bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
1974–1982: A Unified Geographically Based Health System
Authors: Bramwell Donna , Checkland Kath , Shields Jolanta , Allen Pauline
Published: January 2023

In this chapter, we detail the first major re-organisation of the NHS since its inception and the consequences for community nursing. The 1974 wholesale re-organisation was born out of frustrations with the management and fragmentation of services resulting from the tripartite system. Services were bought together in a unitary model, centrally controlled but geographically organised. Local Authorities (LAs) were divested of many of their healthcare responsibilities including community nursing, which was transferred under the responsibility of newly created Area Health Authorities (AHAs). There was optimism that bringing community nursing under the NHS umbrella would foster a new era of co-ordinated working between all disciplines in the system, such as hospital nursing. Unfortunately, many of these intended aspirations were not realised despite the importance of the service to policy agendas emphasising integration, out-of-hospital care and prevention of ill health. In terms of managing and financing the district nursing service, this was not simplified by the re-organisation and population coverage continued as a mix of geographical and attachment to GP services. We conclude this chapter by emphasising the increasing demand for community and district nursing services. It became apparent in this era that the re-organisation did not bring any significant improvements and thus the attention shifted again towards organisational and management solutions to the NHS’ problems.
Object
Authors: Broch Trygve B.
Published: January 2023

Analogies are elementary forms of meaning-making. In this chapter, I explore how the ponytail hairdo is imbued with meanings as we ascribe animal traits to people and human characteristics to animals to create “objective” or “natural” realities. The cultural creation of the natural through analogies, resemblances, and inductive reasoning makes symbolic work disappear from aesthetic surfaces, yet survive in an invisible cultural depth, reappearing in Freudian slippages and affective snippets of text. I show how meaning moves through the sensual materiality of the ponytail, and this aesthetic surface awakens a cultural depth to mediate social relations. The ponytail—or horsetail, as it is called in Norwegian—exudes kinetic energy that is recaptured on the catwalks of global fashion capitals. Like a horse’s tail provides balance for the animal, the ponytail balances the wearer’s stride and allows a feeling of movement, being moved and passionately moving others. The ponytail moves to move us.
Charge
Authors: Broch Trygve B.
Published: January 2023

A ponytail icon does not create consensus, but allows its wearers a multitude of symbolic options with which to join and recreate social life. Materiality is critical to this process as it makes moral and mythical codes tangible; however, although a ponytail carries shared meanings, it is not felt alike by all who wear it, nor understood in the same way in all contexts. Symbolic codes operate and intersect to make the ponytail publicly meaningful and, at the same time, to allow different points of view. Ponytailed women express individuality in deeply cultural and aesthetically tangible ways. Not equally charged at all times, the ponytail’s iconic power is strongest when it materializes multiple symbolic layers—to be revealed as a total social phenomenon. Therefore, this book highlights our ability to adapt to diverse situations and our need for a multidimensional tactic to grasp the material meanings of the ponytail.
Einleitung
Authors: Klingner Stephan , Miller Mihail , Schumacher Frank , Thomas Patrick , Becker Michael
Published: January 2023

Verlage stehen vor der ständigen Aufgabe, ihr Geschäftsmodell zu innovieren, um mit dem Zeitgeist Schritt zu halten. Während in der Vergangenheit eine Prioritätsverschiebung vom Notendruck hin zur ganzheitlichen Unterstützung urheberrechtlicher Verwertungsprozesse stattfand, ist die Verlagswelt heutzutage mit der fortschreitenden Digitalisierung und Internationalisierung konfrontiert. Die Verwertung musikalischer Werke erfolgt zunehmend globaler, woraus sich ein großes wirtschaftliches Potenzial ergibt.
Big Science and Little Science in Open and Distance Digital Education
Authors: Kanuka Heather
Published: January 2023

This chapter provides a discussion of big science and little science. An overview of the definitions and uses of each is provided, as well as data collection and analysis practices, inclusive of a range of digital data analysis tools for research projects in open, distance, and digital education. A discussion is also provided on the promises, opportunities, controversies, and complications of big data and little data, as well as the possibilities of working with both forms of data collection. Insights based on the literature are highlighted, providing suggestions for practice when working with big data and/or little data. The chapter concludes with questions and suggestions for further research and implications for open, distance, and digital education that arise from the literature.
Online Infrastructures for Open Educational Resources
Authors: Marín Victoria I. , Villar-Onrubia Daniel
Published: January 2023

Open educational resources (OER) have generated a considerable amount of attention in recent years in the field of open, distance, and digital education (ODDE). Digital knowledge infrastructures of different kinds have enabled the creation, storage, management, sharing, and adoption of these resources across educational sectors, levels, and geographies. This chapter presents a general overview of these infrastructures, the underpinning models of OER provision, main characteristics, and key insights from research. It draws on the literature and discusses examples purposively selected to illustrate the diversity of scope, educational stages, and types of online OER infrastructures established on a global, national, regional, or institutional scale. Key challenges are also discussed, including licensing issues, concerns about quality assurance, metadata problems, the sustainability of the initiatives, and sociocultural aspects, among others. In addition to revisiting the conception and adoption of OER in different cultures, important topics to be further addressed by future ODDE research are presented.
Open, Distance, and Digital Non-formal Education in Developing Countries
Authors: Mishra Sanjaya , Misra Pradeep K.
Published: January 2023

Non-formal education contributes significantly to improve the literacy and livelihoods of individuals. Its significance becomes much more in developing countries where 70% of the world population lives. However, population densities, geographical diversities, and varied socioeconomic conditions in many developing countries make it difficult to offer need-based non-formal education (NFE) to all. Fortunately, open, distance, and digital education (ODDE) has emerged as a viable approach to offer quality non-formal education programs at a minimal cost. Research reveals that proper and effective use of ODDE to offer NFE changes the lives of many citizens in developing countries and may help these countries achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. This chapter presents in its first section an overview of the use of ODDE for supporting NFE initiatives in the developing world and identifies issues and challenges faced. The next section of the chapter outlines theoretical insights and findings of valued publications regarding the use of ODDE for offering NFE. The final section provides the strategies for making the best and optimum use of ODDE to make NFE accessible to all eligible and willing ones in developing countries.
Running Distance Education at Scale
Authors: Daniel John
Published: January 2023

Distance learning accelerated and diversified during the Covid-19 pandemic, with the result that individual teachers working with their normal classroom groups now account for most of the courses offered online. However, this provision of “closed distance learning” will not suffice for the needs of the hundreds of millions of people who will seek secondary schooling, degree studies, and continuing education in the next 20 years. We describe howopen distance learningcan be conducted at scale through open universities, open schools, and MOOCs, which are all designed to cope with mass demand. Our focus is on how these organizations are run. This embraces institutional design and organization, governance, management and administration, and leadership. The three types of providers have various corporate and governance structures: public open universities, open schools under the aegis of government, and commercial MOOCs companies. However, the challenges of management and administration, which are to sustain operations at scale around the clock worldwide, are rather similar. Their leadership requires a genuine commitment to serving the disadvantaged, an ability to secure the trust of governments, understanding of the opportunities that emerging technology offers for distance education, and thorough familiarity with the institutional dynamics of open and distance teaching and learning systems.
Transforming Conventional Education through ODDE
Authors: Nichols Mark
Published: January 2023

Open and distance education has a long history and rich heritage, its literature affirming that a systems approach based on industrial production is an optimal means of providing education that is accessible, cost-effective, flexible, open, and scalable. This approach to education, based on an asynchronous separation of participants, continues to find its expression in the Internet age. The recent COVID-19 global pandemic necessitated a rapid shift to emergency remote teaching (ERT). This sudden adoption of online education took place more in response to need than careful strategizing. Significantly, the term “online distance education” is often used to describe the mostly synchronous ERT model, even though this is out of step with classic distance education theory. This chapter explores the differences across educational models beneath the terms “conventional education” and “open, distance digital education (ODDE),” and the nature of “transformation” as conventional and distance models of education are expressed online. Transforming conventional education through ODDE challenges our thinking as to the nature of education practice and the potential of digital technology in the twenty-first-century context. The potential of ODDE – anytime enrolment and assessment, effectiveness and efficiency in tuition, enhancing student success by design and personalized provision – goes well beyond extending the classroom into the online space. For on-campus providers to become effective ODDE providers, a transformation is required. The final part of this chapter deals with the challenges of rethinking the role of the educator and of reformulating a university’s operating model.
Open, Distance, and Digital Education (ODDE): An Equity View
Authors: Czerniewicz Laura , Carvalho Lucila
Published: January 2023

Understanding how equity manifests in open, distance, and digital education (ODDE) requires us to grapple with several coexisting trends, including the changing forms of teaching and learning provision, the advent of a post-digital society and education, the datafication of education, inequality in society at large, and digital inequities. Most of these trends are social in nature, yet they shape, and are shaped by, the educational sector. It is at the intersection of these coexisting trends that equity issues in ODDE are raised and become apparent, reinforced by the uneven distribution of technology in society, and with deep roots in economic and social inequities. Current scholarship foregrounds these nested relationships and entanglements, as well as their intersection with power relations and contestations which play out across ODDE at macro, meso, and micro levels.
Epidemiology of suicide in the Tri-City metropolitan area in Poland in 2010–2019
Authors: Karnecki Karol , Gos Tomasz , Steiner Johann , Mańkowski Dobrosław , Kaliszan Michał
Published: December 2022

The paper, which is a continuation of our previous epidemiological studies on the phenomenon of suicide in the Tri-City metropolitan area, presents the results of statistical analyses of suicides in the autopsy material of the Department of Forensic Medicine of the Medical University of Gdańsk in the years 2010–2019. The purpose of the study was to analyse in detail demographic data of suicides (age, sex, place of death), as well as to assess suicide methods and the impact of alcohol on suicides in the study area. During the 10-year study period, 8495 autopsies were performed, of which 1261 were suicides (14.8%). Statistical analyses were conducted using the statistical data analysis software system STATISTICA, version 13 (StatSoft, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA). The results of the study indicate a continuing downward trend in the number of suicides since the beginning of the 21th century, with the number of suicides in rural areas increasing over the same period. In the analysed cohort, suicides were committed in particular by middle-aged men and the number of suicides among older people (65 +) increased at the same time. The increase in suicide occurred in late autumn and early spring. The most common method of suicide was hanging. There was a high percentage of inebriated victims (45%), and a comparison of the present studies with previous ones indicates the increasing impact of alcohol on suicide.
The Urban Biography of a Mauritanian City: Microstratigraphic Analysis of the Eastern Quarter of Tamuda (Morocco)
Authors: Gutiérrez-Rodríguez Mario , Bernal-Casasola Darío , Díaz Rodríguez José Juan , Vargas Girón José Manuel , Moujoud Tarik
Published: December 2022

The lack of vertical stratigraphic sondages and open area excavations constitutes a challenge to understanding Mauritanian urbanism. This makes the characterization of the spatio-temporal evolution of Mauritanian towns a difficult task. Systematic excavations carried out in Tamuda by several research teams in the twentieth century provided vertical and horizontal views of Mauritanian urbanism. Our study offers, for the first time, a high-resolution geoarchaeological analysis of Tamuda’s urban sequence (third through first century BC). The microfacies analysis, by means of micromorphology and µ-XRF of Spaces E18 and E20 of the Eastern Quarter revealed a complex interaction of deposits and site formation processes that resulted from changes in everyday urban life. In this respect, the overlap of different construction phases and the alternation of episodes of active use and abandonment is highly significant. This study examines the functional characterization of urban spaces, including the identification of midden activities, a roasting pit, and a milling site (possibly) linked to fish flour production. These activities leave traces on beaten floors and occupation surfaces, and several features indicate abandonment periods between short-term occupations. The result is a complex urban biography of this Mauritanian town, in which human occupation was not constant over time.
Galectin-3 in prostate cancer and heart diseases: a biomarker for these two frightening pathologies?
Authors: Lima Tânia , Perpétuo Luís , Henrique Rui , Fardilha Margarida , Leite-Moreira Adelino , Bastos Jose , Vitorino Rui
Published: December 2022

Galectin-3 (Gal-3) belongs to galectin protein family, a type of β-galactose-binding lectin having more than one evolutionarily conserved domain of carbohydrate recognition. Gal-3 is mainly located in the cytoplasm, but it also enters the nucleus and is secreted into the extracellular environment and biological fluids such as urine, saliva, and serum. It plays an important role in many biological functions, such as angiogenesis, apoptosis, cell differentiation, cell growth, fibrosis, inflammation, host defense, cellular modification, splicing of pre-mRNA, and transformation. Many previous studies have shown that Gal-3 can be used as a diagnostic or prognostic biomarker for heart ailments, kidney diseases, and other major illnesses including cancer. Moreover, it may also play a major role in risk stratification in different diseases, and in this review, we have summarized the potential roles and application of Gal-3 as diagnostic, prognostic, and risk stratifying biomarker from previously reported studies in heart diseases and cancer, with special emphasis on prostate cancer.
Do Foreign Buyers Pay More Than Domestic Buyers? Evidence from International Transaction-Level Data
Authors: Miyakawa Daisuke , Shimizu Chihiro , Uesugi Iichiro
Published: December 2022

In this paper, we examine the role of international capital flows in real estate prices by quantifying the extent foreign buyers overpay for their realty investments as well as the spillover effect of such behavior on property prices domestic buyers pay. Using a unique dataset accounting for about 30,000 realty investment transactions in Australia, Canada, France, Hong Kong, Japan, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States, we find the following. First, foreign investors pay significantly higher prices than domestic investors, even after taking a wide variety of controls into account. Second, this paying over the odds becomes smaller the larger the buyers’ exposure to realty investments in the host countries. These results indicate that foreign investors are overcharged when they are less informed about the property market and that the extent to which they are overcharged decreases the more investment experience they have. Third, we did not find any significant spillover effects from overpaying by foreign investors to real estate prices in host countries. This finding is consistent with a group of extant studies employing aggregate-level data to examine the link between international capital flows and real estate prices.
Pemafibrate improves liver dysfunction and non-invasive surrogates for liver fibrosis in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease with hypertriglyceridemia: a multicenter study
Authors: Morishita Asahiro , Oura Kyoko , Takuma Kei , Nakahara Mai , Tadokoro Tomoko , Fujita Koji , Tani Joji , Shi Tingting , Himoto Takashi , Tatsuta Miwa , Moriya Akio , Senoo Tomonori , Tsutsui Akemi , Nagano Takuya , Takaguchi Koichi , Ono Masafumi , Masaki Tsutomu
Published: December 2022

Background

This retrospective, multicenter study evaluated the effect of pemafibrate treatment on liver function and fibrosis by liver function tests (LFTs) and various fibrotic biomarkers including FibroScan in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) with hypertriglyceridemia.

Methods

A total of 138 NAFLD patients treated with pemafibrate at three hospitals between September 2018 and April 2021 were included. To evaluate the effect of pemafibrate treatment, FibroScan-aspartate aminotransferase (FAST) score, a novel index of steatohepatitis that can be calculated based on the aspartate aminotransferase (AST) value, controlled attenuation parameter (CAP), and liver stiffness measurement (LSM) was used.

Results

Serum TG levels were significantly decreased 4 weeks after pemafibrate treatment (p = 0.003). The levels of AST (p = 0.038), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (p = 0.003), and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) (p = 0.047) also significantly diminished 12 weeks after pemafibrate administration compared to before administration (p < 0.05). However, serum HDL-cholesterol (p = 0.193), LDL-cholesterol (p = 0.967), and eGFR (p = 0.909) levels were not significantly altered 12 weeks after pemafibrate administration. In addition, the fibrosis biomarkers’ Type IV collagen (p = 0.753) and FIB-4 index (p = 0.333) did not significantly differ, while Autotaxin (p = 0.006) and the AST-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) (p = 0.003) significantly decreased 48 weeks after pemafibrate administration. No significant reductions in LSM (p = 0.959) and CAP (p = 0.266) were detected using FibroScan 48 weeks after pemafibrate administration. FAST score was significantly improved (p = 0.0475).

Conclusion

Pemafibrate improved LFTs, including fibrotic biomarkers and FAST score, due to the hepatic anti-inflammatory effect, suggesting that pemafibrate may prevent disease progression in NAFLD patients with hypertriglyceridemia.
Can patients with good tumor regression grading after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy be exempted from lateral lymph node dissection?
Authors: Liu Xianwei , Yang Xuyang , Wu Qingbin , Zhang Tong , Jiang Dan , Wang Ziqiang
Published: December 2022

Objective

To investigate whether lateral lymph node (LLN) dissection (LLND) can be exempted in patients with good tumor regression grading (TRG) after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT)?

Methods

A retrospective study was conducted on consecutive patients with advanced rectal cancer who underwent nCRT and total mesorectal resection plus selective LLND at our institution. The primary outcomes are the relationship between LLN metastasis (LLNM) and magnetic resonance imaging TRG (mrTRG) and the relationship between LLNM and pathological TRG (pTRG).

Results

A total of 91 patients were included, of which 24 patients (26.4%) had LLNM, 67 patients (73.6%) had no LLNM. There were significant differences of the maximum short-axis of LLN before and after nCRT, short-axis reduction rate of the LLN with maximum short-axis, length diameter reduction rate of primary tumor, mrTRG, and pTRG between the two groups. Multivariate logistic regression showed that mrTRG (P = 0.026) and pTRG (P = 0.013) were independent predictors for LLNM. The combination used by mrTRG and the maximum short-axis of LLNs ≥ 8 mm before nCRT and the maximum short-axis of LLN ≥ 5 mm after nCRT achieved specificity of 0.970, positive predictive value (PPV) of 0.867, and negative predictive value (NPV) of 0.855. The same combination used by pTRG achieved the specificity of 0.970, PPV of 0.857 and NPV of 0.844.

Conclusion

The suspected positive LLNs tend to be sterilized by nCRT in patients who have a very good response to nCRT. It is rational to avoid LLND in patients whose primary tumor and LLNs both show good response to nCRT.
Application of ANFIS, ELM, and ANN models to assess water productivity indicators based on agronomic techniques in the Lake Urmia Basin
Authors: Emami Somayeh , Dehghanisanij Hossein , Achite Mohammed , Al-Ansari Nadhir , Linh Nguyen Thi Thuy
Published: December 2022

Water productivity (WP) is one of the most important critical indicators in the essential planning of water consumption in the agricultural sector. For this purpose, the WP and economic water productivity (WPe) were estimated using agronomic technologies. The impact of agronomic technologies on WP and WPe was carried out in two parts of field monitoring and modeling using novel intelligent approaches. Extreme learning machine (ELM), adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS), and artificial neural network (ANN) methods were used to model WP and WPe. A dataset including 200 field data was collected from five treatment and control sections in the Malekan region, located in the southeast of Lake Urmia, Iran, for the crop year 2020–2021. Six different input combinations were introduced to estimate WP and WPe. The models used were evaluated using mean squared error (RMSE), relative mean squared error (RRMSE), and efficiency measures (NSE). Field monitoring results showed that in the treatment fields, with the application of agronomic technologies, the crop yield, WP, and WPe increased by 17.9%, 30.1%, and 19.9%, respectively. The results explained that irrigation water in farms W1, W2, W3, W4, and W5 decreased by 23.9%, 21.3%, 29.5%, 16.5%, and 2.7%, respectively. The modeling results indicated that the ANFIS model with values of RMSE = 0.016, RRMSE = 0.018, and NSE = 0.960 performed better in estimating WP and WPe than ANN and ELM models. The results confirmed that the crop variety, fertilizer, and irrigation plot dimensions are the most critical influencing parameters in improving WP and WPe.
Fostering children’s reading comprehension: the importance of fiction reading
Authors: Pfost Maximilian , Heyne Nora
Published: December 2022

Despite its importance, many students have severe difficulties in the acquisition of effective reading comprehension. In addition, an increasing number of students tend not to read for intrinsic reasons. In this article, we refer to different strands of research and summarize literature from the perspective that fostering children’s engagement in reading fiction is an important and promising way to promote reading comprehension. With reference to the Matthew-effect, we assume a reciprocal relation between reading comprehension and fiction book reading. Therefore, starting in preschool age, children should be motivated to read. Furthermore, in this article the role of fiction reading for digital literacy is discussed. Finally, possibilities for how parents and educators can encourage students to spend more time in fiction book reading are illustrated.
DM-DQN: Dueling Munchausen deep Q network for robot path planning
Authors: Gu Yuwan , Zhu Zhitao , Lv Jidong , Shi Lin , Hou Zhenjie , Xu Shoukun
Published: December 2022

In order to achieve collision-free path planning in complex environment, Munchausen deep Q-learning network (M-DQN) is applied to mobile robot to learn the best decision. On the basis of Soft-DQN, M-DQN adds the scaled log-policy to the immediate reward. The method allows agent to do more exploration. However, the M-DQN algorithm has the problem of slow convergence. A new and improved M-DQN algorithm (DM-DQN) is proposed in the paper to address the problem. First, its network structure was improved on the basis of M-DQN by decomposing the network structure into a value function and an advantage function, thus decoupling action selection and action evaluation and speeding up its convergence, giving it better generalization performance and enabling it to learn the best decision faster. Second, to address the problem of the robot’s trajectory being too close to the edge of the obstacle, a method of using an artificial potential field to set a reward function is proposed to drive the robot’s trajectory away from the vicinity of the obstacle. The result of simulation experiment shows that the method learns more efficiently and converges faster than DQN, Dueling DQN and M-DQN in both static and dynamic environments, and is able to plan collision-free paths away from obstacles.
Gene–environment interactions and their impact on human health
Authors: Virolainen Samuel J. , VonHandorf Andrew , Viel Kenyatta C. M. F. , Weirauch Matthew T. , Kottyan Leah C.
Published: December 2022

The molecular processes underlying human health and disease are highly complex. Often, genetic and environmental factors contribute to a given disease or phenotype in a non-additive manner, yielding a gene–environment (G × E) interaction. In this work, we broadly review current knowledge on the impact of gene–environment interactions on human health. We first explain the independent impact of genetic variation and the environment. We next detail well-established G × E interactions that impact human health involving environmental toxicants, pollution, viruses, and sex chromosome composition. We conclude with possibilities and challenges for studying G × E interactions.
A synergistic Rh(I)/organoboron-catalysed site-selective carbohydrate functionalization that involves multiple stereocontrol
Authors: Rao V. U. Bhaskara , Wang Caiming , Demarque Daniel P. , Grassin Corentin , Otte Felix , Merten Christian , Strohmann Carsten , Loh Charles C. J.
Published: December 2022

Site-selective functionalization is a core synthetic strategy that has broad implications in organic synthesis. Particularly, exploiting chiral catalysis to control site selectivity in complex carbohydrate functionalizations has emerged as a leading method to unravel unprecedented routes into biologically relevant glycosides. However, robust catalytic systems available to overcome multiple facets of stereoselectivity challenges to this end still remain scarce. Here we report a synergistic chiral Rh(I)- and organoboron-catalysed protocol, which enables access into synthetically challenging but biologically relevant arylnaphthalene glycosides. Our method depicts the employment of chiral Rh(I) catalysis in site-selective carbohydrate functionalization and showcases the utility of boronic acid as a compatible co-catalyst. Crucial to the success of our method is the judicious choice of a suitable organoboron catalyst. We also determine that exquisite multiple aspects of stereocontrol, including enantio-, diastereo-, regio- and anomeric control and dynamic kinetic resolution, are concomitantly operative.
Magnetic anomaly inversion through the novel barnacles mating optimization algorithm
Authors: Ai Hanbing , Essa Khalid S. , Ekinci Yunus Levent , Balkaya Çağlayan , Li Hongxing , Géraud Yves
Published: December 2022

Dealing with the ill-posed and non-unique nature of the non-linear geophysical inverse problem via local optimizers requires the use of some regularization methods, constraints, and prior information about the Earth's complex interior. Another difficulty is that the success of local search algorithms depends on a well-designed initial model located close to the parameter set providing the global minimum. On the other hand, global optimization and metaheuristic algorithms that have the ability to scan almost the entire model space do not need an assertive initial model. Thus, these approaches are increasingly incorporated into parameter estimation studies and are also gaining more popularity in the geophysical community. In this study we present the Barnacles Mating Optimizer (BMO), a recently proposed global optimizer motivated by the special mating behavior of barnacles, to interpret magnetic anomalies. This is the first example in the literature of BMO application to a geophysical inverse problem. After performing modal analyses and parameter tuning processes, BMO has been tested on simulated magnetic anomalies generated from hypothetical models and subsequently applied to three real anomalies that are chromite deposit, uranium deposit and Mesozoic dike. A second moving average (SMA) scheme to eliminate regional anomalies from observed anomalies has been examined and certified. Post-inversion uncertainty assessment analyses have been also implemented to understand the reliability of the solutions achieved. Moreover, BMO’s solutions for convergence rate, stability, robustness and accuracy have been compared with the solutions of the commonly used standard Particle Swarm Optimization (sPSO) algorithm. The results have shown that the BMO algorithm can scan the model parameter space more extensively without affecting its ability to consistently approach the unique global minimum in this presented inverse problem. We, therefore, recommend the use of competitive BMO in model parameter estimation studies performed with other geophysical methods.
Time-dose reciprocity mechanism for the inactivation of Escherichia coli explained by a stochastic process with two inactivation effects
Authors: Matsumoto Takahiro , Tatsuno Ichiro , Yoshida Yukiya , Tomita Makoto , Hasegawa Tadao
Published: December 2022

There is a great demand for developing and demonstrating novel disinfection technologies for protection against various pathogenic viruses and bacteria. In this context, ultraviolet (UV) irradiation offers an effective and convenient method for the inactivation of pathogenic microorganisms. The quantitative evaluation of the efficacy of UV sterilization relies on the simple time-dose reciprocity law proposed by Bunsen-Roscoe. However, the inactivation rate constants reported in the literature vary widely, even at the same dose and wavelength of irradiation. Thus, it is likely that the physical mechanism of UV inactivation cannot be described by the simple time-dose reciprocity law but requires a secondary inactivation process, which must be identified to clarify the scientific basis. In this paper, we conducted a UV inactivation experiment with Escherichia coli at the same dose but with different irradiances and irradiation durations, varying the irradiance by two to three orders of magnitude. We showed that the efficacy of inactivation obtained by UV-light emitting diode irradiation differs significantly by one order of magnitude at the same dose but different irradiances at a fixed wavelength. To explain this, we constructed a stochastic model introducing a second inactivation rate, such as that due to reactive oxygen species (ROS) that contribute to DNA and/or protein damage, together with the fluence-based UV inactivation rate. By solving the differential equations based on this model, the efficacy of inactivation as a function of the irradiance and irradiation duration under the same UV dose conditions was clearly elucidated. The proposed model clearly shows that at least two inactivation rates are involved in UV inactivation, where the generally used UV inactivation rate does not depend on the irradiance, but the inactivation rate due to ROS does depend on the irradiance. We conclude that the UV inactivation results obtained to date were simply fitted by one inactivation rate that superimposed these two inactivation rates. The effectiveness of long-term UV irradiation at a low irradiance but the same dose provides useful information for future disinfection technologies such as the disinfection of large spaces, for example, hospital rooms using UV light, because it can reduce the radiation dose and its risk to the human body.
Modification of TiO2 nanotubes by graphene–strontium and cobalt molybdate perovskite for efficient hydrogen evolution reaction in acidic medium
Authors: Szkoda Mariusz , Ilnicka Anna , Skorupska Malgorzata , Wysokowski Marcin , Lukaszewicz Jerzy P.
Published: December 2022

Herein, we demonstrate that modification of TiO2nanotubes with graphene–strontium and cobalt molybdate perovskite can turn them into active electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). For this purpose, a simple method of hydrothermal synthesis of perovskites was developed directly on the TiO2nanotubes substrate. Moreover, the obtained hybrids were also decorated with graphene oxide (GO) during one-step hydrothermal synthesis. The obtained materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray analysis, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction analysis. Catalytic properties were verified by electrochemical methods (linear voltammetry, chronopotentiometry). The obtained hybrids were characterized by much better catalytic properties towards hydrogen evolution reaction compared to TiO2and slightly worse than platinum. The optimized hybrid catalyst (decorated by GO) can drive a cathodic current density of 10 mA cm−2at an overpotential of 121 mV for HER with a small Tafel slope of 90 mV dec−1in 0.2 M H2SO4.
Peristaltic micropump using polyvinyl chloride gels with micropatterned surface
Authors: Motohashi Tomoki , Ogawa Naoki , Akai Hideko , Shintake Jun
Published: December 2022

This paper presents a pump using polyvinyl chloride (PVC) gel. PVC gels are compliant, have a simple structure, and exhibit large deformation at voltages in the range of 100–1000 V, which make them suitable for micropumps. In this study, a PVC gel sheet with a surface pattern that enhances active deformation in the thickness direction was employed for the fabrication of a pump. To this end, the PVC gel sheet was sandwiched between three sets of anode and cathode electrodes, after which voltages were sequentially applied to these electrodes to generate a peristaltic deformation of the gel sheet, thus pushing the liquid and creating a one-directional flow. Various pumps were fabricated using PVC gel sheets with different surface patterns, and the pumps were characterized. The pumps exhibited an outline dimension of 35 mm × 25 mm with a thickness of 4 mm, corresponding to a total volume of 3.5 × 103 mm3. The results revealed that the pump fabricated using a 174-μm-high pyramid-patterned gel sheet generated a flow rate of 224.1 µL/min at an applied voltage of 800 V and a driving frequency of 3 Hz. This observed value is comparable to or better than those of existing pumps based on smart materials.
Acrylate-functionalized porphyrin-covalent organic framework for bacterial-targeted and reaction-enhanced synergistic phototherapy/chemotherapy toward sterilization and wound healing
Authors: Wang Meng-Chao , Guo Jing-Xuan , Chen Li-Jian , Zhao Xu
Published: December 2022

An acrylate-functionalized porphyrin-covalent organic framework with bacterial-targeting and reaction-enhanced synergistic phototherapy/chemotherapy features was constructed for sterilization and wound healing.
Azo-functionalised metal–organic framework for charge storage in sodium-ion batteries
Authors: Desai Aamod V. , Seymour Valerie R. , Ettlinger Romy , Pramanik Atin , Manche Alexis G. , Rainer Daniel N. , Wheatley Paul S. , Griffin John M. , Morris Russell E. , Armstrong A. Robert
Published: December 2022

An azo-functionalised MOF is studied as an electrode material for sodium-ion battery with detailed characterisation of the electrochemical process.
Optoelectronic and stability properties of quasi-2D alkylammonium based perovskites
Authors: Filipoiu N. , Mirea Anca G. , Derbali Sarah , Pantis-Simut C.-A. , Anghel D.-V. , Manolescu A. , Pintilie Ioana , Florea Mihaela , Nemnes G. A.
Published: December 2022

Electronic and stability properties of quasi-2D alkylammonium perovskites are investigated using density functional theory (DFT) calculations and validated experimentally on selected classes of compounds.
Factors Related to Treatment Attendance for Patients Seeking Gender-Affirming Voice Therapy
Authors: McKenna Victoria S. , Gustin Renee L. , Hobek Amy L. , Howell Rebecca J. , Dickinson Tara E. , Shanley Savannah N. , Patel Tulsi H.
Published: December 2022

Objective:

The purpose of this study was to investigate factors related to treatment attendance for patients seeking gender-affirming voice therapy (GAVT).

Method:

We completed retrospective chart reviews of 50 patients (43 transgender women, three transgender men, four nonbinary patients; aged 18–67 years,
M
= 34.92 years,
SD
= 12.32 years) referred for GAVT at a Midwest outpatient center from 2016 to 2021. Data extraction included patient demographics, therapy visit specifics (e.g., number of sessions attended, treatment completion status, and in-person vs. virtual visits) and treatment timing (in relation to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic), and psychosocial and socioeconomic information.

Results:

There was no impact of treatment-timing relative to the onset of the pandemic on any attendance measure; however, patients were 1.9 times more likely to complete therapy with each virtual telehealth session attended. Individual factors of outside social support and hormone replacement therapy were positively related to the number of therapy sessions attended, whereas insurance provider and employment status were related to therapy completion.

Conclusions:

Telehealth attendance during the COVID-19 pandemic was positively associated with GAVT completion. Future research should investigate psychosocial and socioeconomic factors to understand how to identify patients at risk for poor treatment adherence and facilitate access to clinical care.
A Robust, Gram-Scale and High-Yield Synthesis of MDP Congeners for Activation of the NOD2 Receptor and Vaccine Adjuvantation
Authors: Khan Farooq-Ahmad , Yaqoob Sana , Qasim Muhammad Wasim , Wang Yan , Jiang Zi-Hua , Ali Shujaat
Published: December 2022

The bacterial peptidoglycan (PGN) constituent muramyl dipeptide (MDP) and its congeners possess immuno-adjuvant activity, and find applications in vaccines to potentiate the immune response of antigens. It confers non-specific resistance towards pathogenic infections and defense against tumors. In this work, the parent MDP molecule is re-designed by replacing its carbohydrate moiety with an immunoregulatory xanthine scaffold, while conserving the l-d configuration of the pharmacophore. Alkyl chains are introduced at the C-terminus of d-isoglutamine to help the molecules access cytoplasmic NOD2 receptors and activate the innate immune system. Lipophilic MDP congeners are thus obtained by adopting a direct or indirect convergent synthetic route with overall yields of >50%. We found that an indirect approach can reliably be implemented on gram scale, thereby unlocking access to substantial amounts of pathogen-associated molecular patterns for in vivo studies, which will accelerate the development of NOD2 immuno-adjuvants against viral and bacterial infections.
ICRI White Paper: An Update on Role of Conventional Radiography in Imaging of Pediatric Gastrointestinal Tract
Authors: Jain Sanjay N. , Shah Rushit S. , Modi Tanvi , Varma Ravi U.
Published: December 2022

Plain abdominal radiographs and gastrointestinal contrast studies remain the first line of investigation for the evaluation of several conditions due to their easy availability and ease of use in pediatric patients. A systematic approach to evaluating the plain radiograph for pediatric abdomen can lead the radiologist to a relevant differential diagnosis in most cases. In other cases, it leads the radiologist to the next line of investigation. The plain radiograph of the abdomen is requested for several conditions ranging from abdominal pain, vomiting, failure to pass meconium, abdominal distension, perforation, mass or for suspected obstruction. The radiation dose involved in abdominal radiography, although significant, the diagnostic information provided outweighs the risk. Dose reduction techniques should be employed to reduce the radiation dose to infants and children. Spectrum of atresias and stenosis from the esophagus up to the rectum, Hirschsprung disease, small left colon syndrome, and anorectal malformations can be identified with a detailed and systematic contrast study. They act as an adjunct in the diagnosis of conditions such as intussusception and hypertrophic pyloric stenosis. Inflammatory conditions such as acute appendicitis, necrotizing enterocolitis, and acute conditions such as pneumoperitoneum are also well appreciated on plain abdominal radiographs.
Eponychial Flap: A Simpler Way to Achieve Better Aesthetic Outcome in a Fingertip Amputation
Authors: Samantaray Srikant Aruna , Kalathingal Kader , Muhammed Hafiz , Joseph Subin
Published: December 2022

Background There are numerous flaps described for the treatment of fingertip amputation. Shortened nail length resulting from amputation is an ignored area. Eponychial flap is a simple procedure that helps to lengthen the nail plate and correct this deformity.

Methods This case–control study was conducted between April 2016 and June 2020 aimed at comparing the outcome of nail defects in a fingertip amputation treated with eponychial flap and those treated without an eponychial flap.

Results Among 165 patients treated for fingertip injury, 78 were treated with eponychial flap (group A) and 87 without eponychial flap (group B). In group A, the nail length was 72.54% (standard deviation [SD]: 14.4) and the nail plate area was 74.35% (SD: 13.96) compared with the contralateral uninjured nail. These results were significantly better (p = 0.000) compared with group B where the values were 36.49 (SD: 8.45) and 35.8% (SD: 8.4), respectively. The aesthetic outcome score was also significantly higher in group A patients (p = 0.002). The patient satisfaction was superior in group A compared with group B.

Conclusion The eponychial flap is a simple and reliable technique that can be used to restore the visible nail length in traumatic fingertip defects. Compared with fingers treated without nail lengthening with eponychial flap gives excellent aesthetic results.
Quality Improvement Initiative for Aspirin Screening and Prescription Rates for Preeclampsia Prevention in an Outpatient Obstetric Clinic
Authors: Kumar Natasha R. , Speedy Sedona E. , Song Jing , Welty Leah J. , Cavens Arjeme D.
Published: December 2022

Objective Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) impact 10% of pregnancies in the United States and cause adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes such as prematurity and low birth weight. Aspirin administration to at-risk individuals during pregnancy can reduce risk of HDP.

Study Design Define-Measure-Assess-Improve-Control methodology was utilized to improve aspirin screening in an outpatient obstetric clinic. Retrospective cohort analysis compared outcome metrics pre- and postimplementation by using logistic regression models, adjusting for race and insurance. Key informant interviews and process mapping identified barriers to aspirin screening. A multidisciplinary team implemented low-cost strategies such as provider education, additional screening by ancillary staff, automated electronic reminders, and standardized patient counseling.

Results Over 6 months, the screening rate improved from 62.5 to 92.0% (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 6.89, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.30–14.43). The prescription rate for patients correctly identified to be eligible for aspirin improved from 66.7 to 82.4% (aOR = 1.96, 95% CI: 0.88–4.35).

Conclusion Comprehensive, tailored quality improvement efforts can significantly increase aspirin screening and prescription, which may decrease maternal and neonatal morbidity due to HDP.

Key Points
Dystonia, Chorea, and Ataxia: Three Challenging Cases
Authors: Pedroso José Luiz , Vale Thiago Cardoso , Meira Alex Tiburtino , Braga-Neto Pedro , Barsottini Orlando G. P. , Espay Alberto J.
Published: December 2022

Movement disorders comprise a heterogeneous and complex group of neurological disorders that increase (hyperkinetic) or decrease (hypokinetic) the speed or amplitude of movements, or disrupt their coordinated sequencing. In this article, we describe three instructive cases, exemplifying classic movement disorders, namely dystonia, chorea, and ataxia. We highlight the diagnostic approach based on clinical clues, syndromic reasoning, evaluation, and management recommendations. Each case ends with key messages for the clinicians.
Experimental investigation of effects of dual-cavity configuration on ignition and flame stabilization in a kerosene-fueled supersonic combustor
Authors: Du Guangming , Tian Ye , Le Jialing , Zhong Fuyu , Zhang Yi
Published: December 2022

The effects of two kinds of dual-cavity configuration on ignition and flame stabilization in a high Mach number (Ma) kerosene-fueled scramjet were experimentally investigated in this study. To better understand the combustion characteristics, flow structure and flame development were studied by schlieren photography, flame self-illumination photography, and wall-pressure measurement. Results were obtained with an isolator inlet Ma 3.0, total pressure 2.9 MPa, and total temperature 1900 K, which correspond to Maf 8.0 condition. The symmetrical dual-cavity configuration did not achieve kerosene auto-ignition, while the staggered dual-cavity configuration did achieve kerosene auto-ignition because shock waves were much more complex. In the staggered dual-cavity scramjet, flame stabilization was achieved after successful ignition by a lower equivalence ratio (ER) of kerosene, but when the ER of kerosene was increased to 0.8, flame stabilization was not achieved and the flow structure oscillated quasi-periodically.