bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mapping collections
Authors: Parker Katherine
Published: August 2024

Maps are politically, socially, and culturally inflected objects that can communicate information and teach us about the time and society that shaped them. They are not only tools to serve present needs, but are also rich historical sources that require curation, conservation, and care. This historical legacy is well represented in the map collection of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG). The stewardship of these historical maps offers many challenges, but also an opportunity for education, for example on the complex history of empire, and collaboration, for example with artists. This paper highlights the varied work of the RGS in the preservation and promotion of its large collection of maps, charts, and globes.
Mapping and countermapping dispossession in Palestine
Authors: Abushama Hashem
Published: August 2024

In their claim to distance from reality, maps seek power from representation. Maps are constituted by a particular set of practices that are enmeshed within wider social relations. Maps, then, are a powerful vantage point for understanding the geometries of power. Under settler colonialism, geography is constantly reshaped and reconfigured by expansionist and eliminatory logics. Such is the case in Palestine, where Israeli settler colonialism has fragmented the map of historic Palestine into messily separated archipelagos. As Palestinian geographies are constantly being reconfigured under Israeli settler colonialism, can maps catch up? How do we locate Palestine on the map? I take up these questions by focusing on the 1948 and 1967 Palestinian territories as two spatio‐temporally differentiated locations of settler colonial spatial reconfiguration. Using a counter‐map designed by Palestinian artist Haya Zaatry, I highlight the importance of counter‐mapping in bringing into sharp relief the conjunctural layering of dispossession in Palestine. If dominant colonial maps are about the neat packaging of lived realities into dominant spatio‐temporal demarcations, counter‐maps are about highlighting the ghostly stories and embodied spatial practices and processes of living within and beyond such demarcations.
Seeing culture from below: Counter‐curating, counter‐ethnography, counter‐mapping
Authors: Grindon Gavin , Hay Duncan
Published: August 2024

This paper reflects on our mapping and database project britishmonumentsrelatedtoslavery.net, the first and currently most complete account of British representational public monuments related to British transatlantic slavery. It reproduces our headline findings and presents some new maps of the data. However, our main focus in this paper is on placing our project in a wider context of emergent practices and methods that inspired us. First, we note the exponential historical emergence of three connected critical, grassroots ‘counter’ practices across different institutions: of mapping, curating, and ethnography. We frame their critical commonality in their ‘counter’ approach to the nexus of what Benedict Anderson identified as three key ‘institutions of power … census, map, museum’, which have been central to conceiving and executing policy. Second, we prospectively identify some of the common structural causes that underlie this emergent assembly of instituent knowledge‐making practices from below.
Mitigating disuse‐induced skeletal muscle atrophy in ageing: Resistance exercise as a critical countermeasure
Authors: McKendry James , Coletta Giulia , Nunes Everson A. , Lim Changhyun , Phillips Stuart M.
Published: August 2024

The gradual deterioration of physiological systems with ageing makes it difficult to maintain skeletal muscle mass (sarcopenia), at least partly due to the presence of ‘anabolic resistance’, resulting in muscle loss. Sarcopenia can be transiently but markedly accelerated through periods of muscle disuse‐induced (i.e., unloading) atrophy due to reduced physical activity, sickness, immobilisation or hospitalisation. Periods of disuse are detrimental to older adults' overall quality of life and substantially increase their risk of falls, physical and social dependence, and early mortality. Disuse events induce skeletal muscle atrophy through various mechanisms, including anabolic resistance, inflammation, disturbed proteostasis and mitochondrial dysfunction, all of which tip the scales in favour of a negative net protein balance and subsequent muscle loss. Concerningly, recovery from disuse atrophy is more difficult for older adults than their younger counterparts. Resistance training (RT) is a potent anabolic stimulus that can robustly stimulate muscle protein synthesis and mitigate muscle losses in older adults when implemented before, during and following unloading. RT may take the form of traditional weightlifting‐focused RT, bodyweight training and lower‐ and higher‐load RT. When combined with sufficient dietary protein, RT can accelerate older adults' recovery from a disuse event, mitigate frailty and improve mobility; however, few older adults regularly participate in RT. A feasible and practical approach to improving the accessibility and acceptability of RT is through the use of resistance bands. Moving forward, RT must be prescribed to older adults to mitigate the negative consequences of disuse atrophy.
Ignition of Aged Lubricants in a Shock Tube
Authors: Abulail Matthew , Juárez Raquel , Petersen Eric L.
Published: August 2024

Lubricants experience harsh conditions which result in degradation of the oil. To imitate similar conditions, Mobil DTE 732, a common gas turbine lubricating oil, was subjected to high temperatures for an extended period of time, until thermal degradation occurred, indicated through the creation of coke. Samples were taken throughout this process, with the sample that was tested having been exposed for 78 h. Utilizing an endwall injector system, the samples were ignited behind reflected shock waves in the high-pressure shock tube (HPST) at Texas A&M University. The injector system utilizes the incident wave to increase the temperature of the lubricant past its vaporization temperature, thereby vaporizing the fuel prior to the arrival of the reflected shock. Using this system, the base Mobil DTE 732 and the 78-h sample produced from the coking test were tested at 1.06–1.58 atm and between 1171 and 1373 K. The ignition delay times (IDTs) of the samples were recorded utilizing pressure rise and hydroxyl chemiluminescence located in the sidewall of the shock tube. Upon the analysis of the results, there were negligible changes in the ignition behavior of the fuel, based on ignition delay time. However, changes in the combustion behavior were experienced, such as an absence of two-stage ignition and lower viscosity for the post-coke sample.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
surface motility and invasion into competing communities enhance interspecies antagonism
Authors: Sánchez-Peña Andrea , Winans James B. , Nadell Carey D. , Limoli Dominique H.
Published: August 2024

Chronic polymicrobial infections involving
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
and
Staphylococcus aureus
are prevalent, difficult to eradicate, and associated with poor health outcomes. Therefore, understanding interactions between these pathogens is important to inform improved treatment development. We previously demonstrated that
P. aeruginosa
is attracted to
S. aureus
using type IV pili (TFP)-mediated chemotaxis, but the impact of attraction on
S. aureus
growth and physiology remained unknown. Using live single-cell confocal imaging to visualize microcolony structure, spatial organization, and survival of
S. aureus
during coculture, we found that interspecies chemotaxis provides
P. aeruginosa
a competitive advantage by promoting invasion into and disruption of
S. aureus
microcolonies. This behavior renders
S. aureus
susceptible to
P. aeruginosa
antimicrobials. Conversely, in the absence of TFP motility,
P. aeruginosa
cells exhibit reduced invasion of
S. aureus
colonies. Instead,
P. aeruginosa
builds a cellular barrier adjacent to
S. aureus
and secretes diffusible, bacteriostatic antimicrobials like 2-heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline-
N
-oxide (HQNO) into the
S. aureus
colonies. Reduced invasion leads to the formation of denser and thicker
S. aureus
colonies with increased HQNO-mediated lactic acid fermentation, a physiological change that could complicate treatment strategies. Finally, we show that
P. aeruginosa
motility modifications of spatial structure enhance competition against
S. aureus
. Overall, these studies expand our understanding of how
P. aeruginosa
TFP-mediated interspecies chemotaxis facilitates polymicrobial interactions, highlighting the importance of spatial positioning in mixed-species communities.

IMPORTANCE

The polymicrobial nature of many chronic infections makes their eradication challenging. Particularly, coisolation of
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
and
Staphylococcus aureus
from airways of people with cystic fibrosis and chronic wound infections is common and associated with severe clinical outcomes. The complex interplay between these pathogens is not fully understood, highlighting the need for continued research to improve management of chronic infections. Our study unveils that
P. aeruginosa
is attracted to
S. aureus
, invades into neighboring colonies, and secretes anti-staphylococcal factors into the interior of the colony. Upon inhibition of
P. aeruginosa
motility and thus invasion,
S. aureus
colony architecture changes dramatically, whereby
S. aureus
is protected from
P. aeruginosa
antagonism and responds through physiological alterations that may further hamper treatment. These studies reinforce accumulating evidence that spatial structuring can dictate community resilience and reveal that motility and chemotaxis are critical drivers of interspecies competition.
An intracellular phosphorus-starvation signal activates the PhoB/PhoR two-component system in
Salmonella enterica
Authors: Bruna Roberto E. , Kendra Christopher G. , Pontes Mauricio H.
Published: August 2024

Bacteria acquire P primarily as inorganic orthophosphate (Pi, PO
4
3−
). Once internalized, Pi is rapidly assimilated into biomass during the synthesis of ATP. Because Pi is essential, but excessive ATP is toxic, the acquisition of environmental Pi is tightly regulated. In the bacterium
Salmonella enterica
(
Salmonella
), growth in Pi-limiting environments activates the membrane sensor histidine kinase PhoR, leading to the phosphorylation of its cognate transcriptional regulator PhoB and subsequent transcription of genes involved in adaptations to low Pi. Pi limitation promotes PhoR kinase activity by altering the conformation of a membrane signaling complex comprised of PhoR, the multicomponent Pi transporter system PstSACB and the regulatory protein PhoU. However, the identity of the Pi-starvation signal and how it controls PhoR activity remain unknown. Here, we identify conditions where the PhoB and PhoR signal transduction proteins can be maintained in an inactive state when
Salmonella
is grown in media lacking Pi. Our results demonstrate that PhoB/PhoR is activated by an intracellular P-insufficiency signal.

IMPORTANCE

In enteric bacteria, the transcriptional response to phosphorus (P) starvation is controlled by a specialized signal transduction system comprised of a membrane-bound, multicomponent signal sensor, and a cytoplasmic transcriptional factor. Whereas this system has been primarily studied in the context of phosphate (Pi) starvation, it is currently unknown how this stress initiates signal transduction. In the current study, we establish that this signaling system is regulated by a cytoplasmic signal arising from insufficient P. We demonstrate that rather than responding to extracellular conditions, cells couple the activation of their P starvation response to the availability of cytoplasmic P. This regulatory logic may enable cells to prevent toxicity resulting from excessive Pi acquisition and hinder the onset of a P starvation response when their metabolic demands are being met through the consumption of P sources other than Pi.
Stochastic processes drive divergence of bacterial and fungal communities in sympatric wild insect species despite sharing a common diet
Authors: Zhu Yu-Xi , Yang Tian-Yue , Deng Jing-Huan , Yin Yue , Song Zhang-Rong , Du Yu-Zhou
Published: August 2024

Arthropods harbor complex microbiota that play a pivotal role in host fitness. While multiple factors, like host species and diet, shape microbiota in arthropods, their impact on community assembly in wild insects remains largely unknown. In this study, we surveyed bacterial and fungal community assembly in nine sympatric wild insect species that share a common citrus fruit diet. Source tracking analysis suggested that these insects acquire some bacteria and fungi from the citrus fruit with varying degrees. Although sharing a common diet led to microbiota convergence, the diversity, composition, and network of both bacterial and fungal communities varied significantly among surveyed insect groups. Null model analysis indicated that stochastic processes, particularly dispersal limitation and drift, are primary drivers of structuring insect bacterial and fungal communities. Importantly, the influence of each community assembly process varied strongly depending on the host species. Thus, we proposed a speculative view that the host specificity of the microbiome and mycobiome assembly is widespread in wild insects despite sharing the same regional species pool. Overall, this research solidifies the importance of host species in shaping microbiomes and mycobiomes, providing novel insights into their assembly mechanisms in wild insects.

IMPORTANCE

Since the microbiome has been shown to impact insect fitness, a mechanistic understanding of community assembly has potentially significant applications but remains largely unexplored. In this paper, we investigate bacterial and fungal community assembly in nine sympatric wild insect species that share a common diet. The main findings indicate that stochastic processes drive the divergence of microbiomes and mycobiomes in nine sympatric wild insect species. These findings offer novel insights into the assembly mechanisms of microbiomes and mycobiomes in wild insects.
Integrated multiplex analysis of cell death regulators in stage II colorectal cancer suggests patients with ‘persister’ cell profiles fail to benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy
Authors: Cho Sanghee , McDonough Elizabeth , Graf John , Shia Jinru , Firat Canan , Urganci Nil , Surrette Christine , Lindner Andreas , Salvucci Manuela , Matveeva Anna , Kisakol Batuhan , O’Grady Anthony , Azimi Mohammadreza , Burke John P , McNamara Deborah A , McDade Simon , Longley Daniel B , Prehn Jochen HM , Ginty Fiona
Published: August 2024

Objective

Inducing tumour cell apoptosis is a primary objective of chemotherapy but, to date, there are no validated biomarkers of apoptosis sensitivity or resistance. Our objective was to image multiple apoptosis pathway proteins at single cell level and determine multi-protein associations with recurrence risk and chemotherapy response in patients with stage II colorectal cancer (CRC).

Methods and analysis

Multiplexed imaging of 16 proteins in the intrinsic and extrinsic apoptosis pathways at single cell resolution on resected tissue from 194 patients with stage II CRC who either received adjuvant chemotherapy (n=108) or were treated with surgery only (n=86). K-means clustering of >600 000 cancer cells and cell level intensities of APAF1, procaspase-9, procaspase-3, XIAP, SMAC, BAX, BAK, BCL2, BCL-XL, MCL-1, procaspase-8, BID, FADD, FLIP, RIP3 and CIAP1 identified distinct cell cluster profiles.

Results

Chemotherapy-treated patients with a higher percentage of cell clusters with low procaspase-3 and high XIAP had a higher risk of recurrence. This was validated in an independent cohort of adjuvant chemotherapy-treated high-risk patients with stage II CRC. We also applied two established system models of apoptosis initiation and execution to estimate cellular apoptosis sensitivity and show that these cell clusters do not appear to have impaired mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilisation sensitivity, but downstream procaspase-3 cleavage is compromised. This represents a key characteristic of drug-tolerant ‘persister’ cells.

Conclusion

This study represents the most comprehensive analysis to date of apoptosis protein distribution at single cell level in CRC tumours. Our study identifies a subgroup of patients with stage II CRC with an apoptosis-resistant ‘persister’ cell profile who do not benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy.
Couples’ perceptions and experience of smartphone-assisted CenteringPregnancy model in southeast of China: a dyadic analysis of qualitative study
Authors: Lin Huimin , Guo Shengbin , Zheng Qingxiang , Liu Xiuwu , Hu Anfen , Zeng Jing , Liu Guihua
Published: August 2024

Objectives

The objectives of this study are to describe couples’ experiences and perceived barriers to participation in the CenteringPregnancy model in southeast of China and to understand whether smartphones could play a potential role in this model.

Design

This study employed a descriptive phenomenological qualitative study using semistructured dyadic interviews with women and their partners. The interviews were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim and subjected to thematic analysis.

Setting

This study was conducted in two pilot prenatal clinics in southern China.

Participants

A purposive sample of 13 couples who underwent smartphone-assisted CenteringPregnancy were recruited. Data were collected until saturation through semistructured dyadic interviews between December 2022 and March 2023.

Results

The study yielded four primary themes: (1) motivation for participation, (2) acceptance of CenteringPregnancy, (3) barriers and suggestions and (4) support for smartphone use of CenteringPregnancy.

Conclusions

CenteringPregnancy was well received by couples. Couples can access additional medical care and engage in intensive social interactions assisted by smartphones. However, certain objective challenges need to be acknowledged, including inadequate activity space, high demand for knowledge by couples and inflexible time for employed partners. Moreover, the risk that smartphones can lead to false expectations among couples needs to be noted.
Development and evaluation of scenario-based e-simulation for humanitarian health training: a mixed-methods action research study
Authors: Bahattab Awsan Abdullah Saeed , Zain Omar , Linty Monica , Amat Camacho Nieves , Von Schreeb Johan , Hubloue Ives , Della Corte Francesco , Ragazzoni Luca
Published: August 2024

Objectives

This study aimed to develop and evaluate a scenario-based e-simulation (SBES) to address the limited avilability of accessible and practical training for humanitarian public health responders. The objectives included SBES customisation, effectiveness evaluation, and identifying learning-enhancing design elements.

Design

A university-based, mixed-methods action research design.

Setting

The study was conducted at an international university’s academic centre in Italy, and at a university-based master’s programme in Yemen.

Participants

The study involved 20 multidisciplinary global health and education experts and 66 international medical and health sciences students.

Results

Between September 2020 and July 2022, four SBES modules were developed, implemented and evaluated using a rapid prototype model. The modules, which targeted health professionals new to or with limited experience in the humanitarian field, included health needs assessment, essential health services, communicable diseases and health system. Formative evaluation improved the design and implementation of the SBES, which was found to be effective in the summative evaluation, evident from positive student reactions (the overall mean satisfaction rate was 6.03 out of 7, 95% CI 5.95 to 6.47) and the significant improvement in knowledge scores (p<0.001, effect size: 1.179). The identified effective design of SBES includes overlapping elements among content, strategy and technology. Poor internet access was recognised as a potential barrier to delivering the training in the humanitarian context, highlighting the need to develop an offline version in the next phase.

Conclusion

The developed SBES met the training needs of the academic institution involved. The study findings will contribute to advancing future SBES training initiatives for disaster medicine and global health. Further studies are recommended to evaluate and address the challenges associated with SBES implementation beyond the study setting.
Effects of e-educational programmes among older adults with non-communicable diseases: a protocol of systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Yin Zhimin , Sun Ruifen , He Rong , Liu Hongda , Yuan Zixian , Huang Tongping , Zhang ZuoQin , Zhao Jie
Published: August 2024

Introduction

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of death worldwide, and NCDs account for 61.4% of all disability-adjusted life years worldwide. The global cost of NCDs is estimated to exceed 30 trillion dollars over the period 2011–2030, representing 48% of the global gross domestic product. Older adults are the common group affected by NCDs, characterised by an insidious onset, a long course, and a protracted illness. The incidence of these diseases is increasing every year, posing a severe threat to human health and quality of life. E-educational programmes about NCDs are essential for older adults because they are the main body of patients with NCDs, and their understanding of health is uneven and inaccurate. This protocol describes a systematic review to determine the effectiveness of e-educational programme methods for NCDs in older adults. This protocol aims to summarise and critically evaluate the impact of e-educational programmes on older adult patients with NCDs and to provide direction for developing interventions to improve their quality of life and NCD health management programmes.

Methods and analysis

The search was performed in the databases PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, EMBASE, MEDLINE, China Biology Medicine, China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Wan Fang Data using established search terms. All randomised controlled trials on e-educational programmes for patients with NCDs published in recent 10 years (2013–2023) will be included. The risk of bias in the included study will be assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool after two authors have independently screened the literature. With regard to the quality of the evidence, Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation analysis will be used. If the data are aggregated, then meta-analysis will be performed using RevMan V.5.4.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42023455272.
Spatial analysis and factors associated with low birth weight in Ghana using data from the 2017 Ghana Maternal Health Survey: spatial and multilevel analysis
Authors: Boateng Dennis , Oppong Felix Boakye , Senkyire Ephraim Kumi , Logo Divine Darlington
Published: August 2024

Objective

Low birth weight (LBW) is an important indicator of newborn health and can have long-term implications for a child’s development. Spatial exploratory analysis provides a toolkit to gain insight into inequalities in LBW. Few studies in Ghana have explored the spatial distribution of LBW to understand the extent of the problem geographically. This study explores individual and cluster-level distributions of LBW using spatial exploration components for common determinants from nationally representative survey data.

Design

We used data from the 2017 Ghana Maternal Health Survey and conducted individual-level and cluster-level analyses of LBW with place and zone of residence in both bivariate and multivariate analyses. By incorporating spatial and survey designs methodology, logistic and Poisson regression models were used to model LBW.

Setting

Ghana.

Participants

A total of 4127 women aged between 15 and 49 years were included in the individual-level analysis and 864 clusters corresponding to birth weight.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

Individual and cluster-level distribution for LBW using spatial components for common determinants.

Results

In the individual-level analysis, place and zone of residence were significantly associated with LBW in the bivariate model but not in a multivariate model. Hotspot analysis indicated the presence of LBW clusters in the middle and northern zones of Ghana. Compared with rural areas, clusters in urban areas had significantly lower LBW (p=0.017). Clusters in the northern zone were significantly associated with higher LBW (p=0.018) compared with the coastal zones.

Conclusion

Our findings from choropleth hotspot maps suggest LBW clusters in Ghana’s northern and middle zones. Disparities between the rural and urban continuum require specific attention to bridge the healthcare system gap for Ghana’s northern and middle zones.
Community pharmacists’ roles during the closure stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada: a qualitative case study
Authors: Farooq Sylvia , Donnan Jennifer R , Lukewich Julia , Mathews Maria , Lee Tiffany A
Published: August 2024

Objectives

To explore the experiences and perspectives of community pharmacists regarding their roles during the closure stage (ie, March to May 2020) of the COVID-19 pandemic in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL), Canada.

Design

This qualitative case study included a document analysis and semistructured interviews with community pharmacists who provided direct patient care during the COVID-19 pandemic. The document analysis was used to develop a chronology that informed the interviews. Themes from qualitative interviews were developed through iterative cycles of data review and analysis using applied thematic analysis. Findings are presented specifically for the time period between March and May 2020, defined as the ‘Closure Stage’.

Setting

Community pharmacies in NL, Canada.

Results

12 community pharmacists participated in the interviews. Four themes were developed including (1) pharmacists’ leadership in continuity of care, (2) pharmacists as medication stewards, (3) pharmacists as a source of COVID-19 health information and (4) the impact of COVID-19 on pharmacists’ mental health and well-being. The first three themes described the key roles played by community pharmacists during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, including coordinating care, prescribing for common ailments, delivering medications and supplies, providing information on COVID-19 symptoms and their management, renewing chronic medications and protecting the medication supply. Unclear guidance on scope of practice, limited scope of practice, inadequate staffing and limited support from government bodies were identified as barriers to these roles. Facilitators included access to a delivery service, swift regulatory changes, reimbursement and support from colleagues and other healthcare professionals. The fourth theme is presented independently, emphasising the impact of working within the primary healthcare (PHC) system during the COVID-19 pandemic on pharmacists’ mental health and well-being.

Conclusion

Pharmacists played a critical role in the delivery of PHC services during the closure stage of the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings of this research highlight the essential elements of a strong PHC pandemic preparedness plan that is inclusive of community pharmacists, including improved communication strategies, mental health support and access to resources.
Using polygenic risk modification to improve breast cancer prevention: study protocol for the PRiMo multicentre randomised controlled trial
Authors: McInerny Simone , Mascarenhas Lyon , Yanes Tatiane , Petelin Lara , Chenevix-Trench Georgia , Southey Melissa C , Young Mary-Anne , James Paul A
Published: August 2024

Introduction

Established personal and familial risk factors contribute collectively to a woman’s risk of breast or ovarian cancer. Existing clinical services offer genetic testing for pathogenic variants in high-risk genes to investigate these risks but recent information on the role of common genomic variants, in the form of a Polygenic Risk Score (PRS), has provided the potential to further personalise breast and ovarian cancer risk assessment. Data from cohort studies support the potential of an integrated risk assessment to improve targeted risk management but experience of this approach in clinical practice is limited.

Methods and analysis

The polygenic risk modification trial is an Australian multicentre prospective randomised controlled trial of integrated risk assessment including personal and family risk factors with inclusion of breast and ovarian PRS vs standard care. The study will enrol women, unaffected by cancer, undergoing predictive testing at a familial cancer clinic for a pathogenic variant in a known breast cancer (BC) or ovarian cancer (OC) predisposition gene (BRCA1,BRCA2,PALB2,CHEK2,ATM,RAD51C,RAD51D). Array-based genotyping will be used to generate breast cancer (313 SNP) and ovarian cancer (36 SNP) PRS. A suite of materials has been developed for the trial including an online portal for patient consent and questionnaires, and a clinician education programme to train healthcare providers in the use of integrated risk assessment. Long-term follow-up will evaluate differences in the assessed risk and management advice, patient risk management intentions and adherence, patient-reported experience and outcomes, and the health service implications of personalised risk assessment.

Ethics and dissemination

This study has been approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and at all participating centres. Study findings will be disseminated via peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations, and directly to participants.

Trial registration number

ACTRN12621000009819.
Surgeon-led improvement in compliance with use of sequential compression devices in a neurosurgery patient population
Authors: Windermere Sonora Andromeda , Sconzo Daniel , Askari Asra , Filippidis Aristotelis , Binello Emanuela
Published: August 2024

Introduction

Sequential compression devices (SCDs) are the mainstay of mechanical prophylaxis for venous thromboembolism in perioperative neurosurgical patients and are especially crucial when chemical prophylaxis is contraindicated.

Objectives

This study aimed to characterise and improve SCD compliance in neurosurgery stepdown patients.

Methods

SCD compliance in a neurosurgical stepdown unit was tracked across 13 months (August 2022–August 2023). When not properly functioning, the missing element was documented. Compliance was calculated daily in all patients with SCD orders, and then averaged monthly. Most common barriers to compliance were identified. With nursing, we implemented a best practice alert to facilitate nursing education at month 3 and tracked compliance over 9 months, with two breaks in surveillance. At month 12, we implemented a patient-engagement measure through creating and distributing a patient-directed infographic and tracked compliance over 2 months.

Results

Compliance averaged 19.7% (n=95) during August and 38.4% (n=131) in September. After implementing the best practice alert and supply chain upgrades, compliance improved to 48.8% (n=150) in October, 41.2% (n=104) in March and 45.9% (n=76) in April. The infographic improved compliance to 51.4% (n=70) in July and 55.1% (n=34) in August. Compliance was significantly increased from baseline in August to October (z=4.5838, p<0.00001), sustained through March (z=3.2774, p=0.00104) and further improved by August (z=3.9025, p=0.0001).

Conclusion

Beyond an initial Hawthorne effect, implementation of the best practice nursing alert facilitated sustained improvement in SCD compliance despite breaks in surveillance. SCD compliance nonetheless remained below 50% until implementation of patient-engagement measures which were dependent on physician involvement.
Can we learn from matter creation to solve the $$H_{0}$$ tension problem?
Authors: Elizalde Emilio , Khurshudyan Martiros , Odintsov Sergei D.
Published: August 2024

The $$H_{0}$$

H
0

tension problem is studied in the light of a matter creation mechanism (an effective approach to replacing dark energy), the way to define the matter creation rate being of pure phenomenological nature. Bayesian (probabilistic) Machine Learning is used to learn the constraints on the free parameters of the models, with the learning being based on the generated expansion rate, H(z). Taking advantage of the method, the constraints for three redshift ranges are learned. Namely, for the two redshift ranges: $$z\in [0,2]$$

z
∈
[
0
,
2
]

 (cosmic chronometers) and $$z\in [0,2.5]$$

z
∈
[
0
,
2.5
]

 (cosmic chronometers + BAO), covering already available H(z) data, to validate the learned results; and for a third redshift interval, $$z\in [0,5]$$

z
∈
[
0
,
5
]

, for forecasting purposes. It is learned that the $$3\alpha H_{0}$$

3
α

H
0

term in the creation rate provides options that have the potential to solve the $$H_{0}$$

H
0

tension problem.
The Hawking temperature of dynamical black holes via conformal transformations
Authors: Dahal Pravin Kumar , Maharana Swayamsiddha
Published: August 2024

In this second part of our two-series on extracting the Hawking temperature of dynamical black holes, we focus into spacetimes that are conformal transformations of static spacetimes. Our previous investigation builds upon the Unruh–Hawking analogy, which relates the spacetime of a uniformly accelerating observer to the near-horizon region of a black hole, to obtain the Hawking temperature. However, in this work, we explicitly compute the Bogoliubov coefficients associated with incoming and outgoing modes, which not only yields the temperature but also thermal spectrum of particles emitted by a black hole. For illustration, we take the simplest nontrivial example of the linear Vaidya spacetime, which is conformal to the static metric and using this property, we analytically solve the massless scalar field in its background. This allows the explicit computations of the Bogoliubov coefficients to study the particle production in this spacetime. We also derive an expression for the total mass of such dynamical spacetimes using the conformal Killing vector. We then perform differential variations of the mass formula to determine whether the laws of dynamical black hole mechanics correspond to the laws of thermodynamics.
Conditional Fractional Matching Preclusion Number of Graphs
Authors: Li Wen , Liu Yuhu , Li Yinkui , Cheng Eddie , Mao Yaping
Published: August 2024

The conditional fractional matching preclusion number (CFMP number for short) [Formula: see text] of a graph [Formula: see text] is the minimum number of edges whose deletion results in a graph without isolated vertices and without fractional perfect matchings. In this paper, we study the CFMP number of complete graphs, complete bipartite graphs and twisted cubes. Also, we give Nordhaus–Gaddum-type results for the CFMP numbers of general graphs.
The Applications of Social Media for Luxury Brand Management — A Narrative Review
Authors: Warsi Ramsha , Dixit Shailja , Lyall Bobby W.
Published: August 2024

Purpose — The emergence of social media and digital technologies has reformed the competitive aspect for firms that quickly acknowledged the increasing relevance of social media platforms for business purposes social media is emerging as an important part of our lives. Luxury brands are gaining popularity as the customers are getting richer. In this paper, we did an extensive review of the research papers to understand the applications of social media for luxury brands management. We also studied the data analysis techniques used in those research papers.

Methodology — The papers related to the applications of social media for luxury brand management were collected using related keywords. We searched the papers with the keywords such as “Social media marketing” and “Luxury brands”, “Social media consumer engagement” and “Luxury brands”, “Social media consumer response” and “Luxury brands” and “Social media communication” and “Luxury brands” in Scopus database.

Findings — Marketing and customer response are the two main categories of the applications of the social media for luxury brand management. Regarding data analysis techniques, traditional data analysis models such as structural equation modelling, regression, etc. have been used more as compared to data mining, text mining, etc. process.

Originality — We propose a new categorisation of different research papers related to applications of social media for luxury brand management. We also did an extensive study of the data analysis techniques to conclude that traditional data analysis models have been mostly used in this research area. The recommendations to social media marketing professionals related to luxury brands have been presented to improve the effectiveness of social media campaigns for luxury brands. We also suggest challenges and future research directions in this area.
Loewner Theory for Stochastic Neuron Model
Authors: Shibasaki Yusuke
Published: August 2024

The nonlinear response of the dynamics of the stochastic neuronal activity based on the leaky integrate-and-fire model was reformulated using the Loewner theory. We observed that the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), which is an indicator of stochastic resonance (SR), and fluctuation-dissipation relation (FDR) for the neuronal dynamics were newly obtained in the theoretical framework of the Loewner evolution. Particularly, we focus on the role of the Loewner entropy [Formula: see text], defined as the entropy of the Loewner driving force, while showing the efficacy of Loewner time conversion to theorize the nonlinear characteristic of the neuronal dynamics. The present results indicate a possible approach to the novel formulation of biophysical models.
Knowledge-tuning Large Language Models with Structured Medical Knowledge Bases for Trustworthy Response Generation in Chinese
Authors: Wang Haochun , Zhao Sendong , Qiang Zewen , Li Zijian , Liu Chi , Xi Nuwa , Du Yanrui , Qin Bing , Liu Ting
Published: August 2024

Large Language Models (LLMs) have demonstrated remarkable success in diverse natural language processing (NLP) tasks in general domains. However, LLMs sometimes generate responses with the
hallucination
about medical facts due to limited domain knowledge. Such shortcomings pose potential risks in the utilization of LLMs within medical contexts. To address this challenge, we propose knowledge-tuning, which leverages structured medical knowledge bases for the LLMs to grasp domain knowledge efficiently and facilitate trustworthy response generation. We also release cMedKnowQA, a Chinese medical knowledge question-answering dataset constructed from medical knowledge bases to assess the medical knowledge proficiency of LLMs. Experimental results show that the LLMs which are knowledge-tuned with cMedKnowQA can exhibit higher levels of accuracy in response generation compared with vanilla instruction-tuning and offer a new trustworthy way for the domain adaptation of LLMs. We release our code and data at
https://github.com/SCIR-HI/Huatuo-Llama-Med-Chinese
.
Enhancing Lyrics Rewriting with Weak Supervision from Grammatical Error Correction Pre-training and Reference Knowledge Fusion
Authors: Li Jiajia , Wang Ping , Li Zuchao , Parnow Kevin , Zhao Hai , Ding Weiping
Published: August 2024

Lyric rewriting involves taking the original lyrics of a song and creatively rephrasing them while preserving their core meaning and emotional essence. Sequence-to-sequence methods often face the problem of lack of annotated corpus and difficulty in understanding lyrics when dealing with the lyric rewriting task. Inspired by the language rewriting technique, grammatical error correction (GEC) and sequence-to-sequence generation techniques, and neural machine translation (NMT) methods, we propose novel self-supervised learning methods that can effectively solve the problem of the lack of a lyric rewriting corpus. In addition, we also propose a new pretrained DAE Transformer model with data prior knowledge fusion to enhance the lyric rewriting ability. The reference-as-context model (RaC-Large) constructed by us based on these two methods achieves the best results in comparison with the baseline including large language models, fully verifying the effectiveness of the new method. We also validate the effectiveness of our approach on GEC and NMT tasks, further demonstrating the potential of our approach on a broad range of sequence-to-sequence tasks.
iip: An Integratable TCP/IP Stack
Authors: Yasukata Kenichi
Published: August 2024

This paper presents iip, an integratable TCP/IP stack, which aims to become a handy option for developers and researchers who wish to have a high-performance TCP/IP stack implementation for their projects. The problem that motivated us to newly develop iip is that existing performance-optimized TCP/IP stacks often incur tremendous integration complexity and existing portability-aware TCP/IP stacks have significant performance limitations. In this paper, we overhaul the responsibility boundary between a TCP/IP stack implementation and the code provided by developers, and introduce an API that enables iip to allow for easy integration and good performance simultaneously, then report performance numbers of iip along with insights on performance-critical factors.
On Sample Selection for Continual Learning: A Video Streaming Case Study
Authors: Dietmüller Alexander , Jacob Romain , Vanbever Laurent
Published: August 2024

Machine learning (ML) is a powerful tool to model the complexity of communication networks. As networks evolve, we cannot only train once and deploy. Retraining models, known as continual learning, is necessary. Yet, to date, there is no established methodology to answer the key questions:
With which samples to retrain? When should we retrain?

We address these questions with the sample selection system Memento, which maintains a training set with the "most useful" samples to maximize sample space coverage. Memento particularly benefits rare patterns---the notoriously long "tail" in networking---and allows assessing rationally
when
retraining may help, i.e., when the coverage changes.

We deployed Memento on Puffer, the live-TV streaming project, and achieved a 14 % reduction of stall time, 3.5× the improvement of random sample selection. Memento is model-agnostic and can be applied beyond video streaming.
SIGLOG Monthly 251: July 2024
Authors: Anastasiadi Elli
Published: August 2024

The 2024 Alonzo Church Award for Outstanding Contributions to Logic and Computation is presented jointly to Thomas Ehrhard and Laurent Regnier for giving a logical and computational account of differentiation, bringing Taylor expansion to the Curry-Howard correspondence, which had a major impact on programming language semantics.
The Desiccation and Catastrophic Refilling of the Mediterranean: 50 Years of Facts, Hypotheses, and Myths Around the Messinian Salinity Crisis
Authors: Roveri Marco , Lugli Stefano , Manzi Vinicio
Published: August 2024

According to some authors, the Messinian salinity crisis was ended by a giant waterfall or megaflood 5.33 million years ago, when the Atlantic Ocean reconnected in a catastrophic way with the desiccated Mediterranean, creating the Strait of Gibraltar. An erosional surface deeply cutting upper Miocene or older rocks and sealed by lower Pliocene sediments is the geological feature that inspired this fascinating hypothesis. The hypothesis, which recalls several ancient myths, is well established in the scientific community and often considered to be a fact. However, several studies are suggesting that the Atlantic–Mediterranean connection through the Strait of Gibraltar was probably active before and during the entire Messinian salinity crisis. This allows us to consider the possibility that long-lived, more gradual physical processes were responsible for the evolution of the strait, opening the idea of a nondesiccated Mediterranean Sea.
Fully Automated Deep Learning Model to Detect Clinically Significant Prostate Cancer at MRI
Authors: Cai Jason C. , Nakai Hirotsugu , Kuanar Shiba , Froemming Adam T. , Bolan Candice W. , Kawashima Akira , Takahashi Hiroaki , Mynderse Lance A. , Dora Chandler D. , Humphreys Mitchell R. , Korfiatis Panagiotis , Rouzrokh Pouria , Bratt Alexander K. , Conte Gian Marco , Erickson Bradley J. , Takahashi Naoki
Published: August 2024

The performance of a deep learning model was not different from that of radiologists in the detection of clinically significant prostate cancer at MRI, and gradient-weighted class activation maps localized the tumor.
Adolescent Patient’s Perceptions During Treatment With Class II Elastics
Authors: Bogdanov V. , Ilova D. , Yordanova Gr.
Published: August 2024

The article presents a case of a 13‐year‐old adolescent male patient who started orthodontic treatment at the age of 12. Before treatment, he was diagnosed with narrow maxilla, proclination of upper incisors, deep overbite, distal occlusion bilaterally with significant sagittal overjet in frontal area, skeletal Class II, and hypodivergent growth pattern. During treatment, the patient is in his pubertal growth spurt. About 2 months after intermaxillary Class II elastics (1/4 heavy, 6.5 Oz) were applied, he complained of pain during mastication, wide opening of the mouth, and sometimes during protrusive and lateral movements in the right TMJ. The TMJ X‐ray examination did not reveal abnormal morphological changes. Occlusion was evaluated by an electromyographic device, Teethan. The result was typical for Class II malocclusion. During the bilateral palpation of the zones of TMJ and opening of the mouth and chewing, the patient reported pain on the right side. There was no clicking in the joint. The elastic wear was stopped, and soon afterwards, the pain disappeared. These complaints point to a possible relationship between orthodontic treatment and TMJ pain. However, the disappearance of complaints after the removal of the Class II elastics points that the temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) symptoms are reversible and resolved.
B‐Cell Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and B‐Cell Lymphomas: The Key Role of Micro and Long Noncoding RNAs
Authors: Mohammadian Mozhdeh , Salimi Maryam , Farhadihosseinabadi Behrouz , Noorazar Leila , Dehghani Ghorbi Mahmoud , Mohammadali Fatemeh , Mirfakhraie Reza , Roshandel Elham , Hajifathali Abbas
Published: August 2024

B‐cell chronic malignancies, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia and lymphomas, are among the most common blood malignancies. Conventional therapies for these lymphoproliferative diseases include chemotherapy and radiotherapy. However, treating these types of cancer is still challenging due to developing resistance to chemotherapy drugs and even novel agents like immunochemotherapy. Therefore, many studies are underway to clarify the mechanisms involved in this phenomenon. Recently, the role of noncoding RNAs in regulating gene expression has been well documented in the literature. microRNAs are small noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression at transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels. Long noncoding RNAs are involved in cell differentiation and tissue development via transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulation. Several miRNAs regulate B‐cell development and stimulate activation in normal or malignant B‐cells. Molecular assessments revealed the relationship between the up/downregulation of different genes and the development of therapeutic resistance. Studies suggest that the dysregulation of these molecules could be the missing link in developing resistance to chemotherapy drugs. Serum levels of miRNAs can be employed as a predictive biomarker for diagnosis, prognosis, and response to treatment in B‐cell malignancies. This study reviews the role of different microRNAs and long noncoding RNAs in regulating the expression of genes involved in drug resistance in B‐cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia and lymphomas.