bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mitochondrial metabolism and oxidative stress in the tropical cockroach under fluctuating thermal regimes
Authors: Lubawy Jan , Chowański Szymon P. , Colinet Hervé , Słocińska Małgorzata
Published: August 2023

The cockroach Gromphadorhina coquereliana can survive at low temperatures under extensive periods of cold stress. To assess energy management and insect adaptation in response to cold, we measured mitochondrial activity and oxidative stress in muscle and fat body tissues from G. coquereliana under a fluctuating thermal regime (FTR; stressed at 4°C for 3 h on 3 consecutive days, with or without 24 h recovery). Compared with our earlier work showing that a single exposure to cold significantly affects mitochondrial parameters, here, repeated exposure to cold triggered an acclimatory response, resulting in unchanged mitochondrial bioenergetics. Immediately after cold exposure, we observed an increase in the overall pool of ATP and a decrease in typical antioxidant enzyme activity. We also observed decreased activity of uncoupling protein 4 in muscle mitochondria. After 24 h of recovery, we observed an increase in expression of antioxidant enzymes in muscles and the fat body and a significant increase in the expression of UCP4 and HSP70 in the latter. This indicates that processes related to energy conversion and disturbance under cold stress may trigger different protective mechanisms in these tissues, and that these mechanisms must be activated to restore insect homeostasis. The mitochondrial parameters and enzymatic assays suggest that mitochondria are not affected during FTR but oxidative stress markers are decreased, and a 24 h recovery period allows for the restoration of redox and energy homeostasis, especially in the fat body. This confirms the crucial role of the fat body in intermediary metabolism and energy management in insects and in the response to repeated thermal stress.
Au13 Superatom Bearing Two Terpyridines at Coaxial Positions: Photoluminescence Quenching via Complexation with 3d Metal Ions
Authors: Kito Naoki , Takano Shinjiro , Masuda Shinya , Harano Koji , Tsukuda Tatsuya
Published: August 2023

A gold cluster [Au13(dppe)5(EPTpy)2]3+ (dppe = 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane, EPTpy-H = 4′-(4-ethynylphenyl)-2,2′:6′,2′′-terpyridine) was synthesized by ligand exchange reaction of [Au13(dppe)5Cl2]3+. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that two terpyridyl moieties were σ-bonded to the coaxial positions of the icosahedral Au13 core. These two terpyridyl moieties were coordinated with 3d metal ions M2+ (M = Co, Ni, Cu, Zn) in acetonitrile solution under ambient conditions. The photoluminescence (PL) of [Au13(dppe)5(EPTpy)2]3+ with a quantum yield of 0.17 at ∼780 nm was almost completely quenched by coordination with Co2+, Ni2+, and Cu2+, while the PL was not affected by Zn2+ coordination. The metal-dependent PL quenching behavior is ascribed to the difference in the electronic structure of the metal ions. The energy transfer from the Au13 chromophore to the coordinated Co2+, Ni2+, or Cu2+ with an open electronic structure proceeds efficiently via an electron exchange mechanism, while the process is prohibited for Zn2+ with a closed electronic structure.
Kinetics of naturally induced binding and neutralising anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels and potencies among SARS-CoV-2 infected Kenyans with diverse grades of COVID-19 severity: an observational study
Authors: Kimotho John , Sein Yiakon , Sayed Shahin , Shah Reena , Mwai Kennedy , Saleh Mansoor , Wanjiku Perpetual , Mwacharo Jedidah , Nyagwange James , Karanja Henry , Kutima Bernadette , Gitonga John N. , Mugo Daisy , Karanu Ann , Moranga Linda , Oluoch Viviane , Shah Jasmit , Mutiso Julius , Mburu Alfred , Nneka Zaitun , Betti Peter , Usyu Mutinda Wanzila , Issak Abdi Abdirahman , Bejon Philip , Isabella Ochola-Oyier Lynette , M.Warimwe George , Nduati Eunice W. , M. Ndungu Francis
Published: August 2023

Background: Given the low levels of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine coverage in sub-Saharan Africa (sSA), despite high levels of natural severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) exposures, strategies for extending the breadth and longevity of naturally acquired immunity are warranted. Designing such strategies will require a good understanding of natural immunity.

Methods: We measured whole-spike immunoglobulin G (IgG) and spike-receptor binding domain (RBD) total immunoglobulins (Igs) on 585 plasma samples collected longitudinally over five successive time points within six months of COVID-19 diagnosis in 309 COVID-19 patients. We measured antibody-neutralising potency against the wild-type (Wuhan) SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus in a subset of 51 patients over three successive time points. Binding and neutralising antibody levels and potencies were then tested for correlations with COVID-19 severities.

Results: Rates of seroconversion increased from day 0 (day of PCR testing) to day 180 (six months) (63.6% to 100 %) and (69.3 % to 97%) for anti-spike-IgG and anti-spike-RBD binding Igs, respectively. Levels of these binding antibodies peaked at day 28 (p<0.0001) and were subsequently maintained for six months without significant decay (p>0.99). Similarly, antibody-neutralising potencies peaked at day 28 (p<0.0001) but declined by three-fold, six months after COVID-19 diagnosis (p<0.0001). Binding antibody levels were highly correlated with neutralising antibody potencies at all the time points analysed (r>0.6, p<0.0001). Levels and potencies of binding and neutralising antibodies increased with disease severity.

Conclusions: Most COVID-19 patients generated SARS-CoV-2 specific binding antibodies that remained stable in the first six months of infection. However, the respective neutralising antibodies decayed three-fold by month-six of COVID-19 diagnosis suggesting that they are short-lived, consistent with what has been observed elsewhere in the world. Thus, regular vaccination boosters are required to sustain the high levels of anti-SARS-CoV-2 naturally acquired neutralising antibody potencies in our population.
The genome sequence of the star-devouring scaleworm, Acholoë squamosa (Delle Chiaje, 1825)
Authors: Adkins Patrick , Brennan Mitchell , McTierney Sean , Brittain Rachel , Perry Frances ,   Marine Biological Association Genome Acquisition Lab,   Darwin Tree of Life Barcoding collective,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Tree of Life programme,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Scientific Operations: DNA Pipelines collective,   Tree of Life Core Informatics collective,   Darwin Tree of Life Consortium
Published: August 2023

We present a genome assembly from an individual Acholoë squamosa (the star-devouring scaleworm; Annelida; Polychaeta; Phyllodocida; Polynoidae). The genome sequence is 1,481.5 megabases in span. Most of the assembly is scaffolded into 18 chromosomal pseudomolecules. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 15.64 kilobases in length.
A priori estimation of instrumental error of energy characteristics of an electric rocket engine
Authors:   Baltic State Technical University “VOENMEH” named after D.F.Ustinov, Shkurupiy Valeria , Budnyi Nikita ,   Baltic State Technical University “VOENMEH” named after D.F.Ustinov
Published: August 2023

In this work, the power of the calculated electric rocket engine (ERE) requires thrust, specific impulse, and efficiency. ERE thrust measurement is interesting enough to achieve smallness of rapid growth. Specific impulse and efficiency are measured using laboratory methods. For this reason, one should naturally approach the choice of design parameters and the composition of the measuring system. One of the synthesis products can be the minimization of measurement errors. The paper approaches an approach to a priori instrumental estimation of the error determination, which may be useful in the synthesis of a system measurement of the ERE characteristics.
Stres wojny i migracji – konsekwencje dla dzieci i młodzieży
Authors: Łosiak Władysław
Published: August 2023

STRESS OF WAR AND MIGRATION – CONSEQUENCES FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS
Stress caused by war and forced migration is an extremely traumatic experience for everyone, both adults and children, consequently causing impairment in general functioning and negative changes in mental health. Children and youth are especially vulnerable to negative effects of traumatic stress and data collected by UN indicate, that, in different parts of the world, millions of children experienced traumatic events, witnessing death of a close relative or being exposed to physical violence. Post traumatic stress disorder is the most frequently observed mental disorder in such circumstances as well as depression and anxiety disorders. Moreover some traumatized children exhibit impairment in school performance and difficulties in social functioning. This article presents a review of literature on traumatic war experiences of children and youth from different countries as well as on consequences of trauma – post traumatic stress disorder, other disorders and impairment in functioning.
Szkoła – integracja – niepełnoletni uchodźcy
Authors: Banaś Monika
Published: August 2023

Niniejszy tekst dotyczy reformy szkolnictwa średniego szczebla wprowadzonej przez szwedzkie władze w 2018 roku. Reforma była odpowiedzią na dwa kluczowe zjawiska oraz ich konsekwencje: kryzys migracyjny, mającego apogeum trzy lata wcześniej, oraz rosnące koszty utrzymania państwa dobrobytu, zagrażające jego finansowemu bezpieczeństwu. Oczywiście należy być świadomym, że zreformowanie szkolnictwa nie było jedynym przedsięwzięciem w szeregu innych mających sprostać wyzwaniom szwedzkiego welfare state.
Multilevel Lot-Sizing with Inventory Bounds
Authors: Hwang Hark-Chin , van den Heuvel Wilco , Wagelmans Albert P. M.
Published: August 2023

We consider a single-item multilevel lot-sizing problem with a serial structure where one of the levels has an inventory capacity (the bottleneck level). We propose a novel dynamic programming algorithm combining Zangwill’s approach for the uncapacitated problem and the basis-path approach for the production capacitated problem. Under reasonable assumptions on the cost parameters the time complexity of the algorithm is [Formula: see text] with L the number of levels in the supply chain and T the length of the planning horizon. Computational tests show that our algorithm is significantly faster than the commercial solver Cplex applied to a standard formulation and can solve reasonably sized instances up to 48 periods and 12 levels in a few minutes.

History: Accepted by Andrea Lodi, Area Editor for Design & Analysis of Algorithms–Discrete.

Funding: This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education [Grant 2014R1A1A2058513].
Peculiarities of Learning for the Digital Generation Pupils and Students
Authors:   Volodymyr Dahl East Ukrainian National University, Zelenov Yevhenii
Published: August 2023

The article presents general characteristics of nowadays’ pupils and students’ youth as a digital generation. Pedagogical means of leveling the negative features of the digital generation in the educational process of secondary and higher education institutions have been revealed («method of paradoxes», discussions and the search for an alternative point of view, digital detox, etc.). It has been determined that reading is a «universal» means of preventing the youth’s «dumbing down». The need to involve children and young people in reading classical fiction as the most important means of teaching the independent construction of an image system has been proved. The importance of the formation of a reading culture in terms of total manipulation of the consciousness of the average individual with the help of the appropriate mass media has been noted. The technology of presenting educational textual information in the form of so-called creolized text has been characterized. It allows to visualize the educational material in order to bring it as close as possible to the corresponding requirements of «clip» information perception. The technologies and methods of effective teaching of the digital generation in conditions of blended learning has been characterized.
Stakeholders as a Basis for University Management in Terms of European Integration
Authors:   State Institution Luhansk Taras Shevchenko National University, Vasynova Nadiia
Published: August 2023

The article highlights the potential of cooperation between universities and stakeholders in modern conditions (during the full-scale war in Ukraine) and the impact of established interaction not only on the quality of higher education, competitiveness, and rating of the institution, but also on the process of post-war state restoration. The article has been revealed the role of universities in territorial communities in the global context, the importance of implementing social responsibility by higher education institutions. This is especially relevant due to the European integration processes and the fact that Ukraine was given the status of a candidate for accession to the EU. The most common types of activities that are influenced by stakeholders in the procedures for ensuring the quality of educational activities and the quality of higher education have been outlined. The barriers to stakeholder development in Ukraine and ways to solve them have been identified. The author has identified perspective directions of interaction between higher education institutions and stakeholders for the formation of positive changes in the system of practice-oriented education, based on new requirements for higher education institutions that go beyond the main tasks of teaching and research, in particular in terms of European integration. It has been proved that internal and external stakeholders in terms of established partnership cooperation with universities, using the existing potential, acquire significant resources and assets to ensure the sustainable development of the institution and the territorial community, having the ability to effectively influence society and the country as a whole.
Author Profile of Scientific-Pedagogical Worker as Business Card on the Internet
Authors:   Khmelnytskyi National University, Vasylenko Olena , Romanovska Lyudmila ,   Khmelnytskyi National University
Published: August 2023

The article provides a theoretical analysis of the problem of creation and up-to-date support of author profiles on the Internet by scientific-pedagogical workers of higher education institutions. It has been emphasized that the Internet is a powerful resource and a unique way of scientific communication of scientific-pedagogical workers since the Internet space is developing as a special field of virtual science today. The works of scientists, which consider the problem of creating author profiles for the development of information and research competence of scientific and scientific-pedagogical workers have been analysed. Peculiarities of creating author profiles in some databases and assigning authors’ unique author’s identifier (ID) have been studied. Websites and scientific portals where scientific-pedagogical workers can post information about themselves and their scientific achievements has been considered: Google Scholar service «Bibliographic References», Publons, ORCID, ResearchGate and others. It has been stated that the creation and management of scientific-pedagogical workers’ author profiles on the Internet allows monitoring the scientometric indicators of their activity: the citation index, the average citation rate, and the Hirsch index (h-index). It has been concluded that the creation and maintenance of author profiles on the Internet is the duty of every scientific-pedagogical worker.
Development of Stress Resistance as an Important Component of Professional Training of Future Border Guard Officers
Authors:   The Bohdan Khmelnytskyi National Academy of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, Raiko Valerii , Karasov Dmytro ,   The Bohdan Khmelnytskyi National Academy of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine
Published: August 2023

The article provides a theoretical analysis of peculiarities of the development of stress resistance in future border guard officers as an important component of their professional activity. The concepts of «stress» and «stress resistance» in the scientific works of domestic and foreign researchers have been examined. The relationship between stress resistance and such personal qualities as: emotional stability, emotional intelligence, internal locus of control, business orientation, behavioral activity, has been examined. It has been found that an important condition for the effectiveness of the border guards’ activity is their emotional-willful and psychological stability, which is formed at all stages and types of professional activity. It has been emphasized that the border guards can be classified as a risk group regarding the occurrence of stressful conditions due to the need to perform their duties in the modern extremely difficult conditions of military operations in Ukraine. The psychological resources that will contribute to the development of future border guards’ stress resistance and their effective coping with stressful situations have been examined. It has been concluded that it is necessary to improve the system of future border guards’ professional training and teach them to operate with their psychological resources in order to develop their stress resistance. This will allow them to effectively perform their duties and avoid professional deformation.
Unobtrusive biometric data de-identification of fundus images using latent space disentanglement
Authors: Zhao Zhihao , Faghihroohi Shahrooz , Yang Junjie , Huang Kai , Navab Nassir , Maier Mathias , Nasseri M. Ali
Published: August 2023

With the incremental popularity of ophthalmic imaging techniques, anonymization of the clinical image datasets is becoming a critical issue, especially the fundus images, which would have unique patient-specific biometric content. Towards achieving a framework to anonymize ophthalmic images, we propose an image-specific de-identification method on the vascular structure of retinal fundus images while preserving important clinical features such as hard exudates. Our method calculates the contribution of latent code in latent space to the vascular structure by computing the gradient map of the generated image with respect to latent space and then by computing the overlap between the vascular mask and the gradient map. The proposed method is designed to specifically target and effectively manipulate the latent code with the highest contribution score in vascular structures. Extensive experimental results show that our proposed method is competitive with other state-of-the-art approaches in terms of identity similarity and lesion similarity, respectively. Additionally, our approach allows for a better balance between identity similarity and lesion similarity, thus ensuring optimal performance in a trade-off manner.
Three-dimensional power sparse code division non-orthogonal multiple access scheme with constellation pair mapping
Authors: Chen Shuaidong , Ren Jianxin , Liu Bo , Mao Yaya , Wu Xiangyu , Ullah Rahat , Bai Yu , Zhao Jianye , Wan Yibin , Ma Yiming , Xia Wenchao , Zhao Lilong , Li Ying , Wang Feng
Published: August 2023

This paper proposes a three-dimensional power sparse code division non-orthogonal multiple access (3D-PSCD-NOMA) scheme with 3D constellation pair mapping. The proposed sparse code is based on a balanced incomplete block design (BIBD). Its correlation matrix performs the overall signal mapping of multi-user information. Power multiplexing is realized by overlaying multi-level power signals with different path losses through pair mapping. Compared with the conventional 2D standard square 32 Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM), the proposed 3D constellation pair mapping can improve the constellation points’ minimum Euclidean distance (MED) by 17.7%, which is beneficial for the performance of the system. Based on obtaining the optimal power distribution ratio (PDR) for different schemes, a 3D-PSCD-NOMA signal with a rate of 15.22 Gb/s over a 25 km single-mode fiber (SMF) is experimentally performed. The experimental results show that 3D-PSCD-NOMA has a clear superiority. At the same rate, 3D-PSCD-NOMA2 can obtain a sensitivity gain of about 1.6 dB and 1.9 dB over the conventional 2D constellation. Moreover, 3D-PSCD-NOMA reduces the system's peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) by 1.3 dB. The difference in sensitivity of the system before and after sparse code is about 0.15 dB, and no significant degradation occurred. Due to its advantages in transmission performance, 3D-PSCD-NOMA is a potential solution for future optical access systems.
Simple approach for spectral beam combination of narrowband laser sources for spectroscopic applications
Authors: Moser Harald , Waclawek Johannes P. , Pölz Walter , Lendl Bernhard
Published: August 2023

Spectral beam combination of multiple single mode laser sources employing narrowband spectral filters which are arranged on the perimeter of regular polygons is demonstrated. With this simple geometric design, co-alignment and co-propagation of the individual laser beams can be reasonably achieved. Spectroscopic applicability is displayed by spatial filtering, mode-matching, and subsequent coupling of the combined beams into a 76 m astigmatic mirror multipass cell.
Optimizing the design of ultrafast photomultiplier tubes
Authors: Chen Lin , Wang Xingchao , Qian Sen , Zhang Xiong , Wu Qi , Ma Lishuang , Zeng Pengxiang , Sun Chen
Published: August 2023

Ultrafast microchannel plate (MCP) photomultiplier tubes are under active development. To obtain high gain, high spatial resolution, and good time performance, we comprehensively investigate the effects of the gap distances and voltages from cathode to MCPin and MCPout to anode in a systematic study using the finite integral technique and Monte Carlo method. A three-dimensional model is introduced to simplify the calculations. From the simulation results, a short gap distance and high gap voltage were determined to achieve good time performance, high spatial resolution, and high gain.
Single-slice rebinning reconstruction method for segmented helical computed tomography
Authors: Wang Zhisheng , Cui Junning , Bian Xingyuan , Tang Ran , Li Zongfeng , Li Sangyu , Lin Legeng , Wang Shunli
Published: August 2023

Recently, to easily extend the helical field-of-view (FOV), the segmented helical computed tomography (SHCT) method was proposed, as well as the corresponding generalized backprojection filtration (G-BPF) type algorithm. Similar to the geometric relationship between helical and circular CT, SHCT just becomes full-scan multiple source-translation CT (F-mSTCT) when the pitch is zero and the number of scan cycles is one. The strategy of G-BPF follows the idea of the generalized Feldkamp approximate cone-beam algorithm for helical CT, i.e., using the F-mSTCT cone-beam BPF algorithm to approximately perform reconstruction for SHCT. The image quality is limited by the pitch size, which implies that satisfactory quality could only be obtained under the conditions of small pitches. To extend the analytical reconstruction for SHCT, an effective single-slice rebinning (SSRB) method for SHCT is investigated here. Transforming the SHCT cone-beam reconstruction into the virtual F-mSTCT fan-beam stack reconstruction task with low computational complexity, and then some techniques are developed to address the challenges involved. By using the basic BPF reconstruction with derivating along the detector (D-BPF), our experiments demonstrate that SSRB has fewer interlayer artifacts, higher z-resolution, more uniform in-plane resolution, and higher reconstruction efficiency compared to G-BPF. SSRB could promote the effective application of deep learning in SHCT reconstruction.
Digitale Transformation im Retoureneingang: Klassifikationsmodell zur Vorsortierung von Retourenpaketen
Authors: Stevenson Anthony Boyd , Rieck Julia
Published: August 2023

Die vorliegende Arbeit präsentiert die Entwicklung eines Klassifikationsmodells und eines Software-Systems zur Vorsortierung von Retourenpaketen bei einem B2C-E-Commerce Versandhändler, dessen Rücksendungen durch die Verwendung von Retourenscheinen bearbeitet werden. Im Rahmen der Klassifikation wird mithilfe vorhandener Daten und unter Verwendung eines dreistufigen Berechungsschemas die Artikelanzahl in einem Retourenpaket vorhergesagt. Hierdurch wird eine präzisere Klassifikation gegenüber dem ersten Prototyp aus einer früheren Arbeit für die Prozessoptimierung ermöglicht. Eine Evaluierung des Systems zeigt eine signifikante Verbesserung gegenüber dem Prototyp. Das System wurde kostengünstig in die bestehende IT-Infrastruktur integriert und trägt zur Steigerung der Digitalisierung des Retourenlagers bei. Die vorgestellte Case Study belegt den Nutzen des Software-Systems und zeigt, dass Unternehmen, insbesondere KMUs, durch den Einsatz von Logistik‑4.0‑Technologien ihre Effizienz steigern und wettbewerbsfähig bleiben können. Zudem wird diskutiert, ob durch das Software-System ein Paradigmenwechsel zu Logistik 5.0 im Retoureneingang erreicht wird.
Target-selective vertebrate motor axon regeneration depends on interaction with glial cells at a peripheral nerve plexus
Authors: Walker Lauren J. , Guevara Camilo , Kawakami Koichi , Granato Michael
Published: August 2023

A critical step for functional recovery from peripheral nerve injury is for regenerating axons to connect with their pre-injury targets. Reestablishing pre-injury target specificity is particularly challenging for limb-innervating axons as they encounter a plexus, a network where peripheral nerves converge, axons from different nerves intermingle, and then re-sort into target-specific bundles. Here, we examine this process at a plexus located at the base of the zebrafish pectoral fin, equivalent to tetrapod forelimbs. Using live cell imaging and sparse axon labeling, we find that regenerating motor axons from 3 nerves coalesce into the plexus. There, they intermingle and sort into distinct branches, and then navigate to their original muscle domains with high fidelity that restores functionality. We demonstrate that this regeneration process includes selective retraction of mistargeted axons, suggesting active correction mechanisms. Moreover, we find that Schwann cells are enriched and associate with axons at the plexus, and that Schwann cell ablation during regeneration causes profound axonal mistargeting. Our data provide the first real-time account of regenerating vertebrate motor axons navigating a nerve plexus and reveal a previously unappreciated role for Schwann cells to promote axon sorting at a plexus during regeneration.
SMOC-1 interacts with both BMP and glypican to regulate BMP signaling in C. elegans
Authors: DeGroot Melisa S. , Williams Byron , Chang Timothy Y. , Maas Gamboa Maria L. , Larus Isabel M. , Hong Garam , Fromme J. Christopher , Liu Jun
Published: August 2023

Secreted modular calcium-binding proteins (SMOCs) are conserved matricellular proteins found in organisms from Caenorhabditis elegans to humans. SMOC homologs characteristically contain 1 or 2 extracellular calcium-binding (EC) domain(s) and 1 or 2 thyroglobulin type-1 (TY) domain(s). SMOC proteins in Drosophila and Xenopus have been found to interact with cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) to exert both positive and negative influences on the conserved bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling pathway. In this study, we used a combination of biochemical, structural modeling, and molecular genetic approaches to dissect the functions of the sole SMOC protein in C. elegans. We showed that CeSMOC-1 binds to the heparin sulfate proteoglycan GPC3 homolog LON-2/glypican, as well as the mature domain of the BMP2/4 homolog DBL-1. Moreover, CeSMOC-1 can simultaneously bind LON-2/glypican and DBL-1/BMP. The interaction between CeSMOC-1 and LON-2/glypican is mediated specifically by the EC domain of CeSMOC-1, while the full interaction between CeSMOC-1 and DBL-1/BMP requires full-length CeSMOC-1. We provide both in vitro biochemical and in vivo functional evidence demonstrating that CeSMOC-1 functions both negatively in a LON-2/glypican-dependent manner and positively in a DBL-1/BMP-dependent manner to regulate BMP signaling. We further showed that in silico, Drosophila and vertebrate SMOC proteins can also bind to mature BMP dimers. Our work provides a mechanistic basis for how the evolutionarily conserved SMOC proteins regulate BMP signaling.
Optogenetic cleavage of the Miro GTPase reveals the direct consequences of real-time loss of function in Drosophila
Authors: Mattedi Francesca , Lloyd-Morris Ethlyn , Hirth Frank , Vagnoni Alessio
Published: August 2023

Miro GTPases control mitochondrial morphology, calcium homeostasis, and regulate mitochondrial distribution by mediating their attachment to the kinesin and dynein motor complex. It is not clear, however, how Miro proteins spatially and temporally integrate their function as acute disruption of protein function has not been performed. To address this issue, we have developed an optogenetic loss of function “Split-Miro” allele for precise control of Miro-dependent mitochondrial functions inDrosophila. Rapid optogenetic cleavage of Split-Miro leads to a striking rearrangement of the mitochondrial network, which is mediated by mitochondrial interaction with the microtubules. Unexpectedly, this treatment did not impact the ability of mitochondria to buffer calcium or their association with the endoplasmic reticulum. While Split-Miro overexpression is sufficient to augment mitochondrial motility, sustained photocleavage shows that Split-Miro is surprisingly dispensable to maintain elevated mitochondrial processivity. In adult fly neurons in vivo, Split-Miro photocleavage affects both mitochondrial trafficking and neuronal activity. Furthermore, functional replacement of endogenous Miro with Split-Miro identifies its essential role in the regulation of locomotor activity in adult flies, demonstrating the feasibility of tuning animal behaviour by real-time loss of protein function.
The specious art of single-cell genomics
Authors: Chari Tara , Pachter Lior
Published: August 2023

Dimensionality reduction is standard practice for filtering noise and identifying relevant features in large-scale data analyses. In biology, single-cell genomics studies typically begin with reduction to 2 or 3 dimensions to produce “all-in-one” visuals of the data that are amenable to the human eye, and these are subsequently used for qualitative and quantitative exploratory analysis. However, there is little theoretical support for this practice, and we show that extreme dimension reduction, from hundreds or thousands of dimensions to 2, inevitably induces significant distortion of high-dimensional datasets. We therefore examine the practical implications of low-dimensional embedding of single-cell data and find that extensive distortions and inconsistent practices make such embeddings counter-productive for exploratory, biological analyses. In lieu of this, we discuss alternative approaches for conducting targeted embedding and feature exploration to enable hypothesis-driven biological discovery.
Income-based U.S. household carbon footprints (1990–2019) offer new insights on emissions inequality and climate finance
Authors: Starr Jared , Nicolson Craig , Ash Michael , Markowitz Ezra M. , Moran Daniel
Published: August 2023

Current policies to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and increase adaptation and mitigation funding are insufficient to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C. It is clear that further action is needed to avoid the worst impacts of climate change and achieve a just climate future. Here, we offer a new perspective on emissions responsibility and climate finance by conducting an environmentally extended input output analysis that links 30 years (1990–2019) of United States (U.S.) household-level income data to the emissions generated in creating that income. To do this we draw on over 2.8 billion inter-sectoral transfers from the Eora MRIO database to calculate both supplier- and producer-based GHG emissions intensities and connect these with detailed income and demographic data for over 5 million U.S. individuals in the IPUMS Current Population Survey. We find significant and growing emissions inequality that cuts across economic and racial lines. In 2019, fully 40% of total U.S. emissions were associated with income flows to the highest earning 10% of households. Among the highest earning 1% of households (whose income is linked to 15–17% of national emissions) investment holdings account for 38–43% of their emissions. Even when allowing for a considerable range of investment strategies, passive income accruing to this group is a major factor shaping the U.S. emissions distribution. Results suggest an alternative income or shareholder-based carbon tax, focused on investments, may have equity advantages over traditional consumer-facing cap-and-trade or carbon tax options and be a useful policy tool to encourage decarbonization while raising revenue for climate finance.
Magnitude and associated factors of mortality among patients admitted with COVID-19 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Authors: Getahun Genanew Kassie , Dinku Amare , Jara Dube , Shitemaw Tewodros , Negash Zelalem
Published: August 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to grow around the world and has caused enormous mortality and morbidity. The severity and mortality of coronavirus disease are associated with various comorbidities. The infection fatality rate was reported to be inconsistent with different studies. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the magnitude and factors associated with mortality among patients admitted to Eka Kotebe General Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted at Eka Kotebe General Hospital among patients who were admitted for COVID-19 from January 15, 2021, to June 30, 2021. A total of 393 records of patients were selected by simple random sampling. Data was extracted from compiled data forms where available information was already tabulated. Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS version 25. The determinant factors associated with mortality among COVID-19 patients were identified using bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analysis. A statistical association was declared with multivariable logistic regression using a 95% confidence interval and a P-value of less than 0.05. The proportion of COVID-19 mortality among patients admitted to Eka Kotebe General Hospital was 8.1% (95% CI (5.4–10.8%)). Age >50 years [AOR = 7.91; 95% CI (2.34–25.70)], being male [AOR = 2.09; 95% CI (1.20–3.65)], having diabetes mellitus [AOR = 2.64; 95% CI (1.30–5.35)], having hypertension [AOR = 2.67; 95% CI (1.22–5.88)] and having chronic kidney disease [AOR = 12.04; 95% CI (4.03–14.22)] were determinant factors of COVID-19 mortality. The current study findings revealed that COVID-19 mortality was high among hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Furthermore, age, gender, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease were discovered to be independent predictors of COVID-19 mortality. Therefore, older COVID-19 patients and those with established comorbidities such as hypertension, diabetes, and end-stage renal disease should receive comprehensive preventative efforts, including vaccination.
What do people think of intuitive eating? A qualitative exploration with rural Australians
Authors: Van Dyke Nina , Murphy Michael , Drinkwater Eric J.
Published: August 2023

Evidence supports that intuitive eating is associated with many indicators of positive physical and mental health, with more recent longitudinal studies establishing causality. Most research, however, comprises either survey data or clinical trials. This study attempts to fill this evidentiary gap by using a qualitative methodology to explore people’s understandings and reactions to intuitive eating, including perceived barriers and enablers to implementation. Three focus group discussions were conducted in a non-metropolitan region of Victoria, Australia, with a total of 23 participants. Focus group transcripts were thematically analysed using an inductive descriptive approach within a constructionist perspective. Findings indicate that the concept of intuitive eating was either unknown or misunderstood. Once intuitive eating was explained, most responses to implementing intuitive eating were negative. Participants felt that having complete choice around what they ate was unlikely to equate to a healthy or balanced diet, at least in the short term. They also argued that because everyday life was not intuitive in its structures, it would be difficult to eat intuitively. Despite these difficulties, participants appreciated that if they were able to overcome the various barriers and achieve a state of intuitive eating, they anticipated a range of long-term benefits to health and weight management. For intuitive eating to become a viable public health approach, this research suggests that intuitive eating needs to be much more widely publicised and better explained, and perhaps renamed. More significantly, people would need assistance with how to eat intuitively given the barriers identified.
Risk of bias in prognostic models of hospital-induced delirium for medical-surgical units: A systematic review
Authors: Snigurska Urszula A. , Liu Yiyang , Ser Sarah E. , Macieira Tamara G. R. , Ansell Margaret , Lindberg David , Prosperi Mattia , Bjarnadottir Ragnhildur I. , Lucero Robert J.
Published: August 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this systematic review was to assess risk of bias in existing prognostic models of hospital-induced delirium for medical-surgical units.

Methods

APA PsycInfo, CINAHL, MEDLINE, and Web of Science Core Collection were searched on July 8, 2022, to identify original studies which developed and validated prognostic models of hospital-induced delirium for adult patients who were hospitalized in medical-surgical units. The Checklist for Critical Appraisal and Data Extraction for Systematic Reviews of Prediction Modelling Studies was used for data extraction. The Prediction Model Risk of Bias Assessment Tool was used to assess risk of bias. Risk of bias was assessed across four domains: participants, predictors, outcome, and analysis.

Results

Thirteen studies were included in the qualitative synthesis, including ten model development and validation studies and three model validation only studies. The methods in all of the studies were rated to be at high overall risk of bias. The methods of statistical analysis were the greatest source of bias. External validity of models in the included studies was tested at low levels of transportability.

Conclusions

Our findings highlight the ongoing scientific challenge of developing a valid prognostic model of hospital-induced delirium for medical-surgical units to tailor preventive interventions to patients who are at high risk of this iatrogenic condition. With limited knowledge about generalizable prognosis of hospital-induced delirium in medical-surgical units, existing prognostic models should be used with caution when creating clinical practice policies. Future research protocols must include robust study designs which take into account the perspectives of clinicians to identify and validate risk factors of hospital-induced delirium for accurate and generalizable prognosis in medical-surgical units.
The emergence of Omicron VOC and its rapid spread and persistence in the Western Amazon
Authors: Sgorlon Gabriella , Roca Tárcio P. , Passos-Silva Ana Maisa , Queiroz Jackson A. S. , Teixeira Karolaine S. , Araújo Adrhyan , Batista Flávia S. , Souza Valquiria R. , Oliveira Franciane M. , Morello Luis G. , Marchini Fabricio K. , Salcedo Juan M.V. , Rampazzo Rita de Cassia P. , Naveca Felipe G. , Vieira Deusilene
Published: August 2023

Genomic surveillance represents a strategy to understanding the evolutionary mechanisms, transmission, and infectivity of different SARS-CoV-2 variants. We evaluated 603 individuals positive for SARS-CoV-2 from 34 municipalities of Rondônia between December 2021 to December 2022. Nasopharyngeal samples were collected, RNA was extracted and screened using RT-qPCR for VOCs. RNA of the samples were sequenced and further analyzed for phylogeny, mutations, and lineages, totaling 96.19% of samples positive for Omicron VOC in this cohort. We observed that most individuals had at least two doses, however 18.97% were not vaccinated with any dose. 554 sequences were amenable to analysis for alignment and phylogenetic characterization; this group corresponded to the 27 subvariants of the Omicron VOC; a total of 100 mutations were identified, 48% of which were found in the S gene. In conclusion, the data demonstrated the rapid spread and persistence of Omicron VOC in Rondônia during the 12-month study period. Although high frequency of mutations was found in the analyzed samples, there were no individuals with a severe clinical profile, demonstrating that vaccination had a positive effect in those cases.
A new statistical methodology using the sine function: Control chart with an application to survival times data
Authors: Kamal Mustafa , Rao Gadde Srinivasa , Alsolmi Meshayil M. , Ahmad Zubair , Aldallal Ramy , Rahman Md. Mahabubur
Published: August 2023

Statistical methodologies have a wider range of practical applications in every applied sector including education, reliability, management, hydrology, and healthcare sciences. Among the mentioned sectors, the implementation of statistical models in health sectors is very crucial. In the recent era, researchers have shown a deep interest in using the trigonometric function to develop new statistical methodologies. In this article, we propose a new statistical methodology using the trigonometric function, namely, a new trigonometric sine-G family of distribution. A subcase (special member) of the new trigonometric sine-G method called a new trigonometric sine-Weibull distribution is studied. The estimators of the new trigonometric sine-Weibull distribution are derived. A simulation study of the new trigonometric sine-Weibull distribution is also provided. The applicability of the new trigonometric sine-Weibull distribution is shown by considering a data set taken from the biomedical sector. Furthermore, we introduce an attribute control chart for the lifetime of an entity that follows the new trigonometric sine-Weibull distribution in terms of the number of failure items before a fixed time period is investigated. The performance of the suggested chart is investigated using the average run length. A comparative study and real example are given for the proposed control chart. Based on our study of the existing literature, we did not find any published work on the development of a control chart using new probability distributions that are developed based on the trigonometric function. This surprising gap is a key and interesting motivation of this research.
The prevalence of effort-reward imbalance and its associations with working conditions, psychosocial resources and burden among health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: Results of the egePan-Voice study
Authors: Beschoner Petra , Jerg-Bretzke Lucia , Erim Yesim , Geiser Franziska , Baranowski Andreas M. , Weidner Kerstin , Albus Christian , Schug Caterina , Limbrecht-Ecklundt Kerstin , Weimer Katja , Jarczok Marc N. , Kempf Maximilian , Gündel Harald , Morawa Eva
Published: August 2023

Objective

The association between a measure of effort-reward imbalance (ERI) and profession as well as gender in a sample of health care workers (HCW) during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany using the egePan-Voice study. In addition, we examined, which factors are associated with an effort-reward imbalance ratio (ERI ratio) >1.

Methods

In a large sample of HCW (N = 6174) we assessed occupational stress with the short version of the effort-reward imbalance (ERI) questionnaire, working conditions, COVID-19-related problems and psychosocial resources (ENRICHD Social Support Inventory, ESSI; Sense of Coherence Scale, SOC-3 and optimism, SOP2).

Results

The prevalence of a ERI ratio >1 among HCW was 50.9%. The prevalence’s of an ERI ratio >1 were statistically significant different between gender as well as the occupational profession. The proportion of women (51.8%) with ERI ratio >1 was significantly higher than among men (47.8%). The highest ERI imbalance was found among nurses (62.8%), followed by medical technical assistants (MTA) (58.8%), while psychologists/psychotherapists revealed the lowest value (37.8%), followed by physicians (41.8%). In the total sample, most essential factors reported at this time for increased ERI ratio were: insufficient staff for the current work load, insufficient recovery, feeling insufficiently protected by measures taken by the hospital/the employer, high occupancy rate of the wards, insufficient trust in colleagues and being a nurse as compared with being a physician.

Conclusion

The findings indicate a high proportion of HCW with effort-reward imbalance and substantial profession-related differences. Preventive interventions should be offered to vulnerable groups among the HCW to decrease the imbalance measured by work stress.
The COVID-19 pandemic eroded system support but not social solidarity
Authors: Bor Alexander , Jørgensen Frederik , Petersen Michael Bang
Published: August 2023

While the World was busy mitigating the disastrous health and economic effects of the novel coronavirus, a less direct, but not less concerning peril has largely remained unexplored: the COVID-19 crisis may have disrupted some of the most fundamental social and political relationships in democratic societies. We interviewed samples resembling the national population of Denmark, Hungary, Italy and the US three times: in April, June and December of 2020 (14K observations). We show that multiple (but not all) measures of support for the political system decreased between April and December. Exploiting the panel setup, we demonstrate that within-respondent increases in indicators of pandemic fatigue (specifically, the perceived subjective burden of the pandemic and feelings of anomie) correspond to decreases in system support and increases in extreme anti-systemic attitudes. At the same time, we find no systematic trends in feelings of social solidarity, which are largely unaffected by changes in pandemic burden.
Meta-analysis of the effects of physical activity on executive function in children and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Authors: Song Yiling , Fan Biyao , Wang Chunshun , Yu Hongjun
Published: August 2023

Background

Executive function is a core deficit in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study systematically reviewed the evidence for the effects of physical activity (PA) interventions on executive function in children and adolescents with ADHD and explored the moderating effects of key variables of PA on executive function.

Methods

Relevant literature in four electronic databases, Pubmed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Embase, were systematically searched. Revman 5.4 was used for data analysis, and combined effect sizes, heterogeneity tests, subgroup analyses, and sensitivity analyses were calculated. Egger’s test in Stata 15.0 was used for publication bias testing.

Results

A total of 24 articles with 914 participants were included. Meta-analysis showed that PA interventions improved inhibitory control (SMD = -0.50, 95%CI [-0.71, -0.29], P < 0.00001), working memory (SMD = -0.50, 95%CI [-0.83, -0.16], P = 0.004) and cognitive flexibility in children and adolescents with ADHD (SMD = -0.45, 95%CI [-0.81, -0.09], P = 0.01). Subgroup analysis revealed a moderating effect of intervention intensity, motor skill type, sessions of PA, and weekly exercise volume on executive function.

Conclusion

PA interventions had positive effects on improvements in core executive functions in children and adolescents with ADHD and were influenced by intervention intensity, type of motor skill, sessions of PA, and amount of exercise. This has practical implications for the formulation of PA interventions programs.