bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cambrian−Ordovician magmatic flare-up in NE Gondwana: A silicic large igneous province?
Authors: Dan Wei , Murphy J. Brendan , Tang Gong-Jian , Zhang Xiu-Zheng , White William M. , Wang Qiang
Published: October 2022

The origin of the Cambrian−Ordovician tectono-magmatic events affecting NE Gondwana and the adjacent peri-Gondwanan terranes (e.g., Himalaya, Lhasa, Southern Qiangtang, Baoshan, Tengchong, Sibumasu, Helmand, and Karakorum) is controversial. Although its volume is poorly constrained, we propose that an extensive belt of granitic rocks that formed in various pulses between ca. 510 Ma and 460 Ma may represent the remains of a potential silicic large igneous province (LIP), which is referred to here as the Pinghe silicic LIP, with an areal extent of ∼2.5 Mkm2. The putative Pinghe silicic LIP is composed predominantly of S-type granites with subordinate A-type granites and minor intraplate mafic rocks. The recognition of this belt of granitic rocks aids in the refinement of tectonic reconstructions of Gondwana and of models for the rifting of terranes from its northern margin. The Pinghe silicic LIP broadly coincides with the adjacent 511 Ma Kalkarindji LIP in northern Australia, and the plume or mantle upwelling that triggered the Kalkarindji LIP may have been responsible for driving crustal melting that generated the granitic rocks, in a manner analogous to the Karoo−Chon Aike association.
Supplemental Material: Origin of Late Cretaceous, enclave-bearing granitoids in southern Tibet: Implications for magma recharge and crustal thickening
Authors: Wen Ding-Jun , Hu Xiumian , al. et
Published: October 2022

Table S1: Results of synthesized age data. Table S2: Zircon U–Pb dating. Table S3: Zircon Hf isotopic compositions. Table S4: Whole-rock chemical compositions. Table S5: Whole-rock Sr–Nd isotopic compositions. Table S6: Mineral EMPA analysis. Table S7: Non-modal batch melting modeling.
COVID-19 surveillance data quality issues: a national consecutive case series
Authors: Costa-Santos Cristina , Neves Ana Luisa , Correia Ricardo , Santos Paulo , Monteiro-Soares Matilde , Freitas Alberto , Ribeiro-Vaz Ines , Henriques Teresa S , Pereira Rodrigues Pedro , Costa-Pereira Altamiro , Pereira Ana Margarida , Fonseca Joao A
Published: October 2022

Objectives

High-quality data are crucial for guiding decision-making and practising evidence-based healthcare, especially if previous knowledge is lacking. Nevertheless, data quality frailties have been exposed worldwide during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Focusing on a major Portuguese epidemiological surveillance dataset, our study aims to assess COVID-19 data quality issues and suggest possible solutions.

Settings

On 27 April 2020, the Portuguese Directorate-General of Health (DGS) made available a dataset (DGSApril) for researchers, upon request. On 4 August, an updated dataset (DGSAugust) was also obtained.

Participants

All COVID-19-confirmed cases notified through the medical component of National System for Epidemiological Surveillance until end of June.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

Data completeness and consistency.

Results

DGSAugust has not followed the data format and variables as DGSApril and a significant number of missing data and inconsistencies were found (eg, 4075 cases from the DGSApril were apparently not included in DGSAugust). Several variables also showed a low degree of completeness and/or changed their values from one dataset to another (eg, the variable ‘underlying conditions’ had more than half of cases showing different information between datasets). There were also significant inconsistencies between the number of cases and deaths due to COVID-19 shown in DGSAugust and by the DGS reports publicly provided daily.

Conclusions

Important quality issues of the Portuguese COVID-19 surveillance datasets were described. These issues can limit surveillance data usability to inform good decisions and perform useful research. Major improvements in surveillance datasets are therefore urgently needed—for example, simplification of data entry processes, constant monitoring of data, and increased training and awareness of healthcare providers—as low data quality may lead to a deficient pandemic control.
Professional roles and relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study among US clinicians
Authors: Butler Catherine R , Wong Susan P Y , Vig Elizabeth K , Neely Claire S , O'Hare Ann M
Published: October 2022

Objective

The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed healthcare delivery in the USA, but there has been little empirical work describing the impact of these changes on clinicians. We conducted a study to address the following question: how has the pandemic impacted US clinicians’ professional roles and relationships?

Design

Inductive thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews.

Setting

Clinical settings across the USA in April and May of 2020.

Participants

Clinicians with leadership and/or clinical roles during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Measures

Emergent themes related to professional roles and relationships.

Results

Sixty-one clinicians participated in semi-structured interviews. Study participants were practising in 15 states across the USA, and the majority were White physicians from large academic centres. Three overlapping and inter-related themes emerged from qualitative analysis of interview transcripts: (1) disruption: boundaries between work and home life became blurred and professional identity and usual clinical roles were upended; (2) constructive adaptation: some clinicians were able to find new meaning in their work and described a spirit of collaboration, shared goals, open communication and mutual respect among colleagues; and (3) discord and estrangement: other clinicians felt alienated from their clinical roles and experienced demoralising work environments marked by division, value conflicts and mistrust.

Conclusions

Clinicians encountered marked disruption of their professional roles, identities and relationships during the pandemic to which they and their colleagues responded in a range of different ways. Some described a spirit of collaboration and camaraderie, while others felt alienated by their new roles and experienced work environments marked by division, value conflicts and mistrust. Our findings highlight the importance of effective teamwork and efforts to support clinician well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Multimorbidity in South Africa: a systematic review of prevalence studies
Authors: Roomaney Rifqah Abeeda , van Wyk Brian , Turawa Eunice Bolanle , Pillay-van Wyk Victoria
Published: October 2022

Objectives

To review prevalence studies of multimorbidity in South Africa to identify prevalence estimates, common disease clusters and factors associated with multimorbidity.

Design

Systematic review.

Setting

South Africa (general community and healthcare facilities).

Data sources

Articles were retrieved from electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, CINAHL, Science Direct and JSTOR).

Eligibility criteria

Studies addressing the prevalence of multimorbidity in South Africa were eligible for inclusion. A systematic search was done in various databases up to December 2020. A risk of bias assessment was conducted for each article using a modified checklist.

Study selection

Two researchers independently screened titles and abstracts; assessed the risk of bias of each study and extracted data. Included studies were described using a narrative synthesis.

Results

In total, 1407 titles were retrieved; of which 10 articles were included in the narrative synthesis. Six studies had a low risk of bias and three had a moderate risk of bias. One study was not assessed for risk of bias, because there was no criteria that apply to routine health information systems. Three of the included studies were population-based surveys, four were community-based cohorts and three cross-sectional studies of health facility data. The prevalence of multimorbidity was low to moderate (3%–23%) in studies that included younger people or had a wide range of selected age groups; and moderate to high (30%–87%) in studies of older adults. The common disease clusters were hypertension and diabetes, hypertension and HIV, and TB and HIV.

Conclusion

All studies indicated that multimorbidity is a norm in South Africa, especially among older adults. Hypertension is the main driver of multimorbidity. Research on multimorbidity in South Africa needs to be strengthened with high-quality study designs.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42020196895.
Immigrant status, gender and work disability duration: findings from a linked, retrospective cohort of workers’ compensation and immigration data from British Columbia, Canada
Authors: Saffari Niloufar , Senthanar Sonja , Koehoorn Mieke , McGrail Kimberlyn , McLeod Christopher
Published: October 2022

Objectives

To compare differences in work disability durations of immigrant men and women injured at work to comparable Canadian-born injured workers in British Columbia, Canada.

Methods

Data on accepted workers compensation claims and immigration status from 1995 and 2012 were used to compare the number of work disability days paid at the 25%, 50% and 75% for immigrant and Canadian-born injured workers stratified by gender and recency of immigration.

Results

Immigrant workers comprised 8.9% (78 609) of the cohort. In adjusted quantile regression models, recent and established immigrant women received 1.3 (0.8, 1.9) and 4.0 (3.4, 4.6) more paid disability days at the 50% of the disability distribution than Canadian-born counterparts. For recent and established immigrant men, this difference was 2.4 (2.2, 2.6) and 2.7 (2.4, 4.6). At the 75%, this difference increased for recent immigrant men and established immigrant men and women but declined for recent immigrant women.

Conclusions

Injured immigrants receive more work disability days than their Canadian-born counterparts except for recent immigrant women. Both immigrant status and gender matter in understanding health disparities in work disability after work injury.

Keywords work disability

immigrant health; linked administrative data.
Prevalence and factors associated with joint pain in Nepal: findings from a countrywide cross-sectional STEPS survey
Authors: Poudyal Anil , Bista Bihungum , Gyanwali Pradip , Karki Shristi , Bhattarai Saroj , Sharma Sweekriti , Dhimal Meghnath
Published: October 2022

Objective

This study aims to determine the prevalence of joint pain and its association with demographic, socioeconomic and behavioural factors in Nepal.

Design

The study was a national cross-sectional population-based study.

Setting

We used the most recent nationally representative population-based cross-sectional health survey, The WHO STEPwise approach to surveillance (STEPS) survey, 2019 from all seven provinces of Nepal including both urban and rural areas.

Participants

The participants were men and women aged 15–69 years, who were usual residents of the households for at least 6 months and have stayed the night before the survey.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

Primary outcome in this study was prevalence of joint pain. The secondary outcome measure was factors associated with joint pain in Nepal. Joint pain in our study was based on any self-reported symptoms of joint pain, stiffness and swelling lasting for more than 1 month in the past 12 months. Data were weighted to generate national estimates.

Results

The prevalence of self-reported joint pain in Nepal was 17% (95% CI 14.3% to 20.2%) with higher prevalence for older adults, females, ever married, none/less than primary education, smoker, lowest wealth quintile, homemaker, those with sufficient physical activity and those living in the Karnali province of Nepal. In multivariable analysis self-reported joint pain was found to be associated with advanced age (adjusted OR (AOR)=2.36; 95% CI 1.56 to 3.55), sex (AOR=1.47; 95% CI 1.19 to 1.82) and sufficient physical activity (AOR=0.40; 95% CI 0.25 to 0.65).

Conclusions

The results showed a high prevalence of joint pain in Nepal. Considering the process of ageing and rapid growth in non-communicable disease, this study warrants the need for health policies directed to prevention, treatment and rehabilitation for people affected by chronic musculoskeletal conditions addressing related disabilities and loss of work in Nepal.
Nature and extent of intellectual disability nursing research in Ireland: a scoping review to inform health and health service research
Authors: Doody Owen , Bailey Maria E , Hennessy Therese
Published: October 2022

Objectives

To capture the extent and nature of intellectual disability nursing publications in Ireland.

Design

Scoping review using Arksey and O’Malley approach.

Data sources

Six databases (PsycINFO, CINAHL, Medline, Academic Search Complete, Scopus, Embase) were searched along with a web-based search of the eight academic institutions delivering intellectual disability nurse education in Ireland for publications indexed from the earliest available date to the 31 December 2020.

Eligibility criteria

Publications by an academic, practitioner or student working in intellectual disability practice or education in Ireland relating to intellectual disability nursing, care or education.

Data extraction and synthesis

Data pertaining to type of paper/design, authors (academic/professional/student), year, collaboration (national/international), topic/content area and title were extracted from each paper. Data were analysed by two authors using Colorafi and Evans content analysis steps where data was tabulated, and a narrative synthesis undertaken.

Results

The reporting of the review is in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and PRISMA extension for Scoping Reviews Checklist. Database and web-based searching resulting 245 articles meeting the criteria for this review. Through content analysis the 245 articles were mapped onto six themes: supporting inclusion, future planning, aspects of health, interventions, education, professional development and research, and personal and professional accounts of caring.

Conclusions

This review highlights the extent and nature of intellectual disability publications by academic, practitioner or student working in intellectual disability nursing in Ireland together with opportunities for future growth and development. From the findings it is apparent that there is an ongoing need for intellectual disability nurses to define their role across the full trajectory of health provision and to make visible their role in person-family centred support, inclusion, and contributions in health education, health promotion and health management.
Relationship between renal function and prognosis of Chinese proliferative diabetic retinopathy patients undergoing the first vitrectomy: protocol for a prospective cohort study
Authors: Lei Chunyan , Zhang Keren , Chang Tiancong , Ran Qibo , Zhang Meixia
Published: October 2022

Introduction

China has the largest number of adults with diabetes aged 20–79 years (116.4 million) in 2019. Due to the socioeconomic condition or a lack of awareness of diabetic complications, many adults with diabetes have proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) or renal function impairment at their first visit to the clinic for a sudden loss of vision, and pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) is required for their treatment. Risk factors for the outcomes and complications of PPV surgery in PDR patients have been widely explored in many epidemiological studies and clinical trials. However, few prospective studies have analysed the association between renal function and surgical outcomes in PDR.

Methods and analysis

This is a single-centre, prospective cohort study of PDR patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who have definite indications for PPV surgery with or without renal function impairment. We will consecutively enrol PDR patients who meet the inclusion and exclusion criteria from November 2020 to December 2023. Each participant will be followed up for at least 6 months after surgery. Clinical data from medical records and vitreous fluid will be collected.

Demographic characteristics and study outcomes will be summarised using descriptive statistics. The variation will be described and evaluated using the χ² test or Kruskal-Wallis test. Generalise additive mixed models will be used to explore the association between the renal profile and surgical outcomes including BCVA, and retinal and choroidal microvasculature/microstructure. Multivariate ordinal regression analysis will be used to detect the independent association between renal profile and BCVA changes, and smooth curve fitting will be employed to briefly present the tendency.

Ethics and dissemination

The trial has received ethical approval from the West China Hospital of Sichuan University. Results of this trial will be disseminated through publication in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at local and international meetings.

Trial registration number

ChiCTR2000039698.
How to improve patient safety in fragile, conflict-affected and vulnerable settings: a Delphi study protocol
Authors: Shaw Alexandra , O"Brien Niki , Flott Kelsey , Leatherman Sheila , Durkin Michael , Darzi Ara , Neves Ana Luisa
Published: October 2022

Introduction

There is a high burden of adverse events and poor outcomes in fragile, conflict-affected and vulnerable (FCV) settings. To improve outcomes, there is a need to better identify which interventions can improve patient safety in these settings, as well as to develop strategies to optimise their implementation.

Objective

This study intends to generate a consensus on the most relevant patient safety interventions from experts with experience on FCV settings, including frontline clinicians and managers/administrators, non-governmental organisations, policymakers and researchers.

Methods and analysis

The study uses an online Delphi research approach (eDelphi). Participants will include experts from a range of backgrounds, including those working in a variety of FCV settings. Participants will be established contacts known to the research team or recruited via snowball sampling, and will be asked to identify and rank the importance of a variety of patient safety interventions. Consensus will be defined as >70% of participants agreeing/strongly agreeing or disagreeing/strongly disagreeing with a statement. Data analysis will be completed in Microsoft Excel and NVivo. The primary outcome of the study will be a list of the most relevant and applicable patient safety interventions for FCV settings.

Ethics and dissemination

The study has received approval from Imperial College London Ethics Committee (reference number 20IC665). Anonymous results will be made available to the public, academic organisations and policymakers.
Evaluation of the vestibular and ocular motor screening (VOMS) as a prognostic tool for protracted recovery following paediatric sports-related concussion
Authors: Knell Gregory , Caze Todd , Burkhart Scott O
Published: October 2022

Objective

To understand the relationship between initial vestibular and ocular motor screening (VOMS) and recovery time, and the utility of VOMS to screen for protracted recovery in youth/adolescent patients with sport-related concussion (SRC).

Methods

Participants (8–18 years) who were diagnosed with an SRC within 7 days of the injury were administered the VOMS test by certified medical personnel. Recovery time (days) and protracted recovery (>30 days) were the primary outcomes. Multivariable regression models were used to evaluate the association between VOMS symptom provocation and (1) recovery time (days) and (2) protracted recovery. Measures of VOMS validity, predictive ability and receiver operator curves were used to assess VOMS as a prognostic tool to accurately classify a normal/protracted recovery.

Results

After adjustment, any symptom provocation across all VOMS domains was associated (p<0.05) with greater recovery time, except the convergence test (p=0.08) in females. All VOMS test thresholds (≥1 to ≥10) in males and (≥1 to ≥5) in females were associated (p<0.05) with recovery time. However, the VOMS test performed poorly among males (receiver operating characteristic (ROC) area=0.66) and failed among females (ROC area=0.56) as a prognostic tool to identify those that will have a normal/protracted recovery.

Conclusion

In this sample, overall, the VOMS test was associated with recovery time (days); however, the VOMS was not a valid stand-alone prognostic tool to identify a delayed recovery, but may be useful in combination with other concussion symptomology assessments. Future studies should confirm these findings in larger samples while taking into consideration other comorbid factors that may influence recovery time.
Immunostimulatory effects of targeted thorium-227 conjugates as single agent and in combination with anti-PD-L1 therapy
Authors: Lejeune Pascale , Cruciani Véronique , Berg-Larsen Axel , Schlicker Andreas , Mobergslien Anne , Bartnitzky Lisa , Berndt Sandra , Zitzmann-Kolbe Sabine , Kamfenkel Claudia , Stargard Stefan , Hammer Stefanie , Jørgensen Jennifer S , Jackerott Malene , Nielsen Carsten H , Schatz Christoph A , Hennekes Hartwig , Karlsson Jenny , Cuthbertson Alan S , Mumberg Dominik , Hagemann Urs B
Published: October 2022

Background

Targeted thorium-227 conjugates (TTCs) are an emerging class of targeted alpha therapies (TATs). Their unique mode of action (MoA) is the induction of difficult-to-repair clustered DNA double-strand breaks. However, thus far, their effects on the immune system are largely unknown. Here, we investigated the immunostimulatory effects of the mesothelin-targeted thorium-227 conjugate (MSLN-TTC)in vitroandin vivoin monotherapy and in combination with an inhibitor of the immune checkpoint programmed death receptor ligand 1 (PD-L1) in immunocompetent mice.

Methods

The murine cell line MC38 was transfected with the human gene encoding for MSLN (hMSLN) to enable binding of the non-cross-reactive MSLN-TTC. The immunostimulatory effects of MSLN-TTC were studiedin vitroon human cancer cell lines and MC38-hMSLN cells. The efficacy and MoA of MSLN-TTC were studiedin vivoas monotherapy or in combination with anti-PD-L1 in MC38-hMSLN tumor-bearing immunocompetent C57BL/6 mice. Experiments were supported by RNA sequencing, flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry, mesoscale, and TaqMan PCR analyses to study the underlying immunostimulatory effects.In vivodepletion of CD8+ T cells and studies with Rag2/Il2Rg double knockout C57BL/6 mice were conducted to investigate the importance of immune cells to the efficacy of MSLN-TTC.

Results

MSLN-TTC treatment induced upregulation of DNA sensing pathway transcripts (IL-6,CCL20,CXCL10, and stimulator of interferon genes (STING)-related genes)in vitroas determined by RNASeq analysis. The results, including phospho-STING activation, were confirmed on the protein level. Danger-associated molecular pattern molecules were upregulated in parallel, leading to dendritic cell (DC) activationin vitro. MSLN-TTC showed strong antitumor activity (T:C 0.38, p<0.05) as a single agent in human MSLN-expressing MC38 tumor-bearing immunocompetent mice. Combining MSLN-TTC with anti-PD-L1 further enhanced the efficacy (T:C 0.08, p<0.001) as evidenced by the increased number of tumor-free surviving animals. MSLN-TTC monotherapy caused migration of CD103+ cDC1 DCs and infiltration of CD8+ T cells into tumors, which was enhanced on combination with anti-PD-L1. Intriguingly, CD8+ T-cell depletion decreased antitumor efficacy.

Conclusions

Thesein vitroandin vivodata on MSLN-TTC demonstrate that the MoA of TTCs involves activation of the immune system. The findings are of relevance for other targeted radiotherapies and may guide clinical combination strategies.
Proposed A2C2S2-VASc score for predicting atrial fibrillation development in patients with atrial flutter
Authors: Chen Yung-Lung , Wang Hui-Ting , Chen Huang-Chung , Liu Wen-Hao , Chong Shaur-Zheng , Hsueh Shu-Kai , Chung Chang-Ming , Lin Yu-Shen
Published: October 2022

Aims

The clinical outcome and threshold of oral anticoagulation differs between patients with solitary atrial flutter (AFL) and those with AFL developing atrial fibrillation (AF) (AFL-DAF). We therefore investigated previously unevaluated predictors of AF development in patients with AFL, and also the predictive values of risk scores in predicting the occurrence of AF and ischaemic stroke.

Methods and results

Participants were those diagnosed with AFL between 1 January 2001 and 31 December 2013. Patients were classified into solitary AFL and AFL-DAF groups during follow-up. Finally, 4101 patients with solitary AFL and 4101 patients with AFL-DAF were included after 1:1 propensity score matching with CHA2DS2-VASc scores and their components, AFL diagnosis year and other comorbidities. The group difference in the prevalence of ischaemic stroke/transient ischaemic attack (TIA) and congestive heart failure (CHF) was substantial, that of vascular disease was moderate, and that of diabetes and hypertension was negligible. Therefore, we reweighted the component of heart failure as 2 (the same with stroke/TIA) and vascular disease as 1 in the proposed A2C2S2-VASc score. The proposed A2C2S2-VASc and CHA2DS2-VASCscores showed patients with AFL who had higher delta scores and follow-up scores had higher risk of AF development. The delta score outperformed the follow-up score in both scoring systems in predicting ischaemic stroke.

Conclusion

This study showed that new-onset CHF, stroke/TIA and vascular disease were predictors of AF development in patients with AFL. The dynamic score and changes in both CHA2DS2-VASCand the proposed A2C2S2-VASc score could predict the development of AF and ischaemic stroke.
Lessons learned from ECMO support in pediatric patients with D-transposition of the great arteries: preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative
Authors: Yang Lijun , Ye Lifen , Yu Jiangen , Li Jianhua , Zhang Zewei , Shu Qiang , Lin Ru
Published: October 2022

Background

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support on D-transposition of the great arteries (D-TGA) carries formidable challenges.

Methods

A retrospective study was performed on pediatric patients with D-TGA supported by ECMO from July 2007 to December 2019. This study summarized the clinical experience of ECMO support in pediatric patients with D-TGA preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative.

Results

Overall, 16 children with D-TGA received ECMO support during this period. Two (2 of 16) were supported before cardiac surgery, 3 (3 of 16) were supported postoperatively in the intensive care unit, and 11 (11 of 16) failed to wean off cardiopulmonary bypass. Two cases of preoperative ECMO support for patients with D-TGA with an intact ventricular septum and restrictive atrial septum due to severe hypoxemia died. In this study, D-TGA with coronary artery malformation and other complicated deformities died (8 of 14), whereas uncomplicated D-TGA without coronary artery malformation all survived (6 of 14). The wean-off rate of ECMO patients supported in D-TGA was 62.5% (10 of 16), while the 30-day survival rate was 44% (7 of 16).

Conclusion

Although a promising ECMO weaning rate was obtained, 30-day survival of this population was frustrating, mainly attributed to the original anatomy of coronary arteries and the concomitant deformities.
Thermodynamics of Einstein-Aether black holes
Authors: Chan R. , da Silva M. F. A. , Satheeshkumar V. H.
Published: October 2022

We analyze several spherically symmetric exterior vacuum solutions allowed by the Einstein-Aether (EA) theory with a non-static aether and study the thermodynamics of their Killing and universal horizons. We show that there are five classes of solutions corresponding to different values of a combination of the free parameters, $$c_{2}$$

c
2

, $$c_{13}=c_1+c_3$$

c
13

=

c
1

+

c
3

and $$c_{14}=c_1+c_4$$

c
14

=

c
1

+

c
4

, which are: (A) $$c_2 \ne 0$$

c
2

≠
0

and $$c_{13} \ne 0$$

c
13

≠
0

and $$c_{14}=0$$

c
14

=
0

, (B) $$c_2 \ne 0$$

c
2

≠
0

and $$c_{13} = 0$$

c
13

=
0

and $$c_{14} = 0$$

c
14

=
0

, (C) $$c_2 = 0$$

c
2

=
0

and $$c_{13} \ne 0$$

c
13

≠
0

and $$c_{14} = 0$$

c
14

=
0

, (D) $$c_2 = 0$$

c
2

=
0

, $$c_{13} = 0$$

c
13

=
0

and $$c_{14} \ne 0$$

c
14

≠
0

, and (E) $$c_2 = - c_{13} \ne 0$$

c
2

=
-

c
13

≠
0

and $$c_{14} \ne 0$$

c
14

≠
0

. We present explicit analytical solutions for these five cases. All these cases have singularities at $$r=0$$

r
=
0

and are asymptotically flat spacetimes and possess both Killing and universal horizons with the universal horizons always being inside the Killing horizons. Finally, we compute the surface gravity, the temperature, the entropy and the first law of thermodynamics for the universal horizons.
Constraints on neutron–mirror-neutron oscillation from neutron star cooling
Authors: Goldman Itzhak , Mohapatra Rabindra N. , Nussinov Shmuel , Zhang Yongchao
Published: October 2022

We address a method of limiting neutron–mirror neutron mixing ($$\epsilon _{nn'}$$

ϵ

n

n
′

) by analyzing its effect on neutron star (NS) heating. This method employs observational bounds on the surface temperature of NSs to constrain $$\epsilon _{nn'}$$

ϵ

n

n
′

. It has been suggested that the bound obtained this way is so stringent that it would exclude any discovery of $$n-n'$$

n
-

n
′

oscillation in the currently planned terrestrial experiments at various laboratories. This conclusion motivated us to critically analyze this suggestion in more detail. In this note, we point out a very interesting new effect present in nearly exact mirror models, which can significantly affect this bound. The new element is that in nearly exact mirror models there is the mirror analog of $$\beta $$
β
decay, i.e. $$n' \rightarrow p' + e' + {\bar{\nu }}'_e$$

n
′

→

p
′

+

e
′

+

ν

¯

e
′

, which creates a cloud of mirror particles $$n'$$

n
′

, $$p'$$

p
′

, $$e'$$

e
′

, $$D'$$

D
′

and He$$'$$

′

inside the NS. The resulting $$e'$$

e
′

can “rob” the energy generated by the $$n \rightarrow n'$$

n
→

n
′

transition from the NS, via $$e-e'$$

e
-

e
′

scattering enabled by the presence of a (minute) millicharge in mirror particles. Such a tiny millicharge on mirror particles is highly likely in these models. This results in energy being emitted as unobserved mirror photons via fast mirror bremsstrahlung. whose effect is to relax the stringent bounds on $$\epsilon _{nn'}$$

ϵ

n

n
′

.
Tripling down on the W boson mass
Authors: Bahl Henning , Chiu Wen Han , Gao Christina , Wang Lian-Tao , Zhong Yi-Ming
Published: October 2022

A new precision measurement of the W boson mass has been announced by the CDF collaboration, which strongly deviates from the Standard Model prediction. In this article, we study the implications of this measurement on the parameter space of the $$SU(2)_L$$

S
U

(
2
)

L

triplet extension (with hypercharge $$Y=1$$

Y
=
1

) of the Standard Model Higgs sector, focusing on a limit where the new triplet is approximate $${\mathbb {Z}}_2$$

Z
2

-odd while the SM is $${\mathbb {Z}}_2$$

Z
2

-even. We study the compatibility of the triplet spectrum preferred by the W boson mass measured by the CDF-II experiment with other electroweak precision observables and Higgs precision data. We comprehensively consider the signals of new Higgs states at the LHC and highlighted the promising search channels. In addition, we also investigate the cosmological implications of the case in which the lightest new Higgs particle is either late decaying or cosmologically stable.
On the energetic differences of avian cryptochromes 4 from selected species
Authors: Hanić Maja , Frederiksen Anders , Schuhmann Fabian , Solov’yov Ilia A.
Published: October 2022

Cryptochromes are a class of light-absorbing proteins that have been shown to be a part of the circadian rhythm of many animals but seem to play a central role for the magnetosensing of migratory birds. Following a documented difference in the sensitivity to an external magnetic field of cryptochrome 4a proteins from migratory and non-migratory birds, a detailed analysis of inter- and intra-protein energetics is called for. The present study relies on classical molecular dynamics simulations of cryptochrome 4a from five avian species to reveal if any of the cryptochromes feature peculiarities in their internal energetics. The five avian cryptochrome 4a proteins from pigeon, European robin, zebra finch, chicken, and Eurasian blackcap are found to be highly similar in respect of their intra-energetic behaviors, while some minor differences between the cryptochromes can be ascribed to the site of specific structural differences. Particular attention has been paid to account for the interaction of the protein with the solvent, and it has been revealed that the solvent could lead to significant stabilization of the chromophore flavin adenine dinucleotide inside of the cryptochrome 4a scaffold.
An Automatic Chinaware Fragments Reassembly Method Framework Based on Linear Feature of Fracture Surface Contour
Authors: Niu Xiaolei , Wang Qifeng , Liu Bin , Zhang Jianxin
Published: October 2022

For Chinaware fragments, it is difficult to assemble them directly without considering the wonderful patterns painted on them. Given the simplicity of the Chinaware designs, each object contains similar textures and patterns. Compared to the oddly diverse appliance modeling, the difference between fragments of different Chinaware is small. The fragments are small and the fracture is flat, and there are many potential matching objects. For the Chinaware fragments’ reassembly, most of the work is still done manually. There is little available fully automatic reassembly work, and these approaches are for the reassembly of a single Chinaware. But what reality demands is the reassembly of the multi-Chinaware. Therefore, this article proposes an automatic method, whose strategy is analogous to the manual assembly, to accomplish this complex task. First, segment the contours of fracture surfaces of the fragments by the geometric feature of fracture edge; then, the contours are matched using our proposed multi-scale linear feature descriptor; given the massive fragments of multiple objects, we use the inaccurate matching strategy to build a matching set for each fracture surface contour and perform contour matching in this set. In this article, the fracture surface is segmented using the 2D slope information on the fragment edge. The descriptor proposed in the article uses distance triangle towers and chained angles to describe the “undulations” of the fracture surface. Moreover, the article uses a strict absolute-advantage-principle to reject false matching. In addition, after the initial reconstruction, we will iteratively adjust fragments according to the gap between the fragments to achieve better multi-fragment matching results. In this article, 18 porcelains, a total of 103 pieces, have been tested. Experiments are also carried out for special cases, including fragment reassembly with missing fragments and fragment reassembly with redundant fragments. The experimental results showed the effectiveness of method. However, the types of experimental data we currently have are relatively simple, and there is no way to reassemble the fragments in minutes. We hope to enable faster reassembly of more fragments in the future.
Studying the Impact of Data Disclosure Mechanism in Recommender Systems via Simulation
Authors: Chen Ziqian , Sun Fei , Tang Yifan , Chen Haokun , Gao Jinyang , Ding Bolin
Published: October 2022

Recently, privacy issues in web services that rely on users’ personal data have raised great attention. Despite that recent regulations force companies to offer choices for each user to opt-in or opt-out of data disclosure, real-world applications usually only provide an “all or nothing” binary option for users to either disclose all their data or preserve all data with the cost of no personalized service.

In this article, we argue that such a binary mechanism is not optimal for both consumers and platforms. To study how different privacy mechanisms affect users’ decisions on information disclosure and how users’ decisions affect the platform’s revenue, we propose a privacy-aware recommendation framework that gives users fine control over their data. In this new framework, users can proactively control which data to disclose based on the tradeoff between anticipated privacy risks and potential utilities. Then we study the impact of different data disclosure mechanisms via simulation with reinforcement learning due to the high cost of real-world experiments. The results show that the platform mechanisms with finer split granularity and more unrestrained disclosure strategy can bring better results for both consumers and platforms than the “all or nothing” mechanism adopted by most real-world applications.
Hardware Optimizations of Fruit-80 Stream Cipher: Smaller than Grain
Authors: Yang Gangqiang , Shi Zhengyuan , Chen Cheng , Xiong Hailiang , Li Fudong , Hu Honggang , Wan Zhiguo
Published: October 2022

Fruit-80, which emerged as an ultra-lightweight stream cipher with 80-bit secret key, is oriented toward resource-constrained devices in the Internet of Things. In this article, we propose area and speed optimization architectures of Fruit-80 on FPGAs. Our implementations include both serial and parallel structure and optimize area, power, speed, and throughput, respectively. The area optimization architecture aims to achieve the most suitable ratio of look-up-tables and flip-flops to fully utilize the reconfigurable unit. It also reuses NFSR and LFSR feedback functions to save resources for high throughput. The speed optimization architecture adopts a hybrid approach for parallelization and reduces the latency of long data paths by pre-generating primary feedback and inserting flip-flops. Besides, we recommend using the round key function to optimize serial or parallel implementations for Fruit-80 and using indexing and shifting methods for different throughput. In conclusion, our results show that the area optimization architecture occupies up to 35 slices on Xilinx Spartan-3 FPGA and 18 slices on Xilinx 7 series FPGA, smaller than that of Grain and other common stream ciphers. The optimal throughput/area ratio of the speed optimization architecture is 7.74 Mbps/slice, better than that of Grain v1, which is 5.98 Mbps/slice. The serial implementation of Fruit-80 with round key function occupies only 75 slices on Spartan-3 FPGA. To the best of our knowledge, the result sets a new record of the minimum area in lightweight cipher implementation on FPGA.
High-performance and Configurable SW/HW Co-design of Post-quantum Signature CRYSTALS-Dilithium
Authors: Mao Gaoyu , Chen Donglong , Li Guangyan , Dai Wangchen , Sanka Abdurrashid Ibrahim , Koç Çetin Kaya , Cheung Ray C. C.
Published: October 2022

CRYSTALS-Dilithium is a lattice-based post-quantum digital signature scheme that is resistant to attacks by quantum computers and has been selected to be standardized in the NIST post-quantum cryptography (PQC) standardization process. However, the speed performance and design flexibility of the Dilithium still need to be evaluated. This article presents a high-performance software/hardware co-design of CRYSTALS-Dilithium based on the NIST PQC round-3 parameters. High-speed pipelined hardware modules for NTT/INTT, point-wise multiplication/addition, and for SHAKE are included in the design to accelerate the time-consuming operations in Dilithium. All hardware modules are parameterized, thus allowing full support of runtime configuration to increase versatility. Moreover, the proposed software/hardware architecture and tight operating workflows reduce the data transmission overhead between the processor and other hardware modules. The hardware accelerator is implemented with a reconfigurable logic on FPGA and is integrated with the high-performance ARM Cortex-A9 processor in the Xilinx Zynq Architecture. We measure the performance of the software/hardware system for Dilithium in NIST security levels 2, 3, and 5. Compared to pure software implementations, we achieve 8.7–12.5 times speedup in Key generation, 6.3–7.3 times speedup in Sign, and 9.1–12.2 times speedup in Verify operations.
Angiotensin 1–7 increases fiber cross-sectional area and force in juvenile mouse skeletal muscle
Authors: Albadrani Hind , Ammar Tarek , Rajgara Rashida , Bader Michael , Wiper-Bergeron Nadine , Renaud Jean-Marc
Published: October 2022

Recent studies reported that in skeletal muscle angiotensin 1–7 (Ang 1–7), via its receptor Mas (MasR), prevents the atrophy induced by angiotensin II and by cast immobilization; it also improves muscle integrity and function in the mdx mouse, a muscular dystrophy model. The objectives of this study were to document 1) the extent of the Ang 1–7’s hypertrophic effect in terms of muscle mass and muscle fiber cross-sectional area (CSA), 2) how Ang 1–7 affects muscle contractile function in terms of twitch and tetanic force, force-frequency relationship, and 3) whether the effect involves MasR. Wild-type and MasR-deficient [Mas receptor knockout mouse model ( MasR−/−)] mice were treated with Ang 1–7 (100 ng/kg body wt·min using an osmotic pump) for 4 or 16 wk. Ang 1–7 significantly increased skeletal muscle/body weight ratio of soleus, tibialis, and gastrocnemius, but not of extensor digitorum longus (EDL). It significantly increased fiber cross-sectional area in the order of type I > IIA > IIB. In EDL and soleus muscles, it significantly increased twitch and tetanic force while causing a shift in the force-frequency relationship toward lower stimulation frequencies. It had no effect on fiber type composition. None of the Ang 1–7 effects observed in wild-type mice were observed in MasR−/− muscles. It caused a transient increase in phosphorylated protein kinase B (Akt) and 4EBP proteins while having no effect on S6 phosphorylation, MuRF-1, and atrogin-1 and a decrease in PAX7 expression in satellite cells. This is the first study demonstrating the hypertrophic effects of Ang 1–7 in normal muscle acting via its MasR.
Aerobic conditioning alters the satellite cell and ribosome response to acute eccentric contractions in young men and women
Authors: Brown Alex , Thomas Aaron C. Q. , Hatt Aidan A. , McGlory Chris , Phillips Stuart M. , Kumbhare Dinesh , Parise Gianni , Joanisse Sophie
Published: October 2022

Satellite cells (SCs) and ribosomes are key determinants of the skeletal muscle adaptive response. Both are thought to increase acutely after resistance exercise and chronically with resistance training. However, the acute SC and ribosome exercise response with prior aerobic conditioning is unknown. Fourteen young men and women underwent 6 wk of single-legged aerobic conditioning followed by an acute bout of 300 eccentric contractions on each leg. Muscle biopsies were taken from the vastus lateralis of the aerobically conditioned (AC) and the control (CTL) legs before (Pre), 24 (24 h), and 48 (48 h) h post-contractions. Pre-eccentric contractions, 45S pre-rRNA and 5.8S internal transcribed spacer (ITS) expression were lower in the AC leg compared with the CTL leg. SC content (PAX7+ cells/100 fibers) in type I and mixed fibers showed a main effect of condition, where values were greater in the AC leg compared with the CTL. A main effect of condition for Pax7 and MyoD1 mRNA expression was observed where expression was greater in the AC leg compared with the CTL. AC had greater RNA concentration and mRNA expression of Ubf and Tif-1a compared with CTL. Only the AC leg increased (Pre-24h) 45S pre-rRNA, 5.8S ITS, and 28S ITS following eccentric contractions. We discovered that aerobic conditioning increased type-I SC abundance and the acute increase in ribosome content following eccentric contractions.
Correlation of Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS) with Compaction Characteristics of Soils in Burayu Town
Authors: Kormu Solomon , Sorsa Alemineh , Amena Shelema
Published: October 2022

The unconfined compressive strength is the most widely used parameter to measure the strength of the subgrade or foundation soil for cohesive soils. Due to its time-consuming and cost-effective nature, most of the time-correlation equations have been used to correlate unconfined compressive strength with compaction parameters and soil index properties. The current study was conducted in Burayu town where fifty soil samples were collected and experimental geotechnical soil tests were carried out based on the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards. The correlation and regression analyses were done using the experimental results obtained for unconfined compressive strength (UCS) and compaction characteristics. The regression analysis resulted in a fair coefficient of correlation of 0.61 and 0.78 for single linear regression of UCS with maximum dry density (MDD) and optimum moisture content (OMC), respectively, while R2 = 0.83 for multiple linear regression analysis of UCS with MDD and OMC. After further emphasis, the equation developed using multiple linear regression (UCS = −3105 + 1625 MDD + 40.9 OMC, R2 = 0.83) which was chosen as a prediction equation. After validation of the established model using control tests, the statistical regression analysis shows that the correlation is 97% accurate in the UCS determination for multiple regression analysis. This implies that the established model could be used to predict the UCS in the study area.
Value of DWI Combined with Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy in the Differential Diagnosis between Recurrent Glioma and Radiation Injury: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Li Hongyi , Duan Yang , Liu Na , Dong Junyi , Liang Yuanzi , Ju Ronghui
Published: October 2022

To analyse the value of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and the choline (Cho)/creatine (Cr) ratio and Cho/N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA) ratio in magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) in the differential diagnosis between recurrent glioma and radiation injury. Chinese and English studies related to the diagnosis of recurrent glioma and radiation injury using DWI and MRS and published before 15 October 2022 were retrieved from PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, China Biomedical Literature Database, VIP Journal Database, and Wanfang Database for a meta-analysis. A total of 11 articles were included in this study. ADC was lower in the recurrent glioma group than in the radiation injury group (standardized mean difference = −1.29, 95% confidence interval (CI) (−1.87, −0.71),

P
<
0.001

). The Cho/Cr ratio was higher in the recurrent glioma group than in the radiation injury group (weighted mean difference = 0.65, 95% CI (0.40, 0.90), and

P
<
0.001

). The Cho/NAA ratio was higher in the recurrent glioma group than in the radiation injury group, as evidenced by the sensitivity analysis. The sensitivity and specificity of the Cho/Cr ratio were 0.85 (0.73–0.92) and 0.82 (0.67–0.91), respectively, and the area under the curve was 0.86. The sensitivity and specificity of the Cho/NAA ratio were 0.82 (0.66–0.91) and 0.94 (0.69–0.99), respectively, and the area under the curve was 0.93. This meta-analysis showed that ADC, Cho/Cr, and Cho/NAA ratios all had high sensitivity and specificity. Therefore, DWI combined with MRS can effectively improve the diagnosis of recurrent glioma and radiation injury.