bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Quantification of geodetic strain rate uncertainties and implications for seismic hazard estimates
Authors: Maurer Jeremy , Materna Kathryn
Published: May 2023

Geodetic velocity data provide first-order constraints on crustal surface strain rates, which in turn are linked to seismic hazard. Estimating the 2-D surface strain tensor everywhere requires knowledge of the surface velocity field everywhere, while geodetic data such as Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) only have spatially scattered measurements on the surface of the Earth. To use these data to estimate strain rates, some type of interpolation is required. In this study, we review methodologies for strain rate estimation and compare a suite of methods, including a new implementation based on the geostatistical method of kriging, to compare variation between methods with uncertainty based on one method. We estimate the velocity field and calculate strain rates in southern California using a GNSS velocity field and five different interpolation methods to understand the sources of variability in inferred strain rates. Uncertainty related to data noise and station spacing (aleatoric uncertainty) is minimal where station spacing is dense and maximum far from observations. Differences between methods, related to epistemic uncertainty, are usually highest in areas of high strain rate due to differences in how gradients in the velocity field are handled by different interpolation methods. Parameter choices, unsurprisingly, have a strong influence on strain rate field, and we propose the traditional L-curve approach as one method for quantifying the inherent trade-off between fit to the data and models that are reflective of tectonic strain rates. Doing so, we find total variability between five representative strain rate models to be roughly 40 per cent, a much lower value than roughly 100 per cent that was found in previous studies (Hearn et al.). Using multiple methods to tune parameters and calculate strain rates provides a better understanding of the range of acceptable models for a given velocity field. Finally, we present an open-source Python package (Materna et al.) for calculating strain rates, Strain_2D, which allows for the same data and model grid to be used in multiple strain rate methods, can be extended with other methods from the community, and provides an interface for comparing strain rate models, calculating statistics and estimating strain rate uncertainty for a given GNSS data set.
‘All my co-workers are good people, but…’: collaboration dynamics between frontline workers in rural Uttar Pradesh, India
Authors: Glandon Douglas , Hasan Md Zabir , Mann Mehak , Gupta Shivam , Marsteller Jill , Paina Ligia , Bennett Sara
Published: May 2023

Multisectoral collaboration has been identified as a critical component in a wide variety of health and development initiatives. For India’s Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme, which serves >100 million people annually across more than one million villages, a key point of multisectoral collaboration—or ‘convergence’, as it is often called in India—is between the three frontline worker cadres jointly responsible for delivering essential maternal and child health and nutritional services throughout the country: the Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA), Anganwadi worker (AWW) and auxiliary nurse midwife (ANM) or ‘AAA’ workers. Despite the long-recognized importance of collaboration within this triad, there has been relatively little documentation of what this looks like in practice and what is needed in order to improve it. Informed by a conceptual framework of collaborative governance, this study applies inductive thematic analysis of in-depth interviews with 18 AAA workers and 6 medical officers from 6 villages across three administrative blocks in Hardoi district of Uttar Pradesh state to identify the key elements of collaboration. These are grouped into three broad categories: ‘organizational’ (including interdependence, role clarity, guidance/support and resource availability); ‘relational’ (interpersonal and conflict resolution) and ‘personal’ (flexibility, diligence and locus of control). These findings underscore the importance of ‘personal’ and ‘relational’ collaboration features, which are underemphasized in India’s ICDS, the largest of its kind globally, and in the multisectoral collaboration literature more broadly—both of which place greater emphasis on ‘organizational’ aspects of collaboration. These findings are largely consistent with prior studies but are notably different in that they highlight the importance of flexibility, locus of control and conflict resolution in collaborative relationships, all of which relate to one’s ability to adapt to unexpected obstacles and find mutually workable solutions with colleagues. From a policy perspective, supporting these key elements of collaboration may involve giving frontline workers more autonomy in how they get the work done, which may in some cases be impeded by additional training to reinforce worker role delineation, closer monitoring or other top-down efforts to push greater convergence. Given the essential role that frontline workers play in multisectoral initiatives in India and around the world, there is a clear need for policymakers and managers to understand the elements affecting collaboration between these workers when designing and implementing programmes.
A comparison of the cost of outpatient care delivered by Aam Aadmi Mohalla Clinics compared to other public and private facilities in Delhi, India
Authors: Garg Charu C , Goyanka Roopali
Published: May 2023

Aam Admi Mohalla Clinics (AAMCs) were introduced in Delhi in 2015 as neighbourhood clinics to strengthen the delivery of primary care. To inform the policies on government investments for outpatient care, this study estimated the cost of outpatient care per visit in Delhi for 2019–20 for AAMCs and compared it with urban primary health centres (UPHCs), public hospitals, private clinics and private hospitals. Facility costs for AAMCs and UPHCs were also estimated. Using the data from a national health survey, government annual budgets and reports, a modified top-down methodology was adopted to measure the true cost of public facilities, taking into account both government expenditure and out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE). Inflation-adjusted OOPE was used to measure the cost of private facilities. The cost per visit at a private clinic at ₹1146 (US$16) was more than 3-times higher than that at a UPHC (₹325/US$5) and 8-times higher than that at AAMCs (₹143/US$2.0). These costs were ₹1099 (US$15) and ₹1818 (US$25) at public and private hospitals respectively. The annual economic cost per facility of a UPHC at ₹ 9 280 000/$130 000 is ∼4-times that at AAMC (₹2 474 000/$35 000). Unit costs are found to be lower at AAMCs. Utilization for outpatient care has shifted in favour of public primary care facilities. Higher investment in public primary care facilities with expanded services for prevention and promotion, upscaled infrastructure and a gate-keeping mechanism can strengthen the delivery of primary care and promote universal health care at a lower cost.
Impact of COVID-19 pandemic early response measures on myocardial infarctions and acute cardiac care in Singapore
Authors: Lee Shan Yin Audry , Loh Poay Huan , Lau Yee How , Jiang Yilin , Liew Boon Wah , Lim Patrick Zhan Yun , Rastogi Saurabh , Tan Wei Chieh Jack , Ho Hee Hwa , Yeo Khung Keong
Published: May 2023

The COVID -19 pandemic impacted acute myocardial infarction (AMI) attendances, ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treatments, and outcomes. We collated data from majority of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI)-capable public healthcare centres in Singapore to understand the initial impact COVID-19 had on essential time-critical emergency services. We present data comparisons from ‘Before Disease Outbreak Response System Condition (DORSCON) Orange’, ‘DORSCON Orange to start of circuit breaker (CB)’, and during the first month of ‘CB’. We collected aggregate numbers of weekly elective PCI from four centres and AMI admissions, PPCI, and in-hospital mortality from five centres. Exact door-to-balloon (DTB) times were recorded for one centre; another two reported proportions of DTB times exceeding targets. Median weekly elective PCI cases significantly decreased from ‘Before DORSCON Orange’ to ‘DORSCON Orange to start of CB’ (34 vs 22.5, P = 0.013). Median weekly STEMI admissions and PPCI did not change significantly. In contrast, the median weekly non-STEMI (NSTEMI) admissions decreased significantly from ‘Before DORSCON Orange’ to ‘DORSCON Orange to start of CB’ (59 vs 48, P = 0.005) and were sustained during CB (39 cases). Exact DTB times reported by one centre showed no significant change in the median. Out of three centres, two reported significant increases in the proportion that exceeded DTB targets. In-hospital mortality rates remained static. In Singapore, STEMI and PPCI rates remained stable, while NSTEMI rates decreased during DORSCON Orange and CB. The severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) experience may have helped prepare us to maintain essential services such as PPCI during periods of acute healthcare resource strain. However, data must be monitored and increased pandemic preparedness measures must be explored to ensure that AMI care is not adversely affected by continued COVID fluctuations and future pandemics.
A preparation of bacterial outer membrane with osmium tetroxide and uranyl acetate co-stain enables improved structural determination by transmission electron microscopy
Authors: Sheikh Aadil , Zechmann Bernd , Sayes Christie M , Taube Joseph H , Greathouse K. Leigh
Published: May 2023

Biological nanoparticles, such as bacterial outer membrane vesicles (OMVs), are routinely characterized through transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In this study, we report a novel method to prepare OMVs for TEM imaging. To preserve vesicular shape and structure, we developed a dual fixation protocol involving osmium tetroxide incubation prior to negative staining with uranyl acetate. Combining osmium tetroxide with uranyl acetate resulted in preservation of sub-50 nm vesicles and improved morphological stability, enhancing characterization of lipid-based nanoparticles by TEM.
A Unified Interpretation of the Semantics of Relevance Logic
Authors: Golan Rea
Published: May 2023

I introduce a novel and quite intuitive interpretation of the ternary relation that figures in the relational semantics of many relevance logics. Conceptually, my interpretation makes use only of incompatibility and parthood relations, defined over a set of states. In this way, the proposed interpretation—of the ternary relation and the conditional—extends Dunn’s and Restall’s works on negation and the Routley star operator. Therefore, the interpretation is unified, and hence not only intuitive but also parsimonious. Additionally, the interpretation provides us with a cogent argument to the effect that a ternary relation is indispensable, and we cannot merely do with a binary relation.
Reducing the impact of weak-lensing errors on gravitational-wave standard sirens
Authors: Wu Zhao-Feng , Chan Lok W L , Hendry Martin , Hannuksela Otto A
Published: May 2023

The mergers of supermassive black hole binaries can serve as standard sirens: the gravitational-wave (GW) analogue of standard candles. The upcoming space-borne GW detectors will be able to discover such systems and estimate their luminosity distances precisely. Unfortunately, weak gravitational lensing can induce significant errors in the measured distance of these standard sirens at high redshift, severely limiting their usefulness as precise distance probes. The uncertainty due to weak lensing can be reduced if the lensing magnification of the siren can be estimated independently, a procedure called ‘delensing’. With the help of up-to-date numerical simulations, here we investigate how much the weak-lensing errors can be reduced using convergence maps reconstructed from shear measurements. We also evaluate the impact of delensing on cosmological parameter estimation with bright standard sirens. We find that the weak-lensing errors for sirens at zs = 2.9 can be reduced by about a factor of two on average, but to achieve this would require expensive ultra-deep-field observations for every siren. Such an approach is likely to be practical in only limited cases, and the reduction in the weak-lensing error is therefore likely to be insufficient to significantly improve the cosmological parameter estimation. We conclude that performing delensing corrections is unlikely to be worthwhile, in contrast to the more positive expectations presented in previous studies. For delensing to become more practicable and useful in the future will require significant improvements in the resolution/depth of weak-lensing surveys and/or the methods to reconstruct convergence maps from these surveys.
The total rest-frame UV luminosity function from 3 < z < 5: a simultaneous study of AGN and galaxies from −28 < MUV < −16
Authors: Adams N J , Bowler R A A , Jarvis M J , Varadaraj R G , Häußler B
Published: May 2023

We present measurements of the rest-frame ultraviolet luminosity function (LF) at redshifts z = 3, z = 4, and z = 5, using 96894, 38655, and 7571 sources, respectively, to map the transition between active galactic nuclei (AGN) and galaxy-dominated ultraviolet emission shortly after the epoch of reionization (EoR). Sources are selected using a comprehensive photometric redshift approach, using 10 $\, {\rm deg}^2$ of deep extragalactic legacy fields covered by both HSC and VISTA. The use of template fitting spanning a wavelength range of 0.3–2.4 μm achieves 80–90 per cent completeness, much higher than the classical colour–colour cut methodology. The measured LF encompasses −26 < MUV < −19.25. This is further extended to −28.5 < MUV < −16 using complementary results from other studies, allowing for the simultaneous fitting of the combined AGN and galaxy LF. We find that there are fewer UV luminous galaxies (MUV < −22) at z ∼ 3 than z ∼ 4, indicative of an onset of widespread quenching alongside dust obscuration, and that the evolution of the AGN LF is very rapid, with their number density rising by around two orders of magnitude from 3 < z < 6. It remains difficult to determine if a double power law functional form is preferred over the Schechter function to describe the galaxy UV LF. Estimating the hydrogen ionizing photon budget from our UV LFs, we find that AGN can contribute to, but cannot solely maintain, the reionization of the Universe at z = 3–5. However, the rapidly evolving AGN LF strongly disfavours a significant contribution within the EoR.
BIFROST: simulating compact subsystems in star clusters using a hierarchical fourth-order forward symplectic integrator code
Authors: Rantala Antti , Naab Thorsten , Rizzuto Francesco Paolo , Mannerkoski Matias , Partmann Christian , Lautenschütz Kristina
Published: May 2023

We present BIFROST, an extended version of the GPU-accelerated hierarchical fourth-order forward symplectic integrator code FROST. BIFROST (BInaries in FROST) can efficiently evolve collisional stellar systems with arbitrary binary fractions up to $f_\mathrm{bin}=100~{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ by using secular and regularized integration for binaries, triples, multiple systems, or small clusters around black holes within the fourth-order forward integrator framework. Post-Newtonian (PN) terms up to order PN3.5 are included in the equations of motion of compact subsystems with optional three-body and spin-dependent terms. PN1.0 terms for interactions with black holes are computed everywhere in the simulation domain. The code has several merger criteria (gravitational-wave inspirals, tidal disruption events, and stellar and compact object collisions) with the addition of relativistic recoil kicks for compact object mergers. We show that for systems with N particles the scaling of the code remains good up to NGPU ∼ 40 × N/106 GPUs and that the increasing binary fractions up to 100 per cent hardly increase the code running time (less than a factor ∼1.5). We also validate the numerical accuracy of BIFROST by presenting a number of star clusters simulations the most extreme ones including a core collapse and a merger of two intermediate mass black holes with a relativistic recoil kick.
The long and the short of it: the benefits and leverage of ultraviolet-radio galaxy fitting
Authors: Thorne Jessica E , Robotham Aaron S G , Bellstedt Sabine , Davies Luke J M
Published: May 2023

Traditionally, the far-ultraviolet (FUV) to far-infrared (FIR) and radio spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of galaxies have been considered separately despite the common physical process shaping them. In this work, we explore the utility of simultaneously fitting FUV-radio SEDs using an extended version of the ProSpect SED fitting code considering contributions from both free–free and synchrotron emission. We use a small sample of galaxies from the Deep Extragalactic VIsible Legacy Survey (DEVILS) and the Key Insights on Nearby Galaxies: a Far-Infrared Survey with Herschel (KINGFISH) where high-quality and robust FUV-radio data are available to provide an ideal sample for testing a radio extension of ProSpect. As the parametrization of the radio extension links the radio continuum to the FIR emission, we explore the benefit of using radio continuum measurements as a constraint on the energy balance between dust attenuation and emission. We find that for situations where mid-IR–FIR photometry is unavailable, including a 1.4 GHz continuum measurement allows for improved accuracy in recovered star formation rates and dust luminosities of galaxies reducing the median uncertainty by 0.1 and 0.2 dex, respectively. We also demonstrate that incorporating 3 and 10 GHz measurements allows for further constraint on the energy balance and therefore the star formation rate and dust luminosity. This demonstrates the advantage of extending FUV–FIR SED fitting techniques to radio frequencies, especially as we move into an era where FIR surveys will remain limited and radio data become abundant (i.e. with the SKA and precursors).
A framework to measure the properties of intergalactic metal systems with two-point flux statistics
Authors: Karaçaylı Naim Göksel , Martini Paul , Weinberg David H , Iršič Vid , Aguilar J , Ahlen S , Brooks D , de la Macorra A , Font-Ribera A , Gontcho A Gontcho S , Guy J , Kisner T , Miquel R , Poppett C , Ravoux C , Schubnell M , Tarlé G , Weaver B A , Zhou Z
Published: May 2023

The abundance, temperature, and clustering of metals in the intergalactic medium are important parameters for understanding their cosmic evolution and quantifying their impact on cosmological analysis with the Ly α forest. The properties of these systems are typically measured from individual quasar spectra redward of the quasar’s Ly α emission line, yet that approach may provide biased results due to selection effects. We present an alternative approach to measure these properties in an unbiased manner with the two-point statistics commonly employed to quantify large-scale structure. Our model treats the observed flux of a large sample of quasar spectra as a continuous field and describes the one-dimensional, two-point statistics of this field with three parameters per ion: the abundance (column density distribution), temperature (Doppler parameter), and clustering (cloud–cloud correlation function). We demonstrate this approach on multiple ions (e.g. ${\rm C\, \small {\rm IV}}$ , ${\rm Si\, \small {\rm IV}}$ , and ${\rm Mg\, \small {\rm II}}$ ) with early data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) and high-resolution spectra from the literature. Our initial results show some evidence that the ${\rm C\, \small {\rm IV}}$ abundance is higher than previous measurements and evidence for abundance evolution over time. The first full year of DESI observations will have over an order of magnitude more quasar spectra than this study. In a future paper, we will use those data to measure the growth of clustering and its impact on the Ly α forest, as well as test other DESI analysis infrastructure such as the pipeline noise estimates and the resolution matrix.
Globular cluster formation histories, masses, and radii inferred from gravitational waves
Authors: Fishbach Maya , Fragione Giacomo
Published: May 2023

Globular clusters (GCs) are found in all types of galaxies and harbour some of the most extreme stellar systems, including black holes that may dynamically assemble into merging binary black holes (BBHs). Uncertain GC properties, including when they formed, their initial masses and sizes, affect their production rate of BBH mergers. Using the gravitational-wave transient catalogue (GWTC-3), we measure that dynamically assembled BBHs – those that are consistent with isotropic spin directions – make up ${61^{+29}_{-44}\%}$ of the total merger rate, with a local merger rate of ${10.9^{+16.8}_{-9.3}}$ Gpc−3 yr−1 rising to ${58.9^{+149.4}_{-46.0}}$ Gpc−3 yr−1 at z  = 1. We assume that this inferred rate describes the contribution from GCs and compare it against the Cluster Monte Carlo (cmc) simulation catalogue to directly fit for the GC initial mass function, virial radius distribution, and formation history. We find that GC initial masses are consistent with a Schechter function with slope ${\beta _m = -1.9^{+0.8}_{-0.8}}$ . Assuming a mass function slope of βm  = −2 and a mass range between 104–$10^8\, \mathrm{ M}_\odot$ , we infer a GC formation rate at z  = 2 of ${5.0^{+9.4}_{-4.0}}$ Gpc−3 yr−1, or ${2.1^{+3.9}_{-1.7}}\times 10^6\, \mathrm{ M}_\odot$ Gpc−3 yr−1 in terms of mass density. We find that the GC formation rate probably rises more steeply than the global star formation rate between z  = 0 and z  = 3 (82 per cent credibility) and implies a local number density that is ${f_\mathrm{ev} = 22.6^{+29.9}_{-16.2}}$ times higher than the observed density of survived GCs. This is consistent with expectations for cluster evaporation, but may suggest that other environments contribute to the rate of BBH mergers with significantly tilted spins.
Deciphering the unusual stellar progenitor of GRB 210704A
Authors: Becerra R L , Troja E , Watson A M , O’Connor B , Veres P , Dichiara S , Butler N R , De Colle F , Sakamoto T , López K O C , Aoki K , Fraija N , Im M , Kutyrev A S , Lee W H , Paek G S H , Pereyra M , Ravi S , Urata Y
Published: May 2023

GRB 210704A is a burst of intermediate duration (T90 ∼ 1–4 s) followed by a fading afterglow and an optical excess that peaked about 7 d after the explosion. Its properties, and in particular those of the excess, do not easily fit into the well-established classification scheme of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) as being long or short, leaving the nature of its progenitor uncertain. We present multiwavelength observations of the GRB and its counterpart, observed up to 160 d after the burst. In order to decipher the nature of the progenitor system, we present a detailed analysis of the GRB high-energy properties (duration, spectral lag, and Amati correlation), its environment, and late-time optical excess. We discuss three possible scenarios: a neutron star merger, a collapsing massive star, and an atypical explosion possibly hosted in a cluster of galaxies. We find that traditional kilonova and supernova models do not match well the properties of the optical excess, leaving us with the intriguing suggestion that this event was an exotic high-energy merger.
Cavity-controlled methanol conversion over zeolite catalysts
Authors: Zhang Wenna , Lin Shanfan , Wei Yingxu , Tian Peng , Ye Mao , Liu Zhongmin
Published: May 2023

The successful development and application in industry of methanol-to-olefins (MTO) process brought about an innovative and efficient route for olefin production via non-petrochemical resources and also attracted attention of C1 chemistry and zeolite catalysis. Molecular sieve catalysts with diversified microenvironments embedding unique channel/cavity structure and acid properties, exhibit demonstrable features and advantages in the shape-selective catalysis of MTO. Especially, shape-selective catalysis over 8-MR and cavity-type zeolites with acidic supercage environment and narrow pore opening manifested special host–guest interaction between the zeolite catalyst and guest reactants, intermediates and products. This caused great differences in product distribution, catalyst deactivation and molecular diffusion, revealing the cavity-controlled methanol conversion over 8-MR and cavity-type zeolite catalyst. Furthermore, the dynamic and complicated cross-talk behaviors of catalyst material (coke)-reaction-diffusion over these types of zeolites determines the catalytic performance of the methanol conversion. In this review, we shed light on the cavity-controlled principle in the MTO reaction including cavity-controlled active intermediates formation, cavity-controlled reaction routes with the involvement of these intermediates in the complex reaction network, cavity-controlled catalyst deactivation and cavity-controlled diffusion. All these were exhibited by the MTO reaction performances and product selectivity over 8-MR and cavity-type zeolite catalysts. Advanced strategies inspired by the cavity-controlled principle were developed, providing great promise for the optimization and precise control of MTO process.
Angular correlation of the two gamma rays produced in the thermal neutron capture on gadolinium-155 and gadolinium-157
Authors: Goux Pierre , Glessgen Franz , Gazzola Enrico , Reen Mandeep Singh , Focillon William , Gonin Michel , Tanaka Tomoyuki , Hagiwara Kaito , Ali Ajmi , Sudo Takashi , Koshio Yusuke , Sakuda Makoto , Collazuol Gianmaria , Kimura Atsushi , Nakamura Shoji , Iwamoto Nobuyuki , Harada Hideo , Wurm Michael
Published: May 2023

The ANNRI-Gd collaboration studied in detail the single γ-ray spectrum produced from the thermal neutron capture on 155Gd and 157Gd in our previous publications. Gadolinium targets were exposed to a neutron beam provided by the Japan Spallation Neutron Source (JSNS) in J-PARC, Japan. In the present analysis, one new additional coaxial germanium crystal was used in combination with the 14 germanium crystals in the cluster detectors to study the angular correlation of the two γ rays emitted in the same neutron capture. We present for the first time angular correlation functions for two γ rays produced during the electromagnetic cascade transitions in the (n, γ) reactions on 155Gd and 157Gd. As expected, we observe mild angular correlations for the strong, but rare transitions from the resonance state to the two energy levels of known spin-parities. Contrariwise, we observe negligibly small angular correlations for arbitrary pairs of two γ rays produced in the majority of cascade transitions from the resonance state to the dense continuum states.
Integrated working in local authority decision-making about air quality: a qualitative study in Southwest England
Authors: Turner Andrew , Webb Adele , Jago Russ , Blackmore Sara , de Vocht Frank , Horwood Jeremy
Published: May 2023

Background

Exposure to poor air quality is one of the most significant environmental public health challenges. In the UK, local authorities (LAs) are responsible for monitoring and managing air quality. This article explores the need and mechanisms for cross-departmental working in LAs to make decisions about air quality issues.

Methods

Semi-structured qualitative interviews with public health, environmental health and transport staff from LAs within the Southwest of UK. Interviews were conducted between April and August 2021 and analysed using a thematic approach.

Results

In sum, 24 staff from 7 LAs participated. Local authority staff in public health, environmental health and transport teams recognized that managing air quality was a cross-departmental issue. To enable effective integrated working staff described four successful mechanisms: (i) policy commitments and political support; (ii) dedicated air quality steering groups; (iii) existing governance and oversight groups; and (iv) networking and relationships.

Conclusions

This study has identified mechanisms that LA staff have found support cross-departmental and integrated working on air quality issues. These are mechanisms that have helped environmental health staff work towards achieving compliance with pollution limits, and that have helped public health staff get air quality considerations recognized as a wider health issue.
Systematic Review of Contemporary Theories Used for Co-creation, Co-design and Co-production in Public Health
Authors: Messiha Katrina , Chinapaw Mai J M , Ket Hans C F F , An Qingfan , Anand-Kumar Vinayak , Longworth Giuliana R , Chastin Sebastien , Altenburg Teatske M
Published: May 2023

Background

There is a need to systematically identify and summarize the contemporary theories and theoretical frameworks used for co-creation, co-design and co-production in public health research.

Methods

The reporting of this systematic review follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. Given substantial interest in and application of co-creation, co-design and co-production, we searched PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus and APA PsycINFO from 2012 to March–April 2022. A quality assessment and data extraction for theory content was performed.

Results

Of the 3763 unique references identified through the comprehensive search strategy, 10 articles were included in the review: four articles named co-creation, two articles named co-creation and co-design, two articles named co-production and co-design, and two articles named co-design. Empowerment Theory was employed by two articles, whereas other theories (n = 5) or frameworks (n = 3) were employed by one article each. For the quality assessment, eight articles received a strong rating and two articles received a moderate rating.

Conclusion

There is little indication of theory applications for the approaches of co-creation, co-design and co-production in public health since 2012, given 10 articles were included in this review. Yet, the theories described in these 10 articles can be useful for developing such co-approaches in future public health research.
Review of four unusual cases of HIV-positive infants; cryptic pregnancy scam and mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Nigeria
Authors: Orji Maria-Lauretta , Oyim-Elechi Oluchukwu Cecilia , Agboeze Joseph , Nwali Matthew Igwe
Published: May 2023

Background

Cryptic pregnancy is defined as lack of awareness of pregnancy until the last weeks of gestation or during labour and delivery but in cryptic pregnancy scam, mothers feigned pregnancies that never existed.

Methods

We report a total of four cases of HIV infected infants said to have been delivered by HIV negative mothers. All the mothers are above 40 years of age with a range of 9 to 18 years of infertility in marriage. The cryptic pregnancy scam was neither confirmed by pregnancy test nor obstetric scan. Diagnosis of HIV infection was made at infancy following positive rapid test and HIV antigen test.

Conclusion

The menace of cryptic pregnancy scam in Nigeria is setting back the gains of HIV prevention and control. Desperate infertile women are made to believe that they are pregnant while babies are bought and brought to them at said date of delivery. These mothers never had proper antenatal care and so were never screened for HIV. Cryptic pregnancy scam is real amongst desperate barren women who become easy prey to the perpetuators. Awareness creation and sensitization on its harm is advocated.
How can we improve latent tuberculosis infection management using behaviour change wheel: a systematic review
Authors: Wong Yen Jun , Ng Khuen Yen , Lee Shaun Wen Huey
Published: May 2023

Background

To ensure the effective delivery of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) care, it is vital to overcome potential challenges in LTBI management. This systematic review aims to identify the barriers and interventions to improve LTBI management using the Capability, Opportunity, and Motivation-Behaviour (COM-B) model and Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW).

Methods

A systematic literature search was performed on five electronic databases from database inception to 3 November 2021. A two-step technique was used in the data synthesis process: (i) the barriers of LTBI management were identified using the COM-B model, followed by (ii) mapping of intervention functions from BCW to address the identified barriers.

Results

Forty-seven eligible articles were included in this review. The findings highlighted the need for a multifaceted approach in tackling the barriers in LTBI management across the public, provider and system levels. The barriers were summarized into suboptimal knowledge and misperception of LTBI, as well as stigma and psychosocial burden, which could be overcome with a combination of intervention functions, targeting education, environment restructuring, persuasion, modelling, training, incentivization and enablement.

Conclusions

The remedial strategies using BCW to facilitate policy reforms in LTBI management could serve as a value-added initiative in the global tuberculosis control and prevention program.
Music therapy for health workers to reduce stress, mental workload and anxiety: a systematic review
Authors: Colin Catherine , Prince Violaine , Bensoussan Jean-Luc , Picot Marie-Christine
Published: May 2023

Background

The physical and mental exhaustion of health care workers urgently needs to be addressed as a public health priority. Benefits of music on stress parameters have been extensively reported.

Methods

We carried out a systematic review to examine the efficacy of music interventions on stress parameters by selecting studies conducted in genuine care stress conditions. To approach the potential benefit of music therapy (MT) versus music medicine (MM), we followed international music-based intervention guidelines.

Results

Five outcomes were considered in our studies: stress, anxiety, mental workload, burnout risk and psychosomatic symptoms. Corresponding measures, including psychological, physiological questionnaires or stress biological parameters, showed significant results for the majority of them in music groups. Implications of music types, designs and limitations are discussed. Only one study compared MM and MT with an advantage for customized playlists over time.

Conclusions

In spite of heterogeneity, music interventions seem to significantly decrease stress parameters. The individual, customized supports with MT may be a crucial condition for this specific professional category. The impact of MT versus MM, the number of music sessions and the effect over time need to be explored.
Statistical properties of Hipparcos 2, caveats on its use, and a recalibration of the intermediate astrometric data
Authors: Brandt G Mirek , Michalik Daniel , Brandt Timothy D
Published: May 2023

We revisit the Hipparcos 2007 re-reduction and find improvements to the catalogue by leveraging Gaia EDR3. We show that including a constant residual offset and additional dispersion (two free parameters in total) in the Hipparcos 2007 Intermediate Astrometric Data (IAD) creates a new catalogue with significantly better agreement with Gaia EDR3. The astrometric parameters, after recalibration, have z-scores that follow a unit-Gaussian when measured against Gaia EDR3 values. We have expanded the python astrometry tool, htof, to recalibrate the IAD on-the-fly. On a second front, we find that a merged set of IAD from the 1997 and 2007 Hipparcos reductions is not possible in an internally consistent manner. This can be understood if Hipparcos 2007 is an improved, but overfit, model to the underlying along-scan data. For this reason, we recommend using the recalibrated Hipparcos 2007 astrometric parameters, or those from the Hipparcos–Gaia Catalogue of Accelerations – because the signatures of overfitting are calibrated out. We advise caution in fitting orbits to the IAD from either Hipparcos 2 as-published or the recalibrated version presented here.
Grieving in the “Golden Cage”: How Unauthorized Immigrants Contend with Death and Mourn from Afar
Authors: Fullerton Rico Kristina
Published: May 2023

In the past four decades, the United States has created a population of long-term unauthorized immigrants. As this population ages, issues of death and dying are increasingly salient. Though we know much about how families maintain close bonds despite geographic distance, death and dying remain undertheorized in transnational family scholarship. Yet the death of a family member can significantly impact family structure and functions. Based on ethnographic and interview data collected from 2017–2023 with unauthorized Mexican immigrants and their families, this study examines how unauthorized immigrants anticipate and mourn the death of family members in their community of origin and how their undocumented status creates challenges for themselves and their families after a transnational death.

I find that the specter of transnational death shapes the emotional wellbeing of older unauthorized immigrants years before they experience it. Undocumented status creates and compounds transnational grief, leading to additional challenges. Individuals use a variety of strategies to grieve, including mourning by proxy, paying for funeral expenses, and participating virtually. This research advances immigration scholarship by uncovering underappreciated social and emotional penalties imposed by current immigration laws and highlighting the value of mourning as a collective ritual –– the absence of which has lasting costs.
Correcting of the unexpected localization measurement for indoor automatic mobile robot transportation based on a neural network
Authors: Huang Jiahao , Junginger Steffen , Liu Hui , Thurow Kerstin
Published: May 2023

The increasing use of mobile robots in laboratory settings has led to a higher degree of laboratory automation. However, when mobile robots move in laboratory environments, mechanical errors, environmental disturbances and signal interruptions are inevitable. This can compromise the accuracy of the robot's localization, which is crucial for the safety of staff, robots and the laboratory. A novel time-series predicting model based on the data processing method is proposed to handle the unexpected localization measurement of mobile robots in laboratory environments. The proposed model serves as an auxiliary localization system that can accurately correct unexpected localization errors by relying solely on the historical data of mobile robots. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of this proposed method.
Remaining useful life prediction for train bearing based on an ILSTM network with adaptive hyperparameter optimization
Authors: He Deqiang , Yan Jingren , Jin Zhenzhen , Zou Xueyan , Shan Sheng , Xiang Zaiyu , Miao Jian
Published: May 2023

Remaining useful life (RUL) prediction for bearing is a significant part of the maintenance of urban rail transit trains. Bearing RUL is closely linked to the reliability and safety of train running, but the current prediction accuracy makes it difficult to meet the requirements of high reliability operation. Aiming at the problem, a prediction model based on an improved long short-term memory (ILSTM) network is proposed. Firstly, the variational mode decomposition is used to process the signal, the intrinsic mode function with stronger representation ability is determined according to energy entropy and the degradation feature data is constructed combined with the time domain characteristics. Then, to improve learning ability, a rectified linear unit (ReLU) is applied to activate a fully connected layer lying after the long short-term memory (LSTM) network, and the hidden state outputs of the layer are weighted by attention mechanism. The Harris Hawks optimization algorithm is introduced to adaptively set the hyperparameters to improve the performance of the LSTM. Finally, the ILSTM is applied to predict bearing RUL. Through experimental cases, the better performance in bearing RUL prediction and the effectiveness of each improving measures of the model are validated, and its superiority of hyperparameters setting is demonstrated.
Tunnel bottleneck management with high-occupancy vehicle priority on intelligent freeways
Authors: Gao Jinyong , Zeng Juncheng , Wang Xinyuan , Zhou Cheng , Zhang Hailin , Lai Jintao
Published: May 2023

Tunnels on freeways, as one of the critical bottlenecks, frequently cause severe congestion and passenger delay. To solve the tunnel bottleneck problem, most of the existing research can be divided into two types. One is to adopt variable speed limits (VSLs) to regulate a predetermined speed for vehicles to get through a bottleneck smoothly. The other is to adopt high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane management. In HOV lane management strategies, all traffic is divided into HOVs and low-occupancy vehicles (LOVs). HOVs are vehicles with a driver and one or more passengers. LOVs are vehicles with only a driver. This kind of research can grant priority to HOVs by providing a dedicated HOV lane. However, the existing research cannot both mitigate congestion and maximize passenger-oriented benefits. To address the research gap, this paper leverages connected and automated vehicle (CAV) technologies on intelligent freeways and develops a tunnel bottleneck management strategy with a dynamic HOV lane (DHL). The strategy bears the following features: 1) enables tunnel bottleneck management at a microscopic level; 2) maximizes passenger-oriented benefits; 3) grants priority to HOVs even when the HOV lane is open to LOVs; 4) allocates right-of-way segments for HOVs and LOVs in real time; and 5) performs well in a mixed-traffic environment. The proposed strategy is evaluated through comparison against the non-control baseline and a VSL strategy. Sensitivity analysis is conducted under different congestion levels and penetration rates. The results demonstrate that the proposed strategy outperforms in terms of passenger-oriented delay reduction and HOVs' priority level improvement.
Comparative Characterization of Virulent and Less-Virulent Lasiodiplodia theobromae Isolates
Authors: Gunamalai Lavanya , Duanis-Assaf Danielle , Sharir Tom , Maurer Dalia , Feygenberg Oleg , Sela Noa , Alkan Noam
Published: May 2023

Lasiodiplodia theobromae attacks over 500 plant species and is an important pathogen of tropical and subtropical fruit. Due to global warming and climate change, the incidence of disease associated with L. theobromae is rising. Virulence tests performed on avocado and mango branches and fruit showed a large diversity of virulence of different L. theobromae isolates. Genome sequencing was performed for two L. theobromae isolates, representing more virulent (Avo62) and less-virulent (Man7) strains, to determine the cause of their variation. Comparative genomics, including orthologous and single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analyses, identified SNPs in the less-virulent strain in genes related to secreted cell wall–degrading enzymes, stress, transporters, sucrose, and proline metabolism, genes in secondary metabolic clusters, effectors, genes involved in the cell cycle, and genes belonging to transcription factors that may contribute to the virulence of L. theobromae. Moreover, carbohydrate-active enzyme analysis revealed a minor increase in gene counts of cutinases and pectinases and the absence of a few glycoside hydrolases in the less-virulent isolate. Changes in gene-copy numbers might explain the morphological differences found in the in-vitro experiments. The more virulent Avo62 grew faster on glucose, sucrose, or starch as a single carbon source. It also grew faster under stress conditions, such as osmotic stress, alkaline pH, and relatively high temperature. Furthermore, the more virulent isolate secreted more ammonia than the less-virulent one both in vitro and in vivo. These study results describe genome-based variability related to L. theobromae virulence, which might prove useful for the mitigation of postharvest stem-end rot.

[Formula: see text] Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY 4.0 International license .
Analysis of Defense-Related Gene Expression and Leaf Metabolome in Wheat During the Early Infection Stages ofBlumeria graminisf. sp.tritici
Authors: Allario Thierry , Fourquez Alice , Magnin-Robert Maryline , Siah Ali , Maia-Grondard Alessandra , Gaucher Matthieu , Brisset Marie-Noelle , Hugueney Philippe , Reignault Philippe , Baltenweck Raymonde , Randoux Béatrice
Published: May 2023

Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici ( Bgt) is an obligate biotrophic fungal pathogen responsible for powdery mildew in bread wheat ( Triticum aestivum). Upon Bgt infection, the wheat plant activates basal defense mechanisms, namely PAMP-triggered immunity, in the leaves during the first few days. Understanding this early stage of quantitative resistance is crucial for developing new breeding tools and evaluating plant resistance inducers for sustainable agricultural practices. In this sense, we used a combination of transcriptomic and metabolomic approaches to analyze the early steps of the interaction between Bgt and the moderately susceptible wheat cultivar Pakito. Bgt infection resulted in an increasing expression of genes encoding pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins ( PR1, PR4, PR5, and PR8) known to target the pathogen, during the first 48 h postinoculation. Moreover, RT-qPCR and metabolomic analyses pointed out the importance of the phenylpropanoid pathway in quantitative resistance against Bgt. Among metabolites linked to this pathway, hydroxycinnamic acid amides containing agmatine and putrescine as amine components accumulated from the second to the fourth day after inoculation. This suggests their involvement in quantitative resistance via cross-linking processes in cell walls for reinforcement, which is supported by the up-regulation of PAL (phenylalanine ammonia-lyase), PR15 (oxalate oxidase) and POX (peroxidase) after inoculation. Finally, pipecolic acid, which is considered a signal involved in systemic acquired resistance, accumulated after inoculation. These new insights lead to a better understanding of basal defense in wheat leaves after Bgt infection.
Reemergence of Dengue Virus Serotype 3, Brazil, 2023
Authors: Naveca Felipe Gomes , Santiago Gilberto A , Maito Rodrigo Melo , Meneses Cátia Alexandra Ribeiro , do Nascimento Valdinete Alves , de Souza Victor Costa , do Nascimento Fernanda Oliveira , Silva Dejanane , Mejía Matilde , Gonçalves Luciana , de Figueiredo Regina Maria Pinto , Cruz Ana Cecília Ribeiro , Nunes Bruno Tardelli Diniz , Presibella Mayra Marinho , Quallio Marques Nelson Fernando , Riediger Irina Nastassja , de Mendonça Marcos César Lima , de Bruycker-Nogueira Fernanda , Sequeira Patricia C , de Filippis Ana Maria Bispo , Resende Paola , Campos Tulio , Wallau Gabriel Luz , Gräf Tiago , Delatorre Edson , Kopp Edgar , Morrison Andrea , Muñoz-Jordán Jorge L. , Bello Gonzalo
Published: May 2023

In 2023, three autochthonous DENV-3 cases were detected in Roraima and one imported case in Paraná, fifteen years after the last DENV-3 outbreak in Brazil. Phylogenetic analyses confirmed all belonging to a new Asian lineage recently introduced in the Americas, raising concerns about future large dengue outbreaks in this region.