bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Synthesis and characterization of tungsten trioxide (WO3) as photocatalyst against wastewater pollutants
Authors: Aldrees Ali , Khan Hayat , Alzahrani Abdulaziz , Dan’azumi Salisu
Published: June 2023

In this work, crash precipitation technique was employed to synthesize a visible light-responsive tungsten trioxide (WO3) photocatalyst using ammonium paratungstate as tungsten precursor. The spray-dried (120 °C) and calcined (600 °C) WO3 powder was characterized by analyzing methods of XRD, PSD, BET and BJH, Raman, FESEM/EDX, FTIR, UV–vis DRS and XPS spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman studies confirm the well crystalline monoclinic crystal structure. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed micron-sized spherical bulks of WO3 particles with needle-like morphology. A normal distribution with a d50 (median diameter) value of 6.0 μm was observed with particle size analysis. Much enhanced BET surface area of 102 g/m2 with wide pore size 1.8 nm is measured compared to commercially available WO3 that results in increased pollutants surface adsorption. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) study demonstrated that the calcined sample surface is enriched with bonded hydroxyl groups, beneficial for powder particles activity. Photocatalyst band gap was calculated by considering the absorbance measurements recorded on UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). The energy value of 2.6 eV was calculated which lies in the visible light region while X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis showed 6 + oxidation state for tungsten. Bulk WO3 sphere photocatalytic activity was evaluated through the exertion of synthetic textile methylene blue (MB) dye and sulfamethoxazole (SMX) pharmaceutical antibiotic. The obtained activity results showed 85% and 100% degradation for MB and SMX under 100 min visible light irradiation. We expect that our work may provide a new sample for energy production (H2) through water photolysis, gas sensing and soft matter research.
The ESSU concept for designing, modeling and auditing ecosystem service provision in intercropping and agroforestry systems. A review
Authors: Rafflegeau Sylvain , Gosme Marie , Barkaoui Karim , Garcia Léo , Allinne Clémentine , Deheuvels Olivier , Grimaldi Juliette , Jagoret Patrick , Lauri Pierre-Éric , Merot Anne , Metay Aurélie , Reyes Francesco , Saj Stéphane , Curry George Nicolas , Justes Eric
Published: June 2023

Duru et al. (Agron Sustain Dev 35:1259-1281, 2015) highlighted a missing tool for studying and improving the performance of cropping systems in the transition to highly diversified agriculture. In response, this paper proposes a concept for designing, modeling, monitoring, and auditing desired ecosystem services, in intercropping and agroforestry systems. We have labelled this concept ESSU (Ecosystem Services functional Spatial Unit). It delimits the smallest spatial unit encompassing all the interacting species and other functional components (e.g., crops, trees, livestock, spontaneous vegetation, semi-natural habitats such as hedges, ditches, forest patches, and animals) that together provide a specified set of ecosystem services. The novel ESSU concept allows representation of an entire diversified agroecosystem by the repetition of the spatial unit that provides the same sets of targeted ecosystem services as the agroecosystem it represents. It can then be used for various activities, such as the (i) design of more efficient agroecological systems according to the targeted ecosystem services; (ii) rapid audit of farming practices for biodiversity/resilience across large tracts of farmland as part of achieving Sustainable Development Goal 2 targets of sustainable food systems; and (iii) modeling such diversified agroecosystems using a motif adapted to represent the targeted ecosystem services and the species spacing design. We demonstrate that the ESSU concept is highly flexible and applicable to a wide range of diversified agroecosystems, like arable intercropping, crop-tree intercropping, tree-tree agroforestry, and agro-pastoralism. We also show its relevance and suitability for representing temporal changes over 1 year, across several years, and over decades, indicating its generalizability and flexibility. We argue that ESSU could open new theoretical and practical research avenues for the study of diversified agroecosystems. Considered with all the knowledge available on practices, biodiversity, and ecosystem services, ESSU might provide a learning-support tool to fill the knowledge gap about relationships among practices, biodiversity, and associated ecosystem services.
Advancing reliability assessment of venue-reference social media data for enhanced domestic tourism development
Authors: Vu Huy Quan , Miah Shah Jahan , Xia Haiyang , Li Gang , Muskat Birgit , Law Rob
Published: June 2023

The aim of this research is to assess the reliability of venue check-in data. We focus on resident mobility and assess how venue check-in data can provide valuable insights into residents’ movement in tourist destinations. Understanding resident’s mobility and related activities is necessary for strategic planning and decision making for destination managers. Venue-referenced social media data (VR-SMD) is a new type of data and can provide insights into resident’s mobility and behavior. While VR-SMD is available on various social media platforms, their reliability to capture resident movement and activities has not been fully realized. We present an analytical approach to assess and demonstrate how VR-SMD, specifically venue check-in data, can be used to capture resident mobility and activities, with illustrative examples from the United States of America, United Kingdom, and Singapore. Results and analysis indicate that tourism managers and government organizations can exploit VR-SMD for domestic tourism development.
Unfulfilled Needs in the Detection, Diagnosis, Monitoring, Treatment, and Understanding of Glaucoma in Blacks Globally
Authors: Adebayo Ayobami , Laroche Daniel
Published: June 2023

Glaucoma is an ophthalmic disorder that affects a significant number of Blacks globally. A leading cause of this condition is an age-related enlargement of the lens and increased intraocular pressure. Although Blacks are affected by glaucoma at a higher rate than their Caucasian counterparts, there remains a lack of emphasis placed on the detection, diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment of glaucoma in this population. Education regarding glaucoma in the African and African American populations is essential to reducing rates of glaucoma-related visual impairment and improving treatment success. In this article, we highlight specific issues and limitations to the management of glaucoma, which affects Blacks at a higher rate. In addition, we also review the backgrounds of Blacks globally and examine historical events that have contributed to financial inequality and wealth/health disparities affecting glaucoma management. Lastly, we suggest reparations and solutions that health care professionals can use to improve glaucoma screening and management.
Frictional behavior of quartz gouge during slide-hold-slide considering normal stress oscillation
Authors: Tao Kang , Dang Wengang
Published: June 2023

Slide-hold-slide (SHS) test is an essential experimental approach for studying the frictional stability of faults. The origin SHS framework was established based on  a consistent constant normal stress, which cannot truly reflect the stress disturbance around fault zones. In this paper, we conducted a series of ‘dynamic SHS tests’, which includes normal stress oscillations in the relaxation stage with different oscillation amplitudes and frequencies on synthetic quartz gouge using a double direct shear assembly. The experimental results reveal that the amplitude of the normal load oscillation has a remarkable effect on the frictional relaxation and healing patterns. However, the frequency of the normal load oscillation has a minor effect. Additionally, the shear loading rate is proportional to the normal loading rate during the relaxation stage, and the normal stiffness of the quartz layer remains nearly constant under various loading conditions. The creep rate during the hold phase is not obviously affected by the normal load oscillation, while the precursory slip is also sensitive to the oscillation amplitude. This study provides insights into the evolution of frictional stability in discontinuities and is beneficial for controlling relative disasters in fault zones.
Explainable Deep-Learning-Based Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease Using Multimodal Input Fusion of PET and MRI Images
Authors: Odusami Modupe , Maskeliūnas Rytis , Damaševičius Robertas , Misra Sanjay
Published: June 2023

Purpose

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive, incurable human brain illness that impairs reasoning and retention as well as recall. Detecting AD in its preliminary stages before clinical manifestations is crucial for timely treatment. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) provides valuable insights into brain abnormalities by measuring the decrease in brain volume expressly in the mesial temporal cortex and other regions of the brain, while Positron Emission Tomography (PET) measures the decrease of glucose concentration in the temporoparietal association cortex. When these data are combined, the performance of AD diagnostic methods could be improved. However, these data are heterogeneous and there is a need for an effective model that will harness the information from both data for the accurate prediction of AD.

Methods

To this end, we present a novel heuristic early feature fusion framework that performs the concatenation of PET and MRI images, while a modified Resnet18 deep learning architecture is trained simultaneously on the two datasets. The innovative 3-in-channel approach is used to learn the most descriptive features of fused PET and MRI images for effective binary classification of AD.

Results

The experimental results show that the proposed model achieved a classification accuracy of 73.90% on the ADNI database. Then, we provide an Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) model, allowing us to explain the results.

Conclusion

Our proposed model could learn latent representations of multimodal data even in the presence of heterogeneity data; hence, the proposed model partially solved the issue with the heterogeneity of the MRI and PET data.
Where Is the Geography? A Study of the Predictors of Obesity Using UK Biobank Data and Machine Learning
Authors: Zhou Yunqi , Harris Richard , Tranos Emmanouil
Published: June 2023

In this study, we adopted individual baseline data from the UK Biobank cohort of participants aged 40–69 across the UK to explore whether there is evidence of the geography related to health disparities in obesity. First, we used multilevel models to decompose the variation in body mass index (BMI) values to examine the presence of spatial clustering patterns of individual BMI values at various geographic scales. Next, we looked at whether key predictors of obesity, such as physical activities and dietary habits, differ across 6 cities in England by using a machine learning approach. To do this, we trained random forest models in one city, and we used them to predict BMI values in other cities to see if the models were spatially transferable. Subsequently, we turned to explore socio-economic status, which is one of the direct interests in the literature with obesity and used those in combination with multilevel models to check for the existence of spatially varying effects. The results of the multilevel null models indicate that most of the variance of BMI is due to individual variation, suggesting little evidence of geographical clustering at any geographical scales. The machine learning prediction results show that the effects of the main identified risk factors for obesity are stable (spatially stationary) across cities, based on approximately the same predictive power and broadly constant effect sizes of main factors. Multilevel models taking socio-economic status into account further support that individual and neighbourhood deprivation levels display limited geographical variation in their effects on obesity across the study areas. Contrary to our expectations, the models together suggest the limited association of geographical context with obesity, among the UK Biobank participants.
In vitro antibacterial activity and synergetic effect of crude extract of the Wohlfahrtia nuba (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) flesh fly larvae
Authors: Khedre Azza M. , Ismail Tarek G. , Hashem Gehad A. , Zakaria Islam M.
Published: June 2023

Multidrug-resistant pathogens have become ubiquitous, and effective treatment alternatives are urgently required. Maggot therapy is a promising agent that is being studied to overcome antibiotic-resistant pathogens. This study evaluated the antibacterial activity of the larvae extract of the Wohlfahrtia nuba (wiedmann) (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) flesh fly on the growth of five pathogenic bacterial species (methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus [ATCC 29213], methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus [ATCC BAA-1680], Pseudomonas aeruginosa [ATCC 27853], Escherichia coli [ATCC 25922], and Salmonella typhi [ATCC 19430]) in vitro by using different techniques. Resazurin-based turbidimetric assay demonstrated that the W. nuba maggot exosecretion (ES) was potent against all the bacterial species tested, and according to the determined minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for each bacterium, gram-negative bacteria were more sensitive than gram-positive bacteria. Additionally, colony-forming unit assay showed that maggot ES was able to inhibit bacterial growth rate for all bacterial species tested, where the highest bacterial reduction was observed with methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) followed by S. typhi. Moreover, maggot ES was shown to be concentration-dependent, where 100 μL of ES at 200 mg/mL was bactericidal towards methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and P. aeruginosa compared with 100 μL at the MIC of the ES. Moreover, based on the result of agar disc diffusion assay, maggot extract was more efficient against P. aeruginosa and E. coli than the remaining reference strains tested. Furthermore, the combination between regular antibiotics with maggot ES at different concentrations indicated that ES acts synergistically with the tested antibiotics against the five bacterial models.
Roles of thermal energy storage technology for carbon neutrality
Authors: Sun Mingyang , Liu Tianze , Wang Xinlei , Liu Tong , Li Mulin , Chen Guijun , Jiang Dongyue
Published: June 2023

In order to achieve global carbon neutrality in the middle of the 21st century, efficient utilization of fossil fuels is highly desired in diverse energy utilization sectors such as industry, transportation, building as well as life science. In the energy utilization infrastructure, about 75% of the fossil fuel consumption is used to provide and maintain heat, leading to more than 60% waste heat of the input energy discharging to the environment. Types of low-grade waste heat recovery technologies are developed to increase the energy efficiency. However, due to the spatial and temporal mismatch between the need and supply of the thermal energy, much of the waste thermal energy is difficult to be recovered. Thermal energy storage (TES) technologies in the forms of sensible, latent and thermochemical heat storage are developed for relieving the mismatched energy supply and demand. Diverse TES systems are developed in recent years with the superior features of large density, long-term, durable and low-cost. These technologies are vital in efficient utilization of low-grade waste heat and expected for building a low or zero carbon emission society. This paper reviews the thermal storage technologies for low carbon power generation, low carbon transportation, low carbon building as well as low carbon life science, in addition, carbon capture, utilization, and storage are also considered for carbon emission reduction. The conclusion and perspective are raised after discussing the specific technologies. This study is expected to provide a reference for the TES technologies in achieving zero-carbon future.
Sedation Weaning in a Patient with a Substance Abuse and Psychiatric History
Authors: Jones Anna V. , Shunnarah Alana , Gwaltney Andrew , Bulloch Marilyn , Stewart Grier
Published: June 2023

Background

Achieving therapeutic doses of sedation and analgesia are necessary for the safety and comfort of mechanically ventilated patients. Patients with complicated psychiatric histories, are neurocritical, and have acute respiratory distress syndrome usually require maximum sedation, making sedation weaning an arduous task.

Case Presentation

A 42-year-old female presented with a chief complaint of headache, hypertensive crisis, confusion, and nausea. Her past medical history is notable for hypertension, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, bipolar II disorder, manic depression, agoraphobia, anxiety, and prior suicide attempts. Noncompliance with anti-hypertensive and psychiatric medications and prior substance abuse history was reported. A head computerized tomography scan revealed multifocal intraparenchymal hemorrhages and multifocal subarachnoid hemorrhages throughout the cerebrum. Within two hours, the patient became obtunded and required intubation. The patient’s severe agitation, likely due to metabolic encephalopathy, was difficult to control. Despite being on maximum dexmedetomidine, fentanyl, and quetiapine doses, the patient’s agitation remained. Due to her substance abuse and psychiatric history, a methadone and clonidine taper was initiated to attempt sedation weaning.

Conclusion

Sedation and analgesia weaning protocols for patients with psychiatric or substance abuse histories may aid in decreasing time on mechanical ventilation and/or in the ICU. The successful clonidine and methadone taper utilized in this patient has potential to be utilized in patients with similar histories. Future trials and approved sedation and analgesia weaning protocols for patients with a profound psychiatric and substance abuse history are urgently needed.
A spectral approach to quenched linear and higher-order response for partially hyperbolic dynamics
Authors: CRIMMINS HARRY , NAKANO YUSHI
Published: June 2023

For smooth random dynamical systems we consider the quenched linear and higher-order response of equivariant physical measures to perturbations of the random dynamics. We show that the spectral perturbation theory of Gouëzel, Keller and Liverani [28, 33], which has been applied to deterministic systems with great success, may be adapted to study random systems that possess good mixing properties. As a consequence, we obtain general linear and higher-order response results, as well as the differentiability of the variance in quenched central limit theorems (CLTs), for random dynamical systems (RDSs) that we then apply to random Anosov diffeomorphisms and random U(1) extensions of expanding maps. We emphasize that our results apply to random dynamical systems over a general ergodic base map, and are obtained without resorting to infinite-dimensional multiplicative ergodic theory.
Theoretical modelling of non-equilibrium reaction–diffusion of rarefied gas on a wall with microscale roughness
Authors: Zhang Shun-Liang , Wang Zhi-Hui
Published: June 2023

Heat and mass transports through a rough surface are among the most fundamental and important phenomena in either natural or engineering problems. In this paper, theoretical modelling and direct simulation Monte Carlo method are employed to study the heterogeneous reaction–diffusion features induced by microscale roughness which is comparable to the molecular mean free path of the ambient gas. A quasi-one-dimensional homogeneous model is proposed, and it consists of an external diffusion region outside the roughness elements and an internal reaction–diffusion region which could be equivalent to a smooth surface with an effective chemical property. The external macroscopic diffusion can be characterized by a non-equilibrium criterion – the Damköhler number. The internal diffusion in micro-cavities must be analysed by considering the rarefied gas effects on the diffusivity, and another non-equilibrium criterion, the Thiele number, is introduced to evaluate the effective boundary condition imposed on the external region. Analytical formulae based on these criteria are derived to predict the equivalent surface reaction–diffusion performance, and the predictions compare well with the numerical results of different types of surface reaction, even on the three-dimensional roughness. This reveals that the roughness could either enhance or weaken the apparent reaction rate depending on the non-equilibrium degree. This study could enrich our understanding of the gas–surface interactions on a rough wall, such as the oxidation, catalysis and energy accommodation, and also preliminarily provides a practical method for evaluation of the aerothermochemical performance of coating materials of hypersonic vehicles.
Philosophy of the Field, in the Field: Philosophy of Science Association 2020/2021 Presidential Address
Authors: Wylie Alison
Published: June 2023

Recent advocates of “field philosophy” make the case that philosophy “needs to get outside more often”; alongside disciplinary modes of practice we should cultivate philosophical work that is consequential in real-world, practical terms. This takes a number of different forms, many of them captured by a framework for analyzing engaged philosophy of science proposed by Plaisance and Elliott. I draw on three examples of field-engaged philosophy of science that address the legacies of settler-colonialism archaeology to illustrate the promise of field philosophy.
HERMODORUS OF SYRACUSE AND SEXTUS EMPIRICUS’ ‘PYTHAGOREANS’ ON CATEGORIES AND PRINCIPLES
Authors: Granieri Roberto
Published: June 2023

Hermodorus of Syracuse, a Sicilian disciple of Plato, is reported by Simplicius to have set out a classification of beings, which is of a piece with an argument for principle monism (in Ph. 247.30–248.18 > F 5 IP2; 256.28–257.4 = F 6 IP2). A similar classification appears in Sextus Empiricus’ Aduersus mathematicos X (262–75), where it is officially ascribed to some ‘Pythagoreans’ (Πυθαγορικοί) or ‘children of the Pythagoreans’ (Πυθαγορικῶν παῖδες), but seems ultimately based on Early Academic material. Virtually all commentators have read these classifications conjointly. More radically, both have been taken to record Plato's oral teaching and to give essentially the same categorial scheme, which is regarded as the most developed instance of a so-called ‘Academic doctrine of the categories’. This article re-examines these texts and provides an alternative reading. Section 1 focusses on Hermodorus and defends three theses: (1) there was never such a thing as an ‘Academic doctrine of the categories’; (2) Hermodorus does not seem to recount what Plato said, but to propose an integrated interpretation and defence of aspects of his thought; (3) Hermodorus’ pronouncements about principles are incompatible with other testimonies on Plato's unwritten teaching, notably Aristotle's. Section 2 moves to Sextus and defends a fourth thesis: (4) despite their similarities, the classifications of Hermodorus and Sextus’ Pyrhagoreans are considerably different, though perhaps originated from the same debate.
Neurocomputational modeling of speech motor development
Authors: MEIER Andrew M. , GUENTHER Frank H.
Published: June 2023

This review describes a computational approach for modeling the development of speech motor control in infants. We address the development of two levels of control: articulation of individual speech sounds (defined here as phonemes, syllables, or words for which there is an optimized motor program) and production of sound sequences such as phrases or sentences. We describe the DIVA model of speech motor control and its application to the problem of learning individual sounds in the infant’s native language. Then we describe the GODIVA model, an extension of DIVA, and how chunking of frequently produced phoneme sequences is implemented within it.
WHO Guidance on Research Methods for Health Emergency and Disaster Risk Management
Authors: Kayona Ryoma , Clarke Mike , Murray Virginia , Chan Emily , Abrahams Jonathan , O'Sullivan Tracey
Published: June 2023

Introduction:

The World Health Organization (WHO) has developed and supported numerous initiatives to build capacity and awareness about health emergency and disaster risk management (Health EDRM). These include establishing the Health EDRM Research Network (Health EDRM RN) in 2018 and the publication of the Health EDRM Framework in 2019. These initiatives recognize that research is vital to generating the evidence to inform decision making and research that is integral to disaster preparedness, response and recovery will be vital to delivering the aspirations associated with caring, coping and overcoming in an increasingly challenging world.

Method:

To strengthen the capacity for conduct and use of research, resources were developed by the WHO Guidance on Research Methods for Health EDRM.

Results:

This first WHO textbook on Health EDRM research methods was published in 2021 and updated in 2022 with a chapter on Health EDRM research in the context of COVID-19. The 44 chapters offer practical advice about how to plan, conduct and report on a variety of quantitative and qualitative studies that can inform questions about policies and programs for health-related emergencies and disasters across different settings and level of resources. Case studies of direct relevance to Health EDRM provide real-life examples of research methods and how they have modified policies.

More than 160 authors in 30 countries contributed to the guidance, which is relevant to researchers, would-be researchers, policy makers and practitioners. It should help improve the quality of Health EDRM research; the quality of policy, practice and guidance supported by the evidence generated; and research capacity, collaboration and engagement among researchers, the research community, policy-makers, practitioners and other stakeholders.

Conclusion:

The Guidance is being supplemented by additional resources, including audio podcasts, slideshows, video presentations and webinars, and the content as a whole will be discussed in this presentation.
Progress in Saving Lives Aspects of Emergency Management Since the 2014 Mt. Ontake Eruption
Authors: Oshiro Kazue , Murakami Tomikazu , Watanabe Yuji
Published: June 2023

Introduction:

Mt. Ontake (3,067m), Japan's second-highest volcano, erupted without warning on September 26, 2014, leaving 58 dead and five people missing. More than 20,000 rescue workers were mobilized from all over the country. The findings on rescue operations and subsequent advances in emergency preparedness and rescuer education are presented.

Method:

After the disaster, public data was obtained from the Cabinet Office by conducting interviews. Photographs and videos were collected from the military, the police, and the Fire and Disaster Management Agency sources, as well as from local governments and the Volcano Research Institute.

Results:

The volcanic eruption received governmental disaster designation. The leading cause of death and the rescued survivors were traumatic injuries caused by sudden falling rocks. Volcanic tremors and landform upheaval were observed immediately before the eruption, but they were too short-lived to lead to evacuation. The location of the victims at the time of the eruptions seemed to be the most critical determinant of survival. What medical care could do at this point was very limited. No rescuers died, but some suffered acute mountain sickness and hypothermia. In the following year, education for rescue organizations began, and volcano information was released to the public in real-time as raw data, regardless of whether they could be understood. In 2022, shelters were constructed near the summit of Mt. Ontake.

Conclusion:

A severe volcanic eruption leaves little time for people to evacuate, and emergency medical care can play only a minor role. In Japan, where there are many volcanoes, measures are underway to support self-help to increase the possibility of saving lives for climbers and rescuers in an eruption that is difficult to predict.
No Ordinary Moments–Improving the Response to Disasters by Enhancing the Incident Command System
Authors: Bradley-Smith Karen , Tippett Vivienne , FitzGerald Gerald
Published: June 2023

Introduction:

Disasters have adversely affected human life since the beginning of our existence. In response, societies have attempted to improve disaster response & reduce the consequences of disasters by developing standardized organizational arrangements, often known as Incident Command Systems (ICS). These ICS response systems have a military heritage in hierarchical organizational command & control (C2) that is authoritative by nature and fits well with bureaucratic organization. While emergency service agencies have embraced ICS, other agencies often involved in community-level disaster response, such as public health, non-government organizations and community groups, have not. Although ICS have become the backbone of disaster management (DM) policy in Australia and overseas, worldwide debate over the effectiveness of ICS continues. Therefore, this study investigated ICS systems used worldwide to aid in the development of an improved conceptual framework for managing the response to modern-day disasters, for all agencies, at all levels and across all hazard types.

Method:

Phase one involved a review and critical analysis of the literature. Phase two used inductive research methods to gain a better understanding of the barriers & facilitators of ICS to the multi-agency disaster response. Two studies were conducted in this phase: Study one used semi-structured interviews with key informants involved in the 2018 Central Queensland Bushfire & 2019 North & Far North Queensland Monsoon Trough Flood & Study two participants from any disaster. Phase three undertook a policy analysis of recent disaster reviews and inquiries. This was triangulated with previous findings and presented to an expert panel by way of a 2-round modified Delphi.

Results:

The most significant outcome of this research was the improved understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of ICS within the context of multi-agency engagement in disaster management.

Conclusion:

Development of conceptual framework based on modifications to the ICS principles and includes other phases of the DM continuum with psychological aspects taken into consideration.
A Full-Scale Exercise for Preparedness for Uncertain and Novel Chemical Hazards with Pediatric Casualties: Project PUNCH
Authors: Kane Ashley , Cahan Lea Ohana Sarna , Abelanes Sally-Mae , Adnan Mohd Syafwan Bin , Woodward Christina , Tin Derrick , Labib Ibrahim , Issa Fadi , Voskanyan Amalia , Weiner Debra
Published: June 2023

Introduction:

In 2022, the Harvard/Beth Israel Deaconess Disaster Medicine Fellowship conducted a full-scale exercise (FSX) with the dual mission of 1) training Disaster Medicine Fellows (DMFs) in exercise design, planning, and execution, and 2) expanding local first responder experience with pediatric casualties in a mixed-method terrorist attack.

Method:

Project PUNCH (Preparedness for Uncertain and Novel Chemical Hazards) was planned in two stages. A tabletop exercise in the form of a facilitated discussion was conducted in March 2022 with stakeholders from Fire, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and the Massachusetts HazMat Team. A FSX simulating a combined blast and chemical attack on a family gathering was held in June 2022 at Anna Maria College in Paxton, MA.

Results:

Fire, EMS, HazMat, LifeFlight, local Police, MA State Police, a local Medical Reserve Corps, and over 40 volunteer victims including 16 pediatric volunteers participated in the FSX. The FSX was a two-hour exercise with a simulated explosion and a secondary drone-deployed dummy-opioid aerosol release. This was the first FSX for the Paxton Region since the coronavirus pandemic began. Planning was conducted by the DMFs between January and June 2022 with the aid of Fellowship faculty and local stakeholders following Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program guidelines. Local and Fellowship leadership with Pediatric expertise were engaged to plan pediatric specific considerations, precautions and safety measures. COVID precaution guidelines were followed. These efforts are detailed in the forthcoming field report. Educational guides for toxidromes and triage and resuscitation of pediatric victims were distributed to first responders.

Conclusion:

The end outcome was a FSX that trained DMFs in exercise design, planning, and execution, and increased experience of local first responders with the concepts of asymmetric terrorist attacks and comfort with pediatric disaster victims. Multi-agency disaster drills remain an important training tool for preparedness and response to mass casualty events.
Organizational Resilience Among Health Organizations in Israel
Authors: Velner Tamir , Rubinstein Zohar , Adini Bruria
Published: June 2023

Introduction:

Health Organizations (HOs) worldwide are vital to any nation’s capacity to withstand crises. The COVID-19 pandemic increased the HOs’ awareness of the importance of Organizational Resilience to ensure Operational Continuity during crises.

This study aimed to identify the main elements affecting HOs’ resilience, to enable their application in long-term processes of capacity building.

Method:

A cross-sectional study examining the level of organizational resilience in HOs was performed, in a general hospital (group A) and one region of Emergency Medical Services–EMS (group B). A structured questionnaire, consisting of 29 items, was developed, validated, and subsequently used to assess organizational resilience. The questionnaire encompassed: ethos, organizational culture, leadership and human capital, situational awareness, adaptability, organizational performance, and learning ability.

Results:

The respondents included 225 participants from the hospital and 214 from the EMS. Both HOs presented a high level of organizational resilience (average score among hospital and EMS personnel was 3.79 versus 3.91 respectively).

In a multivariate linear regression test, the factors found to predict the organizational resilience (in both organizations) were education (academic/non-academic), gender (male/female), and two age groups (20-30 & 31-40).

These factors explained 11% of the organizational resilience. Other factors such as profession or seniority at work, were found to be non-significant.

Conclusion:

As the operational continuity of health organizations is vital during crises, the developed evaluation tool contributes to the capacity of managers and policymakers to continuously monitor the level of organizational resilience. In line with the factors identified as predictors of organizational resilience, health managers should focus on educational interventions to increase their organization’s resilience. It is recommended that follow-up studies be initiated to examine additional variables that may predict the level of organizational resilience.
Targeted Review and Amalgamation of Unmapped Major Trauma and Ambulance Data in Ireland: TRAUMA Study
Authors: Donnelly Nora-Ann , Brent Louise , Masterson Siobhan , Deasy Conor , Moran Brid , Willis David , Boland Fiona , Hennelly David , Hickey Anne , Doyle Frank
Published: June 2023

Introduction:

The trauma care system in Ireland is being re-configured to have major trauma centers for severe injuries and other sites for less severe injuries. This is to ensure patients are brought quickly to the most appropriate hospital to manage their injuries. The National Ambulance Service (NAS) electronic Patient Care Record (ePCR) records what happens to patients before they reach the hospital and the Major Trauma Audit (MTA) captures data on patients’ hospital treatment. These datasets are currently separate and if they could be joined, they would inform important decisions on which hospitals to take patients. This study aims to investigate joining these datasets to create a seamless database of the patient journey from roadside to recovery.

Method:

Proof of Concept–The ePCR and MTA datasets will be linked on a once-off basis. The combined anonymized dataset will then be analyzed to identify pre-hospital characteristics that determine the need to bypass smaller hospitals and bring patients to a larger major trauma center or trauma unit.

Stakeholder input for ongoing dataset combination and utilization–A stakeholder consultation process will explore the best way to make a GDPR-compliant combination of datasets on an on-going basis, including geo-location data and the inclusion of patient reported outcome measures. This will incorporate the requirements of the Data Protection Commissioner, National Office of Clinical Audit, patients, clinicians, NAS, HSE and other stakeholders.

Geospatial implications of major trauma services–Once ongoing data combination is approved, we will determine geospatial implications of the trauma network for prehospital care configuration and the patient journey.

Results:

Study results will inform prehospital service configuration to ensure safe and equitable patient management.

Conclusion:

The data arising from this study will capture the full trauma patient journey. This data is essential to inform policy and practice for trauma care in Ireland.
Docimological Analysis of Written Acute Medicine Examinations at a Medicine School
Authors: GHazali Hanene , Salah Naouel Ben , Chermiti Ines , Bakir Amira , Garfa Amel Ben , Dhokar Rahma , Tagougui Amira , Souissi Sami
Published: June 2023

Introduction:

The docimology or "science of examinations" is a scientific discipline devoted to the study of the examination in all its dimensions. The main objective is the development of standards guaranteeing valid, reliable and objective tests. It was adopted within a Medical School in 2007.

Our aim was to analyze results of docimological survey results of written acute medicine examinations through a global approach, by discipline and by item.

Method:

This was a retrospective study analyzing the notes of acute medicine examinations (January and May sessions) of Second Cycle Medical Studies 3). We have calculated docimological parameters allowing three levels of assessment: global, by discipline, and items analysis.

Results:

We analyzed 407 scripts, 99 questions and 6,919 pieces of data. The overall success rate was 97.6%. Highest success rates were found in Medical resuscitation (87%). The lowest rate was found in emergency medicine (53%). The difficulty index for the January session was 0.53 and 0.61 for the May session. For the January session: 24% of questions were easy, 14% of questions were difficult and 61% were of acceptable difficulty. For the May session: 40% of questions were easy, 6% of questions were difficult and 54% were of acceptable difficulty. The discrimination index was 0.27 for the January session and 0.24 for the May session. Discrimination was very good in 18% of items and good in 25%. Useless and bad discrimination items were about 35% for both sessions. Average Cronbach’s Alpha was 0.84, showing good internal-consistency.

Conclusion:

Overall, acute medical examinations have joined docimological recommendations and had an acceptable internal consistency and a good level of difficulty and discrimination. However, some weaknesses had been revealed specially for the discipline with low weighting. A reflection on the integration of questions would make up for these weaknesses. This would ensure better assessment and training.
Digital Psychological Support Systems for Post-Disaster Reconstruction in Japan: Empirical Study on the Effectiveness of the me-fullness® Application
Authors: Okuyama Junko , Seto Shuji , Motokawa Tomonori , Kato Tomomi
Published: June 2023

Introduction:

Asia is one of the regions most affected by natural disasters such as major typhoons. In Japan, recovery from natural disasters is said to take more than 10 years, and local government officials are primarily responsible for this recovery. In this study, we investigated the effectiveness of the me-fullness® smartphone application in maintaining the well-being of local government employees involved in recovery efforts.

Method:

We conducted a survey of 35 employees of the town of Shichigahama, one of the areas affected by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. The Chalder Fatigue Scale (CFS), Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS), and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale–21 Items (DASS-21) were used as survey instruments. 22 of the 35 employees used the me-fullness application on their smartphones for one month. During the month the application was in use, there was a heavy rain warning and an election for the House of Counselors, which the Shichigahama town employees had to cope with in parallel with the recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Results:

The percentage of insomnia indicated by an AIS score of four or higher was 53.5% (7/13) before and 30.8% (4/13) after the use of the me-fullness application. The percentage of stress was 38.5% (5/13) before and 7.7% (1/13) after the use of the me-fullness application.

Conclusion:

This study showed that the me-fullness® application could improve the sleep and stress of local government employees and maintain their well-being for a long time during the recovery efforts.
Potential for Shoreline Recession to Accelerate Discharge of Groundwater Pollutants to Coastal Waters
Authors: Rakhimbekova Sabina , Power Christopher , O’Carroll Denis M. , Robinson Clare E.
Published: June 2023

Discharge of groundwater‐derived pollutants to inland and marine coastal waters is influenced by the transport and reactive processes occurring in nearshore aquifers. The effect of shoreline change on these processes and subsequent discharge of pollutants to coastal waters is unclear. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of shoreline recession (landward movement of the mean shoreline) on the transport of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in a nearshore aquifer and their discharge to coastal waters. Field investigations were conducted on a permeable unconfined nearshore aquifer on Lake Huron, Canada, in years coinciding with historically low and high lake water levels. At the site, a septic system‐derived nutrient‐rich (N and P) groundwater plume is moving toward the lake and the mean shoreline position moved ∼30 m landward between sampling years due coastal erosion and mean lake water level increase. Data indicate PO4‐P fluxes to the lake were higher following shoreline recession due to shortened travel pathways. In contrast, NO3‐N fluxes were governed by the specific geochemical conditions near the sediment‐water interface, which are not only a function of the shoreline position. Further, findings show shoreline recession may modify mineral phases that tend to sequester pollutants (e.g., iron oxides) near the sediment‐water interface and this may possibly mediate release of sediment‐bound pollutants. The findings provide new insights into potential impacts of shoreline change on chemical discharge to coastal waters as needed to inform long‐term water quality predictions and management.
Comparative Solar Minima Using the McIntosh Archive
Authors: Hewins Ian M. , Gibson Sarah E. , Webb David F. , McFadden Robert H. , Kuchar Thomas A. , Emery Barbara A.
Published: June 2023

The McIntosh Archive consists of four solar cycles (SC20–23) of synoptic maps of solar features (magnetic polarities, coronal holes, filaments, sunspots, plage) that were produced by Patrick McIntosh and his cartographers. In this paper we present the full Archive for the first time and find a hemispheric pattern of coronal hole polarity reflecting the Hale sunspot polarity pattern. In addition, we present a supplemental set of related maps created for the 2019–2020 solar minimum in support of the Whole Heliosphere and Planetary Interactions (WHPI) interval. To facilitate this addition, we cross calibrate EUV and He‐I 10,830 Å coronal holes and study differences between the WHPI solar minimum and the earlier minima in the main Archive. We find, first, that the visibility of coronal holes in EUV introduces a bias toward larger counts of low‐latitude coronal holes near solar minimum. However, the estimated lifetimes (in Carrington Rotations) of coronal hole complexes are unaffected by this fragmentation, and we find the longest‐lived low‐latitude coronal holes occurred during the 2008–2009 solar minimum, with 2019–2020 solar minimum lifetimes not far behind. In this way, we consider the large‐scale organization of solar magnetic fields between solar minima and study each solar minimum in the context of its solar cycle.
Structural and mechanistic insights into the DNA glycosylase AAG-mediated base excision in nucleosome
Authors: Zheng Lvqin , Tsai Bin , Gao Ning
Published: June 2023

The engagement of a DNA glycosylase with a damaged DNA base marks the initiation of base excision repair. Nucleosome-based packaging of eukaryotic genome obstructs DNA accessibility, and how DNA glycosylases locate the substrate site on nucleosomes is currently unclear. Here, we report cryo-electron microscopy structures of nucleosomes bearing a deoxyinosine (DI) in various geometric positions and structures of them in complex with the DNA glycosylase AAG. The apo nucleosome structures show that the presence of a DI alone perturbs nucleosomal DNA globally, leading to a general weakening of the interface between DNA and the histone core and greater flexibility for the exit/entry of the nucleosomal DNA. AAG makes use of this nucleosomal plasticity and imposes further local deformation of the DNA through formation of the stable enzyme–substrate complex. Mechanistically, local distortion augmentation, translation/rotational register shift and partial opening of the nucleosome are employed by AAG to cope with substrate sites in fully exposed, occluded and completely buried positions, respectively. Our findings reveal the molecular basis for the DI-induced modification on the structural dynamics of the nucleosome and elucidate how the DNA glycosylase AAG accesses damaged sites on the nucleosome with different solution accessibility.
Detailed characterization of neural selectivity in free viewing primates
Authors: Yates Jacob L. , Coop Shanna H. , Sarch Gabriel H. , Wu Ruei-Jr , Butts Daniel A. , Rucci Michele , Mitchell Jude F.
Published: June 2023

Fixation constraints in visual tasks are ubiquitous in visual and cognitive neuroscience. Despite its widespread use, fixation requires trained subjects, is limited by the accuracy of fixational eye movements, and ignores the role of eye movements in shaping visual input. To overcome these limitations, we developed a suite of hardware and software tools to study vision during natural behavior in untrained subjects. We measured visual receptive fields and tuning properties from multiple cortical areas of marmoset monkeys who freely viewed full-field noise stimuli. The resulting receptive fields and tuning curves from primary visual cortex (V1) and area MT match reported selectivity from the literature which was measured using conventional approaches. We then combined free viewing with high-resolution eye tracking to make the first detailed 2D spatiotemporal measurements of foveal receptive fields in V1. These findings demonstrate the power of free viewing to characterize neural responses in untrained animals while simultaneously studying the dynamics of natural behavior.