bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Non‐stoichiometric BZT‐BCT ferroelectrics with visible/near‐infrared photoresponse for broadband photodetection
Authors: Wang Lu , Chen Chen , He Xiang , Yao Kui , Yi Zhiguo
Published: August 2022

The bulk photovoltaic effect in ferroelectric materials exhibits great potential in photoelectric applications. However, their photoresponse is generally limited to the UV region due to the wide bandgap feature of most perovskite ferroelectric materials, while the narrowing of bandgap is often accompanied by the degradation or even extinction of the ferroelectric polarization. Herein, 0.5Ba(Zr0.2Ti0.8)O3‐0.5(Ba0.7Ca0.3)TiO3 (BZT‐BCT) with bandgap of 2.4 eV arising from the existence of Ti3+ is prepared, and then titanium vacancies are introduced to BZT‐BCT ferroelectric solid solutions through B‐site off‐stoichiometry (0.5Ba(Zr0.2Ti0.8)O3‐0.5(Ba0.7Ca0.3)Ti1 − x%O3, BZT‐BCT1 − x%) to further tune the bandgap. Lowest bandgap of 2.1 eV with near‐infrared (NIR) absorption is obtained for BZT‐BCT0.990 composition. Moreover, both the ferroelectricity and piezoelectricity (Pr = 14.3 μC/cm2, d33 = 415 pC/N) are well maintained after mitigating the effect of the increased oxygen vacancies associated with Ti‐deficiency on the spontaneous polarization by oxygen‐annealing treatment. More specifically, the oxygen‐annealing BZT‐BCT0.985 composition, showing at least 2.4‐fold photovoltage and 2.2‐fold photocurrent of the pristine BZT‐BCT ceramic, exhibits excellent transient pyroelectric current and stable photovoltaic current under xenon, NIR, and monochromatic visible lights. The photoelectric device based on the oxygen‐annealing BZT‐BCT0.985 ceramic performs wide‐spectrum photodetection properties from 405 nm light to NIR light, which makes it a potential candidate for self‐powered photodetector applications.
Combating biotic stresses in plants by synthetic microbial communities: Principles, applications and challenges
Authors: Pradhan Salila , Tyagi Rashi , Sharma Shilpi
Published: August 2022

Presently, agriculture worldwide is facing the major challenge of feeding the increasing population sustainably. The conventional practices have not only failed to meet the projected needs, but also led to tremendous environmental consequences. Hence, to ensure a food-secure and environmentally sound future, the major thrust is on sustainable alternatives. Due to challenges associated with conventional means of application of biocontrol agents in the management of biotic stresses in agroecosystems, significant transformations in this context are needed. The crucial role played by soil microbiome in efficiently and sustainably managing the agricultural production has unfolded a newer approach of rhizosphere engineering that shows immense promise in mitigating biotic stresses in an eco-friendly manner. The strategy of generating synthetic microbial communities (SynComs), by integrating omics approaches with traditional techniques of enumeration and in-depth analysis of plant–microbe interactions, is encouraging. The review discusses the significance of the rhizospheric microbiome in plant's fitness, and its manipulation for enhancing plant attributes. The focus of the review is to critically analyse the potential tools for the design and utilization of SynComs as a sustainable approach for rhizosphere engineering to ameliorate biotic stresses in plants. Furthermore, based on the synthesis of reports in the area, we have put forth possible solutions to some of the critical issues that impair the large-scale application of SynComs in agriculture.
Congeneric predators fill discrete niches created by the relative abundances of their prey species
Authors: Miller Eliot T. , Mac Aodha Oisin , Greig Emma I. , Bonter David N. , Hochachka Wesley M.
Published: August 2022

To what degree is niche partitioning driven by underlying patterns in resources such as food, rather than by competition itself? Do discrete niches exist? We address these questions in the context of Cooper's and sharp‐shinned hawks, two broadly sympatric, North American, bird‐eating raptors in the genus Accipiter. We find that the resource base, as quantified by body masses of birds at bird feeders, is approximately lognormal (smallest birds are most abundant), with lesser modes (peaks) in abundance at larger body mass. The predators appear to exploit peaks in the resource base, with sharp‐shinned hawks focusing on small prey items (median of 26.5 g), and Cooper's hawks taking prey from the two most abundant peaks (both the small body mass peak and a lesser peak at medium body mass ~90 g). We tested the ability of citizen scientists to distinguish these notoriously similar species, and we determined the influence of potential false positive detections on our conclusions. We find that citizen scientists struggle to distinguish these predators from one another, and 18% of Cooper's hawks were identified as sharp‐shinned hawks, while 27% of sharp‐shinned hawks were identified as Cooper's hawks. Yet, simulations show that this uncertainty did not jeopardize our qualitative conclusions.
Evaluating a learning analytics dashboard to detect dishonest behaviours: A case study in small private online courses with academic recognition
Authors: Jaramillo‐Morillo Daniel , Ruipérez‐Valiente José A. , Burbano Astaiza Claudia Patricia , Solarte Mario , Ramirez‐Gonzalez Gustavo , Alexandron Giora
Published: August 2022

Background

Small private online courses (SPOCs) are one of the strategies to introduce the massive open online courses (MOOCs) within the university environment and to have these courses validates for academic credit. However, numerous researchers have highlighted that academic dishonesty is greatly facilitated by the online context in which SPOCs are offered. And while numerous algorithms have already been proposed, no research has been performed on how to transfer this information to instructors, so that they can intervene and decrease the prevalence of this issue.

Objectives

In this article, we present a qualitative evaluation of a tool for detecting and monitoring students suspected of academic dishonesty in SPOCs in Selene, a Colombian instance of Open edX.

Methods

The evaluation was carried out through semi‐structured interviews with four instructors who taught SPOCs with academic recognition at the University of Cauca.

Results

The evaluation results indicated that participants found the dashboard reliable and appropriate to detect academic dishonesty behaviours in order to intervene in these cases.

Implications

But interventions are difficult to systematise, need an institutional policy, and there is uncertainty about whether these interventions can actually contribute to decreasing academic dishonesty.
Micra pacemaker in adult congenital heart disease patients: A case series
Authors: Bassareo Pier Paolo , Walsh Kevin Patrick
Published: August 2022

Introduction

Implantation of transvenous endocardial or epicardial pacemakers presents specific challenges in adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) patients. Micra leadless permanent pacemakers (Micra PPM) may overcome some of these difficulties.

Methods

Fifteen ACHD patients who underwent Micra PPM insertion were retrospectively evaluated.

Results

Males 53.3%. Mean age at study: 37.5 ± 10.7 years. Mean age at Micra PPM insertion: 35.5 ± 11.0 years. Mean follow‐up so far: 2.0 ± 0.3 years. Concerning the ACHD patients, 6.7% had a simple defect, 66.6% had a moderately complex defect, 26.7% were complex. Four patients (26.7%) had a previous PPM implantation. Three patients (20%) had a systemic right ventricle. Two patients (13.3%) had a single ventricle physiology. Five (33.3%) had Trisomy 21. The most commonly used Micra PPM modality was single chamber ventricular pacemaker (73.3%). Mean threshold post implantation was 0.48 V [range: 0.25−1.13 V], while mean threshold at 6 months control was 0.60 V [range: 0.38−1.13 V] (p = ns). Mean R wave postimplantation was 10.3 V [range: 3.25−19.4 V], whilst mean R wave at 6 months follow‐up was 10.1 V [range: 3.5−19.0 V] (p = ns). No major peri and postprocedural complications were encountered.

Conclusions

since ACHD patients are living longer and surviving into adulthood, the incidence of conduction disorders continues to increase, as part of the natural history of some lesions or as early or late complication of surgery. The Micra leadless PPM can be successfully implanted in ACHD patients and have significant theoretical advantages. They should be considered when transvenous and epicardial pacing are either contraindicated or represent an otherwise suboptimal approach.
“Candidatus Euplotechlamydia quinta,” a novel chlamydia‐like bacterium hosted by the ciliate Euplotes octocarinatus (Ciliophora, Spirotrichea)
Authors: Wang Ruanlin , Sun Ruijuan , Zhang Zhiyun , Vannini Claudia , Di Giuseppe Graziano , Liang Aihua
Published: August 2022

Our knowledge of ciliate endosymbiont diversity greatly expanded over the past decades due to the development of characterization methods for uncultivable bacteria. Chlamydia‐like bacteria have been described as symbionts of free‐living amoebae and other phylogenetically diverse eukaryotic hosts. In the present work, a systematic survey of the bacterial diversity associated with the ciliate Euplotes octocarinatus strain Zam5b‐1 was performed, using metagenomic screening as well as classical full‐cycle rRNA approach, and a novel chlamydial symbiont was characterized. The metagenomic screening revealed 16S rRNA gene sequences from Polynucleobacter necessarius, three previously reported accessory symbionts, and a novel chlamydia‐like bacterium. Following the full‐cycle rRNA approach, we obtained the full‐length 16S rRNA gene sequence of this chlamydia‐like bacterium and developed probes for diagnostic fluorescence in situ hybridizations. The phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequences unambiguously places the new bacterium in the family Rhabdochlamydiaceae. This is the first report of chlamydia‐like bacterium being found in Euplotes. Based on the obtained data, the bacterium is proposed as a new candidate genus and species: “Candidatus Euplotechlamydia quinta.”
Exclusion criteria: Evaluating the impact of enrollment requirements in SEER‐Medicare research
Authors: Papageorge Marianna V. , Ng Sing Chau , Sachs Teviah E. , Kenzik Kelly M.
Published: August 2022

Background

Enrollment criteria are routinely utilized in patient selection in SEER‐Medicare but little is known about how this may be impacting research outcomes. This study evaluated demographics and survival among pancreatic cancer patients who are included and excluded from SEER‐Medicare analyses.

Methods

Patients ≥66 years old with pancreatic cancer were identified (SEER‐Medicare, 2008–2015). Two patient cohorts were compared: included (continuous enrollment in Medicare Parts A and B and no enrollment in Medicare Advantage), and excluded. Mortality was assessed using a Standardized Mortality Ratio.

Results

Among 49,017 patients with pancreatic cancer, 59.5% were in the included cohort. The excluded cohort was younger (median age 74 vs. 77) with more male (49.9% vs. 47.8%), non‐white (33.0% vs. 21.3%) and urban‐dwelling patients (91.0% vs. 85.0%). Those excluded had a higher mortality risk (SMR 1.06, 95%CI 1.04–1.07).

Conclusions

There are significant differences in patient demographics and mortality among those who are and are not routinely included in SEER‐Medicare analyses and our study provides a critical opportunity to quantify this potential bias.
An exploration of women's sexual and reproductive health following traumatic brain injury
Authors: O'Reilly Kate , Wilson Nathan J. , Kwok Cannas , Peters Kath
Published: August 2022

Aims and objectives

To develop a gendered understanding of sexual and reproductive health for Australian women following traumatic brain injury.

Background

The intersection of socialised normative expectations of sexuality and sexual health, and being a woman with a disability, can lead to inequity and a misconception that a woman with a disability is asexual.

Design

An equal weighting concurrent mixed methods design.

Methods

Twenty women participated in conversational interviews and 49 women completed an online survey. Equal priority was given to both qualitative and quantitative data which were collected concurrently. A separate analysis of data was performed and was later merged. This paper follows the Good Reporting of a Mixed Methods Study guidelines for reporting mixed methods research.

Results

Women reported changes in menstruation, reproduction, and sexual activity. Results identified that following traumatic brain injury, routine reproductive, and sexual health screening were neglected. Women revealed a personal reticence to discuss sexual health in a holistic sense and appeared more comfortable discussing reproductive health rather than sex for pleasure. Additionally, they perceived there was a reticence by clinicians to discuss sexual health as part of their rehabilitation.

Conclusions

Shifting the focus to be on women's health through periodic comprehensive health assessments is essential to the delivery of holistic health care. These results can inform the provision of sexual health, sexual safety, and sexual assertiveness education and training for women and girls within a rehabilitation framework and would be a way of addressing what women in this study identified as an unmet need.

Relevance to Clinical Practice

Reproductive and sexual health are important elements of routine comprehensive health screening for women. Nurses are well positioned to begin discussions regarding sexual agency, sexual, and reproductive health to ensure person‐centred care.
A socioeconomic impact assessment of three Italian national parks
Authors: D'Alberto Riccardo , Pagliacci Francesco , Zavalloni Matteo
Published: August 2022

The expansion of protected areas (PAs) is feared to negatively affect the local economy, as every PA, albeit to different degrees, entails restriction to the economic activities. The literature on the topic has started assessing what is the socioeconomic impact of PAs, mostly focusing on the Global South. The objective of this article is the analysis of the socioeconomic impact of three Italian national parks (NPs), established in the 2000s, using a counterfactual approach based on both the outcome regression diff‐in‐diff and the doubly robust diff‐in‐diff combined with different propensity score‐based and Mahalanobis distance matching procedures. We find that the three Italian NPs have a robust and statistically significant impact on average income of residents in municipalities hosting them. Conversely, there is weak evidence that population and local establishments are positively affected, and touristic local establishments and employment are negatively affected by the three NPs. All together the results indicate that the three NPs have no negative effect on the socioeconomic dynamics of the territories impacted, although additional investigations are required to shed lights to the impact mechanisms.
Epoch‐Making Changes in the Cultural Evolution of Communication: Communication technologies seen as organized hubs of skillful human activities
Authors: Kivinen Osmo , Piiroinen Tero
Published: August 2022

This paper applies methodological relationalism, leaning on a pragmatist theory of action of classical Deweyan origin, supplemented among other things with Alva Noë’s enactivism, to analyze the development of communication technologies as a part of human cultural evolution. Tool‐use and technologies are understood as skillful human activities that form hubs of organized activity in developed human communities. Appreciating the quite slow pace of evolution, the article adopts, all told, a two million year time frame. Six epochs of cultural evolution are distinguished, linked to the introduction of communication tools and technologies as skillful human activities that serve the members of growing communities in the ecological niche at hand. The first two epochs arose from forms of communication serving local, small‐sized hunter‐gatherer bands; the second couple arose with technologies apt for building nation‐wide communities and culture; and the latest two have been propelled by global communication networks, having an impact on billions of people. Finally, certain peculiarities of the presently unfolding World Wide Web epoch, connected in particular to this era's exceptionally efficient behavior modification, are compared with earlier epochs.
The American put with finite‐time maturity and stochastic interest rate
Authors: Cai Cheng , De Angelis Tiziano , Palczewski Jan
Published: August 2022

In this paper, we study pricing of American put options on a nondividend‐paying stock in the Black and Scholes market with a stochastic interest rate and finite‐time maturity. We prove that the option value is a C1 function of the initial time, interest rate, and stock price. By means of Itô calculus, we rigorously derive the option value's early exercise premium formula and the associated hedging portfolio. We prove the existence of an optimal exercise boundary splitting the state space into continuation and stopping region. The boundary has a parametrization as a jointly continuous function of time and stock price, and it is the unique solution to an integral equation, which we compute numerically. Our results hold for a large class of interest rate models including CIR and Vasicek models. We show a numerical study of the option price and the optimal exercise boundary for Vasicek model.
Metabarcoding and applied ecology with hyperdiverse organisms: Recommendations for biological control research
Authors: Lue Chia‐Hua , Abram Paul K. , Hrcek Jan , Buffington Matthew L. , Staniczenko Phillip P. A.
Published: August 2022

Metabarcoding is revolutionizing fundamental research in ecology by enabling large‐scale detection of species and producing data that are rich with community context. However, the benefits of metabarcoding have yet to be fully realized in fields of applied ecology, especially those such as classical biological control (CBC) research that involve hyperdiverse taxa. Here, we discuss some of the opportunities that metabarcoding provides CBC and solutions to the main methodological challenges that have limited the integration of metabarcoding in existing CBC workflows. We focus on insect parasitoids, which are popular and effective biological control agents (BCAs) of invasive species and agricultural pests. Accurately identifying native, invasive and BCA species is paramount, since misidentification can undermine control efforts and lead to large negative socio‐economic impacts. Unfortunately, most existing publicly accessible genetic databases cannot be used to reliably identify parasitoid species, thereby limiting the accuracy of metabarcoding in CBC research. To address this issue, we argue for the establishment of authoritative genetic databases that link metabarcoding data to taxonomically identified specimens. We further suggest using multiple genetic markers to reduce primer bias and increase taxonomic resolution. We also provide suggestions for biological control‐specific metabarcoding workflows intended to track the long‐term effectiveness of introduced BCAs. Finally, we use the example of an invasive pest, Drosophila suzukii, in a reflective “what if” thought experiment to explore the potential power of community metabarcoding in CBC.
Functional xylem characteristics associated with drought‐induced embolism in angiosperms
Authors: Lens Frederic , Gleason Sean M. , Bortolami Giovanni , Brodersen Craig , Delzon Sylvain , Jansen Steven
Published: August 2022

Hydraulic failure resulting from drought‐induced embolism in the xylem of plants is a key determinant of reduced productivity and mortality. Methods to assess this vulnerability are difficult to achieve at scale, leading to alternative metrics and correlations with more easily measured traits. These efforts have led to the longstanding and pervasive assumed mechanistic link between vessel diameter and vulnerability in angiosperms. However, there are at least two problems with this assumption that requires critical re‐evaluation: (1) our current understanding of drought‐induced embolism does not provide a mechanistic explanation why increased vessel width should lead to greater vulnerability, and (2) the most recent advancements in nanoscale embolism processes suggest that vessel diameter is not a direct driver. Here, we review data from physiological and comparative wood anatomy studies, highlighting the potential anatomical and physicochemical drivers of embolism formation and spread. We then put forward key knowledge gaps, emphasising what is known, unknown and speculation. A meaningful evaluation of the diameter–vulnerability link will require a better mechanistic understanding of the biophysical processes at the nanoscale level that determine embolism formation and spread, which will in turn lead to more accurate predictions of how water transport in plants is affected by drought.
Stable motifs delay species loss in simulated food webs
Authors: Cirtwill Alyssa R. , Wootton Kate L.
Published: August 2022

Some three‐species motifs (unique patterns of interactions between three species) are both more stable when modelled in isolation and over‐represented in empirical food webs. This suggests that these motifs may reduce extinction risk for species participating in them, ultimately stabilising the food web as a whole. We test whether a species' time to extinction following a perturbation is related to its participation in stable and unstable motifs and assess how motif roles co‐vary with a species' degree or trophic level. We found that species' motif roles are related to their times to extinction following a disturbance. Specifically, having a larger proportion of the motif role made up by the omnivory motif was associated with longer times to extinction, even though the omnivory motif is less stable than the others when modelled in isolation. While motif roles were associated with extinction risk, they also varied strongly with degree and trophic level. This means that these simpler measures of a species' role may be sufficient to roughly predict which species are most vulnerable to disturbance (though motif roles can be used to refine these predictions), but that studies of species' motif participation can also reasonably comment on vulnerability to extinction.
Strategy and Efficacy of Surgery for Congenital Cervicothoracic Scoliosis with or without Hemivertebra Osteotomy
Authors: Zhang Hong‐qi , Du Yu‐xuan , Liu Jin‐yang , Deng Ang , Wu Jian‐huang , Wang Yu‐xiang , Guo Chao‐feng
Published: August 2022

Objective

Cervicothoracic scoliosis will cause severe deformities in the early stage, and its structure is complex and the surgical methods are varied. The purpose of this research is to explore the indication and analyze the corrective effect of the two different posterior approach surgical strategies, including correction with fusion and hemivertebra osteotomy, for congenital cervicothoracic scoliosis deformities in children and adolescents.

Methods

This was a retrospective study of 21 patients with cervicothoracic scoliosis who received surgical treatment from January 2010 to June 2020, including nine cases of posterior hemivertebra osteotomy and fusion surgery and 12 cases of posterior correction and fusion alone. The Cobb angle, T1 tilt angle, clavicular angle, neck tilt angle, radiographic shoulder height, sagittal vertical axis, coronal balance distance, and local kyphosis angle were measured preoperatively, postoperatively, and at the last follow‐up. Posterior approach hemivertebra resection or correction with fusion surgery was adopted based on the different individual characteristics of deformity such as main curve Cobb angle, growth potential, and flexibility. Patients were divided into two groups (osteotomy group and nonosteotomy group) according to whether a hemivertebra osteotomy was performed, and the corrective results in the two groups were compared. Paired‐sample t tests or independent‐sample t tests were used.

Results

The median follow‐up after surgery of the 21 patients was 36 months (range, 18–72 months). The Cobb angle was corrected from 45.81° ± 14.23° preoperatively to 10.48° ± 5.56° postoperatively (correction rate, 77.78% ± 8.93%). The T1 tilt angle decreased from 15.26° ± 7.08° preoperatively to 3.33° ± 2.14° postoperatively (correction rate,73.42% ± 21.86%). The radiographic shoulder height was corrected from 1.13 ± 0.74 cm preoperatively to 0.52 ± 0.42 cm postoperatively (correction rate, 39.51% ± 35.65%). The clavicular angle improved from 2.52° ± 1.55° preoperatively to 1.16° ± 0.96° postoperatively (correction rate, 47.18% ± 35.84%). No significant differences were found at the last follow‐up (p > 0.05). The Cobb angle of the main curve, T1 tilt angle, clavicular angle, cervical tilt angle, and shoulder height difference were similar in the two groups (p > 0.05).

Conclusions

Posterior approach hemivertebra resection or correction with fusion surgery can be used in the treatment of congenital cervicothoracic scoliosis with satisfactory results, and the surgeon can make an individualized surgical plan according to individual characteristics of deformity.
Combination of 5‐Fluorouracil with Photodynamic Therapy: Enhancement of Innate and Adaptive Immune Responses in a Murine Model of Actinic Keratosis†
Authors: Anand Sanjay , Heusinkveld Lauren E. , Cheng Cheng‐En , Lefatshe Lefatshe , De Silva Pushpamali , Hasan Tayyaba , Maytin Edward V.
Published: August 2022

We previously showed that a combination of differentiation‐inducing agents (5‐fluorouracil [5FU], vitamin D3 or methotrexate) and aminolevulinate‐based photodynamic therapy (PDT) improves clinical responses by enhancing protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) photosensitizer levels and cell death. Here, we show that in addition to its previously known effects, 5FU enhances PDT‐induced tumor‐regressing immunity. Murine actinic keratoses were treated with topical 5FU or vehicle for 3 days prior to aminolevulinic acid application, followed by blue light illumination (~417 nm). Lesions were harvested for time‐course analyses of innate immune cell recruitment into lesions, i.e. neutrophils (Ly6G+) and macrophages (F4/80+), which peaked at 72 h and 1 week post‐PDT, respectively, and were greater in 5FU‐treated lesions. Enhanced infiltration of activated T cells (CD3+) throughout the time course, and of cytotoxic T cells (CD8+) at 1–2 weeks post‐PDT, also occurred in 5FU‐treated lesions. 5FU pretreatment reduced the presence of cells expressing the immune checkpoint marker PD‐1 at ~72 h post‐PDT, favoring cytotoxic T cell activity. A combination of 5FU and PDT, each individually known to induce long‐term tumor‐targeting immune responses in addition to their more immediate effects on cancer cells, may synergize to provide better management of squamous precancers.
An autopsy case of fulminant myocarditis after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 vaccine inoculation
Authors: Satomi Hidetoshi , Katano Harutaka , Kanno Hiroyuki , Kobayashi Mikiko , Ohkuma Yukari , Hashidume Naoto , Usui Tatsuya , Tsukada Shunichi , Ito Ichiro
Published: August 2022

A 61‐year‐old woman without significant medical history developed fever 3 days after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) vaccination and went into shock the next day. She was negative for SARS‐CoV‐2 mRNA in real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Finally, she died 10 days after vaccination. At autopsy, the heart showed moderate dilatation of both ventricles, and the myocardium showed an uneven color change and decreased elasticity. Histologically, severe myocarditis with extensive myocytolysis was observed. The myocarditis showed severe inflammatory cell infiltration with T‐lymphocyte and macrophage predominance, and in addition to the inflammatory cells described above, vast nuclear dust accompanying neutrophilic infiltration was observed. In the bone marrow and lymph nodes, hemophagocytosis was observed. In postmortem examination, nucleic acids of any cardiotropic viruses including SARS‐CoV‐2 were not detected using multivirus real‐time PCR system. We discussed the relationship between the possible immune reaction after vaccination and the myocarditis observed in this case from immunopathological viewpoints. This mRNA vaccine is the first applied nucleic acid vaccine for humans, and its mechanism of efficacy and immune acquisition remain unclear. We hope the accumulation of more detailed analyses of the similar cases to reveal the mechanism of this kind of adverse reaction.
Early coronavirus disease 2019 restrictive measures and changes in maternal characteristics, use of assisted reproductive technology, and stillbirth
Authors: Lisonkova Sarka , Bone Jeffrey N. , Muraca Giulia M. , Razaz Neda , Boutin Amelie , Brandt Justin S. , Bedaiwy Mohamed A. , Ananth Cande V. , Joseph K. S.
Published: August 2022

Background

The initial COVID‐19 pandemic response−related effects on conceptions following the use of assisted reproductive technologies (ART), and on changes in the maternal characteristics of women who conceived during the early vs. pre‐pandemic period, have been understudied.

Objectives

To examine the effects of ART clinic closures in the United States (US) in March 2020 on the frequency of ART‐conceived live births, multiple births and stillbirths; and to describe changes in the characteristics of women who conceived in the early pandemic period.

Methods

Population‐based cohort study including all births in the US from January 2015 to December 2020 (22,907,688 live births; 134,537 stillbirths). Interrupted time series (ITS) methodology was used to estimate rate ratios (RR) of expected versus observed rates in December 2020 (i.e., among births conceived mainly in March 2020). Demographic and clinical characteristics were compared between mothers who conceived in March 2020 versus March 2015–2019.

Results

Overall, 1.1% of live births and 1.7% of stillbirths were conceived by ART. ART‐conceived live births decreased by 57.0% in December 2020 (observed vs. expected RR 0.43, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.40, 0.45), and these declines occurred in all subgroups of women. Multiple births also declined in December 2020. Stillbirth rates increased in December 2020 in ART‐conceived births (RR 2.55, 95% CI 1.63, 3.92) but remained unchanged in the non‐ART group. Maternal characteristics of women who conceived in the early pandemic versus pre‐pandemic period differed and included an increased prevalence of pre‐pregnancy obesity class 3 and chronic hypertension.

Conclusions

The early pandemic closure of ART clinics resulted in a substantial decline in ART‐conceived live births and multiple births in December 2020 and an increase in the proportion of stillbirths among ART‐conceived births. Women who conceived in the early pandemic period also had an increased prevalence of obesity and chronic hypertension.
Thermal biology of tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum): General insights for aquaculture in a changing world
Authors: Amanajás Renan Diego , Val Adalberto Luis
Published: August 2022

In this study, we review the state of the knowledge regarding the thermal biology of tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum) with emphasis on reproductive, zootechnical, metabolic, physiological and molecular aspects, which may direct paths for new research. We observed an optimal range for performance of the species, since it grows and reproduces well between 25 and 32°C, though does not tolerate temperatures below 23°C. Temperatures above 30°C cause disturbances in the processes of reproduction and development of embryos and larvae of tambaqui. Its metabolism is influenced by the size of the animal, with greater oxygen consumption in smaller animals and at higher temperatures. Haematology is one of the most often investigated fields and shows an elevation of the analysed blood parameters according to elevation in temperature, which, above 35°C, seems to be harmful to animals. However, studies are needed that examine the relationships between temperature and nutritional aspects (protein, lipid and carbohydrate metabolism), the cellular responses, the relationship with other environmental parameters (pH, oxygen, dissolved organic carbon), pollutants, ionic regulation and excretion, aerobic metabolism, growth and reproduction under warm conditions (>32°C; +60 days). There is also the need to determine the thermal limits of the species as a function of different acclimation temperatures.
Regenerative capacity of old‐fields on semi‐arid floodplains in the northern Murray–Darling basin
Authors: Zivec Peta , Sheldon Fran , Capon Samantha
Published: August 2022

Revegetating abandoned agricultural lands is vital to restoring critical ecological functions and services. Natural regeneration, whereby vegetation regrows via the seeds already present within the landscape, has shown to be an effective approach to restoring large agricultural areas, although more research is required to understand the regenerative capacity of the various seed sources. Here, we investigate the regenerative capacity of old‐fields of semi‐arid floodplains of eastern Australia in a year‐long seedling emergence experiment. We examined the germinable seed banks from three potential propagule sources (soil, leaf litter, and animal scats) collected across 24 field sites, comprising 12 old‐fields and 12 adjacent remnant vegetation patches, distributed across four regions. Soil seed banks stored the most germinable species of the three seed bank types, although these were dominated largely by annual herbaceous species. High abundances of seedlings emerged from scat samples, indicating that native animals, such as kangaroos and emus, play a role in transporting seeds in these landscapes. Finally, leaf litter stored the most germinable propagules of woody species, therefore, representing a vital mechanism for woody vegetation regeneration. There were few differences in emerging seedling assemblages in terms of species richness, abundance or composition between seed banks of old‐fields and adjacent remnant vegetation, suggesting that old‐field seed banks have a high level of resilience. Our findings suggest that these seed banks can make an important contribution to natural regeneration of these old‐fields, but mainly with respect to understory and midstory species, with overstory tree species mostly absent from these seed sources.
Development of the Turkish version of the oral health assessment tool: Methodological study
Authors: Genç Fatma Zehra , Cingil Dilek , Hisar Filiz
Published: August 2022

Aim

This research aimed to assess the validity and reliability of the “Oral Health Assessment Tool for the Elderly” Turkish form.

Methods

A total of 262 elderly individuals > 65 years of age were included in the study. These individuals were selected from community‐dwelling elderly and nursing home residents in the Konya province of Turkey. A data form containing sociodemographic information and oral health behavior was used to collect the data. In addition, the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index and the Oral Health Assessment Tool for the Elderly were used. To create the Turkish version of the tool, the form was translated and back‐translated for content validity. Expert opinion was obtained for criterion validity. Last, confirmatory factor analysis and exploratory factor analysis were performed to evaluate construct validity. Test‐retest reliability, interobserver reliability, and Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficients were calculated.

Results

The Tool Turkish form consisted of 10 items and two factors. The Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient was 0.86. The total variance explained by the items was 60.19%, and the test‐retest reliability coefficient was 0.95. The content validity index was 0.90, and Kendall's coefficient of concordance was 0.97. The correlation coefficient between the scales is 0.719. The mean Oral Health Assessment Tool for the Elderly score obtained by the participants was 5.4 ± 4.32 (median 5, min‐max: 0–17).

Conclusion

The Turkish version of the tool is a valid and reliable tool to assess oral health in community‐dwelling elderly individuals and those living in nursing homes.
Hacking age
Authors: Cozza Michela , Ellison Kirsten L. , Katz Stephen
Published: August 2022

This article is a critical interdisciplinary study of biohacking as a specific case of transhumanism and its goals of enhancement and age intervention. It focuses on the organising principles underlying the biohacking movement's relationship to ageing and technoscience. The argument traces how the historical and scientific body technologies of molecularisation, functional age, optimisation, and quantification made possible the biohacking vision of the ageing body as amenable to modification, enhancement and improvement beyond its natural limits. Conclusions consider the wider implications of biohacking by pointing out four important issues that frame our cultural ambivalence about ageing: the tension between biohacking's supposedly liberating enhancement technologies and their obeisance to a tyranny of self‐disciplinary practices and the authority of bio‐data; the social meaning of biohacking hierarchies of human value, based on modifiable fitness and enhanceable performance; the implications of the biohacking program for gendered ageism; and the ethical limits of biohacking, not only in terms of potential harms to a person but what it can mean to exceed the natural limits of life.
Women's management in local government: The effects of substantive representation on welfare service efficiency
Authors: Martínez‐Córdoba Pedro‐José , Benito Bernardino , García‐Sánchez Isabel‐María
Published: August 2022

Spanish legislation on gender quotas in electoral candidate lists implies the effective incorporation of women into politics. This measure has created interest in the impact of this law on public service management (substantive representation), especially welfare services. This is due to the influence these services have on work‐life balance. Hence, the objective of this research is to determine the impact of women politicians on the efficiency of municipal welfare services. We estimate efficiency levels in public social service management using non‐parametric techniques over the last three local government legislatures in Spain. We then use truncated regression models to estimate the impact of women's substantive representation on these efficiency levels. The results confirm that more women in local government and female leadership in the opposition result in better levels of efficiency through reduced spending. In contrast, female leadership in the government and many women in the opposition reduce efficiency by supporting spending without increasing welfare services.
SARS‐CoV‐2 does not infect pigs, but this has to be verified regularly
Authors: Opriessnig Tanja , Huang Yao‐Wei
Published: August 2022

For successful xenotransplantation, freedom of the xenocraft donor from certain viral infections that may harm the organ recipient is important. A novel human coronavirus (CoV) with a respiratory tropism, designated as SARS‐CoV‐2, was first identified in January 2020 in China, but likely has been circulating unnoticed for some time before. Since then, this virus has reached most inhabited areas, resulting in a major global pandemic which is still ongoing. Due to a high number of subclinical infections, re‐infections, geographic differences in diagnostic tests used, and differences in result reporting programs, the percentage of the population infected with SARS‐CoV‐2 at least once has been challenging to estimate. With continuous ongoing infections in people and an overall high viral load, it makes sense to look into possible viral spillover events in pets and farm animals, who are often in close contact with humans. The pig is currently the main species considered for xenotransplantation and hence there is interest to know if pigs can become infected with SARS‐CoV‐2 and if so what the infection dynamics may look like. This review article summarizes the latest research findings on this topic. It would appear that pigs can currently be considered a low risk species, and hence do not pose an immediate risk to the human population or xenotransplantation recipients per se. Monitoring the ever‐changing SARS‐CoV‐2 variants appears important to recognize immediately should this change in the future.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AS A TESTING GROUND FOR KEY THEOLOGICAL QUESTIONS
Authors: Dorobantu Marius
Published: August 2022

Engagement with artificial intelligence (AI) can be highly beneficial for theology. This article maps the landscape of the various ways such engagement can occur. It begins by outlining the opportunities and limitations of computational theology before diving into speculative territory by imagining how robot theologians might think of divine revelation. The topic of AI and imago Dei is then reviewed, illustrating several ways AI can inform theological anthropology. The article concludes with a more speculative take on the possible implications of AI for divine infinity, incarnation, theodicy, and demonic intelligence.
RESPONSE TO DUMSDAY'S “PALAMISM AND DISPOSITIONALISM”
Authors: Raslau Flavius D.
Published: August 2022

Recently, I proposed a theory of ontology for the God–world relation that draws inspiration from: Deacon's emergent dynamics where absence plays a role in causal work; dispositionalism as the most suitable philosophical tradition for accommodating absence as a mode of being; and Palamism as the most suitable theological framework for articulating the absence of God as presence. Dumsday's “Palamism and Dispositionalism” in the present issue of Zygon is a cogent breakdown of that thesis, exposing philosophical and theological worries that touch on pan‐dispositionalism, bundle theory, Platonism, divine essence, created–uncreated distinction, God–world synergy, and more. This response article engages with the landscape of ideas that Dumsday surveys in an attempt to clarify and extend the proposed thesis that nature's powers are God's energies.
Fostering Interprofessionalism Through Experiential Learning: A Prosection Lab for Clinical Laboratory Science Students
Authors: Stewart MaryAnne , Mendes-Kramer VeraLucia
Published: August 2022

Background: Interprofessional collaboration between clinical laboratory scientists and pathologists’ assistants is important when developing a strong supportive network for the medical field. These professions work closely together in the daily clinical setting; however, in the academic setting, the education delivered through these individual programs occurs separately without interdisciplinary contact. Building an interdisciplinary foundation or partnership between these two programs early in a student’s academic preparation will cement future professionalism in the workplace as well as provide a deeper understanding of each other’s disciplines and professional practice and, in this case, of the intricacies of anatomy through a prosection experience.Methods: The goal of the interprofessional experience was to improve the understanding of anatomy for the undergraduate Clinical Laboratory Science student population (n=19) through a cadaver-based prosection experience led by the Pathologists’ Assistant faculty at Wayne State University. After the prosection, each student wrote a post-activity reflection, which was collected and analyzed. Results: The students’ written post-activity reflections revealed they were highly satisfied with the experience and believed that cadaver-based learning not only increased their knowledge of content matter, but also their understanding of a different health profession.Conclusion: The use of a cadaver-based teaching strategy that integrates anatomy to achieve relevant laboratory outcomes in both clinical laboratory science and pathology can provide an optimal learning experience to solidify the bond between these two laboratory professions.
Relations of Radial Vibration of the Arterial Wall to Pulsatile Parameters in Blood Flow for Extraction of Arterial Indices
Authors: Hao Zhili
Published: August 2022

Given the wide utility of radial vibration of the arterial wall for clinical values, this paper presents a theoretical study on the relations of radial vibration of the arterial wall to pulsatile parameters in blood flow. Pulse wave propagation in an artery is formulated as a combination of the governing equations of blood flow and the arterial wall and no-slip conditions at the blood-wall interface and is analyzed to obtain the wave velocity and the theoretical expressions for blood flow rate and radial wall displacement in terms of pulsatile pressure. With the harmonics of a pulse signal, theoretical relations of radial vibration of the arterial wall to pulsatile parameters in blood flow are derived under two conditions: without and with wave reflection. These theoretical relations identify the assumptions for the simplified relations employed in the utility of radial vibration of the arterial wall for clinical values. With the arterial wall treated as a unit-mass vibration system, these simplified relations are utilized for extraction of arterial indices from radial vibration of the arterial wall. Other applications of such relations for clinical values are discussed, and the interaction between the arterial wall and blood flow is further revealed from the perspective of energy and one-dimensional wave equations. With harmonics and wave reflection considered, the derived theoretical expressions for radial wall vibration, pulsatile parameters in blood flow, and the relations between them provide theoretical guidance for improving their interpretation of clinical values with clearly defined physiological implications and assumptions.
Electromigration Analysis of Solder Joints for Power Modules Using an Electrical-Thermal-Stress-Atomic Coupled Model
Authors: Kato Mitsuaki , Omori Takahiro , Goryu Akihiro , Fumikura Tomoya , Hirohata Kenji
Published: August 2022

The larger current densities accompanying increased output of power modules are expected to degrade solder joints by electromigration. Although previous research has experimentally studied electromigration in solder, die-attach solder joints in Si-based power modules have not been studied because the average current density of the die-attach solder is much smaller than the threshold of electromigration degradation. However, in die-attach solder, the electromigration degradation may appear where current crowding occurs. This report describes electromigration analysis of die-attach solder joints for Si-based power modules using an electrical-thermal-stress-atomic coupled model. First, we validate our numerical implementation and show that it can reproduce the distributions of vacancy concentrations and hydrostatic stress almost the same as the analytical solutions even at current densities assuming current crowding. We then simulate the die-attach solder joint with an Si-based power device and a substrate. Due to current crowding, the current density at the edge of the solder exceeds the electromigration threshold. Unlike general electromigration phenomena, the vacancy concentration increases at the center and decreases at the edges of the solder joint, regardless of whether it is on the cathode side or anode side, due to the longitudinal driving force in the solder joint generated by the current crowding. Creep strain increased remarkably at the anode edge and the cathode center. The absolute vacancy concentration clearly increased with increasing current density and size ratio. Creep strain significantly increased with increasing current density, size ratio, and temperature.