bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assessment of the Engine Vibration and Noise Characteristics of an Unmodified Direct Injection Engine Powered With Non-Feedstock Citrullus lanatus Seed Oil
Authors: Senthil Kumar A. , Karthikeyan L. , Alharbi Sulaiman Ali , Salmen Saleh H.
Published: May 2022

The trend of using alternative fuels has been on the boom to tackle fossil fuel depletion. The overuse of fossil fuels due to the rapid population and industrialization as well has led to the deficiency in fossil fuels. As a result, many alternative fuels have been found and have been in use as an effective replacement in terms of combustion and emission performance characteristics. However, the noise and vibration characteristics also have to be tested for ensuring the comfortability. This research paper discusses the importance and characteristics of noise and vibration of the taken test fuels. The test fuel was prepared from watermelon seeds that come under the category of biodiesel. Three biodiesel blends were prepared by mixing them with pure diesel such as WMB10% (90% of diesel + 10% of watermelon seeds biodiesel), WMB20% (80% of diesel +20% of watermelon seeds biodiesel), WMB30% (70% of diesel +30% of watermelon seeds biodiesel), and WMB0% (100% of pure diesel). The experimental tests were carried out in a single-cylinder, four strokes, naturally aspirated, water-cooled and direct injection (DI) diesel engine. Using different engines of 1000 rpm, 2000 rpm, and 3000 rpm, noise and vibration characteristics were measured. The load was maintained at 100% for all experimental tests. From the results, it was clearly found that the noise and vibration of higher proportioned biodiesel were lower, and the reduction was achieved at a significant level.
Estimating Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) abundance using passive acoustic methods
Authors: Rycyk Athena M. , Berchem Cora , Marques Tiago A.
Published: May 2022

Manatees are difficult to detect, particularly cryptic populations that inhabit areas with limited water clarity. The effectiveness of using vocal detections to estimate manatee abundance was evaluated in a clear water spring where manatees congregate seasonally. Vocalizations were extracted by a detection classifier that clustered sounds with similar spectral properties. Vocalization counts from recordings in Blue Spring, FL, USA were strong predictors of manatee abundance. The link between independent visual counts and abundance estimates from passive acoustic monitoring was used to provide an estimate of 1.059 (95% confidence interval 0.963–1.127) vocalizations/manatee/5-min, which might be used elsewhere for cue counting of manatees.
Can You Smell What “The Rock” Is Cooking? Exploring a Potential Canadian Football League–Xtreme Football League Partnership
Authors: Evans Zachary C.T. , Dixon Jess C. , Eddy Terry
Published: May 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic forced Canadian Football League (CFL) commissioner Randy Ambrosie to cancel the League’s 2020 season, and given CFL teams’ financial dependence on gate and game-day revenues, the League had suffered substantial financial losses. The pandemic also caused the Xtreme Football League (XFL) to fold five games into its 2020 season; however, the XFL was purchased by an ownership group led by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, with plans to resume play in 2022. Shortly thereafter, the CFL and XFL jointly announced that they would explore the possibility of partnering to grow the game of football and their respective leagues. This case challenges students to determine the best option for the CFL and commissioner Ambrosie moving forward by completing a Porter’s value chain analysis for both leagues. This analysis will help students to make an informed, evidence-based decision about how well the two leagues align with one another. While there are several benefits to a potential partnership, there are also challenges that must be overcome if some type of partnership with the XFL is to be considered.
Motivation to Join and Adhere to SilverSneakers Among Older Adults
Authors: Goddard Stacy , Bushman Barbara , Chamberlin Michael
Published: May 2022

The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine the reasons why older adults begin attending SilverSneakers exercise program and why they continue to participate. Participants completed a survey (104 complete surveys). Initial attendance was mainly due to SilverSneakers being a health insurance benefit or hearing from a friend, with a lower percentage hearing from a health care provider. Factors that encouraged ongoing attendance included the level of programming, liking the instructor, and working out with peers. Statistically significant relationships were found between long-term adherence and a desire to promote fitness (p = .024) and social aspects of SilverSneakers (p < .01). These insights can be of value when planning outreach to older adults, as well as to promote retention, with physical activity programming.
Calibrating the Physical Activity Vital Sign to Estimate Habitual Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity More Accurately in Active Young Adults: A Cautionary Tale
Authors: Pellerine Liam P. , Kimmerly Derek S. , Fowles Jonathon R. , O’Brien Myles W.
Published: May 2022

The Physical Activity Vital Sign (PAVS) is a two-question assessment used to estimate habitual moderate to vigorous aerobic physical activity (MVPA). Previous studies have shown active adults cannot estimate the physical activity intensity properly. The initial purpose was to investigate the criterion validity of the PAVS for quantifying habitual MVPA in young adults meeting weekly MVPA guidelines (n = 140; 21 ± 3 years). A previously validated PiezoRx waist-worn accelerometer served as the criterion measure (wear time, 6.7 ± 0.6 days). All participants completed the PAVS once before wearing the PiezoRx. Standardized activity monitor validation procedures were followed. The PAVS (201 ± 142 min/week) underestimated (p < .001) MVPA compared to the PiezoRx (381 ± 155 min/week). To correct for this large error, the sample was divided into calibration model development (n = 70; 21 ± 3 years) and criterion validation (n = 70; 21 ± 3 years) groups. The PAVS score, age, gender, and body mass index outcomes from the development group were used to construct a multiple linear regression model-based calibrated PAVS (cPAVS) equation. In the validation group, the cPAVS was similar (p = .113; 352 ± 23 min/week) compared to accelerometry. Equivalence testing demonstrated the cPAVS, but not the PAVS, was equivalent to the PiezoRx. Despite achieving most statistical criteria, the PAVS and cPAVS still had high degrees of variability, preventing their use on an individual level. Alternative strategies are needed for the PAVS in an active young adult population. These results caution using the PAVS in active young adults and identify a case where obvious variabilities in accuracy conflict with statistically congruent results.
Essential role of Cp190 in physical and regulatory boundary formation
Authors: Kaushal Anjali , Dorier Julien , Wang Bihan , Mohana Giriram , Taschner Michael , Cousin Pascal , Waridel Patrice , Iseli Christian , Semenova Anastasiia , Restrepo Simon , Guex Nicolas , Aiden Erez Lieberman , Gambetta Maria Cristina
Published: May 2022

Boundaries in animal genomes delimit contact domains with enhanced internal contact frequencies and have debated functions in limiting regulatory cross-talk between domains and guiding enhancers to target promoters. Most mammalian boundaries form by stalling of chromosomal loop-extruding cohesin by CTCF, but most
Drosophila
boundaries form CTCF independently. However, how CTCF-independent boundaries form and function remains largely unexplored. Here, we assess genome folding and developmental gene expression in fly embryos lacking the ubiquitous boundary-associated factor Cp190. We find that sequence-specific DNA binding proteins such as CTCF and Su(Hw) directly interact with and recruit Cp190 to form most promoter-distal boundaries. Cp190 is essential for early development and prevents regulatory cross-talk between specific gene loci that pattern the embryo. Cp190 was, in contrast, dispensable for long-range enhancer-promoter communication at tested loci. Cp190 is thus currently the major player in fly boundary formation and function, revealing that diverse mechanisms evolved to partition genomes into independent regulatory domains.
Structure of a TRAPPII-Rab11 activation intermediate reveals GTPase substrate selection mechanisms
Authors: Bagde Saket R. , Fromme J. Christopher
Published: May 2022

Rab1 and Rab11 are essential regulators of the eukaryotic secretory and endocytic recycling pathways. The transport protein particle (TRAPP) complexes activate these guanosine triphosphatases via nucleotide exchange using a shared set of core subunits. The basal specificity of the TRAPP core is toward Rab1, yet the TRAPPII complex is specific for Rab11. A steric gating mechanism has been proposed to explain TRAPPII counterselection against Rab1. Here, we present cryo–electron microscopy structures of the 22-subunit TRAPPII complex from budding yeast, including a TRAPPII-Rab11 nucleotide exchange intermediate. The Trs130 subunit provides a “leg” that positions the active site distal to the membrane surface, and this leg is required for steric gating. The related TRAPPIII complex is unable to activate Rab11 because of a repulsive interaction, which TRAPPII surmounts using the Trs120 subunit as a “lid” to enclose the active site. TRAPPII also adopts an open conformation enabling Rab11 to access and exit from the active site chamber.
BMP signaling in the intestinal epithelium drives a critical feedback loop to restrain IL-13–driven tuft cell hyperplasia
Authors: Lindholm Håvard T. , Parmar Naveen , Drurey Claire , Campillo Poveda Marta , Vornewald Pia M. , Ostrop Jenny , Díez-Sanchez Alberto , Maizels Rick M. , Oudhoff Menno J.
Published: May 2022

The intestinal tract is a common site for various types of infections including viruses, bacteria, and helminths, each requiring specific modes of immune defense. The intestinal epithelium has a pivotal role in both immune initiation and effector stages, which are coordinated by lymphocyte cytokines such as IFNγ, IL-13, and IL-22. Here, we studied intestinal epithelial immune responses using organoid image analysis based on a convolutional neural network, transcriptomic analysis, and in vivo infection models. We found that IL-13 and IL-22 both induce genes associated with goblet cells, but the resulting goblet cell phenotypes are dichotomous. Moreover, only IL-13–driven goblet cells are associated with classical NOTCH signaling. We further showed that IL-13 induces the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) pathway, which acts in a negative feedback loop on immune type 2–driven tuft cell hyperplasia. This is associated with inhibiting
Sox4
expression to putatively limit the tuft cell progenitor population. Blocking ALK2, a BMP receptor, with the inhibitor dorsomorphin homolog 1 (DMH1) interrupted the feedback loop, resulting in greater tuft cell numbers both in vitro and in vivo after infection with
Nippostrongylus brasiliensis
. Together, this investigation of cytokine effector responses revealed an unexpected and critical role for the BMP pathway in regulating type 2 immunity, which can be exploited to tailor epithelial immune responses.
Late Cretaceous time-transgressive onset of Laramide arch exhumation and basin subsidence across northern Arizona–New Mexico, USA, and the role of a dehydrating Farallon flat slab
Authors: Thacker Jacob O. , Karlstrom Karl E. , Kelley Shari A. , Crow Ryan S. , Kendall Jerry J.
Published: May 2022

Spatiotemporal constraints for Late Cretaceous tectonism across the Colorado Plateau and southern Rocky Mountains (northern Arizona–New Mexico, USA) are interpreted in regards to Laramide orogenic mechanisms. Onset of Laramide arch development is estimated from cooling recorded in representative thermochronologic samples in a three-step process of initial forward models, secondary HeFTy inverse models with informed constraint boxes, and a custom script to statistically estimate timing of rapid cooling from inverse model results. Onset of Laramide basin development is interpreted from increased rates of tectonic subsidence. Onset estimates are compared to published estimates for Laramide timing, and together suggest tectonism commenced ca. 90 Ma in northwestern Arizona and progressed eastward with later onset in northcentral New Mexico by ca. 75–70 Ma. The interpreted sweep of onset progressed at a rate of ∼50 km/m.y. and was approximately half the 100–150 km/m.y. rate estimated for Late Cretaceous Farallon-North America convergence during the same timeframe. Previous suggestions that the Laramide tectonic front progressed at a rate similar to convergence via basal traction are not supported by our results. We thereby suggest that (1) a plate margin end load established far field compression and that (2) sequential Laramide-style strain was facilitated by progressive weakening of North American lithosphere from the dehydrating Farallon flat slab. Results are compared to models of sweeping tectonism and magmatism in other parts of the Laramide foreland. Discussions of the utility of the custom script and the potential for stratigraphic constraints to represent only minimum onset estimates are also presented.
Occupational noise exposure and risk of incident stroke: a pooled study of five Scandinavian cohorts
Authors: Thacher Jesse D , Roswall Nina , Lissåker Claudia , Aasvang Gunn Marit , Albin Maria , Andersson Eva M , Engström Gunnar , Eriksson Charlotta , Hvidtfeldt Ulla Arthur , Ketzel Matthias , Khan Jibran , Lanki Timo , Ljungman Petter L S , Mattisson Kristoffer , Molnar Peter , Raaschou-Nielsen Ole , Oudin Anna , Overvad Kim , Petersen Sesilje Bondo , Pershagen Göran , Poulsen Aslak Harbo , Pyko Andrei , Rizzuto Debora , Rosengren Annika , Schioler Linus , Sjöström Mattias , Stockfelt Leo , Tiittanen Pekka , Sallsten Gerd , Ögren Mikael , Selander Jenny , Sorensen Mette
Published: May 2022

Objectives

To investigate the association between occupational noise exposure and stroke incidence in a pooled study of five Scandinavian cohorts (NordSOUND).

Methods

We pooled and harmonised data from five Scandinavian cohorts resulting in 78 389 participants. We obtained job data from national registries or questionnaires and recoded these to match a job-exposure matrix developed in Sweden, which specified the annual average daily noise exposure in five exposure classes (LAeq8h): <70, 70–74, 75–79, 80–84, ≥85 dB(A). We identified residential address history and estimated 1-year average road traffic noise at baseline. Using national patient and mortality registers, we identified 7777 stroke cases with a median follow-up of 20.2 years. Analyses were conducted using Cox proportional hazards models adjusting for individual and area-level potential confounders.

Results

Exposure to occupational noise at baseline was not associated with overall stroke in the fully adjusted models. For ischaemic stroke, occupational noise was associated with HRs (95% CI) of 1.08 (0.98 to 1.20), 1.09 (0.97 to 1.24) and 1.06 (0.92 to 1.21) in the 75–79, 80–84 and ≥85 dB(A) exposure groups, compared with <70 dB(A), respectively. In subanalyses using time-varying occupational noise exposure, we observed an indication of higher stroke risk among the most exposed (≥85 dB(A)), particularly when restricting analyses to people exposed to occupational noise within the last year (HR: 1.27; 95% CI: 0.99 to 1.63).

Conclusions

We found no association between occupational noise and risk of overall stroke after adjustment for confounders. However, the non-significantly increased risk of ischaemic stroke warrants further investigation.
Genesis of improved quality in imaging through a national Australian echocardiography registry
Authors: Eccleston David , Scalia Gregory , Kearney Leighton , Cross David , Cehic Daniel , Disney Patrick , Xu Xiao-Fang , Cain Peter , Srivastava Piyush M
Published: May 2022

Background

Despite rapid technological advances and growth, quality in imaging has not received the focus seen elsewhere in cardiovascular medicine, resulting in significant gaps between guidelines and practice. Contemporary echocardiography practice requires comprehensive real-time data collection to allow dynamic auditing and benchmarking of key performance indices. The American College of Cardiology (ACC) proposed additional data standardisation, structured reporting identifying key data elements and imaging registries. In the absence of an Australian echocardiography registry, we developed a national clinical quality registry (GenesisCare Cardiovascular Outcomes Echo Registry). We hypothesised that measurement and local reporting of data would improve compliance of echo studies with quality guidelines and hence their clinical value.

Methods and results

We prospectively collected data on 4 099 281 echocardiographic studies entered directly into a central electronic database from 63 laboratories across four Australian states between 2010 and 2021. Real-time auditing of key data elements and introduction of quality improvement pathways were performed to maximise completeness and uniformity of data acquisition and reporting. We compared completeness of key data element acquisition (AV peak velocity, left ventricular ejection fraction, E/e’, LA area, rhythm, RVSP) by time and state using de-identified data. Key performance outcomes benchmarked against the aggregated study cohort and international standards were reported to individual sites to drive quality improvement. Between 2010 and 2014 there were significant improvements in data completeness (72.0%+/-26.8% vs 86.8%+/-13.5%, p=0.02), which were maintained to 2020. In addition, interstate variability fell for both EF and E/e’ (p<0.002).

Conclusions

This large-scale collaboration provides a platform for the development of major quality improvement initiatives in echocardiography. Introduction of local quality assurance programmes via a unified national data set significantly improved the completeness of reporting of key echo quality measures. This in turn significantly improved the quality of, and reduced the interstate variability of, echo data. Developing a centralised database allowed rapid adoption nationally of local quality improvements.
Diagnostic validity and clinical utility of genetic testing for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Christian Susan , Cirino Allison , Hansen Brittany , Harris Stephanie , Murad Andrea M , Natoli Jaime L , Malinowski Jennifer , Kelly Melissa A
Published: May 2022

Objective

This study summarises the diagnostic validity and clinical utility of genetic testing for patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and their at-risk relatives.

Methods

A systematic search was performed in PubMed (MEDLINE), Embase, CINAHL and Cochrane Central Library databases from inception through 2 March 2020. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were prespecified for individual sarcomere genes, presence/absence of pathogenic variants, paediatric and adult cohorts, family history, inclusion of probands, and variant classification method. Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa tool.

Results

A total of 132 articles met inclusion criteria. The detection rate based on pathogenic and likely pathogenic variants was significantly higher in paediatric cohorts compared with adults (56% vs 42%; p=0.01) and in adults with a family history compared with sporadic cases (59% vs 33%; p=0.005). When studies applied current, improved, variant interpretation standards, the adult detection rate significantly decreased from 42% to 33% (p=0.0001) because less variants met criteria to be considered pathogenic. The mean difference in age-of-onset in adults was significantly earlier for genotype-positive versus genotype-negative cohorts (8.3 years; p<0.0001),MYH7versusMYBPC3cohorts (8.2 years; p<0.0001) and individuals with multiple versus single variants (7.0 years; p<0.0002). Overall, disease penetrance in adult cohorts was 62%, but differed significantly depending on if probands were included or excluded (73% vs 55%; p=0.003).

Conclusions

This systematic review and meta-analysis is the first, to our knowledge, to collectively quantify historical understandings of detection rate, genotype-phenotype associations and disease penetrance for HCM, while providing the answers to important routine clinical questions and highlighting key areas for future study.
Time trends in adherence to guideline recommendations for anticoagulation therapy in patients with atrial fibrillation and myocardial infarction
Authors: Jortveit Jarle , Sandberg Edvard L , Pripp Are Hugo , Halvorsen Sigrun
Published: May 2022

Background

Poor adherence to guideline recommendations for anticoagulation in patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI) and atrial fibrillation (AF) is previously reported. The aim of the present cohort study was to assess time trends in prescription of anticoagulation therapy in a nationwide registry-based cohort of patients with acute MI and AF.

Methods

All patients, registered in the Norwegian Myocardial Infarction Registry (NORMI) between 2013 and 2019 with ECG-verified AF at hospitalisation, were included in the cohort study. The primary outcome was the prescription rate of anticoagulation therapy at hospital discharge and follow-up through 2019.

Results

AF was observed in 8565 (10.9% of 78369) patients registered in the NORMI from 2013 through 2019. The congestive heart failure, hypertension, age ≥75 (doubled), diabetes, stroke (doubled), vascular disease, age 65–75, and sex (female) score was ≥2 in 7845 (92%) of the hospitalised patients with AF, and in 7174 (96%) of 7440 patients discharged alive. Only 3704 (47.2%) of these patients were treated with anticoagulation prior to the MI. The prescription rate of anticoagulation therapy at discharge was 55% in 2013, increasing to 78% in 2019 (annual per cent change 6.0 (95% CI 0.7 to 11.6)). Patients prescribed anticoagulation therapy had reduced risk of all types of stroke or death at follow-up compared with patients without prescription of anticoagulation therapy (multivariate-adjusted HR 0.8, 95% CI 0.7 to 0.8, p<0.001).

Conclusions

The prescription rate of anticoagulation therapy in patients with MI and AF increased during the study period, but many patients were still undertreated with respect to stroke prevention.
Fulminant onset COVID-19: predictors and outcome
Authors: Sathiavageesan Subrahmanian , Sundaram Vivek , Sundaram Naveen , Shanmugam Vimalraj Bogana , Selvaraj Joseph , Vivek Namrata , Ravi Gobinath Kanthasamy , Velan Minu , Palaniappan Chidambaram , Singaravelu Velvizhi , Shanmugam Manoj Prabhakar
Published: May 2022

Purpose

During COVID-19 infection, organ dysfunction such as respiratory failure tends to occur towards the second week of illness; however, in a subset, there may be rapid onset of organ dysfunction as early as symptom onset. We define fulminant onset COVID-19 as rapid onset of organ dysfunction such as acute respiratory failure, acute kidney injury, acute encephalopathy or shock within 4 days of symptom onset. Fulminant onset COVID-19 has not yet been systematically studied. We aimed to identify predictors and prognosis of fulminant onset COVID-19.

Methods

This retrospective study was carried out on patients admitted to a single referral hospital in South India between June 2020 and January 2022. Patients were categorised into fulminant and non-fulminant onset COVID-19. Candidate predictors for fulminant onset were chosen by an intuitive approach and analysed using logistic regression. Then, the outcome of fulminant onset COVID-19 at 30 days was studied.

Results

Out of 2016 patients with confirmed COVID-19, 653 (32.4%) had fulminant onset COVID-19. Age>60 years (a-OR 1.57, 95% CI 1.30 to 1.90, p<0.001), hypertension (a-OR 1.29, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.61, p=0.03) and immune-suppressed state (a-OR 5.62, 95% CI 1.7 to 18.7, p=0.005) were significant predictors of fulminant onset COVID-19. Complete vaccination lowered the odds of fulminant onset COVID-19 significantly (a-OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.43 to 0.85, p=0.004). At 30 days, the fulminant onset COVID-19 group had higher odds of mortality and need for organ support.

Conclusion

Fulminant onset COVID-19 is not uncommon and it carries poor prognosis and deserves recognition as a distinct phenotype of COVID-19.
Managing idiopathic intracranial hypertension in pregnancy: practical advice
Authors: Thaller Mark , Wakerley Benjamin R , Abbott Sally , Tahrani Abd A , Mollan Susan P , Sinclair Alexandra J
Published: May 2022

Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is more common in women of reproductive age who have obesity, yet there is little information on its management specifically in pregnancy. Women with IIH should plan their pregnancy including discussing contraception before pregnancy, recognising that hormonal contraceptives are not contraindicated. Potentially teratogenic medications including acetazolamide and topiramate are not recommended during pregnancy or in those with immediate plans to conceive; prescribing acetazolamide in pregnancy must only follow discussion with the patient and their obstetrician. Ideally, patients should aim to achieve disease remission or control before pregnancy, through optimising their weight. Although weight gain is expected in pregnancy, excessive weight gain may exacerbate IIH and increase maternal and fetal complications; evidence-based recommendations for non-IIH pregnancies may help in guiding optimal gestational weight gain. The vast majority of women with IIH can have a normal vaginal delivery, with spinal or epidural anaesthesia if needed, provided the papilloedema is stable or the IIH is in remission.
Sickle cell disease and fat embolism: a rare complication of vaso-occlusive crisis
Authors: Filippatou Angeliki G , Naveed Muhammad , Barry Daniel P , Deboer Scott R , Haas Christopher J
Published: May 2022

A 61-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital for management of a painful vaso-occlusive crisis. She had a history of sickle cell beta-thalassaemia and end-stage renal disease managed with intermittent haemodialysis. While hospitalised, she became lethargic and unresponsive and developed acute chest syndrome. Initial MR scan of brain, cerebrospinal fluid examination and continuous electroencephalogram were unremarkable, but subsequent MR scan of brain identified a right transverse venous sinus thrombosis and extensive supratentorial and infratentorial microhaemorrhages consistent with fat emboli. We; therefore, discuss a case of non-traumatic fat embolism syndrome, a rare complication of sickle cell disease.
Multidisciplinary team meetings: the epilepsy experience
Authors: Duncan John S
Published: May 2022

Multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings are essential for ensuring optimal and consistent management for patients with complex problems and a variety of treatment options. Epilepsy surgery MDTs are a good example of complex decision making and planning to the best possible outcomes. The meetings need to run to an agreed format, with participants from neurology, neurophysiology, neuroimaging, neuropsychology, neuropsychiatry and neurosurgery all contributing succinct opinions to enable an informed discussion. A key feature of a successful MDT is to have a clear record of complementary data and perspectives, and to document management options. It is crucial to have a debrief after the event if an outcome is less good than anticipated, with the case being gone through in as much detail as a preoperative case, and ensuring that the whole team shares the successes and the disappointments and learns from the experience.
Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy coexisting with myasthenia gravis
Authors: Alungulese Anca Loredana , García Soldevilla Miguel Angel , Gordo Mañas Ricardo , Vidal Díaz Maria Belén
Published: May 2022

Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD) and myasthenia gravis are both rare conditions of different pathophysiological nature, so a fortuitous association is unlikely. However, antiacetylcholine receptor antibodies may be found in other genetic myopathies and this is probably not coincidental. Muscle fibre degeneration can induce innate immune responses that may break immune tolerance and allow the generation of autoantibodies to muscle proteins. We report a patient with atypical OPMD who also had acetylcholine receptor antibody-mediated myasthenia gravis. This report raises awareness of the diagnostic and treatment implications of the association of myasthenia gravis with genetic myopathies.
Reduced Dynamics in Open Bosonic and Fermionic Systems
Authors: Lyris Ioannis , Lykourgias Panagiotis , Karanikas Alexandros I.
Published: May 2022

In this work we study the reduced dynamics of a system embedded in a quantum environment, with the use of correlation functions produced through appropriately defined reduced generating functionals. Our construction is based on expressing these functionals in terms of consistently defined coherent-state path integrals in the framework of the Keldysh-Schwinger out-of-equilibrium formalism.
A Note on Improved Treatment of Gaussian Communication Process
Authors: Takahash Taihei , Watanabe Noboru
Published: May 2022

In order to discuss the efficiency of information transmission of the Gaussian communication processes consistently, we introduced an entropy type functional and a mutual entropy type functional in reference [16]. In that study, we used the set of Gaussian input measures with covariance operators of trace one. In this paper, we refine the formulation and modify the entropy type complexity and the mutual entropy type complexity to be able to study the efficiency of information transmission for more general input Gaussian measures and Gaussian channels.
Exploring Gaze for Assisting Freehand Selection-based Text Entry in AR
Authors: Lystbæk Mathias N. , Pfeuffer Ken , Grønbæk Jens Emil Sloth , Gellersen Hans
Published: May 2022

With eye-tracking increasingly available in Augmented Reality, we explore how gaze can be used to assist freehand gestural text entry. Here the eyes are often coordinated with manual input across the spatial positions of the keys. Inspired by this, we investigate gaze-assisted selection-based text entry through the concept of spatial alignment of both modalities. Users can enter text by aligning both gaze and manual pointer at each key, as a novel alternative to existing dwell-time or explicit manual triggers. We present a text entry user study comparing two of such alignment techniques to a gaze-only and a manual-only baseline. The results show that one alignment technique reduces physical finger movement by more than half compared to standard in-air finger typing, and is faster and exhibits less perceived eye fatigue than an eyes-only dwell-time technique. We discuss trade-offs between uni and multimodal text entry techniques, pointing to novel ways to integrate eye movements to facilitate virtual text entry.
U-HAR
Authors: Meyer Johannes , Frank Adrian , Schlebusch Thomas , Kasneci Enkelejda
Published: May 2022

After the success of smartphones and smartwatches, smart glasses are expected to be the next smart wearable. While novel display technology allows the seamlessly embedding of content into the FOV, interaction methods with glasses, requiring the user for active interaction, limiting the user experience. One way to improve this and drive immersive augmentation is to reduce user interactions to a necessary minimum by adding context awareness to smart glasses. For this, we propose an approach based on human activity recognition, which incorporates features, derived from the user's head- and eye-movement. Towards this goal, we combine an commercial eye-tracker and an IMU to capture eye- and head-movement features of 7 activities performed by 20 participants. From a methodological perspective, we introduce U-HAR, a convolutional network optimized for activity recognition. By applying a few-shot learning, our model reaches an macro-F1-score of 86.59%, allowing us to derive contextual information.
Model-based Gaze Estimation with Transparent Markers on Large Screens
Authors: Koshikawa Koki , Nagamatsu Takashi , Takemura Kentaro
Published: May 2022

Several technical issues that affect eye-tracking have arisen concomitantly with the steadily increasing sizes of personal displays recently. One such issue is the loss of the illumination reflection of the near-infrared light-emitting diodes used as reference points around the edge of the display. Another issue is that reference identification is required for practical usage. Therefore, this paper proposes gaze estimation with transparent markers for large display environments to solve these problems. The transparent markers can be distributed on the screen, and a unique ID is assigned to each marker using linear polarization angles. The reference is detected using a polarization camera through the reflection on the cornea. The results of experiments conducted using a 50-inch display indicate that the proposed method can estimate the point-of-gaze to within 2.1 degrees of error. We confirmed that on-screen markers in sizable displays could be effectively used as references instead of illumination sources.
Modelling Solvent Consumption from SEI Layer Growth in Lithium-Ion Batteries
Authors: Li Ruihe , O’Kane Simon , Marinescu Monica , Offer Gregory J
Published: May 2022

Predicting lithium-ion battery (LIB) lifetime is one of the most important challenges holding back the electrification of vehicles, aviation, and the grid. The continuous growth of the solid-electrolyte interface (SEI) is widely accepted as the dominant degradation mechanism for LIBs. SEI growth consumes cyclable lithium and leads to capacity fade and power fade via several pathways. However, SEI growth also consumes electrolyte solvent and may lead to electrolyte dry-out, which has only been modelled in a few papers. These papers showed that the electrolyte dry-out induced a positive feedback loop between loss of active material (LAM) and SEI growth due to the increased interfacial current density, which resulted in capacity drop. This work, however, shows a negative feedback loop between LAM and SEI growth due to the reduced solvent concentration (in our case, EC), which slows down SEI growth. We also show that adding extra electrolyte into LIBs at the beginning of life can greatly improve their service life. This study provides new insights into the degradation of LIBs and a tool for cell developers to design longer lasting batteries.
Moderation of Oxidative Damage on Aromatic Hydrocarbon-Based Polymers
Authors: Nemeth Tamas , de Wild Tym , Gubler Lorenz , Nauser Thomas
Published: May 2022

During the operation of aromatic hydrocarbon-based proton exchange membrane fuel cells, formed radical species attack the membrane. The most deleterious radical formed is HO·, both strongly electrophilic and oxidising. Oligomers of α-methylstyrene sulfonates (PAMSS) were used as model compounds. We report on the complex reaction cascade following the oxidative attack on aromatic cores bearing proton conductive sulfonate groups. UV-absorption bands of initial oxidation products indicate the formation of radical adducts and aromatic cation radicals. Subsequently, a transformation associated with an absorbance build-up at 580 nm is observed, presumably also related to aromatic cation radicals. Build-up and decay are significantly accelerated at high ionic strength levels that are also typical in fuel cells. Increased ionic strength causes phase separation: dynamic light scattering experiments indicate particle formation that is dependent both on chain length and on ionic strength. Aromatic cation radicals are known strong oxidants. With a presumed redox potential of E°((PAMSS-580 nm)·+/PAMSS) ∼ 2 V this oxidizing species should react also with mediocre reductants. Here, Mn(II) was oxidised to Mn(III) with rate constants of (5–10) × 106 M−1s−1. Implications for experimental design of kinetics experiments and understanding chemical mechanisms are discussed.
Cold Start of PEMFC using Alternating Hydrogen Pump: Part I. Mechanistic Modeling
Authors: Xu Haosen , Wang Shangshang , Si Dechun , Zhang Jianbo
Published: May 2022

Cold start impedes the diffusion of fuel cell vehicles in regions with sub-zero temperatures. The alternating hydrogen pump (AHP) method has the advantages of fast, efficient and reliable startup without concerns for failure or degradation due to freezing of the product water. However, puzzling phenomena, including the variation of current in each half-cycle and the hook-shaped change of high frequency resistance (HFR), are observed during the AHP under constant voltage mode. These phenomena affect the efficiency and speed of cold starts, but are poorly understood. Herein, we develop a one-dimensional transient model, in which a mechanistic description of the water vapor transport enhanced by H2 convection is contemplated. The model is parameterized and validated using experiments under isothermal and adiabatic boundary conditions, respectively. The simulation results show that the puzzling phenomena are caused by the changes in the content and distribution of the water in the membrane, which in turn are induced by water transport in the membrane and water vapor removal from the membrane. The model has the potential to be applied in the optimization of the cold start process.
Modeling Framework to Analyze Performance and Structural Reliability of Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells
Authors: Bao Jie , Karri Naveen , Recknagle Kurtis , Wang Chao , Koeppel Brian , Marina Olga A.
Published: May 2022

Solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOEC) have been receiving significant attention recently because of their high energy efficiency and fast hydrogen production. In this study a multi-physics model to simulate the SOEC performance and structural reliability of a state-of-the-art planar SOEC design was developed. The electrochemical reactions, fluid dynamics, species transport, electron transfer, and heat transfer were modeled in the commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software STAR-CCM+. The thermomechanical analysis and the associated structural reliability evaluations were conducted using the commercial finite element analysis software ANSYS. The electrochemistry model was validated by using the experimentally obtained current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of the electrode-supported SOECs. The reliability analysis using a risk-of-rupture approach showed low failure probabilities under standard operating conditions considered in this study. For cells operated at voltages well above a thermoneutral voltage, the reliability evaluations indicated a potential risk of cell failure, but the damage was concentrated locally in specific areas of the cell which typically do not lead to total loss of cell function. The presented approach provides insights for evaluating representative cell and stack performances and structural reliability without intensive testing and for developing optimally performing and structurally reliable SOECs for efficient hydrogen generation.
Critical Evaluation of Potentiostatic Holds as Accelerated Predictors of Capacity Fade during Calendar Aging
Authors: Schulze Maxwell C. , Rodrigues Marco-Tulio F. , McBrayer Josefine D. , Abraham Daniel P. , Apblett Christopher A. , Bloom Ira , Chen Zonghai , Colclasure Andrew M. , Dunlop Alison R. , Fang Chen , Harrison Katharine L. , Liu Gao , Minteer Shelley D. , Neale Nathan R. , Robertson David , Tornheim Adam P. , Trask Stephen E. , Veith Gabriel M. , Verma Ankit , Yang Zhenzhen , Johnson Christopher
Published: May 2022

Li-ion batteries will lose both capacity and power over time due to calendar aging caused by slow parasitic processes that consume Li+ ions. Studying and mitigating these processes is traditionally an equally slow venture, which is especially taxing for the validation of new active materials and electrolyte additives. Here, we evaluate whether potentiostatic holds can be used to accelerate the diagnosis of Li+ loss during calendar aging. The technique is based on the idea that, under the right conditions, the current measured as the cell voltage is held constant can be correlated with the instantaneous rate of side reactions. Thus, in principle, these measurements could capture the rate of capacity fade in real time. In practice, we show that this method is incapable of quantitatively forecasting calendar aging trends. Instead, our study demonstrates that potentiostatic holds can be applied for initial qualitative screening of systems that exhibit promising long-term stability, which can be useful to shrink the parameter space for calendar aging studies. By facilitating the identification of improved formulations, this approach can help accelerate innovation in the battery industry.
Electrochemical Characterization of Ionic Dynamics Resulting from Spin Conversion of Water Isomers
Authors: Kernbach Serge
Published: May 2022

Para- and ortho-isomers of water have different chemical and physical properties. Excitations by magnetic field, laser emission or hydrodynamic cavitation are reported to change energetic levels and spin configurations of water molecules that in turn change macroscopically measurable properties of aqueous solutions. Similar scheme is also explored for dissolved molecular oxygen, where physical excitations form singlet oxygen with different spin configurations and generate a long chain of ionic and free-radical reactions. This work utilizes electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) to characterize ionic dynamics of proposed spin conversion methods applied to dissolving of carbon dioxide CO2 and hydrogen peroxide H2O2 in pure water excited by fluctuating weak magnetic field in μT range. Measurement results demonstrate different ionic reactivities and surface tension effects triggered by excitations at 10−8 J/mL. The CO2- and O2-related reaction pathways are well distinguishable by EIS. Control experiments without CO2/H2O2 input show no significant effects. Dynamics of electrochemical impedances and temperature of fluids indicates anomalous quasi-periodical fluctuations pointing to possible carbonate-induced cyclic reactions or cyclical spin conversion processes. This approach can underlie the development of affordable electrochemical sensors operating with spin conversion technologies with applications in quantum biology, biophysics, and material science.
Strategies adopted by undergraduate teaching assistants in physiology and biophysics education during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Gonçalves-Manso Dayana S. , Rodrigues Mateus P. , Secio-Silva Ayla , Alves Eliza L. , Oliveira Vitória S. , Carvalho Pedro E. P. , Beraldo Ikaro J. S. , Vaccarezza Giulia T. C. , Viza Rodrigo S. , Carmo Francisco A. C. , Pereira Grace S. , Bargi-Souza Paula , da Silva Glauber S. F. , Guimaraes Pedro P. G.
Published: May 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic affected almost all aspects of our lives, including the education sector and the way of teaching and learning. In March 2020, health authorities in Brazil imposed social isolation and the interruption of on-site activities in schools and universities. In this context, the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), one of the largest universities in Brazil and Latin America, developed an emergency remote learning (ERL) plan that allowed the return of classes in an online format and supported students to obtain access to equipment and internet network. Within this new perspective, the Undergraduate Teaching Assistant (UTA) program of the Department of Physiology and Biophysics (DFIB) explored strategies to minimize the impact of the absence of face-to-face classes. Using different available tools in online platforms and social media such as Microsoft Teams, YouTube animated video classes, and Instagram, the UTA program assisted >500 undergraduate students and strongly supported professors during ERL. In just over a year, our video classes on YouTube Channel reached ∼40,000 views. Most of the students reported that their questions were fully and quickly solved by the UTA program. Collectively, our results indicate that the strategies implemented by the UTA program helped the undergraduate students and professors to adapt to a remote learning format.
Myocardial injury, troponin release, and cardiomyocyte death in brief ischemia, failure, and ventricular remodeling
Authors: Canty John M.
Published: May 2022

Troponin released from irreversibly injured myocytes is the gold standard biomarker for the rapid identification of an acute coronary syndrome. In acute myocardial infarction, necrotic cell death is characterized by sarcolemmal disruption in response to a critical level of energy depletion after more than 15 min of ischemia. Although troponin I and T are highly specific for cardiomyocyte death, high-sensitivity assays have demonstrated that measurable circulating levels of troponin are present in many normal subjects. In addition, transient as well as chronic elevations have been demonstrated in many disease states not clearly associated with myocardial ischemia. The latter observations have given rise to the clinical concept of myocardial injury. This review will summarize evidence supporting the notion that circulating troponin levels parallel the extent of myocyte apoptosis in normal ventricular remodeling and in pathophysiological conditions not associated with infarction or necrosis. It will review the evidence that myocyte apoptosis can be accelerated by diastolic strain from elevated ventricular preload and systolic strain from dyskinesis after brief episodes of ischemia too short to cause a critical level of myocyte energy depletion. We then show how chronic, low rates of myocyte apoptosis from endogenous myocyte turnover, repetitive ischemia, or repetitive elevations in left ventricular diastolic pressure can lead to significant myocyte loss in the absence of neurohormonal stimulation. Finally, we posit that the differential response to strain-induced injury in heart failure may determine whether progressive myocyte loss and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction or interstitial fibrosis and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction become the heart failure phenotype.
NUF2 Is a Potential Immunological and Prognostic Marker for Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Li Xia , Zhang Lianlian , Yi Zhongquan , Zhou Jing , Song Wenchun , Zhao Panwen , Wu Jixiang , Song Jianxiang , Ni Qinggan
Published: May 2022

Background. Globally, non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is one of the most prevalent tumors. Various studies have investigated its etiology, but the molecular mechanism of NSCLC has not been elucidated. Methods. The GSE19804, GSE118370, GSE19188, GSE27262, and GSE33532 microarray datasets were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database for the identification of genes involved in NSCLC development as well as progression. Then, the identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were subjected to functional enrichment analyses. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was built after which module analysis was conducted via the Search Tool for Retrieval of Interacting Genes/Proteins (STRING) and Cytoscape. There were 562 DEGs: 98 downregulated genes and 464 upregulated. These DEGs were established to be enriched in p53 signaling pathway, transendothelial leukocyte migration, cell adhesion molecules, contractions of vascular smooth muscles, coagulation and complement cascades, and axon guidance. Assessment of tumor immunity was performed to determine the roles of hub genes. Results. There were 562 dysregulated genes, while 12 genes were hub genes. NUF2 was established to be a candidate immunotherapeutic target with potential clinical implications. The 12 hub genes were highly enriched in the p53 signaling pathway, the cell cycle, progesterone-associated oocyte maturation, cellular senescence, and oocyte meiosis. Survival analysis showed that NUF2 is associated with NSCLC occurrence, invasion, and recurrence. Conclusion. The NUF2 gene discovered in this study helps us clarify the pathomechanisms of NSCLC occurrence as well as progression and provides a potential diagnostic and therapeutic target for NSCLC.