bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Gender congruence and emotion effects in cross‐modal associative learning: Insights from ERPs and pupillary responses
Authors: Ziereis Annika , Schacht Anne
Published: June 2023

Social and emotional cues from faces and voices are highly relevant and have been reliably demonstrated to attract attention involuntarily. However, there are mixed findings as to which degree associating emotional valence to faces occurs automatically. In the present study, we tested whether inherently neutral faces gain additional relevance by being conditioned with either positive, negative, or neutral vocal affect bursts. During learning, participants performed a gender‐matching task on face‐voice pairs without explicit emotion judgments of the voices. In the test session on a subsequent day, only the previously associated faces were presented and had to be categorized regarding gender. We analyzed event‐related potentials (ERPs), pupil diameter, and response times (RTs) of N = 32 subjects. Emotion effects were found in auditory ERPs and RTs during the learning session, suggesting that task‐irrelevant emotion was automatically processed. However, ERPs time‐locked to the conditioned faces were mainly modulated by the task‐relevant information, that is, the gender congruence of the face and voice, but not by emotion. Importantly, these ERP and RT effects of learned congruence were not limited to learning but extended to the test session, that is, after removing the auditory stimuli. These findings indicate successful associative learning in our paradigm, but it did not extend to the task‐irrelevant dimension of emotional relevance. Therefore, cross‐modal associations of emotional relevance may not be completely automatic, even though the emotion was processed in the voice.
Determinants of competitive advantage: The roles of innovation orientation, fuzzy front end, and internal competition
Authors: Tian Bo , Fu Jiaxin , Li Chunhao , Wang Zizhao
Published: June 2023

Although innovation orientation is identified as an effective strategy to enhance an enterprise's competitive advantage, its mechanism remains to be investigated. This study divides the fuzzy front‐end (FFE) activities of new product development (NPD) projects into idea generation, concept definition, and initial planning and investigates the transmission path between innovation orientation and competitive advantage through these three activities. Additionally, we explore the moderating role of internal competition. This empirical study is based on 261 respondents from China. The results suggest that innovation orientation has a positive impact on FFE activities, and these promote competitive advantage. The mediating role of FFE activities in the relationship between innovation orientation and competitive advantage is confirmed. The results also reveal that internal competition regulates the relationship between innovation orientation and FFE activities in an inverted U‐shape. The study further reveals the internal mechanism of innovation orientation on competitive advantage and provides a deeper understanding of the link between them. The study guides research and development (R&D) management practitioners in managing FFE activities and rationalizing internal competition to enhance NPD success.
Medication‐related osteonecrosis of the external auditory canal – A rapid review of the literature and relevance to special care dentists
Authors: Khan Ishfaq
Published: June 2023

Aims

There is growing evidence that anti‐resorptive and anti‐angiogenic medications can cause medication‐related osteonecrosis of the external auditory canal (MROEAC). It is possible that patients taking risk medications may also suffer from concomitant medication ‐related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) or temporomandibular joint (TMJ) involvement. The aim of this paper is to conduct a rapid review of the literature on MROEAC, and, its relevance to special care dentists.

Methods and Results

A rapid review of the literature was carried out using PubMed, Science Direct and Google Scholar to identify papers relating to MROEAC. The grey literature and non‐English papers were also consulted. Overall, 19 papers were identified from 2005 until December 2022.

Conclusions

Patients at risk of MRONJ may also be at risk of MROEAC and present to special care dentists. Dental/orofacial disease may cause signs and symptoms suggestive of MROEAC. It should be considered as a potential cause of orofacial pain in special care patients. MROEAC can have a significant impact on a patient's dental treatment, including access, the provision of sedation, communication difficulties, and consent issues.
Does disseminating (mis)information restore social connection during a global pandemic?
Authors: Wicks Sydney G. , Hales Andrew H. , Hennes Erin P.
Published: June 2023

The COVID‐19 pandemic impeded social interaction, negatively affecting well‐being worldwide. To slow virus spread, practices were enacted to minimize face‐to‐face contact, leading to increased social disconnection. As people turned increasingly to online environments (e.g., social media) to fulfill needs for inclusion and belonging, misinformation regarding COVID‐19 simultaneously ran rampant. The purpose of the current study was to examine whether impeded social inclusion may have contributed to the spread of misinformation. We recruited a sample of adult social media users in the United States (N = 431) and randomly assigned them to be either included, ostracized (i.e., ignored), or rejected (i.e., to receive explicitly negative attention). Participants subsequently rated their willingness to share COVID‐19 claims via social media (in fact, all claims were false). Participants learned that sharing some claims would likely lead to high expected engagement from others on social media (e.g., “likes”), whereas some claims would likely lead to little expected engagement. While information sharing was low in our sample, participants were more willing to share claims that they believed would lead to higher levels of engagement—consistent with the idea that sharing information is motivated not only by the desire to educate others but also to elicit social connection. However, this behavioral intention was no more common among participants who had been momentarily ostracized or rejected online than among participants who had been included. Future research should continue to explore the link between social exclusion and the motivation to disseminate (mis)information beyond a pandemic‐related context.
Impact of clinical pharmacist‐led interventions on switching from intravenous‐to‐oral antibiotics in patients with infectious diseases at a Vietnamese hospital
Authors: Nguyen Tu Nhat Thien , Bui Quynh Thi Huong , Tran Van‐Anh Thi , Tran Nhu Quynh , Nguyen Nhi Truc Y. , Nguyen Hai Thanh , Pham Cam Thi Le , Pham Hien Thi Thu , Tran Mai Thi Phuong , Dau Hien Thi Thanh , Nguyen Tien Thi Thuy
Published: June 2023

Objectives

To evaluate the impact of clinical pharmacist‐led interventions on the switch from intravenous (IV) to oral (PO) antibiotics among inpatients with infectious diseases.

Methods

A before‐and‐after study was conducted among inpatients aged 18 or older who were diagnosed with infectious diseases and received IV antibiotics for at least 24 h at the Thong Nhat Hospital during the pre‐intervention (between January 2021 and June 2021) and intervention (between January 2022 and June 2022) periods. Information on patient characteristics, antibiotic usage, length of hospital stay and treatment outcomes was obtained from medical records. The interventions included introducing IV‐to‐PO switch guidelines to physicians and clinical pharmacists' feedback on eligible cases. The impact of the pharmacists' interventions was evaluated by comparing primary outcomes (switch rate and appropriateness of switching) and secondary outcomes (duration of IV therapy, length of hospital stay and treatment outcomes) between the two study periods.

Results

We included 99 patients in the pre‐intervention and 80 patients in the intervention period. The proportion of patients who switched from IV‐to‐PO antibiotics increased from 44.4% in the pre‐intervention period to 67.8% in the intervention period (p = 0.008). The overall rate of appropriate conversion increased significantly from 43.8% to 67.5% (p = 0.043). There were no statistically significant differences between the two periods with respect to the median duration of IV therapy (9 days vs. 8 days), length of hospital stay (10 days vs. 9 days) and treatment outcomes. Logistic regression analysis showed that the interventions resulted in a higher switch rate, whereas age was negatively associated with the switching rate.

Conclusions

The implementation of clinical pharmacist‐led interventions was effective in promoting IV‐to‐PO antibiotic conversion.
Genome‐wide enhancer identification by massively parallel reporter assay in Arabidopsis
Authors: Tan Yongjun , Yan Xiaohao , Sun Jialei , Wan Jing , Li Xinxin , Huang Yingzhang , Li Li , Niu Longjian , Hou Chunhui
Published: June 2023

Enhancers are critical cis‐regulatory elements controlling gene expression during cell development and differentiation. However, genome‐wide enhancer characterization has been challenging due to the lack of a well‐defined relationship between enhancers and genes. Function‐based methods are the gold standard for determining the biological function of cis‐regulatory elements; however, these methods have not been widely applied to plants. Here, we applied a massively parallel reporter assay on Arabidopsis to measure enhancer activities across the genome. We identified 4327 enhancers with various combinations of epigenetic modifications distinctively different from animal enhancers. Furthermore, we showed that enhancers differ from promoters in their preference for transcription factors. Although some enhancers are not conserved and overlap with transposable elements forming clusters, enhancers are generally conserved across thousand Arabidopsis accessions, suggesting they are selected under evolution pressure and could play critical roles in the regulation of important genes. Moreover, comparison analysis reveals that enhancers identified by different strategies do not overlap, suggesting these methods are complementary in nature. In sum, we systematically investigated the features of enhancers identified by functional assay in A. thaliana, which lays the foundation for further investigation into enhancers' functional mechanisms in plants.
Search of a genomic sequence database for potential novel blood group antigens: Investigation into why some amino acid substitutions are not immunogenic
Authors: Howe John G. , Stack Gary
Published: June 2023

Background

Polypeptide blood group antigens are typically identified through investigation of the antibodies they induce. Human genome sequence databases are a new tool to identify AA substitutions that potentially create blood group antigens.

Study Design and Methods

The Erythrogene genomic sequence database was searched for missense mutations not known to be blood group antigens in the extracellular domains of selected RBC proteins in European populations. Any mutations found with prevalence of 1%–90% and not known to have induced antibodies in transfusion practice were analyzed using protein structural analysis and epitope prediction programs to determine why they apparently lack immunogenicity.

Results

Thirteen missense mutations not known to create blood group antigens were identified in the extracellular domains of Kell, BCAM, and RhD proteins, but not in RhCE, Urea Transporter 1 (Kidd), Atypical Chemokine Receptor 1 (Duffy), glycophorin A or glycophorin B. While 11 of the 13 mutations had low prevalence (<1%), a Kell Ser726Pro substitution and a BCAM Val196Ile substitution had predicted phenotype prevalences of 43.2% and 5.7%, respectively. Ser726Pro had multiple properties of a linear B‐cell epitope, but possible suboptimal protein location for B‐cell receptor binding and limited T‐cell epitope possibilities. Val196Ile was not predicted to be in a linear B‐cell epitope.

Conclusion

Multiple potential new blood group antigens of low prevalence were identified. Whether they are antigenic remains to be determined. Two higher prevalence variants in Kell and BCAM are unlikely antigens, otherwise their antibodies presumably would already have been identified. Possible reasons for their poor immunogenicity were identified.
Quality assessment of red blood cell concentrates from blood donors at the extremes of the age spectrum: The BEST collaborative study
Authors: Cloutier Marc , Cognasse Fabrice , Yokoyama Ana Paula Hitomi , Hazegh Kelsey , Mykhailova Olga , Brandon‐Coatham Mackenzie , Hamzeh‐Cognasse Hind , Kutner Jose Mauro , Acker Jason P. , Kanias Tamir ,   the Biomedical Excellence for Safer Transfusion (BEST) Collaborative
Published: June 2023

Background

Blood donors at the extremes of the age spectrum (16–19 years vs. ≥75 years) are characterized by increased risks of iron deficiency and anemia, and are often underrepresented in studies evaluating the effects of donor characteristics on red blood cells (RBC) transfusion effectiveness. The aim of this study was to conduct quality assessments of RBC concentrates from these unique age groups.

Study design

We characterized 150 leukocyte‐reduced (LR)‐RBCs units from 75 teenage donors, who were matched by sex, and ethnicity with 75 older donors. LR‐RBC units were manufactured at three large blood collection centers in the USA and Canada. Quality assessments included storage hemolysis, osmotic hemolysis, oxidative hemolysis, osmotic gradient ektacytometry, hematological indices, and RBC bioactivity.

Results

RBC concentrates from teenage donors had smaller (9%) mean corpuscular volume and higher (5%) RBC concentration compared with older donors counterparts. Stored RBCs from teenage donors exhibited increased susceptibility to oxidative hemolysis (>2‐fold) compared with RBCs from older donors. This was observed at all testing centers independent of sex, storage duration, or the type of additive solution. RBCs from teenage male donors had increased cytoplasmatic viscosity and lower hydration compared with older donor RBCs. Evaluations of RBC supernatant bioactivity suggested that donor age was not associated with altered expression of inflammatory markers (CD31, CD54, and IL‐6) on endothelial cells.

Conclusions

The reported findings are likely intrinsic to RBCs and reflect age‐specific changes in RBC antioxidant capacity and physical characteristics that may impact RBC survival during cold storage and after transfusion.
Online reverberation time and clarity estimation in dynamic acoustic conditions
Authors: Götz Philipp , Tuna Cagdas , Walther Andreas , Habets Emanuël A. P.
Published: June 2023

Previously proposed methods for estimating acoustic parameters from reverberant, noisy speech signals exhibit insufficient performance under changing acoustic conditions. A data-centric approach is proposed to overcome the limiting assumption of fixed source–receiver transmission paths. The obtained solution significantly enlarges the scope of potential applications for such estimators. The joint estimation of reverberation time RT60 and clarity index C50 in multiple frequency bands is studied with a focus on dynamic acoustic environments. Three different convolutional recurrent neural network architectures are considered to solve the tasks of single-band, multi-band, and multi-task parameter estimation. A comprehensive performance evaluation is provided that highlights the benefits of the proposed approach.
Lateralization of binaural envelope cues measured with a mobile
cochlear-implant research processor
Authors: Dennison Stephen R. , Thakkar Tanvi , Kan Alan , Litovsky Ruth Y.
Published: June 2023

Bilateral cochlear implant (BICI) listeners do not have full access to the binaural cues that normal hearing (NH) listeners use for spatial hearing tasks such as localization. When using their unsynchronized everyday processors, BICI listeners demonstrate sensitivity to interaural level differences (ILDs) in the envelopes of sounds, but interaural time differences (ITDs) are less reliably available. It is unclear how BICI listeners use combinations of ILDs and envelope ITDs, and how much each cue contributes to perceived sound location. The CCi-MOBILE is a bilaterally synchronized research processor with the untested potential to provide spatial cues to BICI listeners. In the present study, the CCi-MOBILE was used to measure the ability of BICI listeners to perceive lateralized sound sources when single pairs of electrodes were presented amplitude-modulated stimuli with combinations of ILDs and envelope ITDs. Young NH listeners were also tested using amplitude-modulated high-frequency tones. A cue weighting analysis with six BICI and ten NH listeners revealed that ILDs contributed more than envelope ITDs to lateralization for both groups. Moreover, envelope ITDs contributed to lateralization for NH listeners but had negligible contribution for BICI listeners. These results suggest that the CCi-MOBILE is suitable for binaural testing and developing bilateral processing strategies.
Exploring the Implementation and Practices of the Parent–Coach Dual Role
Authors: KurtzFavero Mia , Murata Alex , Strydom Niël , Tse Tiffany , Costa Guilherme H. , Côté Jean
Published: June 2023

Previous research looking into youth sport coaching indicates that a majority of coaches may also be a parent to an athlete on their team. While previous studies have also sought to understand how being a parent–coach might affect parents’ relationships with their own child(ren), little work appears to explore how occupying this role might affect an individual’s ability to remain effective as a coach. As such, 14 parent–coaches were interviewed to examine how they perceived their dual role to influence their coaching effectiveness and to hear what strategies they used to remain effective. Interviews were analyzed thematically, and findings indicated that parent–coaches have few formalized resources to aid them in navigating the issues associated with their challenging dual-role position. More support would be welcomed by this population to improve their effectiveness and to ensure that all developing athletes in their care continue to have positive experiences within the youth sport environment.
Polymorphic display and texture integrated systems controlled by capillarity
Authors: Ha Jonghyun , Kim Yun Seong , Li Chengzhang , Hwang Jonghyun , Leung Sze Chai , Siu Ryan , Tawfick Sameh
Published: June 2023

Soft robotics offer unusual bioinspired solutions to challenging engineering problems. Colorful display and morphing appendages are vital signaling modalities used by natural creatures to camouflage, attract mates, or deter predators. Engineering these display capabilities using traditional light emitting devices is energy expensive and bulky and requires rigid substrates. Here, we use capillary-controlled robotic flapping fins to create switchable visual contrast and produce state-persistent, multipixel displays that are 1000- and 10-fold more energy efficient than light emitting devices and electronic paper, respectively. We reveal the bimorphic ability of these fins, whereby they switch between straight or bent stable equilibria. By controlling the droplets temperature across the fins, the multifunctional cells simultaneously exhibit infrared signals decoupled from the optical signals for multispectral display. The ultralow power, scalability, and mechanical compliance make them suitable for curvilinear and soft machines.
Adaptive variations in SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins: effects on distinct virus-cell entry stages
Authors: Qing Enya , Gallagher Tom
Published: June 2023

Evolved SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) spread through human populations in succession. Major virus variations are in the entry-facilitating viral spike (S) proteins; Omicron VOCs have 29–40 S mutations relative to ancestral D614G viruses. The impacts of this Omicron divergence on S protein structure, antigenicity, cell entry pathways, and pathogenicity have been extensively evaluated, yet gaps remain in correlating specific alterations with S protein functions. In this study, we compared the functions of ancestral D614G and Omicron VOCs using cell-free assays that can reveal differences in several distinct steps of the S-directed virus entry process. Relative to ancestral D614G, Omicron BA.1 S proteins were hypersensitized to receptor activation, to conversion into intermediate conformational states, and to membrane fusion-activating proteases. We identified mutations conferring these changes in S protein character by evaluating domain-exchanged D614G/Omicron recombinants in the cell-free assays. Each of the three functional alterations was mapped to specific S protein domains, with the recombinants providing insights on inter-domain interactions that fine-tune S-directed virus entry. Our results provide a structure-function atlas of the S protein variations that may promote the transmissibility and infectivity of current and future SARS-CoV-2 VOCs.

IMPORTANCE

Continuous SARS-CoV-2 adaptations generate increasingly transmissible variants. These succeeding variants show ever-increasing evasion of suppressive antibodies and host factors, as well as increasing invasion of susceptible host cells. Here, we evaluated the adaptations enhancing invasion. We used reductionist cell-free assays to compare the entry steps of ancestral (D614G) and Omicron (BA.1) variants. Relative to D614G, Omicron entry was distinguished by heightened responsiveness to entry-facilitating receptors and proteases and by enhanced formation of intermediate states that execute virus-cell membrane fusion. We found that these Omicron-specific characteristics arose from mutations in specific S protein domains and subdomains. The results reveal the inter-domain networks controlling S protein dynamics and efficiencies of entry steps, and they offer insights on the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 variants that arise and ultimately dominate infections worldwide.
Mus musculus papillomavirus 1 E8^E2 represses expression of late protein E4 in basal-like keratinocytes via NCoR/SMRT-HDAC3 co-repressor complexes to enable wart formation
in vivo
Authors: Kuehner Franziska , Wong Margaret , Straub Elke , Doorbar John , Iftner Thomas , Roden Richard B. S. , Stubenrauch Frank
Published: June 2023

High-risk human papillomaviruses (PV) account for approximately 600,000 new cancers per year. The early protein E8^E2 is a conserved repressor of PV replication, whereas E4 is a late protein that arrests cells in G2 and collapses keratin filaments to facilitate virion release. While inactivation of the Mus musculus PV1 (MmuPV1)
E8
start codon (E8-) increases viral gene expression, surprisingly, it prevents wart formation in FoxN1
nu/nu
mice. To understand this surprising phenotype, the impact of additional E8^E2 mutations was characterized in tissue culture and mice. MmuPV1 and HPV E8^E2 similarly interact with cellular NCoR/SMRT-HDAC3 co-repressor complexes. Disruption of the splice donor sequence used to generate the
E8^E2
transcript or E8^E2 mutants (mt) with impaired binding to NCoR/SMRT-HDAC3 activates MmuPV1 transcription in murine keratinocytes. These MmuPV1 E8^E2 mt genomes also fail to induce warts in mice. The phenotype of E8^E2 mt genomes in undifferentiated cells resembles productive PV replication in differentiated keratinocytes. Consistent with this, E8^E2 mt genomes induced aberrant E4 expression in undifferentiated keratinocytes. In line with observations for HPV, MmuPV1 E4-positive cells displayed a shift to the G2 phase of the cell cycle. In summary, we propose that in order to enable both expansion of infected cells and wart formation
in vivo
, MmuPV1 E8^E2 inhibits E4 protein expression in the basal keratinocytes that would otherwise undergo E4-mediated cell cycle arrest.

IMPORTANCE

Human papillomaviruses (PVs) initiate productive replication, which is characterized by genome amplification and expression of E4 protein strictly within suprabasal, differentiated keratinocytes. Mus musculus PV1 mutants that disrupt splicing of the E8^E2 transcript or abolish the interaction of E8^E2 with cellular NCoR/SMRT-HDAC3 co-repressor complexes display increased gene expression in tissue culture but are unable to form warts
in vivo
. This confirms that the repressor activity of E8^E2 is required for tumor formation and genetically defines a conserved E8 interaction domain. E8^E2 prevents expression of E4 protein in basal-like, undifferentiated keratinocytes and thereby their arrest in G2 phase. Since binding of E8^E2 to NCoR/SMRT-HDAC3 co-repressor is required to enable expansion of infected cells in the basal layer and wart formation
in vivo
, this interaction represents a novel, conserved, and potentially druggable target.
Presence of flavoured electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) products in US ENDS advertisements, 2015–2020: a content analysis
Authors: Moran M B , Czaplicki Lauren , Tadesse Lidya , Handy Jessica , Welding Kevin , Kelley Dannielle , Kennedy Ryan David
Published: June 2023

Objectives

Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) products come in a variety of flavours (eg, fruit, dessert, menthol). Tobacco advertising has historically used flavours as an advertising tactic, but little is known about flavour type and prevalence in ENDS advertisements. We assess the presence of flavoured ENDS in ads over time, by media outlet (eg, magazines, online) and brand.

Methods

We acquired ENDS ads (N=4546) that first ran between 2015–2017 (n=1685; study 1) and 2018–2020 (n=2861; study 2) in outlets including opt-in emails, direct-to-consumer mail (study 1 only), video (TV and online), radio (study 2 only), static online/mobile (ie, ads without video or moving graphics), social media, outdoor (eg, billboards; study 2 only) and consumer magazines. We coded for presence of flavoured ENDS products and flavour type (eg, fruit, tobacco, menthol) and merged this information with metadata on ad year, outlet and manufacturer/retailer brand.

Results

Overall, nearly half (45.5%; n=2067) of ads in our sample featured a flavoured product. Tobacco (59.1%; n=1221), menthol (42.9%; n=887) and fruit (38.6%; n=797) were the most advertised flavours. Over time, the proportion of ads containing tobacco-flavoured and menthol-flavoured ENDS generally decreased before menthol rebounded in 2020. The proportion of ads containing fruit, mint and dessert flavours generally increased over time, with a substantive drop in 2020. We found notable differences in flavoured ENDS advertising by outlet and brand.

Conclusions

The overall presence of flavoured ENDS in our sample of ads remained relatively consistent, with tobacco flavour decreasing over time and some non-tobacco flavours increasing over time until 2020 when the presence decreased.
Optimising the care for older persons with complex chronic conditions in home care and nursing homes: design and protocol of I-CARE4OLD, an observational study using real-world data
Authors: Hoogendijk Emiel O , Onder Graziano , Smalbil Louk , Vetrano Davide L , Hirdes John P , Howard Elizabeth P , Morris John N , Fialová Daniela , Szczerbińska Katarzyna , Kooijmans Eline CM , Hoogendoorn Mark , Declercq Anja , De Almeida Mello Johanna , Leskelä Riikka-Leena , Häsä Jokke , Edgren Johanna , Ruppe Georg , Liperoti Rosa , Joling Karlijn J , van Hout Hein PJ
Published: June 2023

Introduction

In ageing societies, the number of older adults with complex chronic conditions (CCCs) is rapidly increasing. Care for older persons with CCCs is challenging, due to interactions between multiple conditions and their treatments. In home care and nursing homes, where most older persons with CCCs receive care, professionals often lack appropriate decision support suitable and sufficient to address the medical and functional complexity of persons with CCCs. This EU-funded project aims to develop decision support systems using high-quality, internationally standardised, routine care data to support better prognostication of health trajectories and treatment impact among older persons with CCCs.

Methods and analysis

Real-world data from older persons aged ≥60 years in home care and nursing homes, based on routinely performed comprehensive geriatric assessments using interRAI systems collected in the past 20 years, will be linked with administrative repositories on mortality and care use. These include potentially up to 51 million care recipients from eight countries: Italy, the Netherlands, Finland, Belgium, Canada, USA, Hong Kong and New Zealand. Prognostic algorithms will be developed and validated to better predict various health outcomes. In addition, the modifying impact of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions will be examined. A variety of analytical methods will be used, including techniques from the field of artificial intelligence such as machine learning. Based on the results, decision support tools will be developed and pilot tested among health professionals working in home care and nursing homes.

Ethics and dissemination

The study was approved by authorised medical ethical committees in each of the participating countries, and will comply with both local and EU legislation. Study findings will be shared with relevant stakeholders, including publications in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at national and international meetings.
Cognitive assessment after stroke: A qualitative study of patients’ experiences
Authors: Hobden Georgina , Tang Eugene , Demeyere Nele
Published: June 2023

Objectives

Clinical guidelines recommend early cognitive assessment after stroke to inform rehabilitation and discharge decisions. However, little is known about stroke survivors’ experiences of the cognitive assessment process. This qualitative study aimed to explore patients’ experiences of poststroke cognitive assessments.

Design

Stroke survivors were purposively sampled in an iterative process through a pool of research volunteers who had previously taken part in the Oxford Cognitive Screen Recovery study. Stroke survivors and their family caregivers were invited to participate in a semistructured interview steered by a topic guide. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Demographic, clinical and cognitive data were acquired from patients’ previous research data.

Setting

Stroke survivors were originally recruited from the acute inpatient unit at Oxford University Hospital (John Radcliffe), UK. Participants were interviewed after discharge either at their homes or via telephone or videocall.

Participants

Twenty-six stroke survivors and eleven caregivers participated in semi-structured interviews.

Results

We identified three key phases of the cognitive assessment process and themes pertaining to each phase. The phases (numbered) and themes (lettered) were as follows: (1) before the cognitive assessment: (A) lack of explanation, (B) considering the assessment useless; (2) during the cognitive assessment: varied emotional responses, moderated by (D) perception of the purpose behind cognitive assessment, (E) perception of cognitive impairment, (F) confidence in cognitive abilities, (G) assessment administration style and (3) after the cognitive assessment: (H) feedback can impact self-confidence and self-efficacy, (I) vague feedback and clinical jargon are unhelpful.

Conclusions

Stroke survivors require clear explanations about the purpose and outcomes of poststroke cognitive assessments, including constructive feedback, to promote engagement with the process and protect their psychological wellbeing.
Carbohydrate ligand engagement with CD11b enhances differentiation of tumor-associated myeloid cells for immunotherapy of solid cancers
Authors: Roche Veronique , Sandoval Victor , Wolford Claire , Senders Zachary , Kim Julian Anthony , Ribeiro Susan Pereira , Huang Alex Yicheng , Sekaly Rafick-Pierre , Lyons Joshua , Zhang Mei
Published: June 2023

Background

Efforts to modulate the function of tumor-associated myeloid cell are underway to overcome the challenges in immunotherapy and find a cure. One potential therapeutic target is integrin CD11b, which can be used to modulate the myeloid-derived cells and induce tumor-reactive T-cell responses. However, CD11b can bind to multiple different ligands, leading to various myeloid cell functions such as adhesion, migration, phagocytosis, and proliferation. This has created a major challenge in understanding how CD11b converts the differences in the receptor-ligand binding into subsequent signaling responses and using this information for therapeutic development.

Methods

This study aimed to investigate the antitumor effect of a carbohydrate ligand, named BG34-200, which modulates the CD11b+cells. We have applied peptide microarrays, multiparameter FACS (fluorescence-activated cell analysis) analysis, cellular/molecular immunological technology, advanced microscopic imaging, and transgenic mouse models of solid cancers, to study the interaction between BG34-200 carbohydrate ligand and CD11b protein and the resulting immunological changes in the context of solid cancers, including osteosarcoma, advanced melanoma, and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).

Results

Our results show that BG34-200 can bind directly to the activated CD11b on its I (or A) domain, at previously unreported peptide residues, in a multisite and multivalent manner. This engagement significantly impacts the biological function of tumor-associated inflammatory monocytes (TAIMs) in osteosarcoma, advanced melanoma, and PDAC backgrounds. Importantly, we observed that the BG34-200-CD11b engagement triggered endocytosis of the binding complexes in TAIMs, which induced intracellular F-actin cytoskeletal rearrangement, effective phagocytosis, and intrinsic ICAM-1 (intercellular adhesion molecule I) clustering. These structural biological changes resulted in the differentiation in TAIMs into monocyte-derived dendritic cells, which play a crucial role in T-cell activation in the tumor microenvironment.

Conclusions

Our research has advanced the current understanding of the molecular basis of CD11b activation in solid cancers, revealing how it converts the differences in BG34 carbohydrate ligands into immune signaling responses. These findings could pave the way for the development of safe and novel BG34-200-based therapies that modulate myeloid-derived cell functions, thereby enhancing immunotherapy for solid cancers.
Ice processes in culverts with two fish passage designs: a case study in southern Quebec
Authors: Ladouceur Jean-Robert , Ghobrial Tadros
Published: June 2023

According to Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, culverts and other stream crossings must be designed to ensure fish passage. The effects of ice processes on these fish passage designs have never been assessed. This study is the first to document ice processes on two different types of fish passage designs (streambed simulation and baffle). The results of a 2 year field monitoring campaign showed that the culvert simulating the streambed retains a natural ice regime, i.e., both freeze-up and break-up occurred concurrently with the rest of the stream, while multiple supercooling events were recorded under a thin ice cover. As for the culvert with baffles, it was observed that the ice cover formed earlier and stayed longer in the culvert, which can create a barrier for fish transiting through them.
On generalized Rayleigh waves in a pre-stressed piezoelectric medium
Authors: Singh Manoj Kumar , Rahul Amit Kumar , Saha Sandip , Paul Sourabh , Tiwari Ravi , Nandi Susmay
Published: June 2023

This research aims to study the different phenomena of generalized Rayleigh waves (RWs) in composite structures with piezoelectric material and corrugated surfaces. A thin piezoelectric layer that is precisely attached to an elastic substrate with initial stresses makes up the structure under consideration. By resolving the related electromechanical field equations, expressions for the displacement potential function are produced for both the elastic substrate and the piezoelectric layer. The frequency equations of the studied wave have been discovered as determinants for electrically open and short conditions. There have been both numerical illustrations and graphical demonstrations. On the stage speed of the combined RW, the impact of the grooved border, initial pressure, piezoelectric constant, dielectric constant, and thickness of the piezoelectric layer have been studied. Additionally, the analytical solution to the issue is compared to and shown to be in good agreement with the stiffness matrix approach result. This study offers a theoretical foundation for creating and developing piezoelectric composite-based devices. It has been found that the generalized RW velocity declines with the increase of the values of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] and an inverse relationship has been found with the increase of the value of [Formula: see text]. In addition, it has also been noticed that the velocity profile of the generalized RW is greatly influenced by the size of the corrugation (measured at the upper layer).
LOCATION AND GEOGRAPHICAL CONCENTRATION PATTERNS OF INDIAN MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES: EVIDENCE FROM THE RURAL AND URBAN AREAS
Authors: AGARWAL SUGAM , BEHERA SMRUTI RANJAN
Published: June 2023

This paper explores the spatial distribution and dependence of employment of workers and geographical concentration of 71 manufacturing industries by capturing the neighborhood effects across 637 districts in India, covering 10.54 million establishments using Economic Census ( 2013 ) data. Empirical results validate the spatial dependence of employment in rural and urban areas. However, results indicate substantial evidence of rural–urban employment disparity, especially in the northern states of India. Further, empirical results show that the effect of geographical concentration on highly localized industries seems to diverge in rural and urban areas. Besides, results exhibit that the higher employment industry has a low employment-to-establishment ratio (EER) at the establishment level in rural and urban areas. Nevertheless, using cartograms, we find that the spatial concentration of highly employable industries and the EER is highly skewed and asymmetrically concentrated in a few districts of only four to five states in India. Therefore, the results suggest that policymakers could focus mainly on industries with massive potential for employment opportunities at the regional level.
HOW DOES U.S. REDUCE THE FOOD WASTE BY PREDICTING FOOD AWAY FROM HOME AND FOOD AT HOME?
Authors: KIM SOO-EUN , SEOK JUN HO
Published: June 2023

This study examines the relationship among consumer confidence, food away from home (FAFH) and food at home (FAH) in the U.S. to figure out the high potential food sector for reducing food waste. Specifically, this paper uses the monthly data from January 2010 to December 2020 and the threshold vector error correction model (TVECM) for the analysis. Our test results of Johansen cointegration and threshold cointegration show that pairs of consumer confidence–FAFH and consumer confidence–FAH have a nonlinear long-run relationship. According to TVECM results, consumer confidence has a positive long-run Granger causation on FAFH approximately 93% (regimes 2 and 3), and on FAH over 5.4% (regime 3). About 7% of periods (regime 1) not included for a long-run Granger causation of consumer confidence on FAFH, and 5.4% period on FAH pertain to the COVID-19 period. Therefore, we conclude that a positive long-run Granger causation of consumer confidence on food consumption in the U.S. exists only in the FAFH. Based on our results, the policy implication is that the U.S. should focus on the FAFH to reduce food waste by predicting food demand to manage food stock.
Three-dimensional bio-convection mechanism and heat transportation of nanofluid induced by magnetic field
Authors: Majeed Aaqib , Naeem Sidra , Zeeshan Ahmad , Qayyum Abdul , Alhodaly Mohammed Sh.
Published: June 2023

There are several uses for bio-convection mechanisms, such as in sedimentary pools, fuel models, and microbially accelerated oil restoration. These are the basis of motile microorganisms which are applied to improve the mixability of fluid and tiny nanoparticles because they are accountable for biological transmission procedure. This work examines the bio-convective nanoparticles fluid flow and electrically conducting incompressible magneto-hydrodynamic flow of nanofluid towards a chemically reactive stretchable surface. Buongiorno model is considered here, which incorporates Brownian motion and thermophoretic diffusion, is employed in this study to explain how nanofluids improve heat transfer. The controlling boundary layer nonlinear PDEs are converted into ODEs by utilizing certain suitable similarity approaches. Numerical scheme is adopted to solve the transformed ordinary differential equations. The main findings of this research are that the magnetic field slows motion of the fluid when the thermal and mass buoyancy forces speed it up, and that thermophoretic diffusion increases the temperature and concentration of dimensionless fluids, resulting in stronger concentration and thermal boundary layers. The Brownian motion, concentration exponent, and chemical reaction parameters show an inverse relationship between temperature and concentration. Additionally, the first-order chemical reaction creates a lighter concentration boundary layer while the magnetic field’s presence due to impact of thermal and mass buoyancies helps to lower the heat transfer rate and shear stress. The findings show that while the Nusselt number and wall shear stress values are declining, the microorganism number is increasing.
A New Approach to Signal-to-Noise Ratio Estimation in Adaptive Doppler–Kalman Filter for Radar Systems
Authors: Papic Veljko , Djurovic Zeljko
Published: June 2023

Doppler frequency carries the information about the relative velocity of the object regarding the radar antenna. However, since the target maneuvers can be temporary with high intensity, Doppler frequency has to be estimated by using a window function in the frame of time-dependent Fourier transform. In order to minimize the estimation error, the window function width should be adaptive. The window length adaptation has been performed based on the estimates of target acceleration and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). In this paper, we give focus on the SNR estimation and propose a new approach based on autoregressive method of spectral estimation, where in one step the amplitude of the sinusoidal signal and noise variance are estimated. The simulation results justify the advantage of the proposed approach in general applications of signal processing of one sinusoid in white noise environment.
SYMMETRICALLY CONFORMABLE FRACTIONAL DIFFERENTIAL OPERATORS BY COMPUTATIONAL NUMERICAL MODELING WITH SPECIAL FUNCTION
Authors: IBRAHIM RABHA W. , OBAIYS SUZAN J. , KARACA YELİZ , JAMALUDIN NUR AMALINA BINTI
Published: June 2023

The [Formula: see text]-convoluted operators related to the [Formula: see text]-Whittaker function, confluent hypergeometric function of the first kind, have been developed using the [Formula: see text]-symbol calculus in which this sort of calculus presents a generalization of the gamma function. [Formula: see text]-symbol fractional calculus is employed to generalize and extend many differential and integral operators of fractional calculus. Based on this premise, a new geometric formula for normalized functions in the symmetric domain known as the open unit disk using the conformable fractional differential operator has been presented in this study. Thus, our technique entails investigating the most well-known geometric properties of this new operator, such as the subordination features and coefficient bounds so that the theory of differential subordination can be adjusted accordingly. By means of this technique, numerical results have been investigated for the proposed method. To this end, a few prominent corollaries of our primary findings as standout instances have been pointed out based on the positivity of the solutions, computational and numerical analyses.
LOCAL GEOMETRY OF SELF-SIMILAR SETS: TYPICAL BALLS, TANGENT MEASURES AND ASYMPTOTIC SPECTRA
Authors: MORÁN MANUEL , LLORENTE MARTA , MERA MARíA EUGENIA
Published: June 2023

We analyze the local geometric structure of self-similar sets with open set condition through the study of the properties of a distinguished family of spherical neighborhoods, the typical balls. We quantify the complexity of the local geometry of self-similar sets, showing that there are uncountably many classes of spherical neighborhoods that are not equivalent under similitudes. We show that at a tangent level, the uniformity of the Euclidean space is recuperated in the sense that any typical ball is a tangent measure of the measure [Formula: see text] at [Formula: see text]-a.e. point, where [Formula: see text] is any self-similar measure. We characterize the spectrum of asymptotic densities of metric measures in terms of the packing and centered Hausdorff measures. As an example, we compute the spectrum of asymptotic densities of the Sierpiński gasket.
PERFORMANCE OF THERMAL SPRAY COATED METALLIC MATERIALS FOR BIO-IMPLANT APPLICATIONS
Authors: VERMA PRAVEEN KUMAR , MEHTA AMRINDER , VASUDEV HITESH , KUMAR VINOD
Published: June 2023

Metallic biomaterials are used to replace and rebuild human structural components due to their biocompatibility, corrosion resistance, and good mechanical properties. Biomedical metals have been used for 30 years. Medical implants use metallic biomaterials. Metallic biomaterials are needed to cure failed hard tissue, bone, and fractures. Because they’re strong, tough, and long-lasting. As the world population ages and seniors are more prone to experience hard tissue disintegration, there is a huge demand for improved metallic biomaterials. Titanium-based alloys, cobalt-based alloys, and stainless steel are feasible metallic biomaterials (316L). These biomaterials’ Young’s modulus should match that of human bones, reducing stress shielding. Implant designs include plates, rods, screws, and pins. Since the FDA approved these biocompatible metallic implants, orthopedic practices often employ them. Metals aren’t believable as biomaterials because they’re synthetic and have insufficient bio-functionality. The biocompatibility of metallic biomaterials must be considerably enhanced. Metallic biomaterials are often synthetic materials with no biological activity. The key issue is coating-to-substrate adhesion. Cover spalling from the substrate causes implant and tissue responses. Due to inadequate crystallization, the hydroxyapatite (HA) coating degrades, increasing implant failure risk by lowering titanium adhesion. Coated 316L stainless steel specimens have better adherence than untreated ones. The coating/substrate material, coating process, and coating thickness are thoroughly identified and discussed. The surface structure and microstructure of HA-based coating are explored to support the conclusions.