bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Optimization of process parameters and mechanism of strengthening and toughening of Nb-W alloy prepared by chemical vapor deposition based on orthogonal test
Authors: Mao Zhang , Xian Wang , Qin-qin Gao , Chang-yi Hu , Jun Zhao , Hong-zhong Cai , Gui-xue Zhang , Xing-qiang Wang , Xu-xiang Zhang , Ying-zhi AN , Yan Wei
Published: December 2022

In this paper, the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method was used to prepare Nb-W binary alloys on Mo substrates for the first time. The influences of the process parameters on the composition, average deposition rate, and average deposition efficiency of the Nb-W alloys were studied by orthogonal experiments. Nb-W alloys with W contents ranging from 0.33% to 50.48% were successfully prepared. The mechanical properties and fracture morphologies of the Nb-W alloys prepared by the CVD method (CVDNb-W alloys) were tested by metallographic microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, electron probe analysis, and in situ tensile tests. The results showed that the Nb-W alloy prepared by the CVD method had uneven macroscopic distributions of Nb and W.The substrate temperature had the greatest influence on the lateral composition gradient, and the H2 flow had the least influence. The influence of the Cl2 flow through the Nb and W on the average deposition rate was also examined. The chlorination temperature of W had the least effect on the average deposition rate, and the average deposition efficiency decreased with the increase in the gaseous chloride ratio of W. The effects of other factors on the average deposition efficiency showed different degrees of wave dynamics. The metallographic observation of 16 samples showed that except for samples 3# and 4# (in which the mass percentages of W were less than 1%), the microstructures of the other samples (in which the mass percentages of W were all more than 1%) showed similar microstructures with layered structural features. Comprehensive analysis of the sample and inverse pole figures revealed that the (101)

11

1
¯

textural component mainly existed in the CVDNb-W alloys.With the increase in the mass percentage of W, the tensile strength of the CVDNb-W alloy increased correspondingly. The maximum strength of the alloy containing 9.68% W by mass reached 475 MPa, which exceeds the room-temperature tensile strength of Nb521, but the elongation at break was related to the alloy composition. Thus, the relationship did not show a discernible trend.
Investigation of electron cyclotron current drive efficiency on the J-TEXT tokamak
Authors: FANG Jiangang , YAN Wei , CHEN Zhongyong , ZHANG Xiaobo , CHEN Xixuan , ZHANG Junli , MAO Feiyue , LI You , MOU Lingke , ZHONG Yu , LI Feng , ZHANG Weikang , LIU Fanxi , ZOU Guinan , ZHOU Song , LI Da , GAO Li , XIA Donghui , YANG Zhoujun , CHEN Zhipeng , WANG Nengchao , DING Yonghua , LIANG Yunfeng , PAN Yuan
Published: December 2022

Electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD) efficiency research is of great importance for the neoclassical tearing mode (NTM) stabilization. Improving ECCD efficiency is beneficial for the NTM stabilization and the ECCD power threshold reduction. ECCD efficiency has been investigated on the J-TEXT tokamak. The electron cyclotron wave (ECW) power scan was performed to obtain the current drive efficiency. The current drive efficiency is derived to be approximately η
0 = (0.06–0.16) × 1019 A m−2 W−1 on the J-TEXT tokamak. The effect of the residual toroidal electric field has been included in the determination of the current drive efficiency, which will enhance the ECCD efficiency. At the plasma current of I
p = 100 kA and electron density of n
e = 1.5 × 1019 m−3, the ratio of Spitzer conductivity between omhic (OH) and ECCD phases is considered and the experimental data have been corrected. The correction results show that the current drive efficiency η
1 caused by the fast electron hot conductivity decreases by approximately 79%. It can be estimated that the driven current is approximately 24 kA at 300 kW ECW power.
Hopes for the Horizon
Authors: Durrani Matin
Published: December 2022

It’s vital that the UK remains part of the EU’s huge Horizon research programme.
Tackling degree inflation
Authors: Main Peter
Published: December 2022

With more physics students than ever before getting top grades, Peter Main calls for new ways of measuring university performance to avoid “grade inflation”.
Noble truth
Authors: Crease Robert P
Published: December 2022

Physicists and philosophers of science often appear to operate in different spaces. Robert P Crease reports from a meeting where they were, for once, in the same quantum state.
Hertha Ayrton: pioneering inventor and suffragette
Authors: Chandran Anita
Published: December 2022

Physicist, mathematician, engineer, inventor and suffragette – Hertha Ayrton was many things at a time when women were expected to simply keep house and raise a family. Anita Chandran explores the life of this remarkable scientist, who died a century ago next year.
Democratizing the quantum-computing ecosystem
Authors: Commissariat Tushna
Published: December 2022

Krysta Svore, vice-president of Microsoft Quantum, talks to Tushna Commissariat about the company’s journey to quantum advantage.
Ask me anything: Nicholas Attree
Authors: Tesh Sarah
Published: December 2022

Nicholas Attree is a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for Geophysics and Extraterrestrial Physics at the Technical University of Braunschweig in Germany, studying comets through the European Space Agency’s Rosetta and Comet Interceptor missions.
Charge transport in single polymer fiber transistors in the sub-100 nm regime: temperature dependence and Coulomb blockade
Authors: Lenz Jakob , Statz Martin , Watanabe K , Taniguchi T , Ortmann Frank , Weitz R Thomas
Published: December 2022

Even though charge transport in semiconducting polymers is of relevance for a number of potential applications in (opto-)electronic devices, the fundamental mechanism of how charges are transported through organic polymers that are typically characterized by a complex nanostructure is still open. One of the challenges which we address here, is how to gain controllable experimental access to charge transport at the sub-100 nm lengthscale. To this end charge transport in single poly(diketopyrrolopyrrole-terthiophene) fiber transistors, employing two different solid gate dielectrics, a hybrid Al2O3/self-assembled monolayer and hexagonal boron nitride, is investigated in the sub-50 nm regime using electron-beam contact patterning. The electrical characteristics exhibit near ideal behavior at room temperature which demonstrates the general feasibility of the nanoscale contacting approach, even though the channels are only a few nanometers in width. At low temperatures, we observe nonlinear behavior in the current–voltage characteristics in the form of Coulomb diamonds which can be explained by the formation of an array of multiple quantum dots at cryogenic temperatures.
Cation-selective layered silicon oxide membranes for power generation
Authors: Kim Sungsoon , Lee Minwoo , Choi Sangjin , Won Jongbum , Kim Taehoon , Kim Taeyoung , Bae Jihong , Shim Wooyoung
Published: December 2022

Inorganic two-dimensional membranes offer a new approach to modulating mass transport at the nanoscale. These membranes, which can harness the van der Waals gap as a nanochannel and address persistent challenges in organic membranes, are limited to a few material libraries, such as graphene, graphene oxide, molybdenum disulfide, and boron nitride. Here we report for the first time the development of cation-selective layered silicon oxide membranes, in which the nanochannels, specifically the van der Waals gap, can allow cation diffusion flux to generate an electromotive force for a long time. Considering the abundance and well-known properties of silicon oxide, this inorganic membrane can provide a promising route for membrane separation in a variety of applications.
Mobile health technology integrated care in older atrial fibrillation patients: a subgroup analysis of the mAFA-II randomised clinical trial
Authors: Guo Yutao , Romiti Giulio Francesco , Proietti Marco , Bonini Niccolò , Zhang Hui , Lip Gregory Y H ,   the mAF-App II Trial Investigators, Lane Deirdre A , Chen Yundai , Wang Liming , Eckstein Jens , Thomas G Neil , Tong Liu , Mei Feng , Xuejun Liu , Xiaoming Li , Zhaoliang Shan , Xiangming Shi , Wei Zhang , Yunli Xing , Jing Wen , Fan Wu , Sitong Yang , Xiaoqing Jin , Bo Yang , Xiaojuan Bai , Yuting Jiang , Yangxia Liu , Yingying Song , Zhongju Tan , Li Yang , Tianzhu Luan , Chunfeng Niu , Lili Zhang , Shuyan Li , Zulu Wang , Bing Xv , Liming Liu , Yuanzhe Jin , Yunlong Xia , Xiaohong Chen , Fang Wu , Lina Zhong , Yihong Sun , Shujie Jia , Jing Li , Nan Li , Shijun Li , Huixia Liu , Rong Li , Fan Liu , Qingfeng Ge , Tianyun Guan , Yuan Wen , Xin Li , Yan Ren , Xiaoping Chen , Ronghua Chen , Yun Shi , Yulan Zhao , Haili Shi , Yujie Zhao , Quanchun Wang , Weidong Sun , Lin Wei
Published: December 2022

Background

The Mobile Health Technology for Improved Screening and Optimized Integrated Care in AF (mAFA-II) randomised trial demonstrated the efficacy of a mobile health (mHealth) technology-implemented ‘Atrial fibrillation Better Care’ (ABC) pathway-approach (mAFA intervention) in reducing the risk of adverse events in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Whether these benefits also apply to older patients is unclear. In this ancillary analysis, we evaluated the effect of mAFA intervention among older AF patients.

Methods

The mAFA-II trial enrolled adult AF patients across 40 centres in China. For this analysis, we defined older patients as those aged ≥75 years. Primary outcome was the composite of ischemic stroke or thromboembolism, all-cause death and rehospitalisation. The effect of mAFA intervention was assessed through multivariable Cox-regression models. We also evaluated the interaction between age and effect of the mAFA intervention in the main trial population.

Results

In this analysis, we included 1,163 AF patients ≥75 years (mean age: 82.6 ± 5.3 years, 43.1% females); 520 were allocated to mAFA intervention, 643 to usual care. mAFA intervention was associated with a significant reduction of the primary composite outcome (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]: 0.58, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.35–0.97) and rehospitalisations alone (aHR: 0.47, 95%CI: 0.24–0.91). Significant interaction between age and mAFA intervention effect was observed for both the composite outcome (P = 0.002) and rehospitalisation alone (P = 0.015), with the effect decreasing as age increased, particularly among patients ≥80 years old.

Conclusions

A mHealth technology-implemented ABC pathway is effective in reducing adverse clinical outcomes in older AF patients. The benefits obtained with mAFA intervention were attenuated at extreme ages.
Impact of Racial/Ethnic Discrimination on Quality of Life Among Breast Cancer Survivors
Authors: Shariff-Marco Salma , Sangaramoorthy Meera , Ellis Libby , Thomsen Catherine , Roh Janise M , Kroenke Candyce , Valice Emily , Kwan Marilyn L , Ambrosone Christine , Kushi Lawrence , Gomez Scarlett Lin
Published: December 2022

Although racial/ethnic disparities in health-care access, treatment, and cancer outcomes are well documented, the impact of racial/ethnic discrimination on cancer survivorship is unclear. We examined associations between quality of life (QoL) and self-reported discrimination among 3,991 women with breast cancer recruited during 2006–2013 from the Pathways Study in the Kaiser Permanente Northern California integrated health-care system, using linear regression models. Overall, 31% of women reported experiencing racial/ethnic discrimination, with differences by race/ethnicity (82% among non-Hispanic Black women vs. 19% among non-Hispanic White women) and nativity (40% among foreign-born Hispanic women vs. 76% among US-born Asian-American women). Experiencing racial/ethnic discrimination was associated with lower QoL in fully adjusted models. The mean QoL score was 119.6 (95% confidence interval (CI): 102.0, 137.1) for women who did not report discrimination, 115.5 (95% CI: 98.0, 133.0) for those who reported some discrimination/less than the median level, and 110.2 (95% CI: 92.7, 127.7) for those who reported more discrimination/greater than or equal to the median level. Discrimination was associated with lower QoL among women who used passive coping strategies or lived in neighborhoods with high neighborhood socioeconomic status, neighborhoods with high levels of segregation, or non–ethnic enclaves. Among breast cancer survivors, clinically meaningful differences in QoL scores were associated with racial/ethnic discrimination. Additional studies are needed to understand potential pathways through which these social factors affect survivorship outcomes.
Impact of wideband cardiac magnetic resonance on diagnosis, decision-making and outcomes in patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators
Authors: Patel Hena N , Wang Shuo , Rao Swati , Singh Amita , Landeras Luis , Besser Stephanie A , Carter Spencer , Mishra Satish , Nishimura Takuro , Shatz Dalise Y , Tung Roderick , Nayak Hemal , Kawaji Keigo , Mor-Avi Victor , Patel Amit R
Published: December 2022

Aims

Although myocardial scar assessment using late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging is frequently indicated for patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), metal artefact can degrade image quality. With the new wideband technique designed to mitigate device related artefact, CMR is increasingly used in this population. However, the common clinical indications for CMR referral and impact on clinical decision-making and prognosis are not well defined. Our study was designed to address these knowledge gaps.

Methods and results

One hundred seventy-nine consecutive patients with an ICD (age 59 ± 13 years, 75% male) underwent CMR using cine and wideband pulse sequences for LGE imaging. Electronic medical records were reviewed to determine the reason for CMR referral, whether there was a change in clinical decision-making, and occurrence of major adverse cardiac events (MACEs). Referral indication was the most common evaluation of ventricular tachycardia (VT) substrate (n = 114, 64%), followed by cardiomyopathy (n = 53, 30%). Overall, CMR resulted in a new or changed diagnosis in 64 (36%) patients and impacted clinical management in 51 (28%). The effect on management change was highest in patients presenting with VT. A total of 77 patients (43%) experienced MACE during the follow-up period (median 1.7 years), including 65 in patients with evidence of LGE. Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that ICD patients with LGE had worse outcomes than those without LGE (P = 0.006).

Conclusion

The clinical yield from LGE CMR is high and provides management changing and meaningful prognostic information in a significant proportion of patients with ICDs.
Sex- and age-specific normal values for automated quantitative pixel-wise myocardial perfusion cardiovascular magnetic resonance
Authors: Brown Louise A E , Gulsin Gaurav S , Onciul Sebastian C , Broadbent David A , Yeo Jian L , Wood Alice L , Saunderson Christopher E D , Das Arka , Jex Nicholas , Chowdhary Amrit , Thirunavukarasu Sharmaine , Sharrack Noor , Knott Kristopher D , Levelt Eylem , Swoboda Peter P , Xue Hui , Greenwood John P , Moon James C , Adlam David , McCann Gerry P , Kellman Peter , Plein Sven
Published: December 2022

Aims

Recently developed in-line automated cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) myocardial perfusion mapping has been shown to be reproducible and comparable with positron emission tomography (PET), and can be easily integrated into clinical workflows. Bringing quantitative myocardial perfusion CMR into routine clinical care requires knowledge of sex- and age-specific normal values in order to define thresholds for disease detection. This study aimed to establish sex- and age-specific normal values for stress and rest CMR myocardial blood flow (MBF) in healthy volunteers.

Methods and results

A total of 151 healthy volunteers recruited from two centres underwent adenosine stress and rest myocardial perfusion CMR. In-line automatic reconstruction and post processing of perfusion data were implemented within the Gadgetron software framework, creating pixel-wise perfusion maps. Rest and stress MBF were measured, deriving myocardial perfusion reserve (MPR) and were subdivided by sex and age. Mean MBF in all subjects was 0.62 ± 0.13 mL/g/min at rest and 2.24 ± 0.53 mL/g/min during stress. Mean MPR was 3.74 ± 1.00. Compared with males, females had higher rest (0.69 ± 0.13 vs. 0.58 ± 0.12 mL/g/min, P < 0.01) and stress MBF (2.41 ± 0.47 vs. 2.13 ± 0.54 mL/g/min, P = 0.001). Stress MBF and MPR showed significant negative correlations with increasing age (r = −0.43, P < 0.001 and r = −0.34, P < 0.001, respectively).

Conclusion

Fully automated in-line CMR myocardial perfusion mapping produces similar normal values to the published CMR and PET literature. There is a significant increase in rest and stress MBF, but not MPR, in females and a reduction of stress MBF and MPR with advancing age, advocating the use of sex- and age-specific reference ranges for diagnostic use.
Public Health and Prostitution in Revolutionary Petrograd, 1917–1918
Authors: Hearne Siobhán
Published: December 2022

The February revolution of 1917 brought about the complete collapse of the tsarist autocracy and offered multiple possibilities for the reorganisation of society based on new principles of democracy, equality and citizenship. Amid societal reconfiguration, the tsarist system for the regulation of prostitution was repealed in July 1917. After this, the Provisional Government and later the Bolshevik Party looked for new methods to prevent the spread of venereal diseases (VD), which had reached epidemic proportions. The regulation of prostitution had been the tsarist government’s main form of VD control and it was frequently attacked by commentators across the political spectrum on both medical and moral grounds in the decades preceding February 1917. Therefore, its abolition was a political project that was interconnected with broader discourses of liberation and efforts to rid society of the unwanted remnants of the old regime. Physicians rallied around the issue of prostitution, and its eternal bedfellow VD, as part of their broader efforts to dominate the public health agenda of the new revolutionary state. In the Russian capital of Petrograd, the February revolution did not disrupt well-established class or gender stereotypes, which had profound implications for the way in which medical professionals and the police dealt with the issues of prostitution and VD. This article examines how experts, state bureaucrats and the police approached prostitution and VD in Petrograd throughout 1917 and 1918. In doing so, it traces continuities in administrative-bureaucratic regimes and informal policing practices across collapsing regimes and governments in revolutionary Russia.
Frail Phenotype in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Authors: Salvatori Silvia , Marafini Irene , Venuto Chiara , Laudisi Federica , Neri, Benedetto , Lavigna Diletta , Franchin Martina , De Cristofaro, Elena , Biancone Livia , Calabrese Emma , Giannarelli, Diana , Monteleone Giovanni
Published: December 2022

Background

Recent retrospective studies have shown that frailty is common in hospitalized patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and enhances the risk of drug-related infections, postsurgery complications, hospital readmissions, and mortality, independently of age and comorbidities. We carried out a descriptive cohort study to evaluate the frequency of frail phenotype in IBD and analyzed the risk factors associated with this condition.

Methods

Frail phenotype was assessed in IBD patients by using the Fried frailty phenotype. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to assess the risk factors for frail phenotype. Serum levels of interleukin (IL)-6 were quantified in patients with a frail or a fit phenotype by ELISA.

Results

Three hundred eighty-six IBD outpatients (198 Crohn’s disease and 188 ulcerative colitis) were prospectively enrolled from December 2021 to April 2022. Frail phenotype was diagnosed in 64 of 386 (17%) IBD patients and was significantly associated with female gender, active disease, and current use of steroids. Multivariate analysis showed that active disease was a risk factor for frail phenotype (odds ratio, 11.5; 95% confidence interval, 3.9-33.9). No difference in IL-6 serum levels was seen between patients with a frail phenotype and those who were fit.

Conclusions

This is the first prospective study showing that frail phenotype occurs in nearly one-fifth of IBD patients. Data indicate that active IBD is an independent risk factor for frail phenotype in IBD.
Modular organization and informal structure: Modularity, performance, and the alignment of organizational networks
Authors: Cowan Robin , Jonard Nicolas
Published: December 2022

Modularizing a system, a product, or a process can have positive effects on performance in many instances. That it may have adverse consequences has also been discussed, although on balance the literature seems inclined to consider that modularity is desirable in most cases. In this paper, we put forward a feature of modular systems that extant research has not considered in spite of its strong performance-hindering potential. Starting from the premise that organizations are essentially patterns of formal and informal interactions, and modules within organizations are places where these interactions accumulate and reinforce, we argue that modularity can exacerbate issues related to (low-)performance spillovers from one organizational actor to another. With psychosocial affect as the channel connecting the formal and the informal spheres, we develop a simple model that combines elements of psychology research, network science, and organization theory to study how formal and informal elements jointly determine organizational performance under different modularity configurations. We find that organizational performance is lower when the alignment of formal and informal is stronger: informal interaction augments local accumulation of stress caused by formal aspects of firm organization. However, this result depends heavily on the modularity of formal organization: feedbacks between formal and informal elements cause much harsher performance degradation in modular systems. This suggests the exercise of caution when considering the possibility to modularize a production system.
Exposure to interparental violence and risk of intimate partner violence among women in sexual unions in sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Aboagye Richard Gyan , Seidu Abdul-Aziz , Peprah Prince , Asare Bernard Yeboah-Asiamah , Addo Isaac Yeboah , Ahinkorah Bright Opoku
Published: December 2022

Background

Intimate partner violence (IPV) has emerged as a serious human rights issue as well as a public health concern globally. We examined the association between exposure to interparental violence and experience of intimate partner violence (IPV) among women in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) using Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data.

Methods

We included 96 782 women in 23 countries with a recent DHS dataset conducted from 2012 to 2020. We employed multivariable multinomial logistic regression to examine the association between exposure to interparental violence and experience of IPV.

Results

Overall, women who were exposed to interparental violence were more likely to experience physical (adjusted OR [aOR]=2.17, 95% CI 2.07 to 2.28), emotional (aOR=1.87, 95% CI 1.78 to 1.96) and sexual violence (aOR=2.02, 95% CI 1.90 to 2.15) than those who were not exposed. In all countries except Comoros, women exposed to interparental violence had higher odds of physical and emotional violence than those who were not exposed. Experience of sexual violence was higher among women exposed to interparental violence from all countries except for Liberia, Rwanda and Sierra Leone.

Conclusions

Women's exposure to interparental violence increases their risk of experiencing IPV. Policies should focus on women or young girls who who witness IPV to reduce their likelihood of experiencing it. Special support can be provided for women who were exposed to interparental violence and are currently experiencing IPV.
Cognitive resistance to and resilience against multiple comorbid neurodegenerative pathologies and the impact of APOE status
Authors: Walker Jamie M , Richardson Timothy E
Published: December 2022

Alzheimer disease (AD) is currently the leading cause of cognitive decline and dementia worldwide. Recently, studies have suggested that other neurodegenerative comorbidities such as limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy neuropathologic change (LATE-NC), Lewy body disease (LBD), and cerebrovascular disease frequently co-occur with Alzheimer disease neuropathologic change (ADNC) and may have significant cognitive effects both in isolation and synergistically with ADNC. Herein, we study the relative clinical impact of these multiple neurodegenerative pathologies in 704 subjects. Each of these pathologies is relatively common in the cognitively impaired population, while cerebrovascular pathology and ADNC are the most common in cognitively normal individuals. Moreover, while the number of concurrent neuropathologic entities rises with age and has a progressively deleterious effect on cognition, 44.3% of cognitively intact individuals are resistant to having any neurodegenerative proteinopathy (compared to 15.2% of cognitively impaired individuals) and 83.5% are resistant to having multiple concurrent proteinopathies (compared to 64.6% of cognitively impaired individuals). The presence of at least 1 APOE ε4 allele was associated with impaired cognition and the presence of multiple proteinopathies, while APOE ε2 was protective against cumulative proteinopathies. These results indicate that maintenance of normal cognition may depend on resistance to the development of multiple concurrent proteinopathies.
Delineating Zero-Price Markets with Network Effects: An Analysis of Free Messenger Services
Authors: Nakamura Akihiro , Ida Takanori
Published: December 2022

Billions of users worldwide utilize digital zero-price services every day. This study proposes a market definition method for digital zero-price services, using the messenger service as an example. We employ the small but significant nontransitory increase in cost test, which is an improved version of the small but significant nontransitory increase in price test, and conduct conjoint analysis while considering the network effect, a characteristic of digital services. Our results show that the price elasticity of demand is 0.628 and the critical markup ratio is 1.492–1.542 when only the price effect is considered. When the direct network effect is considered, the price elasticity of demand is 1.728 and the critical markup ratio is 0.479–0.529. Furthermore, when considering a two-sided market with indirect network effects, the price elasticity of demand is 2.162 and the critical markup ratio is 0.363–0.413. Thus, the price elasticity of demand for free messenger services is higher when the network effects and two-sided markets are considered.
Transfusion-Related Acute Lung Injury Caused by HLA-II Antibodies: A Case Report
Authors: Hao Xinxin , Wang Jue , Li Tiegang , Wang Qiushi
Published: December 2022

Objective

The aim of this study was to retrospectively analyze the etiology of a case of suspected transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) occurring after blood transfusion.

Methods

The clinical symptoms, signs, imaging examinations, and laboratory test results of a patient with suspected TRALI after blood transfusion were retrospectively analyzed, and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genotyping of the patient and HLA antibodies of the plasma donors were performed.

Results

The clinical manifestations of the patient were consistent with those of TRALI after blood transfusion. This TRALI was treated by timely ventilator support. The patient results of high-resolution HLA genotyping were HLA-A* 01:01, 11:01; HLA-B* 15:02, 37:01; HLA-C* 06:02, 08:01; DRB1* 10:01, 12:02; DRB3* 03:01, 03:01; DQA1* 01:05, 06:01; DQB1* 03:01, 05:01; DPA1* 01:03, 02:01; and DPB1* 02:01, 09:01. Of the 6 plasma donors tested, 3 were found to have HLA-II antibodies, which were HLA-DPA1*01:03, HLA-DQB1*03:01, and HLA-DQB1*03:01 antibodies.

Conclusion

We described a case of TRALI caused by HLA-DQB1*03:01 antibody and DPA1*01:03 antibody.
Efficacy of Army Combat Fitness Test 12-Week Virtual Exercise Program
Authors: McDaniel Alexander T , Heijnen Michel J H , Kawczynski Bill , Haugen Kasee H , Caldwell Steven , Campe Maggie M , Conley Emma C , Tseh Wayland
Published: December 2022

Introduction

The Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) is the fitness assessment used by the Army launched in April of 2022. The ACFT consists of six physically demanding motor movements that parallel to the stressors experienced by the modern-day combat soldier. The aim of this study is to determine the efficacy of a 12-week virtual exercise program on the individual and their overall ACFT scores.

Materials and Methods

Thirteen soldiers from the Army National Guard (age = 29.8 ± 6.2 years; height = 175.7 ± 6.1 cm; service experience ≥ 18 months to 18 years) volunteered to complete three sessions. In session 1, baseline height, body mass, body composition, and ACFT scores were collected. Session 2 consisted of a suspension trainer (ST) tutorial in which all participants familiarized themselves with the set-up and utilization of the suspension training tool kit. Upon completion of session 2, a TRX Elite ACFT Kit containing one suspension trainer, four resistance bands, and the 12-week virtual exercise training program available via iphone operating system and Android were given to all participants. In session 3, post-assessments of body mass, body composition, and ACFT scores were collected. Data were statistically analyzed using a paired-sample t-test with a Bonferroni correction (P < .00065) to adjust for multiple comparisons.

Results

There were no significant changes in mean body mass (83.8 ± 16.5 kg vs. 83.9 ± 16.6 kg; P = .752); however, there was a significant reduction in mean percentage body fat (19.5 ± 6.4% vs. 18.3 ± 6.5%; P < .0001). Mean scores from four of the six individual ACFT assessments, specifically, deadlift, standing power throw, hand-release push-ups, and sprint–drag–carry, displayed improvements, but did not attain statistical significance. The overall mean ACFT scores displayed significant improvements (319.4 ± 39.9 vs. 390.4 ± 68.5; P < .0001).

Conclusions

The TRX Elite ACFT Kit which includes one suspension trainer, four varying resistance bands, and on-demand access to a stepwise 12-week virtual exercise program was deemed effective by increasing the overall mean ACFT scores among participants. From a practitioner’s perspective, the TRX Elite ACFT Kit should be widely distributed to all Army units and recruiting commands to provide vital assistance for recruits and soldiers to train and prepare for the ACFT. Moreover, given the ease and portability of the TRX Elite ACFT Kit, recruits and soldiers will be able to effectively train anytime, anywhere.
Colour gradients of low-redshift galaxies in the DESI Legacy Imaging Survey
Authors: Liao Li-Wen , Cooper Andrew P
Published: December 2022

Radial colour gradients within galaxies arise from gradients of stellar age, metallicity, and dust reddening. Large samples of colour gradients from wide-area imaging surveys can complement smaller integral-field spectroscopy data sets and can be used to constrain galaxy formation models. Here, we measure colour gradients for low-redshift galaxies (z < 0.1) using photometry from the DESI Legacy Imaging Survey DR9. Our sample comprises ∼93 000 galaxies with spectroscopic redshifts and ∼574 000 galaxies with photometric redshifts. We focus on gradients across a radial range 0.5Reff to Reff, which corresponds to the inner disc of typical late-type systems at low redshift. This region has been the focus of previous statistical studies of colour gradients and has recently been explored by spectroscopic surveys such as MaNGA. We find that the colour gradients of most galaxies in our sample are negative (redder towards the centre), consistent with the literature. We investigate empirical relationships between colour gradient, average g − r and r − z colour, Mr, M⋆, and sSFR. Trends of gradient strength with Mr (M⋆) show an inflection around Mr ∼ −21 ($\log _{10} \, M_\star /\mathrm{M_\odot }\sim 10.5$). Below this mass, colour gradients become steeper with increasing M⋆, whereas colour gradients in more massive galaxies become shallower. We find that positive gradients (bluer stars at smaller radii) are typical for galaxies of $M_{\star }\sim 10^{8}\, \mathrm{M_\odot }$. We compare our results to age and metallicity gradients in two data sets derived from fits of different stellar population libraries to MaNGA spectra, but find no clear consensus explanation for the trends we observe. Both MaNGA data sets seem to imply a significant contribution from dust reddening, in particular, to explain the flatness of colour gradients along the red sequence.
Worker flows and wage dynamics: estimating wage growth without composition effects
Authors: Carrasco Raquel , García-Pérez J Ignacio , Jimeno Juan F
Published: December 2022

Wage dynamics are closely intertwined with job flows. Composition effects associated with the different characteristics of workers and jobs may blur the ‘true’ underlying wage pressure in the economy. We gauge composition effects in wage growth taking into consideration not only changes in employee and job characteristics, but also worker flows among employment states (stayers in the same job, movers to another job, new entrants and exits) controlling for the selection of workers into the different states. Using Spanish Social Security data during the 2006–18 period, we find that the ‘true’ underlying wage growth in the Spanish economy during recessions (expansions) was, on average, significantly lower (higher) than that the observed with raw data. This may help to explain some macro puzzles, such as the ‘vanishing Phillips curve’.
Photosynthetic mechanism of maize yield under fluctuating light environments in the field
Authors: Wu Han-Yu , Qiao Mei-Yu , Zhang Ya-Jun , Kang Wei-Jian , Ma Qing-Hu , Gao Hui-Yuan , Zhang Wang-Feng , Jiang Chuang-Dao
Published: December 2022

The photosynthetic mechanism of crop yields in fluctuating light environments in the field remains controversial. To further elucidate this mechanism, we conducted field and simulation experiments using maize (Zea mays) plants. Increased planting density enhanced the light fluctuation frequency and reduced the duration of daily high light, as well as the light-saturated photosynthetic rate, biomass, and yield per plant. Further analysis confirmed a highly significant positive correlation between biomass and yield per plant and the duration of photosynthesis related to daily high light. The simulation experiment indicated that the light-saturated photosynthetic rate of maize leaves decreased gradually and considerably when shortening the daily duration of high light. Under an identical duration of high light exposure, increasing the fluctuation frequency decreased the light-saturated photosynthetic rate slightly. Proteomic data also demonstrated that photosynthesis was mainly affected by the duration of high light and not by the light fluctuation frequency. Consequently, the current study proposes that an appropriate duration of daily high light under fluctuating light environments is the key factor for greatly improving photosynthesis. This is a promising mechanism by which the photosynthetic productivity and yield of maize can be enhanced under complex light environments in the field.
Persistent inequalities in consultation incidence and prevalence of low back pain and osteoarthritis in England between 2004 and 2019
Authors: Yu Dahai , Jordan Kelvin P , Wilkie Ross , Bailey James , Fitzpatrick Justine , Ali Nuzhat , Niblett Paul , Peat George
Published: December 2022

Objective

We wanted to determine whether socioeconomic inequalities in primary care consultation rates for two major, disabling musculoskeletal conditions in England narrowed or widened between 2004 and 2019.

Methods

We analysed data from Clinical Practice Research Datalink Aurum, a national general practice electronic health records database, linked to national deprivation ranking of each patient’s registered residential postcode. For each year, we estimated the age- and sex-standardized consultation incidence and prevalence for low back pain and OA for the most deprived 10% of neighbourhoods through to the least deprived 10%. We then calculated the slope index of inequality and relative index of inequality overall and by sex, age group and geographical region.

Results

Inequalities in low back pain incidence and prevalence over socioeconomic status widened between 2004 and 2013 and stabilized between 2014 and 2019. Inequalities in OA incidence remained stable over socioeconomic status within the study period, whereas inequalities in OA prevalence widened markedly over socioeconomic status between 2004 and 2019. The widest gap in low back pain incidence and prevalence over socioeconomic status was observed in populations resident in northern English regions and London and in those of working age, peaking at 45–54 years.

Conclusion

We found persistent, and generally increasing, socioeconomic inequalities in the rate of adults presenting to primary care in England with low back pain and OA between 2004 and 2019.
Dispossessory Citizenship: The Settler Colonial State and the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Relocation Program, 1952–1972
Authors: Kent-Stoll Peter
Published: December 2022

Through the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) relocation program starting in 1952, the United States sought to terminate federal trust restrictions for American Indians and while relocating reservation and rural-residing Indigenous people to cities to be assimilated into the American “mainstream.” I analyze the BIA’s program as part of the specifically settler colonial structure of the U.S. state. Using primary and secondary sources, I ask what explains the BIA’s shifting spatial strategies and imaginaries from the rise of the relocation program to its demise? The BIA’s project derided reservations as fiscal burdens, depicted the postwar city as a place of “Indian freedom,” engaged in gendered surveillance of Indigenous families, and negated Indigenous peoples’ histories in U.S. cities. As the program ended, the BIA shifted rhetoric from assimilation to self-determination to maintain the settler colonial relation while paying lip service to critiques of the colonial tactics of relocation. These different moments of the relocation project articulated a type of dispossessory citizenship as a racial and empire state strategy of enacting and justifying settler colonialism. This work analyzes the settler colonial dimensions of the state and its technologies of violence and territory used when it presents itself as supposedly moving past its colonial past.
Unequal Upsides? The Status-Based Inequalities in the Relationship Between Schedule Control and Job Pressure
Authors: Badawy Philip J
Published: December 2022

Sociologists have long identified job pressure as a central work-related stressor with far-reaching consequences for workers’ well-being, their families, and organizations. However, surprisingly little empirical work examines how schedule control influences job pressure in a longitudinal framework—or the status-based contingencies in the resource functions of schedule control. Drawing on five waves of population-level panel data from the Canadian Work, Stress, and Health Study (2011–2019), I use fixed-effects analyses to examine the relationship between schedule control and job pressure, examining whether schedule control operates differently across occupations (professionals versus non-professionals) and levels of authority in the workplace. My findings help advance the sociological study of work-stress research by resolving competing predictions about the relationship between schedule control and job pressure across status. While others have argued the possibility for schedule control to intensify work-related pressures, I find that schedule control helps reduce job pressure. However, my results reveal that schedule control does not benefit all workers equally: it has unequal upsides for higher status workers. These discoveries sharpen existing knowledge about the resource functions of schedule control and are discussed in light of synthesizing key ideas from the sociology of work, and the stress process and job demands-resources models.
Significance of Statin-Associated Muscle Symptoms and Its Impact on Patients Adherence and Outcomes
Authors: Al-Makhamreh Hanna K. , Toubasi Ahmad A. , Obaid Yazan Y. , Albustanji Farah H.
Published: December 2022

Statin-associated muscle symptoms (SAMS) are one of the most common side effects of statins. This study aimed to explore the significance of SAMS among statin users by comparing statin users with a control group. To achieve our aims, a propensity score matching the retrospective cohort study was conducted in a single center tertiary hospital. The statin muscle symptoms were assessed using the Proposed Statin Myalgia Index Score, whereas the patient's adherence to medications was evaluated using the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale-8. We included 743 patients in our study; of them, 64.9% were on statin, whereas the rest were controls (35.1%). After propensity score matching, patients on statin had significantly higher rates of SAMS (5.0%) compared with control (1.6%) (AOR = 3.209; 95% CI: 1.020–10.091). However, there was no significant difference between statin users and controls in medications nonadherence (P-value = 0.820). Our analysis among statins users revealed that moderate-intensity (2.671; 95% CI: 1.691–3.310) and high-intensity (3.552; 95% CI: 2.190–4.129) statin therapy was significantly associated with SAMS. In addition, autoimmune diseases were significantly associated with SAMS occurrence (AOR = 32.301; 95% CI: 1.785–584.374). Also, patients on PPIs had significantly less occurrence of SAMS (AOR = 0.145; 95% CI: 0.044–0.483), whereas patients on antiepileptic drugs had significantly higher SAMS occurrence (AOR = 72.337; 95% CI: 2.649–1975.201). Regarding MACE among statin users, there was no significant difference in the 1-year or 5-year MACE rate between statin users and controls. Our study suggests that SAMS are significant among statin users and must be addressed by health care providers to ensure that patients are still adherent to their medications and hence protected against cardiac events.
Application of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT radiomic features and machine learning to predict early recurrence of non-small cell lung cancer after curative-intent therapy
Authors: Park Soo Bin , Kim Ki-Up , Park Young Woo , Hwang Jung Hwa , Lim Chae Hong
Published: December 2022

Objective

To predict the recurrence of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) within 2 years after curative-intent treatment using a machine-learning approach with PET/CT-based radiomics.

Patients and methods

A total of 77 NSCLC patients who underwent pretreatment 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT were retrospectively analyzed. Five clinical features (age, sex, tumor stage, tumor histology, and smoking status) and 48 radiomic features extracted from primary tumors on PET were used for binary classifications. These were ranked, and a subset of useful features was selected based on Gini coefficient scores in terms of associations with relapsed status. Areas under the receiver operating characteristics curves (AUC) were yielded by six machine-learning algorithms (support vector machine, random forest, neural network, naive Bayes, logistic regression, and gradient boosting). Model performances were compared and validated via random sampling.

Results

A PET/CT-based radiomic model was developed and validated for predicting the recurrence of NSCLC during the first 2 years after curation. The most important features were SD and variance of standardized uptake value, followed by low-intensity short-zone emphasis and high-intensity zone emphasis. The naive Bayes model with the 15 best-ranked features displayed the best performance (AUC: 0.816). Prediction models using the five best PET-derived features outperformed those using five clinical variables.

Conclusion

The machine learning model using PET-derived radiomic features showed good performance for predicting the recurrence of NSCLC during the first 2 years after a curative intent therapy. PET/CT-based radiomic features may help clinicians improve the risk stratification of relapsed NSCLC.
Hand-Arm Bimanual Intensive Training in Virtual Reality: A Feasibility Study
Authors: Gehringer James E. , Fortin Elizabeth , Surkar Swati M. , Hao Jie , Pleiss Monica , Jensen-Willett Sandra
Published: December 2022

Objective:

The aim of the study was to evaluate the feasibility of virtual reality (VR) software built using the core concepts of hand-arm bimanual intensive training (HABIT) for improving upper extremity motor function in children with cerebral palsy (CP).

Methods:

Eight children with CP participated in a 10-day, 40-hour HABIT program. Half of the time custom VR software, HABIT-VR was used. The children's motor skills were assessed pre- and postintervention with the Assisting Hand Assessment, Box and Blocks Test, and Nine-Hole Peg Test.

Results:

The children had significant and clinically relevant changes in the Assisting Hand Assessment and Box and Blocks Test; however, Nine-Hole Peg Test scores did not change with intervention.

Conclusion:

These data suggest that combining traditional HABIT strategies with HABIT-VR games improve upper extremity function and gross motor skills but not fine motor skills.
Modified Delphi technique to identify management of primary and secondary aesthetic breast augmentation. Will we reach a consensus?
Authors: Montemurro Paolo , Cheema Mubashir , Hedén Per
Published: December 2022

Introduction

Breast augmentation is indeed a very common operation. While evidence has grown with experience and long term studies, variation in practice exists. Our aim was to identify the existing practices of a group of surgeons for primary and secondary aesthetic breast augmentation.

Materials and methods

Seventy two plastic surgeons with a specialist interest in aesthetic breast surgery were asked to participate in the survey about aesthetic breast augmentation. Once agreed, a 54 point online survey was given, covering demographics about the surgeon and their practice, implant choice and peri-operative technique, use of emerging evidence and surgical techniques, preferences about secondary surgery and opinion about topics of controversy.

Results

All 72 surgeons completed the survey. Their mean age was 57.6 years, 56.9% had been in surgical practice for over 20 years and 88.9% were performing more than 50 primary breast augmentations per year. The most commonly used measurement for implant selection was breast width, implant type was silicone (81.9%) and volume range was 250-350cc (86.1%). 36.1% surgeons use anatomical implants in more than half of their cases. Opinions were divided about postoperative return to work, use of insertion funnel and acellular dermal matrix.

Conclusion

Multiple factors affect clinical outcome in primary and secondary aesthetic breast surgery. A few well-established techniques have gained common acceptance but the opinion is more diverse for difficult, complicated or challenging scenarios. Our survey helps understand the decision-making process of expert surgeons with an interest in aesthetic breast surgery.