bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparison of machine learning and stress concentration factors‐based fatigue failure prediction in small‐scale butt‐welded joints
Authors: Braun Moritz , Kellner Leon
Published: August 2022

Fatigue behavior of welded joints is significantly influenced by numerous factors, for example, local weld geometry. A representative quantity for the influence of the notch effect created by the local weld geometry is the stress concentration factor (SCF). Thus, SCFs are often used to estimate fatigue failure locations and fatigue strength; however, this simplifies the mutual effect of other influencing factors. Consequently, fatigue strength estimates for welded joints may deviate from experimental results. Machine learning techniques offer an alternative to traditional fatigue assessment approaches based on SCFs. This study presents a comparison of failure location predictions and number of cycles to failure for 621 fatigue tests of small‐scale butt‐welded joints. In addition, an understanding of importance and mutual influence of the factors is desired. We used gradient boosted trees in combination with the SHapley Additive exPlanation framework to identify influential features and their interactions.
Understanding, detecting, and deterring faking on interest inventories
Authors: Wegmeyer Lauren J. , Speer Andrew B.
Published: August 2022

Three recent meta‐analyses have found that interests, regardless of scoring method (e.g., summative or congruence) are valid predictors of performance in employment contexts. As these inventories gain popularity as a prehire assessment, it is important to understand whether interest assessments are susceptible to faking (i.e., applicant response distortion) similar to how personality assessments are. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate whether interest inventories are susceptible to faking and whether faking can be detected and prevented using similar methods as what is commonly used for faking of personality assessments. Measures of forced‐choice and single‐stimulus interests, personality, general mental ability (GMA), and impression management (IM) were collected from 236 participants across honest and faked instructions. Findings suggest that individuals were capable of faking interest inventories, but surprisingly, the effect did not vary greatly as a function of format or scoring method. Further, GMA was not strongly related to faking interests, whereas faking of personality scales was. In efforts to detect interest faking, IM scores outperformed covariances indices in distinguishing between honest and faked scores.
Location choice for large‐scale battery manufacturing plants: Exploring the role of clean energy, costs, and knowledge on location decisions in Europe
Authors: Asaba Marius Chofor , Duffner Fabian , Frieden Florian , Leker Jens , von Delft Stephan
Published: August 2022

Driven by an increase in the demand for battery electric vehicles, the location of large‐scale battery manufacturing plants, that is, gigafactories, has become a substantial and burgeoning topic in academia, policy, and industry. This study contributes to this debate by examining how a country's specific battery manufacturing costs and knowledge and the environmental impact of its energy mix affect the choice of location for gigafactories in the European Union. We found that France, Latvia, and Germany are suitable locations when equally balancing costs, knowledge, and energy. However, our results also showed that no country leads in all three dimensions, suggesting that there is no single best location to set up gigafactories. Instead, the choice will depend on the battery manufacturer's requirements. Here, we contribute an analysis of various combinations of costs, knowledge, and energy to identify suitable locations. Moreover, we provide a sensitivity analysis to test the robustness of our framework and to explore whether countries with a clean energy mix, such as Sweden, become suitable locations. The findings of our study will assist battery producers in identifying a suitable location for their gigafactories and will provide the basis for policymakers to attract battery manufacturing by directing investments into clean energy.
Integrating citizen deliberation into climate governance: Lessons on robust design from six climate assemblies
Authors: Boswell John , Dean Rikki , Smith Graham
Published: August 2022

Recent years have seen a “wave” of national climate assemblies, which bring together randomly‐selected citizens to deliberate and make recommendations on aspects of the climate crisis. Assessments of the legitimacy of these interventions and their capacity to improve climate governance have focused on their internal design characteristics, but the fundamental question of how they are integrated into complex constellations of political and policy institutions is underexplored. This article constructs a framework for understanding their integrative design characteristics, drawing on recent work on “robust governance.” The framework is used to explore the connection of six national‐level climate assemblies with political institutions, public debate, and civil society. Our findings highlight significant variety in the integrative design of these climate assemblies. This variety challenges the view of assemblies as a standardized object with predictable effects on legitimacy and governance capacity, while also refining deliberative systems theory's highly abstracted conceptions of integration and impact.
Family communication patterns and young adults' trait autonomy over time
Authors: Jiao Jian , Wang Jingyu , Fu Xiaolei
Published: August 2022

Research shows that individuals develop stable tendencies to be more or less autonomous (i.e., trait autonomy) from social and personal experiences. This study, from a family communication perspective, aimed to examine how family communication patterns (i.e., conversation and conformity orientations) affected young adult children's trait autonomy. Longitudinal data at two time points over a year were collected from 190 young adult children (M age = 25.63 years at T1, 45.3% female) recruited from CloudResearch in the United States. Results showed that at the low level of conformity orientation, conversation orientation prospectively and positively predicted young adults' trait autonomy over time. The findings suggest that pluralistic families (i.e., high conversation and low conformity) might provide the most optimal family environment for the child to develop high trait autonomy that further leads to a multitude of benefits.
Behavioral strategies for periodontal health
Authors: Suvan Jean E. , Sabalic Maja , Araújo Mário R. , Ramseier Christoph A.
Published: August 2022

The impact of lifestyle factors has been increasingly studied and discussed in oral healthcare. Positive lifestyle factors are important in maintaining oral health or controlling disease, but they are not easy to adopt over the long term. Along with public health initiatives within communities and groups, there is a role for behavior change interventions delivered in dental practice settings to improve the periodontal health of individuals. Behavior management is now seen as a part of both prevention and therapy of periodontal diseases. This article summarizes the evidence on behavioral strategies for periodontal health to inform and assist oral healthcare professionals in implementing behavior change in their practice. In addition, strategies for education and training in communication and behavior change techniques are considered.
Genomic selection and its research progress in aquaculture breeding
Authors: Song Hailiang , Dong Tian , Yan Xiaoyu , Wang Wei , Tian Zhaohui , Sun Ai , Dong Ying , Zhu Hua , Hu Hongxia
Published: August 2022

Since its introduction in 2001, genomic selection (GS) has progressed rapidly. As a research and application hot topic, GS has led to a revolution in the field of animal and plant breeding. Thanks to its ability to overcome the shortcomings of traditional breeding methods, GS has garnered increasing attention. Both theoretical and practical breeding studies have revealed the higher accuracy of GS than that of traditional breeding, which can accelerate genetic gain. In recent years, many GS studies have been conducted on aquaculture species, which have shown that GS produces higher prediction accuracy than traditional pedigree‐based method. The present study reviews the principles and processes, preconditions, advantages, analytical methods and factors influencing GS as well as the progress of research in aquaculture into these aspects. Furthermore, future directions of GS in aquaculture are also discussed, which should expand its application to more aquaculture species.
Hepatosplenic lymphoma and visceral mast cell tumor in the liver of a dog with synchronous and multiple primary tumors
Authors: Akiyoshi Makoto , Hisasue Masaharu , Asakawa Midori Goto , Neo Sakurako , Akiyoshi Masami
Published: August 2022

An 11‐year‐old spayed female American Cocker Spaniel was presented with a 4‐week history of anorexia and a 1‐week history of abdominal distension. Clinicopathologic and imaging abnormalities included intra‐abdominal hemorrhage, granular lymphocytes (GLs) in abdominal fluid smears, a splenic mass, and hepatomegaly with diffuse multiple hypoechogenic nodules. Based on the cytologic, histologic, and immunohistochemical evaluation of the spleen and liver, the diagnosis was hepatosplenic T‐cell lymphoma (HSTCL) of GLs. Postoperatively, the dog was maintained in good condition with chemotherapy (ACNU [nimustine], L‐asparaginase, and prednisolone). However, on day 85, ultrasound‐guided fine‐needle aspiration of the liver revealed a proliferation in neoplastic mast cells not associated with the GLs. The dog was diagnosed with a visceral mast cell tumor (MCT) originating from the liver. The chemotherapy was switched to vinblastine and toceranib. The dog remained in good condition until day 141 but died due to the progression of MCT on day 158. Liver cytology on day 155 showed no GLs, although HSTCL is thought to be resistant to chemotherapy. After the definitive diagnosis of HSTCL, we monitored this patient's response to chemotherapy with blood tests, including complete blood counts, ultrasound imaging, and cytologic aspirates of liver. Although canine HSTCL has a poor prognosis, the possibility of a new neoplasm, including visceral MCT, should be considered. Periodic liver cytology might be worthwhile in dogs receiving chemotherapy for HSTCL.
Flops and spherical functors
Authors: Bodzenta Agnieszka , Bondal Alexey
Published: August 2022

We study derived categories of Gorenstein varieties $X$ and $X^+$ connected by a flop. We assume that the flopping contractions $f\colon X\to Y$, $f^+ \colon X^+ \to Y$ have fibers of dimension bounded by one and $Y$ has canonical hypersurface singularities of multiplicity two. We consider the fiber product $W=X\times _YX^+$ with projections $p\colon W\to X$, $p^+\colon W\to X^+$ and prove that the flop functors $F = Rp^+_*Lp^* \colon {\mathcal {D}}^b(X) \to {\mathcal {D}}^b(X^+)$, $F^+= Rp_*L{p^+}^* \colon {\mathcal {D}}^b(X^+) \to {\mathcal {D}}^b(X)$ are equivalences, inverse to those constructed by Van den Bergh. The composite $F^+ \circ F \colon {\mathcal {D}}^b(X) \to {\mathcal {D}}^b(X)$ is a non-trivial auto-equivalence. When variety $Y$ is affine, we present $F^+ \circ F$ as the spherical cotwist of a spherical couple $(\Psi ^*,\Psi )$ which involves a spherical functor $\Psi$ constructed by deriving the inclusion of the null category $\mathscr {A}_f$ of sheaves ${\mathcal {F}} \in \mathop {{\rm Coh}}\nolimits (X)$ with $Rf_*({\mathcal {F}} )=0$ into $\mathop {{\rm Coh}}\nolimits (X)$. We construct a spherical pair (${\mathcal {D}}^b(X)$, ${\mathcal {D}}^b(X^+)$) in the quotient ${\mathcal {D}}^b(W) /{\mathcal {K}}^b$, where ${\mathcal {K}}^b$ is the common kernel of the derived push-forwards for the projections to $X$ and $X^+$, thus implementing in geometric terms a schober for the flop. A technical innovation of the paper is the $L^1f^*f_*$ vanishing for Van den Bergh's projective generator. We construct a projective generator in the null category and prove that its endomorphism algebra is the contraction algebra.
Model Predictive Tracking Control With Parameter Estimation for Spin-Stabilized Indirect Fire Symmetric Projectiles
Authors: Nash Austin L.
Published: August 2022

Impact point prediction, estimation, and control is a critical component of many smart weapons applications. In this work, I propose a method for estimating and controlling impact points of indirect fire launches for a spin-stabilized symmetric projectile with forward-mounted canard actuators. My method uses an algebraic point mass model to enable parameter estimation for time-varying parameters within a separate linear prediction model that can be leveraged for real-time impact point control. The point mass model also serves as the basis for a reference trajectory for any launch condition and thus eliminates the need for obtaining preloaded reference trajectories. I then use a linear prediction model in conjunction with the parameter estimates to synthesize a linear MPC tracking control algorithm for projectile impact point control. The MPC tracking controller allows incorporation of actuator saturation constraints and is shown to successfully guide a set of indirect fire launches toward a desired downrange target. A comparative case study to existing work in the literature shows that the proposed method results in a 56% reduction in the CEP radius, which is a prescribed radius such that half of the points of a given set lie within the circle, for a set of 50 yaw and pitch launch angle pairs.
Propulsive Effect of Wall Vibrations
Authors: Haq N. N. , Floryan J. M.
Published: August 2022

Propulsion generated by wall vibrations in the form of traveling waves was investigated. A model problem consisting of two parallel plates free to move with respect to each other was used. Vibration of one of these plates generated movement of the other plate, whose velocity was used to assess the effectiveness of such propulsion. Three types of responses were identified: a “sloshing” response for long waves, a “moving wall” response for short waves, and an “intermediate” response for in-between waves. Long and transitional waves produced propulsion of marginal interest. Short waves produced effective propulsion with the velocity of the plate increasing proportionally to the second power of the wave number and the second power of the amplitude, and approximately proportionally to the wave velocity. The vibrating wall appeared in this limit to the bulk of the fluid as a moving wall. The effectiveness of vibrations significantly increased by tilting waves. The best response for short fast waves was achieved using adjacent discrete elements spaced by about three-fourths of the wavelength. An analysis of waves of arbitrary shapes demonstrated that concentrating the vibration energy in the largest available and dominant wave number (monochromatic waves) resulted in the best system performance.
General Solution for Self-Similar Mixing Layers
Authors: DeVoria A. C.
Published: August 2022

In this note, a longstanding indeterminacy in the solution of self-similar planar mixing layers is resolved. It is shown that the boundary condition that offers the largest set of self-similar solutions is the specification of the vertical velocity at infinity, which also quantifies the value of the stream function and the net inflow/outflow there. This is referred to as the entrainment boundary condition. Other conditions that have been suggested to close the problem yield a subset of solutions and thus represent a loss of generality. The entrainment boundary condition determines the spatial growth rate and the spreading parameter for a given mixing layer, which were previously thought to be determined through experiment and empirical matching to a linearized version of the problem. These statements are validated using existing experimental data.
Investigations on the Load Capacity of Multilayer Foil Thrust Bearing Based on an Updated Complete Model
Authors: Li Changlin , Du Jianjun , Li Jie , Xu Zhenni , Zhao Chenyang
Published: August 2022

The multilayer gas foil thrust bearing (MLFTB) has four layers of foil structures with each having unique configuration and function. In this article, an updated complete model of the overlapped foil layers of MLFTB is established to calculate more accurate foil deformations and bearing performance by considering sufficient possibilities of separations between adjacent foil layers. The accuracy of the model is validated through the load capacity tests of MLFTB, which is presented for the first time in open publications. Based on the complete model, influences of individual and combined key foil structural factors on bearing load-carrying performance and top foil deformations are studied, revealing the function mechanism of each foil layer and obtaining the method of adjusting two-dimensional stiffness distributions. Furthermore, parametric optimizations toward improving the load capacity of this type of foil thrust bearing are conducted based on a developed algorithm. This study provides sufficient theoretical knowledge and designing methods for further investigations of MLFTB.
Subband Decomposition Based Output-Only Modal Analysis
Authors: Stein Dalton L. , Li He-Wen-Xuan , Chelidze David
Published: August 2022

Output-only modal analysis (OMA) is an indispensable alternative to experimental modal analysis for engineering structures while in operation. Conventional OMA often fails to identify the underlying modal structure with insufficient modal energy contribution. Such low modal participation is expected when the sampled response is subjected to sensor nonlinearity or when specific modes are not directly excited. A novel subband decomposition (SBD) method that resolves modal parameters even with biased modal energy distribution is proposed. It isolates the system response within a narrow frequency subband through a finite impulse response analysis filter bank. Whenever the filter subband captures a resonance, the filtered system response is close-to-singular and contains mainly the resonant mode contribution. A modal cluster metric is defined to identify the resonant normal modes automatically. The modal parameters are also identified and extracted within the subband possessing the locally maximal clustering measure. The proposed method assumes no a priori knowledge of the structure under operation other than the system should have any repeated natural frequencies. Therefore, the SBD algorithm is entirely data-driven and requires minimal user intervention. To illustrate the concept and the accuracy of the proposed SBD, numerical experiments of a linear cantilevered beam with various stationary and non-stationary loading are conducted and compared to other OMA methods. Furthermore, physical experiments on an aluminum cantilever beam examine the method’s applicability in field modal testing. Compared to traditional OMA methods, the numerical and physical experiments show orders of magnitude improvement in modal identification error using the proposed SBD.
Thermal stability and high-temperature photoluminescence of chemical vapor deposited MoS2 in different atmosphere
Authors: Li Rongsheng , Yu Junyao , Yao Bing , Zhou Zhenjia , Yuan Guowen , Xu Jie , Gao Libo
Published: August 2022

Understanding the high-temperature behaviors of two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides under different environments will provide a directive guide for the fabrication and application of their nanoelectronic devices. In this study, we investigate the high-temperature properties of chemical vapor deposition grown molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) in different atmospheres through the ex situ and in situ morphological and spectroscopical characterizations. When the MoS2 is exposed to Ar, dry O2, and wet O2 at the temperature of 500, 350, and 300 °C, the etching process starts at the edge and inner regions simultaneously, and the etched trenches are opposite to the outline of the MoS2 triangular shape. We observe a clear redshift of MoS2 in the Raman peak position and the photoluminescence peak position by in situ spectroscopical characterizations as the temperature increases. Moreover, a strong photoluminescence enhancement of 24-fold of MoS2 is observed when exposing to O2 at 300 °C. This should be due to the chemical and physical adsorbed oxygen on the MoS2 surface. Moreover, we find that physical adsorption can be eliminated after vacuum annealing. This study provides a real-time strategy to study the morphology and property evolution of 2D materials at high temperature in different atmospheres. These results will contribute to the applications in future electronic and optoelectronic functional devices of 2D materials.
Annoyance toward landscaping equipment noise in Canada
Authors: Michaud David S. , Marro Leonora , Denning Allison , Shackleton Shelley , Toutant Nicolas , McNamee James P.
Published: August 2022

Noise annoyance toward landscaping equipment was one of nine sources evaluated in the Canadian Perspectives on Environmental Noise Survey, completed online by 6647 Canadian adults. At 6.3% (95% confidence interval = 5.8–6.9), landscaping equipment ranked third after road traffic and construction noise. Stepwise multivariate logistic regression modelled factors associated with annoyance. The perceived impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on outdoor noise annoyance, education level, working/attending school from home, geographic region, province, noise sensitivity, sleep disturbance, duration of residency, and perceived changes in outdoor daytime noise influenced the odds of reporting high annoyance toward landscaping equipment noise over the previous year.
A Role for Basigin in Toxoplasma gondii Infection
Authors: Nasuhidehnavi Azadeh , Zhao Yanlin , Punetha Ankita , Hemphill Andrew , Li Hong , Bechtel Tyler J. , Rager Theresa , Xiong Bingcong , Petrou Vasileios I. , Gubbels Marc-Jan , Weerapana Eranthie , Yap George S.
Published: August 2022

The role of specific host cell surface receptors during
Toxoplasma gondii
invasion of host cells is poorly defined. Here, we interrogated the role of the well-known malarial invasion receptor, basigin, in
T. gondii
infection of astrocytes.
Hypervariable-Locus Melting Typing: a Novel Approach for More Effective High-Resolution Melting-Based Typing, Suitable for Large Microbiological Surveillance Programs
Authors: Perini Matteo , Piazza Aurora , Panelli Simona , Papaleo Stella , Alvaro Alessandro , Vailati Francesca , Corbella Marta , Saluzzo Francesca , Gona Floriana , Castelli Daniele , Farina Claudio , Marone Piero , Cirillo Daniela Maria , Cavallero Annalisa , Zuccotti Gian Vincenzo , Comandatore Francesco
Published: August 2022

In this work, we describe hypervariable-locus melting typing (HLMT), a novel fast approach to pathogen typing using the high-resolution melting (HRM) assay. The method includes a novel approach for gene target selection, primer design, and HRM data analysis.
Deterministic Factors Determine the Comammox Community Composition in the Pearl River Estuary Ecosystem
Authors: Liu Zongbao , Wei Qiaoyan , Zou Dayu , Zhang Siyu , Zhang Chuanlun , Quan Zhexue , Li Meng
Published: August 2022

Microbial communities are shaped by stochastic (emigration, immigration, birth, death, and genetic drift of species) and deterministic (e.g., environmental factors) processes. However, it remains unknown as to which type of process is more important in influencing the comammox community assembly from freshwater to marine environments.
LPS O Antigen Plays a Key Role in Klebsiella pneumoniae Capsule Retention
Authors: Singh Shweta , Wilksch Jonathan J. , Dunstan Rhys A. , Mularski Anna , Wang Nancy , Hocking Dianna , Jebeli Leila , Cao Hanwei , Clements Abigail , Jenney Adam W. J. , Lithgow Trevor , Strugnell Richard A.
Published: August 2022

Bacterial capsules, typically comprised of complex sugars, enable pathogens to avoid key host responses to infection, including phagocytosis. These capsules are synthesized within the bacteria, exported through the outer envelope, and then secured to the external surface of the organism by a force or forces that are incompletely described.
Lithospheric mantle provinces and crust-mantle decoupling beneath northeastern China: Insights from peridotite xenoliths
Authors: Lin A-Bing , Aulbach Sonja , Zheng Jian-Ping , Cai Ronghua , Liu Jingao , Xiong Qing , Pan Shao-Kui
Published: August 2022

The origin and evolution of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) underlying orogenic belts bordering cratons, as either newly added domains or strongly reworked older cratonic lithosphere, remains controversial. This limits our understanding of deep lithospheric behavior and processes during plate convergence. Here, we use detailed petrology, whole-rock and mineral compositions, and in-situ Sr isotopic compositions for spinel-facies peridotite xenoliths from Jiaohe (northeastern China) in the southeastern Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB), which is pinched between two NE-striking Mesozoic to Cenozoic giant trans-lithospheric fault systems. These data are combined with whole-rock Re-Os isotope and platinum-group element compositions and literature data, to explore the physicochemical evolution of the regional SCLM and examine crust-SCLM relationships for this vast swath of continental lithosphere.

Lherzolites predominate at Jiaohe, and have higher whole-rock Al2O3 contents than harzburgites (2.27–3.46 wt% versus 0.84–1.02 wt%), but exhibit FeO enrichment similar to harzburgite (bulk FeO up to 9.54 wt%). The lherzolitic clinopyroxenes (Cpx) have higher heavy rare earth element (HREE) levels (2.79–5.11 ppm) and Ti/Eu (3882–6864), coupled with wider variation of 87Sr/86Sr (0.7021–0.7038) and lower average fO2 (oxygen fugacity relative to the fayalitemagnetite-quartz buffer; FMQ-1.92 ± 0.55) compared to the harzburgites (HREE: 0.94–2.11 ppm; Ti/Eu: 163–2044; 87Sr/86Sr: 0.7032–0.7036; fO2 = FMQ-1.25 ± 0.20). All these observations suggest that the lherzolites were produced by adding Cpx ± spinel to the protoliths from reducing silicate melts, whereas the harzburgites may have originated from a remnant, highly depleted mantle domain that variably interacted with silica-undersaturated oxidizing melts.

Bulk-rock and mineral compositional relationships as well as fO2 for peridotite samples from the southeastern CAOB (including Jiaohe) are similar to those of the northeastern NCC (including Huinan). Their characteristics contrast with those from the northwestern CAOB, suggesting that they belong to distinct lithospheric provinces with respect to both composition and oxidation state. Jiaohe harzburgites yield Paleoproterozoic Re depletion Os model ages (TRD up to 1.76 Ga), similar to Huinan peridotites (up to 1.92 Ga), just 170 km away, and may also represent strongly reworked cratonic mantle. By analogy with evidence from recent continental collision zones, the Jiaohe SCLM may have originated as cratonic SCLM that migrated northeastward during plate convergence along giant translithospheric fault systems.
Late Archean–Paleoproterozoic plate tectonics along the northern margin of the North China craton
Authors: Wu Chen , Wang Guosheng , Zhou Zhiguang , Zhao Xiaoqi , Haproff Peter J.
Published: August 2022

The North China craton of central Asia is a natural laboratory for investigating early Earth tectonic processes including subduction and large-scale horizontal crustal motions. However, it remains unclear how and when the North China craton formed from the amalgamation of several blocks and orogens including the Archean Western and Eastern blocks, the late Archean Central Orogenic Belt, and the Paleoproterozoic Northern Margin orogen. In this study, we integrated new and existing geological field observations, zircon and baddeleyite U-Pb geochronology, whole-rock geochemistry, and Sr-Nd-C-O isotope analyses along the northern margin of the North China craton to improve our understanding of its late Archean–Paleoproterozoic tectonic evolution. Observations show the Wuchuan ultramafic-mafic complex of the Northern Margin orogen contains a mixture of mylonite gneiss, serpentinized ultramafic blocks, and amphibolite pyroxenite xenoliths. Geochronology and geochemistry results suggest that the ca. 2.55–2.5 Ga development of the Wuchuan ultramafic-mafic complex was associated with subduction, which was followed by ca. 2.39 emplacement of lamprophyre dikes during continental rifting. Subsequent Paleoproterozoic subduction magmatism, continental collision, and post-orogenic rifting between the North China craton and southern margin of the Siberian craton are evidenced by ca. 2.0 Ga arc granitoids, ca. 1.87–1.85 Ga A-type, garnet-bearing granitoids and mafic dikes, and ca. 1.86 carbonatite. Ca. 2.0 Ga collision and ca. 1.87–1.85 Ga rifting were coincident with orogen-normal left-slip shear. Our findings show that the ca. 1.9 Ga North China-Siberia collision was a key event during the assembly of the Columbia supercontinent that occurred via modern plate-tectonic processes.
Associations between visual impairment, incident falls and fall frequency among older asians: longitudinal findings from the Singapore Epidemiology of Eye Diseases study
Authors: Gupta Preeti , Man Ryan Eyn Kidd , Fenwick Eva K , Qian Chaoxu , Sim Ralene , Majithia Shivani , Tham Yih Chung , Sabanayagam Charumathi , Wong Tien Yin , Cheng Ching-Yu , Lamoureux Ecosse Luc
Published: August 2022

Background

Association between baseline visual impairment (VI) bilaterality and severity, and associated causes; and incident and frequent falls at 6 years in a multiethnic Asian population aged ≥60 years.

Methods

It is a population-based prospective cohort study. Visual acuity was clinically measured at both visits. Self-reported incidence and frequency of falls were defined as having no fall at baseline but having one fall and ≥2 incident falls in the 12 months prior to the follow-up visit, respectively.

Results

Of the 1972 older participants (mean age (SD): 67.37 (5.4) years), 253 (12.8%) and 69 (3.5%) reported at least one fall and ≥2 falls, respectively, at a 6-year follow-up. After multivariable adjustments, baseline bilateral VI, but not unilateral, was associated with higher odds of any incident falls (mild bilateral VI: OR=1.79, 95% CI 1.07 to 2.98; moderate-severe VI in one eye and mild VI in the other eye: OR=1.58, 95% CI 1.01 to 2.47). However, having any form of bilateral VI (OR ranging between 2.46 and 4.32; all p<0.05) and even unilateral mild VI (OR=2.34, 95% CI 1.09 to 5.03) significantly increased the odds of incident frequent falls, compared with bilateral normal vision. VI caused by correctable (OR=2.02, 95% CI 1.19 to 3.44) and uncorrectable (OR=3.09, 95% CI 1.08 to 8.80) eye conditions were both associated with greater odds of incident frequent falls, compared with no VI.

Conclusions

Baseline bilateral but not unilateral VI conferred nearly two-fold higher odds of incident fall. Importantly, even mild unilateral VI conferred a substantially greater likelihood of frequent falls from correctable and uncorrectable conditions.
Global prevalence of non-tuberculous mycobacteria in adults with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis 2006–2021: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Zhou Yunchun , Mu Wei , Zhang Jihua , Wen Shi Wu , Pakhale Smita
Published: August 2022

Objective

To accurately estimate the global prevalence of non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) in adults with non-cystic fibrosis (non-CF) bronchiectasis and to determine the proportion of NTM species and subspecies in clinical patients from 2006 to 2021.

Design

Systematic review and meta-analysis using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines.

Data sources

Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library and Web of Science were searched for articles published between 2006 and 2021.

Eligibility criteria for selecting studies

We included all the prospective or retrospective studies without language restrictions and all patients were adults (≥18 years of age) with non-CF bronchiectasis. The studies estimated the effect size of the prevalence of NTM with a sample size ≥40, and patients were registered in and after 2006.

Data extraction and synthesis

Two reviewers screened the titles, abstracts and full texts independently. Relevant information was extracted and curated into tables. Risk of bias was evaluated following the Cochrane Collaboration’s tool. Meta-analysis was performed with software R Statistics V.3.6.3 using random effect model with 95% CI. I2index and Q statistics were calculated to assess the heterogeneity, and mixed-effects meta-regression analyses were performed to identify the sources of heterogeneity. The proportions of NTM subspecies were examined using Shapiro-Wilk normality test in R.

Results

Of all the 2014 studies yielded, 24 met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 14 were identified to be randomised controlled studies and included for an accurate estimation. The global prevalence of NTM in adults with non-CF bronchiectasis from 2006 to 2021 was estimated to be approximately 10%, with great variations primarily due to geographical location.Mycobacterium aviumcomplex was the most common subspecies, followed byMycobacterium simiaeandMycobacterium gordonae.

Conclusions

The prevalence of NTM in adults with non-CF bronchiectasis has been on the rise and the most common subspecies changed greatly in recent years. More cohort studies should be done in many countries and regions for future estimates.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42020168473.
Estimating the economic impact of acute coronary syndrome in New Zealand over time (ANZACS-QI 64): a national registry-based cost burden study
Authors: Lee Peter , Kerr AJ , Jiang Yannan , Zomer Ella , Liew Danny
Published: August 2022

Objectives

To estimate the changes in costs associated with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) admissions in New Zealand (NZ) public hospitals over a 12-year period.

Design

A cost-burden study of ACS in NZ was conducted from the NZ healthcare system perspective.

Setting

Hospital admission costs were estimated using relevant diagnosis-related groups and their costs for publicly funded casemix hospitalisations, and applied to 190 364 patients with ACS admitted to NZ public hospitals between 2007 and 2018 identified from routine national hospital datasets. Trends in the costs of index ACS hospitalisation, hospital admissions costs, coronary revascularisation and all-cause mortality up to 1 year were evaluated. All costs were presented as 2019 NZ dollars.

Primary outcome measures

Healthcare costs attributed to ACS admissions in NZ over time.

Results

Between 2007 and 2018, there was a 42% decrease in costs attributed to ACS (NZ$7.7 million (M) to NZ$4.4 M per 100 000 per year), representing a decrease of NZ$298 827 per 100 000 population per year. Mean admission costs associated with each admission declined from NZ$18 411 in 2007 to NZ$16 898 over this period (p<0.001) after adjustment for key clinical and procedural characteristics. These reductions were against a background of increased use of coronary revascularisation (23.1% (2007) to 38.1% (2018)), declining ACS admissions (366–252 per 100 000 population) and an improvement in 1-year survival post-ACS. Nevertheless, the total ACS cost burden remained considerable at NZ$237 M in 2018.

Conclusions

The economic cost of hospitalisations for ACS in NZ decreased considerably over time. Further studies are warranted to explore the association between reductions in ACS cost burden and changes in the management of ACS.
Scoping review of remote rehabilitation (telerehabilitation) services to support people with vision impairment
Authors: Jones Lee , Lee Matthew , Castle Claire L , Heinze Nikki , Gomes Renata S M
Published: August 2022

Objective

Telerehabilitation for individuals with vision impairment aims to maintain maximum physical and/or psychological functioning through remote service delivery. This review aims to describe the type of telerehabilitation services available to people with vision impairment and summarise evidence on health-related outcomes, well-being and cost-effectiveness.

Design

Scoping review.

Data sources

CINAHL Plus, MEDLINE, PsycARTICLES, PsychINFO, Embase, PubMed, HMIC and Ovid Emcare were searched, without date restrictions up to 24 May 2021. Charity and government websites, conference proceedings and clinical trial databases were also examined.

Eligibility criteria

Eligible studies evaluated benefits of telerehabilitation services for adults with vision impairment. Studies were excluded if they were not available in English, or focused on distance learning of visually impaired students.

Data extraction and synthesis

Two independent reviewers screened articles and extracted data. A risk of bias analysis was performed.

Outcome measures

Measures of benefit included performance-based assessment, patient-reported outcomes and cost-effectiveness.

Results

Of 4472 articles, 10 eligible studies were included. Outcomes addressed patient satisfaction (n=4;33.3%), quality-of-life, activities of daily living and well-being (n=4;33.3%), objective visual function (n=2;16.6%) and knowledge relating to ocular symptoms (n=1;8.3%). Two studies addressed multiple outcomes. Cost-effectiveness was addressed in one article (8.3%). Patients were generally satisfied with their experiences, which had a range of positive benefits on functional and quality-of-life outcomes in areas relating to daily activities (eg, reading, making phone calls). Telerehabilitation allowed patients to undertake vision optimisation training to prevent vision deterioration. Grey literature indicated that there are no completed clinical trials relating to low vision telerehabilitation. Charity services had implemented digital skills training to help beneficiaries communicate remotely.

Conclusion

While acceptability of telerehabilitation was mostly high, limited real-world data are available which raises questions around the long-term desirability of this approach. Further trials are needed to evaluate telerehabilitation using a robust set of outcome measures.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42021254825.
Prevalence and associated factors of frailty among community dwelling older adults in Northwest China: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Yu Xingfeng , Shi Zhengyan , Wang Dan , Niu Yaqi , Xu Cuixiang , Ma Yunmiao , Liu Hongmei , Guo Hua , Li Minjie , Zhang Yulian
Published: August 2022

Objectives

To investigate the prevalence of the comprehensive frailty and its associated factors among community dwelling older adults.

Design

A cross-sectional study.

Setting

Six community healthcare centres in Xi’an City, Northwest China.

Participants

A total of 2647 community dwelling older adults completed the study between March and August 2021.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

The primary outcome was the prevalence of frailty, measured with the Comprehensive Frailty Assessment Instrument. The secondary outcomes were potential factors associated with frailty, measured with a social-demographic and health-related information sheet, the Short-Form Mini-Nutritional Assessment and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index.

Results

The participants averaged 27.77±10.13 in the total score of the Comprehensive Frailty Assessment Instrument. According to the cut-off points defining the classification of frailty, the majority of the participants were with mild (n=1478, 55.8%) or high (n=390, 14.8%) frailty. Multivariate stepwise linear regression analysis demonstrated that older age, lower educational level, empty nesters, higher level of self-perceived medical burden, abnormal body weight, physical inactivity, medication taking, increased number of clinic visit, undernutrition and poor sleep quality are associated with higher total score in the Comprehensive Frailty Assessment Instrument, indicating higher level of frailty. Multivariate multinomial logistic regression analysis exhibited similar findings but further captured female gender as a risk factor for the presence of mild and high frailty compared with no-low frailty.

Conclusion

The prevalence of the comprehensive frailty and frailty in the physiological, psychological, social and environmental domains is high. A variety of social-demographic, health-related and behavioural factors were associated with the comprehensive frailty. Further investigations on frailty prevalence and its associated factors based on comprehensive assessments are desirable.
What promotes or prevents greater use of appropriate compression in people with venous leg ulcers? A qualitative interview study with nurses in the north of England using the Theoretical Domains Framework
Authors: Perry Catherine , Atkinson Ross A , Griffiths Jane , Wilson Paul M , Lavallée Jacqueline F , Mullings Julie , Cullum Nicky , Dumville Jo C
Published: August 2022

Objectives

To investigate factors that promote and prevent the use of compression therapy in people with venous leg ulcers.

Design

Qualitative interview study with nurses using the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF).

Setting

Three National Health Service Trusts in England.

Participants

Purposive sample of 15 nurses delivering wound care.

Results

Nurses described factors which made provision of compression therapy challenging. Organisational barriers (TDF domains environmental context and resources/knowledge, skills/behavioural regulation) included heavy/increasing caseloads; lack of knowledge/skills and the provision of training; and prescribing issues (variations in bandaging systems/whether nurses could prescribe). Absence of specialist leg ulcer services to refer patients into was perceived as a barrier to providing optimal care by some community-based nurses. Compression use was perceived to be facilitated by clinics for timely initial assessment; continuity of staff and good liaison between vascular/leg ulcer clinics and community teams; clear local policies and care pathways; and opportunities for training such as ‘shadowing’ in vascular/leg ulcer clinics. Patient engagement barriers (TDF domains goals/beliefs about consequences) focused on getting patients ‘on board’ with compression, and supporting them in using it. Clear explanations were seen as key in promoting compression use.

Conclusions

Rising workload pressures present significant challenges to enhancing leg ulcer services. There may be opportunities to develop facilitated approaches to enable community nursing teams to make changes to practice, enhancing quality of patient care. The majority of venous leg ulcers could be managed in the community without referral to specialist community services if issues relating to workloads/skills/training are addressed. Barriers to promoting compression use could also be targeted, for example, through the development of clear patient information leaflets. While the patient engagement barriers may be easier/quicker to address than organisational barriers, unless organisational barriers are addressed it seems unlikely that all people who would benefit from compression therapy will receive it.
SARS-CoV-2 vaccine safety in adolescents with inflammatory rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases and adults with juvenile idiopathic arthritis: data from the EULAR COVAX physician-reported registry
Authors: Lawson-Tovey Saskia , Machado Pedro M , Strangfeld Anja , Mateus Elsa , Gossec Laure , Carmona Loreto , Raffeiner Bernd , Bulina Inita , Clemente Daniel , Zepa Julija , Rodrigues Ana M. , Mariette Xavier , Hyrich Kimme L
Published: August 2022

Background

There is a lack of data on SARS-CoV-2 vaccination safety in children and young people (CYP) with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs). Current vaccination guidance is based on data from adults with RMDs or CYP without RMDs.

Objectives

To describe the safety of SARS-COV-2 vaccination in adolescents with inflammatory RMDs and adults with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).

Methods

We described patient characteristics, flares and adverse events (AEs) in adolescent cases under 18 with inflammatory RMDs and adult cases aged 18 or above with JIA submitted to the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology COVAX registry.

Results

A total of 110 cases were reported to the registry. Thirty-six adolescent cases were reported from four countries, most with JIA (42%). Over half (56%) reported early reactogenic-like AEs. One mild polyarthralgia flare and one serious AE of special interest (malaise) were reported. No CYP reported SARS-CoV-2 infection postvaccination.

Seventy-four adult JIA cases were reported from 11 countries. Almost two-thirds (62%) reported early reactogenic-like AEs and two flares were reported (mild polyarthralgia and moderate uveitis). No serious AEs of special interest were reported among adults with JIA. Three female patients aged 20–30 years were diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 postvaccination; all fully recovered.

Conclusions

This is an important contribution to research on SARS-CoV-2 vaccine safety in adolescents with RMDs and adults with JIA. It is important to note the low frequency of disease flares, serious AEs and SARS-CoV-2 reinfection seen in both populations, although the dataset is limited by its size.
Optimization of Neuroprosthetic Vision via End-to-End Deep Reinforcement Learning
Authors: Küçükoğlu Burcu , Rueckauer Bodo , Ahmad Nasir , van Steveninck Jaap de Ruyter , Güçlü Umut , van Gerven Marcel
Published: August 2022

Visual neuroprostheses are a promising approach to restore basic sight in visually impaired people. A major challenge is to condense the sensory information contained in a complex environment into meaningful stimulation patterns at low spatial and temporal resolution. Previous approaches considered task-agnostic feature extractors such as edge detectors or semantic segmentation, which are likely suboptimal for specific tasks in complex dynamic environments. As an alternative approach, we propose to optimize stimulation patterns by end-to-end training of a feature extractor using deep reinforcement learning agents in virtual environments. We present a task-oriented evaluation framework to compare different stimulus generation mechanisms, such as static edge-based and adaptive end-to-end approaches like the one introduced here. Our experiments in Atari games show that stimulation patterns obtained via task-dependent end-to-end optimized reinforcement learning result in equivalent or improved performance compared to fixed feature extractors on high difficulty levels. These findings signify the relevance of adaptive reinforcement learning for neuroprosthetic vision in complex environments.
Effects of lorentz violation in the higgs sector of the minimal standard model extension
Authors: Cástulo P. L. , Toscano J. J. , Tututi E. S.
Published: August 2022

A bound on the CPT-odd four-vector coefficient [Formula: see text] that appears in Higgs sector of the minimal Standard Model Extended (mSME) is presented. The analysis is based on the contributions arising from the sector in question to the anomalous magnetic dipole moment (AMDM) for leptons calculated at the one-loop level, for which an analytical expression is obtained. The largest contribution of this Lorentz violating coefficient is on the lightest lepton, which results as a consequence of a strong nondecoupling effect. By using the experimental uncertainty of the electron AMDM we predict that [Formula: see text].