bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The expression of directed caused accompanied motion events in Savosavo
Authors: Wegener Claudia
Published: May 2022

Directed caused accompanied motion events in Savosavo are expressed by means of multi-verb expressions. The main strategy is the use of serial verb constructions (especially ‑au ’take/caus’ combined with a directional verb). Minor strategies are subordination of a single verb into a main clause or clause chaining, but then the focus shifts from the transportation of a theme to the movement of the agent while in possession of the theme. There is often analytical uncertainty with respect to the hierarchical relationship between the verbs in a serial verb construction as well as the interpretation of adjuncts as source, goal, location, or direction, which can occasionally be resolved by taking the context or other structural features of the clause into account.
Events of caused accompanied motion in Qaqet and Dëne Sųłıné child language corpora
Authors: Hellwig Birgit , Jung Dagmar
Published: May 2022

This chapter investigates the expression of directed caused accompanied motion (directed CAM) events in child language corpora of Qaqet (a Papuan language of Papua New Guinea) and Dëne Sųłıné (a Dene language of Canada). Both languages employ complex CAM expressions. The chapter briefly introduces the constructions, and then focuses on the expression of directed CAM events in child language and child-directed language. In both languages, the CAM construction appears late in child language: early Qaqet expressions consist predominantly of ground phrase elements, while early Dëne Sųłıné expressions consist predominantly of bare verb stems. The findings are related to a proposal by Slobin et al. (2010) on early expressions of caused motion in satellite-framed languages.
A direct Z-scheme Janus-MoSSe/BiVO4 heterostructure for photocatalytic water splitting: a first-principles study
Authors: Chen Wenjun , Yang Jingkai , Zhu Yan , Zhang Yinhe , Zhao Yuxuan , Wen Yintang , Liang Bo
Published: May 2022

An efficient photocatalyst has an important role in the photocatalytic water splitting using solar energy to produce hydrogen and oxygen. In this paper, MoSSe/BiVO4(010) heterostructure photocatalyst was constructed to solve the problem of low efficiency of individual photocatalysts. The results of first-principles calculations show that this composite structure has the photocatalytic mechanism of Z-scheme heterostructure, which is helpful for improving the photocatalytic efficiency. Calculations of Gibbs free energy changes confirm the thermodynamic feasibility of hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen evolution reaction in MoSSe/BiVO4(010) heterostructures. These results indicate that the MoSSe/BiVO4(010) heterostructure has great application potential for visible-light-driven water splitting.
Improved barrier homogeneity in Pt/Al0.75Ga0.25N Schottky barrier diodes by graphene interlayer
Authors: Ran Junxue , He Rui , Wang Lulu , Liu Bingzhi , Ji Xiaoli , Sun Jingyu , Wang Junxi , Li Jinmin , Wei Tongbo
Published: May 2022

Pt/Al0.75Ga0.25N Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) with graphene (w/Gr) and without graphene (w/o Gr) interlayer between metal and semiconductor were fabricated to determine the effects of Gr interlayer on the device electrical characteristics. The temperature dependent current–voltage (I–V) and capacitance–voltage (C–V) characteristics were systematically measured and comparably analyzed for both structures. The ideality factor (n) and Schottky barrier height (SBH) were determined by the thermionic emission model and barrier inhomogeneity model. The results reveal that the values of ideality factor varied from 4.25 to 2.5 for w/Gr SBDs and 6.61 to 3.19 for w/o Gr SBDs with a temperature range from 293 to 433 K. The mean barrier height and standard deviation values are 2.355 and 0.266 eV for w/Gr SBDs, while 2.128 and 0.272 eV for w/o Gr SBDs, respectively. The C–V data also shows the enhancement of the SBH for w/Gr SBDs. The results indicate a higher SBH and more barrier uniform distribution for w/Gr SBDs compared to w/o Gr SBDs, contributing to a quality improvement of Schottky contact. The insights granted by this research may pave a new pathway for improving the performance of AlGaN SBDs through Gr engineering.
Biological sensing using anomalous hall effect devices
Authors: Ramesh Akhil K , Chou Yi-Ting , Lu Mu-Ting , Singh Pushparaj , Tseng Yuan-Chieh
Published: May 2022

This paper outlines an approach to biological sensing involving the use of spintronic devices to sense magnetic particles attached to biological carriers. We developed an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)-based Anomalous Hall Effect magnetic sensor via surface functionalization using Triethoxysilylundecanal (TESUD). The proposed sensor uses a CoFeB/MgO heterostructure with a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. Through several sets of magnetic layer thickness, this work also explored the optimization process of ferromagnetic layer used. Our spintronics-based biosensor is compatible with semiconductor fabrication technology and can be effectively miniaturized to integrate with semiconductor chips, which has the advantage of reduced manufacturing cost and reduced power consumption. The proposed sensor provides real-time measurement results and it is competitive to conventional biological colorimetric measurement systems in terms of accuracy and immediacy.
Photoelectrochemical oxygen evolution with interdigitated array electrodes: the example of TiO2
Authors: Liu Fei , Tao Keyu , Peiqi Du , Shi Jinwen
Published: May 2022

The catalytic reactions of photoelectrochemical water splitting attracts tremendous attention as a promising strategy for clean energy production. And the research on reaction mechanism is particularly important in design and developing new catalysts. In this work, the special electrochemical tool of interdigitated array (IDA) electrodes was utilized in investigating the photoelectrochemical oxygen evolution reaction process and detecting the reaction product in situ with the generation-collection mode. TiO2 was taken as a model catalyst and was decorated onto the IDA generator electrode through an electrophoresis method, so that the photoelectrochemical water splitting can take place on the IDA generator and the reaction product can be detected directly with the IDA collector in real time. It is found that TiO2 can be successfully decorated onto the surface of IDA electrode with the expected photoelectrochemical activity, and the generation-collection mode reveals and distinguishes the production of O2 from the overall photoelectrochemical current on TiO2 generator. The mass transfer process of O2 from the TiO2 generator to the collector could be observed as well. Large overall current at high potential range indicates the possible increasing production of the byproducts or nonfaradaic current.
Electromagnetic and mechanical properties of CORC cable due to screening current
Authors: Wu Qiong , Wang Yifan , Huang Ziyi , Xie Yiming , He Rui , Wei Junwen , Lei Zhiwen , Qin Jinggang , Tan Yunfei
Published: May 2022

With the development of type II high temperature superconducting (HTS) ReBCO tape, it has been widely used in high field magnets. Conductor on round core (CORC) cable is highly flexible and fully isotropic, making it one of the most important types of HTS cables. In the condition of high field and current, the electromagnetic and mechanical behaviors of CORC cable under screening current effect are not clear. In this paper, the behaviors of CORC cable under high field and current are studied for the first time by combining electromagnetic and mechanical simulation. A three-dimensional shell model and a three-dimensional solid element model of single-layer CORC cable are established by finite element software to study the electromagnetic and mechanical properties of CORC cable, respectively. Compared with the case without taking screening current into account, two current loops are induced within a pitch of the CORC cable due to the screening current, and the magnetic field homogeneity is significantly reduced. Meanwhile, two pairs of shear force are generated at the current loops meeting zones, it results in a certain degree of stress concentration. Fortunately, because the copper core provides stable mechanical support for the HTS tape, there is no significant difference of the maximum stress between two cases with and without screening current in the CORC cable.
Marginal stability of soft anharmonic mean field spin glasses
Authors: Folena Giampaolo , Urbani Pierfrancesco
Published: May 2022

We investigate the properties of the glass phase of a recently introduced spin glass model of soft spins subjected to an anharmonic quartic local potential, which serves as a model of low temperature molecular or soft glasses. We solve the model using mean field theory and show that, at low temperatures, it is described by full replica symmetry breaking. As a consequence, at zero temperature the glass phase is marginally stable. We show that in this case, marginal stability comes from a combination of both soft linear excitations—appearing in a gapless spectrum of the Hessian of linear excitations—and pseudogapped non-linear excitations—corresponding to nearly degenerate two level systems. Therefore, this model is a natural candidate to describe what happens in soft glasses, where quasi localized soft modes in the density of states appear together with non-linear modes triggering avalanches and conjectured to be essential to describe the universal low temperature anomalies of glasses.
Random walks on complex networks under node-dependent stochastic resetting
Authors: Ye Yanfei , Chen Hanshuang
Published: May 2022

In the present work, we study random walks on complex networks subject to stochastic resetting when the resetting probability is node-dependent. Using a renewal approach, we derive the exact expressions of the stationary occupation probabilities of the walker on each node and the mean first passage time between arbitrary two nodes. Finally, we demonstrate our theoretical results on three networks with two different resetting protocols, validated by numerical simulations as well. We find that under a delicate setting, it is advantageous to optimize the efficiency of a global search on such networks by the node-dependent resetting probability.
Protecting unknown qubit states from decoherence of qubit channels by weak measurement
Authors: Heibati Ozra , Mani Azam , Faizi Esfandyar , Karimipour Vahid
Published: May 2022

The problem of combating de-coherence by weak measurements has already been studied for the amplitude damping channel and for specific input states. We generalize this to a large four-parameter family of qubit channels and for the average fidelity over all pure states. As a by-product we classify all the qubit channels which have one invariant pure state and show that the parameter manifold of these channels is isomorphic to S
2 × S
1 × S
1 and contains many interesting sub-classes of channels. By tuning the parameter of the weak measurement, we show that it is possible to increase the average input–output fidelity without blocking too many particles to pass through the channel. Quantitative analysis reveals that the increase of average fidelity can be up to 0.3, by blocking less than half of the particles.
SNP g.1117G>A HSP70 Gene Polymorphism in Domestic Beef Cattle using PCR-RFLP Method
Authors: Haddar MA , Jakaria  , Noor RR
Published: May 2022

Temperature increases have detrimental impacts on livestock, such as decreased metabolism, reproduction, and performance. The response of livestock to heat stress can be shown by the expression of HSP70 gene. This study aims to identify the SNP g.1117G>A HSP70 gene polymorphism (HSP70|BanI) using the PCR-RFLP method. This study used 118 DNA samples of 5 breeds of cattle consisting of 20 heads of PO cattle, 20 heads of Madura cattle, 12 heads of Kuantan cattle, 53 heads of Bali cattle, and 13 heads of Pesisir cattle. The PCR-RFLP approach was used to analyze the diversity of the HSP70 gene. The enzyme used for cutting was BanI with forwarding primer 5‘-GAA AGG AAA AAA GAG ACA GA-3’ and reverse primers 5‘-AAT ACG CAG GAG TAG GTG GT-3’. The variation of the HSP gene was analyzed using allele frequency, genotype frequency, and level of heterozygosity. The Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was evaluated using the Chi-Square test on PopGen 32. HSP70 gene amplification resulted in 539 bp fragments and 2 alleles (A and G). The HSP70 gene consisted of three genotypes i.e., AA (475 bp), AG (475 bp, 369 bp, and 106 bp), and GG (369 bp and 106 bp). The highest allele frequency of the A allele was found in PO and G allele in Bali cattle. Based on the results, it can be concluded that the HSP70 gene in 5’ UTR (untranslated region) in local beef cattle was polymorphic.
Change in Hematology Prepartum and Postpartum of Garut Ewe fed with Flushing Diet Contain Lemuru Oil
Authors: Nurlatifah A , Khotijah L , Arifiantini RI , Maidin M S , Astuti D A
Published: May 2022

Nutrients play a vital role in the sustainability of sheep production by maintaining the reproductive process and the health status of the ewe. This study evaluated blood hematology changes during prepartum and postpartum on ewe fed flushing diet. A total of 20 Garut sheep were used in this study. A completely randomized factorial design 4 × 2 was used. The first factor was ration (P1= basal ration; P2= Flushing concentrate 6% palm oil; P3= Flushing concentrate 3% palm oil and 3% lemuru oil; P4= Flushing concentrate 6% lemuru oil), and the second factor was a physiological phase (prepartum and postpartum ). Erythrocyte and hemoglobin levels were higher postpartum than in the prepartum period (P<0,05), but the ration was not affected. The postpartum ewe has a lower percentage of lymphocyte and monocyte but higher neutrophil than the prepartum period. P2, P3, and P4 significantly (P<0,05) improved the number of monocytes. P3 significantly (P<0,05) decrease lymphocyte and increase neutrophil. The neutrophil to lymphocyte (N/L) ratio is very low in P4 and high in P3. In conclusion, feeding flushing concentrate 6% lemuru oil can improve the immune system by maintaining normal blood hematology during the prepartum and postpartum.
Antimicrobial Activity of Lactobacillus plantarum in Fermented Chicken Egg towards Pathogenic Bacteria
Authors: Mangalisu A. , Armayanti A.K. , Wulandari Z.
Published: May 2022

Fermentation technology using L. plantarum with different incubation times affects the amount of L. plantarum containing antimicrobials in fermented chicken eggs. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of incubation time on the antimicrobial activity of fermented chicken eggs. This study was conducted experimentally using a completely randomized design (CRD). The treatment was carried out by fermentation with an incubation temperature of 37°C with different incubation times of 0, 48 and 96 hours. The measured parameters in this study were testing for total lactic acid bacteria by using the pour plate method and the antimicrobial activity test for fermented eggs was carried out using the agar spotted on the lawn method. The results showed that the number of lactic acid bacteria in chicken eggs was optimum at an incubation temperature of 37°C for 96 hours. The antimicrobial activity of fermented chicken eggs was optimum at an incubation temperature of 37°C for 96 hours as shown from the formation of a clear zone on Muller Hinton Agar (OXOID CM0337). The improvement of total lactic acid bacteria and antimicrobial activity in fermented chicken eggs was optimum at an incubation temperature of 37°C for 96 hours of incubation time.
The Utilization of Red Fruit (Pandanus Conoideus Lam) Extract for Making Goat’s Milk Kefir
Authors: Fiqri Erzhad M. , Adiyoga Reza , H Marwah , Wulandari Zakiah , Sriduresta Soenarno M , Arifin Muhamad , Murtini Devi
Published: May 2022

Red fruit extract is a by-product from red fruit oil production process. Red fruit extract contains active compounds that are important for health. It has potential to be developed as functional food. Kefir is categorized in one of functional food because it has a healthy effect. Kefir can be made from various types of milk, and one of them is goat’s milk. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the physicochemical properties, total lactic acid bacteria and organoleptic characteristics for goat’s milk kefir with added red fruit. The treatment in this study was the addition red fruit liquid extract as much as 0% (control), 2.5% and 5%. The results showed that all total lactic acid bacteria is more than 1 million population per ml so that it can be declared as a probiotic functional food. The results of the organoleptic test showed that the panelists preferred goat’s milk kefir products with the addition of 2.5% red fruit liquid extract. The conclusion obtained from this research was that the best concentration of red fruit liquid extract is 2.5% which produces goat’s milk kefir which is in accordance with standard and favored by panelists.
Biomimetic bamboo leaf double-sided microstructure composite surface and its delayed icing performance
Authors: Wan Yanling , Wang Xianghan , Zhang Meng , Xu Jinkai , Yu Huadong
Published: May 2022

The frost phenomenon occurred on the surface of engineering equipment can not only lead to a reduction in the efficiency of equipment but a higher energy consumption. How to effectively inhibit or delay the frost behavior on a material surface and improve the anti-frost property on the surface is of great importance. It is found that the nano needle structure on the surface of bamboo leaves can provide large Laplace pressure to drive droplets to bounce and hence delay the condensation process. In addition, in the frost crystal growth stage, the nano needle structure can reduce the contact area between droplets and the surface of bamboo leaves, and hence limit the phase-change heat transfer of water vapor and increase the thermodynamic barrier when nucleation of water vapor occurs, thereby delaying the frost crystal growth. In this paper, inspired by bamboo leaves, biomimetic structures are constructed on the surface of an aluminum alloy by laser processing and sol-gel method. Results reveal that delayed frost formation on the surface is realized, which is of immense practical value in engineering and many other aspects.
Surface functionalization of recyclable polymer for application as a flexible fluorescent sensor
Authors: Oreste Eliézer Quadro , Bulhosa Maria Carolina Salum , Gonçalves Bruna Lisboa , Müller Daniele Gomes , Nascimento Nathalia Souza , de Menezes Vicenti Juliano Rosa , Kessler Felipe
Published: May 2022

The use of surface-functionalized polymers has shown great potential for application, emphasizing the development of flexible optoelectronic devices (FOD). There are several ways to carry out this functionalization, attributing different characteristics to the resulting material. In the present study, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) films were surface-functionalized with [4-(2-hydroxy naphthyl)diazenyl] benzoic acid using UV radiation and the direct grafting method. The resulting films were characterized using different techniques, which enabled the identification of functional groups characteristic of the compound azo, thus proving that both methods used for surface functionalization were efficient. Subsequently, the sensing capabilities of these films were evaluated by being exposed to solutions of different cations. The fluorescence signal was the measurable response, in which its variation is dependent on the interaction of analytes with the functionalized surface of the PET film. The main advantages observed in this study are simplicity, low cost and the possibility of using recycled polymer, contributing to sustainable development and environmental conservation.
Stretchable inkjet-printed electronics on mechanically compliant island-bridge architectures covalently bonded to elastomeric substrates
Authors: Pietsch Manuel , Schlisske Stefan , Held Martin , Maag Patrick , Hernandez-Sosa Gerardo
Published: May 2022

Herein, we present an approach that allows versatile combination of inkjet-printed electronics and stretchable substrates. For this, we created a hybrid platform made out of stretchable Ecoflex covalently bonded via silane monolayers to flexible polyethylene terephthalate islands interconnected by bridges. The islands served as platforms where conductive lines, capacitive sensors and electrochromic devices (ECDs) were fabricated by inkjet printing. The robustness of the approach is highlighted by the minor influence of strain on the conductivity of printed Ag electrodes, which changed the resistance only by 1.3% at an applied strain of 50%. Furthermore, we demonstrated capacitor sensors capable of responding to strain changing their capacitance from 0.2 to 1.6 pF. To further show the applicability of the approach for multilayer/multimaterial optoelectronic elements, we processed ECDs capable of displaying information on the stretchable platform. Thus, we demonstrate how this digital and additive concept can be applied for the scalable integration of printed optoelectronic devices onto stretchable systems without relying on lithographic processes.
Electronic properties of twisted multilayer graphene
Authors: Nguyen V Hung , Hoang Trinh X , Charlier J-C
Published: May 2022

Twisted bilayer graphene displays many fascinating properties that can be tuned by varying the relative angle (also called twist angle) between its layers. As a notable feature, both the electronic flat bands and the corresponding strong electron localization have been obtained at a specific ‘magic’ angle (

∼

1.1

∘

), leading to the observation of several strongly correlated electronic phenomena. Such a discovery has hence inspired the creation of a novel research field called twistronics, i.e. aiming to explore novel physical properties in vertically stacked 2D structures when tuning the twist angle between the related layers. In this paper, a comprehensive and systematic study related to the electronic properties of twisted multilayer graphene (TMG) is presented based on atomistic calculations. The dependence of both the global and the local electronic quantities on the twist angle and on the stacking configuration are analyzed, fully taking into account atomic reconstruction effects. Consequently, the correlation between structural and electronic properties are clarified, thereby highlighting the shared characteristics and differences between various TMG systems as well as providing a comprehensive and essential overview. On the basis of these investigations, possibilities to tune the electronic properties are discussed, allowing for further developments in the field of twistronics.
Integrase Strand Transfer Inhibitors Are Associated With Incident Diabetes Mellitus in People With Human Immunodeficiency Virus
Authors: O’Halloran Jane A , Sahrmann John , Parra-Rodriguez Luis , Vo Daniel T , Butler Anne M , Olsen Margaret A , Powderly William G
Published: May 2022

Background

Integrase strand transfer inhibitors (INSTIs) are associated with weight gain in people with HIV (PWH). Less is known about the risk of other metabolic outcomes such as diabetes mellitus and hyperglycemia.

Methods

IBM® MarketScan® databases for commercially and Medicaid-insured adults were used to identify PWH newly initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART). The primary outcome was a composite of new-onset diabetes mellitus/hyperglycemia in the 6 months following ART initiation and was identified using International Classification of Disease, Ninth revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) and ICD-10-CM diagnosis and procedure codes and Current Procedural Terminology, 4th Edition (CPT-4) codes. To examine the relationship between INSTI use and the composite outcome, we estimated the risk using Cox proportional hazards models with calendar time-specific standardized mortality ratio weights.

Results

Of 42 382 PWH who initiated ART between 1 July 2007 and 30 June 2018, 22 762 (54%) were treated with INSTI-based regimens. Mean age was 38 years, 74% were male, and 19% were Medicaid insured. PWH on INSTIs were 31% more likely to develop new-onset diabetes mellitus/hyperglycemia (hazard ratio [HR], 1.31; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.15–1.48]) compared with those who initiated non–INSTI-based regimens. When examined individually, the highest risk was associated with elvitegravir (HR, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.32–1.97; P < .001) and the lowest risk with raltegravir (HR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.03–1.37; P = .02).

Conclusions

INSTI use was associated with increased risk of new-onset diabetes mellitus/hyperglycemia in the 6 months following ART initiation.
Vowel sound production and its association with cephalometric characteristics in skeletal Class III subjects
Authors: Pravitharangul Natthaporn , Miyamoto Jun J , Yoshizawa Hideyuki , Matsumoto Tsutomu , Suzuki Shoichi , Chantarawaratit Pintu-on , Moriyama Keiji
Published: May 2022

Background

This study aimed to evaluate differences in vowel production using acoustic analysis in skeletal Class III and Class I Japanese participants and to identify the correlation between vowel sounds and cephalometric variables in skeletal Class III subjects.

Materials and methods

Japanese males with skeletal Class III (ANB < 0°) and Class I skeletal anatomy (0.62° < ANB < 5.94°) were recruited (n = 18/group). Acoustic analysis of vowel sounds and cephalometric analysis of lateral cephalograms were performed. For sound analysis, an isolated Japanese vowel (/a/,/i/,/u/,/e/,/o/) pattern was recorded. Praat software was used to extract acoustic parameters such as fundamental frequency (F0) and the first four formants (F1, F2, F3, and F4). The formant graph area was calculated. Cephalometric values were obtained using ImageJ. Correlations between acoustic and cephalometric variables in skeletal Class III subjects were then investigated.

Results

Skeletal Class III subjects exhibited significantly higher/o/F2 and lower/o/F4 values. Mandibular length, SNB, and overjet of Class III subjects were moderately negatively correlated with acoustic variables.

Limitations

This study did not take into account vertical skeletal patterns and tissue movements during sound production.

Conclusion

Skeletal Class III males produced different /o/ (back and rounded vowel), possibly owing to their anatomical positions or adaptive changes. Vowel production was moderately associated with cephalometric characteristics of Class III subjects. Thus, changes in speech after orthognathic surgery may be expected. A multidisciplinary team approach that included the input of a speech pathologist would be useful.
A new power spectrum and stochastic representation for the geomagnetic axial dipole
Authors: Sadhasivan Mayuri , Constable Catherine
Published: May 2022

Earth’s internal magnetic field is dominated by the contribution of the axial dipole whose temporal variations are wide ranging and reflect characteristic timescales associated with geomagnetic reversals and large scale palaeosecular variation, ranging down to decadal and subannual field changes inferred from direct observations. We present a new empirical power spectrum for the axial dipole moment based on composite magnetic records of temporal variations in the axial dipole field that span the frequency range 0.1 to 5 × 105  Myr–1 (periods from 10 million to 2 yr). The new spectrum is used to build a stochastic representation for these time variations, based on an order 3 autoregressive (AR) process and placed in the context of earlier stochastic modelling studies. The AR parameter estimates depend on the frequency of transitions in the spectral regime and may be influenced by Ohmic diffusion, advection and torsional oscillations in Earth’s core. In several frequency ranges across the interval 200–5000 Myr–1(5000 to 200 yr periods) the empirical power spectrum lies above the AR3 model and may be influenced by Magneto–Coriolis (MC) waves in Earth’s core. The spectral shape and parameter estimates provide a potentially useful guide for developing assessments of whether numerical dynamo simulations meet criteria for being considered Earth like.
Person-centered care in Uganda: analysis of responsiveness, patient satisfaction, patient-reported health outcomes, and trust among adults
Authors: Fifield Jocelyn , Bell Griffith A , Hirschhorn Lisa R , Kibira Simon P S , Kim June-Ho , Makumbi Fredrick , Nabiwemba Elizabeth , Schwarz Dan , Wabwire-Mangen Fred , Ratcliffe Hannah L
Published: May 2022

Objectives

Person-centeredness and patient experience are key components of high-quality health systems. The World Health Organization defines seven domains of health system responsiveness, and there is a growing body of research that uses these domains as a proxy for experiential quality.

Methods

We examined overall levels of responsiveness across the domains and across demographic and visit characteristics in Uganda. We also explored the relationship between responsiveness and patient satisfaction, self-rated health outcomes, and trust. This study uses data from a nationally-representative cross-sectional household survey conducted in Uganda in 2019. Respondents who had sought care in the last 6 months were asked questions about responsiveness of care during their most recent visit. We compared demographic and visit characteristics in total and between respondents within the highest and lowest responsiveness and also explored the distribution of the responsiveness index across all responsiveness domains. Finally, we assessed the relationship between responsiveness quintiles and the highest rating of our outcomes using Poisson regression. Our six outcomes fell within three categories: patient satisfaction, patient-reported health outcomes, and trust.

Results

Of the 4823 men and women surveyed, 2924 (60.6%) visited a healthcare facility in the last 6 months, and the total weighted study sample of those who visited a healthcare facility was 2827. Respondents who reported high responsiveness were more likely to be wealthier, urban dwellings, and with higher levels of education, and more likely to have greater access to care, to see the same provider at each visit, and to have gone to a private facility. We found that respondents reporting higher responsiveness were significantly more likely to report the highest rating on all six outcomes.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that responsiveness is a central component of high-quality health systems and that efforts to improve health outcomes must look beyond technical quality.
Low Risk of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Transmission by Fomites: A Clinical Observational Study in Highly Infectious Coronavirus Disease 2019 Patients
Authors: Meister Toni Luise , Dreismeier Marielen , Blanco Elena Vidal , Brüggemann Yannick , Heinen Natalie , Kampf Günter , Todt Daniel , Nguyen Huu Phuc , Steinmann Jörg , Schmidt Wolfgang Ekkehard , Steinmann Eike , Quast Daniel Robert , Pfaender Stephanie
Published: May 2022

Background

The contribution of droplet-contaminated surfaces for virus transmission has been discussed controversially in the context of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. More importantly, the risk of fomite-based transmission has not been systematically addressed. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate whether confirmed hospitalized coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients can contaminate stainless steel carriers by coughing or intensive moistening with saliva and to assess the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission upon detection of viral loads and infectious virus in cell culture.

Methods

We initiated a single-center observational study including 15 COVID-19 patients with a high baseline viral load (cycle threshold value ≤25). We documented clinical and laboratory parameters and used patient samples to perform virus culture, quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and virus sequencing.

Results

Nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs of all patients were positive for viral ribonucleic acid on the day of the study. Infectious SARS-CoV-2 could be isolated from 6 patient swabs (46.2%). After coughing, no infectious virus could be recovered, however, intensive moistening with saliva resulted in successful viral recovery from steel carriers of 5 patients (38.5%).

Conclusions

Transmission of infectious SARS-CoV-2 via fomites is possible upon extensive moistening, but it is unlikely to occur in real-life scenarios and from droplet-contaminated fomites.
Surveillance for Zika, Chikungunya, and Dengue Virus Incidence and RNAemia in Blood Donors at 4 Brazilian Blood Centers During 2016–2019
Authors: Custer Brian , Grebe Eduard , Buccheri Renata , Bakkour Sonia , Stone Mars , Capuani Ligia , Alencar Cecilia , Amorim Luiz , Loureiro Paula , Carneiro-Proietti Anna Barbara , Mendrone-Junior Alfredo , Gonçalez Thelma , Gao Kui , Livezey Kristin W , Linnen Jeffrey M , Brambilla Don , McClure Chris , Busch Michael P , Sabino Ester C ,   for the Recipient Epidemiology and Donor Evaluation Study (REDS-III) International Component Brazil
Published: May 2022

Background

Except for public health case reports, the incidence of Zika virus (ZIKV), chikungunya virus (CHIKV), and dengue virus (DENV) infection are not available to assess the potential blood transfusion safety threat in Brazil.

Methods

Pools of 6 donation samples (MP6) left over from human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B virus, and hepatitis C virus nucleic acid testing were combined to create MP18 pools (3 MP6 pools). Samples were tested using the Grifols triplex ZIKV, CHIKV, and DENV real-time transcription mediated amplification assay to estimate prevalence of RNAemia and incidence, and to compare these results to case reports in São Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Recife, and Rio de Janeiro, from April 2016 through June 2019.

Results

ZIKV, CHIKV, and DENV RNAemia were found from donors who donated without overt symptoms of infection that would have led to deferral. The highest RNAemic donation prevalence was 1.2% (95% CI, .8%–1.9%) for DENV in Belo Horizonte in May 2019. Arbovirus infections varied by location and time of year, and were not always aligned with annual arbovirus outbreak seasons in different regions of the country.

Conclusions

Testing donations for arboviruses in Brazil can contribute to public health. Transfusion recipients were likely exposed to ZIKV, CHIKV, and DENV viremic blood components during the study period.
Hand and nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus and its rate of recolonization among healthcare workers of a tertiary care hospital in Nepal
Authors: Rai Junu Richhinbung , Amatya Ritu , Rai Shiba Kumar
Published: May 2022

Background

Carriers of Staphylococcus aureus among healthcare workers (HCWs) can spread the bacteria to patients and the environment, in addition to their own risk of infection.

Objectives

To determine the prevalence of S. aureus carriers among HCWs and the rate of recolonization after decolonization therapy with mupirocin.

Methods

Nasal and hand swabs from HCWs of a tertiary care hospital in Nepal were cultured on mannitol salt agar and S. aureus isolated were identified using standard microbiological procedures. Detection of MRSA and mupirocin-resistant S. aureus (MupRSA) isolates were done phenotypically. Identified S. aureus carriers were decolonized with 2% mupirocin nasal ointment. Recolonization of the carriers was assessed monthly for the next 5 months.

Results

Among the 213 HCWs, 18.3% were S. aureus carriers (35 nasal carriers, 4 both nasal and hand carriers, and no hand carriers). Overall, 9.4% of the HCWS were MRSA carriers and none were MupRSA carriers. After decolonization, 25.6% of them were recolonized and 50.0% of the recolonization was detected after 3 months of decolonization. All recolonized carriers had only MSSA strains (which colonized only nose), and none were recolonized with MupRSA.

Conclusions

HCWs are frequent carriers of S. aureus and MRSA. Due to their continuous exposure to the hospital environment, they are at risk of colonization by this MDR organism. Regular screening and decolonization of HCWs working with high risk, vulnerable patients would reduce the risk of MRSA transmission from HCWs to patients.
Reappraisal of theCrangonyx floridanusspecies complex, with the description of a new species ofCrangonyxBate, 1859 (Amphipoda: Crangonyctidae) from northern Florida, USA
Authors: Cannizzaro Andrew G , Sisco Joshua M , Sawicki Thomas R
Published: May 2022

Crangonyx apalachee n. sp. Cannizzaro & Sawicki in Cannizzaro, Sisco & Sawicki, is described from Lake Jackson in Leon County, Florida, USA, a prairie lake that periodically drains through karst sinkholes during times of low rainfall. The new species occurs in tall grass along the lake’s shoreline. Molecular analyses of the nuclear 18S rDNA and 28S rDNA along with the mitochondrial 16S rDNA, combined with morphological analyses were used to delineate the population from closely related crangonyctids. The occurrence of C. apalacheen. sp. in Lake Jackson marks the fifth species to be described from the floridanus complex in Florida. Collections from other locations across north Florida suggest the presence of additional floridanus-complex species still to be described.
Novel kinematic and geometric views for improving tooth contact analysis of spatial gears
Authors: Wang Shenghui , Zhou Yuansheng , Chu Chih-Hsing , Tang Jinyuan
Published: May 2022

Tooth contact analysis (TCA) has been widely applied to evaluate the working performance of gear pairs. TCA is often formulated with five unknowns and five independent scalar equations. The solution process involves a global optimization problem with strong nonlinearity and numerical instability, especially for spatial gears with complicated tooth geometries. This study proposes novel kinematic and geometric views of gearing that reveal insights into the meshing process of spatial gears. One unknown can be removed from the position and normal equations of the TCA formulation. To solve the remaining four unknowns, a simplified optimization model with two unknowns is proposed, and the other two unknowns are obtained by using geometric iterative methods or directly from explicit expressions in some cases. A general algorithm was developed to solve the simplified TCA. The test results of both the spiral bevel and face gear drives validate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
A Scheme Foiled: A Critique of Baron’s Account of Extra-mathematical Explanation
Authors: Povich Mark
Published: May 2022

Extra-mathematical explanations explain natural phenomena primarily by appeal to mathematical facts. Philosophers disagree about whether there are extra-mathematical explanations, the correct account of them if they exist, and their implications (for example, for the philosophy of scientific explanation and for the metaphysics of mathematics) (Baker 2005, 2009; Bangu 2008; Colyvan 1998; Craver and Povich 2017; Lange 2013, 2016, 2018; Mancosu 2008; Povich 2019, 2020; Steiner 1978). In this discussion, I present three desiderata for any account of extra-mathematical explanation and argue that Baron’s (2020) U-Counterfactual theory fails to meet each of them. I conclude with some reasons for pessimism that a successful account will be forthcoming.
Progenitor, environment, and modelling of the interacting transient AT 2016jbu (Gaia16cfr)
Authors: Brennan S J , Fraser M , Johansson J , Pastorello A , Kotak R , Stevance H F , Chen T -W , Eldridge J J , Bose S , Brown P J , Callis E , Cartier R , Dennefeld M , Dong Subo , Duffy P , Elias-Rosa N , Hosseinzadeh G , Hsiao E , Kuncarayakti H , Martin-Carrillo A , Monard B , Pignata G , Sand D , Shappee B J , Smartt S J , Tucker B E , Wyrzykowski L , Abbot H , Benetti S , Bento J , Blondin S , Chen Ping , Delgado A , Galbany L , Gromadzki M , Gutiérrez C P , Hanlon L , Harrison D L , Hiramatsu D , Hodgkin S T , Holoien T W -S , Howell D A , Inserra C , Kankare E , Kozłowski S , Müller-Bravo T E , Maguire K , McCully C , Meintjes P , Morrell N , Nicholl M , O’Neill D , Pietrukowicz P , Poleski R , Prieto J L , Rau A , Reichart D E , Schweyer T , Shahbandeh M , Skowron J , Sollerman J , Soszyński I , Stritzinger M D , Szymański M , Tartaglia L , Udalski A , Ulaczyk K , Young D R , van Leeuwen M , van Soelen B
Published: May 2022

We present the bolometric light curve, identification and analysis of the progenitor candidate, and preliminary modelling of AT 2016jbu (Gaia16cfr). We find a progenitor consistent with a ∼ 22–25 M⊙ yellow hypergiant surrounded by a dusty circumstellar shell, in agreement with what has been previously reported. We see evidence for significant photometric variability in the progenitor, as well as strong Hα emission consistent with pre-existing circumstellar material. The age of the environment, as well as the resolved stellar population surrounding AT 2016jbu, supports a progenitor age of >10 Myr, consistent with a progenitor mass of ∼22 M⊙. A joint analysis of the velocity evolution of AT 2016jbu and the photospheric radius inferred from the bolometric light curve shows the transient is consistent with two successive outbursts/explosions. The first outburst ejected material with velocity ∼650 km s−1, while the second, more energetic event ejected material at ∼4500 km s−1. Whether the latter is the core collapse of the progenitor remains uncertain. We place a limit on the ejected 56Ni mass of <0.016 M⊙. Using the Binary Population And Spectral Synthesis (BPASS) code, we explore a wide range of possible progenitor systems and find that the majority of these are in binaries, some of which are undergoing mass transfer or common-envelope evolution immediately prior to explosion. Finally, we use the SuperNova Explosion Code (SNEC) to demonstrate that the low-energy explosions within some of these binary systems, together with sufficient circumstellar material, can reproduce the overall morphology of the light curve of AT 2016jbu.
A machine learning approach to correct for mass resolution effects in simulated halo clustering statistics
Authors: Forero-Sánchez Daniel , Chuang Chia-Hsun , Rodríguez-Torres Sergio , Yepes Gustavo , Gottlöber Stefan , Zhao Cheng
Published: May 2022

The increase in the observed volume in cosmological surveys imposes various challenges on simulation preparations. First, the volume of the simulations required increases proportionally to the observations. However, large-volume simulations are quickly becoming computationally intractable. Secondly, on-going and future large-volume survey are targeting smaller objects, e.g. emission line galaxies, compared to the earlier focus, i.e. luminous red galaxies. They require the simulations to have higher mass resolutions. In this work, we present a machine learning (ML) approach to calibrate the halo catalogue of a low-resolution (LR) simulation by training with a paired high-resolution (HR) simulation with the same background white noise, thus we can build the training data by matching HR haloes to LR haloes in a one-to-one fashion. After training, the calibrated LR halo catalogue reproduces the mass–clustering relation for mass down to 2.5 × 1011 h−1 M⊙ within 5 per cent at scales $k\lt 1\,h\, \rm Mpc^{-1}$. We validate the performance of different statistics including halo mass function, power spectrum, two-point correlation function, and bispectrum in both real and redshift space. Our approach generates HR-like halo catalogues (>200 particles per halo) from LR catalogues (>25 particles per halo) containing corrected halo masses for each object. This allows to bypass the computational burden of a large-volume real high-resolution simulation without much compromise in the mass resolution of the result. The cost of our ML approach (∼1 CPU-h) is negligible compared to the cost of a N-body simulation (e.g. millions of CPU-h), The required computing time is cut a factor of 8.
Timing the last major merger of galaxy clusters with large halo sparsity
Authors: Richardson T R G , Corasaniti P-S
Published: May 2022

Numerical simulations have shown that massive dark matter haloes, which today host galaxy clusters, assemble their mass over time alternating periods of quiescent accretion and phases of rapid growth associated with major merger episodes. Observations of such events in clusters can provide insights on the astrophysical processes that characterize the properties of the intra-cluster medium, as well as the gravitational processes that contribute to their assembly. It is therefore of prime interest to devise a fast and reliable way of detecting such perturbed systems. We present a novel approach to identifying and timing major mergers in clusters characterized by large values of halo sparsity. Using halo catalogues from the MultiDark-Planck2 simulation, we show that major merger events disrupt the radial mass distribution of haloes, thus leaving a distinct universal imprint on the evolution of halo sparsity over a period not exceeding two dynamical times. We exploit this feature using numerically calibrated distributions to test whether an observed galaxy cluster with given sparsity measurements has undergone a recent major merger and to eventually estimate when such an event occurred. We implement these statistical tools in a specifically developed public python library lammas, which we apply to the analysis of Abell 383 and Abell 2345 as test cases. Finding that, for example, Abell 2345 had a major merger about 2.1 ± 0.2 Gyr ago. This work opens the way to detecting and timing major mergers in galaxy clusters solely through measurements of their mass at different radii.
Photometric and spectroscopic evolution of the interacting transient AT 2016jbu(Gaia16cfr)
Authors: Brennan S J , Fraser M , Johansson J , Pastorello A , Kotak R , Stevance H F , Chen T -W , Eldridge J J , Bose S , Brown P J , Callis E , Cartier R , Dennefeld M , Dong Subo , Duffy P , Elias-Rosa N , Hosseinzadeh G , Hsiao E , Kuncarayakti H , Martin-Carrillo A , Monard B , Nyholm A , Pignata G , Sand D , Shappee B J , Smartt S J , Tucker B E , Wyrzykowski L , Abbot H , Benetti S , Bento J , Blondin S , Chen Ping , Delgado A , Galbany L , Gromadzki M , Gutiérrez C P , Hanlon L , Harrison D L , Hiramatsu D , Hodgkin S T , Holoien T W-S , Howell D A , Inserra C , Kankare E , Kozłowski S , Müller-Bravo T E , Maguire K , McCully C , Meintjes P , Morrell N , Nicholl M , O’Neill D , Pietrukowicz P , Poleski R , Prieto J L , Rau A , Reichart D E , Schweyer T , Shahbandeh M , Skowron J , Sollerman J , Soszyński I , Stritzinger M D , Szymański M , Tartaglia L , Udalski A , Ulaczyk K , Young D R , van Leeuwen M , van Soelen B
Published: May 2022

We present the results from a high-cadence, multiwavelength observation campaign of AT 2016jbu (aka Gaia16cfr), an interacting transient. This data set complements the current literature by adding higher cadence as well as extended coverage of the light-curve evolution and late-time spectroscopic evolution. Photometric coverage reveals that AT 2016jbu underwent significant photometric variability followed by two luminous events, the latter of which reached an absolute magnitude of MV ∼ −18.5 mag. This is similar to the transient SN 2009ip whose nature is still debated. Spectra are dominated by narrow emission lines and show a blue continuum during the peak of the second event. AT 2016jbu shows signatures of a complex, non-homogeneous circumstellar material (CSM). We see slowly evolving asymmetric hydrogen line profiles, with velocities of 500 km s−1 seen in narrow emission features from a slow-moving CSM, and up to 10 000 km s−1 seen in broad absorption from some high-velocity material. Late-time spectra (∼+1 yr) show a lack of forbidden emission lines expected from a core-collapse supernova and are dominated by strong emission from H, He i, and Ca ii. Strong asymmetric emission features, a bumpy light curve, and continually evolving spectra suggest an inhibit nebular phase. We compare the evolution of H α among SN 2009ip-like transients and find possible evidence for orientation angle effects. The light-curve evolution of AT 2016jbu suggests similar, but not identical, circumstellar environments to other SN 2009ip-like transients.