bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Implicit landmarks and opposite polarities in French motion predicates
Authors: Aurnague Michel
Published: June 2022

This chapter tackles two important aspects of the association of French motion verbs and spatial PPs. The main notions used in order to characterize strict motion predicates are first recalled. The possibility, for the verbs, of appearing in constructions that do not express the landmark entity of the motion event is studied (implicit landmark constructions), and it is argued to depend on the spatio-temporal structure of the verbs and on various other factors. Then, the association of verbs and PPs with opposite polarities is examined which turns out to be in close correlation with the existence of an “implicit use”. The conclusion emphasizes the asymmetries/dissymmetries between initial and final motion events revealed by the constructions studied.
Higher-order generalized uncertainty principle applied to gravitational baryogenesis
Authors: Feng Zhong-Wen , Zhou Xia , Zhou Shi-Qi
Published: June 2022

The gravitational baryogenesis plays an important role in the study of baryon asymmetry. However, the original mechanism of gravitational baryogenesis in the radiation-dominated era leads to the asymmetry factor η equal to zero, which indicates this mechanism may not generate a sufficient baryon asymmetry in the early Universe. In this paper, we investigate the gravitational baryogenesis for the generation of baryon asymmetry in the early Universe by using a new higher-order generalized uncertainty principle (GUP). It is demonstrated that the entropy and the Friedman equation of the Universe deviate from the original cases due to the effect of the higher-order GUP. Those modifications break the thermal equilibrium of the Universe, and in turn produce a non-zero asymmetry factor η. In particular, our results satisfy all of Sakharov's conditions, which indicates that the scheme of explaining baryon asymmetry in the framework of higher-order GUP is feasible. In addition,
combining our theoretical results with the observational data, we constraint the GUP parameter β
0, whose bound is between 8.4 × 1010 ∼ 1.1 × 1013.
p

T
dispersion of inclusive jets in high-energy nuclear collisions*
Authors: Chen Shi-Yong , Yan Jun , Dai Wei , Zhang Ben-Wei , Wang En-Ke
Published: June 2022

In this study, we investigate the impact of jet quenching on the

dispersion (

) of inclusive jets (

) in central Pb+Pb (0%–10%) collisions at

TeV. The partonic spectrum in the initial hard scattering of elementary collisions is obtained by an event generator POWHEG+PYTHIA, which matches the next-to-leading order (NLO) matrix elements with parton showering, and the energy loss of a fast parton traversing through hot/dense QCD medium is calculated using Monte Carlo simulation within the Higher-Twist formalism of jet quenching in heavy-ion collisions. We present model calculations of the normalized

distributions of inclusive jets in p+p and central Pb+Pb collisions at

TeV, which offer good descriptions of ALICE measurements. It is shown that the

distributions of inclusive jets in central Pb+Pb collisions shift significantly to a higher

region relative to those in p+p collisions. Thus, the nuclear modification ratio of the

distributions of inclusive jets is smaller than unity in the small

region and larger than one in the large

region. This behavior is caused by a more uneven

distribution for jet constituents as well as the fraction alteration of quark/gluon initiated jets in heavy-ion collisions. The difference in

distribution between groomed and ungroomed jets in Pb+Pb collisions is also discussed.
Influence of device non-uniformities on the accuracy of Coulomb blockade thermometry
Authors: Pekola Jukka P , Praks Eemil , Yurttagül Nikolai , Karimi Bayan
Published: June 2022

We investigate temperature uncertainty of Coulomb blockade thermometer (CBT) arising from inevitable non-uniformities in tunnel junction arrays. The corrections are proportional to the junction resistance variance in the linear operation regime and this result holds approximately also beyond this originally studied high temperature range. We present both analytical and numerical results, and discuss briefly their implications on achievable uniformity based on state-of-the-art fabrication of sensors.
Soft X-ray radiography for measurements of a dense metal plasma created by intense relativistic electron beam on a tantalum target
Authors: Kurkuchekov V.V. , Atlukhanov M.G. , Burdakov A.V. , Danilov V.V. , Popov S.S. , Skovorodin D.I. , Trunev Yu.A. , Kholopov M.A. , Popov A.S. , Lemzyakov A.G. , Petrozhitskiy A.V. , Rousskikh A.G. , Artyomov A.P. , Fedyunin A.V. , Zhigalin A.S , Erfort A.A. , Kolesnikov P.A. , Politov V.Yu. , Nikitin O.A. , Akhmetov A.R.
Published: June 2022

A radiographic diagnostic has been developed to quantify the
plume of erosion products after the interaction between a target and
a relativistic electron beam. The diagnostic is based on a point
Z-pinch (PZ-pinch) with a metallic plasma jet. It creates an X-ray
source with a typical size of 10 μm, a photon energy of up to
3 keV and a flash duration of 3 ns. The X-ray visualization system
is based on a thin scintillator and a CCD camera. The spatial
resolution of the diagnostic was evaluated experimentally. The
spatial frequency limit was found to be about 1.5 line pairs per
millimeter.

The diagnostic was tested in an experiment performed using an LIA-5
linear induction accelerator. An electron beam with a current of
400 A, an energy of 3.5 MeV and a pulse duration of 80 ns was
focused on a plane tantalum target 1 mm in thickness. The FWHM of
the focal spot was ∼ 2 mm. Radiographs of the plume were taken
with different delays after different accelerator pulses. According
to our data, the plume most commonly propagates toward the
beam. After 70 μs its length was about 70 mm, i.e. the
plume expansion rate was about 1 km/s. The area density of the
semi-transparent regions of the plume was estimated as lying in the
range 3 · 10-16–2 · 1017 cm-2.
Nanometer-sensitive wideband opto-mechanical switching concept
Authors: Herle Dorian , Renaud Philippe , Parriaux Olivier
Published: June 2022

The present paper is concerned with the mechanically extremely sensitive reflection switching concept of a free-space wave impinging on an array of dielectric or semiconductor pillars. Splitting the pillars of a 2D periodic array in its resonant reflection regime at a prescribed wavelength into two parts with a low-index gap of a few nanometers between parts cancels the reflection of a plane wave under normal incidence. The underlying principle lies in the strong and abrupt discontinuity of the electric field component parallel to the pillar axes caused by the gap. The electromagnetic field distribution is consequently deeply perturbed and no longer corresponds to that of an optical resonance of the array; this suppresses the reflection. The electromagnetic analysis of a silicon pillar array leads to the design of a gapless experimental model fabricated by microsystem technologies that exhibits a broad reflection maximum of a few tens of nm at a prescribed wavelength in the visible and near-IR range, and of a pillar structure with nanometer-thick low-index gap exhibiting no reflection peak over this wide wavelength range. A transmission ratio of 1:30 at a 1080 nm peak wavelength between a gapless and a 1.5 index, 30 nm-thick gap structures was measured.
Person–Environment Fit: Theoretical Perspectives, Conceptualizations, and Outcomes
Authors: De Cooman Rein , Vleugels Wouter
Published: June 2022

The idea of person–environment (PE) fit builds upon interactional psychology, which suggests that the interplay between personal and environmental attributes is the primary driver of human behavior. The “environment” in PE fit research can take many different forms, with organizational environments being one of the most important settings with which people may fit or misfit. Henceforth, PE fit is defined as the compatibility that occurs when individuals match the characteristics of the work environment they inhabit. The notion that individuals with personal needs, values, goals, abilities, and personalities and organizational environments with distinctive demands, supplies, values, and cultures are differentially compatible and that “fitting in” is an evolving process that triggers behavioral, cognitive, and affective responses has been well accepted since PE fit was introduced as an independent theory in the mid-1970s. Presently, the PE fit idea has established itself as a firm research framework and has surfaced in many different literatures, ranging from applied and vocational psychology to human resource management, resulting in a plethora of theories that cover many different views on, and various conceptualizations of, PE fit. From an individual (i.e., employee) perspective, fit theories suggest that fit is a sought-after and rewarding experience in and of itself, especially when multiple types of fit (e.g., fit with the job and with the organization) co-occur. However, from a team, organizational, and societal perspective, the advantages of high levels of fit must be weighed against its potential costs, including favoritism, conformity, and homogeneity, which may eventually result in organizational inertia and the reproduction of inequality.
Adult Literacy and Basic Education in the United States
Authors: Sticht Thomas
Published: June 2022

From colonial times to the modern era the United States has provided adult literacy and basic education (ALBE) for those adults seeking better work, a better home life for themselves and their families, greater educational achievement for their children, and engagement in civic duties for community development. In the Moonlight Schools of Kentucky, illiterate country folk learned to read and write to run their farms and towns better. In the cities, immigrants learned English and their civic duties as citizens in programs of “Americanization.” By the 1960s, civil and voting rights movements helped tens of thousands of African Americans learn to read and write so they could exercise their rights of self-government through democracy. In 1966, the United States established for the first time a national Adult Education and Literacy System (AELS) formed in a partnership of the federal and 50 state governments. From serving some 50 thousand or so adults in its early years the AELS enrollments rose over the next 35 years to around 4 million. Then, following the implementation of a National Reporting System with stringent performance accountability requirements, enrollments fell over the next 20 years to less than 1.2 million. But during all these years the AELS provided basic education aimed at achieving general educational outcomes and benefited from research and development projects leading to the implementation of special programs in which the basic skills of English language, reading, writing, and arithmetic were taught contextualized within the domains of workplace, health, civics, family, and digital knowledge. At the end of the first two decades of the 21st century, the AELS had seen its mandate extended from helping adults gain contextualized skills and knowledge, and the achievement of a secondary school level of education, to gaining access to postsecondary, college, and specialized certificate programs within a career pathway with recurring education and credentialing. There is increasing interest in moving forward with ALBE within a full “lifelong” and “lifewide” AELS.
Environment and Economy in Song China
Authors: Mostern Ruth
Published: June 2022

The period between the 9th and the 13th centuries in China, a largely temperate climate span that followed an interval of punishing droughts, was a time of pivotal economic and environmental transformation. The Song dynasty, chronologically divided into the Northern Song (960–1127) and the Southern Song (1127–1276) periods, dominated the era, but numerous other regimes and societies prospered in eastern Asia as well. Over the course of these centuries, China’s recorded population rose from sixty to one hundred million people, and perhaps 20 percent of them lived in cities. Technological innovation transformed numerous landscapes and areas of human activity, and market relations came to play a significant role in the exchange of land, labor, and goods. When deforestation caused a crisis in timber availability, some Song metalworkers shifted from charcoal to coal to power forges for iron and steel. The amount of land under agricultural cultivation expanded dramatically. In the Yangtze delta, the economic core of south China, farmers drained wetlands and constructed terraces and polders to support paddies on which they grew new strains of fast-ripening rice. Elsewhere, they turned grasslands and forests into fields, with consequences for herders and foragers, nonhuman animals, and soil stability. To the north, on the Yellow River watershed, deforestation and grasslands degradation caused major erosion that initiated an era of inundation and avulsion that transformed floodplain landscapes and modes of subsistence downstream. New maritime technologies ensured that the environmental consequences of the Song economic revolution extended beyond the borders of the realm and into distant Pacific and Indian Ocean worlds as well. Nevertheless, many Song landscapes lay outside human exploitation, and many Song practices allowed for sustainable relationships between people and the ecosystems that they inhabited.
Disability Inclusion in Sexual and Reproductive Health in the United States
Authors: Long-Bellil Linda
Published: June 2022

Despite the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) more than 30 years ago, people with disabilities experience significant barriers to exercising their right to sexual and reproductive health throughout their life course. The historical segregation and stigmatization of disabled individuals has created the conditions in which members of this population experience persistent disparities in the prevalence of adverse health conditions and inadequate attention to care, along with disparities in preventive care, health promotion, and access to health care services. These disparities manifest in social services and health care generally and also in the sphere of sexual and reproductive health.

Among many direct care workers, health care providers, and family members, assumptions persist that individuals with disabilities are asexual, unable to exercise informed consent to sexual activity, and unable to carry a pregnancy to term or to parent successfully. These assumptions adversely affect the ability of individuals with disabilities to access basic information about their sexual health and function in order to make informed decisions about their sexual activity, and also impact their access to preventive health screening, contraception, and perinatal care. Inadequate transportation and physically inaccessible environments and equipment such as examination tables pose additional barriers for some disabled individuals. A lack of training in disability-competent care among health care professionals is a pervasive problem and presents yet another challenge to obtaining appropriate and necessary information and care. Despite these barriers, the research shows that more and more women with disabilities are having children, and there is an increasing recognition that people with disabilities have a right to sexual expression and appropriate sexual and reproductive health care , accompanied by a gradual evolution among social services and health care providers to provide the necessary information and support.
Heritage Conservation in West Africa
Authors: Odiaua Ishanlosen
Published: June 2022

The conservation of heritage in west Africa is carried out at different levels—local and national. Communities continue to have the primary responsibility for heritage conservation, as the custodians of such heritage. The variety of heritage in the region, as in other parts of Africa, is largely assured by communal practices or traditional management systems, structured through various levels of community participation, sometimes gendered, with each member of society contributing to the conservation of a common cultural good. These cultural management systems operate contemporaneously with the official government systems set in place to reflect the international heritage discourse, whose practitioners promote it as superior to the traditional systems. However, these two systems are not harmonized, and the alienation of communities from the mainstream discourse could be detrimental to the conservation of heritage. The increase in urbanization and infrastructural development across the region, in line with the aspirations of national and regional development programs, has an impact on cultural heritage and its conservation. With efforts underway to be more inclusive, the traditional and official systems should both be encouraged to innovate and develop systems that are best adapted for ensuring the effective management of west African heritage.
AbLang: an antibody language model for completing antibody sequences
Authors: Olsen Tobias H , Moal Iain H , Deane Charlotte M
Published: June 2022

Motivation

General protein language models have been shown to summarize the semantics of protein sequences into representations that are useful for state-of-the-art predictive methods. However, for antibody specific problems, such as restoring residues lost due to sequencing errors, a model trained solely on antibodies may be more powerful. Antibodies are one of the few protein types where the volume of sequence data needed for such language models is available, e.g. in the Observed Antibody Space (OAS) database.

Results

Here, we introduce AbLang, a language model trained on the antibody sequences in the OAS database. We demonstrate the power of AbLang by using it to restore missing residues in antibody sequence data, a key issue with B-cell receptor repertoire sequencing, e.g. over 40% of OAS sequences are missing the first 15 amino acids. AbLang restores the missing residues of antibody sequences better than using IMGT germlines or the general protein language model ESM-1b. Further, AbLang does not require knowledge of the germline of the antibody and is seven times faster than ESM-1b.

Availability and implementation

AbLang is a python package available at https://github.com/oxpig/AbLang.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics Advances online.
NetRAX: accurate and fast maximum likelihood phylogenetic network inference
Authors: Lutteropp Sarah , Scornavacca Céline , Kozlov Alexey M , Morel Benoit , Stamatakis Alexandros
Published: June 2022

Motivation

Phylogenetic networks can represent non-treelike evolutionary scenarios. Current, actively developed approaches for phylogenetic network inference jointly account for non-treelike evolution and incomplete lineage sorting (ILS). Unfortunately, this induces a very high computational complexity and current tools can only analyze small datasets.

Results

We present NetRAX, a tool for maximum likelihood (ML) inference of phylogenetic networks in the absence of ILS. Our tool leverages state-of-the-art methods for efficiently computing the phylogenetic likelihood function on trees, and extends them to phylogenetic networks via the notion of ‘displayed trees’. NetRAX can infer ML phylogenetic networks from partitioned multiple sequence alignments and returns the inferred networks in Extended Newick format. On simulated data, our results show a very low relative difference in Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) score and a near-zero unrooted softwired cluster distance to the true, simulated networks. With NetRAX, a network inference on a partitioned alignment with 8000 sites, 30 taxa and 3 reticulations completes within a few minutes on a standard laptop.

Availability and implementation

Our implementation is available under the GNU General Public License v3.0 at https://github.com/lutteropp/NetRAX.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Flow-mediated dilation reference values for evaluation of endothelial function and cardiovascular health
Authors: Heiss Christian , Rodriguez-Mateos Ana , Bapir Mariam , Skene Simon S , Sies Helmut , Kelm Malte
Published: June 2022

Aims

Endothelial function is essential for cardiovascular health, and flow-mediated dilation (FMD) is an established technique to measure it. This paper aims to assess FMD values in apparently healthy individuals and provides reference values to facilitate wider clinical use.

Methods and results

In 1,579 apparently healthy individuals (aged 18–76), fasted FMD values (data from 44 studies, 6 institutions, 22 operators) were normally distributed and inversely univariately correlated with age, body mass index, glucose, cholesterol, blood pressure, and brachial artery (BA) diameter. Significant multivariate predictors of FMD were age (−0.4%/decade), BMI (0.04%/kg/m2), smoking (−0.7%), and BA diameter (−0.44%/mm) that together explained 19% of the variability independent of operator, institution or ultrasound machine. Individuals in the high FMD tertile (>6.8%) were younger, had smaller BA diameter, lower blood pressure and cholesterol. In individuals with low- and intermediate fatal cardiovascular risk (SCORE), 26% and 53% of individuals, respectively, had FMD values in the low tertile (<5.4%). After adding data from 385 patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD), ROC analysis (c = 0.841, P < 0.001) showed that FMD of >6.5% excluded CAD (95% sensitivity; 60% specificity) and FMD <3.1% excluded 95% healthy individuals (95% specificity, 31% sensitivity). A meta-analysis and meta-regression of 82 clinical trials (11 countries, n = 3,509) using similar FMD methodology showed that despite considerable heterogeneity (I2 = 0.97) FMD in healthy individuals was on average 6.4% (95%CI: 6.2%, 6.7%) with no significant differences between countries but a significant age-dependent decline (−0.3%/decade, R2 = 0.13).

Conclusions

We provide an age-adapted frame of FMD reference intervals in apparently healthy individuals for use as a biomarker of cardiovascular health. As the degree of vascular endothelial function integrates environmental and genetic factors with classical CV risk factors, FMD may more comprehensively classify individuals with and without standard modifiable cardiovascular risk factors and serve as a target for cardiovascular prevention.
Methylation of the Hippo effector YAP by the methyltransferase SETD7 drives myocardial ischaemic injury: a translational study
Authors: Ambrosini Samuele , Montecucco Fabrizio , Kolijn Detmar , Pedicino Daniela , Akhmedov Alexander , Mohammed Shafeeq A , Herwig Melissa , Gorica Era , Szabó Petra L , Weber Lukas , Russo Giulio , Vinci Ramona , Matter Christian M , Liuzzo Giovanna , Brown Peter J , Rossi Fabio M V , Camici Giovanni G , Sciarretta Sebastiano , Beltrami Antonio P , Crea Filippo , Podesser Bruno , Lüscher Thomas F , Kiss Attila , Ruschitzka Frank , Hamdani Nazha , Costantino Sarah , Paneni Francesco
Published: June 2022

Aims

Methylation of non-histone proteins is emerging as a central regulatory mechanism in health and disease. The methyltransferase SETD7 has shown to methylate and alter the function of a variety of proteins in vitro; however, its function in the heart is poorly understood. The present study investigates the role of SETD7 in myocardial ischaemic injury.

Methods and results

Experiments were performed in neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVMs), SETD7 knockout mice (SETD7−/−) undergoing myocardial ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, left ventricular (LV) myocardial samples from patients with ischaemic cardiomyopathy (ICM), and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with ST-elevation MI (STEMI). We show that SETD7 is activated upon energy deprivation in cultured NRVMs and methylates the Hippo pathway effector YAP, leading to its cytosolic retention and impaired transcription of antioxidant genes manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) and catalase (CAT). Such impairment of antioxidant defence was associated with mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mtROS), organelle swelling, and apoptosis. Selective pharmacological inhibition of SETD7 by (R)-PFI-2 restored YAP nuclear localization, thus preventing mtROS, mitochondrial damage, and apoptosis in NRVMs. In mice, genetic deletion of SETD7 attenuated myocardial I/R injury, mtROS, and LV dysfunction by restoring YAP-dependent transcription of MnSOD and CAT. Moreover, in cardiomyocytes isolated from I/R mice and ICM patients, (R)-PFI-2 prevented mtROS accumulation, while improving Ca2+-activated tension. Finally, SETD7 was up-regulated in PBMCs from STEMI patients and negatively correlated with MnSOD and CAT.

Conclusion

We show a methylation-dependent checkpoint regulating oxidative stress during myocardial ischaemia. SETD7 inhibition may represent a valid therapeutic strategy in this setting.
Education and Consultation Needs of Social Workers in Practice with Rural Older Adults
Authors: Ilardo Joan , Zell Angela M , Haque Raza , Ensberg Mark
Published: June 2022

The aging population and shortage of primary care physicians lead to increasing gaps in access to rural geriatric healthcare. Of concern is the lack of access to geriatric expertise, leading to adverse effects on rural older adults’ health outcomes and quality of life. The Geriatric Rural Extension of Expertise through Telegeriatric Services (also known as GREETS) project surveyed rural physical and behavioral healthcare practitioners to identify gaps in geriatric competencies in the rural workforce. Using the Qualtrics platform, a survey was distributed to professional membership lists throughout the State of Michigan. A total of 106 responses were completed, of which 50 were from respondents who identified their profession as a social worker. As would be expected based on social workers’ scope of practice and the settings in which they provide services, social worker respondents noted a higher need than the other practitioner respondents for education related to (a) managing chronic pain, (b) managing care of patients with multiple chronic conditions, (c) having serious illness conversations, (d) diagnosing dementia, and (e) discussing advance care planning. Having identified these needs provides a basis for identifying and implementing training and resources for social work and other disciplines involved in geriatric care and services.
Urban chronic diseases management through promoting low carbon lifestyle and physical activities
Authors: Liu Kun , Wang Hong , Wang Weixiang , Ming Li , Wei Guqiang , Liang Huaqing , He Zirui , Liu Guangdong , Xu Chen , Liu Xua
Published: June 2022

Achieving carbon emission peak by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060 is China’s long-term climate change strategy for the 21st century in accordance with the provisions of the Paris Agreement. Achieving carbon emission peak and carbon neutrality have caused a profound change in the society, which not only requires energy conservation and carbon emission reduction of all walks of life, but also profoundly affects people’s lifestyles. In the current carbon emission reduction research, low-carbon lifestyles tends to focus on the relationship between human behavior and energy conservation. This paper starts from a new perspective, low-carbon lifestyle and health, focuses on the community fitness activity environment in the construction of complete residential communities, seizes the Combination of Physical-Medical Therapy national policy, improves people’s health on the basis of advocating fitness activities and reducing medical travel, closely links low-carbon, health and community construction, and endows the low-carbon community with a health function. Studies have shown that regular exercise can effectively prevent and manage many urban chronic diseases. By carefully selecting the prevalent chronic diseases and population disability adjustment years, this paper presents the characteristics of chronic diseases in major China provinces. Taking into account popular fitness activities, this paper innovatively puts forward the ‘urban chronic disease community physical activity management model’. At the same time, it proposes the community fitness and activity infrastructure design and build strategies to manage urban chronic diseases. At the end of the article, it gives an actual project case of fitness and activity environment and puts forward the suggestion of establishing ‘Living Laboratory for Community Fitness and Activity’ as the test bed to collect big data for follow-up study.
Sensitivity analysis of road tunnel resilience through data-driven stochastic simulation
Authors: Khetwal Sandeep , Gutierrez Marte , Pei Shiling
Published: June 2022

A probabilistic resilience model for tunnels exposed to disruptive events is vital to understanding and estimating the functionality loss and its recovery time due to these events. Performing sensitivity analysis will help to identify the critical parameters contributing to tunnel resilience. This paper aims to identify tunnel resilience’s sensitivity for parameters such as traffic volume, fire suppression systems, changes in maintenance, and operation parameters using a simulation model that estimates overall tunnel resilience for a given period. Overall universal compatibility of the simulation model is checked for twenty-two tunnels using information from the US National Tunnel Inventory (NTI), and resilience correlation is established. The results show that resilience loss due to fire and accidents are directly correlated with traffic volume. A significant reduction in the loss due to fire can be found by installing a fire suppression system. Increasing the service life of equipment and frequency of inspection and repair contributes to an increase in a tunnel’s resilience index. A resilience correlation study for the twenty-two tunnels showed that an average resilience index for these tunnels is 96.57%. Linear correlations can be made between tunnel length and traffic loss due to fire and operation. Accidents and fire events are correlated with average traffic in the tunnel. Tunnel speed limit, age, number of lanes, and bores do not show a considerable effect on disruptive events. Overall, the study shows that the proposed simulation model can encompass various disruptive events to estimate the resilience of the tunnel.
Acute stress deteriorates breast meat quality of Ross 308 broiler chickens by inducing redox imbalance and mitochondrial dysfunction
Authors: Liao Hongju , Zhang Lin , Li Jiaolong , Xing Tong , Gao Feng
Published: June 2022

This study investigated the effects of acute stress on breast meat quality, redox status, and mitochondrial function in pectoralis major (PM) muscle of broilers. A total of 168 broiler chickens (42-d-old, Ross 308) were randomly divided into control (CON) and preslaughter transport (T) treatments. A broiler was an experimental unit. Each treatment consisted of 84 broilers, and they were put in 12 crates with 7 broilers each. Broilers in the T group were transported according to a designed protocol, and the CON broilers were kept in crates under normal living conditions before slaughtering. Based on the meat quality traits assessed at postmortem 24 h, all PM muscles of the transported broilers were further classified into normal (T-NOR) and pale, soft, and exudative (PSE)-like (T-PSE) groups for the determination of redox status in PM muscle and isolated mitochondria, energy metabolites, mitochondrial electron transport chain complexes activities, as well as mitochondrial function-modulating genes expression. Compared with CON, the extent of lipid peroxidation as well as protein oxidation were significantly increased in both PM muscles and mitochondria in T-PSE (P < 0.05), whereas not in T-NOR. Higher activities of glutathione peroxidase, total superoxide dismutase, and Cu–Zn superoxide dismutase were observed in PM muscle of T-NOR broilers when compared with CON (P < 0.05). Preslaughter transport increased the generation of reactive oxygen species, as well as enhanced antioxidant capacity in PM mitochondria of broilers (P < 0.05). Compared with CON, the ATP content, activities of complexes I and III, as well as relative mitochondrial membrane potential and swelling were significantly decreased in T-PSE (P < 0.05), whereas no significant changes in either ATP content or complex I activity were observed in T-NOR. Preslaughter transport enhanced the mRNA expression of regulators involved in the glutathione system, thioredoxin 2 system, and mitochondrial biosynthesis in PM muscle of broilers (P < 0.05). Moreover, we noticed a more evident enhancement effect in T-NOR than in T-PSE (P < 0.05). Overall, this work indicates that acute stress-induced redox imbalance and mitochondrial dysfunction have significant implications for the development of PSE-like meat.
Breast Density Legislation Impact on Breast Cancer Screening and Risk Assessment
Authors: Kothari Pranay , Tseng Joseph J , Chalfant James S , Pittman Sarah M , Hoyt Anne C , Larsen Linda , Sheth Pulin , Yamashita Mary , Downey John , Ikeda Debra M
Published: June 2022

Objective

To evaluate breast density notification legislation (BDNL) on breast imaging practice patterns, risk assessment, and supplemental screening.

Methods

A 20-question anonymous web-based survey was administered to practicing Society of Breast Imaging radiologists in the U.S. between February and April 2021 regarding breast cancer risk assessment, supplemental screening, and density measurements. Results were compared between facilities with and without BDNL using the two-sided Fisher’s exact test.

Results

One hundred and ninety-seven radiologists from 41 U.S. states, with (187/197, 95%) or without (10/197, 5%) BDNL, responded. Fifty-seven percent (113/197) performed breast cancer risk assessment, and 93% (183/197) offered supplemental screening for women with dense breasts. Between facilities with or without BDNL, there was no significant difference in whether risk assessment was (P = 0.19) or was not performed (P = 0.20). There was no significant difference in supplemental screening types (P > 0.05) between BDNL and non-BDNL facilities. Thirty-five percent (69/197) of facilities offered no supplemental screening studies, and 25% (49/197) had no future plans to offer supplemental screening. A statistically significant greater proportion of non-BDNL facilities offered no supplemental screening (P < 0.03) and had no plans to offer supplemental screening compared to BDNL facilities (P < 0.02).

Conclusion

Facilities in BDNL states often offer supplemental screening compared to facilities in non-BDNL states. Compared to BDNL facilities, a statistically significant proportion of non-BDNL facilities had no supplemental screening nor plans for implementation. Our data suggest that upcoming federal BDNL will impact how supplemental screening is addressed in currently non-BDNL states.
Egg Predation by Phytoseiid Predatory Mites: Is There Intraguild Predation Towards Predatory Bug Eggs?
Authors: Vangansbeke Dominiek , Duarte Marcus V A , Pijnakker Juliette , Pekas Apostolos , Wäckers Felix
Published: June 2022

Phytoseiid predatory mites are efficient biocontrol agents of important thrips pests, such as the western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis Pergande (Thysanoptera: Thripidae). Until recently, it was believed that first instars, and to a lesser extent second instars, were the most vulnerable developmental stages of thrips to be attacked by phytoseiids. However, recent evidence showed that some phytoseiids can detect and prey upon thrips eggs inserted in the leaf tissue. As phytoseiid predatory mites often co-occur with other beneficial insects, such as mirid and anthocorid predatory bugs which also insert their eggs inside leaf material, this raises the question whether phytoseiid predatory mites may also feed on predatory bug eggs. Here we first tested the potential of Amblyseius swirskii Athias-Henriot, Transeius montdorensis Schicha, and Amblydromalus limonicus Garman and McGregor (Acari: Phytoseiidae) to kill eggs of F. occidentalis in leaf tissue. Secondly, we tested whether those phytoseiids were capable of killing eggs of Orius laevigatus Fieber (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae), Macrolophus pygmaeus Rambur and Nesidiocoris tenuis (Reuter) (Hemiptera: Miridae), three biocontrol agents that also insert their eggs inside plant tissue. Our results showed that A. swirskii and A. limonicus could kill thrips eggs, whereas T. montdorensis could not. Furthermore, we show that the presence of phytoseiid predatory mites does not affect the hatch rate of predatory bugs that insert their eggs inside leaves.
Atomic-resolution STEM image denoising by total variation regularization
Authors: Kawahara Kazuaki , Ishikawa Ryo , Sasano Shun , Shibata Naoya , Ikuhara Yuichi
Published: June 2022

Atomic-resolution electron microscopy imaging of solid-state material is a powerful method for structural analysis. Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) is one of the actively used techniques to directly observe atoms in materials. However, some materials are easily damaged by the electron beam irradiation, and only noisy images are available when we decrease the electron dose to avoid beam damages. Therefore, a denoising process is necessary for precise structural analysis in low-dose STEM. In this study, we propose total variation (TV) denoising algorithm to remove quantum noise in an STEM image. We defined an entropy of STEM image that corresponds to the image contrast to determine a hyperparameter and we found that there is a hyperparameter that maximizes the entropy. We acquired atomic-resolution STEM image of CaF2 viewed along the [001] direction and executed TV denoising. The atomic columns of Ca and F are clearly visualized by the TV denoising, and atomic positions of Ca and F are determined with the error of ±1 pm and ±4 pm, respectively.
Performances of Trust: Ritualized Diplomacy in Southeast Asian Regionalism
Authors: Davies Mathew
Published: June 2022

What happens when trust ends? This article identifies a hitherto overlooked possibility, a performance of trust. Comprising ritualized diplomacy, performances of trust communicate the products of trust, the values that define membership of an international organization, but do not constitute those values. Realizing the obscuring, subjunctive, orthopraxic, and located nature of these ritual performances helps distinguish performance from other social processes of identity and interest construction. Demonstrated in the context of Southeast Asian regionalism, performances of trust suggest the relevance of trust in explaining what states and their leaders say and do may outlive the presence of trust itself.
Incidence of Intussusception in Bamako, Mali, Before and After the Introduction of Rotavirus Vaccine
Authors: Roose Anna , Keita Adama Mamby , Tapia Milagritos D , Sow Samba O , Mast T Christopher , Kotloff Karen L
Published: June 2022

Pentavalent rotavirus vaccine has been associated with a small increase in intussusception, but pre- and post-introduction data are lacking in many low-resource settings. Using chart review and prospective surveillance data, intussusception incidence was estimated in Bamako, Mali. The mean annual intussusception incidence post-introduction was not significantly different from that of pre-introduction.
Race Differences in Veteran’s Affairs Emergency Department Utilization
Authors: Rothmiller Shamira J , Lund Brian C , Burgess Diana J , Lee Sangil , Hadlandsmyth Katherine
Published: June 2022

Introduction

African Americans (AAs) experience disparities in chronic pain care. This study aimed to identify the rates of emergency department (ED) utilization for visits associated with chronic pain diagnoses among AAs compared to Whites and to determine variables that accounted for any differences.

Methods

This retrospective observational study used national Veterans Affairs (Veteran’s Health Administration) administrative data to identify Veterans with chronic pain diagnoses in 2018. Race/ethnicity was self-reported and assessed to examine if differences exist in ED utilization. Differences between AAs and Whites were examined using negative binomial regression models, controlling for ethnicity. Multivariable models (including demographics, pain characteristics, psychiatric comorbidities, medical comorbidities, pain-related health care utilization, and medication utilization) were examined to determine factors that contributed to these disparities.

Results

Among the 2,261,030 patients, 22% (n = 492,138) were AA. The incidence rate ratio of ED utilization for AAs, relative to Whites, was 1.58 (95% CI: 1.56–1.59). The only independent variable that produced a clinically meaningful reduction in the race effect on ED use was rurality, which was associated with reduced ED use. Post hoc model including all variables reduced the race effect to 1.37 (95% CI: 1.36–1.38).

Conclusion

AA Veterans had a 58% greater risk of ED utilization for visits associated with chronic pain diagnoses relative to White Veterans, which remained meaningfully elevated after adjustment for observable confounders (37%). This observation may reflect disparities in outpatient chronic pain care for AAs. Future research could focus on enhancing therapeutic alliance in primary care to improve chronic pain treatment for AAs.
The elusive transcriptional memory trace
Authors: Gil-Marti Beatriz , Barredo Celia G , Pina-Flores Sara , Trejo Jose Luis , Turiegano Enrique , Martin Francisco A
Published: June 2022

Memory is the brain faculty to store and remember information. It is a sequential process in which four different phases can be distinguished: encoding or learning, consolidation, storage and reactivation. Since the discovery of the first Drosophila gene essential for memory formation in 1976, our knowledge of its mechanisms has progressed greatly. The current view considers the existence of engrams, ensembles of neuronal populations whose activity is temporally coordinated and represents the minimal correlate of experience in brain circuits. In order to form and maintain the engram, protein synthesis and, probably, specific transcriptional program(s) is required. The immediate early gene response during learning process has been extensively studied. However, a detailed description of the transcriptional response for later memory phases was technically challenging. Recent advances in transcriptomics have allowed us to tackle this biological problem. This review summarizes recent findings in this field, and discusses whether or not it is possible to identify a transcriptional trace for memory.
Development of Agrobacterium tumefaciens Infiltration of Infectious Clones of Grapevine Geminivirus A Directly into Greenhouse-Grown Grapevine and Nicotiana benthamiana Plants
Authors: Kuo Yen-Wen , Bednarska Alicja , Al Rwahnih Maher , Falk Bryce W.
Published: June 2022

Grapevine virus infectious clones are important tools for fundamental studies, but also because of their potential for translational applications for grapevine improvement. Although several grapevine virus infectious clones have been developed, there has been difficulty in directly infecting mature grapevine plants, and many of the viruses used still cause disease symptoms in grapevine plants, making them less likely candidates for biotechnological applications in grapes. Here, we developed an improved Agrobacterium tumefaciens infiltration method that can be used to deliver DNA plasmids and viral infectious clones directly into approximately 20- to 40-cm-high (above soil) greenhouse-grown grapevine plants. We also developed infectious clones for two isolates of grapevine geminivirus A (GGVA): Longyan (China; GenBank accession KX570611; GGVA-76) and Super Hamburg (Japan; GenBank accession KX570610; GGVA-93). Neither virus caused any obvious symptoms when inoculated to plants of grapevine varieties Colombard, Salt Creek, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Vaccarèse. However, the two GGVA isolates induced different symptom severity and viral titer in Nicotiana benthamiana plants. The two GGVA isolates used here were found to accumulate to different titers in different parts/branches of the infected grapevine plants. The GGVA infectious clones and the improved grapevine infiltration technique developed here provide new, valuable tools that can be applied to grapevine plants, possibly even for translational applications such as disease management and desired trait improvements.
Differentiation and prognostic stratification of acute myeloid leukemia by serum‐based spectroscopy coupling with metabolic fingerprints
Authors: Duan Zhengwei , Chen Yang , Ye Minlu , Xiao Lijing , Chen Yanxin , Cao Yingping , Peng Yi , Zhang Jingling , Zhang Yu , Yang Ting , Liu Wuping , Feng Shangyuan , Hu Jianda
Published: June 2022

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous disease characterized by complex molecular and cytogenetic abnormalities. New approaches to predict the prognosis of AML have increasingly attracted attention. There were 98 non‐M3 AML cases and 48 healthy controls were enrolled in the current work. Clinically routine assays for cytogenetic and molecular genetic analyses were performed on the bone marrow samples of patients with AML. Meanwhile, metabolic profiling of these AML subjects was also performed on the serum samples by combining Ag nanoparticle‐based surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) with proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Although most of the routine biochemical test showed no significant differences between the M0–M2 and M5 groups, the metabolic profiles were significantly different either between AML subtypes or between prognostic risk subgroups. Specific SERS bands were screened to serve as potential markers for AML subtypes. The results demonstrated that the classification models for M0–M2 and M5 shared two bands (i.e., 1328 and 741 cm−1), all came from nucleic acid signals. Furthermore, Metabolic profiles provided various differential metabolites responsible for different AML subtypes, and we found altered pathways mainly included energy metabolism like glycolysis, pyruvate metabolism, and metabolisms of nucleic acid bases as well as specific amino acid metabolisms. It is concluded that integration of SERS and NMR provides the rational and could be reliable to reveal AML differentiation, and meanwhile lay the basis for experimental and clinical practice to monitor disease progression and prognostic evaluation.