bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Improvement of weight stability in Li-ion-based electrolyte-gated transistor synapse by silica protective process
Authors: Xu Han , Lu Jikai , Li Yue , Fang Renrui , Zhang Woyu , Xu Xiaoxin , Wang Yan , Liu Qi , Shang Dashan
Published: September 2022

Li-ion-based electrolyte-gated transistors (Li-EGTs) have been extensively studied as synaptic devices due to their potential to provide good analog switching of channel conductance, which is a desirable property for the emulation of synaptic weight modulation. However, the chemical activity of lithium ion electrolytes during device fabrication is detrimental to the analog switching stability of the Li-EGT and limits its potential application. In this work, we developed a silica protective process for Li-EGT fabrication. By continuously depositing the lithium ion electrolyte and silica protective layer, we achieved the isolation of the electrolyte from the external environment during device fabrication. The electrical characterization shows that the analog switching stability of the fabricated Li-EGT is significantly improved. Based on the experimental data, a recognition accuracy of ∼96% has been demonstrated in the Li-EGT array by simulations using the handwritten digit data sets. The present results give insight into the large-scale fabrication of the Li-EGT synapse for neuromorphic computing.
Strong nonreciprocal radiation with topological photonic crystal heterostructure
Authors: Wu Jun , Qing Ye Ming
Published: September 2022

A nonreciprocal thermal emitter, which consists of a magnetic Weyl semimetal embedded in a topological photonic crystal, is proposed and investigated. An emitter exhibits strong nonreciprocal radiation, which results from the exaction of a topological photonic state between two photonic crystals (PhCs). The underlying physical mechanism of such behaviors is disclosed by illustrating magnetic field intensity distributions at resonances and is further confirmed by investigating the band diagram and the Zak phases of the two PhCs. Aside from that, radiation properties of the proposed emitter remain excellent within wide geometric dimension ranges, which should be interesting for practical fabrication. Finally, considering the actual manufacture and the more intense interest of multi-channel nonreciprocal radiation, the extension of the designed scheme to the multi-channel scheme with more practical structure is also investigated. The results should provide possibility for the development of energy devices and thermal emitters with more engineered function.
Buffer gas cooled ice chemistry. I. Buffer gas cell and mm-wave spectrometer
Authors: Radhakrishnan S. , Hager T. , Kanaherarachchi A. , Williams C. , Hall G. E. , Broderick B. M.
Published: September 2022

A new instrument is described that will employ buffer gas cooling with mm-wave rotational spectroscopy (60–90 GHz) to probe molecules desorbed from astrochemical ices prepared in an ultrahigh vacuum environment. Here the design and performance of the buffer gas cell, mm-wave spectrometer and data acquisition system are reported, while application to molecules desorbed from ice surfaces will be described in a future publication. The effective temperature of the neon-cooled buffer gas cell is determined by monitoring a range of rotational lines of propyl cyanide introduced into the cell. Its number density is estimated from comparison to room temperature measurements and the effective collision cross section with neon is estimated by monitoring the free induction decay (FID) lifetimes. The spectrometer and data acquisition system described are capable of acquiring and time–domain averaging the FIDs at 10 Gs/s, 10 bit vertical resolution and 98% duty cycle.
Electrical conductance of conical nanopores: Symmetric and asymmetric salts and their mixtures
Authors: Ramirez Patricio , Cervera Javier , Manzanares José A. , Nasir Saima , Ali Mubarak , Ensinger Wolfgang , Mafe Salvador
Published: September 2022

We have studied experimentally the electrical conductance–voltage curves of negatively and positively charged conical nanopores bathed in ionic solutions with monovalent, divalent, and trivalent cations at electrochemically and biologically relevant ionic concentrations. To better understand the interaction between the pore surface charge and the mobile ions, both single salts and salt mixtures have been considered. We have paid attention to the effects on the conductance of the cation valency, the pore charge asymmetry, and the pore charge inversion phenomena due to trivalent ions, both in single salts and salt mixtures. In addition, we have described how small concentrations of multivalent ions can tune the nanopore conductance due to monovalent majority ions, together with the effect of these charges on the additivity of ionic conductance and fluoride-induced negative differential conductance phenomena. This compilation and discussion of previously presented experimental data offers significant insights on the interaction between fixed and mobile charges confined in nanoscale volumes and should be useful in establishing and checking new models for describing ionic transport in the vicinity of charged surfaces.
Light drives vegetative phenology of
Authors: Endres Júnior Delio , Sasamori Márcio H. , Müller Andressa , Schmitt Jairo L. , Droste Annette
Published: September 2022

Despite Orchidaceae is a key component of the epiphytic flora of tropical and subtropical forests, phenological studies of this group are rare, mainly due to technical difficulties in observing epiphytes, the reduced abundance of wild specimens, and to the evergreen characteristic of these plants. We monitored shoot and root production of translocated young plants of the epiphytic orchid Cattleya intermedia Graham at the edge and in the interior of a subtropical Atlantic Forest fragment, and investigated their relationship with temperature, luminosity, photoperiod, rainfall and air humidity. Individuals propagated in vitro were translocated in the spring and inspected monthly for 3 years for shoot and root production. Shoot production at the edge of the forest was positively related with photoperiod and luminosity. In the interior, this relationship was characterised by a 1-month time delay. The highest concentrations of plants with shoot production occurred in spring and summer in both environments. Interior plants were more likely to produce roots in spring and summer, while edge plants were more likely to produce roots in summer. Edge plants produced fewer roots when rainfall was high, while interior plants produced more roots when interior air humidity was high. The influence of light availability for translocated plants was demonstrated by the different responses of shoot growth at the edge and in the interior of the forest and by the relationship with the seasonal variation of this variable. Thus, light becomes a key factor for the establishment of translocated C. intermedia and must be considered in the choice of their habitats.
Probing the properties of molecules and complex materials using machine learning
Authors: Winkler David A.
Published: September 2022

The application of machine learning to predicting the properties of small and large discrete (single) molecules and complex materials (polymeric, extended or mixtures of molecules) has been increasing exponentially over the past few decades. Unlike physics-based and rule-based computational systems, machine learning algorithms can learn complex relationships between physicochemical and process parameters and their useful properties for an extremely diverse range of molecular entities. Both the breadth of machine learning methods and the range of physical, chemical, materials, biological, medical and many other application areas have increased markedly in the past decade. This Account summarises three decades of research into improved cheminformatics and machine learning methods and their application to drug design, regenerative medicine, biomaterials, porous and 2D materials, catalysts, biomarkers, surface science, physicochemical and phase properties, nanomaterials, electrical and optical properties, corrosion and battery research.
A project to validate the GLU test for preterm birth prediction in First Nations women
Authors: Brown Kiarna , Unger Holger W. , Peel Margaret , Doherty Dorota A. , Lee Martin , Kujawa Agatha , Holder Sarah , Tachedjian Gilda , Masson Lindi , Thorn Jane C. , Newnham John P. , Payne Matthew S.
Published: September 2022

The protocol described in the present article aims to validate the GLU test, a test of mid-pregnancy vaginal microbiome, for PTB risk prediction in pregnant First Nations women. Preterm birth (PTB; birth before 37 completed weeks gestation) is associated with a higher risk of adverse neonatal outcomes. First Nations communities are affected by increasing PTB rates, highest in remote communities, reaching 23%. Being able to predict women at high risk of PTB is one of the greatest challenges of our time. No reliable clinical predictors of PTB risk currently exist, beyond a previous history. Spontaneous PTB (sPTB) is highly associated with microbial infection. Recently, a Western Australian research team developed an innovative mid-pregnancy vaginal microbial DNA test, the ‘Gardnerella, Lactobacillus, Ureaplasma’ (GLU) test, capable of predicting up to 45% of sPTB cases. However, this test has only been validated in predominantly Caucasian pregnant women. The protocol described aims to validate the GLU test in pregnant First Nations women and where applicable, make modifications to this test to improve sensitivity and specificity within this population.
Deletion of a previously uncharacterized lipoprotein lirL confers resistance to an inhibitor of type II signal peptidase in
Acinetobacter baumannii
Authors: Huang Ke-Jung , Pantua Homer , Diao Jingyu , Skippington Elizabeth , Volny Michael , Sandoval Wendy , Tiku Varnesh , Peng Yutian , Sagolla Meredith , Yan Donghong , Kang Jing , Katakam Anand Kumar , Michaelian Nairie , Reichelt Mike , Tan Man-Wah , Austin Cary D. , Xu Min , Hanan Emily , Kapadia Sharookh B.
Published: September 2022

Acinetobacter baumannii
is a clinically important, predominantly health care–associated gram-negative bacterium with high rates of emerging resistance worldwide. Given the urgent need for novel antibacterial therapies against
A. baumannii
, we focused on inhibiting lipoprotein biosynthesis, a pathway that is essential for envelope biogenesis in gram-negative bacteria. The natural product globomycin, which inhibits the essential type II signal peptidase prolipoprotein signal peptidase (LspA), is ineffective against wild-type
A. baumannii
clinical isolates due to its poor penetration through the outer membrane. Here, we describe a globomycin analog, G5132, that is more potent against wild-type and clinical
A. baumannii
isolates. Mutations leading to G5132 resistance in
A. baumannii
map to the signal peptide of a single hypothetical gene, which we confirm encodes an alanine-rich lipoprotein and have renamed
lirL
(prolipoprotein signal peptidase inhibitor resistance lipoprotein). LirL is a highly abundant lipoprotein primarily localized to the inner membrane. Deletion of
lirL
leads to G5132 resistance, inefficient cell division, increased sensitivity to serum, and attenuated virulence. Signal peptide mutations that confer resistance to G5132 lead to the accumulation of diacylglyceryl-modified LirL prolipoprotein in untreated cells without significant loss in cell viability, suggesting that these mutations overcome a block in lipoprotein biosynthetic flux by decreasing LirL prolipoprotein substrate sensitivity to processing by LspA. This study characterizes a lipoprotein that plays a critical role in resistance to LspA inhibitors and validates lipoprotein biosynthesis as a antibacterial target in
A. baumannii
.
How to make better forensic decisions
Authors: Albright Thomas D.
Published: September 2022

Much of forensic practice today involves human decisions about the origins of patterned sensory evidence, such as tool marks and fingerprints discovered at a crime scene. These decisions are made by trained observers who compare the evidential pattern to an exemplar pattern produced by the suspected source of the evidence. The decision consists of a determination as to whether the two patterns are similar enough to have come from the same source. Although forensic pattern comparison disciplines have for decades played a valued role in criminal investigation and prosecution, the extremely high personal and societal costs of failure—the conviction of innocent people—has elicited calls for caution and for the development of better practices. These calls have been heard by the scientific community involved in the study of human information processing, which has begun to offer much-needed perspectives on sensory measurement, discrimination, and classification in a forensic context. Here I draw from a well-established theoretical and empirical approach in sensory science to illustrate the vulnerabilities of contemporary pattern comparison disciplines and to suggest specific strategies for improvement.
Laser drilling of stainless steel foil with reduced sidelobe ablation using a spatially filtered Bessel–Gauss beam
Authors: Won Seung Jai , Jeong Sungho
Published: September 2022

Laser processing of a non-transparent material using a Bessel–Gauss beam is accompanied by serious ablation by the sidelobes. To suppress sidelobe ablation, the electric field of a Bessel–Gauss beam generated with a femtosecond laser and an axicon lens was modified by spatially filtering the input Gaussian beam using an annular filter. When the annular filter was applied, the intensity of the first sidelobe peak decreased from 15% of the unfiltered beam to 3.2% and 5.4%, depending on the depth of focus. Laser drilling of 100 μm-thick stainless steel foil using the spatially filtered Bessel–Gauss beam showed significant improvements in the hole quality as compared to the conventional Bessel-Gauss beam. The normalized sidelobe diameter (=sidelobe diameter ÷ hole diameter) was reduced from 2.1–2.5 to 1.5–1.7. The maximum depth of sidelobe ablation was reduced by up to 72.5%. It was also shown that nearly burr-free laser drilling is possible by properly selecting process conditions with the spatially filtered Bessel–Gauss beam.
First direct experimental evidence of the merging of two colliding field reversed configurations
Authors: Liao Hui , Hu Chaoqi , Li Yilin , Sun Xuan
Published: September 2022

The collisional merging of two Alfvénic-speed translated field reversed configurations (FRCs) via magnetic reconnection is presented with a two-dimensional magnetic probe array in the Keda Mirror with AXisymmetricity-FRC experiment. The collision is accompanied by axial compression and radial expansion, resulting in the increase in the FRC’s current density and poloidal flux. A reversed-current sheet is found to form during collision, indicating the occurrence of magnetic reconnection. After merging, the ion and electron temperature are increased. By comparing three different scenarios, i.e. the single-translated FRC, the FRC colliding solely with a stream plasma, and the collisional-merging FRC, we identify that axial compression and magnetic reconnection both contribute the electron heating.
Towards a dark sector model from string theory
Authors: Bernardo Heliudson , Brandenberger Robert , Fröhlich Jürg
Published: September 2022

An embedding of a unified dark sector model into string theory with the following features is proposed: the model-independent axion descending from the Kalb-Ramond 2-form field is identified with the dark-matter field, and the real part of a Kähler modulus field — the “radius” of one of the extra spatial dimensions — accounts for dark energy. The expectation value of the dilaton field is stabilized by a gaugino condensation mechanism. A dark-energy potential with an amplitude corresponding to a realistic low energy scale results from some gentle tuning of the stabilized expectation value of the dilaton. The resulting potential reproduces the one in a previous dark-sector model proposed by two of us. Challenges to obtain a sufficiently flat potential are discussed.
The Unusual Active Galaxy H1821+643 and the Elusive Nature of FRI Quasars
Authors: Garofalo David , Singh Chandra B.
Published: September 2022

The moderate spin estimate for the black hole at the center of the cool core cluster H1821+643 motivates the completion of a story about this object’s origin and evolution that was in the making since the work by Blundell & Rawlings over two decades ago as the first example of a massive black hole accreting at near-Eddington rates with an FRI jet. This elusive combination of properties was explained in our 2010 model where we showed it to be part of a small parameter space that includes X-shaped radio galaxies. As an accreting black hole that never experienced a counterrotating phase, H1821+643 is constrained by theory to produce a jet for spin values a satisfying 0.1 < a < ∼ 0.7 and an FRI jet for a slightly smaller range. The feedback from such a black hole is not subject to a tilted jet and is why star formation rates remain high in this cluster environment. The prediction is that H1821+643 is within millions of years of becoming jetless.
SMC-Last Mosaic Images
Authors: Mizuno D. R. , Kraemer Kathleen E. , Kuchar T. A. , Sloan G. C.
Published: September 2022

We present mosaic images of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) observed with the Spitzer IRAC 3.6 μm and 4.5 μm bands over two epochs, 2017 August 25–2017 September 13 and 2017 November 24–2018 February 12. The survey region comprises ∼30 deg2 covering the SMC and the Bridge to the Large Magellanic Cloud. The region is covered by 52 ∼ 1.°1 × 1.°1 tiles, with each tile including images in each band for both separate and combined epochs. The mosaics are made in individual tangent projections in J2000 coordinates. The angular pixel size is 0.″6 with a resolution (FWHM) of ∼2.″0. We describe processing to correct or mitigate residual artifacts and remove background discontinuities. The mosaic images are publicly available at the Infrared Science Archive.
Mixed hydrogen isotopes plasma-driven permeation through CLF-1 RAFM steel for ITER HCCB TBM
Authors: Liu Cai-Bin , Zhou Hai-Shan , Li Xue-Chun , Liu Hao-Dong , Wang Lu , Wauters Tom , Wang Xiao-Yu , Liu Song-Lin , Luo Guang-Nan
Published: September 2022

The first wall of the helium-cooled ceramic breeder test blanket module (TBM) will be subjected to charge exchange neutral from the mixed deuterium (D) and tritium (T) deuterium–tritium (D–T) mixture plasma irradiation. To understand the isotope effects on mixed plasma-driven permeation (PDP) through the TBM wall, which is typically made by reduced activation martensitic/ferritic steel (RAFM), mixed D and protium (H) PDP experiments for a Chinese RAFM CLF-1 have been performed. Permeation fluxes of H and D through ∼mm thick CLF-1 have been recorded at various sample temperatures and particle incident energies. The co-permeation of H and D is found to be diffusion-limited in the bulk and obeys classical mass effects of diffusion species. The H/D ratio of the permeation fluxes is found to be stable when changing sample temperature and is insensitive to ion incident energy. In addition, the mixed H can provide more channels for D recombination to reduce the D permeation.
Effects of alpha particles on the transport of helium ash driven by collisionless trapped electron mode turbulence
Authors: Zhu Guangting , Wang Lu , Guo Weixin , Hussain M.S. , Zhang Mingzhu
Published: September 2022

The effects of alpha (α) particles on the transport of helium ash driven by collisionless trapped electron mode (CTEM) turbulence are analytically studied using quasi-linear theory in tokamak deuterium (D) and tritium (T) plasmas. Under the parameters used in this work, the transport of helium ash is mainly determined by the diffusion due to very weak convection. It is found that the ratio between helium ash diffusivity and effective electron thermal conductivity (D
He/χ
eff) driven by CTEM turbulence, which is a proper normalized parameter for quantifying the efficiency of helium ash removal, is smaller than unity. This indicates the less efficient removal of helium ash through CTEM turbulence as compared with ion temperature gradient (ITG) turbulence in [Angioni et al 2009 Nucl. Fusion
49 055013]. However, the efficiency of helium ash removal is increased 55% by the presence of 3% α particles with their density gradient being equivalent to that of electrons, and this enhancement can be further strengthened by steeper profile of α particles. This is mainly because the enhancement of helium ash diffusivity by α particles is stronger than that of the effective electron thermal conductivity. Moreover, the higher fraction of T ions, higher temperature ratio between electrons and thermal ions as well as flatter electron density profile, the stronger enhancement of D
He/χ
eff, and α particles further strengthen the favorable effects of these parameters on the removal of helium ash.
Post-Soviet changes in cropping practices in the irrigated drylands of the Aral Sea basin
Authors: Rufin Philippe , Peña-Guerrero Mayra Daniela , Umirbekov Atabek , Wei Yanbing , Müller Daniel
Published: September 2022

Water withdrawals for irrigated crop production constitute the largest source of freshwater consumption on Earth. Monitoring the dynamics of irrigated crop cultivation is crucial for tracking crop water consumption, particularly in water-scarce areas. We analyzed changes in water-dependent crop cultivation for 650 000 km2 of Central Asian drylands, including the entire basin of the Amu Darya river, once the largest tributary to the Aral Sea before large-scale irrigation projects grossly reduced the amount of water reaching the river delta. We used Landsat time series to map overall cropland extent, dry season cropping, and cropping frequency in irrigated croplands annually from 1987 to 2019. We scrutinized the emblematic change processes of six localities to discern the underlying causes of these changes. Our unbiased area estimates reveal that between 1988 and 2019, irrigated dry season cropping declined by 1.34 million hectares (Mha), while wet season and double cropping increased by 0.64 Mha and 0.83 Mha, respectively. These results show that the overall extent of cropland in the region remained stable, while higher cropping frequency increased harvested area. The observed changes’ overall effect on water resource use remains elusive: Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, declining dry season cultivation reduced crop water demand while, more recently, increasing cropping frequency raised water consumption. Our analysis provides the first fine-scale analysis of post-Soviet changes in cropping practices of the irrigated areas of Central Asia. Our maps are openly available and can support future assessments of land-system trajectories and, coupled with evapotranspiration estimates, changes in crop water consumption.
Urbanizing the floodplain: global changes of imperviousness in flood-prone areas
Authors: Andreadis Konstantinos M , Wing Oliver E J , Colven Emma , Gleason Colin J , Bates Paul D , Brown Casey M
Published: September 2022

Cities have historically developed close to rivers and coasts, increasing human exposure to flooding. That exposure is exacerbated by changes in climate and population, and by urban encroachment on floodplains. Although the mechanisms of how urbanization affects flooding are relatively well understood, there have been limited efforts to assess the magnitude of floodplain encroachment globally and how it has changed in both space and time. Highly resolved global datasets of both flood hazard and changes in urban area from 1985 to 2015 are now available, enabling the reconstruction of the history of floodplain encroachment at high spatial resolutions. Here we show that the urbanized area in floodplains that have an average probability of flooding of 1/100 years, has almost doubled since 1985. Further, the rate of urban expansion into these floodplains increased by a factor of 1.5 after the year 2000. We also find that urbanization rates were highest in the most hazardous areas of floodplains, with population growth in these urban floodplains suggesting an accompanying increase in population density. These results reveal the scope, trajectory and extent of global floodplain encroachment. With tangible implications for flood risk management, these data could be directly used with integrated models to assess adaptation pathways for urban flooding.
Study on the synthesis and characterization of CoTiO3 catalysts and their catalytic properties in Oxone activation for the degradation of tetracycline antibiotic in water
Authors: Zhao Xiaohui , Zhou Hui , Hua Qiong , Wang Chengyu , Wang Xiaodan , Zhang Ke , Zhang Hongpei , Zheng Binguo , Niu Junling
Published: September 2022

The chemical degradation of sulfate by activated Oxyone has the advantages of high degradation capacity, wide pH range and convenient transportation and storage, making it one of the most attractive advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). Besides, Co is the metal most capable of activating Oxone to produce sulfate. Therefore, it is critical to develop Co-based catalyst, an effective and recyclable heterogeneous catalyst, for activating Oxone to degrade tetracycline. In this study, CoTiO3 was extensively investigated for the activation of Oxone to generate sulfate radicals and degrade tetracycline antibiotics. The results showed that more than 95% of tetracyclines could be degraded at the amount of CoTiO3 catalyst of 0.02 g, the Oxone reagent concentration of 0.4 mmol l−1, and the pH value of 7. The removal rate of tetracyclines could still reach more than 85% after the CoTiO3 composite was repeatedly used for four consecutive cycles. These results indicate that CoTiO3/Oxone can be explored as an effective system for degrading long-lived organic pollutants.
Vertebral Fractures Assessed by Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry and All-Cause Mortality: The Tromsø Study, 2007–2020
Authors: Johansson Jonas , Emaus Nina , Geelhoed Bastiaan , Sagelv Edvard , Morseth Bente
Published: September 2022

Vertebral fractures have been associated with increased mortality, but findings are inconclusive, and many vertebral fractures avoid clinical attention. We investigated this association in a general population of 2,476 older adults aged ≥55 years from Tromsø, Norway, who were followed over 2007–2020, using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) at baseline to evaluate vertebral fractures (mild, moderate, or severe). We used multiple Cox regression models to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for all-cause mortality, adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, education, smoking, alcohol intake, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory disease. Mean follow-up in the cohort was 11.2 (standard deviation, 2.7) years; 341 participants (13.8%) had ≥1 vertebral fracture at baseline, and 636 participants (25.7%) died between baseline and follow-up. Full-adjustment models showed a nonsignificant association between vertebral fracture status (yes/no) and mortality. Participants with ≥3 vertebral fractures (HR = 2.43, 95% confidence interval: 1.57, 3.78) or ≥1 severe vertebral fracture (HR = 1.65, 95% confidence interval: 1.26, 2.15) had increased mortality compared with those with no vertebral fractures. Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry–based screening could be a potent and feasible tool in detecting vertebral fractures that are often clinically silent yet independently associated with premature death. Our data indicated that detailed vertebral assessment could be warranted for a more accurate survival estimation.
Dupilumab Use Is Associated With Protection From Coronavirus Disease 2019 Mortality: A Retrospective Analysis
Authors: Donlan Alexandra N , Mallawaarachchi Indika , Sasson Jennifer M , Preissner Robert , Loomba Johanna J , Petri William A
Published: September 2022

We previously found that type 2 immunity promotes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pathogenesis in a mouse model. To test relevance to human disease, we used electronic health record databases and determined that patients on dupilumab (anti-interleukin [IL]-4R monoclonal antibody that blocks IL-13 and IL-4 signaling) at the time of COVID-19 infection had lower mortality.
Selecting auditory alerting stimuli for eagles on the basis of auditory evoked potentials
Authors: Goller Benjamin , Baumhardt Patrice , Dominguez-Villegas Ernesto , Katzner Todd , Fernández-Juricic Esteban , Lucas Jeffrey R
Published: September 2022

Development of wind energy facilities results in interactions between wildlife and wind turbines. Raptors, including bald and golden eagles, are among the species known to incur mortality from these interactions. Several alerting technologies have been proposed to mitigate this mortality by increasing eagle avoidance of wind energy facilities. However, there has been little attempt to match signals used as alerting stimuli with the sensory capabilities of target species like eagles. One potential approach to tuning signals is to use sensory physiology to determine what stimuli the target eagle species are sensitive to even in the presence of background noise, thereby allowing the development of a maximally stimulating signal. To this end, we measured auditory evoked potentials of bald and golden eagles to determine what types of sounds eagles can process well, especially in noisy conditions. We found that golden eagles are significantly worse than bald eagles at processing rapid frequency changes in sounds, but also that noise effects on hearing in both species are minimal in response to rapidly changing sounds. Our findings therefore suggest that sounds of intermediate complexity may be ideal both for targeting bald and golden eagle hearing and for ensuring high stimulation in noisy field conditions. These results suggest that the sensory physiology of target species is likely an important consideration when selecting auditory alerting sounds and may provide important insight into what sounds have a reasonable probability of success in field applications under variable conditions and background noise.
Incessant pericarditis following the second dose of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine successfully treated with anakinra: a case report
Authors: Conte C , Princi G , D’Amario D , Sanna T , Pedicino D , Liuzzo G
Published: September 2022

Background

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has led to the development of the first mRNA vaccines used in humans. These vaccines are well tolerated, safe, and highly effective; however, post-marketing surveillance is revealing potential rare adverse effects. We report a case of incessant pericarditis following administration of the second dose of mRNA-1273 SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, unresponsive to conventional therapy, and successfully treated with anakinra.

Case summary

A 30-year-old man presented to the Emergency Department for incessant pericarditis unresponsive to evacuative pericardiocentesis and conventional first-line anti-inflammatory therapy. Given the typical ‘inflammatory phenotype’ clinically characterized by fever, C-reactive protein (CRP) elevation, and leucocytosis, we decided, in agreement with the rheumatologist team, to avoid glucocorticoid and to administer anakinra. A sudden clinical and echocardiographic improvement was observed, with complete resolution of the symptoms and of the pericardial effusion; similarly, CRP values progressively decreased. The patient was discharged at home; no recurrences of pericarditis were described at clinical and instrumental follow-up made 3 months later.

Discussion

Several cases of pericarditis have been described in patients who received the COVID-19 vaccination, especially with the mRNA vaccine that can induce a non-adaptive immunity response against the viral spike protein, triggering cardiac damage for a molecular mimicry mechanism; however, defined pathogenesis of pericarditis associated with mRNA vaccine is still missing. The clinical scenario described is characterized by the typical ‘inflammatory phenotype’, triggered by a disproportionate and uncontrolled activation of the inflammasome based on an interleukin-1 (IL-1) overproduction. We administered anakinra, an IL-1 blocking drug, with a sharp clinical, echocardiographic and laboratoristic improvement. The complete response observed in this case suggests that vaccine-related pericarditis could be triggered by an auto-inflammatory pathway based on IL-1 overproduction. Further research is, therefore, warranted to determine the mechanisms by which the mRNA vaccine may cause pericarditis in order to choose the most targeted therapy.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on recovery from cardiac surgery: 1-year outcomes
Authors: Sanders Julie , Bueser Teofila , Beaumont Emma , Dodd Matthew , Murray Sarah E , Owens Gareth , Berry Alan , Hyde Edward , Clayton Tim , Oo Aung Ye
Published: September 2022

Aims

The outbreak of COVID-19 was potentially stressful for everyone and possibly heightened in those having surgery. We sought to explore the impact of the pandemic on recovery from cardiac surgery.

Methods and results

A prospective observational study of 196 patients who were ≥18years old undergoing cardiac surgery between March 23 and July 4, 2020 (UK lockdown) was conducted. Those too unwell or unable to give consent/complete the questionnaires were excluded. Participants completed (on paper or electronically) the impact of event [Impact of Events Scale-revised (IES-R)] (distress related to COVID-19), depression [Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D)], and EQ-5D-5L [(quality of life, health-related quality of life (HRQoL)] questionnaires at baseline, 1 week after hospital discharge, and 6 weeks, 6 months and 1 year post-surgery. Questionnaire completion was >75.0% at all timepoints, except at 1 week (67.3%). Most participants were male [147 (75.0%)], white British [156 (79.6%)] with an average age 63.4years. No patients had COVID-19. IES-R sand CES-D were above average at baseline (indicating higher levels of anxiety and depression) decreasing over time. HRQoL pre-surgery was high, reducing at 1 week but increasing to almost pre-operative levels at 6 weeks and exceeding pre-operative levels at 6 months and 1 year. IES-R and CES-D scores were consistently higher in women and younger patients with women also having poorer HRQoL up to 1-year after surgery.

Conclusions

High levels of distress were observed in patients undergoing cardiac surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic with women and younger participants particularly affected. Psychological support pre- and post-operatively in further crises or traumatic times should be considered to aid recovery.

Registration

Clinicaltrials.gov ID:NCT04366167.
Postoperative dysphagia as a predictor of functional decline and prognosis after undergoing cardiovascular surgery
Authors: Ogawa Masato , Satomi-Kobayashi Seimi , Hamaguchi Mari , Komaki Kodai , Izawa Kazuhiro P , Miyahara Shunsuke , Inoue Takeshi , Sakai Yoshitada , Hirata Ken-ichi , Okada Kenji
Published: September 2022

Aims

Post-extubation dysphagia (PED), an often overlooked problem, is a common and serious complication associated with mortality and major morbidity after cardiovascular surgery. Dysphagia is considered an age-related disease, and evaluating its long-term effects is a pressing issue with rapidly progressing ageing worldwide. Therefore, we examined the effect of PED on functional status and long-term cardiovascular events in patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery.

Methods and results

This single-centre, retrospective cohort study included 712 patients who underwent elective cardiovascular surgery and met the inclusion criteria. Patients were divided into PED and non-PED groups based on their post-operative swallowing status. The swallowing status was assessed using the Food Intake Level Scale. Functional status was evaluated as hospital-associated disability (HAD), defined as a decrease in activities of daily living after hospital discharge compared with preoperative values. The patients were subsequently followed up to detect major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs). Post-extubation dysphagia was present in 23% of the 712 patients and was independently associated with HAD (adjusted odds ratio, 2.70). Over a 3.5-year median follow-up period, MACCE occurred in 14.1% of patients. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis revealed HAD to be independently associated with an increased risk of MACCE (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.85), although PED was not significantly associated with MACCE.

Conclusion

Post-extubation dysphagia was an independent HAD predictor, with the odds of HAD occurrence being increased by 2.7-fold due to PED. Hospital-associated disability accompanied by PED is a powerful predictor of poor prognosis. Perioperative evaluation and management of the swallowing status, and appropriate therapeutic interventions, are warranted.
Modelling seismicity pattern of reservoir-induced earthquakes including poroelastic stressing and nucleation effects
Authors: Zhao Rong , Xue Jing , Deng Kai
Published: September 2022

Abnormal seismic activities near reservoirs usually show a strong spatiotemporal correlation with the water filling history. Reservoir-induced seismicity is thought to be related to crustal pore pressure and stress changes caused by water impounded behind the dams. Though the Coulomb-type stress analysis helps illuminate areas that would be under risk following reservoir impoundment, it lacks the ability to explain the temporal characteristics of reservoir-induced seismicity. We present a numerical investigation of the seismicity rate evolution of reservoir-induced earthquakes. Our modelling employs a fully coupled 2-D poroelastic model to calculate the pore pressure and stress changes caused by water impoundment and incorporates the rate- and state-dependent friction law to investigate the seismicity rate. We demonstrate that shallow earthquakes are mainly caused by pore pressure increase, while poroelastic stress transfer takes the dominant role at depth. Whether a fault would be brought close to failure depends on its geometrical properties and its relative location to the reservoir. The temporal evolution of reservoir-induced earthquakes is primarily controlled by tectonic environment instead of the diffusion of pore pressure.
Descending thoracic aortic repair outcomes for chronic aortic dissection: a single-centre experience
Authors: Yamane Yoshitaka , Oshima Susumu , Ishiko Kazumasa , Okiyama Makoto , Hirokami Tomohiro , Hirai Yuki , Sakurai Shigeru , Ozaki Kensuke , Yoshimura Kenichi , Takahashi Shinya , Yamamoto Shin
Published: September 2022

OBJECTIVES

Thoracic endovascular aortic repair is a widely accepted treatment for chronic aortic dissection because of good early results compared to open surgical repair. We provide early and long-term results of descending thoracic aortic repair for chronic aortic dissection.

METHODS

Patients who underwent descending thoracic aortic repair for chronic aortic dissection between January 2012 and December 2020 at Kawasaki Aortic Centre were included in this analysis.

RESULTS

Four hundred ninety-two patients (median age, 64 years; interquartile range, 52–75 years) were included. The median duration of follow-up was 3.2 years (interquartile range, 1.5–5.2 years). The early mortality rate was 2.0% (n = 10); strokes occurred in 17 patients (3.5%); and spinal cord injuries occurred in 30 patients (6.1%). Early major adverse events including early death, stroke, spinal cord injury, tracheostomy and haemodialysis at the time of discharge occurred in 62 patients. Multivariable analysis indicated that age > 70 years and non-elective surgery were predictors of early major adverse events. Among patients without both risk factors (i.e. low-risk patients), 1 early death (0.4%), 3 strokes (1.5%) and 1 spinal cord injury (0.4%) were observed, 2 tracheostomies were performed (0.8%) and no patients required haemodialysis at the time of hospital discharge. The 5-year survival rate was 87.2%. The cumulative incidence of chronic aortic dissection-related aortic reintervention at 5 years was 7.9%.

CONCLUSIONS

Descending thoracic aortic repair for chronic aortic dissection resulted in good early and long-term results, and it can serve as the gold standard for low-risk patients.
The interplay between antitrust law and intellectual property: stages of the European evolution
Authors: Ghidini Gustavo
Published: September 2022

The interplay is reconstructed in an evolutionary perspective along three main stages. In the first one, Commission focused on IPRs holders’ power of disposition in order to prevent that profiting from the statutory ‘territorial scope’ of national exclusive rights, agreements were enacted partitioning the European market thus frustrating the goal of the Single Market. In the second phase, in order to avoid monopolization of top-level innovation, the statutory excludent power itself of holders of patents and copyrights on non-workably substitutable (thus ‘essential’) innovative solutions—and also holders of a dominant position—was tempered by a duty to grant access, on FRAND terms, to competitors willing licensees. In the third stage, in order to clear the market from ‘unworthy’ IPRs, thus ensuring a fairly competitive playing field, the attention focused on the acquisition itself of IPR entitlement and various forms of its anticompetitive misuse.
Social Interactions and Legislative Activity
Authors: Canen Nathan , Jackson Matthew O , Trebbi Francesco
Published: September 2022

We develop a model of social interactions, as well as strategic interactions that depend on such social activity, and use it to measure social complementarities in the legislative process. Our model allows for partisan bias and homophily in the formation of relationships, which then impact legislative output. We use it to show how increased electoral competition can induce increased social behavior and the nonlinear effects of political polarization on legislative activity. We identify and structurally estimate our model using data on social and legislative efforts of members of each of the 105th–110th U.S. Congresses (1997–2009). We find large spillover effects in the form of complementarities between the efforts of politicians, both within and across parties. Although partisanship and preference differences between parties are significant drivers of socializing, our empirical evidence paints a less polarized picture of the informal connections of legislators than typically emerges from legislative votes alone.
Costs Around the First Year of Diagnosis for 4 Common Cancers Among the Privately Insured
Authors: Shih Ya-Chen Tina , Xu Ying , Bradley Cathy , Giordano Sharon H , Yao James , Yabroff K Robin
Published: September 2022

Background

We estimated trends in total and out-of-pocket (OOP) costs around the first year of diagnosis for privately insured nonelderly adult cancer patients.

Methods

We constructed incident cohorts of breast, colorectal, lung, and prostate cancer patients diagnosed between 2009 and 2016 using claims data from the Health Care Cost Institute. We identified cancer-related surgery, intravenous (IV) systemic therapy, and radiation and calculated associated total and OOP costs (in 2020 US dollars). We assessed trends in health-care utilization and cost by cancer site with logistic regressions and generalized linear models, respectively.

Results

The cohorts included 105 255 breast, 23 571 colorectal, 11 321 lung, and 59 197 prostate cancer patients. For patients diagnosed between 2009 and 2016, total mean costs per patient increased from $109 544 to $140 732 for breast (29%), $151 751 to $168 730 for lung (11%) or $53 300 to $55 497 for prostate (4%) cancer were statistically significant. Increase for colorectal cancer (1%, $136 652 to $137 663) was not statistically significant (P = .09). OOP costs increased to more than 15% for all cancers, including colorectal, to more than $6000 by 2016. Use of IV systemic therapy and radiation statistically significantly increased, except for lung cancer. Cancer surgeries statistically significantly increased for breast and colorectal cancer but decreased for prostate cancer (P < .001). Total costs increased statistically significantly for nearly all treatment modalities, except for IV systemic therapy in colorectal and radiation in prostate cancer.

Conclusions

Rising costs of cancer treatments, compounded with greater cost sharing, increased OOP costs for privately insured, nonelderly cancer patients. Policy initiatives to mitigate financial hardship should consider cost containment as well as insurance reform.
The Challenge of Bioinequality: Addressing the Health Impact of Unequal Treatment Through Law
Authors: Karpin Isabel A , O’Connell Karen
Published: September 2022

Global social movements for justice have called for better legal responses to the harms of inequality. These inequalities have traditionally been dealt with in the political sphere and legal measures to address them have taken little account of emerging knowledge about the biological impact of unequal treatment. We use the concept ‘bioinequalities’ to foreground the relationship increasingly articulated in studies that show that social stress and trauma associated with unequal treatment have a significant epigenetic and intergenerational impact on the body. This article proposes a way to address the health harms that result from inequality by drawing on the existing concept of the ‘hostile environment’ in sexual harassment jurisprudence in Australia. Our ‘bioinequality’ approach focuses on the way that inequality operates in and as a hostile and harmful environment for the embodied and embedded beings that live in it. We examine the possibilities of using the concept of a hostile environment to more effectively address discriminatory harms alongside a positive duty to create non-hostile environments. In so doing we offer a broader, bioscientifically informed approach that can inform equality laws in other jurisdictions.
Vindicating Reasons
Authors: Longworth Guy
Published: September 2022

What is the philosophical role of an historical account of how someone, or some people, came to believe or value as they do? I consider some proposals, due to Bernard Williams and David Wiggins, according to which such an account might either vindicate or subvert our believing or valuing as we do. I suggest some reasons for scepticism about those proposals, at least when construed as providing a fundamental means of assessing cases of believing or valuing. The main problem raised for the proposals, when so construed, is that they conflate reasons that now support believing or valuing with reasons for coming in the first place to believe or value.