bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
BATTERY-FREE STRUCTURAL HEALTH MONITORING SYSTEM FOR CONCRETE STRUCTURES
Authors: LOUBET GAËL , SIDIBE ALASSANE , TAKACS ALEXANDRU , BALAYSSAC JEAN-PAUL , DRAGOMIRESCU DANIELA
Published: October 2022

This paper presents a cyber-physical system based on a wireless sensor network dedicated to structural health monitoring of reinforced concretes throughout their lifetime. This cyber-physical system is intended to implement a communicating reinforced concrete. Two types of nodes compose this WSN. The sensing node is fully wireless, can measure various parameters (such as temperature, relative humidity, mechanical strain, or resistivity), is battery-free, and is wirelessly and remotely powered and controlled via a radiative electromagnetic power transfer system by the second type of nodes, the communicating node. The communicating node connect the WSN to the digital world.
RESEARCH ON MONITORING AND DIAGNOSIS TECHNOLOGY OF ROLLER COASTER TRACK STRESS BASED ON FIBER BRAGG GRATING
Authors: GUAN-SI LIU , KE-QIN DING , LI CHEN , TAO MA , LI-JING ZHANG
Published: October 2022

Roller coaster bears alternating load, and fatigue damage is one of the main ways of its failure, and the fatigue of roller coaster structure and the resulting safety problems are becoming more and more prominent. With the rapid construction of large amusement facilities and the increasingly complex forms of movement, safety accidents caused by their failure occur from time to time. In this paper, according to the practical needs of the roller coaster track structure operation safety, the key failure parts of the roller coaster track structure are analyzed, and the fiber Bragg grating strain monitoring technology is used for real-time online monitoring of the key failure parts; Based on the monitoring stress spectrum data, the statistical counting method and cumulative damage theory are used to diagnose and predict the damage situation of the monitoring points, and the cumulative damage degree and crack initiation life of each monitoring point are given, so as to provide support for enterprises to make maintenance plans, and make the original cumbersome and difficult data acquisition more reliable, safe and convenient, Improve the ability and level of roller coaster monitoring and management.
SHEAR TESTS OF REINFORCED CONCRETE BEAMS WITH THE INFLUENCE OF INITIAL SHEAR CRACKS
Authors: YU KE , YANG JINGYING , LI JUN , SHU JIANGPENG , STRAUSS ALFRED , ZANDI KAMYAB
Published: October 2022

Cracks in reinforced concrete (RC) structures can be detrimental if they grow beyond the limits, so it is important to include their influences in the structural health monitoring method. For example, the impact of shear cracks on the structural performance of RC beams remains unknown. To fully understand the impact of cracks, judging by crack patterns alone is insufficient. This study focuses on the initial shear cracks and investigates whether shear cracks in different locations reduce the load-bearing capacity of beams at different levels. Four sets of beams that exhibited different types of initial shear cracks were cast, including (i) reference beams with no cracks, (ii) beams with inclined cracks in the bending span, (iii) beams with shear cracks in the shear span, and (iv) beams with pre-defined notches in the shear span. The initial cracks were carefully documented, and all the specimens were tested in four-point bending tests. The test results of beams with initial cracks or notches were compared with reference beams. The comparison indicated that the initial cracks in the bending span had limited influence on the load-bearing capacity, while the cracks in the shear span significantly reduced the ultimate load of the beams. Also, the cracks in the shear span were likely to further propagate to become the dominant cracks.
A HIGH-VOLUME PROCESSING FRAMEWORK FOR HUMAN-STRUCTURE INTERFACES IN SMART INFRASTRUCTURE
Authors: VIPOND NATASHA , KUMAR ABHINAV , XIE ZHIWU , SARLO RODRIGO
Published: October 2022

Monitoring the behavior and performance of engineered structures has become increasingly desirable due to the value such information offers for occupant safety and structural maintenance. Vibration data collected from accelerometers has proven to be an effective tool to perform this type of monitoring. While some monitoring activities can occur autonomously, it is often necessary for humans to interact with the data to discern the need for additional evaluation. In large structures or those with a dense sensor deployment, continuously collected vibration data can quickly grow to massive scales. Consequently, the evaluation of structural performance is often limited by the ability of a system to efficiently process and present large volumes of data. To overcome this challenge, this paper presents a framework to process, store, and visualize data using open-source distributed computing technologies. The framework utilizes a publish-subscribe messaging queue deployed across multiple partitions to consume data in parallel, improving the rate of ingestion. Ingested data is stored in a structured format using a NoSQL database that provides high availability, scalability, and performance. The stored data acts as the source for webbased visualization. This setup provides a high degree of adaptability, allowing meaningful visualizations to be implemented for various forms of smart infrastructure monitoring tasks. The capabilities of the resultant human-infrastructure interface are demonstrated using Goodwin Hall, a five-story building instrumented with 225 hard-wired accelerometers. This case study showcases visualizations that enable users to perform real-time assessment of frequency domain features and efficiently identify notable excitation events during the building's history.
A COMPARISON BETWEEN THREE VISION-BASED DISPLACEMENT MEASUREMENT METHODS IN LAB-SCALE STRUCTURAL EXPERIMENTS
Authors: GHYABI MEHRDAD , LATTANZI DAVID
Published: October 2022

Capturing structural displacement time-histories under service conditions or controlled load tests provides critical information for structural condition assessments. Measuring displacements directly is often impractical due to inherent technical and experimental difficulties, particularly for field inspection of in-service structures. Therefore, quantifying displacements indirectly from localized acceleration or strain measurements has been the dominant measurement approach for decades, despite numerical and logistical implementation challenges. More recently, the development of high-resolution imaging sensors, along with the emergence of high-performance digital image processing techniques, has led to the emergence of computer vision-based displacement tracking methods. These methods, generally referred to as “optical flow field measurements”, have been demonstrated to work effectively under a variety of laboratory and full-scale field conditions. The measurements are generally less accurate than those obtained from installed sensor arrays, but they have the advantage of providing dense displacement field measurements and do not require direct sensor installation. These approaches can be categorized into three major categories: dense flow, target or invariant feature tracking, and phase-based flow. This paper provides a comparative analysis of these three measurement paradigms for structural monitoring applications. A series of illustrative laboratory experiments are used to highlight key benefits and differences between different approaches.
CHARACTERIZATION AND ANALYSIS OF CONSTRUCTIONAL ERRORS OF LONG-SPAN PRESTRESSED STEEL STRUCTURES BASED ON IN-SITU MEASUREMENTS
Authors: ZHANG AILIN , WANG JIE , ZHAO XI , ZHANG YANXIA
Published: October 2022

Long-span prestressed steel structures, known for its light weight and well performance, are world-wide used and developed nowadays. The constructional errors are challenges to long-span prestressed structures with considerations of the constructional precisions, prestressing degrees, and global stability respectively. The 3D laser scanning technique is applied in the structural health monitoring which is used in the long-span prestressed structures as well. However, a gap exists between measurement point clouds and structural assessments of long-span prestressed steel structures due to the complexity and volume of scanning data. The research targets at the real-time global stability assessments of long-span prestressed steel structures, including characterization of constructional errors from in-situ measurements, establishment of probabilistic model for constructional errors’ sensitivity study, and real-time constructional errors’ analysis. This work emphasizes current research progress on constructional errors’ characterization and data analysis from the in-situ measurements. The in-situ measurement data obtained from two projects of long-span prestressed steel structures charged by the researchers. The constructional errors are smartly recognized from the geometric deviations in comparison with nominal BIM models. The recognized data are then characterized from the convolutional neural network algorithm and statistically analyzed as well. The statistical data is used for the constructional-error sensitivity study where failure probabilities and collapse modes will be carefully evaluated. The research bridges the structural health information and structural stability assessments of long-span prestressed steel structures. In turn, it lays a solid foundation of real-time instant global stability assessments of long-span prestressed steel structures in a long term.
SHEAR STRENGTH ANALYSIS OF REINFORCED CONCRETE BEAMS WITH THE INFLUENCE OF INITIAL SHEAR CRACKS
Authors: YU KE , LI JUN , YANG JINGYING , SHU JIANGPENG , ZANDI KAMYAB
Published: October 2022

Cracks in reinforced concrete (RC) structures may result in a reduced loadbearing capacity, and thus understanding the effects of cracks is an important part of a comprehensive structural health monitoring strategy. It is known that the impact of cracks cannot be quantified solely based on the crack patterns. In particular, shear cracks form as a result of a more complex stress state and their influence on the structural performance of RC beams is yet to be studied in detail. This research focuses on the shear cracks and aims to correlate their location to the load-bearing capacity of beams. In an experimental program, initial shear cracks were first generated by loading at varying positions and then the beams were loaded to failure. Four types of beams were tested; these were beams with: (i) no cracks, (ii) inclined cracks in the bending span, (iii) shear cracks in the shear span, and (iv) a pre-defined notch in the shear span. Furthermore, FE analyses were carried out to model the structural behavior of the beams using two different methodologies. The results indicate that compared with reference beams, the initial cracks in the bending span decreased the structural stiffness of RC beams but have limited impacts on the ultimate capacity. However, the cracks in the shear span not only decreased the stiffness, but also significantly reduced the load-carrying capacity of the beams. The observed behaviors were also reasonably well captured in FE analyses.
DAMAGE WITHOUT INDICATION—DETECTION OF TENDON RUPTURE USING CODA WAVE INTERFEROMETRY
Authors: CLAUSS FELIX , AHRENS MARK ALEXANDER , MARK PETER
Published: October 2022

Pre-stressing is often the decisive feature of concrete bridges. Deterioration of the tendons used to provide pre-stress is thus an immense problem. To detect potential damage, monitoring of the structures promises to be a remedy. However, since the location of damage is seldom known, conventional monitoring systems reach their limits. Then, ultrasound in conjunction with coda wave interferometry becomes promising to monitor entire structures with just a small number of sensors. To demonstrate the general feasibility of detecting tendon rupture, a pre-stressed concrete beam was experimentally investigated. Failure was artificially initiated by cutting a tendon. Ultrasonic and strain measurements recorded stress changes that occurred due to cross-section losses of the tendon. Both the process of pre-stressing and the artificially induced failure has been tracked using the coda wave technique. Based on the relative velocity change of the ultrasound, the internal state change in the (from the outside) still intact specimen could be detected and tracked. These initial results inspire further in-depth investigations into the detection of pre-stressing steel fractures.
LAS MANUFACTUAS SEDERAS SEVILLANAS: UNA APROXIMACIÓN A LAS TELAS BROCADAS DE LOS SIGLOS XVI Y XVIII.
Authors: Pérez Morera Jesús
Published: October 2022

La catalogación del tejido brocado o espolinado constituye una tarea que apenas se ha abordado debidamente a causa de su complejidad y dificultad intrínseca. A partir de las noticias de archivo y de la identificación de telas de seguro origen y datación, conservadas fundamentalmente en las Islas Canarias, pero también en México y en la Península Ibérica, perseguimos definir las características técnicas y decorativas de los tejidos ricos fabricados en Sevilla durante los siglos XVII y XVIII como base para futuras catalogaciones.
REDESCUBRIENDO EL PATRIMONIO SACRO TOLEDANO: NUEVOS DATOS DEL TRONO PRIMITIVO DE LA VIRGEN DE LA ESPERANZA.
Authors: Illescas Díaz Laura
Published: October 2022

Tras la celebración del Concilio de Trento y el consiguiente incremento de la devoción y culto a la Virgen se disparó la demanda de piezas ejecutadas en plata destinadas a su mayor ornato y magnificencia, siendo ejemplo de ello la que hoy es protagonista del presente estudio, el trono de la Virgen de la Esperanza, ejecutado en las primeras décadas del siglo XVII por Alonso Sánchez e Ignacio de Pereña. Gracias a la documentación inédita localizada en el Archivo Diocesano de Toledo, además de otros testimonios gráficos, ha sido posible sacar a la luz datos fundamentales para su estudio como son la autoría, la cronología, el proceso ejecutivo e incluso su aspecto primigenio, contribuyendo de este modo a este “redescubrimiento” del patrimonio sacro toledano.
JUAN BAUTISTA DEL CASTILLO, ARTÍFICE DE LA IMAGEN DE LA VIRGEN PARA LA CAPILLA DE LA HERMANDAD DE ARÁNZAZU DE LIMA (1644-1645).
Authors: Zulaika Hernández Josu M.
Published: October 2022

La Hermandad de Aránzazu de Lima encargó en 1644 en España la talla de una imagen de la Virgen que se veneraba en el santuario de Aránzazu de Oñate. La publicación por Ayllón de la Relación de la grandiosa fiesta que se hizo… a la colocación de la milagrosa imagen de N. Señora de Aransazu (1647), aportó algunos detalles sobre las vicisitudes de esta historia. Pero ni Ayllón ni los autores posteriores pudieron ofrecer datos acerca de la identidad del artífice de la imagen. El descubrimiento del contrato firmado en Sevilla entre algunos miembros de la hermandad y el escultor antequerano Juan Bautista del Castillo nos permitirá suplir algunos de los vacíos que Ayllón no pudo reflejar en su Relación.
VALDES LEAL Y LAS TERMITAS DEL FINIS GLORIAE MUNDI.
Authors: Cómez Ramos Rafael
Published: October 2022

Este estudio trata sobre el conocido cuadro de Juan de Valdés Leal Finis Gloriae Mundi de la iglesia del Hospital de la Caridad de Sevilla. Analizado desde el punto de vista de la Entomología, nos ha permitido considerar que los gusanos e insectos que pululan por el cadáver y vestiduras del obispo no son otros invertebrados que las terribles termitas (Reticulitermes lucifugus), representadas en sus dos castas: obreras y soldados.
EL ORNATO EFÍMERO DE LA CASA PROFESA DE LOS JESUITAS PARA LA PROCLAMACIÓN SEVILLANA DE FERNANDO VI. RETRATOS DE LA MONARQUÍA, HISTORIA DE LA NACIÓN.
Authors: Ollero Lobato Francisco
Published: October 2022

Se describe en este artículo el aparato efímero levantado por la Casa profesa de los Jesuitas de Sevilla con motivo de la proclamación de Fernando VI en 1746, partiendo de las fuentes impresas coetáneas. Se analiza la presencia en esa arquitectura de una serie de retratos históricos y su uso en un discurso áulico. Los héroes y monarcas que allí se representan se constituyen en portadores de las virtudes políticas del monarca, y son tratados formal y significativamente como auténticas empresas. Pero, a la vez, de la aparición de estos personajes se deduce una comprensión autónoma de la historia patria y con ello del concepto de nación, aspecto este que aporta un avance sustantivo a los contenidos de la fiesta barroca local.
PROGRESO URGANO VERSUS CONSERVACIÓN DEL PATRIMONIO A FINALES DEL SIGLO XIX. LAS MURALLAS DE ZAMORA COMO EJEMPLO.
Authors: Frechilla Alonso Mª Almudena
Published: October 2022

Durante las últimas décadas del siglo XIX, la adecuación del espacio urbano a las nuevas exigencias de la sociedad burguesa trajo consigo la desaparición de numerosos bienes histórico-artísticos en todo el territorio nacional, debido a la insuficiencia de la legislación estatal para su preservación. El artículo pretende llamar la atención sobre la estrategia articulada por el consistorio zamorano para eludir la legislación estatal en materia de protección monumental, logrando demoler significativos hitos de la muralla medieval en pro del desarrollo y modernización de la capital.
CERÁMICA SEVILLANA Y TALAVERANA PARA LA DECORACIÓN DE LA CASA CERVANTES DEL REAL COLEGIO DE ESPAÑA EN BOLONIA.
Authors: García Zapata Ignacio José , Pascual Chenel Álvaro
Published: October 2022

El presente artículo se centra en la presencia de cerámica española –procedente de la Casa González de Sevilla y de Ruiz de Luna de Talavera de la Reina– para la decoración de la Casa Cervantes del Real Colegio de España en Bolonia, a través de documentación inédita y de las obras conservadas.
From selling machinery to hybrid offerings – organizational impact of digital servitization on manufacturing firms
Authors: Brosig Christoph , Strahringer Susanne , Westner Markus
Published: October 2022

The transition towards services has been imperative for manufacturing firms for years. The change from a product-oriented to a more service-dominant business model affects the organizational structure of firms. However, literature provides limited insights into how manufacturing firms organize themselves in this transition. Even though digital technologies are critical for the transition, it is unclear how to orchestrate digital and traditional Information Technology (IT) resources in manufacturing firms accordingly. We analyze the case of a typical manufacturing firm that has adjusted its structure to reorganize for solution offerings based on product, service, and digital components. Our results describe a hybrid organizational structure that splits front- and back-end units. The back-end units are split along solution components. Digital IT resources are internalized and governed decentrally, with traditional IT resources being outsourced and steered centrally. Our findings contribute to digital servitization research by clarifying the overarching as well as the digital and traditional IT-related organization for manufacturing firms.
Rejoinder: Heterogeneous Impact of Brands’ Support for Black Lives Matter on Consumer Responses
Authors: Wang Yang , Qin Marco Shaojun , Luo Xueming , Kou Yu (Eric)
Published: October 2022

Rejoinder in Response to the Commentary by Thomas and Chintagunta (2022) .
La interesante historia natural de los lobos marinos que habitan el Golfo de California
Authors: Ortega-Borchardt José Ángel , Barba-Acuña Isai David , l Hernández-Camacho Claudia Janetl , Gallo-Reynoso Juan Pablo
Published: October 2022

Por ser un depredador tope y tener adaptaciones de vida semi-acuática, el lobo marino de California (Zalophus californianus) es una de las especies de mamíferos marinos más relevantes e interesantes que tenemos en el Golfo de California, el acuario del mundo.
A Educação Ambiental sob o olhar dos alunos do Ensino Médio do Colégio Estadual Deputado Horácio de Matos, no município de Santa Rita de Cássia-Bahia.
Authors: De Souza Mariene Guedes
Published: October 2022

A Educação Ambiental (EA) é primordial para a conscientização dos seres humanos em relação ao mundo em que vivem. O maior desafio nos dias atuais é desenvolver uma mentalidade com relação a como usufruir dos recursos ofertados pela natureza, sem a prejudicá-la, desenvolvendo uma postura, que busque equilíbrio entre o homem e o ambiente. O presente trabalho propõe identificar o nível de conhecimento sobre EA dos alunos do Ensino Médio do Colégio Estadual Deputado Horácio de Matos no município de Santa Rita de Cássia – Bahia, por meio de questionário semi-estruturado. A análise das respostas foi quali-quantitativa, utilizando-se como metodologia análise textual. Percebeu-se nas respostas uma visão desarticulada da EA no ambiente escolar. Detectou-se que a unidade escolar precisa desenvolver com mais frequência atividades e reflexões sobre EA e compartilhar a responsabilidade da educação sobre as questões socioambientais com os alunos em busca da conscientização para a preservação do meio ambiente.
Disaggregated optical-layer switching for optically composable disaggregated computing [Invited]
Authors: Ishii Kiyo , Matsumoto Ryosuke , Inoue Takashi , Namiki Shu
Published: October 2022

Disaggregated computing has been widely investigated to support the continuous progress in computing performance and overcome the slowdown of Moore’s law. It involves a flexible and optimal interconnection of heterogeneous compute nodes, such as the CPU, GPU, xPU, memory, and storage, to offer an efficient computing environment for various applications. Such a scheme inherently requires high network performance, including low latency, high capacity, determinism, and energy efficiency, all of which are simultaneously achieved through the introduction of optical-layer switching. This paper presents the application of optical-layer-switching architectures to disaggregated computing. Networks associated with disaggregated computing are classified into intra- and interserver networks. Focusing on the intraserver network, a holistic concept of optically composable disaggregated computing (OCDC) is discussed, along with its technological direction toward future digital infrastructure (i.e., the computing continuum). To realize OCDC, scalable and flexible optical switch technologies, as well as their dynamic and automatic control and management mechanisms, are indispensable. Previous studies have reported

32

×

32

silicon photonic switches that can form a nine-stage Clos topology with a radix of 131,072 and a machine-processable function description model for optical-layer switching, called the functional block-based disaggregation model (FBD model) that is capable of automating the operation, administration, and management of any optical physical topology in cooperation with upper-layer operating systems. This study examines their applicability to OCDC. The superior energy performance and scaling of an OCDC system equipped with optical matrix switches, such as silicon photonic switches, with respect to the conventional one big electrical packet-switching approach based on the reported wall-plug power consumption is also presented. The potential applicability of the FBD model as an essential control and management system for the optical layer of OCDC is evaluated through numerical experiments.
An ensemble n-sub-epidemic modeling framework for short-term forecasting epidemic trajectories: Application to the COVID-19 pandemic in the USA
Authors: Chowell Gerardo , Dahal Sushma , Tariq Amna , Roosa Kimberlyn , Hyman James M. , Luo Ruiyan
Published: October 2022

We analyze an ensemble of n-sub-epidemic modeling for forecasting the trajectory of epidemics and pandemics. These ensemble modeling approaches, and models that integrate sub-epidemics to capture complex temporal dynamics, have demonstrated powerful forecasting capability. This modeling framework can characterize complex epidemic patterns, including plateaus, epidemic resurgences, and epidemic waves characterized by multiple peaks of different sizes. We systematically assess their calibration and short-term forecasting performance in short-term forecasts for the COVID-19 pandemic in the USA from late April 2020 to late February 2022. We compare their performance with two commonly used statistical ARIMA models. The best fit sub-epidemic model and three ensemble models constructed using the top-ranking sub-epidemic models consistently outperformed the ARIMA models in terms of the weighted interval score (WIS) and the coverage of the 95% prediction interval across the 10-, 20-, and 30-day short-term forecasts. In our 30-day forecasts, the average WIS ranged from 377.6 to 421.3 for the sub-epidemic models, whereas it ranged from 439.29 to 767.05 for the ARIMA models. Across 98 short-term forecasts, the ensemble model incorporating the top four ranking sub-epidemic models (Ensemble(4)) outperformed the (log) ARIMA model 66.3% of the time, and the ARIMA model, 69.4% of the time in 30-day ahead forecasts in terms of the WIS. Ensemble(4) consistently yielded the best performance in terms of the metrics that account for the uncertainty of the predictions. This framework can be readily applied to investigate the spread of epidemics and pandemics beyond COVID-19, as well as other dynamic growth processes found in nature and society that would benefit from short-term predictions.
Bird species define the relationship between West Nile viremia and infectiousness to Culex pipiens mosquitoes
Authors: Vaughan Jefferson A. , Newman Robert A. , Turell Michael J.
Published: October 2022

The transmission cycle of West Nile virus (WNV) involves multiple species of birds. The relative importance of various bird species to the overall transmission is often inferred from the level and duration of viremia that they experience upon infection. Reports utilizing in vitro feeding techniques suggest that the source and condition of blood in which arboviruses are fed to mosquitoes can significantly alter the infectiousness of arbovirus to mosquitoes. We confirmed this using live hosts. A series of mosquito feedings with Culex pipiens was conducted on WNV-infected American robins and common grackles over a range of viremias. Mosquitoes were assayed individually by plaque assay for WNV at 3 to 7 days after feeding. At equivalent viremia, robins always infected more mosquitoes than did grackles. We conclude that the infectiousness of viremic birds cannot always be deduced from viremia alone. If information concerning the infectiousness of a particular bird species is important, such information is best acquired by feeding mosquitoes directly on experimentally infected individuals of that species.
Association between skeletal muscle mass or percent body fat and metabolic syndrome development in Japanese women: A 7-year prospective study
Authors: Yamada Yosuke , Murakami Haruka , Kawakami Ryoko , Gando Yuko , Nanri Hinako , Nakagata Takashi , Watanabe Daiki , Yoshida Tsukasa , Hatamoto Yoichi , Yoshimura Eiichi , Sanada Kiyoshi , Miyatake Nobuyuki , Miyachi Motohiko
Published: October 2022

Previous cross-sectional studies have indicated that low relative appendicular lean mass (ALM) against body weight (divided by body weight, ALM/Wt, or divided by body mass index, ALM/BMI) was negatively associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS). Conversely, previous cross-sectional studies have indicated that the absolute ALM or ALM divided by squared height (ALM/Ht2) were positively associated with MetS. The aim of this longitudinal study was to investigate the association between low absolute or relative skeletal muscle mass, leg muscle power, or percent body fat and the development of MetS in Japanese women in a 7-y prospective study. The study participants included 346 Japanese women aged 26 to 85 years. The participants were divided into low and high groups based on the median values of ALM/Wt, ALM/BMI, ALM/Ht2, absolute ALM, or leg power. The longitudinal relationship between ALM indices or leg power and MetS development was examined using Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression models (average follow-up duration 7 years, range 1 to 10 years). During follow-up, 24 participants developed MetS. MetS incidence was higher in the low ALM/Wt group than the high ALM/Wt group even after controlling for age, obesity, waist circumference, family history of diabetes, smoking, and physical activity [adjusted hazard ratio = 5.60 (95% CI; 1.04–30.0)]. In contrast, MetS incidence was lower in the low ALM/Ht2 group than the high ALM/Ht2 group [adjusted hazard ratio = 10.6 (95%CI; 1.27–89.1)]. MetS incidence was not significantly different between the low and high ALM/BMI, absolute ALM, and leg power groups. Both ALM/Ht2 and ALM/Wt were not significant predictive variables for MetS development when fat mass or percent body fat was taken into account in the Cox model. At the very least, the results of this study underscore the importance of body composition measurements in that percent body fat, but not ALM, is associated with MetS development.
Migration is associated with baseline severity and progress over time in autism spectrum disorder: Evidence from a French prospective longitudinal study
Authors: Bettencourt Carlotta , Garret-Gloanec Nicole , Pellerin Hugues , Péré Morgane , Squillante Maria , Roos-Weil Fabienne , Ferrand Léa , Pernel Anne-Sophie , Apter Gisèle , Cohen David
Published: October 2022

Background

The prevalence of autism-spectrum disorder (ASD) has been shown to be higher in migrant families, but it is also a challenge for health care professionals to offer adequate services to families that face multiple challenges. In the context of the EPIGRAM study (a French prospective, multisite, longitudinal observational study implementing integrative care practices (ICPs) for children with ASD), we aimed to assess the impact of migration on children with ASD.

Method and findings

89 children with ASD aged 3 to 6 years old (92% males) were recruited and followed up for 12 months. The children were clinically assessed using several instruments. At baseline, children had severe autism on average on the Children Autism Rating Scale (CARS, mean = 44; SD = 6.51) and moderate autism on the PsychoEducational profile-3-R (PEP-3-R) maladaptive behavior category (mean = 30; SD = 29.89). Thirty percent of the families had a low socio-economic status, and 56% were first-generation immigrants. For all clinical variables, children of immigrant parents had more severe autism and developmental delays at baseline. A linear mixed model established an improvement in all clinical characteristics over the 12 months of the study. This trend may be attributed to ICPs or any naturally occurring event during that period. Families shared this positive view over time. However, the improvements were slower for two clinical dimensions of the PEP-3-R in children from migrant families. For the inappropriate behavior category, the time effect diminished by an average of 0.83 percentile/month for children whose parents were migrants vs. children whose parents were non-migrants. Similarly, for verbal behavior characteristics, the time effect diminished by an average of 1.32 percentile/month for children whose parents were migrants vs. children whose parents were non-migrants.

Conclusion

Despite an overall positive improvement, we found that migration is associated baseline severity and progress over time in children with ASD. There is an urgent need to target the migrant population with specific research and understand the avenues that carry such higher severity.

Clinical trial registration

Study registration on clinicaltrials.gov under the number NCT02154828.
Climate change, vaccines, GMO: The N400 effect as a marker of attitudes toward scientific issues
Authors: Okruszek Łukasz , Piejka Aleksandra , Banasik-Jemielniak Natalia , Jemielniak Dariusz
Published: October 2022

While the psychological predictors of antiscience beliefs have been extensively studied, neural underpinnings of the antiscience beliefs have received relatively little interest. The aim of the current study is to investigate whether attitudes towards the scientific issues are reflected in the N400 potential. Thirty-one individuals were asked to judge whether six different issues presented as primes (vaccines, medicines, nuclear energy, solar energy, genetically-modified organisms (GMO), natural farming) are well-described by ten positive and ten negative target words. EEG was recorded during the task. Furthermore, participants were asked to rate their own expertise in each of the six topics. Both positive and negative target words related to GMO elicited larger N400, than targets associated with vaccines and natural farming. The results of the current study show that N400 may be an indicator of the ambiguous attitude toward scientific issues.
In-person training on COVID-19 case management and infection prevention and control: Evaluation of healthcare professionals in Bangladesh
Authors: Shahrin Lubaba , Parvin Irin , Sarmin Monira , Abbassi Nayem Akhter , Ackhter Mst. Mahmuda , Alam Tahmina , Mamun Gazi Md. Salahuddin , Rahman Aninda , Shaima Shamsun Nahar , Shikha Shamima Sharmin , Jeorge Didarul Haque , Nahar Mst. Arifun , Sharifuzzaman  , Saha Haimanti , Rahman Abu Sayem Mirza Md Hasibur , Shahid Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayeem Bin , Faruque A. S. G. , Ahmed Tahmeed , Chisti Mohammod Jobayer
Published: October 2022

Background

As COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic, the major focus of healthcare organizations shifted towards preparing healthcare systems to handle the inevitable COVID-19 burden at different phases and levels. A series of in-person training programs were operated in collaboration with government and partner organizations for the healthcare workers (HCW) of Bangladesh. This study aimed to assess the knowledge of HCWs regarding SARS-CoV-2 infection, their case management, infection prevention and control to fight against the ongoing pandemic.

Methods

As a part of the National Preparedness and Response Plan for COVID-19 in Bangladesh, the training program was conducted at four district-level hospitals and one specialized hospital in Bangladesh from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021. A total of 755 HCWs participated in the training sessions. Among them, 357 (47%) were enrolled for the evaluation upon completion of the data, collected from one district hospital (Feni) and one specialized hospital (National Institute of Mental Health).

Results

The mean percentage of pre-test and post-test scores of all the participants were found to be 57% (95% CI 8.34–8.91; p 0.01) and 65% (95% CI 9.56–10.15; p <0.001) respectively. The difference of score (mean) between the groups was significant (p<0.001). After categorizing participants’ knowledge levels as poor, average and fair, doctors’ group has shown to have significant enhancement from level of average to fair compared to that of the nurses. Factors associated with knowledge augmentation of doctors were working in primary health care centers (aOR: 4.22; 95% CI: 1.80, 9.88), job experience less than 5 years (aOR: 4.10; 95% CI: 1.01, 16.63) and experience in caring of family member with COVID-19 morbidity (aOR: 2.06; 95% CI: 1.03, 4.10), after adjusting for relevant covariates such as age, sex and prior COVID-19 illness.

Conclusion

Considering the series of waves of COVID-19 pandemic with newer variants, the present paper underscores the importance of implementing the structured in-person training program on case management, infection prevention and control for the HCWs that may help for successful readiness prior to future pandemics that may further help to minimize the pandemic related fatal consequences.
Epithelial cell size dysregulation in human lung adenocarcinoma
Authors: Sandlin Clifford W. , Gu Song , Xu Jun , Deshpande Charuhas , Feldman Michael D. , Good Matthew C.
Published: October 2022

Human cells tightly control their dimensions, but in some cancers, normal cell size control is lost. In this study we measure cell volumes of epithelial cells from human lung adenocarcinoma progression in situ. By leveraging artificial intelligence (AI), we reconstruct tumor cell shapes in three dimensions (3D) and find airway type 2 cells display up to 10-fold increases in volume. Surprisingly, cell size increase is not caused by altered ploidy, and up to 80% of near-euploid tumor cells show abnormal sizes. Size dysregulation is not explained by cell swelling or senescence because cells maintain cytoplasmic density and proper organelle size scaling, but is correlated with changes in tissue organization and loss of a novel network of processes that appear to connect alveolar type 2 cells. To validate size dysregulation in near-euploid cells, we sorted cells from tumor single-cell suspensions on the basis of size. Our study provides data of unprecedented detail for cell volume dysregulation in a human cancer. Broadly, loss of size control may be a common feature of lung adenocarcinomas in humans and mice that is relevant to disease and identification of these cells provides a useful model for investigating cell size control and consequences of cell size dysregulation.
Evolution of antithrombotic therapy for patients with atrial fibrillation: The prospective global GLORIA-AF registry program
Authors: Beier Lea , Lu Shihai , França Lionel Riou , Marler Sabrina , Lip Gregory Y. H. , Huisman Menno V. , Teutsch Christine , Halperin Jonathan L. , Zint Kristina , Diener Hans-Christoph , Baker Laurie , Ma Chang-Sheng , Paquette Miney , Bartels Dorothee B. , Dubner Sergio J. , Lyrer Philippe , Senges Jochen , Rothman Kenneth J.
Published: October 2022

Objective

To assess baseline characteristics and antithrombotic treatment (ATT) prescription patterns in patients enrolled in the third phase of the GLORIA-AF Registry Program, evaluate predictors of treatment prescription, and compare results with phase II.

Methods

GLORIA-AF is a large, global, prospective registry program, enrolling patients with newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF) at risk of stroke. Patients receiving dabigatran were followed for two years in phase II, and all patients were followed for 3 years in phase III. Phase II started when dabigatran became available; phase III started when the characteristics of patients receiving dabigatran became roughly comparable with those receiving vitamin K antagonists (VKAs).

Results

Between 2014 and 2016, 21,241 patients were enrolled in phase III. In total, 82% of patients were prescribed oral anticoagulation ([OAC]; 59.5% novel/nonvitamin K oral anticoagulants [NOACs], 22.7% VKAs). A further 11% of patients were prescribed antiplatelets without OAC and 7% were prescribed no ATT. A high stroke risk was the main driver of OAC prescription. Factors associated with prescription of VKA over NOAC included type of site, region, physician specialty, and impaired kidney function.

Conclusion

Over the past few years, data from phase III of GLORIA-AF show that OACs have become the standard treatment option, with most newly diagnosed AF patients prescribed a NOAC. However, in some regions a remarkable proportion of patients remain undertreated. In comparison with phase II, more patients received NOACs in phase III while the prescription of VKA decreased. VKAs were preferred over NOACs in patients with impaired kidney function.
Changes in cognitive-motor interference during rehabilitation of cane walking in patients with subacute stroke: A pilot study
Authors: Chen Hsiu-I , Fu Shu-Yi , Liu Ting-Wei , Hsieh Ya-Wen , Chen Hui-Ya
Published: October 2022

No previous research has examined cognitive-motor interference (CMI) repeatedly in patients with subacute stroke. This pilot study aimed to report on the changes over time in CMI in patients with stroke who have recently learned to walk with a cane. The assessment started as soon as the participants could walk independently with a quad cane, and was repeated up to six sessions as long as the cane was still used. The dual-tasking paradigm required participants to walk and perform continuous subtractions by 3s. Data were analyzed for 9 participants 33–127 days post-stroke. All 9 participants showed CMI in walking velocity at baseline and 8 of these showed improvement over time (Z = -2.547; p = 0.011). The improvement in CMI was associated with baseline dual-tasking performance (ρ = 0.600; p = 0.044), motor control ability (ρ = -0.695; p = 0.019), walking velocity (ρ = -0.767; p = 0.008), and functional mobility (ρ = 0.817; p = 0.004). All participants showed decrements in both tasks (mutual interference) at baseline, 1 evolved to decrements in walking velocity (cognitive-related motor interference), and 3 finally evolved to decrements in cognitive performance but increments in walking velocity (motor-priority tradeoff). In conclusion, during rehabilitation with cane walking in patients with subacute stroke, the dual-tasking paradigm revealed CMI and its improvements in the majority of participants. Greater improvement in CMI was moderately to strongly associated with worse baseline performance of many variables. The evolution of the CMI pattern over time provides novel information relevant to neurological recovery.
Feasibility of a novel non-invasive swab technique for serial whole-exome sequencing of cervical tumors during chemoradiation therapy
Authors: Bronk Julianna K. , Kapadia Chiraag , Wu Xiaogang , Chapman Bhavana V. , Wang Rui , Karpinets Tatiana V. , Song Xingzhi , Futreal Andrew M. , Zhang Jianhua , Klopp Ann H. , Colbert Lauren E.
Published: October 2022

Background

Clinically relevant genetic predictors of radiation response for cervical cancer are understudied due to the morbidity of repeat invasive biopsies required to obtain genetic material. Thus, we aimed to demonstrate the feasibility of a novel noninvasive cervical swab technique to (1) collect tumor DNA with adequate throughput to (2) perform whole-exome sequencing (WES) at serial time points over the course of chemoradiation therapy (CRT).

Methods

Cervical cancer tumor samples from patients undergoing chemoradiation were collected at baseline, at week 1, week 3, and at the completion of CRT (week 5) using a noninvasive swab-based biopsy technique. Swab samples were analyzed with whole-exome sequencing (WES) with mutation calling using a custom pipeline optimized for shallow whole-exome sequencing with low tumor purity (TP). Tumor mutation changes over the course of treatment were profiled.

Results

216 samples were collected and successfully sequenced for 70 patients (94% of total number of tumor samples collected). A total of 33 patients had a complete set of samples at all four time points. The mean mapping rate was 98% for all samples, and the mean target coverage was 180. Estimated TP was greater than 5% for all samples. Overall mutation frequency decreased during CRT but mapping rate and mean target coverage remained at >98% and >180 reads at week 5.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates the feasibility and application of a noninvasive swab-based technique for WES analysis which may be applied to investigate dynamic tumor mutational changes during treatment to identify novel genes which confer radiation resistance.
A microfluidics-based method for isolation and visualization of cells based on receptor-ligand interactions
Authors: Dao Long , Zhao Qingnan , Hu Jiemiao , Xia Xueqing , Yang Qing , Li Shulin
Published: October 2022

Receptor-ligand binding has been analyzed at the protein level using isothermal titration calorimetry and surface plasmon resonance and at the cellular level using interaction-associated downstream gene induction/suppression. However, no currently available technique can characterize this interaction directly through visualization. In addition, all available assays require a large pool of cells; no assay capable of analyzing receptor-ligand interactions at the single-cell level is publicly available. Here, we describe a new microfluidic chip–based technique for analyzing and visualizing these interactions at the single-cell level. First, a protein is immobilized on a glass slide and a low-flow-rate pump is used to isolate cells that express receptors that bind to the immobilized ligand. Specifically, we demonstrate the efficacy of this technique by immobilizing biotin-conjugated FGL2 on an avidin-coated slide chip and passing a mixture of GFP-labeled wild-type T cells and RFP-labeled FcγRIIB-knockout T cells through the chip. Using automated scanning and counting, we found a large number of GFP+ T cells with binding activity but significantly fewer RFP+ FcγRIIB-knockout T cells. We further isolated T cells expressing a membrane-anchored, tumor-targeted IL-12 based on the receptor’s affinity to vimentin to confirm the versatility of our technique. This protocol allows researchers to isolate receptor-expressing cells in about 4 hours for further downstream processing.
HIV-related stigma among Spanish-speaking Latinos in an emerging immigrant city following the Solo Se Vive Una Vez social marketing campaign
Authors: Grieb Suzanne M. Dolwick , Velez Matthew , Corty Edward W. , Saxton Ronald E. , Flores-Miller Alejandra , Shah Harita S. , Page Kathleen R.
Published: October 2022

HIV-related stigma exacerbates Latino immigrants’ risk of HIV infection and delayed care. Following the implementation of the social marketing campaign Sólo Se Vive Una Vez (You Only Live Once) to increase HIV testing that addressed stigmatizing beliefs, we conducted a survey among Latinos in Baltimore, Maryland (N = 357). The aims of this paper are to 1) characterize the sociodemographic characteristics, HIV-related stigma beliefs, and testing behaviors of the survey respondents by campaign exposure, and 2) model the effects of Vive exposure on stigma beliefs and testing behaviors. Comparing post-campaign survey respondents exposed and unexposed to the campaign to survey findings previously obtained and reported before the campaign implementation, respondents to the post-Vive survey continued to hold high levels of stigma beliefs, and compared to the pre-Vive survey sample, were more likely to hold four or more stigmatizing beliefs (from the six survey items). Among the post-Vive survey respondents, those for whom religion was important or very important had an increased odds of 1.6 of holding four or more stigmatizing beliefs. Survey respondents who were exposed to the campaign, however, had an increased odds of 2.25 of reporting ever having been tested for HIV. Our findings demonstrate the importance of the changing social context in addressing stigma within emerging immigrant communities and highlight the critical role of religious leaders in efforts to address HIV-related stigma.