bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
On the affective threshold of power and privilege
Authors: Rattray Julie
Published: August 2023

Higher education is facing increasing calls to engage in a process of intellectual decolonisation. This process necessitates that we take time to consider both the content of our curriculum and the pedagogic practices used to facilitate its understanding. Drawing on discussions of both intellectual decolonisation and its underpinning principles of epistemic justice, I consider the implications of these ideas for the threshold concept framework. These implications are likely to relate to both the identification of potential future threshold concepts and the experience of engaging with them. As threshold scholars, we may need to reconsider our ideas about who the experts are within a discipline or practice in our efforts to identify candidate threshold concepts and consider alternative sources of evidence in support of this. In addition, we need to reflect on how the learning experiences that arise as a result of encounters with thresholds that have emerged as a result of the privileging of knowledge and ways of knowing from the ‘global north’ might serve as a source of epistemic trouble to learners from the ‘global south’. Such learning experiences are likely to be highly emotive and represent a significant source of troublesome learning.
Habitat quality, not patch isolation, drives distribution and abundance of two light-demanding butterflies in fragmented coppice landscapes
Authors: Graser Anne , Kelling Marit , Pabst Rebecca , Schulz Meike , Hölzel Norbert , Kamp Johannes
Published: August 2023

Coppice forests are socio-ecological systems especially rich in biodiversity. They have been transformed into high forest and abandoned across large areas of Europe over the past 200 years. Coppice loss is likely an important driver of insect declines. It is currently unclear whether habitat quality or decreasing connectivity of the remaining fragments is more important for the survival of insect populations. We related the abundance of two coppice-associated butterflies of conservation concern, Satyrium ilicis and Melitaea athalia, to indicators of habitat quality and habitat connectivity. We estimated butterfly densities using Distance Sampling along a successional gradient (time since last cut: 1–9 years; N = 130 plots) across one of the largest remaining simple oak-birch coppice landscapes in Central Europe. Both species reached abundance peaks within four to six years after the last cut, declining rapidly in abundance with subsequent succession. We found no evidence that coupe size, coppice availability and patch (= coupe) connectivity were related to the density of the species. Besides stand age, the cover of larval foodplants explained predicted butterfly densities well. Only Satyrium ilicis benefitted from high Red Deer densities.

Implications for insect conservation: Our results suggest that habitat quality and sufficient availability of coppice of suitable age matters more than coupe size and fragmentation within a traditional managed coppice landscape. Coppice restoration aiming at the study species should ensure a shifting mosaic of successional habitat to provide a large availability of resprouting oak stools and bilberry vegetation that holds dense Melampyrum pratense stands.
Convexity and Monotonicity in Language Coordination: Simulating the Emergence of Semantic Universals in Populations of Cognitive Agents
Authors: Gierasimczuk Nina , Kalociński Dariusz , Rakowski Franciszek , Uszyński Jakub
Published: August 2023

Natural languages vary in their quantity expressions, but the variation seems to be constrained by general properties, so-calleduniversals. Their explanations have been sought among constraints of human cognition, communication, complexity, and pragmatics. In this article, we apply a state-of-the-art language coordination model to the semantic domain of quantities to examine whether two quantity universals—monotonicity and convexity—arise as a result of coordination. Assuming precise number perception by the agents, we evolve communicatively usable quantity terminologies in two separate conditions: a numeric-based condition in which agents communicate about a number of objects and a quotient-based condition in which agents communicate about the proportions. We find out that both universals take off in all conditions but only convexity almost entirely dominates the emergent languages. Additionally, we examine whether the perceptual constraints of the agents can contribute to the further development of universals. We compare the degrees of convexity and monotonicity of languages evolving in populations of agents with precise and approximate number sense. The results suggest that approximate number sense significantly reinforces monotonicity and leads to further enhancement of convexity. Last but not least, we show that the properties of the evolved quantifiers match certain invariance properties from generalized quantifier theory.
Terrestrial versus aquatic source identification of sedimentary n-alkane and sugar biomarkers: a case study from the Bale Mountains, Ethiopia
Authors: Mekonnen Betelhem , Bittner Lucas , Bromm Tobias , Lemma Bruk , Glaser Bruno , Zech Wolfgang , Nemomissa Sileshi , Bekele Tamrat , Zech Michael
Published: August 2023

Organic matter in sedimentary archives is abundantly used to reconstruct paleoenvironmental and climate histories. Thereby, distinguishing between the terrestrial and aquatic origin of sedimentary organic matter is often a prerequisite for robust interpretations. In this case study, we use published data for modern plants and topsoils to identify the terrestrial versus aquatic source of n-alkane and sugar biomarkers in two afro-alpine sediment archives (Lake Garba Guracha and Depression B4) in the Bale Mountains, Ethiopia. The results of our comparative approach show that the long-chain n-alkanes C29, C31, and C33 in the sedimentary archives yielded patterns similar to those typical for the potential terrestrial input. By contrast, the relative abundances of the sedimentary mid-chain n-alkanes C23 and C25, and at least partly C27, are significantly increased compared to the plants and topsoils. This suggests that they are primarily produced by aquatic macrophytes and micro-organisms. The Paq ratio (C23 + C25)/(C23 + C25 + C29 + C31) is validated as a suitable source identification proxy in our study area. The sugar biomarkers xylose (xyl) and arabinose (ara) are abundant in the plant and topsoil samples. By comparison, high relative abundances of fucose (fuc) and rhamnose (rham) are generally only observed in sediments. This indicates that these sugar biomarkers are primarily produced by aquatic macrophytes or micro-organisms. Therefore, the ratio (fuc + rham)/(ara + xyl) is a suitable sugar biomarker proxy for organic matter source identification. The relative abundances of galactose and mannose are systematically decreasing and increasing, respectively, from leaves over O-layers to Ah-horizons. Furthermore, they are not significantly different from the abundances found in the sediments. This hinders terrestrial versus aquatic source identification using galactose and mannose.
The Effect of Relative Pubertal Maturation and Perceived Popularity on Symptoms of Depression and Social Anxiety in Adolescent Boys and Girls
Authors: van Rijn Rebecca , Lee Nikki C. , Hollarek Miriam , Sijtsma Hester , Walsh Reubs J. , van Buuren Mariët , Braams Barbara R. , Krabbendam Lydia
Published: August 2023

Research has shown that adolescents – particularly girls – who mature relatively early often experience more internalizing problems. This effect is thought to be partially driven by psychosocial mechanisms, but previous research based relative pubertal maturation on complete samples or population standards, instead of considering the adolescents’ direct peer environment. In the current study the level of adolescents’ pubertal development was assessed relative to their classmates in order to examine relative pubertal maturation. The effects of adolescents’ relative pubertal status, and their perceived popularity, on symptoms of social anxiety and depression in adolescents were studied. All analyses were also performed for absolute pubertal maturation. Participants were 397 young adolescents (Mage = 13.06, SD = 0.36, 49.9% girls) at timepoint 1, and 307 (Mage = 14.08, SD = 0.36, 50.5% girls) at timepoint 2. A significant positive relationship was found between relative pubertal timing and symptoms of depression for girls but not boys. Social anxiety symptoms were not significantly related to relative pubertal timing in either sex. Relative pubertal maturation had no effect on change in or persistence of depressive and social anxiety symptoms one year later. The effects of the comparison with the immediate peer environment, did not seem to explain more variance in internalizing symptoms than the effects of early maturation.
Open areas associated with traditional agriculture promote functional connectivity among amphibian demes in Mediterranean agrosystems
Authors: Albero Luis , Martínez-Solano Íñigo , Hermida Miguel , Vera Manuel , Tarroso Pedro , Bécares Eloy
Published: August 2023

Context

Functional connectivity across fragmented habitat patches is essential for the conservation of animal populations in humanized landscapes. Given their low dispersal capacity, amphibians in the Mediterranean region are threatened by habitat fragmentation and loss due to changes in land use, including agricultural intensification.

Objectives

We assessed patterns of functional connectivity of a Near Threatened Mediterranean amphibian, the sharp ribbed newt (Pleurodeles waltl), in an agricultural landscape matrix in NW Spain subject to different intensification regimes.

Methods

We sampled newts in 17 ponds embedded in a terrestrial habitat matrix dominated by agricultural land uses. Genome-wide molecular markers (1390 SNPs) were used to assess patterns of genetic diversity and gene flow among ponds. We tested the role of landscape features on functional connectivity using isolation by resistance models incorporating information on Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data.

Results

We found low levels of genetic diversity in all sampled populations. Global FST estimates and cluster analyses revealed shallow but significant genetic structure in the study area, with NDVI-based resistance models showing that open areas (rainfed crops and grasslands) offer lower resistance to gene flow and thus promote functional connectivity among demes.

Conclusions

Our study highlights the important role of landscape features, such as open areas resulting from traditional rainfed agriculture, in promoting functional connectivity between amphibian populations in Mediterranean agrosystems. Conservation policies must adopt a functional network strategy and protect groups of inter-connected temporary ponds across the traditional agricultural matrix to efficiently preserve their associated biotic communities.
Racial/Ethnic Disparities Impact the Real-World Effectiveness of a Multicomponent Maternal Smoking Cessation Program: Findings from the CTTP Cohort
Authors: Wiles Stacey D. , Lee Jerry W. , Nelson Anna , Petersen Anne Berit , Singh Pramil N.
Published: August 2023

Introduction

Smoking during pregnancy adversely affects perinatal outcomes for both women and infants. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of the state-funded Comprehensive Tobacco Treatment Program (CTTP) – the largest maternal tobacco cessation program in San Bernardino County, California – to determine the real-world program effectiveness and to identify variables that can potentially improve effectiveness.

Methods

During 2012–2019, women who smoked during pregnancy were enrolled in CTTP’s multicomponent behavioral smoking cessation program that implemented components of known efficacy (i.e., incentives, biomarker testing, feedback, and motivational interviewing).

Results

We found that 40.1% achieved prolonged abstinence by achieving weekly, cotinine-verified, 7-day abstinence during 6 to 8 weeks of enrollment. Using intention-to-treat analyses, we computed that the self-reported point prevalence abstinence rate (PPA) at the six-month telephone follow-up was 36.7%. Cohort members achieving prolonged abstinence during the CTTP were five times more likely to achieve PPA six months after CTTP. Several non-Hispanic ethnicities (Black, Native American, White, or More than one ethnicity) in the cohort were two-fold less likely (relative to Hispanics) to achieve prolonged abstinence during CTTP or PPA at six months after CTTP. This disparity was further investigated in mediation analysis. Variables such as quitting during the first trimester and smoking fewer cigarettes at enrollment were also associated with achieving PPA at six months.

Discussion

Racial/ethnic health disparities that have long been linked to a higher rate of maternal smoking persist even when the pregnant smoker enrolls in a smoking cessation program.
An optimized enhanced-multi learner approach towards speaker identification based on single-sound segments
Authors: Shahamiri Seyed Reza
Published: August 2023

Speaker Identification (SI) is the task of identifying an unknown speaker of an utterance by comparing the voice biometrics of the unknown speaker with previously stored and known speaker models. Although deep learning algorithms have been successful in different speech and speaker recognition systems, they are computationally expensive and require considerable run-time resources. This paper approaches this issue by proposing an optimized text-independent SI system based on convolutional neural networks (CNNs) that not only delivers accuracies on par with state-of-the-art benchmarks but also demands significantly fewer trainable parameters. The proposed system integrates an Enhanced Multi-Active Learner framework, which distributes the complexity of the learning task among an array of learners, with a novel SI approach in which speakers are identified based on a single sound segment of voice biometrics. Here, experiments were conducted with all 1881 VoxCeleb 1 and TIMIT speakers, and results were compared with the SI systems reported in the literature that were assessed on the same speakers’ data. Results indicate that first, the proposed system outperformed the benchmark systems’ performances by delivering up to 2.43% better top-1 accuracy, and second, it reduced the number of deep learning trainable parameters by up to 95%. The proposed SI could bring offline, large-scale speaker identification to low-end computing machines without specific deep learning hardware and make the technology more affordable.
Draft Genome Sequence of a Primate Isolate of Kazachstania pintolopesii
Authors: James Steve A. , Parker Aimee , Purse Catherine , Telatin Andrea , Baker David , Evans Rhiannon , Holmes Sandy , Funnell Simon G. P. , Carding Simon R.
Published: August 2023

Kazachstania pintolopesii is an opportunistic mammalian pathobiont from the K. telluris species complex. No draft genomes of this species are currently available. Here, we report the first draft genome sequence of a primate isolate of K. pintolopesii (NCYC 4417).
Compound heatwave and drought hotspots and their trends in Southeast Australia
Authors: Laz Orpita U. , Rahman Ataur , Ouarda Taha B. M. J.
Published: August 2023

Compound extreme natural events cause a significantly larger impact than individual extreme events. Therefore, the urgency of exploring the climatology of compound events is growing. This paper is aimed to identify the current hotspots of compound heatwaves and droughts (CHD) and trends in their occurrence in southeast Australia. In this context, 61 weather stations were selected from the study area, and analyses were carried out over the extended summer season of the time period 1971–2021. The hotspots of CHDs in southeast Australia were identified considering both the total count of CHD days and 90th percentile of CHDs during the study period. The study period was divided into two periods 1971–2000 and 2001–2021, to assess the change in hotspots spatially and temporally. Four different attributes of CHDs based on the number, duration, severity and amplitude of CHDs were also calculated, and Mann–Kendall (MK) test followed by Sen’s slope was adopted to detect the trends in all these four attributes of CHDs. Trends in CHD indices were also calculated for the two periods of 1971–2000 and 2001–2021. For calculating the CHD, excess heat factor (EHF) was used to identify the heatwaves. In the case of drought identification, SPEI and SPI drought indices were adopted with aggregation of 3 and 126 antecedent months, and three different threshold values were selected to consider three levels of dry conditions, e.g. 0, − 0.5 and − 1.0. It has been found that more CHDs occurred on the eastern side of NSW and Queensland states. Furthermore, the total count of CHD days increased notably during the last two decades. The trends in CHD indices were found to be significant in the recent period (2001–2021), and there was no trend in the earlier period (1971–2000). The findings of this study will help to plan heat and drought-related emergency management in the study area.
Relevance as difference-making: a generalized theory of relevance and its applications
Authors: Schurz Gerhard
Published: August 2023

In this paper a generalized account of relevance as difference-making is developed. It is argued that relevance should not be considered as a particular relation, but as a (higher-order) property of instances of arbitrary relations: namely the property that variations of the relata of the relation instance make a difference for its truth. This generalized account of relevance can be fruitfully applied in many domains, such as (i) logical reasoning with applications to explanation, confirmation, verisimilitude, is-ought inference, (ii) probabilistic reasoning with applications to explanation and confirmation, (iii) nomological and causal implication, (iv) communication, (v) grounding and (vi) essentiality. In conclusion, difference-making relevance is a highly unifying and fruitful philosophical concept.
More human than human: measuring ChatGPT political bias
Authors: Motoki Fabio , Pinho Neto Valdemar , Rodrigues Victor
Published: August 2023

We investigate the political bias of a large language model (LLM), ChatGPT, which has become popular for retrieving factual information and generating content. Although ChatGPT assures that it is impartial, the literature suggests that LLMs exhibit bias involving race, gender, religion, and political orientation. Political bias in LLMs can have adverse political and electoral consequences similar to bias from traditional and social media. Moreover, political bias can be harder to detect and eradicate than gender or racial bias. We propose a novel empirical design to infer whether ChatGPT has political biases by requesting it to impersonate someone from a given side of the political spectrum and comparing these answers with its default. We also propose dose-response, placebo, and profession-politics alignment robustness tests. To reduce concerns about the randomness of the generated text, we collect answers to the same questions 100 times, with question order randomized on each round. We find robust evidence that ChatGPT presents a significant and systematic political bias toward the Democrats in the US, Lula in Brazil, and the Labour Party in the UK. These results translate into real concerns that ChatGPT, and LLMs in general, can extend or even amplify the existing challenges involving political processes posed by the Internet and social media. Our findings have important implications for policymakers, media, politics, and academia stakeholders.
Self-assessment of health: how socioeconomic, functional, and emotional dimensions influence self-rated health among Italian nonagenarians
Authors: Strozza Cosmo , Egidi Viviana , Vannetti Federica , Cecchi Francesca , Macchi Claudio , Pasqualetti Patrizio
Published: August 2023

Self-Rated Health (SRH) is currently one of the most popular indicators of population health. Studies show that SRH has a strong association with physical functioning, well-being, and mortality across a variety of populations and ages. Despite its wide use, the different elements that act and interact when an individual assesses their own health are still not clear. To date, only one study has focused on the process of self-assessment of health among the oldest-old individuals. The aim of this paper is to explore direct and indirect effects of socioeconomic status, presence of disease, functional health, and emotional health on the good self-assessment of health among Italian nonagenarians. By applying Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) on Mugello Study data, we find a strong direct effect of both emotional and functional health on SRH, confirming their key roles in the process of self-assessment of health among the oldest-old individuals. Furthermore, we find indirect effects of socioeconomic status, presence of disease, and functional health on SRH. This is in line with existing literature on younger adults and elderly people.
The Gender Gap in Environmental Concern: Support for an Ecofeminist Perspective and the Role of Gender Egalitarian Attitudes
Authors: Echavarren José M.
Published: August 2023

Quantitative studies analysing individual differences in environmental concern (i.e., apprehension about the quality of nature and natural resources including air, water, soil and animal and plant species) have consistently found differences between men and women, whereby women are more likely to display pro-environmental attitudes, although the underlying reasons remain largely unclear. Understanding the gender gap in environmental concern is crucial for designing and targeting environmental policies and for developing environmental education programmes. This paper examines five prominent theories that address the gender gap: Socialisation theory, Economic Salience theory, Parenthood Status theory, the Class-Gender effect and Ecofeminism. Ecofeminism constitutes a theoretical perspective which, despite offering a joint analysis of feminism and environmentalism, has rarely been employed in applied research regarding the gender gap in environmental concern. Using hierarachical regression techniques and data from the World Values Survey (N = 51,763) across 45 countries, this study finds that attitudes of gender equality are positively correlated with environmental concern. The present study supports ecofeminist theory by highlighting the positive role played by gender egalitarian attitudes in environmental concern. This research is the first of its kind to study the influence of gender egalitarian attitudes on environmental concern with such a large representative sample of countries, using hierarchical models to evaluate the effect of contextual factors.
Simulation Study of sc-CO2 Based Silylation for Decreasing Severity of Water Blockage and Salt Precipitation during Geological CO2 Storage in Deep Saline Aquifers
Authors: Pratama Egi A. , Myers Matthew , Permadi Asep K. , Saeedi Ali
Published: August 2023

Deep saline aquifers are often favorable for underground CO2 sequestration due to their large capacity and relatively low likelihood for resource conflicts. However, many possible issues can arise during CO2 injection. Often these aquifers have a significant salinity level (as these often present minimal resource conflict issues) and as such salt precipitation near the injection wellbore can be problematic. Furthermore, when water blockage occurs, salt precipitation can be exacerbated since large amounts of water remain near the wellbore. Altering the rock wettability towards less water-wet can alleviate water blockage and in turn reduce the likelihood or severity of salt precipitation. Previous lab experiments have shown that supercritical CO2 (sc-CO2)-based silylation can effectively functionalize rock surfaces with hydrophobic silanes. In this study, numerical models were constructed to evaluate the combined effects of multi-phase fluid flow, water evaporation and salt precipitation assuming a change in wettability (thus impacting the relative permeability characteristics of the reservoir) resulting from the silylation process. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of this chemical treatment to address near wellbore salt precipitation induced by CO2 injection. According to the simulation results, a decrease in injectivity due to salt precipitation is more significant when water blockage is also present. Injectivity is deteriorated prominently in high salinity reservoirs with water blockage since evaporation into the injected CO2 phase will cause significant salt precipitation. In a representative formation, the injectivity decline is worse (up to 68.6% relative injectivity change (RIC)) when both salt precipitation and water blockage are considered since the latter provides more trapped brine inducing more salt accumulation around the wellbore. With hydrophobic silylation, the combined effects of salt precipitation and water blockage on RIC are decreased on an absolute basis by up to 7%. Depending on techno-economic considerations, this method is encouraged to be implemented as early as possible during a CO2 injection program to minimize salt accumulation from the outset.
Genealogical structure of the Colombian Romosinuano Creole cattle
Authors: Cañas–Álvarez Jhon Jacobo , Ossa-Saraz Gustavo Alfonso , Garcés-Blanquiceth Jorge Luis , Burgos–Paz William Orlando
Published: August 2023

The Romosinuano cattle breed is one of the most important Creole genetic resources in Colombia, and interesting traits like adaptation or reproductive efficiency have promoted its use in different countries in America. To consolidate the genealogical historical records, the review of very first yield records in this population was used to reconstruct the genealogy of the breed since the first animals incorporated to the in vivo germplasm bank and estimate different demographic parameters. The complete genealogy comprises 17,136 animals with 5.8 years of generation interval for two pathways. The estimated average inbreeding for the population and inbred animals was 2.53% and 6.32% respectively, with a progressive increase of inbred animals across the generations. Almost 48% of the total animals presented some level of consanguinity. Effective population size (Ne) based on the inbreeding rate estimated by regression in all generations was 120 animals whereas Ne estimated by equivalent generations was 69 animals. Effective number of founders (Fe), effective number of ancestors (Fa), and ancestors explaining 50% of variability were 75, 48, and 22, respectively. The relation between Fa/Fe of 64% indicates a genetic bottleneck effect in the population studied.
Concentrations and total mass storage of fine sediment, potentially toxic elements (PTEs) and phosphorus in the channel bed of an urban river: a multi-year study
Authors: Owens Philip N. , Rutherford P. Michael
Published: August 2023

Purpose

Given the rapid growth of people living in urban and peri-urban areas, this study examined the downstream trends in concentrations and determined the total storage of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) and phosphorus (P) associated with fine-grained sediment (0.45 to 63 µm) stored in the channel bed of an urban river.

Materials and methods

Samples were collected from seven sites along McMillan Creek (watershed area = 55 km2) in the city of Prince George, British Columbia, Canada, between 2010 and 2016 using a resuspension approach. Grabs samples were also collected from two key tributaries and a large culvert.

Results and discussion

Some elements (e.g., As, Mn and P) decreased in a downstream direction due to inputs from agricultural sources in the headwaters, while others (e.g., Cr, Cu, Pb and Zn) increased downstream reflecting inputs from urban sources in the lower part of the watershed. Several PTEs increased significantly due to a large culvert which supplied road-deposited sediment (RDS) and other urban materials. In some cases (e.g., As, Mn, Zn) PTE concentrations exceeded Canadian sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) for the protection of aquatic organisms. While concentrations were similar for most years, they were elevated in 2016 which may reflect higher rainfall prior to sample collection. The average total storage of fine-grained sediment in the channel bed of McMillan Creek was 155 t (4198 g m−2), while for PTEs this ranged from 0.01 kg (0.0002 g m−2) for Hg to 1130 kg (30.7 g m−2) for Mn.

Conclusions

The channel bed of an urban river stored large amounts of fine sediment, PTEs and P, with concentrations that exceeded SQGs for some elements. Given the expected increase of people living in urban and peri-urban areas, more studies are required to assess the impacts of this growth on the amount and quality of fine-grained sediment stored in urban rivers.
Robust utility maximization with nonlinear continuous semimartingales
Authors: Criens David , Niemann Lars
Published: August 2023

In this paper we study a robust utility maximization problem in continuous time under model uncertainty. The model uncertainty is governed by a continuous semimartingale with uncertain local characteristics. Here, the differential characteristics are prescribed by a set-valued function that depends on time and path. We show that the robust utility maximization problem is in duality with a conjugate problem, and we study the existence of optimal portfolios for logarithmic, exponential and power utilities.
Differences in Telemedicine, Emergency Department, and Hospital Utilization Among Nonelderly Adults with Limited English Proficiency Post-COVID-19 Pandemic: a Cross-Sectional Analysis
Authors: Chang Eva , Davis Teaniese L. , Berkman Nancy D.
Published: August 2023

Background

The unprecedented use of telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic provided an opportunity to examine its uptake among individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP).

Objective

To assess telemedicine use among nonelderly adults with LEP and the association between use of telehealth and emergency department (ED) and hospital visits.

Design

Cross-sectional study using the National Health Interview Survey (July 2020–December 2021)

Participants

Adults (18–64 years), with LEP (N=1488) or English proficiency (EP) (N=25,873)

Main Measures

Telemedicine, ED visits, and hospital visits in the past 12 months. We used multivariate logistic regression to assess (1) the association of English proficiency on having telemedicine visits; and (2) the association of English proficiency and telemedicine visits on having ED and hospital visits.

Key Results

Between July 2020 and December 2021, 22% of adults with LEP had a telemedicine visit compared to 35% of adults with EP. After controlling for predisposing, enabling, and need factors, adults with LEP had 20% lower odds of having a telemedicine visit than adults with EP (p=0.02). While English proficiency was not associated with ED or hospital visits during this time, adults with telemedicine visits had significantly greater odds of having any ED (aOR: 1.80, p<0.001) and hospital visits (aOR: 2.03, p<0.001) in the past 12 months.

Conclusions

While telemedicine use increased overall during the COVID-19 pandemic, its use remained much less likely among adults with LEP. Interventions targeting structural barriers are needed to address disparities in access to telemedicine. More research is needed to understand the relationship between English proficiency, telemedicine visits, and downstream ED and hospital visits.
Avian Haemosporidians Infecting Short- and Long-Distance Migratory Old World Flycatcher Species and the Variation in Parasitaemia After Endurance Flights
Authors: Emmenegger Tamara , Riello Sara , Schmid Raffaella , Serra Lorenzo , Spina Fernando , Hahn Steffen
Published: August 2023

Purpose

Avian haemosporidians are widespread parasites, occurring in many bird families and causing pathologies ranging from rather benign infections to highly virulent diseases. The state of knowledge about lineage-specific intensities of haemosporidian infection (i.e., parasitaemia) is mainly based on infection experiments conducted under laboratory conditions. The levels and range of parasitaemia in natural host–parasite associations as well as their influencing factor remain largely unexplored.

Methods

Thus, we explored the parasitaemia of four songbird species (i.e., European Robins, Black and Common Redstarts and Whinchats) during migration by screening individuals upon landing on an insular passage site after extensive endurance flights to (1) describe their natural host–parasite associations, (2) quantify parasitaemia and (3) explore potential host- and parasite-related factors influencing parasitaemia.

Results

We found 68% of Whinchats to be infected with haemosporidians, which is more frequent than any other of the studied host species (30–34%). Furthermore, we confirmed that parasitaemia of Haemoproteus infections was higher than average Plasmodium infections. Median parasitaemia levels were rather low (parasite cells in 0.01% of hosts’ red blood cells) and varied largely among the different parasite lineages. However, we found four individuals hosting infections with parasitaemia higher than typical chronic infections.

Conclusions

Based on the known transmission areas of the respective lineages, we argue that these higher intensity infections might be relapses of consisting infections rather than acute phases of recent primary infections.
Immune disturbance leads to pulmonary embolism in COVID-19 more than classical risk factors: a clinical and histological study
Authors: Cicco Sebastiano , Vacca Antonio , Albanese Federica , Susca Nicola , Desantis Vanessa , Magistro Arianna , Cazzato Gerardo , Cicco Gerolamo , Sablone Sara , Cariddi Christel , Marozzi Marialuisa Sveva , Catena Cristiana , Brosolo Gabriele , Marcante Stefano , Ingravallo Giuseppe , Dalfino Lidia , Lauletta Gianfranco , Pappagallo Fabrizio , Solimando Antonio Giovanni , Grasso Salvatore , Maiorano Eugenio , Introna Francesco , Sechi Leonardo Alberto , Ria Roberto
Published: August 2023

COVID-19 induces endotheliitis and one of the main complications is enhanced coagulation. The incidence of pulmonary embolism (PE) in COVID-19 (CPE) has increased and clinical features for a rigorous analysis still need to be determined. Thus, we evaluated the clinical characteristics in CPE and the immune infiltration that occurred. Between January 1 and December 31, 2021, 38 patients were affected by CPE (9 ICU, 19 males/19 females, 70.18 ± 11.24 years) out of 459 COVID-19 cases. Controls were subjects who were evaluated for PE between January 1 2015, and December 31, 2019 (92 patients, 9 ICU, 48 males/45 females, 69.55 ± 16.59 years). All patients underwent complete physical examination, pulmonary computed tomography, laboratory tests, D-dimer, and blood gas analysis. There were no differences in laboratory tests or D-dimer. In patients with CPE, pO2, alveolar–arterial oxygen difference (A-aDO2), oxygen saturation %, and the ratio between arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2) and fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2), P/F, were significantly increased. There were no differences in PaCO2. Platelet count was inversely correlated to P/F (r = − 0.389, p = 0.02) but directly to A-aDO2 (r = 0.699, p = 0.001) only in patients with CPE. Histology of lung biopsies (7 CPE/7 controls) of patients with CPE showed an increase in CD15+ cells, HMGB1, and extracellular MPO as a marker of NETosis, while no significant differences were found in CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, and intracellular MPO. Overall, data suggest that CPE has a different clinical setting. Reduced oxygen content and saturation described in Patients with CPE should not be considered a trustworthy sign of disease. Increased A-aDO2 may indicate that CPE involves the smallest vessels as compared to classical PE. The significant difference in NETosis may suggest the mechanism related to thrombi formation.
Solid-State Additive Manufacturing of AA6060 Employing Friction Screw Extrusion Additive Manufacturing
Authors: Rezaeinejad S. S. , Strik D. H. , Visser R. M. , Bor T. C. , Luckabauer M. , Akkerman R.
Published: August 2023

Solid-state additive manufacturing constitutes a worthwhile alternative for many precipitation-based aluminium alloys that cannot be processed through fusion-based approaches due to metallurgical problems. In this work, the newly developed solid-state friction screw extrusion additive manufacturing (FSEAM) approach has been employed to study the processability of AA6060 T6 as a function of the printing velocity. Various wall-like builds were fabricated at printing velocities of 100 mm/min to 250 mm/min by deposition of 50 layers of 1 mm thickness, 14 mm width, and 150 mm length. No major defects were observed in cross section, and the microstructure showed equiaxed grains with an average size of 2–4 μm for all builds. Promising mechanical properties were obtained for all tensile test specimens extracted in the deposition direction of the layers. For specimens extracted in the build direction, only the builds fabricated with sufficiently high normal force to ensure proper bonding between successively deposited layers showed similar results to the deposition direction. The relatively high temperatures obtained during fabrication led to the dissolution of strengthening precipitates for the 150–250 mm/min samples as indicated by serrated yielding effects. Post-manufacturing heat treatment of these samples was successful, partially restoring the feedstock hardness.
Lack of vitamin D predicts impaired long-term immune response to COVID-19 vaccination
Authors: di Filippo Luigi , Frara Stefano , Terenzi Umberto , Nannipieri Fabrizio , Locatelli Massimo , Ciceri Fabio , Giustina Andrea
Published: August 2023

Purpose

Low vitamin D levels were reported to negatively influence the outcome of acute COVID-19, as well as to be linked to Long-COVID. However, few studies have investigated, so far, its effects on humoral-response to anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, reporting conflicting results. We aimed to evaluate the impact of baseline 25(OH)vitamin D (25(OH)D) levels on humoral-response to a two-dose cycle of Pfizer-BioNTech-vaccine up to 9–10 months after immunization.

Methods

We retrospectively included 119 consecutive healthcare-workers (median age 53 years) without a previous history of acute COVID-19 or anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulins presence immunized with two doses of Comirnaty-vaccine from January to February 2021. 25(OH)D was measured at time of first-immunization. Immune response was evaluated at: time 0 (T0), before the first-dose; T1, time of second-dose (21 days after T0); T2, T3, T4 at 1, 5 and 9 months after T1, respectively.

Results

Median 25(OH)D levels were 25.6 ng/mL, and vitamin D deficiency (25(OH)D <20 ng/mL) was observed in 29 subjects (24.8%). In those with vitamin D deficiency, we found a non-significant trend towards lower antibody-titers at T3, and significantly lower titers at T4 as compared to those not vitamin D-deficient, also observing a more pronounced antibody-titers negative drop from peak-T2 and T4 in those with vitamin D deficiency. A positive correlation between 25(OH)D levels and antibody-titers at T4 (p = 0.043) was found. In multiple linear-regression analysis, 25(OH)D deficiency and older-age resulted as negative independent factors associated with antibody titer at T4 (p = 0.026, p = 0.004; respectively).

Conclusion

In our relatively young cohort presenting low prevalence of hypovitaminosis D, the long-term humoral response to anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccination was negatively influenced by low baseline 25(OH)D. Vitamin D supplementation could be tested as a strategy to optimize the vaccination campaigns to prevent severe COVID-19.
Appropriate and mindful measurement of serum calcitonin in patients with thyroid nodules. A white paper
Authors: Trimboli Pierpaolo , Valderrabano Pablo , Pitoia Fabian , Piccardo Arnoldo , Bojunga Jörg
Published: August 2023

Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is an infrequent thyroid malignancy that is often diagnosed at advanced stage with consequent poor prognosis. Thus, the earlier the diagnosis of MTC, the better the prognosis. Unfortunately, the preoperative detection of MTC remains challenging in clinical practice. In fact, while ultrasound and fine-needle aspiration cytology have suboptimal performance in this context, measuring serum calcitonin (Ctn), fully recognized as the most reliable test to detect MTC, is not universally accepted as routine test in all patients with thyroid nodule(s). The authors of this paper reappraise critically the matter of Ctn measurement in view of the recent advancements in the literature to point out the essential information to be known, and then to prepare an easy-to-use guide for clinicians to appropriately consider the measurement of serum Ctn during clinical practice.
A taxonomic synopsis of unifoliolate continental African Vepris (Rutaceae)
Authors: Cheek Martin , Luke W. R. Quentin
Published: August 2023

Descriptions and illustrations are presented for three new species to science, Vepris udzungwa Cheek, V. lukei Cheek (both Udzungwa Mts, Tanzania), and V. robertsoniae Q.Luke & Cheek (SE Kenyan kaya forests), in the context of a synoptic taxonomic revision and with an identification key to all the known unifoliolate taxa of Vepris in continental Africa. The new species are described and illustrated, while the remaining 10 taxa are given skeletal taxonomic treatments (lacking descriptions). One widespread species in montane eastern Africa is renamed as V. simplex Cheek because its previous name, V. simplicifolia (Engl.) Mziray, is predated by V. simplicifolia Endl. (basionym of Sarcomelicope simplicifolia (Endl.) T.G.Hartley, a widespread species of Australia, Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands, and of New Caledonia). The new combination Vepris hanangensis var. unifoliolata (Kokwaro) Cheek is made. Full or provisional conservation assessments are presented for all species using the IUCN 2012 standard. Of the 13 taxa, nine are considered threatened or near threatened, of which one is Near Threatened, three are Vulnerable, two Endangered, and three Critically Endangered, with two of the latter, both of the Uluguru Mts of Tanzania, possibly extinct globally, although not yet assessed on the IUCN Red List.
The effect of local anaesthetics on apoptosis and NETosis of human neutrophils in vitro: comparison between lidocaine and ropivacaine
Authors: Kulińska Karolina Iwona , Szałkowska Sandra , Andrusiewicz Mirosław , Kotwicka Małgorzata , Billert Hanna
Published: August 2023

There are immunological consequences to the method by which neutrophils undergo cell death. Neutrophil apoptosis, called silent death, leads to the resolution of inflammation, while NETosis deepens and prolongs the inflammatory response and is associated with a worse prognosis of severe infections, e.g., sepsis. Besides nociceptive inhibition, local anaesthetics modulate leukocyte functions, even at low, clinically relevant concentrations. There is currently no data on ropivacaine NETosis, and this study aimed to evaluate the impact of clinical concentrations of ropivacaine (0.0007, 0.007 and 1.4 mmol/L) and lidocaine (0.002, 0.02 and 4 mmol/L) on apoptosis and NETosis of adult peripheral blood neutrophils after 2 h of incubation. Neutrophil identification, apoptosis and NETosis were evaluated by flow cytometry using forward and side scatter characteristics and fluorescent labelling: CD15 for neutrophils identification; Annexin V and propidium iodide for apoptosis and citrullinated histone H3 and myeloperoxidase for NETosis. Lidocaine (4 mmol/L) and ropivacaine (1.4 mmol/L) induced early apoptosis in resting but not in stimulated neutrophils. Low doses of ropivacaine (0.0007 and 0.007 mmol/L) decreased the number of late apoptotic neutrophils, and the lowest dose slightly increased their viability. None of the drugs induced NETosis in resting neutrophils but decreased NETosis at clinical concentrations compared to PMA-stimulated 4 mM lidocaine, PMA-stimulated control, and 1.4 mM ropivacaine. The effect of lidocaine and ropivacaine on apoptosis and NETosis depended on neutrophil stimulation and drug concentrations. Ropivacaine tends to be cytoprotective at concentrations observed in plasma under local anaesthesia. Lidocaine enhanced NETosis at high concentration only in stimulated neutrophils. Thus, both drugs have the ability to change the course of inflammation.
On the periodic motions of a one-degree-of-freedom oscillator
Authors: Kooij Robert , Zegeling André
Published: August 2023

We present a mechanical model for an oscillator with one degree of freedom under the influence of a flowing medium. Under fairly general conditions we show that the ensuing differential equation has at most two limit cycles and we give examples where exactly two limit cycles will occur. The implications of this result are that it is possible for a system of this kind to exhibit galloping even when the so-called Den Hartog criterion of local instability is not satisfied.
Multi-modal mutation cooperatively coevolving algorithm for resource allocation of large-scale D2D communication system
Authors: An Qing , Wu Shisong , Yu Jun , Gao Cuifen
Published: August 2023

With the rapid growth in cellular user quantity and quality of service demand, the resource allocation in device-to-device communication system significantly affects the overall efficiency and user experience. In this study, the resource allocation for large-scale device-to-device communication system is modelled as a constrained optimization problem with thousands of dimensionalities. Then, the variable-coupling relationship of the developed model is analysed and the mathematical proof is firstly provided, and a novel algorithm namely multi-modal mutation cooperatively coevolving particle swarm optimization is developed to optimize the ultra-high dimensional model. Finally, efficacy of the developed method is verified by a comprehensive set of case studies, some famous algorithms for the specialized literature are also employed for comparison. Experimental results shown that the developed algorithm can obtain accurate and robust optimization performance for different system scales. In addition, when the system scale increases to 1000 cellular users and 300 D2D-pair users, the developed method can still outperform the compared algorithms and output accurate resource allocation solution.
Proof of concept of a self-tightening needle-less suture using a NiTi shape memory alloy
Authors: Nespoli Adelaide , Ninarello Davide , Bassani Enrico , Dallolio Villiam
Published: August 2023

Among surgical procedures, suturing is considered simple. However, in some situations, suturing is not easy or feasible. Here, we present proof of concept of a new self-tightening needle-less suture made of a NiTi alloy. The new device is designed to overcome two demanding steps of traditional suturing: needle introduction and manual knotting. Our novel suture is composed only of a short NiTi wire that is able to change shape by exploiting a thermoelastic phase transition. This shape change is achieved by increasing the temperature from that of the operating room (e.g., 20–22 °C) to 32 °C using warm water. Suturing consists of two steps: suture introduction, in which the suture is in an open configuration, and shape recovery (i.e., closed configuration). The closed configuration is maintained at human body temperature thanks to peculiar pseudoelastic properties of the NiTi material. Finally, thermal and functional characterization verified the simplicity and effectiveness of the proposed device.

Graphic abstract