bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Workers of the Victory Bridge
Authors: Koyagi Mikiya
Published: September 2021

Chapter 6 focuses on the objects of technocrats’ reform: railway workers. In the postwar period, the IRO implemented various measures to cultivate a sense of corporate loyalty among Iranian railway workers, including redirecting workers’ everyday mobility around company housing and socialization spaces. Simultaneously, however, workers themselves began to assert their rights as national citizens. This chapter highlights ways in which railway workers valorized national-scale migration to lay claim to the status of the most self-sacrificial citizens of the nation—all the while discrediting other scales of migration by other workers. These movements led to the production of a workforce differentiated by rank, provincial background, and nationality.
Collecting, Self-Fashioning, and Community
Authors: Babayan Kathryn
Published: September 2021

Chapter 2 is a close reading of two resident anthologizers, a religious scholar and a painter, and considers the subjects of their collected words and images to show how these practices illuminate their encounter and experience of the city. The anthology of Shi’a cleric Aqa Husayn Khwansari (d. 1687) reveals shared texts that connected him with Isfahan’s literary community. His curatorial choices allow us to hear tensions and ambivalences that nuance this religious scholar’s public face. A reconstruction of the painter Muhammad Qasim’s (d. 1660) dispersed portfolio assembles a patchwork of his life and shows the range of his clients’ commissioned works. Muhammad Qasim created a collage of city life in Isfahan that reveals what the verbal archive conceals. The practices according to which these two migrants to the capital fashioned their urban selves guide my reading of their authorial voices and of their writing of Isfahan’s habitus.
Disturbing the City
Authors: Babayan Kathryn
Published: September 2021

Chapter 3 mediates the opposing views of the imperial imaginary and the city of Isfahan as allegories of the spiritual journey to paradise. The cleric and poet Aqa Mansur Semnani (alive in 1656) visualized the city for his audience through the poetic form of the shahrashub, literally “city disturbance.” This chapter focuses on how the effort to create ideological unity in Shah Abbas I’s rebuilding of Isfahan could be unsettled by Aqa Mansur’s work, preserved in anthologies, and considers the degree to which the imperial project was real, or lived, or successful. Deploying a new form of authority based on the vitality of embodied experiences, Aqa Mansur’s literary experiment challenged the imperial vision, using ʿishq, love that is desiring, and irony to reimagine the city of power as the very symbol of transcendent authority.
Cultivating and Disciplining Friendship Letters
Authors: Babayan Kathryn
Published: September 2021

Chapter 4 uncovers the archeology of sworn friendships in early modern Isfahan through the medium of epistolary practices. Friendship letters were respectable forms of social exchange collected across anthologies to model and memorialize social networks of voluntary kinship. Categorized by scribes and owners of anthologies as a genre, rasaʾil-i ikhvaniyyat (fraternal letters), they were media by which to maintain social relations. This chapter analyzes the materiality and social dynamics of voluntary kinships as epistolary performances of male friendship; gifts of paintings to friends are read together with their accompanying letters to reflect on how Isfahan’s urban culture transformed the grammar and aesthetics of male friendship. The most commonly assembled letters, in particular, those written by Nasira Hamadani (d. 1620), provide the means to explore the affective language and sentiments of verbal communication between friends in and outside Isfahan.
Introduction
Authors: Ciorciari John D.
Published: September 2021

The introduction explains the nature of shared sovereignty and its use in fragile states to promote the rule of law. It discusses how shared sovereignty has emerged and why it is important, and offers key arguments for and against the practice. It introduces the core arguments and provides an outline of the book.
Justifying Shared Sovereignty
Authors: Ciorciari John D.
Published: September 2021

This chapter examines the normative debates around sovereignty sharing. It discusses the possible benefits of the practice and the numerous critiques of deep external intervention into fragile-state governance. It argues that three factors bear upon the perceived legitimacy of a sovereignty-sharing venture: host state consent, genuine humanitarian need, and strong observed or expected external performance in service delivery. It argues that to be perceived as legitimate by diverse audiences, sovereignty-sharing arrangements generally must rely heavily on performance.
How Political Foundations Affect Performance
Authors: Ciorciari John D.
Published: September 2021

This chapter analyzes the political factors that affect the performance of a sovereignty-sharing venture. It explains the need for a supportive political equilibrium to enable effective implementation of a joint venture that can earn performance legitimacy. Such arrangements usually rest on precarious political foundations, due to the divergent interests of the national and international partners. They are often built on compromised state consent, which leads to ambiguous agreements and to confusion and discord in the field. In particular, the chapter shows why sovereignty-sharing ventures have struggled to move beyond stopgap service provision to meet their second stated objective of advancing domestic institutional reform.
Sharing Sovereignty in the Streets
Authors: Ciorciari John D.
Published: September 2021

This chapter examines international policing in fragile states. It discusses the aims and challenges of engaging external actors in core domestic law enforcement functions, drawing from the multiple cases in which external actors and local police have shared sovereign police powers. It then examines the case of joint policing in Timor-Leste, and shows how national and international interests converged during the 2006 security crisis that gripped the country, enabling international police to step into the breach and provide important security services. However, this case also shows how interests can diverge and dissipate as crises pass, and illustrates the added challenges of performing well and earning legitimacy in domains like policing, which depend heavily on local knowledge.
Weight Gain and Hydrogen Absorption in Supercritical Water At 500 °C of Chromium-Coated Zirconium-Based Alloys: Transverse Versus Longitudinal Direction
Authors: Khumsa-Ang K. , Rousseau S. , Shiman O.
Published: September 2021

Canadian Nuclear Laboratories has an on-going Research & Development program to support the development of a scaled–down 300 MWe version of the Canadian Super-Critical Water Reactor concept. The 300 MWe and 170–channel reactor core concept uses low enriched uranium fuel and features a maximum cladding temperature of 500 °C. Our goal is to test surface-modified zirconium alloys for use as fuel cladding. Zirconium alloys are attractive as they offer low neutron cross section thereby allowing the use of low enriched fuel. In this paper, we report on the results of general corrosion experiments used to evaluate chromium-coated zirconium-based alloys in the two chemistries (630 μg/kg O2 in both de-aerated and lithiated supercritical water). These experiments were conducted in a refreshed autoclave at 500 °C and 23.5 MPa. After exposure, the weight gain and the hydrogen absorption were examined. At adequate coating thickness, longitudinal and transverse coupons show similar corrosion behavior with improved corrosion resistance compared to uncoated coupons. The measured concentrations of hydrogen absorption are higher for the transverse coupons. Alkaline treatment resulted in higher weight gains than was found in pure oxygenated supercritical water.
Evaluating the Performance Degradation of Centrifugal Pumps Using the Principal Component Analysis
Authors: Eaton Andrew , Ahmed Wael H. , Hassan Marwan
Published: September 2021

Centrifugal pumps are used in a variety of engineering applications, such as power production, heating, cooling, and water distribution systems. Although centrifugal pumps are considered to be highly reliable hydraulic machines, they are susceptible to a wide range of damage due to several degradation mechanisms, which make them operate away from their best efficiency range. Therefore, evaluating the energy efficiency and performance degradation of pumps is an important consideration to the operation of these systems. In this study, the hydraulic performance along with the vibration response of an industrial scale centrifugal pump (7.5 KW) subjected to different levels of impeller unbalance was experimentally investigated. Extensive testing of the manometric pressure head, flow rate, shaft power and efficiency along with vibration measurements were carried out to evaluate the effects of various levels of impeller unbalance on the pump hydraulic performance. Both time and frequency domain techniques coupled with principal component analysis (PCA) were used in this evaluation. The effect of unbalance on the pump performance was found to be mainly on the shaft power, while no change in the flow rate and the pump head was observed. As the level of unbalance increased, the power required to operate the pump at the designated speed increased by as much as 12%. Also, the PCA found to be a useful tool in comparing the pump vibrations in the field compared to the baseline vibration of the new pump in order to determine the degree of the impeller unbalance. The results of this work can be used to evaluate and monitor the degradation in the pump performance to set the allowable operating conditions and enhance the preventative maintenance programs.
Evaluating the Reliability of Passive Server Components for Single-Phase Immersion Cooling
Authors: Shah Jimil M. , Padmanaban Keerthivasan , Singh Hrishabh , Duraisamy Asokan Surya , Saini Satyam , Agonafer Dereje
Published: September 2021

The adoption of Single-phase Liquid Immersion Cooling (Sp-LIC) for Information Technology equipment provides an excellent cooling platform coupled with significant energy savings. There are, however, very limited studies related to the reliability of such cooling technology. The Accelerated Thermal Cycling (ATC) test given ATC JEDEC is relevant just for air cooling but there is no such standard for immersion cooling. The ASTM benchmark D3455 with some appropriate adjustments was adopted to test the material compatibility because of the air and dielectric fluid differences in the heat capacitance property and corresponding ramp rate during thermal cycling. For this study, accelerated thermal degradation of the printed circuit board (PCB), passive components, and fiber optic cables submerged in air, white mineral oil, and synthetic fluid at a hoisted temperature of 45C and 35% humidity is undertaken. This paper serves multiple purposes including designing experiments, testing and evaluating material compatibility of PCB, passive components, and optical fibers in different hydrocarbon oils for single-phase immersion cooling. Samples of different materials were immersed in different hydrocarbon oils and air and kept in an environmental chamber at 45C for a total of 288 hours. Samples were then evaluated for their mechanical and electrical properties using Dynamic Mechanical Analyzer (DMA) and a multimeter, respectively. The cross-sections of some samples were also investigated for their structural integrity using SEM. The literature gathered on the subject and quantifiable data gathered by the authors provide the primary basis for this research document.
Erratum: "Review on the dynamics of isothermal liquid bridges" [ASME Appl. Mech. Rev., 2020, 72(1): 010803; DOI: 10.1115/1.4044467]
Authors: Montanero Jose Maria , Ponce-Torres Alberto
Published: September 2021

We correct the equations for the surface stresses associated with the shear and dilatational surface viscosities
Teach Poiseuille First — A Call for a Paradigm Shift in Fluid Dynamics Education
Authors: Moser Bradley
Published: September 2021

A classic, life science-themed fluid dynamics scenario is blood flow through a constriction. Physics teachers traditionally ask students if the pressure experienced by the blood in the constriction is greater, lesser, or the same as before the constriction. The conventional approach to resolving this question calls upon the equation of continuity, as well as the Bernoulli equation. Biological systems, however, experience a resistance to flow, and a consequential pressure drop, that is often better described by Poiseuille’s law. Within this apparent conflict, which approach is correct? This paper argues that Poiseuille’s law is the more appropriate choice for most biological examples and encourages a Poiseuille-first approach to teaching fluid dynamics in classes designed for life science majors.
Fluids Demonstrations III: Viscous Flow in Modified Thin Enclosures, Centrifugal Effect, Vortical Flow, and Turbulence
Authors: Shakerin Said
Published: September 2021

Several new devices that demonstrate a variety of known phenomena in fluid dynamics are presented. These add on to a recent collection of demonstrations and follow the same design features as documented earlier (self-contained, easy to use, low cost). Descriptions are provided to enable replication by others, using readily available materials. The significance of each demonstration is outlined and background information on the relevant physics can be found in the cited references. The devices can be generally used in classroom lecture demonstrations, outreach activities, or other student-based projects. However, pedagogical details are left to readers’ discretion, depending on the scope of local interests and constraints. Video samples of demonstrations are available online.
Supporting Students with ADHD in Introductory Physics Courses: Four Steps for Instructors
Authors: Bustamante Caroline , Chini Jacquelyn J. , Scanlon Erin
Published: September 2021

The number of students with disabilities and specifically students with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) entering postsecondary STEM education has been increasing in recent decades. However, many instructors and popular research-based curricula are not prepared to support such learner variation. The views and experiences of people with disabilities are not uniform, either across diagnoses or within a single diagnosis, such as ADHD. Thus, individuals’ thoughts about how to support students with ADHD in physics courses will vary. We present views from one student with ADHD about strategies instructors can use to help her succeed in introductory physics courses.
Low-Cost Experiment to Determine the Moment of Inertia of the Fidget Spinner by Video Analysis
Authors: Pereira Eliane
Published: September 2021

In this article, we present a low-cost lab experience, enhanced by new technologies and easy to execute. The objective of the experiment is to explore the moment of inertia of a fidget spinner quantitatively. Our choice was to integrate the teaching of physics with the use of a popular toy, the fidget spinner, very popular among young people and children all over the world. There are several papers with teaching suggestions regarding the fidget spinner that have been developed recently. Various physical concepts can be demonstrated with the fidget spinner, for example, angular speed, torque, and moment of inertia. The experience developed here can be used by teachers from high schools, colleges, and universities.
Using Math in Physics: 2. Estimation
Authors: Redish Edward F.
Published: September 2021

Learning to use math in science is a non-trivial task. It involves many different skills (not usually taught in a math class) that help blend physical knowledge with mathematical symbology. One of these is the idea of quantification—that physical quantities can be assigned specific numbers (with a unit). A second is to develop an intuition for scale. One way to help students develop these skills is to teach estimation: the ability to consider a physical situation and put reasonable approximate numbers to it.
Validation of the Iowa Test of Consonant Perception
Authors: Geller Jason , Holmes Ann , Schwalje Adam , Berger Joel I. , Gander Phillip E. , Choi Inyong , McMurray Bob
Published: September 2021

Speech perception (especially in background noise) is a critical problem for hearing-impaired listeners and an important issue for cognitive hearing science. Despite a plethora of standardized measures, few single-word closed-set tests uniformly sample the most frequently used phonemes and use response choices that equally sample phonetic features like place and voicing. The Iowa Test of Consonant Perception (ITCP) attempts to solve this. It is a proportionally balanced phonemic word recognition task designed to assess perception of the initial consonant of monosyllabic consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words. The ITCP consists of 120 sampled CVC words. Words were recorded from four different talkers (two female) and uniformly sampled from all four quadrants of the vowel space to control for coarticulation. Response choices on each trial are balanced to equate difficulty and sample a single phonetic feature. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of ITCP by examining reliability (test-retest) and validity in a sample of online normal-hearing participants. Ninety-eight participants completed two sessions of the ITCP along with standardized tests of words and sentence in noise (CNC words and AzBio sentences). The ITCP showed good test-retest reliability and convergent validity with two popular tests presented in noise. All the materials to use the ITCP or to construct your own version of the ITCP are freely available [Geller, McMurray, Holmes, and Choi (2020). https://osf.io/hycdu/].
Antigravity Treadmill in Rehabilitation After Hip Labral Repair Arthroscopy
Authors: DeSantis Brandon M. , Kalman Victor R. , Browne Steven
Published: September 2021

Antigravity treadmills are being used in rehabilitation programs but have not been used consistently with posthip labral repair arthroscopy surgeries. The purpose of this study was to review the posthip labral protocol used by eight National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I collegiate athletes (all ages 18–21) from multiple sports that used the antigravity treadmill as a bridge between “no running” and “on-ground running.” The authors found that athletes who did this returned to play between 4.5 and 7 months, had a better overall functional status, and had no re-injuries. This is the first known study of its kind available in the literature.
Comparison of Physiological Responses and Muscle Activity During Incremental and Decremental Cycling Exercise
Authors: Beltrami Fernando G. , Froyd Christian , Mauger Alexis R. , Metcalfe Alan J. , Noakes Timothy D.
Published: September 2021

Objective: To investigate whether a cycling test based on decremental loads (DEC) could elicit higher maximal oxygen uptake () values compared with an incremental test (INC). Design: Nineteen well-trained individuals performed an INC and a DEC test on a single day, in randomized order. Methods: During INC, the load was increased by 20 W·min−1 until task failure. During DEC, the load started at 20 W higher than the peak load achieved during INC (familiarization trial) and was progressively decreased. Gas exchange and electromyography (EMG) activity (n = 11) from 4 lower-limb muscles were monitored throughout the tests. Physiological and EMG data measured at were compared between the 2 protocols using paired t tests. Results: during the DEC was 3.0% (5.9%) higher than during INC (range 94%–116%; P = .01), in spite of a lower power output (−21 [20] W, P < .001) at . Pulmonary ventilation (P = .036) and breathing rate (P = .023) were also higher during DEC. EMG activity measured at was not different between tests, despite the lower output during DEC. Conclusions: A DEC exercise test produces higher in cycling compared with an INC test, which was accompanied by higher pulmonary ventilation and similar EMG activity. The additional O2 uptake during DEC might be related to extra work performed either by the respiratory muscles and/or the less oxidatively efficient leg muscles.
Peer Presence Increases Session Ratings of Perceived Exertion
Authors: Minett Geoffrey M. , Fels-Camilleri Valentin , Bon Joshua J. , Impellizzeri Franco M. , Borg David N.
Published: September 2021

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the effect of peer presence on session rating of perceived exertion (RPE) responses. Method: Fourteen males, with mean (SD) age 22.4 (3.9) years, peak oxygen uptake 48.0 (6.6) mL·kg−1·min−1, and peak power output 330 (44) W, completed an incremental cycling test and 3 identical experimental sessions, in groups of 4 or 5. Experimental sessions involved 24 minutes of cycling, whereby the work rate alternated between 40% and 70% peak power output every 3 minutes. During cycling, heart rate was collected every 3 minutes, and session-RPE was recorded 10 minutes after cycling, in 3 communication contexts: in written form unaccompanied (intrapersonal communication), verbally by the researcher only (interpersonal communication), and in the presence of the training group. Session-RPE was analyzed using ordinal regression and heart rate using a linear mixed-effects model, with models fit in a Bayesian framework. Results: Session-RPE was voted higher when collected in the group’s presence compared with when written (odds ratio = 4.26, 95% credible interval = 1.27–14.73). On average, the posterior probability that session-RPE was higher in the group setting than when written was .53. Session-RPE was not different between the group and verbal, or verbal and written collection contexts. Conclusions: This study suggests that contextual psychosocial inputs influence session-RPE and highlights the importance of session-RPE users controlling the measurement environment when collecting votes.
Children’s Changes in Perceptions and Body Composition Following a Family-Based Fitness Intervention
Authors: Carroll Alexandra V. , Foote Shelby J. , Wirth Christopher K. , Brock Sheri J. , Wadsworth Danielle D.
Published: September 2021

Physical fitness is associated with decreased weight in children, which helps improve youth obesity rates. Family programs can provide practical approaches to improving physical fitness for children. The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of a family-based fitness intervention on changes in body composition, fitness status, and perceptions of obese children. Families attended exercise and education sessions for 60–90 min once per week for 10 weeks. Participants consisted of 10 children who participated in semi-structured interviews, body composition, and fitness assessments at pre- and posttest. Following the intervention, results showed that children had a significant increase in sit-ups (p = .03, effect size = 0.79), lean mass (p < .001, Cohen’sd = 1.95), and bone mineral content (p < .001, Cohen’sd = 0.46). Using thematic analysis, four main themes emerged from the pre- and postintervention interviews: an increase in after-school and weekend intentional physical fitness, rules regarding sedentary behavior and screen time, more prevalent physical fitness reinforcements, and a shift in perception of exercise. Results from this study indicate a family-based intervention had an influence on children’s appreciation for and engagement in physical fitness, as well as healthy body composition and fitness outcomes.
Impact of ActiGraph Sampling Rate and Intermonitor Comparability on Measures of Physical Activity in Adults
Authors: Clevenger Kimberly A. , Brønd Jan Christian , Arvidsson Daniel , Montoye Alexander H.K. , Mackintosh Kelly A. , McNarry Melitta A. , Pfeiffer Karin A.
Published: September 2021

Background: ActiGraph is a commonly used, research-grade accelerometer brand, but there is little information regarding intermonitor comparability of newer models. In addition, while sampling rate has been shown to influence accelerometer metrics, its influence on measures of free-living physical activity has not been directly studied. Purpose: To examine differences in physical activity metrics due to intermonitor variability and chosen sampling rate. Methods: Adults (n = 20) wore two hip-worn ActiGraph wGT3X-BT monitors for 1 week, with one accelerometer sampling at 30 Hz and the other at 100 Hz, which was downsampled to 30 Hz. Activity intensity was classified using vector magnitude, Euclidean Norm Minus One (ENMO), and mean amplitude deviation (MAD) cut points. Equivalence testing compared outcomes. Results: There was a lack of intermonitor equivalence for ENMO, time in sedentary/light- or moderate-intensity activity according to ENMO cut points, and time in moderate-intensity activity according to MAD cut points. Between sampling rates, differences existed for time in moderate-intensity activity according to vector magnitude, ENMO, and MAD cut points, and time in sedentary/light-intensity activity according to ENMO cut points. While mean differences were small (0.1–1.7 percentage points), this would equate to differences in moderate-to vigorous-intensity activity over a 10-hr wear day of 3.6 (MAD) to 10.8 (ENMO) min/day for intermonitor comparisons or 3.6 (vector magnitude) to 5.4 (ENMO) min/day for sampling rate. Conclusions: Epoch-level intermonitor differences were larger than differences due to sampling rate, but both may impact outcomes such as time spent in each activity intensity. ENMO was the least comparable metric between monitors or sampling rates.
UFMylation of MRE11 is essential for telomere length maintenance and hematopoietic stem cell survival
Authors: Lee Lara , Perez Oliva Ana Belen , Martinez-Balsalobre Elena , Churikov Dmitri , Peter Joshua , Rahmouni Dalicya , Audoly Gilles , Azzoni Violette , Audebert Stephane , Camoin Luc , Mulero Victoriano , Cayuela Maria L. , Kulathu Yogesh , Geli Vincent , Lachaud Christophe
Published: September 2021

UF-MRE11 recruits PP1-a to dephosphorylate NBS1 regulating Apollo recruitment and preserving telomere leading strand.
Multistep mechanism of G-quadruplex resolution during DNA replication
Authors: Sato Koichi , Martin-Pintado Nerea , Post Harm , Altelaar Maarten , Knipscheer Puck
Published: September 2021

DNA helicases DHX36 and FANCJ constitute a previously unknown pathway that resolves G-quadruplex structures during DNA replication.
The cohesin stabilizer Sororin drives G
2
-M transition and spindle assembly in mammalian oocytes
Authors: Zhou Changyin , Zhang Xue , Miao Yilong , Zhang Yu , Li Yu , Xiong Bo
Published: September 2021

Sororin plays a noncanonical role in driving meiotic resumption and progression through meiosis I in mammalian oocytes.
Increasing forest fire emissions despite the decline in global burned area
Authors: Zheng Bo , Ciais Philippe , Chevallier Frederic , Chuvieco Emilio , Chen Yang , Yang Hui
Published: September 2021

Global fire emissions have been rather stable over the past two decades despite a substantial decline in global burned area.
Spatial organization of protein aggregates on red blood cells as physical biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease pathology
Authors: Nirmalraj Peter Niraj , Schneider Thomas , Felbecker Ansgar
Published: September 2021

Identifying blood-based physical biomarkers for detection of Alzheimer’s disease.
Exploring and mapping chemical space with molecular assembly trees
Authors: Liu Yu , Mathis Cole , Bajczyk Michał Dariusz , Marshall Stuart M. , Wilbraham Liam , Cronin Leroy
Published: September 2021

Assembly theory is used to map molecular and gene assembly pathways exploring evolutionary trajectories looking for novelty.
The Use of Collagen with High Concentration in Cartilage Tissue Engineering by Means of 3D-Bioprinting
Authors: Isaeva E. V. , Beketov E. E. , Yuzhakov V. V. , Arguchinskaya N. V. , Kisel A. A. , Malakhov E. P. , Lagoda T. S. , Yakovleva N. D. , Shegai P. V. , Ivanov S. A. , Kaprin A. D.
Published: September 2021

3D-bioprinting is a promising technology for a tissue scaffold fabrication in the case of damaged tissue/organ replacement. Collagen is one of the most appropriate hydrogel for the purpose, due to its exceptional biocompatibility. However, the use of collagen with conventionally low concentration makes bioprinting process difficult and does not provide its high accuracy. The purpose of the study was evaluation of suitability of collagen with high concentration in case of chondrocyte-laden scaffold fabrication via 3D-bioprinting for cartilage regeneration in vitro and in vivo. The results of the study showed that inherent porosity of 4% collagen was not enough for cell survival in the case of long-term incubation in vitro. With the beginning of the scaffold incubation, cell migration to the surface and out of the scaffold was observed. The residual cells died mostly within 4 weeks. As for in vivo study, in 2 weeks after implantation of the scaffold, a weak granulomatous inflammation was observed. In 6 weeks, a connective tissue was formed in the area of implantation. In the tissue, macrophages and groups of small cells with round nuclei were found. In accordance with morphological criteria, these cells could be considered as young chondrocytes. However, its amount was not enough to initiate the formation of cartilage.
Improving stroke care in Nova Scotia, Canada: a population-based project spanning 14 years
Authors: Phillips Stephen James , Stevens Allison , Cao Huiling , Simpkin Wendy , Payne Jennifer , Gill Neala
Published: September 2021

Stroke is a complex disorder that challenges healthcare systems. An audit of in-hospital stroke care in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada, in 2004–2005 indicated that many aspects of care delivery fell short of national best practice recommendations. Stroke care in Nova Scotia was reorganised using a combination of interventions to facilitate systems change and quality improvement. The focus was mainly on implementing evidence-based stroke unit care, augmenting thrombolytic therapy and enhancing dysphagia assessment. Key were the development of a provincial network to facilitate ongoing collaboration and structured information exchange, the creation of the stroke coordinator and stroke physician champion roles, and the implementation of a registry to capture information about adults hospitalised because of stroke or transient ischaemic attack. To evaluate the interventions, a longitudinal analysis compared the audit results with registry data for 2012, 2015 and 2019. The proportion of patients receiving multidisciplinary stroke unit care rose from 22.4% in 2005 to 74.0% in 2019. The proportion of patients who received alteplase increased steadily from 3.2% to 18.5%, and the median delay between hospital arrival and alteplase administration decreased from 102 min to 56 min, without an increase in intracranial haemorrhage. Dysphagia screening increased from 41.4% to 77.4%. More patients were transferred from acute care to a dedicated in-patient rehabilitation unit, and fewer were discharged to residential or long-term care. These enhancements did not prolong length-of-stay in acute care. The network was a critical success factor; competing priorities in the healthcare system were the main challenge to implementing change. A multidimensional, multiyear, improvement intervention yielded substantial and sustained improvements in the process and structure of stroke care in Nova Scotia.
Ultrasonographic assessment of diaphragmatic contraction and relaxation properties: correlations of diaphragmatic displacement with oesophageal and transdiaphragmatic pressure
Authors: Koco Entela , Soilemezi Eleni , Sotiriou Panagiota , Savvidou Savvoula , Tsagourias Matthew , Pnevmatikos Ioannis , Matamis Dimitrios
Published: September 2021

Transdiaphragmatic (Pdi) and oesophageal pressures (Pes) are useful in understanding the pathophysiology of the respiratory system. They provide insight into respiratory drive, intrinsic positive end-expiratory pressure, diaphragmatic fatigue and weaning failure.

Background

The use of Pdi and Pes in clinical practice is restricted due to the invasiveness of the technique and the cumbersome equipment needed. On the other hand, diaphragmatic displacement is non-invasively and easily assessed with M-mode ultrasound.

Purpose

We observed striking similarities in shape and magnitude between M-mode diaphragmatic displacement, Pes and Pdi pressures. The study aimed to evaluate if the information provided by these two pressures could be obtained non-invasively from the diaphragmatic displacement curve.

Material and methods

In 14 consecutive intubated patients undergoing a weaning trial, simultaneous recordings of Pes and Pdi pressures and the diaphragmatic displacement were assessed while breathing spontaneously and during a sniff-like manoeuvre. Moreover, the slope of the diaphragmatic displacement curve during relaxation was compared with the maximal relaxation rate (MRR) obtained from the Pdi curve.

Results

More than 200 breaths were analysed in pairs. Diaphragmatic displacement significantly correlated with Pdi (R2=0.33, p<0.001) and Pes (R2=0.44, p<0.001), and this correlation further improved during sniff (R2=0.47, p<0.001) and (R2=0.64, p<0.001), respectively. Additionally, a significant correlation was found between the relaxation slope derived from the diaphragmatic displacement curve and the MRR derived from the Pdi curve, both in normal breathing (R2=0.379, p<0.001) and during the sniff manoeuvre (R2=0.71, p<0.001).

Conclusions

M-mode diaphragmatic displacement parameters correlate well with the ones obtained from oesophageal pressure and Pdi, particularly during sniffing. Diaphragmatic displacement assessment possibly offers an alternative non-invasive solution for understanding and clinically monitoring the diaphragmatic contractile properties and weaning failure due to diaphragmatic fatigue.
Assessment of mitotic activity in breast cancer: revisited in the digital pathology era
Authors: Ibrahim Asmaa , Lashen Ayat , Toss Michael , Mihai Raluca , Rakha Emad
Published: September 2021

The assessment of cell proliferation is a key morphological feature for diagnosing various pathological lesions and predicting their clinical behaviour. Visual assessment of mitotic figures in routine histological sections remains the gold-standard method to evaluate the proliferative activity and grading of cancer. Despite the apparent simplicity of such a well-established method, visual assessment of mitotic figures in breast cancer (BC) remains a challenging task with low concordance among pathologists which can lead to under or overestimation of tumour grade and hence affects management. Guideline recommendations for counting mitoses in BC have been published to standardise methodology and improve concordance; however, the results remain less satisfactory. Alternative approaches such as the use of the proliferation marker Ki67 have been recommended but these did not show better performance in terms of concordance or prognostic stratification. The advent of whole slide image technology has brought the issue of mitotic counting in BC into the light again with more challenges to develop objective criteria for identifying and scoring mitotic figures in digitalised images. Using reliable and reproducible morphological criteria can provide the highest degree of concordance among pathologists and could even benefit the further application of artificial intelligence (AI) in breast pathology, and this relies mainly on the explicit description of these figures. In this review, we highlight the morphology of mitotic figures and their mimickers, address the current caveats in counting mitoses in breast pathology and describe how to strictly apply the morphological criteria for accurate and reliable histological grade and AI models.
Oncology clinic-based germline genetic testing for exocrine pancreatic cancer enables timely return of results and unveils low uptake of cascade testing
Authors: Wang Yifan , Golesworthy Bryn , Cuggia Adeline , Domecq Celine , Chaudhury Prosanto , Barkun Jeffrey , Metrakos Peter , Asselah Jamil , Bouganim Nathaniel , Gao Zu-Hua , Chong George , Foulkes William D , Zogopoulos George
Published: September 2021

Background

Traditional medical genetics models are unable to meet the growing demand for germline genetic testing (GT) in patients with exocrine pancreatic cancer (PC). This study investigates the impact of an ambulatory oncology clinic-based GT model.

Methods

From 2012 to 2021, patients with PC were prospectively enrolled and considered for GT. Two chronological cohorts were compared: (1) the preuniversal genetic testing (pre-UGT) cohort, which received GT based on clinical criteria or family history; and (2) the post-UGT cohort, where an 86-gene panel was offered to all patients with PC.

Results

Of 847 eligible patients, 735 (86.8%) were enrolled (pre-UGT, n=579; post-UGT, n=156). A higher proportion of the post-UGT cohort received prospective GT (97.4% vs 58.5%, p<0.001). The rate of pathogenic germline alterations (PGA) across both cohorts was 9.9%, with 8.0% of PGAs in PC susceptibility genes. The post-UGT cohort had a higher prevalence of overall PGAs (17.2% vs 6.6%, p<0.001) and PGAs in PC susceptibility genes (11.9% vs 6.3%, p<0.001). The median turnaround time from enrolment to GT report was shorter in the post-UGT cohort (13 days vs 42 days, p<0.001). Probands with a PGA disclosed their GT results to 84% of their first-degree relatives (FDRs). However, only 31% of informed FDRs underwent GT, and the number of new cases per index case was 0.52.

Conclusion

A point-of-care GT model is feasible and expedites access to GT for patients with PC. Strategies to increase the uptake of cascade testing are needed to maximise the clinical impact of an oncology clinic-based GT model.
Global and regional burden of interstitial lung disease and pulmonary sarcoidosis from 1990 to 2019: results from the Global Burden of Disease study 2019
Authors: Ma Xiaoqian , Zhu Lili , Kurche Jonathan S , Xiao Huijuan , Dai Huaping , Wang Chen
Published: September 2021

Background

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) and pulmonary sarcoidosis are common respiratory diseases with a heterogeneous distribution worldwide. The global burden and temporal trends of ILD and sarcoidosis are rarely explored.

Methods

Using the classification ‘ILD and pulmonary sarcoidosis’ from the Global Burden of Disease 2019 dataset, we described the age-standardised rates of incidence, mortality, disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), and their average annual percentage change from 1990 to 2019 by sex, Sociodemographic Index (SDI) and region.

Results

In 2019, the global incidence and mortality of ILD and pulmonary sarcoidosis were 24.2 million and 169 833 cases, respectively. From 1990 to 2019, the global incidence, deaths and DALYs due to ILD and pulmonary sarcoidosis increased by 118.6%, 166.63% and 122.87% respectively. The global incidence of ILD and pulmonary sarcoidosis was higher in men and was mainly concentrated among persons aged 70‒79 of both sexes. Significant regional differences could be seen in the disease burden of ILD and pulmonary sarcoidosis: since 2006, high-SDI regions had higher age-standardised incidence rates but lower age-standardised death rates compared with the low-SDI regions.

Conclusions

Our study suggests the incidence, mortality and DALYs from ILD and pulmonary sarcoidosis are increasing globally. To reduce the ongoing burden of this condition, early diagnosis and treatment are vital, and more targeted and specific strategies should be established in high-burden regions. Differences in incidence and mortality across regions may reflect the influence of genetic, environmental, diagnostic, pharmacotherapeutic, and health system factors.
Unpaired Many-to-Many Disjoint Path Cover of Balanced Hypercubest
Authors: Lü Huazhong , Wu Tingzeng
Published: September 2021

A many-to-many [Formula: see text]-disjoint path cover ([Formula: see text]-DPC) of a graph [Formula: see text] is a set of [Formula: see text] vertex-disjoint paths joining [Formula: see text] distinct pairs of source and sink in which each vertex of [Formula: see text] is contained exactly once in a path. The balanced hypercube [Formula: see text], a variant of the hypercube, was introduced as a desired interconnection network topology. Let [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] be any two sets of vertices in different partite sets of [Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text]). Cheng et al. in [Appl. Math. Comput. 242 (2014) 127–142] proved that there exists paired many-to-many 2-disjoint path cover of [Formula: see text] when [Formula: see text]. In this paper, we prove that there exists unpaired many-to-many [Formula: see text]-disjoint path cover of [Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text]) from [Formula: see text] to [Formula: see text], which has improved some known results. The upper bound [Formula: see text] is best possible in terms of the number of disjoint paths in unpaired many-to-many [Formula: see text]-DPC of [Formula: see text].
Ground states and associated path measures in the renormalized Nelson model
Authors: Hiroshima Fumio , Matte Oliver
Published: September 2021

We prove the existence, uniqueness, and strict positivity of ground states of the possibly massless renormalized Nelson operator under an infrared regularity condition and for Kato decomposable electrostatic potentials fulfilling a binding condition. If the infrared regularity condition is violated, then we show non-existence of ground states of the massless renormalized Nelson operator with an arbitrary Kato decomposable potential. Furthermore, we prove the existence, uniqueness, and strict positivity of ground states of the massless renormalized Nelson operator in a non-Fock representation where the infrared condition is unnecessary. Exponential and superexponential estimates on the pointwise spatial decay and the decay with respect to the boson number for elements of spectral subspaces below localization thresholds are provided. Moreover, some continuity properties of ground state eigenvectors are discussed. Byproducts of our analysis are a hypercontractivity bound for the semigroup and a new remark on Nelson’s operator theoretic renormalization procedure. Finally, we construct path measures associated with ground states of the renormalized Nelson operator. Their analysis entails improved boson number decay estimates for ground state eigenvectors, as well as upper and lower bounds on the Gaussian localization with respect to the field variables in the ground state. As our results on uniqueness, positivity, and path measures exploit the ergodicity of the semigroup, we restrict our attention to one matter particle. All results are non-perturbative.
Rigidity theorems for holomorphic curves in a complex Grassmann manifold G(3,6)
Authors: Wang Jun , Fei Jie
Published: September 2021

In this paper, we prove some local rigidity theorems of holomorphic curves in a complex Grassmann manifold [Formula: see text] by moving frames. By applying our rigidity theorems, we also give a characterization of all homogeneous holomorphic two-spheres in [Formula: see text] classified by the second author.
Shading Rig: Dynamic Art-directable Stylised Shading for 3D Characters
Authors: Petikam Lohit , Anjyo Ken , Rhee Taehyun
Published: September 2021

Despite the popularity of three-dimensional (3D) animation techniques, the style of 2D cel animation is seeing increased use in games and interactive applications. However, conventional 3D toon shading frequently requires manual editing to clean up undesired shadows or add stylistic details based on art direction. This editing is impractical for the frame-by-frame editing in cartoon feature film post-production. For interactive stylised media and games, post-production is unavailable due to real-time constraints, so art-direction must be preserved automatically. For these reasons, artists often resort to mesh and texture edits to mitigate undesired shadows typical of toon shaders. Such edits allow real-time rendering but are limited in resolution, animation quality and lack detail control for stylised shadow design.

In our framework, artists build a “shading rig,” a collection of these edits, that allows artists to animate toon shading. Artists pre-animate the shading rig under changing lighting, to dynamically preserve artistic intent in a live application, without manual intervention. We show our method preserves continuous motion and shape interpolation, with fewer keyframes than previous work. Our shading shape interpolation is computationally cheaper than state-of-the-art image interpolation techniques. We achieve these improvements while preserving vector quality rendering, without resorting either to high texture resolution or mesh density.
The actin depolymerizing factor destrin serves as a negative feedback inhibitor of smooth muscle cell differentiation
Authors: Liao Kuo An , Rangarajan Krsna V. , Bai Xue , Taylor Joan M. , Mack Christopher P.
Published: September 2021

First, DSTN is selectively expressed in SMC in RhoA/SRF-dependent manner. Second, a SMC-selective enhancer just upstream of DSTN TSS harbors functional SRF, SMAD, and Notch/RBPJ binding elements. Third, DSTN depletion increased SRF-dependent SMC marker gene expression while inhibiting SMC migration and proliferation. Taken together, our data suggest that DSTN is a critical negative feedback inhibitor of SMC differentiation.
Autophagy, TERT, and mitochondrial dysfunction in hyperoxia
Authors: Beyer Andreas M. , Norwood Toro Laura E. , Hughes William E. , Young Micaela , Clough Anne V. , Gao Feng , Medhora Meetha , Audi Said H. , Jacobs Elizabeth R.
Published: September 2021

In cultured pulmonary artery endothelial cells and in lungs exposed in vivo to hyperoxia, autophagy is activated, but clearance of autophagosomes is impaired in a manner that suggests cross talk between TERT and autophagy. Stimulation of autophagy prevents hyperoxia-induced decreases in mitochondrial metabolism and sustains monolayer resistance. Hyperoxia increases mitochondrial outer membrane (TOMM20) protein, decreases mitochondrial function, and reduces cellular proliferation without increasing cell death.
Resistance, but not endurance exercise training, induces changes in cerebrovascular function in healthy young subjects
Authors: Thomas Hannah J. , Marsh Channa E. , Naylor Louise H. , Ainslie Philip N. , Smith Kurt J. , Carter Howard H. , Green Daniel J.
Published: September 2021

Three months of endurance exercise did not elicit adaptation in any domain of cerebrovascular function in young healthy inactive volunteers. However, resistance training induced decreased pulsatility in the extracranial arteries and increased cerebrovascular resistance in cerebral arteries. This increase in cerebrovascular resistance, apparent at baseline and in response to both hypercapnia and acute exercise, may reflect a protective response in the face of changes in arterial pressure during resistance exercise.
Right-sided heart failure is also associated with transverse tubule remodeling in the left ventricle
Authors: Howe Kevin , Ross Jacqueline M. , Loiselle Denis S. , Han June-Chiew , Crossman David J.
Published: September 2021

In this work, we demonstrate that t-tubule remodeling occurs in the atrophied left ventricle as well as the overloaded right ventricle after right-side heart failure. Moreover, we identify that t-tubule remodeling in both ventricles is linked to sarcoplasmic reticulum remodeling as indicated by decreased labeling periodicity of both the Ca2+ release channel, RyR2, and the cardiac junction-forming protein, JPH2, that forms a link between the sarcoplasmic reticulum and sarcolemma. Studies developing treatments for right-sided heart failure should consider effects on both the right and left ventricle.