bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hospital admissions to Phillip Island Wildlife Clinic, Victoria, Australia, over a 10-year period, 2012–2021
Authors: Dutton-Regester Kate J.
Published: March 2024

Wildlife clinics play a critical role in safeguarding the well-being and survival of diverse animal species, but their admissions data are also valuable for investigating threats and challenges impacting local wildlife. This study examines 10 years of admissions data from the Phillip Island Wildlife Clinic in Victoria, Australia, to identify species, primary causes, outcomes, and temporal trends of clinic admissions. Avian species constitute the majority of admissions (64.5%), with sea and water birds being the most frequently admitted group. Motor vehicle accidents, injuries of unknown cause, and orphaning are the dominant causes of admission for birds and mammals. Car strikes are the leading cause of admission for land birds, land mammals, macropods, and turtles. Orphaning exhibits a seasonal pattern, with a higher number of cases in spring. Overall, 59.1% of admissions resulted in mortality, with causes related to trauma showing significantly higher mortality risks than others. The findings emphasise the impact of tourism on wildlife populations and the urgent need for targeted conservation strategies on Phillip Island.
Surface spectroscopy and surface–bulk hybridization of Weyl semimetals
Authors: Zhang Xiao-Xiao , Nagaosa Naoto
Published: March 2024

Weyl semimetal showing open-arc surface states is a prominent example of topological quantum matter in three dimensions. With the bulk-boundary correspondence present, nontrivial surface–bulk hybridization is inevitable but less understood. Spectroscopies have been often limited to verifying the existence of surface Fermi arcs, whereas its spectral shape related to the hybridization profile in energy–momentum space is not well studied. We present an exactly solvable formalism at the surface for a wide range of prototypical Weyl semimetals. The resonant surface state and the bulk influence coexist as a surface–bulk hybrid and are treated in a unified manner. Directly accessible to angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we analytically reveal universal information about the system obtained from the spectroscopy of resonant topological states. We systematically find inhomogeneous and anisotropic singular responses around the surface–bulk merging borderline crossing Weyl points, highlighting its critical role in the Weyl topology. The response in scanning tunneling spectroscopy is also discussed. The results will provide much-needed insight into the surface–bulk-coupled physical properties and guide in-depth spectroscopic investigation of the nontrivial hybrid in many topological semimetal materials.
Performance analysis of p-MoTe2/n-MoSe2 -based bifacial solar cells with p+-N:Cu2O as BSF layer by SCAPS-1D
Authors: Rajib Arifuzzaman , Al Kafi Md Abdullah , Najesh Md Meherab Hossain , Rakibul Hasan Md , Miah Mohammad Rubel , Rahman Atowar
Published: March 2024

Photovoltaic solar cells (PVSC) with Molybdenum telluride (MoTe2) have received considerable attention because of their wide range of absorption, along with the absence of dangling bonds at their surface. Here, MoTe2-based PVSC with a preliminary device structure of Al/ITO/n-MoSe2/p-MoTe2/Pt was designed and estimated its performance by using the solar cell capacitance simulator in one dimension software program (SCAPS-1D). The effect of different parameters like thickness, doping density, and interface defect density of each layer was also investigated. Our investigation reveals that a moderate thickness of ∼1000 nm of MoTe2 and 500 nm of MoSe2, a higher concentration of more than 1017 cm−3 for both layers and moderate defect density of below 1014 cm−3 are favorable for the better PVSC device. The effect of integrating of p

+

-N:Cu

2

O layer in the MoTe2-based PVSC as a back surface field (BSF) layer was also taken into account to improve the device performance. We also evaluated the output parameters of the optimized Al/ITO

/n-MoSe

2

/p-MoTe

2

/p

+

-N:Cu

2

O/Pt PVSC with different series and shunt resistance, back-metal work function, and working temperature. Our analysis shows that minimum series resistance, higher shunt resistance, lower working temperature, and a high back-metal work function of more than 5.35 eV are advantageous for superior PVSC due to low recombination losses, low electrical losses, and better transport of charge carriers. The best performance of 28.75% with Jsc of 34.11 mA cm−2, Voc of 0.98 V, and FF of 86.3%, was achieved by optimizing all parameters. To further improve the device performance, the bifacial mode of optimized Al/ITO

/n-MoSe

2

/p-MoTe

2

/p

+

-N:Cu

2

O/Pt was considered and the PV performance of the proposed bifacial-PVSC has been also studied by using SCAPS-1D. Compared to the mono-facial device, a bifacial-PVSC device shows better performance with the bifacial factor of 77.5%, bifacial gain of 14.78%, and a higher PCE of 32.17%.
A novel chaotic image encryption is based on fractional wavelet decomposition and quantum transform model
Authors: Yan Xiaopeng , Teng Lin , Su Yining
Published: March 2024

A new chaotic image encryption scheme based on fractional order wavelet decomposition is proposed in this paper. Initially, the image undergoes a three-stage fractional-order wavelet decomposition, resulting in high-frequency and low-frequency components. High-frequency components are dislocated using a chaotic system, while low-frequency components are dislocated employing a fractional matrix model. Subsequently, the scrambled image undergoes quantum encoding followed by the Arnold transform to yield the final scrambled result. Ultimately, the encryption process involves iteratively acquiring the M4 key matrix and diffusing the quantum image through permutation to obtain the final encryption result. Simulation experiments and numerical analyses demonstrate the high security level of the proposed encryption method.
Double light source Ronchi Tester for detection of ruling rotations
Authors: Nuñez-Alfonso Juan Manuel , Salinas-Luna Javier , Nuñez-Moreno Yuliette Katinka , Castro-Chacón Joel Humberto , Monay-Arredondo José Luis , Martínez-Chávez Benjamín , Ramos-Alcaraz Gustavo Enrique , Meza-Sánchez Iliana Marlen , Alonso-Arevalo Miguel Angel
Published: March 2024

In this work, a modified Ronchi tester with a double light source has been implemented for evaluating and minimizing the rotation angle of the Ronchi ruling. The ruling rotations produced by positioning errors can become very small and could be going unnoticed (0.1°), however we have demonstrated that for these angle sizes the aberrations in the wavefront can not be completely neglicted. Accordingly with a rotatory mechanical device for correctioning the Ronchi ruling has been also added with this proposals. With our aim, in spite of non-straight shape that the ronchigrams can present in the patterns, the process of the ruling rotation degree measuring has hurled some experimental results when three concave mirrors: a concave spherical mirror, a concave parabolic mirror (the primary mirror of a Newtonian telescope) and a spherical concave mirror (the primary mirror of a Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope) have been tested.
fkPT: constraining scale-dependent modified gravity with the full-shape galaxy power spectrum
Authors: Rodriguez-Meza Mario A. , Aviles Alejandro , Noriega Hernan E. , Ruan Cheng-Zong , Li Baojiu , Vargas-Magaña Mariana , Cervantes-Cota Jorge L.
Published: March 2024

Modified gravity models with scale-dependent linear growth typically exhibit an
enhancement in the power spectrum beyond a certain scale. The conventional methods for extracting
cosmological information usually involve inferring modified gravity effects via Redshift Space
Distortions (RSD), particularly through the time evolution of fσ
8. However, classical
galaxy RSD clustering analyses encounter difficulties in accurately capturing the spectrum's
enhanced power, which is better obtained from the broad-band power spectrum. In this sense,
full-shape analyses aim to consider survey data using comprehensive and precise models of the
whole power spectrum. Yet, a major challenge in this approach is the slow computation of
non-linear loop integrals for scale-dependent modified gravity, precluding the estimation of
cosmological parameters using Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods. Based on recent studies, in this
work we develop a perturbation theory tailored for Modified Gravity, or analogous scenarios
introducing additional scales, such as in the presence of massive neutrinos. Our approach only
needs the calculation of the scale-dependent growth rate f(k,t) and the limit of the
perturbative kernels at large scales. We called this approximate technique as fk-Perturbation
Theory and implemented it into the code fkpt, capable of computing the redshift space
galaxy power spectrum in a fraction of a second. We validate our modeling and code with the 
f(R) theory MG-GLAM and General Relativity NSeries sets of simulations. The
code is available at 
https://github.com/alejandroaviles/fkpt.
The Sasa–Satsuma equation with high-order discrete spectra in space-time solitonic regions: soliton resolution via the mixed

∂

¯

-Riemann–Hilbert problem
Authors: Zhang Minghe , Yan Zhenya
Published: March 2024

In this paper, we investigate the Cauchy problem of the Sasa–Satsuma (SS) equation with initial data belonging to the Schwartz space. The SS equation is one of the integrable higher-order extensions of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation and admits a 3 × 3 Lax representation. With the aid of the

∂

¯

-nonlinear steepest descent method of the mixed

∂

¯

-Riemann–Hilbert problem, we give the soliton resolution and long-time asymptotics for the Cauchy problem of the SS equation with the existence of second-order discrete spectra in the space-time solitonic regions.
Frequency-tunable single-photon router based on a microresonator containing a driven three-level emitter
Authors: Huang 黄 Jin-Song 劲松 , Hu 胡 Jing-Lan 菁兰 , Li 李 Yan-Ling 艳玲 , Xu 徐 Zhong-Hui 中辉
Published: March 2024

We propose a frequency-tunable router of single photons with high routing efficiency, which is constructed by two waveguides mediately linked by a single-mode whispering gallery resonator with a driven three-level emitter. Quantum routing probability in the output port is obtained via the real-space Hamiltonian. By adjusting the resonator–emitter coupling and the drive, the desired continuous central frequencies for the resonance peaks of routing photons can be manipulated nearly linearly, with the assistance of Rabi splitting effect and optical Stark shift. The proposed routing system may provide potential applications in designing other frequency-modulation quantum optical devices, such as multiplexers, filters, and so on.
Revisit of the anisotropic vortex states of 2H-NbSe2 towards the zero-field limit
Authors: Zhang 张 Fan 凡 , Hou 侯 Xingyuan 兴元 , Jiang 姜 Yuxuan 宇轩 , Zhang 张 Zongyuan 宗源 , Tu 涂 Yubing 玉兵 , Zhu 朱 Xiangde 相德 , Chen 陈 Genfu 根富 , Shan 单 Lei 磊
Published: March 2024

We revisited the vortex states of 2H-NbSe2 towards zero fields by a low-temperature scanning tunneling microscope. Fine structures of the anisotropic vortex states were distinguished, one is a spatially non-splitting zero bias peak, and the other is an in-gap conductance anomaly resembling evolved crossing features around the center of the three nearest vortices. Both of them distribute solely along the next nearest neighboring direction of the vortex lattice and become unresolved in much higher magnetic fields, implying an important role played by the vortex–vortex interactions. To clarify these issues, we have studied the intrinsic vortex states of the isolated trapped vortex in zero fields at 0.45 K. It is concluded that the anisotropic zero bias peak is attributed to the superconducting gap anisotropy, and the spatially evolved crossing features are related to the vortex–vortex interaction. The vortex core size under the zero-field limit is determined. These results provide a paradigm for studying the inherent vortex states of type-II superconductors especially based on an isolated vortex.
New results on the dynamics of critical collapse*
Authors: Guo 郭 Jun-Qi 俊起 , Hu 胡 Yu 宇 , Wang 王 Pan-Pan 盼盼 , Shao 邵 Cheng-Gang 成刚
Published: March 2024

We study the dynamics of the critical collapse of a spherically symmetric scalar field. Approximate analytic expressions for the metric functions and matter field in the large-radius region are obtained. In the central region, owing to the boundary conditions, the equation of motion for the scalar field is reduced to the flat-spacetime form.
Nonequilibrium statistical mechanics of money/energy exchange models
Authors: Miao Maggie , Makarov Dmitrii E , Blom Kristian
Published: March 2024

Many-body dynamical models in which Boltzmann statistics can be derived directly from the underlying dynamical laws without invoking the fundamental postulates of statistical mechanics are scarce. Interestingly, one such model is found in econophysics and in chemistry classrooms: the money game, in which players exchange money randomly in a process that resembles elastic intermolecular collisions in a gas, giving rise to the Boltzmann distribution of money owned by each player. Although this model offers a pedagogical example that demonstrates the origins of Boltzmann statistics, such demonstrations usually rely on computer simulations. In fact, a proof of the exponential steady-state distribution in this model has only become available in recent years. Here, we study this random money/energy exchange model and its extensions using a simple mean-field-type approach that examines the properties of the one-dimensional random walk performed by one of its participants. We give a simple derivation of the Boltzmann steady-state distribution in this model. Breaking the time-reversal symmetry of the game by modifying its rules results in non-Boltzmann steady-state statistics. In particular, introducing ‘unfair’ exchange rules in which a poorer player is more likely to give money to a richer player than to receive money from that richer player, results in an analytically provable Pareto-type power-law distribution of the money in the limit where the number of players is infinite, with a finite fraction of players in the ‘ground state’ (i.e. with zero money). For a finite number of players, however, the game may give rise to a bimodal distribution of money and to bistable dynamics, in which a participant’s wealth jumps between poor and rich states. The latter corresponds to a scenario where the player accumulates nearly all the available money in the game. The time evolution of a player’s wealth in this case can be thought of as a ‘chemical reaction’, where a transition between ‘reactants’ (rich state) and ‘products’ (poor state) involves crossing a large free energy barrier. We thus analyze the trajectories generated from the game using ideas from the theory of transition paths and highlight non-Markovian effects in the barrier crossing dynamics.
Explanation or Insight?
Authors: Carpenter Amber D
Published: March 2024

Plato and classical Buddhist philosophers are united in their conviction that true knowledge of an impersonal reality is transformative, and is that without which there is no real liberation. While they are conspicuously opposed on what that reality is, their more significant difference for the would-be knower is in their accounts of what true knowledge is. Plato offers (in the Republic and Philebus, for instance) an explanation-based account of knowledge, trenchantly criticizing (especially in the Theaetetus) the epistemic pretensions of perception. Buddhist epistemology reverses this, favouring experiential, perception-like cognition as the ideal. Dignāga even offers (in the first chapter of his Compendium of Means of Valid Cognition) an account of perception on which it has precisely those characteristics that Plato thinks make it vulnerable to critique. Examining how the pursuit of ideal knowledge effects different ethical transformations on these different accounts of it offers a basis for evaluating these competing versions of ideal epistemological ethics in terms of the plausibility and desirability of the transformations each effects or omits.
Looking for Harmony
Authors: Robbiano Chiara
Published: March 2024

This chapter shows how Plato’s goal of a harmonious community requires a ruler who displays creativity. By attributing roles, designing laws and education, the ruler keeps the different elements together that make up the whole of their community. Throughout his dialogues, Plato shows how rulers cannot automatically apply any previous knowledge but need to creatively adapt it to the specific whole of which they are in charge. To sharpen our understanding of harmony in Plato’s works, the chapter compares them with Śāntideva’s Guide. Śāntideva gives pointers towards responsiveness that creates harmony in situations that might lead to suffering. He gives importance to mindfulness and introspection—which somehow parallel the monitoring role of Plato’s ruler—when bad emotions afflict the aspiring bodhisattva. However, the accomplished bodhisattva does not need monitoring: they display creative responsiveness that relieves suffering by harmonizing potentially conflicting elements, without the need to postulate a whole to which such elements belong.
The modern state system
Authors: Diener Alexander C. , Hagen Joshua
Published: March 2024

Chapter 3 traces the origins of the modern state system and how it has come to function and be perceived as natural rather than a construct relating to specific historical contingencies. The chapter elucidates the relationship between nationalization and territoriality and how borders were integral to this sea-change in governance and identity. Borders were once predominantly linked to natural geographic features, but they eventually became associated with more abstract ideals of belonging, identity, and citizenship. This mode of dividing political space was exported throughout the world through colonialism, gradually displacing alternative means of governing and controlling political, economic, and cultural spaces. Ultimately, this mode of spatial thinking provided the foundations for the modern state system, including notions of sovereignty and the nation-state which in turn shaped domestic and international sociospatial structures and practices.
The practice of bordering
Authors: Diener Alexander C. , Hagen Joshua
Published: March 2024

In the early 1990s, the modern state system was predicted to give way to a borderless world as global economic linkages superseded historic rivalries and territorial claims. Globalization has indeed drawn the world into ever more intensely integrated linkages, but states and the borders that define their territories remain profoundly important. Chapter 4 explores the relationships between border security, transnational mobilities (human, financial, trade), and varied forms of sovereignty that have manifested to maintain order and promote justice, including contingent sovereignty, indigenous sovereignty, and graduated sovereignty. The chapter makes clear that borders and territorial rights evolve, and in so doing profoundly affect the lives of people. Emerging borderlands, whether they be maritime, airspace, underground, in outer space, or cyberspace, emanate from human action and invariably reflect the values of those wielding power.
Dostoevsky: A Very Short Introduction
Authors: Martinsen Deborah
Published: March 2024

Dostoevsky: A Very Short Introduction showcases the life story and works of the great Russian novelist. Fyodor Dostoevsky is read worldwide for his gripping plots and distinctive treatment of ethics, psychology, religion, and philosophy. His insights into human nature and society draw upon his eventful life experiences, notably his political imprisonment, Siberian exile, gambling addiction, romances, and marriages. Key themes of his major works include doubling, freedom, shame, social justice, scandal, aesthetics, ethics, faith, and the eternal questions.
Can the dimples on a golf ball be evenly spaced?
Authors: Brown James Robert
Published: March 2024

Surprisingly, the dimples on a golf ball (typically around 300-400) cannot be spaced evenly on the surface. I will explain how this is connected to the Platonic solids. The example is interesting, because it illustrates a difference between efficient and formal causation and explanation. I will discuss a few interesting consequences.
Proteome trait regulation of marine Synechococcus elemental stoichiometry under global change
Authors: Garcia Nathan S , Du Mingyu , Guindani Michele , McIlvin Matthew R , Moran Dawn M , Saito Mak A , Martiny Adam C
Published: March 2024

Recent studies have demonstrated regional differences in marine ecosystem C:N:P with implications for carbon and nutrient cycles. Due to strong co-variance, temperature and nutrient stress explain variability in C:N:P equally well. A reductionistic approach can link changes in individual environmental drivers with changes in biochemical traits and cell C:N:P. Thus, we quantified effects of temperature and nutrient stress on Synechococcus chemistry using laboratory chemostats, chemical analyses, and data-independent acquisition mass spectrometry proteomics. Nutrient supply accounted for most C:N:Pcell variability and induced tradeoffs between nutrient acquisition and ribosomal proteins. High temperature prompted heat-shock, whereas thermal effects via the “translation-compensation hypothesis” were only seen under P-stress. A Nonparametric Bayesian Local Clustering algorithm suggested that changes in lipopolysaccharides, peptidoglycans, and C-rich compatible solutes may also contribute to C:N:P regulation. Physiological responses match field-based trends in ecosystem stoichiometry and suggest a hierarchical environmental regulation of current and future ocean C:N:P.
Using Bourdieu's Habitus in International Relations
Authors: Nair Deepak
Published: March 2024

The concept of habitus is a centerpiece of Pierre Bourdieu's cultural sociology and is among the most popular conceptual imports into the Bourdieu-inspired “practice turn” in International Relations (IR). There have, however, been recurrent questions whether IR work using habitus and Bourdieu mainly “re-describe in different language” what scholars already know about world politics. This article argues that a more traditional use of habitus that pays attention to the production of habitus is key to advancing distinctly Bourdieusian and practice-based accounts of international politics. Drawing on a detailed survey of habitus scholarship in IR, the article shows how the practice turn takes a narrow view of social structure by bracketing social class, race, and gender; is preoccupied with the pedagogical labor of secondary socialization over primary socialization; and neglects the concrete embodied dimension of practice. Looking to Bourdieu's own work, this article calls for theoretically armed empirical attention to social structure, primary socialization, and embodiment. It articulates a specific strategy for this recovery: closer attention to the production of habitus by mapping the biographies of individuals and groups and relating these sedimented histories to agents’ practices and shared structures of experience.
The Language of Responsibility in the United Nations Security Council, 1946–2020
Authors: Bethke Felix S , Haass Felix , Niemann Holger
Published: March 2024

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is the United Nations' most powerful institutional body, charged with the “primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security.” The main instrument through which the Council asserts this power is its resolutions, specifically by using resolution text to attribute responsibility. The UNSC uses responsibility language to assign tasks, identify accountability under international law, or reflect the Council's normative interpretation of political principles. Yet we lack a comprehensive empirical description of responsibility attributions in UNSC resolutions. We address this gap by providing an original dataset of the full text of all UNSC resolutions between 1946 and 2020. We use this data to show that the Council has significantly increased responsibility attributions since the end of the Cold War, but only for a very specific subset of terms, targeting predominantly states and individuals. We further demonstrate how the data can inform debates about the timing and status of the “responsibility to protect” as an international norm. The data and findings provide a helpful starting point for many future research endeavors, including the role of member states in the UNSC, quantitative and qualitative research on UNSC decision-making processes, or topic development of the UNSC agenda in general.
Effects of heating soybeans on postruminal amino acid bioavailability, performance, and ruminal fermentation in lactating cows
Authors: Petzel Emily A , Acharya Subash , Titgemeyer Evan C , Bailey Eric A , Brake Derek W
Published: March 2024

Soybeans can provide ruminally degradable protein, lipid, and metabolizable amino acid (AA) to lactating dairy cows; however, soy-based trypsin inhibitors can limit protein digestion in nonruminants. Eight ruminally cannulated lactating Holstein cows were used to evaluate the impacts of soy-based trypsin inhibitors on nutrient disappearance, lactation, and plasma AA bioavailability. Treatments were abomasal infusion of 0 or 400 g/d casein or a crystalline AA analog of casein with unroasted or roasted soybeans fed at 10% dry matter (DM). Data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure of SAS. Measures of digestion were determined from fecal output determined with acid detergent insoluble ash and urine output determined from measures of urine creatinine. Neither soybean processing (P ≥ 0.20) nor the source of abomasal infusion (P ≥ 0.60) impacted nutrient digestibility. Ruminal ammonia, isobutyrate, and isovalerate were increased (P ≤ 0.01) among cattle consuming unroasted soybeans. Source of infusion did not affect (P ≥ 0.38) ruminal volatile fatty acids or nitrogen metabolism. Ruminal N metabolism was largely unaffected by soybean processing although microbial N efficiency was greater (P < 0.01) among cows fed unroasted soybeans. DM intake and energy-corrected milk were greater (P < 0.01) in cows fed roasted compared to unroasted soybeans. The proportion of fat, protein, lactose, and solids not fat (SNF) in milk did not differ between soybean processing or postruminal AA source, but fat, protein, lactose, and SNF yield was greater (P ≤ 0.01) when cows were fed roasted soybeans because milk yields were greater when cows were fed roasted vs. unroasted soybeans. As expected, infusion of casein or its crystalline AA analog increased plasma essential AA and milk urea nitrogen concentration. The rate of increase in essential AA concentration in plasma was 2.9× greater for casein than for crystalline AA. These data seem to indicate that soy-based trypsin inhibitors have no impacts on postruminal AA bioavailability when fed to cows and that metabolizable protein from casein is greater than from crystalline AA.
Week-by-week changes in serum levels of bone-related circulating microRNAs and bone turnover markers
Authors: Zarecki Patryk , Gossiel Fatma , Grillari Johannes , Debono Miguel , Hackl Matthias , Eastell Richard
Published: March 2024

MicroRNAs are involved in post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. Due to their regulatory role, microRNAs are differently expressed during specific conditions in healthy and diseased individuals, so microRNAs circulating in the blood could be used as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for various diseases and conditions. We want to investigate the variability of circulating microRNAs and bone turnover markers in weekly time intervals in older women. In a single-site longitudinal study, a panel of 19 bone-related miRNAs was measured using the osteomiR RT-qPCR assay in serum samples of 35 postmenopausal women divided into 3 groups: healthy controls (n = 12), low BMD (n = 14), and vertebral fractures (n = 9). Blood samples for measurement of CTX, PINP, OC, and bone ALP were collected once per week for 8 weeks at 9:00 AM after overnight fasting. Serum samples from all participants were analyzed for 19 microRNA bone biomarkers and 4 bone turnover markers over 8 weeks. We analyzed the data using a mixed model analysis of variance and found no significant changes between week-by-week time points in any of the groups. To estimate intraindividual variability between weekly time points, we have calculated the median coefficient of variation (CV). This was between 28.4% and 80.2% for microRNA, with an assay CV of 21.3%. It was between 8.5% and 15.6% for bone turnover markers, with an assay CV of 3.5% to 6.5%. The intraindividual variability was similar between groups. Circulating microRNAs measured in serum had a higher weekly intraindividual variability than bone turnover markers due in part to a higher assay CV.
The effect of diet composition on the diversity of active gut bacteria and on the growth of Spodoptera exigua (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)
Authors: Mugo-Kamiri Loretta , Querejeta Marina , Raymond Ben , Herniou Elisabeth A
Published: March 2024

Gut microbiota plays a functional role in nutrition among several insects. However, the situation is unclear in Lepidoptera. Field studies suggest the microbiome may not be stable and is determined by diet, while in the laboratory, Lepidoptera are routinely reared on diet containing antibiotics with unknown effects on microbial communities. Furthermore, molecular approaches for the characterization of lepidopteran microbiomes rarely describe the metabolically active gut bacteria. The aim of this study was to evaluate how diet and antibiotics affect Spodoptera exigua (Hübner) growth and the diversity and activity of the gut bacteria community. We assessed how alfalfa and wheat germ-based diets affected larval growth, in the presence and absence of streptomycin. Alfalfa diet improved larval growth, pupal mass, and survival, but antibiotic was only beneficial in the wheat germ diet. We observed diet-driven changes in the gut bacterial communities. In the active community, the alfalfa colony was dominated by Enterococcus and Rhodococcus whereas in the wheat germ colony, only Enterococcus was present. In contrast, spore-forming Bacilli species were very common members of the DNA community. In both cases, streptomycin had a selective effect on the relative abundance of the taxa present. Our study highlights the importance of characterizing both the diversity and activity of the gut microbiota community. DNA-derived communities may include environmental DNA, spores, or non-viable bacteria, while RNA-derived communities are more likely to give an accurate representation of the diversity of active members that are potentially directly involved in the metabolic processes of the host.
Anxiety and Related Disorders Interview Schedule for DSM-5, Child and Parent Versions
Authors: Silverman Wendy K. , Albano Anne Marie
Published: March 2024

This chapter details the Anxiety and Related Disorders Interview Schedule for DSM-5 (ADIS-5), Child and Parent Versions. It was updated for use in clinical practice and in research trials to provide for the differential diagnosis of the full range of psychiatric and behavioral health disorders in children and adolescents while also establishing the child’s full psychiatric history. The ADIS-5 provides for both present and, in the Parent Version, lifetime diagnoses. The Parent Version also contains a module to gather information about the child’s development, functioning, and previous clinical and educational evaluations/services received by the child. This information, in conjunction with information obtained from the diagnostic sections of the ADIS, allows the clinician to complete the Developmental and Clinical Timeline. The timeline is provided to track the onset of key symptoms and diagnoses, achievement of developmental milestones, educational and therapeutic intervention and supports, and life events. The timeline also allows the clinician to organize clinical information and view a summary of the child’s symptoms and functioning to inform the case formulation and treatment plan.
Cardiovascular medicine
Authors: Vogel Dominik
Published: March 2024

Cardiovascular medicine, like all fields of medicine, continues to evolve at a rapid pace, and keeping up to date with the latest literature, guidelines, and protocols, can be a daunting task. The field of cardiovascular medicine is an inexhaustible source for clinical trials. The most feasible way of keeping up to date is referring to guidelines. In addition to those made available by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) provides very useful Clinical Practice Guidelines that are accessible via: https://www.escardio.org/Guidelines/Clinical-Practice-Guidelines.

This chapter contains questions that encompass all of the important areas of this subject, with detailed explanations. Unique to this series, questions are rated by difficulty and are cross-referenced to the eleventh edition of Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine to track revision progress and revise effectively.
Emergencies
Authors: Coryndon Thomas , Parnell Chris , Harnett James , Furmedge Dan
Published: March 2024

All doctors have to deal with emergencies—this can be a daunting prospect, particularly when first on the scene. The aim of this chapter is to raise awareness and your working practical knowledge of emergencies in medicine. Core to managing emergencies is a systematic approach working through ABCDE (airway, breathing, circulation, disability, exposure). This chapter contains 32 questions that encompass many of the important areas of this subject, with detailed explanations. Unique to this series, questions are rated by difficulty and are cross-referenced to the eleventh edition of Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine to track revision progress and revise effectively.
Imaging Critically Ill Patients
Authors: Nair Arjun
Published: March 2024

Summary

As with any patient, the need for, and type of, imaging in the critically ill patient must be guided by the clinical question to be answered and an understanding of the advantages and limitations of each type of imaging. Imaging can be used to guide ventilation strategy, assess underlying causative pathology, assess complications, and aid prognostication. Notwithstanding its technical limitations, portable chest radiography overwhelmingly remains the cornerstone of serial critical care imaging. Computed tomographic (CT) protocols can be tailored to the clinical question, with paired low- and high-ventilatory pressure CT a crucial method of assessing alveolar recruitment. Ultrasound has gained an invaluable role in the bedside assessment of both pleural and pulmonary pathology in critically ill patients. In certain units, the COVID-19 pandemic has expanded the role of ultrasound in serial monitoring, given the portable nature of, and simple disinfection procedures for, ultrasound equipment. Newer techniques such as electrical impedance tomography, as well as well-developed but less utilized techniques of positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, provide valuable pathophysiologic insights but are currently mainly confined to research applications. A potential role for dual-energy CT pulmonary angiography in quantifying reduced pulmonary blood volume, as a marker of pulmonary vascular immunothrombosis, has been proposed.
Airway Management in the Intensive Care Unit
Authors: Huitink Johannes M , Theiler Lorenz G
Published: March 2024

Summary

Airway management in the critically ill patient is challenging and subject to higher risks of complications than in the setting of the operating theatre. Several factors contribute to this including severity of illness, location, adequate evaluation, and time pressures. It should be considered an advanced procedure, and the necessary level of training, expertise, and protocols should reduce known complications. A number of guidelines for upper airway evaluation, preparation, and management of the difficult airway are published. The application of local standards, which cover human factors, staffing, monitoring with capnography, equipment including videolaryngoscopes, airway adjuncts including bronchoscopy, and clear ‘Cannot Intubate, Cannot Oxygenate’ plans, which include emergency front-of-neck access, are crucial to best practice. This chapter addresses these issues and those of maintaining effective airway control during critical illness through reference to up-to-date international guidelines.
Thromboprophylaxis
Authors: Hartley Emma Louise , Retter Andrew
Published: March 2024

Summary

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a global health burden of which critically unwell patients are at high risk. Current accepted practice and background evidence for the use of mechanical and pharmacological prophylaxis are reviewed. Particular focus is placed on the pharmacology, dose adjustments in particular situations, and subsequent role of heparin (unfractionated and low molecular weight) in the prevention of thromboembolism. Finally, the increased risk of VTE is reviewed in COVID-19 disease with recommendations on management of this thromboinflammatory state.
Sedation, Analgesia, and Paralysis
Authors: Shehabi Yahya , Green Maja M
Published: March 2024

Summary

Providing sedation and analgesia is an integral part of caring for critically ill patients. Clinical practice guidelines provide a general framework for the provision of comfort and prevention of distress through effective analgesia and minimal sedation. The need for patient-centred, symptom-oriented approach is essential to cater for the needs of individual patients. Clinicians caring for coronavirus SARS-CoV2-induced respiratory failure on mechanical ventilation faced many challenges in this context, balancing different therapeutic interventions, such as prone ventilation, with analgesia, sedation, and paralytics needs of each patient. While no one agent can provide the needs of all patients, many patients, acuity, complexity, and presenting illness factors are important determinants of individual patient’s need. These factors dictate what agent/s to be used, as monotherapy or in combination, what sedation intensity is required, what monitoring to be used, and how to reduce the risk of emergent delirium and sedative/analgesic withdrawal. In this chapter, we offer a tailored algorithm to facilitate the provision of low-, medium-, and high-intensity sedation strategies and an algorithm for managing agitated delirium in critically ill patients.
Viral Pneumonias
Authors: Rello Jordi , Bunsow Eleonora , Lagunes Leonel
Published: March 2024

Summary

Pneumonia is one of the leading causes of hospitalization with high morbidity and mortality in children and adults worldwide. Polymerase-chain-reaction-based testing has allowed rapid determination of the role of respiratory viruses in the development of pneumonia and also detected new respiratory viruses. Nowadays, respiratory viruses are recognized as an important cause of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) being responsible for a 30%–40% of the cases. This chapter introduces the respiratory viruses involved in the development of CAP, its diagnosis, treatment, and clinical significance, especially in the adult population. In addition, the chapter covers the emerging respiratory viruses discovered in the recent years and discusses herpesvirade infection and reactivation.
COVID-19 in the Intensive Care Unit: Epidemiology, Pathophysiology, Respiratory Management, Haemodynamic Support, Renal Support, Pharmacological Treatments, and Superinfection
Authors: Fanning Jonathon P , Bassi Gianluigi Li , Rocco Patricia Rieken Macedo , Ball Lorenzo , Messina Antonio , Ostermann Marlies , Bassetti Matteo , Giacobbe Daniele Roberto
Published: March 2024

Summary

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is the infectious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, a novel beta coronavirus, and it was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation on 11 March 2020, after 118,000 cases and 4291 deaths were reported across 114 countries. Tremendous burdens have subsequently been placed on patients and international healthcare services, especially intensive care units. This chapter reviews the epidemiology of this pandemic and the pathophysiology of both pulmonary and extrapulmonary disease. It then turns to specific organ support modalities, covering respiratory, cardiovascular, and renal support. Finally, it discusses the current state of pharmacological interventions for patients with COVID-19 and the risks of secondary infections among such patients.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Authors: Carsetti Andrea , Bazurro Simone
Published: March 2024

Summary

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major cause of chronic morbidity and mortality worldwide representing the fourth leading cause of death in the world. Chronic inflammation is responsible for repeated injury and repair and causes pathological changes in the airways, lung parenchyma, and pulmonary vasculature. These changes are responsible for airflow limitation and gas trapping, gas exchange abnormality, mucus hypersecretion, and pulmonary hypertension. Severe acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD) may be associated with acute hypercapnic respiratory failure. Management strategies include oxygen titration to achieve a saturation of 88%–92%, short-acting inhaled beta2-agonists with short-acting anticholinergics, systemic corticosteroids, and antibiotics in selected cases. Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) should be started when pH <7.35 and PaCO2 >45 mmHg persist despite initial medical management. Invasive mechanical ventilation should be considered if acidosis persists or worsens after NIV trial. The role of ECCO2R in preventing intubation during AECOPD and liberating from mechanical ventilation is promising and awaits definitive studies.
Oncological Aspects of Respiratory Critical Care
Authors: Yadav Hemang , Carr Alastair C , Bauer Philippe R
Published: March 2024

Summary

Acute respiratory failure (ARF) is the most common cause for intensive care unit admission in patients with cancer and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Airway disorders such as central airway occlusion can occur from intrinsic or extrinsic compression by tumours. Bronchoscopic interventions can be vital in maintaining airway patency and permitting effective ventilation. Parenchymal lung disease can arise from both infectious and non-infectious causes. Many patients with cancer will experience periods of immunosuppression when they will be at increased risk of infections including from opportunistic pathogens. Pleural disease with malignant effusions and empyema can occur and may need repeated drainage or other interventional procedures. Pulmonary vascular disorders can also contribute to ARF in cancer patients. As new cancer therapies emerge so to can respiratory complications. Whilst therapies such as Chimeric antigen receptor T-cells (CAR-T) cells and immune check-point inhibitors have shown benefits in several advanced cancers, and are now extending their indications for use, they bring with them risks of respiratory side effects which may necessitate management in the ICU. Care planning and decisions around intensity of therapy are important in the management of patients with cancer, and where possible this should be done with the patient when they are well enough to be involved in the decisions. In this chapter, we outline the different causes of ARF in cancer patients as well as principles for diagnostic evaluation and management.
Trauma
Authors: Scott Timothy E , Satur Christopher MR
Published: March 2024

Summary

Thoracic trauma is common and a frequent cause of trauma-related mortality. Highly vascular and friable pulmonary tissue is uniquely susceptible to systemic disturbance, secondary injury, and infection. Multiple injury mechanisms will therefore coexist. Management of such patients requires a judicious multi-disciplinary approach that balances timely intervention with lung protection and the avoidance of exacerbating existing injury. Traumatized patients may suffer any combination of blunt, penetrating, concussive, and inhaled toxic injury. Penetrating thoracic injury is managed initially with chest drainage and pressure-limited ventilation as required. Cardiovascular instability relating to a haemothorax or the acute drainage of 1500 mL or more of blood requires consideration of an urgent thoracostomy. The mechanical chest wall is a system comprising of the rib cage, sternum, vertebral column, clavicles, and associated cartilaginous structures. Flail injury can involve all of these structures in a variety of common patterns described in this chapter. Timely surgical repair in these patients to restore the mechanical integrity of the system and improve pain management reduces morbidity and duration of intensive care stay. Shock wave exposure and behind armour blunt trauma (BABT) are less common mechanisms of injury but are seen in conflict zones and following terrorist attacks on civilian populations. While treatment is supportive, awareness of their existence is important. The lungs constantly interact with our environment and so inhalational injury must always be considered and indicators sought from the presenting history and injury patterns in other casualties.
Exploring the impact of microlensing on gravitational wave signals: Biases, population characteristics, and prospects for detection
Authors: Mishra Anuj , Meena Ashish Kumar , More Anupreeta , Bose Sukanta
Published: March 2024

In this study, we investigate the impact of microlensing on gravitational wave (GW) signals in the LIGO−Virgo sensitivity band. Microlensing caused by an isolated point lens, with (redshifted) mass ranging from MLz ∈ (1,  105) M⊙ and impact parameter y ∈ (0.01,  5), can result in a maximum mismatch of $\sim 30~{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ with their unlensed counterparts. When y < 1, it strongly anticorrelates with the luminosity distance enhancing the detection horizon and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Biases in inferred source parameters are assessed, with in-plane spin components being the most affected intrinsic parameters. The luminosity distance is often underestimated, while sky-localization and trigger times are mostly well-recovered. Study of a population of microlensed signals due to an isolated point lens primarily reveals: (i) using unlensed templates during the search causes fractional loss (20 per cent to 30 per cent) of potentially identifiable microlensed signals; (ii) the observed distribution of y challenges the notion of its high improbability at low values (y ≲ 1), especially for y ≲ 0.1; (iii) Bayes factor analysis of the population indicates that certain region in MLz − y parameter space have a higher probability of being detected and accurately identified as microlensed. Notably, the microlens parameters for the most compelling candidate identified in previous microlensing searches, GW200208_130117, fall within a 1σ range of the aforementioned higher probability region. Identifying microlensing signatures from MLz < 100 M⊙ remains challenging due to small microlensing effects at typical SNR values. Additionally, we also examined how microlensing from a population of microlenses influences the detection of strong lensing signatures in pairs of GW events, particularly in the posterior-overlap analysis.
A History of Federal Indian Policy
Authors: Pevar Stephen L.
Published: March 2024

This chapter provides a five-hundred-year historical review of the relationship between Indian nations and the non-Indians who settled here. The federal government’s Indian policies have fluctuated wildly over the years, and each change in policy spurred changes in the law. At times, the federal government sought to segregate tribes from white settlers; at other times to destroy them; at other times to assimilate Indians into mainstream society; and at still other times (including now) the government has tried to rejuvenate tribes and support tribal self-government. Federal Indian law cannot be understood without knowing the historical events and shifting attitudes that shaped it.