bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Economic burden of secondary hyperparathyroidism in Germany: a matched comparison
Authors: Reichel Helmut , Seibert Eric , Tillmann Frank-Peter , Barck Isabella , Grava Astride , Schneider Kim Maren , Meise Dominic
Published: December 2022

Purpose

Secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) of renal origin is a progressive complication in chronic kidney disease (CKD) and is associated with serious osseous and non-osseous complications, CKD progression, and economic burden for healthcare systems worldwide. We aimed at assessing characteristics, healthcare resource utilization, and costs of incident SHPT patients in CKD stage 3 (CKD3) and 4 (CKD4), using administrative claims data.

Methods

German claims data were used to identify CKD3 and CKD4 patients, who were stratified by the occurrence of incident SHPT. Patients with SHPT were matched 1:1 to non-SHPT patients with the same CKD stage using propensity scores. Matched groups were compared during a 2-year follow-up period.

Results

Overall, 1156 CKD3 and 517 CKD4 incident SHPT patients and their respective matches were identified. Mean number of all-cause hospitalizations were significantly higher among SHPT patients (2.7 vs. 2.0 in CKD3, 2.8 vs. 1.5 in CKD4) during follow-up. Similarly, the mean number of outpatient encounters was significantly higher among the SHPT cohorts (95.0 vs. 64.3 in CKD3, 101.4 vs. 49.8 in CKD4). SHPT patients progressed to CKD5 more often (6.1% vs. 1.2% from CKD3, 26.7% vs. 2.9% from CKD4, both P < 0.01) resulting in a higher proportion of dialysis (6.1% vs. 1.3% in CKD3, 22.1% vs. 3.7% in CKD4, both P < 0.01). Consequently, average all-cause healthcare costs significantly increased per patient (€19,477 vs. €15,115 in CKD3, €25,921 vs. €12,265 in CKD4).

Conclusions

Patients with CKD3&4 and incident SHPT of renal origin presented with significantly higher healthcare resource utilization and costs, as well as increased disease progression compared to non-SHPT patients.
Community Survey Results Show that Standardisation of Preclinical Imaging Techniques Remains a Challenge
Authors: Tavares Adriana A. S. , Mezzanotte Laura , McDougald Wendy , Bernsen Monique R. , Vanhove Christian , Aswendt Markus , Ielacqua Giovanna D. , Gremse Felix , Moran Carmel M. , Warnock Geoff , Kuntner Claudia , Huisman Marc C.
Published: December 2022

Purpose

To support acquisition of accurate, reproducible and high-quality preclinical imaging data, various standardisation resources have been developed over the years. However, it is unclear the impact of those efforts in current preclinical imaging practices. To better understand the status quo in the field of preclinical imaging standardisation, the STANDARD group of the European Society of Molecular Imaging (ESMI) put together a community survey and a forum for discussion at the European Molecular Imaging Meeting (EMIM) 2022. This paper reports on the results from the STANDARD survey and the forum discussions that took place at EMIM2022.

Procedures

The survey was delivered to the community by the ESMI office and was promoted through the Society channels, email lists and webpages. The survey contained seven sections organised as generic questions and imaging modality-specific questions. The generic questions focused on issues regarding data acquisition, data processing, data storage, publishing and community awareness of international guidelines for animal research. Specific questions on practices in optical imaging, PET, CT, SPECT, MRI and ultrasound were further included.

Results

Data from the STANDARD survey showed that 47% of survey participants do not have or do not know if they have QC/QA guidelines at their institutes. Additionally, a large variability exists in the ways data are acquired, processed and reported regarding general aspects as well as modality-specific aspects. Moreover, there is limited awareness of the existence of international guidelines on preclinical (imaging) research practices.

Conclusions

Standardisation of preclinical imaging techniques remains a challenge and hinders the transformative potential of preclinical imaging to augment biomedical research pipelines by serving as an easy vehicle for translation of research findings to the clinic. Data collected in this project show that there is a need to promote and disseminate already available tools to standardise preclinical imaging practices.
Correlation and interpretation of thermal properties of volcanic rocks from Austria
Authors: Gegenhuber Nina , Dertnig Florian
Published: December 2022

Thermal properties of rocks are of great importance not only for geothermal projects. The focus of petrophysical data presented here is laid mainly on volcanic rocks. Thermal properties include not only thermal conductivity but also heat production and heat capacity. A full range of dataset and analysis out of it is presented here. The target of this study is to deliver new insights in the thermal properties of volcanic rocks of Austria. The focus is laid on thermal conductivity—understanding of influencing factors and correlations with other properties, like compressional wave velocity, electrical resistivity or radiogenic heat production. Therefore, a set of data from various volcanic rocks of Austria is presented, analysed in detail and new correlations are presented. The correlations can be further applied on logging data to derive thermal properties in the field. These improved correlations and further interpretations can help in planning geothermal projects and can improve the output of simulations because of the better input data.
Tribological Performance of Thin HVAF-Sprayed WC-CoCr Coatings Fabricated Employing Fine Powder Feedstock
Authors: Torkashvand Kaveh , Gupta Mohit , Björklund Stefan , Joshi Shrikant
Published: December 2022

In this study, sliding and abrasion wear performance of WC-CoCr coatings deposited by high velocity air–fuel (HVAF) spraying with various thicknesses (i.e., 240, 150, 100, 50 and 30 µm), fabricated from fine feedstock powder (5–15 µm), were evaluated. The main aim was to investigate how thinner coatings (30 and 50 µm) perform compared to conventional thick coatings (> 100 µm), in an effort to address the supply and cost concerns associated with Co and W. The feedstock powder and deposited coatings were characterized in terms of microstructure. The hardness of the thin and thick coatings was measured using Vickers hardness method from both cross section and top-surface. It was found that, regardless of the thickness, extremely dense coatings with very high hardness (~ 1500 HV) can be deposited employing HVAF and fine feedstock powder. Thin and thick coatings were found to perform similarly under sliding wear with a normal load of 10 N or lower as well as under abrasion wear conditions which highlights the possibility of employing thinner coatings for a majority of the real applications. The results suggest that peening effect does not have a considerable influence on the microstructure or performance of the deposited coatings. However, for sliding wear tests with a 20 N normal load, it was noticed that wear resistance of the coatings slightly declines with decreasing thickness of the coating beyond 150 µm. The main reason was identified to be the involvement of substrate effect when performing tests under severe Hertzian contact pressure.
Alienopterix santonicus sp. n., a metallic cockroach from the Late Cretaceous ajkaite amber (Bakony Mts, western Hungary) documents Alienopteridae within the Mesozoic Laurasia
Authors: Szabó Márton , Szabó Péter , Kóbor Péter , Ősi Attila
Published: December 2022

Cockroaches (Blattaria s. str.) were documented from numerous amber localities around the world, representing both extinct and extant families. Alienopteridae is an extinct cockroach family known only from the Cretaceous of Gondwana (Brazil, Botswana, Myanmar amber) and the Cenozoic of North America. Alienopterix santonicus sp. n. from the Late Cretaceous amber of the Ajka Coal Formation (Bakony Mts, western Hungary) extends the rich geographical distribution of the family into Laurasia during the Mesozoic. As a member of the presumably pollinator cohort Alienopteridae, this species could have played an important role in the Ajka Coal ecosystem during the Santonian. The microrectangular structures of the forewing suggest that the new species likely possessed a metallic colouration already known from the group. Combined with the disruptive body pattern this could have served as an advanced camouflage. The microrectangular structures of the forewing were compared to integument microstructures of extant insects with metallic colouration. Various arthropod taxa are already known from ajkaite, and the new discovery further emphasizes the importance of this amber.
Wessen Perspektiven zählen?
Authors: Hirschbeck Walburga
Published: December 2022

Das Recht auf Beteiligung junger Menschen wird im Kontext der Politikberatung noch nicht ressortübergreifend und strukturell umgesetzt. Bisherige Formate weisen oftmals einen projekthaften Charakter auf und sind intransparent in Hinblick auf die tatsächlichen Mitgestaltungsmöglichkeiten junger Menschen. Eine inklusive und nachhaltige Beteiligung setzt die Bereitschaft voraus, Entscheidungsmacht zu teilen, gezielt Zugänge für benachteiligte junge Menschen zu entwickeln und Beteiligung mit Bildung zu verbinden.
Intra-aortic and Intra-caval Balloon Pump Devices in Experimental Non-traumatic Cardiac Arrest and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
Authors: Dogan Emanuel M. , Axelsson Birger , Jauring Oskar , Hörer Tal M. , Nilsson Kristofer F. , Edström Måns
Published: December 2022

Intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) use during CPR has been scarcely studied. Intra-caval balloon pump (ICBP) may decrease backward venous flow during CPR. Mechanical chest compressions (MCC) were initiated after 10 min of cardiac arrest in anesthetized pigs. After 5 min of MCC, IABP (n = 6) or ICBP (n = 6) was initiated. The MCC device and the IABP/ICBP had slightly different frequencies, inducing a progressive peak pressure phase shift. IABP inflation 0.15 s before MCC significantly increased mean arterial pressure (MAP) and carotid blood flow (CBF) compared to inflation 0.10 s after MCC and to MCC only. Coronary perfusion pressure significantly increased with IABP inflation 0.25 s before MCC compared to inflation at MCC. ICBP inflation before MCC significantly increased MAP and CBF compared to inflation after MCC but not compared to MCC only. This shows the potential of IABP in CPR when optimally synchronized with MCC.

Graphical Abstract

The effect of timing of intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) inflation during mechanical chest compressions (MCC) on hemodynamics. Data from12 anesthetized pigs.
Short-term outcome after transcatheter aortic valve replacement with a novel balloon-expandable valve
Authors: Halim J. , den Heijer P. , van den Branden B. , Meuwissen M. , Vos J. , Schölzel B. , IJsselmuiden A.
Published: December 2022

Objectives

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has been expanding rapidly with numerous transcatheter heart valve (THV) systems currently available. The Myval balloon-expandable (BE) valve (Meril Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd., India) is a novel THV system indicated for the treatment of patients with severe aortic stenosis. The primary objective of this study is to assess the safety and performance of the Myval BE valve.

Methods

In this prospective single-centre study, 120 consecutive patients who underwent TAVR with the Myval BE valve were included. Clinical outcomes were evaluated at 30 days and 6 months using Valve Academic Research Consortium‑2 criteria. All-cause mortality, stroke, acute kidney injury, major vascular complications, moderate or severe paravalvular leakage (PVL) and need for a permanent pacemaker implantation (PPI) were investigated.

Results

At 6‑month follow-up, all-cause death and cardiac death were seen in 5.8% and 0.8% of the patients respectively. Periprocedural stroke and need for PPI were both seen in 3.3% of the patients. Access-site-related vascular and bleeding complications were absent. Improved valve haemodynamics and no moderate to severe PVL could be seen at 30 days. An intermediate valve size was selected in 51% of the patients.

Conclusions

The Myval BE valve demonstrates improved valve haemodynamics, absence of moderate to severe PVL and good safety outcomes at 6‑month follow-up with low cardiac death rate and acceptable rates of permanent pacemaker implantation and periprocedural stroke. Future randomised controlled trials will further establish the clinical utility of the Myval BE valve.
Finding early adopters of innovation in social networks
Authors: Sziklai Balázs R. , Lengyel Balázs
Published: December 2022

Social networks play a fundamental role in the diffusion of innovation through peers’ influence on adoption. Thus, network position including a wide range of network centrality measures has been used to describe individuals’ affinity to adopt an innovation and their ability to propagate diffusion. Yet, social networks are assortative in terms of susceptibility and influence and in terms of network centralities as well. This makes the identification of influencers difficult especially since susceptibility and centrality do not always go hand in hand. Here, we propose the Top Candidate algorithm, an expert recommendation method, to rank individuals based on their perceived expertise, which resonates well with the assortative mixing of innovators and early adopters in networks. Leveraging adoption data from two online social networks that are assortative in terms of adoption but represent different levels of assortativity of network centralities, we demonstrate that the Top Candidate ranking is more efficient in capturing innovators and early adopters than other widely used indices. Top Candidate nodes adopt earlier and have higher reach among innovators, early adopters and early majority than nodes highlighted by other methods. These results suggest that the Top Candidate method can identify good seeds for influence maximization campaigns on social networks.
Das Verhältnis von Kunst und Religion in der Philosophie Michel Henrys
Authors: Disse Jörg
Published: December 2022

Der Artikel befasst sich mit der Beziehung zwischen Kunst und Religion in der Philosophie des französischen Phänomenologen Michel Henry. Henry entwickelt eine Philosophie der Kunst, indem er Kandinskys Kunsttheorie auf der Grundlage seiner Phänomenologie des Lebens interpretiert. Kunst ist ein Ausdruck von Leben bzw. Subjektivität. Unter Leben oder Subjektivität versteht Henry die passive Selbstaffektion des Subjekts diesseits intentionaler Selbstreferenz. Selbstaffektion ist nach Henry nur möglich, wenn sich das Individuum, indem es sich auf sich selbst bezieht, gleichzeitig auf das absolute Leben bezieht. Unter Religion aber versteht Henry diese Bindung des Individuums an das absolute Leben. Indem Kunst Ausdruck des Lebens ist, ist sie somit zugleich ein Ausdruck von Religion.
The Corporate Diversity Jigsaw
Authors: Kamalnath Akshaya
Published: December 2022

Although diversity in companies is a topic of great interest, significant aspects of the issue are often left out of the debate. The Corporate Diversity Jigsaw connects all the dots so that steps taken to address issues of diversity in business organisations can be more effective. Akshaya Kamalnath offers a nuanced justification of exactly what types of diversity are most useful for corporations, where they should be implemented, and how best to address diversity in ways that account for recent social movements such as #MeToo and Black Lives Matter. After a critical assessment of quotas and disclosure requirements across jurisdictions, she provides a different way to solve the problem, by encouraging companies to make improvements to their culture and internal processes. This timely book offers a balanced analysis, practical solutions, and fresh perspectives on how corporate culture and social movements impact diversity efforts.
Writing the North of England in the Middle Ages
Authors: Taylor Joseph
Published: December 2022

Writing the North of England in the Middle Ages offers a literary history of the North-South divide, examining the complexities of the relationship – imaginative, material, and political – between North and South in a wide range of texts. Through sustained analysis of the North-South divide as it emerges in the literature of medieval England, this study illustrates the convoluted dynamic of desire and derision of the North by the rest of country. Joseph Taylor dissects England's problematic sense of nationhood as one which must be negotiated and renegotiated from within, rather than beyond, national borders. Providing fresh readings of texts such as Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, the fifteenth-century Robin Hood ballads and the Towneley plays, this book argues for the North's vital contribution to processes of imagining nation in the Middle Ages and shows that that regionalism is both contained within and constitutive of its apparent opposite, nationalism.
Romanticism, Republicanism, and the Swiss Myth
Authors: Vincent Patrick
Published: December 2022

The first detailed treatment of Switzerland in British literature and culture from Joseph Addison to John Ruskin, this book analyzes the aesthetic and political uses of what is commonly called the 'Swiss myth' in the parallel development of Romanticism and liberalism. The myth merged the country's legends going back to the Middle Ages with the Enlightenment image of a happy, free nation of alpine shepherds. Its unique combination of conservative, progressive, and radical associations enabled writers before the French Revolution to call for democratic reforms, whereas those coming after could refigure it as a conservative alternative to French liberté. Integrating intellectual history with literary studies, and addressing a wide range of Romantic-period texts and authors, among them Byron, the Shelleys, Hemans, Scott, Coleridge, and, above all, Wordsworth, the book argues that the myth contributed to the liberal idea of the people as a sublime yet sleeping sovereign.
Signing Away the Bomb
Authors: Kaplow Jeffrey M.
Published: December 2022

For more than fifty years, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and the wider nuclear nonproliferation regime have worked to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. Analysts and pundits have often viewed the regime with skepticism, repeatedly warning that it is on the brink of collapse, and the NPT lacks many of the characteristics usually seen in effective international institutions. Nevertheless, the treaty continues to enjoy near-universal membership and high levels of compliance. This is the first book to explain why the nonproliferation regime has been so successful, bringing to bear declassified documents, new data on regime membership and weapons pursuit, and a variety of analytic approaches. It offers important new insights for scholars of nuclear proliferation and international security institutions, and for policymakers seeking to strengthen the nonproliferation regime and tighten international constraints on the spread of nuclear weapons.
Underground Mathematics
Authors: Morel Thomas
Published: December 2022

Thomas Morel tells the story of subterranean geometry, a forgotten discipline that developed in the silver mines of early modern Europe. Mining and metallurgy were of great significance to the rulers of early modern Europe, required for the silver bullion that fuelled warfare and numerous other uses. Through seven lively case studies, he illustrates how geometry was used in metallic mines by practitioners using esoteric manuscripts. He describes how an original culture of accuracy and measurement paved the way for technical and scientific innovations, and fruitfully brought together the world of artisans, scholars and courts. Based on a variety of original manuscripts, maps and archive material, Morel recounts how knowledge was crafted and circulated among practitioners in the Holy Roman Empire and beyond. Specific chapters deal with the material culture of surveying, map-making, expertise and the political uses of quantification. By carefully reconstructing the religious, economic and cultural context of mining cities, Underground Mathematics contextualizes the rise of numbered information, practical mathematics and quantification in the early modern period.
Chinese Firms’ Acquisition of Innovation Capability from Overseas: Approaches by State- versus Private-Owned Firms
Authors: Ghorbani Majid , Xie Zhenzhen , Jin Jun , Wang Fengbin
Published: December 2022

Through two in-depth case studies, we compare the approaches of a state-owned enterprise (SOE), Beijing Automotive Industries Holding Co., and a privately owned enterprise (POE), Geely, to acquire and absorb advanced technological knowledge to enhance their innovation capabilities. Each company acquired advanced knowledge from troubled famous Swedish automakers and upgraded their products technologically. Analyzing data mainly collected from secondary sources identifies major differences in approaches and actions at each acquisition step rooted in the type of ownership. We juxtapose these differences with insights from the literature on knowledge acquisition and research on firm ownership. Our findings show that the POE seeks the strategic goal of synergistic technology integration for better innovation and economic performance. In contrast, the SOE pursues national objectives with less regard for market success. This SOE focuses on an independent approach to knowledge absorption and development during their acquisition, whereas the POE emphasizes collaboration in innovation capacity development. This study provides insights into Chinese firms’ positioning on innovation development on the global stage, comparative capitalism, and the particular case of state capitalism in China.
EXACT SOLUTIONS FOR THE SINGULARLY PERTURBED RICCATI EQUATION AND EXACT WKB ANALYSIS
Authors: NIKOLAEV NIKITA
Published: December 2022

The singularly perturbed Riccati equation is the first-order nonlinear ordinary differential equation
$\hbar \partial _x f = af^2 + bf + c$
in the complex domain where
$\hbar $
is a small complex parameter. We prove an existence and uniqueness theorem for exact solutions with prescribed asymptotics as
$\hbar \to 0$
in a half-plane. These exact solutions are constructed using the Borel–Laplace method; that is, they are Borel summations of the formal divergent
$\hbar $
-power series solutions. As an application, we prove existence and uniqueness of exact WKB solutions for the complex one-dimensional Schrödinger equation with a rational potential.
The Italian validation of the Death and Dying Distress Scale
Authors: Bovero Andrea , Zerbinati Luigi , Grassi Luigi , Mah Kenneth , Rodin Gary , Hales Sarah , Malfitano Carmine , TIberto Elisa , Leombruni Paolo , Miniotti Marco , Caruso Rosangela
Published: December 2022

Objectives

Death anxiety (DA), a condition characterized by fear, angst, or panic related to the awareness of one’s own death, is commonly observed in advanced cancer patients. The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Death and Dying Distress Scale (DADDS-IT) in a sample of patients with advanced cancer.

Methods

The sample included 200 Italian advanced cancer patients meeting eligibility criteria to access palliative care. Patients’ levels of DA were assessed by using the DADDS-IT, while the levels of depression, anxiety, demoralization, spiritual well-being, and symptom burden were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, the Demoralization Scale, the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy–Spiritual Well-Being Scale, and the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System, respectively; Karnofsky Performance Status was used to measure functional impairment. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) of previous structures and exploratory factor analyses (EFA) were conducted.

Results

CFA revealed that none of the previous structures adequately fitted data from our sample. EFA revealed a 4-factor model comprising Finitude (α = 0.91), Regret (α = 0.86), Dying (α = 0.88), and Relational Burden (α = 0.73), accounting for the 77.1% of the variance. Dying subscore was higher in hospice patients than in those recruited in medical wards.

Significance of results

The present study provides further evidence that DA is a condition that deserves attention and that DADDS-IT shows good psychometric properties to support its use in research and clinical settings.
Who Is Satisfied With Effort?
Authors: Clay Georgia , Dumitrescu Carmen , Habenicht Janina , Kmiecik Isabel , Musetti Marzia , Domachowska Irena
Published: December 2022

Abstract. The effort required to obtain certain rewards may influence the level of satisfaction with the following reward. Since people differ in beliefs about the availability of willpower resources required to pursue effortful actions, we investigated how willpower beliefs affect the perception of effort and satisfaction with reward. We hypothesized that people with limited willpower beliefs (i.e., believing that exerting effort leads to depletion of their inner resources) will perceive cognitive tasks as more effortful and will be less satisfied with the subsequent reward than those with non-limited beliefs (i.e., believing that exerting effort is invigorating rather than depleting). We tested this hypothesis by manipulating effort with different difficulty levels of the N-back task and measuring participants’ perception of effort expenditure and subjective satisfaction with a reward depending on their willpower beliefs. In accordance with the predictions, we found that those with limited willpower beliefs perceived the task as more effortful than those with non-limited willpower beliefs. Furthermore, when asked to subjectively rate their satisfaction with the reward gained for the task, limited believers rated their satisfaction lower than non-limited believers. These findings suggest that people take their willpower capacities into effort-satisfaction calculations. Results are discussed within the context of other models of effort, and practical implications of the findings are suggested.
Validation and Measurement Invariance of the Personal Financial Wellness Scale
Authors: Buabang Eike K. , Ashcroft-Jones Sarah , Esteban Serna Celia , Kastelic Katarina , Kveder Jakob , Lambertus Amanda , Müller Tasja S. , Ruggeri Kai
Published: December 2022

Abstract. In 2020, 17.1% of the population in the European Union was at risk of poverty ( Eurostat, 2021 ). Poverty is often assessed using objective measures such as absolute and relative income levels. However, different individuals may experience different levels of financial stress at the same income level. Therefore, it is crucial to have measures that capture the subjective components of poverty. In this multinational study, we tested the validity and measurement invariance of the Personal Financial Wellness (PFW) scale across six European countries (Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain, and the UK) and the US, and six languages (German, Italian, Dutch, Slovenian, Spanish, and English). Results provided mixed evidence for the fit of the expected one-factor structure. Exploration of a modified one-factor structure indicated an improved fit. The scale showed excellent reliability, and convergent and discriminant validity. This suggests that the PFW scale captures subjective financial stress and is a dependable self-report measure. Measurement invariance testing of the modified one-factor model showed metric invariance across Slovenia, Spain, the UK, and the US. Given that scalar invariance was not achieved and the invariance testing was based on an exploratory model, we do not advise the use of the scale for comparisons between countries.
Flood Protection Reliability: The Impact of Uncertainty and Nonstationarity
Authors: Stephens T. A. , Bledsoe B. P.
Published: December 2022

Recent catastrophic flood events, increasing flood losses, and climate change challenge current reliability estimates defined by the probability that flood levels will not exceed protection measures over a planning horizon. These estimates depict an expected reliability that mask uncertainty in streamflow and the capacity of river channels and floodplains. We described reliability as a random variable whose distribution depends on uncertainty and nonstationarity in annual maximum flood (AMF) distributions and flow capacity uncertainty. Numerical experiments quantified the impacts of nonstationarity and variance in AMFs and flow capacity uncertainty on estimates of flood protection reliability, thereby providing the first examination of their interacting effects. The distribution of reliability along a regulatory floodplain boundary was quantified through a bootstrap scheme that accounts for nonstationarity and uncertainty in AMFs and flow capacity uncertainty. Results indicated that accounting for uncertainty in flow capacity substantially reduces reliability compared to estimates based solely on flood likelihood; the divergence is greater in the presence of nonstationary AMFs. The distribution of reliability along the regulatory floodplain boundary was spatially heterogeneous due to within‐reach variation in flow capacity uncertainty. Quantifying the distribution of reliability for flood protection measures enables transparent communication and selection of a desired confidence level that is commensurate with a contextually appropriate risk tolerance. Similarly, we show that a desired level of confidence in reliability can be specified to estimate a design flood protection level. These results reveal how the combined impacts of uncertainty and nonstationarity can impact reliability estimates and confidence in those estimates.
Thermospheric Nitric Oxide Cooling Responses to the 14 December 2020 Solar Eclipse
Authors: Wang Ningchao , Yu Wandi , Yue Jia , Wang Wenbin , Qian Liying , Mclnerney Joseph M. , Russell James M. , Mlynczak Martin G.
Published: December 2022

The behaviors of the nitric oxide (NO) cooling in the lower thermosphere during the 14 December 2020 solar eclipse are studied using Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) measurements and WACCM‐X simulations. We found that NO cooling rate decreases during the solar eclipse in both SABER measurements and WACCM‐X simulations. The maximum decrease of the NO cooling is 40% in SABER measurements and 25% in WACCM‐X simulations. The NO cooling process is initiated almost entirely through the collisions with atomic oxygen (O) which depends linearly on NO and O densities and non‐linearly on the neutral temperature. During the eclipse, the NO concentration and temperature decreases are larger than that of O concentration. Consequently, the eclipse‐time NO concentration and temperature decreases are the major drivers of the NO cooling rate decrease. The decreases of the temperature and the NO concentration contribute comparably to the eclipse‐time NO cooling rate decrease.
Wind Speed as a Dominant Source of Periodicities in Reported Emission Rates of Volcanic SO2
Authors: Barrington C. , Taisne B. , Costa F. , Arellano S.
Published: December 2022

Volcanoes have been found to display periodicities or cyclic trends in a wide range of phenomena. These include the eruptive activity itself, but also in the time series of geophysical and geochemical monitoring data such as volcanic degassing. Here, we test the existence of periodicities of volcanic degassing at 32 volcanoes using the time series of sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission rates from data of the Network for Observation of Volcanic and Atmospheric Change (NOVAC). We use the Lomb‐Scargle periodogram to analyze the SO2 data which allows efficient computation of a Fourier‐like power spectrum from unevenly sampled data. We were able to calculate False‐Alarm Probabilities in 28 of the 32 volcanoes, and we identified significant periodicities in the SO2 emission rates in 17 of the 28 volcanoes. However, we find that most of these periodicities are also present in the plume speeds used to determine SO2 emission rates. Periodicities at about 30–70, ∼120, and ∼180 days were identified at volcanoes located between 16°N and 16°S and are related to intraseasonality and interseasonality in global trade winds and not volcanic in origin. Periodicities between 30 and 70 days in both plume speed and SO2 emission rates are associated to the Madden‐Julian Oscillation that is responsible for intraseasonal variability in the tropical atmosphere. Our study highlights the importance of using local wind data for deriving realistic SO2 emissions and the identification of short‐term periodicity in volcanic behavior.
Prevalence of Aseismic Slip Linking Fluid Injection to Natural and Anthropogenic Seismic Swarms
Authors: Danré Philippe , De Barros Louis , Cappa Frédéric , Ampuero Jean‐Paul
Published: December 2022

Anthropogenic fluid injections at depth induce seismicity which is generally organized as swarms, clustered in time and space, with moderate magnitudes. Earthquake swarms also occur in various geological contexts such as subduction zones, mountain ranges, volcanic, and geothermal areas. While some similarities between anthropogenic and natural swarms have already been observed, whether they are driven by the same mechanism, or by different factors, is still an open question. Fluid pressure diffusion or aseismic deformation processes are often proposed to explain observations of hypocenters migration during swarms, while recent models suggest that swarm seismicity is rather triggered by fluid‐induced aseismic fault slip. Here, using a global compilation of 22 natural and anthropogenic swarms, we observe that duration, migration velocity, and total moment scale similarly for all swarms. This supports a common driving process for both natural and induced swarms. The scaling relations are similar to those found for slow slip events. These observations highlight the prevalence of fluid‐induced aseismic slip as main driver of earthquakes migration during swarms. After quantifying aseismic slip released in the swarms, we propose an approach to estimate the seismic‐to‐total moment ratio, which we then compare to a theoretical estimation that depends on the migration velocity of the swarm and the effective stress drop. Our findings lead to a generic explanation of the process driving earthquake swarms that might open new possibilities to monitor seismic swarms.
Novel biallelic mutations in TMEM126B cause splicing defects and lead to Leigh-like syndrome with severe complex I deficiency
Authors: Zhou Xiyue , Lou Xiaoting , Zhou Yuwei , Xie Yaojun , Han Xinyu , Dong Qiyu , Ying Xiaojie , Laurentinah Mahlatsi Refiloe , Zhang Luyi , Chen Zhehui , Li Dongxiao , Fang Hezhi , Lyu Jianxin , Yang Yanling , Wang Ya
Published: December 2022

Leigh syndrome (LS)/Leigh-like syndrome (LLS) is one of the most common mitochondrial disease subtypes, caused by mutations in either the nuclear or mitochondrial genomes. Here, we identified a novel intronic mutation (c.82-2 A > G) and a novel exonic insertion mutation (c.290dupT) in TMEM126B from a Chinese patient with clinical manifestations of LLS. In silico predictions, minigene splicing assays and patients’ RNA analyses determined that the c.82-2 A > G mutation resulted in complete exon 2 skipping, and the c.290dupT mutation provoked partial and complete exon 3 skipping, leading to translational frameshifts and premature termination. Functional analysis revealed the impaired mitochondrial function in patient-derived lymphocytes due to severe complex I content and assembly defect. Altogether, this is the first report of LLS in a patient carrying mutations in TMEM126B. Our data uncovers the functional effect and the molecular mechanism of the pathogenic variants c.82-2 A > G and c.290dupT, which expands the gene mutation spectrum of LLS and clinical spectrum caused by TMEM126B mutations, and thus help to clinical diagnosis of TMEM126B mutation‐related mitochondrial diseases.
Extending the dynamic temperature range of Boltzmann thermometers
Authors: van Swieten Thomas Pieter , Steenhoff Jesse Merlijn , Vlasblom Auke , de Berg Ravi , Mattern Sam Pieter , Rabouw Freddy Teunis , Suta Markus , Meijerink Andries
Published: December 2022

Lanthanide-doped (nano)crystals are an important class of materials in luminescence thermometry. The working mechanism of these thermometers is diverse but most often relies on variation of the ratio of emission intensities from two thermally coupled excited states with temperature. At low temperatures, nonradiative coupling between the states can be slow compared to radiative decay, but, at higher temperatures, the two states reach thermal equilibrium due to faster nonradiative coupling. In thermal equilibrium, the intensity ratio follows Boltzmann statistics, which gives a convenient model to calibrate the thermometer. Here, we investigate multiple strategies to shift the onset of thermal equilibrium to lower temperatures, which enables Boltzmann thermometry in a wider dynamic range. We use Eu3+-doped microcrystals as a model system and find that the nonradiative coupling rates increase for host lattices with higher vibrational energies and shorter lanthanide–ligand distances, which reduces the onset temperature of thermal equilibrium by more than 400 K. We additionally reveal that thermometers with excited states coupled by electric-dipole transitions have lower onset temperatures than those with magnetic-dipole-coupled states due to selection rules. These insights provide essential guidelines for the optimization of Boltzmann thermometers to operate in an extended temperature range.
Quantum receiver enhanced by adaptive learning
Authors: Cui Chaohan , Horrocks William , Hao Shuhong , Guha Saikat , Peyghambarian Nasser , Zhuang Quntao , Zhang Zheshen
Published: December 2022

Quantum receivers aim to effectively navigate the vast quantum-state space to endow quantum information processing capabilities unmatched by classical receivers. To date, only a handful of quantum receivers have been constructed to tackle the problem of discriminating coherent states. Quantum receivers designed by analytical approaches, however, are incapable of effectively adapting to diverse environmental conditions, resulting in their quickly diminishing performance as the operational complexities increase. Here, we present a general architecture, dubbed the quantum receiver enhanced by adaptive learning, to adapt quantum receiver structures to diverse operational conditions. The adaptively learned quantum receiver is experimentally implemented in a hardware platform with record-high efficiency. Combining the architecture and the experimental advances, the error rate is reduced up to 40% over the standard quantum limit in two coherent-state encoding schemes.
Persistent increase of accumbens cocaine ensemble excitability induced by IRK downregulation after withdrawal mediates the incubation of cocaine craving
Authors: He Guanhong , Huai Ziqing , Jiang Changyou , Huang Bing , Tian Zhen , Le Qiumin , Fan Guangyuan , Li Haibo , Wang Feifei , Ma Lan , Liu Xing
Published: December 2022

The incubation phenomenon, cue-induced drug craving progressively increasing over prolonged withdrawal, accounts for persistent relapse, leading to a dilemma in the treatment of cocaine addiction. The role of neuronal ensembles activated by initial cocaine experience in the incubation phenomenon was unclear. In this study, with cocaine self-administration (SA) models, we found that neuronal ensembles in the nucleus accumbens shell (NAcSh) showed increasing activation induced by cue-induced drug-seeking after 30-day withdrawal. Inhibition or activation of NAcSh cocaine-ensembles suppressed or promoted craving for cocaine, demonstrating a critical role of NAcSh cocaine-ensembles in incubation for cocaine craving. NAcSh cocaine-ensembles showed a specific increase of membrane excitability and a decrease of inward rectifying channels Kir2.1 currents after 30-day withdrawal. Overexpression of Kir2.1 in NAcSh cocaine-ensembles restored neuronal membrane excitability and suppressed cue-induced drug-seeking after 30-day withdrawal. Expression of dominant-negative Kir2.1 in NAcSh cocaine-ensembles enhanced neuronal membrane excitability and accelerated incubation of cocaine craving. Our results provide a cellular mechanism that the downregulation of Kir2.1 functions in NAcSh cocaine-ensembles induced by prolonged withdrawal mediates the enhancement of ensemble membrane excitability, leading to incubation of cocaine craving.
Early-life stress lastingly impacts microglial transcriptome and function under basal and immune-challenged conditions
Authors: Reemst Kitty , Kracht Laura , Kotah Janssen M. , Rahimian Reza , van Irsen Astrid A. S. , Congrains Sotomayor Gonzalo , Verboon Laura N. , Brouwer Nieske , Simard Sophie , Turecki Gustavo , Mechawar Naguib , Kooistra Susanne M. , Eggen Bart J. L. , Korosi Aniko
Published: December 2022

Early-life stress (ELS) leads to increased vulnerability to psychiatric disorders including depression later in life. Neuroinflammatory processes have been implicated in ELS-induced negative health outcomes, but how ELS impacts microglia, the main tissue-resident macrophages of the central nervous system, is unknown. Here, we determined the effects of ELS-induced by limited bedding and nesting material during the first week of life (postnatal days [P]2–9) on microglial (i) morphology; (ii) hippocampal gene expression; and (iii) synaptosome phagocytic capacity in male pups (P9) and adult (P200) mice. The hippocampus of ELS-exposed adult mice displayed altered proportions of morphological subtypes of microglia, as well as microglial transcriptomic changes related to the tumor necrosis factor response and protein ubiquitination. ELS exposure leads to distinct gene expression profiles during microglial development from P9 to P200 and in response to an LPS challenge at P200. Functionally, synaptosomes from ELS-exposed mice were phagocytosed less by age-matched microglia. At P200, but not P9, ELS microglia showed reduced synaptosome phagocytic capacity when compared to control microglia. Lastly, we confirmed the ELS-induced increased expression of the phagocytosis-related geneGAS6that we observed in mice, in the dentate gyrus of individuals with a history of child abuse using in situ hybridization. These findings reveal persistent effects of ELS on microglial function and suggest that altered microglial phagocytic capacity is a key contributor to ELS-induced phenotypes.
Efficacy and safety of radiation therapy in advanced adrenocortical carcinoma
Authors: Kimpel Otilia , Schindler Paul , Schmidt-Pennington Laura , Altieri Barbara , Megerle Felix , Haak Harm , Pittaway James , Dischinger Ulrich , Quinkler Marcus , Mai Knut , Kroiss Matthias , Polat Bülent , Fassnacht Martin
Published: December 2022

Background

International guidelines emphasise the role of radiotherapy (RT) for the management of advanced adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC). However, the evidence for this recommendation is very low.

Methods

We retrospectively analysed all patients who received RT for advanced ACC in five European centres since 2000. Primary endpoint: time to progression of the treated lesion (tTTP). Secondary endpoints: best objective response, progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), adverse events, and the establishment of predictive factors by Cox analyses.

Results

In total, 132 tumoural lesions of 80 patients were treated with conventional RT (cRT) of 50–60 Gy (n = 20) or 20–49 Gy (n = 69), stereotactic body RT of 35–50 Gy (SBRT) (n = 36), or brachytherapy of 12–25 Gy (BT) (n = 7). Best objective lesional response was complete (n = 6), partial (n = 52), stable disease (n = 60), progressive disease (n = 14). Median tTTP was 7.6 months (1.0–148.6). In comparison to cRT20-49Gy, tTTP was significantly longer for cRT50-60Gy (multivariate adjusted HR 0.10; 95% CI 0.03–0.33; p < 0.001) and SBRT (HR 0.31; 95% CI 0.12–0.80; p = 0.016), but not for BT (HR 0.66; 95% CI 0.22–1.99; p = 0.46). Toxicity was generally mild and moderate with three grade 3 events. No convincing predictive factors could be established.

Conclusions

This largest published study on RT in advanced ACC provides clear evidence that RT is effective in ACC.
“Stromal cells in prostate cancer pathobiology: friends or foes?”
Authors: Pederzoli Filippo , Raffo Massimiliano , Pakula Hubert , Ravera Francesco , Nuzzo Pier Vitale , Loda Massimo
Published: December 2022

The genomic, epigenetic and metabolic determinants of prostate cancer pathobiology have been extensively studied in epithelial cancer cells. However, malignant cells constantly interact with the surrounding environment—the so-called tumour microenvironment (TME)—which may influence tumour cells to proliferate and invade or to starve and die. In that regard, stromal cells—including fibroblasts, smooth muscle cells and vasculature-associated cells—constitute an essential fraction of the prostate cancer TME. However, they have been largely overlooked compared to other cell types (i.e. immune cells). Indeed, their importance in prostate physiology starts at organogenesis, as the soon-to-be prostate stroma determines embryonal epithelial cells to commit toward prostatic differentiation. Later in life, the appearance of a reactive stroma is linked to the malignant transformation of epithelial cells and cancer progression. In this Review, we discuss the main mesenchymal cell populations of the prostate stroma, highlighting their dynamic role in the transition of the healthy prostate epithelium to cancer. A thorough understanding of those populations, their phenotypes and their transcriptional programs may improve our understanding of prostate cancer pathobiology and may help to exploit prostate stroma as a biomarker of patient stratification and as a therapeutic target.
Unconventional non-local relaxation dynamics in a twisted trilayer graphene moiré superlattice
Authors: Halbertal Dorri , Turkel Simon , Ciccarino Christopher J. , Profe Jonas B. , Finney Nathan , Hsieh Valerie , Watanabe Kenji , Taniguchi Takashi , Hone James , Dean Cory , Narang Prineha , Pasupathy Abhay N. , Kennes Dante M. , Basov D. N.
Published: December 2022

The electronic and structural properties of atomically thin materials can be controllably tuned by assembling them with an interlayer twist. During this process, constituent layers spontaneously rearrange themselves in search of a lowest energy configuration. Such relaxation phenomena can lead to unexpected and novel material properties. Here, we study twisted double trilayer graphene (TDTG) using nano-optical and tunneling spectroscopy tools. We reveal a surprising optical and electronic contrast, as well as a stacking energy imbalance emerging between the moiré domains. We attribute this contrast to an unconventional form of lattice relaxation in which an entire graphene layer spontaneously shifts position during assembly, resulting in domains of ABABAB and BCBACA stacking. We analyze the energetics of this transition and demonstrate that it is the result of a non-local relaxation process, in which an energy gain in one domain of the moiré lattice is paid for by a relaxation that occurs in the other.