bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Biomechanical Analysis of a New Eight-Strand Suture for Flexor Tendon Repair
Authors: Moriya Koji , Maki Yutaka , Koda Hisao , Tsubokawa Naoto
Published: September 2022

Background The placement of multistrand sutures during flexor tendon repair requires complicated surgical skills; such suturing is difficult. We developed a new, simpler eight-strand suture, which we term the Yoshizu cross-lock. This reduces the numbers of suture passages through the tendons, as well as the numbers of knots.

Methods Fourteen porcine flexor tendons were transected and repaired using the Yoshizu cross-lock system; no peripheral sutures were placed. Our system is a modification of the published, exposed cross-lock repair method that employs a 4–0 monofilament nylon two-strand line and two needles. The repaired tendons were subjected to linear, noncyclic load-to-failure tensile testing. The initial gap, the 2-mm gap force, and the ultimate strength were measured.

Results The initial gap force was 12.6 ± 5.6 Newtons (N), the 2-mm gap force was 33.9 ± 10.9 N, and the ultimate strength was 70.1 ± 17.0 N. All tendons subjected to Yoshizu cross-lock repair failed due to suture rupture rather than pullout.

Conclusions Our biomechanical study revealed that Yoshizu cross-lock repair had sufficient tensile strength but was associated with wide variation in the 2-mm gap load (standard deviation = 10.9 N). This study is clinically relevant, showing that the Yoshizu cross-lock repair combined with peripheral suturing may allow a repaired flexor tendon to withstand the stresses encountered during early active mobilization. This simple eight-strand technique will be particularly useful to surgeons who commonly employ the cross-lock stitch for primary flexor tendon repair following early mobilization.
Sensitivity analysis on supersonic-boundary-layer stability: Parametric influence, optimization, and inverse design
Authors: Guo Peixu , Shi Fangcheng , Gao Zhenxun , Jiang Chongwen , Lee Chun-Hian , Wen Chihyung
Published: September 2022

Perturbations of flow control parameters may yield a significant alteration in the boundary layer stability. Based on the previously established parameter-associated sensitivity, the present work derives the optimal minor parameter perturbation analytically under the constraint of base flow energy variation. Specifically, the steady blowing-suction factor and the generalized Hartree parameter are examined at Mach number 4.5 to stabilize the mode S. Good agreement between the linear stability theory calculation, sensitivity theory, and Lagrangian approach is achieved for the optimal parametric state. The optimal state occurs if the contribution of the base velocity distortion has the greatest advantage over the temperature counterpart. Contributions of various physical sources to the growth rate behave similarly and collapse onto one correlation if normalized by the maximum, particularly for the major four: advection, mean shear, base temperature gradient, and pressure gradient. When the parameter perturbation further becomes finite, the optimal state is found on the constraint border of control parameters. Although the favorable pressure gradient and wall suction stabilize the broadband mode S, an unusual opposite tendency may occur for a single-frequency disturbance. In this unusual parametric range, positive contributions of both the major and minor physical sources to the growth rate are promoted. The contributive increase in major and minor sources are attributed to the enhancement of mean shear and viscous effect, respectively. Whether the parametric influence is stabilization or destabilization is intrinsically determined by the sensitivities, and the intermediate process is analyzed. Finally, given the modification to the critical Reynolds number, the input control parameter perturbation is inversely obtained and verified.
Effect of harmonic inflow perturbation on the wake vortex dynamics of a cylinder undergoing two-degree-of-freedom vortex-induced vibration near a plane boundary
Authors: Hassanpour Maziyar , Morton Chris , Martinuzzi Robert J.
Published: September 2022

The influence of inflow perturbations on the wake dynamics and structural response is investigated for a cylinder undergoing vortex-induced vibrations (VIV) in oscillatory flows in the proximity of a solid boundary. Numerical simulations are conducted at a Reynolds number of 200, based on the cylinder diameter and free-stream velocity, for perturbation frequencies fp up to four times the natural shedding frequency fo. Three response regimes are identified: a lock-on regime at fp=2fo, with maximum cylinder displacement and forces, a force-amplification regime for 1.8<fp<2.3 characterized by shedding frequency entrainment, and a weakly coupled regime. The wake and structural response dynamics differ from those for unperturbed VIV in uniform flow. The primary mechanism underlying these differences is due to the symmetric instability of the shear layers forced by the perturbations. This instability results in the shedding of vortex pairs at fp in the cylinder base region, which interact with the Kármán formation process and, in the amplification regimes, reinforce the natural instability at 2fo. These mechanisms give rise to distinct wake topology, which is then related to the structural dynamics.
Plastron replenishment on superhydrophobic surfaces using bubble injection
Authors: Sung Hyungyu , Choi Hongseok , Ha Chiwook , Lee Choongyeop , Park Hyungmin
Published: September 2022

While the air lubrication by bubble injection and superhydrophobic (SHPo) surfaces have been investigated vigorously for flow control, for example, underwater drag reduction, further advancement seems to be delayed. For the former, large air flow rate is required for the meaningful performance, and furthermore, the injected bubbles do not stay over the surface willingly. Depletion (diffusion) of the trapped air pockets on the SHPo surface is a critical issue for the latter. In the present water-tunnel experiments, we show that the above-mentioned challenges can be successfully overcome by combining the two methods; that is, the plastron on SHPo surfaces can be replenished in turbulent flows with a very small amount of air, even after the surface is fully wetted. To analyze the phenomena, the bubble–plastron interaction is visualized and quantified while introducing bubbles over the SHPo surfaces (with random roughness or longitudinal grooves) in the turbulent boundary layer flow of ReL=0.3−1.1×106. The plastron on SHPo surfaces with longitudinal grooves is retained in a film-like shape with a quite smaller amount of air than that with random roughness. By quantifying the light intensity from the surface, we suggest a scaling relation between the effective plastron thickness and surface light intensity, which would serve as a criterion for the successful plastron replenishment. Finally, the morphology of the plastron is classified into different regimes, depending on the Reynolds number, air flow rate, and surface roughness types.
Variability in practices for drinking water vaccination of meat chickens against infectious laryngotracheitis
Authors: Groves Peter J. , Assen Awol M. , Etherington Ashley , Stillman Mark , Alfirevich Sheridan , Gerber Priscilla F. , Langfield Alex-Kate , Walkden-Brown Stephen W.
Published: September 2022

Context Drinking water vaccination of young meat chickens with Infectious Laryngotracheitis (ILT) vaccine is problematic. Vaccine failure and adverse vaccine reactions are frequently reported. Variations in the technique of applying ILT vaccines by this mass vaccination method need to be understood to contribute to improving the success of vaccination. Aims This study aimed to examine variations in the techniques of application of Infectious Laryngotracheitis vaccines via drinking water for young meat chickens. Methods Drinking water vaccination techniques were observed and recorded across 52 broiler flocks during ILT outbreaks in three geographic areas of Australia. Descriptive statistics for all variables were computed and variations between integrator company procedures were statistically compared. Key results Despite rigorous standard operating procedures, wide variations were observed in time of water deprivation prior to vaccination (3–15 min), time drinking water was stabilised prior to addition of vaccine and the type of stabiliser product used, time to activate the flock following filling of the water lines with vaccine (10–127 min), time for the vaccine to be consumed (36–226 min) and the volume of drinking water per bird used to provide the vaccine (11–48 mL/bird). Conclusions Variation in vaccination technique can affect the success of drinking water vaccination against ILT in young meat chickens. Implications Understanding the importance of the variable factors in vaccine application method can improve the success of water vaccination against ILT.
Fabrication of extreme wettability surface for controllable droplet manipulation over a wide temperature range
Authors: Shu Chengsong , Su Qitong , Li Minghao , Wang Zhenbin , Yin Shaohui , Huang Shuai
Published: September 2022

Droplet controllable manipulation over a wide temperature range has promising applications in microelectronic heat dissipation, inkjet printing, and high temperature microfluidic system. However, the fabrication of a platform for controllable droplet manipulation using the methods commonly used in industry remains a tremendously challenge. The popular method of controlling droplets is highly dependent on external energy input and has relatively poor controllability in terms of droplet motion behaviors and manipulation environment, such as distance, velocity, direction and a wide temperature range. Here, we report a facile and industrially applicable method for preparing Al superhydrophobic (S-phobic) surfaces, which enables controlled droplet bouncing, evaporation, and transport over a wide temperature range. Systematic mechanistic studies are also investigated. Extreme wettability surfaces were prepared on Al substrate by a composite process of electrochemical mask etching and micro-milling. To investigate the evaporation process and thermal coupling characteristics, controlled evaporation and controlled bouncing of droplet in a wide temperature range were conducted. Based on the evaporation regulation and bouncing mechanism of droplets on an extreme wettability surface, by using Laplace pressure gradients and temperature gradients, we realized controlled transport of droplets with confluence, split-flow, and gravity-resistant transport over a wide temperature range, offering a potential platform for a series of applications, such as new drug candidates and water collection.
Autonomous Art, Heterogeneous Heterotopias: Barry Jenkins’ Cinematic Adaptation of James Baldwin’s If Beale Street Could Talk
Authors: Wang Longyan , Zhang Longhai
Published: September 2022

Offering a comparative analysis of James Baldwin’s original 1974 novel If Beale Street Could Talk and the 2018 cinematic adaption directed by Barry Jenkins, this essay argues that the film adaptation successfully reconstructs the novel’s depictions of racial injustice and contemplations of heterotopias as sites for potential Black agency but creates notable slippages from the novel’s positions on religion, family, and gender. On the one hand, Jenkins closely follows Baldwin’s social protest theme and retains discursive contemplations of the street and prison as heterotopian spaces where systemic racism occurs but can also be protested. On the other hand, Jenkins’ adaptation centralizes Black romantic heterosexual love to the point of diminishing Baldwin’s messaging about the need for family solidarity, the need for humanist solidarity, and the danger posed by fundamentalist religion to Black family solidarity. Jenkins’ adaptation widens Baldwin’s perlocutionary influence among people who would be uninterested in reading a novel but who would be willing to see a film, and potentially triggers audience members into thinking about the existential crisis of Black people in an anti-Black world, but would also be more societally helpful if it retained Baldwin’s messages about hypocritical religiosity, family solidarity, and gender equality.
How do predisposing factors differ between delirium motor subtypes? A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Ghezzi Erica S , Greaves Danielle , Boord Monique S , Davis Daniel , Knayfati Sara , Astley Jack M , Sharman Rhianna L S , Goodwin Stephanie I , Keage Hannah A D
Published: September 2022

Background

Delirium is a common neurocognitive disorder in hospitalised older adults with vast negative consequences. The predominant method of subtyping delirium is by motor activity profile into hypoactive, hyperactive and mixed groups.

Objective

This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated how predisposing factors differ between delirium motor subtypes.

Methods

Databases (Medline, PsycINFO, Embase) were systematically searched for studies reporting predisposing factors (prior to delirium) for delirium motor subtypes. A total of 61 studies met inclusion criteria (N = 14,407, mean age 73.63 years). Random-effects meta-analyses synthesised differences between delirium motor subtypes relative to 22 factors.

Results

Hypoactive cases were older, had poorer cognition and higher physical risk scores than hyperactive cases and were more likely to be women, living in care homes, taking more medications, with worse functional performance and history of cerebrovascular disease than all remaining subtypes. Hyperactive cases were younger than hypoactive and mixed subtypes and were more likely to be men, with better cognition and lower physical risk scores than all other subtypes. Those with no motor subtype (unable to be classified) were more likely to be women and have better functional performance. Effect sizes were small.

Conclusions

Important differences in those who develop motor subtypes of delirium were shown prior to delirium occurrence. We provide robust quantitative evidence for a common clinical assumption that indices of frailty (institutional living, cognitive and functional impairment) are seen more in hypoactive patients. Motor subtypes should be measured across delirium research. Motor subtyping has great potential to improve the clinical risk assessment and management of delirium.
Increased Beat-to-Beat Blood Pressure Variability Is Associated With Impaired Cognitive Function
Authors: Asmuje Nur Fazidah , Mat Sumaiyah , Goh Choon Hian , Myint Phyo Kyaw , Tan Maw Pin
Published: September 2022

BACKGROUND

Emerging evidence has linked visit-to-visit, day-to-day and 24-h ABPM blood pressure variability (BPV) with cognitive impairment. Few studies have, however, considered beat-to-beat BPV. This study, therefore, evaluated the relationship between beat-to-beat BPV and cognitive function among community-dwellers aged 55 years and over.

METHODS

Data was obtained from the Malaysian Elders Longitudinal Research (MELoR) study, which employed random stratified sampling from three parliamentary constituencies within the Klang Valley. Beat-to-beat blood pressure (BP) was recorded using non-invasive BP monitoring (TaskforceTM, CNSystems). Low frequency (LF), high frequency (HF) and low-to-high frequency (LF:HF) ratio for BPV were derived using fast Fourier transformation. Cognition was evaluated using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test, and categorized into normal aging, mild impairment and moderate-to-severe impairment.

RESULTS

Data from 1,140 individuals, mean age (SD) 68.48 (7.23) years, were included. Individuals with moderate-to-severe impairment had higher HF-BPV for systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure compared to individuals within the normal aging group [OR (95% CI) = 2.29 (1.62–3.24)] and [OR (95% CI) = 1.80 (1.32–2.45)], while HF-SBPV [OR (95% CI) = 1.41 (1.03–1.93)] but not HF-DBPV was significantly higher with mild impairment compared to normal aging after adjustments for potential confounders. Moderate-to-severe impairment was associated with significantly lower LF:HF-SBPV [OR (95% CI) = 0.29 (0.18–0.47)] and LF:HF-DBPV [OR (95% CI) = 0.49 (0.34–0.72)], while mild impairment was associated with significantly lower LF:HF-SBPV [OR (95% CI) = 0.52 (0.34–0.80)] but not LF:HF-DBPV [OR (95% CI) = 0.81 (0.57–1.17)], compared to normal aging with similar adjustments.

CONCLUSION

Higher HF-BPV, which indicates parasympathetic activation, and lower LF:HF-BPV, which addresses sympathovagal balance, were observed among individuals with moderate-to-severe cognitive impairment. Future studies should determine whether BPV could be a physiological marker or modifiable risk factor for cognitive decline.
Implementation of telehealth for first-dose device teaching within a health-system specialty pharmacy
Authors: Buechel Megan , Friestrom Eric , Hartkopf Katherine , Langley James
Published: September 2022

Purpose

To demonstrate how the integration of a pharmacist-led, telehealth-based first-dose device teaching (FDDT) workflow helped to improve the efficiency of the work system, expand access, and maintain the high quality of care.

The telehealth program was designed utilizing existing specialty pharmacy infrastructure and a partnership with a dermatology clinic. The program includes patients receiving a self-injectable specialty medication (SISM) who require an FDDT and fill with our health system’s specialty pharmacy. Patients complete a virtual FDDT with a specialty pharmacist following an initial pharmacist consult and medication shipment. Patient experience and program feedback were captured via a standardized 5-point Likert telephone survey. A total of 30 patients completed the FDDT program. Surveys following the FDDT visit completed by 19 patients showed that patients had high satisfaction with the quality and convenience of the telehealth visit (4.53 and 4.79, respectively). Overall care and education received from the pharmacist was also rated highly (5.00). Notable feedback captured in free responses emphasized the helpfulness of the pharmacist and the convenience of the visit. Areas to improve focused on technology difficulties.

Conclusion

As SISMs continue to grow in utilization, telehealth services should be considered as part of the clinic workflow. Specialty pharmacists delivered high-quality and convenient care to patients through this patient education program. Expansion of this program into additional clinics may help improve specialty care access and increase the availability of nursing staff for additional clinical needs.
Towards Epistemic Justice: Constructing Knowers in Multilingual Classrooms
Authors: Kerfoot Caroline , Bello-Nonjengele Basirat Olayemi
Published: September 2022

In this study of a postcolonial school, we expand understandings of epistemic justice from the perspective of language, addressing issues of know-ledge, understanding, and participation in communicative practices. We suggest that monoglossic language-in-education policies constitute a form of epistemic injustice by diminishing learners’ ability to make epistemic contributions, a capacity central to human value. We further suggest that translanguaging in formal school settings generally promotes epistemic access rather than epistemic justice, leaving value hierarchies and relations of knowing unchanged. Conversely, this study presents linguistic ethnographic data from a three-year project where learners could choose their language of learning to Grade 6 and use all languages in subject classrooms. We analyse how a Grade 6 learner used laminated, multilingual stances to construct others as knowers, negotiate epistemic authority, and promote solidarity. We argue that she thereby constructed new decolonial relations of knowing and being. Moreover, the shift from monolingual to multilingual episteme, which substantially improved performance overall, enabled new social, epistemic, and moral orders to emerge from below, laying the basis for greater epistemic justice.
Jumping out of trouble: evidence for a cognitive map in guppies (Poecilia reticulata)
Authors: De Waele Hannah , Vila Pouca Catarina , van Boerdonk Dimphy , Luiten Ewoud , Leenheer Lisanne M , Mitchell David , Vega-Trejo Regina , Kotrschal Alexander
Published: September 2022

Spatial cognitive abilities allow individuals to remember the location of resources such as food patches, predator hide-outs, or shelters. Animals typically incorporate learned spatial information or use external environmental cues to navigate their surroundings. A spectacular example of how some fishes move is through aerial jumping. For instance, fish that are trapped within isolated pools, cut off from the main body of water during dry periods, may jump over obstacles and direct their jumps to return to safe locations. However, what information such re-orientation behavior during jumping is based on remains enigmatic. Here we combine a lab and field experiment to test if guppies (Poecilia reticulata) incorporate learned spatial information and external environmental cues (visual and auditory) to determine where to jump. In a spatial memory assay we found that guppies were more likely to jump towards deeper areas, hence incorporating past spatial information to jump to safety. In a matched versus mismatched spatial cue experiment in the field, we found that animals only showed directed jumping when visual and auditory cues matched. We show that in unfamiliar entrapments guppies direct their jumps by combining visual and auditory cues, whereas in familiar entrapments they use a cognitive map. We hence conclude that jumping behavior is a goal-directed behavior, guided by different sources of information and involving important spatial cognitive skills.
A generalized approach to characterize optical properties of natural objects
Authors: Ospina-Rozo Laura , Roberts Ann , Stuart-Fox Devi
Published: September 2022

To understand the diversity of ways in which natural materials interact with light, it is important to consider how their reflectance changes with the angle of illumination or viewing and to consider wavelengths beyond the visible. Efforts to characterize these optical properties, however, have been hampered by heterogeneity in measurement techniques, parameters and terminology. Here, we propose a standardized set of measurements, parameters and terminology to describe the optical properties of natural objects based on spectrometry, including angle-dependent effects, such as iridescence and specularity. We select a set of existing measurements and parameters that are generalizable to any wavelength range and spectral shape, and we highlight which subsets of measures are relevant to different biological questions. As a case study, we have applied these measures to 30 species of Christmas beetles, in which we observed previously unrealized diversity in visible and near-infrared reflectance. As expected, reflection of short wavelengths was associated with high spectral purity and angle dependence. In contrast to simple, artificial structures, iridescence and specularity were not strongly correlated, highlighting the complexity and modularity of natural materials. Species did not cluster according to spectral parameters or genus, suggesting high lability of optical properties. The proposed standardization of measures and parameters will improve our understanding of biological adaptations for manipulating light by facilitating the systematic comparison of complex optical properties, such as glossy or metallic appearances and visible or near-infrared iridescence.
Ideology and policy decision-making in the face of the Coronavirus pandemic in the USA
Authors: Prieto-Rodríguez Juan , Salas Rafael , Noonan Douglas , Cabeza-Martinez Francisco , Ramos-Gutierrez Javier
Published: September 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic was a challenge for the health systems of many countries. In the USA, COVID-19 accentuated political polarity. On the one hand, the defenders of more severe public health measures and, on the other, the advocates of individual rights and freedom above any other consideration. In this study, we analyse whether political partisanship and the political ideology of the different states of the USA have influenced the way COVID-19 was handled in the outbreak. Specifically, we analyse whether the ideology of each state affected the decrease in NO2 levels (used as a proxy for local economic activity and traffic) observed after the pandemic outbreak.
Autocratic Challenges to International Human Rights Law: A Chinese Case Study
Authors: Pils Eva
Published: September 2022

Drawing on a case study of the implications of China’s atrocities in Xinjiang in the context of China’s historical engagement with UN and its human rights mechanisms, this article examines autocracies’ impact on the institutions and practices of international human rights law. It argues that that rather than creating new law that turns international law as a whole (more) authoritarian, the Chinese party-state is primarily—and even more dangerously—corroding its institutions and practices, while expanding neo-totalitarian governance discourses and practices to the global level. The autocratic corrosion of international human rights law institutions is exacerbated by attempts to weaken accountability under international human rights law from within liberal democracies, amounting to synergic corrosive effects. Yet, the corrosion of practices norms and institutions must not be equated with the elimination of human rights as powerful ideas underpinning responses to the institutional challenges identified here.
Sex and stress modulate pupal defense response in tobacco hornworm
Authors: Singh Sukhman , Watts Sakshi , Kaur Ishveen , Rodriguez Isabella , Ayala Jessica , Rodriguez Dariela , Martin Elian , Kariyat Rupesh
Published: September 2022

In insects, larval and adult defenses against predators have been well studied. However, pupal (also known as resting stage) defenses have been overlooked and not examined thoroughly. Although some pupa possess antipredator strategies such as hairs, spines, cryptic coloration, and exudation of chemicals, few studies have tested these responses and the factors affecting them. Here, we investigated the behavioral responses in tobacco hornworm Manduca sexta that pupates in soil by introducing an external stimulus using vibrations from an electric toothbrush to mimic predation. We observed that M. sexta made violent wriggling (twitching), followed by pulsating movements in response to the vibrational stimulus. Detailed examination showed that these twitches and pulsating events occurred more frequently and for longer periods of time in male pupa and were dependent on the magnitude of the stress (high and low frequency). However, when we estimated the angular force exerted by pupa using radian and angular momentum of twitches, it was found to be independent of pupal sex. A follow-up experiment on possible cascading effects of stress exposure on eclosion success revealed that low- and high-frequency stress exposure didn’t cause any of the common defects in eclosed adults. Our study clearly demonstrates that the so-called defenseless pupal stage uses a wide range of measurable defense behaviors that can actively defend against predators and should be examined further-linking observed behavior with underlying mechanisms.
Mate choice is affected by parasite infestation rate of the choosing individual as well as of potential mating partners
Authors: Cantarero Alejandro , Dolnik Olga V , Griggio Matteo , Hoi Herbert
Published: September 2022

Parasites are known to be a key driving force in mate choice and are important for the expression and evolution of ornaments and behavioral traits being used. However, there is little experimental evidence on how the parasite’s burden of the choosing individual is integrated into the mate-choice process and how it affects decision-making, especially in relation to parasite infestation of potential mates. Thus, the aim of our study was to determine whether female house sparrows Passer domesticus adjust their mate preference according to their own as well as the parasite load of prospective partners. To do this, we experimentally manipulated female parasite load and determined their mate preferences prior to and after parasite treatment. We manipulated the chronic coccidian parasite burden of females either by initiating the acute infection phase via re-infecting them with coccidian or by temporally reducing the parasite load of coccidia. We then measured the effect of this manipulation on mate preference by presenting females with a choice of four stimuli: three males with similar ornaments, but unmanipulated, naturally varying chronic coccidiosis levels, and an unmanipulated control female. Additionally, we recorded some males’ behavior in relation to their infection status pointing toward an increased or reduced interest in mating. We found that females preferred highly infested males prior to manipulation, regardless of their own infestation level. However, after manipulation, infested females avoided highly infested males probably in response to the deterioration of their health condition by parasites. Our study suggests that mate-choice decisions are more complex when they are mediated by parasites. The implications of parasites for evolutionary theories of sexual signaling and mate choice are discussed.
Fecundity and Longevity of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) at Constant Temperatures and Development of an Oviposition Model
Authors: Heo Jin Woo , Kim Su Bin , Kim Dong-Soon
Published: September 2022

Fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith), is a notorious invasive pest native to subtropical and tropical regions in the Western Hemisphere. It has recently invaded and established in south Asian countries and in South Korea only seasonally. Longevity, survival, and fecundity of fall armyworm were examined at different temperatures (16, 20, 24, 28, and 32°C) and an oviposition model was developed. The maximum observed fecundity was 1,485 eggs per female at 22.0°C, which decreased to ca. 815 eggs at 32.0°C. Female longevity decreased as the temperature increased up to 24°C, and then was constant around 13–14 d until temperature reached 32°C, ranging from 33.1 d at 16.0°C to 13.1 d at 32.0°C. Temperature-dependent total fecundity (TDF) was well described by the extreme value function. Age-specific cumulative oviposition rate (AOR) and age-specific survival rate (ASR) curves were fitted to logistic and sigmoid functions, respectively. The model of female adults’ aging rate (1/mean longevity) as a function of temperature was used to calculate the physiological age of fall armyworm females in AOR and ASR models. Three temperature-dependent components of TDF, AOR, and ASR were incorporated to construct the oviposition model, and it was simulated to project corn damage with tentative parameters. When 10 fall armyworm females were assumed, a total of 68–74 corn ears with kernel damage were predicted. Such loss was estimated to be US$75–83 currently in the Korean market.
Insight analysis of the cross-sensitization of multiple fish parvalbumins via the Th1/Th2 immunological balance and cytokine release from the perspective of safe consumption of fish
Authors: Wu Yeting , Lu Youyou , Huang Yuhao , Lin Hong , Dang Xuewen , Jing Yujie , Meng Zhaocheng , Wang Xiangchen , Li Zhenxing
Published: September 2022

Objectives

Parvalbumin (PV) is the primary allergen found in fish and is highly conserved. According to some studies, some patients with fish allergy are allergic to only one species of fish but are tolerant to others; however, the underlying mechanism has not been identified.

Materials and Methods

The cross-reactivity of these seven fish parvalbumins based on turbot PV-treated mice was determined using BALB/c mouse and RBL-2H3 cell models. Meanwhile, immunoinformatic tools were used to assess cross-reactivity.

Results

The results indicated that the seven species of fishes (turbot, large yellow croaker, sea bass, grass carp, common carp, conger eel and Japanese eel) studied exhibited varying degrees of cross-reactivity, with the highest cross-reactivity being between turbot and bass and the lowest being between turbot and conger eel. The bioinformatics analysis revealed that the sequence homology of parvalbumin between conger eel and turbot was the lowest, which may account for the conger eel and turbot cross-reaction being so limited. Parvalbumin was a potent cross-reactive allergen found in turbot, large yellow croaker, sea bass, grass carp, common carp, conger eel and Japanese eel, and the cross-reactivity between conger eel and turbot parvalbumin was the weakest.

Conclusion

This study demonstrated that the cross-reactivity between conger eel PV and turbot PV was the weakest.
Coherence and potential drivers of stock assessment uncertainty in Northeast US groundfish stocks
Authors: Kerr L , Barajas M , Wiedenmann J
Published: September 2022

Failure to account for the impacts of climate and ecosystem change on stock dynamics can introduce uncertainty to stock assessments that can make meeting the objective of sustainable fisheries management challenging. The increased prevalence and magnitude of uncertainty in New England groundfish stock assessments (i.e. retrospective patterns) in recent years suggest that there may be common drivers impacting these stocks that are currently unaccounted for in the stock assessment. We examined the coherence in retrospective patterns across groundfish stock assessments and evaluated candidate drivers of retrospective patterns, including large-scale climate and ecosystem change, as well as significant management and monitoring changes. We found high coherence in moving window Mohn's rho time series for groundfish within the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank areas. Fluctuations in Gulf of Maine groundfish Mohn's rho values were most strongly related to lagged bottom temperature and spiny dogfish biomass time series, whereas fluctuations in Georges Bank groundfish Mohn's rho values were strongly related to lagged time series of warm core rings formation from the Gulf Stream. Our identification of coherence in retrospective patterns across groundfish stocks by region supports the idea of common regional drivers with climate and ecosystem changes emerging as the leading contributing factors.
Association of growth patterns during infancy and puberty with lung function, wheezing and asthma in adolescents aged 17.5 years: evidence from ‘Children of 1997’ Hong Kong Chinese Birth Cohort
Authors: He Baoting , Li Albert M , Kwok Man Ki , Au Yeung Shiu Lun , Leung Gabriel M , Schooling C Mary
Published: September 2022

Background

Rapid growth is related to adverse respiratory outcomes although possibly confounded or limited by growth modelling methods. We investigated the association of infant and pubertal growth with lung function, wheezing and asthma in a non-Western setting.

Methods

In Hong Kong’s ‘Children of 1997’ Chinese birth cohort (n = 8327), weight during infancy and weight, height and body mass index (BMI) during puberty were modelled using a super-imposition by translation and rotation model to identify (larger or smaller) size, (earlier or later) tempo and (slower or faster) velocity. Sex-specific associations with forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1), FEV1/FVC (Global Lung function Initiative z-score) and self-reported wheezing and asthma at ∼17.5 years were assessed.

Results

For each fraction higher than average weight growth velocity during infancy, FVC was higher in boys (0.90 SD, 95% CI 0.35; 1.44) and girls (0.77 SD, 95% CI 0.24; 1.30), FEV1/FVC was lower (–0.74 SD, 95% CI –1.38; –0.10) and wheezing was higher (odds ratio 6.92, 95% CI 1.60; 29.99) in boys and an inverse association with FVC was observed for tempo but not for size. Associations for weight growth velocity in puberty were similar but weaker. Greater size and higher velocity of BMI growth was associated with higher FVC, lower FEV1/FVC and higher asthma and wheezing risk.

Conclusion

Accelerated infant and pubertal weight growth were associated with disproportionate lung size and airway growth, and higher risk of asthma; optimizing early-life growth patterns could be important.
Role of Appetite Hormone Dysregulation in Symptomology and Executive Function in Adolescents With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Authors: Hsu Ju-Wei , Huang Kai-Lin , Ba Ya-Mei , Tsai Shih-Jen , Chen Mu-Hong
Published: September 2022

Background

Evidence suggests an association of insulin and leptin with attention and executive function. The roles of dysregulated appetite hormones, including insulin and leptin, in the pathomechanisms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and associated cognitive function impairment remain unknown.

Methods

In total, 50 adolescents with ADHD were enrolled and age and sex matched with 50 typically developing controls. The parent-reported Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham IV scale and self-reported Barratt Impulsiveness Scale were employed for symptom assessment. The fasting serum concentrations of appetite hormones—leptin, ghrelin, insulin, and adiponectin—were measured. The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test was used to examine executive function.

Results

Generalized linear models with adjustment for age, sex, body mass index, and medications indicated that the adolescents with ADHD had higher levels of insulin (P = .039) and leptin (P = .006) than did those in the control group. Self-reported attention and self-control symptoms were negatively associated with insulin level (P = .025 and .018, respectively) and positively associated with leptin level (both P < .001). In addition, insulin level was positively associated with executive function (P = .031).

Conclusion

Appetite hormone dysregulation was associated with the symptomology and executive function among adolescents with ADHD. Our results may inspire researchers to further examine the role of appetite hormone dysregulation in ADHD pathogenesis.
Intellectual property rights, enforcement costs and EU competition law
Authors: Bastidas Venegas Vladimir
Published: September 2022

Cases in the intellectual property rights (IPR)–Competition Law intersection have raised the issue of costs of enforcement of IPRs when dealing with the assessment of whether competition law has been breached. Importantly, a systematic underestimation of enforcement costs may be problematic for the protection of underlying investments behind intellectual property as well as obstruct the cooperation between an IPR holder and its licensees, in particular as regards patent rights. Cases on reverse payments indicate that payments by a patent holder to a generic manufacturer under a settlement agreement may well be legitimate in order avoid enforcement costs while not restricting competition. The hard stance on no-challenge clauses and termination clauses under the technology transfer block exemption regulation (TTBER) can destabilize the relation between two parties that would benefit from increased certainty when cooperating to commercialize new technology. In cases regarding the failure of parties to agree on fair and reasonable and non-discriminatory-licensing of standard essential patents, a correct approach has probably been taken in Huawei. However, it is doubtful to what extent the judgment is based upon a balancing exercise that explicitly factors in enforcements cost. Accordingly, it is argued that the current framework of analysis of cases in the intersection is inadequate to proper assess enforcement costs of IPRs.
Trading Plastic Waste in a Global Economy: Soundly Regulated by the Basel Convention?
Authors: van der Marel Eva Romée
Published: September 2022

This article investigates the implications of the Basel Convention’s amendments on plastics as part of the transition to a more sustainable global plastics economy where plastic wastes are seen as a valuable resource. Key categories of plastics continue to be excluded from the Convention, provided they are destined for recycling in an ‘environmentally sound manner’ (so-called ESM recycling). The exact interpretation of ESM recycling is worthy of attention as the way in which the term is applied reveals much about the kind of plastics economy that the Convention supports, which, as shown here, continues to risk mismanagement of plastic waste abroad. This article finds that, absent sound regulation, there is a need to reimagine the role of the country of export and strengthen its responsibilities to ensure the sound management of plastic wastes abroad.
Concentration Dependent Feeding on Imidacloprid by Behaviorally Resistant House Flies, Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae)
Authors: Hubbard Caleb B , Murillo Amy C
Published: September 2022

The house fly (Musca domestica L.) is a cosmopolitan and synanthropic pest fly commonly associated with confined animal facilities, known to mechanically vector numerous disease-causing pathogens. Control of adult house flies often relies on insecticides formulated into insecticidal baits, though many baits have failed due to insecticide resistance. House fly resistance to imidacloprid, the most widely used neonicotinoid insecticide available for fly control, has evolved through physiological and behavioral mechanisms in field populations. Behavioral resistance to imidacloprid was documented in field populations of flies from southern California dairies. Lab colonies of these flies were established and behavioral resistance to imidacloprid was selected over several generations. The current study examined the ability of these lab-selected flies to feed on varying concentrations of imidacloprid formulated in sucrose, and if these flies would demonstrate a feeding preference for different concentrations of imidacloprid when exposed in bioassays. Behaviorally resistant flies preferred to feed on untreated sucrose as opposed to treated sucrose at concentrations greater than 25 µg/g imidacloprid when provided sucrose treated with and without imidacloprid. When provisioned with only sucrose treated with a low and high imidacloprid concentration, flies fed on the low concentrations (≤100 µg/g) imidacloprid but reduced feeding on either treatment when concentrations were >100 µg/g imidacloprid. The current study extends the body of knowledge on house fly behavioral resistance to imidacloprid, which could provide insights into future failures of granular fly baits.
Severe Influenza-Associated Neurological Disease in Australian Children: Seasonal Population-Based Surveillance 2008–2018
Authors: Donnelley Erin , Teutsch Suzy , Zurynski Yvonne , Nunez Carlos , Khandaker Gulam , Lester-Smith David , Festa Marino , Booy Robert , Elliott Elizabeth J , Britton Philip N ,   Contributors to the Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit, Deverell Marie , Phu Amy , Handel Dannielle
Published: September 2022

Background

Influenza-associated neurological disease (IAND) is uncommon but can result in death or neurological morbidity in children. We aimed to describe the incidence, risk factors, and outcome of children with IAND from seasonal influenza in Australia.

Methods

We analyzed national, population-based, surveillance data for children aged ≤ 14 years with severe influenza and neurological involvement, over 11 Australian influenza seasons, 2008–2018, by the Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit.

Results

There were 633 laboratory-confirmed cases of severe influenza reported. Of these, 165 (26%) had IAND. The average annual incidence for IAND was 3.39 per million children aged ≤ 14 years. Compared to cases without neurological complications, those with IAND were more likely to have a pre-existing neurological disease (odds ratio [OR] 3.03, P < .001), but most children with IAND did not (n = 135, 82%). Children with IAND were more likely to receive antivirals (OR 1.80, P = .002), require intensive care (OR 1.79, P = .001), require ventilation (OR 1.99; P = .001), and die (OR 2.83, P = .004).

Conclusions

IAND is a preventable cause of mortality, predominantly in otherwise well children. Incidence estimates validate previous sentinel site estimates from Australia. IAND accounted for a quarter of all severe influenza, is associated with intensive care unit admission, and accounted for half of all influenza deaths.
Eye movement pattern of reading Chinese Classics
Authors: Lin Yuanbiao , Li Xiaozhe
Published: September 2022

This article explores the use of eye movement technology in studying the reading pattern of Chinese classical text. Written in a character-based ancient language, Classical Chinese or wenyanwen, the Chinese classics are known to be difficult to apprehend for most contemporary readers. In this study, a new character-oriented eye movement technology, Region of Interest in Reading (ROIR), was invented to detect readers’ attention allocation in reading. Based on ROIRs, first fixation duration, gaze duration, and total fixation duration were formulated to discuss readers’ cognitive processes and reading patterns when reading Classical Chinese text. The empirical study was conducted using Tao Te Ching (道德经) as the reading material. The study provides foundational technology for the construction of Chinese-oriented eye movement control model, and the findings also shed light on the teaching of Chinese Classics.
Integrating traditional ritual dance and minority culture of Western Hunan into dance instruction: Utilizing information technology to preserve China’s intangible heritage
Authors: Ma Qiang
Published: September 2022

The goals of this study were to design an online platform devoted to preserving and studying China’s intangible cultural heritage (ICH) within the limits of ritual and minority dances of western Hunan, obtain experimental data on the usefulness of the developed platform in the preservation and study of Chinese ritual and folk dances, assess dance instructors’ participation in ICH preservation through information technology (IT), and identify IT means able to preserve China’s ICH within the framework of higher education dance instruction in China. For these aims to be achieved, the layout and structure of the platform with audio/video/photo materials, animations, and 3D models were developed, and a number of educators teaching various dance disciplines at universities of China were surveyed. Overall, the study sample comprised 114 people. The platform’s database was compiled by Art History postgraduates from the National Center for the Performing Arts, while its backbone was created by Beijing IT specialists. According to the carried-out assessment, photo/video materials were identified as the most popular IT means capable of preserving China’s ICH as a part of dance instruction in higher education (68.4%). 3D technology was preferred by 19.3% of respondents, textual documents—by 9.6%, and virtual reality technology—by 2.7%. The practical significance of the collected data lies in the possibility of their usage in the process of creating university dance instruction curricula, modernizing instruction materials, developing online webinars, and improving the process of teaching traditional Chinese and world culture.