bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Self‐management program and Black women with hypertension: Randomized controlled trial substudy
Authors: Abel Willie M. , Efird Jimmy T. , Crane Patricia B. , Ferdinand Keith C.
Published: February 2023

The prevalence of hypertension (HTN) among Black women in the United States has increased over the past 10 years with a decline in levels of HTN awareness, treatment, and control. Higher death rates occur in Black women from HTN‐related diseases when compared with women of other racial/ethnic groups. Although interventions aimed at self‐care/self‐management are vital to adults becoming the cornerstone of their own health and well‐being, there is a paucity of research in Black women. This randomized controlled pilot trial substudy examined the influence of a Chronic Disease Self‐Management Program (CDSMP) with tailored coaching versus the CDSMP alone on blood pressure (BP), weight, and scores on self‐care questionnaires and medication adherence for Black women with HTN over 9 months. Eighty‐three women who had completed the CDSMP were randomly assigned to coaching or no coaching. Median age was 54 years and the time since the HTN diagnosis was 9 years. Significant differences were noted in self‐care maintenance and management over time with better self‐care in the treatment group. Though not significant, both groups denoted a trend toward better medication adherence. Almost 60% of the participants in both groups showed improvements in their systolic and/or diastolic BP. However, there was no significant difference between the study groups’ BP and weight variables. The CDSMP was effective in decreasing BP and improving medication adherence. Further research is needed to evaluate effective coaching strategies that motivate Black women with HTN toward self‐care management.
Reproducibility and determinants of the metabolic responses during a mixed‐meal tolerance test
Authors: Stinson Emma J. , Piaggi Paolo , Mitchell Cassie M. , Redman Leanne M. , Krakoff Jonathan
Published: February 2023

Objective

The aim of this study was to assess the reproducibility and physiological determinants of mixed‐meal tolerance tests (MMTTs) on glucose and insulin responses.

Methods

While inpatients on a weight‐maintaining diet, 894 individuals (574 with normal and 267 with impaired glucose regulation and 53 with type 2 diabetes [T2D]) underwent 9‐hour MMTTs (breakfast and lunch; 30% weight‐maintaining diet each; 40% carbohydrate, 40% fat, and 20% protein). Total/incremental areas under the curve (AUC/iAUC) were calculated from MMTT plasma glucose/insulin concentrations. Acute insulin response (AIR) was quantified by intravenous glucose tolerance test and insulin action (M) via hyperinsulinemic‐euglycemic clamp. A subset had repeat MMTTs (median follow‐up = 1.4 years).

Results

In individuals without T2D, for breakfast‐versus‐lunch reproducibility of glucose, AUCs were moderate (intraclass correlation coefficients [ICCs]: 0.44‐0.61), and iAUCs were poor (ICCs < 0.15). For repeated MMTTs, reproducibility of AUC/iAUCs was low (ICCs: 0.11‐0.36). For insulin, AUC reproducibility was high (ICCs > 0.70), and iAUCs were moderate (ICCs: 0.64‐0.71). For repeated MMTTs, ICC AUC/iAUCs were 0.34 to 0.54. In those with T2D, ICC glucose AUC/iAUCs were >0.80 and >0.50, respectively, and for insulin were <0.40. For repeated MMTTs, ICC glucose/insulin AUC/iAUCs were moderate. Glucose AUCs associated with M/AIR (partial Rs < −0.25), and insulin AUCs negatively/positively associated with M/AIR (partial Rs = −0.51/0.24).

Conclusions

Reproducibility of glucose/insulin responses to MMTTs varied by subtraction of fasting values, glucose status, and time. Insulin secretion and action explained ~20% of MMTT responses. The substantial variability in MMTT response requires consideration in studies using MMTT outcomes.
Interdisciplinary care of pediatric oncology patients: A survey of clinicians in Central America and the Caribbean
Authors: Graetz Dylan E. , Chen Yichen , Devidas Meenakshi , Antillon‐Klussmann Federico , Fu Ligia , Quintero Karina , Fuentes‐Alabi Soad L. , Gassant Pascale Y. , Kaye Erica C. , Baker Justin N. , Rodriguez Galindo Carlos , Mack Jennifer W.
Published: February 2023

Background

Quality cancer care depends on interdisciplinary communication. This study explored the communication practices of interdisciplinary clinicians, the types of healthcare services for which they engage in interdisciplinary collaboration, and the association between interdisciplinary care and perceived quality of care, as well as job satisfaction.

Methods

We conducted a survey of interdisciplinary clinicians from cancer centers in Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, El Salvador, and Haiti. The survey included 68 items including previously validated tools and novel questions.

Results

Total 174 interdisciplinary clinicians completed the survey: nurses (n = 60), medical subspecialists (n = 35), oncologists (n = 22), psychosocial providers (n = 20), surgeons (n = 12), pathologists (n = 9), radiologists (n = 9), and radiation oncologists (n = 5). Oncologists reported daily communication with nurses (95%) and other oncologists (91%). While 90% of nurses reported daily communication with other nurses, only 66% reported daily communication with oncologists, and more than 50% of nurses reported never talking to pathologists, radiologists, radiation oncologists, or surgeons. Most clinicians described interdisciplinary establishment of cancer treatment goals and prognosis (84%), patient preferences (81%), and determination of first treatment modality (80%). Clinicians who described more interdisciplinary collaboration had higher job satisfaction (p = .04) and perceived a higher level of overall quality of care (p = .004).

Conclusions

Clinicians in these limited resource settings describe strong interdisciplinary collaboration contributing to higher job satisfaction and perceived quality of care. However, nurses in these settings reported more limited interdisciplinary communication and care. Additional studies are necessary to further define clinical roles on interdisciplinary care teams and their associations with patient outcomes.
Sexual and gender diverse youth's marginalization in school based sex education and development of adaptive competencies
Authors: Clonan‐Roy Katie , Naser Shereen , Fuller Kimberly , Goncy Elizabeth
Published: February 2023

One uniquely marginalizing school environment for sexual and gender diverse (SGD) youth is school based sex education (SBSE). While research has documented the negative sexual and mental health impacts these marginalizing environments can have for SGD youth, we know less about the developmental competencies that this population of youth exercises to survive in and cope with these environments. In this paper, we aim to answer the following question: What are the developmental competencies that SGD youth exercise in sex education spaces? We conducted focus groups with SGD youth (n = 17) in a Midwestern metropolitan region. Our study documents youth exercising six adaptive competencies to persevere through oppressive SBSE. Our data holds several scholarly and practical implications. In our discussion section, we present recommendations for creating inclusive and affirming school environments and nurturing these competencies in youth.
Advanced Metrics for Quantification of By‐Process Segregation beyond Ternary Systems
Authors: Petroni Elisa , Patelmo Matteo , Serafini Andrea , Codegoni Davide , Laurin Luca , Baldo Matteo , Redaelli Andrea
Published: February 2023

Ge‐rich GST (GGST) alloys have been shown to fulfill the tough temperature specifications required by automotive applications. Thus, they are the most promising materials for the embedded phase‐change memory market. In this respect, the characterization of the material properties once patterned and fully integrated is instrumental to improve the process and optimize the device performance. A description of the material behavior through a realistic sequence of process steps is still missing. Herein, a statistical‐based methodology capable to extract advanced metrics for the quantification of by‐process segregation beyond ternary systems is presented, capable to quantify thermal evolution of any out‐of‐stoichiometry and segregated material beyond ternary systems. The methodology to study the physical behavior of GGST as a function of a typical back‐end‐of‐line (BEOL) process is exploited, providing a further comparison between three different BEOL‐ended GGST.
Vortex Chains and Vortex Jets in MoSi Microbridges
Authors: Bevz Volodymyr M. , Budinska Barbora , Lamb-Camarena Sebastian , Shpilinska Stanislava O. , Schmid Clemens , Yu. Mikhailov Mikhail , Lang Wolfgang , Dobrovolskiy Oleksandr V.
Published: February 2023

Superconducting bridges exhibit many properties of a Josephson junction, such as the electromagnetic radiation at overcritical currents and steps in the microwave‐irradiated current–voltage (I–V) curves. These Josephson effects stem from the periodic motion of magnetic flux quanta (vortices) in the narrowest region of the bridge. According to the Aslamazov and Larkin (AL) theory, the I–V curve of such a constriction should exhibit voltage kinks each time the number of vortices in the 1D vortex chain is increased by one. However, in the presence of defects and fluctuations, the intervortex repulsion stipulates the formation of a 2D vortex jet, which goes beyond the 1D AL model. Here, by milling one or two slits across a MoSi thin strip, we make vortices to move in a vortex–jet or a vortex–chain fashion, respectively. Unexpectedly, for the strip with a vortex jet, we observe equidistant voltage kinks at transport currents which are rather far from the assumption of in the AL model. At the moment, we have no explanation for this observation, tending to attribute it to fast relaxation processes in MoSi and looking forward for a comparison with other superconducting materials.
Suppression of MAPK/NF‐kB and activation of Nrf2 signaling by Ajugarin‐I in EAE model of multiple sclerosis
Authors: Khan Adnan , Shal Bushra , Khan Ashraf Ullah , Bibi Tehmina , Zeeshan Sara , Zahra Syeda Saniya , Crews Phillip , Haq Ihsan ul , Din Fakhar ud , Ali Hussain , Khan Salman
Published: February 2023

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a debilitating neurodegenerative autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS). The current study aimed to investigate the neuroprotective properties of Ajugarin‐I (Aju‐I) against the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model of MS and explored the underlying mechanism involved. The protective potential of Aju‐I was first confirmed against glutamate‐induced HT22 cells and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)‐induced BV2 cells. Next, an EAE model has been established to investigate the mechanisms of MS and identify potential candidates for MS treatment. The behavioral results demonstrated that Aju‐I post‐immunization treatment markedly reduced the EAE‐associated clinical score, motor impairment, and neuropathic pain. Evans blue and fluorescein isothiocyanate extravasation in the brain were markedly reduced by Aju‐I. It effectively restored the EAE‐associated histopathological changes in the brain and spinal cord. It markedly attenuated EAE‐induced inflammation in the CNS by reducing the expression levels of p‐38/JNK/NF‐κB but increased the expression of IkB‐α. It suppressed oxidative stress by increasing the expression of Nrf2 but decreasing the expression of keap‐1. It suppressed EAE‐induced apoptosis in the CNS by regulating Bax/Bcl‐2 and Caspase‐3 expression. Taken together, this study suggests that Aju‐I treatment exhibits neuroprotective properties in the EAE model of MS via regulation of MAPK/NF‐κB, Nrf2/Keap‐1, and Bcl2/Bax signaling.
COVID‐19 and neglected tropical diseases among refugees: Plight of a vulnerable population in Africa
Authors: Ogunkola Isaac Olushola , Ogbodum Molly Unoh , Nja Glory Mbe Egom , Esu Ekpereonne Babatunde
Published: February 2023

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are widespread in tropical and subtropical climates and caused by bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses. These infections have devastating physical, social, and economic impacts worldwide, especially in underveloped communities. Migrant populations, such as refugees who may carry diseases or are exposed to them for the first time, face poverty, famine, and bad living conditions. The pandemic's twofold burden and long‐term impact on NTDs among African refugees are highlighted in this article. Sub‐Saharan Africa accounts for roughly 90% of the disease burden due to poverty and some NTDs’ special propensity to thrive in its climates. After a disruption, such as displacement due to war, infectious disease transmission will rise until it reaches pre‐intervention levels if treatments are not started. COVID‐19 threatens NTD control and elimination efforts, which are now directly affected by it. Due to high population density, social isolation is difficult in most African refugee camps. In such circumstances, poor sanitation and lack of access to water make hand hygiene practically impossible. Over the past few decades, refugees and their settlements and camps have faced socioeconomic and health challenges. In order for vulnerable populations, like the refugees, not to be left behind, they should not be forgotten and countries should prepare for the revival of community‐based engagement.
A review of ranked set sampling and modified methods in designing control charts
Authors: Mohammadkhani Atieh , Amiri Amirhossein , Khoo Michael B. C.
Published: February 2023

Statistical process monitoring (SPM) and designing control charts include measuring quality characteristics by considering the time and cost constraints. Ranked set sampling (RSS) is a very efficient and an inexpensive approach in obtaining a more representative sample when the actual measurement of the sampling units is too expensive or destructive, where it is easier to rank the observations. Since 1997, when the first paper on designing control charts based on the RSS scheme was presented, a significant number of papers have been published in this area. This paper provides a literature review on using the RSS schemes in designing control charts. Relevant papers are classified and analyzed to identify the research gaps and provide recommendations and directions for future studies.
Evaluation and application of CO2 laser fiber delivery for single port transoral robotic surgery
Authors: San Juan Juan D. , Mendelsohn Abie H.
Published: February 2023

Background

Transoral robotic surgery (TORS) using the Single‐Port system (SPS) relies on electrocautery, limiting its applications in the upper aerodigestive tract. We evaluated the feasibility of a CO2 delivery system for the SPS.

Methods

Otolaryngology residents performed a cutting exercise using a handheld CO2 laser and participated in a cadaveric oropharyngeal dissection using the SPS with monopolar cautery (SP + EC) and CO2 laser (SP + CO2). Residents completed the System Usability Scale (SUS) questionnaire to evaluate these techniques.

Results

The same laser fiber was used for all combined dissections. The handheld CO2 laser, SP + EC, and SP + CO2 demonstrated similar SUS scores. On individual domain scores, SP + CO2 received less favorable ratings compared to the handheld CO2 laser for complexity, integration, and cumbersome experience (p < 0.05). On subgroup stratification, less TORS experience was associated with worse SUS scores.

Conclusion

SP‐guided CO2 laser delivery is a viable alternative to electrocautery in robotic surgery, and should be considered when performing TORS.
Respiratory infections and type 1 diabetes: Potential roles in pathogenesis
Authors: Wu Roy , Mumtaz Mohsin , Maxwell Anna J. , Isaacs Sonia R. , Laiho Jutta E. , Rawlinson William D. , Hyöty Heikki , Craig Maria E. , Kim Ki Wook
Published: February 2023

Among the environmental factors associated with type 1 diabetes (T1D), viral infections of the gut and pancreas has been investigated most intensely, identifying enterovirus infections as the prime candidate trigger of islet autoimmunity (IA) and T1D development. However, the association between respiratory tract infections (RTI) and IA/T1D is comparatively less known. While there are significant amounts of epidemiological evidence supporting the role of respiratory infections in T1D, there remains a paucity of data characterising infectious agents at the molecular level. This gap in the literature precludes the identification of the specific infectious agents driving the association between RTI and T1D. Furthermore, the effect of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infections on the development of IA/T1D remains undeciphered. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of the evidence to date, implicating RTIs (viral and non‐viral) as potential risk factors for IA/T1D.
Polyethylene glycol/polylactic acid block co‐polymers as solid–solid phase change materials
Authors: Soo Xiang Y. D. , Muiruri Joseph K. , Yeo Jayven C. C. , Png Zhuang M. , Sng Anqi , Xie Huiqing , Ji Rong , Wang Suxi , Liu Hongfei , Xu Jianwei , Loh Xian J. , Yan Qingyu , Li Zibiao , Zhu Qiang
Published: February 2023

Phase change materials (PCMs) are promising thermal energy storage materials due to their high specific latent heat. Conventional PCMs typically exploit the solid–liquid (s–l) transition. However, leakage and leaching are common issues for solid–liquid PCMs, which have to be addressed before usage in practical applications. In contrast, solid–solid (s–s) PCMs would naturally overcome these issues due to their inherent form stability and homogeneity. In this study, we report a new type of s–s PCM based on chemically linked polyethylene glycol (PEG, the PCM portion) with polylactic acid (PLA, the support portion) in the form of a block co‐polymer. Solid‐solid latent heat of up to 56 J/g could be achieved, with melting points of between 44 °C and 55 °C. For comparison, PEG was physically mixed into a PLA matrix to form a PEG:PLA composite. However, the composite material saw leakage of up to 9% upon heating, with a corresponding loss in thermal storage capacity. In contrast, the mPEG/PLA block co‐polymers were found to be completely homogeneous and thermally stable even when heated above its phase transition temperature, with no observable leakage, demonstrating the superiority of chemical linking strategies in ensuring form stability.
fib Model Code 2020: Enabling advances for new and existing concrete structures
Authors: Matthews Stuart L.
Published: February 2023

The next edition of the fib Model Code for concrete structures, Model Code 2020 (MC2020), is under development with the aim of issuing a first partially harmonized draft for comment in early 2023. MC2020 is a single code dealing with both new and existing concrete structures, that is both the design of new structures and the various activities associated with the assessment, interventions upon and life‐cycle management (LCM) of existing concrete structures. The paper outlines the overarching sustainability framework and the performance‐based or outcomes‐based approaches (PBA) adopted by MC2020. There is a pressing need to reduce barriers to the evolution in concrete construction materials and the technical aspects of design and the LCM of existing structures, in order to meet pressing climate change drivers and the goal of achieving lower carbon construction. MC2020 also addresses significant advances made on a wide range of issues including those relating to structural design and analysis methods, seismic design and assessment procedures, durability, structural monitoring, service life design, structural assessment through‐life and making interventions to adapt existing structures or enhance their performance or extend their useful life.
Enabling intercalation‐type TiNb24O62 anode for sodium‐ and potassium‐ion batteries via a synergetic strategy of oxygen vacancy and carbon incorporation
Authors: Vijaya Kumar Saroja Ajay Piriya , Wang Zhipeng , Tinker Henry R. , Wang Feng Ryan , Shearing Paul R. , Xu Yang
Published: February 2023

The key to develop earth‐abundant energy storage technologies sodium‐ and potassium‐ion batteries (SIBs and PIBs) is to identify low‐cost electrode materials that allow fast and reversible Na+/K+ intercalation. Here, we report an intercalation‐type material TiNb24O62 as a versatile anode for SIBs and PIBs, via a synergistic strategy of oxygen vacancy and carbon incorporation to enhance ion and electron diffusion. The TiNb24O62−x/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) composite anode delivers high reversible capacities (130 mA h g−1 for SIBs and 178 mA h g−1 for PIBs), great rate performance (54 mA h g−1 for SIBs and 37 mA h g−1 for PIBs at 1 A g−1), and superior cycle stability (73.7% after 500 cycles for SIBs and 84% after 300 cycles for PIBs). The performance is among the best results of intercalation‐type metal oxide anodes for SIBs and PIBs. The better performance of TiNb24O62−x/rGO in SIBs than PIBs is due to the better reaction kinetics of the former. Moreover, mechanistic study confirms that the redox activity of Nb4+/5+ is responsible for the reversible intercalation of Na+/K+. Our results suggest that TiNb24O62−x/rGO is a promising anode for SIBs and PIBs and may stimulate further research on intercalation‐type compounds as candidate anodes for large ion batteries.
A Robust Duty‐Cycle‐Comparison‐Based Overload Detector for DC‐DC Converter
Authors: Yin Yadong , Xu Yiyun
Published: February 2023

A novel duty‐cycle‐sensing overload detector for DC‐DC converter is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the theoretical analysis is conducted to reveal the susceptibility of the conventional overload detectors to temperature variation and the input/output‐voltage change of the DC‐DC converter. Then, the schematic of the novel duty‐cycle‐sensing overload detector is presented and its operation principle is analyzed. Thanks to the time register, the proposed detector generates a theoretically voltage‐and‐temperature‐insensitive threshold duty cycle, compares it with the real‐time duty cycle of the converter's PWM signal, and announces an overload event if the real‐time duty cycle exceeds the threshold. Finally, a prototype of a BUCK DC‐DC converter including the proposed detector and a conventional current‐sensing overload detector is constructed and measured. As the measurement results show, the threshold duty cycle only varies by about 2.4% as the temperature changes from 0 to 90 °C while the threshold voltage of the conventional current‐sensing detector changes by about 4.6%. The proposed detector can keep effective even the temperature rises to 90 °C while the conventional current‐sensing detector can work at a temperature no higher than 85 °C. Without circuitry modification, the proposed detector correctly senses the overload event as the DC‐DC converter's output voltage changes in a range of 2.1–2.9 V while the conventional one loses its effectiveness if the output voltage is set higher than 2.54 V. © 2023 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Fermions in boundary conformal field theory: crossing symmetry and E-expansion
Authors: Herzog Christopher P. , Schaub Vladimir
Published: February 2023

Abstract

We use the equations of motion in combination with crossing symmetry to constrain the properties of interacting fermionic boundary conformal field theories. This combination is an efficient way of determining operator product expansion coefficients and anomalous dimensions at the first few orders of the ϵ expansion. Two necessary ingredients for this procedure are knowledge of the boundary and bulk spinor conformal blocks. The bulk spinor conformal blocks are derived here for the first time. We then consider a number of examples. For ϕ a scalar field and ψ a fermionic field, we study the effects of a $$ \phi \overline{\psi}\psi $$
ϕ

ψ
¯

ψ
coupling in 4 – ϵ dimensions, a $$ {\phi}^2\overline{\psi}\psi $$

ϕ
2

ψ
¯

ψ
coupling in 3 – ϵ dimensions, and a $$ {\left(\overline{\psi}\psi \right)}^2 $$

ψ
¯

ψ

2

coupling in 2 + ϵ dimensions. We are able to compute some new anomalous dimensions for operators in these theories. Finally, we relate the anomalous dimension of a surface operator to the behavior of the charge density near the surface.
Role for platelet rich plasma as an adjuvant therapy in wound healing and burns
Authors: Knightly Nauar , Lee Crystal , O’Brien Lukas , Qayyum Tayyab , Hurley Ciaran , Kelly Jack
Published: February 2023

Background

Platelet rich plasma (PRP) contains high concentrations of growth factors. Intuitively, these were thought to be of potential benefit in healing of chronic wounds, skin grafts and graft donor sites. This was echoed in retrospective studies and an individual case basis but had not been randomized.

Methods

A systematic search was carried out by two individuals, independently, on the MEDLINE, EMBASE and COCHRANE databases, according to PRISMA guidelines. All data analysis and statistics was pooled and analysed using the Cochrane RevMan Software.

Results

Split thickness grafts have been described by numerous authors, but PRP use did not offer a significant advantage in graft take in pooled results (MD 5.83, 95% CI − 0.69 to 12.25, random-effects, p = 0.08). The analysis of included randomized controlled trials has shown favourable split-thickness skin graft donor site healing in the PRP group (MD − 5.55, 95% CI − 7.40 to − 3.69, random-effects, p =  < 0.00001) compared to the control group. For carpal tunnel syndrome, the pooled results showed no difference in functional scores vs steroid injections (SMD − 0.68, 95% CI − 1.47 to 0.10, randomeffects, p = 0.09) or indeed splinting groups.

Conclusions

With the current body of evidence, we conclude that the use of PRP as an adjuvant therapy in skin grafts, burns, carpal tunnel surgery or scars cannot be rationalised. A potential use of PRP is in donor site management but the cost of this would be difficult to justify.

Level of evidence: Not ratable.
Towards multiomic analysis of oral mucosal pathologies
Authors: Einhaus Jakob , Han Xiaoyuan , Feyaerts Dorien , Sunwoo John , Gaudilliere Brice , Ahmad Somayeh H. , Aghaeepour Nima , Bruckman Karl , Ojcius David , Schürch Christian M. , Gaudilliere Dyani K.
Published: February 2023

Oral mucosal pathologies comprise an array of diseases with worldwide prevalence and medical relevance. Affecting a confined space with crucial physiological and social functions, oral pathologies can be mutilating and drastically reduce quality of life. Despite their relevance, treatment for these diseases is often far from curative and remains vastly understudied. While multiple factors are involved in the pathogenesis of oral mucosal pathologies, the host’s immune system plays a major role in the development, maintenance, and resolution of these diseases. Consequently, a precise understanding of immunological mechanisms implicated in oral mucosal pathologies is critical (1) to identify accurate, mechanistic biomarkers of clinical outcomes; (2) to develop targeted immunotherapeutic strategies; and (3) to individualize prevention and treatment approaches. Here, we review key elements of the immune system’s role in oral mucosal pathologies that hold promise to overcome limitations in current diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. We emphasize recent and ongoing multiomic and single-cell approaches that enable an integrative view of these pathophysiological processes and thereby provide unifying and clinically relevant biological signatures.
Accessibility percolation on Cartesian power graphs
Authors: Schmiegelt Benjamin , Krug Joachim
Published: February 2023

A fitness landscape is a mapping from a space of discrete genotypes to the real numbers. A path in a fitness landscape is a sequence of genotypes connected by single mutational steps. Such a path is said to be accessible if the fitness values of the genotypes encountered along the path increase monotonically. We study accessible paths on random fitness landscapes of the House-of-Cards type, on which fitness values are independent, identically and continuously distributed random variables. The genotype space is taken to be a Cartesian power graph $${\mathcal {A}^L}$$

A

L

, where $$L$$
L
is the number of genetic loci and the allele graph $$\mathcal {A}$$
A
encodes the possible allelic states and mutational transitions on one locus. The probability of existence of accessible paths between two genotypes at a distance linear in $$L$$
L
displays a transition from 0 to a positive value at a threshold $$\beta _\text {c}$$

β
c

for the fitness difference between the initial and final genotype. We derive a lower bound on $$\beta _\text {c}$$

β
c

for general $$\mathcal {A}$$
A
and show that this bound is tight for a large class of allele graphs. Our results generalize previous results for accessibility percolation on the biallelic hypercube, and compare favorably to published numerical results for multiallelic Hamming graphs.
Clinical effects of interspace between the popliteal artery and capsule of the posterior knee block with multimodal analgesia for total knee arthroplasty: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Qiao Yongjie , Li Feng , Zhang Lvdan , Song Xiaoyang , Yu Xinyuan , Yang Wenbin , Zhou Shenghu , Zhang Haoqiang
Published: February 2023

Purpose

Combination of regional anaesthesia technique that is most effective in analgesia and postoperative functional outcome with the fewest complications needs investigation. Interspace between the popliteal artery and the capsule of the posterior knee block (IPACK) has been introduced clinically. We evaluated the efficacy of IPACK in combination with other nerve blocks after total knee arthroplasty.

Methods

Data were obtained from PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Sciencedirect. Studies that compared outcomes using IPACK combined with other regional nerve blocks after total knee arthroplasty with other analgesic modalities and those which used pain scores or opioid consumption as primary or secondary outcomes were included.

Results

Seventeen articles (20 trials, 1652 patients) were included. IPACK supplementation significantly reduced rest pain scores after total knee arthroplasty at postoperative hours 8–12(95%CI − 0.85 [− 1.36, − 0.34], I2 = 94%, p = 0.001), postoperative day 1 (95% CI − 0.49 [− 0.85, − 0.14], I2 = 87%, p = 0.006), and postoperative day 2 (95% CI − 0.28 [− 0.51, -0.05], I2 = 72%, p = 0.02); there was no significant difference at postoperative day 3 or discharge (95% CI − 0.14 [− 0.33, 0.05], I2 = 0%, p = 0.14). Combination treatment resulted in reduced dynamic pain scores at postoperative hours 8–12 (95%CI − 0.52 [− 0.92, − 0.12], I2 = 86%, p = 0.01) and postoperative day 1(95% CI − 0.49 [− 0.87, − 0.11], I2 = 88%, p = 0.01). There was no difference between postoperative day 2(95% CI − 0.29 [− 0.63, 0.05], I2 = 80%, p = 0.09), postoperative day 3 or discharge (95% CI − 0.45 [− 0.92, 0.02], I2 = 83%, p = 0.06). In addition, it strongly reduced postoperative opioid consumption within 24 H (95% CI − 0.76 [− 1.13, − 0.39], I2 = 85%, p < 0.00001), 24–48 H (95% CI − 0.43 [− 0.85, − 0.01], I2 = 83%, p = 0.04), and total opioid use (95% CI − 0.64 [− 1.07, − 0.22], I2 = 86%, p = 0.003). Although IPACK supplementation improved timed up and go test and walking distance at postoperative day 2, there was no statistically significant difference at other time periods or obvious improvement in knee range of motion and quadriceps strength. IPACK block supplementation could shorten the length of stay (LOS) (95% CI − 0.40 [− 0.64, − 0.15], I2 = 70%, p = 0.001) and improve patient satisfaction (95% CI 0.43 [0.01, 0.84], I2 = 87%, p = 0.04).

Conclusion

Based on these results, IPACK supplementation, in addition to standard postoperative analgesia, can be used effectively and safely to relieve early postoperative pain after total knee arthroplasty.
Democratization, leader education and growth: firm-level evidence from Indonesia
Authors: Pelzl Paul , Poelhekke Steven
Published: February 2023

Does the economic success of democratization depend on newly elected leaders’ characteristics? We exploit the unique Indonesian democratization process, where districts exogenously democratized in different years. In a census of manufacturing plants, employment drops by 5% in districts that elect a non-college educated mayor, while employment stays constant under college graduates. Non-college educated mayors substantially raise taxation but provide less infrastructure, do not spend more on social programs, and are more often involved in corruption cases. Other leader attributes and district characteristics, as well as tests for pre-treatment trends, for selection on unobservables, and for close elections do not explain away the important role of leaders’ education in shaping local policies and growth.
Micropropagation and GC–MS analysis of bioactive compounds in bulbs and callus of white squill
Authors: El-Naggar Hany M. , Shehata Ashraf M. , Morsi Mennat-Allah A.
Published: February 2023

Medicinal herbs are the main source of bioactive compounds used in the medical industry. White squill (Urginea maritima) is an important medicinal and ornamental plant cultivated in the Mediterranean region. This study reports an efficient protocol for in vitro propagation of Urginea and investigates important bioactive compounds present in the bulbs and in vitro–produced callus. The least number of days for callus induction and shoot regeneration was achieved with Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal media supplemented with 1.0 mg L−1 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) plus 0.1 mg L−1 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and 1.0 mg L−1 NAA plus 0.4 mg L−1 BAP, respectively, while the highest number of shoots and fresh weight were obtained at medium supplemented with 1.0 mg L−1 NAA plus 0.5 mg L−1 BAP. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis of Urginea bulb methanol extract showed the existence of important secondary metabolites, such as palmitic acid (C16H32O2), 9-hexadecenoic acid (C16H30O2), phthalic acid 2-ethylhexyl propyl ester (C19H28O4), tetradecanoic acid (C14H28O2), undecanoic acid (C11H22O2), and oleic acid (C18H34O2), in addition to other important compounds, such as 13-heptadecyn-1-ol, 9,12-octadecadienoic acid, 1-monolinoleoylglycerol trimethylsilyl ether, 2-methyl-1-hexadecanol, and octadecanoic acid. Callus methanol extracts showed a reduction in the percentages of most phyto-components compared to bulb extract except for oleic acid, 3-(octadecyloxy) propyl ester and 3-hydroxydodecanoic acid; on the other hand, some important compounds were detected only in callus extract possessing anti-cancer, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory effects, such as farnesol (C15H26O), 7-methyl-Z-tetradecen-1-ol acetate (C17H32O2), ethyl iso-allocholate (C26H44O5), 4-trifluoroacetoxypentadecane (C17H31F3O2), and 2-hydroxyhexadecanoic acid (C16H32O3).
Coiled Polymer Artificial Muscles Having Dual-Mode Actuation with Large Stress Generation
Authors: Hu Xinghao , Liu Runmin , Zhao Kai , Wang Yilun , Bao Xianfu , Xu Lin , Cheng Guanggui , Ding Jianning
Published: February 2023

Coiled polymer artificial muscles with both large tensile stroke and giant force generation are needed for practical applications in robotics, soft exosuits, and prosthesis. However, most polymer yarn artificial muscles cannot generate a large force or stress. Here, we report an inexpensive Twisted and Coiled Polymer artificial muscle (TCP) that performs both large isobaric and isometric contractions. This TCP can generate a tensile stroke of 20.1% and a specific work capacity of up to 1.3 kJ kg−1 during temperature changes from 20 to 180 °C. Moreover, the nylon yarn artificial muscle produced a reversible output stress of 28.4 MPa, which is 100 times larger than human skeletal muscle. A robot arm and a simple gripper were made to demonstrate the isobaric actuation and isometric actuation of our TCP muscle, repectivley. Thus, the polymer artificial muscles with dual-mode actuation show potential applications in the field of robotics, grippers, and exoskeletons and so on.
Untied Kingdom
Authors: Ward Stuart
Published: February 2023

How did Britain cease to be global? In Untied Kingdom, Stuart Ward tells the panoramic history of the end of Britain, tracing the ways in which Britishness has been imagined, experienced, disputed and ultimately discarded across the globe since the end of the Second World War. From Indian independence, West Indian immigration and African decolonization to the Suez Crisis and the Falklands War, he uncovers the demise of Britishness as a global civic idea and its impact on communities across the globe. He also shows the consequences of this diminished 'global reach' in Britain itself, from the Troubles in Northern Ireland to resurgent Englishness and the startling success of separatist political agendas in Scotland and Wales. Untied Kingdom puts the contemporary travails of the Union for the first time in their full global perspective as part of the much larger story of the progressive rollback of Britain's imaginative frontiers.
Experiences of adults with stroke attending a peer-led peer-support group
Authors: May Carmen , Bieber Katlyn , Chow Debbie , Mortenson W. Ben , Schmidt Julia
Published: February 2023

Purpose:

Peer-support groups for stroke survivors are often organized and facilitated by health authorities and disability related organizations within rehabilitation programs. However, the benefits of peer-led, peer-support groups have not yet been evaluated. The purpose of this study was to explore participants’ experiences in a community-based, peer-led, peer-support group for stroke survivors.

Materials and Methods:

Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed following constructivist grounded theory with 11 participants who attended a peer-led, peer-support group for people with stroke. The data were also complemented with one quantitative rating question regarding their experience attending the group.

Results:

Three themes were identified. Meeting unmet needs after stroke captured how the group was created by stroke survivors to address life in the community post-stroke. Buddies helping buddies highlighted that stroke recovery is a shared process at the group, where members help and encourage each other to contribute what they can. Creating authentic friendships revealed how people experienced social connection and developed relationships in the peer-led, peer-support group.

Conclusions:

Peer-led, peer-support groups may provide opportunities for stroke survivors to connect with like-minded people in their community to have fun while exploring their abilities.
The impact of the relaxation of the One-Child Policy on employment
Authors: Wu Xiaoyu , Yan Jingwen
Published: February 2023

This paper examines how number of siblings affects employment under the relaxation of the One-Child Policy in China. We explore the One-and-A-Half-Child Policy in 1980s and examine its long-term impact on siblings and employment. With the data from 2010–2018 China Family Panel Studies, we find that individuals tend to have a larger number of siblings and have a higher probability of working in the places where the One-and-A-Half-Child Policy was implemented earlier. Using the degree of the impact of this policy as an instrumental variable for number of siblings, we find that one more sibling would increase the likelihood of working by 9.0 percentage points and increase the likelihood of working in the non-agricultural sector by 5.1 percentage points. Females are more affected by the relaxation than males. We also discuss the major mechanisms through which siblings affect employment. We find that the care-sharing effect of siblings increases labor supply and the social network effect of siblings brings more job opportunities and increases employment. The One-and-A-Half-Child Policy improves the labor market outcomes through both the channel of sharing care and the channel of social network.
Validity and Reliability Study of the Turkish Adaptation of the Disaster Response Self- Efficacy Scale (DRSES)
Authors: Toraman Aynur Uysal , Korkmaz Ebru Konal
Published: February 2023

Objective:

This study aimed to assess the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the ‘Disaster Response Self-Efficacy Scale (DRSES).’

Method:

This is a methodological study to validate the DRSES. Third and fourth grade nursing students participated in the study (n = 340). Construct validity was evaluated by exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Reliability was assessed by internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Data were analyzed in SPSS 20.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) and IBM SPSS AMOS 21.0. (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA).

Results:

The content validity was 0.96, Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.94, and the intraclass correlation coefficient for test-retest reliability was 0.95. The exploratory factor analysis revealed that 3 factors accounted for 59.4% of the explained variance. The factor loads ranged between 0.50 - 0.81. The construct validity was good (χ2/df = 2.54; RMSEA = 0.067; CFI = 0.93; NFI = 0.95; GFI = 0.93; TLI = 0.94; IFI = 0.92; P < 0.001).

Conclusions:

The results of this study show that the Disaster Response Self-Efficacy Scale is a valid and reliable tool that could be used to determine the nursing students’ disaster response self-efficacy.
Learning the spatiotemporal relationship between wind and significant wave height using deep learning
Authors: Obakrim Said , Monbet Valérie , Raillard Nicolas , Ailliot Pierre
Published: February 2023

Ocean wave climate has a significant impact on near-shore and off-shore human activities, and its characterization can help in the design of ocean structures such as wave energy converters and sea dikes. Therefore, engineers need long time series of ocean wave parameters. Numerical models are a valuable source of ocean wave data; however, they are computationally expensive. Consequently, statistical and data-driven approaches have gained increasing interest in recent decades. This work investigates the spatiotemporal relationship between North Atlantic wind and significant wave height (

$ {H}_s $

) at an off-shore location in the Bay of Biscay, using a two-stage deep learning model. The first step uses convolutional neural networks to extract the spatial features that contribute to

$ {H}_s $

. Then, long short-term memory is used to learn the long-term temporal dependencies between wind and waves.
Uniform approximation problems of expanding Markov maps
Authors: HE YUBIN , LIAO LINGMIN
Published: February 2023

Let
$ T:[0,1]\to [0,1] $
be an expanding Markov map with a finite partition. Let
$ \mu _\phi $
be the invariant Gibbs measure associated with a Hölder continuous potential
$ \phi $
. For
$ x\in [0,1] $
and
$ \kappa>0 $
, we investigate the size of the uniform approximation set
$$ \begin{align*}\mathcal U^\kappa(x):=\{y\in[0,1]:\text{ for all } N\gg1, \text{ there exists } n\le N, \text{ such that }|T^nx-y|<N^{-\kappa}\}.\end{align*} $$

The critical value of
$ \kappa $
such that
$ \operatorname {\mathrm {\dim _H}}\mathcal U^\kappa (x)=1 $
for
$ \mu _\phi $
-almost every (a.e.)
$ x $
is proven to be
$ 1/\alpha _{\max } $
, where
$ \alpha _{\max }=-\int \phi \,d\mu _{\max }/\int \log |T'|\,d\mu _{\max } $
and
$ \mu _{\max } $
is the Gibbs measure associated with the potential
$ -\log |T'| $
. Moreover, when
$ \kappa>1/\alpha _{\max } $
, we show that for
$ \mu _\phi $
-a.e.
$ x $
, the Hausdorff dimension of
$ \mathcal U^\kappa (x) $
agrees with the multifractal spectrum of
$ \mu _\phi $
.
A category-theoretic proof of the ergodic decomposition theorem
Authors: MOSS SEAN , PERRONE PAOLO
Published: February 2023

The ergodic decomposition theorem is a cornerstone result of dynamical systems and ergodic theory. It states that every invariant measure on a dynamical system is a mixture of ergodic ones. Here, we formulate and prove the theorem in terms of string diagrams, using the formalism of Markov categories. We recover the usual measure-theoretic statement by instantiating our result in the category of stochastic kernels. Along the way, we give a conceptual treatment of several concepts in the theory of deterministic and stochastic dynamical systems. In particular, ergodic measures appear very naturally as particular cones of deterministic morphisms (in the sense of Markov categories), and the invariant$\sigma $-algebra of a dynamical system can be seen as a colimit in the category of Markov kernels. In line with other uses of category theory, once the necessary structures are in place, our proof of the main theorem is much more intuitive than traditional approaches. In particular, it does not use any quantitative limiting arguments, and it does not rely on the cardinality of the group or monoid indexing the dynamics. We hope that this result paves the way for further applications of category theory to dynamical systems, ergodic theory, and information theory.
Single and multi-row turbine performance in bounded shear flow
Authors: Juniper Marcus C.R. , Nishino Takafumi
Published: February 2023

Predicting the performance of large turbine arrays requires the understanding of many physical factors, such as array geometry, turbine operation, inflow conditions and turbulent wake mixing. Due to the large parameter space that an array may be optimised over, low-order models with low computational cost are often employed. This paper extends one of these models, the inviscid–viscous coupled model, for multi-row turbine modelling. Firstly, an extension to the inviscid actuator disc theory is presented by removing the limit on the number of discrete streamtubes computed. The extended model allows for the quantification of the impact of shear in the bypass and core flows separately. In particular, it is shown that averaging a sheared bypass flow profile can result in a substantial over-prediction of the power of a turbine in a laterally bounded flow as the effective blockage of the flow increases. The model is also used to confirm that an approximation using a limited number of streamtubes in some previous applications of the inviscid–viscous approach has a negligible impact on the results. Secondly, we explore the performance of a multi-row array with either uniform or varying turbine resistance across different rows. Results suggest that by varying resistance across rows, the array may outperform the uniform resistance case. The performance gain is dependent, however, on the arrangement and inter-turbine spacing both in the spanwise and streamwise directions.
Food combination questionnaire for Japanese: relative validity regarding food and nutrient intake and overall diet quality against the 4-day weighed dietary record
Authors: Murakami Kentaro , Shinozaki Nana , Livingstone M. Barbara E. , Kimoto Nana , Masayasu Shizuko , Sasaki Satoshi
Published: February 2023

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to examine the relative validity of food and nutrient intakes and overall diet quality scores derived using a newly developed dietary assessment questionnaire (food combination questionnaire, FCQ). Dietary data were collected from 222 Japanese adults (111 for each sex) aged 30–76 years using the online FCQ and then the 4-non-consective-day weighed dietary record (DR). The median of Spearman correlation coefficients for sixteen food groups was 0⋅32 among women and 0⋅38 among men. The median of Pearson correlation coefficients for forty-six nutrients was 0⋅34 among women and 0⋅31 among men. The Pearson correlation coefficient between the total scores of Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015) derived from the DR and FCQ was 0⋅37 among women and 0⋅39 among men. The corresponding value for the Nutrient-Rich Food Index 9.3 (NRF9.3) total scores was 0⋅39 among women and 0⋅46 among men. Bland–Altman plots for these diet quality scores showed poor agreement at the individual level, although mean difference was small for the HEI-2015 (but not NRF9.3). Similar results were obtained using the paper version of FCQ, which was answered after conducting the DR, except for somewhat high Pearson correlation coefficients for the total scores of HEI-2015 (0⋅50 among both women and men) and NRF9.3 (0⋅37 among women and 0⋅53 among men). In conclusion, this analysis may lend support to the possible use of the FCQ as a rapid dietary assessment tool in large-scale epidemiologic studies in Japan, but further refinement of this tool should be pursued.