bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Exclusion volumes of convex bodies in high space dimensions: applications to virial coefficients and continuum percolation
Authors: Torquato Salvatore , Jiao Yang
Published: September 2022

Using the concepts of mixed volumes and quermassintegrals of convex geometry, we derive an exact formula for the exclusion volume v
ex(K) for a general convex body K that applies in any space dimension. While our main interests concern the rotationally-averaged exclusion volume of a convex body with respect to another convex body, we also describe some results for the exclusion volumes for convex bodies with the same orientation. We show that the sphere minimizes the dimensionless exclusion volume v
ex(K)/v(K) among all convex bodies, whether randomly oriented or uniformly oriented, for any d, where v(K) is the volume of K. When the bodies have the same orientation, the simplex maximizes the dimensionless exclusion volume for any d with a large-d asymptotic scaling behavior of 22d
/d
3/2, which is to be contrasted with the corresponding scaling of 2
d
for the sphere. We present explicit formulas for quermassintegrals W
0(K), …, W

d
(K) for many different nonspherical convex bodies, including cubes, parallelepipeds, regular simplices, cross-polytopes, cylinders, spherocylinders, ellipsoids as well as lower-dimensional bodies, such as hyperplates and line segments. These results are utilized to determine the rotationally-averaged exclusion volume v
ex(K) for these convex-body shapes for dimensions 2 through 12. While the sphere is the shape possessing the minimal dimensionless exclusion volume, we show that, among the convex bodies considered that are sufficiently compact, the simplex possesses the maximal v
ex(K)/v(K) with a scaling behavior of 21.6618…d
. Subsequently, we apply these results to determine the corresponding second virial coefficient B
2(K) of the aforementioned hard hyperparticles. Our results are also applied to compute estimates of the continuum percolation threshold η
c derived previously by the authors for systems of identical overlapping convex bodies. We conjecture that overlapping spheres possess the maximal value of η
c among all identical nonzero-volume convex overlapping bodies for d ⩾ 2, randomly or uniformly oriented, and that, among all identical, oriented nonzero-volume convex bodies, overlapping simplices have the minimal value of η
c for d ⩾ 2.
Macroeconomic Implication of Fish Importation in Nigeria: A Fully Modified Ordinary Least Square (Fmols) Approach
Authors: Olaifa Eseoghene , Osabuohien Evans , Issahaku Haruna
Published: September 2022

The continuous rise in fish importation had conditioned Nigerian’s preference and taste for imported fish developing the fish sub-sector of other economies while crippling the sector in the country. This study therefore, examines the macroeconomic implication for fish importation in Nigeria. The study employed the FMOLS estimation technique to investigate to investigate the long-term effects of fish importation on the Nigerian economy. Major findings revealed a significant but negative macroeconomic effect of fish imports on the overall performance of the economy through an increase in unemployment, depletion of foreign exchange earnings, high consumer inflation and rise in food insecurity in the country. The study recommends an aquatic transformation agenda implementation in attempt to eliminate the demand-supply mismatch in domestic fish production.
A Semiotic Perspective of the House Concept in Yoruba Architecture
Authors: Adeyemo A. A. , Ezema I. C. , Adeyemi E. A. , Obaleye O. J.
Published: September 2022

Housing is a necessity of life that cuts across all peoples in all places worldwide. Ensuring good living and solving homelessness are fundamental issues in the United Nations charter and a sustainable developmental goal (SDG). Houses communicate the culture of the builder-occupants as a non-verbal language. However, the meaning of house concepts and their importance in Yoruba architecture is unclear and well known in contemporary architecture. Despite not being iconic and monumental, their built-forms have symbolic functional, morphological, and sustainable qualities. This paper investigated the importance of the house to Yoruba culture by identifying the critical usable space across the house plans and their symbolic importance for adoption in contemporary architecture. This study was carried out using the archaeological method to x-ray the building plans, while a Semiotic approach was adopted to interpret sign systems’ science, often in cultural contexts. A qualitative research design was conducted using observation, interview, and focus group discussions across southwest Nigeria’s study area. With the peoples’ Mutual Contextual Beliefs (MCBs) cognisance, the study showed that words are there for only what exists. For interpretations, the study of Yoruba building terms showed the house; culturally more than mere shelter as in the English term ‘… a roof over my head’. The Yoruba word for the home; ile showed the house to be multi-dimensionally important, that phenomenon like; family (idile), heaven (ajule-orun) and the earth (ile-aye) all derived from it, to be seen as its bigger cosmological modules. Eight discovered housing typologies, with commonalities of basic rectangular shape, courtyards, large family lobby in-between rooms and family lobby (oruwa) are highlighted. In conclusion, the southwest Nigeria Yoruba-speaking people’s housing concept and practice are richer than the eye meets.
Factors Influencing the Performance of Indoor Environmental Quality of Pharmaceutical Factory Buildings in Southwest Nigeria
Authors: Bawa J. A. , Ayuba P. , Akande O. K.
Published: September 2022

Pharmaceutical factory workers spend 37.5% of their daily time in the production hall manufacturing drugs used for human health needs. There is usually little or no time given to spend in the natural environment. This affects their sanity and well-being. The Pharmaceutical factory building (PFB) is classified as a specialized, controlled, or restrictive building; it provides little or no access to natural environmental conditions like ventilation and lighting, thereby increasing the financial implication of energy for the operation of production of drugs. Hence, the survey was conducted to identify the factors that influence the indoor environmental performance (IEP) of PFBs. The factors responsible for influencing the indoor air quality were measured through a survey conducted in Lagos and Ogun States, Nigeria on 14 PFBs to determine the value of these factors identified, using principal component analysis (PCA), Bartlett Test, and Kaiser-Mayer Olkin (KMO): the conditions for PCA were also observed. PCA is a factors or data reduction technique to select a subset of highly predictive factors from the larger group of factors identified from the study. Indoor environmental quality variables satisfied the condition for PCA while thermal performance variables did not meet the condition. PCA was conducted for Indoor environmental quality and the result showed 2 major factors explaining the variation in the original set of variables. Whereby CO2, P.M1.0, P.M2.5, P.M10, HCHO, airflow, AQICN, and AQIUS as component 1 and TVOC as component 2, the data set was also compared with the standards recommended for indoor environmental quality and thermal performance variables. It was found that at an average air velocity of 29°C and RH of 60%, the average CO, TVOC, PM2.5, and PM10 were 0.25ppm, 0.31ppm, 33.92ppm, and 43.48ppm respectively for the PFBs. Because thermal performance includes several dependent variables, greater research on the indoor environment of PFBs in Nigeria is recommended to determine the impact of indoor environmental characteristics on thermal parameters.
Energy Efficiency in High-rise Office Buildings: An Appraisal of its Adoption in Lagos, Nigeria
Authors: Ezema I. C. , Maha S. A.
Published: September 2022

High-rise office buildings are naturally energy-intensive as energy is required in large quantities to run modern building services and to power equipment needed for a hitch-free operation of the buildings. It was found in studied literature that maintaining good indoor environmental quality through air-conditioning, lighting and powering of office equipment contribute the most to an office building’s total energy consumption. Hence, over time, various strategies have been employed to reduce the intense energy demand in high-rise office buildings. This paper adopted the use of both literature review and case study methods. The paper identifies the key energy efficiency strategies that have been successfully deployed in high-rise office buildings using the literature review approach. Also, case studies were conducted on three relatively new high-rise office buildings in Lagos, Nigeria by evaluating them against the background of the best practices in energy efficiency. The study found that deployment of energy efficiency strategies in high-rise office buildings in the study area is still very low especially in the areas of building orientation, building envelope design and the use of renewable energy. However, the use of day-lighting techniques and sustainable lighting systems are quite prominent in the office buildings studied. The study underscores the need to make high-rise office buildings more sustainable through energy efficiency strategies across the whole building life cycle of design, construction, use and end of life.
Re-strengthening the Adoption of Outsourcing Concept in Construction Firms: Issues and Challenges
Authors: Amusan Lekan , Aigbavboa Clinton , Obiakor Chiwendu , Aigbe Fortune , Adelakun Adegbenjo
Published: September 2022

Outsourcing is a concept that has gained ground instead of the dynamic nature of materials and construction resources over time, there is still yearning for resource augmentation, thus the need for this study. The course’s primary aim is to study issues and challenges of outsourcing in construction firms with a view to enhancing materials and human resources usage. The survey research method was used in researching. In contrast, the random sampling method was used by the authors in the sample selection. The population sample for the study is infinite since while the Cohran formula was used to generate the sample size of 100. The authors used one hundred (100) samples for the study with questionnaire designed the Likert scale 1-5. The following parameters were censored and profiled. They include: understanding the current state of outsourcing in the construction sector, scope, and coverage of outsourcing, and the relationship between outsourcing strategy and performance helps examine the prospective areas that would warrant outsourcing and the possible outsourcing framework—the tools used in processing the data; relative mean, simple percentage, mean index. Some of the findings of the study include among other things: challenges that firms encounter in outsourcing their activities from the responses that the main challenges that the bank faced in outsourcing its included increase in cost and loss of managerial control over outsourced operations, the effect on the quality of operations of the firms, security and confidentially, and relocation of existing employees. The study recommends effective training of personnel, introduction of incentives and motivation factors in enhancing employees’ performance as a way out of challenges that confronts outsourcing. Also, casual labouring system should be abolished since it is counterproductive in conventional production environment.
A Short Review of the Concept and Principles of Supply Chain Management in Building Construction Industry
Authors: Oloke O. C. , Sholanke A. B. , Akindele N. A. , Akinola A. O.
Published: September 2022

Supply chain management concept has found its way into the construction sector of the economy as a result of the inherent opportunity to improve performance. The concept has continued to attract increasing support among major stakeholders in the execution of construction projects. However, it was observed that the strategy is still at low level of adoption among professionals in the industry. Moreover, the low level of knowledge of the strategy and the inability to effectively put the principles of supply chain management to practice hinders the application. This study therefore advances the knowledge of supply chain management by undertaking an examination of few key areas on the concept with a view to improving the awareness and understanding among professionals and assist in designing a supply chain management strategy suitable for building development process. Relevant studies were identified for review by literature search using key words and concepts related to the topic of the current study. Thematic areas of discussion include the construction industry outlook, building development process, the principles and essentials of construction supply chain management. The understanding of basic principles and essentials of supply chain management is important to adopting, adapting, designing and deployment of the strategy in the construction industry and this constituted the purpose and focus of the study.
Waste-to-wealth Activities of Scavengers: A Panacea to the Environmental Impact of Global Climate Change in Enugu Metropolis, Nigeria
Authors: Anierobi Christopher M. , Okeke Francis O. , Efobi Kingsley O. , Nwalusi Dickson M. , John-Nsa Chioma , Ibekwe Juliet
Published: September 2022

Due to the increasing environmental hazards of climate change phenomenon, it has become a major concern of most environmentalist. Currently the world struggles to manage waste which are generated from human activity and it affects the global climate either positively or negatively. Therefore, particular attention should be paid to sustainable waste management strategy so as to ameliorate the issue. To this end, the 3-R concept of waste management (reduction, reuse and recycle) have been variously pursued by municipalities towards a sustainable waste management system. This study focused on the waste-to-wealth activities across the urban neighborhoods in the colonial city of Enugu and adopted a qualitative survey research design. Using stratified and simple random sampling technique, a survey was conducted in eight selected neighbourhood and orally interviewed waste pickers within the study area. It discusses solid waste disposal method in Enugu metropolis with a view to facilitating sustainable practices for enhanced environmental condition and wealth creation. The paramount theme is on the socio-economic networking of the waste-to-wealth activities in the area and the derivable benefits towards addressing the effects of global climate change phenomenon in the city. Its research results highlight the ineffective waste management system within the metropolis and showed that huge financial gains could be harvested from waste product. Also it revealed that waste picking is done on informal scale across all neighbourhoods in the study area. It concludes and recommends measures towards enhancing waste-to-wealth as a strategy for addressing the global climate change in the city.
The Role of Biodiversity in Ecosystem Resilience
Authors: Vasiliev Denis
Published: September 2022

In the context of global environmental change ecosystem resilience becomes critical for long term survival of species and consistent delivery of ecosystem services. Concerns however exist on whether managing ecosystems for resilience would actually support biodiversity conservation. Current focus of empirical studies on species richness as the main measure of biodiversity may result in underestimation of the link between biodiversity and ecosystem resilience. A closer look at different levels of biodiversity, namely interspecific, intraspecific and ecosystem diversity allow better understanding of how biodiversity underpins resilience. Thus, a holistic approach to biodiversity research and management is needed to maintain ecosystem resilience in the context of global environmental change. All three level of biodiversity need to be considered. Landscape Approach is likely to be the most effective strategy in conservation, because preserving biodiversity at a landscape level is likely to simultaneously ensure metapopulation genetic diversity, secure high functional redundancy and response diversity, and preserve ecological memory, which ultimately ensure ecosystem resilience and consistent flow of ecosystem services.
Integrated Hydrogeological Approach for an Aquifer System and Groundwater Flow, Nukhaib-Km160 Area, Western Iraq
Authors: Hussien Bayan M. , Al-Halboosi Jasim M. , Al-Kubaisi Mahmood H. D. , Fayyadh Abed Salih
Published: September 2022

The hydraulic characteristics and the hydrogeological conditions of the hydrogeological system at Nukhaib-Km160 were studied within the water-bearing horizons, highlighting the flow system and its effects on the groundwater velocities and its balance (hydraulic gradients and permeability) taking into account the regional situations of structural. Several hydrogeological areas have been selected for future exploitation and development. 3D models and maps of spatial distribution are utilized for interpretation, it is supported by points of hydrogeological controls such as transmissivity and storage coefficients, depth of groundwater, lateral extensions, aquifers thickness, specific capacity, and well productivity. Prediction applications on specific capacities and transmissivity of aquifer and Kimball’s statistical method were used to calculate the ratio of groundwater mixing and recharge from aquifers of Umm Er Dhuma and/or Tayarat Fn. to production wells. The hydrogeological system of the Nukhaib- Km160 region has been categorized into eight major aquifers which include the Mulussa, Mulussa-Ubaid, Muhaywir-Ubaid, Hartha, Muhaywir-Najma, Umm Er Dhuma, Tayarat, and Tayarat- Umm Er Dhuma aquifers. Changes in hydraulic parameters for all aquifers have been examined in order to determine the spatial-hydrologic facts of aquifers, where the traditional TDS distribution, in addition to the hydraulic interpretation, shows the same phenomenon of interconnection and the source of groundwater. According to facts of the hydrogeological, the aquifers of Umm Er Dhuma and Tayrat are important and preferred for the plan of the future of water supply in the Western Desert of Iraq, especially for the increased demand for water resources and the sustainability of the assessment.
Engineering Investigation of the Geological Problems for Old Mosul City by Remote Sensing and GIS
Authors: Al-Jawadi Azealdeen S. , Ali Sabah H. , Adeeb Hadeer Gh. M.
Published: September 2022

Mosul is the provincial capital of the Nineveh Governorate located on the River Tigris, near the ancient city of Nineveh. The study focused on the urban planning of the old Mosul City, which was built hundreds of years ago, or even thousands of years, and its cultural, security, economic, and environmental importance. The city was designed according to the topography of the undulating area, and the slopes and tops of the hills were used for building houses, and the valleys that represent water drainage systems were used to make zukaks. This is evidenced by the passage of the waters of the runways and their movement from the highest areas and their flow to the main streets that represent the highest levels of drainage systems or the main valleys that eventually flow into the Tigris River. This unique design was of great importance in the cleanliness of the city, especially in the rainy seasons. The city was washed from the highest point to the bottom, and there were no floods inside the city except in relatively newly built areas, such as the Tawafa area, which was named as a result of its immersion in water during the winter and spring seasons. The obtained results of the study show a significant match between the natural drainage systems and the urban planning of the old city. This congruence appeared as a result of some geotechnical problems in the buildings and main streets, as there was a large inclination for most of the relatively high commercial buildings in and towards these streets. In these streets over time, there has been numerous successive collapse and settlement. The cause may be attributed to the weakness of the filling materials, as well as the flow of groundwater through them because this water follows the ancient course of the main valleys.
Cell segregation via differential collision modes between heterotypic cell populations
Authors: Lucia Stephani Edwina , Jeong Hyuntae , Shin Jennifer H.
Published: September 2022

Heterotypic cell populations established a robust interfacial boundary by stress accumulation from active collision and repulsion between two cell types. The moment of these heterotypic collisions could be identified by the existence of a sharp rise in maximum shear stress within the cell cluster.
Primary malignant tumours and malignant transformation of cysts in the retrorectal space: MRI diagnosis and treatment outcomes
Authors: Gong Jing , Xu Yumeng , Zhang Yan , Qiao Lichao , Xu Haixia , Zhu Ping , Yang Bolin
Published: September 2022

Background

There are no clear guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of malignant retrorectal tumours. The purpose of this study was to increase preoperative diagnostic knowledge and to describe the outcomes of treatment for these patients.

Methods

This retrospective study was conducted on patients who underwent complete retrorectal tumour resection between May 2006 and July 2018, and had confirmed post-operative pathology reports. Demographic and clinical data (including imaging, perioperative, pathological, and prognostic data) were collected and analysed.

Results

Malignant lesions were identified in 15 (9 [60%], female) patients. The median age of the patients was 59 years (range, 34–72 years). Primary malignant tumours were identified in seven patients with solid tumours, in which gastrointestinal stromal tumours accounted for 71.4% (five of seven) and the remainder were chordoma or mucinous adenocarcinoma. Malignant transformation of cysts occurred in another eight patients with heterogeneous tumours, while histopathological features were present in 75% (six of eight) of patients with mucinous adenocarcinoma, and the remainder were squamous-cell carcinoma or neuroendocrine tumour (Grade 2). The malignant characteristics of the solid portions observed using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were as follows: the cyst wall of the tumour was irregularly thickened; the surface was convex or lobed; the solid tumour had no capsule, or the capsule was destroyed; and the surface had a gyrus-like morphology. At a median follow-up time of 52 months (range, 13–100 months), the overall recurrence-free survival rate was 40.0% and the survival rate was 46.7%.

Conclusion

Some MRI features can be used to distinguish malignant retrorectal tumours from benign retrorectal tumours. The survival rate of patients with malignant retrorectal tumours is poor.
The multivariate-Tweedie: a self-weighting likelihood for age and length composition data arising from hierarchical sampling designs
Authors: Thorson James T , Miller Timothy J , Stock Brian C
Published: September 2022

Weighting data appropriately in stock assessment models is necessary to diagnose model mis-specification, estimate uncertainty, and when combining data sets. Age- and length-composition data are often fitted using a multinomial distribution and then reweighted iteratively, and the Dirichlet-multinomial (“DM”) likelihood provides a model-based alternative that estimates an additional parameter and thereby “self-weights” data. However, the DM likelihood requires specifying an input sample size (ninput), which is often unavailable and results are sensitive to ninput. We therefore introduce the multivariate-Tweedie (MVTW) as alternative with three benefits: (1) it can identify both overdispersion (downweighting) or underdispersion (upweighting) relative to the ninput; (2) proportional changes in ninput are exactly offset by parameters; and (3) it arises naturally when expanding data arising from a hierarchical sampling design. We use an age-structured simulation to show that the MVTW (1) can be more precise than the DM in estimating data weights, and (2) can appropriately upweight data when needed. We then use a real-world state-space assessment to show that the MVTW can easily be adapted to other software. We recommend that stock assessments explore the sensitivity to specifying DM, MVTW, and logistic-normal likelihoods, particularly when the DM estimates an effective sample size approaching ninput.
Behaviour Insight Shadowing: examining daily life settings for the prevention of neglected tropical disease
Authors: Parke Sherrelle , Dauda Nurudeen , Ayarza Ruth
Published: September 2022

Background

Adaptation of daily behaviours can play a significant role in disease prevention. Behaviour Insight Shadowing (BIS) is a novel qualitative methodology, designed and used for the first time in this study, which applies the Behaviour Settings Theory as a framework for interrogating daily life patterns and identifying optimal opportunities for behaviour change.

Methods

Nine participant households were shadowed for a day, in Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Guinea Bissau. Shadowing involved close ethnographic observation alongside integrated interviewing techniques, and then followed up with a semistructured cross-examination at the end of the observation period. Real-time insights about the attitudes and behaviours of households at high risk of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) were then categorised by context and analysed thematically. Themes were then applied to a framework of understanding specific to NTD behaviour change and therefore informing more effective social behaviour change communications (SBCC) design. The methodology is adaptable, simple to replicate and produces in-depth, qualitative ethnographic stories.

Results

Findings highlighted important spatial and temporal aspects of target behaviours, with key differences between private and group activities. Ethnographic stories illustrated hierarchies between economic, social and temporal drivers of behaviour, and highlighted the ways in which health messages were introduced and responded to within and between households. This provided cultural levers for more impactful SBCC interventions that could tie into existing norms.

Conclusions

BIS methodology, as an adaptive ethnographic approach, provides valuable insights that enhance the findings from surveys and focus groups, specifically in the context of NTD prevention. Contextual categorisation of relevant daily behaviours is key to developing culturally appropriate SBCC and in determining whether such intervention needs to be in alignment with everyday routines and attitudes, or in disruption of them.
Berberine inhibits tumour growth in vivo and in vitro through suppressing the lincROR-Wnt/β-catenin regulatory axis in colorectal cancer
Authors: Li Shi-ying , Shi Chuan-jian , Fu Wei-ming , Zhang Jin-fang
Published: September 2022

Background

Berberine, a non-prescription medicine clinically applied for diarrhoea and gastroenteritis. Recent studies have demonstrated that it possesses anti-tumour properties in colorectal cancer, but the exact molecular mechanism remains obscure.

Objectives

To elucidate the underly molecular mechanisms of berberine in colorectal cancer from a perspective of epigenetics, and tried to explore the role of lincROR-Wnt/β-catenin molecular axis in the berberine induced the anti-tumour activity in colorectal cancer.

Methods

The effects of berberine on cell growth, cell cycle and apoptosis were examined in CRC cells. The in vivo effect of berberine on tumour growth was investigated using a xenograft mice model. Moreover, lincROR and Wnt/β-catenin signalling were detected by luciferase activity, qRT-PCR and western blotting assays.

Key findings

Berberine suppressed cell growth in vitro via inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in CRC cell, and inhibited tumourigenesis in vivo. LincROR was significantly down-regulated by berberine, inducing the inactivation of the canonical Wnt/β-catenin signalling, meanwhile, the overexpression of lincROR partially reversed the suppressive effects on tumour growth and Wnt/β-catenin signalling induced by berberine.

Conclusions

Berberine inhibits tumour growth partially via regulating the lincROR-Wnt/β-catenin regulatory axis, which provides a strategy for the design of anti-tumour drugs for CRC patients after our advanced validation.
Spinal fusion surgery - the need to follow the ‘BRAN’ toolkit (benefits, risks, alternatives, nothing): a case report
Authors: Ampat George , George Jemima S , Clynch Abigail L , Sims Jonathan M G
Published: September 2022

Failed back surgery syndrome is defined as increased or persistent pain following spinal surgery. Despite a relatively high incidence of failed back surgery syndrome (20%), patients may not be counselled regarding this complication pre-operatively. The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges has provided the Benefits, Risks, Alternatives and doing Nothing Toolkit to guide clinical discussions during the consent process. A 46-year-old female experiencing chronic lower back pain since 2003 suffered an exacerbation in 2015. Imaging identified non-compressive disc bulges. She was not put through the low back pain pathway as recommended by NICE and underwent spinal fusion in 2017. She continues to experience severe pain 54 months postsurgery. When considering spinal surgery, the risk of failed back surgery syndrome should be discussed with patients. Both clinicians and patients can use the BRAN toolkit to ensure open and transparent discussion prior to any intervention.
Shock-induced transformation of non-magnetic to magnetic ISM dust analogue
Authors: Roy Arijit , Singh Surendra V , Meka J K , Ramachandran R , Sahu D , Gautam A , Vijay T , Vishakantaiah Jayaram , Janardhan P , Rajasekhar B N , Bhardwaj Anil , Mason N J , Sivaraman B
Published: September 2022

The fate of organometallic dust subjected to extreme conditions, especially the shock fronts, in the interstellar medium (ISM) has not been explored to date. Iron and cyclopentadiene, which have been found to be present in the ISM, are known to react and produce the organometallic compound ferrocene under terrestrial conditions. In our experiment we subjected ferrocene, a possible proxy of such dust, to ∼5.6 Mach (M) shock commensurate with conditions encountered in the ISM, leading to a temperature rise up to 7300 K within 2 ms. Analysis of the post-shock residue showed the presence of a α-Fe and Fe3C composite that responded to an external magnetic field. These results show that a non-magnetic dust composed of molecules containing transition metals undergoing shock processing in the ISM can dissociate and synthesize dust that is then magnetic. Such drastic transformations from non-magnetic to magnetic dust induced by shocks might be of importance in interstellar polarization.
Inferring Epistasis from Genetic Time-series Data
Authors: Sohail Muhammad Saqib , Louie Raymond H Y , Hong Zhenchen , Barton John P , McKay Matthew R
Published: September 2022

Epistasis refers to fitness or functional effects of mutations that depend on the sequence background in which these mutations arise. Epistasis is prevalent in nature, including populations of viruses, bacteria, and cancers, and can contribute to the evolution of drug resistance and immune escape. However, it is difficult to directly estimate epistatic effects from sampled observations of a population. At present, there are very few methods that can disentangle the effects of selection (including epistasis), mutation, recombination, genetic drift, and genetic linkage in evolving populations. Here we develop a method to infer epistasis, along with the fitness effects of individual mutations, from observed evolutionary histories. Simulations show that we can accurately infer pairwise epistatic interactions provided that there is sufficient genetic diversity in the data. Our method also allows us to identify which fitness parameters can be reliably inferred from a particular data set and which ones are unidentifiable. Our approach therefore allows for the inference of more complex models of selection from time-series genetic data, while also quantifying uncertainty in the inferred parameters.
Long-term outcomes in COVID-19 patients who recovered from the first wave of the pandemic
Authors: Cui Dan , Chen Simiao , Feng Luzhao , Jia Mengmeng , Wang Yeming , Xiao Weijun , Sun Yanxia , Huang Qiangru , Ma Libing , Leng Zhiwei , Wang Hao , Cao Bin , Yang Weizhong , Yang Juntao , Wang Chen
Published: September 2022

This cross-sectional study evaluated the long-term health effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Jianghan District (Wuhan, China). The results showed that 61.4% of COVID-19 patients reported at least one symptom and 8.8% had depressive symptoms at the 17-month follow-up. The proportion of patients with chest radiographic abnormalities in Fangcang shelter hospitals and designated COVID-19 hospitals was 31.6% and 41.1%, respectively, and the proportion of patients with impaired pulmonary diffusion capacity in these hospitals was 52.8% and 60.9%, respectively. Female sex (odds ratio [OR] = 1.48, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.16–1.88), severe disease (OR = 1.46, 95% CI: 1.01–2.10) and a higher number of initial symptoms (OR = 1.31, 95% CI: 1.23–1.40) were associated with the development of sequelae symptoms at 17 months. This study involving community-dwelling COVID-19 adults may help determine the long-term effects of COVID-19 during the first pandemic wave. Nonetheless, larger follow-up studies are needed to characterize the post-COVID-19 condition.
Invasive Bordetella pertussis Infection in Infants: A Case Report
Authors: Liao Yang , Li Wei-ran , Zhu Yu , Luo Shuang-hong , Liao Qiong , Wan Chao-min
Published: September 2022

Infants are more likely to develop severe pertussis. We report a malignant pertussis case in a 2-month-old boy with respiratory failure, severe pneumonia, septic shock, and encephalopathy. Bordetella pertussis was detected from nasopharyngeal secretions by polymerase chain reaction, as well as both blood and cerebrospinal fluid samples via metagenomics next-generation sequencing.
Prediction of Symptomatic Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection by Quantitative Digital Polymerase Chain Reaction Normalized to International Units
Authors: Hijano Diego R , Gu Zhengming , Brazelton Jessica , Zhu Haiqing , Suganda Sri , Glasgow Heather L , Darji Himani , Tang Li , Fabrizio Thomas P , Allison Kim J , Allen E Kaitlynn ,   SJTRC Study Team, Estepp Jeremie H , McGargill Maureen A , Mori Motomi , Schultz-Cherry Stacey , Hakim Hana , Tuomanen Elaine I , Gaur Aditya H , Wolf Joshua , Thomas Paul G , Webby Richard J , Hayden Randall T
Published: September 2022

Although numerous studies have evaluated severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection using cycle threshold (Ct) values as a surrogate of viral ribonucleic acid (RNA) load, few studies have used standardized, quantitative methods. We validated a quantitative SARS-CoV-2 digital polymerase chain reaction assay normalized to World Health Organization International Units and correlated viral RNA load with symptoms and disease severity.
The Perils and Promises of Disability Biography
Authors: Nielsen Kim E.
Published: September 2022

Biographical scholarship provides a means by which to understand the past. Disability biography writes disabled people into historical narratives and cultural discourses, acknowledging power, action, and consequence. Disability biography also analyzes the role of ableism in shaping relationships, systems of power, and societal ideals. When written with skilled storytelling, rigorous study, nuance, and insight, disability biography enriches analyses of people living in the past. Disability biography makes clear the multiple ways by which individuals and communities labor, make kinship, persevere, and both resist and create social change. When using a disability analysis, biographies of disabled people (particularly people famous for their disability, such as Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Helen Keller) reveal the relationality and historically embedded nature of disability. In an ableist world, such acts can be revolutionary.
Disability and Work in South Asia and the United Kingdom
Authors: Buckingham Jane
Published: September 2022

Historical analyses, as well as more contemporary examples of disability and work, show that the experience of disability is always culturally and historically mediated, but that class—in the sense of economic status—plays a major role in the way impairment is experienced as disabling. Although there is little published on disability history in India, the history of the Indian experience of caste disability demonstrates the centrality of work in the social and economic expression of stigma and marginalization. An Indian perspective supports the challenge to the dominant Western view that modern concepts of disability have their origins in the Industrial Revolution. Linkage between disability, incapacity to work, and low socioeconomic status are evident in India, which did not undergo the workplace changes associated with industrialization in the West.
Race, Work, and Disability in Progressive Era United States
Authors: Lawrie Paul
Published: September 2022

Throughout U.S. history, the production of difference, whether along racial or disability lines, has been inextricably tied to the imperatives of labor economy. From the plantations of the antebellum era through the assembly lines and trenches of early-twentieth-century America, ideologies of race and disability have delineated which peoples could do which kinds of work. The ideologies and identities of race, work, and the “fit” ’ or “unfit” body informed Progressive Era labor economies. Here the processes of racializing or disabling certain bodies are charted from turn-of-the-century actuarial science, which monetized blacks as a degenerate, dying race, through the standardized physical and mental testing and rehabilitation methods developed by the U.S. army during World War I. Efforts to quantify, poke, prod, or mend black bodies reshaped contemporary understandings of labor, race, the state, and the working body.
Recent advances in biopolymer-based hemostatic materials
Authors: Mecwan Marvin , Li Jinghang , Falcone Natashya , Ermis Menekse , Torres Emily , Morales Ramon , Hassani Alireza , Haghniaz Reihaneh , Mandal Kalpana , Sharma Saurabh , Maity Surjendu , Zehtabi Fatemeh , Zamanian Behnam , Herculano Rondinelli , Akbari Mohsen , V. John Johnson , Khademhosseini Ali
Published: September 2022

Hemorrhage is the leading cause of trauma-related deaths, in hospital and prehospital settings. Hemostasis is a complex mechanism that involves a cascade of clotting factors and proteins that result in the formation of a strong clot. In certain surgical and emergency situations, hemostatic agents are needed to achieve faster blood coagulation to prevent the patient from experiencing a severe hemorrhagic shock. Therefore, it is critical to consider appropriate materials and designs for hemostatic agents. Many materials have been fabricated as hemostatic agents, including synthetic and naturally derived polymers. Compared to synthetic polymers, natural polymers or biopolymers, which include polysaccharides and polypeptides, have greater biocompatibility, biodegradability and processibility. Thus, in this review, we focus on biopolymer-based hemostatic agents of different forms, such as powder, particles, sponges and hydrogels. Finally, we discuss biopolymer-based hemostatic materials currently in clinical trials and offer insight into next-generation hemostats for clinical translation.
Do your troubles today seem further away than yesterday? On sleep’s role in mitigating the blushing response to a reactivated embarrassing episode
Authors: Reinhold Faya L , Gerlicher Anna M V , van Someren Eus J W , Kindt Merel
Published: September 2022

The “sleep to forget and sleep to remember hypothesis” proposes that sleep weakens the emotional tone of an experience while preserving or even enhancing its content. Prior experimental research however shows contradictory findings on how emotional reactivity changes after a period of sleep, likely explained by methodological variations. By addressing these inconsistencies, we investigated the mitigating effect of overnight sleep on emotional reactivity triggered by memory reactivation. Using a karaoke paradigm, we recorded participants’ singing of two songs, followed by exposing them to one of the recordings (rec1) to induce an embarrassing episode. After a 12-hr period of either day-time wakefulness (N = 20) or including nighttime sleep (N = 20), we assessed emotional reactivity to the previously exposed recording (rec1) and the newly exposed recording (rec2). Emotional reactivity was assessed with a physiological measure of facial blushing as the main outcome and subjective ratings of embarrassment and valence. Sleep and wake were monitored with diaries and actigraphy. The embarrassing episode was successfully induced as indicated by objective and subjective measures. After controlling for an order effect in stimulus presentation, we found a reduction in blushing response to the reactivated recording (rec1) from pre- to post-sleep compared to wakefulness. However, emotional reactivity to the reactivated recording (rec1) and the new recording (rec2) did not differ after sleep and wakefulness. This study shows that facial blushing was reduced following overnight sleep, while subjective ratings were unaffected. Whether the beneficial effect of sleep is due to changes in memory representation or rather emotion regulation remains elusive.
Bayesian network-based risk evaluation model for the operational requirements of the China Railway Express under the Belt and Road initiative
Authors: Feng Fenling , Jia Junjie , Liang Ailan , Liu Chengguang
Published: September 2022

The operation of the China Railway Express features numerous links across several regions and countries. Effectively controlling the risks involved in the operation of the China Railway Express is crucial for ensuring safety and efficiency and promoting the sustainable development of the China Railway Express. The Bayesian network-based risk-management model was built corresponding to the actual operation of the China Railway Express; the model used an advanced risk-management theory. The sensitivity analysis of risk factors and Bayesian network inference were realized using the expectation-maximization and clique-tree propagation algorithms. Using the risk-checklist method, 17 risk-related factors were analysed on 17 nodes of the Bayesian network from three perspectives—safety, efficiency and effectiveness—based on expert opinions and the actual operating conditions of the China Railway Express. Data from a sensitivity analysis and evidence inference of the Bayesian network model indicated that the sensitivity coefficients of nodes N01, N04, N07, N08 and N17 of the network were high. Moreover, the risk-occurrence probabilities for nodes N01, N04, N06, N07 and N09 were higher in the case of reverse inference. Our results revealed the crucial factors influencing the risk. The identified risk factors included the stability of the political environment in countries along the route, conditions of station infrastructures and the complexity of the process of changing rails and reloading. Further, risk-management suggestions were provided. By establishing a sound risk-management framework, reliable assessment and management could be realized in accordance with changes in the operating conditions of the China Railway Express.
Evaluation of Topology Optimization Using 3D Printing for Bioresorbable Fusion Cages: A Biomechanical Study in A Porcine Model
Authors: Ho Nathan C. , Hollister Scott J. , Agrawal Virat , Flanagan Colleen L. , Lee Chloe , Wheeler Matthew B. , Wang Huan , Ebramzadeh Edward , Sangiorgio Sophia
Published: September 2022

Study Design.

Pre-clinical biomechanical study of topology-optimization versus standard ring design for bioresorbable poly-ε-caprolactone cervical spine fusion cages delivering BMP-2 using a porcine model.

Objective.

To evaluate range of motion (ROM) and bone fusion, as a function of topology optimization and bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) delivery method.

Summary of Background Data.

3D printing technology enables fabrication of topology-optimized cages using bioresorbable materials, offering several advantages including customization, and lower stiffness. Delivery of BMP-2 using topology optimization may enhance the quality of fusion.

Methods.

Twenty-two 6-month old pigs underwent anterior cervical discectomy fusion at one level using 3D-printed PCL cages. Experimental groups (N=6 each) included: Group1: ring design with surface adsorbed BMP-2, Group 2: topology-optimized rectangular design with surface adsorbed BMP-2, and Group 3: ring design with BMP-2 delivery via collagen sponge. Additional specimens, two of each design, were implanted without BMP-2, as controls. Complete cervical segments were harvested 6 months post-op. Nano-CT was performed to assess complete bony bridging. Pure moment biomechanical testing was conducted in all three planes, separately. Continuous 3D motions were recorded and analyzed.

Results.

Three subjects suffered early surgical complications and were not evaluated. Overall, ROM for experimental specimens, regardless of design or BMP-2 delivery method, was comparable, with no clinically significant differences among groups. Among experimental specimens at the level of the fusion, ROM was <1.0° in flexion and extension, indicative of fusion, based on clinically applied criteria for fusion of <2-4°. Despite the measured biomechanical stability, using CT evaluation, complete bony bridging was observed in 40% of the specimens in Group 1, 50% of Group 2, 100% of Group 3, and none of the control specimens.

Conclusion.

A topology optimized PCL cage with BMP-2 is capable of resulting in an intervertebral fusion, similar to a conventional ring-based design of the same bioresorbable material.
Modified Double-Fenestrated Stent Graft for Branched Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair of an Irregular Aortic Arch Aneurysm: A Case Report
Authors: He Xiaofeng , Zhang Lei , Liu Xuanze , Wang Xiaozeng
Published: September 2022

A 43-year-old male was admitted to General Hospital of Northern Theater Command with exacerbation of chest pain for 10 d. Computed tomographic angiography (CTA) showed an irregular aortic arch aneurysm involving the left subclavian artery (LSA), with penetrating aortic ulcer and intramural hematoma. A modified fenestrated thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) technique was performed successfully. Follow-up CTA showed that stent grafts were well-apposed, without endoleaks, migration, or branch artery occlusion, and the hematoma was almost completely absorbed. In this case, precise fenestrations were created by measurements based on three-dimensional CT reconstruction and angiography. Furthermore, the physician chose an LSA approach to catch the guide wire and deployed branched stent grafts, considering the oblique direction of this branch and the small size of the fenestration. This case shows that pre-fenestrated and inner bare stent enhancing TEVAR is a safe and feasible technique for repair of complicated aortic arch aneurysm.