bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Short-term effects of the depth of masticated slash after salvage logging on fuel and vegetation response
Authors: Fernández Cristina
Published: November 2022

Background Salvage logging is commonly carried out after forest fires, and mastication of the logging slash is usually prescribed to reduce the risk of infestation by insect pests in NW Spain. Aims To evaluate how post-fire masticated slash depth affected vegetation regeneration (cover, diversity and load) and soil variables (soil organic carbon and soil compaction). Methods In October 2017, a fire that completely burned tree crowns and caused moderate soil burn severity was selected for study. At the end of 2017, the burned trees were logged and logging slash was masticated. Twenty plots were established in June 2020 in those areas to analyse the effect of the depth of masticated slash on soil compaction, vegetation recovery, fuel distribution and carbon accumulation. Key results The depth of masticated slash did not affect soil compaction, total vegetation cover or species diversity. Mean pine seedling density was significantly higher areas where the masticated slash depth was lower. Fuel loads and soil carbon content did not vary with the depth of masticated slash. Conclusions A lower masticated slash depth seems to be more favourable for pine regeneration. Implications These results may be useful for managers to favour natural regeneration in similar pine stands after fire.
Demographics, attitudes and emotions as predictors of support for bear management
Authors: Vaske Jerry J. , Miller Craig A. , Williams Brent D. , Pallazza Samantha G. , Zang Xiohan
Published: November 2022

Context The Illinois Department of Natural Resources was mandated by legislation to develop management plans for American Black Bears and needed Illinois residents’ preferences for bear management strategies. Aims The aim of this article was to examine how demographics, emotions and attitudes were related to support for three American black bear management strategies (active reintroduction, natural recolonisation, having breeding populations of black bears). Researchers have repeatedly suggested that these predictors are related to support for management actions. Methods Data were obtained from a mail survey sent to two populations of stakeholder groups. A total of 896 agricultural producers completed the questionnaire (response rate = 36%); 904 hunters completed the questionnaire (response rate = 36%). Five demographic variables were used in the analyses: (1) agricultural producer; (2) hunter; (3) age; (4) sex; and (5) residence growing up. Positive and negative emotional dispositions were operationalised with eight items. General attitude toward bears was measured with four items. All three management questions were asked for ‘in Illinois’ and ‘in my county’. Reliability analyses supported combining the psychological variables into indices for each construct. Key results Findings indicated that demographic and psychological characteristics are related to support for bear management strategies, but that these relationships are complex for a number of reasons. First, the regression beta coefficients for the demographic regression models were ‘minimal’ (M = 0.13), whereas the coefficients for psychological variables were ‘typical’ (M = 0.30). Second, not all of the demographic and psychological variables affected support for agency actions in the same way. Third, the average R2 for the three demographic models was only 16%, whereas the average R2 for the three psychological characteristics models was 53%. Conclusions Given the weak relationships between demographics and support for bear management, managers may not need to always target specific groups based on their demographics. Implications Certain situations may warrant specific messages to target audiences; weak demographic relationships suggest that managers should be cautious when using these characteristics to target communication messages to specific groups.
Evaluation of oral baits and distribution methods for Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii)†
Authors: Dempsey Sean , Pye Ruth J. , Gilbert Amy T. , Fountain-Jones Nicholas M. , Moffat Jennifer M. , Benson-Amram Sarah , Smyser Timothy J. , Flies Andrew S.
Published: November 2022

Context Diseases are increasingly contributing to wildlife population declines. Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) populations have locally declined by 82%, largely owing to the morbidity and mortality associated with two independent transmissible devil facial tumours (DFT1 and DFT2). Toxic baits are often used as a management tool for controlling vertebrate pest populations in Australia, but in other areas of the world, oral baits are also used to deliver vaccines or pharmaceuticals to wildlife. Aim Our goal was to evaluate the potential use of edible baits as vehicles for vaccine delivery to Tasmanian devils. Method We first tested bait palatability with captive devils. Bait interactions were recorded, and consumption and bait interaction behaviours were quantified. We next trialled baits containing inert capsules as potential vaccine containers in captivity. After confirming bait palatability in captivity, ground baiting was trialled at six field sites and monitored using camera traps. Finally, an automated bait dispenser was trialled at field sites to attempt to limit bait consumption by non-target species. Key results Captive devils consumed all types of placebo baits, but consumed a higher percentage of ruminant- and fish-based baits than cereal-based baits. Captive devils also consumed inert capsules inserted into placebo baits. Ground-baiting trials in the field showed that 53% of baits were removed from bait stations, with 76% of the removals occurring on the first night. Devils were suspected or confirmed to remove about 7% of baits compared with 93% by non-target species. We also evaluated an automated bait dispenser, which reduced bait removal by non-target species and resulted in over 50% of the baits being removed by devils. Conclusions This study demonstrated that captive and wild devils will accept and consume placebo versions of commercial baits. Bait dispensers or modified baits or baiting strategies are needed to increase bait uptake by devils. Implications Bait dispensers can be used at a regional scale to deliver baits to devils. These could potentially be used as vaccine-delivery vehicles to mitigate the impacts of disease on devil populations.
Reconstructing Non-Standard Languages
Authors: Grenoble Lenore A. , Kantarovich Jessica
Published: November 2022

Focusing on language contact involving Russian, and the linguistic varieties that emerged from that contact in different social settings, this book analyzes issues and methodologies in reconstructing both the linguistic effects of language contact and the social contexts of usage. In-depth analyses of Odessan Russian, a southern Russian contact variety with Yiddish and Ukrainian elements, and Russian lexifier pidgins illustrate the reconstruction process, which involves making the most of all available documentation, particularly literature and stereotypical descriptions. Historical sociolinguistics of this kind straddles the fields of historical linguistics, sociolinguistics, and contact; this book brings together the methods and theories of these areas to show how they can result in a rich reconstruction of linguistic and socially-conditioned variation. We reconstruct the circumstances and social settings that produced this variation, and demonstrate how to reconstruct which variants were used by different types of speakers under different circumstances, and what kinds of social identities they indexed.
Grammatical core terminology in Icelandic
Authors: Tarsi Matteo
Published: November 2022

The article addresses a selection of meanings fundamental to linguistic discourse in Icelandic. Their diverse lexical manifestations were collected from twenty-four works, produced during eight centuries: from theFirst Grammatical Treatise(1130–1140) to Alexander Jóhannesson’sFrumnorræn málfræði(1920), by which time current grammatical terminology had for the most part reached its “modern” state. The excerpted data is analyzed with regard to its internal organization, by exploring the nature of its systematization, the strategies employed in coining grammatical terminology, and the relationship between current Icelandic grammatical terminology and medieval and early-modern terminology. From the analysis it becomes clear that: (1) calquing (mostly structural) and autonomous word coinage are the most prolific strategies, whereas borrowing and the employment of inherited lexemes are marginal; (2) Latin is the principal direct model for terms, and Danish constitutes another important source. Direct influence of Ælfrician terminology on the Old Icelandic grammatical lexicon is questionable; (3) the terminology currently used primarily comprises terms stemming from the 19th, and to a lesser extent the 18th century, with medieval terminology still being employed only in the case of very basic terms.
Introducing Chinese Linguistics
Authors: Zhang Hang , Zhang Lan
Published: November 2022

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the fundamentals of Chinese linguistics, including the core components of phonetics and phonology, morphology, syntax, writing system, and social cultural aspects of the language. It also discusses key features of Chinese language acquisition in each of these areas, highlighting common difficulties and obstacles adult learners encounter as revealed in language acquisition research. The integration of basic linguistic knowledge with language acquisition findings provides valuable resources for both current and aspiring Chinese language teachers, and serious learners of Chinese as a second language. Exercise questions included in each chapter serve to reinforce the concepts of Chinese linguistics. The book is designed to not only enhance Chinese learners’ linguistic awareness but also provide language teachers with pedagogical preparation and assistance. While this book can be used as a textbook for an introductory Chinese linguistics course, it is also beneficial to the broader range of readers who are interested in Chinese linguistics.
Reducing interfacial thermal resistance by interlayer
Authors: Ma Dengke , Xing Yuheng , Zhang Lifa
Published: November 2022

Heat dissipation is crucial important for the performance and lifetime for highly integrated electronics, Li-ion battery-based devices and so on, which lies in the decrease of interfacial thermal resistance (ITR). To achieve this goal, introducing interlayer is the most widely used strategy in industry, which has attracted tremendous attention from researchers. In this review, we focus on bonding effect and bridging effect to illustrate how introduced interlayer decreases ITR. The behind mechanisms and theoretical understanding of these two effects are clearly illustrated. Simulative and experimental studies toward utilizing these two effects to decrease ITR of real materials and practical systems are reviewed. Specifically, the mechanisms and design rules for the newly emerged graded interlayers are discussed. The optimization of interlayers by machine learning algorithms are reviewed. Based on present researches, challenges and possible future directions about this topic are discussed.
Fe, Ni-modified ZIF-8 as a tensive precursor to derive N-doped carbon as Na and Li-ion batteries anodes
Authors: Jia Hongna , Wang Yao , Zhao Shuya , Wang Haipeng , Ju Na , Zhang Xinyue , Li Hong , Sun Zejun , Sun Hong-bin
Published: November 2022

Carbon materials derived from metal-organic frameworks have attracted increasing attention as anodes for energy storage. In this study, Fe, Ni-doped ZIF-8 is carbonized at high temperature to obtain bimetallic Fe and Ni modified tension -relaxed carbon (FeNi@trC). Fe and Ni have opposite structural modification effects when the metal ions are doped into the ZIF-8 dodecahedron. The obtained carbon material maintains the regular dodecahedron morphology, which means the relaxation of tension and strong thermal stability during annealing. Moreover, the presence of nickel enhances the carbonization degree and electrochemical stability of FeNi@trC, while the calcination of the tensive ZIF-8 precursor offers more defect sites. The discharge capacities of FeNi@trC materials are stable at 182.9 mAh·g−1 and 567.9 mAh·g−1 for sodium-ion batterie (SIB) and lithium-ion batterie (LIB) at 0.05 A·g−1. Compared with the current density of 0.05 A·g−1, the discharge capacity of SIB and LIB attenuates by 29.4% and 55.9% at 1 A·g−1, respectively, and the FeNi@trC shows good performance stability in the following cycles.
Long time well-posedness of Whitham–Boussinesq systems
Authors: Paulsen Martin Oen
Published: November 2022

Consideration is given to three different full dispersion Boussinesq systems arising as asymptotic models in the bi-directional propagation of weakly nonlinear surface waves in shallow water. We prove that, under a non-cavitation condition on the initial data, these three systems are well-posed on a time scale of order

O

(

1

ε

)

, where ɛ is a small parameter measuring the weak nonlinearity of the waves. For one of the systems, this result is new even for short time. The two other systems involve surface tension, and for one of them, the non-cavitation condition has to be sharpened when the surface tension is small. The proof relies on suitable symmetrizers and the classical theory of hyperbolic systems. However, we have to track the small parameters carefully in the commutator estimates to get the long time well-posedness. Finally, combining our results with the recent ones of Emerald provide a full justification of these systems as water wave models in a larger range of regimes than the classical (a, b, c, d)-Boussinesq systems.
On matrix Painlevé-4 equations
Authors: Bobrova I A , Sokolov V V
Published: November 2022

Using the Painlevé–Kovalevskaya test, we find several polynomial matrix systems, which can be regarded as non-commutative generalisations of the Painlevé-4 equation. For these systems isomonodromic Lax pairs are presented. Limiting transitions that reduce them to known matrix Painlevé-2 equations are found.
On the global stability of solutions to the compressible Navier–Stokes equation around the Taylor–Couette flow
Authors: Wang Dinghuai
Published: November 2022

In this paper, we are concerned with the global stability of solutions to the compressible Navier–Stokes equation in a bounded annular domain. The result confirms the Taylor–Couette flow remains stable with small perturbations in physical literatures when the outer and inner cylinders are in a certain small speed.
How elliptical orbits of planets clinch Newton’s laws of motion and gravitation
Authors: Dutta Kishore
Published: November 2022

Following a geometrical analysis in the historical tradition of Euclid, we show how Newton’s axioms (subsequently regarded as laws) of motion and gravity, when applied to an orbiting body, lead to the elliptical orbit, with the Sun at one focus, that had been empirically established by Kepler. This constitutes a cross-check on Newton’s hypothesis, which already have Kepler’s other two laws built in. Thus, ‘elliptical orbits clinch Newton’s laws.’
Superiorization-inspired unrolled SART algorithm with U-Net generated perturbations for sparse-view and limited-angle CT reconstruction
Authors: Jia Yiran , McMichael Noah , Mokarzel Pedro , Thompson Brandon , Si Dong , Humphries Thomas
Published: November 2022

Objective. Unrolled algorithms are a promising approach for reconstruction of CT images in challenging scenarios, such as low-dose, sparse-view and limited-angle imaging. In an unrolled algorithm, a fixed number of iterations of a reconstruction method are unrolled into multiple layers of a neural network, and interspersed with trainable layers. The entire network is then trained end-to-end in a supervised fashion, to learn an appropriate regularizer from training data. In this paper we propose a novel unrolled algorithm, and compare its performance with several other approaches on sparse-view and limited-angle CT. Approach. The proposed algorithm is inspired by the superiorization methodology, an optimization heuristic in which iterates of a feasibility-seeking method are perturbed between iterations, typically using descent directions of a model-based penalty function. Our algorithm instead uses a modified U-net architecture to introduce the perturbations, allowing a network to learn beneficial perturbations to the image at various stages of the reconstruction, based on the training data. Main Results. In several numerical experiments modeling sparse-view and limited angle CT scenarios, the algorithm provides excellent results. In particular, it outperforms several competing unrolled methods in limited-angle scenarios, while providing comparable or better performance on sparse-view scenarios. Significance. This work represents a first step towards exploiting the power of deep learning within the superiorization methodology. Additionally, it studies the effect of network architecture on the performance of unrolled methods, as well as the effectiveness of the unrolled approach on both limited-angle CT, where previous studies have primarily focused on the sparse-view and low-dose cases.
Experimental demonstration of ultrahigh sensitivity Talbot-Lau interferometer for low dose mammography
Authors: Safca N , Stutman D , Anghel E , Negoita F , Ur C A
Published: November 2022

Objective. Even though the techniques used for breast cancer identification have advanced over the years, current mammography based on x-rays absorption, the ‘gold standard’ screening test at present, still has some shortcomings as concerns sensitivity and specificity to early-stage cancers, due to poor differentiation between tumor and normal tissues, especially in the case of the dense breasts. We investigate a possible additional technique for breast cancer detection with higher sensitivity and low dose, x-ray phase-contrast or refraction-based imaging with ultrahigh angular sensitivity grating interferometers, having several meters length. Approach. Towards this goal, we built and tested on a mammography phantom, a table-top laboratory setup based on a 5.7 m long Talbot-Lau interferometer with angular sensitivity better than 1 μrad. We used a high-power x-ray tungsten anode tube with a 400 μm focal spot, operated at 40 kVp and 15 mA with a 2 mm aluminum filter. Main results. The results reported in our paper confirm the ultrahigh sensitivity and dose economy possible with our setup. The visibility of objects simulating cancerous formations is strongly increased in the refraction images over the attenuation ones, even at a low dose of 0.32 mGy. Notably, the smallest fiber of 400 μm diameter and calcifications specs of 160 μm in diameter are detected, even though the spatial resolution at the object of our magnification M ∼ 2 setup with a 400 μm source spot is only ∼250 μm. Significance. Our experiments on a mammography phantom illustrate the capabilities of the proposed technique and can open the way toward low-dose interferometric mammography.
SWFT-Net: a deep learning framework for efficient fine-tuning spot weights towards adaptive proton therapy
Authors: Zhang Guoliang , Zhou Long , Han Zeng , Zhao Wei , Peng Hao
Published: November 2022

Objective. One critical task for adaptive proton therapy is how to perform spot weight re-tuning and reoptimize plan, both of which are time-consuming and labor intensive. We proposed a deep learning framework (SWFT-Net) to speed up such a task, a starting point for us to move towards online adaptive proton therapy. Approach. For a H&N patient case, a reference intensity modulated proton therapy plan was generated. For data augmentation, spot weights were modified to generate three datasets (DS10, DS30, DS50), corresponding to different levels of weight adjustment. For each dataset, the samples were split into the training and testing groups at a ratio of 8:2 (6400 for training, 1706 for testing). To ease the difficulty of machine learning, the residuals of dose maps and spot weights (i.e. difference relative to a reference) were used as inputs and outputs, respectively. Quantitative analyses were performed in terms of normalized root mean square error (NRMSE) of spot weights, Gamma passing rate and dose difference within the PTV. Main results. The SWFT-Net is able to generate an adapted plan in less than a second with a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 GPU. For the 1706 samples in the testing dataset, the NRMSE is 0.41% (DS10), 1.05% (DS30) and 2.04% (DS50), respectively. Cold/hot spots in the dose maps after adaptation are observed. The mean relative dose difference is 0.64% (DS10), 0.92% (DS30) and 0.88% (DS50), respectively. For all three datasets, the mean Gamma passing rate is consistently over 95% for both 1 mm/1% and 3 mm/3% settings. Significance. The proposed SWFT-Net is a promising tool to help realize adaptive proton therapy. It can be used as an alternative tool to other spot fine-tuning optimization algorithms, likely demonstrating superior performance in terms of speed, accuracy, robustness and minimum human interaction. This study lays down a foundation for us to move further incorporating other factors such as daily anatomical changes and propagated PTVs, and develop a truly online adaptive workflow in proton therapy.
Experimental study on plasma generated by a tapered coaxial accelerator and its damage effects on a tungsten target at different angles
Authors: Zhao Chongxiao , Chen YiYi , Song Jian , Mei Xianxiu , Pan Qikun , Zhang RanRan , Yang Liang , Zhao Fantao , Li Jiawen , Wang Dezhen
Published: November 2022

Plasma wall interaction inevitably occurs during the operation of tokamaks. The coaxial gun device has low operation cost and the parameters of plasma produced by the gun are close to those of type I edge localized mode (ELM); therefore, the coaxial gun is suitable in simulation experiments as a heat flux source of transient events such as type I ELM under the condition of H-mode in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor. In this paper, the plasma generated by the discharge of a tapered coaxial accelerator thermal shock on a tungsten target is used to simulate the damage effect of the divertor. The plasma parameters are measured in the experiment. The velocity of the plasma is 41.7 km s−1, and the kinetic energy of a single hydrogen ion is 9.2 eV. The energy density at the center of the plasma can reach 1.5 MJ m−2, and the density can reach about 2.78 × 1015 cm−3. The reflection of plasma in the process of exposure at different angles is observed. It is observed that droplets of millimeter size splash from the target. Traces of liquid flow are observed on the surface of the target, which shows that there is a melting process on the surface of the target. The mass loss of the target is of the order of milligrams after 20 pulses. The ablation and residual stress of the target surface both decrease with a decrease in the angle. This is because the accumulated energy per unit area of the target surface decreases with a decrease in the angle. The results of the simulation experiment help us to understand the working state around the divertor target in tokamak devices.
Electron collisions with ArH+ molecular ions: highly excited vibrational states and dissociative excitation
Authors: Djuissi E , Bultel A , Tennyson J , Schneider I F , Laporta V
Published: November 2022

A theoretical investigation of dissociative recombination and dissociative excitation processes involving electron collisions with the argonium ion (ArH+) at energies up to 7 eV is presented. Curves and couplings obtained using R-matrix calculations are used to provide the input for molecular dynamics calculations based on the multichannel quantum defect theory. A full set of vibrationally resolved cross sections and rate coefficients is presented for the kinetic modeling of argon-containing non-equilibrium plasma.
The cross-section for the

scattering at the LHeC*
Authors: Giang Bui Thi Ha
Published: November 2022

A measurement of the Z production cross-section in

collisions at the Large Hadron-electron Collider (LHeC) is presented for comparison to that at the International Linear Collider (ILC). The total cross-section depends strongly on the polarization of the initial and final

beams and the electron beam energy

; the energy of the proton beam was set to

TeV. The results show that the total cross-section in

at the LHeC is much larger than that at the ILC.
Magnetic Activity and Parameters of 43 Flare Stars in the GWAC Archive
Authors: Li Guang-Wei , Wu Chao , Zhou Gui-Ping , Yang Chen , Li Hua-Li , Chen Jie , Xin Li-Ping , Wang Jing , Haerken Hasitieer , Ma Chao-Hong , Cai Hong-Bo , Han Xu-Hui , Huang Lei , Lu Xiao-Meng , Bai Jian-Ying , Zhang Xu-Kang , Hao Xin-Li , Wang Xiang-Yu , Dai Zi-Gao , Liang En-Wei , Meng Xiao-Feng , Wei Jian-Yan
Published: November 2022

In the archive of the Ground Wide Angle Camera (GWAC), we found 43 white light flares from 43 stars, among which, three are sympathetic or homologous flares, and one of them also has a quasi-periodic pulsation with a period of 13.0 ± 1.5 minutes. Among these 43 flare stars, there are 19 new active stars and 41 stars that have available TESS and/or K2 light curves, from which we found 931 stellar flares. We also obtained rotational or orbital periods of 34 GWAC flare stars, of which 33 are less than 5.4 days, and ephemerides of three eclipsing binaries from these light curves. Combining with low resolution spectra from LAMOST and the Xinglong 2.16 m telescope, we found that L
Hα
/L
bol are in the saturation region in the rotation-activity diagram. From the LAMOST medium-resolution spectrum, we found that Star #3 (HAT 178–02667) has double Hα emissions which imply it is a binary, and two components are both active stars. Thirteen stars have flare frequency distributions (FFDs) from TESS and/or K2 light curves. These FFDs show that the flares detected by GWAC can occur at a frequency of 0.5 to 9.5 yr−1. The impact of flares on habitable planets was also studied based on these FFDs, and flares from some GWAC flare stars may produce enough energetic flares to destroy ozone layers, but none can trigger prebiotic chemistry on their habitable planets.
A space–time quasi-Trefftz DG method for the wave equation with piecewise-smooth coefficients
Authors: Imbert-Gérard Lise-Marie , Moiola Andrea , Stocker Paul
Published: November 2022

Trefftz methods are high-order Galerkin schemes in which all discrete functions are elementwise solution of the PDE to be approximated. They are viable only when the PDE is linear and its coefficients are piecewise-constant. We introduce a “quasi-Trefftz” discontinuous Galerkin (DG) method for the discretisation of the acoustic wave equation with piecewise-smooth material parameters: the discrete functions are elementwise approximate PDE solutions. We show that the new discretisation enjoys the same excellent approximation properties as the classical Trefftz one, and prove stability and high-order convergence of the DG scheme. We introduce polynomial basis functions for the new discrete spaces and describe a simple algorithm to compute them. The technique we propose is inspired by the generalised plane waves previously developed for time-harmonic problems with variable coefficients; it turns out that in the case of the time-domain wave equation under consideration the quasi-Trefftz approach allows for polynomial basis functions.
Preprint Highlight: ALIBY: ALFA nanobody-based toolkit for imaging and biochemistry in yeast
Authors: Subramanian Vijayalakshmi V.
Published: November 2022

Many commonly used protein epitope tags are optimized for one or a few biological applications. The recently developed ALFA tag performs well across a broad range of cell biological applications including localization, biochemical, and functional studies but has not been available in budding yeast. This study engineers a modular plasmid-based platform to introduce ALFA tag on proteins of interest in budding yeast for detection via fluorescently tagged ALFA nanobodies. The toolkit offers excellent performance for quantitative live imaging, spatiotemporal analyses of proteins, protein kinetics, and immunoprecipitation studies, all with the same tag. These materials will be of broad interest to yeast biologists for simplified imaging and biochemical analyses.

This preprint has been assigned the following badges: New Methods, New Materials.

Read the preprint on bioRxiv ( Akhuli et al., 2022 ): https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.07.18.500560 .
Handgrip strength rather than chair stand test should be used to diagnose sarcopenia in geriatric rehabilitation inpatients: REStORing health of acutely unwell adulTs (RESORT)
Authors: Verstraeten Laure M G , de Haan Nina  J , Verbeet Eline , van Wijngaarden Janneke P , Meskers Carel  G M , Maier Andrea B
Published: November 2022

Background

according to the revised sarcopenia definition proposed by the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP2) and revised definition of the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS2019), handgrip strength (HGS) and chair stand test (CST) can be used interchangeably as initial diagnostic measures.

Objective

to assess the agreement between sarcopenia prevalence, using either HGS or CST, and their association with adverse outcomes in geriatric rehabilitation inpatients.

Methods

REStORing health of acutely unwell adulTs is an observational, longitudinal cohort of geriatric rehabilitation inpatients. Cohen’s kappa (κ) was used to assess the agreement between sarcopenia prevalence (no, probable and confirmed and severe sarcopenia) according to EWGSOP2 and AWGS2019 using either HGS or CST. Associations between HGS and CST and readmission, institutionalisation and mortality were assessed by binomial regression.

Results

patients (n = 1,250, 57% females) had a median age of 83.1 years (interquartile range: [77.5–88.3]). There was no agreement between probable sarcopenia prevalence using HGS or CST for EWGSOP2 and AWGS2019, respectively (HGS: 70.9% and 76.2%; CST: 95.5% and 98.4%; κ = 0.08 and 0.02). Agreement between confirmed and severe sarcopenia prevalence using either HGS or CST was strong to almost perfect. HGS was associated with 3-month institutionalisation and 3-month and 1-year mortality, whereas CST was not associated.

Conclusions

HGS and CST cannot be used interchangeably as diagnostic measures for probable sarcopenia in geriatric rehabilitation inpatients. CST is not useful to predict adverse outcomes in geriatric rehabilitation inpatients.
Acceptability and engagement amongst patients on oral and intravenous bisphosphonates for the treatment of osteoporosis in older adults
Authors: Narayanasamy Melanie , Bishop Simon , Sahota Opinder , Paskins Zoe , Gittoes Neil , Langley Tessa
Published: November 2022

Background

Osteoporosis is common in older adults leading to fragility fractures at enormous individual and economic cost. Improving long-term adherence with bisphosphonate treatments reduces fracture risk, but adherence rates for first-line oral bisphosphonate alendronate remains low. Although alternative treatment regimens, including annual intravenous infusions are available, patient acceptability remains unclear. Therefore, understanding patients’ acceptability and engagement in different bisphosphonate regimens is important to ensure optimal treatment benefits.

Methods

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 78 patients with a mean age of 69.9 years, who had taken or received bisphosphonates for osteoporosis within the last 24 months. Data analysis included iterative categorisation and used the theoretical framework of acceptability (TFA) to compare the acceptability of treatments regimens.

Results

Treatment acceptability and engagement were influenced by the extent to which patients understood the prescribed treatment, and evidence of the treatment working. Acceptability and engagement were compromised when treatment was perceived as burdensome, personal costs were incurred, and patients’ values were incompatible with the regimen. The balancing of these factors contributed to patients’ ability to cope with the treatment and their emotional responses. Intravenous treatment was generally perceived as easier to understand, more effective, less burdensome with fewer opportunity costs, and a preferable regimen compared with oral bisphosphonates.

Conclusions

Annual intravenous zoledronate bisphosphonate treatment was generally more acceptable to patients, perceived as more straightforward to engage in, although a small portion of patients on oral bisphosphonates were satisfied with treatment. Further research is needed to identify how acceptability and engagement can be optimised.
What influences decisions to transfer older care-home residents to the emergency department? A synthesis of qualitative reviews
Authors: Marincowitz Carl , Preston Louise , Cantrell Anna , Tonkins Michael , Sabir Lisa , Mason Suzanne
Published: November 2022

Background

care home residents aged over 65 have disproportionate rates of emergency department (ED) attendance and hospitalisation. Around 40% attendances may be avoidable, and hospitalisation is associated with harms. We synthesised the evidence available in qualitative systematic reviews of different stakeholders’ experiences of decisions to transfer residents to the ED.

Methods

six electronic databases, references and citations of included reviews and relevant policy documents were searched. Reviews of qualitative studies exploring factors that influenced care home staff, medical practitioners, residents’ family or residents’ experiences and factors influencing decisions to transfer residents to the ED were included. Thematic analysis was used to synthesise findings.

Results

six previous reviews were included, which synthesised the findings of 34 primary studies encompassing 152 care home residents, 283 resident family members or carers and 447 care home staff. Of the primary studies, 19 were conducted in the North America, seven in Australia, five were conducted in Scandinavia, two in the United Kingdom and one in Holland. Three themes were identified: (i) power dynamics between residents, family members, care home staff and health care professionals (external to the care home) influence decisions; (ii) admission can be necessary; however, (iii) some decisions may be driven by factors other than clinical need.

Conclusion

transfer decisions are complex and are determined not just by changes in health status interventions aimed at reducing avoidable transfers need to address the key role family members have in transfer decisions, the medical legal fears of care home staff and barriers to accessing community services.
Characteristics of desirable ambulatory health and oral healthcare from the perspective of community-dwelling people aged 80 and over—a qualitative examination
Authors: Herrler Angélique , Kukla Helena , Barbe Anna Greta , Vennedey Vera , Stock Stephanie
Published: November 2022

Background

people aged 80 and over frequently have diverse and complex health trajectories, which has been well studied. But their oral health is seldom included in care models. To realise comprehensive healthcare, both general and oral ambulatory (i.e. outpatient) healthcare need to be explored and conceptualised equally.

Objective

to elicit what matters to very old people regarding ambulatory health and oral healthcare.

Methods

interviews were conducted with non-institutionalised people aged 80 and over living in the area of Cologne, Germany. They were interviewed regarding their experiences of and views on ambulatory healthcare and oral healthcare care, respectively. Thematic analysis was performed to understand their motives and elicit relevant characteristics of desirable health services.

Results

from the interviews with 22 participants, 16 characteristics of good healthcare were described. These were generally similar for both general and oral healthcare and had a particular focus on patient–provider interaction and the organisation of care. However, regarding oral healthcare, the participants focused more strongly on the technical–medical skills of professionals and the perceptible treatment results and were more concerned about costs. It was noticeable that older people had the urge to differentiate themselves from ‘others unnecessarily using health services’. They were unaware of possible future oral health deterioration and the resulting future needs.

Conclusions

characteristics of good health and oral healthcare from the perspective of older people should be incorporated to ensure patient-centredness in care models. Older patients, as well as healthcare providers, need to be sensitised to their oral health needs to realise comprehensive healthcare.
Foraging in heterogeneous landscapes: variation in movement patterns of a tropical sand-bubbler crab
Authors: Hui Tin Yan , Williams Gray A
Published: November 2022

Acquiring food in heterogeneous landscapes presents a challenge to many foragers, as searching for food in an optimal manner is difficult in spatially and temporally variable environments. Investigating individual foraging patterns can elucidate how environmental variations at different scales constrain or select for energy-optimizing movements, which can inform conservation and management strategies by identifying spatio-temporal variations in species’ habitat use. To test how such movements vary with environmental conditions, we investigated foraging patterns of the deposit-feeding sand-bubbler crab, Scopimera intermedia Balss, 1934 at multiple spatial and temporal scales on soft sediment shores in Hong Kong. On a broad, annual, scale the crabs produced foraging tracks of different length and foraged over different areas around their burrows between hot and cool seasons. Although foraging movements of the crabs were slower and more restricted during the cool season, probably due to low environmental temperatures, foraging areas during the hot season were larger but limited by increasing conspecific interactions. Over a smaller scale at which the crabs make movement decisions, parameters such as turning angle and speed were variable, even within individual foraging excursions. Such variations appeared to be responses to small-scale variations in sediment food patches, which resulted in the crabs employing multiple movement modes. This context-dependent foraging strategy enables the crabs to feed for a longer time in food-rich patches compared with a fixed strategy and is, therefore, critical for species living in environments such as intertidal sediments, where food distribution is heterogeneous and foraging time is constrained by the tide.
Relationships between reproductive character displacement in genital morphology and the population-level cost of interspecific mating: implications for the Templeton effect
Authors: Nishimura Taira , Terada Karen , Xia Tian , Takami Yasuoki
Published: November 2022

Natural selection against maladaptive interspecific reproductive interactions may cause greater divergence in mating traits between sympatric populations than between allopatric populations in a pair of species, known as reproductive character displacement (RCD) which is evidence for the lock-and-key hypothesis of genital evolution. However, the relative importance of various processes contributing to RCD in genital morphology (e.g. reinforcement, reproductive interference, and population filtering or the Templeton effect) is not clear. Here, we examined hypotheses for RCD in genital morphology, with a special focus on the Templeton effect (which predicts that only highly differentiated populations can exist in sympatry). We examined population-level fitness costs in interspecific mating between Carabus maiyasanus and Carabus iwawakianus with RCD in genital morphology. A mating experiment using populations with various degrees of RCD in genital morphology showed no evidence for consistently lower interspecific mating costs in C. maiyasanus populations in contact with displacement in genital morphology than in remote populations, contrary to the predictions of the Templeton effect. Alternatively, interspecific mating costs varied among populations. Observed relationships between the sizes of genital parts concerning isolation and interspecific mating costs across populations suggested that population-level fitness costs do not necessarily decrease during the process leading to RCD. Our results provide insight into ecological and evolutionary processes during secondary contact in closely related species.
Repetitive TMS applied to the precuneus stabilizes cognitive status in Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Moussavi Zahra
Published: November 2022

This scientific commentary refers to ‘Precuneus magnetic stimulation for Alzheimer's disease: a randomized, sham-controlled trial’ by Koch et al. (https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awac285).
Localizing epileptogenic tissues in epilepsy: are we losing (the) focus?
Authors: Sinha Nishant
Published: November 2022

This scientific commentary refers to ‘Source-sink connectivity: a novel interictal EEG marker for seizure localization’ by Gunnarsdottir et al. (https://doi.org/10.1093/awac300).
IV estimation of spatial dynamic panels with interactive effects: large sample theory and an application on bank attitude towards risk
Authors: Cui Guowei , Sarafidis Vasilis , Yamagata Takashi
Published: November 2022

This paper develops a new instrumental variables estimator for spatial, dynamic panels with interactive effects under large N and T asymptotics. For this class of models, most approaches available in the literature are based on quasi-maximum likelihood estimation. The approach put forward here is appealing from both a theoretical and a practical point of view for a number of reasons. First, it is linear in the parameters of interest and computationally inexpensive. Second, the IV estimator is free from asymptotic bias. Third, the approach can accommodate endogenous regressors as long as external instruments are available. The IV estimator is consistent and asymptotically normal as $N,T\rightarrow \infty$, such that $N/T \rightarrow c$, where $0\lt c\lt \infty$. We study the determinants of risk attitude of banking institutions. The results show that the capital regulation introduced by the Dodd–Frank Act has succeeded in influencing banks’ behaviour.
Semi-parametric inference on Gini indices of two semi-continuous populations under density ratio models
Authors: Yuan Meng , Li Pengfei , Wu Changbao
Published: November 2022

The Gini index is a popular inequality measure with many applications in social and economic studies. This paper studies semi-parametric inference on the Gini indices of two semi-continuous populations. We characterise the distribution of each semi-continuous population by a mixture of a discrete point mass at zero and a continuous skewed positive component. A semi-parametric density ratio model is then employed to link the positive components of the two distributions. We propose the maximum empirical likelihood estimators of the two Gini indices and their difference, and further investigate the asymptotic properties of the proposed estimators. The asymptotic results enable us to construct confidence intervals, and perform hypothesis tests for the two Gini indices and their difference. The proposed method is also applicable to cases without excessive zero values. The superiority of our proposed method over some existing methods is shown theoretically and numerically. Two real-data applications are presented for illustration.
The population-attributable fraction for time-to-event data
Authors: von Cube Maja , Schumacher Martin , Timsit Jean Francois , Decruyenaere Johan , Steen Johan
Published: November 2022

Background

Even though the population-attributable fraction (PAF) is a well-established metric, it is often incorrectly estimated or interpreted not only in clinical application, but also in statistical research articles. The risk of bias is especially high in more complex time-to-event data settings.

Methods

We explain how the PAF can be defined, identified and estimated in time-to-event settings with competing risks and time-dependent exposures. By using multi-state methodology and inverse probability weighting, we demonstrate how to reduce or completely avoid severe types of biases including competing risks bias, immortal time bias and confounding due to both baseline and time-varying patient characteristics.

Results

The method is exemplarily applied to a real data set. Moreover, we estimate the number of deaths that were attributable to ventilator-associated pneumonia in France in the year 2016. The example demonstrates how, under certain simplifying assumptions, PAF estimates can be extrapolated to a target population of interest.

Conclusions

Defining and estimating the PAF in advanced time-to-event settings within a framework that unifies causal and multi-state modelling enables to tackle common sources of bias and allows straightforward implementation with standard software packages.
Energy, economic and environmental analysis of solar-assisted air source heat pump system: a case study in university town
Authors: Dou Zhenlan , Zhang Chunyan , Yang Yongwen , Li Qifen , Cai Jingyong
Published: November 2022

The integration of solar collector and air source heat pump is solar-assisted air source heat pump system (SA-ASHP), which is regarded as a promising technology in carbon emission reduction and energy saving. In this paper, a SA-ASHP system is designed to supply bathing water for the university town in Shanghai, which can alternately operate with solar-assisted (SA) mode and air-source (AS) mode. The energy performance of SA-ASHP system is simulated with mathematic model, on this basis, its financial benefits and environmental impact have been evaluated and compared with gas boiler water heater. The results indicate that the performance in AS mode and SA mode are affected by the environmental conditions, and the impact on AS mode is more significant. To achieve the optimal performance, the SA-ASHP system operates in AS mode from April to October and operates in SA mode from November to March. As the price of natural gas is higher than electricity and heat pump has good energy-saving effect, the operation cost of gas boiler water heater is much higher than that of SA-ASHP system. After the start of carbon trading, the operation of gas boiler will bring great amount of pollutant emission cost, and SA-ASHP can bring the environmental benefit of ¥ 1 165 654.
Influence of thermochromic coatings on the thermal performance of the multi-layer wall by numerical simulation
Authors: Liu Shuhan , Wang Jing , Meng Xi
Published: November 2022

The conventional coating cannot always play better performance due to the seasonal change in a year, especially in the hot-summer and cold-winter zones. To overcome this drawback, the thermochromic coating was proposed, and its color varied with its temperature and featured different solar radiation absorption. To explore the application feasibility of thermochromic coating on exterior multi-layer walls, a numerical model was developed for an exterior insulation wall covered with thermochromic coatings, while the influence of the thermochromic coating was analyzed on the thermal performance of exterior walls by a reference of conventional coating. Numerical results showed that different from the conventional coating, the thermochromic coating showed low absorptivity in summer and high absorptivity in winter. Compared to conventional coating, the peak temperature in outer surface could be reduced by 11.2°C–16.7°C in summer and increased by 7.8°C–10.2°C in winter, while the peak heat flows in the outer surface were reduced by 22.4–38.9 W/m2 in summer and increased by 21.3–26.7 W/m2. It showed the thermochromic coating had the interesting capability to dampen the heat gains in summer, while promoting the heat gain in winter. Employing thermochromic coating reduced the cooling load by 24.28% and the heating load by 21.36%.