bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Method for controlling invasive Ammophila arenaria in coastal dunes alters restoration trajectory
Authors: Parsons Lorraine S. , Fuqua Savannah R. , Spaeth Michael K. , Becker Benjamin H.
Published: June 2023

Coastal dune restoration often focuses on weed removal to reestablish native vegetation communities. Point Reyes National Seashore (PRNS) initiated large‐scale dune restoration after becoming concerned about loss of dune and rare species habitat from spread of non‐native Ammophila arenaria (European beachgrass). Two projects removed beachgrass from 146 ha of heavily invaded dunes using either mechanical removal or herbicide treatment. PRNS conducted pre‐ and post‐restoration vegetation monitoring for 10 years post‐implementation, evaluating success in (1) eradicating beachgrass and (2) reestablishing vegetation communities similar to native dunes in cover, diversity, and species composition. Both methods eradicated beachgrass with annual retreatment. However, they were less successful in rebuilding vegetation communities with comparable native species cover and/or richness. Mechanical removal areas remained largely barren expanses of sand that struggled to support native plants except for a rare perennial, Tidestrom's lupine (Lupinus tidestromii). Tidestrom's lupine and other rare plants now number in the hundreds of thousands. Conversely, herbicide‐treated backdunes were dominated by standing dead beachgrass that resisted decomposition even after 7 years, which hampered native and rare plant establishment. Delayed decomposition was less of an issue in herbicide‐treated foredunes, because sand overwash buried necromass. Restored areas also contended with subsequent invasion by secondary plant invaders. By 2021, only older herbicide‐treated backdunes, and to a lesser extent, mechanical backdunes, showed signs of convergence with native dunes. Successful convergence may be hindered by lingering physical and microbial legacy effects of beachgrass invasion and treatment method. Adaptive restoration may be needed to counter effects and improve project success.
Actions to achieve rapid coral self‐attachment: insights from outplanting nails, coral orientation, and substrate biological condition
Authors: Huang Lintao , Yu Xiaolei , Liu Chengyue , Jiang Lei , Chen Lunju , Ye Wentao , Zhang Pan , Zhang Yuyang , Huang Hui
Published: June 2023

Coral outplanting is a potential method for restoring coral cover in degraded reefs. Rapid coral self‐attachment is key to successful outplanting. Although many technical details have been noted during coral outplanting, it remains unclear how nail type and coral orientation affect the outplanting success. To test the effect of nails and coral orientations on outplanted Acropora intermedia corals over 8 months in Luhuitou Reef, China, three nails (normal, cross, and eta) were selected based on their ability to limit coral movement and combined with two axial corallite orientations (upright and upside‐down). Survival, growth, and especially coral tissue growth on nails or substrates were monitored during the experiment. The survival, partial tissue mortality, and growth showed no significant difference between treatments. However, the ratio of normal nail self‐attachment to the reef substrate was significantly lower than with eta nails. Self‐attachment to the substrate of the upside‐down group was significantly higher than in the upright group. The results have suggested eta nails and upside‐down orientation are most favorable for coral self‐attachment. The sea cucumber Ocnus sanya outbreak at one experiment site gave us the opportunity to study the effects of species interactions on outplanted corals, showing that O. sanya may increase coral tissue mortality by staying at the corals' base and reducing their self‐attachment to the reef. These findings highlight the importance of considering nail type, coral orientation, and substrate biological competition on coral self‐attachment during outplanting.
Stakeholder theory in the public sector domain: A bibliometric analysis and future research agenda
Authors: Sarturi Greici , Barakat Simone R. , Gomes Ricardo Corrêa
Published: June 2023

Stakeholder theory has been widely studied and used in private companies because of its potential to achieve satisfactory organizational outcomes and create sustainable value among different stakeholder groups. However, the stakeholder theory principles still need to be consolidated in the public administration field. To advance this discussion, this study undertook a bibliometric analysis to collect, analyze, and synthesize the research that had already been developed in this regard. We analyzed 1805 articles published between 1982 and 2021. Our findings show that even though some ideas of stakeholder theory seem to be associated with important topics in the public administration field, such as participation and governance, some of the central principles of stakeholder theory have still not been explored in depth in studies of the public sector. A proposed research agenda indicates the need for stakeholder management theories and their interaction with public value, performance, sustainability and innovation.
Re‐examine the transfusion transmitted risk of SARS‐CoV‐2 virus during a major COVID‐19 outbreak in 2022
Authors: Ng S. C. , Chu A. W. H. , Chan W. M. , Yip C. C. Y. , Leung K. H. , So C. K. , Leung J. N. S. , To K. K. W. , Lee C. K.
Published: June 2023

Introduction

Although no case of COVID‐19 transmission through transfusion has been reported, blood transfusion service (BTS) continues to implement pre‐donation and post‐donation measures to minimise the risk. In year 2022, when local healthcare system was badly impacted by a major outbreak, it opened an opportunity to re‐examine the viraemia risk in these asymptomatic donors.

Materials and Methods

Records were retrieved from blood donors who reported COVID‐19 after donation and follow‐up was also made for recipients who received their blood. Blood samples at donation were tested for SARS‐CoV‐2 viraemia by single‐tube nested real‐time RT‐PCR assay designed to detect most SARS‐CoV‐2 variants including the prevailing delta and omicron variants.

Results

From 1 January to 15 August 2022, the city with 7.4 M inhabitants recorded 1 187 844 COVID‐19 positive cases and 125 936 successful blood donations were received. 781 donors reported to the BTS after donation with 701 being COVID‐19 related (including close contact and symptoms respiratory tract infection). 525 COVID‐19 were positive at the time of call back or follow‐up.

Of the 701 donations, they were processed into 1480 components with 1073 discarded upon donors' call back. For remaining 407 components, no recipient was found to have adverse event or COVID‐19 positive. 510 samples from the above 525 COVID‐19 positive donors were available and all tested negative for SARS‐CoV‐2 RNA.

Discussion

With the negative SARS‐CoV‐2 RNA in blood donation samples and follow up data in transfusion recipients, the risk of transfusion transmitted COVID‐19 appears negligible. However, current measures remains important in securing blood safety with ongoing surveillance of their effectiveness.
Alfaxalone provides reliable sedation for intradermal allergen testing in dogs and does not significantly affect results when compared to dexmedetomidine
Authors: Meason Courtney , Salazar Rebecca , Gentry Christina M.
Published: June 2023

Background

Dexmedetomidine (Dexmedetomidine hydrochloride‐Dexdomitor; Zoetis) is the preferred sedative used for canine intradermal allergen testing (IDT) in the United States. Alfaxalone (Alfaxan Multidose; Jurox Animal Health) is a neuroactive steroid, and its effect on sedation and allergen reactivity scores is unknown.

Hypothesis/Objectives

We hypothesised that alfaxalone would produce an adequate level of sedation with fewer cardiovascular adverse effects and would not affect allergen reactivity scores or histamine wheal size compared to dexmedetomidine.

Materials and Methods

Twenty client‐owned dogs were included in two groups: 10 atopic and 10 nonatopic. In a randomised, controlled, blinded, cross‐over design all dogs underwent two modified IDT, 1–4 weeks apart, using intravenous dexmedetomidine (2.87–5.22 μg/kg) or alfaxalone (1.8–2.4 mg/kg). Anaesthetic parameters and sedation level were recorded over 25 min using a validated canine sedation scale described by Grint et al. (Small Anim Pract, 2009, 50, 62). Simultaneously, both objective and subjective reactivity scores were measured in technical triplicates at 10, 15 and 20 min. The modified IDT included eight allergens, histamine‐positive and saline‐negative controls.

Results

Alfaxalone produced a significantly higher sedation score across all time points (p < 0.05). All objective scores were significantly correlated to the corresponding subjective scores (SpearmanR = 0.859,p < 0.0001). Sedative used did not significantly affect subjective allergen scores for nine atopic dogs (p > 0.05, 15 min). Sedative used did not affect the diameter of objective scores for individual allergens and histamine wheals (p > 0.05, 15 min).

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance

Intravascular alfaxalone is an alternative sedative for IDT in dogs. Alfaxalone may be preferred to dexmedetomidine in some clinical scenarios as a result of having fewer cardiovascular adverse effects.
Psychological ownership and identity motives in blood donation
Authors: Edwards Abigail R.‐A. , Masser Barbara M. , Barlow Fiona K.
Published: June 2023

Background and Objectives

Interventions to retain existing donors are essential to increase the blood supply. Blood donor self‐identity is proposed to motivate sustained donation behaviour. However, interventions to develop self‐identity in the absence of donating blood are scarce. We propose that experiencing psychological ownership of a blood collection agency (BCA) may provide a potential avenue for fostering donor self‐identity and subsequent sustained donation behaviour.

Materials and Methods

Two hundred and fifty‐five donor participants were recruited through Prolific Academic (n = 175) and an Australian online blood donor community group (n = 80), with an additional 252 non‐donors recruited through Prolific Academic. Participants completed an online survey assessing donation behaviour, perceived psychological ownership of a BCA, self‐identity and intentions to donate blood, amongst other constructs.

Results

Consistent with our theoretical argument, psychological ownership was positively associated with self‐identity, which, in turn, was positively associated with intentions to donate blood. Donation behaviour was positively associated with psychological ownership. Examination of psychological ownership by donation experience showed the expected relationship with committed donors having the strongest psychological ownership and non‐donors having the weakest psychological ownership over a BCA.

Conclusion

We provide initial support for the inclusion of psychological ownership within a model of sustained blood donation behaviour.
Canine intrahepatic portosystemic shunts: Interlobar and intralobar classifications
Authors: Walsh Nicholas D. , Porter Ian R. , Miller Allison V. , Fischetti Anthony J. , Cheong Soon Hon , Scrivani Peter V.
Published: June 2023

This two‐part study design showed that a canine congenital intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (IPSS) may be classified by its location within a liver fissure (interlobar) or lobe (intralobar). A prospective anatomic study reviewed normal canine liver morphology and showed the CT angiography (CTA) appearance of the normal canine ductus venosus (DV), which was confirmed via dissection and literature review to be between the papillary process and left‐lateral liver lobe (in the fissure for ligamentum venosum). A retrospective multi‐institutional case series documented the frequency of imaging findings in 56 dogs with a single IPSS that underwent portal CTA at Cornell University or the Schwarzman Animal Medical Center between June 2008 and August 2022. An interlobar IPSS was seen in 24 of 56 (43%) dogs, all arose from the left portal branch except one. These shunts were typically near the median plane, remained interlobar throughout the course, and were nearly always (96%) craniodorsal to the porta hepatis. Four types were distinguished: patent DV (11 dogs), left interlobar (11 dogs), right interlobar (1 dog), and ventral interlobar (1 dog). Only about half (46%) were in the fissure for ligamentum venosum and therefore classified as a patent DV. An intralobar IPSS was seen in 32 of 56 (57%) dogs, most (88%) originated from the right portal branch and were in the right‐lateral liver lobe (21 dogs) or caudate process (7 dogs). During canine portal CTA, documenting the interlobar or intralobar location of an IPSS might increase the consistency and validity of IPSS description.
Assessment and comparison of microcirculation and macrocirculation in horses undergoing emergency exploratory celiotomy versus elective surgical procedures
Authors: Foth Patrick W. , Gardner Alison , Pereira Carolina Ricco , Cooper Edward , Schroeder Eric , Mudge Margaret C.
Published: June 2023

Objective

To assess oral buccal microcirculation by hand‐held videomicroscopy in horses during colic surgery, comparing microcirculation values with macrocirculatory parameters and with those of healthy elective surgical horses.

Study design

Clinical prospective study.

Animals

Client‐owned horses (nine in the colic group; 11 in the elective group).

Methods

In the colic group, buccal mucosal side stream dark‐field microscopy (DFM) videos, cardiac output (CO), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and lactate were obtained at three timepoints under general anesthesia (30, 90, and 150 min after induction). Video analysis was used to determine total vessel density, proportion of perfused vessels, perfused vessel density, and heterogeneity index. Dark‐field microscopy videos, MAP, and lactate were obtained at a single timepoint under general anesthesia (45 min after induction) in the elective group.

Results

There were no differences in microcirculatory parameters between colic and elective horses, nor was there a difference across timepoints in the colic group. There was a weak negative correlation between microvascular parameters and CO (rho = −0.23).

Conclusion

The colic group did not have decreased microcirculation in comparison with the healthy elective group. Dark‐field microscopy did not correlate well with macrocirculatory parameters in the colic group.

Impact

Dark‐field microscopy may not be a sensitive enough indicator to detect differences in microcirculation between colic and elective groups. The lack of difference in microcirculation may be due to sample size, probe location, or variation in disease severity.
Effects of a 10% dimethyl sulfoxide solution on radiocarpal joint amikacin pharmacokinetics during intravenous regional limb perfusion in standing sedated horses
Authors: Kilcoyne Isabelle , Nieto Jorge , Magdesian K. Gary , Nottle Bridget F.
Published: June 2023

Objective

To determine the effect of a 10% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) solution on the peak concentration (CMAX) of amikacin in the radiocarpal joint (RCJ) during intravenous regional limb perfusion (IVRLP) compared with 0.9% NaCl.

Study design

Randomized crossover study.

Animals

Seven healthy adult horses.

Methods

The horses underwent IVRLP with 2 g of amikacin sulfate diluted to 60 mL using a 10% DMSO or 0.9% NaCl solution. Synovial fluid was collected from the RCJ at 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 minutes after IVRLP. The wide rubber tourniquet placed on the antebrachium was removed after the 30 min sample. Amikacin concentrations were quantified by a fluorescence polarization immunoassay. The mean CMAXand time to peak concentration (TMAX) of amikacin within the RCJ were determined. A one‐sided pairedt‐test was used to determine the differences between treatments. The significance level wasp < .05.

Results

The mean ± SD CMAXin the DMSO group was 1361.8 ± 593 μg/mL and in the 0.9% NaCl group it was 860 ± 481.6 μg/mL (p = .058). Mean TMAXusing the 10% DMSO solution was 23 and 18 min using the 0.9% NaCl perfusate (p = .161). No adverse effects were associated with use of the 10% DMSO solution.

Conclusion

Although there were higher mean peak synovial concentrations using the 10% DMSO solution no difference in synovial amikacin CMAXbetween perfusate type was detected (p= .058).

Clinical significance

Use of a 10% DMSO solution in conjunction with amikacin during IVRLP is a feasible technique and does not negatively affect the synovial amikacin levels achieved. Further research is warranted to determine other effects of using DMSO during IVRLP.
Assessing Instagram Addiction and Social Media Dependency among Young Adults in Karnataka
Authors: Thomas Lijo P , Chaudhary Ritesh , Thomas Juby , Menon Vishnu Achutha
Published: June 2023

This research paper investigates the extent and seriousness of Instagram addiction and social media dependency among young adults in Karnataka, India. The study utilized a cross-sectional survey design and collected data from 511 participants aged 18 to 25 years. To assess social media addiction and Instagram addiction, the researchers employed the Social Media Dependency Scale (SMDS) and The Instagram Addiction Scale (TIAS) respectively. Data analysis involved frequency and percentage analysis, cross-tabulation, Independent sample t-test, One-way ANOVA, and Pearson's correlation analysis. The results revealed that a majority of participants demonstrated moderate to high levels of social media dependency and Instagram addiction. Furthermore, the study found variations in social media dependency and Instagram addiction based on factors such as gender, region, and locality of residence. It was also discovered that Instagram addiction showed a significant positive correlation with social media dependency. These findings emphasize the necessity for targeted interventions to address social media addiction and its impact on the mental health and overall well-being of young adults in Karnataka.
Two‐pore channel 1 and Ca2+ release‐activated Ca2+ channels contribute to the acrosomal pH‐dependent intracellular Ca2+ increase in mouse sperm
Authors: Oliver Enrique I. , Jabloñski Martina , Buffone Mariano G. , Darszon Alberto
Published: June 2023

The acrosome is a lysosome‐related vesicular organelle located in the sperm head. The acrosomal reaction (AR) is an exocytic process mediated by Ca2+ and essential for mammalian fertilization. Recent findings support the importance of acrosomal alkalinization for the AR. Mibefradil (Mib) and NNC 55‐0396 (NNC) are two amphipathic weak bases that block the sperm‐specific Ca2+ channel (CatSper) and induce acrosomal pH (pHa) increase by accumulating in the acrosomal lumen of mammalian sperm. This accumulation and pHa elevation increase the intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) and trigger the AR by unknown mechanisms of Ca2+ transport. Here, we investigated the pathways associated with the pHa increase‐induced Ca2+ signals using mouse sperm as a model. To address these questions, we used single‐cell Ca2+ imaging, the lysosomotropic agent Gly‐Phe‐β‐naphthylamide (GPN) and pharmacological tools. Our findings show that Mib and NNC increase pHa and release acrosomal Ca2+ without compromising acrosomal membrane integrity. Our GPN results indicate that the osmotic component does not significantly contribute to acrosomal Ca2+ release caused by pHa rise. Inhibition of two‐pore channel 1 (TPC1) channels reduced the [Ca2+]i increase stimulated by acrosomal alkalinization. In addition, blockage of Ca2+ release‐activated Ca2+ (CRAC) channels diminished Ca2+ uptake triggered by pHa alkalinization. Finally, our findings contribute to understanding how pHa controls acrosomal Ca2+ efflux and extracellular Ca2+ entry during AR in mouse sperm.

image

Key points

The acrosomal vesicle is a lysosome‐related organelle located in the sperm head. The acrosome reaction (AR) is a highly regulated exocytic process mediated by Ca2+, which is essential for fertilization. However, the molecular identity of Ca2+ transporters involved in the AR and their mechanisms to regulate Ca2+ fluxes are not fully understood.

In mammalian sperm, acrosomal alkalinization induces intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) increase and triggers the AR by unknown molecular mechanisms of Ca2+ transport. In this study, we explored the molecular mechanisms underlying Ca2+ signals caused by acrosomal alkalinization using mouse sperm as a model.

TPC1 and CRAC channels contribute to [Ca2+]i elevation during acrosomal alkalinization.

Our findings expand our understanding of how the acrosomal pH participates in the physiological induction of the AR.
Enhancing the Thermal Dissipation in Batteries via Inclusion of Central Heat Sink
Authors: Aryanfar Asghar , Elias Fadi , Goddard William A.
Published: June 2023

The generation of heat within the rechargeable batteries during the charge–discharge cycles is inevitable, making heat dissipation a very critical part of their design and operation procedure, as a safety and sustainability measure. In particular, when the heat gets the least possibility to escape from the electrode surface, the boundary of the packaging material remains the sole heat dissipator. In this regard, the heat gets accumulated in the central zone, making it the most critical, since it has the least possibility to escape to the surroundings. Anticipating such a heat trap, a central heat sink component is devised, where the role of its conductivity and the relative scale is analyzed based on the formation of transient and steady-state temperature profiles. Additionally, an analytical solution is attained for the location of the maximum temperature, where its value and correlation with the electrolyte conductivity, heat generation rate, and scale of the cell have been quantified. Due to the existence of the curved boundaries, it is shown that the time versus space resolution for capturing the transient evolution of the temperature is more strict than the flat surface and analytically acquired as ≈33% smaller value. Such enhanced design and subsequent analysis are critical for planning sustainable and cost-effective packaging to avoid the ignition and failure of the respective electrolyte.
An Explanation for the Flutter Paradox in the Supercritical Region of a Simply-Supported Fluid-Conveying Pipe
Authors: Ming Ding , Shuai Meng , Zhen Liu , Junhan Zhan
Published: June 2023

Employing traditional Galerkin method, a coupled-mode flutter is predicted in the supercritical region of simply-supported pipes which constitutes a paradox since the internal flow effect is conservative and there is no energy to sustain the oscillation. Although there is a consensus that the flutter does not exist, the intrinsic mechanism remains to be clarified. This study has found that the internal flow induced Coriolis force term cannot be decoupled in traditional Galerkin method which leads to the dissatisfaction of the convergence conditions required in weighted residual approach (WRA). Moreover, the disparities in the predicted complex frequencies have been witnessed at different base function numbers when the internal flow velocity is sufficiently large. A modified Galerkin method adopting a new set of weighting functions is proposed based on WRA, and the Coriolis force term disappears by use of the orthogonality relations (it is stated that the Coriolis force is not directly omitted). Thus, a convergent solution for the set of residual functions which are identically equal to zeros can be guaranteed. Employing the modified method, the convergence in simulations is confirmed and the flutter phenomenon does not occur. This study can be a workbench for the study on the unsolved or partly solved issues in simulations of fluid-conveying pipes. Moreover, it has demonstrated that the predictions in traditional Galerkin method overestimate the natural frequencies, and it becomes more profound in higher-order natural modes at larger internal flow velocities which are of practice significance for dynamic analysis of flexible pipeline systems.
Using Multivariate Data Analysis to Project Performance in Biathletes and Cross-Country Skiers
Authors: Jones Thomas W. , Lindblom Hampus P. , Laaksonen Marko S. , McGawley Kerry
Published: June 2023

Purpose: To determine whether competitive performance, as defined by International Biathlon Union (IBU) and International Ski Federation (FIS) points in biathlon and cross-country (XC) skiing, respectively, can be projected using a combination of anthropometric and physiological metrics. Shooting accuracy was also included in the biathlon models. Methods: Data were analyzed using multivariate methods from 45 (23 female and 22 male) biathletes and 202 (86 female and 116 male) XC skiers who were all members of senior national teams, national development teams, or ski-university or high school invite-only programs (age range: 16–36 y). Anthropometric and physiological characteristics were assessed via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and incremental roller-ski treadmill tests, respectively. Shooting accuracy was assessed via an outdoor standardized testing protocol. Results: Valid projective models were identified for female biathletes’ IBU points (R2 = .80/Q2 = .65) and female XC skiers’ FIS distance (R2 = .81/Q2 = .74) and sprint (R2 = .81/Q2 = .70) points. No valid models were identified for the men. The most important variables for the projection of IBU points were shooting accuracy, speeds at blood lactate concentrations of 4 and 2 mmol·L−1, peak aerobic power, and lean mass. The most important variables for the projection of FIS distance and sprint points were speeds at blood lactate concentrations of 4 and 2 mmol·L−1 and peak aerobic power. Conclusions: This study highlights the relative importance of specific anthropometric, physiological, and shooting-accuracy metrics in female biathletes and XC skiers. The data can help to identify the specific metrics that should be targeted when monitoring athletes’ progression and designing training plans.
A Maximal Rowing-Ergometer Protocol to Predict Maximal Oxygen Uptake in Female Rowers
Authors: Mazza Oscar B. , Gam Søren , Kolind Mikkel E.I. , Kiær Christian , Donstrup Christina , Jensen Kurt
Published: June 2023

Background: Laboratory assessment of maximal oxygen uptake () is physically and mentally draining for the athlete and requires expensive laboratory equipment. Indirect measurement of could provide a practical alternative to laboratory testing. Purpose: To examine the relationship between the maximal power output (MPO) in an individualized 7 × 2-minute incremental test (INCR-test) and and to develop a regression equation to predict from MPO in female rowers. Methods: Twenty female club and Olympic rowers (development group) performed the INCR-test on a Concept2 rowing ergometer to determine and MPO. A linear regression analysis was used to develop a prediction of from MPO. Cross-validation analysis of the prediction equation was performed using an independent sample of 10 female rowers (validation group). Results: A high correlation coefficient (r = .94) was found between MPO and . The following prediction equation was developed: (mL·min−1) = 9.58 × MPO (W) + 958. No difference was found between the mean predicted in the INCR-test (3480 mL·min−1) and the measured (3530 mL·min−1). The standard error of estimate was 162 mL·min−1, and the percentage standard error of estimate was 4.6%. The prediction model only including MPO, determined during the INCR-test, explained 89% of the variability in . Conclusion: The INCR-test is a practical and accessible alternative to laboratory testing of .
Management of a Special Warfare Trainee With Repeat Exertional Heat Stroke: A Case Study
Authors: Caraway J. Joseph , Shepard Julius , Hintz Courtney , Butler Cody R.
Published: June 2023

Context: Exertional heat stroke (EHS) is the most deadly form the exertional heat illness with a higher incidence among active duty US military members than in the general population. Current guidelines on EHS recovery timelines and return to duty vary among the military branches. In some cases, individuals experience prolonged heat and exercise intolerance with repeat exertional heat illness events, which can complicate the recovery process. Management and rehabilitation of such individuals is unclear. Case Presentation: This manuscript addresses the case and management of a US Air Force Special Warfare trainee who experienced 2 episodes of EHS, despite early recognition, gold standard treatment, and undergoing 4 weeks of a stepwise recovery after an initial EHS. Management and Outcomes: After the second episode, a 3-step process was utilized, consisting of a prolonged and personalized recovery period, heat tolerance testing using Israeli Defense Force advanced modeling, and stepwise reacclimatization. This process allowed the trainee to successfully recover from repeat EHS and return to duty, and set a framework for future repeat EHS treatment guidelines. Conclusions: In individuals with repeat EHS, a prolonged recovery period followed by heat tolerance testing can be used to demonstrate appropriate thermotolerance and safely clear an individual to begin stepwise reacclimatization. Overall, patient care and military readiness may be improved by unified Department of Defense guidelines for return to duty after EHS.
Validity and Reliability of the Kinvent Handheld Dynamometer in the Athletic Shoulder Test
Authors: Olds Margie , McLaine Sally , Magni Nico
Published: June 2023

Context: Long-lever shoulder strength tests may aid clinical decision-making regarding return to sport after a shoulder injury. The Athletic Shoulder Test (AST) was developed to measure force production in 3 positions of shoulder abduction (90°, 135°, and 180°) using force plates. However, handheld dynamometers (HHDs) are more portable, affordable, and may provide valid and reliable results which would increase the clinical utility of long-lever tests. HHDs vary in shape, design, and their capacity to report parameters such as rate of force production and require further investigation. The aim of this study was to examine the intrarater reliability of the Kinvent HHD and assess its validity against Kinvent force plates in the AST. Peak force (in kilograms), torque (in Newton meters), and normalized torque (in Newton meters per kilogram) were reported. Design: Validity and reliability study. Methods: Twenty-seven participants with no history of upper limb injury performed the test in a randomized order using the Kinvent HHD and force plates. Each condition was assessed 3 times, and peak force was recorded. Arm length was measured to calculate peak torque. Normalized peak torque was calculated by dividing torque by bodyweight (in kilograms). Results: The Kinvent HHD is reliable when measuring force (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] ≥ .80), torque (ICC ≥ .84), and normalized torque (ICC ≥ .64) during the AST. The Kinvent HHD is also valid when compared with the Kinvent force plates for force (ICC ≥ .79; r ≥ .82), torque (ICC ≥ .82; r ≥ .76), and normalized torque (ICC ≥ .71; r ≥ .61). There were no statistically significant differences across the 3 trials on analyses of variance (P > .05). Conclusions: The Kinvent HHD is a reliable tool when used to measure force, torque, and normalized torque in the AST. Furthermore, given the lack of significant difference between trials, clinicians can use one test to accurately report relative peak force/torque/normalized torque rather than average 3 separate trials. Finally, the Kinvent HHD is valid when compared with Kinvent force plates.
Limited climatic space for alternative ecosystem states in Africa
Authors: Higgins Steven I. , Conradi Timo , Kruger Laurence M. , O’Hara Robert B. , Slingsby Jasper A.
Published: June 2023

One of the foundational premises of ecology is that climate determines ecosystems. This has been challenged by alternative ecosystem state models, which illustrate that internal ecosystem dynamics acting on the initial ecosystem state can overwhelm the influence of climate, and by observations suggesting that climate cannot reliably discriminate forest and savanna ecosystem types. Using a novel phytoclimatic transform, which estimates the ability of climate to support different types of plants, we show that climatic suitability for evergreen trees and C4 grasses are sufficient to discriminate between forest and savanna in Africa. Our findings reassert the dominant influence of climate on ecosystems and suggest that the role of feedbacks causing alternative ecosystem states is less prevalent than has been suggested.
Acceleration of Diels-Alder reactions by mechanical distortion
Authors: Zholdassov Yerzhan S. , Yuan Li , Garcia Sergio Romero , Kwok Ryan W. , Boscoboinik Alejandro , Valles Daniel J. , Marianski Mateusz , Martini Ashlie , Carpick Robert W. , Braunschweig Adam B.
Published: June 2023

Challenges in quantifying how force affects bond formation have hindered the widespread adoption of mechanochemistry. We used parallel tip-based methods to determine reaction rates, activation energies, and activation volumes of force-accelerated [4+2] Diels-Alder cycloadditions between surface-immobilized anthracene and four dienophiles that differ in electronic and steric demand. The rate dependences on pressure were unexpectedly strong, and substantial differences were observed between the dienophiles. Multiscale modeling demonstrated that in proximity to a surface, mechanochemical trajectories ensued that were distinct from those observed solvothermally or under hydrostatic pressure. These results provide a framework for anticipating how experimental geometry, molecular confinement, and directed force contribute to mechanochemical kinetics.
In Other Journals
Authors: Seale Maddy , Maroso Mattia , Funk Michael A. , Ash Caroline , Yeston Jake , Smith Keith T. , Simonti Corinne
Published: June 2023

Editors’ selections from the current scientific literature
A Potential Nontraditional Approach To Combat
tmexCD1-toprJ1-
Mediated Tigecycline Resistance: Melatonin as a Synergistic Adjuvant of Tigecycline
Authors: Wang Xiaoming , Liu Ting , Lv Xi , Sun Naiyan , Li Fan , Luo Lei , Zhuge Xiangkai , Huang Jinhu , Wang Liping
Published: June 2023

The emergence of TMexCD1-TOprJ1, a novel transferable resistance-nodulation-division (RND)-type efflux pump conferring resistance to tigecycline, is now a serious public health issue in the world. Here, we found that melatonin synergistically enhanced the antibacterial efficacy of tigecycline against
tmexCD1-toprJ1
-positive
Klebsiella pneumoniae
by disrupting the proton driving force and efflux function to promote the accumulation of tigecycline into cells, damaging cell membrane integrity and causing the leakage of cell contents.
Development of an
In Vitro
Model of the Gut Microbiota Enriched in Mucus-Adhering Bacteria
Authors: Calvigioni Marco , Panattoni Adelaide , Biagini Francesco , Donati Leonardo , Mazzantini Diletta , Massimino Mariacristina , Daddi Costanza , Celandroni Francesco , Vozzi Giovanni , Ghelardi Emilia
Published: June 2023

These findings highlight the importance of mucins in shaping intestinal microbial communities, even those in artificial gut microbiota systems. We propose our
in vitro
model based on mucin-coated electrospun gelatin structures as a valid device for studies evaluating the effects of exogenous factors (nutrients, probiotics, infectious agents, and drugs) on mucus-adhering microbial communities.
Wollamide Cyclic Hexapeptides Synergize with Established and New Tuberculosis Antibiotics in Targeting Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Authors: Rollo Rachel F. , Mori Giorgia , Hill Timothy A. , Hillemann Doris , Niemann Stefan , Homolka Susanne , Fairlie David P. , Blumenthal Antje
Published: June 2023

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease that affects millions of people globally, with 1.6 million deaths annually. TB treatment requires combinations of multiple different antibiotics for many months, and toxic side effects can occur.
Vaccine access, equity and justice: COVID-19 vaccines and vaccination
Authors: Privor-Dumm Lois , Excler Jean-Louis , Gilbert Sarah , Abdool Karim Salim S , Hotez Peter J , Thompson Didi , Kim Jerome H
Published: June 2023

Although significant progress has been made in achieving goals for COVID-19 vaccine access, the quest for equity and justice remains an unfinished agenda. Vaccine nationalism has prompted calls for new approaches to achieve equitable access and justice not only for vaccines but also for vaccination. This includes ensuring country and community participation in global discussions and that local needs to strengthen health systems, address issues related to social determinants of health, build trust and leverage acceptance to vaccines, are addressed. Regional vaccine technology and manufacturing hubs are promising approaches to address access challenges and must be integrated with efforts to ensure demand. The current situation underlines the need for access, demand and system strengthening to be addressed along with local priorities for justice to be achieved. Innovations to improve accountability and leverage existing platforms are also needed. Sustained political will and investment is required to ensure ongoing production of non-pandemic vaccines and sustained demand, particularly when perceived threat of disease appears to be waning. Several recommendations are made to govern towards justice including codesigning the path forward with low-income and middle-income countries; establishing stronger accountability measures; establishing dedicated groups to engage with countries and manufacturing hubs to ensure that the affordable supply and predictable demand are in balance; addressing country needs for health system strengthening through leveraging existing health and development platforms and delivering on product presentations informed by country needs. Even if difficult, we must converge on a definition of justice well in advance of the next pandemic.
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the quality of medical products in Zimbabwe: a qualitative study based on key informant interviews with health system stakeholders
Authors: Yemeke Tatenda T , Umaru Farouk A , Ferrand Rashida A , Ozawa Sachiko
Published: June 2023

Objective

To explore the impact of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the quality of medical products in Zimbabwe, including market risks for substandard and falsified products and impacts on quality assurance activities.

Design

Qualitative study based on in-depth key informant interviews.

Setting

Health system stakeholders across the medical product supply chain in Zimbabwe.

Participants

36 key informants were interviewed between April and June 2021.

Results

We found that the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted quality assurance and regulatory activities of medical products in Zimbabwe, resulted in observations of poor-quality personal protective equipment (PPE) and other COVID-19-related products and led to increased risks to quality. Risks to quality due to COVID-19-related disruptions included increased layers of agents in the supply chain and an influx of non-traditional suppliers. COVID-19-related movement restrictions reduced access to health facilities and thus may have increased the usage of the informal market where smuggled and unregistered medical products are sold with less oversight by the regulator. Most reports of poor-quality medical products were for PPE, such as masks and infrared thermometers, used for the COVID-19 response. Besides these reports, many participants stated that the quality of essential medicines in the formal sector, not related to COVID-19, had largely been maintained during the pandemic due to the regulator’s stringent quality assurance process. Incentives for suppliers to maintain quality to retain large donor-funded contracts, and the need for local wholesalers and distributors to comply with quality-related aspects of distribution agreements with global manufacturers of brand-name medical products, mitigated threats to quality.

Conclusions

The COVID-19 pandemic presented opportunities and market risks for circulation of substandard and falsified medical products in Zimbabwe. There is a need for policymakers to invest in measures to safeguard the quality of medical products during emergencies and to build resiliency against future supply chain shocks.
Cerebral aneurysms: Germany-wide real-world outcome data of endovascular or neurosurgical treatment from 2007 to 2019
Authors: Haverkamp Christian , Kaier Klaus , Shah Mukesch , von zur Mühlen Constantin , Beck Jürgen , Urbach Horst , Meckel Stephan
Published: June 2023

Background

Evidence on clinical outcome after endovascular treatment (EVT) vs neurosurgical clipping of intracranial aneurysms (IAs) is based on one randomized and one pseudo-randomized trial for ruptured aneurysms. Herein, we analyze nationwide real-world hospital outcomes after EVT vs clipping of ruptured and unruptured IAs.

Methods

This cohort study analyzed all EVT and clipping procedures for IAs in Germany between 2007 and 2019. The data basis was the billing-data of all German hospitals from the German Federal Statistical Office. EVT and clipping interventions, comorbidities, and in-hospital outcomes were identified using International Classification of Diseases (ICD) and Operation and Procedure (OPS) codes. Discharge type was used as a surrogate marker for functional independence. Poor clinical outcome at discharge was additionally defined by the dichotomous US National Inpatient Sample-Subarachnoid hemorrhage Outcome Measure score (NIH-SOM). Secondary outcomes included length of hospital stay, prolonged mechanical ventilation (>48 hour), and hospital reimbursement.

Results

We analyzed 90 039 procedures (62.6% EVT, 35.52% clipping, 1.8% combined) for the treatment of IAs. After adjustment in-hospital mortality was equal after EVT compared with clipping, in ruptured IAs (adjusted OR (aOR) 0.98, p=0.707) and unruptured IAs (aOR 0.92, p=0.482). Functional independence was more likely after EVT for ruptured (aOR 0.81, p<0.001) and unruptured IAs (aOR 0.4, p<0.001). Poor clinical outcome was more likely after clipping for ruptured (aOR 0.67, p<0.001) and unruptured IAs (aOR 0.56, p<0.001).

Conclusions

In German clinical practice, we observed higher rates of functional independence and lower rates of poor outcomes at discharge with equal mortality for EVT.
Joint distraction using a purpose-built device for knee osteoarthritis: a prospective 2-year follow-up
Authors: Struik Thijmen , Mastbergen Simon C , Brouwer Reinoud W , Custers Roel J H , van Geenen Rutger C I , Heusdens Christiaan H W , Emans Pieter J , Huizinga Maarten R , Jansen Mylène P
Published: June 2023

Objective

Knee distraction treatment for end-stage osteoarthritis successfully postpones arthroplasty for years. Studies performed thus far used general intended use, patient-personalised or custom-made devices. In this study, for the first time, a device specifically designed for knee distraction is evaluated.

Design

65 patients (≤65 years) with end-stage knee osteoarthritis indicated for arthroplasty received knee distraction. Before, 1-year and 2-year post-treatment, questionnaires were filled out and knee radiographs made. Adverse events and self-reported pain medication were registered.

Results

Forty-nine patients completed 2-year follow-up: one patient did not complete treatment, three patients received arthroplasty in the first and four patients in the second year follow-up. Eight patients were lost to follow-up in the second year. The total Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index score showed a clinically relevant improvement at 1 and 2 years (+26 and +24 points), as did all subscales (all p<0.001). The minimum radiographic joint space width improved over 1 (+0.5 mm; p<0.001) and 2 (+0.4 mm; p=0.015) years, as did the physical Short-Form 36 (+10 points; p<0.001). The most common adverse event was pin tract infection, experienced by 66% of patients, in 88% successfully treated with oral antibiotics. In two cases, hospitalisation and/or intravenous antibiotics were needed. Eight patients experienced device-related complications. None of the complications influenced 2-year outcomes. Before treatment, 42% of patients used pain medication, which had nearly been halved 1 (23%; p=0.02) and 2 years (29%; p=0.27) post-treatment.

Conclusions

Patients treated with a general applicable, for knee distraction purpose-built device showed, despite adverse events, significant clinical and structural improvement over 2 years.

Trial registration number

NL7986.
Detecting political biases of named entities and hashtags on Twitter
Authors: Xiao Zhiping , Zhu Jeffrey , Wang Yining , Zhou Pei , Lam Wen Hong , Porter Mason A. , Sun Yizhou
Published: June 2023

Ideological divisions in the United States have become increasingly prominent in daily communication. Accordingly, there has been much research on political polarization, including many recent efforts that take a computational perspective. By detecting political biases in a text document, one can attempt to discern and describe its polarity. Intuitively, the named entities (i.e., the nouns and the phrases that act as nouns) and hashtags in text often carry information about political views. For example, people who use the term “pro-choice” are likely to be liberal and people who use the term “pro-life” are likely to be conservative. In this paper, we seek to reveal political polarities in social-media text data and to quantify these polarities by explicitly assigning a polarity score to entities and hashtags. Although this idea is straightforward, it is difficult to perform such inference in a trustworthy quantitative way. Key challenges include the small number of known labels, the continuous spectrum of political views, and the preservation of both a polarity score and a polarity-neutral semantic meaning in an embedding vector of words. To attempt to overcome these challenges, we propose the Polarity-aware Embedding Multi-task learning (PEM) model. This model consists of (1) a self-supervised context-preservation task, (2) an attention-based tweet-level polarity-inference task, and (3) an adversarial learning task that promotes independence between an embedding’s polarity component and its semantic component. Our experimental results demonstrate that our PEM model can successfully learn polarity-aware embeddings that perform well at tweet-level and account-level classification tasks. We examine a variety of applications—including a study of spatial and temporal distributions of polarities and a comparison between tweets from Twitter and posts from Parler—and we thereby demonstrate the effectiveness of our PEM model. We also discuss important limitations of our work and encourage caution when applying the PEM model to real-world scenarios.
Dissipative generation of significant amount of photon-phonon asymmetric steering in magnomechanical interfaces
Authors: Zheng Tian-Ang , Zheng Ye , Wang Lei , Liao Chang-Geng
Published: June 2023

A theoretical scheme is proposed to generate significant amount of photon-phonon entanglement and asymmetric steering in a cavity magnomechanical system, which is constituted by trapping a yttrium iron garnet sphere in a microwave cavity. By applying a blue-detuned microwave driving field, we obtain an effective Hamiltonian where the magnon mode acting as an engineered resevoir cools the Bogoliubov modes of microwave cavity mode and mechanical mode via a beam-splitter-like interaction. By this means, the microwave cavity mode and mechanical mode can be driven to a two-mode squeezed state in the stationary limit. Particularly, strong two-way and one-way photon-phonon asymmetric quantum steering can be obtained with even equal dissipation. It is widely divergent with the conventional proposal, where additional unbalanced losses or noises should be imposed on the two subsystems. Our finding may be significant to expand our understanding of the essential physics of asymmetric steering and extend the potential application of the cavity spintronics to device-independent quantum key distribution.