the presence of SARS‐CoV‐2 or its RNA in maternal samples in some case reports raised the possibility of intrauterine transmission. Also, contact transmission during delivery and postnatal transmission are discussed. Although most infected newborns are asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic, there are case reports of severe neonatal SARS‐CoV‐2 infection, including cardiorespiratory failure and death. Otherwise, some studies suggested that the COVID‐19 pandemic was associated with a reduction for preterm birth during the pandemic compared with the prepandemic period. We conduct this review to try to make a conclusion about the vertical transmission of SARS‐CoV‐2 and impact on neonates due to Maternal SARS‐CoV‐2 infection.
Flexible and durable conductive nickel/graphene‐coated polyethylene terephthalate fabric for highly efficient electromagnetic shielding
Authors: Babaahmadi Vahid , Moradi Hamidreza , Askari Gholamreza , Nasouri Komeil
Published: August 2023

This research describes a facile method to prepare durable and highly conductive polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fabrics for electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding applications. The PET fabric surface was first coated with graphene (Gr), which converted PET to conductive Gr‐PET fabric. In addition, magnetic nickel (Ni) nanoparticles were deposited on the Gr‐PET substrate by an electroplating approach with different deposition time intervals (5–20 min). The surface morphology, microstructure, magnetic properties, electric conductivity, and EMIs shielding properties of the Ni/Gr‐PET fabrics were ascribed as a function of the deposition times. The Ni/Gr‐PET fabrics with different nickel nanoparticle morphologies display different microstructures. The manufactured Ni/Gr‐PET fabrics exhibited excellent electrical conductivity and saturation magnetization of 100–134 S/cm and 14–30 emu/g, respectively. The EMI shielding efficiency of the manufactured Ni/Gr‐PET fabrics with 15 min of deposition time reached −70.0 dB with a thickness of 0.33 ± 0.03 mm over the 8–12 GHz frequencies. The Ni/Gr‐PET fabrics maintained relatively durable electrical properties even after cyclic bending, ultra‐sonication, and treatment with organic solvents. It has been demonstrated that the properties of Ni/Gr‐PET fabrics can be controlled by changing the surface morphology and microstructure of the nickel nanoparticles, which provides a novel protocol to manufacture PET fabrics with highly efficient EMI shielding properties.
Tackling Imatinib Resistance via Au‐nanoconjugates using A Cml Resistant Cell Line
Authors: Abdulmawjood Bilal , Roma‐Rodrigues Catarina , Baptista Pedro V. , Fernandes Alexandra R.
Published: August 2023

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a rare malignant proliferative hematopoietic disease due to overexpression of a tyrosine kinase (TK) derived from the breakpoint cluster region (BCR)‐abelson tyrosine‐protein kinase 1 (ABL1) gene fusion. Imatinib (IM), blocks this tyrosine kinase, and is the first line TK inhibitor (TKI) used in CML treatment. In a high percentage of CML patients, a poor response with relapse and disease progression is associated to acquisition of resistance through different mechanisms, including dysregulation of c‐MYC proto‐oncogene. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are shown to allow improved efficacy in gene silencing approaches toward cancer therapy. Herein, the silencing potential of AuNPs functionalized with antisense oligonucleotides selectively targeting the e14a2 BCR‐ABL1 or the c‐MYC, alone and combination is evaluated. It is demonstrated efficient silencing of gene expression that translated to a downregulation of protein levels in IM resistant CML cells (K562‐IM). This combination allowed for increased death of the malignant cells. These Au‐nanoconjugates may be useful to tackle IM‐resistance mechanisms, providing an additional tool for future combinatory schemes to fight CML with imatinib resistance.
Outcomes of a respiratory therapist driven high flow nasal cannula management protocol for pediatric critical asthma patients
Authors: Maue Danielle K. , Cater Daniel T. , Rogerson Colin M. , Ealy Aimee , Tori Alvaro J. , Abu‐Sultaneh Samer
Published: August 2023

Introduction

This study aimed to determine if a respiratory therapist (RT)‐driven high flow nasal cannula (HFNC) protocol could decrease duration of HFNC use, pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and hospital length of stay (LOS), and duration of continuous albuterol use in pediatric patients with critical asthma.

Methods

This was a quality improvement project performed at a quaternary academic PICU. Patients admitted to the PICU between 2 and 18 years of age with a diagnosis of asthma requiring continuous albuterol and HFNC were included. Implementation of an RT‐driven HFNC protocol [Plan‐Do‐Study‐Act (PDSA) 1] occurred in October 2017. Additional interventions included weaning continuous albuterol and HFNC simultaneously (PDSA 2; March 2019), adjusting HFNC wean rate (PDSA 3; July 2020), and a HFNC holiday (PDSA 4; October 2021). HFNC duration was the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes included LOS data and continuous albuterol duration. Noninvasive ventilation (NIV), invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV), and 7‐day PICU and hospital readmission rates were used as balancing measures.

Results

A total of 410 patients were included. Patient demographics and adjunct therapy use did not differ among the groups. After PDSA 2, mean HFNC duration decreased (26.8–18.1 h). Mean PICU LOS decreased (41–31.8 h). Mean hospital LOS also decreased (86.5–68 h). These outcomes remained stable during PDSA 3 and 4. Continuous albuterol duration and NIV use were unchanged, while IMV use decreased.

Conclusions

An RT‐driven HFNC protocol led to decreased length of HFNC and PICU and hospital LOS for pediatric patients with critical asthma without an increase in adverse events.
Effects of aquatic exercises in patients after total hip arthroplasty: A systematic review
Authors: Centurião Julio Henric V. M. , Obara Karen , Silva Carla T. , Paixão Luana , Silva Mariana F. , Dias Josilainne M. , Cardoso Jefferson R.
Published: August 2023

Background

Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is a surgical procedure that can alter physical function and quality of life.

Objectives

The aim was to verify the effects of aquatic exercises compared with exercises on land, control or other modalities, in patients undergoing THA on the primary outcomes: self‐reported physical function, quality of life and pain; and secondary outcomes: muscle strength, functional capacity and gait.

Design

Systematic review that followed the PRISMA Statement and PROSPERO registered. The search was performed in the following databases: Web of Science, Embase, Medline, Cinahl, Lilacs, SPORTDiscus, Cochrane Library, Scopus, SciELO, and PEDro, from 1945 to 2022. The risk of bias assessment was performed using the Risk of Bias 2 (RoB2) from the Cochrane Collaboration.

Results

Three randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included, with a total of 364 participants. In the selection process, two publications from the same study were found. The RoB2 assessment classified one RCT as “high risk of bias” and the others as “low risk of bias”. Therefore, the analysis of the results considered only studies with a low risk of bias. For the self‐reported physical function outcome, evaluated by WOMAC, improvement was observed in favor of aquatic exercises, when started on the 14th postoperative day. Pain improved after 24th week postoperative, in favor of exercise (effect size between 0.2 and 0.4). Quality of life, verified only by one RCT, improved at each time point evaluated (effect size between 0.01 and 0.10). The functional capacity showed no difference between the groups. This was the first systematic review to assess the benefits of aquatic exercises specifically in THA and it was possible to infer that the exercises initiated after 14 days of postoperative are safer. The protocol should include proprioceptive, coordination, and resistance exercises. The session can last around 30 min and is held three times a week.

Conclusion

Decision making for treatment in the postoperative of THA may include aquatic exercises as a safe and efficacious alternative to improve self‐reported physical function, pain, quality of life, and muscle resistance.
zPoseScore model for accurate and robust protein–ligand docking pose scoring in CASP15
Authors: Shen Tao , Liu Fuxu , Wang Zechen , Sun Jinyuan , Bu Yifan , Meng Jintao , Chen Weihua , Yao Keyi , Mu Yuguang , Li Weifeng , Zhao Guoping , Wang Sheng , Wei Yanjie , Zheng Liangzhen
Published: August 2023

We introduce a deep learning‐based ligand pose scoring model called zPoseScore for predicting protein–ligand complexes in the 15th Critical Assessment of Protein Structure Prediction (CASP15). Our contributions are threefold: first, we generate six training and evaluation data sets by employing advanced data augmentation and sampling methods. Second, we redesign the “zFormer” module, inspired by AlphaFold2's Evoformer, to efficiently describe protein–ligand interactions. This module enables the extraction of protein–ligand paired features that lead to accurate predictions. Finally, we develop the zPoseScore framework with zFormer for scoring and ranking ligand poses, allowing for atomic‐level protein–ligand feature encoding and fusion to output refined ligand poses and ligand per‐atom deviations. Our results demonstrate excellent performance on various testing data sets, achieving Pearson's correlation  = 0.783 and 0.659 for ranking docking decoys generated based on experimental and predicted protein structures of CASF‐2016 protein–ligand complexes. Additionally, we obtain an averaged local distance difference test (lDDT pli = 0.558) of AIchemy LIG2 in CASP15 for de novo protein–ligand complex structure predictions. Detailed analysis shows that accurate ligand binding site prediction and side‐chain orientation are crucial for achieving better prediction performance. Our proposed model is one of the most accurate protein–ligand pose prediction models and could serve as a valuable tool in small molecule drug discovery.
Denials, delusions, and bias
Authors: Nelson Pamela , Robbins Kristin
Published: August 2023

During the years that I have led process hazard analyses (PHA), I have repeatedly encountered team members who adamantly proclaimed that a scenario that I have proposed is invalid or too farfetched. Their reasoning is based on the idea that “It can't happen here” or “We have operated for twenty years and that's never happened.” This paper will focus on three examples of the above reasoning. The first and second will examine the "it can't happen here" attitude and the third will explore the "it hasn't happened so it won't happen" mindset. Through analyzing both of these scenarios, this paper will delve into the development of human bias that leads to these determinantal attitudes. Each example from an actual PHA Team will illustrate the prevalence of these type of human bias. It will also provide recommendations for addressing these two particular types of bias in a process hazard analysis. Failure is an inherent product of these human biases and this paper will seek to address why people fail to learn from prior incidents at their own company and those from industry. Each example from an actual PHA Team will illustrate these types of human bias. It will also provide some recommendations for addressing these two types of bias in a process hazard analysis. Using the examples from real‐life PHAs to illustrate the concepts of human bias and how they can affect the ability of a PHA team to adequately assess risk, will provide insight on how this can occur and how it can be addressed. The overall objective of this paper is to help develop a better understanding of how human bias can lead to failure to learn from prior incidents and is reflective of Process Safety Culture. Overcoming and addressing human bias supports learning from other incidents and improve the assessment of risk.
The development and optimisation of an HPLC‐based in vitro serum stability assay for a calcitonin gene‐related peptide receptor antagonist peptide
Authors: D'Aloisio Vera , Schofield Adam , Kendall David A. , Hutcheon Gillian A. , Coxon Christopher R.
Published: August 2023

Evaluation of the stability of peptide drug candidates in biological fluids, such as blood serum, is of high importance during the lead optimisation phase. Here, we describe the optimisation and validation of a method for the evaluation of the stability of a lead calcitonin gene‐related peptide antagonist peptide (P006) in blood serum. After initially determining appropriate peptide and human serum concentrations and selection of the quenching reagent, the HPLC method optimisation used two experimental designs, Plackett–Burman design and Taguchi design. The analytical method was validated as complying with the International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use guidelines. The optimised method allowed the successful resolution of the parent peptide from its metabolites using RP‐HPLC and identification of the major metabolites of P006 by mass spectrometry. This paradigm may be widely adopted as a robust early‐stage platform for screening peptide stability to rule out candidates with low in vitro stability, which would likely translate into poor in vivo pharmacokinetics.
Metastable aluminum boride: density functional theory study of prerequisites of formation
Authors: Flyagina Irina S. , Markov Alexander A. , Malkin Alexander I. , Popov Dmitry A. , Chuvildeev Vladimir N.
Published: August 2023

Aluminum borides have significant practical interest as energetic additives to fuels, explosives and propellants due to their favorable thermodynamic and kinetic characteristics. Density functional theory calculations with periodic boundary conditions have been performed to evaluate the enthalpy of formation of two aluminum borides: the well‐known aluminum diboride AlB2 and the metastable Al1.28B phase, which precedes the formation of AlB2 during heat treatment of mechanically activated composite aluminum‐boron powders, as well as aluminum ion‐implanted with boron. The calculated formation enthalpy of AlB2 is −3.6 kcal/mol, which agrees well with estimates from literature. The enthalpy of formation of Al1.28B, calculated for the first time, is 4.8 ± 0.4 kcal/mol. To understand the prerequisites for the formation of Al1.28B observed in experiments, the enthalpy of formation of supersaturated solid solutions of B in Al has been evaluated. The reasons for the preferential formation of the metastable Al1.28B phase over the thermodynamically stable AlB2 phase are discussed.
Inferring odontocete life history traits in dentine using a multiproxy approach (δ15N, δ44/42Ca and trace elements)
Authors: Martin Jeremy E. , Tacail Théo , Simon Laurent , Hassler Auguste , Télouk Philippe , Balter Vincent
Published: August 2023

Rationale

Understanding the interactions between marine mammals and their environment is critical for ecological and conservation purposes. Odontocetes offer a continuous record of their life history from birth as recorded in annual increments of their tooth dentine. Because dentine is not remodeled and contains collagen, nitrogen stable isotope compositions (δ15N) reflect nursing and weaning events, life history traits that would otherwise be impossible to retrieve in such elusive marine animals. Yet, capturing the magnitude and temporal changes in these events is constrained by tooth size and sampling resolution. Moreover, historical and fossil specimens undergo collagen decay, hence the need to develop the measurements of other proxies.

Methods

Here, we present a multiproxy approach to investigate the use of Ca isotope compositions (δ44/42Ca) in relation to δ15N and laser ablation profiles for different trace metal (Ba, Mg, Sr, Zn) concentrations across the dentine of a single individual of the common bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus.

Results

To help interpret the dentine data, we provide milk elemental compositions and δ44/42Ca values for two odontocete individuals. We discuss the observed changes in δ44/42Ca across the dentine as potential markers of birth, weaning interval, incidental ingestion of seawater, trophic level and physiology. Incidental ingestion of seawater during nursing induces a positive offset in δ44/42Ca values recorded in the early formed dentine.

Conclusions

Life history parameters of individual marine mammals are extremely difficult to retrieve due to limitations in observing specimens in the wild and the methodology presented here offers new ecological and paleoecological perspectives.
Serum leucine‐rich α2‐glycoprotein as a possible marker for inflammatory status in endometriosis
Authors: Kobayashi Mio , Nakamura Orie , Kitahara Yoshikazu , Inoue Naoki , Tsukui Yumiko , Hasegawa Yuko , Hiraishi Hikaru , Yabuki Atsushi , Muraoka Ayako , Osuka Satoko , Iwase Akira
Published: August 2023

Purpose

This study aimed to investigate whether serum leucine‐rich α2‐glycoprotein (LRG) is a useful diagnostic biomarker for endometriosis, including the evaluation of treatment efficacy and exploration of LRG production in endometriotic lesions.

Methods

Forty‐three women with endometriomas were compared to 22 women with benign ovarian cysts and 30 women who underwent assisted reproduction as controls. Changes in serum LRG levels were assessed before and after surgery, and during dienogest treatment. LRG expression in endometriotic tissue samples was evaluated using immunoblotting.

Results

Serum LRG levels in the endometrioma group (80.0 ± 36.3 μg/mL) were significantly higher than those in the benign ovarian cyst (65.1 ± 27.0 μg/mL, p = 0.0265) and control (57.8 ± 22.3 μg/mL, p = 0.0028) groups. Serum LRG levels after endometrioma surgery were significantly lower than preoperative levels (p = 0.0484). Serum LRG levels consistently decreased during dienogest treatment. LRG expression levels were significantly higher in endometriotic tissues than in the normal endometrium.

Conclusion

Serum LRG, possibly derived from local and systemic origins, could be used as a potential biomarker for the diagnosis and treatment of endometriosis.
Did court dismiss student's deliberate indifference claim?
Authors: Lyerly Eric
Published: August 2023

A graduate student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst emailed a dean to report sexual harassment from a classmate. The classmate, a transgender student named “CD,” allegedly described their genitals, discussed their history as a sex worker, and divulged details about their sexual relationships. CD also purportedly asked the student to help them cheat on homework assignments and exams in the course.
Registrar aims to reshape higher ed in Saudi Arabia
Authors: D’Orio Wayne
Published: August 2023

After 10 years of working in admissions and registrar offices in higher education, Melissa Manuel under‐ stands how hard it can be to change the ways institutions do business.
Theorizing science‐civic practices: Youth adaptation and remixing of scientific numeracies within digital civic media
Authors: Zummo Lynne , Gargroetzi Emma , Hadzic Lea
Published: August 2023

Informed civic engagement has long been a goal of science education. Yet, how youth civically engage using science—what knowledge and practices they draw on, when, how, and for what purposes—remains largely unknown. By examining youth civic digital media production around climate change and COVID‐19, we shed light on this area. We view both scientific and civic engagement through the theoretical lens of social practice, which locates learning, knowledge, and cognition within culturally embedded social activities. With this theoretical disposition, we examined media produced by youth during the 2020 U.S. presidential election, asking: (1) What scientific numeracies did youth use in civic participation about climate change and COVID‐19? And (2) In what ways did youth adapt and/or remix canonical scientific numeracies within their digital civic media production? Through qualitative coding of 249 media pieces, we identified ways in which youth engaged and adapted scientific civic numeracies. We found that youth often adapted canonical forms of numeracy, integrated or “remixed” scientific numeracies with other knowledges such as those of place and politics, and interwove multiple numeracies. We begin to theorize science‐civic practices, or the locally‐meaningful ways of participating and meaning‐making that interweave multiple literacies used to advance one's civic aims. We use our findings to argue for the imperative of bringing the civic world into the science classroom.
Presenting a socio‐scientific issue in a science and technology museum: Effects on interest, knowledge and argument repertoire
Authors: Novak Magdalena , Gramser Siëlle , Köster Sandra , Ceseña Feliza , Gerber‐Hirt Sabine , Schwan Stephan , Lewalter Doris
Published: August 2023

Many museums deal with socio‐scientific issues—meaning topics with multiple perspectives and ongoing research, such as climate change, vaccinations, or livestock farming. As important and trusted sources of science education, museums can play a critical role in raising awareness about such issues. They tend to highlight the various perspectives on the topic and thereby are able to provide a balanced and impartial information presentation. Visitors are therefore confronted both with views that correspond to their own beliefs and with views that contradict their beliefs and are supported in developing an informed opinion on the respective topic. In our study, we used an experimental exhibition on the topic “animal husbandry” to investigate the extent to which, first, an exhibition visit in general and, second, how different picture captions affect knowledge acquisition and interest. We chose a between‐subjects design with the factor conflict framing through picture captions. Whereas one group visited an exhibition in which the picture captions were formulated neutrally, another group read picture captions that emphasized the existing conflict. A control group, which did not visit the exhibition at all, allowed us to examine the general effect of the exhibition. As dependent variables, we chose interest and knowledge acquisition as common instruments of educational visitor research. However, we went one step further and used an innovative instrument: visitors' argument repertoire. We found that visiting the exhibition led to higher interest, knowledge acquisition, and a more balanced argument repertoire. Varying the captions had no significant effect. Implications and limitations are discussed.
Approximate likelihood and pseudo‐likelihood inference in meta‐analysis of diagnostic accuracy studies accounting for disease prevalence and study design
Authors: Guolo Annamaria
Published: August 2023

Bivariate random‐effects models represent a recommended approach for meta‐analysis of diagnostic test accuracy, jointly modeling study‐specific sensitivity and specificity. As the severity of the disease status can vary across studies, a proper analysis should account for the dependence of the accuracy measures on the disease prevalence. To this aim, trivariate generalized linear mixed‐effects models have been proposed in the literature, although computational difficulties strongly limit their applicability. In addition, the attention has been mainly paid to cohort studies, where the study‐specific disease prevalence can be estimated from, while information from case‐control studies is often neglected. To overcome such limits, this article introduces a trivariate approximate normal model, which accounts for disease prevalence along with accuracy measures in cohort studies and sensitivity and specificity in case‐control studies. The model represents an extension of the bivariate normal mixed‐effects model originally developed for meta‐analysis not accounting for disease prevalence, under an approximate normal within‐study distribution for the logit of estimated sensitivity and specificity. The components of the approximate within‐study covariance matrix are derived and the likelihood function is obtained in closed‐form. The approximate likelihood approach is compared to that based on the exact within‐study distribution and to its modifications following a pseudo‐likelihood strategy aimed at reducing the computational effort. The comparison is based on simulation studies in a variety of scenarios, and illustrated in a meta‐analysis about the accuracy of a test to diagnose fungal infection and a meta‐analysis of a noninvasive test to detect colorectal cancer.
Improving Crystallinity and Out‐of‐Plane Orientation in Quasi‐2D Ruddlesden‐Popper Perovskite by Fluorinated Organic Salt for Light‐Emitting Diodes
Authors: He Bingchen , Liu Tanghao , Wang Chenyue , Wen Zhaorui , Sun Bo , Wen Wen , Xing Guichuan , Gao Xingyu , Chen Shi
Published: August 2023

Fluoro‐substituted aromatic alkylammonium spacer cations are found effective to improve the performance of quasi‐2D perovskite light‐emitting diodes (PeLEDs). The fluorine substitution is generally attributed to the defect passivation, quantum well width control, and energy level adjustments. However, the substituted cations can also affect the crystallization process but is not thoroughly studied. Herein, a comparison study is carried out using bare PEA cation and three different fluoro‐substituted PEA (x‐F‐PEA, x = o, ortho; m, meta; p, para) cations to investigate the impacts of different substitution sites on the perovskite crystallization and orientations. By using GIWAXS, p‐F‐PEA cation is found to induce the strongest preferential out‐of‐plane orientations with the best crystallinity in quasi‐2D perovskite. Using dynamic light scattering (DLS) methods, larger colloidal particles (630 nm) are revealed in p‐F‐PEA precursor solutions than the PEA cations (350 nm). The larger particles can accelerate the crystallization process and induce out‐of‐plane orientation from increased dipole–dipole interaction. The transient absorption measurement confirms longer radiative recombination lifetime, proving beneficial effect of p‐F‐PEA cation. As a result, the fabricated p‐F‐PEA‐based PeLEDs achieved the highest EQE of 15.2%, which is higher than those of PEA‐ (8.8%), o‐F‐PEA‐ (4.3%), and m‐F‐PEA‐based (10.3%) PeLEDs.
Efficient linearizability checking for actor‐based systems
Authors: Al‐Mahfoudh Mohammed S. , Stutsman Ryan , Gopalakrishnan Ganesh
Published: August 2023

Recent demand for distributed software had led to a surge in popularity in actor‐based frameworks. However, even with the stylized message passing model of actors, writing correct distributed software is still difficult. We present our work on linearizability checking in DS2, an integrated framework for specifying, synthesizing, and testing distributed actor systems. The key insight of our approach is that often subcomponents of distributed actor systems represent common algorithms or data structures (e.g., a distributed hash table or tree) that can be validated against a simple sequential model of the system. This makes it easy for developers to validate their concurrent actor systems without complex specifications. DS2 automatically explores the concurrent schedules that system could arrive at, and it compares observed output of the system to ensure it is equivalent to what the sequential implementation could have produced. We describe DS2's linearizability checking and test it on several concurrent replication algorithms from the literature. We explore in detail how different algorithms for enumerating the model schedule space fare in finding bugs in actor systems, and we present our own refinements on algorithms for exploring actor system schedules that we show are effective in finding bugs.
A hypothetico‐deductive theory of science and learning
Authors: Kalinowski Steven T. , Pelakh Avital
Published: August 2023

This article presents a simple, cognitive theory of science and learning. The first section of the paper develops the theory's two main propositions: (i) A wide range of scientific activities rely heavily on one type of reasoning, hypothetical thinking, and (ii) This type of reasoning is also useful to students for learning science content. The second section of the paper presents a taxonomy of multiple‐choice questions that use hypothetical thinking and the third section of the paper tests the theory using data from a college biology course. As expected by the theory, student responses to 24 scientific reasoning questions were consistent with a one‐dimensional psychometric construct. Student responses to the scientific reasoning questions explained 36% of the variance in exam grades. Several directions for additional research are identified, including studying the psychometric structure of scientific thinking in more detail, performing randomized, controlled experiments to demonstrate a causal relationship between scientific thinking and learning, and identifying the relative contribution of other factors to success in college.
Adaptive Carrier Frequency Offset Estimation in Interference Environments for OFDMA Uplink Systems
Authors: Cheng Nan‐Hung , Chen Chien‐Chung , Wang Yi‐Fan , Chen Yung‐Fang
Published: August 2023

In orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, carrier frequency offsets (CFOs) influence the different users. In this paper, we proposed a CFO estimation algorithm with strong interference resistant capability for OFDMA systems. The first part of the proposed algorithm processes the received signals so as to deal with the CFO estimation problem. And the second part of the proposed algorithm is to use the proposed adaptive process to obtain the updated CFO estimation and track the parameters' time‐variations. Simulations demonstrate the effectiveness of this method and show that its performance is to the Cramer‐Rao Bounds (CRB). © 2023 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC.
LncRNA Miat knockdown enhances pirarubicin‐mediated anticancer sensitivity in breast cancer cells
Authors: Huang Peng , Cheng Hongyuan , Ji Jiahua , Zhang Wenqing , Ma Jiulong , Wei Dexian , Ren Liqun
Published: August 2023

Pirarubicin (THP) is a widely used antitumor agent in clinical practice, but its reduced sensitivity during treatment has limited its use. The aim of this study was to investigate the role and mechanism of LncRNA Miat knockdown in improving THP sensitivity. We assessed the role of Miat overexpression/knockdown on THP‐mediated 4T1 anticancer activity by CCK8, TUNEL, flow cytometry, wound healing assay, Transwell, Ca2+, real time quantitative PCR (RT‐qPCR) and Western blot. The results showed that Miat expression was higher in 4T1 mouse breast cancer cells than in HC11 mouse mammary epithelial cells, while THP decreased Miat expression in 4T1. Miat knockdown in combination with further reduced cell viability, promoted apoptosis and inhibited migration compared to THP alone. This may be related to the reduction of calcium ions in 4T1. In conclusion, Miat knockdown enhanced the sensitivity of THP to 4T1 by inhibiting calcium channels.
k‐mer‐based GWAS enhances the discovery of causal variants and candidate genes in soybean
Authors: Lemay Marc‐André , de Ronne Maxime , Bélanger Richard , Belzile François
Published: August 2023

Genome‐wide association studies (GWAS) are powerful statistical methods that detect associations between genotype and phenotype at genome scale. Despite their power, GWAS frequently fail to pinpoint the causal variant or the gene controlling a given trait in crop species. Assessing genetic variants other than single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) could alleviate this problem. In this study, we tested the potential of structural variant (SV)‐ and k‐mer‐based GWAS in soybean by applying these methods as well as conventional SNP/indel‐based GWAS to 13 traits. We assessed the performance of each GWAS approach based on loci for which the causal genes or variants were known from previous genetic studies. We found that k‐mer‐based GWAS was the most versatile approach and the best at pinpointing causal variants or candidate genes. Moreover, k‐mer‐based analyses identified promising candidate genes for loci related to pod color, pubescence form, and resistance to Phytophthora sojae. In our dataset, SV‐based GWAS did not add value compared to k‐mer‐based GWAS and may not be worth the time and computational resources invested. Despite promising results, significant challenges remain regarding the downstream analysis of k‐mer‐based GWAS. Notably, better methods are needed to associate significant k‐mers with sequence variation. Our results suggest that coupling k‐mer‐ and SNP/indel‐based GWAS is a powerful approach for discovering candidate genes in crop species.
Skim exome capture genotyping in wheat
Authors: Wang Hongliang , Bernardo Amy , St. Amand Paul , Bai Guihua , Bowden Robert L. , Guttieri Mary J. , Jordan Katherine W.
Published: August 2023

Next‐generation sequencing (NGS) technology advancements continue to reduce the cost of high‐throughput genome‐wide genotyping for breeding and genetics research. Skim sequencing, which surveys the entire genome at low coverage, has become feasible for quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping and genomic selection in various crops. However, the genome complexity of allopolyploid crops such as wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) still poses a significant challenge for genome‐wide genotyping. Targeted sequencing of the protein‐coding regions (i.e., exome) reduces sequencing costs compared to whole genome re‐sequencing and can be used for marker discovery and genotyping. We developed a method called skim exome capture (SEC) that combines the strengths of these existing technologies and produces targeted genotyping data while decreasing the cost on a per‐sample basis compared to traditional exome capture. Specifically, we fragmented genomic DNA using a tagmentation approach, then enriched those fragments for the low‐copy genic portion of the genome using commercial wheat exome baits and multiplexed the sequencing at different levels to achieve desired coverage. We demonstrated that for a library of 48 samples, ∼7–8× target coverage was sufficient for high‐quality variant detection. For higher multiplexing levels of 528 and 1056 samples per library, we achieved an average coverage of 0.76× and 0.32×, respectively. Combining these lower coverage SEC sequencing data with genotype imputation using a customized wheat practical haplotype graph database that we developed, we identified hundreds of thousands of high‐quality genic variants across the genome. The SEC method can be used for high‐resolution QTL mapping, genome‐wide association studies, genomic selection, and other downstream applications.
Evaluation central to good outcomes in percutaneous treatment of coronary artery disease
Authors: Davey Patrick
Published: August 2023

Accurate diagnosis and determination of patient characteristics are crucial for a good prognosis in coronary disease because highly effective techniques such as percutaneous coronary intervention are more harmful than beneficial in certain patients.
Characterization of adnexal lesions using photoacoustic imaging to improve sonographic O‐RADS risk assessment
Authors: Zhu Q. , Luo H. , Middleton W. D. , Itani M. , Hagemann I. S. , Hagemann A. R. , Hoegger M. J. , Thaker P. H. , Kuroki L. M. , McCourt C. K. , Mutch D. G. , Powell M. A. , Siegel C. L.
Published: August 2023

Objective

To assess the impact of photoacoustic imaging (PAI) on the assessment of ovarian/adnexal lesion(s) of different risk categories using the sonographic ovarian‐adnexal imaging‐reporting‐data system (O‐RADS) in women undergoing planned oophorectomy.

Method

This prospective study enrolled women with ovarian/adnexal lesion(s) suggestive of malignancy referred for oophorectomy. Participants underwent clinical ultrasound (US) examination followed by coregistered US and PAI prior to oophorectomy. Each ovarian/adnexal lesion was graded by two radiologists using the US O‐RADS scale. PAI was used to compute relative total hemoglobin concentration (rHbT) and blood oxygenation saturation (%sO2) colormaps in the region of interest. Lesions were categorized by histopathology into malignant ovarian/adnexal lesion, malignant Fallopian tube only and several benign categories, in order to assess the impact of incorporating PAI in the assessment of risk of malignancy with O‐RADS. Malignant and benign histologic groups were compared with respect to rHbT and %sO2 and logistic regression models were developed based on tumor marker CA125 alone, US‐based O‐RADS alone, PAI‐based rHbT with %sO2, and the combination of CA125, O‐RADS, rHbT and %sO2. Areas under the receiver‐operating‐characteristics curve (AUC) were used to compare the diagnostic performance of the models.

Results

There were 93 lesions identified on imaging among 68 women (mean age, 52 (range, 21–79) years). Surgical pathology revealed 14 patients with malignant ovarian/adnexal lesion, two with malignant Fallopian tube only and 52 with benign findings. rHbT was significantly higher in malignant compared with benign lesions. %sO2 was lower in malignant lesions, but the difference was not statistically significant for all benign categories. Feature analysis revealed that rHbT, CA125, O‐RADS and %sO2 were the most important predictors of malignancy. Logistic regression models revealed an AUC of 0.789 (95% CI, 0.626–0.953) for CA125 alone, AUC of 0.857 (95% CI, 0.733–0.981) for O‐RADS only, AUC of 0.883 (95% CI, 0.760–1) for CA125 and O‐RADS and an AUC of 0.900 (95% CI, 0.815–0.985) for rHbT and %sO2 in the prediction of malignancy. A model utilizing all four predictors (CA125, O‐RADS, rHbT and %sO2) achieved superior performance, with an AUC of 0.970 (95% CI, 0.932–1), sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 82%.

Conclusions

Incorporating the additional information provided by PAI‐derived rHbT and %sO2 improves significantly the performance of US‐based O‐RADS in the diagnosis of adnexal lesions. © 2023 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
‘A part of me’: the value of dogs to homeless owners
Authors: Mills Georgina
Published: August 2023

Georgina Mills discusses new research that looks into the relationship between homeless people and the dogs they keep.
Patrick De Ville
Authors: Bower John
Published: August 2023

A quiet, caring man whose one desire from an early age was to be a vet.