bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Acceptability of multiple modalities of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among female sex workers in Tanzania: a mixed-methods study
Authors: Beckham S Wilson , Mantsios Andrea , Galai Noya , Likindikoki Samuel , Mbwambo Jessie , Davis Wendy , Kerrigan Deanna
Published: August 2022

Objectives

Modalities of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention offer options to women at high risk including female sex workers (FSW). This study aimed to explore FSW’s acceptability and preferences for oral pills, long-acting (LA) injectable and vaginal ring PrEP.

Design

Sequential, explanatory, mixed methods.

Setting

Iringa, Tanzania.

Participants

FSW aged above 18 were recruited from sex work venues using time-location sampling (n=496); HIV-uninfected (n=293) were included in this analysis. Subsequently, survey participants were recruited for in-depth interviews (n=10) and two focus group discussions (n=20).

Primary outcome measures

(1) Acceptability of PrEP (Do you personally think it would be worth it to you to take ART if it could prevent HIV?: yes/no) and (2) preference for LA injectable versus oral pills (If you personally were going to take ART to prevent HIV infection, would you prefer to take it in the form of a daily pill or an injection once every 3 months? Injection/pill).

Results

Participants were (92%) unaware of PrEP but 58% thought it would be worth it to personally take PrEP. Acceptability of PrEP was significantly associated with higher social cohesion (aOR 2.12; 95% CI 1.29 to 3.50) and STI symptoms in the past 6 months (aOR 2.52; 95% CI 1.38 to 4.62). Most (88%) preferred LA vs oral PrEP. Qualitative findings revealed generally positive reactions to all types of PrEP, and they were viewed as a welcome backup to condoms. Participants had concerns about pills (burden of daily use, stigma from clients), and the vaginal ring (fear of client noticing and becoming suspicious, fear of infertility) and overall preferred LA-PrEP (less frequent use, easy to hide, belief in higher efficacy).

Conclusions

Offering multiple formulations of PrEP within the context of community-driven HIV prevention interventions among FSW may facilitate increased uptake and adherence. LA injectable PrEP may be a particularly preferred formulation among FSW.

Trial registration number

NCT02281578.
Supporting direct support professionals in enabling people with intellectual disabilities to engage in meaningful activities: protocol for the Meaningful Activities 4 All (MA4A) study based on the human-centred design process
Authors: Wille Christophe , De Clerck Ine , Van Hove Geert , Van Loon Jos , Van de Velde Dominique , De Vriendt Patricia
Published: August 2022

Introduction

Meaningful activities (MA) have a positive impact on identity, well-being, participation and inclusion. Although people with intellectual disabilities (PID) depend on their direct support professionals (DSPs) to engage in MA, the DSPs need support which could enable them to offer more qualitative care and support.

Methods and analysis

To identify DSPs’ needs, and to develop a tool/service, an innovative and iterative approach is developed, based on the human-centred design (HCD) process, combined with traditional qualitative and quantitative research methods. In the inspiration phase (needs analysis), in-depth interviews will be conducted in two day care centres in Flanders using an interpretative phenomenological analyses, one with a supply-driven approach and the other with a demand-driven approach, followed by a survey sent to all Flemish day care centres. In the ideation phase, the insights of phase 1 will guide a cocreation process (comprising a World Cafe, brainstorm and prototype sessions) with the DSPs, PID and other stakeholders. In the implementation phase, the solution will be tested in the two day care centres from phase 1 by means of living labs and a realist evaluation. By adopting this protocol, the functionality, quality, usability and acceptance are expected to increase. This protocol adopts all phases of the HCD process and shows the complementarity of HCD with traditional research methods. PID and the DSPs will benefit as the end result is truly grounded in their specific needs and wishes.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethical approval by the Ethics Committee of the University Hospital Ghent, Belgium (reference numbers: B670202042983 and PA2021-091). All participants will sign informed consent forms. Results of this study will be submitted for publication in relevant peer-reviewed journals and will be presented at relevant conferences.
Association between COVID-19 vaccination rates and the Australian ‘Million Dollar Vax’ competition: an observational study
Authors: Jun Dajung , Scott Anthony
Published: August 2022

Objective

To examine the association between financial incentives from entry into a vaccine competition with the probability of vaccination for COVID-19.

Design

A cross-sectional study with adjustment for covariates using logistic regression.

Setting

October and November 2021, Australia.

Participants

2375 respondents of the Taking the Pulse of the Nation survey.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

The proportion of respondents who had any vaccination, a first dose only, or second dose after the competition opened.

Results

Those who entered the competition were 2.27 (95% CI 1.73 to 2.99) times more likely to be vaccinated after the competition opened on 1 October than those who did not enter—an increase in the probability of having any dose of 0.16 (95 % CI 0.10 to 0.21) percentage points. This increase was mostly driven by those receiving second doses. Entrants were 2.39 (95% CI 1.80 to 3.17) times more likely to receive their second dose after the competition opened.

Conclusions

Those who entered the Million Dollar Vax competition were more likely to have a vaccination after the competition opened compared with those who did not enter the competition, with this effect dominated by those receiving second doses.
Reporting of data on participant ethnicity and socioeconomic status in high-impact medical journals: a targeted literature review
Authors: Buttery Sara C , Philip Keir E J , Alghamdi Saeed M , Williams Parris J , Quint Jennifer K , Hopkinson Nicholas S
Published: August 2022

Objectives

To assess the frequency of reporting of ethnicity (or ‘race’) and socioeconomic status (SES) indicators in high-impact journals.

Design

Targeted literature review.

Data sources

The 10 highest ranked general medical journals using Google scholar h5 index.

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion criteria were, human research, reporting participant level data. Exclusion criteria were non-research article, animal/other non-human participant/subject or no participant characteristics reported.

Data extraction and synthesis

Working backwards from 19 April 2021 in each journal, two independent reviewers selected the 10 most recent articles meeting inclusion/exclusion criteria, to create a sample of 100 articles. Data on the frequency of reporting of ethnicity (or ‘race’) and SES indicators were extracted and presented using descriptive statistics.

Results

Of 100 research articles included, 35 reported ethnicity and 13 SES. By contrast, 99 reported age, and 97 reported sex or gender. Among the articles not reporting ethnicity, only 3 (5%) highlighted this as a limitation, and only 6 (7%) where SES data were missing. Median number of articles reporting ethnicity per journal was 2.5/10 (range 0 to 9). Only two journals explicitly requested reporting of ethnicity (or race), and one requested SES.

Conclusions

The majority of research published in high-impact medical journals does not include data on the ethnicity and SES of participants, and this omission is rarely acknowledged as a limitation. This situation persists despite the well-established importance of this issue and International Committee of Medical Journal Editors recommendations to include relevant demographic variables to ensure representative samples. Standardised explicit minimum standards are required.
Holding back the tears: is there a role for marsupialisation?
Authors: Chiu Stephanie J , Currie Zanna I , Tan Jennifer HY
Published: August 2022

Objective

Medial eyelid tumours may result in the loss of the proximal lacrimal system during staged excision and delayed reconstruction, to achieve tumour margin clearance. The remnant canaliculus was marsupialised during reconstruction. The aim was to understand how many patients experienced symptomatic epiphora as a consequence of this.

Methods and analysis

A retrospective study including patients over a 15-year period with medial eyelid tumours, where the proximal lacrimal system was sacrificed to achieve tumour margin clearance. Included were all who had marsupialisation of the remnant distal stump as part of their delayed reconstruction. All who had pre-existing epiphora were excluded. The primary objective was the rate of epiphora following the procedure. A systematic literature review of postoperative epiphora occurring in patients with lid tumours requiring lacrimal system injury/sacrifice during tumour excision.

Results

There were 22 eyes (22 patients). All were basal cell carcinomas except for 1 (4.5%) tarsal conjunctival squamous cell carcinoma. All cases involved the lower lid. There were two (9.1%) patients who developed epiphora. One patient underwent a superior three-snip punctoplasty, botulinum toxin to the lacrimal gland and conjunctivodacryocystorhinostomy with Lester Jones tube insertion. The other patient was not overly troubled and did not require further treatment. The literature review showed the median postoperative rate of epiphora in these patients was 12.5% (range 0%–100%).

Conclusion

Marsupialisation of the remnant canaliculus during delayed reconstruction is a straightforward and effective surgical option, which may help prevent postreconstruction epiphora when the proximal lacrimal system is sacrificed for tumour margin clearance.

Trial registration number

10391.
mHealth learning tool for skilled birth attendants: scaling the Safe Delivery App in India
Authors: Singh Sodha Tarun , Grønbæk Astrid , Bhandari Aditya , Mary Bright , Sudke Ajit , Smith Lauren Teresa
Published: August 2022

Background

One of the main drivers of maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity in India is a lack of quality of care in health facilities. Inadequate competencies of health workers, insufficient quality of training and infrastructure, and the financial challenges of providing training across the country impede quality care provision. To this end, the Government of India began exploring cost-effective tech and IT-based solutions to support existing quality improvement (QI) initiatives.

Method

We describe the process and approach of scaling the Safe Delivery App (hereafter referred to as the App) throughout India. The App is an mHealth learning tool for equipping health workers in managing obstetric and neonatal emergencies by placing evidence-based, and up-to-date clinical guidelines in their hands through their mobile devices. The use of the App was supported by the Ministry of Health and the Department of Health at the state level. Both parties were actively involved in the roll-out of the App and had a clear vision of how the App can complement existing structures/systems/programmes.

Results

The App was successfully integrated and implemented in various government-led QI initiatives. Approximately 20 000 healthcare workers (HCWs) have been trained on the App and selected clinical topics since its launch, and between 2018 and 2021 over 86 000 HCWs across all states and union territories used the App. Moreover, project-specific data show a significant increase in the knowledge level of users of the App.

Conclusion

Scaling such a tool within existing programmes is not a linear process. In India, the approach, government buy-in and flexibility of implementation modalities led to the successful roll-out of the App. We have demonstrated that an mHealth tool can be used to support the growing desire of governments to use tech in support existing QI initiatives and supporting the improvement of quality of care provided.
Absolute coronary flow and microvascular resistance reserve in patients with severe aortic stenosis
Authors: Paolisso Pasquale , Gallinoro Emanuele , Vanderheyden Marc , Esposito Giuseppe , Bertolone Dario Tino , Belmonte Marta , Mileva Niya , Bermpeis Konstantinos , De Colle Cristina , Fabbricatore Davide , Candreva Alessandro , Munhoz Daniel , Degrieck Ivan , Casselman Filip , Penicka Martin , Collet Carlos , Sonck Jeroen , Mangiacapra Fabio , de Bruyne Bernard , Barbato Emanuele
Published: August 2022

Background

Development of left ventricle (LV) hypertrophy in aortic stenosis (AS) is accompanied by adaptive coronary flow regulation. We aimed to assess absolute coronary flow, microvascular resistance, coronary flow reverse (CFR) and microvascular resistance reserve (MRR) in patients with and without AS.

Methods

Absolute coronary flow and microvascular resistance were measured by continuous thermodilution in 29 patients with AS and 29 controls, without AS, matched for age, gender, diabetes and functional severity of epicardial coronary lesions. Myocardial work, total myocardial mass and left anterior descending artery (LAD)-specific mass were quantified by echocardiography and cardiac-CT.

Results

Patients with AS presented a significantly positive LV remodelling with lower global longitudinal strain and global work efficacy compared with controls. Total LV myocardial mass and LAD-specific myocardial mass were significantly higher in patients with AS (p=0.001). Compared with matched controls, absolute resting flow in the LAD was significantly higher in the AS cohort (p=0.009), resulting into lower CFR and MRR in the AS cohort compared with controls (p<0.005 for both). No differences were found in hyperaemic flow and resting and hyperaemic resistances. Hyperaemic myocardial perfusion (calculated as the ratio between the absolute coronary flow subtended to the LAD, expressed in mL/min/g), but not resting, was significantly lower in the AS group (p=0.035).

Conclusions

In patients with severe AS and non-obstructive coronary artery disease, with the progression of LV hypertrophy, the compensatory mechanism of increased resting flow maintains adequate perfusion at rest, but not during hyperaemia. As a consequence, both CFR and MRR are significantly impaired.
New tools for mechanical weed control in low-input dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) production
Authors: Stanley K.A. , Entz M.H.
Published: August 2022

Camera-guided narrow (15 cm)-row, inter-row cultivation, with or without the Einböck rotary weeder, reduced weed growth but had lower yield than herbicide-treated dry beans. In wide rows (60 cm), camera guidance improved finger weeder performance and mechanically weeded dry bean yields were similar to the herbicide treatment.
Evaluation of prediction of indigestible fiber fraction (iNDF) of whole-crop barley silage by using non-destructive spectroscopic techniques as a fast-screening method: comparison between FTIR vs. NIR
Authors: Refat Basim , Yu Peiqiang
Published: August 2022

The objective of this study was to reveal the potential of using Fourier transform mid-infrared (FTIR) and near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy as tools for the determination of indigestible neutral (NDF) fraction (iNDF) of whole-crop barley silage. A total of 48 whole-crop barley silage samples collected from 48 different farms in Western Canada were analyzed for iNDF. Reference values were matched with NIR and FTIR spectra. Spectral data processing (pretreatments) included first derivative, standard normal variate, multiplicative scattering correction, second derivative, and orthogonal signal correction. Prediction equations were obtained from each model using an external validation set. The coefficient of determination for the external validation of iNDF was 0.62 for FTIR and 0.41 for NIR, while the corresponding ratio performance deviation was 1.69 and 1.38 for FTIR and NIR, respectively. Results from this research showed the high potential of applying infrared molecular spectroscopy for the examination of forage plant fiber digestibility. More studies are needed to improve the accuracy and performance of FTIR and NIR spectroscopies in predicting the iNDF of whole-crop barley silage samples.
Fermionic steering and its monogamy relations in Schwarzschild spacetime
Authors: Wu Shu-Min , Zeng Hao-Sheng
Published: August 2022

Using two different types of quantification for quantum steering, we study the influence of Hawking radiation on quantum steering for fermionic fields in Schwarzschild spacetime. The degradation for the steering between physically accessible observers and the generation for the steering between physically accessible and inaccessible observers induced by Hawking radiation are studied. We also reveal the difference between the two types of quantification for steering, and find some monogamy relations between steering and entanglement. Furthermore, we show the different properties between fermionic steering and bosonic steering in Schwarzschild spacetime.
Arbitrary unitaries in orbital angular momentum of single photons
Authors: Kysela Jaroslav
Published: August 2022

A simple argument is presented that explicitly shows how to construct an arbitrary quantum gate acting on orbital angular momentum (OAM) of single photons. The scheme can be applied to implement subspace multiplexing, where a single high-dimensional OAM qudit represents effectively a stack of multiple independent lower-dimensional qudits. A special subclass of unitaries composed of single-photon controlled gates is studied in detail and notable examples of the general approach are discussed. The generalization of the simple argument leads to the parallelization scheme, which results in the savings of resources. The presented schemes utilize only conventional optical elements and apply not only to single photons but also to classical light.
Mitigation of electron cloud effects in the FCC-ee collider
Authors: Yaman Fatih , Iadarola Giovanni , Kersevan Roberto , Ogur Salim , Ohmi Kazuhito , Zimmermann Frank , Zobov Mikhail
Published: August 2022

Electron clouds forming inside the beam vacuum chamber due to photoemission and secondary emission may limit the accelerator performance. Specifically, the electron clouds can blow up the vertical emittance of a positron beam, through a head-tail-type single-bunch instability, if the central electron density exceeds a certain threshold value, that can be estimated analytically. Using the codes PyECLOUD and VSim, we carried out detailed simulations of the electron-cloud build up for the main arcs and the damping ring of the FCC-ee collider, in order to identify the effective photoemission rate and secondary emission yield required for achieving and maintaining the design emittance. To this end, we present the simulated electron density at the centre of the beam pipe for various bunch spacings, secondary emission yields, and photoemission parameters, in the damping ring and in the arcs of the collider positron ring. To gain further insight into the underlying dynamics, the obtained spatial and energy distributions of the cloud electrons are illustrated as a function of time. In addition, we compare results obtained for two different secondary emission models (“Furman–Pivi” and “ECLOUD”), thereby indicating the uncertainty inherent in this type of study, without any prototype vacuum chambers yet available. We also point out a few situations where the two secondary-emission models yield similar density values. Finally, based on our simulation results for two different design variants, we conclude that the new parameter baseline of the FCC-ee will facilitate electron-cloud mitigation.
Value distribution theory on angular domains for holomorphic mappings and arbitrary families of moving hypersurfaces
Authors: Quang Si Duc
Published: August 2022

Our goal in this paper is to establish some second main theorems for holomorphic mappings from angular domains into projective varieties intersecting arbitrary families of moving hypersurfaces with truncated counting functions. Our results generalize and also improve all previous results for the case of holomorphic mappings from the complex plane.
O’Reach: Even Faster Reachability in Large Graphs
Authors: Hanauer Kathrin , Schulz Christian , Trummer Jonathan
Published: August 2022

One of the most fundamental problems in computer science is the
reachability problem
: Given a directed graph and two vertices
s
and
t
, can
s
reach
t
via a path? We revisit existing techniques and combine them with new approaches to support a large portion of
reachability queries
in constant time using a linear-sized
reachability index
. Our new algorithm
O’Reach
can be easily combined with previously developed solutions for the problem or run standalone.

In a detailed experimental study, we compare a variety of algorithms with respect to their index-building and query times as well as their memory footprint on a diverse set of instances. Our experiments indicate that the query performance often depends strongly not only on the type of graph but also on the result, i.e.,
reachable
or
unreachable
. Furthermore, we show that previous algorithms are significantly sped up when combined with our new approach in almost all scenarios. Surprisingly, due to cache effects, a higher investment in space doesn’t necessarily pay off:
Reachability queries
can often be answered even faster than single memory accesses in a precomputed full reachability matrix.
A Critical Review of Multimodal-multisensor Analytics for Anxiety Assessment
Authors: Senaratne Hashini , Oviatt Sharon , Ellis Kirsten , Melvin Glenn
Published: August 2022

Recently, interest has grown in the assessment of anxiety that leverages human physiological and behavioral data to address the drawbacks of current subjective clinical assessments. Complex experiences of anxiety vary on multiple characteristics, including triggers, responses, duration and severity, and impact differently on the risk of anxiety disorders. This article reviews the past decade of studies that objectively analyzed various anxiety characteristics related to five common anxiety disorders in adults utilizing features of cardiac, electrodermal, blood pressure, respiratory, vocal, posture, movement, and eye metrics. Its originality lies in the synthesis and interpretation of consistently discovered heterogeneous predictors of anxiety and multimodal-multisensor analytics based on them. We reveal that few anxiety characteristics have been evaluated using multimodal-multisensor metrics, and many of the identified predictive features are confounded. As such, objective anxiety assessments are not yet complete or precise. That said, few multimodal-multisensor systems evaluated indicate an approximately 11.73% performance gain compared to unimodal systems, highlighting a promising powerful tool. We suggest six high-priority future directions to address the current gaps and limitations in infrastructure, basic knowledge, and application areas. Action in these directions will expedite the discovery of rich, accurate, continuous, and objective assessments and their use in impactful end-user applications.
A Survey of Security and Privacy Issues in V2X Communication Systems
Authors: Yoshizawa Takahito , Singelée Dave , Muehlberg Jan Tobias , Delbruel Stephane , Taherkordi Amir , Hughes Danny , Preneel Bart
Published: August 2022

Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communication is receiving growing attention from industry and academia as multiple pilot projects explore its capabilities and feasibility. With about 50% of global road vehicle exports coming from the European Union (EU), and within the context of EU legislation around security and data protection, V2X initiatives must consider security and privacy aspects across the system stack, in addition to road safety. Contrary to this principle, our survey of relevant standards, research outputs, and EU pilot projects indicates otherwise; we identify multiple security- and privacy-related shortcomings and inconsistencies across the standards. We conduct a root cause analysis of the reasons and difficulties associated with these gaps, and categorize the identified security and privacy issues relative to these root causes. As a result, our comprehensive analysis sheds lights on a number of areas that require improvements in the standards, which are not explicitly identified in related work. Our analysis fills gaps left by other related surveys, which are focused on specific technical areas but do not necessarily point out underlying root issues in standard specifications. We bring forward recommendations to address these gaps for the overall improvement of security and safety in vehicular communication.
Estimating the dynamic lifetime of transient context in near real-time for cost-efficient adaptive caching
Authors: Weerasinghe Shakthi , Zaslavsky Arkady , Loke Seng W. , Medvedev Alexey , Abken Amin
Published: August 2022

Context-awareness in Internet of Things (IoT) applications has significant impact on how IoT data can be processed, stored if needed, reused, and repurposed across multiple IoT applications. Emerging Context Management Platforms (CMP) mediate between context providers and context consumers in order to unify access to context and, provide interoperability that allows cross-domain context querying. This paper proposes an approach to adaptive context caching which enables CMPs to serve context queries from multiple IoT applications. It presents the transient nature of context which is a unique challenge when caching context that requires regular refreshing. The paper proposes two adaptive refreshing strategies based on online-estimated lifetimes (i.e., how long before data is estimated to have changed and refreshing is needed) - reactive and full-coverage. They are evaluated by developing mathematical models and simulations. We further assess the impact of different parameters on context cache performance. The results demonstrate the efficiency of adaptive context caching to minimize operational costs whilst preserving good enough refresh rate and compliance with Service Level Agreements.
Integrating Fossil Observations Into Phylogenetics Using the Fossilized Birth–Death Model
Authors: Wright April M. , Bapst David W. , Barido-Sottani Joëlle , Warnock Rachel C.M.
Published: August 2022

Over the past decade, a new set of methods for estimating dated trees has emerged. Originally referred to as the fossilized birth–death (FBD) process, this single model has expanded to a family of models that allows researchers to coestimate evolutionary parameters (e.g., diversification, sampling) and patterns alongside divergence times for a variety of applications from paleobiology to real-time epidemiology. We provide an overview of this family of models. We explore the ways in which these models correspond to methods in quantitative paleobiology, as the FBD process provides a framework through which neontological and paleontological approaches to phylogenetics and macroevolution can be unified. We also provide an overview of challenges associated with applying FBD models, particularly with an eye toward the fossil record. We conclude this review by discussing several exciting avenues for the inclusion of fossil data in phylogenetic analyses.
Nonbanks and Mortgage Securitization
Authors: Kim You Suk , Pence Karen , Stanton Richard , Walden Johan , Wallace Nancy
Published: August 2022

This article reviews the dramatic growth of nonbank mortgage lending after the Global Financial Crisis, especially to borrowers with lower credit scores, and the related importance of mortgage-backed securitization. Our literature review suggests that the existing theoretical and empirical work on securitization is more relevant to bank than to nonbank lenders, thus leaving outstanding questions as to why nonbank market shares have increased to their current levels and how best to structure nonbank oversight. To highlight key differences in the mortgage-lending incentives of banks and nonbanks, we build a simple theoretical model of bank versus nonbank mortgage lending and use it to generate and test empirical hypotheses. We find, in particular, that loans issued by nonbanks are more likely to prepay early than loans issued by banks, the difference not explainable by nonbank borrowers prepaying more rationally. Using regulatory filings from nonbanks that are typically unavailable to academic researchers, we examine the balance sheets and liquidity and capital positions of large Ginnie Mae nonbank servicers, which face and pose more risk in the current mortgage system. We find that on average these servicers have reasonable liquidity and capital positions relative to standard regulatory thresholds, particularly in 2022:Q1 after a few quarters of elevated profits. However, some large Ginnie Mae servicers appear to have inadequate capital, as gauged by risk-based capital measures. If defaults rise on a large scale, the liquidity and capital positions of these servicers may amplify the disruption in the mortgage and housing markets.
Student Loans and Borrower Outcomes
Authors: Yannelis Constantine , Tracey Greg
Published: August 2022

This review surveys the literature on student lending, emphasizing empirical studies of default, credit outcomes, and earnings. Student loans exist to alleviate credit constraints and, in theory, may have different effects on outcomes through multiple channels. There is significant heterogeneity in outcomes across types of borrowers, with many adverse outcomes driven by a subset of primarily for-profit institutions. We conclude by exploring policy options such as student loan forgiveness, income-driven repayment, income-share agreements, and penalizing schools for adverse borrower outcomes. These policies lead to possible equity and efficiency trade-offs.
Biological Impacts of Marine Heatwaves
Authors: Smith Kathryn E. , Burrows Michael T. , Hobday Alistair J. , King Nathan G. , Moore Pippa J. , Sen Gupta Alex , Thomsen Mads S. , Wernberg Thomas , Smale Dan A.
Published: August 2022

Climatic extremes are becoming increasingly common against a background trend of global warming. In the oceans, marine heatwaves (MHWs)—discrete periods of anomalously warm water—have intensified and become more frequent over the past century, impacting the integrity of marine ecosystems globally. We review and synthesize current understanding of MHW impacts at the individual, population, and community levels. We then examine how these impacts affect broader ecosystem services and discuss the current state of research on biological impacts of MHWs. Finally, we explore current and emergent approaches to predicting the occurrence andimpacts of future events, along with adaptation and management approaches. With further increases in intensity and frequency projected for coming decades, MHWs are emerging as pervasive stressors to marine ecosystems globally. A deeper mechanistic understanding of their biological impacts is needed to better predict and adapt to increased MHW activity in the Anthropocene.
C-Rate Capability of Ion-Beam Sputter Deposited Silicon, Carbon and Silicon/Carbon Multilayer Thin Films for Li-Ion Batteries
Authors: Hüger Erwin , Jin Chao , Uxa Daniel , Schmidt Harald
Published: August 2022

Silicon is highly desired as high-energy density active Li storage material in Li-ion batteries, but usually does not withstand extended cycling. This work examines the C-rate capability up to Li plating and the long term cycling for ion-beam sputter-deposited amorphous (Si/C) × 10 multilayers (MLs) (with individual layer thicknesses between 5 and 27 nm), as well as for amorphous silicon and carbon single layers (with film thicknesses between 14 and 230 nm). Differential capacity plots were analyzed to examine the lithiation and delithiation mechanism. The silicon single-layers are stable for the first five cycles only, with a behavior of thinner films similar to supercapacitors. The carbon single layers show good cycling stability but also low capacities similar to graphite. The combination of silicon and carbon within Si/C MLs improved capacity and cycling behavior. The Li+ insertion and extraction process from the Si/C MLs is reversible and dominated by silicon. It coincides even at high currents (10C) and after hundreds of cycles with that of the thicker silicon film at its initial cycles. The MLs combine the positive property of carbon (reversible cycling) and of silicon (high capacity). Thinner carbon layers in the ML increase the silicon capacity for all cycles. The topic of irreversible Li-losses is discussed.
High Voltage Normally-Off p-GaN Gate HEMT with the Compatible High Threshold and Drain Current
Authors: Yu Cheng , Wang Fangzhou , He Junxian , Zhang Yujian , Sun Ruize , Xu Wenjun , Ding Guojian , Feng Qi , Wang Xiaohui , Wang Yang , He Miao , Chen Wanjun , Jia Haiqiang , Chen Hong
Published: August 2022

In this paper, we demonstrate a high voltage normally-off p-GaN gate high-electron-mobility-transistor (HEMT) to realize the compatible high threshold voltage (V
TH) and high drain current (I
D) performance. With the optimization of the epitaxial structure, the presented device shows a significantly improved V
TH. Meanwhile, by using the high-quality ALD-Al2O3 passivation layer, the high I
D is also realized in the device because of the access region resistance reduction. Supported by the device fabrication, the p-GaN gate HEMT delivers a V
TH = 3.2 V measured by linear extrapolation, a relatively large saturation I
D (I
D_SAT) of 246 mA mm−1, and a high breakdown voltage (BV) of 1830 V at 1 mA mm−1. Among various p-GaN gate HEMTs with the I
D_SAT over 200 mA mm−1, the fabricated p-GaN gate HEMT has a competitive V
TH. The results suggest that the proposed device could be a promising candidate in high V
TH and I
D power electronics.
Chemogenetic activation of hypoglossal motoneurons in a mouse model of Pompe disease
Authors: Singer Michele L. , Rana Sabhya , Benevides Ethan S. , Barral Brian E. , Byrne Barry J. , Fuller David D.
Published: August 2022

In a mouse model of Pompe disease, lingual injection of adeno-associated virus (AAV) serotype 9 encoding DREADD was histologically verified to produce transgene expression in hypoglossal motoneurons. Subsequent intraperitoneal delivery of a DREADD ligand stimulated tonic and phase tongue motor output.
Reduced activity of vertically acting motoneurons during convergence
Authors: Walton Mark M. G.
Published: August 2022

An array of 60 plus-shaped LEDs, positioned at various locations in three-dimensional space, was used to elicit conjugate and disjunctive saccades while single neurons in oculomotor nucleus were recorded from rhesus monkeys. This study demonstrates that most vertically acting motoneurons in oculomotor nucleus discharge at a lower rate when the eyes are converged.
Functional states shape the spatiotemporal representation of local and cortex-wide neural activity in mouse sensory cortex
Authors: Schwalm Miriam , Tabuena Dennis R. , Easton Curtis , Richner Thomas J. , Mourad Pierre , Watari Hirofumi , Moody William J. , Stroh Albrecht
Published: August 2022

Here we dissect the cortical representation of brain states based on local photometry recordings and on mesoscale cortical calcium imaging, complemented by electrophysiological recordings in mice. We identify two distinct functional states in the sensory cortices, which differ in their spatiotemporal characteristics on the local and global cortical scales. We examine how intrinsic and stimulus-evoked neuronal activity propagates throughout the cortex in a state-dependent manner, supporting the notion that cortical state is a relevant variable to consider for a wide range of neurophysiological experiments.
The prefrontal cortex of the Mexican free-tailed bat is more selective to communication calls than primary auditory cortex
Authors: Macias Silvio , Bakshi Kushal , Troyer Todd , Smotherman Michael
Published: August 2022

In this study, we examined the neuronal responses of a frontal cortical area in an echolocating bat to behaviorally relevant acoustic stimuli and compared them with those in the primary auditory cortex (A1). In contrast to the A1, neurons in the bat frontal auditory field are not frequency tuned but showed a higher selectivity for social signals such as communication calls. The results presented here indicate that the frontal auditory field may represent an additional processing center for behaviorally relevant sounds.
Electrographic seizures and brain hyperoxia may be key etiological factors for postconcussive deficits
Authors: Malik Haris , Wolff Marshal D. , Teskey G. Campbell , Mychasiuk Richelle
Published: August 2022

We monitor oxygenation and electrographic activity in the hippocampus, immediately before and after mild traumatic brain injury. We demonstrate that as the number of injuries increases from 1 to 3, the proportion of rats that exhibit electrographic seizures and hyperoxia increases. Moreover, the presence of electrographic seizures and hyperoxia are associated with postinjury behavioral impairments, and if the hyperoxia is blocked with Bay K8644, the behavioral deficits are eliminated.
[Retracted] Deconstruction of the Prevention of Knee Osteoarthritis by Swimming Based on Data Mining Technology
Authors: Yin Jianxia , Li Qing , Song Yao
Published: August 2022

With the continuous development of big data and the continuous improvement of people’s living standards, increasingly attention is paid to physical health. Swimming in this sport is effective in preventing the occurrence of arthritis. This paper analyzes the prevention and exploration of arthritis and relies on the traditional method of retrieving clinical literature on the treatment of knee osteoarthritis with traditional Chinese medicine and internal medicine, which requires a lot of manpower and material resources. At this time, the role of data mining technology is brought into play. This article analyzes the prevention of arthritis by swimming. If you rely on the traditional retrieval of clinical literature on the treatment of knee osteoarthritis with traditional Chinese medicine and internal medicine, you will find a lot of disordered data. It takes a lot of manpower and material resources to sort out the summary, and at this time, the role of data mining (DM) technology is brought into play. In this paper, the relevant information of the literature that meets the requirements is established in an Excel database, and the data of the relevant information is entered. Through sorting and analysis, the TCM syndrome types of knee osteoarthritis are summarized. Then, DM technology was used to carry out statistical analysis of frequency and prescription, to summarize the distribution characteristics of the corresponding knee osteoarthritis, TCM syndrome types, and the weight of each syndrome type, and to make a preliminary discussion at the same time. Finally, it is concluded that there are better prevention methods for arthritis in the research methods of traditional Chinese medicine. DM technology has been increasingly applied to all aspects of traditional Chinese medicine. DM technology has improved its research efficiency by 38% and achieved great results, which will play a greater role in promoting the research process of TCM syndrome.
Automatic Mushroom Species Classification Model for Foodborne Disease Prevention Based on Vision Transformer
Authors: Wang Boyuan
Published: August 2022

Mushrooms are the fleshy, spore-bearing structure of certain fungi, produced by a group of mycelia and buried in a substratum. Mushrooms are classified as edible, medicinal, and poisonous. However, many poisoning incidents occur yearly by consuming wild mushrooms. Thousands of poisoning incidents are reported each year globally, and 80% of these are from unidentified species of mushrooms. Mushroom poisoning is one of the most serious food safety issues worldwide. Motivated by this problem, this study uses an open-source mushroom dataset and employs several data augmentation approaches to decrease the probability of model overfitting. We propose a novel deep learning pipeline (ViT-Mushroom) for mushroom classification using the Vision Transformer large network (ViT-L/32). We compared the performance of our method against that of a convolutional neural network (CNN). We visualized the high-dimensional outputs of the ViT-L/32 model to achieve the interpretability of ViT-L/32 using the t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE) method. The results show that ViT-L/32 is the best on the testing dataset, with an accuracy score of 95.97%. These results surpass previous approaches in reducing intraclass variability and generating well-separated feature embeddings. The proposed method is a promising deep learning model capable of automatically classifying mushroom species, helping wild mushroom consumers avoid eating toxic mushrooms, safeguarding food safety, and preventing public health incidents of food poisoning. The results will offer valuable resources for food scientists, nutritionists, and the public health sector regarding the safety and quality of mushrooms.
Optimization Strategy Analysis of Intelligent Product Service System Based on Computer Simulation Technology
Authors: Liu Hang , Chu Yan , Wang Yongcheng , Ren Zan
Published: August 2022

In order to solve the needs of a large number of users and the efficiency of user service requirements, an optimization strategy analysis method of intelligent product service system based on computer simulation technology is proposed. Aiming at the two challenges of massive requests and efficient service in the network intelligent service system, the characteristics of the network intelligent service system are analyzed, and the network intelligent service system is formally modeled as an agent system. The performance modeling, performance evaluation, and performance optimization methods of the network intelligent service system are proposed. In order to solve this massive demand, the performance modeling of the network intelligent service system is carried out based on queuing theory. This paper proposes a task assignment algorithm for the network intelligent service system. Through the application of these results, the processing efficiency of the entire medical insurance application system has been greatly improved, and the average completion time of all businesses has been shortened by 59%, providing new ideas for optimizing service methods and improving service quality.
MicroRNA-8126-Mediated Antioxidant Stress Attenuates Isoflurane-Induced Hippocampal Neurotoxicity in Developing Rats
Authors: Pan Wen , Xiao WenFeng , Xue LingShuai , You Chao
Published: August 2022

Objective. To investigate the effect of microRNA-8126 (miR-8126) on isoflurane-induced hippocampal neurotoxicity in rats. Methods. A rat isoflurane nerve injury model was constructed. The expression of miR-8126 in the hippocampal region of normal and injured rats was measured by qRT-PCR; synaptic density protein-95, PAK-3 (p21-activated kinase-3) and apoptosis-related proteins cytochrome C, cleaved caspase-3, and cleaved PARP were detected by Western blot. The Cytochrome C, cleaved-caspase-3, and cleaved PARP expression was detected by WB, as well as GSH-Px, CAT, SOD, and ROS. Results. miR-8126 was lowly expressed in the isoflurane-treated rat hippocampal region and in rat hippocampal neuronal cells, and the expression of apoptosis-related proteins and apoptosis levels were significantly increased, and neural activity, cell activity, and proliferation capacity were significantly decreased. Oxidative stress levels and ROS content were significantly increased; overexpression of miR-8126 in the rat hippocampal region significantly inhibited oxidative stress and apoptosis. Overexpression of miR-8126 in rat hippocampal neural progenitor cells significantly increased cell activity, proliferative capacity, and significantly smaller mitochondrial size and it decreased ROS content and oxidative stress levels and apoptosis-related protein expression compared to isoflurane-treated cells; while inhibition of miR-8126 expression in rat hippocampal neuronal cells significantly decreased cell activity, proliferative capacity, and mitochondrial size compared to the control group. In contrast, inhibition of miR-8126 expression in rat hippocampal neuronal cells resulted in a further decrease in cell activity, proliferation capacity, and significantly larger mitochondrial size and increased expression of apoptosis-related proteins compared with the control group. miR-8126 regulates the activity of rat hippocampal neuronal cells by targeting ATF4. Conclusions. miR-8126 attenuates isoflurane-induced hippocampal neurotoxicity in rats by mediating antioxidative stress.
Predictive Value of Nasal Nitric Oxide and Serum NOS2 Levels in the Efficacy of Subcutaneous Immunotherapy in Pediatric Patients with Allergic Rhinitis
Authors: Wen Sihui , Cheng Shenghao , Xie Shaobing , Zhang Hua , Zhang Junyi , Wang Fengjun , Xie Shumin , Xie Zhihai , Jiang Weihong
Published: August 2022

Background. Subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) is an effective therapy for allergic rhinitis (AR), but some AR patients still do not benefit from it. Nasal nitric oxide (nNO) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS/NOS2) act important roles in AR. This study aims to explore the abilities of serum NOS2 and nNO in predicting the clinical efficacy of SCIT in AR patients. Methods. We recruited 40 healthy controls (HCs) and 120 AR patients in this study. Serum NOS2 and nNO levels were compared between the two groups. In the AR group, patients underwent and finished 1-year of SCIT, and divided into the effective and ineffective groups, and the relationships between serum NOS2 and nNO levels and efficacy of SCIT were evaluated. Results. The serum NOS2 and nNO levels were higher in AR patients than HCs. In the effective group, the serum NOS2 and nNO levels were increased than the ineffective group. ROC curves presented that a combination of serum NOS2 and nNO exhibited promising predictive ability in predicting the clinical efficacy of SCIT. Conclusions. Serum NOS2 and nNO levels were enhanced in AR patients and might affect the efficacy of SCIT. The combined use of serum NOS2 and nNO levels could be a reliable and useful method for predicting the clinical efficacy of SCIT.
Frailty’s Prevalence and the Association with Aging-Related Health Conditions in Chinese Community Dwelling Elderly
Authors: Lin Hongxiao , Wang Dongyan , Ma Shanjun , Suo Yan , Zhou Peng , Zhao Qing , Liu Juan , Ding Guoxian
Published: August 2022

In this paper, we have investigated the frailty’s prevalence and the association with aging-related health conditions in Chinese community dwelling elderly aged ≥60 years in Lianyungang City of China. In this regard, participants were 1,072 adults aged ≥60 years from Houhe Community of Lianyungang City of China. All the enrolled participants were tested for following parameters: (1) the related risk factors of frailty: including economic status, personal health, understanding and communication skills, and mental and psychological status; (2) aging-related health conditions related to frailty: Charlson’s comorbidity index (CCI), Mini Nutritional Assessment Short Form (MNA-SF), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7); (3) body composition, physical strength, and function testing: appendicular skeletal muscle mass index (ASMI), grip strength, five-repetition sit-to-stand test, 6 m walking speed, and strength assistance rise-climb-fall (SARC-F); (4) assessment of the degree and severity of frailty: physical frailty phenotype (PFP), Morse fall scale (MFS), and activities of daily living (ADL). The frailty’s prevalence among the elderly aged ≥60 years in the community of Lianyungang City was 13.8%, 55.4% were prefrail, and 30.8% were robust. The independent risk factors of frailty were age, appendicular skeletal muscle mass index, sarcopenia, education, nutrition, and strength assistance rise-climb-fall

P
<
0.05

. Aging-related health conditions were associated with frailty, including sarcopenia, nutrition, and falls. However, mental and psychological statuses were not significantly associated with frailty.