bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The 2018 hot drought pushed conifer wood formation to the limit of its plasticity: Consequences for woody biomass production and tree ring structure
Authors: Larysch E. , Stangler D. F. , Puhlmann H. , Rathgeber C. B. K. , Seifert T. , Kahle H.‐P.
Published: March 2022

Hot droughts are expected to increase in Europe and disturb forest ecosystem functioning. Wood formation of trees has the potential to adapt to those events by compensatory mechanisms between the rates and durations of tracheid differentiation to form the typical pattern of vital wood anatomical structures.

We monitored xylogenesis and measured wood anatomy of mature silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) trees along an elevational gradient in the Black Forest during the hot drought year of 2018. We assessed the kinetics of tracheid differentiation and the final tracheid dimensions and quantified the relationship between rates and durations of cell differentiation over the growing season.

Cell differentiation kinetics were decoupled, and temperature and water availability signals were imprinted in the tree ring structure. The sudden decline in woody biomass production provided evidence for a disruption in carbon sequestration processes due to heat and drought stress. Growth processes of Scots pine (pioneer species) were mainly affected by the spring drought, whereas silver fir (climax species) growth processes were more disturbed by the summer drought.

Our study provides novel insights on the plasticity of wood formation and carbon allocation in temperate conifer tree species in response to extreme climatic events.
Pay to activate service in vacation queues
Authors: Wang Zhongbin , Liu Yunan , Fang Lei
Published: March 2022

We study a vacation queueing model where an arriving customer, upon finding the server to be on vacation, is offered an opportunity to pay a fee to instantaneously end the server's vacation, which is referred to as pay‐to‐activate‐service (PTAS). If no one utilizes PTAS, the service will automatically resume when the system's workload reaches a critical level. We investigate customers' equilibrium strategies: (i) joining or balking and (ii) if joining, accepting PTAS or rejecting PTAS, in response to such a mechanism; we show that customers' equilibrium strategies exhibit both avoid‐the‐crowd (ATC) and follow‐the‐crowd (FTC) types of behavior. Our results indicate that the adoption of PTAS is efficient in improving the system performance (e.g., revenue and throughput) when the demand volume is intermediate. We also discover that, upon selecting the appropriate queue‐length information disclosure policy, the service provider has to trade off between collecting a higher revenue through PTAS and improving the system throughput, because revealing the queue‐length information will impact the aforementioned two performance metrics in opposing directions. Finally, we compare our new setting to other common mechanisms including regular vacation queues and pay‐for‐priority queues.
Pseudocercospora griseola, the causal agent of common bean angular leaf spot: Strain characterization and sensitivity to fungicides
Authors: Librelon Samira Santiago , Pereira Fernanda Aparecida Castro , de Pádua Paula Furtado , Pereira Nathália Bottrel Maia , Gomes Luanna de Barros Wanderley , Pereira Rafael , Pereira Lucas Fidelis , Pozza Edson Ampélio , de Souza Elaine Aparecida
Published: March 2022

Angular leaf spot (ALS), an important disease of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), is caused by the fungus Pseudocercospora griseola. This pathogen has a wide genetic variability and, therefore, poses a challenge to integrated disease management. The use of resistant cultivars is difficult; hence, the application of fungicides has been a common practice in common bean cultivation. P. griseola strains were morphophysiologically characterized and their sensitivity to common fungicides used to control ALS was studied. The strains were evaluated for sporulation capacity and a representative sample of 34 strains was bioassayed to determine their sensitivity to commercial concentrations of five fungicides, namely pyraclostrobin, mancozeb, pyraclostrobin + metconazole, chlorothalonil and tebuconazole. Another sample of 29 strains was studied for conidial germination and dimensions. Sporulation capacity ranged from 0.88 to 27.67 × 104 conidia/ml and germination percentage ranged from 39% to 72%. The large differences among strains suggest a wide genetic variability among the strains. A wide variability in aggressiveness of P. griseola was observed, which has consequences for breeding programmes aimed at resistance. The behaviour of pathogen strains differed in every fungicide evaluated, even in a population that has not been under selection pressure in the field. These results confirm the need for further studies and may guide future research with this pathogen.
Integration of Effort: Securing Critical Infrastructure from Cyberattack
Authors: Atkins Sean , Lawson Chappell
Published: March 2022

Securing privately owned critical infrastructure from cyberattacks poses a novel challenge for the modern regulatory state. In this domain, the interests of the government are only partly aligned with those of nongovernmental owner‐operators, necessitating some sort of state action. However, because (1) security conditions change swiftly and (2) the information and tools necessary for effective planning and response are distributed across the private and public sectors, standard regulatory tools are unlikely to produce security. “Integration of effort,” which involves intensive strategic and operational collaboration between systemically important firms and the government, is a more promising approach.
Disturbance: a double‐edged sword for restoration in a changing climate
Authors: Brambila Alejandro , Reed Paul B. , Bridgham Scott D. , Roy Bitty A. , Johnson Bart R. , Pfeifer‐Meister Laurel , Hallett Lauren M.
Published: March 2022

Ecological restoration often relies on disturbance as a tool for establishing target plant communities, but disturbance can be a double‐edged sword, at times initiating invasion and unintended outcomes. Here we test how fire disturbance, designed to enhance restoration seeding success, combines with climate and initial vegetation conditions to shift perennial versus annual grass dominance and overall community diversity in Pacific Northwest grasslands. We seeded both native and introduced perennial grasses and native forbs in paired, replicated burned‐unburned plots in three sites along a latitudinal climate gradient from southern Oregon to central‐western Washington. Past restoration and climate manipulations at each site had increased the variation of starting conditions between plots. Burning promoted the expansion of extant forbs and perennial grasses across all sites. Burning also enhanced the seeding success of native perennial grass and native forbs at the northern and central site, and the success of introduced perennial grasses across all three sites. Annual grass dominance was driven more by latitude than burning, with annuals maintaining their dominance in the south and perennials in the north. At the same time, unrestored grasslands surrounding all sites remained dominated by perennial grasses, suggesting that initial plot clearing may have allowed for annual grass invasion in the southern site. When paired with disturbance, further warming may increase the risk of annual grass dominance, a potentially persistent state.
Quantifying the impact of environment factors on the risk of medical responders’ stress‐related absenteeism
Authors: Brito Mario P. , Chen Zhiyin , Wise James , Mortimore Simon
Published: March 2022

Medical emergency response staff are exposed to incidents which may involve high‐acuity patients or some intractable or traumatic situations. Previous studies on emergency response staff stress‐related absence have focused on perceived factors and their impacts on absence leave. To date, analytical models on absenteeism risk prediction use past absenteeism to predict risk of future absenteeism. We show that these approaches ignore environment data, such as stress factors. The increased use of digital systems in emergency services allows us to gather data that were not available in the past and to apply a data‐driven approach to quantify the effect of environment variables on the risk of stress‐related absenteeism.

We propose a two‐stage data‐driven framework to identify the variables of importance and to quantify their impact on medical staff stress‐related risk of absenteeism. First, machine learning techniques are applied to identify the importance of different stressors on staff stress‐related risk of absenteeism. Second, the Cox proportional‐hazards model is applied to estimate the relative risk of each stressor. Four significant stressors are identified, these are the average night shift, past stress leave, the squared term of death confirmed by the Emergency Services and completion of the safeguarding form. We discuss counterintuitive results and implications to policy.
On the Reliability of Multiple Systems Estimation for the Quantification of Modern Slavery
Authors: Binette Olivier , Steorts Rebecca C.
Published: March 2022

The quantification of modern slavery has received increased attention recently as organizations have come together to produce global estimates, where multiple systems estimation (MSE) is often used to this end. Echoing a long-standing controversy, disagreements have re-surfaced regarding the underlying MSE assumptions, the robustness of MSE methodology and the accuracy of MSE estimates in this application. Our goal was to help address and move past these controversies. To do so, we review MSE, its assumptions, and commonly used models for modern slavery applications. We introduce all of the publicly available modern slavery datasets in the literature, providing a reproducible analysis and highlighting current issues. Specifically, we utilize an internal consistency approach that constructs subsets of data for which ground truth is available, allowing us to evaluate the accuracy of MSE estimators. Next, we propose a characterization of the large sample bias of estimators as a function of misspecified assumptions. Then, we propose an alternative to traditional (e.g. bootstrap-based) assessments of reliability, which allows us to visualize trajectories of MSE estimates to illustrate the robustness of estimates. Finally, our complementary analyses are used to provide guidance regarding the application and reliability of MSE methodology.
Single‐cell RNA sequencing distinguishes dendritic cell subsets in the rat, allowing advanced characterization of the effects of FMS‐like tyrosine kinase 3 ligand
Authors: Carlson Kristin N. , Verhagen Joshua C. , Jennings Heather , Verhoven Bret , McMorrow Stacey , Pavan‐Guimaraes Juliana , Chlebeck Peter , Al‐Adra David P.
Published: March 2022

Tissue‐resident dendritic cells (DCs) are essential for immunological homeostasis and hold promise for a variety of therapeutic interventions. The rare nature of tissue‐resident DCs and their suboptimal description in the lab rat model has limited their characterization. To address this limitation, FMS‐like tyrosine kinase 3 ligand (FLT3L) has been utilized to expand these population in vitro and in vivo for investigative or therapeutic purposes. However, conflicting reports have suggested that FLT3L can either promote immune tolerance or enhance immunogenicity, necessitating clarification of the effects of FLT3L on DC phenotype and functionality. We first paired single‐cell RNA sequencing with multicolour spectral flow cytometry to provide an updated strategy for the identification of tissue‐resident classical and plasmacytoid DCs in the rat model. We then administered FLT3L to Lewis rats in vivo to investigate its effect on tissue‐resident DC enumeration and phenotype in the liver, spleen, and mesenteric lymph nodes. We found that FLT3L expands classical DCs (cDCs) 1 and 2 in a dose‐dependent manner and that cDC1 and cDC2 in secondary lymphoid organs had altered MHC I, MHC II, CD40, CD80, CD86, and PD‐L1 cell‐surface expression levels following FLT3L administration. These changes were accompanied by an increase in gene expression levels of toll‐like receptors 2, 4, 7, and 9 as well as inflammatory cytokines IL‐6 and TNF‐α. In conclusion, FLT3L administration in vivo increases cDC enumeration in the liver, spleen, and mesenteric lymph nodes accompanied by a tissue‐restricted alteration in expression of antigen presentation machinery and inflammatory mediators.
Holistic approach to visualize and quantify collagen organization at macro, micro, and nano‐scale
Authors: Bhardwaj Vinay , Fabijanic Kristina Ivana , Cohen Aaron , Mao Junhong , Azadegan Chloe , Pittet Jean Christophe , Bris Benedicte Le
Published: March 2022

Background

There is scarcity of imaging and image processing techniques for accurate discrimination and quantitation of the dermal extracellular matrix (ECM), primarily collagen. The aim of this study was to develop and demonstrate a holistic imaging and image processing approach to visualize and quantify collagen remodeling at the macro‐, micro‐ and nano‐scale using histochemical imaging, Reflectance Confocal Microscopy (RCM), and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), respectively.

Material and Methods

For proof‐of‐concept, a commercial anti‐aging product known to induce collagen neo‐synthesis and re‐organization was tested ex vivo on human skin biopsies from two aged females.

Results

Relative to untreated skin, collagen fibers (RCM) and fibrils (AFM) were longer and aligned after treatment. The content of collagen and elastin (histochemical imaging and ELISA) statistically improved after treatment.

Conclusion

Based on our findings, we can conclude: (1) AFM, RCM, and histochemical imaging can accurately discriminate collagen from other ECM components in the skin and (2) the image processing methods can enable quantitation and hence capture small improvements in collagen remodeling after treatment (commercial cosmetic product with collagen organizer technology as proof‐of‐concept). The reported holistic imaging approach has direct clinical implications for scientists and dermatologists to make quick, real‐time, and accurate decisions in skin research and diagnostics.
Identification of the novel HLA‐A*24:02:138 allele in a Chinese individual
Authors: Chen Nanying , Fu Rui , Dong Lina , He Ji , Zhu Faming
Published: March 2022

HLA‐A*24:02:138 differs from HLA‐A*24:02:01:01 by one nucleotide substitution at position 549 C>T.
Characterization of the novel HLA‐DRB1*04:05:23 allele by polymerase chain reaction sequence‐based typing
Authors: Wang Wei , Dong Lina , Zhang Wei , He Ji , Zhu Faming
Published: March 2022

HLA‐DRB1*04:05:23 differs from HLA‐DRB1*04:05:01:01 by a single nucleotide substitution at position 234 G > A.
Multi‐temporal InSAR analysis to monitor landslides using the small baseline subset (SBAS) approach in the Mila Basin, Algeria
Authors: Medhat Noha Ismail , Yamamoto Masa‐yuki , Tolomei Cristiano , Harbi Assia , Maouche Said
Published: March 2022

Hazardous ground deformation and landslides occur frequently in the Mila Basin, Algeria and this problem remains unsolved. However, the historical seismicity in the area indicates no severe damage from past earthquakes. For this reason, studies are needed to monitor the slow ground movements and their triggering factors. Since about two decades ago, satellite observations by interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) technique and the multi‐temporal (MT‐InSAR) technique have provided a tool for monitoring slow and extremely slow ground displacements. In this study, 2D decomposition of InSAR outputs revealed a sliding surface at two regions located 12 km apart, indicating slow motion rather than fast movement along the damaged area. We concluded that the factors leading to surface displacement in the investigated area include the triggering earthquakes, precipitation, terrain topography and soil moisture. This study contributes to landslide hazard identification and risk assessment in the Mila Basin.
The diagnosis and management of fetal cardiac arrhythmias
Authors: Stott Daniel , Pandya Pranav P , Attilakos George , Lang Janet , Wolfenden Joanne , Yates Robert
Published: March 2022

Key content

Fetal cardiac arrhythmias are relatively common and account for up to 20% of referrals to fetal cardiologists.

Arrhythmias may occur because of structural abnormalities of the fetal heart, or because of abnormal functioning of the cardiac conduction system in an otherwise structurally normal heart.

Arrhythmias may be diagnosed using ultrasound and M‐mode and Doppler echocardiography.

Transplacental therapy for tachyarrhythmias has been one of the success stories of fetal cardiology, and good outcomes can be expected in the absence of hydrops.

Congenital heart block is most commonly caused by the transplacental passage of anti‐Ro and anti‐La antibodies and transplacental therapy is less successful in managing this.

Learning objectives

To enable clinicians to provide better counselling for patients about the prognosis of fetal arrhythmias.

To learn how to diagnose fetal arrhythmias and know when to refer to a specialist centre if the diagnosis is suspected.

To understand the treatment options available and the evidence‐based antenatal care schedule.
Systemic silencing of an endogenous plant gene by two classes of mobile 21‐nucleotide artificial small RNAs
Authors: Cisneros Adriana E. , de la Torre‐Montaña Ainhoa , Carbonell Alberto
Published: March 2022

Artificial small RNAs (art‐sRNAs) are 21‐nucleotide small RNAs (sRNAs) computationally designed to silence plant genes or pathogenic RNAs with high efficacy and specificity. They are typically produced in transgenic plants to induce silencing at the whole‐organism level, although their expression in selected tissues for inactivating genes in distal tissues has not been reported. Here, art‐sRNAs designed against the magnesium chelatase subunit CHLI‐encoding SULFUR gene (NbSu) were agroinfiltrated in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves, and the induction of local and systemic silencing was analyzed phenotypically by monitoring the appearance of the characteristic bleached phenotype, as well as molecularly by analyzing art‐sRNA processing, accumulation and targeting activity and efficacy. We found that the two classes of art‐sRNAs, artificial microRNAs (amiRNAs) and synthetic trans‐acting small interfering RNAs (syn‐tasiRNAs), are able to induce systemic silencing of NbSu, which requires high art‐sRNA expression in the vicinity of the leaf petiole but is independent on the production of secondary sRNAs from NbSu mRNAs. Moreover, we revealed that 21‐nucleotide amiRNA and syn‐tasiRNA duplexes, and not their precursors, are the molecules moving between cells and through the phloem to systemically silence NbSu in upper leaves. In sum, our results indicate that 21‐nucleotide art‐sRNAs can move throughout the plant to silence plant genes in tissues different from where they are produced. This highlights the biotechnological potential of art‐sRNAs, which might be applied locally for triggering whole‐plant and highly specific silencing to regulate gene expression or induce resistance against pathogenic RNAs in next‐generation crops. The present study demonstrates that artificial small RNAs, such as artificial microRNAs and synthetic trans‐acting small interfering RNAs, can move long distances in plants as 21‐nucleotide duplexes, specifically silencing endogenous genes in tissues different from where they are applied. This highlights the biotechnological potential of artificial small RNAs, which might be applied locally for triggering whole‐plant, highly specific silencing to regulate gene expression or induce resistance against pathogenic RNAs in next‐generation crops.
Reprogramming of red blood cell metabolism in Zika virus–infected donors
Authors: Catala Alexis , Stone Mars , Busch Michael P. , D'Alessandro Angelo
Published: March 2022

Background

Diseases caused by arthropod‐borne viruses remain a burden to global health; in particular, Zika virus (ZIKV) has been reported in 87 countries and territories. In healthy blood donors, ZIKV RNA can be detected in red blood cells (RBCs) months after infection, clearance of detectable nucleic acid in plasma, and seroconversion. However, little information is available on the impact of ZIKV infection to metabolism.

Study design and methods

We applied mass spectrometry–based metabolomics and lipidomics approaches to investigate the impact of ZIKV infection on RBCs over the course of infection. ZIKV‐infected blood donors (n = 25) were identified through molecular and serologic methods, which included nucleic acid amplification testing and real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for detection of ZIKV RNA and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for detection of flavivirus‐specific IgM and IgG.

Results

In ZIKV RNA‐positive donors, we observed lower glucose and lactate levels, and higher levels of ribose phosphate, suggestive of the activation of the pentose phosphate pathway. The top pathways altered in RBCs from ZIKV‐IgM‐positive donors include amino acid metabolism and biosynthesis, fatty acid metabolism and biosynthesis, linoleic acid and arachidonate metabolism and glutathione metabolism. RBCs from ZIKV‐infected donors had increased levels of early glycolytic metabolites, and higher levels of metabolites of the pentose phosphate pathway. Alterations in acyl‐carnitine and fatty acid metabolism are consistent with impaired membrane lipid homeostasis in RBCs from ZIKV IgM positive donors.

Conclusion

RBC from healthy blood donors who had been infected by ZIKV are characterized by long‐lasting metabolic alterations even months after infection has resolved.
mRNA sequencing analysis and growth inhibitory effects of palbociclib on cell lines from canine histiocytic proliferative disorders
Authors: Hirabayashi Miyuki , Chambers James K. , Tani Akiyoshi , Tomiyasu Hirotaka , Motegi Tomoki , Rimpo Kenji , Nakayama Hiroyuki , Uchida Kazuyuki
Published: March 2022

Canine histiocytic proliferative disorders include aggressive and fatal diseases, such as histiocytic sarcoma (HS) and histiocytosis (SyH). The molecular mechanisms underlying cell proliferation need to be elucidated for the development of effective treatments. In the present study, mRNA expression levels were comprehensively analysed in cell lines derived from localized HS, disseminated HS, SyH and Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) in dogs. Based on the results obtained, the growth inhibitory effects of palbociclib, a CDK4/6 inhibitor, were verified with the cell lines in vitro and in xenograft mouse model. Hierarchical clustering and principal component analysis plots of mRNA expression profiles divided the cell lines into three groups: a localized HS group, disseminated HS/SyH group, and LCH. The results of an ingenuity pathway analysis suggested that the MAPK signalling pathway was activated in the localized HS and LCH cell lines, and the PI3K signalling pathway in the disseminated and localized HS cell lines. In all cell lines, the expression of the tumour suppressor genes TP53, CDKN2A and CDKN1A was down‐regulated, whereas that of Rb was preserved. In vitro assessments revealed the growth inhibitory effects of palbociclib in all cell lines examined. In a xenograft mouse model using a cell line from disseminated HS, palbociclib exerted significant growth inhibitory effects. These results suggest the potential of palbociclib as a therapeutic drug candidate for the treatment of malignant histiocytic proliferative disorders of the dog.
Conflicto social, transparencia y Buen Gobierno: Regulación y acceso a la información en la ley española 19/2013 de transparencia, acceso a la información pública y buen gobierno
Authors: Sánchez Hidalgo Adolfo Jorge
Published: March 2022

Este artículo persigue destacar la relación existente entre la idea de Buen Gobierno y la transparencia de los poderes públicos, para ello se comienza por resaltar la profundidad y complejidad de la idea de Buen Gobierno a lo largo de la historia, se analiza el origen de la noción de transparencia y de la idea de inspección o supervisión. Seguidamente, se reflexiona acerca de las posibilidades de dominación y libertad que presenta Internet. Finalmente, se desarrolla un análisis acerca de la Ley 19/2013 de Transparencia y Buen Gobierno, con la finalidad de establecer unas conclusiones críticas acerca de la realización del derecho de acceso a la información pública y participación democrática.
Desinformação política, mídias digitais e democracia: Como e por que as fake news funcionam?
Authors: Bachur João Paulo
Published: March 2022

A desinformação é hoje objeto de intenso debate, principalmente por conta dos riscos à democracia. Os contornos do fenômeno, contudo, remanescem relativamente imprecisos. Desinformação é comumente associada à mentira ou à liberdade de expressão. O artigo sustenta que a desinformação deve ser entendida como operação social, e não como conduta individual: ela orienta o comportamento humano, a despeito da falsidade, ao permitir uma atribuição de sentido ao mundo. Como isso acontece? Para responder a essa pergunta, o trabalho integra quatro eixos de análise: (i) a fragmentação da esfera pública permite compreender o ambiente em que se desenvolve a ubiquidade das novas mídias digitais; (ii) o modelo de negócios baseado no engajamento on-line reverte características básicas da esfera pública: a integração de pontos de vista conflitantes; (iii) essa reversão produz efeitos para o indivíduo que simulam o comportamento de massa (contágio emocional e suspensão da racionalidade); e (iv) a reiteração de um enunciado linguístico produz um “efeito-verdade” para a desinformação ao permitir que o destinatário use o enunciado para atribuir sentido ao mundo. O artigo propõe uma sociologia interdisciplinar da desinformação, oferecendo uma descrição inédita e precisa dos processos sociais que estruturam o fenômeno.
Numerical Simulation on the Perforation Response of Pressurized Pipe Elbows Under Destructive Impact Loading
Authors: Zhou You , Zhang Shuhua
Published: March 2022

Pipe elbows are essential connection components between the storage terminal and conveying pipelines in the petrochemical industry, which are prone to rupture and perforation under various potential impact loads. In this paper, the rupture and perforation responses of pressurized pipe elbows subjected to transverse impact loads were systematically investigated. Perforation phenomena of pipe elbows were qualitatively analyzed to identify the failure modes and features. Perforation mechanisms of mode transition, transient deflection, velocity variation, and stress distribution were systematically discussed. Extensive parametric studies were performed to investigate the deflection and mechanical responses. Parametric equations were established to describe the critical impact resistance. These results revealed the perforation phenomena and impact limits of pipe elbows subjected to impact loads, which are informative for protection design and damage assessment of pressurized pipe elbows.
Fully Closed Loop Test Environment for Adaptive Implantable Neural Stimulators Using Computational Models
Authors: Stanslaski Scott , Farooqi Hafsa , Sanabria David Escobar , Netoff Theoden Ivan
Published: March 2022

Implantable brain stimulation devices continue to be developed to treat and monitor brain conditions. As the complexity of these devices grows to include adaptive neuromodulation therapy, validating the operation and verifying the correctness of these systems becomes more complicated. The new complexities lie in the functioning of the device being dependent on the interaction with the patient and environmental factors such as noise and artifacts. Here, we present a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing framework that employs computational models of pathological neural dynamics to test adaptive deep brain stimulation (DBS) devices prior to animal or human testing. A brain stimulation and recording electrode array is placed in the saline tank and connected to an adaptive neuromodulation system that measures and processes the synthetic signals and delivers stimulation back into the saline tank. A data acquisition system is used to detect the stimulation and provide feedback to the computational model in order to simulate the effects of stimulation on the neural dynamics. In this study, we used real-time computational models to emulate the dynamics of epileptic seizures observed in the anterior nucleus of the thalamus (ANT) in epilepsy patients and beta band (11–35 Hz) oscillations observed in the subthalamic nucleus (STN) of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. These models simulated neuronal responses to electrical stimulation pulses and the saline tank tested hardware interactions between the detection algorithms and stimulation interference. We tested and validated the operation of adaptive DBS algorithms for seizure and beta band power suppression embedded in an implantable DBS system (Medtronic Summit RC+S). This study highlights the utility of the proposed hardware-in-the-loop framework to systematically test the adaptive DBS systems in the presence of system aggressors such as environmental noise and stimulation-induced electrical artifacts. This testing procedure can help ensure correctness and robustness of adaptive DBS devices prior to animal and human testing.
Transition-Related Psychosocial Factors and Mental Health Outcomes in Former National Football League Players: An NFL-LONG Study
Authors: DeFreese J.D. , Walton Samuel R. , Kerr Zachary Yukio , Brett Benjamin L. , Chandran Avinash , Mannix Rebekah , Campbell Hope , Echemendia Ruben J. , McCrea Michael A. , Meehan William P. , Guskiewicz Kevin M.
Published: March 2022

Transition from professional sport to nonsport endeavors has implications for postcareer health and well-being of athletes. The purpose of the current study was to examine associations among transition-related psychosocial factors and current mental health outcomes in former National Football League (NFL) players. Participants were former NFL players (n = 1,784; mean age = 52.3 ± 16.3 years) who responded to a questionnaire assessing the nature of their discontinuation from professional football (i.e., any degree of voluntary choice vs. forced discontinuation), prediscontinuation transition planning (yes vs. no), and current symptoms of depression and anxiety. After adjusting for relevant covariates, having an involuntary discontinuation and no transition plan prior to discontinuation were associated with greater depressive and anxiety symptom severity. Autonomy in discontinuation and pretransition planning are important to former NFL football players’ mental health. Increasing autonomy in the discontinuation decision and pretransition planning represent psychoeducational intervention targets for this population.
Determining Informative Microbial Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms for Human Identification
Authors: Sherier Allison J. , Woerner August E. , Budowle Bruce
Published: March 2022

One of the fundamental goals in forensic genetics is to identify the source of biological evidence. Methods for detecting human DNA have advanced and can be quite sensitive, but not all DNA samples are amenable to current methods.
An Undergraduate Laboratory Exploring Mutational Mechanisms in Escherichia coli Based on the Luria-Delbrück Experiment
Authors: Hutchison Elizabeth A. , Scheffler Abigail , Militello Kevin T. , Reinhardt Josephine , Nedelkovska Hristina , Jamburuthugoda Varuni K.
Published: March 2022

Understanding the mechanism for DNA mutations is a key concept in most genetics and microbiology courses. In addition, understanding that most mutations occur prior to exposure to selection is an important yet often difficult concept for students to grasp.
Comparative Genomics on Cultivated and Uncultivated Freshwater and Marine “CandidatusManganitrophaceae” Species Implies Their Worldwide Reach in Manganese Chemolithoautotrophy
Authors: Yu Hang , Chadwick Grayson L. , Lingappa Usha F. , Leadbetter Jared R.
Published: March 2022

Manganese (Mn) is an abundant redox-active metal that cycles in many of Earth’s biomes. While diverse bacteria and archaea have been demonstrated to respire Mn(III/IV), only recently have bacteria been implicated in Mn(II) oxidation-dependent growth.
Whole-Genome Shotgun (WGS) Sequence of
cis
-Isoprene Polymer-Degrading
Nocardia
sp. strain BSTN01
Authors: Sarkar Biraj , Mandal Amit Kumar , Ghati Amit , Ghosh Pranab , Mandal Sukhendu , Kati Ahmet
Published: March 2022

Species belonging to the genus
Nocardia
are known to be facultative human pathogens. There are also reports of
Nocardia
species capable of degrading various forms of rubber. Here, we report the whole-genome shotgun (WGS) sequence of
Nocardia
sp. strain BSTN01, isolated from stored water in latex-collecting cups thrown away near a local rubber processing unit in Tripura, India.
Experimental Study of the Crystallization Conditions of Ongonites of the Ary-Bulak Massif (Eastern Transbaikalia)
Authors: Alferyeva Ya. O. , Chevychelov V. Yu. , Novikova A. S.
Published: March 2022

Phase equilibria were studied experimentally in three rock samples of the Ary-Bulak massif at T = 800–700°C, P = 1 kbar, water content 10 wt %, and oxygen fugacity corresponding to the Ni–NiO and Mt–Hem buffers. Liquidus phases in melts obtained by melting of Ca-rich ongonites are fluorite, topaz, quartz, and plagioclase (andesine, bytownite). The liquid immiscibility of silicate and F–Ca salt melts described in the Ary-Bulak ongonites was not found in the experimental samples. The liquidus temperature of Ca-rich samples is ≥800°C, which is not typical for highly evolved differentiated granite melts. Based on the obtained factual material, it was concluded that simple experiments on melting–crystallization of rock samples of the Ary-Bulak massif do not fully reproduce its formation. It is possible that an important role in nature was played by irreversible processes that are not taken into account in this experimental series: interaction with host rocks, a sharp significant change in the fluid regime or P-T parameters, etc. The relicts of immiscible silicate and salt F–Ca melts described in natural Ca–F-rich samples also could be caused by one of these processes.
Transforming the 2-week wait (2WW) pathway: management of breast pain in primary care
Authors: Jahan Mohamed , Bartholomeuz Thilan , Milburn Nikki , Rogers Veronica , Sibbering Mark , Robertson John
Published: March 2022

Breast pain has no association with breast cancer yet is a frequent reason for referral from Primary to Secondary Care, often on an urgent (2-week wait) referral. The referral often causes significant patient anxiety, further heightened by screening mammograms and/or ultrasound scans in the absence of an associated red flag symptom or finding by the patient or general practitioner. This paper reports the pilot implementation of a specialist Primary Care Breast Pain Clinic in Mid-Nottinghamshire where patients were seen, examined without any imaging and assessed for their risk of familial breast cancer: numerous studies have reported 15%–>30% of patients with breast pain only have a family history of breast cancer.

177 patients with breast pain only were seen in this clinic between March, 2020 and April, 2021 with a 6-month interim suspension due to COVID-19. The mean age of patients was 48.4 years (range: 16–86). 172/177 (97.2%) patients required no imaging although there were three (1.7%) inappropriate referrals and two additional abnormalities (1.1%—hamartoma, thickening/tethering) that were referred onward. There were no cancers. 21 (12.4%) patients were identified to have an increased familial risk of breast cancer and were referred to the specialist familial cancer service. 170/177 patients completed an anonymous questionnaire on leaving the clinic. 167/169 (99%) were reassured regarding their breast pain, 155/156 (99%) were reassured of the Familial Risk Assessment, 162/168 (96%) were reassured regarding their personal risk assessment while 169/170 (99%) were ‘extremely likely/likely to recommend the service’.

This specialist Primary Care Breast Pain Clinic provides service improvement across all levels of care (Primary, Secondary and Tertiary). Patients were successfully managed in the community with high levels of patient satisfaction and together this obviated referral to secondary care. The familial breast cancer risk assessment also helped identify unmet need in the community.
Improving domestic violence screening practices in the emergency department: an Australian perspective
Authors: Sweeny Amy Lynn , Bourke Caitlin , Torpie Thomas Martin , Sargeant Sally , Hughes James , Watson Julie , Conroy Sheree , Carrasco Angel , Tighe Kym , Thornton Neale Stuart , Cumner Amber-Shea , Baird Kathleen
Published: March 2022

Introduction

Domestic violence (DV) is a major cause of morbidity worldwide. The ED is a location recommended for opportunistic screening. However, screening within EDs remains irregular.

Objective

To examine intrinsic and extrinsic barriers to routine screening in Australian EDs, while describing actions taken after identification of DV.

Methods

Emergency clinicians at nine public hospitals participated in an anonymous online survey. Factor analysis was performed to identify principal components around attitudes and beliefs towards screening.

Results

In total, 496 emergency clinicians participated. Universal screening was uncommon; less than 2% of respondents reported screening all adults or all women. Although willing, nearly half (45%) reported not knowing how to screen. High patient load and no single rooms were ‘very or severely limiting’ for 88% of respondents, respectively, while 24/7 social work and interpreter services, and online/written DV protocols were top enablers. Factor analysis identified four distinct intrinsic belief components: (1) screening is not futile and could be done in ED, (2) screening will not cause harm, (3) there is a duty to screen and (4) I am willing to screen.

Conclusion

This study describes a culture of Queensland ED clinicians that believe DV screening in ED is important and interventions are effective. Most ED clinicians are willing to screen. In this setting, availability of social work and interpreter services are important mitigating resources. Clinician education focusing on duty to screen, coupled with a built-in screening tool, and e-links to a local management protocol may improve the uptake of screening and subsequently increase detection.
Development process and clinical application of collagenase chemonucleolysis in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation: a narrative review in China
Authors: Yuan Peng , Shi Xiaohua , Wei Xuanjun , Wang Zijun , Mu Jiao , Zhang Hongxin
Published: March 2022

Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is one of the most common causes of lumbocrural pain. In the past 20 years, the incidence of LDH has increased dramatically. There are many treatments for LDH, including conservative treatment (such as acupuncture and physiotherapy), minimally invasive interventional treatment (such as collagenase chemonucleolysis and radiofrequency ablation) and surgical treatment. The main purpose of this paper is to review the development process and application status of collagenase chemonucleolysis in the treatment of LDH at home and abroad and provide a reference for clinical treatment.
Whom actually do multipole moments belong to?
Authors: Hernández–Pastora J. L.
Published: March 2022

Using an integral definition given in Hernández-Pastora et al. (Class Quantum Gravity 33:225009, 2016) to calculate the relativistic multipole moments (RMM), and the ensuing generalized relativistic Gauss theorem, we prove that the evaluation of that volume integral in Erez–Rosen coordinates, leads to a specific link between the RMM and the source of the exterior space–time, provided we have a global static axisymmetric metric in that coordinate system for any Weyl exterior field. This result allows to establish a relationship between the RMM and certain volume integral expressions involving the material content of the source from its energy–momentum tensor as well as the interior metric. In particular the relativistic quadrupole moment for the Erez–Rosen space–time is obtained.
Fair automated assessment of noncompliance in cargo ship networks
Authors: de Bruin Gerrit Jan , Pereira Barata Antonio , van den Herik H. Jaap , Takes Frank W. , Veenman Cor J.
Published: March 2022

Cargo ships navigating global waters are required to be sufficiently safe and compliant with international treaties. Governmental inspectorates currently assess in a rule-based manner whether a ship is potentially noncompliant and thus needs inspection. One of the dominant ship characteristics in this assessment is the ‘colour’ of the flag a ship is flying, where countries with a positive reputation have a so-called ‘white flag’. The colour of a flag may disproportionately influence the inspector, causing more frequent and stricter inspections of ships flying a non-white flag, resulting in confirmation bias in historical inspection data.

In this paper, we propose an automated approach for the assessment of ship noncompliance, realising two important contributions. First, we reduce confirmation bias by using fair classifiers that decorrelate the flag from the risk classification returned by the model. Second, we extract mobility patterns from a cargo ship network, allowing us to derive meaningful features for ship classification. Crucially, these features model the behaviour of a ship, rather than its static properties. Our approach shows both a higher overall prediction performance and improved fairness with respect to the flag. Ultimately, this work enables inspectorates to better target noncompliant ships, thereby improving overall maritime safety and environmental protection.
Microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of copper/304 stainless-steel joints by low-temperature soldering
Authors: Yao Shuyi , Shi Xin , Li Yuanxing , Wan Liping , Zheng Xiangbo , Wang Yao , Chen Hui
Published: March 2022

Pure copper (Cu) soldering joints with 304 stainless steel (SS) at different soldering temperatures (240–[Formula: see text]C) were prepared by using Sn–3.5 Ag (wt.%) as a soldering filler-metal material. The mechanical properties and microstructure evolution were investigated. Sound Cu/304 SS joints were obtained by soldering at 240–[Formula: see text]C for 90 s and the highest average joint shear strength was [Formula: see text] MPa when brazed at [Formula: see text]C. The Cu6Sn5 and Ag3Sn phases were typical intermetallic compounds (IMCs) in the joints at a soldering temperature of [Formula: see text]C. Cu3Sn IMCs were formed at the Cu/Cu6Sn5 interface as the soldering temperature increased to [Formula: see text]C and above. Shear fracture analysis by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive spectroscopy showed that the joints fractured mostly inside the Cu6Sn5 layers.
The compression behavior of two different simulation models for the closed-cell Al foam-filled tube established by Digimat and ABAQUS
Authors: Shen Dayong , Huang Gengqiang , Tong Le , Xu Zhigang
Published: March 2022

In this work, two types of models for a closed-cell Al foam with 80% porosity were established by Digimat and ABAQUS. The compression characteristics of the Al foam-filled stainless steel tube structure with both Al foam models were simulated and compared in combination with experiments. The results showed that Al foam-filled tubes presented higher peak compressive force compared with unfilled stainless steel tube. Compared with the crushable Al Foam model established by ABAQUS, the Digimat model could intuitively observe the plastic deformation in the cells of the Al foam-filled structure. However, the simulated results derived from Digimat software were slightly different from the experimental result. In general, the crushable-foam model embedded in ABAQUS can better match the experimental results from a macro perspective.
Neutrino interactions in liquid scintillators including active-sterile neutrino mixing
Authors: Saez M. M. , Mosquera M. E. , Civitarese O.
Published: March 2022

Neutrinos play an important role in core-collapse supernova events since they are a key piece to understanding the explosion mechanisms. The analysis of the neutrino fluxes can bring answers to neutrino’s related problems e.g., mass hierarchy, spectral splitting, sterile neutrinos, etc. In this work, we study the impact of neutrino oscillations and the possible existence of eV sterile neutrinos upon the supernova neutrino flux ([Formula: see text]). We have calculated the energy distribution of the neutrino flux from a supernova and the total number of events that would be detected in a liquid scintillator. We also present an analysis for the conversion probabilities as a function of the active-sterile neutrino mixing parameters. Finally, we have carried out a statistical analysis to extract values for the mixing parameters of the model.
Forward Kinematics of the Stewart Parallel Manipulator Using Machine Learning
Authors: Chauhan Dev Kunwar Singh , Vundavilli Pandu R.
Published: March 2022

Stewart parallel manipulator is well known for its superiority in achieving better stiffness, accurate motion with precise positioning, robust mechanism, high payload capacity, etc. It is widely used in various applications such as flight simulators, satellite dish positioning, hexapod telescope, medical surgery, simulation of earthquakes, etc. It is important to note that the inverse kinematics solution of the Stewart platform can be determined easily with the help of an analytical solution, whereas forward kinematics is intractable analytically. Therefore, in this work, an attempt is made to solve the forward kinematics problem of the Stewart platform using the soft-computing-based technique. A multi-layer feed-forward neural network with one hidden layer is trained after utilizing different metaheuristic optimizers, namely Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), Modified Chaotic, Invasive Weed Optimization (MCIWO), and Teachers’ Learning-Based Optimization (TLBO) methodologies to solve the forward kinematics of the Stewart platform. Further, a detailed analysis is conducted on the results obtained by these methods, namely PSO-NN, MCIWO-NN and TLBO-NN. The dataset for training the NN is generated by using the solution of inverse kinematics.
Extremum sum-connectivity index of trees and unicyclic graphs
Authors: Shooshtari Hajar , Motamedi Ruhollah , Cancan Murat
Published: March 2022

The sum-connectivity index of a graph [Formula: see text] is defined as the sum of weights [Formula: see text] over all edges [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] are the degrees of the vertices [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] in [Formula: see text], respectively. In this paper, we provide a simpler method to the extremal trees and unicyclic graph of the sum-connectivity index.
On the modeling of asymmetric disturbance effect and rejection control for fixed-wing aircraft
Authors: Li Rui , Qin Kaiyu
Published: March 2022

In this paper, the fixed-wing aircraft asymmetric disturbance effect modeling and closed-loop control system evaluation are considered. The asymmetric disturbance is accurately modeled by a combination of the consideration of inertial parameter variation and realistic aerodynamic characteristics of asymmetric configuration generated by the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. To analyze the impacts of the asymmetric disturbance on the aircraft, two flight control methodologies are compared. Besides the classic and widely implemented PID controller, an uncertainty and disturbance estimator (UDE)-based controller is additionally designed to deal with the asymmetric disturbance. Comparative simulation results are provided to show that: (1) the performance of PID control degrades significantly under asymmetric disturbances; and (2) the UDE-based controller is capable of dynamically compensating for the disturbance thus delivering better trajectory tracking performance than PID controller.