bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Analytical sensitivity of the Rapid Antigen Test kits for detection of SARS‐CoV‐2 Omicron variant BA.2 sublineage
Authors: Mak Gannon C. K. , Lau Stephen S. Y. , Wong Kitty K. Y. , Lau Chi‐Shan , Ng Ken H. L. , Lam Edman T. K. , Chan Rickjason C. W.
Published: June 2022

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) Omicron was classified as a variant of concern in November 2021. The sublineage BA.2 spreads rapidly worldwide. Currently, there is a lack of data for the parallel comparison of Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) Kits to detect SARS‐CoV‐2 Omicron BA.2. We evaluated the analytical sensitivity of 12 RAT kits to detect Omicron BA.2 in the present study. Analytical sensitivity was determined by means of the limit of detection (LOD). We prepared a dilution set using a respiratory specimen collected from a COVID‐19 patient infected by Omicron BA.2. The reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction was used as a reference method. The LOD results showed that all 12 RAT kits had comparable analytical sensitivity to detect Omicron BA.2. The RAT kits selected in the current study may be used for the first‐line screening of the rapid spreading Omicron BA.2.
Diagnosis of Alternaria disease and leafminer pest on tomato leaves using image processing techniques
Authors: Nazari Kobra , Ebadi Mohammad Javad , Berahmand Kamal
Published: June 2022

BACKGROUND

Diseases such as Alternaria and pests such as leafminer threaten tomato as one of the most widely used agricultural products. These pests and diseases first damage the leaves of tomatoes, then the flowers, and finally the fruit. Therefore, the damage to the tomato tree must be controlled in its early stages. It is difficult for farmers to distinguish Alternaria disease from leafminer pest at the early and middle stages of their outbreak on tomato leaves. In the present study, 272 tomato leaf images were prepared from the farm of the Vali‐e‐Asr University of Rafsanjan, including 100 healthy leaves and 172 infected leaves with both Alternaria and leafminer at the initial stages. The image processing technique, texture, neural networks and adaptive network‐based fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) classifiers were used to diagnose Alternaria disease and leafminer pest on this dataset.

RESULTS

The results showed that the ANFIS classifier achieved an accuracy of 84.71% when performing an equal error rate, 87.78% in the area under the curve, and 85.23% in 3.26 s on the central processing unit for the segmentation of Alternaria disease and leafminer pest in RGB color space. Also, the accuracy of 90% and 98% were obtained for segmentation and classification on the PlantVillage dataset in YCBCR color space.

CONCLUSION

The present study suggests a high classification accuracy for an intelligent selection of pixel values to train the ANFIS classifier. This classifier has high accuracy and speed, low sensitivity to the light intensity of images, and practical application in diagnosing various diseases and pests on numerous datasets. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.
Simultaneous qualitative and quantitative analysis of eight alkaloids in Corydalis Decumbentis Rhizoma (Xiatianwu) and Corydalis Rhizoma (Yanhusuo) by high‐performance liquid chromatography and high‐resolution mass spectrometry combined with chemometric methods
Authors: Wu Fan , Wu Mengmei , Zhong Chuchu , Peng Jie , Wu Menghua , Cao Hui , Zhang Ying , Ma Zhiguo
Published: June 2022

In this study, we established a comprehensive high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detection and high‐resolution mass spectrometry method to identify 10 and quantified eight constituents in Corydalis Decumbentis Rhizoma (“Xiatianwu” in Chinese) and Corydalis Rhizoma (“Yanhusuo” in Chinese). Chemometric methods were applied to distinguish the botanical origins of the Xiatianwu and Yanhusuo samples. Chromatographic separation was achieved using an Agilent Poroshell EC‐C18 column with mobile phases A (1000 ml of 0.2% acetic acid solution containing 2.8 ml of triethylamine) and B (acetonitrile) and stepwise gradient elution. The analytical method was fully validated in terms of linearity, sensitivity, intra‐ and interday precision and repeatability, the limit of detection, the limit of quantitation, and recovery. Twenty‐six Xiatianwu samples and 10 Yanhusuo samples were analyzed for quality evaluation. In addition, hierarchical clustering analysis and principal component analysis were used to discriminate among samples of different botanical origins. The results showed that the contents of eight alkaloids in Xiatianwu and Yanhusuo were significantly different. Moreover, it was found that chemometric methods could be applied to accurately distinguish these two often conflated Chinese medicinal materials. In conclusion, this study provides a relatively comprehensive method for botanical origin identification and Xiatianwu and Yanhusuo quality control.
Delaying Invasive Treatment in Unilateral Head and Neck Lymphatic Malformation Improves Outcomes
Authors: Bonilla‐Velez Juliana , Whitlock Kathryn B. , Ganti Sheila , Shivaram Giri M. , Bly Randall A. , Dahl John P. , Manning Scott C. , Perkins Jonathan A.
Published: June 2022

Objectives

Large (De Serres stage [IV–V]) head and neck lymphatic malformations (HNLMs) often have multiple, high‐risk, invasive treatments (ITs) to address functional compromise. Logically reducing HNLM ITs should reduce treatment risk. We tested whether delaying HNLM ITs reduces total IT number.

Materials

Consecutive HNLM patients (n = 199) between 2010 and 2017, aged 0–18 years.

Methods

ITs (surgery or sclerotherapy) were offered for persistent or dysfunction causing HNLMs. Treatment effectiveness categorized by IT number: optimal (0–1), acceptable (2–5), or suboptimal (>5). Clinical data were summarized, and outcome associations tested (χ2). Relative risk (RR) with a Poisson working model tested whether HNLM observation or IT delay (>6 months post‐diagnosis) predicts treatment success (i.e., ≤1 IT).

Results

Median age at HNLM diagnosis was 1.3 months (interquartile range [IQR] 0–45 m) with 107/199(54%) male. HNLM were stage I–III (174 [88%]), IV–V (25 [13%]). Initial treatment was observation (70 [35%]), invasive (129 [65%]). Treatment outcomes were optimal (137 [69%]), acceptable (36 [18%]), and suboptimal (26 [13%]). Suboptimal outcome associations: EXIT procedure, stage IV–V, oral location, and tracheotomy (p < 0.001). Stage I–III HNLMs were initially observed compared with stage I–III having ITs within 6 months of HNLM diagnosis, had a 82% lower relative treatment failure risk ([i.e., >1 IT], RR = 0.09, 95% CI 0.02–0.36, p < 0.001). Stage I–III HNLMs with non‐delayed ITs had reduced treatment failure risk compared with IV–V (RR = 0.47, 95% CI 0.33–0.66, p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Observation and delayed IT in stage I–III HNLM (“Grade 1”) is safe and reduces IT (i.e., ≤1 IT). Stage IV–V HNLMs (“Grade 2”) with early IT have a greater risk of multiple ITs.

Level of Evidence

4 Laryngoscope, 133:956–962, 2023
Costs and benefits of landscape‐based water retention measures as nature‐based solutions to mitigating climate impacts in eastern Germany, Czech Republic, and Slovakia
Authors: Sušnik Janez , Masia Sara , Kravčík Michal , Pokorný Jan , Hesslerová Petra
Published: June 2022

In eastern Germany, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia, historic policies led to large, monocropped agricultural landscapes resulting in degradation of traditional landscapes. In the last 20 years, the expansion of urban and industrial areas has added to this degradation. The growing interest in nature‐based solutions, including water‐retention measures, is a response to reversing landscape degradation, rejuvenating ecosystem services, and mitigating the impacts of large‐scale commercial agriculture and climate change. In this study, the costs and benefits of water‐retention measures in eastern Germany, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia are assessed. Results indicate that water‐retention measures offer increased water availability over all land use classes assessed, help increase crop productivity, and aid in landscape cooling. Croplands are suggested as being the best value for money, offering the greatest volume potentials (mean = 88 million m3), cooling effects (mean = −1.6°C), and productivity gains (mean = €66 million yr−1), while also being the cheapest to implement per unit area. Differing policies in the three states will likely result in non‐uniform selection or implementation of measures. Future work should focus on local‐level studies offering greater practical messages beyond the regional‐level analysis conducted here. This work contributes to the growing body of literature assessing the costs and benefits of water‐retention measures, including the potential for landscape cooling, lowering temperature gradients, and ecosystem restoration. As the world urbanises, and as more land is converted to homogeneous cropland, such measures may prove critical in mitigating climate change, landscape drying, flood runoff, and soil and nutrient loss.
Political ideology and consumers' preference for luxury goods versus luxury experiences
Authors: Shewani Yash S. , Chan Eugene Y.
Published: June 2022

Prior work finds that politically right‐leaning, conservative consumers prefer luxury products more than their liberal counterparts. However, we theorize that this only holds for tangible luxury goods. For intangible luxury experiences, we propose that both conservatives and liberal consumers express a similar preference. This is likely because luxury products better convey status inequality maintenance than luxury experiences. Study 1 confirms conservatives' overall greater preference for luxury goods over experiences, which can be explained by their power distance beliefs, which we use as a proxy for status inequality maintenance. Study 2 compares luxury goods versus experiences against nonluxury products versus experiences, and affirms our hypothesis for luxury but not nonluxury products. By teasing apart luxury goods from luxury experiences, our findings offer nuances in the relationship between consumers' political ideology and their preference for luxury products.
Stretchable Self‐Healing Plastic Polyurethane with Super‐High Modulus by Local Phase‐Lock Strategy
Authors: Shao Jianming , Dong Xia , Wang Dujin
Published: June 2022

In this work, a multiblock polyurethane (PU‐Im) consisting of polyether and polyurethane segments with imidazole dangling groups is demonstrated, which can further coordinate with Ni2+. By controlling the ligand content and metal–ligand stoichiometry ratio, PU‐Im‐Ni complex with vastly different mechanical behavior can be obtained. The elastomer PU‐2Im‐Ni has extraordinary mechanical strength (61MPa) and excellent toughness (420 MJ m−3), but the plastic PU‐4Im‐Ni exhibits super‐high modulus (515 MPa), strength (63 MPa), and good stretchability (≈800%). The metal–ligand interaction between polyurethane segments and Ni2+ is proved by Raman spectra, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The polyurethane segments domain formed by microphase separation is dynamically “locked” by Ni2+ coordinated with imidazole, revealing a local phase‐lock effect. The phase‐locking hard domains reinforce the PU‐Im‐Ni complex and maintain stimuli‐responsive self‐healing ability, while the free polyether segments provide stretchability. Primarily, the water environment with plasticization effect serves as an effective and eco‐friendly self‐healing approach for PU‐Im‐Ni plastic. With the excellent mechanical performance, thermal/aquatic self‐healing ability, and unique damping properties, the PU‐Im‐Ni complexes show potential applications in self‐healing engineering plastic and cushion protection fields.
Are Virtual Objective Assessments of Fall‐Risk Feasible and Safe for People with Parkinson's Disease?
Authors: Afshari Mitra , Hernandez Andrea V. , Nonnekes Jorik , Bloem Bastiaan R. , Goetz Christopher G.
Published: June 2022

Background

Falls are inherent to Parkinson's disease (PD) progression, and risk assessment is mandatory for optimal long term management.

Objective

To determine if the telehealth application of two observer‐based, objective measures of fall‐risk in PD—Five‐Times‐Sit‐To‐Stand (FTSTS) and 360° Rapid‐Turns‐Test (RTT)—is feasible and safe.

Methods

Following in‐clinic training, 15 people with Hoehn and Yahr Stage 2 (n = 8) and 3 (n = 7) PD, median MoCA score 25 (range 14–29), and subjective freezing‐of‐gait (n = 13), participated in four televisits with care partners biweekly for 10 weeks where virtual FTSTS/RTT assessments were performed.

Results

Participants completed all protocol‐driven 120 virtual FTSTS and 60 RTT assessments with effective ratability (feasibility) and zero adverse events (safety). 22% virtual FTSTS and 55% RTT met criteria for high fall‐risk designation.

Conclusions

Objective fall‐risk assessment with virtual FTSTS and RTT through telehealth among HY2‐3 PD patients, with varying motor and cognitive function, is feasible and safe following introductory in‐clinic training.
Ultra‐fast dynamic nonlinear mechanism of Fabry–Perot cavity with femtosecond pumping
Authors: Shi Xueyang , Zhang Yu , Jiang Xunya
Published: June 2022

We numerically investigate the ultrafast dynamic nonlinear mechanism of an Fabry‐Perot (FP) cavity with femtosecond (fs) pumping by the transmission change of an incident signal pulse. The nonlinear effect simulated by a two‐level system model can decrease the dielectric constant. Therefore, the temporally transmitted pulse is compressed owing to the faster phase velocity, and a sloped change in the transmission spectra is observed, which can be explained by the mechanism of pulse deformation. In addition, we stretched a certain part of the temporally transmitted pulse to further demonstrate the deformation of the pulse mechanism. This dynamic nonlinear mechanism based on the FP cavity can not only be used to design new optical devices with ultrafast response times, such as pulse modulators and passive amplifiers, but can also be easily constructed and integrated, which has great practical applications.
Vendor‐neutral sequences and fully transparent workflows improve inter‐vendor reproducibility of quantitative MRI
Authors: Karakuzu Agah , Biswas Labonny , Cohen‐Adad Julien , Stikov Nikola
Published: June 2022

Purpose

We developed an end‐to‐end workflow that starts with a vendor‐neutral acquisition and tested the hypothesis that vendor‐neutral sequences decrease inter‐vendor variability of T1, magnetization transfer ratio (MTR), and magnetization transfer saturation‐index (MTsat) measurements.

Methods

We developed and deployed a vendor‐neutral 3D spoiled gradient‐echo (SPGR) sequence on three clinical scanners by two MRI vendors. We then acquired T1 maps on the ISMRM‐NIST system phantom, as well as T1, MTR, and MTsat maps in three healthy participants. We performed hierarchical shift function analysis in vivo to characterize the differences between scanners when the vendor‐neutral sequence is used instead of commercial vendor implementations. Inter‐vendor deviations were compared for statistical significance to test the hypothesis.

Results

In the phantom, the vendor‐neutral sequence reduced inter‐vendor differences from 8% to 19.4% to 0.2% to 5% with an overall accuracy improvement, reducing ground truth T1 deviations from 7% to 11% to 0.2% to 4%. In vivo, we found that the variability between vendors is significantly reduced (p = 0.015) for all maps (T1, MTR, and MTsat) using the vendor‐neutral sequence.

Conclusion

We conclude that vendor‐neutral workflows are feasible and compatible with clinical MRI scanners. The significant reduction of inter‐vendor variability using vendor‐neutral sequences has important implications for qMRI research and for the reliability of multicenter clinical trials.
Genomic biomarkers to guide precision radiotherapy in prostate cancer
Authors: Sutera Philip , Deek Matthew P. , Van der Eecken Kim , Wyatt Alexander W. , Kishan Amar U. , Molitoris Jason K. , Ferris Matthew J. , Siddiqui M. Minhaj , Rana Zaker , Mishra Mark V. , Kwok Young , Davicioni Elai , Spratt Daniel E. , Ost Piet , Feng Felix Y. , Tran Phuoc T.
Published: June 2022

Our ability to prognosticate the clinical course of patients with cancer has historically been limited to clinical, histopathological, and radiographic features. It has long been clear however, that these data alone do not adequately capture the heterogeneity and breadth of disease trajectories experienced by patients. The advent of efficient genomic sequencing has led to a revolution in cancer care as we try to understand and personalize treatment specific to patient clinico‐genomic phenotypes. Within prostate cancer, emerging evidence suggests that tumor genomics (e.g., DNA, RNA, and epigenetics) can be utilized to inform clinical decision making. In addition to providing discriminatory information about prognosis, it is likely tumor genomics also hold a key in predicting response to oncologic therapies which could be used to further tailor treatment recommendations. Herein we review select literature surrounding the use of tumor genomics within the management of prostate cancer, specifically leaning toward analytically validated and clinically tested genomic biomarkers utilized in radiotherapy and/or adjunctive therapies given with radiotherapy.
Monitoring profiles in multistage processes using the multivariate multiple regression model
Authors: Park Changsoon , Lee Jaeheon
Published: June 2022

Most recent production processes comprise multiple stages, where the final quality of products is determined by the upstream effects of output quality at each stage. Moreover, the quality of each stage is characterized by a functional relationship, referred to as a profile, between input variables and output quality variables. Therefore, the effective profile monitoring of the multiple stages is crucial in maintaining and improving the final output quality. A multistage process is separated into a series of single‐stage processes, and each single‐stage process is treated as a profile structure. In each stage, we implement the multivariate multiple linear regression (MMLR) model using the orthogonal design coding. The coefficient estimators of the MMLR are obtained as a matrix, whose column vectors indicate the coefficient vectors for given output quality variables and row vectors indicate the coefficients of output quality variables for given regression coefficients. Since the use of orthogonal design coding makes the regression coefficient estimator vectors for the intercept and the input variables mutually independent, it is possible to monitor the process using Hotelling's T2 charts separately. We explain the process of estimating and monitoring the regression coefficients from Phase I samples, and evaluate the performance of the proposed procedure in Phase II.
A linear time method for the detection of collective and point anomalies
Authors: Fisch Alexander T. M. , Eckley Idris A. , Fearnhead Paul
Published: June 2022

The challenge of efficiently identifying anomalies in data sequences is an important statistical problem that now arises in many applications. Although there has been substantial work aimed at making statistical analyses robust to outliers, or point anomalies, there has been much less work on detecting anomalous segments, or collective anomalies, particularly in those settings where point anomalies might also occur. In this article, we introduce collective and point anomalies (CAPA), a computationally efficient approach that is suitable when collective anomalies are characterized by either a change in mean, variance, or both, and distinguishes them from point anomalies. Empirical results show that CAPA has close to linear computational cost as well as being more accurate at detecting and locating collective anomalies than other approaches. We demonstrate the utility of CAPA through its ability to detect exoplanets from light curve data from the Kepler telescope and its capacity to detect machine faults from temperature data.
Daily expression of workaholism and family outcomes: The buffering and magnifying effects of economic resources
Authors: Sawhney Gargi , Delongchamp Amanda , Sinclair Robert R. , Britt Thomas W.
Published: June 2022

Workaholism is increasingly recognized as a potential threat to occupational health. Although most research has conceptualized workaholism as a trait, some research suggests that it may also fluctuate from day to day. Moreover, the effects of the dynamic properties of workaholism on work and family outcomes may be contingent on one's economic situation. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to test the interactive effect of workday workaholism and economic resources on nightly work‐family conflict and family engagement. Using experience sampling methodology, we demonstrated that workaholism fluctuates from one day to the next and has detrimental short‐term effects on work‐family conflict. Additionally, our findings indicated that the interaction between workday workaholism and perceived income adequacy predicted both nighty work‐family conflict and family engagement. While the association between workday workaholism and work‐family conflict was stronger for those who experienced low income adequacy, the relationship between workaholism and family engagement was stronger for those who exhibited high income adequacy. Similarly, job security buffered the effect of workaholism on work‐family conflict. We discuss the theoretical and practice implications of this study as well as recommend future research directions.
Switchable and Strain‐Releasable Mg‐Ion Diffusion Nanohighway Enables High‐Capacity and Long‐Life Pyrovanadate Cathode
Authors: Ma Xiu‐Fen , Li Hong‐Yi , Zhu Xiqin , Ren Weiwei , Zhang Xie , Diao Jiang , Xie Bing , Huang Guangsheng , Wang Jingfeng , Pan Fusheng
Published: June 2022

Rechargeable magnesium batteries (RMBs) suffer from low capacity and poor cyclability of cathode materials, which is due to the sluggish Mg2+ diffusion kinetics and large lattice strain. Here, a layer‐interweaving mechanism in lamellar cathode to simultaneously facilitate Mg2+ diffusion and release Mg2+‐insertion strain is reported. In the Cu3V2O7(OH)2·2H2O (CVOH) cathode, Mg2+ diffusion highways are generated by the vertical interweaving of CVOH layers and V6O13 layers that nucleate in CVOH during discharging, which are switchable by Mg2+ insertion/extraction. These highways enhance the Mg2+ diffusion coefficient by three orders of magnitude and release 50% Mg2+‐insertion strain. This enables CVOH to exhibit a high capacity of 262 mAh g−1 at high current density of 250 mA g−1 in aqua, and extremely low capacity loss of 0.0004% per cycle in the activated carbon//CVOH cell. This work inspires designing the magnesiation phase transformation of electrodes to resolve both kinetic and strain issues for high‐performance RMBs.
Defective Fe3O4‐x Few‐Atom Clusters Anchored on Nitrogen‐Doped Carbon as Efficient Oxygen Reduction Electrocatalysts for High‐Performance Zinc–Air Batteries
Authors: Chu Panpan , Zhang Yingmeng , He Jiajie , Chen Jinhong , Zhuang Jingjun , Li Yongliang , Ren Xiangzhong , Zhang Peixin , Sun Lingna , Yu Bingzhe , Chen Shaowei
Published: June 2022

It remains a challenge to develop cost‐effective, high‐performance oxygen electrocatalysts for rechargeable metal–air batteries. Herein, zinc‐mediated zeolitic imidazolate frameworks are exploited as the template and nitrogen and carbon sources, onto which is deposited a Fe3O4 layer by plasma‐enhanced atomic layer deposition. Controlled pyrolysis at 1000 °C leads to the formation of high density of Fe3O4‐x few‐atom clusters with abundant oxygen vacancies deposited on an N‐doped graphitic carbon framework. The resulting nanocomposite (Fe3O4‐x/NC‐1000) exhibits a markedly enhanced electrocatalytic performance toward oxygen reduction reaction in alkaline media, with a remarkable half‐wave potential of +0.930 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode, long‐term stability, and strong tolerance against methanol poisoning, in comparison to samples prepared at other temperatures and even commercial Pt/C. Notably, with Fe3O4‐x/NC‐1000 as the cathode catalyst, a zinc–air battery delivers a high power density of 158 mW cm−2 and excellent durability at 5 mA cm−2 with stable 2000 charge–discharge cycles over 600 h. This is ascribed to the ready accessibility of the Fe3O4‐x catalytic active sites, and enhanced electrical conductivity, oxygen adsorption, and electron‐transfer kinetics by surface oxygen vacancies. Further contributions may arise from the highly conductive and stable N‐doped graphitic carbon frameworks.
Applications and development of artificial intelligence system from the perspective of system science: A bibliometric review
Authors: Jiang Hong , Gai Jinlong , Zhao Shukuan , Chaudhry Peggy E. , Chaudhry Sohail S.
Published: June 2022

With the rapid development of big data, 6G, Internet of Things (IoT) and other information and communication technologies (ICTs), artificial intelligence (AI) has ushered in new opportunities for more advancements. AI systems are changing the survival and development of human society. This study focuses on the research and application of AI systems within the scientific framework of systems thinking. From scientometrics, this study adopts cocitation analysis and keywords co‐occurrence analysis to sort existing applications of AI system to research network and research overview while giving the current research hotspots of AI system application research. Concurrently, the development trend and direction of AI systems are analysed, and the opportunities and challenges faced are put forward, which lays a foundation for system research in the field of AI systems.
Veterinary surgeons’, veterinary nurses’ and owners’ experiences of feline telemedicine consultations during the 2020 COVID‐19 pandemic
Authors: Caney Sarah M. A. , Robinson Natalie J. , Gunn‐Moore Danielle A. , Dean Rachel S.
Published: June 2022

Background

There has been increasing provision of veterinary telemedicine consultations, particularly during the COVID‐19 pandemic; however, little evidence currently exists examining these remote consultations. The aim of this cross‐sectional study was to explore veterinary and cat owner experiences of telemedicine consultations during the pandemic.

Methods

Two questionnaires, one aimed at veterinary professionals and one at cat owners, were launched in September 2020. Questions explored the type of consultation conducted remotely, the perceived advantages and disadvantages of telemedicine, and the role of telemedicine in the future of veterinary practice.

Results

Responses were received from 242 veterinary professionals and 98 owners with experience of telemedicine. Monitoring and advice consultations were felt to be most suited to telemedicine. Reduced stress for owners/cats was seen as an advantage of telemedicine, while lack of clinical examination and risk of misdiagnosis were viewed as disadvantages. Most respondents (85.7% [n = 84/98] of owners; 67.4% [n = 163/242] of veterinary professionals) felt practices should continue to offer telemedicine consultations.

Conclusion

With increasing pet ownership and practice workload, telemedicine may play a crucial role in the future of veterinary practice. Future work should focus on a strategic approach to feline telemedicine, integrating it alongside face‐to‐face visits and developing technologies to maximise its advantages.
Thomas Gareth Henderson
Authors: Smith Matt
Published: June 2022

A self‐effacing and generous soul who departed too soon.
The RGG motif proteins: Interactions, functions, and regulations
Authors: Chowdhury Mashiat N. , Jin Hong
Published: June 2022

Proteins with motifs rich in arginines and glycines were discovered decades ago and are functionally involved in a staggering range of essential processes in the cell. Versatile, specific, yet adaptable molecular interactions enabled by the unique combination of arginine and glycine, combined with multiplicity of molecular recognition conferred by repeated di‐, tri‐, and multiple peptide motifs, allow RGG motif proteins to interact with a broad range of proteins and nucleic acids. Furthermore, posttranslational modifications at the arginines in the motif extend the RGG protein's capacity for a fine‐tuned regulation. In this review, we focus on the biochemical properties of the RGG motif, its molecular interactions with RNAs and proteins, and roles of the posttranslational modification in modulating their interactions. We discuss current knowledge of the RGG motif proteins involved in mRNA transport and translation, highlight our merging understanding of their molecular functions in translational regulation and summarize areas of research in the future critical in understanding this important family of proteins.

This article is categorized under:

RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > Protein‐RNA Recognition

RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > Protein‐RNA Interactions: Functional Implications

Translation > Mechanisms
Student Mobilities
Authors: Alves Elisa , King Russell
Published: June 2022

Student mobility or student migration? The international (and internal) movement of students displays an equivocal terminology, although the editor of this volume, in presenting us with the title of our chapter, prefers the broader term ‘mobilities’ in contrast to the titles of the other chapters in this section, which are all forms of ‘migration’.
Migration and the Nation
Authors: Triandafyllidou Anna
Published: June 2022

During the last decade, we have witnessed two opposed social and political trends. On the one hand, there has been a comeback of nationalism. Examples abound from Trump’s “make America great again”, to Modi’s Hindu nationalism, to Bolsonaro’s Brazilian populist nationalism, to Orbán’s Hungary, and Le Pen’s or Salvini’s ‘patriotic’ overtones, only to name a few. These parties promote aggressive, nativist, and populist nationalism discourses which see the relations between nations and nation-states as a zero-sum game. They privilege erecting borders, both territorial and symbolic, against minorities, migrants or refugees, other nation-states and supra-national political formations like, in Europe, the European Union.
Transnationalism
Authors: Pries Ludger
Published: June 2022

Transnationalism as a research program has emerged in the social sciences since the 1990s. It refers to studies concentrating on social relations and groups that extend across the borders of nation-states. Referring to the degree of density and durability of such social interactions, often transnational social relations, social fields, and social spaces, are distinguished. Transnational families and transnational organisations are of particular relevance. The global, and even increasing significance of economic, social, cultural, and political remittances reflect the societal reality of transnational life.
Cities of Migration
Authors: Pisarevskaya Asya , Scholten Peter
Published: June 2022

Cities are often the main hubs or portals for migration. They are the places where people leave from, and where they first arrive at, after their migration journey, either to settle or to move on. They are also the places where diversities and mobilities become the most manifest. Built into the cross-roads of ancient trade routes, cities have been the centres for encounters between many cultures since ancient times. In the past, cities attracted internal migrants from rural areas, while nowadays, many cities have been shaped by a long history of international migration. For instance, the development of cities such as New York or London cannot be understood without taking into account their long migration histories. Indeed, in developing countries like Russia, China, South Africa, and Nigeria, urbanisation is still ongoing; both internal rural-urban or periphery-centre migrants, together with international migrants, are attracted to capital city urban centres, and this magnetism in turn shapes diversity landscapes.
Gender and Migration
Authors: Kofman Eleonore , Raghuram Parvati
Published: June 2022

In the past few decades,genderhas become one of the most significant optics through which to view and analyse migration. Migration has moved up the political agenda and women and men have become differentially entangled within these discussions. In this chapter we review some of the ways in which gender appears in migration debates, the different arguments around gender and on the forms of migration through which these have been routed, and some questions for future research agendas. This chapter is therefore necessarily selective and unable to provide a comprehensive review of the rich literature on the topic.
Migration and Development
Authors: Ullah Akm Ahsan
Published: June 2022

Academically speaking, migration has not been discussed intensely within a development framework until recently (Ullah & Haque, 2020). The seasonal flights of Siberian birds have long been associated with migration. When it comes to human mobility, however, migration has traditionally been viewed as a means of escaping unwanted situations in search of a more welcoming environment. Migration has existed since the dawn of time, but it has never occupied a substantial place in academe or policy spheres until today. Some countries formalised migration only recently. China, for example, did not allow people to move internally and internationally until 1979 (Xiang, 2016; Skeldon, 1996; Ullah & Hossain, 2014).
Migration Histories
Authors: Schrover Marlou
Published: June 2022

It is impossible to cover the history of global migrations in one chapter. The literature on global migration has increased rapidly since the 1980s. This increase is more-or-less in line with the increase in publications on migration control and migration management. The number of publications about global migrationhistoryis much less. This chapter will and cannot not cover the global migrations in the past 2000 years, but rather it will look critically at data collections, present biases inmigration history, and will give a helicopter view of major migrations.
Digital Migration Infrastructures
Authors: Preiss Carlotta
Published: June 2022

Digitalisation has fundamentally shaped the way people migrate. On the one hand, refugees rely on digital services to navigate, access information, contact smugglers and stay in touch with their families and other refugees. On the other hand, marriage migration, labour migration and student mobility are facilitated by online matchmaking, recruitment and advertisements. This chapter conceptualises the ensemble of digital technologies facilitating migration as Digital Migration Infrastructures. It also provides an overview over the literature and highlights the growing impact of digital technologies on migration processes whilst identifying the remaining research gaps.
Labour Migration
Authors: Oso Laura , Kaczmarczyk Paweł , Salamońska Justyna
Published: June 2022

This chapter will focus on labour migration, that is the movement of persons with the aim of employment or income-bringing activities (e.g., entrepreneurship), developing the topic which was also touched upon in Chap. 3 on conceptual understanding of migration drivers. Research on labour migration has developed across various disciplines (e.g., sociology, anthropology, and geography), but most prominently in economics. It has resulted in a range of theoretical frameworks, starting with neoclassical economic theories and advancing through the New Economics of Labour Migration (NELM), dual labour market theory, and social network theory, to more recent transnational approaches or theories dedicated to particular forms of labour migration. These diverse approaches offer insights into labour migration on macro-, meso- and micro-levels. Although a dichotomy based on skills (high-skilled vs. low-skilled workers) can be seen as controversial or misleading as a division between workers representing these two types of skills is often vague or difficult to determine, the distinction does reflect recent debates on labour migration. Thus, a high−/low-skills dichotomy serves as a guide to the structure of this chapter.
The Decoherence-Free Subalgebra of Gaussian Quantum Markov Semigroups
Authors: Agredo Julián , Fagnola Franco , Poletti Damiano
Published: June 2022

We demonstrate a method for finding the decoherence-free subalgebra $${\mathcal {N}}({\mathcal {T}})$$

N
(
T
)

of a Gaussian quantum Markov semigroup on the von Neumann algebra $${\mathcal {B}}(\Gamma (\mathbb {C}^d))$$

B
(
Γ

(

C

d

)

)

of all bounded operator on the Fock space $$\Gamma (\mathbb {C}^d)$$

Γ
(

C

d

)

on $$\mathbb {C}^d$$

C

d

. We show that $${\mathcal {N}}({\mathcal {T}})$$

N
(
T
)

is a type I von Neumann algebra $$L^\infty (\mathbb {R}^{d_c};\mathbb {C}){\overline{\otimes }}{\mathcal {B}}(\Gamma (\mathbb {C}^{d_f}))$$

L
∞

(

R

d
c

;
C
)

⊗
¯

B

(
Γ

(

C

d
f

)

)

determined, up to unitary equivalence, by two natural numbers $$d_c,d_f\le d$$

d
c

,

d
f

≤
d

. This result is illustrated by some applications and examples.
Typische Notfälle in der Hals-Nasen-Ohren-Heilkunde – eine monozentrische Evaluation über den jahreszeitlichen Verlauf
Authors: Lochbaum R. , Tewes S. , Hoffmann TK. , Greve J. , Hahn J.
Published: June 2022

Hintergrund

Die Inzidenz der Akutdiagnosen im Hals-Nasen-Ohren(HNO)-Bereich wird durch multiple Parameter beeinflusst, unter anderem meteorologische und saisonale Einflüsse. Durch ein besseres Verständnis dieser Faktoren könnten prophylaktische Ansätze entwickelt werden.

Material und Methoden

Über 6 Jahre erfolgte eine retrospektive Analyse aller Patienten, die sich aufgrund von typischen und weniger komplexen HNO-ärztlichen Krankheitsbildern wie Cerumen obturans, akuter Otitis externa und media, Nasenpyramidenfraktur, Epistaxis nasi, akuter Tonsillitis, akuter Rhinosinusitis oder eines Peritonsillarabszess in einer südwestdeutschen Universitätsklinik vorgestellt haben.

Ergebnisse

32.968 Fälle wurden ausgewertet. Mit 24,5 % (8082 Fälle) war die Epistaxis nasi die häufigste Notfalldiagnose. Diese, wie auch die akute Otitis media und die akute Rhinosinusitis, traten signifikant häufiger in der kälteren Jahreshälfte auf. Es bestand keine signifikante Korrelation der Diagnose Nasenpyramidenfraktur mit besonderen Zeiten wie Feiertagen. Die akute Otitis externa korrelierte signifikant mit dem Zeitraum der Sommerferien. In Kalenderwoche 38 gab es die wenigsten und in der Kalenderwoche 52 die meisten Notfallvorstellungen.

Schlussfolgerung

Saisonale und meteorologische Faktoren spielen eine Rolle in der Krankheitsentstehung verschiedener HNO-ärztlicher Notfalldiagnosen.
In vivo subchronic effects of ciguatoxin-related compounds, reevaluation of their toxicity
Authors: Raposo-García Sandra , Boente-Juncal Andrea , Rodriguez-Vieytes Mercedes , Camiña Mercedes , Costas Celia , Cao Alejandro , Louzao M. Carmen , Cifuentes Manuel , Vale Carmen , Botana Luis M.
Published: June 2022

Ciguatoxins are marine compounds that share a ladder-shaped polyether structure produced by dinoflagellates of the genus Gambierdiscus and Fukuyoa, and include maitotoxins (MTX1 and MTX3), ciguatoxins (CTX3C) and analogues (gambierone), components of one of the most frequent human foodborne illness diseases known as ciguatera fish poisoning. This disease was previously found primarily in tropical and subtropical areas but nowadays, the dinoflagellates producers of ciguatoxins had spread to European coasts. One decade ago, the European Food Safety Authority has raised the need to complete the toxicological available data for the ciguatoxin group of compounds. Thus, in this work, the in vivo effects of ciguatoxin-related compounds have been investigated using internationally adopted guidelines for the testing of chemicals. Intraperitoneal acute toxicity was tested for maitotoxin 1 at doses between 200 and 3200 ng/kg and the acute oral toxicity of Pacific Ciguatoxin CTX3C at 330 and 1050 ng/kg and maitotoxin 1 at 800 ng/kg were also evaluated showing not effects on mice survival after a 96 h observation period. Therefore, for the following experiments the oral subchronic doses were between 172 and 1760 ng/kg for gambierone, 10 and 102 ng/kg for Pacific Ciguatoxin CTX3C, 550 and 1760 ng/kg for maitotoxin 3 and 800, 2560 and 5000 ng/kg for maitotoxin 1. The results presented here raise the need to reevaluate the in vivo activity of these agents. Although the intraperitoneal lethal dose of maitotoxin 1 is assumed to be 50 ng/kg, without chemical purity identifications and description of the bioassay procedures, in this work, an intraperitoneal lethal dose of 1107 ng/kg was obtained. Therefore, the data presented here highlight the need to use a common procedure and certified reference material to clearly establish the levels of these environmental contaminants in food.
Posterior shoulder dislocation with associated reverse Hill–Sachs lesion: clinical outcome 10 years after joint-preserving surgery
Authors: Konrads Christian , Konrads Marie I. , Döbele Stefan , Histing Tina , Ziegler Patrick
Published: June 2022

Introduction

Posterior shoulder dislocation in association with reverse Hill–Sachs lesion is a rather rare injury. Few studies reporting results after joint-preserving surgery in these cases are available. This current study presents the clinical outcomes 10 years postoperatively.

Materials and methods

In a prospective case series, we operatively treated 12 consecutive patients (all males) after posterior shoulder dislocation with associated reverse Hill–Sachs lesion using joint-preserving techniques. Patients received surgery in a single center between January 2008 and December 2011. The joint-preserving surgical procedure was chosen depending on the defect size and bone quality. The following outcome-measures were analyzed: Constant-Score, DASH-Score, ROWE-Score, and SF-12. Results 1, 5, and 10 years postoperatively were compared.

Results

Out of 12 patients, ten patients (83.3%) were followed-up with a mean follow-up interval of 10.7 years (range 9.3–12.8). The mean patient age at the time of the last follow-up was 51 years (32–66). The outcome scores at the final follow-up were: Constant 92.5 (range 70.0–100), DASH 3.2 (0.0–10.8), ROWE 91.0 (85.0–100), and SF-12 87.8 (77.5–98.3). Clinical results had improved from 1 to 5 years postoperatively and showed a tendency for even further improvement after 10 years.

Conclusions

Joint-preserving surgical therapy of posterior shoulder dislocation provides excellent results when the morphology of the reverse Hill–Sachs lesion is respected in surgical decision-making.

Trial registration

223/2012BO2, 02 August 2010.
Forced Vital Capacity and Low Frequency Reactance Area Measurements Are Associated with Asthma Control and Exacerbations
Authors: Chan Rory , Lipworth Brian
Published: June 2022

Introduction

Forced vital capacity (FVC) is often preserved in severe asthma unless there is evidence of either airway remodelling or air trapping. Area under the reactance curve (AX) can be used to assess small airways dysfunction related lung stiffness and is related to disease control in severe asthma.

Methods

We explore if there may be a potential synergistic interaction between FVC and AX in terms of impaired asthma control as ACQ and exacerbations requiring oral corticosteroids (OCS). We pragmatically defined < 100% and ≥ 1.0 kPa/L/s as impaired FVC or AX, respectively.

Results

Patients with combined impairment of FVC and AX had significantly worse asthma control as higher ACQ, more severe exacerbations requiring OCS and worse spirometry (FEV1 and FEF25–75) than those with impaired FVC but preserved AX.

Conclusion

This in turn supports using both spirometry and oscillometry to characterise airway physiology more comprehensively in patients with more severe asthma.
Efficient Quantisation and Weak Covering of High Dimensional Cubes
Authors: Noonan Jack , Zhigljavsky Anatoly
Published: June 2022

Let$${\mathbb {Z}}_n = \{Z_1, \ldots , Z_n\}$$Zn={Z1,…,Zn}be a design; that is, a collection ofnpoints$$Z_j \in [-1,1]^d$$Zj∈[-1,1]d. We study the quality of quantisation of$$[-1,1]^d$$[-1,1]dby the points of$${\mathbb {Z}}_n$$Znand the problem of quality of coverage of$$[-1,1]^d$$[-1,1]dby$${{{\mathcal {B}}}}_d({\mathbb {Z}}_n,r)$$Bd(Zn,r), the union of balls centred at$$Z_j \in {\mathbb {Z}}_n$$Zj∈Zn. We concentrate on the cases where the dimensiondis not small,$$d\ge 5$$d≥5, andnis not too large,$$n\le 2^d$$n≤2d. We define the design$${{\mathbb {D}}_{n,\delta }}$$Dn,δas a$$2^{d-1}$$2d-1design defined on vertices of the cube$$[-\delta ,\delta ]^d$$[-δ,δ]d,$$0\le \delta \le 1$$0≤δ≤1. For this design, we derive a closed-form expression for the quantisation error and very accurate approximations for the coverage area$${\text {vol}}{([-1,1]^d \cap {{{\mathcal {B}}}}_d({\mathbb {Z}}_n,r))}$$vol([-1,1]d∩Bd(Zn,r)). We provide results of a large-scale numerical investigation confirming the accuracy of the developed approximations and the efficiency of the designs $${{\mathbb {D}}_{n,\delta }}$$Dn,δ.
A comprehensive in vitro comparison of the biological and physicochemical properties of bioactive root canal sealers
Authors: Wuersching Sabina Noreen , Diegritz Christian , Hickel Reinhard , Huth Karin Christine , Kollmuss Maximilian
Published: June 2022

Objectives

To evaluate the biological and physicochemical features of bioactive root canal sealers.

Materials and methods

Human periodontal ligament fibroblasts (hPDLF) and human osteoblasts (hOB) were exposed to eluates of three bioactive root canal sealers, GuttaFlow® bioseal (GF), BioRoot™ RCS (BR), and TotalFill® BC Sealer (TF), and the epoxy resin–based sealer AH plus® (AH). Cytotoxicity and cellular inflammatory response were evaluated. The osteogenic potential was examined using human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC). Film thickness, flowability, and pH were assessed. Root canal treatment was performed on human extracted teeth to evaluate the sealers’ tightness towards bacterial penetration. The antibacterial activity against common pathogens in primary root canal infections was tested.

Results

AH was severely cytotoxic to hPDLF and hOB (p < 0.001). The bioactive sealers were generally less cytotoxic. IL-6 levels in hPDLF were elevated in the presence of AH (p < 0.05). AH and GF suppressed IL-6 production in hOB (p < 0.05). AH and BR stimulated the PGE2 production in hPDLF and hOB (p < 0.05). BR was the only sealer that led to calcium deposits in hMSC (p < 0.05). TF and AH showed the lowest film thickness and the highest flowability. Bacterial tightness was best in teeth filled with AH and BR. All sealers showed similar antimicrobial activity, but the overall antimicrobial efficacy was moderate as the bacteria were reduced by just one log scale (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

This study revealed favorable in vitro results regarding the biocompatibility of the bioactive root canal sealers.

Clinical relevance

Bioactive root canal sealers may be a useful alternative to epoxy resin–based sealers.