bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Measurement of Telescope Transmission Using a Collimated Beam Projector
Authors: Mondrik Nicholas , Coughlin Michael , Betoule Marc , Bongard Sébastien , Rice Joseph P. , Shaw Ping-Shine , Stubbs Christopher W. , Woodward John T.
Published: March 2023

With the increasingly large number of Type Ia supernova being detected by current-generation survey telescopes, and even more expected with the upcoming Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time, the precision of cosmological measurements will become limited by systematic uncertainties in flux calibration rather than statistical noise. One major source of systematic error in determining SNe Ia color evolution (needed for distance estimation) is uncertainty in telescope transmission, both within and between surveys. We introduce here the Collimated Beam Projector (CBP), which is meant to measure a telescope transmission with collimated light. The collimated beam more closely mimics a stellar wave front as compared to flat-field-based instruments, allowing for more precise handling of systematic errors such as those from ghosting and filter angle-of-incidence dependence. As a proof of concept, we present CBP measurements of the StarDICE prototype telescope, achieving a standard (1σ) uncertainty of 3% on average over the full wavelength range measured with a single beam illumination.
2.8 μm pulsed Er3+:ZBLAN fiber laser based on external gain modulation
Authors: Wu J E , Li L , Yang S Q , Li L P , Wang P , Zhao T
Published: March 2023

We report the generation of stable pulses in a ∼2.8 μm Er3+:ZBLAN fiber laser by varying the population inversion of active ions with an external 1973 nm auxiliary pump source. When we increase the 976 nm master pump power to beyond the chaotic self-pulsing stage, stable pulse trains can be obtained immediately with the switch-on of the 1973 nm auxiliary pump source. The pulse repetition rate can be tuned from 22.47 kHz to 63.98 kHz by adjusting the 1973 nm pump power, and the corresponding pulse width is varied from 4.47 μs to 1.99 μs. The underlying mechanism of the pulsed Er3+:ZBLAN fiber laser with external gain modulation is also discussed.
Dissipation and amplification management in an electrical model of microtubules: Hybrid behavior network
Authors: Ndoungalah Sedric , Roger Deffo Guy , Djine Arnaud , Bruno Yamgoué Serge
Published: March 2023

The control of dissipation and amplification of solitary waves in an electrical model of a microtubule is demonstrated. This model consists of a shunt nonlinear resistance–capacitance (J(V)–C(V)) circuit and a series resistance–inductance (R–L) circuit. Through linear dispersion analysis, two features of the network are found, that is, low bandpass and bandpass filter characteristics. The effects of the conductance’s parameter λ on the linear dispersion curve are also analyzed. It appears that an increase of λ induces a decrease (an increase) of the width of the bandpass filter for positive (negative) values of λ. By applying the reductive perturbation method, we derive the equation governing the dynamics of the modulated waves in the system. This equation is the well-known nonlinear Schrödinger equation extended by a linear term proportional to a hybrid parameter σ, i.e., a dissipation or amplification coefficient. Based on this parameter, we successfully demonstrate the hybrid behavior (dissipation and amplification) of the system. The exact and approximate solitary wave solutions of the obtained equation are derived, and the effects of the coefficient σ on the characteristic parameters of these waves are investigated. Using the analytical solutions found, we show numerically that the waves that are propagated throughout the system can be dissipated, amplified, or remain stable depending on the network parameters. These results are not only in agreement with the analytical predictions, but also with the existing experimental results in the literature.
Random sequential covering
Authors: Krapivsky P L
Published: March 2023

In random sequential covering, identical objects are deposited randomly, irreversibly, and sequentially; only attempts increasing the coverage are accepted. A finite system eventually gets congested, and we study the statistics of congested configurations. For the covering of an interval by dimers, we determine the average number of deposited dimers, compute all higher cumulants, and establish the probabilities of reaching minimally and maximally congested configurations. We also investigate random covering by segments with

ℓ

sites and sticks. Covering an infinite substrate continues indefinitely, and we analyze the dynamics of random sequential covering of

Z

and

R

d

.
Long time behavior of run-and-tumble particles in two dimensions
Authors: Santra Ion , Basu Urna , Sabhapandit Sanjib
Published: March 2023

We study the long-time asymptotic behavior of the position distribution of a run-and-tumble particle (RTP) in two dimensions in the presence of translational diffusion and show that the distribution at a time t can be expressed as a perturbative series in

(
γ
t

)

−
1

, where γ
−1 is the persistence time of the RTP. We show that the higher order corrections to the leading order Gaussian distribution generically satisfy an inhomogeneous diffusion equation where the source term depends on the previous order solutions. The explicit solution of the inhomogeneous equation requires the position moments, and we develop a recursive formalism to compute the same. We find that the subleading corrections undergo shape transitions as the translational diffusion is increased.
Automated, adaptive, fast reset circuit for wide-energy range detector front-end
Authors: Kaczmarczyk P. , Kmon P.
Published: March 2023

In this article, we present a front-end amplifier that is equipped with a precise, fast, and automated reset circuit responsible for two actions: restoring the charge-sensitive amplifier output voltage from a pulse level to baseline, and the analog-to-digital conversion of the pulse amplitude. Importantly, the circuit is self-clocking, which allows to take advantage of the modern submicrometer CMOS process, and thus speed-up the reset and conversion phases. Thanks to the proposed approach, the fast clock signal distribution and an independent analog-to-digital converter per channel are not required, saving both the power consumption and the silicon area. The presented circuitry was adopted into 100-pixel-shaped recording channels and sent for fabrication in the CMOS 28 nm process.
Design and performance optimisation of the Hexaboards for CMS HGCAL silicon sensor readout electronics
Authors: Khan F.A.
Published: March 2023

A new high-granularity endcap calorimeter, HGCAL, is foreseen to be installed later this decade in the CMS experiment. We present the design and performance of the Hexaboard, a complex hexagonal multi-layer PCB equipped with multiple HGCROC ASICs to read out the signals from silicon pads with low noise and large dynamic range. The Hexaboards are glued to silicon sensors and connect to their pads via wire bonds through holes in the PCBs. The Hexaboard also connects to mezzanine boards for powering, trigger and data concentration and transfer. More than ten variants of the Hexaboard are required to cover the circular fiducial area of the CMS endcaps. Detailed performance measurements, and comparative PCB simulations using Ansys SIwave, are presented.
Generalized ILW hierarchy: solutions and limit to extended lattice GD hierarchy
Authors: Takasaki Kanehisa
Published: March 2023

The intermediate long wave (ILW) hierarchy and its generalization, labelled by a positive integer N, can be formulated as reductions of the lattice KP hierarchy. The integrability of the lattice KP hierarchy is inherited by these reduced systems. In particular, all solutions can be captured by a factorization problem of difference operators. A special solution among them is obtained from Okounkov and Pandharipande’s dressing operators for the equivariant Gromov-Witten theory of

C
P

1

. This indicates a hidden link with the equivariant Toda hierarchy. The generalized ILW hierarchy is also related to the lattice Gelfand-Dickey hierarchy and its extension by logarithmic flows. The logarithmic flows can be derived from the generalized ILW hierarchy by a scaling limit as a parameter of the system tends to 0. This explains an origin of the logarithmic flows. A similar scaling limit of the equivariant Toda hierarchy yields the extended 1D/bigraded Toda hierarchy.
Particle entity in the Doi–Peliti and response field formalisms
Authors: Bothe Marius , Cocconi Luca , Zhen Zigan , Pruessner Gunnar
Published: March 2023

We introduce a procedure to test a theory for point particle entity, that is, whether said theory takes into account the discrete nature of the constituents of the system. We then identify the mechanism whereby particle entity is enforced in the context of two field-theoretic frameworks designed to incorporate the particle nature of the degrees of freedom, namely the Doi–Peliti field theory and the response field theory that derives from Dean’s equation. While the Doi–Peliti field theory encodes the particle nature at a very fundamental level that is easily revealed, demonstrating the same for Dean’s equation is more involved and results in a number of surprising diagrammatic identities. We derive those and discuss their implications. These results are particularly pertinent in the context of active matter, whose surprising and often counterintuitive phenomenology rests wholly on the particle nature of the agents and their degrees of freedom as particles.
Small innovation for sustainable use of fisheries resources
Authors: Matsuoka Tatsuro
Published: March 2023

Influenced by Rio Declaration, Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries provided the principle toward sustainable fisheries in 1995. Reduction of wastages became a major issue. The author first accessed that the total amount of finfish discards in prawn trawling was similar to the coastal fisheries’ production in PNG and it was serious wastage. He also proved the over-estimation of global discards. A newly developed semi-demersal cuttlefish trammel-net successfully excluded bycatch of sub-legal individuals of flounder. He clarified that the process of declining of ghost fishing function after gear loss for cage trap and gillnet is represented with a survival function, on which the duration of ghost fishing and mortality were quantitatively estimated. He developed a technique for buoy line with an intermediate float to avoid entanglement of the line around seabed rocks. The author advocates research toward small innovation, through which many researchers can contribute to sustainable development.
Study of Compatibility Level of Waters in The Bay of Sabang for The Development of Marine Cultivation
Authors: Sutaman  , Dina Karina Farkha , Nurjanah  , Mulatsih Sri
Published: March 2023

Marine cultivation is an activity in a certain area in coastal waters. The development of marine aquaculture in Indonesia in the future is very important for the development of the fisheries sub-sector, and is one of the priorities that is expected to be a driver of economic growth. Selection of the right location is an important factor in determining the feasibility of a cultivation business to analyze the characteristics of the water conditions of Sabang Bay, espesially regarding its feasibiity as a location for marine aquaculture. Data collection was carried out on a secondary and primary basis. The waters of Sabang Bay have water quality indicators that support the life of fishery commodities. The bay are in Sabang has the potensial for seaweed cultivation and floating net cage cultivation, such as Tilapia, Grouper, Snapper, and Lobster. Based on the analysis of the quality of the waters and the bottom substrate of the waters in The Sabang Bay, they are categorized as suitable and very suitable
Biodiversity and species status of the fish in Domas coastal waters of Banten Bay, Indonesia
Authors: Wahyudewantoro Gema , Sulistiono  , Dahruddin H , Mokodongan DF , Subchan B
Published: March 2023

The potential for coastal fisheries in Indonesia is very high, one of the many beaches with a diverse population of fish species is Domas Beach in the eastern part of Banten Bay. The survey was conducted from August to December 2021. The purpose of this study was to determine the biodiversity and species status of the fish in Domas Beach, Banten. Gill nets (sizes of 1 inch, 1.5 inch), cast net, hand-line, beach seine, and mini trawler were used in this study. The results of this study was recorded 105 species belonging to 78 genera and 44 family. Members of the largest species are dominated by the Carangidae tribe with 13 species and 10 species Leiognathidae. Deveximentum interruptum had the highest number of individuals with 328 individuals, then Caranx sexfasciatus with 322 individuals. The highest diversity index was in December with 3,459, wealth 11.486 and evenness 0.801. Fish conservation status needs attention (LC) with 69 species, not yet evaluated (NE) 29 species, lack of data (DD) 6 species and vulnerable (VU) 1 species.
Integrated management strategy of coastal rehabilitation for controlling coastal erosion: A case study of the coastal area of Karawang Regency, West Java, Indonesia
Authors: Nopiana Medi , Yulianda Fredinan , Fahrudin Achmad , Yulianto Gatot , Santoso Made Panji Teguh
Published: March 2023

The occurrence of coastal erosion in the coastal area of Karawang Regency has recently been thought to be a disaster, considering the condition is at an alarming status and is a lengthy problem. Hence, an integrated coastal rehabilitation effort is needed to address the impact of coastal erosion in the area effectively and efficiently. The purpose of this study is to develop an integrated management strategy for coastal rehabilitation for coastal erosion control in the coastal area of Karawang Regency by stressing solutions on socio-economic and institutional aspects. This study is a case study conducted through a survey method in the three coastal areas of Karawang Regency that were the most severely affected, namely Cibuaya Beach, Cilebar Beach, and Cilamaya Kulon Beach. Data were collected through observation techniques and in-depth interviews, strengthened by secondary data. Data analysis employed descriptively and decision-making methods of the Analytic Hierarchy Process. The study’s results recommend strategic priorities in managing coastal rehabilitation. Firstly, the coastal border area conservation strategy sets frontiers and rules for managing coastal borders following applicable laws and regulations. Secondly, the social reconciliation and law enforcement strategy facilitate and mediate conflict resolution through deliberation. Thirdly, the strengthening group capacity strategy promotes collaboration between groups of mangrove farmers and related groups to communicate knowledge and experiences. Fourthly, the community education strategy conducts socialization and public awareness of preserving the mangrove ecosystem.
Study on Selective Water-blocking Agent for Temperature and Salt Resistance, Water Blocking, Air Permeability
Authors: Liu Hongtao , Yi Jun , Jing Hongtao , Shen Jianxin , Xu Taiping , Yu Xiaotong , Lou Erbiao , Si Xiang , Li Shuan
Published: March 2023

Aiming at the high temperature and high salinity of Keshen 8 gas reservoir, the selective water plugging agent system with high temperature resistance, salt resistance and water permeability was studied. The effect of the plugging system components on the performance of plugging agent was investigated by single factor experiment, and the best formula was determined. The compressive strength of the material was stable at about 4.6 MPa, and the plugging agent had good temperature and salt resistance. Through the physical simulation experiment of fracture core flow, the plugging effect of different plugging agent injection volume on plugging agent is discussed. When the injection volume is 0.3 PV, the liquid phase plugging rate is 86.69 %, and the gas phase plugging rate is 26.18 %, which has good water resistance and gas permeability.
Optimization of heat-dissipated structures with cuprous oxide deposits to improve thermal management of high-brightness LED arrays
Authors: Zhang Chaoyang , Cheung Ivan , Lu Kee , Cheng Yuan , Jean Mingder
Published: March 2023

This project reports on improving the thermal performance of light-emitting diode (LED) packages based on an optimized thermal structure with a sprayed cuprous oxide coating. Eighteen orthogonal arrays of LED aluminum plates were used and the influence of the parameters of thermal dissipation structure on the LED junction temperature was established. The junction temperature of the LED assembly is developed by various heat dissipation structures based on Taguchi methods. The experimental results show that by measuring the temperature of the 12W LED module, the best results were compared with the lowest values in the overall experiment, where the junction temperature dropped from 67°C to 51°C Also, the contribution of the error to the total variance is about 0.8%, indicating that the experiment is quite successful and robust results. It was found that lower junction temperature values were obtained with optimized heat sink structures with Cu2O-coated Al substrates, and the thermal performance of the LEDs was further improved.
Uniform stability for local discontinuous Galerkin methods with implicit-explicit Runge-Kutta time discretizations for linear convection-diffusion equation
Authors: Wang Haijin , Li Fengyan , Shu Chi-Wang , Zhang Qiang
Published: March 2023

In this paper, we consider the linear convection-diffusion equation in one dimension with periodic boundary conditions, and analyze the stability of fully discrete methods that are defined with local discontinuous Galerkin (LDG) methods in space and several implicit-explicit (IMEX) Runge-Kutta methods in time. By using the forward temporal differences and backward temporal differences, respectively, we establish two general frameworks of the energy-method based stability analysis. From here, the fully discrete schemes being considered are shown to have monotonicity stability, i.e. the

L
2

L^2

norm of the numerical solution does not increase in time, under the time step condition

τ
≤

F

(
h

/

c
,
d

/

c
2

)

\tau \le \mathcal {F}(h/c, d/c^2)

, with the convection coefficient

c
c

, the diffusion coefficient

d
d

, and the mesh size

h
h

. The function

F

\mathcal {F}

depends on the specific IMEX temporal method, the polynomial degree

k
k

of the discrete space, and the mesh regularity parameter. Moreover, the time step condition becomes

τ
≲
h

/

c

\tau \lesssim h/c

in the convection-dominated regime and it becomes

τ
≲
d

/

c
2

\tau \lesssim d/c^2

in the diffusion-dominated regime. The result is improved for a first order IMEX-LDG method. To complement the theoretical analysis, numerical experiments are further carried out, leading to slightly stricter time step conditions that can be used by practitioners. Uniform stability with respect to the strength of the convection and diffusion effects can especially be relevant to guide the choice of time step sizes in practice, e.g. when the convection-diffusion equations are convection-dominated in some sub-regions.
Retinol-Binding Protein 4 Actives Adipocyte Renin–Angiotensin System via Toll-Like Receptor 4
Authors: Zhang Kang-Zhen , Li Xiu-Zhen , Wang Li , Shen Xi-Yu , Zhu Shu-Shu , Lu Xiang , Gao Wei
Published: March 2023

Background

To investigate the relationship between the levels of serum adipokine retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) levels and essential hypertension as well as to explore the role and mechanism of RBP4-induced activation of renin–angiotensin system (RAS) in hypertension in adipocyte.

Methods

From December 2016 to March 2019, 96 hypertensive patients without treatment and 64 healthy nonhypertensive subjects were recruited. The difference in serum RBP4 levels between the 2 groups was compared, and the relationship between serum RBP4 and hypertension was analyzed by multivariate logistic regression. In mouse primary white adipocytes, the effect and mechanism of RBP4 on RAS in adipocyte were determined by experiment of adenovirus transfected RBP4 overexpression. Protein expression of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and RAS key components was determined by western blotting. The level of angiotensin II (Ang II) in cell supernatant was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We also observed the effect of TLR4 inhibitor TAK242 on RAS activation induced by RBP4 overexpression.

Results

Serum RBP4 levels were significantly higher in patients with essential hypertension than in healthy nonhypertensive subjects [30.14 (23.76–40.65) vs. 25.05 (20.05–31.04) µg/ml, P < 0.01]. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that RBP4 was independently associated with hypertension [OR 1.10 (95% CI 1.06–1.14), P = 0.002]. In RBP4-transfected adipocytes, the expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme, angiotensinogen, renin/angiotensin-forming enzyme 1, and angiotensin II receptor 1, as well as the level of Ang II in cell supernatant (P < 0.05) were significantly increased. Whereas, activation of RAS system was markedly reduced when RBP4-transfected adipocyte was treated by TAK242 (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

Serum RBP4 is associated with hypertension. TLR4-mediated activation of RAS might be mechanisms underlying the effects of RBP4 on blood pressure.
Paul Roberts
Authors: Soward Andrew
Published: March 2023

Andrew Soward on the distinguished applied mathematician and geophysicist who made seminal contributions to geomagnetism
Finger on the pulse of asteroseismology
Authors: Ball Warrick
Published: March 2023

Warrick Ball highlights some recent discoveries in the context of the past, present and future of asteroseismology
Targeted optimal treatment regime learning using summary statistics
Authors: Chu J , Lu W , Yang S
Published: March 2023

Personalized decision-making, aiming to derive optimal treatment regimes based on individual characteristics, has recently attracted increasing attention in many fields, such as medicine, social services and economics. Current literature mainly focuses on estimating treatment regimes from a single source population. In real-world applications, the distribution of a target population can be different from that of the source population. Therefore, treatment regimes learned by existing methods may not generalize well to the target popu- lation. Because of privacy concerns and other practical issues, individual-level data from the target population are often not available, which makes treatment regime learning more challenging. We consider the problem of treatment regime estimation when the source and target populations may be heterogeneous, individual-level data are available from the source population and only the summary information of covariates, such as moments, is accessible from the target population. We develop a weighting framework that tailors a treatment regime for a given target population by leveraging the available summary statistics. Specifically, we propose a calibrated augmented inverse probability weighted estimator of the value function for the target population and estimate an optimal treatment regime by maximizing this estimator within a class of prespecified regimes. We show that the proposed calibrated estimator is consistent and asymptotically normal even with flexible semi/nonparametric models for nuisance function approximation, and that the variance of the value estimator can be consistently estimated. We demonstrate the empirical performance of the proposed method using simulation studies and a real application using two datasets on sepsis.
Cortical activity during the wind-up of flexion reflex and pain: a magnetoencephalographic study using time-frequency analysis
Authors: Taniguchi Tomoya , Kinukawa Tomoaki Alex , Takeuchi Nobuyuki , Sugiyama Shunsuke , Nishihara Makoto , Kida Tetsuo , Nishiwaki Kimitoshi , Inui Koji
Published: March 2023

Wind-up is a nociceptive-specific phenomenon in which pain sensations are facilitated, in a frequency-dependent manner, by the repeated application of noxious stimuli of constant intensity, with invariant tactile sensations. Thus, cortical activities during wind-up could be an alteration associated with pain potentiation. We aimed to investigate somatosensory-evoked cortical responses and induced brain oscillations during wind-up by recording magnetoencephalograms. Wind-up was produced by the application of 11 consecutive electrical stimuli to the sural nerve, repeated at a frequency of 1 Hz without varying the intensity. The augmentation of flexion reflexes and pain rating scores were measured simultaneously as an index of wind-up. In the time-frequency analyses, the γ-band late event-related synchronization and the β-band event-related desynchronization were observed in the primary somatosensory region and the bilateral operculo-insular region, respectively. Repetitive exposure to the stimuli enhanced these activities, along with an increase in the flexion reflex magnitude. The evoked cortical activity reflected novelty, with no alteration to these repetitive stimuli. Observed oscillations enhanced by repetitive stimulation at a constant intensity could reflect a pain mechanism associated with wind-up.
Association of serum bicarbonate with the development of kidney stones in patients with chronic kidney disease: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Tangri Navdeep , Mathur Vandana , Reaven Nancy L , Funk Susan E , Whitlock Reid H , Wesson Donald E , Bushinsky David A
Published: March 2023

Background

Epidemiological studies demonstrate an association between kidney stones and risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and CKD progression. Metabolic acidosis, as a consequence of CKD, results in a reduced urine pH which promotes the formation of some types of kidney stones and inhibits the formation of others. While metabolic acidosis is a risk factor for CKD progression, the association of serum bicarbonate with risk of incident kidney stones is not well understood.

Methods

We used an Integrated Claims-Clinical dataset of US patients to generate a cohort of patients with non-dialysis-dependent CKD with two serum bicarbonate values of 12 to <22 mmol/L (metabolic acidosis) or 22 to <30 mmol/L (normal serum bicarbonate). Primary exposure variables were baseline serum bicarbonate and change in serum bicarbonate over time. Cox proportional hazards models evaluated time to first occurrence of kidney stones during a median 3.2-year follow-up.

Results

A total of 142 884 patients qualified for the study cohort. Patients with metabolic acidosis experienced post–index date kidney stones at greater frequency than patients with normal serum bicarbonate at the index date (12.0% vs 9.5%, P < .0001). Both lower baseline serum bicarbonate [hazard ratio (HR) 1.047; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.036–1.057] and decreasing serum bicarbonate over time (HR 1.034; 95% CI 1.026–1.043) were associated with increased risk of kidney stone development.

Conclusions

Metabolic acidosis was associated with a higher incidence of kidney stones and shorter time to incident stone formation in patients with CKD. Future studies may investigate the role of correcting metabolic acidosis to prevent stone formation.
Co-occurring homelessness, justice involvement, opioid dependence and psychosis: a cross-sectoral data linkage study
Authors: Tweed Emily J , Leyland Alastair H , Morrison David S , Katikireddi S Vittal
Published: March 2023

Background

Administrative data offer unique opportunities for researching experiences which pose barriers to participation in primary research and household surveys. Experiencing multiple social disadvantages is associated with very poor health outcomes, but little is known about how often this occurs and what combinations are most common. We linked administrative data across public services to create a novel population cohort containing information on experiences of homelessness, justice involvement, opioid dependence and psychosis.

Methods

We securely linked administrative data from (i) a population register derived from general practitioner registrations; (ii) local authority homelessness applications; (iii) prison records; (iv) criminal justice social work reports; (v) community dispensing for opioid substitution therapy; and (vi) a psychosis clinical register, for people aged ≥18 years resident in Glasgow, Scotland between 01 April 2010 and 31 March 2014. We estimated period prevalence and compared demographic characteristics for different combinations.

Results

Of 536 653 individuals in the cohort, 28 112 (5.2%) had at least one of the experiences of interest during the study period and 5178 (1.0%) had more than one. Prevalence of individual experiences varied from 2.4% (homelessness) to 0.7% (psychosis). The proportion of people with multiple co-occurring experiences was highest for imprisonment (50%) and lowest for psychosis (14%). Most combinations showed a predominance of men living in the most deprived areas of Scotland.

Conclusions

Cross-sectoral record linkage to study multiple forms of social disadvantage showed that co-occurrence of these experiences was relatively common. Following this demonstration of feasibility, these methods offer opportunities for evaluating the health impacts of policy and service change.
Regional variations in multimorbidity burden among office-based physicians in Germany
Authors: Geiger Isabel , Flemming Ronja , Schüttig Wiebke , Sundmacher Leonie
Published: March 2023

Background

Multimorbidity is associated with higher utilization of healthcare services. However, many countries do not consider multimorbidity when estimating physician supply. The main aim of this study was to assess how regional multimorbidity levels can be integrated when estimating the need for office-based physician supply.

Methods

Claims data were used to measure and compare the proportions of multimorbid patients of GPs, ophthalmologists, orthopaedic specialists and neurologists, and examine spatial variations through Bernoulli cluster analysis of regional multimorbidity levels. To explore the interrelationship between current capacities and spatial occurrence of high-rate clusters, clusters were compared with the current supply of physicians.

Results

About 17 239 488 individuals out of approximately 67 million records were classified as multimorbid. Multimorbidity levels varied greatly between physician disciplines (31.5–60.1%). Bernoulli cluster analysis demonstrated that many high-rate areas were found for all specialized physicians, but clusters varied partially by size and location. The comparison with current physician supply at cluster level showed that more than a third of clusters with a significantly higher share of morbid patients seeing a GP are met, on an average, by GP supply below targeted values. In turn, clusters with significantly higher multimorbidity levels of specialized physicians were met, on an average, by supply that exceeded targeted values.

Conclusion

Our study offers an approach to how to include discipline-specific multimorbidity at area level when estimating physician supply and discusses its relevance. The outcomes of our article can be used by policymakers to advance current planning strategies and to improve the quality of office-based care.
Connective tissue presentation in two families expands the phenotypic spectrum of PYROXD1 disorders
Authors: Evesson Frances J , Dziaduch Gregory , Bryen Samantha J , Moore Francesca , Pittman Sara , Devanapalli Beena , Waddell Leigh B , Ryan Monique M , Menezes Manoj P , Weihl Conrad C , Tolun Adviye Ayper , Zaidman Craig , Young Helen , Adès Lesley C , Cooper Sandra T
Published: March 2023

Recessive variants in the oxidoreductase PYROXD1 are reported to cause a myopathy in 22 affected individuals from 15 families. Here, we describe two female probands from unrelated families presenting with features of a congenital connective tissue disorder including osteopenia, blue sclera, soft skin, joint hypermobility and neuromuscular junction dysfunction in addition to known features of PYROXD1 myopathy including respiratory difficulties, weakness, hypotonia and oromotor dysfunction. Proband AII:1 is compound heterozygous for the recurrent PYROXD1 variant Chr12(GRCh38):g.21452130A>G;NM_024854.5:c.464A>G;p.(N155S) and Chr12(GRCh38):g.21462019_21462022del;NM_024854.5:c.892_895del;p.(V298Mfs*4) and proband BII:1 is compound heterozygous for Chr12(GRCh38):g.21468739-21468741del;NM_024854.5:c.1488_1490del;p.(E496del) and Chr12(GRCh38):g.21467619del;NM_024854.5:c.1254+1del. RNA studies demonstrate c.892_895del;p.(V298Mfs*4) is targeted by nonsense mediated decay and c.1254+1delG elicits in-frame skipping of exon-11. Western blot from cultured fibroblasts shows reduced PYROXD1 protein levels in both probands. Testing urine from BII:1 and six individuals with PYROXD1 myopathy showed elevated levels of deoxypyridinoline, a mature collagen crosslink, correlating with PYROXD1-disorder severity. Urine and serum amino acid testing of the same individuals revealed no reportable changes. In contrast to PYROXD1 knock-out, we find no evidence for disrupted tRNA ligase activity, as measured via XBP1 splicing, in fibroblasts expressing PYROXD1 variants. In summary, we expand the clinical spectrum of PYROXD1-related disorders to include an overlapping connective tissue and myopathy presentation, identify three novel, pathogenic PYROXD1 variants, and provide preliminary evidence that elevated urine DPD crosslinks may provide a clinical biomarker for PYROXD1 disorders. Our results advocate consideration of PYROXD1 variants in the differential diagnosis for undiagnosed individuals presenting with a connective tissue disorder and myopathy.
Generalized Logarithmic Sheaf on Smooth Projective Surfaces
Authors: Huh S , Marchesi S , Pons-Llopis J , Vallès J
Published: March 2023

We define the notion of generalized logarithmic sheaves on a smooth projective surface, associated to a pair consisting of a reduced curve and some fixed points on it. We then set up the study of the Torelli property in this setting, focusing mostly in the case of the blow-up of the projective plane on a reduced set of points and, in particular, in the case of the cubic surface. We also study the stability property of generalized logarithmic sheaves as well as carrying out the description of their moduli spaces.
Burn Injury Cutaneous Functional Units: Allocating Occupational Therapy Resources and Influencing Practice
Authors: Hartl Grace , Fletchall Sandra , Velamuri Sai Ramakrishna
Published: March 2023

Burn injury severity is currently determined by estimating the total body surface area (TBSA) burned, but this method fails to capture the severity of subsequent functional consequences. Alternatively, cutaneous functional units (CFUs)––skin segments that accommodate for movement and commonly become contracted––can be used to more accurately estimate burn severity based on functional consequences. Bilateral hands account for 81.3% of the body’s CFUs, though only account for 5% of TBSA. However, hand burn survivors can have worse physical outcomes (ie, contractures, deformities) after burn injury, leading to subsequent loss of function, global occupational participation deficits, and poor psychosocial outcomes. This study, conducted at a verified American Burn Association burn center, explores how CFU involvement among adult burn survivors with uni and bilateral hand and upper extremity burns influenced occupational therapy practice in regards to time spent completing scar and soft tissue elongation techniques from the elbow to the digit tips per patient. The data showed, on average, burn occupational therapists require 0.8 minutes per CFU for an average total of 38.7 (SD = 29.5) minutes each session to complete scar and soft tissue elongation techniques to the upper extremities. The results of this study can be used to educate burn centers on the clinical utility of CFUs, burn occupational therapists regarding best-practice in terms of utilization of therapist time and resources, as well as support the justification for increasing occupational therapy services for patients with upper extremity and hand burns, and increasing staffing to meet patient need.
Heat challenge elicits stronger physiological and gene expression responses than starvation in symbiotic Oculina arbuscula
Authors: Rivera Hanny E , Tramonte Carlos A , Samaroo Jason , Dickerson Hayden , Davies Sarah W
Published: March 2023

Heterotrophy has been shown to mitigate coral–algal dysbiosis (coral bleaching) under heat challenge, but the molecular mechanisms underlying this phenomenon remain largely unexplored. Here, we quantified coral physiology and gene expression of fragments from 13 genotypes of symbiotic Oculina arbuscula after a 28-d feeding experiment under (1) fed, ambient (24 °C); (2) unfed, ambient; (3) fed, heated (ramp to 33 °C); and (4) unfed, heated treatments. We monitored algal photosynthetic efficiency throughout the experiment, and after 28 d, profiled coral and algal carbohydrate and protein reserves, coral gene expression, algal cell densities, and chlorophyll-a and chlorophyll-c2 pigments. Contrary to previous findings, heterotrophy did little to mitigate the impacts of temperature, and we observed few significant differences in physiology between fed and unfed corals under heat challenge. Our results suggest the duration and intensity of starvation and thermal challenge play meaningful roles in coral energetics and stress response; future work exploring these thresholds and how they may impact coral responses under changing climate is urgently needed. Gene expression patterns under heat challenge in fed and unfed corals showed gene ontology enrichment patterns consistent with classic signatures of the environmental stress response. While gene expression differences between fed and unfed corals under heat challenge were subtle: Unfed, heated corals uniquely upregulated genes associated with cell cycle functions, an indication that starvation may induce the previously described, milder “type B” coral stress response. Future studies interested in disentangling the influence of heterotrophy on coral bleaching would benefit from leveraging the facultative species studied here, but using the coral in its symbiotic and aposymbiotic states.
Genome assemblies and comparison of two Neotropical spiral gingers: Costus pulverulentus and C. lasius
Authors: Harenčár Julia , Vargas Oscar M , Escalona Merly , Schemske Douglas W , Kay Kathleen M
Published: March 2023

The spiral gingers (Costus L.) are a pantropical genus of herbaceous perennial monocots; the Neotropical clade of Costus radiated rapidly in the past few million years into over 60 species. The Neotropical spiral gingers have a rich history of evolutionary and ecological research that can motivate and inform modern genetic investigations. Here, we present the first 2 chromosome-level genome assemblies in the genus, for C. pulverulentus and C. lasius, and briefly compare their synteny. We assembled the C. pulverulentus genome from a combination of short-read data, Chicago and Dovetail Hi-C chromatin-proximity sequencing, and alignment with a linkage map. We annotated the genome by mapping a C. pulverulentus transcriptome and querying mapped transcripts against a protein database. We assembled the C. lasius genome with Pacific Biosciences HiFi long reads and alignment to the C. pulverulentus genome. These 2 assemblies are the first published genomes for non-cultivated tropical plants. These genomes solidify the spiral gingers as a model system and will facilitate research on the poorly understood genetic basis of tropical plant diversification.
Formulations of essential oils obtained from plants traditionally used as condiments or traditional medicine active againstStaphylococcus aureusisolated from dairy cows with mastitis
Authors: Albuquerque Kamylla Rafaella Sena , Purgato Gislaine Aparecida , Píccolo Mayra Soares , Rodrigues Fábio Feres , Pizziolo Virgínia Ramos , Muñoz Gaspar Diaz , Rossi Ciro César , Diaz Marisa Alves Nogueira
Published: March 2023

The prophylactic and therapeutic overuse of antimicrobials on the farm has contributed to the emergence of hard-to-fight bacterial strains causing bovine mastitis. Aiming at alternative therapies, this study evaluated the antimicrobial activity of 20 essential oils against clinical Staphylococcus aureus strains. Of them, five with strong activities were selected and evaluated for their minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) in culture medium and milk, cytotoxicity against bovine mammary cells (MAC-T), antiadhesive properties, and interactions among themselves and with cefoperazone. The oils remained active on milk, were not cytotoxic, and some concentrations stimulated MAC-T cells growth, suggesting healing potential. Subinhibitory concentrations of Coriandrum sativum, Origanum vulgare, Syzygium aromaticum, and Thymus vulgaris reduced biofilm formation by at least 80%. Several oil and cefoperazone combinations displayed additive interaction, with O. vulgare and C. sativum showing the most promising results. We developed formulations for being used as prophylactic postdipping solutions in the field, containing different concentrations (1% or 3%) of the active oils, alone or in combination, with 3% glycerin, 1% Tween 80, and water. The formulations showed strong antimicrobial activity in milk and enhanced antiadhesive properties, specially when two oils were combined in the formula, indicating promising biotechnological and therapeutical applications.
The Garden as Interior: Reading Schoenberg’s Gardens in Context
Authors: Menicanin Sadie
Published: March 2023

This article offers a new reading of the garden in Schoenberg’s Erwartung, a domestic retreat wistfully remembered by the Woman as she wanders in a nocturnal forest. Theorizing interiority as a defining facet of the monodrama’s garden, the article traces this quality across literal and metaphorical dimensions. Through considerations of early twentieth-century Viennese urban planning and garden design, women’s horticultural professionalization, and discourses around the relevance of green space for psychological wellness, the guiding interpretative notion of a garden interior is grounded in context. Gardens in two other of Schoenberg’s works roughly contemporary with Erwartung—Das Buch der hängenden Gärten and Herzgewächse—are similarly shown to engage with interior space in sounding and textual-thematic domains. Moving past Freudian symbolic interpretations, Erwartung’s garden is instead understood as a sounding space and a social and material entity embedded in the practices and anxieties of modern Viennese life.
Is green the new black? Black-backed Woodpecker vital rates do not differ between unburned and burned forests within a pyrodiverse landscape
Authors: Kerstens Mark E , Rivers James W
Published: March 2023

Woodpeckers often reflect rapid changes to forest health and serve as indicator species to help guide forest management decisions. The Black-backed Woodpecker (Picoides arcticus) is known for its strong association with recently burned forests and is a species of conservation concern due to habitat loss stemming from post-fire management of burned forest. Several studies have found the Black-backed Woodpecker occupying extensive areas of unburned (i.e., green) forests in the western part of its range during the breeding season, raising questions about whether green forests can support viable nesting populations in this region. We studied breeding Black-backed Woodpeckers in southern Oregon, USA to evaluate whether 2 vital rates critical to population recruitment—nest survival and post-fledging survival—differed between green and burned forests. During 2018, 2019, and 2021, we monitored 91 Black-backed Woodpecker nests (n = 34 in green forest, n = 57 in burned forest) and found that neither daily nest survival rate nor reproductive output (i.e., the number of fledglings per successful nest) differed between nests located in green and burned forest; however, nestling body condition was slightly enhanced in green forest. We also quantified survival of recently fledged individuals using VHF radio telemetry and found that the survival rate of birds in green forest was nearly identical to those in burned forest, with most mortalities occurring within 4 weeks of fledging. Our results indicate that Black-backed Woodpeckers in green forests were equally successful at breeding as conspecifics in recently burned forest, although densities of nesting pairs in green forest were lower than those in burned forest. Our findings indicate certain types of green forest, particularly mature lodgepole pine, can support viable populations of the Black-backed Woodpecker in the western portion of its range. This finding has conservation implications given that green forest occupies much of the forested landscape in this region and is often juxtaposed to areas subjected to high severity fire. Therefore, practices that promote pyrodiversity—landscape-level spatial and temporal variability in fire effects—as well as connectivity between green and burned forest within fire-prone landscapes are likely to provide the greatest conservation benefit for this species.
Impacts of Taxon-Sampling Schemes on Bayesian Tip Dating Under the Fossilized Birth-Death Process
Authors: Luo Arong , Zhang Chi , Zhou Qing-Song , Ho Simon Y W , Zhu Chao-Dong
Published: March 2023

Evolutionary timescales can be inferred by molecular-clock analyses of genetic data and fossil evidence. Bayesian phylogenetic methods such as tip dating provide a powerful framework for inferring evolutionary timescales, but the most widely used priors for tree topologies and node times often assume that present-day taxa have been sampled randomly or exhaustively. In practice, taxon sampling is often carried out so as to include representatives of major lineages, such as orders or families. We examined the impacts of different densities of diversified sampling on Bayesian tip dating on unresolved fossilized birth-death (FBD) trees, in which fossil taxa are topologically constrained but their exact placements are averaged out. We used synthetic data generated by simulations of nucleotide sequence evolution, fossil occurrences, and diversified taxon sampling. Our analyses under the diversified-sampling FBD process show that increasing taxon-sampling density does not necessarily improve divergence-time estimates. However, when informative priors were specified for the root age or when tree topologies were fixed to those used for simulation, the performance of tip dating on unresolved FBD trees maintains its accuracy and precision or improves with taxon-sampling density. By exploring three situations in which models are mismatched, we find that including all relevant fossils, without pruning off those that are incompatible with the diversified-sampling FBD process, can lead to underestimation of divergence times. Our reanalysis of a eutherian mammal data set confirms some of the findings from our simulation study, and reveals the complexity of diversified taxon sampling in phylogenomic data sets. In highlighting the interplay of taxon-sampling density and other factors, the results of our study have practical implications for using Bayesian tip dating to infer evolutionary timescales across the Tree of Life. [Bayesian tip dating; eutherian mammals; fossilized birth-death process; phylogenomics; taxon sampling.]