bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A CFD‐based analysis of dynamic induction techniques for wind farm control applications
Authors: Croce Alessandro , Cacciola Stefano , Montero Montenegro Mariana , Stipa Sebastiano , Praticó Roberto
Published: December 2022

Recently, dynamic induction control is gaining the interest of the wind energy community as a promising strategy to increase the overall wind farm power production. Such a technique is based on a dynamic variation of the upstream rotor thrust, generated through a suitable blade pitch motion, to promote a faster wake recovery. Notwithstanding some promising results already published, the knowledge of the physical mechanism, connecting dynamic induction to the increased in‐wake velocity, was not yet exploited to enhance control effectiveness. This paper, through a computational fluid dynamics procedure based on large eddy simulations coupled with actuator line models, provides a description of the working principles of this control from a fluid dynamics standpoint. The analyses show that the faster recovery is strictly connected to the ability of the blade tip vortices to roll up and sucking energy from the outer flow. Exploiting such knowledge, a novel control strategy, which improves the vortex roll up mechanism, is proposed and analyzed. The new control proved more effective than standard techniques especially for very low turbine spacing.
RETRACTED ARTICLE: Utilizing fog computing and explainable deep learning techniques for gestational diabetes prediction
Authors: El-Rashidy Nora , ElSayed Nesma E. , El-Ghamry Amir , Talaat Fatma M.
Published: December 2022

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is one of the pregnancy complications that poses a significant risk on mothers and babies as well. GDM usually diagnosed at 22–26 of gestation. However, the early prediction is desirable as it may contribute to decrease the risk. The continuous monitoring for mother’s vital signs helps in predicting any deterioration during pregnancy. The originality of this paper is to provide comprehensive framework for pregnancy women monitoring. The proposed Data Replacement and Prediction Framework consists of three layers which are: (i) IoT Layer, (ii) Fog Layer, and (iii) Cloud Layer. The first layer used IOT sensors to aggregate vital sings from pregnancies using invasive and noninvasive sensors. Then the vital signs transmitted to fog nodes to processed and finally stored in the cloud layer. The main contribution in this paper is located in the fog layer producing GDM module to implement two influential tasks which are: (i) Data Finding Methodology (DFM), and (ii) Explainable Prediction Algorithm (EPM) using DNN. First, the DFM is used to replace the unused data to free the cache space for the new incoming data items. The cache replacement is very important in the case of healthcare system as the incoming vital signs are frequent and must be replaced continuously. Second, the EPM is used to predict the incidence of GDM that may occur in the second trimester of the pregnancy. To evaluate our model, we extract data of 16,354 pregnancy women from medical information mart for intensive care (MIMIC III) benchmark dataset. For each woman, vital signs, demographic data and laboratory tests was aggregated. The results of the prediction model superior the state of the art (ACC = 0.957, AUC = 0.942). Regarding to explainability, we utilized Shapley additive explanation framework to provide local and global explanation for the developed models. Overall, the proposed framework is medically intuitive, allow the early prediction of GDM with cost effective solution.
On volume preserving almost Anosov flows
Authors: Bruin Henk
Published: December 2022

The purpose of this paper is to establish limit laws for volume preserving almost Anosov maps of $${{\mathbb {T}}}^2$$

T

2

flows on 3-three manifolds having a transversally neutral periodic orbit of cubic saddle type. In the process, we derive estimates for the Dulac maps for neutral saddles in planar vector fields.
Construction and validation of a novel signature based on epithelial-mesenchymal transition–related genes to predict prognosis and immunotherapy response in hepatocellular carcinoma by comprehensive analysis of the tumor microenvironment
Authors: Gao Biao , Wang Yafei , Lu Shichun
Published: December 2022

Immunotherapy has yielded encouraging results in the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the relationship between epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and immunotherapy for HCC has not been adequately explained. In this study, we comprehensively analyzed a bulk RNA sequence dataset of 365 HCC patients in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset. Subsequently, we constructed a prognostic signature based on 6 EMT-related genes and divided 365 HCC patients into high- and low-risk groups. The predictive efficacy of the signature was well validated in different clinical subgroups and in two independent external datasets. We further explored the relationship between prognostic signature and immunotherapy response in terms of immune cell infiltration, somatic mutations, tumor mutation burden (TMB), microsatellite instability (MSI), immune checkpoint–associated gene expression, single-nucleotide variants (SNV) neoantigens, cancer testicular antigens (CTA) scores, and tumor immune dysfunction and exclusion (TIDE) scores. We validated the predictive efficacy of prognostic signature for immunotherapy response using external independent immunotherapy data. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to validate EMT-related gene overexpression in HCC tissue samples. Prognostic signature was an independent risk factor affecting the prognosis of HCC patients and has shown superiority in predicting patient survival compared to other clinical factors. Compared with the low-risk group, the proportion of Activated_CD4_T_cell, Type_2_T_helper_cel, and macrophages were higher in the tumor microenvironment of HCC patients in the high-risk group, while the Activated_CD8_T_cell and CD56bright_natural_killer_cell proportions were lower. The prognostic signature was positively correlated with TMB scores, MSI scores, SNV neoantigens scores, expression levels of immune checkpoint–related genes, and TIDE scores, and patients in the high-risk group were more suitable for immunotherapy. qRT-PCR confirms overexpression of 6 EMT-related genes in HCC tissues for the construction of prognostic signature. Our novel prognostic signature can effectively predict the prognosis and immunotherapy response of HCC patients. In the future, it will be an effective tool for physicians to screen suitable immunotherapy populations and improve response rates and overall survival (OS).
Effects of heating rate and temperature on product distribution of poly-lactic acid and poly-3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate
Authors: Shao Zhuze , Kumagai Shogo , Kameda Tomohito , Saito Yuko , Yoshioka Toshiaki
Published: December 2022

In this study, poly-lactic acid (PLA) and poly-3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate (PHBH) were pyrolyzed at various temperatures (300, 350, 400, 500, 600, and 700 °C) and heating rates (5, 10, 20, 30, and 40 °C min−1) using a pyrolysis–gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer (Py–GC/MS). The results revealed that the main pyrolysis products of PLA were acetaldehyde, lactide (including meso-lactide and d-, l-lactide), and oligomers. Crotonic acid and its oligomers accounted for most of the PHBH pyrolyzates. The pyrolysis temperature significantly correlated with the product distribution, but the heating rate had a small effect on the product distribution. Lactide and crotonic acid were two kinds of high-value chemicals, and their highest yields were obtained at 400 and 600 °C with 29.7 and 72.6 area %, respectively. Secondary reactions could not be neglected at 700 °C, and acetaldehyde and crotonic acid decreased to 65.0 and 69.6 area %, respectively. These results imply that pyrolyzate selectivity can be controlled by temperature management during pyrolysis.
How Mössbauer spectroscopy can be of value to industry to select extraterrestrial objects for natural resources
Authors: Gałazka-Friedman Jolanta , Jakubowska Martyna , Bogusz Patrycja , Brzózka Katarzyna , Grabias Agnieszka , Idczak Rafał , Konieczny Robert , Szumiata Tadeusz , Woźniak Marek , Maslan Miroslav , Karwowski Łukasz
Published: December 2022

Space agencies are working on the project of capturing asteroids which contain natural resources valuable for industry. Based on studies of meteorites samples it was determined that the most useful source of raw materials for this purpose could be parent bodies of ordinary chondrites of type H. The identification of the type of ordinary chondrites with the use of a classical method (determination of the Fa/Fs ratio (fayalite versus ferrosilite) by electron microprobe measurements) cannot be performed on the surface of asteroids due to technical reasons. It may, however, be done based on Mössbauer measurements followed by the application of the 4M method. The name of the method – 4M, comes from four words: Meteorites, Mössbauer spectroscopy, Multidimensional discriminant analysis and Mahalanobis distance. Following the success of Mössbauer spectroscopy in the mission on Mars, there are suggestions to use the same method for the investigation of the surface of asteroids. In our experimental study, in which five Mössbauer laboratories took part, we assessed the effectiveness and reliability of the 4M method by comparison of the results obtained by Mössbauer studies of ordinary chondrites of type H, L and LL. Details of the study and problems related to the effectiveness of the 4M method are discussed.
Measurement of Protein Synthesis Rate in Rat by [11C]Leucine PET Imaging: Application to the TgF344-AD Model of Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Bochicchio D. , Christie L. , Lawrence C. B. , Herholz K. , Parker C. A. , Hinz R. , Boutin H.
Published: December 2022

Long-term memory requires stable protein synthesis and is altered in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This study aimed to implement a method to measure the cerebral protein synthesis rate (PSR) with [11C]leucine PET in vivo in rats and evaluate potential PSR alterations longitudinally (6, 12 and 18 months old) in the TgF344-AD rat model of AD. Wistar, wild-type (WT) and TgF344-AD rats (TG) were scanned for 60 min with [11C]leucine. Arterial blood activity was monitored online and with discrete whole blood and plasma samples by γ-counting in Wistar rats, WT (n = 4) and TG (n = 5). Unlabelled amino acids were measured in plasma. The sensitivity of [11C]leucine PET to measure alterations in PSR was assessed in Wistar rats by injection of PSR inhibitor anisomycin before PET acquisition. Anisomycin administration significantly reduced the net uptake rate constant (Kcplx) of [11C]leucine and PSR, proving the suitability of the method. For the longitudinal study, averaged population-based input functions were used to calculate PSR. We found a significant genotype effect on PSR (decrease in TG vs WT) only in the globus pallidus. This study suggests that [11C]leucine PET is sensitive enough to measure brain PSR in rat but that cross-sectional design with individual input function should be preferred.
Applying XAI to an AI-based system for candidate management to mitigate bias and discrimination in hiring
Authors: Hofeditz Lennart , Clausen Sünje , Rieß Alexander , Mirbabaie Milad , Stieglitz Stefan
Published: December 2022

Assuming that potential biases of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based systems can be identified and controlled for (e.g., by providing high quality training data), employing such systems to augment human resource (HR)-decision makers in candidate selection provides an opportunity to make selection processes more objective. However, as the final hiring decision is likely to remain with humans, prevalent human biases could still cause discrimination. This work investigates the impact of an AI-based system’s candidate recommendations on humans’ hiring decisions and how this relation could be moderated by an Explainable AI (XAI) approach. We used a self-developed platform and conducted an online experiment with 194 participants. Our quantitative and qualitative findings suggest that the recommendations of an AI-based system can reduce discrimination against older and female candidates but appear to cause fewer selections of foreign-race candidates. Contrary to our expectations, the same XAI approach moderated these effects differently depending on the context.
Laser-Structured Si and PLGA Inhibit the Neuro2a Differentiation in Mono- and Co-Culture with Glia
Authors: Angelaki Despoina , Kavatzikidou Paraskevi , Fotakis Costas , Stratakis Emmanuel , Ranella Anthi
Published: December 2022

Background:

The first step towards a successful neural tissue engineering therapy is the development of an appropriate scaffold and the in vitro study of the cellular response onto it.

Methods:

Here, we fabricated nano- and micro- patterned Si surfaces via direct ultrafast laser irradiation, as well as their replicas in the biodegradable poly(lactide-co-glycolide), in order to use them as culture substrates for neuronal cells. The differentiation of neuro2a cells on the Si platforms and their replicas was studied both in a mono-culture and in a co-culture with glial cells (Schwann—SW10).

Results:

It was found that the substrate’s roughness inhibits the differentiation of the neuronal cells even in the presence of the differentiation medium, and the higher the roughness is, the more the differentiation gets limited.

Conclusion:

Our results highlight the importance of the substrate’s topography for the controlled growth and differentiation of the neuronal cells and their further study via protein screening methods could shed light on the factors that lead to limited differentiation; thus, contributing to the long standing request for culture substrates that induce cells to differentiate.
COVID-19 Governance in the Event Sector: A German Case Study
Authors: Schönefeld Malte , Schütte Patricia M. , Schulte Yannic , Fiedrich Frank
Published: December 2022

The article reflects on the stop-and-go procedures of re-opening the event sector under pandemic circumstances in a case study for difficult political and administrative governance, confusing regulations and systemic irritation. The focus lies on the addressees of restricting regulations, i.e. event industry and in particular event organizers who have to deal with requirements from different event stakeholders. It is our aim to trace their strategies and identified margins of manoeuvre in order to re-enable events under inconvenient surrounding conditions. In times of COVID-19, major events are under general suspicion as enablers for “super spreading” or “mass contagion”. One of the major business sectors in Germany—the event sector—was among the very first that was forced to shut down and among the very last, that could re-open again. This has not only economic but also social impacts: events as social settings and contexts fulfil important societal functions. They enable social exchange, cultural innovation, and political participation and provide socio-psychological relief. The contribution of events to these elementary societal functions was strongly limited in the pandemic. Although event approving authorities and event organizers in collaboration with their service providers work intensely to re-open events under hygienically safe conditions, lastingly convincing re-opening concepts have not yet been identified. The federal system in Germany, the diversity of applicable regulations, expected measures and outcomes, the dynamics of the situation, and resulting short-term changes in legal conditions lead to a variety of concepts and measures, which differ depending on location, event, persons involved, etc.
A New Preparation Method for 3D Bio-composite Filament Manufacturing: a Study on the Effects of Ball Milling on the Cohesion/Adhesion of an Agave tequilana Bagasse/PLA Pellet Mixture
Authors: Salignon Mathias , Gray Simon , Rose Timothy , Encinas-Oropesa Adriana
Published: December 2022

This study created a composite polymer for 3D printing from agave by-product using mechanical alloying process. The cold milling technique used by the ball mill is a standard procedure to homogenize metallic mixtures. This paper reports results from a series of laboratory tests to create a homogeneous mixture that could be extruded into a printable filament mixture of agave bagasse fibres and PLA pellets by using the kinetic energy of a ball mill. PLA and agave bagasse mixtures in this study were ground several times using this principle; steel and ceramic balls were used to grind them. The results of the study showed that this principle can be effective on a polymer-based mixture; indeed, an adhesion between the pellets and the agave bagasse fibres was obtained. The results showed the different parameters that influence the mixture quality as the milling time, the ball material, the number of balls, the mixture concentration and the rotational speed. Optical and ESEM/EDX analyses have confirmed our expectations about cohesion between fibres pulverized in powder and pellet adhesion, where powder accumulation on all the surfaces was detected. The absence of powder penetration in the pellets allowed us to explain the losses obtained during the process and to find new solutions to reduce them. Proof-of-concept parts were 3D printed with agave bagasse/PLA filaments. Their printed quality can be compared to that of commercial filaments. These results offer new perspectives to reuse agricultural by-products to create composite filament with a chemical-free manufacturing process.
Lupus Anticoagulant and Anticardiolipin Antibody IgG are Associated with Increased Atherosclerosis at the Suprainguinal Elastic and Infrainguinal Muscular Arteries in the Abdomen and Lower Extremities
Authors: Park Jong Kwon , Yi Jisook
Published: December 2022

Purpose

Whether antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs) cause atherosclerosis in certain arteries with specific compositions and locations remains unknown. We investigated the relationship between aPLs and their association with locations of atherosclerosis in the arteries of the abdomen and lower extremities.

Methods

Of 2273 patients, 697 who underwent computed tomography angiography of the abdomen and lower extremities and aPL evaluation were included. Atherosclerosis distribution score (ADS) was employed to quantify atherosclerosis severity. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed using the ADS of the suprainguinal elastic and infrainguinal muscular arteries as dependent variables and all aPLs, conventional risk factors of atherosclerosis, and coagulation-related factors as independent variables.

Results

In the suprainguinal elastic and infrainguinal muscular arteries, common risk factors for higher ADS were age, smoking, hypertension, higher glycated hemoglobin, male sex, decreased protein S, and increased homocysteine. Lupus anticoagulant (LA) and increased triglyceride level in the suprainguinal elastic arteries and anticardiolipin antibody (aCL) immunoglobulin (Ig)G, longer alcohol consumption duration, and increased fibrinogen level in the infrainguinal muscular arteries were also risk factors for higher ADS.

Conclusion

LA and aCL IgG were associated with atherosclerosis in the suprainguinal elastic and infrainguinal muscular arteries, respectively. aPLs could predict the location of atherosclerosis.
A Performer’s Guide to the Piano Music of Samuel Adler
Authors: Gowen Bradford P.
Published: December 2022

This comprehensive study of the piano music of award-winning American composer Samuel Adler will interest pianists, teachers, and anyone interested in the musical art of our day.
Performance in Beowulf; and other Old English Poems
Authors: Breeze Steven J. A.
Published: December 2022

An examination of the depiction and representation of performative acts in Old English texts.
The Collapse of the Gold Standard in Africa: Money and Colonialism in the Interwar Period
Authors: Gardner Leigh
Published: December 2022

Research on Africa’s monetary history has tended to focus on the imposition of colonial currencies while neglecting the monetary upheavals which faced the colonial powers after the collapse of the gold standard during World War I. Gardner profiles three crises—in The Gambia, Kenya, and Liberia—resulting from shifting exchange rates between European currencies during the 1920s and 1930s. These three cases illustrate the degree to which colonial policies struggled to keep up with the economic turmoil affecting metropolitan states and bring Africa into the story of global monetary instability during the interwar period, which is often told only from a European perspective.
Vaticinium de restitutione Constantinopoleos (BHG 1875b): Edition and translation of a post-Byzantine prophecy
Authors: Kraft András
Published: December 2022

The article provides a critical edition of a hitherto unedited post-Byzantine prophecy that may be called the Vaticinium de restitutione Constantinopoleos. The text comes down in two recensions, which are contained in twelve manuscripts. The edition is supplemented with an English translation and a commentary that discusses the title, date of composition, content, main sources, and significance of the text. It is argued that the prophecy was originally composed in the early 1570s in response to the Ottoman conquest of Cyprus. Furthermore, it is shown that the motif of a saviour-emperor, which is central to the prophecy, responds to developments in sixteenth-century Mediterranean apocalypticism.
An introduction to radical participatory design: decolonising participatory design processes
Authors: Udoewa Victor
Published: December 2022

Outside of community-led design projects, most participatory design processes initiated by a company or organisation maintain or even strengthen power imbalances between the design organisation and the community on whose purported behalf they are designing, further increasing the absencing experience. Radical participatory design (RPD) is a radically relational answer to the coloniality inherent in participatory design where the community members’ disappointment is greater due to the greater expectations and presencing potential of a ‘participatory design’ process. We introduce the term RPD to show how research and design processes can be truly participatory to the root or core. Instead of treating participatory design as a method, a way of conducting a method, or a methodology, we introduce RPD as a meta-methodology, a way of doing any methodology. We explicitly describe what participation means and compare and contrast design processes based on the amount of participation, creating a typology of participation. We introduce ‘designer as community member’, ‘community member as designer,’ and ‘community member as facilitator’ models and provide characteristics for the meta-methodology of RPD.
Reinterpreting the Virginia Plantation, 1609–1618
Authors: Smith Edmond
Published: December 2022

Using evidence from underused manuscript and archaeological material as well as printed texts, the author demonstrates that the early Virginia plantation was far from a disaster. Focusing on the period 1609–1618, the author situates the colony within the globally connected environments of early modern trade and empire. The author reveals how the expectations of the colony's proponents were met on a variety of levels, and the colony was successfully undertaken through the mediation of global pressures and English corporate culture within the specific local spaces of North America. The Virginia plantation was self-sufficient, economically diverse, and integrated conceptually and practically into the wider activities of its investors and leadership. Through this interpretation, this article contributes to the understanding of practices of colonization in early modern America and the connectedness of English overseas activities and the awareness of the Virginia Company participants’ of the colony's place within wider, global economies.
“Pernicious Publicity”: The East India Company, the Military, and the Freedom of the Press, 1818–1823
Authors: Wilkinson Callie
Published: December 2022

Early nineteenth-century Bengal is frequently used as a case study to demonstrate how debates over press liberties acquired additional stakes in colonial settings. Yet existing scholarship overlooks how the expansion of Britain's military presence overseas during and after the Napoleonic Wars complicated reformist ambitions for a free press. In India, army officers formed a significant proportion of the European population and were both enthusiastic readers of and contributors to the fledgling colonial press. Using the example of the Calcutta Journal, one of India's first daily newspapers, the author shows how the boundaries of what officers could and could not publicize in the press were negotiated through legal proceedings and disciplinary action and through debate within the newspaper itself. The preservation of military discipline was the primary motivation for press regulation during this period, and the military continued to be viewed as an exception to the rule even as commitment to government intervention began to wane. Yet within the military itself, officers strenuously debated their right to speak out and claim their place within the public sphere. These disputes reflect wider divisions within the army and reveal the ambiguous position of Britain's military at a time when the relationship between state and civil society was being reconfigured.
Life and land engulfed in the late Early Jurassic Karoo lavas of southern Gondwana
Authors: Bordy Emese M. , Lockley Martin G. , Rampersadh Akhil , Mukaddam Riyaad , Head Howard V.
Published: December 2022

The rock record from the late Early Jurassic in southern Africa encompasses the history of voluminous continental flood basalt outpourings associated with the magmatic events in the Karoo–Ferrar Large Igneous Province (LIP) in southern and eastern Gondwana. This multiphase magmatism produced one of Earth’s largest continental flood basalt successions volumetrically and is assumed to have been a main driving mechanism in late Early Jurassic global environmental perturbations, including mass extinctions and changes in climate. In southern Africa, these Lower Jurassic flood basalts are interbedded with fossiliferous sedimentary rocks, which in turn host the last signs of ‘Karoo life’ in the form of fossil plants, invertebrates and vertebrates, including the trackways of hopping mammals and the ultimate Karoo dinosaurs. The sedimentology and palaeontology of the interbeds archived depositional and biotic processes in running water as well as in and around shallow, up to ∼10 m deep freshwater lakes and ponds in the late Early Jurassic. This study explains how a complex freshwater palaeo-habitat prevailed – albeit temporarily – in this extremely stressful environment, which was unlike any modern volcanic system. The evidence collectively points to seasonally wet, warm temperate climatic conditions during the early phases of Karoo volcanism. Moreover, the evidence in the rocks also suggests that the dynamic volcanic conditions resulted in shifting habitats that likely facilitated the migration of the ultimate Karoo biota towards the north and west, away from the main Karoo land of fire, just before Gondwana started to disassemble. This refinement of the environmental dynamics in southern Gondwana presented herein lays the groundwork for future high-resolution volcanological, geochronological and chemostratigraphical studies aimed at the nuanced understanding of the global environmental effect of the Karoo–Ferrar LIP.
Integrated surveillance of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Salmonella and Escherichia coli from humans and animal species raised for human consumption in Canada from 2012 to 2017
Authors: Primeau Courtney A. , Bharat Amrita , Janecko Nicol , Carson Carolee A. , Mulvey Michael , Reid-Smith Richard , McEwen Scott , McWhirter Jennifer E. , Parmley E. Jane
Published: December 2022

Resistance to beta-lactam antimicrobials caused by extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing organisms is a global health concern. The objectives of this study were to (1) summarise the prevalence of potential ESBL-producing Escherichia coli (ESBL-EC) and Salmonella spp. (ESBL-SA) isolates from agrifood and human sources in Canada from 2012 to 2017, and (2) describe the distribution of ESBL genotypes among these isolates. All data were obtained from the Canadian Integrated Program for Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance (CIPARS). CIPARS analysed samples for the presence of ESBLs through phenotypic classification and identified beta-lactamase genes (blaTEM, blaSHV, blaCTX, blaOXA, blaCMY−2) using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and whole genome sequencing (WGS). The prevalence of PCR-confirmed ESBL-EC in agrifood samples ranged from 0.5% to 3% across the surveillance years, and was detected most frequently in samples from broiler chicken farms. The overall prevalence of PCR-confirmed ESBL-SA varied between 1% and 4% between 2012 and 2017, and was most frequently detected in clinical isolates from domestic cattle. The TEM-CMY2 gene combination was the most frequently detected genotype for both ESBL-EC and ESBL-SA. The data suggest that the prevalence of ESBL-EC and ESBL-SA in Canada was low (i.e. <5%), but ongoing surveillance is needed to detect emerging or changing trends.
The Emergency Preparedness of Level-Four Primary Health Care Centers in the Gaza Strip, the Occupied Palestinian Territory: An Assessment of Primary Care Providers’ Competencies and Facilities Preparedness
Authors: Alrayyes Maisara A. , Alaila Basel H. , Aldalou Mohammed Rezeq R. , Omamalin Norie Grace D.
Published: December 2022

Introduction:

The Gaza Strip lives in a protracted emergency crisis and experienced several Israeli escalations. These escalations have overwhelmed the hospitals and highlighted the need to optimize Primary Health Care Centers (PHCCs) to form part of the emergency response system. This study, therefore, aimed to assess the emergency preparedness of the Ministry of Health (MoH)-run level-four PHCCs in the Gaza Strip (where Emergency Medical Services are provided along with preventive and curative services).

Methods:

The study was cross-sectional, used quantitative methods, and utilized two tools. The first tool was a self-administered structured questionnaire exploring Primary Care Providers’ ([PCPs]; doctors and nurses) experiences, perceived capabilities, and training needs. The second tool was an observational checklist used to assess the preparedness of the emergency rooms (ERs) at level-four PHCCs in the Gaza Strip.

Results:

Two hundred and thirty-eight PCPs (34.5% doctors and 65.5% nurses) working in 16 level-four PHCCs were included. Overall, 64.4% of the participants had experience working in PHCCs during Israeli escalations, though 35.3% of them were unaware of the contingency plan (CP) of PHCCs. More nurses were aware of CPs than doctors (66.9% versus 42.7%; P <.001). Moreover, 65.7%, 46.7%, and 42.5% of the participants were trained in Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), and Primary Trauma Care (PTC), respectively. However, many had received the training for more than two years, and none of the PHCCs had all its staff trained. Only 36.8% of the participants were trained in Post-Trauma/Post-Operative Care (wound care and dressing), and the percentage of trained nurses was significantly higher than those of doctors (36.8% versus 13.9%; P <.001). The majority of the participants admitted they need ACLS training (89.2%), PTC training (89%), BLS training (81.1%), and Post-Trauma/Post-Operative Care training (76.8%). Only 29.63% of emergency drugs and 37.5% of the equipment and disposables were available in the ERs of all PHCCs, and none of the PHCCs had all the essential emergency drugs, equipment, and disposables available.

Conclusion:

Level-four PHCCs in the Gaza Strip are not adequately prepared to respond to emergencies. Generally, PCPs lack appropriate competencies for emergency response, and many PHCCs lack the infrastructure to support Primary Emergency Care (PEC). Thus, PCPs need continuous education and training in disaster preparedness and response and PEC.
ACT-i, an insomnia intervention for autistic adults: a pilot study
Authors: Lawson Lauren P. , Richdale Amanda L. , Denney Kathleen , Morris Eric M.J.
Published: December 2022

Background:

Insomnia and disturbed sleep are more common in autistic adults compared with non-autistic adults, contributing to significant social, psychological and health burdens. However, sleep intervention research for autistic adults is lacking.

Aims:

The aim of the study was to implement an acceptance and commitment therapy group insomnia intervention (ACT-i) tailored for autistic adults to examine its impact on insomnia and co-occurring mental health symptoms.

Method:

Eight individuals (6 male, 2 female) aged between 18 and 70 years, with a clinical diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, and scores ranging from 9 to 26 on the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) participated in the trial. Participants were assigned to one of two intervention groups (4 per group) within a multiple baseline over time design for group. Participants completed questionnaires pre-intervention, post-intervention, and at 2-month follow-up, actigraphy 1 week prior to intervention and 1 week post-intervention, and a daily sleep diary from baseline to 1 week post-intervention, and 1 week at follow-up.

Results:

At a group level there were significant improvements in ISI (λ2=10.17,p=.006) and HADS-A (anxiety) (λ2=8.40,p=.015) scores across the three time points. Clinically reliable improvement occurred for ISI scores (n=5) and HADS-A scores (n=4) following intervention. Client satisfaction indicated that ACT-i was an acceptable intervention to the participants (median 4 out of 5).

Conclusions:

This pilot study with eight autistic adults indicates that ACT-i is both an efficacious and acceptable intervention for reducing self-reported insomnia and anxiety symptoms in autistic adults.
Spray water quality and herbicide performance: a review
Authors: Daramola Olumide S. , Johnson William G. , Jordan David L. , Chahal Gurinderbir S. , Devkota Pratap
Published: December 2022

Water is the primary carrier for herbicide applications. Spray water qualities such as pH, hardness, temperature, or turbidity can influence herbicide performance and may need to be amended for optimum weed control. Water quality factors can affect herbicide activity by reducing solubility, enhancing degradation in the spray tank, or forming herbicide-salt complexes with mineral cations, thereby reducing the absorption, translocation, and subsequent weed control. The available literature suggests that the effect of water quality varies with herbicide chemistry and weed species. The efficacy of weak-acid herbicides such as glyphosate, glufosinate, clethodim, sethoxydim, bentazon, and 2,4-D is improved with acidic water pH; however, the efficacy of sulfonylurea herbicides is negatively impacted. Hard-water antagonism is more prevalent with weak-acid herbicides, and trivalent cations are the most problematic. Spray solution temperature between 18 C and 44 C is optimum for some weak-acid herbicides; however, their efficacy can be reduced at relatively low (5 C) or high (56 C) water temperature. The effect of water turbidity is severe on cationic herbicides such as paraquat and diquat, and herbicides with low soil mobility such as glyphosate. Although adjuvants are recommended to overcome the negative effect of spray water hardness or pH, the response has been inconsistent with the herbicide chemistry and weed species. Moreover, information on the effect of spray water quality on various herbicide chemistries, weed species, and adjuvants is limited; therefore, it is difficult to develop guidelines for improving weed control efficacy. Further research is needed to determine the effect of spray water factors and develop specific recommendations for improving herbicide efficacy on problematic weed species.
Suicide Scripts in Italian Newspapers
Authors: Canetto Silvia Sara , Entilli Lorenza , Cerbo Ilaria , Cipolletta Sabrina
Published: December 2022

Abstract: Background: There is substantial variability, by culture, in suicide rates, and also in suicide beliefs and attitudes. Suicide beliefs and attitudes predict actual suicidality. They also are elements of cultural scripts of suicide. Most suicide-scripts research has been conducted in Anglophone countries. Aims: This study investigates women’s and men’s suicide scripts in Italy. Methods: Italy’s suicide scripts, including beliefs about what causes suicide, were explored via analyses of newspaper stories ( N = 923) of women’s and men’s suicides. Results: Italian newspapers mostly featured men’s suicide stories, consistent with Italian men’s higher suicide mortality. Women’s suicide was narrated as an unexpected act signaling personal (e.g., emotional and private-relationship) problems. By contrast, men’s suicide was framed as relatively understandable response to serious public-life/social adversities (e.g., an economic downturn), and as a death of legitimate despair. Limitations: Social media suicide stories were not included in this study. Conclusion: In Italy, as in several countries with higher male suicide mortality, female suicide is psychologized and considered irrational while male suicide is viewed as a symptom of serious public-life/social problems, and therefore as deserving respect and empathy. The preference for social explanations of male suicide, together with the empathic attitudes, may contribute to male suicide being relatively more permissible and less stigmatized, and therefore also to men’s higher suicide mortality.
What Does Global Land Climate Look Like at 2°C Warming?
Authors: Park Taejin , Hashimoto Hirofumi , Wang Weile , Thrasher Bridget , Michaelis Andrew R. , Lee Tsengdar , Brosnan Ian G. , Nemani Ramakrishna R.
Published: December 2022

Constraining an increase in global mean temperature below 2°C compared to pre‐industrial levels is critical to limiting dangerous and cascading impacts of anthropogenic climate change. Understanding future climatic changes and their spatial heterogeneity at 2°C warming is thus important for policy makers to prepare actionable adaptation and mitigation plans by identifying where and to what extent lives and livelihoods will be impacted. This study uses the recently released NASA Earth eXchange Global Daily Downscaled Projections (NEX‐GDDP) CMIP6 data to provide a broad overview of projected changes in six key climate variables and two climate impact indicators at a time when warming exceeds 2°C. Analysis of global mean temperature changes indicates the 2040s as the decade when most CMIP6 models reach 2°C warming with respect to a pre‐industrial period (1850–1900). During the 2040s, we find that global mean temperature, precipitation, relative humidity, downwelling shortwave and longwave radiation, and wind speed over land under the high emission scenario are projected to change by +2.8°C, +22.4 mm/year, −0.73%, −2.23 , +15.9 W/m2, and −0.04 m/s, respectively. Many of the future changes are expected to exacerbate climate impacts including heat stress and fire danger. Our analysis shows geographic patterns of policy‐relevant climatic changes, as parts of the globe will experience significant climate impacts even if the goal to keep warming below 2°C goal is achieved. Our results highlight the urgent need for further studies focused on identifying key hotspots and advancing region‐specific actionable adaptation and mitigation plans.
Reflectance of Jezero Crater Floor: 1. Data Processing and Calibration of the Infrared Spectrometer (IRS) on SuperCam
Authors: Royer C. , Fouchet T. , Mandon L. , Montmessin F. , Poulet F. , Forni O. , Johnson J. R. , Legett C. , Le Mouélic S. , Gasnault O. , Quantin‐Nataf C. , Beck P. , Dehouck E. , Clavé E. , Ollila A. M. , Pilorget C. , Bernardi P. , Reess J.‐M. , Pilleri P. , Brown A. , Newell R. T. , Cloutis E. , Maurice S. , Wiens R. C. ,   The SuperCam Team
Published: December 2022

The Perseverance rover, Mars 2020 mission, landed on the surface of the Jezero crater, on 18 February 2021. This Martian crater is suspected to have hosted a paleolake as evidenced by the numerous detections of aqueously altered phases and thus is a promising candidate for the search for past Martian life. The SuperCam instrument, a collaboration by a consortium of American and European laboratories, plays a leading role in this investigation, thanks to its highly versatile payload providing rapid, synergistic, fine‐scale mineralogy, chemistry, and color imaging. After its landing, the first measurements of Martian targets with the infrared spectrometer of SuperCam (IRS) showed new instrumental behaviors that had to be characterized and calibrated to derive unbiased science data. The IRS radiometric response has thus been calibrated using periodic observations of the Aluwhite SuperCam Calibration Target (SCCT). Parasitic effects were understood and mitigated, and the instrumental dark and noise are characterized and modeled. The reflectance calibrated data products, provided periodically on the NASA Planetary Data System, are corrected for the main instrumental features. This radiometric calibration allowed us to study the 2.5 μm absorption band, which has been discovered in the Séítah unit and is associated with phyllosilicates‐carbonates mixtures.
Addressing sex and gender to improve asthma management
Authors: Boulet Louis-Philippe , Lavoie Kim L. , Raherison-Semjen Chantal , Kaplan Alan , Singh Dave , Jenkins Christine R.
Published: December 2022

Sex (whether one is ‘male’ or ‘female’, based on biological characteristics) and gender (defined by socially constructed roles and behaviors) influence asthma diagnosis and management. For example, women generally report more severe asthma symptoms than men; men and women are exposed to different asthma-causing triggers; men tend to be more physically active than women. Furthermore, implicit, often unintended gender bias by healthcare professionals (HCPs) is widespread, and may result in delayed asthma diagnosis, which can be greater in women than men. The sex and gender of the HCP can also impact asthma management. Pregnancy, menstruation, and menopause can all affect asthma in several ways and may be associated with poor asthma control. This review provides guidance for considering sex- and gender-associated impacts on asthma diagnosis and management and offers possible approaches to support HCPs in providing personalized asthma care for all patients, regardless of their sex or gender.
Fast-growing Arctic Fe–Mn deposits from the Kara Sea as the refuges for cosmopolitan marine microorganisms
Authors: Shulga Natalia , Abramov Sergey , Klyukina Alexandra , Ryazantsev Konstantin , Gavrilov Sergey
Published: December 2022

The impact of biomineralization and redox processes on the formation and growth of ferromanganese deposits in the World Ocean remains understudied. This problem is particularly relevant for the Arctic marine environment where sharp seasonal variations of temperature, redox conditions, and organic matter inflow significantly impact the biogenic and abiotic pathways of ferromanganese deposits formation. The microbial communities of the fast-growing Arctic Fe–Mn deposits have not been reported so far. Here, we describe the microbial diversity, structure and chemical composition of nodules, crust and their underlying sediments collected from three different sites of the Kara Sea. Scanning electron microscopy revealed a high abundance of microfossils and biofilm-like structures within the nodules. Phylogenetic profiling together with redundancy and correlation analyses revealed a positive selection for putative metal-reducers (Thermodesulfobacteriota), iron oxidizers (HyphomicrobiaceaeandScalinduaceae), and Fe-scavengingNitrosopumilaceaeorMagnetospiraceaein the microenvironments of the Fe–Mn deposits from their surrounding benthic microbial populations. We hypothesize that in the Kara Sea, the nodules provide unique redox-stable microniches for cosmopolitan benthic marine metal-cycling microorganisms in an unsteady environment, thus focusing the overall geochemical activity of nodule-associated microbial communities and accelerating processes of ferromanganese deposits formation to uniquely high rates.
Examining how different social account timings influence stress resolution in the aftermath of a psychological contract breach
Authors: Achnak Safâa , Rigotti Thomas , Vantilborgh Tim
Published: December 2022

A great deal of empirical research on the consequences of a psychological contract breach (PCB) has overlooked the role of time in understanding individuals’ reactions to a PCB. Moreover, psychological contract research primarily focuses on how employees react to perceptions of a PCB, while questions regarding how the organization’s responsiveness (i.e., social account) might impact these reactions remain unanswered. We aimed to enhance the understanding of stress reactions and recovery that are triggered by PCB perceptions and stimulate empirical research that treats psychological contracts as a dynamic phenomenon. Drawing on the conservation of resources theory, we investigated how social account delivery timing—and its subjective experience—influences individuals’ stress resolution processes in the aftermath of a PCB. To this end, we used an experimental design and assessed participants’ physiological (i.e., heart rate) and psychological (i.e., self-report) stress reactions after inducing a breach. Our results underscore that a PCB is experienced as a stressful event. In addition, we find that social account timing influences heart rate recovery following a PCB. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of our findings and offer recommendations for practitioners.
Forecasting blood demand for different blood groups in Shiraz using auto regressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) and artificial neural network (ANN) and a hybrid approaches
Authors: Sarvestani Seddigheh Edalat , Hatam Nahid , Seif Mozhgan , Kasraian Leila , Lari Fazilat Sharifi , Bayati Mohsen
Published: December 2022

Providing fresh blood to keep people in need of blood alive, has always been a main issues of health systems. Right policy-making in this area requires accurate forecasting of blood demand. The current study aimed at predicting demand for different blood groups in Shiraz using Auto Regressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA), Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and a hybrid approaches. In the current time series analysis, monthly data of the Shiraz hospitals and medical centers demand for 8 blood groups during 2012–2019 were gathered from Shiraz branch of Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization. ARIMA, ANN and a hybrid model of them was used for prediction. To validate and comprise ARIMA and ANN models, Mean Square Error (MSE) and Mean Absolute Error (MAE) criteria were used. Finally, ARIMA, ANN and hybrid model estimates were compared to actual data for the last 12 months. R3.6.3 were used for statistical analysis. Based on the MSE and MAE of models, ARIMA had the best prediction for demand of all blood groups except O+ and O−. Moreover, for most blood groups, ARIMA had closer prediction to actual data. The demand for four blood groups (mostly negative groups) was increasing and the demand for other four blood groups (mostly positive ones) was decreasing. All three approaches including ARIMA, ANN and the hybrid of them predicted an almost downward trend for the total blood demand. Differences in the performance of various models could be due to the reasons such as different forecast horizons, daily/month/annual data, different sample sizes, types of demand variables and the transformation applied on them, and finally different blood demand behaviors in communities. Advances in surgical techniques, fetal screening, reduction of accidents leading to heavy bleeding, and the modified pattern of blood request for surgeries appeared to have been effective in reducing the demand trend in the current study. However, a longer time period would certainly provide more accurate estimates.