bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The use of liquid latex as a pre‐treatment to recover debris‐covered latent fingerprints from exterior surfaces of vehicles
Authors: Wang Yilin , George Mathew
Published: January 2023

This study evaluated the effectiveness of using liquid latex as a pre‐treatment for fingerprint recovery from the exterior surfaces of vehicles in summer. The sample of this study was 540 sebaceous latent fingerprints deposited on the lower body of three vehicles. Thirty control and thirty experimental fingerprints were deposited on each vehicle, and the experiment was repeated three times. The three vehicles were driven daily for either 2, 3, or 4 weeks after the deposition of fingerprints. After the vehicles reached their designated debris accumulation duration, the latent fingerprints in the control groups were developed with black fingerprint powder. Liquid latex was applied onto the fingerprints in the experimental groups, and they were subsequently developed with black fingerprint powder. A chi‐sure test indicated that there was a significant difference in fingerprints recovery performance between two methods (X2 = 4.903, d.f. = 1, p = 0.027). An odds ratio test indicated the control method increases the probability of fingerprint recovery by 1.54 times. A Fisher's exact test was used to evaluate the quality of fingerprints recovered from both methods and it indicated that there is no significant difference in quality using the two methods (p = 0.058). This study indicated that the traditional fingerprint powder method performed better for fingerprint recovery from exterior surfaces of vehicles in summer.
Forecasting COVID‐19 cases using dynamic time warping and incremental machine learning methods
Authors: Miralles‐Pechuán Luis , Kumar Ankit , Suárez‐Cetrulo Andrés L.
Published: January 2023

The investment of time and resources for developing better strategies is key to dealing with future pandemics. In this work, we recreated the situation of COVID‐19 across the year 2020, when the pandemic started spreading worldwide. We conducted experiments to predict the coronavirus cases for the 50 countries with the most cases during 2020. We compared the performance of state‐of‐the‐art machine learning algorithms, such as long‐short‐term memory networks, against that of online incremental machine learning algorithms. To find the best strategy, we performed experiments to test three different approaches. In the first approach (single‐country), we trained each model using data only from the country we were predicting. In the second one (multiple‐country), we trained a model using the data from the 50 countries, and we used that model to predict each of the 50 countries. In the third experiment, we first applied clustering to calculate the nine most similar countries to the country that we were predicting. We consider two countries to be similar if the differences between the curve that represents the COVID‐19 time series are small. To do so, we used time series similarity measures (TSSM) such as Euclidean Distance (ED) and Dynamic Time Warping (DTW). TSSM return a real value that represents the distance between the points in two time series which can be interpreted as how similar they are. Then, we trained the models with the data from the nine more similar countries to the one that was predicted and the predicted one. We used the model ARIMA as a baseline for our results. Results show that the idea of using TSSM is a very effective approach. By using it with the ED, the obtained RMSE in the single‐country and multiple‐country approaches was reduced by 74.21% and 74.70%, respectively. And by using the DTW, the RMSE was reduced by 74.89% and 75.36%. The main advantage of our methodology is that it is very simple and fast to apply since it is only based on time series data, as opposed to more complex methodologies that require a deep and thorough study to consider the number of parameters involved in the spread of the virus and their corresponding values. We made our code public to allow other researchers to explore our proposed methodology.
Dyadic and emotional adjustment in infertile couples
Authors: García‐Quintáns Lorena , Limiñana‐Gras Rosa M. , Sánchez‐López M. Pilar , Patró‐Hernández Rosa M.
Published: January 2023

Objective

This research evaluated dyadic adjustment and analyzed its contribution to emotional health and interpersonal resources in Spanish couples with reproductive problems undergoing assisted reproduction treatment.

Background

Many studies described the psychological challenges of infertile couples experiencing infertility. Social support, particularly in their relationship, protected each couple member's health and quality of life.

Method

Overall, 174 infertile heterosexual couples, selected from several Spanish reference hospitals, completed questionnaires regarding personal and clinical data, emotional health, adaptive resources, and dyadic adjustment.

Results

Both partners in couples presenting with infertility showed less emotional maladjustment and more dyadic adjustment than the normative values. Women in couples presenting with infertility reported greater emotional maladjustment and interpersonal resources and fewer personal resources than men. For women, educational level, age, affective expression, and dyadic consensus seem to act as protective factors, predicting less emotional maladjustment and more adaptive resources. For men, the couple's relationship duration, affective expression, dyadic cohesion, and dyadic satisfaction contributed to reduced emotional maladjustment and accounted for greater adaptive resources.

Conclusion

Greater dyadic adjustment appears to protect the emotional health of women and men seeking infertility treatment.

Implications

Support programs targeting dyadic adjustment may be helpful to couples undergoing fertility treatment.
Whole‐grain flat rice noodles improve lipid metabolism in high‐fat‐diet‐fed mice in association with gut microbiota
Authors: Xu Li , Luo Chen , Yuan Jieyao , He Hailun , Liu Bo , He Pan , Yi Cuiping
Published: January 2023

Brown rice‐based foods are thought to be effective in preventing obesity. In this study, the effect of whole‐grain flat rice noodles (WFRN) on lipid metabolism as well as their relationship with gut microbiota was investigated in mice fed a high‐fat diet (HFD). The results indicated that WFRN reduced the degree of obesity, the lipid levels in the liver and serum, and the risk of liver inflammation. Moreover, WFRN significantly increased the contents of total short‐chain fatty acids (SCFAs) (from 162.06 ± 29.79 to 272.97 ± 59.26 μg mL−1; P < 0.05) and reshaped the composition of gut microbiota in mice cecum. As the beneficial bacteria with boosted abundance, higher Coriobacteriaceae_UCG‐002 was negatively related to the lipid levels in the liver and serum, and positively correlated with the content of hexanoic acid. On the contrary, the lower abundance of harmful bacteria Staphylococcus was positively correlated to body fat and inversely related to isovaleric acid, and Helicobacter was positively associated with higher serum LDL‐C and lower hexanoic acid. This study suggested that WFRN played a positive role in ameliorating lipid accumulation and inflammation caused by obesity, and this effect was closely associated with the regulation of gut microbiota and SCFAs.
Traumatic dental injuries in the primary lower incisors
Authors: Del Negro Bianca , Kimura Juliana Sayuri , Menezes Andressa Nery , Mendes Fausto Medeiros , Wanderley Marcia Turolla
Published: January 2023

Background

Primary lower incisors are susceptible to traumatic dental injury (TDI), which may affect both primary and permanent dentitions.

Aim

This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of TDIs in the primary lower incisors and the factors associated with their occurrence and with the incidence of sequelae in the permanent successor teeth.

Design

Dental files (n = 2926) from patients who attended a reference center for dental trauma in the primary teeth, from 1998 to 2020, were screened. Multilevel Poisson regression analyses were conducted between exploratory variables related to the traumatized teeth and outcome variables: occurrences of severe TDI and sequelae in the permanent successor. Prevalence ratios (PRs), relative risks (RRs), and respective 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated.

Results

One hundred and thirteen (3.9%) children and 208 teeth presented with TDIs in the primary lower incisors. The prevalence of severe TDI was lower in 4‐year‐olds (PR = 0.43; 95% CI = 0.19–0.94) than in 2‐year‐olds. Moreover, severe TDI was significantly associated with the occurrence of sequelae in the permanent successors (RR = 3.97; 95% CI = 1.72–9.18), when compared to not severe TDI.

Conclusions

The prevalence of TDI in the primary lower incisors is low, with a higher prevalence in children younger than 3 years. Older children also present less frequently with severe TDI, and the risk of sequelae in permanent teeth is higher following severe TDI.
Social determinant factors and access to health care for women experiencing domestic and family violence: Qualitative synthesis
Authors: Papas Leanne , Hollingdrake Olivia , Currie Jane
Published: January 2023

Aims

The aim of this study was to explore the social determinant factors and access to health care for women with lived experience of domestic and family violence.

Design

Qualitative synthesis.

Data Sources

A search of CINHAL, Embase, Medline and PubMed, was conducted between December 2021 and March 2022.

Review Methods

Primary qualitative studies published in English from 2000 to 2021 were included. Findings were thematically analysed using the Levesque et al. (2013) access to healthcare framework. Study design was assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme for qualitative research.

Results

Twenty‐eight studies were included. Findings related to the Levesque domains of approachability, appropriateness and availability of health services. Social determinants included perceived stigma and fear of discrimination leading to a lack of trust in healthcare professionals and fear of disclosure, which prohibits disclosure. Women reported their limited awareness of available support services, an absence of health professional screening and insufficient response when they disclosed presence of domestic and family violence, which collectively reduced their healthcare access.

Conclusion

Findings advance our understanding of how social determinant factors influence women's ability to access health care. The determinants related to discrimination and stigma, which prohibited the establishment of trust, were the most influential factors on access to care.

Impact

Women experiencing domestic and family violence are hesitant to disclose, and violence continues in secret. Social determinant factors of stigma and trust prohibit women's disclosure and therefore their access to health care. Findings hold implications for nurses' consciousness of these social determinant factors. Raising nurses' awareness to curiously question the presence of domestic and family violence may build trust that leads to disclosure and improves access to health care.

No Patient or Public Contribution

The authors intend to present the findings to people with lived experience in the next phase of this programme of research.
Addressing intergenerational trauma in Black families: Trauma‐informed socioculturally attuned family therapy
Authors: Lee Aiesha T. , Chin Philippa , Nambiar Aishwarya , Hill Haskins Natoya
Published: January 2023

Increased attention to the prevalence and impact of traumatic experiences have been highlighted within the mental health field since Felitti et al.'s study of adverse childhood experiences. Black communities experience traumatic events at a higher rate than other racial groups. The phenomena of historical trauma, race‐based trauma, and intergenerational trauma have been speculated to be reasons for this discrepancy. In this article, the authors explore factors that compound the traumatic experiences of Black communities, review socioculturally attuned family therapy and trauma‐informed care, and propose an approach to addressing intergenerational trauma in Black families that integrates socioculturally attuned family therapy and trauma‐informed care.
Analgesic effectiveness of preoperative ultrasound‐guided erector spinae plane block versus paravertebral nerve block for breast surgery: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of four randomized controlled trials
Authors: Chen Wei , Zhou Xiaofeng , Li Hongmei , Liu Boyi , Wang Ling , Liu Tan , Xia Jun , Liu Juying , Zhang Xiaofei
Published: January 2023

Objective

Our meta‐analysis aimed to compare the analgesic effectiveness of ultrasound‐guided preoperative erector spinae plane block (ESPB) versus paravertebral nerve block (PVB) in breast surgery.

Methods

PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) between January 1, 1980 and April 31, 2021. The primary endpoints were perioperative pain score, analgesic consumption, and assessment of the block procedure. The secondary endpoints were intraoperative hemodynamic response, duration of surgery, postoperative antiemetic consumption, and adverse effects.

Results

Four RCTs comprised a total of 310 patients were included in our meta‐analysis. No significant differences in the perioperative pain score and analgesic consumption were observed between ESPB and PVB in the operating room, post‐anesthesia care unit (PACU), and ward (at 1, 16, 12, and 24 h), and the morning of postoperative day 1 (POD1) (all p > 0.05). Similarly, no significant differences in the duration of block, time to first analgesic, hemodynamic response, duration of surgery, postoperative antiemetic consumption, and adverse effects were observed (all p > 0.05). However, our meta‐analysis revealed that ultrasound‐guided preoperative ESPB significantly reduced the duration of procedure time and frequency of guidance interventions, as well as increased the block success rate among residents (all p < 0.05).

Conclusions

Both ultrasound‐guided preoperative ESPB and PVB showed comparable analgesic effects in patients undergoing breast surgery. However, with a significantly shorter procedure time and higher block success rate, our findings suggest that ESPB may be a simple alternative to PVB in breast surgery.
Low light stress promotes new tiller regeneration by changing source–sink relationship and activating expression of expansin genes in wheat
Authors: Yang Hong , Li Yongpeng , Qiao Yunzhou , Sun Hongyong , Liu Wenwen , Qiao Wenjun , Li Weiqiang , Liu Mengyu , Dong Baodi
Published: January 2023

Low light stress seriously decreased wheat grain number through the formation of aborted spike during the reproductive period and induced new tiller regeneration to offset the loss of grain number. However, the mechanism by which plants coordinate spike aborted growth and the regeneration of new tillers remains unknown. To better understand this coordinated process, morphological, physiological and transcriptomic analyses were performed under low light stress at the young microspore stage. Our findings indicated that leaves exhausted most stored carbohydrates in 1 day of darkness. However, spike and uppermost internode (UI) were converted from sink to source, due to increased abscisic acid (ABA) content and decreased cytokinin content. During this process, genes encoding amylases, Sugars Will Eventually be Exported Transporters (SWEET) and sucrose transporters or sucrose carriers (SUT/SUC) were upregulated in spike and UI, which degraded starch into soluble sugars and loaded them into the phloem. Subsequently, soluble sugars were transported to tiller node (TN) where cytokinin and auxin content increased and ABA content decreased, followed by unloading into TN cells by upregulated cell wall invertase (CWINV) genes and highly expressed H+/hexose symporter genes. Finally, expansin genes integrated the sugar pathway and hormone pathway, and regulate the formation of new tillers directly.
Adipokines from adipose tissue and common variable immunodeficiency: Is there any association?
Authors: Hassun Luana Amorim , Ruggeri Maria Luiza Ricarte , de Souza Stefany Alvino , Rossato Alice Mory , Chmieleski Gabriela Souza , de Carvalho Larissa Scarpini , Riccetto Adriana Gut Lopes , Degasperi Giovanna Rosa
Published: January 2023

Adiponectin and leptin are adipokines, secreted by white adipose tissue (WAT), which play an important role in energy homeostasis. Some evidence has shown that adipokine‐producing adipose cells present in the bone marrow (BM) appear to exert an influence on hematopoiesis and B cell development. Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is one of the most common inborn errors of immunity in humans. In CVID, numerical and/or functional defects of B cells and their precursors result in hypogammaglobulinemia, usually Immunoglobulin (Ig) A and IgG. Manifestations of CVID include immunodeficiency, autoimmunity, inflammation and lymphoproliferation, resulting in a wide range of phenotypes. How adipokines interact and influence the pathophysiology of CVID is still unclear. In this review, we seek to summarize the aspects known so far concerning the interface between adipokines, B cells and CVID. More research is needed to fully understand these interactions; this knowledge is a potential avenue for the discovery of useful biomarkers and may provide new therapeutic targets for the treatment of patients with CVID and related diseases.
Efficient photocatalytic degradation of bisphenol A by green synthesized CuO decorated nickel hexacyanoferrate nanocomposite
Authors: Meenu  , Rani Manviri , Shanker Uma
Published: January 2023

Bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical additive in polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins, is suspected to be an endocrine‐disrupter. Extensive use and irregular treating methods have led to frequent detection of BPA in wastewater, raising demand for their removal by efficient nanomaterials‐based technique. Nanocomposite CuO@NiHCF was synthesized via green method using Citrus aurantium peel extract. Crystalline structure (particle size <50 nm) of CuO@NiHCF was analysed by microscopic and spectroscopic analysis. This nanocomposite showed 97% degradation of BPA (50 mg L−1) at neutral pH in sunlight. Moreover, improved particle stability (zeta potential: −56.2 mV; 2.0 eV) and high surface area, pore volume (81 m2g−1, 13.9 nm) resulted from synergism of NiHCF (−26.3 mV; 2.4 eV), and CuO (−11.5 mV; 1.9 eV) led to efficient photodegradation of BPA. Degradation of BPA was found photo‐adsorptive. Moreover, degradation was carried out by OH radicals based with ring‐opening mechanisms by GC–MS. High efficiency and sustainability of CuO@NiHCF were revealed by its multiple reusability (n = 10), leading to a promising and sustainable photocatalyst.
A Systematic Layout Planning and TOPSIS Application for the Design of a Power Generation Turbine Parts Repair Workshop
Authors: Cáceres-Gelvez Sebastián , Arango-Serna Martín Darío , Gutiérrez-Sepúlveda Laura , Jaramillo-Agudelo Natalia , Mejía-Pérez Juliana , Marín-Quintero Paulina
Published: January 2023

Objective: This paper presents a joint application of systematic layout planning (SLP) and TOPSIS methods for the facility layout design of a power generation turbine parts repair workshop. The SLP method is an easy-to-apply tool that can consider both qualitative and quantitative criteria. Materials and Methods: In this case study, the SLP method is adapted for a future plant project that is not currently in place. First, instead of a materials flow analysis, the definition of the process flow, as well as the department requirements, is carried out. Then, the closeness relationships between the process flow activities and the layout alternatives are determined. Finally, the TOPSIS method is applied to evaluate and select the best layout alternative according to the compliance with closeness relationships, the location of dangerous departments, the flow of operations, and the location of departments around a current electrical substation. Results and Discussion: The resulting facility design complies with the defined criteria, and its architectural and layout designs are presented using 3D software. Conclusion: The joint application of SLP and TOPSIS methods allowed us to obtain a proper facility layout design for the case of a power generation turbine parts repair workshop.
Measurement of Acoustoelastic Coefficients in Concrete Using Thermal Modulation of Ultrasonic Waves
Authors: Zhong Bibo , Zhu Jinying
Published: January 2023

This study develops a new method to determine the acoustoelastic coefficient in concrete using thermally-induced ultrasonic bulk wave velocity changes. This paper presents the equations of wave velocity changes caused by homogeneous temperature variation and uniaxial strain in an isotropic medium. The acoustoelastic coefficient of a concrete sample was calculated using the third-order elastic constants (l, m and n) which were determined in the thermal modulation test. The acoustoelastic coefficient of the same sample was then experimentally verified in a four-point bending test. The results showed that relative wave velocity change predicted by the third-order elastic constants from the thermal modulation test agreed well with the experimental value from the bending test.
Compressive Sensing and Deep Learning Enhanced Imaging Algorithm for Sparse Guided Wave Array
Authors: Wang Xiaocen , Lin Min , Li Jian , Wang Dingpeng , Liu Yang
Published: January 2023

Aiming at the problem of image quality reduction caused by sparse array in guided wave detection, an enhanced algorithm based on improved compressive sensing and deep learning is proposed in this paper so as to realize high-quality imaging with a small number of sensors. The enhancement algorithm consists of two parts: the sparse guided wavefield is up-sampled by the improved compressed sensing, and then the up-sampled guided wavefield is input into U-net for further recovery. After compressive sensing and deep learning enhancement, the recovered wavefield is close to the dense wavefield. Simulation is carried out and the results verify the feasibility of the method. In training and validation, the losses evaluated by mean square error (MSE) are 1.62 × 10-4 and 2.18 × 10-5 for 32 sensors and 1.65 × 10-4 and 3.44 × 10-5 for 16 sensors. Imaging performance is also verified by Pearson’s coefficient. The Pearson’s coefficient is improved from 0.9218 to 0.9517 with 32 sensors, and improved from 0.8896 to 0.9487 with 16 sensors.
Graphic medicine and health professional education: An internship comic book case study
Authors: Humphrey Aaron
Published: January 2023

Introduction: This study aimed to determine whether comics in medical education (“graphic medicine”) can enhance professional identity formation (PIF) of junior doctors. This was accomplished through a multi-year trial of an internship comic book handbook that was specially designed to be used as part of an internship orientation program at Mackay Base Hospital.
Methods: A 24-page comic was distributed during the hospital’s intern orientation in 2014–2017. Surveys were conducted with 2014–2017 interns (n = 54) to assess how prepared they felt to meet the challenges of internship and how helpful they had found several orientation publications, with surveys of the 2013 interns providing control data (n = 13). Qualitative interviews from the 2014 cohort (n = 9) were analysed thematically and matched to groups of thematically similar survey responses.
Results: Interns reported feeling more prepared to face the challenges of internship following the introduction of the comic in 2014, compared to the 2013 control group, and this remained generally consistent throughout 2015, 2016 and 2017. At the end of internship, 92% of interns recalled the comic (n = 47) and 89% rated it as at least somewhat helpful (n = 42). The interviews and surveys were thematically grouped by the interns’ responses to the comic: resistant (n = 8), ambivalent (n = 9), ecumenical (n = 23) and enthusiastic (n = 7). A single variable linear regression analysis showed a statistically significant (p = 0.04) and mildly positive (r = 0.29) correlation between how helpful the interns found the comic and how well they felt they had been prepared for the challenges of internship. The comic was the only publication significantly correlated with preparedness (p < 0.05).
Conclusions: Comics can be a useful tool for medical education. Further use of comics in internship programs could improve how prepared interns are for the challenges of internship and, therefore, enhance their PIF.
Ultrawide bandgap vertical β-(AlxGa1−x)2O3 Schottky barrier diodes on free-standing β-Ga2O3 substrates
Authors: Mudiyanselage Dinusha Herath , Wang Dawei , Fu Houqiang
Published: January 2023

Ultrawide bandgap β-(AlxGa1−x)2O3 vertical Schottky barrier diodes on (010) β-Ga2O3 substrates are demonstrated. The β-(AlxGa1−x)2O3 epilayer has an Al composition of 21% and a nominal Si doping of 2 × 1017 cm−3 grown by molecular beam epitaxy. Pt/Ti/Au has been employed as the top Schottky contact, whereas Ti/Au has been utilized as the bottom Ohmic contact. The fabricated devices show excellent rectification with a high on/off ratio of ∼109, a turn-on voltage of 1.5 V, and an on-resistance of 3.4 mΩ cm2. Temperature-dependent forward current-voltage characteristics show effective Schottky barrier height varied from 0.91 to 1.18 eV while the ideality factor from 1.8 to 1.1 with increasing temperatures, which is ascribed to the inhomogeneity of the metal/semiconductor interface. The Schottky barrier height was considered a Gaussian distribution of potential, where the extracted mean barrier height and a standard deviation at zero bias were 1.81 and 0.18 eV, respectively. A comprehensive analysis of the device leakage was performed to identify possible leakage mechanisms by studying temperature-dependent reverse current-voltage characteristics. At reverse bias, due to the large Schottky barrier height, the contributions from thermionic emission and thermionic field emission are negligible. By fitting reverse leakage currents at different temperatures, it was identified that Poole–Frenkel emission and trap-assisted tunneling are the main leakage mechanisms at high- and low-temperature regimes, respectively. Electrons can tunnel through the Schottky barrier assisted by traps at low temperatures, while they can escape these traps at high temperatures and be transported under high electric fields. This work can serve as an important reference for the future development of ultrawide bandgap β-(AlxGa1−x)2O3 power electronics, RF electronics, and ultraviolet photonics.
Switching from membrane disrupting to membrane crossing, an effective strategy in designing antibacterial polypeptide
Authors: Zhang Haodong , Chen Qi , Xie Jiayang , Cong Zihao , Cao Chuntao , Zhang Wenjing , Zhang Donghui , Chen Sheng , Gu Jiawei , Deng Shuai , Qiao Zhongqian , Zhang Xinyue , Li Maoquan , Lu Ziyi , Liu Runhui
Published: January 2023

Drug-resistant bacterial infections have caused serious threats to human health and call for effective antibacterial agents that have low propensity to induce antimicrobial resistance. Host defense peptide–mimicking peptides are actively explored, among which poly-β-
l
-lysine displays potent antibacterial activity but high cytotoxicity due to the helical structure and strong membrane disruption effect. Here, we report an effective strategy to optimize antimicrobial peptides by switching membrane disrupting to membrane penetrating and intracellular targeting by breaking the helical structure using racemic residues. Introducing β-homo-glycine into poly-β-lysine effectively reduces the toxicity of resulting poly-β-peptides and affords the optimal poly-β-peptide, βLys
50
HG
50
, which shows potent antibacterial activity against clinically isolated methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus
(MRSA) and MRSA persister cells, excellent biosafety, no antimicrobial resistance, and strong therapeutic potential in both local and systemic MRSA infections. The optimal poly-β-peptide demonstrates strong therapeutic potential and implies the success of our approach as a generalizable strategy in designing promising antibacterial polypeptides.
Realization of exceptional points along a synthetic orbital angular momentum dimension
Authors: Yang Mu , Zhang Hao-Qing , Liao Yu-Wei , Liu Zheng-Hao , Zhou Zheng-Wei , Zhou Xing-Xiang , Xu Jin-Shi , Han Yong-Jian , Li Chuan-Feng , Guo Guang-Can
Published: January 2023

Exceptional points (EPs), at which more than one eigenvalue and eigenvector coalesce, are unique spectral features of non-Hermiticity (NH) systems. They exist widely in open systems with complex energy spectra. We experimentally demonstrate the appearance of paired EPs in a periodical-driven degenerate optical cavity along the synthetic orbital angular momentum dimension with a tunable parameter. The complex-energy band structures and the key features of EPs, i.e., their bulk Fermi arcs, parity-time symmetry breaking transition, energy swapping, and half-integer band windings, are directly observed by detecting the wavefront angle–resolved transmission spectrum. Our results demonstrate the flexibility of using the photonic synthetic dimensions to implement NH systems beyond their geometric dimension and EP-based sensing.
Bacteroides uniformis
and its preferred substrate, α-cyclodextrin, enhance endurance exercise performance in mice and human males
Authors: Morita Hiroto , Kano Chie , Ishii Chiharu , Kagata Noriko , Ishikawa Takamasa , Hirayama Akiyoshi , Uchiyama Yoshihide , Hara Susumu , Nakamura Teppei , Fukuda Shinji
Published: January 2023

Although gut microbiota has been linked to exercise, whether alterations in the abundance of specific bacteria improve exercise performance remains ambiguous. In a cross-sectional study involving 25 male long-distance runners, we found a correlation between
Bacteroides uniformis
abundance in feces and the 3000-m race time. In addition, we administered flaxseed lignan or α-cyclodextrin as a test tablet to healthy, active males who regularly exercised in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to increase
B. uniformis
in the gut (UMIN000033748). The results indicated that α-cyclodextrin supplementation improved human endurance exercise performance. Moreover,
B. uniformis
administration in mice increased swimming time to exhaustion, cecal short-chain fatty acid concentrations, and the gene expression of enzymes associated with gluconeogenesis in the liver while decreasing hepatic glycogen content. These findings indicate that
B. uniformis
enhances endurance exercise performance, which may be mediated by facilitating hepatic endogenous glucose production.
Indigenous Knowledge and the Microbiome—Bridging the Disconnect between Colonized Places, Peoples, and the Unseen Influences That Shape Our Health and Well-Being
Authors: Warbrick Isaac , Heke Deborah , Breed Martin
Published: January 2023

Indigenous Peoples have a rich and long-standing connection with the environments that they descend from—a connection that has informed a deep and multifaceted understanding of the relationship between human well-being and the environment. Through cultural narratives and practices, much of this knowledge has endured despite the ongoing effects that colonization has had on many Indigenous peoples across the world.
Untitled Item
Authors: Sotomayor A. , Balbas A.
Published: January 2023

Includes raw data for 40Ar/39Ar age determinations and metadata related to sample collection.  
Using a generic quality of life measure to determine adherence thresholds: a cross-sectional study on older adults with neurological disorders in Germany
Authors: Mühlhammer Hannah M , Schönenberg Aline , Lehmann Thomas , Prell Tino
Published: January 2023

Objectives

Measuring the degree of adherence to medication is essential in healthcare However, the cut-offs provided for adherence scales are often arbitrary and disease-specific, and need to be validated against a clinical outcome. Here, we used health-related quality of life (QoL) to determine cut-offs for a self-report adherence questionnaire in patients with neurological diagnoses.

Design

Cross-sectional study.

Participants

910 patients (age 70±8.6 years) with neurological disorders were recruited from the wards of neurology at a local university hospital. All patients received a comprehensive geriatric assessment, including assessments of adherence (Stendal Adherence to Medication Score, SAMS) and QoL (Short Form Survey SF-36).

Outcome measures

The main aim of the study was to define a cut-off for non-adherence at which QoL is significantly impaired. Thus, we used Spearman’s rank correlation, multivariate and univariate analyses of variance to test the impact of different adherence levels on QoL. Receiver operating characteristics and area under curve measures were then used to determine cut-off scores for adherence based on significant differences in QoL.

Results

Correlations between SAMS and SF-36 domains were weak (ranging between r=−0.205 for emotional well-being and r=−0.094 for pain) and the effect of non-adherence on QoL disappeared in the multivariate analysis of variance (p=0.522) after adjusting for demographical and clinical factors. SAMS cut-offs in terms of SF-36 domains varied greatly, so that an overall SAMS cut-off for this cohort could not be defined.

Conclusions

QoL as measured by the SF-36 is not suitable as a single outcome parameter to study the impact of non-adherence on QoL in a mixed neurological cohort. Since both QoL and adherence are heterogeneous, multifaceted constructs, it is unlikely to find an overarching cut-off applicable for all patients. Thus, it may be necessary to use disease or cohort-specific external outcome parameters to measure the indirect effect of interventions to enhance adherence.

Trial registration number

DRKS00016774.
Fear of making a mistake: a prominent cause of stress for COVID-19 ICU staff—a mixed-methods study
Authors: Escher Cecilia , Nagy Elisabeth , Creutzfeldt Johan , Dahl Oili , Ruiz Mini , Ericson Mats , Osika Walter , Meurling Lisbet
Published: January 2023

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on many domains of healthcare. Even in high-income countries such as Sweden, the number of patients has vastly outnumbered the resources in affected areas, in particular during the first wave. Staff caring for patients with COVID-19 in intensive care units (ICUs) faced a very challenging situation that continued for months. This study aimed to describe burnout, safety climate and causes of stress among staff working in COVID-19 ICUs.

Method

A survey was distributed to all staff working in ICUs treating patients with COVID-19 in five Swedish hospitals during 2020 and 2021. The numbers of respondents were 104 and 603, respectively. Prepandemic data including 172 respondents from 2018 served as baseline.

Results

Staff exhaustion increased during the pandemic, but disengagement decreased compared with prepandemic levels (p<0.001). Background factors such as profession and work experience had no significant impact, but women scored higher in exhaustion. Total workload and working during both the first and second waves correlated positively to exhaustion, as did being regular ICU staff compared with temporary staff. Teamwork and safety climate remained unchanged compared with prepandemic levels.

Respondents reported ‘making a mistake’ as the most stressful of the predefined stressors. Qualitative analysis of open-ended questions identified ‘lack of knowledge and large responsibility’, ‘workload and work environment’, ‘uncertainty’, ‘ethical stress’ and ‘organization and teamwork’ as major causes of stress.

Conclusion

Despite large workloads, disengagement at work was low in our sample, even compared with prepandemic levels. High levels of exhaustion were reported by the ICU staff who carried the largest workload. Multiple significant causes of stress were identified, with fear of making a mistake the most significant stressor.
Endorsing: closing the loop on diagnostic tests in electronic health care records
Authors: Wronska Marta , Gaied Joseph , Udayaraj Udaya Prabhakar
Published: January 2023

The Oxford University Hospital NHS Trust (OUH) had introduced a policy to improve the timely endorsement of diagnostic tests. However, performance in the Oxford Kidney Unit (OKU) has been consistently below the OUH target of 85%. This project was undertaken to improve endorsement within the OKU. Weekly percentages of all diagnostic test results that were endorsed within 7 days of reporting were monitored as our main outcome measurement. During the intervention period, four plan–do–study–act (PDSA) cycles were undertaken each lasting 6 weeks. Introduced changes included interventions to develop a team-based approach and practical tools to enhance compliance, such as creating clinical worklists, a guidance document on endorsement and an endorsement newsletter. Data was monitored for a further 6 months beyond the intervention period to ensure improvement was sustained. There was a significant improvement in endorsement to above 85% by the end of the second PDSA cycle. This was maintained throughout the project and for a further 6 months beyond the intervention period. Our systematic approach to improving the endorsement of results is potentially transferable to other healthcare organisations using electronic healthcare records for clinical care.
Toxic neuropathies: a practical approach
Authors: Smyth Duncan , Kramarz Caroline , Carr Aisling S , Rossor Alexander M , Lunn Michael P
Published: January 2023

Toxic neuropathies result from exogenous substances damaging the peripheral nerves. There are numerous causes, including prescribed and recreational drugs, heavy metals, industrial agents and biological toxins. Timely recognition of these neuropathies gives better outcomes, as they usually improve or stabilise once the toxin is removed. Most toxic neuropathies are axonal, length-dependent and sensory predominant, although some have significant motor involvement or can present acutely or subacutely. Here, we outline our clinical approach and discuss the major causes of toxic neuropathy, while emphasising the clinical and neurophysiological features and the neuropathy phenotype. We also include an update on newer medications that can cause neuropathy, including immune checkpoint inhibitors and BRAF/MEK inhibitors.
Win or lose, nighttime transcystic laparoscopic common bile duct exploration is a win
Authors: Stettler Gregory R , Ganapathy Aravindh S , Bosley Maggie E , Spencer Audrey L , Neff Lucas P , Nunn Andrew M , Miller Preston R
Published: January 2023

Objectives

Although controversial, recent data suggest nighttime versus daytime laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) have comparable outcomes. Laparoscopic common bile duct exploration (LCBDE) for choledocholithiasis decreases length of stay (LOS) as compared with LC with endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) but increases case complexity/time. The influence of time of day on LCBDE outcomes has not been evaluated. Our aim was to examine outcomes and LOS for nighttime (PM) compared with daytime LC+LCBDE (DAY).

Methods

Consecutive patients who underwent LCBDE were reviewed. Demographics, operative duration, success of LCBDE, time to postoperative ERCP (if required), LOS, and complications were compared. PM procedures were defined as beginning 19:00–07:00 hours.

Results

Between 2018 and 2022, sixty patients underwent LCBDE (PM 42%). Groups had equivalent age/sex and preoperative liver function tests (LFTs). LCBDE success was 69% PM versus 71% DAY (p=0.78). Operative duration did not differ (2.8 IQR: 2.2–3.3 hours vs. 2.8 IQR: 2.3–3.2 hours, p=0.9). LOS was compared, and PM LOS was shorter (p=0.03). Time to ERCP after a failed LCBDE at night was compared with daytime (13.8 IQR: 10.6–29.5 hours vs. 19.9 IQR: 18.7–54.4 hours, p=0.07). LOS forfailedPM LCBDE requiring ERCP was similar tosuccessfulDAY LCBDE (p=0.29). One complication (transient hyperbilirubinemia) was reported in the DAY group, none in PM.

Conclusion

PM LCBDE cases are equivalent in safety and success rate to DAY cases but have reduced LOS. Widespread adoption of acute care surgery-driven management of choledocholithiasis via LCBDE during cholecystectomy may decrease LOS, especially in PM cases.

Level of evidence

Level IV.
Meso pyridin-4-ylsulfanyl substituted doubly N-confused pentafluorophenyl[26]hexaphyrin
Authors: Figueira F. , Paz Filipe A. Almeida , Tomé João P. C.
Published: January 2023

In recent years, much attention has been devoted to synthesizing and preparing novel expanded porphyrin architectures. Here we report the selective substitution of the [Formula: see text]-fluorine atoms of meso-hexakis(pentafluorophenyl)[Formula: see text]-confused[26]hexaphyrin with six 4-mercaptopyridine moieties. The preparation methods here described opening an avenue towards the modification and application of these macrocycles in a wide array of applications such as catalysis, sensing, and photonic applications.
Analysis of Wind Shear Variability and Its Effects on the Flights Activities at the Garoua Airport
Authors: Augustin Daïka , Cesar Mbane Biouele
Published: January 2023

In this study, the wind shear vector variability likely to mitigate the flights activities at the Cameroon Airport and in particular Garoua has been analyzed. This research is based on a statistical method R of pilot probe and observation synoptic station data, April–July 2021 period. The results show that Garoua Airport has recorded more than 55 percent of the intensities of the wind shear vector greater than 10 kt/100 ft with dominant directions in the North-South sector. The intensities of the headwind/tailwind shear vector are at 60 percent moderate; the probability density distribution shows 40 percent strong to very strong shear with moderate to strong probability. This fact may represent a problem for lighter aircrafts, whose crosswind rates are lower. In this context, the forecast of high wind speed values and directions becomes very important. The schedule distribution of the various wind during this period displays that the most sheared month is the month of May, the sounding that presents the strongest to very strong shears is that of 5 p.m. and the most sheared slice is the ground surface layer where the frictional force has a very large impact on the wind. In addition, the convective system’s formation and the geographical discontinuities effects contributed to the recording of shear types during the period not only at ground level but also at the superior levels.
The Choice of Textual Knowledge Base in Automated Claim Checking
Authors: Stammbach Dominik , Zhang Boya , Ash Elliott
Published: January 2023

Automated claim checking is the task of determining the veracity of a claim given evidence retrieved from a textual knowledge base of trustworthy facts. While previous work has taken the knowledge base as given and optimized the claim-checking pipeline, we take the opposite approach—taking the pipeline as given, we explore the choice of the knowledge base. Our first insight is that a claim-checking pipeline can be transferred to a new domain of claims with access to a knowledge base from the new domain. Second, we do not find a
“universally best”
knowledge base—higher domain overlap of a task dataset and a knowledge base tends to produce better label accuracy. Third, combining multiple knowledge bases does not tend to improve performance beyond using the closest-domain knowledge base. Finally, we show that the claim-checking pipeline’s confidence score for selecting evidence can be used to assess whether a knowledge base will perform well for a new set of claims, even in the absence of ground-truth labels.
Stateful Protocol Composition in Isabelle/HOL
Authors: Hess Andreas V. , MÖdersheim Sebastian A. , Brucker Achim D.
Published: January 2023

Communication networks like the Internet form a large distributed system where a huge number of components run in parallel, such as security protocols and distributed web applications. For what concerns security, it is obviously infeasible to verify them all at once as one monolithic entity; rather, one has to verify individual components in isolation.

While many typical components like TLS have been studied intensively, there exists much less research on analyzing and ensuring the security of the composition of security protocols. This is a problem since the composition of systems that are secure in isolation can easily be insecure. The main goal of compositionality is thus a theorem of the form: given a set of components that are already proved secure in isolation and that satisfy a number of easy-to-check conditions, then also their parallel composition is secure. Said conditions should of course also be realistic in practice, or better yet, already be satisfied for many existing components. Another benefit of compositionality is that when one would like to exchange a component with another one, all that is needed is the proof that the new component is secure in isolation and satisfies the composition conditions—without having to re-prove anything about the other components.

This article has three contributions over previous work in parallel compositionality. First, we extend the compositionality paradigm to
stateful systems
: while previous approaches work only for simple protocols that only have a local session state, our result supports participants who maintain long-term
databases
that can be
shared
among several protocols. This includes a paradigm for
declassification of shared secrets
. This result is in fact so general that it also covers many forms of
sequential composition
as a special case of stateful parallel composition. Second, our compositionality result is formalized and proved in Isabelle/HOL, providing a strong correctness guarantee of our proofs. This also means that one can prove, without gaps, the security of an entire system in Isabelle/HOL, namely the security of components in isolation and the composition conditions, and thus derive the security of the entire system as an Isabelle theorem. For the components one can also make use of our tool PSPSP that can perform automatic proofs for many stateful protocols. Third, for the compositionality conditions we have also implemented an automated check procedure in Isabelle.
Algorithm 1037: SuiteSparse:GraphBLAS: Parallel Graph Algorithms in the Language of Sparse Linear Algebra
Authors: Davis Timothy A.
Published: January 2023

SuiteSparse:GraphBLAS is a full parallel implementation of the GraphBLAS standard, which defines a set of sparse matrix operations on an extended algebra of semirings using an almost unlimited variety of operators and types. When applied to sparse adjacency matrices, these algebraic operations are equivalent to computations on graphs. A description of the parallel implementation of SuiteSparse:GraphBLAS is given, including its novel parallel algorithms for sparse matrix multiply, addition, element-wise multiply, submatrix extraction and assignment, and the GraphBLAS mask/accumulator operation. Its performance is illustrated by solving the graph problems in the GAP Benchmark and by comparing it with other sparse matrix libraries.