bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ethnic‐racial socialization in mono‐racial Asian American and Pacific Islander families: A 21‐year systematic literature review
Authors: Nieri Tanya , Yoo Min , Tam Corinne
Published: January 2024

This study systematically reviewed the literature on ethnic‐racial socialization (ERS) in mono‐racial Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) families in the United States. Following the PRISMA guidelines, we examined what is known about (1) ERS strategies used, (2) child and parent factors related to ERS, and (3) the relation of ERS to child outcomes in mono‐racial AAPI families. We included peer‐reviewed, original studies published between January 2002 and August 2023, abstracted in Sociological Abstracts, PubMed, and/or PsychINFO, and focused on ERS in AAPI families. Fifty‐eight studies met the inclusion criteria. The reviewed studies show that mono‐racial AAPI families engage in ERS, but parents' messages tend to focus on positive aspects of ethnicity‐race (e.g., ethnic pride) and avoid negative aspects (e.g., discrimination). However, due to the COVID‐19 pandemic and Black Lives Matter, parents are increasingly willing to address the negative aspects of ethnicity‐race, including racism and anti‐racism, to prepare their children for a racialized society. ERS is related to AAPI child identity, psycho‐social outcomes, ethnic‐racial attitudes and experiences, and other outcomes but in a variety of contingent ways. We identify gaps in the literature and recommend future research on ERS in AAPI families.
Stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination at the intersection of race and gender: An intersectional theory primer
Authors: Hudson Sa‐kiera Tiarra Jolynn , Myer Annalisa , Berney Elyssa Christine
Published: January 2024

The incorporation of intersectionality within social psychology is becoming an increasingly common practice. From the hypotheses we generate to the methods we employ, as well as the analyses we run and the theories we use, researchers are moving away from studying social identities in isolation. By studying the interactional and emergent properties of multiple identities that go beyond the sum of identities, as well as understanding the complex nature of power and privilege, social psychologists can better understand processes such as stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination. Yet it can be difficult for researchers to know exactly where to begin. This review serves as a primer for conducting intersectionally‐informed research within social psychology, using the intersection of race and gender within the United States as a case study. We first describe the history of intersectional research in psychology, noting its barriers to implementation. Next, we review three classes of intersectionally‐informed models — intersectional perception, experience, and treatment — and offer suggestions for future research as well as ways researchers can incorporate the model within their work.
Resilience in rural health system
Authors: Lasky Tiffany , Samanta Damayanti , Sebastian Will , Calderwood Lisa
Published: January 2024

Introduction

Current literature emphasises the importance of resilience in health care. Studies have shown that lack of resilience not only leads to adverse clinical outcomes but is also associated with burnout and long‐term stress in clinicians. Resource‐limited rural settings in the United States often impose unique stressors, and thus, it is critical to examine resilience of health care providers practicing rural medicine.

Methods

An anonymous REDCap survey was completed by medical students, residents and attending physicians between 7 April 2021 and 18 May 2022. The primary outcome of resilience was measured by the Connor‐Davidson Resilience Scale 10 (CD‐RISC‐10©).

Results

Survey takers scored moderately on the resilience scale (30.64 on a 40‐point scale). The first quartile of respondents scored between 0 and 28; the second quartile scored between 29 and 30; the third quartile scored between 31 and 35; the fourth quartile scored between 36 and 40. Age and years of service were not correlated with resilience. However, survey takers who had been exposed to trauma informed care scored significantly higher on the resilience scale (32.37 vs. 28.85, p = 0.021). The level of resilience when compared by profession was found to be comparable among medical students, residents and attending physicians.

Conclusion

Individuals scoring in the first two quartiles of the CD‐RISC‐10© perhaps indicate need for support as they are having difficulty coping with stress. Health care organisations should provide resilience training to support the wellness and mental health of their staff. Moreover, dedicated efforts should be made toward creating trauma‐informed health care organisations as exposure to the topic of trauma informed care had a significant positive impact on resilience.
Exploring Individual Differences: A Case for Measuring Children's Spontaneous Gesture Production as a Predictor of Learning From Gesture Instruction
Authors: Congdon Eliza L. , Novack Miriam A. , Wakefield Elizabeth M.
Published: January 2024

Decades of research have established that learners benefit when instruction includes hand gestures. This benefit is seen when learners watch an instructor gesture, as well as when they are taught or encouraged to gesture themselves. However, there is substantial individual variability with respect to this phenomenon—not all individuals benefit equally from gesture instruction. In the current paper, we explore the sources of this variability. First, we review the existing research on individual differences that do or do not predict learning from gesture instruction, including differences that are either context‐dependent (linked to the particular task at hand) or context‐independent (linked to the learner across multiple tasks). Next, we focus on one understudied measure of individual difference: the learner's own spontaneous gesture rate. We present data showing rates of “non‐gesturers” across a number of studies and we provide theoretical motivation for why this is a fruitful area for future research. We end by suggesting ways in which research on individual differences will help gesture researchers to further refine existing theories and develop specific predictions about targeted gesture intervention for all kinds of learners.
Specific ABA‐independent tomato transcriptome reprogramming under abiotic stress combination
Authors: Pardo‐Hernández Miriam , Arbona Vicent , Simón Inmaculada , Rivero Rosa M.
Published: January 2024

Crops often have to face several abiotic stresses simultaneously, and under these conditions, the plant's response significantly differs from that observed under a single stress. However, up to the present, most of the molecular markers identified for increasing plant stress tolerance have been characterized under single abiotic stresses, which explains the unexpected results found when plants are tested under real field conditions. One important regulator of the plant's responses to abiotic stresses is abscisic acid (ABA). The ABA signaling system engages many stress‐responsive genes, but many others do not respond to ABA treatments. Thus, the ABA‐independent pathway, which is still largely unknown, involves multiple signaling pathways and important molecular components necessary for the plant's adaptation to climate change. In the present study, ABA‐deficient tomato mutants (flacca, flc) were subjected to salinity, heat, or their combination. An in‐depth RNA‐seq analysis revealed that the combination of salinity and heat led to a strong reprogramming of the tomato transcriptome. Thus, of the 685 genes that were specifically regulated under this combination in our flc mutants, 463 genes were regulated by ABA‐independent systems. Among these genes, we identified six transcription factors (TFs) that were significantly regulated, belonging to the R2R3‐MYB family. A protein–protein interaction network showed that the TFs SlMYB50 and SlMYB86 were directly involved in the upregulation of the flavonol biosynthetic pathway‐related genes. One of the most novel findings of the study is the identification of the involvement of some important ABA‐independent TFs in the specific plant response to abiotic stress combination. Considering that ABA levels dramatically change in response to environmental factors, the study of ABA‐independent genes that are specifically regulated under stress combination may provide a remarkable tool for increasing plant resilience to climate change.
Spatial epidemiology of human anthrax in Son La province, Vietnam, 2003–2022
Authors: Luong Tan , Nguyen Tien Dung , Lu Van Truong , Metrailer Morgan C. , Pham Van Khang , Hoang Thi Thu Ha , Hung Tran Thi Mai , Pham Thanh Hai , Pham Thanh Long , Pham Quang Thai , Blackburn Jason K.
Published: January 2024

Aims

Anthrax is reported with frequency but poorly understood in Southeast Asian countries including Vietnam. In Vietnam, anthrax surveillance is national. However, case detection, prevention, and control are implemented locally at the provincial level. Here, we describe the epidemiological characteristics, identify spatial clusters of human anthrax, and compare the variation in livestock anthrax vaccine coverage to disease incidence in humans and livestock using historical data in Son La province, Vietnam (2003–2020).

Methods and Results

Most human cases occurred between April and September. Most of the patients were male, aged 15–54 years old. The human cases were mainly reported by public district hospitals. There was a delay between disease onset and hospitalization of ~5 days. We identified spatial clusters of high–high incidence communes in the northern communes of the province using the local Moran's I statistic. The vaccine coverage sharply decreased across the study period. The province reported sporadic human anthrax outbreaks, while animal cases were only reported in 2005 and 2022.

Conclusions

These results suggest underreporting for human and livestock anthrax in the province. Intersectoral information sharing is needed to aid livestock vaccination planning, which currently relies on reported livestock cases. The spatial clusters identify areas for targeted surveillance and livestock vaccination, while the seasonal case data suggest prioritizing vaccination campaigns for February or early March ahead of the April peak. A regional approach for studying the role of livestock trading between Son La and neighbouring provinces in anthrax occurrence is recommended.
Composition dependence of intrinsic surface states and Fermi-level pinning at ternary AlxGa1−xN m-plane surfaces
Authors: Freter Lars , Lymperakis Liverios , Schnedler Michael , Eisele Holger , Jin Lei , Liu Jianxun , Sun Qian , Dunin-Borkowski Rafal E. , Ebert Philipp
Published: January 2024

Growth on nonpolar group III-nitride semiconductor surfaces has been suggested to be a remedy for avoiding detrimental polarization effects. However, the presence of intrinsic surface states within the fundamental bandgap at nonpolar surfaces leads to a Fermi-level pinning during growth, affecting the incorporation of dopants and impurities. This is further complicated by the use of ternary, e.g., AlxGa1−xN layers in device structures. In order to quantify the Fermi-level pinning on ternary group III nitride nonpolar growth surface, the energy position of the group III-derived empty dangling bond surface state at nonpolar AlxGa1−xN(101¯0) surfaces is determined as a function of the Al concentration using cross-sectional scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy. The measurements show that the minimum energy of the empty dangling bond state shifts linearly toward midgap for increasing Al concentration with a slope of ≈5 meV/%. These experimental findings are supported by complementary density functional theory calculations.
Spherical shock waveform reconstruction by heterodyne interferometry
Authors: Hart Carl R. , Lyons Gregory W. , White Michael J.
Published: January 2024

The indirect measurement of shock waveforms by acousto-optic sensing requires a method to reconstruct the field from the projected data. Under the assumption of spherical symmetry, one approach is to reconstruct the field by the Abel inversion integral transform. When the acousto-optic sensing modality measures the change in optical phase difference time derivative, as for a heterodyne Mach–Zehnder interferometer, e.g., a laser Doppler vibrometer, the reconstructed field is the fluctuating refractive index time derivative. A technique is derived that reconstructs the fluctuating index directly by assuming plane wave propagation local to a probe beam. With synthetic data, this approach is compared to the Abel inversion integral transform and then applied to experimental data of laser-induced shockwaves. Time waveforms are reconstructed with greater accuracy except for the tail of the waveform that maps spatially to positions near a virtual origin. Furthermore, direct reconstruction of the fluctuating index field eliminates the required time integration and results in more accurate shock waveform peak values, rise times, and positive phase duration.
Pleural and pericardial effusions with fever and altered mental status: an atypical presentation of bartonellosis
Authors: Repko Alex , Kim Ju Young , Paulus Ryan , Rayala Brian
Published: January 2024

A male in his 60s presented to the emergency department (ED) with a 3-week history of fever and progressive confusion. Initial laboratory and radiographic workup was largely unremarkable except for moderate bilateral pleural effusions. The patient was admitted on broad-spectrum antibiotics and further workup for fever of unknown aetiology. The differential diagnosis was broadened to different zoonotic infections, and subsequent laboratory testing showed a markedly elevatedBartonella henselaeIgG andBartonella quintanaIgG (1:4096 and 1:512, respectively) in addition to positiveB. henselaeIgM titre (>1:20). During hospitalisation, the patient became more hypoxic and was found to have enlarging pleural effusions as well as a new pericardial effusion. The patient was treated with intravenous then oral doxycycline 100 mg two times per day and oral rifampin 300 mg two times per day for 4 weeks with subsequent improvement in clinical status as well as both effusions. This case highlights a unique presentation ofBartonellaand its rare manifestation of pleural and pericardial effusions.
Chronic dizziness in restless legs syndrome (RLS) patients responsive to levodopa or dopamine agonists
Authors: Prakash Sanjay , Patel Harsh , Shah Chetsi Sudhir , Prakash Anurag
Published: January 2024

Apart from the legs, restless legs syndrome (RLS) also affects the arms, head, neck, face, oral cavity, genital area, abdomen, intestines and bladder. RLS is also linked to several comorbid diseases, including headache disorders. Its association with dizziness has never been explored. We are reporting on two patients with RLS who also had a history of chronic dizziness. The treatment with levodopa or dopamine agonists completely alleviated both RLS and dizziness. We propose that RLS-like symptoms in the head may be experienced as dizziness and that dizziness may be part of the symptom complex of RLS. A large number of patients with chronic dizziness remain undiagnosed in clinical practice. We suggest exploring the history of RLS in patients presenting with chronic dizziness. Such patients may respond to levodopa or dopamine agonists. Because the response was seen in only two patients, a prospective placebo-controlled trial is needed to confirm these findings.
Chronic neck pain in a child: a case of osteoblastoma of the C5 cervical vertebra
Authors: Yadav Sandeep Kumar , Rajnish Rajesh Kumar , Jacob Akhil Mathew , Rao Meenakshi
Published: January 2024

Osteoblastoma is a primary bone-forming tumour that usually occurs in the second decade with an affinity to the posterior elements when found in the spine. Its occurrence in the early first decade is uncommon and often causes a diagnostic dilemma. It usually has a late presentation and the symptoms may be non-specific which may lead the clinician to overlook this particular entity. We present a case of osteoblastoma of the posterior elements of the C5 vertebra in a pre-adolescent child who was diagnosed and successfully managed with surgical resection in a timely fashion that led to favourable recovery postoperatively.
A Novel cause of abdominal pain presenting with anuria and renal failure
Authors: Corkill Joel , Rupret Simon , Scrivens Emma , Ali Ayman
Published: January 2024

A girl in early adolescence with autism presented with 3 months of abdominal pain and 36 hours of anuria. She had recently received treatment for urinary tract infections, anxiety and menorrhagia (she had undergone menarche a few months earlier). Due to the pain, she had pulled out an incisor. Bladder scan showed 923 mL, creatinine was 829 mmol/L but urethral catheter insertion did not drain urine. An unenhanced CT scan revealed an absent left kidney, didelphys uterus and right-sided hydroureteronephrosis caused by haematocolpos in keeping with a diagnosis of OHVIRA syndrome and ureteric obstruction of a single kidney causing acute renal failure. She underwent vaginal septoplasty, drainage of the haematocolpos and right ureteric stent.
Relationship between objectively measured physical activity and subclinical cardiovascular disease: a systematic review
Authors: Narendrula Aparna , Brinza Ellen , Horvat Davey Christine , Longenecker Chris T , Webel Allison R
Published: January 2024

Introduction

The association of physical activity (PA) with subclinical cardiovascular disease (CVD) is unclear. Clarifying this relationship may inform cardiovascular prevention strategies.

Methods

We performed a systematic review (CRD42021226089) using Medline, Embase, CINAHL and Cochrane (1 January 2000 to 1 September 2023). Studies published with adult populations exploring the relationship between objectively measured PA and subclinical CVD were included. Subclinical CVD was assessed using: ankle-brachial index (ABI); arterial stiffness; carotid artery disease; coronary artery atherosclerosis; endothelial function; and measures of cardiac structure and function. The Risk Of Bias In Non-randomised Studies - of Interventions (ROBINS-I) and Cochrane Risk of Bias tools were used for quality review.

Results

Of 68 included studies, most supported an inverse relationship between PA and subclinical CVD. Arterial stiffness was the most common outcome (n=40), and 33 studies suggested that less sedentary behaviour (SB), increased PA and/or higher intensity PA was associated with less arterial stiffness. Ten studies of carotid artery disease (totaln=18), six of endothelial function (n=10), two of coronary artery disease (n=3) and all of ABI (n=6) suggested that PA or less SB is associated with less subclinical disease. Five studies assessing cardiac structure/function (n=6) suggested alterations in structure/function with PA.

Conclusions

PA reduces the risk of CVD events, and this systematic review demonstrates that some of the benefits may be mediated by an inverse association between PA and subclinical CVD. Interventions to increase PA are important for CVD prevention, so we provide a comprehensive overview of which surrogate outcome measures may be most useful to assess future CVD prevention interventions.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42021226089.
Optimal age to discontinue long-term surveillance of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms: comparative cost-effectiveness of surveillance by age
Authors: Hamada Tsuyoshi , Oyama Hiroki , Igarashi Ataru , Kawaguchi Yoshikuni , Lee Mihye , Matsui Hiroki , Michihata Nobuaki , Nakai Yousuke , Fushimi Kiyohide , Yasunaga Hideo , Fujishiro Mitsuhiro
Published: January 2024

Objective

Current guidelines recommend long-term image-based surveillance for patients with low-risk intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs). This simulation study aimed to examine the comparative cost-effectiveness of continued versus discontinued surveillance at different ages and define the optimal age to stop surveillance.

Design

We constructed a Markov model with a lifetime horizon to simulate the clinical course of patients with IPMNs receiving imaging-based surveillance. We calculated incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) for continued versus discontinued surveillance at different ages to stop surveillance, stratified by sex and IPMN types (branch-duct vs mixed-type). We determined the optimal age to stop surveillance as the lowest age at which the ICER exceeded the willingness-to-pay threshold of US$100 000 per quality-adjusted life year. To estimate model parameters, we used a clinical cohort of 3000 patients with IPMNs and a national database including 40 166 patients with pancreatic cancer receiving pancreatectomy as well as published data.

Results

In male patients, the optimal age to stop surveillance was 76–78 years irrespective of the IPMN types, compared with 70, 73, 81, and 84 years for female patients with branch-duct IPMNs <20 mm, =20–29 mm, ≥30 mm and mixed-type IPMNs, respectively. The suggested ages became younger according to an increasing level of comorbidities. In cases with high comorbidity burden, the ICERs were above the willingness-to-pay threshold irrespective of sex and the size of branch-duct IPMNs.

Conclusions

The cost-effectiveness of long-term IPMN surveillance depended on sex, IPMN types, and comorbidity levels, suggesting the potential to personalise patient management from the health economic perspective.
Is pregnancy a disease? A normative approach
Authors: Smajdor Anna , Räsänen Joona
Published: January 2024

In this paper, we identify some key features of what makes something a disease, and consider whether these apply to pregnancy. We argue that there are some compelling grounds for regarding pregnancy as a disease. Like a disease, pregnancy affects the health of the pregnant person, causing a range of symptoms from discomfort to death. Like a disease, pregnancy can be treated medically. Like a disease, pregnancy is caused by a pathogen, an external organism invading the host’s body. Like a disease, the risk of getting pregnant can be reduced by using prophylactic measures. We address the question of whether the ‘normality’ of pregnancy, its current necessity for human survival, or the value often attached to it are reasons to reject the view that pregnancy is a disease. We point out that applying theories of disease to the case of pregnancy, can in many cases illuminate inconsistencies and problems within these theories. Finally, we show that it is difficult to find one theory of disease that captures all paradigm cases of diseases, while convincingly excluding pregnancy. We conclude that there are both normative and pragmatic reasons to consider pregnancy a disease.
Anti-stroke biologics: from recombinant proteins to stem cells and organoids
Authors: Miao Zhu-Wei , Wang Zhi , Zheng Si-Li , Wang Shu-Na , Miao Chao-Yu
Published: January 2024

The use of biologics in various diseases has dramatically increased in recent years. Stroke, a cerebrovascular disease, is the second most common cause of death, and the leading cause of disability with high morbidity worldwide. For biologics applied in the treatment of acute ischaemic stroke, alteplase is the only thrombolytic agent. Meanwhile, current clinical trials show that two recombinant proteins, tenecteplase and non-immunogenic staphylokinase, are most promising as new thrombolytic agents for acute ischaemic stroke therapy. In addition, stem cell-based therapy, which uses stem cells or organoids for stroke treatment, has shown promising results in preclinical and early clinical studies. These strategies for acute ischaemic stroke mainly rely on the unique properties of undifferentiated cells to facilitate tissue repair and regeneration. However, there is a still considerable journey ahead before these approaches become routine clinical use. This includes optimising cell delivery methods, determining the ideal cell type and dosage, and addressing long-term safety concerns. This review introduces the current or promising recombinant proteins for thrombolysis therapy in ischaemic stroke and highlights the promise and challenges of stem cells and cerebral organoids in stroke therapy.
Cross-sectional study of the associations between the implementation of the WHO FCTC tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship bans and current e-cigarette use among youth from countries with different income levels
Authors: Ylitörmänen Tuija , Tarasenko Yelena , Hiilamo Heikki , Ruokolainen Otto , Puska Pekka , Ollila Hanna
Published: January 2024

Background

The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) Article 13 requires countries to ban tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship (TAPS), and bans are recommended to cover electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes). We examined youth e-cigarette prevalence by TAPS regulations in countries with different income levels.

Methods

We analysed data on 165 299 respondents from 48 countries with 2016/2018 WHO FCTC implementation reports and 2016–2019 Global Youth Tobacco Survey. We used multilevel logistic regressions to examine associations between TAPS regulations and current e-cigarette use, stratified by country income.

Results

About 1 in 10 respondents was currently using e-cigarettes. Respondents in countries with TAPS bans on the internet were less likely to use e-cigarettes (adjOR=0.58; 95% CI 0.39 to 0.86) than youth in countries without such bans. In lower middle-income and low-income countries, bans on displaying tobacco products at the point of sale (adjOR=0.55; 95% CI 0.34 to 0.90), bans on product placement (adjOR=0.44; 95% CI 0.28 to 0.69) and strength of additional TAPS measures were associated with lower prevalence of e-cigarette use among students. Being taught about the dangers of the use of tobacco in school was associated with lower odds of e-cigarette use. No differences in the use of e-cigarettes were observed by types of TAPS among respondents in high-income countries.

Conclusions

Strengthening implementation of TAPS policies and assuring they cover new and emerging products, online channels and points of sales are essential, especially in lower income countries. Maintaining tobacco health education is also important to protect youth from e-cigarette use.
COPD basal cells are primed towards secretory to multiciliated cell imbalance driving increased resilience to environmental stressors
Authors: Stoleriu Mircea Gabriel , Ansari Meshal , Strunz Maximilian , Schamberger Andrea , Heydarian Motaharehsadat , Ding Yaobo , Voss Carola , Schneider Juliane Josephine , Gerckens Michael , Burgstaller Gerald , Castelblanco Alejandra , Kauke Teresa , Fertmann Jan , Schneider Christian , Behr Juergen , Lindner Michael , Stacher-Priehse Elvira , Irmler Martin , Beckers Johannes , Eickelberg Oliver , Schubert Benjamin , Hauck Stefanie M , Schmid Otmar , Hatz Rudolf A , Stoeger Tobias , Schiller Herbert B , Hilgendorff Anne
Published: January 2024

Introduction

Environmental pollutants injure the mucociliary elevator, thereby provoking disease progression in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Epithelial resilience mechanisms to environmental nanoparticles in health and disease are poorly characterised.

Methods

We delineated the impact of prevalent pollutants such as carbon and zinc oxide nanoparticles, on cellular function and progeny in primary human bronchial epithelial cells (pHBECs) from end-stage COPD (COPD-IV, n=4), early disease (COPD-II, n=3) and pulmonary healthy individuals (n=4). After nanoparticle exposure of pHBECs at air–liquid interface, cell cultures were characterised by functional assays, transcriptome and protein analysis, complemented by single-cell analysis in serial samples of pHBEC cultures focusing on basal cell differentiation.

Results

COPD-IV was characterised by a prosecretory phenotype (twofold increase in MUC5AC+) at the expense of the multiciliated epithelium (threefold reduction in Ac-Tub+), resulting in an increased resilience towards particle-induced cell damage (fivefold reduction in transepithelial electrical resistance), as exemplified by environmentally abundant doses of zinc oxide nanoparticles. Exposure of COPD-II cultures to cigarette smoke extract provoked the COPD-IV characteristic, prosecretory phenotype. Time-resolved single-cell transcriptomics revealed an underlying COPD-IV unique basal cell state characterised by a twofold increase in KRT5+(P=0.018) and LAMB3+(P=0.050) expression, as well as a significant activation of Wnt-specific (P=0.014) and Notch-specific (P=0.021) genes, especially in precursors of suprabasal and secretory cells.

Conclusion

We identified COPD stage-specific gene alterations in basal cells that affect the cellular composition of the bronchial elevator and may control disease-specific epithelial resilience mechanisms in response to environmental nanoparticles. The identified phenomena likely inform treatment and prevention strategies.
Cluster randomised controlled trial of specialist-led integrated COPD care (INTEGR COPD)
Authors: Patel Ketan , Pye Anita , Edgar Ross G , Beadle Helen , Ellis Paul R , Sitch Alice , Dickens Andrew P , Turner Alice M
Published: January 2024

Objective

Studies in hospital settings demonstrate that there is greater guideline adherence when care is delivered by a respiratory specialist, however, this has not been explored in primary care. The aim of this study is to determine the impact integrating respiratory specialists into primary care has on the delivery of guideline adherent chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) care.

Methods

18 general practitioner (GP) practices were randomised to provide either usual or specialist-led COPD care. Patients at participating practices were included if they had an existing diagnosis of COPD. Outcomes were measured at the individual patient level. The primary outcome was guideline adherence, assessed as achieving four or more items of the COPD care bundle. Secondary outcome measures included quality of life, number of exacerbations, number of COPD-related hospitalisations and respiratory outpatient attendances.

Results

586 patients from 10 practices randomised to the intervention and 656 patients from 8 practices randomised to the control arm of the study were included. The integration of respiratory specialists into GP practices led to a statistically significant (p<0.001) improvement in the provision of guideline adherent care when compared with usual care in this cohort (92.7% vs 70.1%) (OR 4.14, 95% CI 2.14 to 8.03).

Conclusion

This is the first study to demonstrate that guideline adherence is improved through the integration of respiratory specialists into GP practices to deliver annual COPD reviews. To facilitate changes in current healthcare practice and policy, the findings of this paper need to be viewed in combination with qualitative research exploring the acceptability of specialist integration.

Trial registration number

NCT03482700.
Effects of magnetic field on spin–orbit-coupled f = 1 spinor condensate in a toroidal trap
Authors: Zhao Qiang
Published: January 2024

In this paper, we study the dynamic properties of spin–orbit coupling (SOC) hyperfine f =1 spinor antiferromagnetic Bose–Einstein condensates with the external magnetic field. The condensate is confined in a toroidal trap and the numerical results are obtained based on the multicomponent Gross–Pitaevskii equation. Our results show that, in the presence of SOC, the spin dynamics for zero magnetic field slows with an increase of radius of the torus. However, this process accelerates when the magnetic field is considered. In addition, in this case, the oscillation behavior is almost consistent with the considered maximum radius. In the absence of SOC, the periodicity of spin dynamics vanishes. We also compare the thermalization time for different magnetic fields and radii, which decreases considerably for nonzero magnetic fields with the increase of radius. Furthermore, our analysis suggests that for stronger magnetic field strength the density structure can be regulated. As a consequence, the condensate recovers from the necklace to an annular-shaped state.
Scale-separated AdS$$_3\times $$S$$^1$$ vacua from IIA orientifolds
Authors: Farakos Fotis , Morittu Matteo
Published: January 2024

We study supersymmetric AdS$$_3$$

3

flux vacua of massive type-IIA supergravity on anisotropic G2 orientifolds. Depending on the value of the $$F_4$$

F
4

flux the seven-dimensional compact space can either have six small and one large dimension such that the “external” space is scale-separated and effectively four-dimensional, or all seven compact dimensions small and parametrically scale-separated from the three external ones. Within this setup we also discuss the Distance Conjecture (including appropriate D4-branes), and highlight that such vacua provide a non-trivial example of the so-called strong Spin-2 Conjecture.
Nonreciprocal macroscopic tripartite entanglement in atom-optomagnomechanical system
Authors: Zheng Qianjun , Zhong Wenxue , Cheng Guangling , Chen Aixi
Published: January 2024

We investigate how to generate the nonreciprocal macroscopic tripartite entanglement among the atomic ensemble, ferrimagnetic magnon and mechanical oscillator in a hybrid atom-optomagnomechanical system, where an ensemble of two-level atoms and a yttrium iron garnet micro-bridge supporting the magnon and mechanical modes are placed in a spinning optical resonator driven by a laser field. The phonon being the quantum of the mechanical mode interacts with the magnon and the optical photon via magnetostriction and radiation pressure, respectively, and meanwhile the photon couples to the atomic ensemble. The results show that not only all bipartite entanglements but also the genuine tripartite entanglement among the atomic ensemble, magnon and phonon could be generated at the steady state. Moreover, the nonreciprocity of atom-magnon-phonon entanglement can be obtained with the aid of the optical Sagnac effect by spinning the resonator, in which the entanglement is present in a chosen driving direction but disappears in the other direction. The nonreciprocal macroscopic tripartite entanglement is robust against temperature and could be flexibly controlled by choosing the system parameters. Our work enriches the study of macroscopic multipartite quantum states, which may have potential applications in the development of quantum information storage and the construction of multi-node chiral quantum network.
Cancer Pain Management with Traditional Chinese Medicine: Current Status and Future Perspectives
Authors: Ji Jiafu , Guo Jingxuan , Chi Yongliang , Su Fan
Published: January 2024

Cancer pain, especially the moderate-to-severe pain experienced by patients with advanced cancer, is still one of the most challenging clinical problems. The current mainstream pharmacological treatment for cancer pain involves applying opioid medications and other pain-killing drugs. However, analgesic drugs have many adverse effects such as addiction, tolerance, and other formidable clinical and social issues. Thus, finding a new therapeutic approach to treat cancer pain is essential. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been increasingly applied in clinical practice because of its good efficacy and few side effects. However, its mechanisms of action in treating pain are still under investigation. The most important mechanism of cancer pain is that a large amount of pain-causing substances are secreted from cancer cells and promote their growth and invasion. The physical and chemical stimulations of these substances exist along with the cancer growth, leading to constantly increased pain sensation. Whether cancer pain can be alleviated by inhibiting cancer cells from releasing the substances and changing the microenvironment around the cancer mass, or even by eliminating pain-causing substances, is largely unknown. Based on TCM theory, this study reported that the aforementioned approach could effectively manage different cancer pains by tonifying qi, clearing and activating channels and meridians, and strengthening body resistance. The TCM therapies activate blood circulation, remove blood stasis, and nourish the heart. Commonly used Chinese herbal drugs include Corydalis yanhusuo, Angelica dahurica, and Ligusticum chuanxiong. Instead of using conventional analgesics to reduce pain, we should focus on using TCM modalities to alleviate cancer pain and increase the quality of life in patients suffering from cancer pain. TCM should provide us with a new strategy for managing cancer pain.
Evaluation of graphene microstructural and optical properties affected by high-temperature annealing and rapid cooling in a nitrogen-rich environment
Authors: Srivastava Rohit , Singh Pankaj Kumar , Singh Pradeep Kumar
Published: January 2024

Annealing at high temperatures holds the possibility of concentrating defects in the graphene. Moreover, a significant increase in annealing temperature destroys the surface properties. In this work, the reduced graphene oxide (RGO) was prepared by an electrochemical technique with a high voltage ([Formula: see text][Formula: see text]V, [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]A). Then, the potential effects of impact on thermal treatment in a temperature range of 800–1000∘C in nitrogen-rich environment on the microstructure and surface morphology, thermal stability, phase and crystallinity, structural disorder, absorption properties, and optical properties of RGO for optoelectronic applications were investigated. In addition, a link was established between the estimated crystallite sizes determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman data. The microstructural data indicate that the annealing temperature has a significant effect on the microstructure and carbon–oxygen (C/O) ratio. The C/O ratio increases as a function of annealing temperature. Atomic force microscope (AFM) analysis revealed that the root mean square (RMS) roughness of annealed RGO increases with increasing annealing temperature indicating an increase in crystallite size during annealing. Since most organic compounds were removed from the surface of the annealed RGO, oxygen functionalities appear to have minimal effect on the thermal stability of RGO. The size of graphene crystallites increases with annealing temperature, as shown by XRD observations. The crystalline structure was restored by annealing. The Raman results show that in the “low” defect density zone, the [Formula: see text] values increase because a larger defect density causes a stronger elastic scattering. UV–Vis spectroscopy shows that the absorption of RGO is not affected by annealing temperatures between 800∘C and 900∘C. The optical bandgap of annealed RGOs decreases from 4.08 to 3.72[Formula: see text]eV upon annealing in the temperature range of 800–1000∘C.
MULTIPARENT FRACTAL IMAGE CODING-BASED METHODS FOR SALT-AND-PEPPER NOISE REMOVAL
Authors: LIANG WEIJIE , LI XIAOYI , TU ZHIHUI , LU JIAN
Published: January 2024

Salt-and-pepper noise consists of outlier pixel values which significantly impair image structure and quality. Multiparent fractal image coding (MFIC) methods substantially exploit image redundancy by utilizing multiple domain blocks to approximate the range block, partially compensating for the information loss caused by noise. Motivated by this, we propose two novel image restoration methods based on MFIC to remove salt-and-pepper noise. The first method integrates Huber M-estimation into MFIC, resulting in an improved anti-salt-and-pepper noise robust fractal coding approach. The second method incorporates MFIC into a total variation (TV) regularization model, including a data fidelity term, an MFIC term and a TV regularization term. An alternative iterative method based on proximity operator is developed to effectively solve the proposed model. Experimental results demonstrate that these two proposed approaches achieve significantly enhanced performance compared to traditional fractal coding methods.
EXPLORING INSECTS FREE FLIGHT: ENHANCING THE DIPTERAN FLIGHT MODEL TO INCLUDE FRACTAL EFFECTS
Authors: ELÍAS-ZÚÑIGA ALEX , MARTÍNEZ-ROMERO OSCAR , OLVERA-TREJO DANIEL , PERALES-MARTÍNEZ IMPERIO ANEL , PALACIOS-PINEDA LUIS MANUEL
Published: January 2024

This paper advances fundamental knowledge of how environmental conditions and physical phenomena at different scales can be included in the differential equation that models the flight dynamics of dipteran insects. The insect’s anatomical capability of modifying their mass inertia and flapping-wing damping properties during flight are included by modeling inertia and damping forces with fractal derivatives. An expression for calculating fractal dimension linked to the temporal distribution of non-geometric quantities related to atmospheric processes such as turbulence flow is introduced using, for the first time ever, the two-scale fractal dimension definition and adopting the flow energy spectrum of eddies that occur at large and small scales. The applicability of the derived expression is illustrated with the prediction of the fractal dimension observed in turbulent flows. Then, the two-scale fractal dimension transform is used to re-write the dipteran flight equation of motion in equivalent form to derive its approximate solution using harmonic balance and homotopy perturbation methods. Numerical predictions computed from the derived approximate solutions allow to elucidate how insects and animals could adapt to flight under different environmental conditions.
On the Maximum Cliques in Powers of Hypercubes
Authors: Hu Yanting , Yang Weihua
Published: January 2024

Finding the values of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] is a fundamental problem in classical coding theory. The [Formula: see text] is the size of the maximum independent set of [Formula: see text] which is the induced subgraph of vectors of weight [Formula: see text] of the [Formula: see text]-power of [Formula: see text]-dimensional hypercubes. Obviously, [Formula: see text]. In order to further understand and study the independent set of [Formula: see text], we explore its clique number and the structure of the maximum clique. In this paper, we obtain the clique number and the structure of the maximum clique of [Formula: see text] for [Formula: see text] As an application, by [Formula: see text] we obtain the upper bounds of [Formula: see text] for [Formula: see text]
Bismuth porphyrin anchored reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites as a fascinating photocatalyst for rhodamine B dye degradation
Authors: Yasmeen Rehana , Bajju Gauri Devi , Sheikh Haq Nawaz
Published: January 2024

Herein, two porphyrins with bismuth metal incorporated in the porphyrinic core were synthesized having peripheral carboxyl and hydroxyl functional groups. The successful synthesis of free base porphyrin and their bismuth-integrated metalloporphyrins was identified using 1H NMR spectroscopy, UV-visible and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR). Further, these bismuth porphyrins complexes were doped with thermally reduced graphene oxide (TRGO) via simple solvothermal techniques. The intrinsic characteristics of prepared metalloporphyrins-based reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites were examined by using various spectroscopic techniques like, photo-physical properties (UV-Visible spectroscopy and Fluorescence spectroscopy), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), powdered X-ray diffraction (P-XRD) patterns, FE-SEM and EDX analysis. At last, the photocatalytic properties of nanocomposites were demonstrated by photocatalytic degradation of industrial pollutant rhodamine B (Rh-b) on irradiation of visible light. The catalytic efficiency of RGO-Bi-P1 and RGO-Bi-P2 came out to be 94.58% and 93.26%, respectively.
ABSS: An Adaptive Batch-Stream Scheduling Module for Dynamic Task Parallelism on Chiplet-based Multi-Chip Systems
Authors: Cai Qinyun , Xiao Guoqing , Lin Shengle , Yang Wangdong , Li Keqin , Li Kenli
Published: January 2024

Thanks to the recognition and promotion of chiplet-based High-Performance Computing (HPC) system design technology by semiconductor industry/market leaders, chiplet-based multi-chip systems have gradually become the mainstream. Unfortunately, programming such systems to achieve efficient computing is a challenge, especially when considering dynamic task parallelism. This paper presents an Adaptive Batch-Stream Scheduling (ABSS) module for dynamic task parallelism on chiplet-based multi-chip systems. To this end, we propose an adaptive batch-stream scheduling method based on Graph Convolution Network (GCN) classifier to select the appropriate scheduling scheme. We further design a chiplet-based core-cluster binding mechanism, which establishes the affinity between threads and core-clusters on CPU-compute die. Moreover, to achieve dynamic workload balance, we propose a chiplet-based nearest task stealing method. We implement our ABSS module on the HiSilicon Kunpeng-920 chiplet-based multi-chip system. Experiments show that it outperforms state-of-the-art parallelism solutions, such as Intel Threading Building Blocks.
Detection of Non-Designated Evacuation Shelters from Real-Time Population Dynamics Using Autoencoder-Based Anomaly Detection
Authors: Ochiai Keiichi , Terada Masayuki , Hanashima Makoto , Sano Hiroaki , Usuda Yuichiro
Published: January 2024

In a disaster situation, local and municipal governments need to distribute relief supplies and provide administrative support to evacuees.Although people are supposed to evacuate to evacuation shelters designated by local governments, some people take refuge at non-designated facilities, called
non-designated evacuation shelters
, due to unavoidable circumstances such as damage on the access routes to designated evacuation shelters. Upon occurrence of a disaster, therefore, it is necessary for the local governments to quickly find the locations of non-designated evacuation shelters. In this article, we propose a method to detect non-designated evacuation shelters based on autoencoder (AE)-based anomaly detection using real-time population dynamics generated from operation data of cellular phone networks. We assume that reconstruction errors of an AE model include both the errors due to characteristic differences between locations and the errors due to anomalies in population dynamics. Thus, we propose to use the ratio of the reconstruction error before and after the earthquake to determine the threshold of anomaly detection. We evaluate the performance of the proposed method on data from three actual earthquakes in Japan. The evaluation results show that our reconstruction error based approach can achieve better accuracy for the actual disaster data compared to a baseline method that exploits statistical anomaly detection.
An Improved Self-Adaptive Flower Pollination-Backpropagation Neural Network for the State of Charge Estimation of Lithium-Ion Batteries with Output Sliding Average Window Strategy
Authors: Zou Yuanru , Wang Shunli , Hai Nan , Xie Yanxin , Fernandez Carlos
Published: January 2024

With the rapid development of electric vehicles and green energy sources, the use of backpropagation neural network (BPNN) to precisely estimate the state of charge (SOC) in lithium-ion batteries has become a popular research topic. However, traditionally BPNN has low prediction accuracy and large output fluctuations. To address the shortcomings of BPNN, self-adaptive flower pollination algorithm (SFPA) was proposed to optimize the initial weights and thresholds of BPNN, and an output sliding average window (OSAW) strategy is proposed to smooth SOC outputs in this research, which SOC estimation method is named SFPA-BP-OSAW. In addition, the performance of the newly proposed method is compared with other common related algorithms under different working conditions to verify the effectiveness of SFPA-BP-OSAW. The experimental results show that the mean absolute error of SFPA-BP-OSAW is 0.771% and 0.897%, and the root mean square error is 0.236% and 0.37%, respectively, under HPPC and BBDST working conditions. Experimental data and error analysis show that the method proposed in this paper has fast convergence, high prediction accuracy, and curve smoothness.