bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
By no means doodles or scraps: reading manuscripts IOL Tib J 3 and 218 as bilingual Dunhuang Vinaya works
Authors: Li Channa
Published: August 2022

Under the sway of the dominant “waste” theories on the nature of Dunhuang manuscripts, we tend to default to the conclusion that IOL Tib J 3 and 218 contain independent Chinese and Tibetan texts joined in the process of recycling discarded manuscripts. However, this paper demonstrates that the texts from these two manuscripts constitute coherent Vinaya compositions. The three layers of the handwriting of these two manuscripts were not written randomly, but exhibit clear-cut functions: while the larger Tibetan script, which was produced in a previous project, was used to write Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya commentaries, the smaller Tibetan script and the Chinese script were created as parts of the same bilingual project to provide different textual sources on the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya texts. The Chinese and the Tibetan text in the smaller script, proceeding from the high-level bilingualism of Dunhuang Buddhist communities, display a robust thematic affinity in many cases.
Agrarian development and state building in Spain: the contest for irrigation in the Valencian Region, 1770–1860
Authors: Calatayud Salvador , Millán Jesús , Romeo María Cruz
Published: August 2022

A determined expansion in the productive capacity of Spanish agriculture was a fundamental and contentious objective during the crisis of the country’s ancien régime and the formation of the liberal state, in the years of transition from the eighteenth to the nineteenth centuries. In this study we examine a fundamental reorientation that occurred in an ambitious project for the expansion of irrigation in the region of Valencia. In this region, characterised by a well-rooted commercial agriculture, the original scheme, initiated by an enlightened aristocrat well connected with the royal court, would be profoundly altered in the transition from one political regime to another. The irrigated area increased much more than had been anticipated, and very diverse sections of the social hierarchy eventually benefited from this agricultural expansion. In contrast, the control exercised over the irrigation canal by the aristocrat himself would be increasingly questioned in the context of the nineteenth century.
The archaeology of peasant protagonism: new directions in the early medieval Iberian countryside
Authors: Portass Robert
Published: August 2022

The inherent complexity of early medieval rural society is now widely recognised by scholars; this is in no small part thanks to the transformative effect that archaeology has had on our understanding of many aspects of peasant life. Yet it is only in the last twenty years that an archaeology of peasant society of early medieval Christian Iberia has emerged to challenge the supremacy of deeply entrenched historiographical motifs, explored in detail herein, which underplay peasant agency, confine peasants to familiar contextual paradigms (poverty, risk-aversion, resistance), and treat the peasantry as an undifferentiated mass of largely passive ‘recipients’ of History. This article focuses upon a case study – early medieval northern Iberia – to show that, far from an auxiliary discipline used to bolster or reject interpretations founded upon documentary analysis, archaeology now underpins our efforts to understand complex aspects of the society and economy of the early medieval countryside.
Acid Patterns: How people are sharing a visual notation system for the Roland TB-303 to create and recreate acid house music
Authors: Davis Dylan
Published: August 2022

This article discusses the use of an accessible visual notation system that represents the melodic component of an electronic music composition in acid house music, based on programming the Roland TB-303 bassline synthesiser’s sequencer. This notation system can be used for sharing, composition, collaboration and archival purposes. This system is called an acid pattern. The article analyses a variety of different approaches to communicate acid patterns. It examines the requirements and visual elements used and how they relate directly to the functionality of the Roland TB-303’s sequencer. Through content analysis of images, text and audio data gathered from various music community websites this article furthers the understanding of how the practices and cultures of acid house music composition, notation and archiving are shared online and how they, enabled by web-based technologies, can build communities. This article suggests important possibilities for communities of practice-based around a shared cultural identity, accessible notation systems, and the creation and recreation of music in both online and offline contexts.
Thirty Years of Sound Hacking: From freeware to Eurorack
Authors: Erbe Tom
Published: August 2022

For slightly more than 30 years I have been developing audio software and hardware under the moniker soundhack. Through these years I have programmed applications, plugins, externals, hardware and Eurorack modules – usually focusing on signal processing techniques and applications that are not easily available or offered by mainstream software companies. In this article, I would like to share my point of view and relate the rationale behind the development of these tools, my evolving sonic and design aesthetic, and some of the advantages, disadvantages and other differences between the the various hardware and software contexts.
Lo-fi Today
Authors: Neal Adam Scott
Published: August 2022

This article investigates two current incarnations of ‘lo-fi’ music and questions the extent to which these subgenres are actually low in fidelity. In essence, mainstream ‘hi-fi’ productions use similar effects, such as filtering to sound like a radio or adding noise to sound like a vinyl record. To understand lo-fi today, this article explores music by a lo-fi hip-hop producer and a lo-fi ambient producer, drawing upon the analytical methods of Alan Moore and Dennis Smalley. First to be discussed is Glimlip, one of the many anonymous producers behind the popular Lofi Girl YouTube streams. The next discussed is Amulets, an ambient musician known for using hacked and looped cassette tapes. Analyses of their music demonstrate a level of care in production that goes against the idea that lo-fi is primitive or naive.
A Sound Artist’s Breakdown of Field Recording over History
Authors: Chavez Maria , Warren Kristina
Published: August 2022

The conceptual sound artist, turntablist, and curator Maria Chavez muses about storing and accessing sounds. Building on Ursula Le Guin’s concept of the carrier bag, she describes four eras of sound recording and containment.
‘We Cross Examine with Old Sonic DNA’: King Britt and Tara Rodgers in conversation on Blacktronika, music technology and pedagogy
Authors: Britt King , Rodgers Tara
Published: August 2022

Composers, producers and educators King Britt and Tara Rodgers discuss music technology history and pedagogy in the context of King Britt’s Blacktronika course at the University of California San Diego, which researches and celebrates Black artists and other artists of colour who are pioneers of electronic music genres. Conducted over email in June 2021, this interview also touches on King Britt’s studio practice and evolution as an artist and educator, as well as on the social and political roots of contemporary electronic music genres.
Pop Materialising: Layers and topological space in digital pop music
Authors: Reuter Anders
Published: August 2022

This article argues that pop music’s increasing assimilation of hip-hop and EDM (electronic dance music) practices combine with computational automation and this has substantial consequences for musical space. Traditional ‘space-makers’ such as reverb or delay are subject to other functions such as frequency filters and compression that interrelate processual layers of textures. Instead of an active-listener-orientated sonic space with distinct source-bonded entities, it is based on a particular sonic materiality. With a new media theoretical approach, I consequently argue that this new type of space can better be understood as a mediatised topological materiality.
Ecologies of Sound with Regard toArrhythmia
Authors: Pardo-Salgado Carmen
Published: August 2022

The most recent practices in sound art have emerged as pre-eminent spaces in which to question the interaction of sound with its environment. Accordingly, in this article, I envisageArrhythmia, the sound installation by Bosch and Simons with Kostyrko (2019), as a device that helps to outline a horizontal sound ecology. This approach, which takes as its starting point the sound and material vibration in its entirety, implies a positive acceptance of an ontological continuity between the human and the non-human. This, in turn, implies that issues such as biopolitics cannot be reduced to the human realm. With this in mind,Arrhythmiaemerges as a new kind of singular entity from which relationships with the environment can be conceived in a non-fragmented way.
The Topological Model in the Works of Yuasa Jōji
Authors: Marin Escande
Published: August 2022

The oeuvre of Japanese composer Yuasa Jōji holds a singular place in the contemporary musical landscape. From the artist collective Jikken Kōbō, in which he took part during the 1950s, to his later pieces for large orchestra, and through his innovative electroacoustic and mixed-music, Yuasa single-handedly explored a vast number of musical issues across the twentieth century. This article aims to shed a new light on the composer’s substantial musical output through his interest in topological theories. It will be a question of showing through examples, the different outcomes of the application of this mathematical model in the musical domain, all the while demonstrating how it takes place within his nexus of influences, as a centre towards which many other of Yuasa’s interests converge.
Spiritual care perceptions and empathy of Chinese nursing students: The mediating roles of spiritual well-being
Authors: Wang Zhangyi , Liang Yuan , Zhao Haomei , Zhu Yue , Liu Mengru , Zhang Yajun , Xiao Luwei , Piao Jingjing , Zhao Xiqun , Liu Zhijian , Liu Li , Pang Xiaoli , Peng Lina
Published: August 2022

Objective

To investigate spiritual care perceptions, spiritual well-being, and empathy, examine the correlations among spiritual care perceptions, spiritual well-being, and empathy, and explore the mediating role of spiritual well-being between other two variables of Chinese nursing students.

Methods

A cross-sectional design was implemented, and the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) Checklist was used to ensure quality reporting of the study. A cluster sample of 2,718 nursing students was selected from 7 universities and colleges in China. The demographic characteristics questionnaire, the Chinese Version of the Spiritual Care-Giving Scale (C-SCGS), the Spiritual Health Scale Short Form (SHS-SF), and the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy-Nursing Student (JSPE-NS) were used. Descriptive statistics, correlation, and process plug-in mediation effect analyses were used to analyze the data.

Results

The total score of spiritual care perceptions, spiritual well-being, and empathy were 173.83 ± 25.62, 98.74 ± 12.87, and 105.04 ± 21.34, respectively. Spiritual care perceptions were positively correlated with spiritual well-being (r = 0.617, p < 0.01) and empathy (r = 0.528, p < 0.01). And spiritual well-being played a partial mediating role between the other two variables (accounting for 28.1%).

Significance of results

Spiritual care perceptions, spiritual well-being, and empathy were quite moderate, which need in improving. It is suggested that nursing educators pay attention to the spiritual care education of nursing students, perfect the spiritual care education system, and take targeted measures according to nursing students’ individual personality traits and differences, improve their spiritual well-being and empathy in multiple ways, so as to improve their spiritual care perceptions and competence.
Decisions about treatment with targeted therapies in a palliative care unit: A case series
Authors: Delaye Matthieu , Renard Perrine , Sampetrean Anda , Vigouret-Viant Laurence , Dauchy Sarah , Scotté Florian , Mateus Christina
Published: August 2022

Background

Early palliative care integration into the oncologic treatment pattern is recognized and strongly recommended to anticipate end-of-life issues and avoid disproportionate care. Targeted therapies (TTs), with their very rapid onset of action and relatively good tolerance, may have an effect on cancer-related symptoms, which could be beneficial in the context of palliative care.

Methods

Data were extracted from a cohort of all patients hospitalized in an acute palliative care unit between 03.04.2019 and 07.04.2020. Data for all consecutive patients for which a decision on a TT was made during hospitalization were retrospectively analyzed.

Results

Forty-two patients were identified. Thirty-one patients were currently receiving TT on admission. For 19/31 (61.3%) patients, the treatment was discontinued. The remaining 12 patients had TT after discharge from the palliative care unit (continuation of the same TT or modification of the TT during the stay), with an average duration of 208 days and an average of 46 days between the last TT and death. TT was introduced or reintroduced in 7 patients of the 11 patients hospitalized without treatment at admission. In this group, the average duration of treatment was 28 days, with an average of 28 days between the last TT and death. Five of the patients who received re-challenged TT experienced a subjective improvement of their symptom.

Significance of results

TT was discontinued in the majority of our patients. However, in some cases, the treatment was maintained because it was effective on cancer-related symptoms even at the end of life. However, this should not overshadow the palliative process. The continuation or introduction of a specific oncological treatment requires close cooperation between oncologists and palliative care physicians and an honest and clear explanation to patients and their families.
Effect of 2,4-D formulation on volatility under field conditions
Authors: Mueller Thomas C. , Steckel Lawrence E. , Shekoofa Avat
Published: August 2022

Auxinic herbicides have been commonly used in production systems for broadleaf weed control for many years. One potential negative aspect to their use is their propensity to volatilize and move away from the treated area after application. This research examined three herbicide formulations and their relative amounts of vaporization following application under field conditions in Knoxville, TN, in 2017, 2018, and 2019. Herbicide treatments evaluated included 2,4-D choline, 2,4-D amine, and the diglycolamine (DGA) salt of dicamba. Ten field studies were conducted with major parameters including air sampler height (0.3 and 1.3 m) and applied surface condition (dry wheat stubble or green-plant vegetation). The relative volatility indicated by the study was that dicamba > 2,4-D choline = 2,4-D amine. Detected herbicide concentrations were numerically higher at the 0.3-m sampling height and in the green-plant surface condition. These results confirm that dicamba is more volatile than 2,4-D and that there was no difference in vapor emissions between the amine and choline salts of 2,4-D under field conditions.
Hazelnut tolerance to basal-directed applications of clopyralid and quinclorac
Authors: Pedroso Rafael M. , Moretti Marcelo L.
Published: August 2022

Field studies were conducted to determine hazelnut tolerance to quinclorac and clopyralid and control efficacy of Canada thistle and field bindweed at three commercial orchards in western Oregon. Hazelnut cultivars evaluated included ‘Jefferson’, ‘Wepster’, and ‘McDonald’. Clopyralid at 278, 547, and 1,090 g ae ha−1, and quinclorac at 420, 840, and 1,680 g ai ha−1 were applied once a year as basal-directed applications to trees that were 1, 2, and 5 yr old. Treatments were imposed in the early spring of 2019 and reapplied in 2020. In both years, treatments covered hazelnut suckers. Hazelnut injury from clopyralid and quinclorac was consistently between 0% and 13% and not different from nontreated control plants (P > 0.05) between 14 d and 455 d after initial treatment. Similarly, there was no treatment effect on plant canopy index, leaf chlorophyll content, trunk cross-sectional area, internode length, or yield among treatments, even at the highest rates of clopyralid and quinclorac. In separate efficacy studies, clopyralid (278 g ae ha−1) resulted in 68% Canada thistle control and did not differ when clopyralid was mixed with carfentrazone (278 + 35 g ai ha−1) or glufosinate (278 + 1,148 g ai ha−1). Clopyralid-containing herbicide treatments suppressed field bindweed growth but did not kill plants even when mixed with carfentrazone or glufosinate. Quinclorac (420 g ha−1) alone provided 80% control of field bindweed and 93% and 98% control when combined with rimsulfuron (35 g ai ha−1) or carfentrazone (35 g ai ha−1), respectively. Still, all herbicide treatments resulted in similar field bindweed biomass. Results indicate that clopyralid and quinclorac are effective tools to help manage Canada thistle and field bindweed and that hazelnut can tolerate clopyralid and quinclorac at rates equivalent to 4-fold commercial-use rates not affecting plant growth and yield.
Subterranean and aerial seed production of southern threecornerjack (Emex australis)
Authors: Borger Catherine P. D. , Wilkins Nerys
Published: August 2022

Southern threecornerjack (Emex australis Steinh.) produces both aerial seeds on the branches and subterranean seeds at the base of the plant crown approximately 1 to 2 cm underground. Prior research indicated that seeds buried at a depth of 1 cm have a much higher probability of germinating in the following season compared with seeds on the soil surface. The current research investigated the number of subterranean seeds produced per plant, timing of subterranean seed production, and germination requirements of subterranean seeds compared with aerial seeds. This research demonstrated that E. australis plants from multiple populations produced subterranean seeds beginning at the 4-leaf development stage, before the production of aerial seeds. Individual plants produced a maximum of 30 subterranean seeds. Germination of subterranean and aerial seeds following afterripening over the summer to autumn (December to May) fallow was similar, demonstrating that the different seed types had no differences in dormancy. Further, the subterranean seeds did not have the light requirement for germination observed in aerial seeds. Subterranean seeds had 22.2% and 24.3% germination in light and dark conditions, respectively, compared with aerial seeds, which had 26.9% germination in light conditions and 12.3% germination in the dark. Production of subterranean seeds was low, given that a mature E. australis plant may produce more than 1,100 aerial seeds, but the subterranean seeds formed earlier in plant development. Recommendations for postemergence herbicides are to spray E. australis at the 2- to 4-leaf stage of growth, yet some plants may have already produced mature subterranean seeds by this stage. Further research is required to determine the impact of subterranean seeds on population ecology.
Transgender und non-binäre Menschen in der Psychotherapie
Authors: Rautenberg Marcus
Published: August 2022

Menschen, die sich nicht dem ihnen zugewiesenen Geschlecht zugehörig empfinden, verspüren häufig einen großen Leidensdruck. Der Großteil fühlt eine Zugehörigkeit zum anderen Geschlecht (transgender), ein weiterer Teil kann sich weder als männlich noch als weiblich einordnen (non-binär). Allen Betroffenen ist gemein, dass sie eine Diskrepanz zwischen ihrer Geschlechtsidentität und ihrem zugewiesenen Geschlecht erleben und den großen Wunsch haben, dies zu „korrigieren“. Für diesen sogenannten „Anpassungs“- bzw. Transitionsprozess benötigen sie oft psychotherapeutische Begleitung und Unterstützung.
Der vorliegende Band führt in die besonderen Bedingungen der Diagnostik und begleitenden Behandlung von Transgender- und non-binären Menschen ein. Er informiert einleitend über zentrale Konzepte, die wesentlichen Gesetze, Standards und Leitlinien sowie über Theorien zur Ätiologie und Prävalenzstudien. Praxisnah und anhand von Fallbeispielen werden das diagnostische Vorgehen und die Besonderheiten der psychotherapeutischen Begleitung erläutert, und es wird ein Überblick über die wesentlichen Schritte im Transitionsprozess gegeben. Zentrale Aufgabe der Psychotherapeutin oder des Psychotherapeuten ist es, die Diagnose abzusichern und Indikationen für weitergehende geschlechtsangleichende Maßnahmen zu stellen. Materialien für die Praxis ergänzen die Inhalte und können nach erfolgter Registrierung von der Hogrefe Website heruntergeladen werden. Psychotherapeutische Fachpersonen finden in diesem Band notwendiges Hintergrundwissen sowie wertvolle Empfehlungen und Anregungen, um Menschen mit einer Variante der Geschlechtsidentität auf ihrem Weg fachkundig beraten, begleiten und unterstützen zu können.
On the Global Kinematic Positioning Variations During the September 2017 Solar Flare Events
Authors: Nie Wenfeng , Rovira‐Garcia Adria , Wang Yong , Zheng Dunyong , Yan Lingfei , Xu Tianhe
Published: August 2022

Several X‐class solar flares (SFs) with different intensities and locations on the solar disk occurred in September 2017. Among them, the X9.3 SF on 6 September 2017 was the most intensive SF in the 24th solar cycle. In this study, we investigated and compared the ionospheric response to the different X‐class SFs and their impacts on the Global Positioning System (GPS) kinematic precise point positioning (PPP) solutions. We aim to study the mechanism behind the positioning degradation from the perspective of the impacts of the SF‐induced ionosphere disturbance on the GPS data processing. By comparing the sudden ionospheric disturbance (SID) induced by the SFs, we observed that the SID is controlled by the intensity, the location, and the duration time of the SF. We found that the SID induced by the SF may deteriorate the cycle slip (CS) detection algorithms seriously. The threshold of the CS detection observables is sensitive to the SID, making the CS easier to be falsely detected. On the other hand, for the SF that occurred during the recovery phase of the geomagnetic storm, as the case of the X8.2 SF, the effects of the SF can reduce the precision of the GPS measurements, thus affecting the positioning accuracy. These mechanisms are essential and significant for the accuracy and stability of the kinematic PPP solution obtained with GPS during the SF events.
Mediating Role of Fine Particles Abatement on Pediatric Respiratory Health During COVID‐19 Stay‐at‐Home Order in San Diego County, California
Authors: Aguilera Rosana , Leibel Sydney , Corringham Thomas , Bialostozky Mario , Nguyen Margaret B. , Gershunov Alexander , Benmarhnia Tarik
Published: August 2022

Lower respiratory tract infections disproportionately affect children and are one of the main causes of hospital referral and admission. COVID‐19 stay‐at‐home orders in early 2020 led to substantial reductions in hospital admissions, but the specific contribution of changes in air quality through this natural experiment has not been examined. Capitalizing on the timing of the stay‐at‐home order, we quantified the specific contribution of fine‐scale changes in PM2.5 concentrations to reduced respiratory emergency department (ED) visits in the pediatric population of San Diego County, California. We analyzed data on pediatric ED visits (n = 72,333) at the ZIP‐code level for respiratory complaints obtained from the ED at Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego County (2015–2020) and ZIP‐code level PM2.5 from an ensemble model integrating multiple machine learning algorithms. We examined the decrease in respiratory visits in the pediatric population attributable to the stay‐at‐home order and quantified the contribution of changes in PM2.5 exposure using mediation analysis (inverse of odds ratio weighting). Pediatric respiratory ED visits dropped during the stay‐at‐home order (starting on 19 March 2020). Immediately after this period, PM2.5 concentrations, relative to the counterfactual values based in the 4‐year baseline period, also decreased with important spatial variability across ZIP codes in San Diego County. Overall, we found that decreases in PM2.5 attributed to the stay‐at‐home order contributed to explain 4% of the decrease in pediatric respiratory ED visits. We identified important spatial inequalities in the decreased incidence of pediatric respiratory illness and found that brief decline in air pollution levels contributed to a decrease in respiratory ED visits.
Observations of the Breakthrough Phase of Attachment Process in Laboratory Long Sparks
Authors: Fu Yufei , Chen Weijiang , Zhao Yushun , Ding Lijian , Fu Zhong , Xiang Nianwen , Qiu Xinjie , Gu Jianwei , Pei Zhehao , Zhang Zhiyuan , Huang Shengxin
Published: August 2022

High‐speed video frames and discharge current records of 34 long laboratory sparks were examined. Two consecutive frames of the breakthrough phase, depicting the evolution of the common streamer zone, were obtained in five events, all presented in this study. Two types of luminous structures were observed inside the common streamer zone just before the return stroke phase: the floating luminous segment and the luminous channel linking the opposite polarity leaders. The luminous structure served as a selected route for the return stroke channel. These results demonstrate that the transformation of high‐impedance common streamer zone into a hot plasma channel may involve two main features: the common streamer zone shrinking and the dominant development of the selected route.
Evaluating Uncertainty and Modes of Variability for Antarctic Atmospheric Rivers
Authors: Shields Christine A. , Wille Jonathan D. , Marquardt Collow Allison B. , Maclennan Michelle , Gorodetskaya Irina V.
Published: August 2022

Antarctic atmospheric rivers (ARs) are driven by their synoptic environments and lead to profound and varying impacts along the coastlines and over the continent. The definition and detection of ARs over Antarctica accounts for large uncertainty in AR metrics, and consequently, impacts quantification. We find that Antarctic‐specific detection tools consistently capture the AR footprint inland over ice sheets, whereas most global detection tools do not. Large‐scale synoptic environments and associated ARs, however, are broadly consistent across detection tools. Using data from the Atmospheric River Tracking Method Intercomparison Project and global reanalyses, we quantify the uncertainty in Antarctic AR metrics and evaluate large‐scale environments in the context of decadal and interannual modes of variability. The Antarctic western hemisphere has stronger connections to both decadal and interannual modes of variability compared to East Antarctica, and the Indian Ocean Dipole’s influence on Antarctic ARs is stronger while in phase with El Nino Southern Oscillation.
Experimental Carbon Emissions From Degraded Mediterranean Seagrass (Posidonia oceanica) Meadows Under Current and Future Summer Temperatures
Authors: Roca Guillem , Palacios Javier , Ruíz‐Halpern Sergio , Marbà Núria
Published: August 2022

Posidonia oceanica beds are recognized to be an essential carbon sink in the Mediterranean Sea. However, when seagrass cover disappears, seagrass sediments may become net carbon sources contributing to the CO2 atmospheric increase. Determining CO2 efflux from degraded seagrass beds is required to understand potential emissions from this Mediterranean ecosystem. This study presents one of the very first experimental CO2 efflux estimates from P. oceanica degraded seagrass sediments under future warming and hydrodynamic scenarios. Sediments were sampled from a P. oceanica seagrass meadow in Pollença, a sheltered bay on Mallorca Island. Sediment samples were kept in mesocosms for 98 days at five different temperatures (26, 27.5, 29, 30.5, and 32) and two treatments (agitation/repose). CO2 effluxes were higher in the agitated treatments (0.75 μM m−2 s−1) than in repose (0.51 μM m−2 s−1). CO2 efflux clearly increased with temperature in repose treatments, while treatments under agitation presented larger variation. Our results indicate that exposure to hydrodynamics plays a key role in the remineralization of organic carbon (Corg) under climate change conditions and that denuded seagrass meadows have the potential to emit in a single summer season (3 months) the amount of carbon (C) that a healthy meadow sequestrates during an entire year. This study provides brand new information required to quantify the dynamics of Corg stock loss and CO2 emissions in degraded seagrass meadows.
PIC micro-controller based synchronization of two fractional order jerk systems
Authors: Tagne Samuel , Bodo Bertrand , Eyebe Guy François V. Ayissi , Fouda Jean Sire A. Eyebe
Published: August 2022

The paper studies a 3D Chaotic Jerk oscillator with fractional derivatives. An approach is proposed to implement it on a PIC16F877A microcontroller in order to reduce the requirements for multiple analogue electronic components such as resistors, capacitors, coils, multipliers, operational amplifiers, which are very bulky and consume a lot of power. The behaviours of the underlying system are analysed analytically, numerically and experimentally. It comes from this analysis that the fractional model exhibits chaotic dynamics when for parameters for which the equivalent integer derivative system exhibits limit-cycles. The synchronization under two closed initial conditions is also studied, highlighting one of the most common applications of the chaos concept.
The aphrodisiac potential of β-cyclodextrin–curcumin via stimulating cAMP-PKA pathway in testicular Leydig cells
Authors: Yang Liu , Xue Shan , Yuan Lin , Li Zihan , Hu Haitao , Zhang Yichang , Liu Yimei , Li Juan
Published: August 2022

The water-soluble β-cyclodextrin–curcumin (CDC) is used in pharmaceutical applications and as a natural food colorant. The previous study revealed that curcumin potentially impacted the reproductive system. The present study investigated the possible roles of the CDC in testosterone secretion in Leydig cells and mice. Primary Leydig cells were treated with the CDC to determine their effect on cell proliferation, testosterone levels, the protein and mRNA expression of the transcription factor, and steroidogenic enzymes. Our data showed that CDC stimulated testosterone production via upregulating transcription factor steroidogenic factor-1 (NR5A1), cAMP-response element-binding protein (CREB), and steroidogenic enzymes steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR), cholesterol side-chain cleavage enzyme (CYP11A1), 17-alpha-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase (CYP17A1), 3β-/17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (3β/17β-HSD, HSD3b1/HSD17b1). CDC could significantly stimulate H89-suppressed StAR and CREB expression but not reverse melatonin-suppressed StAR expression. We further detected the hormonal activity with transgenic yeast, and CDC showed potential androgenic antagonistic activity. Meanwhile, we investigated its aphrodisiac effect on hydrocortisone-induced mice. Exposure to hydrocortisone decreased the mating ability, reproductive organs, and testosterone level and disrupted testicular histology. However, all of these effects were significantly improved by CDC treatment. In conclusion, these results indicated that mechanisms of CDC in stimulating testosterone production involve upregulating the cAMP-PKA pathway.
A lightweight hybrid deep learning system for cardiac valvular disease classification
Authors: Al-Issa Yazan , Alqudah Ali Mohammad
Published: August 2022

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a prominent cause of death globally. The introduction of medical big data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology encouraged the effort to develop and deploy deep learning models for distinguishing heart sound abnormalities. These systems employ phonocardiogram (PCG) signals because of their lack of sophistication and cost-effectiveness. Automated and early diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) helps alleviate deadly complications. In this research, a cardiac diagnostic system that combined CNN and LSTM components was developed, it uses phonocardiogram (PCG) signals, and utilizes either augmented or non-augmented datasets. The proposed model discriminates five heart valvular conditions, namely normal, Aortic Stenosis (AS), Mitral Regurgitation (MR), Mitral Stenosis (MS), and Mitral Valve Prolapse (MVP). The findings demonstrate that the suggested end-to-end architecture yields outstanding performance concerning all important evaluation metrics. For the five classes problem using the open heart sound dataset, accuracy was 98.5%, F1-score was 98.501%, and Area Under the Curve (AUC) was 0.9978 for the non-augmented dataset and accuracy was 99.87%, F1-score was 99.87%, and AUC was 0.9985 for the augmented dataset. Model performance was further evaluated using the PhysioNet/Computing in Cardiology 2016 challenge dataset, for the two classes problem, accuracy was 93.76%, F1-score was 85.59%, and AUC was 0.9505. The achieved results show that the proposed system outperforms all previous works that use the same audio signal databases. In the future, the findings will help build a multimodal structure that uses both PCG and ECG signals.
Massive metamaterial system-loaded MIMO antenna array for 5G base stations
Authors: Al-Bawri Samir Salem , Islam Mohammad Tariqul , Islam Md Shabiul , Singh Mandeep Jit , Alsaif Haitham
Published: August 2022

An integrated massive multiple-input multiple-output (mMIMO) antenna system loaded with metamaterial (MTM) is proposed in this article for fifth-generation (5G) applications. Besides, achievement of duple negative (DNG) characteristics using a proposed compact complementary split-ring resonator (SRR), a broad epsilon negative metamaterial (ENG) with more than 1 GHz bandwidth (BW), and near-zero refractive index (NZRI) features are presented. The proposed mMIMO antenna consists of eight subarrays with three layers that operate in the 5G mind band at 3.5 GHz (3.40–3.65 GHz) with high port isolation between adjacent antenna elements compared to an antenna that does not use MTM. Each subarray has two patches on the top layer, while the middle and bottom layers have two categories of full and partial ground plans, respectively. Simulated, produced, and tested are 32 elements with a total volume of 184 × 340 × 1.575 mm3. The measured findings reveal that the sub-6 antenna has a better than 10 dB reflection coefficient (S11), a lower than 35 dB isolation, and a peak gain of 10.6 dBi for each subarray. Furthermore, the recommended antenna loaded with MTM has demonstrated good MIMO performance with an ECC of less than 0.0001, total efficiencies of more than 90%, more than 300 MHz bandwidth, and an overall gain of 19.5 dBi.
Effects of age on dynamic balance measures and their correlation during walking across the adult lifespan
Authors: Yamaguchi Takeshi , Masani Kei
Published: August 2022

In this study, we aimed to discover (1) the effects of age on dynamic balance measures, including the margin of stability (MOS), whole-body angular momentum (H), and misalignment of the desired and measured centers of pressure (dCOP and mCOP, respectively) in the anteroposterior (AP) and mediolateral (ML) directions, (2) the relationship between gait parameters and these balance measures, and (3) the relationships between these balance measures. We used the kinetic and kinematic data of 151 participants aged 20–77 years from a publicly available database. Participants were divided into three groups: young, middle-aged, and old. The step width of the old group was higher than that of the young group. Age-related differences in dynamic measures were found in the ML direction and not in the AP direction: MOS, peak-to-peak range of H, and dCOP–mCOP in the old group were greater than in the young group. ML MOS positively correlated with the frontal peak-to-peak range of H. The ML peak-to-peak range of H positively correlated with ML dCOP–mCOP across the adult lifespan. Our findings provide new insights for understanding the effects of age on dynamic balance and the relationships between the metrics. Older adults walked with a larger step width, resulting in a large stability margin in the ML direction, although with increased moment and momentum around the center of mass in the frontal plane.
Spatial heterogeneity of urban–rural integration and its influencing factors in Shandong province of China
Authors: Shan Baoyan , Zhang Qiao , Ren Qixin , Yu Xinwei , Chen Yanqiu
Published: August 2022

Based on nighttime light data and statistical data, this study calculated the level of urban–rural integration (URI) of Shandong province, researched spatial heterogeneity of URI levels by local spatial autocorrelation analysis, Geodetector, and geographically weighted regression, and analyzed its influencing factors and spatial heterogeneity. The results concluded that: (1) The spatial pattern of urban–rural integrated level is consistent with the level of regional economic development in Shandong province. The level of URI is higher along the Qingdao–Jinan railway and along the coast, whereas the level is lower in southwest Shandong and northwest Shandong. (2) The cities of Yantai and Weifang are High–High cluster areas of urban integration, and Jining is a Low–Low cluster area. The spatial agglomeration characteristics are not significant in other cities. (3) Among the main factors affecting URI, the explanatory power of the rural population with high school or technical secondary school education or above, the area of urban construction land, and the secondary and tertiary industry GDP to the spatial pattern of URI in Shandong province are 73.58%, 62.08%, and 58.66%, respectively. As the key factors, spatial heterogeneity, such as north–south differences, southwest-to-northeast differences, and east–west differences, is evident.
Prevalence and antimicrobial resistance patterns of microbes isolated from individuals attending private diagnostic centre in Cape Coast Metropolis of Ghana
Authors: Anning Alberta Serwah , Baah Emmanuel , Buabeng Suzzana Dickson , Baiden Bernice Gloria , Aboagye Benjamin , Opoku Yeboah Kwaku , Afutu Leslie Larry , Ghartey-Kwansah George
Published: August 2022

The evidence of rising numbers of multidrug-resistant organisms requires the implementation of effective stewardship programs. However, this should be informed by evidence-based knowledge of local antimicrobial resistance patterns. The current study aims to establish the prevalence of common pathogenic microbes including their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns and distribution in the Cape Coast Metropolis. This was a retrospective study where microbial culture and antimicrobial susceptibility records for 331 patients were reviewed from January to December 2019, at a private health centre. All data were analysed using Excel (Microsoft Office, USA), SPSS and GraphPad Prism 8 software programs. Among the samples tested, 125 (37.76%) were positive for microbes with high vaginal swab (HVS) samples recording the highest number of pathogens (44%), followed by urine (40%) and both pleural and semen samples having the least (0.3% each). Again, gram-negative isolates were more prevalent than the gram-positive isolates. The prevalence of antimicrobial resistance was very significant with isolates resistant to more than one antibiotic (P < 0.05). Escherichia coli showed the highest level of resistance, followed by Citrobacter spp. These were followed by Klebsiella spp., Staphylococcus spp., Coliforms, Pseudomonas spp., Commensals and Candida spp. The high resistance pattern suggests an inevitable catastrophe requiring continuous monitoring and implementation of effective antibiotic stewardship.
SARS-CoV-2-reactive IFN-γ-producing CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in blood do not correlate with clinical severity in unvaccinated critically ill COVID-19 patients
Authors: Olea Beatriz , Albert Eliseo , Giménez Estela , Torres Ignacio , Amat Paula , Remigia María José , Alberola Juan , Carbonell Nieves , Ferreres José , Blasco María Luisa , Navarro David
Published: August 2022

We examined the relationship between peripheral blood levels of SARS-CoV-2 S (Spike protein)1/M (Membrane protein)-reactive IFN-γ-producing CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, serum levels of biomarkers of clinical severity, and mortality in critically ill COVID-19 patients. The potential association between SARS-CoV-2-S-Receptor Binding Domain (RBD)-specific IgG levels in sera and mortality was also investigated. SARS-CoV-2 T cells and anti-RBD IgG levels were monitored in 71 non-consecutive patients (49 male and 22 female; median age, 65 years) by whole-blood flow cytometry and Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively (326 specimens). SARS-CoV-2 RNA loads in paired tracheal aspirates [TA] (n = 147) were available from 54 patients. Serum levels of interleukin-6, ferritin, D-Dimer, lactose dehydrogenase and C-reactive protein in paired sera were known. SARS-CoV-2 T cells (either CD4+, CD8+ or both) were detectable in 70 patients. SARS-CoV-2 IFN-γ CD4+ T-cell responses were documented more frequently than their CD8+ counterparts (62 vs. 56 patients) and were of greater magnitude overall. Detectable SARS-CoV-2 S1/M-reactive CD8+ and CD4+ T-cell responses were associated with higher SARS-CoV-2 RNA loads in TA. SARS-CoV-2 RNA load in TA decreased over time, irrespective of the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2-reactive CD8+ and CD4+ T cells. No correlation was found between SARS-CoV-2 IFN-γ T-cell counts, anti-RBD IgG concentrations and biomarker serum levels (Rho ≤ 0.3). The kinetics of both T cell subsets was comparable between those who died or survived, whereas anti-RBD IgG levels were higher across different time points in deceased patients than in survivors. Enumeration of peripheral blood levels of SARS-CoV-2-S1/M-reactive IFN-γ CD4+ and CD8+ T cells does not predict viral clearance from the lower respiratory tract or poor clinical outcomes in critically ill COVID-19 patients. In contrast, anti-RBD IgG levels were directly associated with increased mortality.
Impact of individual and treatment characteristics on wearable sensor-based digital biomarkers of opioid use
Authors: Chapman Brittany P. , Gullapalli Bhanu Teja , Rahman Tauhidur , Smelson David , Boyer Edward W. , Carreiro Stephanie
Published: August 2022

Opioid use disorder is one of the most pressing public health problems of our time. Mobile health tools, including wearable sensors, have great potential in this space, but have been underutilized. Of specific interest are digital biomarkers, or end-user generated physiologic or behavioral measurements that correlate with health or pathology. The current manuscript describes a longitudinal, observational study of adult patients receiving opioid analgesics for acute painful conditions. Participants in the study are monitored with a wrist-worn E4 sensor, during which time physiologic parameters (heart rate/variability, electrodermal activity, skin temperature, and accelerometry) are collected continuously. Opioid use events are recorded via electronic medical record and self-report. Three-hundred thirty-nine discreet dose opioid events from 36 participant are analyzed among 2070 h of sensor data. Fifty-one features are extracted from the data and initially compared pre- and post-opioid administration, and subsequently are used to generate machine learning models. Model performance is compared based on individual and treatment characteristics. The best performing machine learning model to detect opioid administration is a Channel-Temporal Attention-Temporal Convolutional Network (CTA-TCN) model using raw data from the wearable sensor. History of intravenous drug use is associated with better model performance, while middle age, and co-administration of non-narcotic analgesia or sedative drugs are associated with worse model performance. These characteristics may be candidate input features for future opioid detection model iterations. Once mature, this technology could provide clinicians with actionable data on opioid use patterns in real-world settings, and predictive analytics for early identification of opioid use disorder risk.
Label-free chemical imaging of cytochrome P450 activity by Raman microscopy
Authors: Li Menglu , Nawa Yasunori , Ishida Seiichi , Kanda Yasunari , Fujita Satoshi , Fujita Katsumasa
Published: August 2022

Although investigating drug modulation of cytochrome P450 (CYP) activity under physiological conditions is crucial in drug development to avoid severe adverse drug reactions, the current evaluation approaches that rely on the destructive and end-point analysis can be misleading due to invasive treatments and cellular heterogeneity. Here, we propose a non-destructive and high-content method for visualizing and quantifying intracellular CYP activity under drug administration by Raman microscopy. The redox-state and spin-state sensitive Raman measurement indicated that the induced CYPs in living hepatocytes were in oxidized and low-spin state, which is related to monooxygenase function of CYP. Moreover, glycogen depletion associated with CYP induction was simultaneously observed, indicating a relevant effect on glucose metabolism. By deciphering the overall changes in the biochemical fingerprints of hepatocytes, Raman microscopy offers a non-destructive and quantitative chemical imaging method to evaluate CYP activity at the single-cell level with the potential to facilitate future drug development schemes.
Characterization of the cholangiocarcinoma drug pemigatinib against FGFR gatekeeper mutants
Authors: Lin Qianmeng , Chen Xiaojuan , Qu Lingzhi , Guo Ming , Wei Hudie , Dai Shuyan , Jiang Longying , Chen Yongheng
Published: August 2022

Fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) dysregulation is involved in a variety of tumorigenesis and development. Cholangiocarcinoma is closely related with FGFR aberrations, and pemigatinib is the first drug approved to target FGFR for the treatment of cholangiocarcinoma. Herein, we undertake biochemical and structural analysis on pemigatinib against FGFRs as well as gatekeeper mutations. The results show that pemigatinib is a potent and selective FGFR1–3 inhibitor. The extensive network of hydrogen bonds and van der Waals contacts found in the FGFR1-pemigatinib binding mode accounts for the high potency. Pemigatinib also has excellent potency against the Val-to-Ile gatekeeper mutation but less potency against the Val-to-Met/Phe gatekeeper mutation in FGFR. Taken together, the inhibitory and structural profiles exemplified by pemigatinib may help to thwart Val-to-Ile gatekeeper mutation-based resistance at earlier administration and to advance the further design and improvement for inhibitors toward FGFRs with gatekeeper mutations.
Quantum chemical insights into hexaboride electronic structures: correlations within the boron p-orbital subsystem
Authors: Petersen Thorben , Rößler Ulrich K. , Hozoi Liviu
Published: August 2022

The notion of strong electronic correlations arose in the context of d-metal oxides such as NiO but can be exemplified on systems as simple as the H2 molecule. Here we shed light on correlation effects on B62− clusters as found in MB6 hexaborides and show that the B 2p valence electrons are fairly correlated. B6-octahedron excitation energies computed for CaB6 and YbB6 agree with peak positions found by resonant inelastic x-ray scattering, providing a compelling picture for the latter. Our findings characterize these materials as very peculiar p-electron correlated systems and call for more involved many-body investigations within the whole hexaboride family, both alkaline- and rare-earth compounds, not only for N- but also (N ± 1)-states defining e. g. band gaps.