bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development of protein‐enriched gram flour steamed cake and characterization of processing parameters
Authors: Patel Ulpa , Kumar Navneet , Modi Shefali K.
Published: September 2022

Protein‐enriched gram flour steamed cake (PEGC) was prepared with gram flour, sodium bicarbonate, in the range of 80–100 g, 2–6 g, and 1–5 g, respectively, and optimization was performed using response surface methodology. The physicochemical and sensory properties of PEGC were evaluated. The optimized product was found to contain expansion 2.32 cm, density 0.234 g/cm3, moisture content 51.86%, color L* 24.85, color a* 0.72, color b* 37.72, pH 7.65, TSS 4.23°Brix, total sugar 11.64%, protein 21.98% and overall acceptability 8.2.The sugar syrup was further optimized with the addition of concentrations of sugar, mustard seed, and curry leaves in the range of 2–10 g, 1–5 g, and 1–5 g, respectively. The product added with optimized tempering sugar syrup was found to contain expansion 0.23 cm, density 0.279 g/cm3, color L* 31.11, color a* 0.67, color b* 35.92, pH 8, TSS 6.43°Brix, total sugar 27.87%, protein 20.88% and overall acceptability 8.3 on the 9‐point hedonic scale.

Novelty impact statement

Snack foods refer to tempting light and informal meals, which have become an essential part of daily life. Various snacks also have become a source of concern for human health due to higher cholesterol levels and an increase in weight gain. The development of functional ingredients‐based snacks not only meet the demand of consumer but reduce the ill effects of snacking and confer health benefits to the consumers. Protein‐enriched gram flour steamed cake has enough potential for getting the attention of consumers for providing healthy snacking due to its higher nutritional value.
Effect of brewing condition on the quality of Apocynum venetum tea
Authors: Zhao Mingyue , Tang Fengxian , Cai Wenchao , Liu Yidong , Shan Chunhui
Published: September 2022

Apocynum venetum tea is increasingly being recognized for its health benefits. Given that brewing conditions affect the flavor and quality of the final brew, optimal brewing conditions need to be determined to produce high‐quality A. venetum tea. In this study, different brewing strategies (hot brewing, room temperature brewing, and cold brewing) were used to prepare A. venetum tea. Subsequently, the physicochemical indexes, functional components, antioxidant activity, and aroma compounds of the brews were compared. The brewing conditions affected the soluble solid content of the brews, as well as their pH, color, polyphenol content, flavonoid content, and aroma compounds. Ketones and aldehydes were the most abundant aroma compounds in the teas prepared using the three brewing conditions. Hot brewing tea had the highest content of functional components and antioxidant activity with aromas of grassy alcohols and caramel, sweet, nutty furans and ethers. Room temperature brewing tea was rich in esters with floral and fruity aromas. In contrast, cold brewing tea had a blue‐green color; the most abundant compound in this tea was 2,5‐dimethylbenzaldehyde, and it had a grassy and floral aroma. These results showed that hot brewing is the most suitable method for Apocynum preparation of A. venetum tea.

Practical applications

Apocynum venetum tea has become an ingredient in natural health teas in recent years. The brewing conditions will affect the flavor and quality of the final brewing. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the best brewing conditions to produce high‐quality A. venetum tea, so as to provide theoretical support for the determination of brewing conditions for A. venetum tea.
Design, construction, and application of a low‐cost solar dryer: A kinetic study of Araticum pulp drying
Authors: Almeida Rafael Fernandes , Bevilaqua Gabriel Cicalese , Machado Ana Paula Oliveira
Published: September 2022

Low‐cost solar dryers are an alternative for democratizing access to this technology. This work aimed to design a low‐cost solar dryer and to evaluate its viability by modeling the drying kinetics of araticum (Annona crassiflora Mart.). The construction of the prototype used low‐cost materials. The araticum drying occurred until the samples reached equilibrium moisture. The data were processed to adapt the kinetic models. The araticum pulp, after 420 min of drying, had a constant mass with 2.67% ± 0.28% of moisture. The Midilli, Kucuk & Yapar model was the evaluated model that best fit the drying curve. It was possible to determine three diffusion coefficients associated with the process. It was inferred that the built dryer and the climatic conditions were efficient for drying the product and demanded little expense for its construction. The tested empirical models were able to accurately describe the solar drying of this fruit.

Novelty impact statement

The designed dryer showed efficacy in the drying process of araticum pulp. It was possible to mathematically model the solar drying process kinetics for araticum. The equipment requests low investment and can democratize access to the drying process.
Epidemiology of public transportation use among older adults in the United States
Authors: Gimie Afnan M. , Melgar Castillo Andrea I. , Mullins C. Daniel , Falvey Jason R.
Published: September 2022

Background

Attending healthcare appointments and participating in social activities are important for older adults, but these activities are often limited by transportation barriers. Public transportation may bridge these gaps, but little is known about older public transportation users. This study compares the characteristics of older adults who use public transportation to those who do not.

Design

Cross‐sectional analysis of data from Round 5 of the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS). We identified 5696 urban community dwelling older adults, and calculated national estimates of those who reported public transportation use in the last month and those who used transit to see their regular doctor. We evaluated the age and sex‐adjusted associations between economic and clinical characteristics and recent use of public transportation using survey‐weighted logistic regression.

Results

Nearly 1 in 10 (n = 555/5696, weighted n = 3,122,583) urban‐dwelling older adults in the United States reported use of public transportation in the last month, and over 20% of users (weighted n = 658,850) relied on transit to see their regular doctor. Compared to non‐users, those who reported using transit were significantly more likely to be younger and identify as non‐Hispanic Black or Hispanic. Financially strained older adults were more likely to have recently relied on public transportation (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.62, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.07–2.44), but frailty (aOR = 0.61, 95% CI 0.41–0.91) and living in an area with cracked or broken sidewalks (aOR = 0.35, 95% CI 0.27–0.46) were both associated with lower odds of public transportation use.

Conclusion

More than 3 million older adults in the United States reported recently using public transportation, with over 600,000 relying on these services to visit their doctor. With increasing investment in public infrastructure on the horizon, centering the unique medical, economic, and social needs of older transit users is critical to ensure urban communities remain age‐friendly.
Relatives experiences during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A qualitative study set in Spanish locked‐down nursing homes
Authors: Salcedo‐Pérez‐Juana María , García‐Bravo Cristina , Jimenez‐Antona Carmen , Martinez‐Piédrola Rosa María , Fernández‐De‐Las‐Peñas Cesar , Palacios‐Ceña Domingo
Published: September 2022

Aim

To describe the experience of relatives of residents with dementia residing in locked‐down nursing homes during the first outbreak of the COVID‐19 pandemic, concerning their relationships with nurses and the nursing care applied.

Methods

A qualitative descriptive study was carried out and purposive sampling was applied. Participants were first‐ and second‐degree relatives of residents with dementia, who lived permanently in a nursing home and who were admitted prior to the COVID‐19 pandemic. Sixteen participants, of which 10 were women (mean age 57.1 years), participated in the study. Data were collected through in‐depth interviews and reflective notes, using a digital platform. An inductive thematic analysis was carried out. This study was approved by the University Research Ethics Committee and followed the COREQ guidelines. The Guba and Lincoln criteria (credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability) were applied for quality control.

Results

Families' relationships with nurses before the first wave relied on closeness and involvement in care. Families had difficulty maintaining a close relationship with nurses due to turnover and lack of time. The nursing care applied in the first wave resulted in limited family access to the nursing home, limited contact time with residents, and limited close physical contact.

Conclusions

The first outbreak has affected the relationships among relatives and nurses in nursing homes. Changes should be made in the organization of care within nursing homes in order to adapt to restrictions due to the pandemic.
The 1932 Federal Reserve Open‐Market Purchases as a Precedent for Quantitative Easing
Authors: BORDO MICHAEL D. , SINHA ARUNIMA
Published: September 2022

The $1 billion open‐market operation conducted by the Federal Reserve, at the height of the Great Depression, was a successful precedent to the recent Quantitative Easing (QE) programs. The 1932 program entailed large purchases of medium‐ and long‐term securities over a 4‐month period. An event study analysis indicates that the program dramatically lowered medium‐ and long‐term Treasury yields. A segmented markets model is used to analyze the effects of the open‐market purchases on the economy. A significant degree of financial market segmentation is estimated, and partly explains the observed upturn in output growth. Had the Federal Reserve continued its operations and used the announcement strategy used in QE1, the Great Contraction could have been attenuated earlier. Our historical analysis suggests that the Federal Reserve in 2008 had a good predecessor to its actions.
Simple approaches to characterising multiple long‐term conditions (multimorbidity) and rates of emergency hospital admission: Findings from 495,465 UK Biobank participants
Authors: Dodds Richard M. , Bunn Jonathan G. , Hillman Susan J. , Granic Antoneta , Murray James , Witham Miles D. , Robinson Sian M. , Cooper Rachel , Sayer Avan A.
Published: September 2022

Background

Numerous approaches are used to characterise multiple long‐term conditions (MLTC), including counts and indices. Few studies have compared approaches within the same dataset. We aimed to characterise MLTC using simple approaches, and compare their prevalence estimates of MLTC and associations with emergency hospital admission in the UK Biobank.

Methods

We used baseline data from 495,465 participants (age 38–73 years) to characterise MLTC using four approaches: Charlson index (CI), Byles index (BI), count of 43 conditions (CC) and count of body systems affected (BC). We defined MLTC as more than two conditions using CI, BI and CC, and more than two body systems using BC. We categorised scores (incorporating weightings for the indices) from each approach as 0, 1, 2 and 3+. We used linked hospital episode statistics and performed survival analyses to test associations with an endpoint of emergency hospital admission or death over 5 years.

Results

The prevalence of MLTC was 44% (BC), 33% (CC), 6% (BI) and 2% (CI). Higher scores using all approaches were associated with greater outcome rates independent of sex and age group. For example, using CC, compared with score 0, score 2 had 1.95 (95% CI: 1.91, 1.99) and a score of 3+ had 3.12 (95% CI: 3.06, 3.18) times greater outcome rates. The discriminant value of all approaches was modest (C‐statistics 0.60–0.63).

Conclusions

The counts classified a greater proportion as having MLTC than the indices, highlighting that prevalence estimates of MLTC vary depending on the approach. All approaches had strong statistical associations with emergency hospital admission but a modest ability to identify individuals at risk.
Investigating the positive effects of wrap‐around resting on the qualities of semi‐dried noodles through the quantitative analysis of gluten network
Authors: Shi Yanan , Li Xue , Qi Yajing , Manzoor Muhammad Faisal , Cui Shirong , Xu Bin
Published: September 2022

In this study, the dough sheet wrap‐around was employed to assist the resting process of the semi‐dried noodles comparatively with dough crumbs resting and common dough sheet resting. The gluten network quantitative analysis was carried out to investigate the positive impacts of dough sheet wrap‐around resting in semi‐dried noodles production. The results showed that the dough sheet wrap‐around resting improved the color, surface smoothness, cooking qualities, and eating qualities of semi‐dried noodles. Dough sheet wrap‐around resting for 30 min significantly (p < 0.05) increased the surface smoothness and chewiness by 47.08% and 44.35%, respectively. Furthermore, increased extensibility in the transverse direction of dough sheets generated superior processing properties. The average protein length and width of dough sheets experienced a considerable (p < 0.05) reduction. In contrast, the branching rate was markedly (p < 0.05) augmented, which meant the distribution of gluten network was more uniform and denser. The total protein length and the number of protein network lines both significantly (p < 0.05) increased. The number of transverse protein network lines increased by 28.70%, which was much higher than that (5.77%) of the longitudinal direction. Conclusively, at the optimal dough sheet wrap‐around time of 30 min, the higher‐quality semi‐dried noodles were produced by enhancing the gluten network.
Evidence for impact shock and regolith transportation on CM, CI, and CV chondrite parent asteroids
Authors: Zolensky Michael , Mikouchi Takashi , Hagiya Kenji , Ohsumi Kazumasa , Komatsu Mutsumi , Cheng Andrew , Le Loan
Published: September 2022

We explore impact shock processing of the regolith of parent asteroids of carbonaceous chondrites, which has not been considered a major process for hydrous carbonaceous chondrites. We describe shock‐produced minerals and features found in brecciated CI, CM, and CV chondrites, including agglutinates, a glassy melt pod, a shock melt vein, and melted sulfides. We also reexamine cognate clasts present in the Vigarano CV3 chondrites which appear to derive from asteroid ponds and exhibit cross‐bedded dish structures.
Vertical alignment optimization of mountain railways with terrain‐driven greedy algorithm improved by Monte Carlo tree search
Authors: Zhang Hong , Song Taoran , Schonfeld Paul , Pu Hao , Li Wei , Hu Jianping , Liu Linya
Published: September 2022

Vertical alignment design is an important process for railway construction which fundamentally affects the infrastructure investment cost. Determining an optimized vertical alignment is a challenging task since the objective function is non‐linear, non‐differentiable, and quite unsmooth. Great efforts have been invested in solving the vertical alignment optimization problem and many methods have been proposed. However, for vertical alignment designs in complex mountainous regions, the terrain conditions impose great difficulties and, hence, many bridges and tunnels are generally required. Thus, reasonably locating bridges and tunnels along the entire alignment (EA) is a major concern that deserves further investigations. To solve this problem, this study develops a terrain‐driven greedy algorithm improved by Monte Carlo tree search (T‐GRA‐MCTS). A terrain‐driven method is proposed to determine the number and longitudinal distribution of vertical points of intersection (VPIs). In order to trade off the local section of an alignment versus the EA when optimizing each VPI along the alignment to locate bridges and tunnels reasonably, an MCTS is employed and integrated with a GRA. The basic MCTS is modified for vertical alignment optimization with a novel equation for computing the upper confidence bounds for trees and a customized termination criterion is provided. A real‐world railway case is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The results show that the T‐GRA‐MCTS performs better than a greedy search method without MCTS or a widely used nature‐inspired algorithm (i.e., a particle swarm optimization). Moreover, it can find a less expensive solution than the one designed by experienced human engineers.
Otomycosis: The foremost aetiological agent causing otitis externa and the antifungal susceptibility pattern in North‐Western Iran
Authors: Roohi Behrad , Nemati Shadman , Alipour Abbas , Faeli Leila , Mayahi Sabah , Haghani Iman , Shalchizadeh Makan , Darini Ali , Al‐Hatmi Abdullah M. S. , Abastabar Mahdi , Shokohi Tahereh
Published: September 2022

Background

Otomycosis is considered a recurring fungal ear infection. The external auditory canal provides an appropriate and optimal situation for fungal growth.

Objectives

The study aimed to identify the causative agents of otomycosis and determine corresponding antifungal drug susceptibility patterns in north‐western Iran.

Methods

From October 2020 until November 2021, 200 patients attended an otolaryngology referral centre with otitis externa, and their ear discharge and debris were examined and cultured. The identification of the fungal agents was implemented by polymerase chain reaction‐restriction fragment length polymorphism and sequencing. In vitro antifungal susceptibility testing of the isolates was conducted in accordance with the CLSI broth microdilution protocols.

Results

The prevalence of otomycosis was measured 50.5% (n = 101/200). The majority of patients were in their forties (n = 35, 34.6%) and female (n = 57, 56.4%), and the most prevalent symptom was otalgia (56.4%). The most underlying factor was remarked manipulation employing a cotton swab (65.3%). Regarding fungus, Aspergillus section Nigri (58.57%) was the foremost isolate, followed by Aspergillus section Flavi (19.23%) and Candida parapsilosis (14.96%). The predominance of Aspergillus isolates had minimal in vitro sensitivity to tioconazole and nystatin. Candida species represented higher geometric mean minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) against nystatin. The MIC of three Aspergillus species isolates shown above the epidemiologic cut‐off values (ECV) against itraconazole.

Conclusions

Otomycosis incidence surpassed in comparison with the previous study as the most common cause of otitis externa. The MIC distribution of Aspergillus species isolates against triazole antifungals is close to the defined ECVs and likely outrun it over time.
A highly accumulated secretory protein from cotton bollworm interacts with basic helix–loop–helix transcription factors to dampen plant defense
Authors: Chen Xueying , Liu Yao‐Qian , Wu Man‐Ni , Yan Lei , Chen Chun‐Yu , Mu Yu‐Pei , Liu Yu‐Jie , Wang Mu‐Yang , Chen Xiao‐Ya , Mao Ying‐Bo
Published: September 2022

Caterpillar oral secretion (OS) contains active molecules that modulate plant defense signaling. We isolated an effector‐like protein (Highly Accumulated Secretory Protein 1, HAS1) from cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera) that is the most highly accumulated secretory protein of the nondigestive components in OS and belongs to venom R‐like protein.

Elimination of HAS1 by plant‐mediated RNA interference reduced the suppression of OS on the defense response in plants. Plants expressing HAS1 are more susceptible to insect herbivory accompanied by the reduced expressions of multiple defense genes.

HAS1 binds to the basic helix–loop–helix (bHLH) transcription factors, including GoPGF involved in pigmented gland formation and defense compounds biosynthesis in cotton and MYC3/MYC4 the main regulators in jasmonate (JA) signaling in Arabidopsis. The binding activity is required for HAS1 to inhibit the activation of bHLHs on plant defense gene expressions.

Together with our previous study that another venom R‐like protein HARP1 in cotton bollworm OS blocks JA signaling by interacting with JASMONATE‐ZIM‐domain repressors, we conclude that the venom R‐like proteins in OS interfere with plant defense in a dual suppression manner. Considering the venom proteins in parasitic wasp assault the immune system of its host animal, our investigation reveals their conserved function in carnivorous and herbivorous insects.
Circ‐OMAC drives metastasis in oral squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Li Bowen , Xie Shule , Pan Guokai , Lin Zhaoyu , Ren Siqi , Chen Suling , Fan Song , Li Jinsong
Published: September 2022

Objectives

Accumulating studies have proved that the circular RNAs (circRNAs) play vital roles in human cancers. However, few circRNAs have been elucidated with lymph node metastasis. This study demonstrated that circ‐oral cancer metastasis‐associated circRNA (circ‐OMAC) is required to regulate the oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) metastasis.

Materials and Methods

The circ‐OMAC were detected by circRNA‐sequencing and further verified by in situ hybridization (ISH). The role of circ‐OMAC was assessed by transwell assay and wound healing assay. Mechanistically, circ‐OMAC regulated OSCC metastasis by initiating the epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) signaling pathway.

Results

Our findings suggested that circ‐OMAC was aberrantly elevated in the metastatic lymph nodes as compared to primary OSCC tissues. OSCC patients with high levels of circ‐OMAC were prone to a poor prognosis. By developing functional assays, we confirmed that circ‐OMAC promotes metastasis of OSCC cells via initiation of EMT pathways.

Conclusions

We provide new insights whereby Circ‐OMAC as an oncogene is a potential therapeutic target and prognostic marker in oral cancer.
Salivary biomarkers in burning mouth syndrome: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Fernández‐Agra María , González‐Serrano José , de Pedro Miguel , Virto Leire , Caponio Vito Carlo Alberto , Ibáñez‐Prieto Elena , Hernández Gonzalo , López‐Pintor Rosa María
Published: September 2022

The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate which salivary biomarkers are altered in patients with burning mouth syndrome (BMS) compared to a control group (CG). A comprehensive literature search was conducted in four databases. Case–control studies evaluating salivary biomarkers in BMS patients were included. Risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle‐Ottawa tool. RevMan was used for meta‐analysis. Seventeen studies were selected. The included studies collected 54 different biomarkers. Of these biomarkers, only three (cortisol, α‐amylase, and dehydroepiandrosterone) were analyzed in three or more studies. Dehydroepiandrosterone obtained contradictory results among the studies. However, cortisol and α‐amylase levels were found to be higher in BMS patients. Cortisol was the only biomarker which could be included for meta‐analysis. Cortisol levels were significantly higher in the BMS group compared to the CG (Mean Difference = 0.39; 95% CI [0.14–0.65]; p = 0.003). In conclusion, different studies investigated salivary biomarkers in patients with BMS compared to a CG, with controversial results. Meta‐analysis, confirmed by trial‐sequential analysis, showed how cortisol levels were significantly higher in BMS. Cortisol emerges as an interesting salivary biomarker in BMS, but future properly designed studies are needed to evaluate its role in diagnosis and/or response to treatment.
Validation of pain catastrophizing scale on breast cancer survivor
Authors: Pérez‐Cruzado David , Roldan‐Jimenez Cristina , Iglesias‐Campos Marcos , Pajares Bella , Alba Emilio , Cuesta‐Vargas Antonio
Published: September 2022

Introduction

Pain catastrophizing scale (PCS) is the most used scale to measure pain catastrophizing. In breast cancer survivors (BCS), pain catastrophizing is related to upper‐limbs dysfunction and disability. This study aimed to assess the internal consistency, internal structure, and convergent validity of the Spanish version of the PCS in Spanish BCS.

Material and Methods

Breast cancer survivors were recruited from the service of Medical Oncology of the University Clinical Hospital Virgen de la Victoria, in Málaga (Spain). The psychometric properties were evaluated with analysis factor structure by maximum likelihood extraction (MLE), internal consistency, and construct validity by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).

Results

Factor structure was three‐dimensional, and one item was removed due to cross‐loading. The new 12‐item PCS showed a high internal consistency for the total score (α = 0.91) and a good homogeneity, and CFA revealed a satisfactory fit. PCS showed an acceptable correlation with FACS (r = 0.53, p < 0.01).

Conclusion

Pain catastrophizing scale is a valid and reliable instrument to evaluate pain catastrophizing in Spanish BCS. This tool may help clinicians in the management of pain by assessing pain and by measuring the effect of interventions.
Elucidating genetic variability and genotype × environment interactions for grain iron and zinc content among diverse genotypes of lentils (Lens culinaris)
Authors: Bhattacharya Sudip , Das Arpita , Banerjee Joydeep , Mandal Swarupa Nanda , Kumar Shiv , Gupta Sanjeev
Published: September 2022

Micronutrient malnutrition is a great burden towards attaining nutritional security for the vulnerable section of society, especially pregnant and lactating women, as well as preschool children in developing countries. Biofortification of lentil with iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) may have a great impact on health and nutritional security as this food legume is the chief source of dietary energy and easily digestible protein for the vegetarian population. Assessment of genetic variability followed by ciphering genotype × environment (GE) interaction are the vital endeavour towards the recommendation of Fe‐ and Zn‐rich cultivars. Therefore, the present study was contemplated to appraise the genetic variability for Fe and Zn content among lentil genotypes followed by unravelling the effect of GE interaction for delineation of stable micronutrient‐rich genotypes using HA‐GGE biplot and REML/BLUP method. Preliminary studies with 125 lentil genotypes revealed the presence of adequate genetic variability concerning grain Fe (44.46 to 121.89 mg kg−1) and Zn (17.45 to 77.25 mg kg−1) content and other agronomic traits. Further, a multilocation evaluation trial with 30 promising genotypes at four diverse locations for consecutive 2 years detected a significant influence of environment and GE interaction on grain Fe and Zn content. Integration of HA‐GGE biplot along with REML/BLUP analysis pertinently detected BCL‐10212 and IPL‐220 as ‘ideal’ for Fe content whereas IC‐346092 and IC‐521442 for Zn content. Moreover, IC‐521442 was detected as most ‘ideal’ having richness in both Fe and Zn along with high stability over the locations. These genotypes offer a great opportunity to the lentil breeders for their utilization in a subsequent breeding programme towards developing Fe‐ and Zn‐rich lentils. Present findings would be useful for the generation of recombinant lines for mapping and tagging of the genes/QTL controlling Fe and Zn content and developing the biofortified lentil cultivars.
Brassinosteroids enhance BES1‐required thermomemory in Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Yao Xiuhong , Li Yanling , Chen Juan , Zhou Zuxu , Wen Yu , Fang Ke , Yang Fabin , Li Taotao , Zhang Dawei , Lin Honghui
Published: September 2022

Heat stress (HS) caused by ambient high temperature poses a threat to plants. In the natural and agricultural environment, plants often encounter repeated and changeable HS. Moderate HS primes plants to establish a molecular ‘thermomemory’ that enables plants to withstand a later‐and possibly more extreme‐HS attack. Recent years, brassinosteroids (BRs) have been implicated in HS response, whereas the information is lacking on whether BRs signal transduction modulates thermomemory. Here, we uncover the positive role of BRs signalling in thermomemory of Arabidopsis thaliana. Heat priming induces de novo synthesis and nuclear accumulation of BRI1‐Ethyl methyl sulfon‐SUPPRESSOR (BES1), which is the key regulator of BRs signalling. BRs promote the accumulation of dephosphorylated BES1 during memory phase, and stoppage of BRs synthesis impairs dephosphorylation. During HS memory, BES1 is required to maintain sustained induction of HS memory genes and directly targets APX2 and HSFA3 for activation. In summary, our results reveal a BES1‐required, BRs‐enhanced transcriptional control module of thermomemory in Arabidopsis thaliana.
Efficient Estimation of the Marginal Mean of Recurrent Events
Authors: Cortese Giuliana , Scheike Thomas H.
Published: September 2022

Recurrent events are often encountered in clinical and epidemiological studies where a terminal event is also observed. With recurrent events data it is of great interest to estimate the marginal mean of the cumulative number of recurrent events experienced prior to the terminal event. The standard nonparametric estimator was suggested in Cook and Lawless and further developed in Ghosh and Lin. We here investigate the efficiency of this estimator that, surprisingly, has not been studied before. We rewrite the standard estimator as an inverse probability of censoring weighted estimator. From this representation we derive an efficient augmented estimator using efficient estimation theory for right-censored data. We show that the standard estimator is efficient in settings with no heterogeneity. In other settings with different sources of heterogeneity, we show theoretically and by simulations that the efficiency can be greatly improved when an efficient augmented estimator based on dynamic predictions is employed, at no extra cost to robustness. The estimators are applied and compared to study the mean number of catheter-related bloodstream infections in heterogeneous patients with chronic intestinal failure who can possibly die, and the efficiency gain is highlighted in the resulting point-wise confidence intervals.
The ten stories: Intergenerational transfer of values
Authors: McColl Mary Ann
Published: September 2022

Rationale

A troubling phenomenon for caregivers of elderly parents is their tendency to tell the same stories over and over. Repeated storytelling raises concerns about cognitive decline and memory loss and is often considered a disturbing harbinger of the possible onset of dementia.

Purpose

This research aims to show that repeatedly told stories are important vehicles for intergenerational transmission of values.

Methods

Using a narrative inquiry approach, this research involved structured interviews with middle‐aged adult children, asking them to tell us the stories they felt they were hearing or had heard repeatedly from their aging parent. Interviews were taped and transcribed, then coded for temporality, purpose and content.

Results

Based on 126 stories told to 13 participants, it can be confirmed that there are approximately ten stories that older parents repeatedly tell to their adult children, mostly about experiences in their teens and twenties. The majority of the stories are told for the purpose of consolidating the elder's identity or sharing wisdom with the adult child. Key themes in the stories include seeking a better life, youthful fun, upholding standards, sticking together and doing what's right. These themes reflect the significant events and prevailing values of the early to mid‐twentieth century.

Conclusion

This research offers a more constructive way for caregivers to hear the repeated stories told by their aging parents and to offer their loved one the gift of knowing they have been seen and heard.
Evaluating the risk of transfusion and transplant‐transmitted monkeypox infections
Authors: Harvala Heli , Simmonds Peter
Published: September 2022

The recent emergence of monkeypox virus (MPXV) in the UK and elsewhere is of urgent public health concern. Several aspects of MPXV epidemiology and pathogenesis, including its systemic spread and viraemia during acute infection, furthermore represent an important potential threat to the safety of blood transfusion and organ transplantation. Reported infections in the UK have been exponentially increasing over the last 2 months, with 1552 reported cases in the UK by 7th July 2022. This is likely to be considerable underestimate given current limitations in diagnostic capacity and clinical diagnoses hampered by its similar disease presentations to other causes of rash and genitourinary disease. While MPXV infections are currently most widespread in gay, bisexual or other men who have sex with men, wider spread of MPXV outside defined risk groups for infection may prevent identification of infection risk in donors. While typically mild disease outcomes have been reported in UK cases, case fatality rates ranging from 1% to over 10% are reported for different MPXV strains in its source area in sub‐Saharan Africa. Recipients of blood components and organs transplant, especially those who are immunosuppressed, may reproduce the greater systemic spread and morbidity of those infected through percutaneous routes. There is a potential risk of MPXV transmission and severe disease outcomes in blood and transplant recipients. In addition to current risk assessments performed in the UK and exclusion of donors with recent MPXV exposure, determining viraemia frequencies in donors and directly evaluating transmission risk would be of considerable value in assessing whether MPXV nucleic acid screening should be implemented.
Lagrangian and Quasi-Lagrangian Models for Noninertial Pneumatic Soft Cylindrical Robots
Authors: Trejo-Ramos Christian-Alejandro , Olguín-Díaz Ernesto , Parra-Vega Vicente
Published: September 2022

Current Lagrangian models for soft cylindrical robots (SCRs) have been developed under rigid body considerations, and therefore, body deformation properties have not been fully incorporated into these models. Thus, key deformation properties such as density variation, variable CoM, and time-varying inertia tensor are missing. In addition, the highly nonlinear dynamical couplings arising from deformation are also missing in deformable body-based formulations. In this paper, Lagrangian and quasi-Lagrangian models of a noninertial soft robot are developed under the essential modeling assumption that distance among particles varies. Such nonrigid body assumption introduces deformation properties that lead to a clear description of free-motion deformation dynamics subject to reaction forces. Altogether, our proposal gives rise to sound qualitative mathematical models that incorporate deformation phenomena, with well-posed structural properties. To exemplify quantitatively the usefulness of the proposed models, two simulation scenarios are presented and discussed. In the first one, the soft robot is fixed to the ground, while the second scenario, a soft robot is attached to a three-dimensional free-flying rigid frame.
Optimal Management of Reversible Heat Pump/Organic Rankine Cycle Carnot Batteries
Authors: Torricelli Noemi , Branchini Lisa , De Pascale Andrea , Dumont Olivier , Lemort Vincent
Published: September 2022

In the view of reducing the global greenhouse gas emissions, it becomes fundamental to exploit the renewable energy sources at their maximum potential by developing effective strategies for their flexible use. Among the available solutions to realize these strategies are the electric energy storage including the innovative pumped thermal energy storage technology (included in the Carnot battery concept). This can become very interesting in these applications where different energy flows must be handled (both electric and thermal), thanks to the possibility of adding the contribution of a waste heat source, in a thermally integrated energy storage. However, despite the several advantages, the state-of-the-art still lacks experiments and investigation of efficient control strategy for the Carnot battery when inserted into the process. As an original contribution to the current literature, this paper presents the off-design model of a reversible organic Rankine cycle (ORC)/heat pump (HP) Carnot battery configuration with the aim of employing it to simulate the performance of such system and discuss its optimal management when inserted into a generic process. An existing reversible HP/ORC kW-size prototype is considered as reference and its optimal control in both HP and ORC mode under different boundary conditions is assessed.
Cost-Minimizing Hexahedral Mesh Refinement by Sheet Inflation
Authors: Shen Chun , Wang Rui , Gao Shuming , Wu Haiyan
Published: September 2022

In this paper, a novel hexahedral refinement method is introduced which finds the optimal tradeoff between the number of inserted elements and inserted singularities according to user-prescribed weighting. The input of our algorithm is the hexahedral mesh with quads tagged for refinement. The quad sets to be inserted by sheet inflation are determined by solving a integer optimization problem to minimize the number of inserted elements and inserted singularities while maintaining mesh consistency. Finally, we design the optimized sheet structures by selecting the optimal local shrink set at the cross section of intersecting quad sets to ensure the quality of mesh refinement. The refinement scheme can be applied iteratively until the mesh density meets the requirements. Experimental results for some mechanical parts verified the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Calculation of Nuclear Reactor Cooling Tower Performance With Limited Data Streams
Authors: Katinas Christopher , Reichardt Thomas , d’Entremont Brian , Ray William , Willis Michael , Kulp Thomas
Published: September 2022

Monitoring of cooling tower performance in a nuclear reactor facility is necessary to ensure safe operation; however, instrumentation for measuring performance characteristics can be difficult to install and may malfunction or break down over long duration experiments. This paper describes employing a thermodynamic approach to quantify cooling tower performance, the Merkel model, which requires only five parameters, namely, inlet water temperature, outlet water temperature, liquid mass flowrate, gas mass flowrate, and wet bulb temperature. Using this model, a general method to determine cooling tower operation for a nuclear reactor was developed in situations when neither the outlet water temperature nor gas mass flowrate are available, the former being a critical piece of information to bound the Merkel integral. Furthermore, when multiple cooling tower cells are used in parallel (as would be in the case of large-scale cooling operations), only the average outlet temperature of the cooling system is used as feedback for fan speed control, increasing the difficulty of obtaining the outlet water temperature for each cell. To address these shortcomings, this paper describes a method to obtain individual cell outlet water temperatures for mechanical forced-air cooling towers via parametric analysis and optimization. In this method, the outlet water temperature for an individual cooling tower cell is acquired as a function of the liquid-to-gas ratio (L/G). Leveraging the tight tolerance on the average outlet water temperature, an error function is generated to describe the deviation of the parameterized L/G to the highly controlled average outlet temperature. The method was able to determine the gas flowrate at rated conditions to be within 3.9% from that obtained from the manufacturer’s specification, while the average error for the four individual cooling cell outlet water temperatures were 1.6 °C, −0.5 °C, −1.0 °C, and 0.3 °C.
A Comparison of the Fuel Economy Estimates of a Drive Cycle Developed Using the Road Load Energy Criterion and the Actual On-Road Fuel Economy in a Private Vehicle in the Philippines
Authors: Corpus Robert Michael , Lomotan Robert James , Vasquez Peter
Published: September 2022

This study presents a comparison of the fuel economy between a drive cycle developed using the road load energy as an assessment parameter and the actual on road fuel consumption of a common rail direct injection (CRDI) passenger van. Second by second velocity as well as fuel consumption were recorded as the test vehicle traverses a 33 - kilometer pre-determined route in Quezon city, Philippines. The data were processed to generate a drive cycle using the modified Markov Chain approach. A user defined compression ratio was used to determine the length of the generated drive cycle. It was then tested on a chassis dynamometer to measure the fuel economy of the drive cycle. The road load energy, fuel economy, average speed, maximum acceleration and percent idle time were used as assessment variables to determine the quality of the drive cycles developed. Three drive cycles using different compression ratios were generated and yielded the following results: A 676 second cycle which has a 2.22% road load energy error and a 4.9% difference in fuel consumption, the 801 second cycle yielded a 3.06% energy error and 2.8% fuel consumption difference and a 901 second cycle with a 1.34% energy error and a 1.2% difference in fuel consumption. The results suggest that the road load energy criterion is a parameter that can be used to generate drive cycles that will give good on-road fuel economy estimation.
Equity in STEM through culturally responsive pedagogy
Authors: Holland Neven
Published: September 2022

I teach elementary mathematics to 98% of Black and Latino students, many of whom come from underprivileged areas of Memphis, Tennessee, where academic achievement varies. At the beginning of the year, many of my students have a love–hate relationship with mathematics, where their understanding of the subject is simply rules or procedures to memorize for an end-of-year assessment. As a result, I’m often left wondering why this happens and how we, as a community, could work to provide equitable outcomes for all students in not just math, but science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
Exploring entropy by counting microstates of the p-state paramagnet
Authors: Jensen Steuard
Published: September 2022

Moore and Schroeder proposed an effective approach to introducing entropy and the second law through computational study of models with easily countable states at fixed energy. However, such systems are rare: the only familiar examples are the Einstein solid and the two-state paramagnet, which limits the available questions for assignment or discussion. This work considers the more general p-state paramagnet and describes the modestly more complicated counting of its microstates. An instructor can draw on this family of systems to assign a variety of new problems or open-ended projects that students can complete with the help of a spreadsheet program or analytic calculation.
Space pirates: A pursuit curve problem involving retarded time
Authors: Azevedo Thales , Pelluso Anderson
Published: September 2022

We revisit the classical pursuit curve problem solved by Pierre Bouguer in the 18th century, taking into account that information propagates at a finite speed. The discussion of this generalized problem of pursuit constitutes an excellent opportunity to introduce the concept of retarded time without the complications inherent to the study of electromagnetic radiation (where it is usually seen for the first time). We find the differential equation, which describes the problem, solve it numerically, compare the solution to Bouguer's for different values of the parameters, and deduce a necessary and sufficient condition for the pursuer to catch the pursued.
Maxwell's color box: Retracing the path of color matching experiments
Authors: Roberti Valentina , Kalinic Boris , Cesca Tiziana , Bacci Luca , Peruzzi Giulio
Published: September 2022

In his 1860 paper On the theory of compound colours, James Clerk Maxwell described an instrument used to obtain a direct comparison between daylight and a mixture of three selected spectral colors. This investigation was part of Maxwell's study of human color vision, color perception, and color representation, and it encompasses his main achievements in the field. The working principle underlying this device provided the basis from which color diagrams have been derived, beginning with the standard chromaticity diagram proposed by the International Commission on Illumination in 1931. We describe a reconstruction of Maxwell's original version of the color box. Constructing and analyzing data obtained with such a replica could serve as a semester project for advanced optics students.
Stereographic projection to and from the Bloch sphere: Visualizing solutions of the Bloch equations and the Bloch–Riccati equation
Authors: Siminovitch David J.
Published: September 2022

Stereographic projection mapping is typically introduced to explain the point at infinity in the complex plane. After this brief exposure in the context of complex analysis, students rarely get an opportunity to fully appreciate stereographic projection mapping as an elegant and powerful technique on its own with many fruitful applications in the physical sciences. Here, using a classical description of nuclear magnetic resonance in the rotating frame, I show how stereographic projection mapping to and from the Bloch sphere can be used for visualizing solutions to Bloch's equation and the Bloch–Riccati equation, respectively. After developing the fundamentals of stereographic projection mapping using examples drawn from nuclear spin precession in the rotating frame, the method is then applied to visualizations of composite pulse excitation of a spin-1/2 system and to radiation damping in a system of isolated spins-1/2. In the case of the radiation-damped system, these visualizations provide particularly vivid illustrations of loxodromic Möbius transformation dynamics.
A wave glider-based, towed hydrophone array system for autonomous, real-time, passive acoustic marine mammal monitoring
Authors: Premus Vincent E. , Abbot Philip A. , Kmelnitsky Vitaly , Gedney Charles J. , Abbot Ted A.
Published: September 2022

An autonomous surface vehicle known as a wave glider, instrumented with a low-power towed hydrophone array and embedded digital signal processor, is demonstrated as a viable low-noise system for the passive acoustic monitoring of marine mammals. Other key design elements include high spatial resolution beamforming on a 32-channel towed hydrophone array, deep array deployment depth, vertical motion isolation, and bandwidth-efficient real-time acoustic data transmission. Using at-sea data collected during a simultaneous deployment of three wave glider-based acoustic detection systems near Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary in September 2019, the capability of a low-frequency towed hydrophone array to spatially reject noise and to resolve baleen whale vocalizations from anthropogenic acoustic clutter is demonstrated. In particular, mean measured array gain of 15.3 dB at the aperture design frequency results in a post-beamformer signal-to-noise ratio that significantly exceeds that of a single hydrophone. Further, it is shown that with overlapping detections on multiple collaborating systems, precise localization of vocalizing individuals is achievable at long ranges. Last, model predictions showing a 4× detection range, or 16× area coverage, advantage of a 32-channel towed array over a single hydrophone against the North Atlantic right whale upcall are presented for the continental shelf environment south of Martha's Vineyard.
Creating the ultimate virtual reality display
Authors: Joo Won-Jae , Brongersma Mark L.
Published: September 2022

Scientists are exploring new material designs to make smaller and denser pixel displays