bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Acute vasoreactivity testing during right heart catheterization in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension: Results from the pulmonary vascular disease phenomics study
Authors: Frantz Robert P. , Leopold Jane A. , Hassoun Paul M. , Hemnes Anna R. , Horn Evelyn M. , Mathai Stephen C. , Rischard Franz P. , Larive A. Brett , Tang W.h. Wilson , Park Margaret M. , Hill Nicholas S. , Rosenzweig Erika B.
Published: December 2022

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is believed to involve both vascular obstruction and vasoconstriction; hence, pulmonary vasodilators such as riociguat may be beneficial. Acute vasoreactivity testing (AVT) is seldom performed routinely in CTEPH patients, so there is limited understanding of the frequency and significance of an acute vasodilator response. Systematic vasodilator testing with oxygen (O2) and oxygen plus inhaled nitric oxide (O2 + iNO) was performed as part of the Pulmonary Vascular Disease Omics (PVDOMICS) NHLBI project, providing an opportunity to examine AVT responses in CTEPH. Patients with CTEPH enrolled in PVDOMICS (n = 49, 40 with prevalent CTEPH [82%]) underwent right heart catheterization including AVT with O2 and O2 + iNO. Hemodynamics were obtained at baseline and with each challenge. Fourteen of 49 patients (29%) had >20% drop in pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) with O2. With O2 + iNO, 30/49 (61%) had >20% drop in PVR, 20% had >20% drop in mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) and PVR, and 8% had >10 mmHg decline in mPAP to mPAP < 40 with normal cardiac output. Patients on riociguat had less response to O2 + iNO than patients on phosphodiesterase‐5 inhibitors. Our findings shed light on the significant variability in vascular tone that is present in CTEPH, confirming that CTEPH represents a combination of mechanical obstruction and vasoconstriction that appears similar to that observed with Group 1 PAH. Additional study regarding whether results of acute vasodilator testing predict response to therapy and relate to prognosis is warranted.
Endoscopic surgery robot that facilitates insertion of the curved colon and ensures positional stability against external forces: K‐COLON
Authors: Kim Hansoul , You Jae Min , Kyung Ki‐Uk , Kwon Dong‐Soo
Published: December 2022

Background

Although various endoscopic surgery robots developed in previous studies are versatile and have high lesion accessibility, they have limitations in terms of reaching the target lesion through the curved path in the large intestine and providing a stable tasking environment for the operator.

Methods

An endoscopic surgery robot was developed for performing surgery in the large intestine. The robot was easily inserted into the target lesion in the curved colon through the mounted soft actuator and demonstrated high structural stiffness through the insertion of the sigmoidal auxiliary tendons.

Results

The robot was able to access the target lesion in the curved colon through teleoperation alone. Further, it was confirmed that the high structural stiffness overtube improved the overall task performance in the user test.

Conclusions

The proposed robotic system demonstrated the possibility and potential of performing advanced endoscopic surgery in the large intestine.
Exponential input‐to‐state stabilization of semilinear systems via intermittent control
Authors: Guo Ying , Wang Shuang , Duan Zhaohui , Wang Pengfei
Published: December 2022

This paper is concerned with the exponential input‐to‐state stabilization of semilinear systems via aperiodically intermittent control and aperiodically intermittent sampled‐data control, respectively. The aperiodically intermittent control is characterized from the average sense. By designing an auxiliary timer to make a compromise between control activation intervals and control rest intervals and employing the piecewise Lyapunov function method, novel sufficient criteria are obtained to guarantee the exponential input‐to‐state stability of considered systems. As for the aperiodically intermittent sampled‐data control, the sampling instants can also be aperiodic. Especially, if the sampling instants are periodic, we employ a mixed piecewise Lyapunov functional method to obtain a relatively less conservative condition to guarantee the exponential input‐to‐state stability. Finally, a numerical example is presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the theoretical results.
Flexible Nanoarchitectonics for Biosensing and Physiological Monitoring Applications
Authors: Ashok Aditya , Nguyen Tuan‐Khoa , Barton Matthew , Leitch Michael , Masud Mostafa Kamal , Park Hyeongyu , Truong Thanh‐An , Kaneti Yusuf Valentino , Ta Hang Thu , Li Xiaopeng , Liang Kang , Do Thanh Nho , Wang Chun‐Hui , Nguyen Nam‐Trung , Yamauchi Yusuke , Phan Hoang‐Phuong
Published: December 2022

Flexible and implantable electronics hold tremendous promises for advanced healthcare applications, especially for physiological neural recording and modulations. Key requirements in neural interfaces include miniature dimensions for spatial physiological mapping and low impedance for recognizing small biopotential signals. Herein, a bottom‐up mesoporous formation technique and a top‐down microlithography process are integrated to create flexible and low‐impedance mesoporous gold (Au) electrodes for biosensing and bioimplant applications. The mesoporous architectures developed on a thin and soft polymeric substrate provide excellent mechanical flexibility and stable electrical characteristics capable of sustaining multiple bending cycles. The large surface areas formed within the mesoporous network allow for high current density transfer in standard electrolytes, highly suitable for biological sensing applications as demonstrated in glucose sensors with an excellent detection limit of 1.95 µm and high sensitivity of 6.1 mA cm−2 µM−1, which is approximately six times higher than that of benchmarking flat/non‐porous films. The low impedance of less than 1 kΩ at 1 kHz in the as‐synthesized mesoporous electrodes, along with their mechanical flexibility and durability, offer peripheral nerve recording functionalities that are successfully demonstrated in vivo. These features highlight the new possibilities of our novel flexible nanoarchitectonics for neuronal recording and modulation applications.
Novel Nanoencapsulation Technology and its Potential Role in Bile Acid‐Based Targeted Gene Delivery to the Inner Ear
Authors: Foster Thomas , Lewkowicz Michael , Quintas Christina , Ionescu Corina Mihaela , Jones Melissa , Wagle Susbin Raj , Kovacevic Bozica , Wong Elaine Y. M. , Mooranian Armin , Al‐Salami Hani
Published: December 2022

Hearing loss impacts a large proportion of the global population. Damage to the inner ear, in particular the sensitive hair cells, can impact individuals for the rest of their lives. There are very limited options for interventions after damage to these cells has occurred. Targeted gene delivery may provide an effective means to trigger appropriate differentiation of progenitor cells for effective replacement of these sensitive hair cells. There are several hurdles that need to be overcome to effectively deliver these genes. Nanoencapsulation technology has previously been used for the delivery of pharmaceuticals, proteins and nucleic acids, and may provide an effective means of delivering genes to trigger appropriate differentiation. This review investigates the background of hearing loss, current advancements and pitfalls of gene delivery, and how nanoencapsulation may be useful.
Subpoenas and the new registrar, Part 1
Authors: Rainsberger Richard
Published: December 2022

34 CFR §99.31 (a) (9)

An educational … institution may disclose personally identifiable information from the education records of a student without the written consent of…(that) student if the disclosure is…

(9) To comply with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena; Provided that the educational … institution makes a reasonable effort to notify the … student of the order or subpoena in advance of compliance therewith…

(from the originally approved FERPA regulations, published in Part II of the Federal Register, Thursday, June 17, 1976 (Vol. 41, No, 118)
Use of PCR to determine Toxoplasma gondii in milk samples from camels (Camelus dromedarius), cattle (Bos taurus) and buffalos (Bubalus bubalis) in East Azarbaijan province, Iran
Authors: Asiyabi Aghdam Somayyeh , Hajipour Nasser , Moosavy Mir‐Hassan
Published: December 2022

Background

Toxoplasmosis as a zoonotic condition is developed by an intracellular protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii from the Apicomplexa phylum, which imposes economic losses on herds of animals and severe complications in immunocompromised people and pregnant women. This infectious disease can be transmitted to human beings from the contaminated unpasteurized milk, uncooked meat, water and food contaminated with sporulated oocysts and transplacental transmission.

Objectives

This study amid to determine T. gondii DNA in camel, buffalo and cow milks in using the PCR method based on the B1 gene.

Methods

A total of 100 milk samples, including 55 cows, 30 buffalos and 15 camels, were collected from different regions of north‐western using direct milking and then transferred to the Food and Aquatic Health Laboratory under refrigerated conditions.

Results

The results showed that out of 100 milk samples examined, 5 samples (5%) were contaminated, and T. gondii DNA was detected in the milk samples of 2 (3.63%) cows, 1 (3.33%) buffalos and 2 (13.33%) camels, respectively.

Conclusions

Our findings reveal that raw milk contaminated with T. gondii can be an important route of transmission of infection for human beings.
Baby universes in 2d and 4d theories of quantum gravity
Authors: Hamada Yuta , Kawai Hikaru , Kawana Kiyoharu
Published: December 2022

Abstract

The validity of the Coleman mechanism, which automatically tunes the fundamental constants, is examined in two-dimensional and four-dimensional quantum gravity theories. First, we consider two-dimensional Euclidean quantum gravity on orientable closed manifolds coupled to conformal matter of central charge c ≤ 1. The proper time Hamiltonian of this system is known to be written as a field theory of noncritical strings, which can also be viewed as a third quantization in two dimensions. By directly counting the number of random surfaces with various topologies, we find that the contribution of the baby universes is too small to realize the Coleman mechanism. Next, we consider four-dimensional Lorentzian gravity. Based on the difference between the creation of the mother universe from nothing and the annihilation of the mother universe into nothing, we introduce a non-Hermitian effective Hamiltonian for the multiverse. We show that Coleman’s idea is satisfied in this model and that the cosmological constant is tuned to be nearly zero. Potential implications for phenomenology are also discussed.
Are there foetal extracellular vesicles in maternal blood? Prospects for diagnostic biomarker discovery
Authors: Adamova Petra , Lotto Robyn R. , Powell Andrew K. , Dykes Iain M.
Published: December 2022

Prenatal diagnosis of congenital disease improves clinical outcomes; however, as many as 50% of congenital heart disease cases are missed by current ultrasound screening methods. This indicates a need for improved screening technology. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have attracted enormous interest in recent years for their potential in diagnostics. EVs mediate endocrine signalling in health and disease and are known to regulate aspects of embryonic development. Here, we critically evaluate recent evidence suggesting that EVs released from the foetus are able to cross the placenta and enter the maternal circulation. Furthermore, EVs from the mother appear to be transported in the reverse direction, whilst the placenta itself acts as a source of EVs. Experimental work utilising rodent models employing either transgenically encoded reporters or application of fluorescent tracking dyes provide convincing evidence of foetal-maternal crosstalk. This is supported by clinical data demonstrating expression of placental-origin EVs in maternal blood, as well as limited evidence for the presence of foetal-origin EVs. Together, this work raises the possibility that foetal EVs present in maternal blood could be used for the diagnosis of congenital disease. We discuss the challenges faced by researchers in translating these basic science findings into a clinical non-invasive prenatal test.
LC-Orbitrap-HRMS method for analysis of traces of triacylglycerols featuring furan fatty acids
Authors: Wiedmaier-Czerny Nina , Vetter Walter
Published: December 2022

Furan fatty acids (FuFAs) are valuable antioxidants that are highly relevant for the protection of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in biological systems and food. Despite their low contributions to the total fatty acids, their widespread occurrence has been documented in food and biological samples. Like other fatty acids, FuFAs are also stored esterified, e.g., in triacylglycerols. However, FuFA-containing triacylglycerols had not been detected in lipidomics analyses. Here, we present a screening method that allows for the identification of traces of FuFA-containing triacylglycerols (TAGs) utilizing LC-Orbitrap-HRMS. Initially developed with the help of purposefully synthesized FuFA-containing TAGs, the screening method was successfully applied to the analysis of two fish oil samples and one mushroom extract sample. Several FuFA-containing TAGs could be identified by direct analysis using the method and database developed in this study.

Graphical Abstract
Ising Model on Random Triangulations of the Disk: Phase Transition
Authors: Chen Linxiao , Turunen Joonas
Published: December 2022

In Chen and Turunen (Commun Math Phys 374(3):1577–1643, 2020), we have studied the Boltzmann random triangulation of the disk coupled to an Ising model on its faces with Dobrushin boundary condition at its critical temperature. In this paper, we investigate the phase transition of this model by extending our previous results to arbitrary temperature: We compute the partition function of the model at all temperatures, and derive several critical exponents associated with the infinite perimeter limit. We show that the model has a local limit at any temperature, whose properties depend drastically on the temperature. At high temperatures, the local limit is reminiscent of the uniform infinite half-planar triangulation decorated with a subcritical percolation. At low temperatures, the local limit develops a bottleneck of finite width due to the energy cost of the main Ising interface between the two spin clusters imposed by the Dobrushin boundary condition. This change can be summarized by a novel order parameter with a nice geometric meaning. In addition to the phase transition, we also generalize our construction of the local limit from the two-step asymptotic regime used in Chen and Turunen (2020) to a more natural diagonal asymptotic regime. We obtain in this regime a scaling limit related to the length of the main Ising interface, which coincides with predictions from the continuum theory of quantum surfaces (a.k.a. Liouville quantum gravity).
Doing Vulnerability
Authors: Gallistl Vera , Bohrn Karoline , Rohner Rebekka , Kolland Franz
Published: December 2022

Hintergrund

Ein häufig wiederholtes Forschungsergebnis zu COVID-19 ist, dass ältere Menschen besonders vulnerabel gegenüber einem schweren Infektionsverlauf sind. Einerseits wurde, basierend darauf, für Altersdifferenzierungen in den COVID-19-Schutzmaßnahmen argumentiert, andererseits kritisierten Gerontolog*innen altersbasierte Risikogruppendefinitionen und einen ihnen zugrunde liegenden Ageismus.

Ziel der Arbeit

Dieser Beitrag fragt danach, wie sich die Verwirklichung eines vulnerablen Alter(n)s im Alltag älterer Menschen während der COVID-19 Pandemie praktisch vollzogen hat.

Material und Methoden

Der Beitrag bezieht sich auf Daten von 6 themenzentrierten Interviews mit Personen zwischen 65 und 87 Jahren. Die Daten wurden mithilfe einer Feinstruktur- und Themenanalyse ausgewertet.

Ergebnisse

Die Ergebnisse verdeutlichen, dass Doing Age während der COVID-19-Pandemie durch ein Not Doing, ein Verschwinden von routinisierten Alltagspraktiken, gekennzeichnet war. Durch dieses Not Doing Age aktualisiert sich für die Befragten ein vulnerables Älterwerden, durch das sie körperliche und zeitliche Vulnerabilität intensiver erleben.

Diskussion

Die praktische Verwirklichung des Alter(n)s während der COVID-19-Pandemie hat sich vor dem Hintergrund gesellschaftlicher Verhältnisse vollzogen; diese haben die Aktivität als einen Indikator für gutes und lebenswertes Altern festgelegt. Gleichzeitig wurden nur wenige Möglichkeiten geschaffen, Aktivität unter den Bedingungen der COVID-19-Pandemie aufrechtzuerhalten.
Functional excitatory to inhibitory synaptic imbalance and loss of cognitive performance in people with Alzheimer’s disease neuropathologic change
Authors: Scaduto Pietro , Lauterborn Julie C. , Cox Conor D. , Fracassi Anna , Zeppillo Tommaso , Gutierrez Berenice A. , Keene C. Dirk , Crane Paul K. , Mukherjee Shubhabrata , Russell William K. , Taglialatela Giulio , Limon Agenor
Published: December 2022

Individuals at distinct stages of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) show abnormal electroencephalographic activity, which has been linked to network hyperexcitability and cognitive decline. However, whether pro-excitatory changes at the synaptic level are observed in brain areas affected early in AD, and if they are emergent in MCI, is not clearly known. Equally important, it is not known whether global synaptic E/I imbalances correlate with the severity of cognitive impairment in the continuum of AD. Measuring the amplitude of ion currents of human excitatory and inhibitory synaptic receptors microtransplanted from the hippocampus and temporal cortex of cognitively normal, mildly cognitively impaired and AD individuals into surrogate cells, we found regional differences in pro-excitatory shifts of the excitatory to inhibitory (E/I) current ratio that correlates positively with toxic proteins and degree of pathology, and impinges negatively on cognitive performance scores. Using these data with electrophysiologically anchored analysis of the synapto-proteome in the same individuals, we identified a group of proteins sustaining synaptic function and those related to synaptic toxicity. We also found an uncoupling between the function and expression of proteins for GABAergic signaling in the temporal cortex underlying larger E/I and worse cognitive performance. Further analysis of transcriptomic and in situ hybridization datasets from an independent cohort across the continuum of AD confirm regional differences in pro-excitatory shifts of the E/I balance that correlate negatively with the most recent calibrated composite scores for memory, executive function, language and visuospatial abilities, as well as overall cognitive performance. These findings indicate that early shifts of E/I balance may contribute to loss of cognitive capabilities in the continuum of AD clinical syndrome.
Regional divergence and time trends in the prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus: a national Danish cohort study
Authors: Scheuer Cathrine M. , Andersen Maria H. , Mathiesen Elisabeth R. , Ringholm Lene , Müller Clara L. , Truong Jun-Mei , Lie-Olesen Michelle M. , Overgaard Martin , McIntyre H. David , Jensen Dorte M. , Damm Peter , Clausen Tine D.
Published: December 2022

Aims

To evaluate the prevalence and time trends of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) across the five regions of Denmark with uniform national guidelines for screening and diagnosing GDM.

Methods

This register-based national cohort study included 287,684 births from 2013 to 2017. Trends in GDM prevalence over time and differences between the five regions were evaluated. Crude and adjusted odd ratios (ORs) for GDM were calculated including potential confounding clinical risk factors as age, BMI, educational level, marital status, parity, country of origin and assisted reproduction.

Results

From 2013 to 2017, GDM prevalence in Denmark increased by 7% per year (OR 1.07, 95% CI 1.06–1.09, P < 0.001). GDM prevalence varied considerably between regions and ranged from 3.0 to 5.9% in 2017, corresponding to a maximal regional difference of 97%. In crude analyses, the risk of GDM in 2017 was significantly different in four of five regions compared to the remaining regions (OR ranging from 0.60 to 1.55), and these differences persisted after adjusting for confounding clinical risk factors (adjusted OR: 0.59–1.45).

Conclusion

The prevalence of GDM increased over time in all Danish regions with substantial regional divergence. Up to a 97%, difference in GDM prevalence was observed between Danish regions, which was not explained by available clinical risk factors. This occurred despite national guidelines and raises the question of whether regional variations in screening efficacy, diagnostic procedures or inequality in clinical health care access may explain the observed differences.
Analysis of Rain Drop Size Distribution to Elucidate the Precipitation Process using a Cloud Microphysics Conceptual Model and In Situ Measurement
Authors: Cha Joo Wan , Koo Hae Jung , Kim Bu-Yo , Miloslav Belorid , Hwang Hyun Jun , Kim Min Hoo , Chang Ki-Ho , Lee Yong Hee
Published: December 2022

Raindrop size distribution (DSD) is an important parameter in rainfall research and can be used for quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE) in meteorology and hydrology. DSD also improves the understanding of the uncertainty of cloud microphysical processes (CMPs) such as ice-based and warm rain growth during climate change. Changes in CMPs impact the generation of precipitation. However, the estimation of CMPs based on in situ observation is difficult because of the complexity of microphysics processes, and most previous studies on the CMP involved approximations to predict the types of microphysical processes affecting precipitation generation based on in situ observations performed in real-time. Therefore, we developed a simple method for understanding the CMPs of precipitation generation using a conceptual model of CMPs and in situ observation DSD data. We employed previously observed DSD parameters and a CMP conceptual model of the DSD observation-based microphysical process. As case studies, we applied DSD observation data obtained in Korea and East Asia to estimate the CMPs. For example, the major CMP of megacities was vapor deposition in Beijing (< 1 mm h−1) and Seoul (< 5 mm h−1), as the strong updraft of the urban heat island effect in megacities results in increased liquid water content, leading to the formation of large number of supersaturated clouds at higher altitudes.
A semi-automated approach for requirement-based early validation of flight control platforms
Authors: Chrysalidis Philipp , Hoeber Hauke , Thielecke Frank
Published: December 2022

With the current trends in aviation like Single-Pilot-Cockpits and more autonomous functions in aircraft, flight control avionics are bound to become more complex. Future platforms will need to compensate for one or even both pilots, which will require systems that are more reliable. However, state-of-the-art development of flight control avionics does not yet support these demands efficiently. The development process involves numerous stakeholders who are communicating without streamlined interfaces. This leads to a slow and error-prone process during development. New methods are required to improve efficiency and to pave the way for future technologies. In this work, the authors introduce a semi-automatic toolchain which derives usable code for the configuration of devices from natural language requirements. The requirements are noted through modular components, stored as a model-based configuration file and are transformed into executables in the last step. This novel approach allows engineers to input their expertise when defining requirements, while removing tedious transformation tasks. Through automatic configuration testing, the validity of the approach is confirmed.
Study on the relationship between vitamin D level and macrophage typing in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Zhang Lijie , Wang Zongwei , Wang Xiaobo , Zhang Ning , Ke Jing , Yang Longyan
Published: December 2022

Objective

Population studies have shown that vitamin D (VitD) deficiency is associated with an increased incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), VitD deficiency is a potential risk factor for T2DM, and the proportion of M1-type macrophages and M2-type macrophages in T2DM patients is imbalanced. Another study reported that VitD can affect the differentiation of macrophages into M1 and M2 types. However, there is no definitive result about the correlation between plasma VitD levels and macrophage typing in patients with T2DM. Whether VitD affects the progression of T2DM by regulating the polarization type of macrophages and the specific regulatory mechanism is not very clear. Therefore, we carried out the following research.

Methods

We first used flow cytometry to detect the proportions of M1 and M2 macrophages in peripheral blood of T2DM patients with different VitD levels. Furthermore, we used ELISA to detect the inflammatory factors affecting macrophage differentiation in patients’ plasma, including IL-6 secreted by M1-type macrophages and TGF-β secreted by M2-type macrophages. Mononuclear cells were separated from human peripheral blood with immunomagnetic beads, cultured in vitro, and treated with different concentrations of VitD, and the ratio of differentiation into M1 and M2 macrophages was detected by flow cytometry.

Results

With the increase of serum 25(OH)D levels in patients with T2DM, the proportion of M1 and M2 macrophages in peripheral blood decreased, that is, the polarized phenotype of macrophages was more inclined to M2 type, while plasma IL-6 gradually decreased, and TGF-β gradually increased. In addition, VitD can promote the differentiation of CD14-positive monocytes cultured in vitro into M2 macrophages.

Conclusions

When the level of VitD in T2DM patients is low, there are more M1-type macrophages in peripheral blood, and when the level of VitD is increased, M2-type macrophages are increased. Changes in related inflammatory factors were also consistent. In vitro culture of monocytes further confirmed that VitD can promote the differentiation of macrophages to M2 type in T2DM patients.
Somatosensory ECoG-based brain–machine interface with electrical stimulation on medial forebrain bundle
Authors: Cho Yoon Kyung , Koh Chin Su , Lee Youjin , Park Minkyung , Kim Tae Jun , Jung Hyun Ho , Chang Jin Woo , Jun Sang Beom
Published: December 2022

Brain–machine interface (BMI) provides an alternative route for controlling an external device with one’s intention. For individuals with motor-related disability, the BMI technologies can be used to replace or restore motor functions. Therefore, BMIs for movement restoration generally decode the neural activity from the motor-related brain regions. In this study, however, we designed a BMI system that uses sensory-related neural signals for BMI combined with electrical stimulation for reward. Four-channel electrocorticographic (ECoG) signals were recorded from the whisker-related somatosensory cortex of rats and converted to extract the BMI signals to control the one-dimensional movement of a dot on the screen. At the same time, we used operant conditioning with electrical stimulation on medial forebrain bundle (MFB), which provides a virtual reward to motivate the rat to move the dot towards the desired center region. The BMI task training was performed for 7 days with ECoG recording and MFB stimulation. Animals successfully learned to move the dot location to the desired position using S1BF neural activity. This study successfully demonstrated that it is feasible to utilize the neural signals from the whisker somatosensory cortex for BMI system. In addition, the MFB electrical stimulation is effective for rats to learn the behavioral task for BMI.
Nitrification kinetics, N2O emission, and energy use in intermittently aerated hybrid reactor under different organic loading rates
Authors: Zajac O. , Zubrowska-Sudol M.
Published: December 2022

This study investigated the impact of intermittent aeration strategies and reduction in the reactor’s organic and nitrogen loading rates on the course of particular stages of the nitrification process, as well as energy consumption and N2O emissions in a hybrid reactor with nitrification/denitrification. Each of the analysed series revealed the greatest ammonia oxidation activity in activated sludge flocs. The highest activity of nitrite nitrogen oxidation was demonstrated in the case of biofilm. A reduction in the reactor’s organic and nitrogen loading rate value had a greater effect on changes in the activity of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria than nitrite-oxidizing bacteria. In a system where the operation of air pumps was controlled through switching them and off according to the adopted ratio between non-aerated and aerated sub-phase times and the assumed oxygen concentration, a reduction in the duration of aerated sub-phases caused no decrease in energy use for aeration. Lower N2O emission was recorded when the reactor operated with a longer duration of aerated sub-phases.
Vortex-induced vibration effect of extreme sea states over the structural dynamics of a scaled monopile offshore wind turbine
Authors: Rueda-Bayona Juan Gabriel , Guzmán Andrés , Eras Juan José Cabello
Published: December 2022

In order to demonstrate the relevance of considering Vortex-Induced Vibrations (VIV) in the structural design of marine structures, this study proposes an alternative experimental and analytical approach in wet conditions to measure the fluid–structure interaction in the near field and quantify the viscous damping with measured structural and 3D hydrodynamic accelerations. It was demonstrated that VIV caused and incremented 5.00% of the structural damping coefficient, and the extreme wind loading increased 74% of the offshore monopile’s structural damping, demonstrating the relevance of the high non-linear hydrodynamics effects during selecting parameters into the structural design in offshore applications.
Measure
Authors: Moskovitz Marc D.
Published: December 2022

Follows the fascinating story of musical timekeeping, beginning in an age before the existence of external measuring devices and continuing to the present-day use of the Smartphone app.
Effects of wearing textured versus smooth shoe insoles for 12 weeks on gait, foot sensation and patient-reported outcomes, in people with multiple sclerosis: a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Hatton Anna L. , Williams Katrina , Chatfield Mark D. , Hurn Sheree , Maharaj Jayishni N. , Gane Elise M. , Cattagni Thomas , Dixon John , Rome Keith , Kerr Graham , Brauer Sandra G.
Published: December 2022

Background:

Innovative shoe insoles, designed to enhance sensory information on the plantar surface of the feet, could help to improve walking in people with Multiple Sclerosis.

Objective:

To compare the effects of wearing textured versus smooth insoles, on measures of gait, foot sensation and patient-reported outcomes, in people with Multiple Sclerosis.

Methods:

A prospective, randomised controlled trial was conducted with concealed allocation, assessor blinding and intention-to-treat analysis. Thirty ambulant men and women with multiple sclerosis (MS) (Disease Steps rating 1–4) were randomly allocated to wear textured or smooth insoles for 12 weeks. Self-reported insole wear and falls diaries were completed over the intervention period. Laboratory assessments of spatiotemporal gait patterns, foot sensation and proprioception, and patient-reported outcomes, were performed at Weeks 0 (Baseline 1), 4 (Baseline 2) and 16 (Post-Intervention). The primary outcome was the size of the mediolateral base of support (stride/step width) when walking over even and uneven surfaces. Independent t-tests were performed on change from baseline (average of baseline measures) to post-intervention.

Results:

There were no differences in stride width between groups, when walking over the even or uneven surfaces (P ≥ 0.20) at post-intervention. There were no between-group differences for any secondary outcomes including gait (all P values > 0.23), foot sensory function (all P values ≥ 0.08) and patient-reported outcomes (all P values ≥ 0.23).

Conclusions:

In our small trial, prolonged wear of textured insoles did not appear to alter walking or foot sensation in people with MS who have limited foot sensory loss. Further investigation is needed to explore optimal insole design.

Clinical Trial Registration:

Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12615000421538).
Estimating the Number of Hospital or Emergency Department Presentations for Stroke in Canada
Authors: Holodinsky Jessalyn K. , Lindsay Patrice , Yu Amy Y. X. , Ganesh Aravind , Joundi Raed A. , Hill Michael D.
Published: December 2022

Background:

Although age-standardized stroke occurrence has been decreasing, the absolute number of stroke events globally, and in Canada, is increasing. Stroke surveillance is necessary for health services planning, informing research design, and public health messaging. We used administrative data to estimate the number of stroke events resulting in hospital or emergency department presentation across Canada in the 2017–18 fiscal year.

Methods:

Hospitalization data were obtained from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) Discharge Abstract Database and the Ministry of Health and Social Services in Quebec. Emergency department data were obtained from the CIHI National Ambulatory Care Reporting System (Alberta and Ontario). Stroke events were identified using ICD-10 coding. Data were linked into episodes of care to account for readmissions and interfacility transfers. Projections for emergency department visits for provinces/territories outside of Alberta and Ontario were generated based upon age and sex-standardized estimates from Alberta and Ontario.

Results:

In the 2017–18 fiscal year, there were 108,707 stroke events resulting in hospital or emergency department presentation across the country. This was made up of 54,357 events resulting in hospital admission and 54,350 events resulting in only emergency department presentation. The events resulting in only emergency department presentation consisted of 25,941 events observed in Alberta and Ontario and a projection of 28,409 events across the rest of the country.

Conclusions:

We estimate a stroke event resulting in hospital or emergency department presentation occurs every 5 minutes in Canada.
Evaluating the Prevalence and Correlates of Major Depressive Disorder Among Residents of Fort McMurray, Canada, One Year After a Devastating Flood
Authors: Oluwasina Folajinmi , Eboreime Ejemai , Shalaby Reham , Nkire Nnamdi , Agyapong Belinda , Pazderka Hannah , Obuobi-Donkor Gloria , Adu Medard , Mao Wanying , Owusu Ernest , Agyapong Vincent I. O.
Published: December 2022

Objective:

This study assessed the prevalence and correlates of depression following the April 2020 flooding in Fort McMurray.

Methodology:

A cross-sectional study design. Questionnaires were self-administered through an anonymous, online survey. Data collected included sociodemographics, flooding-related variables, clinical information, and likely major depressive disorder (MDD) using PHQ-9 scoring. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the chi-square test, and logistic regression at P = < 0.05.

Results:

Of the 186 respondents who completed the survey, 85.5% (159) of the respondents were females, 14.5% (27) were males, 52.7% (98) were above 40 years of age, and 94% (175) were employed. The prevalence of mild to severe depression among the respondents was 53.7% (75). Respondents who reported that they are unemployed are 12 times more likely to have a moderate to severe depression (OR = 12.16; 95% CI: 1.08–136.26). Respondents who had previously received a mental health diagnosis of MDD are five times more likely to have moderate to severe depression (OR = 5.306; 95% CI: 1.84–15.27).

Conclusion:

This study suggests that flooding could impact the psychosocial and mental health of affected people. There is a need to reassess the existing guidelines on emergency planning for flooding to reduce its impacts on mental health and identify where research can support future evidence-based guidelines.
First Evidence of Trade in Galilean Salted Fish on the Carmel Coast in the Early Islamic Period
Authors: Harding Sierra , Lernau Omri , Wouters Wim , Marom Nimrod , Cvikel Deborah
Published: December 2022

The production and maritime trade of salted-fish products are well documented in the western Mediterranean during the Classical and Roman periods. Ichthyological remains found within amphorae in shipwrecks and other archaeological contexts provide evidence for long-distance exchange based on the biogeographical distributions of fish species. The Ma‘agan Mikhael B shipwreck (mid-seventh to mid-eighth centuryad) found on the Carmel coast of Israel held three Late Roman amphorae which contained the remains of small fish. The identified species suggest a previously unknown fish-salting operation at the Sea of Galilee during the early Islamic period. The evidence also points to a distribution or trade centre for salted fish at Caesarea-Maritima after the transition to Islamic rule in the eastern Mediterranean. The results of this study demonstrate the value of archaeozoological methods applied to maritime archaeological contexts, attesting to production and trade activities that left few traces in the archaeological record of antiquity.
Week-ahead solar irradiance forecasting with deep sequence learning
Authors: Sinha Saumya , Hodge Bri-Mathias , Monteleoni Claire
Published: December 2022

In order to enable widespread integration of solar energy into the power system, there is an increasing need to reduce the uncertainty associated with solar power output which requires major improvements in solar irradiance forecasting. While most recent works have addressed short-term (minutes or hours ahead) forecasting, through this work, we propose using deep sequence learning models for forecasting at longer lead times such as a week in advance, as this can play a significant role in future power system storage applications. Along with point forecasts, we also produce uncertainty estimates through probabilistic prediction and showcase the potential of our machine learning frameworks for a new and important application of longer lead time forecasting in this domain. Our study on the SURFRAD data over seven US cities compares various deep sequence models and the results are encouraging, demonstrating their superior performance against most benchmarks from the literature and a current machine learning-based probabilistic prediction baseline (previously applied to short-term solar forecasting).
The Escaramayu Complex: A Prehispanic Metallurgical Establishment in the South Andean Altiplano (Escara, Potosi, Bolivia), Ninth to Fifteenth Centuries AD
Authors: Cruz Pablo , Lechtman Heather N. , Rivera-Casanovas Claudia
Published: December 2022

Archaeological research carried out in the altiplano locale of Escaramayu (in the community of Escara, Potosí, Bolivia), revealed a prehispanic metallurgical establishment (ninth to fifteenth centuries AD) for the extractive processing of copper ores and, to a lesser extent, lead-silver ore exploited at the nearby Pulacayo mine. The number and variety of metallurgical equipment identified in this establishment for smelting metallic ore and for refining the metal indicate a deep level of technological experience and experimentation among the resident Escaramayu metalworkers during the Middle Horizon (MH) and Late Intermediate periods (LIP). In Escaramayu we find the first known antecedents of Andean wind furnaces (wayras) and a model of a prehispanic reverberatory furnace that was widely used in the southern Andean altiplano during the colonial period.
The Race for Rehabilitation: Sign-Mime, the National Theatre of the Deaf, and Cold War Internationalism
Authors: McKelvey Patrick
Published: December 2022

In 1967, the US Vocational Rehabilitation Administration (VRA) awarded $331,000 to the Eugene O'Neill Memorial Theatre Foundation to fund a new company, the National Theatre of the Deaf. Endowing such an enterprise was bold, but not entirely unprecedented for this federal agency tasked with restoring disabled Americans to productive employment. Founded in 1920, the federal–state vocational rehabilitation program, or VR, ascended to institutional and ideological prominence during World War II and maintained this position well into the 1960s and beyond. VR distinguished itself not only through positing competitive employment as the solution to disabled Americans’ dependence on the state, but the specific means through which it would restore the disabled to productivity: the multidisciplinary expertise of physicians, psychologists, physical therapists, and rehabilitation counselors who collectively sought to render rehabilitants employable through a series of therapeutic interventions. Whereas disability activists focused on combatting the structural barriers disabled workers experienced in the labor market, “rehabilitationists” emphasized the imperative for disabled people to acclimate to existing work environments through individual physical and psychological transformation.
The impact of using an income supplement to meet child poverty targets: evidence from Scotland
Authors: Congreve Emma , Connolly Kevin , Harrison Jordan , Kumar Ashwin , McGregor Peter G. , Mitchell Mark
Published: December 2022

In 2017 the Scottish Government passed the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act with the commitment to significantly reduce the relative child poverty rate from the current prevailing level of around 25% to 10% by 2030/31. In response, the government introduced the Scottish Child Payment (SCP) that provides a direct transfer to households at a fixed rate per eligible child – currently £25 per week. In this paper we explore, using a micro to macro modelling approach, the effectiveness of using the SCP to achieve the Scottish child poverty targets. While we find that the ambitious child poverty targets can technically be met solely using the SCP, the necessary payment of £165 per week amounting to a total government cost of £3 billion per year, makes the political and economy-wide barriers significant. A key issue with only using the SCP is the non-linearity in the response to the payment; as the payment increases, the marginal gain in the reduction of child poverty decreases – this is particularly evident after payments of £80 per week. A ‘policy-mix’ option combining the SCP, targeted cash transfers and other policy levels (such as childcare provision) seems the most promising approach to reaching the child poverty targets.
Normative, rational, and relational motives in crosscoalition coordination for a VET refugee programme
Authors: Aerne Annatina , Bonoli Giuliano
Published: December 2022

Shared beliefs are seen as a basis for policy coordination in the literature. Actors sharing beliefs coordinate their activities in order to translate their beliefs into policies. However, the literature shows that actors also coordinate for policy change across such belief coalitions for diverse reasons. Drawing on the literature on incentives in collective action organisations, we systematise these motives. We argue that rational motivations, such as access to material resources, as well as relational motivations, including power and reputation gains, may convince actors to coordinate. Based on 25 semi-structured expert interviews, we illustrate our propositions with a case study on the motivations that led actors to coordinate and support a vocational education and training (VET) programme for refugees in Switzerland. Coordination between a coalition of VET actors and a coalition of migration actors succeeded despite divergent policy beliefs, mainly due to rational motivations.
Riffing off intellectual property in contemporary dance
Authors: Biagioli-Ravetto Mario , Ravetto-Biagioli Kriss
Published: December 2022

Dance disappears the moment it becomes visible, the complexity of its ontology matching that of its production and of its intellectual property status. Its creative process is both collaborative and hierarchical, involving the transmission of knowledge from one body to another, remembering steps, recognizing moves, mimicking, and improvising gestures as well as coordinating the roles of dancers, choreographers, and studios. Matthias Sperling’s Riff (2007) directly addresses many of these issues, which inform the specific content of the piece as well as its conceptualization, development, and the copyright licenses that underpin it. Sperling’s performance is clearly conceived as a rite of passage, a dance through which a dancer becomes a choreographer, going from “riffing off” other choreographers’ work to developing dance movements and phrases that, while tied to those of his predecessors, he can claim as his own. As such, Riff makes explicit and rearticulates the rearrangement of professional relations and roles, the difference between reperforming and innovating, between learning from bodies or from media, as well as how the property status of the work intersects with community norms and expectations of attribution.
Making something together: A conversation about creating and sharing dance knowledge
Authors: Davies Siobhan , Leach James
Published: December 2022

In this transcript of an extended interview, Dame Siobhan Davies discusses her biography and oeuvre in the context of an enquiry into aspects of learning, transmission, and claims to ownership over the material that makes modern dance. The creative practice of contemporary dance makers offers an opportunity to describe the “coming into being” of both knowledge and persons in a unique domain, but one also connected to other areas of the arts and collaborative practice. Davies describes an approach to making dance that explicitly rejects two key notions: that the body merely performs what the mind creates and, thus, that the choreographer and the dancer are in a hierarchical relationship of control mirroring the control of mind over matter. She then describes how her creative processes with others have been increasingly shaped to allow non-proprietorial and non-hierarchical outcomes that are substantive to the art works themselves.
Knowing: Dance’s trade literature
Authors: deLahunta Scott
Published: December 2022

This article explores the possibility that dance is a field of expert knowledge that can be studied from the perspective of documents created by dancers and choreographers whose anticipated viewers/readers are mainly other practitioners. These documents include written texts and annotated video recordings created with the aim of sharing processes, techniques and ideas. These documents seek, in a variety of ways, to partially transform experiential knowledge from the tacit/ implicit to the explicit. As such, they suggest a form of trade literature that circulates dance knowledge within its professional network, but with the potential to generate productive exchanges with others outside of this network. By drawing on a number of examples of this trade literature and discussing their methods of circulating dance knowledge, this article makes a link to the theme of this special issue which is dance as a vehicle to discuss and debate ownership and cultural property.