bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of Respiratory Viruses in Children With Acute Respiratory Infections in Shanghai, China, From 2013 to 2022
Authors: Zhang Li , Wang Yuanping , Xu Hongmei , Hao Lipeng , Zhao Bing , Ye Chuchu , Zhu Weiping
Published: May 2024

Background

A variety of viruses can cause acute respiratory infections (ARIs), resulting in a high disease burden worldwide. To explore the dominant viruses and their prevalence characteristics in children with ARIs, comprehensive surveillance was carried out in the Pudong New Area of Shanghai.

Methods

Between January 2013 and December 2022, the basic and clinical information, and respiratory tract specimens of 0–14 years old children with ARIs were collected in five sentinel hospitals in Shanghai Pudong. Each specimen was tested for eight respiratory viruses, and the positive rates of different age groups, case types (inpatient or outpatient) were analyzed.

Results

In our study, 30.67% (1294/4219) children with ARIs were positive for at least one virus. Influenza virus (IFV) was the most commonly detected respiratory virus (349/4219, 8.27%), followed by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) (217/4219, 5.14%), para‐influenza virus (PIV) (215/4219, 5.10%), and human coronavirus (HCoV, including 229E, OC43, NL63, and HKU1) (184/4219, 4.36%). IFV was the leading respiratory virus in outpatients aged 5–14 years (201/1673, 12.01%); RSV was the most prevalent respiratory virus in both inpatients (61/238, 25.63%) and outpatients (4/50, 8.00%) for ARI patients aged <6 months old. For PIV, HMPV, HCoV, and HRV, the risk of infection usually was higher among young children. Co‐infection with more than two viruses was seen in 3.25% (137/4219).

Conclusions

IFV and RSV played important roles in ARIs among children, but the risk populations were different. There are needs for targeted diagnosis and treatment and necessary immunization and non‐pharmaceutical interventions.
The structure of CaO–MgO–Al2O3–SiO2 melts and glasses doped with FeOX–NiO
Authors: Benmore Chris J. , Bogle Rebekah , Wilke Stephen K. , Weber Richard , Neuefeind Joerg , Costa Gustavo
Published: May 2024

Neutron and x‐ray diffraction measurements have been performed on CaO–MgO–Al2O3–SiO2 (CMAS) glasses doped with NiO–FeXO at room temperature, along with x‐ray measurements on aerodynamically levitated liquids at ≥2000 K. The disordered structures have been modeled using empirical potential structure refinement to investigate the relation between the aluminosilicate network and the modifying cations. The SiO4 and AlO4 tetrahedra are found to have wider Si–O and Al–O bond distance distributions in the glass, and the first Ca–On coordination shell is highly distorted, redistributing different populations of long and short bonds between the liquid and the glass. The addition of Fe and Ni at low aluminosilicate content increases the number of free oxygens not bonded to AlO4 or SiO4. Mg–O and Fe–O are both found to be predominantly fourfold and fivefold in the liquid and glassy states. Despite these low coordination numbers, their bond angle distributions indicate that they are predominantly in nontetrahedral‐type geometries, with ferrous and ferric iron possessing similar coordination environments. The Ca–O and Mg–O average coordination numbers and enthalpies of solution are consistent with their higher reactivity within relatively acidic aluminosilicate melts.
Impact of reading messages on student learning and note‐taking during a video lecture
Authors: Colliot Tiphaine , Flanigan Abraham E.
Published: May 2024

Background

Many instructors transitioned their courses from face‐to‐face environments to computer‐mediated learning environments (CMLEs) following the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic. However, little was known about how teleconferencing platforms and their corresponding functions affect student learning when the COVID‐19 pandemic began.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to provide more clarity on the conditions through which online teleconferencing platforms influence student achievement. More specifically, this study investigated how displaying lecture‐relevant and lecture‐irrelevant messages in a chat box during a video lecture delivered via the Zoom teleconferencing platform affected student learning and note taking.

Methods

Participants viewed the video lecture either with (relevant or irrelevant) or without messages appearing in the chat box of the Zoom window. Participants completed a learning test immediately following the lecture.

Results and Conclusions

No difference regarding student achievement was observed between the three groups. However, results revealed that students in the relevant‐lecture messages group reported a higher extraneous cognitive load than the other groups even if they reported positive attitudes about the messages appearing on the chat box. Students in the lecture‐relevant group also recorded more notes during the lecture compared to the two other groups, but this result did not reach significance. This study extends previous research that investigated how messaging influences learning in classroom settings. Findings suggest that allowing relevant discussions is not the best strategy to promote learning in CMLEs as this information seems to compete with the other relevant information being presented during the ongoing lecture.
Trends and disparities in cardiac implantable electronic device infection‐related mortality in the United States
Authors: Agarwal Siddharth , Qamar Usama , Munir Muhammad Bilal , Asad Zain Ul Abideen , Deshmukh Abhishek , DeSimone Daniel C. , DeSimone Christopher V.
Published: May 2024

Introduction

We performed a cross‐sectional study using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) Wide‐Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER) database to analyze the trends in cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) infection‐related mortality from 1999 to 2020.

Methods

We analyzed the death certificate data from the CDC WONDER database from 1999 to 2020 for CIED infections in the US population aged ≥25 years using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD‐10) codes, listed as the underlying or contributing cause of death. Age‐adjusted mortality rates (AAMR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed per 1 million population by standardizing crude mortality rates to the 2000 US census population. To assess annual mortality trends, we employed the Joinpoint regression model, calculating the annual percent change (APC) in AAMR and corresponding 95% CIs.

Results

Overall, there was an observed declining trend in AAMRs related to CIED infection‐related mortality. Males accounted for 55% of the total deaths, with persistently higher AAMRs compared to females over the study duration. Both males and females had an overall decreasing trend in AAMRs throughout the study duration. On race/ethnicity stratified analysis, non‐Hispanic (NH) Blacks exhibited the highest overall AAMR, followed by NH American Indians or Alaska Natives, NH Whites, Hispanic or Latinos, and NH Asian or Pacific Islanders. On a stratified analysis based on region, the South region had the highest overall AAMR, followed by the Midwest, West, and Northeast regions.

Conclusion

Our study demonstrates a significant decline in CIED infection‐related mortality in patients over the last two decades. Notable gender, racial/ethnic, and regional differences exist in the rates of mortality related to CIED infections.
Postpartum life interventions to prevent type 2 diabetes in women with gestational diabetes: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Wang Yu , Wei Wenjun , Guo Heming , Wang Dengmin , Wei Xueli , Zhang Chunlan , Zhang Xiaoyan , Huang Yun
Published: May 2024

Aims/Introduction

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a major metabolic disease that seriously endangers life and health, but women with gestational diabetes mellitus are at increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes mellitus. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of postpartum lifestyle intervention on the prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus, and the effect of lifestyle intervention on glycemic outcomes and anthropometric measures.

Materials and Methods

We searched PubMed and other databases to retrieve articles published before May 21, 2023, on randomized controlled trials of postnatal lifestyle interventions (diet and/or physical activity) in women with gestational diabetes mellitus. We estimated the pooled odds ratios using fixed or random effects models and conducted a subgroup analysis of the different intervention methods to explore differences in the different lifestyle interventions.

Results

The review included 17 randomized controlled trials. Overall, lifestyle changes started after a pregnancy complicated by gestational diabetes mellitus an 11% (RR = 0.89; 95% CI: 0.74–1.07) reduction in diabetes risk; significant differences were found for weight (MD = −1.33; 95% CI: [−1.76; −0.89], P < 0.00001) body mass index (MD = −0.53; 95% CI: [−0.74, −0.32], P < 0.00001), and waist circumference change (MD = −1.38; 95% CI: [−2.12; −0.64], P = 0.0002) but not for fasting glucose (MD = −0.06; 95% CI: [−0.19; 0.06], P = 0.32), 2 h glucose (MD = −0.12; 95% CI: [−0.30; 0.06], P = 0.19), and hemoglobin A1c (MD = −0.11; 95% CI: [−0.23; 0.02], P = 0.09). Subgroup analyses showed no significant differences in the effects of different lifestyle interventions on the incidence of type 2 diabetes, blood glucose levels, and anthropometric parameters.

Conclusion

Our comprehensive meta‐analysis of lifestyle interventions can improve modifiable anthropometric measures in women with gestational diabetes. We need further research to provide more intensive lifestyle intervention, more scientific intervention methods, and to reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes in patients with gestational diabetes.
Association between potentially inappropriate medications prescription and health‐related quality of life among US older adults
Authors: Clark Collin M. , Guan Jiajie , Patel Aman R. , Stoll Jennifer , Wahler Robert G. , Feuerstein Steven , Singh Ranjit , Jacobs David M.
Published: May 2024

Background

Potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) are associated with worse health outcomes among older adults. Our objective was to examine the association between PIM prescription and health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) among older adults in the United States using nationally representative data.

Methods

This was a retrospective study utilizing 2011–2015 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) data. Community dwelling US adults aged 65 years or older were included. A qualified definition operationalized from the 2019 American Geriatrics Society Beers Criteria® was used to define exposure to PIMs during the study period. The Physical Component Summary (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS) of the Medical Outcomes Study 12‐Item Short Form Health Survey (SF‐12) were used to measure HRQoL. Survey‐weighted linear regression models were constructed to investigate the association between PIM exposure and participants' PCS and MCS scores. Analyses were stratified across three age cohorts (65–74, 75–85, and ≥85 years).

Results

Unadjusted analysis showed poorer scores in the PIM exposed group for both PCS and MCS (all p < 0.001). PIM exposure was associated with poorer PCS scores across all age groups with those aged 65–74 years (adjusted regression coefficient = −1.60 [95% CI = −2.27, −0.93; p < 0.001]), those 75–84 years (adjusted regression coefficient: −1.49 [95% CI = −2.45, −0.53; p = 0.003]), and those 85 years and older (adjusted regression coefficient = −1.65 [95% CI = −3.03, −0.27; p = 0.02]). PIM exposure was also associated with poorer MCS scores in participants aged 65–74 years (adjusted regression coefficient = −0.69 [95% CI = −1.16, −0.22; p = 0.004]) and 85 years and older (adjusted regression coefficient = −2.01 [95% CI = −3.25, −0.78; p = 0.002]).

Conclusions

Our results suggest that patients' exposure to PIMs is associated with poorer HRQoL. Further work is needed to assess whether interventions to deprescribe PIMs may help to improve patients' HRQoL.
The impact of monotherapies for male androgenetic alopecia: A network meta‐analysis study
Authors: Gupta Aditya K. , Bamimore Mary A. , Wang Tong , Talukder Mesbah
Published: May 2024

Background

The evidence base pertaining to the efficacy of monotherapies for androgenetic alopecia (AGA), the most common form of hair loss, is ever expanding—and this warrants a formal comparison therapies' effect on a frequent basis.

Aims

The objective of the current study was to determine the comparative effect of relevant monotherapies for male AGA.

Patients/Methods

Our aim was achieved by conducting Bayesian network meta‐analysis (NMA), under a random effects model, for two outcomes: 6‐month change in (1) total and (2) terminal hair density in adult (i.e., aged 18 years and above) men with AGA; these analyses were preceded by a systematic search of the peer‐reviewed literature for suitable data. Interventions' surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) and pairwise relative effects (quantified as mean differences) were estimated through the NMAs.

Results

We determined the comparative effect of 20 active comparators and a control (i.e., placebo/vehicle). “Dutasteride 0.5 mg once daily for 24 weeks” was ranked the most effective in terms of 6‐month change in (1) total hair density (SUCRA = 87%) and terminal hair density (SUCRA = 98%). Our results showed that interventions’ effectiveness can be dose dependent.

Conclusions

Our updated analyses of the up‐to‐date evidence regarding monotherapies for male AGA showed that the oral form of 5‐alpha reductase inhibitors are more effective than oral minoxidil and other newer agents like Botox, microneedling, and photobiomodulation. Our findings can better inform clinical decision making and design of future research studies.
A prospective and randomized study comparing ultrasound‐guided real time injection to conventional blind injection of botulinum neurotoxin for glabellar wrinkles
Authors: Wu Yange , Zhang Yun , Li Huimin , Lin Jiaqi , Ye Hengni , Chen Xuepeng , Tang Kuangyun
Published: May 2024

Background

Botulinum neurotoxin injections are the most frequently performed cosmetic procedures, but conventional blind injection for glabellar wrinkles remains to have some limitations.

Aims

We intend to directly inject botulinum neurotoxin into the glabella complex guided by real time ultrasound. We aim to propose a more efficient and safer botulinum neurotoxin injection strategy for glabellar wrinkles.

Methods

A total of 40 subjects with moderate to severe glabellar lines were enrolled in this study to receive botulinum neurotoxin injection, either through ultrasound‐guided real time injection or conventional blind injection. Facial Wrinkle Scale (ranging from 0 = none to 3 = severe) and inter‐brow distance (from 3D scanned face images) were used to evaluate the glabellar wrinkles improvement. Paired t test and two‐sample t test were performed to analyze the within‐group and between‐group differences.

Results

The wrinkle score reduction was significant (p < 0.0001) immediately after the injection in ultrasound‐guided injection group, but not in blind injection group (p = 0.163). Ultrasound‐guided injection also showed a higher performance of wrinkle score reduction and more effective inter‐brow distance increase over blind injection at Day 0 (p < 0.0001), Day 1 (p < 0.0001), Day 21 (p < 0.01) and Day 35 (p < 0.01) after initial treatment.

Conclusions

The results of the study confirmed that botulinum neurotoxin injection for glabellar wrinkles under ultrasound guidance achieves quicker onset of action and better final outcomes compared to conventional blind injection.
Bradyrhizobium japonicumHmuP is an RNA‐binding protein that positively controls hmuR operon expression by suppression of a negative regulatory RNA element in the 5′ untranslated region
Authors: Wu Peipei , Ong Alasteir , O'Brian Mark R.
Published: May 2024

The hmuR operon encodes proteins for the uptake and utilization of heme as a nutritional iron source in Bradyrhizobium japonicum. The hmuR operon is transcriptionally activated by the Irr protein and is also positively controlled by HmuP by an unknown mechanism. An hmuP mutant does not express the hmuR operon genes nor does it grow on heme. Here, we show that hmuR expression from a heterologous promoter still requires hmuP, suggesting that HmuP does not regulate at the transcriptional level. Replacement of the 5′ untranslated region (5′UTR) of an HmuP‐independent gene with the hmuR 5′UTR conferred HmuP‐dependent expression on that gene. Recombinant HmuP bound an HmuP‐responsive RNA element (HPRE) within the hmuR 5′UTR. A 2 nt substitution predicted to destabilize the secondary structure of the HPRE abolished both HmuP binding activity in vitro and hmuR expression in cells. However, deletion of the HPRE partially restored hmuR expression in an hmuP mutant, and it rescued growth of the hmuP mutant on heme. These findings suggest that the HPRE is a negative regulatory RNA element that is suppressed when bound by HmuP to express the hmuR operon.
Automated body length and body condition measurements of whales from drone videos for rapid assessment of population health
Authors: Bierlich Kevin Charles , Karki Sagar , Bird Clara N. , Fern Alan , Torres Leigh G.
Published: May 2024

Monitoring body length and body condition of individuals helps determine overall population health and assess adaptation to environmental changes. Aerial photogrammetry from drone‐based videos is a valuable method for obtaining body length and body condition measurements of cetaceans. However, the laborious manual processing of drone‐based videos to select frames to measure animals ultimately delays assessment of population health and hinders conservation actions. Here, we apply deep learning methods to expedite the processing of drone‐based videos to improve efficiency of obtaining important morphological measurements of whales. We develop two user‐friendly models to automatically (1) detect and output frames containing whales from drone‐based videos (“DeteX”) and (2) extract body length and body condition measurements from input frames (“XtraX”). We use drone‐based videos of gray whales to compare manual versus automated measurements (n = 86). Our results show automated methods reduced processing times by one‐ninth, while achieving similar accuracy as manual measurements (mean coefficient of variation <5%). We also demonstrate how these methods are adaptable to other species and identify remaining challenges to help further improve automated measurements in the future. Importantly, these tools greatly speed up obtaining key morphological data while maintaining accuracy, which is critical for effectively monitoring population health.
Julian of Norwich's Grateful God
Authors: McAnnally‐Linz Ryan
Published: May 2024

The sixth “showing” that Julian of Norwich recounts in her Revelation of Love includes a vision of the saints receiving thanks from God. Julian echoes and refers back to this scene at several other points in her text, but she never acknowledges its oddity within the broadly Augustinian‐Platonist stream of theology within which she works. How can it make sense for the God who is Being, Goodness, and Truth—the creator and cause of all that is—to give thanks to a creature? I argue that Julian's image of a grateful God accords with (1) her account of God's aim in creation, including the defeat of sin and evil, and (2) her understanding of the place of giving and receiving in humans’ likeness to God.
GLR‐dependent calcium and electrical signals are not coupled to systemic, oxylipin‐based wound‐induced gene expression in Marchantia polymorpha
Authors: Sanmartín Maite , Rojo Enrique , Kurenda Andrzej , Larruy‐García Beatriz , Zamarreño Ángel M. , Delgadillo M. Otilia , Brito‐Gutiérrez Pavel , García‐Mina José M. , Farmer Edward E. , Sánchez‐Serrano Jose J.
Published: May 2024

In angiosperms, wound‐derived signals travel through the vasculature to systemically activate defence responses throughout the plant. In Arabidopsis thaliana, activity of vasculature‐specific Clade 3 glutamate receptor‐like (GLR) channels is required for the transmission of electrical signals and cytosolic Ca2+ ([Ca2+]cyt) waves from wounded leaves to distal tissues, triggering activation of oxylipin‐dependent defences.

Whether nonvascular plants mount systemic responses upon wounding remains unknown. To explore the evolution of systemic defence responses, we investigated electrical and calcium signalling in the nonvascular plant Marchantia polymorpha.

We found that electrical signals and [Ca2+]cyt waves are generated in response to mechanical wounding and propagated to nondamaged distal tissues in M. polymorpha. Functional analysis of MpGLR, the only GLR encoded in the genome of M. polymorpha, indicates that its activity is necessary for the systemic transmission of wound‐induced electrical signals and [Ca2+]cyt waves, similar to vascular plants. However, spread of these signals is neither coupled to systemic accumulation of oxylipins nor to a transcriptional defence response in the distal tissues of wounded M. polymorpha plants.

Our results suggest that lack of vasculature prevents translocation of additional signalling factors that, together with electrical signals and [Ca2+]cyt waves, contribute to systemic activation of defences in tracheophytes.
What a Puzzle! Unravelling Why UK Phillips Curves were Unstable
Authors: Castle Jennifer L. , Hendry David F.
Published: May 2024

The UK relationship between nominal wage inflation and the unemployment rate is unstable. Over sub‐periods of the last 160 years of turbulent data, Phillips curve slopes range from strongly negative, slightly negative, flat, slightly positive and strongly positive. Our constant‐parameter congruent model of real wages explains these instabilities, yet also implies a constant negative relationship between nominal wage inflation and the unemployment rate when corrected by its regressors. Disentangling these effects reveals that structural breaks in the real‐wage model's variables do not explain the instabilities, which instead occur during sub‐periods when some of its explanatory variables are insignificant.
Impossible Ethics: Do Population Ethical Impossibility Results Support Moral Skepticism and/or Anti‐Realism?
Authors: Moberger Victor
Published: May 2024

In this paper, I discuss two different metaethical challenges based on population ethical impossibility results. According to the anti‐realist challenge, the results pose a serious threat to the existence of objective moral facts. According to the skeptical challenge, the results pose a serious threat to the reliability of our moral intuitions. My aim is to systematically explore and evaluate these challenges. In addition to clarifying the issues, I argue that population ethical impossibility results do not in fact support any anti‐realist or skeptical conclusions.
Different roads, same destination: The shared future of plant ecophysiology and ecohydrology
Authors: Wilkening Jean V. , Feng Xue , Dawson Todd E. , Thompson Sally E.
Published: May 2024

Terrestrial water fluxes are substantially mediated by vegetation, while the distribution, growth, health, and mortality of plants are strongly influenced by the availability of water. These interactions, playing out across multiple spatial and temporal scales, link the disciplines of plant ecophysiology and ecohydrology. Despite this connection, the disciplines have provided complementary, but largely independent, perspectives on the soil‐plant‐atmosphere continuum since their crystallization as modern scientific disciplines in the late 20th century. This review traces the development of the two disciplines, from their respective origins in engineering and ecology, their largely independent growth and maturation, and the eventual development of common conceptual and quantitative frameworks. This common ground has allowed explicit coupling of the disciplines to better understand plant function. Case studies both illuminate the limitations of the disciplines working in isolation, and reveal the exciting possibilities created by consilience between the disciplines. The histories of the two disciplines suggest opportunities for new advances will arise from sharing methodologies, working across multiple levels of complexity, and leveraging new observational technologies. Practically, these exchanges can be supported by creating shared scientific spaces. This review argues that consilience and collaboration are essential for robust and evidence‐based predictions and policy responses under global change.
BET inhibition sensitizes innate checkpoint inhibitor resistant melanoma to anti‐CTLA‐4 treatment
Authors: Tseng Hsin‐Yi , Alavi Sara , Gallagher Stuart , McGuire Helen M. , Hersey Peter , Al Emran Abdullah , Tiffen Jessamy
Published: May 2024

Approximately 50% of melanoma patients fail to respond to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB), and acquired resistance hampers long‐term survival in about half of initially responding patients. Whether targeting BET reader proteins, implicated in epigenetic dysregulation, can enhance ICB response rates and durability, remains to be determined. Here we show elevated BET proteins correlate with poor survival and ICB responses in melanoma patients. The BET inhibitor IBET151, combined with anti‐CTLA‐4, overcame innate ICB resistance however, sequential BET inhibition failed against acquired resistance in mouse models. Combination treatment response in the innate resistance model induced changes in tumor‐infiltrating immune cells, reducing myeloid‐derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). CD4+ and CD8+ T cells showed decreased expression of inhibitory receptors, with reduced TIM3, LAG3, and BTLA checkpoint expression. In human PBMCs in vitro, BET inhibition reduced expression of immune checkpoints in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, restoring effector cytokines and downregulating the transcriptional driver TOX. BET proteins in melanoma may play an oncogenic role by inducing immune suppression and driving T cell dysfunction. The study demonstrates an effective combination for innately unresponsive melanoma patients to checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy, yet highlights BET inhibitors' limitations in an acquired resistance context.
The genetic structure of founding bumblebee populations in reconstructed prairie habitat 3 years after planting
Authors: Bruns Clarissa E. , Demastes James W. , Berendzen Peter B. , Wen Ai
Published: May 2024

The decline of wild bee pollinators has prompted habitat reconstruction in many regions around the world in order to increase the floral resources available to pollinators. Relatively little research has monitored the genetic differentiation and the relatedness of founding bumblebee populations during the colony recruitment process after vegetation is planted in the landscape. We surveyed nine 3‐year post‐planting reconstructed prairie sites located in the corn belt of the U.S. Midwest, where the landscape is largely dominated by industrialized row crops. Using seven microsatellite loci from 103 Bombus griseocollis, we examined the population genetics of this generalist bee's colonies established on these newly constructed prairie sites. When analyzed, B. griseocollis populations from an older reconstructed site were more genetically distinct from newly established bumblebee populations on reconstructed sites, while the new reconstructed sites exhibited no genetic structure. The floral richness or abundance at the reconstructed sites did not contribute to the allelic richness of the recolonized bumblebee populations. We did, however, find significant negative correlations between the bumblebee populations' allelic richness and the percent coverage of row‐crop farmland in the surrounding landscape and positive correlations between the allelic richness and forest and woody wetland habitat covers. This finding strongly indicates the importance of the composition of the surrounding landscape in the recruitment period of the founding pollinator populations.
University students' and lecturers' perceived stress and satisfaction with life during the COVID‐19 pandemic: The role of personality traits and self‐efficacy
Authors: Lacko David , Čeněk Jiří , Hřebíčková Martina
Published: May 2024

This article investigates the links between the Big Five personality traits and self‐efficacy, perceived stress, and life satisfaction during the COVID‐19 pandemic on a large sample of Czech university students and lecturers (N = 11,824). The study's findings indicate that during the pandemic, negative emotionality was strongly associated with both perceived stress and life satisfaction. The study also reveals a positive link between extraversion and perceived stress across the entire sample, and in the student group specifically, extraversion was negatively associated with life satisfaction. This suggests that a high level of extraversion may not act as a protective factor in situations of limited social contact, for example, under the social restriction mandates during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Additionally, self‐efficacy was associated with higher satisfaction with life but also higher perceived stress. This finding contradicts previous research conducted before and during the pandemic and warrants further investigation. Interestingly, the links between personality traits, self‐efficacy, perceived stress, and life satisfaction were not significantly moderated by professional position. Both lecturers and students experienced similar disruptions to their daily routines, social isolation, and financial concerns during the pandemic.
Image‐based inertial impact test for viscoelastic constitutive identification: A digital replica for error quantification
Authors: Matejunas Andrew , Fletcher Lloyd , Lamberson Leslie
Published: May 2024

Polymers find widespread use in applications where they are subjected to impact loading. Therefore, understanding the time dependence of their mechanical response is critical to the design of structures subjected to these high strain rate environments. However, characterising these materials on microsecond time scales has proven challenging. Traditional experimental techniques rely on satisfying a number of limiting assumptions and typically do not provide direct measurements of the material parameters. Here, we propose a novel implementation of the image‐based inertial impact (IBII) test to extract viscoelastic constitutive parameters on these microsecond time scales using the stress gauge implementation of the virtual fields method. We validate the experiment using a digital replica approach in which the constitutive parameters are first extracted on a finite element model of an IBII test on a viscoelastic material. The finite element data are then used to synthetically deform computer‐generated grid images, which are then polluted with grey‐level noise to simulate the images that would be captured in a real‐life experiment. These images are processed identically to a physical experiment, and the identification is repeated using the full‐field displacements extracted from the computer‐generated images to determine the ideal processing parameters. Parameter identification was found to strongly depend on the processing parameters used to extract the kinematic fields from full‐field images, emphasising the need for computational validation before attempting a physical experiment to extract constitutive parameters. The IBII experimental method was found to be capable of simultaneously identifying the bulk modulus and the shear modulus along with their associated time constant.
An analysis of qualifications and requirements for geographic information systems (GIS) positions in the United States
Authors: Ramezan Christopher A. , Maxwell Aaron E. , Meadows Joshua T.
Published: May 2024

As the demand for geospatial analytics continues to grow, geographic information systems (GIS) professionals are needed to build, operate, and maintain GIS technologies, data, and software to provide geospatial insights for modern industries and organizations. To best train the next generation of GIS professionals, an understanding of qualifications and requirements of GIS positions is needed. Thus, this work analyzes 508 GIS positions, grouped by position type (analysts, developers, educators, managers, specialists, technicians) to provide insights on key pre‐requisite requirements, such as education, experience, certifications, soft communication skills, programming skills, and knowledge of GIS or IT. In general, possession of a bachelor's degree in GIS, geography, or computer science, prior professional experience, and knowledge of GIS and IT software were common pre‐requisites for most GIS roles. Soft communication skills were also frequently desired for GIS roles. We also found that some position requirements tended to vary by position type, such as manager and developer roles requiring on average 5 years or higher prior experience, while analyst, specialist, and technician roles had much lower experience and education requirements. Higher education institutions and GIS training programs should note the desired requirements for GIS position types and continue to refine programs and develop pathways for success for aspiring GIS professionals.
Threatening as a sociocultural–conceptual communicative act
Authors: Peters Arne
Published: May 2024

The present article revisits threatening discourses from the perspectives of anthropological linguistics, Cultural Linguistics, speech act theory and pragmatics. On the basis of linguistic data from 11th‐century Britain (Old English), 14th‐century Norway (Old Norse), 19th‐century Ireland (Early Modern Irish English and Modern Irish), 20th‐century Hong Kong (Hong Kong English) as well as 21st century South Africa (Black South African English), the discussion establishes verbal threats as socio‐pragmatic modes of action, that is, commissives that come as both illocutionary and perlocutionary acts. The main aim of the article is to elaborate on the central role that sociocultural norms and conventions play in the enregisterment of threat in a speech community at a given point in time. The article contributes to the development of forensic–linguistic threat assessment through a stronger focus on the sociocultural embeddedness of threatening discourses.
Limits of conical Kähler–Einstein metrics on rank one horosymmetric spaces
Authors: Delcroix Thibaut
Published: May 2024

We consider families of conical Kähler–Einstein metrics on rank one horosymmetric Fano manifolds, with decreasing cone angles along a codimension one orbit. At the limit angle, which is positive, we show that the metrics, restricted to the complement of that orbit, converge to (the pull‐back of) the Kähler–Einstein metric on the basis of the horosymmetric homogeneous space, which is a projective homogeneous space. Then we show that, on the symmetric space fibers, the rescaled metrics converge to Stenzel's Ricci flat Kähler metric.
Knotted families from graspers
Authors: Kosanović Danica
Published: May 2024

For any smooth manifold of dimension , we construct explicit classes in homotopy groups of spaces of embeddings of either an arc or a circle into , in every degree that is a multiple of , and show that they are detected in the Taylor tower of Goodwillie and Weiss. The classes are obtained from families of string links constructed in the ‐ball.
Analysis of Heat Transfer of Molten Salts Startup Flow in Cold Pipes Avoiding Freezing in Solar and Nuclear Energy Systems
Authors: Zhang Ye , Haddad Fouad , Li Peiwen
Published: May 2024

Molten salts are employed as the heat transfer fluid to carry the thermal energy from a solar receiver or a nuclear reactor for delivering to thermal storage systems or thermal power plants for power generation. For the startup operation, molten salts need to be pumped to flow into the pipes which may have lower temperature than the freezing point of molten salt due to the cold ambient temperature overnight or over the suspension of operation. Preventing the freezing of molten salt in cold pipes becomes a critical issue to the safe operation of a concentrating solar thermal power plant or a molten salt nuclear power plant. This study conducted a basic heat transfer analysis of the transient heat transfer from flowing molten salt to a cold pipe to determine the length from entrance to the onset of freezing of the fluid. From our modeling and analytical solution using method of characteristics, the correlation of the location of onset of freezing of molten salt with respect to the flow velocity, heat capacities of molten salt and pipes, dimension of the pipes, and the initial temperatures of salts and pipes, have been understood clearly. The modeling and computational tool can fundamentally help engineers to design a system to avoid freezing and clogging at cold startup when molten salt is applied as a heat transfer fluid.
Gas-to-soliton transition of attractive bosons on a spherical surface
Authors: Tononi A. , Astrakharchik G. E. , Petrov D. S.
Published: May 2024

We investigate the ground-state properties of N bosons with attractive zero-range interactions characterized by the scattering length a > 0 and confined to the surface of a sphere of radius R. We present the analytic solution of the problem for N = 2, mean-field analysis for N→∞, and exact diffusion Monte Carlo results for intermediate N. For finite N, we observe a smooth crossover from the uniform state in the limit a/R≫1 (weak attraction) to a localized state at small a/R (strong attraction). With increasing N, this crossover narrows down to a discontinuous transition from the uniform state to a soliton of size ∼R/N. The two states are separated by an energy barrier, tunneling under which is exponentially suppressed at large N. The system behavior is marked by a peculiar competition between space-curvature effects and beyond-mean-field terms, both breaking the scaling invariance of a two-dimensional mean-field theory.
Theoretical and numerical study on transient acoustic wave propagation across ice layers in the Arctic Ocean
Authors: Zeng Qitian , Liu Shengxing , Tang Liguo , Li Zhenglin
Published: May 2024

The study of transient acoustic wave propagation across the Arctic Ocean ice layer provides theoretical guidance for the design of trans-ice acoustic communication systems. In this study, the Arctic Ocean was modeled as an ice–water composite structure, where the ice and water are regarded as an elastic solid and liquid, respectively. An analytical transient solution for acoustic wave propagation in this structure was derived using the eigenfunction expansion method. Further, the numerical procedures were presented and used to analyze the acoustic wave propagation characteristics across the ice layer. The results show that waveforms corresponding to the radial displacements are more severely distorted than the axial displacements. The amplitudes of the radial and axial displacements decreased rapidly with increasing propagation distance. The ice thickness had a greater impact on the radial displacement than axial displacement; the thicker the ice, the greater the distortion for both radial and axial displacements.
Elite Coaches’ Role in Athletes’ Retirement Transitions: A Foucauldian Discourse Analysis
Authors: Brown Christopher J.
Published: May 2024

The aim of the research was to understand how prominent sociocultural discourses influenced how coaches construct athletes’ transition out of sport and position themselves within the process of retirement. Interviews with eight male elite coaches were analysed using a Foucauldian Discourse Analysis. Coaches’ talk about athletes’ transitions out of sport was constructed within the dominant performance discourse in sport. This suggests years of adhering to disciplinary practices of elite sport left athletes underprepared for the next steps in their life. Even when constructing retirement in more positive terms, this was done in ways that drew on ideas of high performance and objective success. Coaches’ own positions within transitions were discussed by drawing on ideas from a patriarchal construction of the coach–athlete relationship. Here, coaches are positioned as father figures with responsibility for guiding athletes through their careers and transitions out of sport. However, coaches suggested that the policies, procedures, and processes within wider networks of power inside sport often restricted their capacity to support athletes during their transitions. Future research and practice are aimed at helping coaches to navigate the power dynamics of sporting structures and organisations.
Self-Care and Emotional Competence in Supervision: Helping Clinical Sport Psychology Trainees Foster Professional Well-Being
Authors: Haugen Erin N.J. , Hoff Kristin
Published: May 2024

Within clinical sport psychology (CSP), there is increased attention on factors designed to enhance professional well-being, such as self-care, for practitioners. Emotional competence is a relatively new supervision topic despite it being an ethical imperative within clinical/counseling and sport psychology. CSP trainees deal with stressors that could threaten professional well-being and are complicated by ethical challenges within the sport ecosystem. The purpose of this article is to describe self-care and emotional competence as they relate to the professional well-being of CSP trainees. We offer practical applications for supervisors to consider adopting in their work with trainees. Overall, it is of vital importance that those in CSP attend to their well-being, and we call upon the CSP field to be more intentional about integrating well-being factors into the supervision relationship.
Dams trigger exponential population declines of migratory fish
Authors: Huang Zhenli , Li Haiying
Published: May 2024

The impact of dams on global migratory fish stocks is a major challenge and remains seriously underestimated. China has initiated a dozen fish rescue programs for the dams on the Yangtze River, focusing on five flagship species―Chinese sturgeon, Chinese paddlefish, Yangtze sturgeon, Chinese sucker, andCoreius guichenoti. Despite 40 years of effort, these five fishes are on the verge of extinction. Here, we propose an analytical tool that includes a framework of fish migration taxonomy and six life cycle models, the concepts of invalid stock and the dam impact coefficient, and a simplified population model. We then clarify the migration patterns and life cycles of these fishes and show that the Yangtze dams have severely disrupted the life cycle integrity of these species, causing seven types of invalid stocks and their exponential population declines. Last, we discuss six scientific misjudgments underpinning the fish rescue programs and recommend reforms to China’s fish rescue strategy.
Predicting the age of field
Anopheles
mosquitoes using mass spectrometry and deep learning
Authors: Mohammad Noshine , Naudion Pauline , Dia Abdoulaye Kane , Boëlle Pierre-Yves , Konaté Abdoulaye , Konaté Lassana , Niang El Hadji Amadou , Piarroux Renaud , Tannier Xavier , Nabet Cécile
Published: May 2024

Mosquito-borne diseases like malaria are rising globally, and improved mosquito vector surveillance is needed. Survival of
Anopheles
mosquitoes is key for epidemiological monitoring of malaria transmission and evaluation of vector control strategies targeting mosquito longevity, as the risk of pathogen transmission increases with mosquito age. However, the available tools to estimate field mosquito age are often approximate and time-consuming. Here, we show a rapid method that combines matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization–time-of-flight mass spectrometry with deep learning for mosquito age prediction. Using 2763 mass spectra from the head, legs, and thorax of 251 field-collected
Anopheles arabiensis
mosquitoes, we developed deep learning models that achieved a best mean absolute error of 1.74 days. We also demonstrate consistent performance at two ecological sites in Senegal, supported by age-related protein changes. Our approach is promising for malaria control and the field of vector biology, benefiting other disease vectors like
Aedes
mosquitoes.
Identification of
Anaplasma marginale
adhesins for entry into
Dermacentor andersoni
tick cells using phage display
Authors: Noh Susan M. , Ujczo Jessica , Alperin Debra C. , Jarvis Shelby M. , Solyman Muna S. M. , Koku Roberta , Akinsulie Olalekan C. , Hoffmann Elizabeth E.
Published: May 2024

Anaplasma marginale
is an obligate, intracellular, tick-borne bacterial pathogen that causes bovine anaplasmosis, an often severe, production-limiting disease of cattle found worldwide. Methods to control this disease are lacking, in large part due to major knowledge gaps in our understanding of the molecular underpinnings of basic host–pathogen interactions. For example, the surface proteins that serve as adhesins and, thus, likely play a role in pathogen entry into tick cells are largely unknown. To address this knowledge gap, we developed a phage display library and screened 66
A
.
marginale
proteins for their ability to adhere to
Dermacentor andersoni
tick cells. From this screen, 17 candidate adhesins were identified, including OmpA and multiple members of the Msp1 family, including Msp1b, Mlp3, and Mlp4. We then measured the transcript of
ompA
and all members of the
msp1
gene family through time, and determined that
msp1b
,
mlp2
, and
mlp4
have increased transcript during tick cell infection, suggesting a possible role in host cell binding or entry. Finally, Msp1a, Msp1b, Mlp3, and OmpA were expressed as recombinant protein. When added to cultured tick cells prior to
A. marginale
infection, all proteins except the C-terminus of Msp1a reduced
A. marginale
entry by 2.2- to 4.7-fold. Except OmpA, these adhesins lack orthologs in related pathogens of humans and animals, including
Anaplasma phagocytophilum
and the
Ehrlichia
spp., thus limiting their utility in a universal tick transmission-blocking vaccine. However, this work greatly advances efforts toward developing methods to control bovine anaplasmosis and, thus, may help improve global food security.
Emergence of carbapenem-resistant
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
ST179 producing both IMP-16 and KPC-2: a case study of introduction from Peru to Spain
Authors: Viñes Joaquim , Lopera Carlos , Vergara Andrea , Roca Ignasi , Vila Jordi , Casals-Pascual Climent , Martínez José Antonio , García-Vidal Carolina , Soriano Alex , Pitart Cristina
Published: May 2024

We describe four cases of a novel carbapenem-resistant
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
ST179 clone carrying the
bla
KPC-2
or
bla
KPC-35
gene together with
bla
IMP-16
, imported from Peru to Spain and isolated from leukemia patients. All isolates were multidrug-resistant but remained susceptible to fosfomycin, cefiderocol, and colistin. Whole-genome sequencing revealed that
bla
KPC-2
and
bla
KPC-35
were located in an IncP6 plasmid, whereas
bla
IMP-16
was in a chromosomal type 1 integron. This study highlights the global threat of multidrug-resistant
P. aeruginosa
clones and underscores the importance of monitoring and early detection of emerging resistance mechanisms to guide appropriate treatment strategies. The importation and spread of such clones emphasize the urgent need to implement strict infection control measures to prevent the dissemination of carbapenem-resistant bacteria.

IMPORTANCE

This is the first documented case of a
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
ST179 strain carrying the blaKPC-35 gene, and it represents the first report of a
P. aeruginosa
co-harboring blaIMP-16 and either blaKPC-2 or blaKPC-35, which wre imported from Peru to Spain, highlighting a threat due to the capacity of spreading carbapenem-resistance via plasmid conjugation.