bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
European Legal Protection of Employees’ Health Working with Nanoparticles in the Context of the Christian Vision of Human Work
Authors: Jarota Maciej
Published: June 2021

The article analyses European regulations concerning the health protection at work with nanomaterials in the context of the Christian vision of human work. The increasingly widespread presence of nanotechnology in workplaces requires serious reflection on the adequacy of employers’ measures to protect workers’ health from the risks in the workplace. The lack of clear guidance in European legislation directly concerning work with nanoparticles is problematic. Moreover, the health consequences for workers using nanomaterials in the work process are not fully explored in science. It is therefore essential to consider what values should accompany employers in shaping working conditions and what values should be legislated when creating occupational health and safety (OH&S) law. First of all, how should the employers deal with the unknown? Should they abandon nanomaterials for which they do not have adequate information at all until the consequences for workers’ health have been established? Should such action be limited to situations where studies indicate the toxicity of the nanomaterials present in the working environment? In this context, the article analyses values and objectives indicated by the teaching of the Catholic Church. The publication presents a Christian vision on the protection of workers’ health and their place in the work process. Europe has been under the influence of Christianity for many centuries now. The Catholic Church’s view of human labour continues to be present in public debates in Europe. The Christian view of human labour is focused on the working man and his dignity. Irrespective of other concepts of labour, Christianity assumes the priority of a human being over capital. The Catholic Church analyses the working man as going beyond the Earthly context, which is not typical for such doctrines as liberalism or Marxism. The author’s article is an attempt in answering the question about how up to date the Catholic Church’s views on human labour are in the light of nanotechnology development in the workplace.
How do Potential Applicants Make Sense of Employer Brands?
Authors: Auer Manfred , Edlinger Gabriela , Mölk Andreas
Published: June 2021

The aim of this paper is to investigate processes of subjective employer brand interpretations. We draw on the first-person perspectives of sought-after applicants who articulated their thoughts while being exposed to employer brand material and on subsequent in-depth interviews with the study participants about their assessments of the various employers’ attractiveness. Sensemaking as a theoretical framework to understand meaning-making in processes of actors’ engagement with artifacts is employed to analyze this qualitative data. Based on our empirical findings, we present a process model that illustrates how potential applicants make sense of employer brands. This dominant sensemaking journey includes three different stages: exploring the employer brand material, constructing a plausible employer image and assessing employer attractiveness. However, this trajectory is neither the only possible way nor completely linear and predictable since deviations, particularly the complete breakdown of making sense of employer brand material, are possible.
Remaining Human in COVID-19: Dialogues on Psychogeography
Authors: Degen Johanna L. , Smart Gemma Lucy , Quinnell Rosanne , O’Doherty Kieran C. , Rhodes Paul
Published: June 2021

Post-COVID-19 environments have challenged our embodied identities with these challenges coming from a variety of domains, that is, microbiological, semiotic, and digital. We are embedded in a new complex set of relations, with other species, with cultural signs, and with technology and venturing further into an era that pushes back on our anthropocentrism to create a post-human dystopia. This does not imply that we are less human or forfeit ethics in this state of flux, but can lead to considering new ways of being alive and humanists. The aim of this project was to explore walking through our associated psychogeographies as captured in photographs and text from individual walks, as the means by which to characterize responses to the distress of the pandemic and to assess resistance to non-being. The psychogeographies were the starting points for our dialogic enquiry between authors who each represent living theory, representing their own emergent knowledge, inseparable from personal commitments and history. Walking and the associated images and reflections, provided a way to regulate our affect, reconnecting with our bodies, leading to understand and adapt to new meanings of context and ways of coping and healing in this new becoming. The interdisciplinarity of philosophy, social psychology, botany, and clinical psychology is nonetheless rejected in favour of multi-vocality; each author representing their own emergent, living theory, inseparable from personal commitments, and history.
The Use of Pramipexole to Treat Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder: A Case Report
Authors: Lynn Becky Kaufman , Grabenhorst Chloe , Komisaruk Barry R. , Goldstein Irwin , Pfaus Jim
Published: June 2021

Introduction

Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder (PGAD) is defined as “spontaneous, intrusive, and unwanted genital arousal (tingling, throbbing, pulsating) in the absence of sexual interest and desire” and traditionally causes marked distress, embarrassment and shame. PGAD may be caused by starting, discontinuing, or making adjustments in certain antidepressants or other medications.

Aim

To report the case of a 36- year- old woman with PGAD, likely due to changes in her psychiatric medications, who was treated with pramipexole and experienced improvement in her PGAD symptoms.

Methods

Patient self-report and literature review. Written informed consent was obtained from the patient.

Main Outcome Measure

Improvement in PGAD symptoms.

Results

Patient reported improvement in her symptoms by “90%” on a low dose of pramipexole, although higher doses exacerbated her symptoms.

Conclusions

It is likely that an effective treatment window exists for the treatment of PGAD with drugs that possess the ability to exert their control of dopaminergic transmission. This includes direct acting receptor agonists like pramipexole, which produce feedback inhibition. Limitations to their efficacy then involve co-treatments that counteract their ability to exert a dampening effect on hyperstimulated dopamine transmission. It is recommended that clinicians be aware of drugs taken by patients to treat psychiatric disorders that could induce PGAD symptoms, drugs recently discontinued where a rebound effect could lead to PGAD symptoms, and drug mechanisms that could counteract the effect of treatments for PGAD. Lynn BK, Grabenhorst C, Komisaruk BR, et al. The Use of Pramipexole to Treat Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder: A Case Report. Sex Med 2021;9:100372.
Use of the O‐Z flap as an alternative to free tissue transfer for reconstruction of large scalp defects
Authors: Cao Austin C. , Carey Ryan M. , Shah Mitali , Chorath Kevin , Brody Robert M. , Cannady Steven B. , Newman Jason G. , Shanti Rabie M. , Rajasekaran Karthik
Published: June 2021

Objective

The reconstruction of large scalp defects poses both functional and cosmetic challenges. While free tissue transfer remains the standard for defects larger than 30 cm2, prolonged anesthesia and postoperative complications remain significant limitations. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the use of O‐Z flaps for the reconstruction of large scalp defects and to describe the techniques employed.

Methods

This is a retrospective analysis of ten patients who underwent reconstructive surgery using an O‐Z flap approach for large scalp defects between July 2017 and June 2019. The parameters included in this study were patient demographics, tumor characteristics, and postoperative management, collected for at least a year after surgery.

Results

In this cohort, the mean age was 76.1 years and 90% were male. All patients were treated for neoplastic skin lesions, with 70% located on the vertex and 30% located on the temporoparietal region. The mean size of defect was 52.0 cm2 (range: 38.6 to 63.8 cm2). The maximum hospital stay was two days, and no patients were readmitted within 30 days of surgery. There were no cases of wound infection or flap necrosis. All patients reported pain control with acetaminophen and ibuprofen. Four patients received adjuvant radiation, and there was no delay to receiving treatment following surgery.

Conclusions

The O‐Z flap is a reliable alternative for the reconstruction of non‐irradiated scalp defects in the vertex and temporoparietal regions up to 63 cm2. This technique provides advantages for patients, including hairline preservation, shorter hospital stays, and decreased postoperative complications.
Time-Domain Scattering
Authors: Martin P. A.
Published: June 2021

The wave equation, a classical partial differential equation, has been studied and applied since the eighteenth century. Solving it in the presence of an obstacle, the scatterer, can be achieved using a variety of techniques and has a multitude of applications. This book explains clearly the fundamental ideas of time-domain scattering, including in-depth discussions of separation of variables and integral equations. The author covers both theoretical and computational aspects, and describes applications coming from acoustics (sound waves), elastodynamics (waves in solids), electromagnetics (Maxwell's equations) and hydrodynamics (water waves). The detailed bibliography of papers and books from the last 100 years cement the position of this work as an essential reference on the topic for applied mathematicians, physicists and engineers.
Scandal and Religious Identity in Early Stuart England
Authors: Lake Peter , Stephens Isaac
Published: June 2021

This book starts with an extraordinary event and document. The event is the trial and execution for infanticide of a puritan minister, John Barker, along with his wife's niece and their maid, in Northampton in 1637; the document, what appears to be a virtual transcript of Barker's last speech on the gallows. His downfall soon became polemical fodder in scribal publications, with Puritans circulating defences of Barker and anti-Calvinists producing a Laudian condemnation of the minister. Scandal and Religious Identity in Early Stuart England uses Barker's crime and fate as a window on the religious world of early modern England. It is based upon an extraordinary deposit of manuscript and printed sources, all produced between 1637 and 1640 by people living in close proximityto one another and all of whom knew one another, either as friends or more often as enemies. Marshalling evidence from public polemical sources and from almost entirely private ones - a diary, private letters and a spiritual autobiography - the book is able to examine the same events and persons, and beliefs and practices, from multiple perspectives: the micro and the macro, the personal and thepolitical, and the affective and the doctrinal. Throughout, we meet a range of very different people putting various bodies of religious theory into practice, connecting the most local and particularof events and rivalries to the great issues of the day and responding, in certain cases, to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and the temptations of the devil. This approach enables a whole series of generalisations to be explored: about the relation between politics and religion, devotion and polemic, puritans and their enemies, local and national affairs; between rumour, manuscript and print; and, finally, about gender hierarchy and the social roles of men and women. The result is an extraordinarily detailed and intimate portrait of the religio-political scene in an English county on the eve of civil war. PETER LAKE is Distinguished University Professor of early modern English history at Vanderbilt. He is the author of several studies of English religion, culture and politics in the Elizabethan and early Stuart periods. ISAAC STEPHENS is Assistant Professor of History at Saginaw Valley State University and has published on early modern marriage, religion, and life-writing.
Women, Land and Justice in Tanzania
Authors: Dancer Helen
Published: June 2021

Recent decades have seen a wave of land law reforms across Africa, in the context of a "land rush" and land-grabbing. But how has this been enacted on the ground and, in particular, how have women experienced this? This book seeks to re-orientate current debates on women's land rights towards a focus on the law in action. Drawing on the author's ethnographic research in the Arusha region of Tanzania, it explores how the country's land law reforms have impacted on women's legal claims to land. Centring on cases involving women litigants, the book considers the extent to which women are realising their interests in land through land courts and follows the progression of women's claims to land - from their social origins through processes of dispute resolution to judgment. Dancer's work explores three central issues. First, it considers the nature of women's claims to land in Tanzanian family contexts, the value of land in an era of land reform and the 'land rush' across Africa, and the extent to which the social issues raised are addressed by Tanzania's current laws and legal system. Secondly, it examines how agency and power relations between social and legal actors engaged in legal processes affect women's access to justice and the progression of claims. Thirdly, it explores Tanzanian concepts of justice and rights and how women's claims have been judged by land courtsin practice. Helen Dancer is a lecturer in Law at the University of Brighton. She practised as a barrister in England specialising in family legal aid cases prior to training as a legal anthropologist. She is also a consultant for Future Agricultures at IDS, University of Sussex. Her areas of research interest include law and development, gender and land, and human rights and legal pluralism.
A Sixpence at Whist
Authors: Mullin Janet E.
Published: June 2021

Enlightenment thinking - the drive for order, organisation and rationality - was an underlying motive force in England's eighteenth century, influencing middle class thinking with regard to the running and improvement of business. In the same way, it shaped their choice of leisure activities. As many turned their backs on blood sports, they found that music, conversation and cards embodied rational enjoyment and exercise of human intellect and ability.

For the middle classes, card play made use of skills they had in hand and could be justified on the basis of teaching the young their numbers and the importance of accounting for money lost and won. The careful score-keeping, the accounting for sums won and lost, and the order and discipline of these players' favourite card games echoed and suited their tidy lives. As important participants in polite society on the strength of their new wealth and their increasing social prominence, the middle classes embraced the agreeable pastimes of gentility while rejecting its dangerous extremes. Card play became a means of forming and reinforcing social and commercial bonds within complex webs of family and business circles. As they tugged the fashionable activity of gaming onto their own playing-field from the high-risk arena of the aristocracy, the middle classes were imposing order on disorder, subjecting a reckless activity to new restraints. Drawing on the personal papers of the commercial and professional classes of eighteenth-century England, 'A Sixpence at Whist' tells the stories of these men and women at play.

Janet E. Mullin is Lecturer in History at St. Thomas University and the University of New Brunswick, both in Fredericton, N.B., Canada.
A case study of waterhyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) control in Puerto Rico using glyphosate and hand removal
Authors: Robles Wilfredo , Martínez Edda L.
Published: June 2021

Waterhyacinth [Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solm] is an aquatic invasive plant that is widespread in Puerto Rico, where it negatively effects estuaries, freshwater wetlands, potable water reservoirs, and wildlife refuges. Specifically, the tropical estuary San Juan Bay Estuary (SJBE) has been impacted with the presence of E. crassipes. Infestations have led to a reduction of water circulation in the system and have facilitated the establishment of invasive fauna. Therefore, a field study was conducted in a cove between Laguna San Jose and Peninsula Cantera to assess the use of glyphosate and hand removal as a management tool for E. crassipes control. Aquatic macroinvertebrates and water quality were also monitored as a measure of environmental impact due to management activities. Results indicated that at 2 wk after glyphosate application, E. crassipes biomass (dry weight) was significantly reduced to 0.27 kg DW m−2 at the treated plot compared with the nontreated plot, which yielded 0.62 kg DW m−2. Fresh weight of E. crassipes decreased more than 90% when hand removal was used compared with glyphosate treatment. Dissolved oxygen and water pH were not significantly different between sites; however, water salinity increased to 8 to 9 ppt at both plots as a result of tidal activity. The order Hemiptera followed by Sarcoptiformes were common in the aquatic macroinvertebrate community. Macroinvertebrate species found associated with E. crassipes and considered natural enemies were: Orthogalumna terebrantis Wallwork, Niphograpta albigutalis (Warren), and Neochetina eichhorniae Warner. The use of glyphosate to manage E. crassipes at the Laguna San Jose was useful as a short-term control method, and its efficacy may be enhanced over time with follow-up applications in combination with hand removal.
IDENTIFICATION ROBUST INFERENCE FOR MOMENTS-BASED ANALYSIS OF LINEAR DYNAMIC PANEL DATA MODELS
Authors: Bun Maurice J.G. , Kleibergen Frank
Published: June 2021

We use identification robust tests to show that difference (Dif), level (Lev), and nonlinear (NL) moment conditions, as proposed by Arellano and Bond (1991,Review of Economic Studies58, 277–297), Ahn and Schmidt (1995,Journal of Econometrics68, 5–27), Arellano and Bover (1995,Journal of Econometrics68, 29–51), and Blundell and Bond (1998,Journal of Econometrics87, 115–143) for the linear dynamic panel data model, do not separately identify the autoregressive parameter when its true value is close to one and the variance of the initial observations is large. We prove that combinations of these moment conditions, however, do so when there are more than three time series observations. This identification then solely results from a set of, so-called, robust moment conditions. These robust moments are spanned by the combined Dif, Lev, and NL moment conditions and only depend on differenced data. We show that, when only the robust moments contain identifying information on the autoregressive parameter, the discriminatory power of the Kleibergen (2005,Econometrica73, 1103–1124) Lagrange multiplier (KLM) test using the combined moments is identical to the largest rejection frequencies that can be obtained from solely using the robust moments. This shows that the KLM test implicitly uses the robust moments when only they contain information on the autoregressive parameter.
Bioptome-assisted stent repositioning in the case of stent migration during balloon-expandable stenting for coarctation of the aorta
Authors: Awasthy Neeraj , Bisht Dinesh
Published: June 2021

Coarctation of aorta is commonly treated with endovascular interventions such as coarctation stenting. Migration of stent is the most dreaded complication of coarctation stenting. A 60-year-old lady with severe malaligned coarctation underwent endovascular stent placement. The expanded stent migrated to proximal aorta, which could be stabilized with a bioptome, re-positioned with a balloon and postdilated to its optimal size, resulting in a good outcome.
Air pollution trade-offs in developing countries: an empirical model of health effects in Goa, India
Authors: Das Sanghamitra , Dayal Vikram , Murugesan Anand , Rajarathnam Uma
Published: June 2021

Developing countries experience both household air pollution resulting from the use of biomass fuels for cooking and industrial air pollution. We conceptualise and estimate simultaneous exposure to both outdoor and household air pollution by adapting the Total Exposure Assessment model from environmental health sciences. To study the relationship between total exposure and health, we collected comprehensive data from a region (Goa) in India that had extensive mining activity. Our data allowed us to apportion individuals’ exposure to pollution in micro-environments: indoor, outdoor, kitchen, and at work. We find that higher cumulative exposure to air pollution is positively associated with both self-reported and clinically- diagnosed respiratory health issues. Households in regions with higher economic (mining) activity had higher incomes and had switched to cleaner cooking fuels. In other words, household air pollution due to higher biomass use had been substituted away for outdoor air pollution in regions with economic activity.
The PLUM Earthquake Early Warning Algorithm: A Retrospective Case Study of West Coast, USA, Data
Authors: Kilb D. , Bunn J. J. , Saunders J. K. , Cochran E. S. , Minson S. E. , Baltay A. , O'Rourke C. T. , Hoshiba M. , Kodera Y.
Published: June 2021

The PLUM (Propagation of Local Undamped Motion) earthquake early warning (EEW) algorithm differs from typical source‐based EEW algorithms as it predicts shaking directly from observed shaking without first deriving earthquake source information (e.g., magnitude and epicenter). Here, we determine optimal PLUM event detection thresholds for U.S. West Coast earthquakes using two data sets: 558 M3.5+ earthquakes (California, Oregon, Washington; 2012–2017) and the ShakeAlert test suite of historic and problematic signals (1999–2015). PLUM computes Modified Mercalli Intensity (IMMI) using velocity and acceleration data, leveraging co‐located sensors to avoid problematic signals. An event detection is issued when the observed IMMI exceeds a given threshold(s). We find a two‐station detection method using IMMI trigger thresholds of 4.0 and 3.0 for the first and second stations, respectively, is optimal for detecting M4.5+ earthquakes. PLUM detected 79 events in the 2012–2017 data set, reporting (not including telemetry or alert dissemination) detection times on par, and sometimes faster than current EEW methods (mean 8 s; median 6 s). As expected, detection times were slower for the older 1999–2015 earthquakes (N = 21; mean 11 s; median 6 s) when station coverage was sparser. Of the 31 PLUM detected M5+ events (10 2012–2017; 21 1999–2015), theoretically 20 (∼65%) could provide timely warnings. PLUM issued no false detections and avoided issuing detections for all calibration/anomalous signals, regional and teleseismic events. We conclude PLUM can successfully identify IMMI 4+ shaking from local earthquakes and could complement and enhance EEW in the U.S.
Novel clades of soil biphenyl degraders revealed by integrating isotope probing, multi-omics, and single-cell analyses
Authors: Chen Song-Can , Budhraja Rohit , Adrian Lorenz , Calabrese Federica , Stryhanyuk Hryhoriy , Musat Niculina , Richnow Hans-Hermann , Duan Gui-Lan , Zhu Yong-Guan , Musat Florin
Published: June 2021

Most microorganisms in the biosphere remain uncultured and poorly characterized. Although the surge in genome sequences has enabled insights into the genetic and metabolic properties of uncultured microorganisms, their physiology and ecological roles cannot be determined without direct probing of their activities in natural habitats. Here we employed an experimental framework coupling genome reconstruction and activity assays to characterize the largely uncultured microorganisms responsible for aerobic biodegradation of biphenyl as a proxy for a large class of environmental pollutants, polychlorinated biphenyls. We used 13C-labeled biphenyl in contaminated soils and traced the flow of pollutant-derived carbon into active cells using single-cell analyses and protein–stable isotope probing. The detection of 13C-enriched proteins linked biphenyl biodegradation to the uncultured Alphaproteobacteria clade UBA11222, which we found to host a distinctive biphenyl dioxygenase gene widely retrieved from contaminated environments. The same approach indicated the capacity of Azoarcus species to oxidize biphenyl and suggested similar metabolic abilities for species of Rugosibacter. Biphenyl oxidation would thus represent formerly unrecognized ecological functions of both genera. The quantitative role of these microorganisms in pollutant degradation was resolved using single-cell-based uptake measurements. Our strategy advances our understanding of microbially mediated biodegradation processes and has general application potential for elucidating the ecological roles of uncultured microorganisms in their natural habitats.
Pancreas morphogenesis and homeostasis depends on tightly regulated Zeb1 levels in epithelial cells
Authors: Lasierra Losada María , Pauler Melissa , Vandamme Niels , Goossens Steven , Berx Geert , Leppkes Moritz , Schuhwerk Harald , Brabletz Simone , Brabletz Thomas , Stemmler Marc P.
Published: June 2021

The pancreas is comprised of exocrine and endocrine compartments releasing digestive enzymes into the duodenum and regulating blood glucose levels by insulin and glucagon release. Tissue homeostasis is depending on transcription factor networks, involving Ptf1α, Ngn3, Nkx6.1, and Sox9, which are already activated during organogenesis. However, proper organ function is challenged by diets of high sugar and fat content, increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes and other disorders. A detailed understanding of processes that are important for homeostasis and are impaired during type 2 diabetes is lacking. Here, we show that Zeb1—a transcription factor known for its pivotal role in epithelial-mesenchymal transition, cell plasticity, and metastasis in cancer—is expressed at low levels in epithelial cells of the pancreas and is crucial for organogenesis and pancreas function. Loss of Zeb1 in these cells result in an increase of islet mass, impaired glucose tolerance, and sensitizes to develop liver and pancreas steatosis during diabetes and obesity. Interestingly, moderate overexpression of Zeb1 results in severe pancreas agenesis and lethality after birth, due to islet insufficiency and lack of acinar structures. We show that Zeb1 induction interferes with proper differentiation, cell survival, and proliferation during pancreas formation, due to deregulated expression of endocrine-specific transcription factors. In summary, our analysis suggests a novel role of Zeb1 for homeostasis in epithelial cells that is indispensable for pancreas morphogenesis and proper organ function involving a tight regulation of Zeb1 expression.
Direct supplementation with Urolithin A overcomes limitations of dietary exposure and gut microbiome variability in healthy adults to achieve consistent levels across the population
Authors: Singh Anurag , D’Amico Davide , Andreux Pénélope A. , Dunngalvin Gillian , Kern Timo , Blanco-Bose William , Auwerx Johan , Aebischer Patrick , Rinsch Chris
Published: June 2021

Background

Urolithin A (UA) is produced by gut microflora from foods rich in ellagitannins. UA has been shown to improve mitochondrial health preclinically and in humans. Not everyone has a microbiome capable of producing UA, making supplementation with UA an appealing strategy.

Objective

This is the first detailed investigation of the prevalence of UA producers in a healthy population and the ability of direct UA supplementation to overcome both microbiome and dietary variability. Dietary intake of a glass of pomegranate juice (PJ) was used to assess UA producer status (n = 100 participants) and to characterize differences in gut microbiome between UA producers from non-producers.

Methods

Subjects were randomized (1:1) to either PJ or a food product containing UA (500 mg). Prevalence of UA producers and non-producers were determined in the PJ group. Diet questionnaires and fecal samples were collected to compare differences between UA producers and non-producers along with plasma samples at different time points to assess levels of UA and its conjugates between the interventions.

Results

Only 12% of subjects had detectable levels of UA at baseline. Following PJ intake ~40% of the subjects converted significantly the precursor compounds into UA. UA producers were distinguished by a significantly higher gut microbiome diversity and ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroides. Direct supplementation with UA significantly increased plasma levels and provided a >6-fold exposure to UA vs. PJ (p < 0.0001).

Conclusions

Differences in gut microbiome and diet that dictate natural exposure to UA can be overcome via direct dietary UA supplementation.
A UGT1A1 variant is associated with serum total bilirubin levels, which are causal for hypertension in African-ancestry individuals
Authors: Chen Guanjie , Adeyemo Adebowale , Zhou Jie , Doumatey Ayo P. , Bentley Amy R. , Ekoru Kenneth , Shriner Daniel , Rotimi Charles N.
Published: June 2021

Serum bilirubin is associated with several clinical outcomes, including hypertension, type 2 diabetes (T2D), and drug metabolism. Here, we describe findings from our genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of serum (TBIL) using a generalized linear mixed model in West Africans (n = 1127), with adjustment for age, sex, body mass index, T2D, significant principal components of population structure, and cryptic relatedness. Genome-wide conditional analysis and CAVIARBF were used to fine map significant loci. The causal effect of TBIL on hypertension was assessed by Mendelian randomization (MR) using the GWAS findings as instrumental variables (IVs) in African Americans (n = 3,067). The SNP rs887829 (UGT1A1) was significantly associated with TBIL levels (effect allele (T) frequency = 0.49, β (SE) = 0.59 (0.04), p = 9.13 × 10−54). Genome-wide conditional analysis and regional fine mapping pointed to rs887829 as a possible causal variant with a posterior inclusion probability of 0.99. The T allele of rs887829 is associated with lower hepatic expression of UGT1A1. Using rs887829 as an IV, two-stage least-squares MR showed a causal effect of bilirubin on hypertension (β = −0.76, 95% CI [−1.52, −0.01], p = 0.0459). Our finding confirms that UGT1A1 influences bilirubin levels. Notably, lower TBIL is causally associated with the increased risk of hypertension.
Robust preparation of many-body ground states in Jaynes–Cummings lattices
Authors: Cai Kang , Parajuli Prabin , Long Guilu , Wong Chee Wei , Tian Lin
Published: June 2021

Strongly correlated polaritons in Jaynes–Cummings (JC) lattices can exhibit quantum phase transitions between the Mott-insulating and superfluid phases at integer fillings. The prerequisite to observe such phase transitions is to pump polariton excitations into a JC lattice and prepare them into appropriate ground states. Despite previous efforts, it is still challenging to generate many-body states with high accuracy. Here, we present an approach for the robust preparation of many-body ground states of polaritons in finite-sized JC lattices by optimized nonlinear ramping. We apply a Landau–Zener type of estimation to this finite-sized system and derive the optimal ramping index for selected ramping trajectories, which can greatly improve the fidelity of the prepared states. With numerical simulation, we show that by choosing an appropriate ramping trajectory, the fidelity in this approach can remain close to unity in almost the entire parameter space. This approach can shed light on high-fidelity state preparation in quantum simulators and advance the implementation of quantum simulation with practical devices.
Etiology, incidence, and outcomes of patient–ventilator asynchrony in critically-ill patients undergoing invasive mechanical ventilation
Authors: Zhou Yongfang , Holets Steven R. , Li Man , Cortes-Puentes Gustavo A. , Meyer Todd J. , Hanson Andrew C. , Schulte Phillip J. , Oeckler Richard A.
Published: June 2021

Patient–ventilator asynchrony (PVA) is commonly encountered during mechanical ventilation of critically ill patients. Estimates of PVA incidence vary widely. Type, risk factors, and consequences of PVA remain unclear. We aimed to measure the incidence and identify types of PVA, characterize risk factors for development, and explore the relationship between PVA and outcome among critically ill, mechanically ventilated adult patients admitted to medical, surgical, and medical-surgical intensive care units in a large academic institution staffed with varying provider training background. A single center, retrospective cohort study of all adult critically ill patients undergoing invasive mechanical ventilation for ≥ 12 h. A total of 676 patients who underwent 696 episodes of mechanical ventilation were included. Overall PVA occurred in 170 (24%) episodes. Double triggering 92(13%) was most common, followed by flow starvation 73(10%). A history of smoking, and pneumonia, sepsis, or ARDS were risk factors for overall PVA and double triggering (all P < 0.05). Compared with volume targeted ventilation, pressure targeted ventilation decreased the occurrence of events (all P < 0.01). During volume controlled synchronized intermittent mandatory ventilation and pressure targeted ventilation, ventilator settings were associated with the incidence of overall PVA. The number of overall PVA, as well as double triggering and flow starvation specifically, were associated with worse outcomes and fewer hospital-free days (all P < 0.01). Double triggering and flow starvation are the most common PVA among critically ill, mechanically ventilated patients. Overall incidence as well as double triggering and flow starvation PVA specifically, portend worse outcome.
Maladaptation of U.S. corn and soybeans to a changing climate
Authors: Yu Chengzheng , Miao Ruiqing , Khanna Madhu
Published: June 2021

We quantify long-run adaptation of U.S. corn and soybean yields to changes in temperature and precipitation over 1951–2017. Results show that although the two crops became more heat- and drought-tolerant, their productivity under normal temperature and precipitation conditions decreased. Over 1951–2017, heat- and drought-tolerance increased corn and soybean yields by 33% and 20%, whereas maladaptation to normal conditions reduced yields by 41% and 87%, respectively, with large spatial variations in effects. Changes in climate are projected to reduce average corn and soybean yields by 39–68% and 86–92%, respectively, by 2050 relative to 2013–2017 depending on the warming scenario. After incorporating estimated effects of climate-neutral technological advances, the net change in yield ranges from (−)13 to 62% for corn and (−)57 to (−)26% for soybeans in 2050 relative to 2013–2017. Our analysis uncovers the inherent trade-offs and limitations of existing approaches to crop adaptation.
Scientific validation of three-dimensional stereophotogrammetry compared to the IGAIS clinical scale for assessing wrinkles and scars after laser treatment
Authors: Machado Barbara Helena Barcaro , De Melo E. Silva Ivy Dantas , Pautrat Walter Marou , Frame James , Najlah Mohammad
Published: June 2021

Measuring outcomes from treatments to the skin is either reliant upon patient’s subjective feedback or scale-based peer assessments. Three-Dimensional stereophotogrammetry intend to accurately quantify skin microtopography before and after treatments. The objective of this study is comparing the accuracy of stereophotogrammetry with a scale-based peer evaluation in assessing topographical changes to skin surface following laser treatment. A 3D stereophotogrammetry system photographed skin surface of 48 patients with facial wrinkles or scars before and three months after laser resurfacing, followed immediately by topical application of vitamin C. The software measured changes in skin roughness, wrinkle depth and scar volume. Images were presented to three observers, each independently scoring cutaneous improvement according to Investigator Global Aesthetic Improvement Scale (IGAIS). As for the results, a trend reflecting skin/scar improvement was reported by 3D SPM measurements and raters. The percentage of topographical change given by the raters matched 3D SPM findings. Agreement was highest when observers analysed 3D images. However, observers overestimated skin improvement in a nontreatment control whilst 3D SPM was precise in detecting absence of intervention. This study confirmed a direct correlation between the IGAIS clinical scale and 3D SPM and confirmed the efficacy and accuracy of the latter when assessing cutaneous microtopography alterations as a response to laser treatment.
Five-year longitudinal study of frailty prevalence and course assessed using the Kihon Checklist among community-dwelling older adults in Japan
Authors: Ohashi Masayuki , Yoda Takuya , Imai Norio , Fujii Toshihide , Watanabe Kei , Tashi Hideki , Shibuya Yohei , Watanabe Jin , Endo Naoto
Published: June 2021

The aim of this study was to analyze the 5-year natural course of frailty status assessed with the Kihon Checklist (KCL) and the risk factors of transition towards frailty in community-dwelling older adults. We used the data from the postal KCL survey conducted by the municipal government between 2011 and 2016. The sample of the current study consisted of 551 older adults (265 men and 286 women) aged 65–70 years in 2011. The median KCL score increased from 2 (interquartile range 1–3) in 2011 to 3 (1–5) in 2016 (p < 0.001). Hence, the prevalence of frailty increased from 8.0 to 12.3% (p < 0.001). Regarding the 5-year transitions in frailty status, 68.3% of participants remained unchanged, while 21.4% transitioned towards a worse frailty status, and 10.3% towards an improved status. Of the 507 respondents who were robust or prefrail at the baseline, 44 experienced a transition towards frailty, indicating that the 5-year incidence of frailty was 8.7%. These 44 individuals had higher body mass indexes (BMI) and lower physical activity scores on the KCL than others (p < 0.05), the latter of which was an independent predictor of transition toward frailty in the multivariate analysis. This study was the first to evaluate the 5-year natural course of frailty status assessed using the KCL in community-dwelling elderly adults, in which the prevalence of frailty increased by 4.3%. To prevent transition towards frailty, maintaining optimal physical activity is recommended.
Phasor-based hyperspectral snapshot microscopy allows fast imaging of live, three-dimensional tissues for biomedical applications
Authors: Hedde Per Niklas , Cinco Rachel , Malacrida Leonel , Kamaid Andrés , Gratton Enrico
Published: June 2021

Hyperspectral imaging is highly sought after in many fields including mineralogy and geology, environment and agriculture, astronomy and, importantly, biomedical imaging and biological fluorescence. We developed ultrafast phasor-based hyperspectral snapshot microscopy based on sine/cosine interference filters for biomedical imaging not feasible with conventional hyperspectral detection methods. Current approaches rely on slow spatial or spectral scanning limiting their application in living biological tissues, while faster snapshot methods such as image mapping spectrometry and multispectral interferometry are limited in spatial and/or spectral resolution, are computationally demanding, and imaging devices are very expensive to manufacture. Leveraging light sheet microscopy, phasor-based hyperspectral snapshot microscopy improved imaging speed 10–100 fold which, combined with minimal light exposure and high detection efficiency, enabled hyperspectral metabolic imaging of live, three-dimensional mouse tissues not feasible with other methods. As a fit-free method that does not require any a priori information often unavailable in complex and evolving biological systems, the rule of linear combinations of the phasor could spectrally resolve subtle differences between cell types in the developing zebrafish retina and spectrally separate and track multiple organelles in 3D cultured cells over time. The sine/cosine snapshot method is adaptable to any microscope or imaging device thus making hyperspectral imaging and fit-free analysis based on linear combinations broadly available to researchers and the public.
Electronic excitation spectra of organic semiconductor/ionic liquid interface by electrochemical attenuated total reflectance spectroscopy
Authors: Tanabe Ichiro , Imoto Iroha , Okaue Daijiro , Imai Masaya , Kumagai Shohei , Makita Tatsuyuki , Mitani Masato , Okamoto Toshihiro , Takeya Jun , Fukui Ken-ichi
Published: June 2021

The interface of organic semiconductor films is of particular importance with respect to various electrochemical devices such as transistors and solar cells. In this study, we developed a new spectroscopic system, namely electrochemical attenuated total reflectance ultraviolet (EC-ATR-UV) spectroscopy, which can access the interfacial area. Ionic liquid-gated organic field-effect transistors (IL-gated OFETs) were successfully fabricated on the ATR prism. Spectral changes of the organic semiconductor were then investigated in relation to the gate voltage application and IL species, and the magnitude of spectral changes was found to correlate positively with the drain current. Additionally, the Stark shifts of not only the organic semiconductor, but also of the IL on the organic semiconductor films were detected. This new method can be applied to other electrochemical devices such as organic thin film solar cells, in which the interfacial region is crucial to their functioning.
Tailoring of the physical and mechanical properties of biocompatible graphene oxide/gelatin composite nanolaminates via altering the crystal structure and morphology
Authors: Layek Rama K. , Parihar Vijay Singh , Skrifvars Mikael , Javanshour Farzin , Kroon Mart , Kanerva Mikko , Vuorinen Jyrki , Kellomäki Minna , Sarlin Essi
Published: June 2021

Biocompatible graphene oxide/gelatin powder (GP) composite nanolaminates with concurrent enhancement of stress and strain % at break are fabricated via tailoring the crystal structure and morphology of GP in the GO/GP composite nanolaminates using vacuum-filtration-assisted assembly.
In situ SERS detection of dissolved nitrate on hydrated gold substrates
Authors: Küster Timo , Bothun Geoffrey D.
Published: June 2021

SERS spectral processing and statistical analysis enable the ultrasensitive in situ detection of nitrate ion on nanostructured gold.
Effective solar-light-driven photocatalytic production of hypobromous acid on film-like photocatalyst sheets
Authors: Pang Rui , Miseki Yugo , Sayama Kazuhiro
Published: June 2021

Photocatalytic production of HBrO on a photocatalyst sheet under solar light irradiation is a promising way to store solar energy.
A novel secure diffusion Kalman filter algorithm against false data injection attacks
Authors: Du Yanan , Li Ning , Zhang Yonggang
Published: June 2021

This paper proposes a novel secure diffusion Kalman filter (dKF) algorithm to improve the estimation performance crippled by false data injection attacks on sensors in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Different from the conventional dKF, each adjacent node in the WSNs is detected to ascertain its trustworthiness before local estimate fusion, so as to form a new secure network topology. Then the combination step is performed to fuse the information collected from the secure topology. The proposed secure dKF algorithm, having a better estimation performance, is robust to false data injection attacks on multiple sensors and partial elements of measurements. For the proposed secure dKF algorithm, its mean and mean‐square performance are derived, based on which its convergence is analysed. Additionally, the estimating and tracking problem of projectile position is investigated to confirm the effectiveness of the proposed secure dKF algorithm. It is shown by simulations that the proposed secure dKF algorithm achieves a significant estimation performance gain.
Analysis and optimization of idle noise caused by canister purge solenoid valve
Authors: Chang Jingjing , Xiao Wei , Chen Yanlin , Qu Shenghua , Wang Yan , Ma Xin
Published: June 2021

In the development process of a certain CHINA VI proprietary brand car model, there exists the problem of intermittent “dada” sound in the cockpit during idling. After investigation, it’s determined that the air pulse noise generated when the canister purge solenoid valve is working, it is transmitted to the car panels through the pipeline, and then to the cockpit, which would cause a “dada” sound. By adding expansion chamber in the desorption pipe and designing part of the pipeline which fixed in the clamp as rubber pipe, the intensity of air pulse can be effectively reduced and the transmission path of air pulse vibration can be blocked. Through objective testing and subjective evaluation, the scheme can greatly reduce the idle noise of the cockpit, thus improving the NVH performance of the vehicle and bringing comfortable riding environment to the passengers.
The state-of-the-art of soot load estimation in diesel particulate filters: A review
Authors: Yan Fuwu , Cai Zhizhou , Hu Jie
Published: June 2021

Diesel particulate filter (DPF), as part of aftertreatment system of internal combustion engine, is considered to be the only feasible way to prominently lessen particle emissions under the requirement of today’s strict regulations such as Euro Ⅵ, US Tier 3 and China Ⅵ. This paper gives a brief introduction of the mechanism and regeneration approaches of DPF, with emphasis on soot load estimation inside the filters, which plays a vital role in formulating regeneration control strategy and ensuring exhaust systemic dependability. Various methods are covered according to different principles, including differential-pressure based methods, which are mostly used nowadays, novel model-based methods and also several newfangled soot sensors, which are progressively developed to meet the increasingly stringent on-board diagnosis (OBD) requirements. The focus of future soot detection and quantitative prediction is to improve accuracy, reliability and robustness, which may necessitate consideration of soot distribution, ash effect, failure identification and fault tolerance handling.
Particle measurement technology based on RDE testing differentiation studies
Authors: Zhang Yuanjun , Li Yuebing , Dong Honglei , Dong Chao , Pan Hongquan
Published: June 2021

In the vehicle emission test, there are many kinds of measurement equipment for particulate matter, and their measurement principles are also different. By using two kinds of equipment with different principle of particle measurement, the difference of measurement results under the same conditions is compared and the reasons are analyzed. The results show that more particles with particle size less than 50 nm are measured by DC principle, and the concentration of particles with small particle size is higher, so that the PN measurement results using DC principle test are higher than those using CPC principle test results.The measurement results of the CPC and DC principle test equipment during the transient process are very similar, but DC is more sensitive to small-particle particle testing and can test small-particle particles up to 10 nm, so the test concentration is higher than that of CPC.