bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Stark-localization as a probe of nanostructure geometry
Authors: Pedersen T G , Cornean H D , Krejčiřik D , Raymond N , Stockmeyer E
Published: August 2022

It is a central tenet of quantum mechanics that spatial resolution is limited by the wave nature of particles. Energies of stationary states reflect delocalized wave functions and cannot be ascribed to any single point. Yet, electrons confined in nanostructures become localized against the boundary by strong electric fields. Energies then reflect the local curvature of the nanostructure surface rather than entire volume. We propose using spectroscopy of Stark-localized states to map nanostructure surface curvature. By varying field direction, local curvatures are extracted from absorption spectra. Moreover, the required field strength is shown to be feasible experimentally. We use nanowires with elliptic cross section as a detailed benchmark providing quantitative error estimates and practical guide lines.
Effect of laser irradiation protocols on temperature, roughness, and morphology of the root surface after root-end resection
Authors: Fiscarelli Victória Maria , Silva Ana Lídia Pinheiro , de Oliveira Eliane Cristina Gulin , Zaniboni Joissi Ferrari , Besegato João Felipe , Faraoni Juliana Jendiroba , Kuga Milton Carlos , Berbert Fábio Luiz Camargo Vilella
Published: August 2022

This study evaluated the effect of laser irradiation protocols using Thera Lase Surgery (TL), at 2.5 W (2.5) or 2.7 W (2.7), and Gemini (GE), at 1.2 W (1.2) or 1.5 W (1.5) of potency, on the root-end resection surface, in relation to external root temperature, roughness, and surface morphologic changes after the treatments, in the areas near to the root canal (RC) or external root surface (ER). Fifty teeth were endodontically treated and the root-end were resected 3 mm away from the root apex. The specimens were randomized into 5 groups (n = 10), according to the laser irradiation protocol: Control (CO-DW) without irradiation; (TL-2.5) Thera Lase Surgery, 2.5 W; (TL-2.7) Thera Lase Surgery, 2.7 W; (GE-1.2) Gemini, 1.2 W; and (GE-1.5) Gemini, 1.5 W. The external root temperature change was obtained through the difference between the highest value observed during the irradiation and the value at the beginning of the treatment. The surface roughness (µm) was analyzed by confocal laser microscopy and the apical surface morphology was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy, in RC or ER. The temperature change was similar between the irradiation protocols (p > 0.05). CO-DW and GE-1.5 provided the lowest surface roughness (p < 0.05), regardless of the analyzed area. TL-2.7 and GE-1.7 showed more uniform on apical resected morphology and a higher incidence of dentinal tubules occlusion, but only near the root canal (p < 0.05). Root-end resected surface submitted to TL-2.7 and GE1.7 irradiation protocols are more homogeneous and shown higher incidence of closed dentinal tubules near to root canal, despite providing a surface roughness.
Effect of 3 T magnetic field on RF plasma sputtering in an ITER-relevant first mirror unit
Authors: Soni Kunal , Iyyakkunnel Santhosh , Steiner Roland , Antunes Rodrigo , Moser Lucas , Bieri Oliver , Marot Laurent , Meyer Ernst
Published: August 2022

The first mirror (FM) cleaning operations in ITER are expected to be executed in the presence of a

∼
3

T magnetic field. In the RF plasma cleaning configuration, this would have a significant influence on the plasma properties, ion energy, angle of incidence as well as flux spatial distribution. To this end, RF discharges were excited in an ITER-sized mock-up of a first mirror unit (FMU) consisting of a powered first mirror M1 and a grounded second mirror M2 placed in a homogeneous 3 T magnetic field. The plasma discharge was confined in a beam extending in the direction of the magnetic field, consequently wetting a limited portion of the FMU walls. In the DC-decoupled scheme (without λ/4 filter), this considerably influenced the self-bias voltage V
DC that develops on M1. Changing the angle α between M1 normal and magnetic field, modified the plasma wetted wall area A
g and the resulting V
DC varied by over two orders of magnitude. Plasma exposure experiments were also done in the DC-coupled scheme (with λ/4 filter), wherein the angle and wetted surface determined the area of wall sputtered. Increasing α led to an increase in the sputtered wall area A
g, and consequently the wall deposition on grounded M2. However, in all the cases M1 was entirely clean with the exception of edge deposits in some. In contrast, both M1 and M2 are coated with wall deposits in the absence of a magnetic field and a similar plasma exposure. The results show that plasma cleaning with λ/4 filter in a 3 T magnetic field at ITER could potentially prevent the parasitic wall deposition on FMs. The results also highlight the importance of FM orientation in the magnetic field and the wetted area in the plasma cleaning in both the DC-coupled and decoupled schemes within the ITER diagnostic systems.
Drug-Loaded IRONSperm clusters: modeling, wireless actuation, and ultrasound imaging
Authors: Middelhoek Kaz I N A , Magdanz Veronika , Abelmann Leon , Khalil Islam S M
Published: August 2022

Individual biohybrid microrobots have the potential to perform biomedical in vivo tasks such as remote-controlled drug and cell delivery and minimally invasive surgery. This work demonstrates the formation of biohybrid sperm-templated clusters under the influence of an external magnetic field and essential functionalities for wireless actuation and drug delivery. Ferromagnetic nanoparticles are electrostatically assembled around dead sperm cells, and the resulting nanoparticle-coated cells are magnetically assembled into three-dimensional biohybrid clusters. The aim of this clustering is threefold: First, to enable rolling locomotion on a nearby solid boundary using a rotating magnetic field; second, to allow for noninvasive localization; third, to load the cells inside the cluster with drugs for targeted therapy. A magneto-hydrodynamic model captures the rotational response of the clusters in a viscous fluid, and predicts an upper bound for their step-out frequency, which is independent of their volume or aspect ratio. Below the step-out frequency, the rolling velocity of the clusters increases nonlinearly with their perimeter and actuation frequency. During rolling locomotion, the clusters are localized using ultrasound images at a relatively large distance, which makes these biohybrid clusters promising for deep-tissue applications. Finally, we show that the estimated drug load scales with the number of cells in the cluster and can be retained for more than 10 h. The aggregation of microrobots enables them to collectively roll in a predictable way in response to an external rotating magnetic field, and enhances ultrasound detectability and drug loading capacity compared to the individual microrobots. The favorable features of biohybrid microrobot clusters place emphasis on the importance of the investigation and development of collective microrobots and their potential for in vivo applications.
Asymptotics of eigenvalue sums when some turning points are complex
Authors: Okun Pavel , Burke Kieron
Published: August 2022

Recent work has shown a deep connection between semilocal approximations in density functional theory and the asymptotics of the sum of the Wentzel–Kramers–Brillouin (WKB) semiclassical expansion for the eigenvalues. However, all examples studied to date have potentials with only real classical turning points. But systems with complex turning points generate subdominant (SD) terms beyond those in the WKB series. The simplest case is a pure quartic oscillator. We show how to generalize the asymptotics of eigenvalue sums to include SD contributions to the sums, if they are known for the eigenvalues. These corrections to WKB greatly improve accuracy for eigenvalue sums, especially for many levels. We obtain further improvements to the sums through hyperasymptotics. For the lowest level, our summation method has error below 2 × 10−4. For the sum of the lowest ten levels, our error is less than 10−22. We report all results to many digits and include copious details of the asymptotic expansions and their derivation.
Visions of Refuge: The Central American Exodus and the Floating Ladder
Authors: Schreiber Rebecca M
Published: August 2022

This essay focuses on two performative acts. The first is the fall 2018 caravan, a work of political performance, which involved thousands of Central American migrants/refugees fleeing their countries in response to structural and other forms of violence. These caravaneros (caravaners) traveled collectively through Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico to protect themselves from being targeted by state and nonstate actors en route to the US–Mexico border. The second performative act, which took place in Tijuana in January 2019, involved an artistic collaboration between Caleb Duarte and a group of caravaneros temporarily residing at El Barretal, a heavily guarded Mexican government-run refugee camp. Together, Duarte and the caravaneros co-authored a sculptural performance, creating a fabric ladder tied to helium balloons, which the wind lifted above the camp. I argue that Floating Ladder enacts how these caravaneros imagine their movement and mobility, as it challenges the regional immigration regime aiming to block migrants/refugees from making asylum claims in the US. Both the fall 2018 caravan and Duarte’s collaborative artwork with caravaneros are political acts by migrants/refugees that entailed the construction of social and political imaginaries beyond the constraints and violence of national borders.

Both the fall 2018 caravan and Duarte’s collaborative artwork with caravaneros (caravaners) are political acts by migrants/refugees that entailed the construction of social and political imaginaries beyond the constraints and violence of national borders.
World of Borders: Harsha Walia's Border and Rule: Global Migration, Capitalism, and the Rise of Racist Nationalism
Authors: Watson Jini Kim
Published: August 2022

This essay analyses Harsha Walia’s 2021 book Border and Rule: Global Migration, Capitalism, and the Rise of Racist Nationalism. It discusses the way Walia boldly recasts today’s “migration crisis” less as a problem “at the border,” and more in terms of its enmeshment with the logics of neoliberal capitalism. Deploying a framework of global comparativity and interdisciplinarity—and written in a steady tone of outrage—Walia reads the operations of contemporary border regimes through, on the one hand, global histories of racial exclusions and, on the other, modes of neoliberal labor exploitation. While valuable for its global scope and the synthetic labor of its analyses, Walia’s study devotes less attention to the nature of resistances and solidarities needed to combat the interlocking regimes of bordering, citizenship exclusions, extractive violence, ecofascisms, and renovated racisms. Nevertheless, Walia raises pertinent questions for literary studies about how different disciplines make the figure of the migrant appear or disappear.
Commentary: Passwords and Passage
Authors: Redmond Shana L
Published: August 2022

Drawing into conversation the work of two special issue authors, Redmond continues in exposition of the dangerous contradictions within and inherent failures of the state’s security and citizenship regimes through attention to minoritized testimony and translation. The author of memoir and courtroom or detention witness present as performers of vulnerable narrative projects that are sometimes playful, sometimes grave but always in critical contest, if not combat, with the designs of racial capitalism and exception. In attending to these moments of subversion and illegibility, new opportunities arise for retooling in defense against and circumvention of state procedure and possession.
Resettling Refugee History
Authors: DeGooyer Stephanie
Published: August 2022

This article pursues a longue durée study of the US refugee to resettle, in necessary and generative ways, contemporary interest in the refugee as representative of a current “global crisis” and as inherently tied to the unique violence of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. It argues that the twentieth century is not the only thinkable or relevant period for a refugee literary history. The colonial construction of “asylum,” the word we refer today as a legal source of political protection for refugees, was in earlier times intertwined with the development of an exclusionary migration regime, vestiges of which continue to govern the reception of migrants today. The very idea of asylum, despite becoming a legal fixture of human rights law in the twentieth century, was never meant to be expansive in the US. How we make sense of this disjuncture is a serious project for literary scholarship invested in refugees and migration.

The limbo that many contemporary refugees find themselves in today, in detention camps and other make-shift shelters, is tied to the US’s early fictional conception of itself as a refuge for white European foreigners.
Nephrotoxicity of Vancomycin in Combination With Beta-Lactam Agents: Ceftolozane-Tazobactam vs Piperacillin-Tazobactam
Authors: Alosaimy Sara , Lagnf Abdalhamid M , Hobbs Athena L V , Mubarez Musa , Kufel Wesley D , Morrisette Taylor , Polisetty Radhika S , Li David , Veve Michael P , Simon Sam P , Truong James , Finch Natalie , Venugopalan Veena , Rico Matthew , Amaya Lee , Yost Christine , Cubillos Ashley , Chandler Elisabeth , Patch Megan , Smith Ian Murphy Kelsey , Biagi Mark , Wrin Justin , Moore W Justin , Molina Kyle C , Rebold Nicholas , Holger Dana , Kunz Coyne Ashlan J , Jorgensen Sarah C J , Witucki Paige , Tran Nikki N , Davis Susan L , Sakoulas George , Rybak Michael J
Published: August 2022

Background

Vancomycin (VAN)-associated acute kidney injury (AKI) is increased when VAN is combined with certain beta-lactams (BLs) such as piperacillin-tazobactam (TZP) but has not been evaluated with ceftolozane-tazobactam (C/T). Our aim was to investigate the AKI incidence of VAN in combination with C/T (VAN/C/T) compared with VAN in combination to TZP (VAN-TZP).

Methods

We conducted a multicenter, observational, comparative study across the United States. The primary analysis was a composite outcome of AKI and risk, injury, failure, loss, end stage renal disease; Acute Kidney Injury Network; or VAN-induced nephrotoxicity according to the consensus guidelines. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted to adjust for confounding variables and stratified Kaplan–Meir analysis to assess the time to nephrotoxicity between the 2 groups.

Results

We included VAN/C/T (n = 90) and VAN-TZP (n = 284) at an enrollment ratio of 3:1. The primary outcome occurred in 12.2% vs 25.0% in the VAN-C/T and VAN-TZP groups, respectively (P = .011). After adjusting for confounding variables, VAN-TZP was associated with increased odds of AKI compared with VAN-C/T; with an adjusted odds ratio of 3.308 (95% confidence interval, 1.560–6.993). Results of the stratified Kaplan–Meir analysis with log-rank time-to-nephrotoxicity analysis indicate that time to AKI was significantly shorter among patients who received VAN-TZP (P = .004). Cox proportional hazards analysis demonstrated that TZP was consistent with the primary analysis (P = .001).

Conclusions

Collectively, our results suggest that the AKI is not likely to be related to tazobactam but rather to piperacillin, which is a component in VAN-TZP but not in VAN-C/T.
Gambling Reform and IT Challenges
Authors: Rasmussen Rune
Published: August 2022

The distinction between video games and games for gambling is becoming increasingly blurred with many video games giving items based on chance, for example daily draws and loot-boxes, writes Rune Rasmussen MBCS independent consultant in compliance and surveillance data analytics.
Leadership
Authors: Hall John G
Published: August 2022

Jon G Hall CITP FBCS says cash and data are important but not as critical as the ability to tell a good story.
BCS’ Influence and News April to July 2022
Authors: Penketh Claire
Published: August 2022

The Independent and The Register highlighted BCS expert members’ warnings on the overhaul of GDPR, and tech outlets covered our report showing the potential for digital apprenticeship and skills growth post-pandemic. Claire Penketh reports.
UK Takes Leadership on Data Science Standards
Authors: Penketh Claire
Published: August 2022

The first tranche of data scientists to complete the new, defined standard of professionalism from the Alliance for Data Science Professionals received their awards at a special ceremony at the Royal Society. Claire Penketh reports.
Cyber Gamification
Authors: Ratnayake Deepthi
Published: August 2022

Dr Deepthi Ratnayake explains how gamification might influence security.
How Well Do You Know Your Network?
Authors: Hodgson Martin
Published: August 2022

Many operations technology engineers may be familiar with the ‘security through obscurity’ mantra when it comes to their OT network, writes Martin Hodgson, Country Manager UKI of Paessler. If a device or network can’t be accessed, it can’t be attacked…
Success is the Opposite of Failure
Authors: Hamilton Jo
Published: August 2022

Paulette Watson, Founder and Managing Director of Academy Achievers tells Johanna Hamilton AMBCS about how she’s taking BAME IT students on a STEM learning journey from cradle to college.
Effects of Stereotype-Focused Imagined Contact on Young Adults’ Intentions for Intergenerational Interaction
Authors: Fowler Craig , Gasiorek Jessica
Published: August 2022

Objectives

Face-to-face intergenerational contact is associated with more positive attitudes toward older adults. However, such contact can be difficult to achieve, and poor contact experiences can have negative consequences for intergenerational relations. We examined whether mentally simulated intergenerational contact (which is more easily facilitated and controllable) could reduce young adults’ inclinations to avoid intergenerational interactions by increasing their inclusion of the older outgroup in the self (IOS), and by enhancing their stereotypes of older adults’ warmth and competence.

Method

We conducted an online experiment with 373 young adults from the United States. Participants imagined talking with an older adult (aged 70–75 years) in the circumstances intended to make salient either the older adult’s warmth or their competence.

Results

Both manipulations increased young adult participants’ IOS with respect to older adults, which in turn predicted more positive assessments of older adults’ warmth and competence. IOS, along with ratings of warmth and competence, inversely predicted the desire to avoid future interaction with older adults.

Discussion

Findings indicate the viability of a simple and accessible intervention to improve intergenerational relations, which can be tailored to address different goals (e.g., encouraging intergenerational friendships vs. encouraging support for equal rights of older members of the workforce).
Quantifying cause-related mortality in Australia, incorporating multiple causes: observed patterns, trends and practical considerations
Authors: Bishop Karen , Moreno-Betancur Margarita , Balogun Saliu , Eynstone-Hinkins James , Moran Lauren , Rao Chalapati , Banks Emily , Korda Rosemary J , Gourley Michelle , Joshy Grace
Published: August 2022

Background

Mortality statistics using a single underlying cause of death (UC) are key health indicators. Rising multimorbidity and chronic disease mean that deaths increasingly involve multiple conditions. However, additional causes reported on death certificates are rarely integrated into mortality indicators, partly due to complexities in data and methods. This study aimed to assess trends and patterns in cause-related mortality in Australia, integrating multiple causes (MC) of death.

Methods

Deaths (n = 1 773 399) in Australia (2006–17) were mapped to 136 ICD-10-based groups and MC indicators applied. Age-standardized cause-related rates (deaths/100 000) based on the UC (ASRUC) were compared with rates based on any mention of the cause (ASRAM) using rate ratios (RR = ASRAM/ASRUC) and to rates based on weighting multiple contributing causes (ASRW).

Results

Deaths involved on average 3.4 causes in 2017; the percentage with >4 causes increased from 20.9 (2006) to 24.4 (2017). Ischaemic heart disease (ASRUC = 73.3, ASRAM = 135.8, ASRW = 63.5), dementia (ASRUC = 51.1, ASRAM = 98.1, ASRW = 52.1) and cerebrovascular diseases (ASRUC = 39.9, ASRAM = 76.7, ASRW = 33.5) ranked as leading causes by all methods. Causes with high RR included hypertension (ASRUC = 2.2, RR = 35.5), atrial fibrillation (ASRUC = 8.0, RR = 6.5) and diabetes (ASRUC = 18.5, RR = 3.5); the corresponding ASRW were 12.5, 12.6 and 24.0, respectively. Renal failure, atrial fibrillation and hypertension ranked among the 10 leading causes by ASRAM and ASRW but not by ASRUC. Practical considerations in working with MC data are discussed.

Conclusions

Despite the similarities in leading causes under the three methods, with integration of MC several preventable diseases emerged as leading causes. MC analyses offer a richer additional perspective for population health monitoring and policy development.
Computer simulation of surgical interventions for the treatment of refractory pulmonary hypertension
Authors: Han Seong Woo , Puelz Charles , Rusin Craig G , Penny Daniel J , Coleman Ryan , Peskin Charles S
Published: August 2022

This paper describes computer models of three interventions used for treating refractory pulmonary hypertension (RPH). These procedures create either an atrial septal defect, a ventricular septal defect or, in the case of a Potts shunt, a patent ductus arteriosus. The aim in all three cases is to generate a right-to-left shunt, allowing for either pressure or volume unloading of the right side of the heart in the setting of right ventricular failure, while maintaining cardiac output. These shunts are created, however, at the expense of introducing de-oxygenated blood into the systemic circulation, thereby lowering the systemic arterial oxygen saturation. The models developed in this paper are based on compartmental descriptions of human hemodynamics and oxygen transport. An important parameter included in our models is the cross-sectional area of the surgically created defect. Numerical simulations are performed to compare different interventions and various shunt sizes and to assess their impact on hemodynamic variables and oxygen saturations. We also create a model for exercise and use it to study exercise tolerance in simulated pre-intervention and post-intervention RPH patients.
The Geometry of Polynomial Representations
Authors: Bik Arthur , Draisma Jan , Eggermont Rob H. , Snowden Andrew
Published: August 2022

We define a GL-variety to be an (typically infinite dimensional) algebraic variety equipped with an action of the infinite general linear group under which the coordinate ring forms a polynomial representation. Such varieties have been used to study asymptotic properties of invariants like strength and tensor rank and played a key role in two recent proofs of Stillman’s conjecture. We initiate a systematic study of $\textbf {GL}$-varieties and establish a number of foundational results about them. For example, we prove a version of Chevalley’s theorem on constructible sets in this setting.
Integrated infrared thermography and accelerometer-based behavior logger as a hoof lesion identification tool in dairy cows with various foot diseases under subtropical climates
Authors: Chiu Yun-Jung , Hsu Jih-Tay
Published: August 2022

Infrared thermography (IRT) can measure a temperature change on the surface of objects, and is widely used as an inflammation or fever detection tool. The objective of this longitudinal study was to investigate the feasibility of detecting hoof lesion cattle using IRT under subtropical climate conditions. The experiment was conducted in two free-stall commercial dairy farms and 502 dairy cows participated between August 2020 and March 2022. Before hoof trimming, the portable IRT was used to measure the maximum temperature of each hoof from three shooting directions, including anterior (hoof coronary band), lateral (hoof lateral coronary band), and posterior (skin between heel and bulbs). In order to evaluate the effect of hoof lesions on the behavior of dairy cows, we also collected behavior data by automated accelerometers. The results indicated that the temperature of hooves with lesions was significantly higher than that of sound hooves in hot environments regardless of the shooting directions (P < 0.0001). In all of three shooting directions, the maximum temperature of feet with severe lesion was significantly higher than those of feet with mild lesion and sound feet (P < 0.05). Cows with lesion feet had lower daily activity and feeding time than sound cows before clinical diagnosis (P < 0.05). Furthermore, we used thresholds of both anterior hoof temperature at 32.05 °C and average daily activity at 410.5 (arbitrary unit/d) as a lame cow detecting tool. The agreement of this integrated tool reached 75% with clinical diagnosis, indicating that this integrated approach may be feasible for practice in dairy farm. In conclusion, IRT has the potential to be used as a hoof lesion detecting tool under subtropical climate conditions when using sound hoof temperature as reference points, and detection precision can be improved when IRT integrated with automated accelerometers as a lame cow detecting tool.
A Multi-institutional Study Evaluating Pediatric Burn Injuries During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Georgeades Christina M , Collings Amelia T , Farazi Manzur , Fallat Mary E , Minneci Peter C , Sato Thomas T , Speck Karen Elizabeth , Van Arendonk Kyle , Deans Katherine J , Falcone Richard A , Foley David S , Fraser Jason , Gadepalli Samir , Keller Martin S , Kotagal Meera , Landman Matthew P , Leys Charles M , Markel Troy A , Rubalcava Nathan , St. Peter Shawn D , Flynn-O’Brien Katherine T
Published: August 2022

During the COVID-19 pandemic, children were out of school due to Stay-at-Home Orders. The objective of this study was to investigate how the COVID-19 pandemic may have impacted the incidence of burn injuries in children. Eight Level I Pediatric Trauma Centers participated in a retrospective study evaluating children <18 years old with traumatic injuries defined by the National Trauma Data Bank. Patients with burn injuries were identified by ICD-10 codes. Historical controls from March to September 2019 (“Control” cohort) were compared to patients injured after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic from March to September 2020 (“COVID” cohort). A total of 12,549 pediatric trauma patients were included, of which 916 patients had burn injuries. Burn injuries increased after the start of the pandemic (COVID 522/6711 [7.8%] vs Control 394/5838 [6.7%], P = .03). There were no significant differences in age, race, insurance status, burn severity, injury severity score, intent or location of injury, and occurrence on a weekday or weekend between cohorts. There was an increase in flame burns (COVID 140/522 [26.8%] vs Control 75/394 [19.0%], P = .01) and a decrease in contact burns (COVID 118/522 [22.6%] vs Control 112/394 [28.4%], P = .05). More patients were transferred from an outside institution (COVID 315/522 patients [60.3%] vs Control 208/394 patients [52.8%], P = .02), and intensive care unit length of stay increased (COVID median 3.5 days [interquartile range 2.0–11.0] vs Control median 3.0 days [interquartile range 1.0–4.0], P = .05). Pediatric burn injuries increased after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic despite Stay-at-Home Orders intended to optimize health and increase public safety.
Improving plant heat tolerance through modification of Rubisco activase in C3 plants to secure crop yield and food security in a future warming world
Authors: Qu Yuchen , Mueller-Cajar Oliver , Yamori Wataru
Published: August 2022

The world’s population may reach 10 billion by 2050, but 10% still suffer from food shortages. At the same time, global warming threatens food security by decreasing crop yields, so it is necessary to develop crops with enhanced resistance to high temperatures in order to secure the food supply. In this review, the role of Rubisco activase as an important factor in plant heat tolerance is summarized, based on the conclusions of recent findings. Rubisco activase is a molecular chaperone determining the activation of Rubisco, whose heat sensitivity causes reductions of photosynthesis at high temperatures. Thus, the thermostability of Rubisco activase is considered to be critical for improving plant heat tolerance. It has been shown that the introduction of thermostable Rubisco activase through gene editing into Arabidopsis thaliana and from heat-adapted wild Oryza species or C4Zea mays into Oryza sativa improves Rubisco activation, photosynthesis, and plant growth at high temperatures. We propose that developing a universal thermostable Rubisco activase could be a promising direction for further studies.
On Transcultural Presence and Reparative Reading Practice: Rethinking Belonging and Transcultural Transformation in Julia Alvarez’s How the García Girls Lost Their Accents
Authors: Roupakia Efthymia Lydia
Published: August 2022

I offer a reading of the opening chapter of Julia Alvarez’s novel How the García Girls Lost Their Accents (1991) through Bill Ashcroft’s approach to “transcultural presence.” I argue that Alvarez’s opening chapter casts the experience of transcultural presence as a complex and conflicted emotional space that challenges the reader’s appreciation of belonging beyond received interpretative frameworks. I further draw on Sten Pulz Moslund’s theoretical engagement with the “presencing” of place through a “topopoetic mode of reading.” I propose that the presencing of place in the opening chapter of Alvarez’s novel encourages a located, embodied way of reading transformative moments of transcultural presence. Finally, I suggest that Alvarez’s ethics of postcolonial, transcultural writing encourages what Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick has referred to as “reparative reading.” “Reparative reading” is illustrated in terms of the literary text’s opening up toward the “volume” of transcultural complexity, an opening up that calls for self-reflexive interpretative caution and care for locative particularity when engaging with transcultural literature.
The X-ray emission of Be+stripped star binaries★
Authors: Nazé Yaël , Rauw Gregor , Smith Myron A , Motch Christian
Published: August 2022

Using observations from Chandra, Swift, and XMM-Newton, we investigate the high-energy properties of all known (18) Be+sdO systems as well as seven additional Be binaries suspected to harbour stripped stars. The observed X-ray properties are found to be similar to those observed for other Be samples. The vast majority of these systems (15 out of 25) display very faint (and soft) X-ray emission, and six others are certainly not bright X-ray sources. Only two systems display γ Cas characteristics (i.e. bright and hard X-rays), and one of them is a new detection: HD 37202 (ζ Tau). It presents an extremely hard spectrum due to a combination of high temperature and high absorption (possibly due to its high inclination). In parallel, it may be noted that the previously reported cyclic behaviour of this Be star has disappeared in recent years. Instead, shorter cycles and symmetric line profiles are observed for the Hα line. It had been recently suggested that the peculiar X-ray emissions observed in γ Cas stars could arise from a collision between the disc of a Be star and the wind of its hot, stripped-star companion. The small fraction of γ Cas analogues in this sample, as well as the properties of the known companions of the γ Cas cases (low mass or not extremely hot, contrary to predictions), combined to the actual stripped-star and colliding-wind empirical knowledge, make the disc-wind collision an unlikely scenario to explain the γ Cas phenomenon.
Kinematics of luminous blue variables in the Large Magellanic Cloud
Authors: Aghakhanloo Mojgan , Smith Nathan , Andrews Jennifer , Olsen Knut , Besla Gurtina , Choi Yumi
Published: August 2022

We study the kinematics of luminous blue variables (LBVs) in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). Using high-resolution spectra, we measure the systemic radial velocities for a sample of 16 LBVs and LBV candidates. In order to measure the net motion of LBVs compared to their local environments, we subtract the projected line-of-sight velocity at the same location derived from the rotation curve model of the LMC. Using nebular and wind emission lines, we infer a velocity dispersion for LBVs of $40.0^{+9.9}_{-6.6}$ km s−1. To put LBVs in context with other evolved massive stars, we compare this to red supergiants (RSGs) in the LMC, which have a significantly smaller velocity dispersion of $16.5^{+0.4}_{-0.6}$ km s−1. Moreover, 33 per cent of LBVs have radial velocities of more than 25 km s−1, while only 9 per cent of RSG have such high velocities. This suggests that LBVs include more runaways than the population of stars that evolves to become RSGs, indicating that LBVs are preferentially kicked by a companion’s supernova explosion as compared to other evolved massive stars. Our investigation reveals other interesting clues about LBVs in the LMC as well. We find that radial velocities and widths of emission lines for each target remain constant over several epochs, whereas measured absorption lines exhibit highly variable radial velocities for R110, R81, S Dor, Sk-69°142a, and Sk-69°279. These five LBVs probably have a binary companion. Additionally, we find that Sk-69°142a experienced its second outburst in 2019 September, shifting its status from candidate to confirmed LBV.
Mira variables in the Milky Way’s nuclear stellar disc: discovery and classification
Authors: Sanders Jason L , Matsunaga Noriyuki , Kawata Daisuke , Smith Leigh C , Minniti Dante , Lucas Philip W
Published: August 2022

The properties of the Milky Way’s nuclear stellar disc give crucial information on the epoch of bar formation. Mira variables are promising bright candidates to study the nuclear stellar disc, and through their period–age relation dissect its star formation history. We report on a sample of 1782 Mira variable candidates across the central $3\times 3\, \mathrm{deg}^2$ of the Galaxy using the multi-epoch infrared VISTA Variables in Via Lactea (VVV) survey. We describe the algorithms employed to select candidate variable stars and then model their light curves using periodogram and Gaussian process methods. By combining with WISE, 2MASS, and other archival photometry, we model the multiband light curves to refine the periods and inspect the amplitude variation between different photometric bands. The infrared brightness of the Mira variables means many are too bright and missed by VVV. However, our sample follows a well-defined selection function as expected from artificial star tests. The multiband photometry is modelled using stellar models with circumstellar dust that characterize the mass-loss rates. We demonstrate how ≳90 per cent of our sample is consistent with O-rich chemistry. Comparison to period–luminosity relations demonstrates that the bulk of the short period stars are situated at the Galactic Centre distance. Many of the longer period variables are very dusty, falling significantly under the O-rich Magellanic Cloud and solar neighbourhood period–luminosity relations and exhibit high mass-loss rates of $\sim 2.5\times 10^{-5}M_\odot \, \mathrm{yr}^{-1}$. The period distribution appears consistent with the nuclear stellar disc forming $\gtrsim 8\, \mathrm{Gyr}$ ago, although it is not possible to disentangle the relative contributions of the nuclear stellar disc and the contaminating bulge.
A method for reconstructing the Galactic magnetic field using dispersion of fast radio bursts and Faraday rotation of radio galaxies
Authors: Pandhi A , Hutschenreuter S , West J L , Gaensler B M , Stock A
Published: August 2022

With the rapid increase of fast radio burst (FRB) detections within the past few years, there is now a catalogue being developed for all-sky extragalactic dispersion measure (DM) observations in addition to the existing collection of all-sky extragalactic Faraday rotation measurements (RMs) of radio galaxies. We present a method of reconstructing all-sky information of the Galactic magnetic field component parallel to the line of sight, B∥, using simulated observations of the RM and DM along lines of sight to radio galaxies and FRB populations, respectively. This technique is capable of distinguishing between different input Galactic magnetic fields and thermal electron density models. Significant extragalactic contributions to the DM are the predominant impediment in accurately reconstructing the Galactic DM and 〈B∥〉 skies. We look at ways to improve the reconstruction by applying a filtering algorithm on the simulated DM lines of sight and we derive generalized corrections for DM observations at |b| > 10° that help to disentangle Galactic and extragalactic DM contributions. Overall, we are able to reconstruct both large-scale Galactic structure and local features in the Milky Way’s magnetic field from the assumed models. We discuss the application of this technique to future FRB observations and address possible differences between our simulated model and observed data, namely: adjusting the priors of the inference model, an unevenly distributed population of FRBs on the sky, and localized extragalactic DM structures.
A joint measurement of galaxy luminosity functions and large-scale field densities during the Epoch of Reionization
Authors: Trapp A C , Furlanetto Steven R
Published: August 2022

One of the most exciting advances of the current generation of telescopes has been the detection of galaxies during the epoch of reionization, using deep fields that have pushed these instruments to their limits. It is essential to optimize our analyses of these fields in order to extract as much information as possible from them. In particular, standard methods of measuring the galaxy luminosity function discard information on large-scale dark matter density fluctuations, even though this large-scale structure drives galaxy formation and reionization during the Cosmic Dawn. Measuring these densities would provide a bedrock observable, connecting galaxy surveys to theoretical models of the reionization process and structure formation. Here, we use existing Hubble deep field data to simultaneously fit the universal luminosity function and measure large-scale densities for each Hubble deep field at z = 6–8 by directly incorporating priors on the large-scale density field and galaxy bias. Our fit of the universal luminosity function is consistent with previous methods but differs in the details. For the first time, we measure the underlying densities of the survey fields, including the most over/underdense Hubble fields. We show that the distribution of densities is consistent with current predictions for cosmic variance. This analysis on just 17 fields is a small sample of what will be possible with the James Webb Space Telescope, which will measure hundreds of fields at comparable (or better) depths and at higher redshifts.
Innovative online care: A cross-sectional survey study of potential benefits and challenges of online lactation consultation service with paediatrician consultation
Authors: Hamid Muhammad Akhter , Kumar Anubha , Gunaseelan Luxhman , Arulchelvan Atchaya , Sinha Abhinav , Razi Sidra , Subhan Muzhda , Subhan Sarah , Kapoor Suruchi , Salim Asim
Published: August 2022

Background

Telelactation, a virtual lactation support platform, is a convenient and effective way of providing virtual breastfeeding support services and communicating proper breastfeeding techniques to new mothers to address any breastfeeding challenges and boost overall maternal breastfeeding confidence all from the comfort of their homes. This Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) covered service benefits more mothers in the remote areas where in-person LC service is not easily accessible.

Objective

The objective of this cross-sectional survey study is to explore the feasibility, potential benefits, and challenges, and level of patient satisfaction in virtual lactation consultation services along with virtual paediatrician consultation available in Ontario, Canada.

Method

Patient satisfaction was assessed using a structured online survey as a part of a cross-sectional observational study that asked questions relevant to several independent demographic variables as well as specific Likert type scale questions to gauge patient satisfaction with virtual lactation consultation.

Results

Data were analyzed from 177 survey responses (n=177), of which study revealed that 86.44% (153/177) were satisfied with the virtual lactation services they received. Patient satisfaction was found to be higher in the first-time mothers with high school or undergraduate education between the age group of 26 to 35 years living in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). In terms of connectivity, participants from the GTA had a better experience overall compared those living outside the GTA.

Conclusion

OHIP covered telelactation with a paediatrician consultation is an innovative and feasible health care delivery platform for providing remote professional breastfeeding support to mothers of all socio-economic strata with great potential to further improve both patient experience and efficiency in patient care.
Spotlight environmental sustainability: a strategic priority for NICE
Authors: Sharma Manuj , Walpole Sarah , Shah Koonal
Published: August 2022

This article provides the context for the ambition outlined in the the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) 2021–2026 strategy to ‘lead globally on the potential to include environmental impact data in its guidance to reduce the carbon footprint of health and care’. Anthropogenic environmental changes pose a catastrophic risk to human health, with potential to widen national and global health inequalities. Recognising the fact that NICE guidance influences the way health and care is delivered and its consequent environmental impact, NICE has included environmental sustainability among its strategic priorities. This article outlines the work underway to meet this sustainability agenda at NICE.
Research governance and the dynamics of science: A framework for the study of governance effects on research fields
Authors: Nedeva Maria , Tirado Mayra M , Thomas Duncan A
Published: August 2022

This article offers a framework for the study of research governance effects on scientific fields framed by notions of research quality and the epistemic, organizational, and career choices they entail. The framework interprets the contested idea of ‘quality’ as an interplay involving notion origins, quality attributes, and contextual sites. We mobilize the origin and site components, to frame organizational-level events where quality notions inform selections, or selection events. Through the dynamic interplay between notions selected at specific sites, we contend, local actors enact research quality cumulatively, by making choices that privilege certain notions over others. In this article, we contribute in four ways. First, we propose an approach to study research governance effects on scientific fields. Second, we introduce first- and second-level effects of research governance paving the way to identify mechanisms through which these different levels of effects occur. Third, we assert that interactions between research spaces and fields leading to effects occur in the context of research organizations, and at nine key selection events. Fourth, and lastly, we discuss an empirical test on an illustration case to demonstrate how this approach can be applied.
African American Perceptions of Participating in Health Research Despite Historical Mistrust
Authors: Statler Marie Campbell , Wall Barbra Mann , Richardson Jeanita W. , Jones Randy A. , Kools Susan
Published: August 2022

A qualitative descriptive approach examined perspectives of African Americans (AA) on their participation in health research despite historical research mistreatment. Nineteen AAs participated in semistructured interviews that provided data that were analyzed using thematic analysis. Salient themes included race concordance, being respected and valued by the researcher, research participation motivators, and cultural experiences of racism in health care. This study challenges dominant ideology that AAs are unwilling to participate in research and offers solutions to promote research inclusive of their perceptions. Therefore, researchers need to design research with inclusiveness and transparency that openly displays how research will impact future generations.
Reaching to Sounds Improves Spatial Hearing in Bilateral Cochlear Implant Users
Authors: Valzolgher Chiara , Gatel Julie , Bouzaid Sabrina , Grenouillet Solene , Todeschini Michela , Verdelet Gregoire , Salemme Romeo , Gaveau Valerie , Truy Eric , Farnè Alessandro , Pavani Francesco
Published: August 2022

Objectives:

We assessed if spatial hearing training improves sound localization in bilateral cochlear implant (BCI) users and whether its benefits can generalize to untrained sound localization tasks.

Design:

In 20 BCI users, we assessed the effects of two training procedures (spatial versus nonspatial control training) on two different tasks performed before and after training (head-pointing to sound and audiovisual attention orienting). In the spatial training, participants identified sound position by reaching toward the sound sources with their hand. In the nonspatial training, comparable reaching movements served to identify sound amplitude modulations. A crossover randomized design allowed comparison of training procedures within the same participants. Spontaneous head movements while listening to the sounds were allowed and tracked to correlate them with localization performance.

Results:

During spatial training, BCI users reduced their sound localization errors in azimuth and adapted their spontaneous head movements as a function of sound eccentricity. These effects generalized to the head-pointing sound localization task, as revealed by greater reduction of sound localization error in azimuth and more accurate first head-orienting response, as compared to the control nonspatial training. BCI users benefited from auditory spatial cues for orienting visual attention, but the spatial training did not enhance this multisensory attention ability.

Conclusions:

Sound localization in BCI users improves with spatial reaching-to-sound training, with benefits to a nontrained sound localization task. These findings pave the way to novel rehabilitation procedures in clinical contexts.