bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Team-based infection preventionist review improves interrater reliability in identification of hospital-acquired infections
Authors: Castillo Alyssa , Totten Sarah , Pisney Larissa
Published: September 2023

Background: The University of Colorado Health (UCHealth) metropolitan region is composed of 4 hospitals. Therein, 10 infection preventionists (IPs) retrospectively review all cases of potential central-line–associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI), catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI), and surgical site infection (SSI) to adjudicate whether each case meets the NHSN definitions for hospital-acquired infection (HAI). In August 2021, the UCHealth IP team structure transitioned from a subject-matter expert model (in which each IP reviewed a specific HAI) to a unit-based model (in which each IP reviewed all HAIs and SSIs on their assigned units) to create redundancy in knowledge and skill. The IP team subsequently instituted a weekly meeting to review all potential cases of HAI. We hypothesized that this review structure would result in increased consistency in the application of NHSN definitions across the UCHealth hospitals and units. Methods: From August 17, 2022, through March 3, 2023, the UCHealth IPs, managers, and medical directors met weekly for 1 hour via teleconferencing. Each IP presented key details for all near-miss and confirmed cases of SSI or HAI on their respective units and received questions and feedback from their peers and medical directors. Case determination was based on team discussion and consensus. If there was discordance in the interpretation of an NHSN case definition, a formal inquiry was sent to resolve the uncertainty. The number of cases reviewed, case determinations changed, and formal inquiries to NHSN were tracked. Results: During the study period, the IP team convened weekly meetings and reviewed 248 patient cases—of which 208 (83.9%) were confirmed HAIs. Based on collaborative team discussion, 14 cases (5.6%) were changed from reportable to nonreportable. Three cases (1.2%) originally thought to be nonreportable were changed to reportable. The HAI determination of a reportable case (eg, revision of a “superficial” SSI to “deep” SSI) was changed for 9 (6.0%). Following team discussion, 13 formal inquiries were sent to the NHSN to clarify case definitions, and these responses were collated for future reference. Conclusions: Team-based IP review of HAI cases improves consistency in application of NHSN case definitions and highlights areas of uncertainty in their interpretation. This team-based model of case review is a useful educational and practical tool to increase interrater reliability in case adjudication across large teams of IPs, to create a systematic way to query NHSN, and to ensure that knowledge gained is disseminated for future benefit.

Disclosures: None
Quality improvement approach for surgical-site infection prevention in a Philippine provincial hospital
Authors: Abustan Anthony , Hogan Unarose , Winn Julie , Pagaran Paul , Littlefield Joan , Miles Ted
Published: September 2023

Background: Globally, the 30-day cumulative incidence of surgical-site infections (SSI) was 11% (95% CI, 10%–13%) based on the systematic review and meta-analysis derived from 57 studies. SSIs are poorly studied in the Philippines. Americares and its hospital partner, Camarines Norte Provincial Hospital, Philippines, sought to reduce SSIs through (1) establishing SSI surveillance in the hospitals’ surgical departments, (2) implementing quality improvement processes, and (3) developing and implementing an SSI prevention care bundle. Methods: A quality improvement methodology was used to introduce SSI surveillance and care-bundle checklist in partnership with Americares. Using paired t tests, pre- and posttest scores of the SSI care bundle training were analyzed. SSI surveillance was established based on the adapted CDC criteria. All clean surgeries were monitored except orthopedic surgeries. The number of surgeries performed, monitored, and SSIs identified were documented using the surveillance forms and plotted using Microsoft Excel software. A care bundle based on WHO evidence-based interventions for SSI prevention was designed and implemented. Compliance with the SSI care bundle was documented using Microsoft Excel. The relationship between the use of a care bundle and SSIs was analyzed using the Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: An online SSI care bundle training session was conducted. Overall, 150 participants had a mean pretraining test score of +6.46. After the training was conducted, the same participants had a mean posttraining test score of + 1.76). a statistically significant increase of 5.29 (95% CI). Thereby, the mean score difference after training showed that knowledge increased overall. These findings show an average of 90.43% compliance with the SSI care-bundle checklist over the 18-month window from May 2021 to November 2022. From a baseline of 0%, compliance increased from 80% upon its introduction in May 2021. Lastly, the SSI incidence rate from May 2021to November 2022 averaged 1.89%. The days between reported SSIs averaged 16.85. No baseline was available for comparison prior to the introduction of the surveillance and care bundle. A Pearson r data analysis (n = 1,850) was used to determine the relationship between the use of the care bundle and SSIs. The data illustrated a moderate negative correlation (r = −.31). Therefore, higher care-bundle compliance yielded fewer SSI cases. Conclusions: The use of an evidence-based care bundle paired with a local quality improvement process significantly improved SSI prevention and surveillance. Future studies are needed that include clean-contaminated, contaminated, and dirty surgical cases to test the degree of SSI reduction possible.

Disclosures: None
Tecovirimat use among patients with monkeypox (mpox) in Alameda County, California, June–October 2022
Authors: Ouyang Megan , Shemsu Munira , Marusinec Rachel , Pena April , Trivedi Kavita , Dunne Eileen , Yette Emily , Moss Nicholas , Bayard Paul , Edmunds Magdalen , Lai Sunny , Nguyen Mychi , Rajagopal Sumanth , Slome Sally , Tang Michele , Ayala George , Chitnis Amit
Published: September 2023

Background: Tecovirimat (TPOXX) is an antiviral drug only available via an Expanded Access Program (EAP) investigational new drug protocol and is recommended for treatment of select patients with monkeypox (mpox) infection. Alameda County Public Health Department prioritizes health equity but does not have a dedicated public health clinic. Therefore, we partnered closely with local healthcare providers that serve communities disproportionally impacted by mpox to ensure there was access to TPOXX. Using data collected during the outbreak we assessed whether populations in Alameda County most affected by mpox received treatment. Methods: We describe Alameda County patients with confirmed or probable mpox who received TPOXX during June–October 2022. Data were collected from case investigation interviews with patients and state-wide reportable disease database(s), which included demographic, clinical, and behavioral information. Confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using the exact method for Poisson counts. We compared characteristics of mpox patients who received and did not receive TPOXX using the Pearson χ2 or Fisher exact test. P < .05 was considered significant. Results: Mpox case rates in Alameda County were highest among Black or African-American residents (35.6 per 100,000, 95% CI, 26.7–46.4) and Hispanic or Latinx residents (25.2, 95% CI, 20.2–31.0) compared to Asian residents (3.9, 95% CI, 2.3–6.1) and white residents (10.4, 95% CI, 7.7–13.9) residents. Among 242 mpox patients, 69 patients (28.5%) received TPOXX. The distribution of demographic and clinical characteristics among patients who received TPOXX was not significantly different than among those who did not, including residents aged 31–40 years (36.2% vs 34.7%), Black or African-American residents (20% vs 26.3%), Hispanic or Latinx residents (38.5% vs 41%), male residents (89.9% vs 95.3%), gay, lesbian, or same-gender loving residents (67.2% vs 67.4%) in the city of Oakland (63.2% vs 61.5%), or residents with human immunodeficiency virus infection (43.5% vs 36.6%). Conclusions: During the Alameda County mpox outbreak, nearly one-third of patients received TPOXX. Demographic and clinical characteristics were similar among TPOXX recipients and nonrecipients. A proactive approach to obtaining TPOXX in Alameda County and strong relationships with local providers may have allowed for treatment to be accessible to mpox patients. Regular review of outbreak data can inform public health activities, ensure health equity, and help refine local response efforts.

Disclosures: None
Examining the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hospital-associated Clostridioides difficile infection
Authors: Ray Michael , Furuno Jon , Strnad Luke , Lofgren Eric , McGregor Jessina
Published: September 2023

Background: The epidemiology of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is complex, and the COVID-19 pandemic has had extreme impacts on known risk factors such as comorbidity burden and antibiotic prescribing. However, whether these changes have affected the incidence of hospital-associated CDI (HA-CDI) remains unknown. We compared incidence and trends of HA-CDI before and after the pandemic onset, and we assessed the impact of changes in key CDI-related risk factors. Methods: We conducted an interrupted time-series study (March 2018–March 2021) of adult inpatients hospitalized 4 or more days with no known CDI on admission at a 576-bed academic medical center. Our primary outcome was monthly HA-CDI per 10,000 patient days. We performed segmented linear regression to compare the preinterruption trend in HA-CDI rate to the postinterruption slope and level change. We established a series of 30-day intervals before and after the interruption timepoint of March 23, 2020, which corresponds with the Oregon stay-at-home executive order. The data included 24 preinterruption time points and 12 postinterruption time points. We also assessed changes in slope and trend for known HA-CDI risk factors. Results: We included 34,592 inpatient encounters in our prepandemic period and 10,932 encounters in our postinterruption period. The mean prepandemic HA-CDI rate was 4.07 cases per 10,000 patient days. After the pandemic onset, the rate was 3.6 per 10,000 patient days. However, the observed differences in rate (both in terms of slope and level) were not statistically significant (P = .90 for level; P = .60 for slope change). We observed a significant decrease in admissions per 30 days (1,441 vs 911; level-change P < .0001) and a slight increase in the mean number of Elixhauser comorbidities (1.96 vs 2.07; level-change P = .05). We also observed significant increases in both frequency and intensity of antibiotic use, with an increase average days of therapy per encounter (5.8 vs 7.2; level-change P = .01; slope-change P < .0001) and in antibiotic spectrum index (ASI) points per antibiotic day (4.4 vs 4.9; P < .0001). We observed a consistent downward trend for case days of CDI colonization pressure per hospital day (preinterruption slope P < .0001), which remained consistent after the pandemic onset (P = 0.5 for postinterruption slope change) (Fig. 1). Conclusions: Despite significant increases in high-intensity antibiotic use and comorbidity burden, we did not observe significant differences in HA-CDI after the pandemic onset. This may be due to the significant decrease in colonization pressure in the postpandemic period. Further research is required to fully understand the impact of the pandemic-related changes on

Disclosures: None
CDC consultations related to ophthalmologic practices and settings, 2016–2021
Authors: Spicer Kevin , Perz Joseph , Perkins Kiran
Published: September 2023

Background: Healthcare activities that include instrumentation or manipulation of mucosal tissue or normally sterile sites, such as the eye and its associated structures, place patients at risk of infectious and other complications. We reviewed queries to the CDC Prevention and Response Branch that were focused on ophthalmologic procedures and settings to examine opportunities to improve infection prevention and control (IPC) practices in these settings. Methods: We reviewed internal CDC consultation records received from January 1, 2016, through December 31, 2021, to identify those involving ophthalmologic procedures or settings. Consultations were reviewed to determine setting type, number of patients affected, organisms identified, nature of infection control breaches, and whether medical products were implicated. Descriptive statistics were calculated. Results: We identified 24 consultations among 19 states and US territories. Of these, 21 (87.5%) involved outpatient settings, of which 9 (43%) were ambulatory surgery centers. Consultations included the following non–mutually exclusive categories. There were 18 adverse postsurgical events (75%), such as mycobacterial infection after laser surgery and toxic anterior segment syndrome following cataract surgery (n = 5). There were 11 infections following ophthalmologic clinical care (46%), such as epidemic keratoconjunctivitis due to adenovirus 8. There were 8 suspected medication-related events (33%) including contamination of ophthalmic medication when manufactured or compounded offsite. There were 8 medical-device reprocessing concerns (33%) including inappropriate high-level disinfection. There were 8 instances of improper environmental cleaning and disinfection (33%), for example, during an adenovirus outbreak. There were 3 cases of potential mishandling of medications onsite (12.5%), such as multiuse eye drops. Also, 3 events (12.5%) were associated with potentially contaminated donor tissue, such as corneas for transplantation. When a consultation included identification of a pathogen (n = 11), organisms included bacteria (n = 7, 64%), viruses (n = 2, 18%), and fungi (n = 3, 27%). In total, 202 patients had confirmed ophthalmologic infections or adverse events. Conclusions: Based on our review of recent outbreaks, healthcare personnel in ophthalmologic settings may have deficits in training related to instrument reprocessing and environmental cleaning specific to ophthalmic equipment and settings that can result in harm to patients. These settings could benefit from targeted training to improve IPC practices specific to ophthalmologic examinations and procedures. This review was limited to analysis of investigations that were voluntarily reported to the CDC. A formal surveillance system for adverse outcomes in this setting could clarify the nature and frequency of IPC issues of greatest concern.

Disclosures: None
A TOPOLOGICAL APPROACH TO UNDEFINABILITY IN ALGEBRAIC EXTENSIONS OF
Authors: EISENTRÄGER KIRSTEN , MILLER RUSSELL , SPRINGER CALEB , WESTRICK LINDA
Published: September 2023

For any subset
$Z \subseteq {\mathbb {Q}}$
, consider the set
$S_Z$
of subfields
$L\subseteq {\overline {\mathbb {Q}}}$
which contain a co-infinite subset
$C \subseteq L$
that is universally definable in L such that
$C \cap {\mathbb {Q}}=Z$
. Placing a natural topology on the set
${\operatorname {Sub}({\overline {\mathbb {Q}}})}$
of subfields of
${\overline {\mathbb {Q}}}$
, we show that if Z is not thin in
${\mathbb {Q}}$
, then
$S_Z$
is meager in
${\operatorname {Sub}({\overline {\mathbb {Q}}})}$
. Here, thin and meager both mean “small”, in terms of arithmetic geometry and topology, respectively. For example, this implies that only a meager set of fields L have the property that the ring of algebraic integers
$\mathcal {O}_L$
is universally definable in L. The main tools are Hilbert’s Irreducibility Theorem and a new normal form theorem for existential definitions. The normal form theorem, which may be of independent interest, says roughly that every
$\exists $
-definable subset of an algebraic extension of
${\mathbb Q}$
is a finite union of single points and projections of hypersurfaces defined by absolutely irreducible polynomials.
Addressing System Deficiencies in the Protection of the Financial Interests of the EU: Preventing Harm and Incentivizing Change
Authors: Gadbled Robin
Published: September 2023

The article looks at how “systemic” irregularities or breaches of law imputable to EU Member States are defined in key legal documents relating to the protection of the EU budget – notably with regards to Agricultural, Structural and Recovery funds, and with regards to the Conditionality Regulation. It is argued that “system deficiencies” arise where the financial interests of the European Union are damaged or put at risk because the systems meant to protect these interests in a Member State are considered deficient themselves. The scope of these systems varies with documents: some systems are defined in sectoral legislation and only have relevance for specific funding programmes; other systems have a more constitutional character and are linked to the protection of the rule of law in EU member states. Moreover, the severity of system deficiencies can be graded on a scale. This has implications regarding the extent of the financial consequences which can be imposed on Member States for the protection of the EU budget – how much EU funding should be withheld from them. It is also argued that the rationales underlying the imposition of financial consequences – putting the EU budget out of harm’s way or incentivizing change to reduce risk? – have implications pertaining to the legal and constitutional relationship established between the EU and its Member States.
Transition of care in CHD: a single-centre experience: an enigma remains
Authors: Lopez Christine , Glassberg Brittany , Dembar Alexandra , Riasat Maria , Chan Alice , Govindarajulu Usha , Hopkins Kali A. , Zaidi Ali N.
Published: September 2023

Transition of care refers to the continuity of health care during the movement from one healthcare setting to another as care needs change during a chronic illness. We sought to describe social, demographic, and clinical factors related to successful transition in a tertiary urban care facility in patients with CHD. Patients were identified utilising the electronic medical record. Inclusion criteria were patients with CHDs aged ≥15 years seen in the paediatric cardiology clinic between 2013 and 2014. Deceased patients were excluded. Clinical and demographic variables were collected. Patient charts were reviewed in 2015–2021 to determine if included patients were a) still in paediatric cardiology care, b) transitioned to adult cardiology/adult CHD, or were c) lost to follow-up. A total of 322 patients, 53% male (N:172), 46% female (N:149) were included. Majority had moderately complex lesions (N:132, 41%). Most patients had public insurance (N:172, 53%), followed by private insurance (N:67, 21%), while 15% of patients (N:47) were uninsured. Only 49% (N = 159) had successful transition, while 22% (N = 70) continued in care with paediatric cardiology, and 29% (N = 93) were lost to follow-up. Severity of CHD (p = 0.0002), having healthcare insurance (p < .0001), presence of a defibrillator (p = 0.0028), and frequency of paediatric cardiology visits (p = 0.0005) were significantly associated with successful transition. Most patients lost to follow-up (N:42,62%) were either uninsured or had public insurance. Lack of successful transition is multifactorial, and further efforts are needed to improve the process in patients with CHD.
How Do the Convective and Microphysical Characteristics of Extreme Precipitation Over the Pearl River Delta at Monsoon Coast Vary With Increasing Rainfall Extremity?
Authors: Gao Y. Y. , Li M. X. , Luo Y. L. , Wu C. , Qiu J. L.
Published: September 2023

Using 5‐year dual‐polarization radar observations, variations of convective and microphysical characteristics of extreme precipitation features (EPFs) with increasing rainfall extremity over a monsoon coastal region (Pearl River Delta; PRD) in South China are investigated through comparing three groups of EPFs (ER1, ER2, and ER3). The more extreme rainfall shows a notable increase and decrease in the fractions of “intense” convection and “weak” convection, respectively. The higher rainfall extremity is accompanied by statistically significant increases in ice and liquid water contents but a roughly equal fraction of coalescence in liquid‐phase processes. While the raindrop size distributions of ER1 to ER3 similarly feature a mean size larger than “maritime‐like” droplets and a concentration much higher than “continental‐like” raindrops, the mean size and concentration of raindrops tend to increase slightly with the increasing rainfall extremity. Two sensitivity experiments on EFP definition confirm the robustness and representative of the above results.
Drought and Waterlogging Stress Regimes in Northern Peatlands Detected Through Satellite Retrieved Solar‐Induced Chlorophyll Fluorescence
Authors: Valkenborg Bram , De Lannoy Gabriëlle J. M. , Gruber Alexander , Miralles Diego G. , Köhler Philipp , Frankenberg Christian , Desai Ankur R. , Humphreys Elyn , Klatt Janina , Lohila Annalea , Nilsson Mats B. , Tuittila Eeva‐Stiina , Bechtold Michel
Published: September 2023

The water table depth (WTD) in peatlands determines the soil carbon decomposition rate and influences vegetation growth, hence the above‐ground carbon assimilation. Here, we used satellite‐observed Solar‐Induced chlorophyll Fluorescence (SIF) as a proxy of Gross Primary Production (GPP) to investigate water‐related vegetation stress over northern peatlands. A linear model with interaction effects was used to relate short‐ and long‐term anomalies in SIF with WTD anomalies and the absolute WTD. Most locations showed the occurrence of drought and waterlogging stress though regions with exclusively waterlogging or drought stress were also detected. As a spatial median, minimal water‐related vegetation stress was found for a WTD of −0.22 m (short‐term) and −0.20 m (long‐term) (±0.01 m, 95% confidence interval of statistical uncertainty). The stress response observed with SIF is supported by an analysis of in situ GPP data. Our findings provide insight into how changes in WTD of northern peatlands could affect GPP under climate change.
Formation of Electron Butterfly Pitch Angle Distributions in Saturn's Magnetosphere Due To Scattering by Equatorial ECH Waves
Authors: Long Minyi , Cao Xing , Ni Binbin , Lou Yuequn , Yao Zhonghua , Roussos Elias , Qin Tianshu , Wu Siyuan
Published: September 2023

The features of electron pitch angle distributions (PADs) often imply different physical mechanisms in planetary magnetospheres. We report a simultaneous equatorial electrostatic electron cyclotron harmonic (ECH) wave event with butterfly PADs of electrons at L ∼ 7.6–9 observed by the Cassini spacecraft. Via calculating the bounce‐averaged electron diffusion rates, we found that Saturnian ECH waves can resonate with ∼10 eV to several keV electrons at <60° pitch angles at time scales from ∼10−8 to 10−4 s−1. Simulations show that the formation of ∼100 eV to ∼1 keV electron butterfly PADs are mainly caused by the pitch angle scattering of electrons at low pitch angles (<30°) and the momentum scattering at intermediate pitch angles of ∼30°–45°, though previous studies suggested the adiabatic transport is the dominated mechanism. Additionally, our results successfully reproduce the variation of peak pitch angles (αp) and phase space density ratios between α90° and αp with L‐shell.
Targeting cis-regulatory elements of FOXO family is a novel therapeutic strategy for induction of leukemia cell differentiation
Authors: Kurayoshi Kenta , Takase Yusuke , Ueno Masaya , Ohta Kumiko , Fuse Kyoko , Ikeda Shuji , Watanabe Takayoshi , Nishida Yuki , Horike Shin-ichi , Hosomichi Kazuyoshi , Ishikawa Yuichi , Tadokoro Yuko , Kobayashi Masahiko , Kasahara Atsuko , Jing Yongwei , Shoulkamy Mahmoud I. , Meguro-Horike Makiko , Kojima Kensuke , Kiyoi Hitoshi , Sugiyama Hiroshi , Nagase Hiroki , Tajima Atsushi , Hirao Atsushi
Published: September 2023

Differentiation therapy has been proposed as a promising therapeutic strategy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML); thus, the development of more versatile methodologies that are applicable to a wide range of AML subtypes is desired. Although the FOXOs transcription factor represents a promising drug target for differentiation therapy, the efficacy of FOXO inhibitors is limited in vivo. Here, we show that pharmacological inhibition of a common cis-regulatory element of forkhead box O (FOXO) family members successfully induced cell differentiation in various AML cell lines. Through gene expression profiling and differentiation marker-based CRISPR/Cas9 screening, we identified TRIB1, a complement of the COP1 ubiquitin ligase complex, as a functional FOXO downstream gene maintaining an undifferentiated status. TRIB1 is direct target of FOXO3 and the FOXO-binding cis-regulatory element in the TRIB1 promoter, referred to as the FOXO-responsive element in the TRIB1 promoter (FRE-T), played a critical role in differentiation blockade. Thus, we designed a DNA-binding pharmacological inhibitor of the FOXO-FRE-T interface using pyrrole-imidazole polyamides (PIPs) that specifically bind to FRE-T (FRE-PIPs). The FRE-PIPs conjugated to chlorambucil (FRE-chb) inhibited transcription of TRIB1, causing differentiation in various AML cell lines. FRE-chb suppressed the formation of colonies derived from AML cell lines but not from normal counterparts. Administration of FRE-chb inhibited tumor progression in vivo without remarkable adverse effects. In conclusion, targeting cis-regulatory elements of the FOXO family is a promising therapeutic strategy that induces AML cell differentiation.
The role of arsenic in the operation of sulfur-based electrical threshold switches
Authors: Wu Renjie , Gu Rongchuan , Gotoh Tamihiro , Zhao Zihao , Sun Yuting , Jia Shujing , Miao Xiangshui , Elliott Stephen R. , Zhu Min , Xu Ming , Song Zhitang
Published: September 2023

Arsenic is an essential dopant in conventional silicon-based semiconductors and emerging phase-change memory (PCM), yet the detailed functional mechanism is still lacking in the latter. Here, we fabricate chalcogenide-based ovonic threshold switching (OTS) selectors, which are key units for suppressing sneak currents in 3D PCM arrays, with various As concentrations. We discovered that incorporation of As into GeS brings >100 °C increase in crystallization temperature, remarkably improving the switching repeatability and prolonging the device lifetime. These benefits arise from strengthened As-S bonds and sluggish atomic migration after As incorporation, which reduces the leakage current by more than an order of magnitude and significantly suppresses the operational voltage drift, ultimately enabling a back-end-of-line-compatible OTS selector with >12 MA/cm2 on-current, ~10 ns speed, and a lifetime approaching 1010 cycles after 450 °C annealing. These findings allow the precise performance control of GeSAs-based OTS materials for high-density 3D PCM applications.
The promise of data science for health research in Africa
Authors: Adebamowo Clement A. , Callier Shawneequa , Akintola Simisola , Maduka Oluchi , Jegede Ayodele , Arima Christopher , Ogundiran Temidayo , Adebamowo Sally N. ,   BridgELSI Project as part of the DS-I Africa Consortium
Published: September 2023

Data science health research promises tremendous benefits for African populations, but its implementation is fraught with substantial ethical governance risks that could thwart the delivery of these anticipated benefits. We discuss emerging efforts to build ethical governance frameworks for data science health research in Africa and the opportunities to advance these through investments by African governments and institutions, international funding organizations and collaborations for research and capacity development.
The global costs of extreme weather that are attributable to climate change
Authors: Newman Rebecca , Noy Ilan
Published: September 2023

Extreme weather events lead to significant adverse societal costs. Extreme Event Attribution (EEA), a methodology that examines how anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions had changed the occurrence of specific extreme weather events, allows us to quantify the climate change-induced component of these costs. We collect data from all available EEA studies, combine these with data on the socio-economic costs of these events and extrapolate for missing data to arrive at an estimate of the global costs of extreme weather attributable to climate change in the last twenty years. We find that US$$\$$$
$
143 billion per year of the costs of extreme events is attributable to climatic change. The majority (63%), of this is due to human loss of life. Our results suggest that the frequently cited estimates of the economic costs of climate change arrived at by using Integrated Assessment Models may be substantially underestimated.
YOLO object detection models can locate and classify broad groups of flower-visiting arthropods in images
Authors: Stark Thomas , Ştefan Valentin , Wurm Michael , Spanier Robin , Taubenböck Hannes , Knight Tiffany M.
Published: September 2023

Develoment of image recognition AI algorithms for flower-visiting arthropods has the potential to revolutionize the way we monitor pollinators. Ecologists need light-weight models that can be deployed in a field setting and can classify with high accuracy. We tested the performance of three deep learning light-weight models, YOLOv5nano, YOLOv5small, and YOLOv7tiny, at object recognition and classification in real time on eight groups of flower-visiting arthropods using open-source image data. These eight groups contained four orders of insects that are known to perform the majority of pollination services in Europe (Hymenoptera, Diptera, Coleoptera, Lepidoptera) as well as other arthropod groups that can be seen on flowers but are not typically considered pollinators (e.g., spiders-Araneae). All three models had high accuracy, ranging from 93 to 97%. Intersection over union (IoU) depended on the relative area of the bounding box, and the models performed best when a single arthropod comprised a large portion of the image and worst when multiple small arthropods were together in a single image. The model could accurately distinguish flies in the family Syrphidae from the Hymenoptera that they are known to mimic. These results reveal the capability of existing YOLO models to contribute to pollination monitoring.
Severe level of photochemical oxidants (Ox) over the western coast of Japan during autumn after typhoon passing
Authors: Itahashi Syuichi
Published: September 2023

Photochemical oxidants (Ox; mainly O3) are a concern in East Asia. Because of the prevailing westerly wind in the midlatitudes, O3 concentration generally shows a high in spring over Kyushu Island, western Japan, and Ox warnings have been issued in spring. However, the record from 2000 to 2021 of Ox warning days in Kyushu Island contains one warning case in autumn 2020. Interestingly, a typhoon had passed the day before this Ox warning. To relate these events, a modelling simulation was conducted and it showed the transboundary O3 transport from the Asian continent to the western coast of Japan due to the strong wind field determined by the location of Typhoon Haishen (2020). The sensitivity simulations for changing Chinese anthropogenic sources suggested that both nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compound (VOC) emission regulations in China could decrease high O3 over the downwind region of Japan. Furthermore, VOC emission regulation in China led to an overall O3 decrease in East Asia, whereas NOx emission regulation in China had complex effects of decreasing (increasing) O3 during the daytime (nighttime) over China. The association between air quality and meteorology related to typhoons should be considered along with global warming in the future.
Conversion of Methane to Acetylene
Authors: Jiang Changle , Hu Jianli
Published: September 2023

Methane is the absolute major component of natural gas, which is abundant and is becoming inexpensive as shale gas exploration technology booms. For economic reasons, in certain geographical locations, stranded natural gas should be converted to liquid platform chemicals, preferably at wellhead, transported and merged into the global supply chain of industrial chemical feedstocks. One critical chemical intermediate in methane conversion to liquid platform chemicals is acetylene. This chapter will introduce available commercial production technologies associated with methane conversion to acetylene as well as recent advances of research. The major production routes include BASF partial oxidative combustion and Hüls’ arc process. Also discussed in this chapter are the acetylene production technologies using coal and petroleum as feedstocks. Most of the academic research has been inspired by commercial production with a special focus on the Hüls arc process, because the setup could provide a high temperature and a short residence time, which are critical to acetylene synthesis. These studies involve corona discharge, pulsed discharge, and microwave plasma. Acetylene from pyrolysis of methane will be introduced at the end of this chapter.
The Potential of Chemical Looping Solutions for Direct Methane Conversion
Authors: Buelens Lukas C. , Poelman Hilde , Galvita Vladimir V.
Published: September 2023

This chapter illustrates how chemical looping technologies can be applied for valorising methane. After describing the concept of chemical looping, several pathways for methane conversion into hydrogen and/or carbon monoxide are presented. Then, a brief overview is provided of chemical looping technologies for the production of higher hydrocarbons such as ethylene using methane as a feedstock. Finally, a general approach to applying chemical looping for energy and chemicals storage using methane is discussed.
Ammonia Oxidizing Bacteria in Wastewater Treatment
Authors: Das Pranjal P. , Sharma Mukesh , Purkait Mihir K.
Published: September 2023

Wastewater pollutants such as trace organic chemicals and pharmaceutical compounds pose a major threat to aquatic environments and human health. There is a critical need to develop potential strategies that aim at enhancing the metabolism and/or cometabolism of these compounds. Ammonia oxidation is critical to global nitrogen cycling and is often driven by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria. Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) transform ammonium to nitrite, an essential step in the complete mineralization of organic matter, thereby leading to the accumulation of nitrate in oxic environments. Enhanced pollutant degradation by ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) has been widely observed in wastewater treatment processes. This chapter discusses the recent progress in the ecophysiology of AOB and outlines the current knowledge related to the biodegradation efficiencies of the frequently reported wastewater pollutants by AOB. The aerobic biodegradation mechanism and kinetics of pollutant removal along with the biodegraded products and pathways of these compounds have been identified and summarized in this chapter. Moreover, to increase the sustained cometabolic biodegradation of pollutants, potential strategies such as microorganism diversity (AOB and heterotrophs), chemical structure and redox potentials, physicochemical properties and operational parameters, activated sludge and membrane-based processes have been elaborately discussed. Taken together, this chapter effectively illustrates the progress, current achievements and future recommendations in the application of AOB towards wastewater pollutant treatment, which can present new insights to the researchers and engineers working in this field.
Ecophysiology and Genomics of N-cycling Microbes in the Environment
Authors: Choudhari Jyoti K. , Anandkumar J. , Verma Mukesh K. , Choubey Jyotsna , Sahariah Biju P.
Published: September 2023

The most prominent element of the Earth, nitrogen, exists in various forms owing to its wide oxidation state of −3 to +5, in the form of NH3, NH4+, NO, NO2, N2O, HNO3, HONO, PAN and many other organic N compounds. It is a primary component of life’s existence as it is involved in protein synthesis, the building blocks of organisms, as well as a tremendous number of protein-regulated biological activities. The nitrogen cycle maintains balance and the required recompense of nitrogen in the biosphere. Microbes enriched with various cellular and molecular elements contribute to the accomplishment of biological nitrogen by ammonia fixation, converting atmospheric nitrogen to the ammonia form so that plants or other producers can assimilate it, as well as nitrification and denitrification to release it from the biosphere as nitrogen gas. Phylogeny analysis, an essential biological tool, can express the comparison of genetic, individual, population, and species information in terms of morphology, behavioural, or molecular data. Phylogeny analysis estimates historic relationships between genes or species and describes these relationships in a branching diagram, a phylogenetic tree. This chapter discusses the essential concepts of groups of microbes (N-fixer, nitrifier and denitrifier), involved in the N-cycle, and their functions (transformation of nitrogen). Intra and inter-specific interactions among N-cycle microorganisms and their role in the global N-cycle are investigated to expand the understanding of nitrogen–microbe interactions using an omics approach.
Fabrication of ternary NiCoMoOx with yolk–shell hollow structure as a positive electrode material for high-performance electrochemical capacitor applications
Authors: Heidari Gourji Fatemeh , Rajaramanan Tharmakularasa , Frette Øyvind , Velauthapillai Dhayalan
Published: September 2023

While the production of hollow nanostructures using single and binary transition metal oxides has proven to be efficient, a notable hurdle remains in the development of complex hollow shapes involving ternary and quaternary compositions.
Dendritic hybrid materials comprising polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) and hyperbranched polyglycerol for effective antifungal drug delivery and therapy in systemic candidiasis
Authors: Jafari Mahboobeh , Abolmaali Samira Sadat , Borandeh Sedigheh , Najafi Haniyeh , Zareshahrabadi Zahra , Koohi-Hosseinabadi Omid , Azarpira Negar , Zomorodian Kamiar , Tamaddon Ali Mohammad
Published: September 2023

Systemic Candida infections are routinely treated with amphotericin B (AMB), a highly effective antimycotic drug.
Reverse thiophosphorylase activity of a glycoside phosphorylase in the synthesis of an unnatural Manβ1,4GlcNAc library
Authors: Keenan Tessa , Hatton Natasha E. , Porter Jack , Vendeville Jean-Baptiste , Wheatley David E. , Ghirardello Mattia , Wahart Alice. J. C. , Ahmadipour Sanaz , Walton Julia , Galan M. Carmen , Linclau Bruno , Miller Gavin J. , Fascione Martin A.
Published: September 2023

A carbohydrate phosphorylase is utilised in the synthesis of unnatural Manβ1,4-GlcNAc and longer β-mannan like glycans, including formation of phosphorolysis-stable thioglycoside linkages via novel "reverse thiophosphorylase" enzymatic activity.
The 10-Word Auditory Verbal Learning Test and Vocabulary Performance in 4- and 5-Year-Old Children
Authors: Kasperek Ann , Kingma Annet , de Aguiar Vânia
Published: September 2023

Background:

Understanding the different factors that determine vocabulary development in young children is essential for the diagnosis and rehabilitation of language disorders in children. Language development is closely related to other cognitive processes such as auditory verbal learning and memory. This research focuses on the development of a novel auditory verbal learning test (AVLT) for 4- and 5-year-old children within the Dutch population. This new test is an adaptation of the common AVLT for both older children and adults, usually including a list of 15 words. Considering the lower attention span and limited executive functioning in young children, the word list of this new instrument is reduced to 10 words. Besides, a second recognition form has been developed to improve the ability to distinguish between possible underlying learning and memory deficits.

Method:

Ninety-five preschool children (ages 4;0–5;12 [years;months]) were tested with this new AVLT 10-word test for kids (10WT-K), yielding different measures of verbal auditory memory. Forty-eight of 95 children received a recognition task with semantically unrelated items, and 47 of 95 received a recognition task with semantically related items. Three additional language skills were assessed to establish test validation: receptive and expressive vocabulary performance and nonword repetition. Outcome of the 10WT-K was related to scores on the language measures.

Results:

Positive correlations were found between the total score of the 10WT-K and all three aforementioned language skills. We found no correlations between frequency of error types (intrusions and repetitions) and language measures. Furthermore, children who were administered the recognition list with semantically related items showed fewer correct answers and more false-positive and false-negative responses than children who received a recognition list with semantically unrelated items.

Conclusions:

The 10WT-K for young children can be used to (a) measure different aspects of auditory verbal learning and memory, (b) clarify the nature of possible verbal learning difficulties, and (c) identify a possible nature of language disorders. The word recognition task tested with semantically related items provides a more accurate measurement of individual differences, namely, in distinguishing retrieval and storage abilities. The significant relation found between auditory verbal short-term memory capacity and vocabulary performance in preschool children is a first step toward establishing test validity.
Gender Differences in Self-Reported Oral Health–Related Quality of Life Among Older Men and Women at Two Midwest Senior Centers
Authors: Kanade Ashwini , Strother-Garcia Kristina , Parham Douglas F.
Published: September 2023

Purpose:

The purpose of this study was to assess the differences in functional, psychosocial, and pain-related consequences of oral health among older men and women at two Midwest senior centers.

Method:

The Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) was used to assess self-reported oral health–related quality of life (OHRQoL) among older men and women at two Midwest senior centers. Researchers also collected demographic information, including age, gender, marital status, level of education, annual income, and ethnicity.

Results:

Older women reported significantly lower overall OHRQoL than men did, and this difference was not better explained as being due to differences in annual income or marital status. Furthermore, women scored significantly lower on the Physical Functioning and Psychosocial Functioning subscales of the GOHAI, while women also had lower average scores on the Pain/Discomfort subscale. This difference did not reach statistical significance.

Conclusions:

Older women were reportedly more negatively impacted by OHRQoL issues than older men. Women reported significantly lower levels of physical and psychosocial functioning due to oral health problems. Data regarding gender differences in oral health related pain and discomfort were inconclusive. Further research is needed to examine this question, as well as to determine the reasons why women seem to experience lower OHRQoL than men do in old age.
IDBNet: Improved differentiable binarisation network for natural scene text detection
Authors: Zhang Zhijia , Shao Yiming , Wang Ligang , Li Haixing , Liu Yunpeng
Published: September 2023

The text in the natural scene can express rich semantic information, which helps people understand and analyse daily things. This paper focuses on the problems of discrete text spatial distribution and variable text geometric size in natural scenes with complex backgrounds and proposes an end‐to‐end natural scene text detection method based on DBNet. The authors first use IResNet as the backbone network, which does not increase network parameters while retaining more text features. Furthermore, a module with Transformer is introduced in the feature extraction stage to strengthen the correlation between high‐level feature pixels. Then, the authors add a spatial pyramid pooling structure in the end of feature extraction, which realises the combination of local and global features, enriches the expressive ability of feature maps, and alleviates the detection limitations caused by the geometric size of features. Finally, to better integrate the features of each level, a dual attention module is embedded after multi‐scale feature fusion. Extensive experiments on the MSRA‐TD500, CTW1500, ICDAR2015, and MLT2017 data set are conducted. The results showed that IDBNet can improve the average precision, recall, and F‐measure of a text compared with the state of art text detection methods and has higher predictive ability and practicability.
High performance image steganography integrating IWT and Hamming code within secret sharing
Authors: Saeidi Zahra , Yazdi Ameneh , Mashhadi Samaneh , Hadian Masoud , Gutub Adnan
Published: September 2023

Steganography and secret sharing are schemes to increase the security of private information against attackers. Steganography emphasizes secrecy while secret sharing distributes the secret key in shares that are conditionally classified to reconstruct the original secret. This paper introduces a counting‐based secret sharing scheme that aims to reduce the computational complexity for longer keys, thereby providing a practical steganographic approach for efficient sharing. The scheme integrates counting‐based secret sharing with integer wavelet transform (IWT) and steganography. The subscriptions created using the Hamming code are embedded in the cover image. Using this method, IWT significantly reduces the occurrence of common rounding errors. As a result, secret key extraction becomes very accurate and eliminates the need to access the original images. This design, using secret sharing based on counting, not only has simplicity and efficiency, but also features such as flexibility, scalability, and lack of central authority. In addition, high‐quality steganography was obtained for keys with lengths of 64, 256, 512, 1024, and 3072, showing an average PSNR=80.11 in different color images. This outstanding performance makes it a highly efficient alternative to previous designs, representing a groundbreaking contribution with significant public interest in the field.