bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Gas selection for Xe-based LCP-GEM detectors onboard the CubeSat X-ray observatory NinjaSat
Authors: Takeda T. , Tamagawa T. , Enoto T. , Kitaguchi T. , Kato Y. , Mihara T. , Iwakiri W. , Numazawa M. , Zhou Y. , Uchiyama K. , Yoshida Y. , Ota N. , Hayashi S. , Watanabe S. , Jujo A. , Sato H. , Hu C.P. , Takahashi H. , Odaka H. , Tamba T. , Taniguchi K.
Published: June 2023

We present a gas selection for Xe-based gas electron multiplier (GEM) detectors, Gas
Multiplier Counters (GMCs) onboard the CubeSat X-ray observatory NinjaSat. To achieve an energy
bandpass of 2–50 keV, we decided to use a Xe-based gas mixture at a pressure of 1.2 atm that is
sensitive to high-energy X-rays. In addition, an effective gain of over 300 is required for a
single GEM so that the 2 keV X-ray signal can be sufficiently larger than the electrical noise.
At first, we measured the effective gains of GEM in nine Xe-based gas mixtures (combinations of
Xe, Ar, CO2, CH4, and dimethyl ether; DME) at 1.0 atm. The highest gains were obtained
with Xe/Ar/DME mixtures, while relatively lower gains were obtained with Xe/Ar/CO2,
Xe/Ar/CH4, and Xe+quencher mixtures. Based on these results, we selected the Xe/Ar/DME
(75%/24%/1%) mixture at 1.2 atm as the sealed gas for GMC. Then we investigated the dependence
of an effective gain on the electric fields in the drift and induction gaps ranging from
100–650 V cm-1 and 500–5000 V cm-1, respectively, in the selected gas mixture. The
effective gain weakly depended on the drift field while it was almost linearly proportional to the
induction field: 2.4 times higher at 5000 V cm-1 than at 1000 V cm-1. With the optimal
induction and drift fields, the flight model GMC achieves an effective gain of 460 with an applied
GEM voltage of 590 V.
Environmental impacts of renting rangelands: integrating remote sensing and household surveys at the parcel level
Authors: Lu Luci , Li Ping , Kalacska Margaret , Robinson Brian E
Published: June 2023

Land rental markets are growing worldwide and facilitate efficient utilization of land. However, the short duration of occupancy and limited property rights mean that rental contracts may discourage longer-term sustainable land management. Direct investigation into the relationship between land tenure and ecological outcomes has been hampered by scale-appropriate data on land tenure, resource management, and land outcomes. In this paper, we address these issues with a study design that combines participatory mapping, household surveys, and remote sensing. We analyzed these data in a multilevel statistical model, controlling for environmental and land management influences. Our results show that rented land parcels are associated with worse rangeland outcomes compared to privately held parcels. This study contributes to the literature by documenting important empirical effects of rental markets and presenting a replicable workflow for integrating earth observations and micro-level survey data, which can be adopted by researchers and practitioners in regions where land registry data is unavailable or inaccessible. The results have important implications for incentive and compensatory-based environmental policy.
The Havriliak–Negami and Jurlewicz–Weron–Stanislavsky relaxation models revisited: memory functions based study
Authors: Górska K , Horzela A , Penson K A
Published: June 2023

We provide a review of theoretical results concerning the Havriliak–Negami (HN) and the Jurlewicz–Weron–Stanislavsky (JWS) dielectric relaxation models. We derive explicit forms of functions characterizing relaxation phenomena in the time domain—the relaxation, response and probability distribution functions. We also explain how to construct and solve relevant evolution equations within these models. These equations are usually solved by using the Schwinger parametrization and the integral transforms. Instead, in this work we replace it by the powerful Efros theorem. That allows one to relate physically admissible solutions to the memory-dependent evolution equations with phenomenologically known spectral functions and, from the other side, with the subordination mechanism emerging from a stochastic analysis of processes underpinning considered relaxation phenomena. Our approach is based on a systematic analysis of the memory-dependent evolution equations. It exploits methods of integral transforms, operational calculus and special functions theory with the completely monotone and Bernstein functions. Merging analytic and stochastic methods enables us to give a complete classification of the standard functions used to describe the large class of the relaxation phenomena and to explain their properties.
Margination of platelet-sized particles in red blood cell suspensions flowing through a Y-shaped confluence microchannel
Authors: Noguchi Akira , Tange Yuki , Itano Tomoaki , Sugihara-Seki Masako
Published: June 2023

In blood flow through microvessels, platelets are known to be distributed in high concentrations near the vessel wall, termed ‘margination’ or ‘near-wall excess’. At the confluence of two vessels, this preferential distribution of platelets is thought to be compromised and reconstituted in the downstream main vessel. The present study aimed to investigate the distance of this margination reconstruction from the confluence by in vitro experiments using platelet-sized fluorescent particles as a platelet surrogate and a Y-shaped confluence microchannel with rectangular cross sections. Fluorescence microscopy was performed using a confocal laser scanning microscope system to measure the distribution of particles in the red blood cell suspension flow. Immediately after confluence, particles were highly concentrated along a narrow band in the middle of the channel width, where particles located near the inner wall of the daughter channels flowed in. This dense band of particles faded downstream and disappeared less than 5 mm from the confluence. This margination distance is comparable to or smaller than the margination development distance in straight channels, but much smaller than that after bifurcation.
Tuning the electrochemical properties of NiS2 2D-nanoflakes by one-zone sulfurization for supercapacitor applications
Authors: Ondrejka Peter , Sojková Michaela , Kotok Valerii , Novák Patrik , Hotovy Ivan , Kemény Martin , Mikolášek Miroslav
Published: June 2023

Nickel-based sulfides (particularly NiS2) are regarded as promising materials for highly efficient electrochemical generation and storage devices. The conventional fabrication methods of nanostructured NiSX electrodes involve several complex steps using multiple precursors and techniques. In this paper, the NiSX electrodes are prepared by a plain one-step process of one-zone sulfurization of Ni foam. The evolution of highly electroactive 2D-nanoflakes reliant on sulfurization temperature is studied. Scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffractometry, and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy confirmed the presence of NiSX (x = 1 and 2) in the prepared structures. A strong dependence of sample morphology and 2D-nanoflakes density on sulfurization temperature was demonstrated. The electrochemical properties of samples were characterized by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements. Owing to the 2D-nanoflake structure, the NiS2 showed attractive electrochemical performance, including a high specific capacitance of 648 mF cm−2 and a capacitance retention rate of 90,7% after 3000 cycles. Our study shows that the composition and crystal growth of NiSX can be tuned by reaction temperature during the sulfurization and high perspective of sulfurization in the synthesis of highly electroactive large-scale electrodes for supercapacitors.
Effects of plasma on electrochemical performance of carbon cloth-based supercapacitor
Authors: Zhou Jian , Lu Fu , Wu Zhengwei
Published: June 2023

In this work, the surface of carbon cloth is treated by plasma jet to improve its hydrophilicity. The symmetrical carbon cloth-based supercapacitor is assembled with the carbon cloth treated by plasma as the active electrodes and sodium chloride solution as the electrolyte. With the discharge time (1 min, 2 min, 3 min) and working gas types (argon, air, helium) of plasma as variables, the effects of different plasma on the hydrophilicity of carbon cloth are observed, and the changes of the electrochemical properties of the supercapacitors with single or double carbon cloth electrodes treated by different plasma are studied. The contact angle test results show that the plasma of different working gases can weaken the hydrophobicity of carbon cloth, and the helium plasma can make the carbon cloth change from hydrophobicity to hydrophilicity. The electric capacity calculated by cyclic voltammetry shows that plasma can increase the electric capacity of carbon cloth-based supercapacitors. The electric capacity of carbon cloth-based supercapacitors with two carbon cloth electrodes treated by plasma is larger than that of single carbon cloth electrode treated by plasma. The argon and helium plasma with longer discharge time can significantly improve the electric capacity of carbon cloth-based supercapacitors. The galvanostatic charge-discharge curve shows that different working gases of plasma can make carbon cloth-based supercapacitors obtain pseudocapacitance, increase the charge-discharge time and electric capacity. From the AC impedance spectrum, it can be concluded that the plasma of any kind of working gas can reduce the impedance and charge transfer resistance of the carbon cloth-based supercapacitor. The longer plasma discharge time lead to the smaller impedance, and the impedance of the supercapacitor with both carbon cloth electrodes treated by plasma is smaller.
Innovation in Artificial Intelligence: Illustrations in Academia, Apparel, and the Arts
Authors: Kaplan Andreas
Published: June 2023

Artificial intelligence (AI), commonly defined as “a system’s ability to correctly interpret external data, to learn from such data, and to use those learnings to achieve specific goals and tasks through flexible adaptation,” can be classified into analytical, human-inspired, and humanized AI depending upon its application of cognitive, emotional, and social intelligence. AI’s foundations took place in the 1950s. A sequence of vicissitudes of funding, interest in, and support for AI followed subsequently. In 2015 AlphaGo, Google’s AI-driven system, won against the human grandmaster in the highly complex board game Go. This is considered one of the most significant milestones in the development of AI and marks the starting of a new period, enabling several AI innovations in a variety of sectors and industries.

Higher education, the fashion industry, and the arts serve as illustrations of areas wherein ample innovation based on AI occurs. Using these domains, various angles of innovation in AI can be presented and decrypted. AI innovation in higher education, for example, indicates that at some point, AI-powered robots might take over the role of human teachers. For the moment, however, AI in academia is solely used to support human beings, not to replace them. The apparel industry, specifically fast fashion—one of the planet’s biggest polluters—shows how innovation in AI can help the sector move toward sustainability and eco-responsibility through, among other ways, improved forecasting, increased customer satisfaction, and more efficient supply chain management. An analysis of AI-driven novelty in the arts, notably in museums, shows that developing highly innovative, AI-based solutions might be a necessity for the survival of a strongly declining cultural sector.

These examples all show the role AI already plays in these sectors and its likely importance in their respective futures. While AI applications imply many improvements for academia, the apparel industry, and the arts, it should come as no surprise that it also has several drawbacks. Enforcing laws and regulations concerning AI is critical in order to avoid its adverse effects. Ethics and the ethical behavior of managers and leaders in various sectors and industries is likewise crucial. Education will play an additional significant role in helping AI positively influence economies and societies worldwide. Finally, international entente (i.e., the cooperation of the world’s biggest economies and nations) must take place to ensure AI’s benefit to humanity and civilization. Therefore, these challenges and areas (i.e., enforcement, ethics, education, and entente) can be summarized as the four summons of AI.
CO2 in the Surface Ocean
Authors: Landschützer Peter
Published: June 2023

The global ocean comprises a significant sink for human-emitted carbon dioxide, yet many different processes are at play, causing strong spatial and temporal variations in the distribution of the sea surface pCO2 and the resulting air-sea CO2 fluxes. While dominated by the temperature-driven solubility, physical transport and biogeochemistry, the increase in the sea surface CO2 partial pressure over the past decades is closely following the increase in atmospheric CO2, resulting in a decreasing pH and decreasing saturation states of calcite and aragonite minerals. Despite the increasing abundance of novel data interpolation tools, e.g. based on machine learning, the heterogeneous distribution of CO2 in the surface ocean requires a dense observing network to reconstruct global change.
Kenneth Kaunda
Authors: DeRoche Andy
Published: June 2023

Born in 1924 in the British colony of Northern Rhodesia, Kenneth Kaunda served as Zambia’s first president between 1964 and 1991. From his initial days in office, Kaunda and his government successfully expanded and integrated the education system at all levels. He attempted to diversify the economy, with some success on the industrial side, but made little progress in agriculture. When threatened by a new opposition party in 1971, he transformed Zambia into a one-party state, which it remained for the rest of his presidency. A precipitous drop in global copper prices and simultaneous jump in oil costs in the mid-1970s sabotaged the Zambian economy, forcing Kaunda to seek aid and loans from all quarters. His efforts attracted a significant amount of assistance for his nation, but nonetheless widespread poverty and inflation wracked Zambia by the early 1980s and were key factors in Kaunda’s 1991 ousting from power.

Kaunda’s most striking moves as president were in diplomacy, where he took a firm stand against neighboring Rhodesia’s attempt to unilaterally declare independence from Great Britain. To allow Zambian participation in sanctions against Rhodesia, Kaunda established very positive relations with China, who in turn funded and built a railroad linking the Copperbelt to the port of Dar Es Salaam. Working closely with Western officials such as Henry Kissinger and Margaret Thatcher, Kaunda contributed considerably to the process leading to a settlement in late 1979, ending the war in Rhodesia, which then gained independence as the majority-ruled nation of Zimbabwe. Kaunda continued the struggle against racism in the southern African region through the 1980s, assisting significantly in the battle against apartheid in South Africa. After widespread protests erupted in 1990, he announced that a multiparty election would take place in October 1991. When he was soundly defeated, he accepted the results and left power, thus giving democracy a boost in southern Africa. During his last two decades, he focused on fighting the HIV/AIDS pandemic. He died in Lusaka in June 2021 at the age of 97.
Women in Tanzania (Tanganyika and Zanzibar)
Authors: Mbilinyi Marjorie
Published: June 2023

Women’s history in Tanzania is intertwined with the different ways in which gender relations were constructed over time and space and how they intersected with class and race or ethnicity. Both women and men have been actively involved in sustaining as well as changing dominant patriarchal gender relations at the household and community levels. At the same time, the colonial and postcolonial governments sought to “manage” gender relations that perpetuated their power and control at different levels of society and ensured reproduction and cheap labor.

Women have exhibited agency, individually and collectively, in promoting their own interests and those of their children, families, and communities in the economic, social, and political spheres. They were actively involved in anticolonial struggles on the mainland and Zanzibar. They took advantage of institutions such as Christian missions, schools, corporate-owned mines and plantations, and townships to run away from unwanted husbands or forced betrothals and to advance themselves. Women organized themselves separately or with men to enhance their welfare in response to the new opportunities that arose after independence. During the ujamaa period of socialism and self-reliance, women established cooperative shops in both urban and rural areas to access scarce commodities, and joined block farms in ujamaa villages where they had independent ownership and control over land, farm input, equipment, and produce. They intensified their labor to earn income to support their families during economic crises and after the Structural Adjustment policies in the 1980s led to low incomes and unemployment for men. Education was another terrain of struggle and advancement for girls and women before and after independence in Zanzibar and the mainland. Women educators acted individually and collectively to advance opportunities for girls and women.
Ethics and Buddhism
Authors: Locke Jessica
Published: June 2023

Although canonical Buddhist philosophy does not offer systematic, meta-ethical argumentation in a manner that might be familiar to readers of Western ethical theories, Buddhism has long been deeply concerned with ethical questions, offering detailed articulations of human flourishing, elaborate moral psychologies, taxonomies of virtues, rules for moral conduct, and instructions on spiritual technologies for ethical self-cultivation. The ethical underpinnings of the Buddhist project manifest differently across Buddhist traditions, although teachings such as the Buddha’s diagnosis of the suffering endemic to the human condition and the way to resolve it in the four noble truths, the workings of karma (literally “action” in Sanskrit) and its effects in shaping the world that a being experiences, and the moral-psychological structure of experience together provide a shared set of foundational principles.

How these foundational principles are enacted within the ethical teachings and contemplative practices of different Buddhist traditions varies. Among the early Buddhist schools that emerged in the first few centuries after the lifetime of the Buddha, a distinctive ethical focus is its elaboration of the moral psychology of monitoring and purifying unwholesome qualities of feeling and thinking as an essential task on the path of liberation. With the emergence of Mahāyāna (Sanskrit: “Great Vehicle”) Buddhism around the 1st century bce, the ethical lodestone shifts to the cultivation of bodhicitta (Sanskrit: “awakening mind”)—the radically altruistic intention to achieve enlightenment in order to benefit sentient beings—as well as advancing the figure of the bodhisattva (Sanskrit: “awakening being”) as moral exemplar. Vajrayāna (Sanskrit: “Indestructible Vehicle”) Buddhism upholds the basic ethical view of the Mahāyāna while activating them within a contemplative scheme characterized by elaborate tantric rituals, which are said to conduce to a more expeditious realization and are supported by additional sets of ethical commitments.

In addition to exegeses of these traditional Buddhist ethical commitments and the practices that support them, much of the scholarship on Buddhist ethics in the 21st century is concerned with constructing systematic interpretations of traditional Buddhist ethics, applying traditional Buddhist ethics to contemporary moral problems, expanding the scope of Buddhist ethical reflection to articulate activist stances on social justice issues, and interpreting the recent secularization of Buddhist practice in evidence-based contemplative science protocols.
Ertegun, Ahmet
Authors: Goldman Shalom
Published: June 2023

Ahmet Ertegun (b. 1923–d. 2006) was among the most influential music producers and recording industry moguls of the 20th century. Born in Istanbul, he spent his childhood and youth with parents who served in the Turkish diplomatic service. As his father moved from one post to another, Ahmet attended school throughout Europe before settling in the United States. Deeply attracted to and influenced by American popular music, he became an avid collector of jazz and blues recordings and a frequent attendee of jazz concerts. Sympathy for the emerging civil rights movement was an additional factor in Ertegun’s support of African American musicians.

In his mid-20s, determined to found his own record company but without much experience in financial matters, Ertegun and a partner launched a record company that would bridge the cultural gaps between white and black audiences. Atlantic Records, under the guidance of Ahmet Ertegun, his brother Nesuhi, and their partner Jerry Wexler, would shape the musical taste of a worldwide audience. Among the artists they recorded and promoted were Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Led Zeppelin, and the Rolling Stones.

With the fortune he accumulated through the sale of Atlantic Records to Warner Brothers in the early 1970s, Ahmet Ertegun and his brother Nesuhi founded the New York Cosmos soccer team. Ertegun was also among the primary founders of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which opened in Cleveland in 1995.
Tantric Revival in China
Authors: Bahir Cody R.
Published: June 2023

The modern reclamation of Esoteric Buddhism by Chinese Buddhists, commonly referred to as “The Tantric Revival,” began in China during the waning days of the Qing dynasty (1664–1912) and has since blossomed into a global phenomenon consisting of both independent and loosely interconnected communities in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and the Unites States. Despite this diversity, the architects of the revival are united by their desire to resurrect what they perceive as an extinct form of Chinese religiosity—referred to as “Tang-dynasty esotericism” (tangmi唐密), “the esoteric school” (mizong密宗), or more commonly “Zhenyan” (真言)—that they believe disappeared from the Chinese Buddhist landscape after the Tang dynasty. The revival began during the late Qing dynasty and early Republican period (1912–1949), when Chinese Buddhists started studying Esoteric Buddhism in Japan and Tibet, where forms of Esoteric Buddhism have thrived unabated for centuries. However, interest in Japanese Esoteric Buddhism quickly waned, and the popularity of Tibetan Vajrayāna eventually superseded the desire to resurrect Tang-dynasty Zhenyan. Moreover, no independent Chinese chain of Esoteric Buddhist transmission was established during this time. Thus, the first phase of the Tantric Revival, in a sense, failed.

Beginning in the 1970s, however, the importation of Tibetan Buddhism to Taiwan renewed the desire to resurrect—as they saw it—Tang-dynasty Chinese Esoteric Buddhism and essentially revived the revival. Similar to the early Qing-dynasty and Republican-period revivalists who left China to study Esoteric Buddhism abroad, a number of Taiwanese monks traveled to Kōyasan, Japan, where they were ordained as priests within the Japanese Buddhist tradition of Shingon, which descends from the original form of Esoteric Buddhism in China. However, unlike their Chinese-revivalist predecessors, some of these monks were successful in establishing independent and self-propagating Zhenyan lineages. Moreover, a number of their students went on to establish their own Chinese Esoteric Buddhist communities throughout the world.
Virtual Water
Authors: Greco Francesca , Keulertz Martin , Dent David
Published: June 2023

Virtual water is the water contained in food, understood not only as the physical amount within the product but also as the amount of water required to generate it over time, from planting to final harvest. Despite Tony Allan defined virtual water in the context of the water needed to produce agricultural commodities, the concept has been subsequently expanded to include the water needed to produce non-agricultural commodities and industrial goods by Arjen Hoekstra, the creator of the water footprint indicator. Virtual water is a revolutionary concept because it describes something never conceptualized before: the water “embedded” in a product. Allan used virtual water “food water” and “embedded water” as interchangeable terms. Virtual water “trade” is the result of food trade: where agricultural goods are traded across countries, the water needed to produce that product in country A is, in fact, consumed in country B. Country B is therefore not consuming its own local resources when consuming imported food. Allan believed that this mechanism could alleviate irrigation water needs in water-scarce areas when food imports are in place. The virtual water content of a product (measured in liters per kilo) is provided not only by the sum of the irrigation water that has been withdrawn from surface and underground sources in order to grow crops—called “blue water.” Virtual water is also composed of the rainwater consumed by plants and persisting in agricultural soil moisture, which does not percolate down to the aquifers or go back to rivers and lakes. This second component is called “green water.” The green- and blue-water components form the total amount of water embedded in crops, and they are the two components of virtual water. Allan borrowed the concepts of green and blue water from the work of Malin Falkenmark. Virtual water and virtual water “trade” have been largely explored and studied at both local and global levels, becoming the subjects of thousands of papers between 1993 and 2022, which helped uncover global appropriation of a local resource that is unevenly distributed by nature and very often unequally “traded” by humans: water.
Development of complexity categories for an investigational drug services complexity scoring tool to assess pharmacy effort in clinical trial initiation and maintenance
Authors: Song Kangwon , Yu Michelle , McLuckie Rachel , O’Brien Kathryn , Harrison Michael , Nguyen Victor , Kraft Michael , Abdelghany Osama , Phillips Marjorie Shaw , Roberts Jennifer , Johnston Susan , Young Caitlyn Anne , Redic Kimberly A
Published: June 2023

Purpose

Research pharmacy effort required to safely and compliantly manage investigational products (IP) varies between studies. No validated tool exists in the United States to evaluate these differences in effort. The Vizient Pharmacy Research Committee Investigational Drug Services (IDS) Subcommittee previously developed a systematic complexity scoring tool (CST) through expert consensus to assign a complexity score for pharmacy effort. This project seeks to develop and validate complexity categories based on CST scores.

Methods

Vizient member institutions in IDS assigned a CST complexity score and a perceived complexity category (low, medium, or high) for study initiation and maintenance. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis defined the best CST score cutoff points for each complexity category. Comparing the CST-assigned to the user-perceived complexity category determined whether the CST-assigned complexity category aligned with practitioner assignment.

Results

A total of 322 responses were used to determine complexity score categories. The AUC values for study initiation and maintenance were 0.79 (P < 0.001) for the low/medium boundary and 0.80 (P < 0.001) for the medium/high boundary, suggesting the performance of the CST is good. The agreement between CST-assigned and user-perceived complexity categories was 60% for study initiation and 58% for maintenance. The Kendall rank correlation coefficient between the raters and ROC categories was strong, with a value of 0.48 for study initiation and 0.47 for maintenance.

Conclusion

Development of the CST allows IDS pharmacies to objectively measure the complexity of clinical trials, which is a significant step towards assessing workload and guiding resource allocation.
Neuropsychological Performance in Alzheimer’s Disease versus Late-Life Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Barlet Brianna D , Hauson Alexander O , Pollard Anna A , Zhang Emily Z , Nemanim Natasha M , Sarkissians Sharis , Lackey Nick S , Stelmach Nicholas P , Walker Alyssa D , Carson Bryce T , Flora-Tostado Christopher , Reszegi Katalin , Allen Kenneth E , Viglione Donald J
Published: June 2023

Objective

Despite decades of research, neuropsychological tests (NPTs) that clearly differentiate between Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and late-life depression (LLD) have yet to be agreed upon. Given this gap in knowledge and the rapid deployment of disease-modifying drugs for the two disorders, accurate clinical diagnosis using evidence-based assessment is essential. This study aims to systematically examine the literature to identify NPTs that would be able to differentiate AD and LLD.

Method

Databases and bibliographies were searched to identify articles for analysis. Two major inclusion criteria were that the studies compared neuropsychological functioning of AD versus LLD using normed NPTs and provided data for effect size calculation. Risk of bias was minimized by having independent coders for all steps in the review.

Results

Forty-one studies met inclusion criteria (N = 2,797) and provided effect sizes for tests that were classified as belonging to 15 domains of functioning. The two groups were well differentiated by tasks of delayed contextual verbal memory as compared to immediate or non-contextual memory, recognition cueing, confrontation naming, visuospatial construction, and conceptualization. Specific NPTs that appear to be useful for differential diagnosis include the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test–Delayed Recognition; Boston Naming Test; the Dementia Rating Scale’s memory, conceptualization, and construction subscales; and the CERAD Constructional Praxis.

Conclusions

The NPTs highlighted in this systematic review could be used as a relatively simple and cost-effective method to differentiate between patients with cognitive dysfunction due to AD versus LLD.
Participant retention in a continental-scale citizen science project increases with the diversity of species detected
Authors: Bonter David N , Martin Victoria Y , Greig Emma I , Phillips Tina B
Published: June 2023

Sustaining the efforts of volunteers is a challenge facing citizen science programs. Research on volunteer management shows that a diversity of factors may be correlated with sustained volunteerism. In the present article, we explore retention of participants in a large-scale citizen science project. We focus on Project FeederWatch, a bird-monitoring program. Using data from 17,991 participants, we found that the probability of retention increased with the diversity of species (species richness) reported by a participant, but retention was unrelated to the overall abundance of birds reported. Participants who successfully submitted an observation were more likely to remain in the project the following year (82.0% interannual retention) than people who registered but never submitted an observation (39.7%). Two measures of effort were positively correlated with retention. This work provides a case study for examining how demographic information and scientific data collected by participants can be mined to understand volunteer retention in environmental monitoring projects.
Effects of oral nutritional supplements on the nutritional status and inflammatory markers in patients on maintenance dialysis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials
Authors: Liu Peng Ju , Guo Jiayu , Zhang Yu , Wang Fang , Yu Kang
Published: June 2023

Background and aims

Patients on hemodialysis (HD) or peritoneal dialysis (PD) often have insufficient energy and protein intake, resulting in poor nutritional status and adverse outcomes. Oral nutritional supplements (ONSs) are the most commonly used to increase such patients’ energy and protein intakes.

Methods

In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we analyzed studies on nutritional status, inflammatory markers, and electrolyte levels in patients on dialysis receiving ONSs. We searched four electronic databases from inception until 31 December 2022, for randomized controlled trials comparing ONS treatment versus placebo or routine care.

Results

22 studies with 1185 patients on dialysis were included in our meta-analysis. Compared with the control group, the ONS group exhibited significantly increased serum albumin levels [1.26 g/l (95%CI, 0.50–2.02, P < 0.0001; I2 = 80.4%)], body mass indexes (BMIs) [0.30 kg/m2 (95%CI, 0.09–0.52, P = 0.005; I2 = 41.4%)], and handgrip strength (HGS) [0.96 kg (95%CI, 0.07–1.84, P = 0.034; I2 = 41.4%)] from baseline to the end of intervention. No significant differences were observed between the groups in lean body mass, phase angle, C-reactive protein, and serum phosphorus and potassium levels. In terms of improving albumin, the subgroup analyses show that ONS use seems to be more inclined to three variations: HD patients, short-term use, and non-intradialytic supplementation.

Conclusion

In conclusion, ONS use can improve the nutritional status of patients on dialysis in terms of their serum albumin, BMI, and HGS without significant effects on serum phosphorus, potassium, and C-reactive protein levels. However, it remains uncertain whether these results translate to improvement in clinically relevant outcomes. Large-scale high-quality studies are still required in this population.
Prediction of mortality by a 2-steps systolic and diastolic exercise echocardigraphy protocol in patients with normal left ventricular systolic function
Authors: Peteiro J , Bouzas-Mosquera A , De Andres F , Vazquez-Rodriguez J
Published: June 2023

Funding Acknowledgements

Type of funding sources: None.

Background

Exercise echocardiography (ExE) may evaluate left ventricular (LV) systolic and diastolic function. We sought to assess the combined prognostic value of systolic and diastolic function by a 2-steps protocol in patients referred for a clinically indicated ExE.

Methods

LV systolic and DF according to ASE/EACVI guidelines, and mitral regurgitation (MR) were evaluated at rest in 772 patients (age 67±12 years) with preserved LV ejection fraction (≥50). Afterwards, we assessed regional/global LV systolic function at peak exercise on a treadmill (step 1), and MR and E/e’ in the immediate post-exercise period (step 2). Abnormal ExE was defined as ischemia or fixed wall motion abnormalities, and raised E/e´values as >15 at rest and at exercise (e´ at the septal level). The patients were followed for a median of 1.7 years (25th–75th percentiles 1.07–2.59) for the occurrence of overall mortality.

Results

Ischemia was reported in 161 patients (21%) and abnormal ExE in 192 (25%). DF at rest was abnormal in 221 patients (29%) and indeterminate in 77 (10%). E/e´ >15 was found in 148 patients at rest (19%) and in 125 at exercise (16%). Mean achieved metabolic equivalents were 8.4±3.0 and 78% of the tests were maximal. There were 36 deaths (4.7%). Independent predictors were: age (HR= 1.07, 95% CI=1.03–1.11; p = 0.002), male gender (HR= 4.09, 95% CI=1.83–9.14; p = 0.001), peak double product (HR= 0.91, 95% CI=0.85–0.97; p = 0.002), peak wall motion score index (HR= 7.99, 95% CI=2.98–21.48; p<0.001) and post-exercise E/e´ value (HR= 1.08, 95% CI=1.02–1.15; p = 0.013). Neither resting E/e´ values nor resting abnormal DF resulted independent predictors. Annualized mortality-rates were 10.9 % in patients with (+) ExE plus (+) exercise E/e´, 3.7% in (-) ExE and (+) exercise E/e, 3.6% in those with (+) ExE and (-) exercise E/e´, and 1.2% with both variables normal.

Conclusions

A two-steps protocol for systolic and diastolic ExE assessment is able to predict mortality in patients with normal resting LV function. Mortality was 10-times higher when the 2 assessments were abnormal in comparison with both normal.
Sex and age-specific interactions of coronary atherosclerotic plaque onset and prognosis from coronary CT
Authors: Van Rosendael S , Bax A M , Lin F , Van Rosendael A R
Published: June 2023

Funding Acknowledgements

Type of funding sources: None.

Background

The totality of atherosclerotic plaque derived from coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) – atherosclerotic plaque burden - emerges as a comprehensive measure to assess the intensity of medical treatment that patients need. This study examines the differences in age onset and prognostic significance of atherosclerotic plaque burden between women and men.

Methods

From a large multi-center CCTA registry the Leiden CCTA score was calculated in 24,950 men and women. This score incorporates plaque extent, severity, location and composition into a single value, and was divided into 3 risk groups as described previously. Median Leiden CCTA score values were modeled per increasing age to assess the delay in onset of plaque in women. Further, sex-differences in the prognostic value for major adverse cardiac events (MACE, myocardial infarction or all-cause death) were investigated using multivariable cox regression analysis, adjusted for age and cardiovascular risk factors. Sex specific differences in prognostic importance are evaluated with interactions, including a pre-defined age threshold of ≥55 years indicating menopause.

Results

A total of 11,678 women (age 58.5 ± 12.4 years) and 13,272 men (age 55.6 ± 12.5 years) were followed for 3.7 years. The age where the median Leiden CCTA risk score was above zero was 12 years higher in women versus men (64–68 yr in women vs 52–56 yr in men, p<0.001). The Leiden CCTA risk score was independently associated with MACE: score 6–20: HR 2.29 (1.69–3.10); score >20: HR 6.71 (4.36–10.32) in women, and score 6–20: HR 1.64 (1.29–2.08); score >20: HR 2.38 (1.73–3.29) in men. The risk was significantly higher for women within the highest risk group (adjusted p-interaction = 0.003). In pre-menopausal women, the Leiden CCTA risk score was equally predictive comparable with men. In postmenopausal women, the prognostic value was higher for women, especially in the highest Leiden CCTA risk score (score 6–20: HR 2.21 [1.57–3.11]; score >20: HR 6.11 [3.84–9.70] in women; score 6–20: HR 1.57 [1.19–2.09]; score >20: HR 2.25 [1.58–3.22] in men), with a significant interaction for the highest risk group (adjusted p-interaction=0.004).

Conclusion

Women developed coronary atherosclerosis approximately 12 years later than men. Post-menopausal women within the highest atherosclerotic burden group were at significantly higher risk for MACE than their male counterparts, which may have implications of the medical treatment intensity.
Usefulness of contrast echocardiography for detection of left ventricular thrombus in a real-world population with acute anterior myocardial infarction
Authors: Moschovidis V , Papadopoulou S L , Gogos C , Kantartzi V , Styliadis I , Sachpekidis V
Published: June 2023

Funding Acknowledgements

Type of funding sources: None.

Background/Introduction

The treatment of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) has considerably changed in recent years, with early, mainly transcatheter reperfusion therapy improving survival. However, left ventricular thrombus (LVT) is still reported as a relatively common complication especially in anterior STEMI. Two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is the most commonly used diagnostic modality in this setting due to its wide availability and low cost but can lead to misdiagnoses. The use of ultrasound contrast agents has dramatically improved the visualization of cardiac chambers and thus detection of LVT.

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to assess the value of contrast echocardiography (CE) for the detection of apical LVT in a real-world population of patients with acute anterior myocardial infarction (MI) in the modern era.

Methods

The population of this prospective study consisted of consecutive patients presenting within a year with acute anterior MI in a tertiary hospital with capability of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection and/or current use of anticoagulant medication were excluded from the study. All patients underwent TTE without and with contrast within 7 days post-MI by an experienced cardiologist. CE was considered the reference standard.

Results

A total of 102 patients (mean age 61±13 years, 19% female) with anterior STEMI were prospectively recruited in our study. Ninety-eight patients underwent primary PCI, 3 patients underwent rescue PCI after unsuccessful thrombolysis, 1 patient underwent surgical revascularization. Two patients did not receive contrast agent (1 due to known hypersensitivity to contrast agent and 1 due to cardiogenic shock). Mean ejection fraction (EF) was 46% ± 10% in total population and was significantly lower in patients with LVT (42% ± 7% vs 47% ± 10%, p = 0.025). The incidence of confirmed LVT by CE was 28% (28/100) within 7 days post-MI. In total, 8 out of 28 LVT cases (28.5%) would have been missed using TTE without contrast within 7 days post-MI (sensitivity 71%, specificity 100%, positive predictive value 100% and negative predictive value 90%). Example of missed LVT on TTE without and with contrast (left and right panel respectively) is shown in Figure 1.

Conclusions

LVT is not uncommon after anterior STEMI in the modern era of primary PCI. LVT would have been missed in a significant proportion of patients with anterior STEMI if CE was not used, depriving these patients from the option of early anticoagulation treatment.
Evaluation of myocardial work index in predicting in-hospital complication in patients with Takotsubo syndrome
Authors: Serena Migliarino S M , Giuseppe Iuliano G I , Mario Cristiano M C , Michele Bellino M B , Noemi Lionetti N L , Francesco Loria F L , Rossana Palumbo R P , Rosanna Di Fonzo R D F , Germano Junior Ferruzzi G J F , Angelo Silverio A S , Gennaro Provenza G P , Michele Ciccarelli M C , Gennaro Galasso G G , Carmine Vecchione C V , Citro R
Published: June 2023

Funding Acknowledgements

Type of funding sources: None.

Backgrounds

Tako-tsubo syndrome (TTS) is a reversible heart failure pathology characterized by transient myocardial left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. Although traditionally considered a benign condition, in-hospital complications are frequent in this cohort of patients. Non-invasive myocardial work (MW) parameters are considered as emerging indexes in evaluating global and regional myocardial systolic function.

Aim

The aim of this TTS study was to investigate the potential association of MW with in-hospital complications, and to compare MW with standard (LVEF) and advanced (GLS) echocardiographic parameters of LV systolic function

Methods

thirty-eight patients (mean age, 68 ± 12 years, 35 women) with TTS diagnosed with Takotsubo Italian Network criteria were prospectively enrolled and underwent a transthoracic Doppler echocardiography within 24 hours from hospital admission. Clinical and echocardiographic characteristics during the index event were reported in table 1. MW is derived from the non-invasive strain-pressure loop obtained from the 2D strain data, integrating into its calculation the non-invasive brachial arterial pressure. Constructive MW (CMW), MW index (MWI), MW efficiency (MWE), and wasted myocardial work (WMW) were measured. LV GLS and LV EF were also measured.

In hospital complications were defined as a composite of apical LV thrombosis, hypokinetic arrhythmias (HA), supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), acute heart failure (AHF), ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation (VT/VF), cardiogenic shock (CS), respiratory arrest (RA), stroke and cardiac death (CD).

Results

Hospital complications occurred in 16 TTS patients (26% with AHF; 10% with SVT; 8% with CS; 5% with apical LV thrombosis; 5% with HA; 2,6 % with RA; 2,6% with stroke; 2% with VT/VF). The WMW parameter appear to have the best performance in predicting in-hospital complications (odds ratio for having HC: 8.4 (95% confidence interval: 1.5 to 46.1), figure 2).

Conclusion

global and regional myocardial performance is transiently impaired in TTS and significantly associated with hospital complication. Although limited by the low number of patients, these results suggest that myocardial work parameters may have a better performance than the EF value in predicting intra-hospital complications. Larger studies will be necessary to confirm these preliminary results.
SIRT3 Activator Honokiol Inhibits Th17 Cell Differentiation and Alleviates Colitis
Authors: Chen Xiaotian , Zhang Mingming , Zhou Fan , Gu Zhengrong , Li Yuan , Yu Ting , Peng Chunyan , Zhou Lixing , Li Xiangrui , Zhu Dandan , Zhang Xiaoqi , Yu Chenggong
Published: June 2023

Background

Honokiol (HKL), a natural extract of the bark of the magnolia tree and an activator of the mitochondrial protein sirtuin-3 (SIRT3), has been proposed to possess anti-inflammatory effects. This study investigated the inhibitory effects of HKL on T helper (Th) 17 cell differentiation in colitis.

Methods

Serum and biopsies from 20 participants with ulcerative colitis (UC) and 18 healthy volunteers were collected for the test of serum cytokines, flow cytometry analysis (FACS), and relative messenger RNA (mRNA) levels of T cell subsets, as well as the expression of SIRT3 and phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription/retinoic acid-related orphan nuclear receptor γt (p-STAT3/RORγt) signal pathway in colon tissues. In vitro, naïve clusters of differentiation (CD) 4 + T cells isolated from the mouse spleen differentiated to subsets including Th1, Th2, Th17, and regulatory T (Treg) cells. Peripheral blood monocytes (PBMCs) from healthy volunteers were induced to the polarization of Th17 cells. After HKL treatment, changes in T cell subsets, related cytokines, and transcription factors were measured. The dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis and interleukin (IL)-10-deficient mice were intraperitoneally injected with HKL. These experiments were conducted to study the effect of HKL on the development, cytokines, and expression of signaling pathway proteins in colitis.

Results

Patients with UC had higher serum IL-17 and a higher proportion of Th17 differentiation in blood compared with healthy participants; while IL-10 level and the proportion of Treg cells were lower. Higher relative mRNA levels of RORγt and a lower SIRT3 expression in colon tissues were observed. In vitro, HKL had little effect on the differentiation of naïve CD4+ T cells to Th1, Th2, or Treg cells, but it downregulated IL-17 levels and the Th17 cell ratio in CD4+ T cells from the mouse spleen and human PBMCs under Th17 polarization. Even with a STAT3 activator, HKL still significantly inhibited IL-17 levels. In DSS–induced colitis mice and IL-10 deficient mice treated with HKL, the length of the colon, weight loss, disease activity index, and histopathological scores were improved, IL-17 and IL-21 levels, and the proportion of Th17 cells were decreased. Sirtuin-3 expression was increased, whereas STAT3 phosphorylation and RORγt expression were inhibited in the colon tissue of mice after HKL treatment.

Conclusions

Our study demonstrated that HKL could partially protect against colitis by regulating Th17 differentiation through activating SIRT3, leading to inhibition of the STAT3/RORγt signaling pathway. These results provide new insights into the protective effects of HKL against colitis and may facilitate the research of new drugs for inflammatory bowel disease.