bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assessing a potential site for offshore CO2 storage in the Weixinan Sag in the northwestern Beibu Gulf Basin, northern South China Sea
Authors: Xie Jian , Gou Xiaofeng , Guo Jian
Published: December 2022

Geologic carbon storage (GCS) activities, especially offshore, are still far insufficient worldwide. Sedimentary basins in the northern South China Sea (nSCS) are identified to be favorable to offshore GCS deployment. This study investigates by numerical reservoir simulations the performance of the Weixinan Sag in the northern depression of the Beibu Gulf Basin (BGB), which is considered the most promising area for CO2 offshore GCS in saline formations. Simulations of CO2 injection at a potential site with a normal fault indicate that the pressure buildup induced by CO2 horizontal injection could penetrate extremely low‐permeability faults or caprock formations. The CO2 plumes under higher injection pressures are more constrained in the horizontal direction and hence appear thicker while CO2 tends to spread out horizontally in conditions of low pressure. The impermeable fault renders the CO2 plume about 200 m smaller in size horizontally. Assuming the presence of a fault with a highly permeable core causes leakage to occur after about 30 years of injection, which accounts for only 0.04% the injected amount. For the vertical‐well injection case, the potential CO2 leakage only accounts for around 0.28% of the injection amount, which is far less than the criterion (i.e., 2%) required to make GCS worthwhile. The storage capacities of the formations are mainly controlled by the depths and thicknesses since both their porosities and permeabilities are comparable. The formation Jiaowei‐2 and Xiayang have the largest and second largest storage capacities, respectively, when using a fully perforated well for vertical injection. The average storage capacity of the studied site is 13.04 kg m−3, which is comparable to that of the formation Xiayang. Average injectivities of formations Jiaowei‐2, Xiayang, Weizhou‐1, and Weizhou‐3 are 8.29 × 10−5, 1.75 × 10−4, 6.58 × 10−5, and 2.99 × 10−3 kg s−1 Pa−1, respectively. © 2022 The Authors. Greenhouse Gases: Science and Technology published by Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Malnutrition universal screening tool predicts postoperative complications following major head and neck cancer surgery
Authors: Leonard James A. , Hayden Jamil A. , Tripuraneni Priyanka S. , Maxwell Jessica H. , Giurintano Jonathan P.
Published: December 2022

Background

Head and neck cancer patients are at risk for malnutrition, which can impact postoperative outcomes. This study evaluates the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) to predict outcomes in major head and neck surgeries.

Methods

A retrospective chart review included 275 major surgical procedures performed on 242 patients over the age of 18 years between May 2015 and May 2020.

Results

The majority of patients had a MUST score of zero (68.7%). Just under 17% scored 2 or greater indicating malnourishment. Having a MUST score of 2 or higher was associated with occurrence of a postoperative complication (p < 0.001). Patients with alcohol use disorder or depression were 5.2 (CI: 2.0–13.7, p = 0.001) and 2.75 (CI 1.1–7.0; p = 0.033) times more likely to develop a postoperative complication, respectively.

Conclusions

Malnutrition and comorbidities were associated with complications in our surgical cohort. MUST is a novel tool to identify patients who may benefit from nutritional interventions.
Nursing practice environment and missed care at highly specialised hospitals in Mexico: A cross‐sectional observational study
Authors: Zárate‐Grajales Rosa A. , Benítez‐Chavira Luis A. , Hernández‐Corral Sandra , Serván‐Mori Edson , Nigenda Gustavo , Amaya‐Aguilar Jorge A. , Interial‐Gúzman Ma. Guadalupe , Fabián‐Victoriano Rosy , López‐Cruz Ernestina A. , Ortíz‐López Gloria , Moreno‐Monsiváis Ma. Guadalupe
Published: December 2022

Background

The influence of the work environment on missed care and service quality has been well documented. However, available evidence concerning this relationship comes mostly from developed countries. Few studies have been conducted in low‐ or middle‐income countries. We assessed the relationship between the work environment and missed nursing care in highly specialised hospitals in Mexico.

Methods

We conducted an observational cross‐sectional study with data collected from January 2019 to February 2020 in 11 highly specialised hospitals (n = 510 nurses). We estimated missed nursing care utilising the MISSCARE questionnaire and used the Practice Environment Scale‐Nursing Work Index instrument to assess the work environment. After describing the main attributes of the study sample according to the type of work environment, we constructed five adjusted fractional regression models, the first concerning the overall index of missed care, and the others pertaining to its various dimensions.

Results

The sample analysed was balanced as regards adjustment variables according to the type of work environment. The adjusted estimates confirmed an inverse relationship between the missed care index and enjoying an enhanced, or favourable, work environment. Overall, the difference was 9 percentage points (pp); however, by dimension of missed care, the major differences between enhanced and attenuated, or unfavourable, work environments were registered for basic care, followed by patient education and discharge planning (4pp) and individual needs (8pp).

Conclusions

The work environment determines the frequency of missed nursing care, both overall and by dimension. Nursing managers need to create short‐ and mid‐term strategies favouring positive work environments in order to improve working conditions for nursing professionals.
A comprehensive investigation of histotype‐specific microRNA and their variants in Stage I epithelial ovarian cancers
Authors: Velle Angelo , Pesenti Chiara , Grassi Tommaso , Beltrame Luca , Martini Paolo , Jaconi Marta , Agostinis Federico , Calura Enrica , Katsaros Dionyssios , Borella Fulvio , Fruscio Robert , D'Incalci Maurizio , Marchini Sergio , Romualdi Chiara
Published: December 2022

isomiRs, the sequence‐variants of microRNA, are known to be tissue and cell type specific but their physiological role is largely unknown. In our study, we explored for the first time the expression of isomiRs across different Stage I epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) histological subtypes, in order to shed new light on their biological role in tumor growth and progression. In a multicentric retrospective cohort of tumor biopsies (n = 215) we sequenced small RNAs finding 971 expressed miRNAs, 64% of which are isomiRs. Among them, 42 isomiRs showed a clear histotype specific pattern, confirming our previously identified miRNA markers (miR192/194 and miR30a‐3p/5p for mucinous and clear cell subtypes, respectively) and uncovering new biomarkers for all the five subtypes. Using integrative models, we found that the 38% of these miRNA expression alterations is the result of copy number variations while the 17% of differential transcriptional activities. Our work represents the first attempt to characterize isomiRs expression in Stage I EOC within and across subtypes and to contextualize their alterations in the framework of the large genomic heterogeneity of this tumor.
Indigenous communities in Colombia: A cultural and holistic view of cancer management
Authors: Zambrano Harvey Angela , Bonilla‐Escobar Francisco Javier , Hidalgo Alejandra , Parra‐Lara Luis Gabriel , Mendoza‐Urbano Diana Marcela , Zapata Izquierdo Zeynara , Pacichana Quinayáz Sara Gabriela
Published: December 2022

Cancer is one of the most burdening global health challenges. Indigenous communities are at high risk for worse healthcare outcomes because of inequalities in the incidence, prevalence, and mortality of oncological diseases, that arise from socioeconomic, racial, cultural, religious beliefs, and ethnic factors. Their perception about themselves is closely related to what affects their territory, making them possess a profound rooted feeling with their surroundings, and intense spiritual believes. Consequently, the disease process is linked to physical and emotional imbalances and alterations in their territory. Researchers from the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia have worked diligently to learn about barriers to cancer management among these populations. Unfortunately, robust cancer data is lacking for most of the world's Indigenous, leading to obstacles in information systems and consequently, inequities in healthcare with the perpetuation of the problem. Therefore, a better understanding of cancer as a global health problem is required. Our study aims to propose a holistic and culturally adapted framework to improve cancer health services and outcomes among Indigenous peoples in Colombia.
A high‐performance cell‐phone based polarized microscope for malaria diagnosis
Authors: Yu Zhenfang , Li Yunfei , Deng Lin , Luo Bing , Wu Pinghui , Geng Dongxian
Published: December 2022

We present a cell‐phone based polarized microscope for diagnosing malaria through hemozoin recognition over a wide field‐of‐view (FOV) accompanied with decent image performance. The system is constructed based on attachment method using a lens assembly as objective, two mobile phones and two linear polarizers. A ~0.92 μm resolution across a FOV of ~3.27 mm × 3.27 mm with high imaging quality is realized, demonstrating an increased resolving power, four times improvement in FOV and better imaging quality over mobile‐optical‐polarization imaging device. Importantly, we also demonstrate it has capability of recognizing hemozoin within the sample for malaria diagnosis by imaging malaria‐infected blood samples with similar sensitivity comparable to Leica microscopy. It is more compact, portable, and insensitive to alignment, making it highly suitable for malaria detection in a portable, easy to setup and use way in low‐resource areas.
Menopause‐Related Changes in Body Composition Are Associated With Subsequent Bone Mineral Density and Fractures: Study of Women's Health Across the Nation
Authors: Shieh Albert , Karlamangla Arun S. , Karvonen‐Guttierez Carrie A. , Greendale Gail A.
Published: December 2022

During the menopause transition (MT), lean mass decreases and fat mass increases. We examined the associations of these body composition changes during the MT (2 years before to 2 years after the final menstrual period) with bone mineral density (BMD) at the end of the MT and fracture after the MT. We included 539 participants from the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation who were not taking bone‐beneficial or bone‐detrimental medications before or during the MT. Using multivariable linear regression, we assessed the independent associations of % lean mass loss and % fat mass gain during the MT (mutually adjusted) with femoral neck (FN) and lumbar spine (LS) BMD at the end of the MT, adjusted for pre‐MT BMD, pre‐MT lean and fat mass, race/ethnicity, Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN) study site, age, and cigarette use. We used Cox proportional hazards regression to quantify the relations of % lean loss and % fat gain during the MT with fracture after the MT. The Cox model was adjusted for the covariates above plus post‐MT use of bone‐detrimental medications, and censored at the first use of bone‐beneficial medications; we further controlled for FN or LS BMD at the end of the MT. Adjusted for covariates, each standard deviation (SD) (6.9%) increment in lean mass loss was associated with 0.010 g/cm2 lower FN BMD (p < 0.0001); each SD (19.9%) increment in fat mass gain was related to 0.026 g/cm2 greater FN (p = 0.009) and LS (p = 0.03) BMD. Each SD increment in lean mass loss and fat mass gain was associated with 63% (p = 0.001) and 28% (p = 0.05) greater fracture hazard after the MT; associations were essentially unchanged by BMD adjustment. MT‐related lean mass loss and fat mass gain were associated differentially with BMD; both were independently related to more fractures. Mitigating MT‐related body composition changes may reduce fracture risk. © 2022 The Authors. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).
Productivity, risk, and expected stock returns
Authors: Taussig Roi D.
Published: December 2022

This study suggests a new measure of productivity for production factors. Adjustment costs for capital‐intensive firms are higher than for labor‐intensive firms (the differences are systematic). Therefore, higher changes in capital relative to labor will induce higher risk. The capital/labor ratio has been studied extensively. However, the new measure is based on other items, which facilitate the marginal changes in capital and labor, rather than quantities. When the elasticity of capital to labor (ECL) is higher, stock returns are significantly higher as well. This is true both statistically and economically.
Long‐term indoor gunshot exposure of special police forces induces bronchitic reactions and elevated blood lead levels—The Berlin shooting range study
Authors: Witt Christian , Kienast Camilla , Bölke Georg , Hoffmann Christina , Roehle Robert , Bender Olaf , Nowak Dennis , Tauber Rudolf , Gunga Hanns‐Christian , Hoffmann Peter , Coats Andrew J.S. , Liebers Uta
Published: December 2022

Background

Gunshot emissions contain toxic elements that can harm those frequently exposed, such as police officers. Several years ago, police indoor firing ranges were closed by the Berlin municipality in response to police officer health complaints, and an investigation was launched into the possible respiratory health risks of frequent gunshot emission exposure. We, therefore, conducted an exploratory cross‐sectional study to investigate clinical and functional parameters of respiratory health as well as the burden of trace elements in policemen with long‐term high exposure to indoor gunshot emissions, compared to low‐exposure and control groups.

Methods

We conducted lung function tests and collected blood and urine samples from Berlin police officers and government employees who were divided into three subject groups based on exposure to gunshot emissions: high exposure (n = 53), low exposure (n = 94) and no exposure (n = 76). Lung function was examined using body plethysmography. Blood and urine samples were tested via inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for the presence of common gunshot powder elements (antimony, lead and manganese). Exposure and symptoms were assessed using records as well as questionnaires.

Results

Higher exposure was associated with more respiratory symptoms during gun shooting practice (64% vs. 21%, P < 0.001) compared to the low‐exposure group. Headache, cough, discoloured mucous and shortness of breath were also more common as were some other symptoms. The cough symptomatology of the high‐exposure group also persisted significantly longer (median: 0.67 vs. 0.01 days, range: 0 to 5 days, P = 0.029) compared to the low‐exposure group. They also showed a lower forced expiratory volume in 1 s/forced vital capacity quotient (Tiffeneau index), P = 0.018 between the three groups and P = 0.005 for the high‐exposure group, a possible marker of early, subclinical bronchial obstruction. We observed increased blood lead concentrations depending on subject's age (+1.2% per year, 95% confidence interval: 0.5–1.9%, P < 0.001) and cumulative gunshot exposure (+0.34% per 100 000 shots, 0.02–0.66%, P = 0.037).

Conclusions

These first results suggest that long‐term exposure to indoor gunshot emissions induces bronchitic reactions due to repeated irritation of the airways. Higher levels of exposure lead to more negatively impacted lung function and higher blood lead levels with the possible reason that more frequent exposure may mean shorter regeneration phases for the respiratory mucous membrane. We recommend a reduction of exposure to gunshot emissions in order to decrease symptoms and avoid any—even small—deterioration in spirometry.
Stability of the Couette flow under the 2D steady Navier–Stokes flow
Authors: Wang Wendong
Published: December 2022

In this note, we investigate the stability property of shear flows under the 2D stationary Navier–Stokes equations, and obtain that the Couette flow (y, 0) is stable under the space of for any and unstable in the space of , which is sharp in this sense. A key observation is the choice of the anisotropic cut‐off function. The Poiseuille flow (y2, 0) is also considered as a by‐product, which is stable in the space of with via a lemma of Fefferman–Stein.
Low‐dose CT denoising with a high‐level feature refinement and dynamic convolution network
Authors: Yang Sihan , Pu Qiang , Lei Chunting , Zhang Qiao , Jeon Seunggil , Yang Xiaomin
Published: December 2022

Background

Since the potential health risks of the radiation generated by computer tomography (CT), concerns have been expressed on reducing the radiation dose. However, low‐dose CT (LDCT) images contain complex noise and artifacts, bringing uncertainty to medical diagnosis.

Purpose

Existing deep learning (DL)‐based denoising methods are difficult to fully exploit hierarchical features of different levels, limiting the effect of denoising. Moreover, the standard convolution kernel is parameter sharing and cannot be adjusted dynamically with input change. This paper proposes an LDCT denoising network using high‐level feature refinement and multiscale dynamic convolution to mitigate these problems.

Methods

The dual network structure proposed in this paper consists of the feature refinement network (FRN) and the dynamic perception network (DPN). The FDN extracts features of different levels through residual dense connections. The high‐level hierarchical information is transmitted to DPN to improve the low‐level representations. In DPN, the two networks' features are fused by local channel attention (LCA) to assign weights in different regions and handle CT images' delicate tissues better. Then, the dynamic dilated convolution (DDC) with multibranch and multiscale receptive fields is proposed to enhance the expression and processing ability of the denoising network. The experiments were trained and tested on the dataset “NIH‐AAPM‐Mayo Clinic Low‐Dose CT Grand Challenge,” consisting of 10 anonymous patients with normal‐dose abdominal CT and LDCT at 25% dose. In addition, external validation was performed on the dataset “Low Dose CT Image and Projection Data,” which included 300 chest CT images at 10% dose and 300 head CT images at 25% dose.

Results

Proposed method compared with seven mainstream LDCT denoising algorithms. On the Mayo dataset, achieved peak signal‐to‐noise ratio (PSNR): 46.3526 dB (95% CI: 46.0121–46.6931 dB) and structural similarity (SSIM): 0.9844 (95% CI: 0.9834–0.9854). Compared with LDCT, the average increase was 3.4159 dB and 0.0239, respectively. The results are relatively optimal and statistically significant compared with other methods. In external verification, our algorithm can cope well with ultra‐low‐dose chest CT images at 10% dose and obtain PSNR: 28.6130 (95% CI: 28.1680–29.0580 dB) and SSIM: 0.7201 (95% CI: 0.7101–0.7301). Compared with LDCT, PSNR/SSIM is increased by 3.6536dB and 0.2132, respectively. In addition, the quality of LDCT can also be improved in head CT denoising.

Conclusions

This paper proposes a DL‐based LDCT denoising algorithm, which utilizes high‐level features and multiscale dynamic convolution to optimize the network's denoising effect. This method can realize speedy denoising and performs well in noise suppression and detail preservation, which can be helpful for the diagnosis of LDCT.
Variation in the utilisation of physiotherapy in patients with advanced knee osteoarthritis prior to total knee arthroplasty a systematic review
Authors: Grenier Jean‐Pascal , Rothmund Maria , Missmann Martin
Published: December 2022

Introduction

Due to demographic changes and increasing knee osteoarthritis (KOA) prevalence, the incidence of total knee arthroplasties (TKA) is constantly rising. Clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of KOA unanimously recommend non‐surgical interventions such as exercise, education, and weight reduction in overweight patients. The aim of this systematic review is to determine the proportion of patients with end‐stage KOA who attended physiotherapy (PT) prior to TKA.

Methods

A systematic literature search was carried out in the medical databases MEDLINE (via Pubmed), PEDro, and EBSCO in August of 2022. Studies were included regardless of their design, if they reported the proportion of patients with a diagnosis of primary KOA, who participated in PT prior to undergoing TKA. Study quality assessment was performed by two independent authors using the Joanna Briggs Institutes Checklist for studies reporting prevalence data. Results were presented by using a narrative synthesis.

Results

Eighteen studies, comprising 579,718 patients, were identified in this systematic review. PT utilisation prior to TKA ranged from 10% to 73% for patients with advanced KOA. Only two studies showed PT utilisation rates of 60% or higher. Female gender, higher income, better socioeconomic status, higher education levels, older age were associated with PT utilisation. Data for other predicting factors was conflicting.

Discussion

This review shows substantial variation in the utilisation of PT in patients with end‐stage KOA. This is concerning, considering the uniform recommendation from clinical practice guidelines for non‐surgical treatments like exercise and education in patients with KOA, which are mostly provided by physiotherapists.
Healthcare professionals' perceptions of psychosocial support for family members in palliative care inpatient units—A qualitative descriptive study
Authors: Soikkeli‐Jalonen Anu , Mishina Kaisa , Virtanen Heli , Charalambous Andreas , Haavisto Elina
Published: December 2022

Aim

This study aimed to describe the psychosocial support healthcare professionals in specialist palliative inpatient units provide to family members of palliative care patients.

Design

A qualitative descriptive design.

Method

The data were collected with focus group interviews and analysed with inductive content analysis.

Results

Altogether, 48 healthcare professionals, including physicians, registered nurses and practical nurses, participated in the study. Information sharing was recognised as an essential element of support. Methods to improve support of family members included an opportunity to allocate recourses to the families, systematic support and strengthening healthcare professionals' competence in family care.

The healthcare professionals describe their perceptions of psychosocial support for family members primarily through patient care and the patient's situation rather than family needs. Direct support for the family members is realised principally by information sharing and conversations. Healthcare professionals express their opportunities to implement support focusing on family members' needs restricted by reason of organisational resources.

The information can be used when developing and improving family care in palliative care context to recognise the most relevant needs from healthcare professionals' perspective and also when implementing healthcare professionals' education and training.
CDT1 drives replication overlicensing and enhances tumorigenesis in the gut†
Authors: Monteleone Giovanni , Stolfi Carmine
Published: December 2022

Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is one of the most common forms of malignancy in the Western world. Recent decades have witnessed enormous progress in our understanding of the mechanisms that sustain CRC, even though the factors implicated in the initiation and progression of this neoplasia are not fully understood. A recent study published in The Journal of Pathology looked at the consequences of hyperactivity of chromatin licensing and DNA replication factor 1 (CDT1), a regulator of DNA replication that is produced in excess in CRC, on the course of intestinal tumorigenesis. Mice engineered to selectively overexpress CDT1 and/or lack Geminin, an inhibitor of CDT1, in the intestinal epithelium were more susceptible to experimental intestinal tumorigenesis compared to wild‐type mice. This work supports the pro‐tumorigenic role of CDT1 and suggests the potential prognostic value of this protein in CRC. © 2022 The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
Impact of middle cerebral artery pulsatility index on donor survival in twin‐twin transfusion syndrome
Authors: Krispin Eyal , Shamshirsaz Alireza A. , Mustafa Hiba J. , Sun Raphael C. , Espinoza Jimmy , Nassr Ahmed A. , Sanz‐Cortes Magdalena , Ugoji Chilaka H. , Harman Christopher , Turan Ozhan , Belfort Michael A. , Donepudi Roopali
Published: December 2022

Objective

To assess outcomes in twin‐twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) according to middle cerebral artery pulsatility index (MCA‐PI) prior to fetoscopic laser photocoagulation (FLPC) surgery.

Methods

A retrospective cohort analysis of monochorionic‐twin pregnancies complicated by TTTS who underwent FLPC at two fetal centers (2012–2021). The cohort was stratified according to abnormal MCA‐PI of the donor twin, defined as below fifth centile for gestational age.

Results

Abnormal MCA‐PI of the donor twin was detected in 46 (17.7%) cases compared to 213 (83.3%) controls with no such abnormality. The abnormal PI group presented with higher rates of sFGR (56.5% vs. 36.8% in controls, p = 0.014) and lower donor survival rates within 48 h after FLPC (73.9 vs. 86.8%, p = 0.029). Donor twin survival rates at the time of delivery and 30 days after birth were lower in the abnormal MCA‐PI. Multivariate logistic regression analysis controlling for sFGR and MCA‐PI <fifth centile demonstrated the latter to be independently associated with lower survival rates at the time of delivery and 30 days after birth [OR = 0.497 95%CI (0.250–0.986) p = 0.045, and OR = 0.499 95%CI (0.252–0.986), p = 0.046, respectively]. Recipient's survival rates did not differ between the groups.

Conclusions

Donor survival at the time of delivery and 30 days after birth was lower in TTTS cases with MCA‐PI<fifth centile for gestational age prior to laser surgery. This parameter may be considered when evaluating prognosis for TTTS.
Conformational comparison of urea and thiourea near the CCSD(T) complete basis set limit
Authors: Barlow Kayleigh R. , Tschumper Gregory S.
Published: December 2022

The global minima of urea and thiourea were characterized along with other low‐lying stationary points. Each structure was optimized with the CCSD(T) method and triple‐ζ correlation consistent basis sets followed by harmonic vibrational frequency computations. Relative energies evaluated near the complete basis set limit with both canonical and explicitly correlated CCSD(T) techniques reveal several subtle but important details about both systems. These computations resolve a discrepancy by demonstrating that the electronic energy of the C2v second‐order saddle point of urea lies at least 1.5 kcal mol−1 above the C2 global minimum regardless of whether the structures were optimized with MP2, CCSD, or CCSD(T). Additionally, urea effectively has one minimum instead of two because the electronic barrier for inversion at one amino group in the Cs local minimum vanishes at the CCSD(T) CBS limit. Characterization of both systems with the same ab initio methods and large basis sets conclusively establishes that the electronic barriers to inversion at one or both NH2 groups in thiourea are appreciably smaller than in urea. CCSDT(Q)/cc‐pVTZ computations show higher‐order electron correlation effects have little impact on the relative energies and are consistently offset by core correlation effects of opposite sign and comparable magnitude.
Hardness and indentation modulus of human enamel and dentin
Authors: Andrejovská Jana , Petruš Ondrej , Medveď Dávid , Vojtko Marek , Riznič Marcel , Kizek Peter , Dusza Ján
Published: December 2022

Information on mechanical properties of human enamel and dentin and effect of load on their deformation and damage tolerance is very important in the development of successful dental materials. In this study, the hardness, indentation modulus and deformation characteristics of tooth have been investigated across the lingual–buccal enamel and dentin cross‐section by instrumented indentation up to 1500‐nm indentation depth. We realized and examined the distribution of hardness and modulus at different areas of enamel and dentin with the aim to understand deformation behaviour at these different locations. Scanning electron microscopy was used for the microstructure characterization of the enamel and dentin and their deformation behaviour. Raman spectroscopy analyses were carried out for determination of the enamel and dentin composition as well. The average values of hardness and modulus for enamel in the occlusal area are 5.35 ± 0.19 and 98.1 ± 1.5 GPa, in the inner area 3.68 ± 0.5 and 81.8 ± 5 GPa and in the area close to the dentin–enamel junction 2.83 ± 0.27 and 71.4 ± 4.1 GPa, respectively. The average values of hardness and modulus of dentin in the area close to the dentin–enamel junction are 0.71 ± 0.05 and 21.27 ± 0.76 GPa and in the inner area 0.65 ± 0.06 and 19.79 ± 0.93 GPa, respectively. The effect of the indentation location on deformation and mechanical properties was clarified.
Adjusted closed‐form confidence interval formulas for network meta‐analysis with a small number of studies
Authors: Kojima Masahiro
Published: December 2022

We derive simple formulas for closed‐form confidence intervals for the Wald statistic, likelihood ratio statistic, and score statistic for network meta‐analysis (NMA). Additionally, we consider resolutions of concerns that network meta‐analyzes with a small number of studies cannot maintain a nominal confidence level. For bias adjustment in analyzes with a small number of studies, the Bartlett‐type adjustment is a well‐known method. Many Bartlett‐type adjustment‐type methods are based on maximum likelihood estimators (MLEs). However, NMA often uses restricted MLEs that have not been extensively discussed with respect to the Bartlett‐type adjustment. In this article, we propose a Bartlett‐type adjustment method for the Wald statistic, likelihood ratio statistic, and score statistic when nuisance parameters are estimated by not only the maximum likelihood method but also the restricted maximum likelihood method. We can compute closed‐form confidence intervals adjusted using the Bartlett‐type adjustment immediately without any numerical calculations (eg, bootstrap method). Additionally, we propose a higher‐order adjustment by applying the bootstrap method to Bartlett‐type adjusted statistics. Using a computer simulation, we confirmed that the adjusted confidence intervals maintained a nominal confidence level. Additionally, we confirmed that the confidence intervals of the Wald statistic, likelihood ratio statistic, and score statistic based on the restricted maximum likelihood method performed well without further bootstrap adjustment and the performances of the three adjusted confidence intervals were comparable. Finally, we demonstrated that confidence intervals were adjusted for actual NMA. In the actual NMA, the adjusted confidence intervals of the Wald statistic were wider, the adjusted confidence intervals of the likelihood ratio statistic were also wider, and the adjusted confidence intervals of the score statistic were narrower. We recommend using the likelihood ratio test statistic with the restricted maximum likelihood estimator; however, just in case, we recommend applying the Bartlett‐type adjustment to remove the second order bias. From demonstrations in actual studies, we confirmed that the adjusted confidence intervals improved compared with the naive confidence intervals.
Dual careers and the willingness to consider employment in startup ventures
Authors: Manchester Colleen Flaherty , Benson Alan , Shaver J. Myles
Published: December 2022

Research Summary

To grow, startup ventures often require the skills of professional managers familiar with running larger organizations. However, risk considerations may discourage such candidates from departing high‐paying, stable jobs. Interpreting the manager's decision within a household holding a “portfolio” of jobs, we hypothesize that having a spouse whose career is prioritized mitigates risk as a barrier to joining a startup. Survey data corroborate that both men and women with a career‐prioritized spouse are less likely to report risk as a barrier. However, having a career‐prioritized spouse only translates to a greater interest in startup employment among men. Our findings have implications for understanding the challenges startup ventures face when attracting managerial talent, how dual careers and gender affect managers' careers, and regional entrepreneurial ecosystems.

Managerial Summary

Using survey data from professional managers working in corporate headquarters, we show that being in a dual‐career household increases one's willingness and lowers the perceived risk of leaving their job and joining a startup venture—especially if the household prioritizes their spouse's career. However, the increased willingness to join a startup in households that prioritize their spouse's career is only manifest for men. These findings highlight how dual‐career households can be a talent source for startup ventures and suggest that regions with greater concentrations of dual‐career households might be especially advantageous for startup ventures. Nevertheless, our results also suggest that gender norms are an impediment for dual‐career women when considering employment in startup ventures.
Tailoring Spin State of Perovskite Oxides by Fluorine Atom Doping for Efficient Oxygen Electrocatalysis
Authors: Ran Jiaqi , Wang Linchuan , Si Mingsu , Liang Xiaolei , Gao Daqiang
Published: December 2022

Promoting the initially deficient but economical catalysts to high‐performing competitors is important for developing superior catalysts. Unlike traditional nano‐morphology construction methods, this work focuses on intrinsic catalytic activity enhancement via heteroatom doping strategies to induce lattice distortion and optimize spin‐dependent orbital interaction to alter charge transfer between catalysts and reactants. Experimentally, a series of different concentrations of fluorine‐doped lanthanum cobaltate (Fx‐LaCoO3) exhibiting excellent electrocatalytic activity is synthesized, including a low overpotential of 390 mV atj = 10 mA cm−2for OER and a large half‐wave potential of 0.68 V for ORR. Meanwhile, the assembled rechargeable Zn–air batteries deliver an excellent performance with a large specific capacity of 811 mAh/gZnunder 10 mA cm−2and stability of charge/recharge (120 h). Theoretically, taking advantage of density functional theory calculations, it is found that the prominent OER/ORR performance arises from the spin state transition of Co3+(Low spin state (LS, t2g6eg0) → Intermediate spin state (IS, t2g5eg1) and the mediated d‐band center upshift by F atom incorporation. This work establishes a novel avenue for designing superior electrocatalysts in perovskite‐based oxides by regulating spin states.
Implementing scripted conversations by means of smart assistants
Authors: Pacheco‐Lorenzo Moisés , Fernández‐Iglesias Manuel J. , Valladares‐Rodriguez Sonia , Anido‐Rifón Luis E.
Published: December 2022

Smart assistants are among the most popular technological devices at home. With a built‐in voice‐based user interface, they provide access to a broad portfolio of online services and information, and constitute the central element of state‐of‐the‐art home automation systems. This work discusses the challenges addressed and the solutions adopted for the design and implementation of scripted conversations by means of off‐the‐shelf smart assistants. Scripted conversations play a fundamental role in many application fields, such as call center facilities, retail customer services, rapid prototyping, role‐based training or the management of neuropsychiatric disorders. To illustrate this proposal, an actual implementation of the phone version of the Montreal cognitive assessment test as an Amazon's Alexa skill is described as a proof‐of‐concept.
The potential ecological risk of veterinary pharmaceuticals from swine wastewater on freshwater aquatic environment
Authors: Udebuani Angela Chika , Pereao Omoniyi , Akharame Michael Ovbare , Fatoki Olalekan Siyanbola , Opeolu Beatrice Olutoyin
Published: December 2022

The impact of pharmaceutical residue transport in the aquatic ecosystem has become an increasing subject of environmental interest due to the inherent bioactivity of trace levels of antibiotics and the negative environmental and public health impact. In this study, three veterinary pharmaceuticals including tetracycline, ivermectin, and salicylic acid were investigated in a piggery effluent from Western Cape, South Africa. Three freshwater organisms' taxonomic groups (Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata, Daphnia magna, and Tetrahymena thermophila) were used to determine the ecological risk of different treated piggery effluent concentration range of 1%, 10%, and 20% and a cocktail mixture of veterinary pharmaceuticals of environmental concerns. The average concentration of veterinary pharmaceuticals was in the range of 47.35, 7.19, and 1.46 μg L−1 for salicylic acid, chloro‐tetracycline, and ivermectin, respectively. P. subcapitata exposed to 20% piggery wastewater effluent at 24‐ and 48‐h EC50 showed a toxicity value of 14.2% and 13.6% (v/v), respectively. The study established the ecological risk of the test compounds as low to medium risk for low‐level dose and low concentrations of piggery effluent. The relative sensitivity ranking of the taxa drawn is microalgae > protozoa > Cladocera. The study results demonstrated that a high dose of piggery effluent and mixtures of veterinary pharmaceutical can pose a high risk in freshwater ecosystems.

Practitioner Points

Transport processes of veterinary antibiotics into the environment were investigated.

Dilution effect of the veterinary pharmaceutical on the antibiotic levels exists.

High dose of piggery effluent presented an ecological risk.
Heterologous expression reveals unique properties of Trk K+ importers from nonconventional biotechnologically relevant yeast species together with their potential to support Saccharomyces cerevisiae growth
Authors: Papoušková Klára , Gómez Marcos , Kodedová Marie , Ramos José , Zimmermannová Olga , Sychrová Hana
Published: December 2022

In the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Trk1 is the main K+ importer. It is involved in many important physiological processes, such as the maintenance of ion homeostasis, cell volume, intracellular pH, and plasma‐membrane potential. The ScTrk1 protein can be of great interest to industry, as it was shown that changes in its activity influence ethanol production and tolerance in S. cerevisiae and also cell performance in the presence of organic acids or high ammonium under low K+ conditions. Nonconventional yeast species are attracting attention due to their unique properties and as a potential source of genes that encode proteins with unusual characteristics. In this work, we aimed to study and compare Trk proteins from Debaryomyces hansenii, Hortaea werneckii, Kluyveromyces marxianus, and Yarrowia lipolytica, four biotechnologically relevant yeasts that tolerate various extreme environments. Heterologous expression in S. cerevisiae cells lacking the endogenous Trk importers revealed differences in the studied Trk proteins' abilities to support the growth of cells under various cultivation conditions such as low K+ or the presence of toxic cations, to reduce plasma‐membrane potential or to take up Rb+. Examination of the potential of Trks to support the stress resistance of S. cerevisiae wild‐type strains showed that Y. lipolytica Trk1 is a promising tool for improving cell tolerance to both low K+ and high salt and that the overproduction of S. cerevisiae's own Trk1 was the most efficient at improving the growth of cells in the presence of highly toxic Li+ ions.
An International Scholar with a Dramatic Life
Authors: Erdal Marta Bivand , Gleditsch Nils Petter , Tønnesson Stein
Published: December 2022

Marek Thee lived a dramatic life amidst some of the 20th century’s most tragic conflicts. This autobiography was written in the early 1990s. We meet him as a young leftist student in the Free City of Danzig (Gdańsk) before the Nazi takeover; as an advocate of the Jewish Zionist cause in Palestine during and after the Second World War; as a diplomat, foreign service official and scholar in the post-war Polish Republic; as a Polish representative on the Commission for Supervision and Control of the Geneva agreements on Indochina and Laos; as a foreign affairs analyst specializing on Asian affairs in Warsaw of the 1960s; and eventually, for the last 30 years of his life, as a peace researcher at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) and the Norwegian Human Rights Institute, once again in exile from his native Poland.
Twenty-four-hour movement guidelines during adolescence and its association with obesity at adulthood: results from a nationally representative study
Authors: García-Hermoso Antonio , Ezzatvar Yasmin , Alonso-Martinez Alicia M. , Ramírez-Vélez Robinson , Izquierdo Mikel , López-Gil José Francisco
Published: December 2022

To determine the association between adherence to the 24-h movement guidelines during adolescence with obesity at adulthood 14 years later in a nationally representative cohort. We analyzed data from 6984 individuals who participated in Waves I (1994–1995) and IV (2008–2009) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) in the USA. Obesity was defined by the International Obesity Task Force cut-off points at Wave I and adult cut-points at Wave IV (body mass index [BMI]≥30 kg/m2 and waist circumference [WC]≥102 cm in male and 88 cm in female). Physical activity, screen time and sleep duration were self-reported. Adolescents who met screen time recommendation alone (β = −1.62 cm, 95%CI −2.68 cm to −0.56), jointly with physical activity (β = −2.25 cm, 95%CI −3.75 cm to −0.75 cm), and those who met all three recommendations (β = −1.92 cm, 95%CI −3.81 cm to −0.02 cm) obtained lower WC at Wave IV than those who did not meet any of these recommendations. Our results also show that meeting with screen time recommendations (IRR [incidence rate ratio] = 0.84, 95%CI 0.76 to 0.92) separately and jointly with physical activity recommendations (IRR = 0.86, 95%CI 0.67 to 0.97) during adolescence is associated with lower risk of abdominal obesity at adulthood. In addition, adolescents who met all 24-h movement recommendations had lower risk of abdominal obesity later in life (IRR = 0.76, 95%CI 0.60 to 0.97).

Conclusion: Promoting the adherence to the 24-h movement guidelines from adolescence, especially physical activity and screen time, seems to be related with lower risk of abdominal obesity later in life, but not for BMI.

What is Known:• Some studies have shown a relationship between adherence to 24-h movement guidelines and adiposity or obesity markers in youth. However, most of these studies have a cross-sectional design or a short follow-up.

What is New:• This is the first study which determined the association between adherence to the 24-h movement guidelines during adolescence with obesity at adulthood 14 years later in a nationally representative US cohort.• Meeting the 24-h movement guidelines from adolescence seems to be related with lower risk of abdominal obesity later in life, but not for body mass index.
Non-respondents do not bias outcome assessment after cervical spine surgery: a multicenter observational study from the Norwegian registry for spine surgery (NORspine)
Authors: Ingebrigtsen Tor , Aune Grethe , Karlsen Martine Eriksen , Gulati Sasha , Kolstad Frode , Nygaard Øystein P. , Thyrhaug Anette Moltu , Solberg Tore K.
Published: December 2022

Background

The
Norwegian registry for spine surgery (NORspine) is a national clinical quality registry which has recorded more than 10,000 operations for degenerative conditions of the cervical spine since 2012. Registries are large observational cohorts, at risk for attrition bias. We therefore aimed to examine whether clinical outcomes differed between respondents and non-respondents to standardized questionnaire-based 12-month follow-up.

Methods

All eight public and private providers of cervical spine surgery in Norway report to NORspine. We included 334 consecutive patients who were registered with surgical treatment of degenerative conditions in the cervical spine in 2018 and did a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected register data and data on non-respondents’ outcomes collected by telephone interviews. The primary outcome measure was patient-reported change in arm pain assessed with the numeric rating scale (NRS). Secondary outcome measures were change in neck pain assessed with the NRS, change in health-related quality of life assessed with EuroQol 5 Dimensions (EQ-5D), and patients’ perceived benefit of the operation assessed by the Global Perceived Effect (GPE) scale.

Results

At baseline, there were few and small differences between the 238 (71.3%) respondents and the 96 (28.7%) non-respondents. We reached 76 (79.2%) non-respondents by telephone, and 63 (65.6%) consented to an interview. There was no statistically significant difference between groups in change in NRS score for arm pain (3.26 (95% CI 2.84 to 3.69) points for respondents and 2.77 (1.92 to 3.63) points for telephone interviewees) or any of the secondary outcome measures.

Conclusions

The results indicate that patients lost to follow-up were missing at random. Analyses of outcomes based on data from respondents can be considered representative for the complete register cohort, if patient characteristics associated with attrition are controlled for.
Connectivity indices of m-polar fuzzy network model, with an application to a product manufacturing problem
Authors: Akram Muhammad , Siddique Saba , Alcantud José Carlos R.
Published: December 2022

Connectivity is among the most essential concerns in graph theory and its applications. We consider this issue in a framework that stems from the combination of m-polar fuzzy set theory with graphs. We introduce two measurements of connectedness of m-polar fuzzy graphs that we call their connectivity and average connectivity indices. Examples are given, and the theoretical performance of these concepts is investigated. Particularly, we are concerned with the effect of deleting a vertex or an edge from an m-polar fuzzy graph, on its connectivity and average connectivity indices. We also establish bounding expressions for the connectivity index in complete m-polar fuzzy graphs, complete bipartite m-polar fuzzy graphs, and wheel m-polar fuzzy graphs. Moreover, we introduce some special types of vertices called m-polar fuzzy connectivity reducing vertices, m-polar fuzzy connectivity enhancing vertices, and m-polar fuzzy connectivity neutral vertices. Our theoretical contribution is applied to a product manufacturing problem that takes advantage of multi-polar uncertain information. The justification for our application is systematized using an algorithm. Finally, we compare the proposed method to existing methodologies to demonstrate its feasibility and applicability.