bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Technology Selection of Microalgae Thermochemical Conversion to Bio-Crude Oil
Authors: Sutejo G , Dewayanto N , Suyono E A , Budiman A
Published: December 2022

Microalgae as a third-generation biofuel source with various advantages is a potential part of renewable energy resources. Various studies on the conversion process of microalgae into biofuels have been carried out, one of which is the thermochemical process. The thermochemical conversion process is considered better than the biochemical process which has a low conversion rate and higher production costs. Recent researches state that to obtain bio-crude oil from microalgae through a thermochemical process, there are two alternative technologies that can be used, which are pyrolysis and liquefaction. In this research, a selection was made to determine which technology was better using decision making tools of Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method. The evaluation criteria that have been used are technological (readiness level, energy efficiency, pre-treatment process, and product output), operational complexity, environment, and economy (investment cost and operation cost). The alternative technologies evaluated were pyrolysis with bubbling fluidized bed reactor, pyrolysis with circulating fluidized bed reactor, and hydrothermal liquefaction. From the results of pairwise comparisons, the technological criteria had the highest weight (0.343) and hydrothermal liquefaction technology was the best alternative technology among other alternatives (0.420).
Preliminary Experiment on Reservoir Sediment Flushing
Authors: Laksitaningtyas A P , Legono D , Istiarto  , Jayadi R
Published: December 2022

Prediction of reservoir sediment flushing requires a large amount of sample data obtained from long-term field measurements. Before running the complete laboratory experiments to understand the flushing mechanism, preliminary experiments using an acrylic tank and a simple piping system were carried out. The acrylic model consists of a constant head tank and a reservoir model. The constant head tank is a model that ensures a continuous and consistent flow rate contribution to the next model component, namely the reservoir model. The Reservoir model is a component for modeling the sediment flushing process, where the sediment deposits have been prepared. The reservoir sediment flushing experiment used a bottom outlet with a circular hole connected by a pipe to a valve to release sediment. The valve is assumed to be a sluice gate that can be opened and closed for sediment flushing. Preliminary experiments show that the model can simulate the flow of reservoir sediment flushing through the bottom outlet with stable reservoir water depth, operation of sluice gates, and the presence of scour cones in the sediment.
Mina Padi farmers’ adapting strategy in dealing with the climate change
Authors: Shalihah Marfu’ah , Sugihardjo  , Rusdiyana Eksa
Published: December 2022

The extreme climate change can result in long dry season or high rainfall, thereby can affect water supply. Water supply highly influences paddy and fish productivity in Mina Padi (paddy-fish integration farming system) pattern. This research aims to analyze the Mina Padi farmers’ adapting strategy in dealing with climate change and the effect of adapting strategy on paddy and fish productivity. The research took place in Mina Padi area of Sukoharjo Regency, Central Java. This research employed a qualitative method with descriptive analysis. The informant of research consisted of farmers and extension officers selected using purposive sampling technique. The result of research shows that the Mina Padi farmers’ adapting strategy in dry season includes closing caren, the channel made in the deepest part of farming lot (the fish pond is concentrated in the front part of farm). The quality of production with caren is better than that without it. Paddy will not be attacked by pest when there is caren, because pest will be preyed directly by fish. The number of fish sowed is the same when there is and there is no Caren, but qualitatively the fish develop more rapidly than those concentrated in the pond only.
Information Technology Applications for Public Services in the Corona Pandemic Period in the Village
Authors: Razak M R R , Zulkifli  , Latif A , Rusdi Muhammad , Mustanir A
Published: December 2022

Today, information technology plays an important role in public service, especially as the world grapples with the corona pandemic (covid-19). This is characterized by the increasing ease with which correspondence and information can be transferred from one location to another. Although the use of information technology includes several interrelated activities such as data, processing, information management, and electronic-based work systems to provide many conveniences, it has not been widely used in maximizing public services due to the apparatus’s limited skills. The goal of this study is to discover the application of information technology, public services, and the relationship between the two in Cipotakari Village, Panca Rijang District, Sidenreng Rappang Regency. The findings revealed that the application of information technology and public services is still quite good, but is becoming less so. While the influence of the application of public technology on public services shows that there is a significant and very significant influence in the corona pandemic, the authorities have proven to use a lot of information technology in providing services to the public.
High-efficiency broadband blazed metagrating working in visible light
Authors: Lin Yu , Han Yeming , Wang Chengmiao , Li Bowen , Zhang Jianyu , Deng Yongbo
Published: December 2022

A simple 1D blazed metagrating is proposed. The metagrating consists of SiO2 film sandwiched by Ag substrate and Ag nanostrips, which can achieve high-efficiency −1st-order diffraction in the range of 550 nm to 700 nm, and the peak efficiency is nearly 98%. The SiO2 dielectric layer in previous designs is used chiefly as a waveguide layer to support a guided mode. In comparison, it is introduced here to suppress the unwanted diffraction order (zero-order), which helps achieve high-efficiency diffraction at a high diffraction order. For analysis, the metagrating is disassembled into two parts, including a flat plate and a grating. By analysing the far-field radiation pattern of scattered waves and the reflection phase of a specific mode for these two parts, we conclude that the cause of high-efficiency blazing draws support from suppressing zero-order based on destructive interference. This work provides an intuitive physical image for this type of metagrating and an idea to design high-efficiency diffraction and beam deflection devices from the perspective of interference.
Coupled model analysis of the ablative Rayleigh–Taylor instability
Authors: KUANG Yuanyuan , LU Yan , LIN Zhi , YANG Ming
Published: December 2022

The weakly nonlinear stage of the ablative Rayleigh–Taylor instability (ARTI) is investigated by expanded hydrodynamic equations in which the third-order corrections of the two-mode perturbations are considered. In the present coupling model, two linear perturbations are simultaneously added near the ablation front at the initial moment, and we have derived the first three coupling harmonics. Furthermore, the coupling model analysis is studied via direct numerical simulation as well. When the original two fundamental modes are always dominant over other modes, the time evolution of the density amplitudes for these modes agrees well with the results of direct numerical simulation. It is found that the harmonics are stabilized by the mode coupling effects, and the long wavelength mode of the fundamental modes tends to dominate the growth of the ARTI. Two-mode coupling is one of the restriction factors for the realization of controlled inertial confinement fusion. Therefore, the coupling harmonics excited by two-mode perturbations have good application potential and are worth further study.
Jackson type inequalities for differentiable functions in weighted Orlicz spaces
Authors: Akgün R.
Published: December 2022

In the present work some Jackson Stechkin type direct theorems of trigonometric approximation are proved in Orlicz spaces with weights satisfying some Muckenhoupt

A
p

A_p

condition. To obtain a refined version of the Jackson type inequality, an extrapolation theorem, Marcinkiewicz multiplier theorem, and Littlewood–Paley type results are proved. As a consequence, refined inverse Marchaud type inequalities are obtained. By means of a realization result, an equivalence is found between the fractional order weighted modulus of smoothness and Peetre’s classical weighted

K
K

-functional.
On the rate of decay at infinity for solutions to the Schrödinger equation in a half-cylinder
Authors: Krymskii S. , Filonov N.
Published: December 2022

Consider the equation

−
Δ
u
+
V
u
=
0

-\Delta u + Vu = 0

in the half-cylinder

[
0
,
∞
)
×
(
0
,
2
π

)
d

[0, \infty ) \times (0,2\pi )^d

with periodic boundary conditions. Assume that the potential

V
V

is bounded. The possible rate of decay at infinity for a nontrivial solution is studied. It is shown that the fastest rate of decay is

e

−
c
x

e^{-cx}

for

d
=
1

d=1

or

2
2

and

e

−
c

x

4

/

3

e^{-cx^{4/3}}

for

d
≥
3

d\ge 3

; here

x
x

is the axial variable.
Longitudinal Changes in Self-Reported Alcohol Consumption by Mothers’ During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Freisthler Bridget , Price Wolf Jennifer
Published: December 2022

Previous research shows that drinking by mothers was higher during the initial stages of the pandemic. Less is known about whether these drinking levels were maintained years after the first stay-at-home orders. Using three waves of data, each approximately a year apart, drinks per day remain elevated, whereas drinking frequency and continued volume have decreased during subsequent waves.
US Military Deployments and the Risk of Coup d’État*
Authors: Allen Michael A , Campbell Thomas , Hernandez Nicolas , Shepherd Valeryn
Published: December 2022

The foundation of post–WWII US foreign policy is the deployment and maintenance of a vast network of overseas military deployments. While the external security implications of these deployments are better known, scholars have spent little time connecting deployments to the internal stability threat of a coup d’état. The deployment of service members overseas creates multiple pathways to decreasing the likelihood of coup attempts by both supporting the government and its security apparatus and decreasing the benefits of a successful attempt by coup d’état conspirators. Our analysis of coups from 1951 to 2019 demonstrates that the presence of US troops decreases the likelihood of a coup.
Geographic distribution, abundance, diet, and body size of invasive pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) in the Norwegian and Barents Seas, and in Norwegian rivers
Authors: Diaz Pauli Beatriz , Berntsen Henrik H , Thorstad Eva B , Homrum Eydna ì , Lusseau Susan Mærsk , Wennevik Vidar , Utne Kjell Rong
Published: December 2022

We report for the first time the geographic distribution, abundance, diet, and body size of invasive pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) in the Norwegian and Barents Seas and Norwegian coast and rivers. We found that pink salmon have spread throughout the Norwegian Sea and along the Norwegian coast, and abundance increased by several orders of magnitude in 2017, with no signs that it has peaked. Marine pink salmon diet comprised mainly fish larvae, amphipods, and krill, but their relative importance varied with geographic distribution. North of 67.5°N, Amphipoda, herring, and saithe were more important, while south of 67.5°N, Euphausiidae and mesopelagic fish abounded. Pink salmon body size was larger in the northern rivers, and to the north of the Norwegian Sea and the Barents Sea, relative to the southern rivers and sea areas. Pink salmon were feeding in the ocean during the winter and spring, and in coastal areas immediately before return to the rivers, but not after they had entered the rivers. There was no geographical pattern in the seasonal timing of river ascent. The geographic pattern in abundance and diet of pink salmon, as reported here, offer a measure of the ecological effect of the invasion.
Lifetime and removal reasons for Pietrain boars in European AI centers: a retrospective analysis
Authors: Henneberg Sophie , Kleve-Feld Michael , Schröter Filip , Jung Markus , Schulze Martin
Published: December 2022

Currently, artificial insemination (AI) is the most common reproductive method used in swine production. The economic profitability of AI centers is closely linked to a boar’s retention rate and the purchase of replacement boars. The objectives of this study were to examine data of selection process and lifetime of a total of 6,496 purebred Pietrain AI boars and to analyze the frequency and reasons of removal in eight European countries. Data were obtained from two German boar multiplication farms as well as 53 AI centers from 2018 to 2022. The retention time was analyzed from the selection process until replacement and to the end of the examination, respectively. The selection process of the boars took place at 168 ± 5 (mean ± SD) days of age. For further calculations, the removal reasons were divided into nine groups: breeding (BR), died (DI), euthanasia (EU), health (HE), genetics (GE), low libido (LI), sperm quality (SQ), structure (ST), and other (OT). Overall, 56.1% of the examined boars were removed, with 17.5% being removed within the same year they entered the AI center. The annual removal rate for the 53 AI centers averaged 42.4%. The most frequent removal reason was low SQ (45.1%), followed by genetics (28.6%) and low libido (10.6%). The highest relative frequency of removals was observed for an age of 2 yr (34.0%). The highest removal risk was calculated for boars in Czech AI centers (P < 0.001), while the lowest removal risk occurred in Dutch (P = 0.006) and Portuguese AI centers (P = 0.01). The comparison of removal groups revealed, inter alia, higher body weight at selection process for the BR group (117.9 ± 9.0 kg) and longer quarantine periods for LI group (45.9 ± 17.6 d). Boars in the GE group were characterized by the oldest age at removal (934.0 ± 272.8 d) and longest period of exploitation (672.5 ± 266.8 d). The results could be helpful to detect the most common reasons for production failure of AI Pietrain boars and beneficial for establishing an economical removal policy in AI centers and for improving boar management through problem-based selection in boar multiplication farms.
‘Two-step’ percutaneous procedure for repairing the atrial septal defect with severe pulmonary hypertension: a case report
Authors: Fu Liang , Wang Ruoxin , Zhao Jinlong , Ni Yinkai , Chen Zonghui , Li Feng
Published: December 2022

Atrial septal defect is the most common type of congenital heart disease. Interventional closure is currently the best treatment for the atrial septal defect. However, the repair strategy for atrial septal defect accompanies by severe pulmonary hypertension remains controversial. We report a case of an atrial septal defect with severe pulmonary hypertension in which we applied a perforated occlude for atrial septal defect percutaneously at first. After 6 months, when the pulmonary pressure gradually went down, we completely blocked the reserved hole with a closure device percutaneously. We suggest that the stepwise procedure is an important treatment option for select patients with atrial septal defect accompanied by severe pulmonary hypertension.
Integrating Administrative and Survey Data to Estimate WIC Eligibility and Access
Authors: McBride Linden , Foster Thomas B , Bhaskar Renuka , Prell Mark , Perez-Patron Maria , Vickstrom Erik , Knop Brian , Dillon Michaela
Published: December 2022

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides benefits to low-income, nutritionally at-risk women, infants, and children. To administer WIC, officials and program managers at the federal and state levels want to understand who is eligible for the program, who among the eligible population chooses to participate, and who is not accessing the program despite their eligibility. Novel individual-level data linkages between restricted-use WIC Administrative Records and the American Community Survey provide WIC access rates estimated at the state and county levels, as well as estimates disaggregated by the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of individuals and their households. These estimates are developed by the Census-FNS-ERS Joint Project, a research partnership among the US Census Bureau, the US Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service and Economic Research Service, and state WIC agencies that provide the requisite WIC administrative data to the Census Bureau. This article details and evaluates our current data linkage and estimation methods, reports results, and identifies areas for improvement and further research.
Reliability of Force Plate Metrics During Standard Jump, Balance, and Plank Assessments in Military Personnel
Authors: Smith Chelsea , Doma Kenji , Heilbronn Brian , Leicht Anthony
Published: December 2022

Introduction

Prevention of musculoskeletal injury is vital to the readiness, performance, and health of military personnel with the use of specialized systems (e.g., force plates) to assess risk and/or physical performance of interest. This study aimed to identify the reliability of one specialized system during standard assessments in military personnel.

Methods

Sixty-two male and ten female Australian Army soldiers performed a two-leg countermovement jump (CMJ), one-leg CMJ, one-leg balance, and one-arm plank assessments using a Sparta Science force plate system across three testing sessions. Sparta Science (e.g., total Sparta, balance and plank scores, jump height, and injury risk) and biomechanical (e.g., average eccentric rate of contraction, average concentric force, and sway velocity) variables were recorded for all sessions. Mean ± SD, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), coefficient of variation, and bias and limits of agreement were calculated for all variables.

Results

Mean results were similar between sessions 2 and 3 (P > .05). The relative reliability for the Sparta Science (ICC = 0.28-0.91) and biomechanical variables (ICC = 0.03-0.85) was poor to excellent. The mean absolute reliability (coefficient of variation) for Sparta Science variables was similar to or lower than that of the biomechanical variables during the CMJ (1-10% vs. 3-7%), one-leg balance (4-6% vs. 9-14%), and one-arm plank (5-7% vs. 12-17%) assessments. The mean bias for most variables was small (<5% of the mean), while the limits of agreement varied with most unacceptable (±6-87% of the mean).

Conclusions

The reliability of most Sparta Science and biomechanical variables during standard assessments was moderate to good. The typical variability in metrics documented will assist practitioners with the use of emerging technology to monitor and assess injury risk and/or training interventions in military personnel.
Photometric calibration in u-band using blue halo stars
Authors: Liang Shuang , von der Linden Anja
Published: December 2022

We develop a method to calibrate u-band photometry based on the observed colour of blue Galactic halo stars. The Galactic halo stars belong to an old stellar population of the Milky Way and have relatively low metallicity. The ‘blue tip’ of the halo population – the main sequence turn-off (MSTO) stars – is known to have a relatively uniform intrinsic edge u-g colour with only slow spatial variation. In SDSS data, the observed variation is correlated with Galactic Latitude, which we attribute to contamination by higher metallicity disc stars and fit with an empirical curve. This curve can then be used to calibrate u-band imaging if g-band imaging of matching depth is available. Our approach can be applied to single-field observations at |b| > 30°, and removes the need for standard star observations or overlap with calibrated u-band imaging. We include in our method the calibration of g-band data with ATLAS-Refcat2. We test our approach on stars in KiDS DR 4, ATLAS DR 4, and DECam imaging from the NOIRLab Source Catalog (NSC DR2), and compare our calibration with SDSS. For this process, we use synthetic magnitudes to derive the colour equations between these data sets, in order to improve zero-point accuracy. We find an improvement for all data sets, reaching a zero-point precision of 0.016 mag for KiDS (compared to the original 0.033 mag), 0.020 mag for ATLAS (originally 0.027 mag), and 0.016 mag for DECam (originally 0.041 mag). Thus, this method alone reaches the goal of 0.02 mag photometric precision in u-band for the Rubin Observatory’s Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST).
Relating peak optical luminosity and orbital period of stellar-mass black holes in X-ray binaries
Authors: Blackmon Victoria A , Maccarone Thomas J
Published: December 2022

We compare the peak optical luminosity with the orbital period for a sample of 22 stellar-mass black hole candidates with good measurements of both quantities. We find that the peak absolute magnitude for the outbursts follows a linear relation with MV, peak = 3.48(± 0.85) − 3.89(± 0.91) logPorb, which corresponds to a $L_V \propto P_{orb}^{1.56\pm 0.36}$ power-law relation. Excluding V4641 Sgr which is a strong outlier and not likely to have outbursts produced by the standard disc instability model, in addition to BW Cir and V821 Ara – both of which have highly uncertain distances; the new correlation for the 19 sources is found to be MV, peak = 3.01 (± 0.93) − 3.21 (± 1.04) logPorb, which corresponds to $L_V \propto P_{orb}^{1.28 \pm 0.42}$. This is an analogous relationship to the ‘Warner relation’ between orbital period and peak luminosity found for cataclysmic variables. We discuss the implications of these results for finding black hole X-ray binaries in other galaxies and in our own Galaxy with the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope and other future large time domain surveys.
Examining the interplay of perceived organizational justice and psychological contract breach on police corruption in Nigeria
Authors: Balogun Anthony Gbenro
Published: December 2022

Drawing upon equity and social exchange theories, this study expands police corruption literature by examining how perceived organizational justice (procedural, distributive, interpersonal, and informational justice) interplays with psychological contract breach (PCB) to predict corrupt tendencies among a sample of the Nigerian police. Two hundred and sixty-three police officers participated in the study. Data analysed using moderated regression statistics indicated that PCB was positively associated with corrupt tendencies. Perceived fairness in organizational procedure, distributive system, interpersonal treatment, and information reduced the extent to which PCB relates with corrupt tendencies among police officers. To reduce the effect of PCB on police corruption, the present findings suggest the need for police authorities and relevant stakeholders to always maintain fairness in their managerial procedures and practices as well as how they treat their employees.
Managing Policing Demand for Digital Forensics through Risk Assessment and Prioritization in England and Wales
Authors: Wilson-Kovacs Dana , Wilcox Jen
Published: December 2022

Digital forensic helps to unlock the evidential opportunities presented by digital devices. Ninety per cent of all cases in England and Wales carry a digital element and identifying the devices with the most evidential value is central to dealing effectively and efficiently with the demand for digital forensic (DF) analysis. This article offers an ethnographically informed, empirical analysis of how police requests for in-house DF examinations are organized in 35 forces in England and Wales, and the mechanisms, contexts, and challenges of managing-related internal demand, which have been rarely examined systematically in both policing and DF practitioner literature. The analysis illustrates how an updated understanding of risk and prioritization is needed to address the growing demand for DF analysis. The findings call for updated, systematic approaches that encourage the forecasting of internal policing demand collaboratively and bridge between the operational and the technical sides of investigations.
TEAMwork! An Innovative Hospital Medicine Teaching Program to Enhance Learners’ Educational Experience
Authors: Landry Jessica Boat , Seltz Leonard Barry , O’Hara Kimberly
Published: December 2022

Problem

Workplace-based learning and assessment are dependent on frequent observations, feedback, teaching, and evaluations. Yet high physician workload and multiple learners limit these efforts. A local needs assessment demonstrated insufficient direct observations, small-group teaching, and high-quality evaluations for learners. In response, the authors developed and implemented Teaching Excellence Among Medical providers (TEAM), a teaching program to enhance the educational experience of learners in pediatric hospital medicine (PHM).

Approach

The TEAM program, grounded in a self-regulated learning framework, launched in 2019. The University of Colorado Department of Pediatrics provided salary support. TEAM hospitalists completed professional development for teaching and feedback skills. During their TEAM shifts, they observed, provided feedback, completed evaluations, and led teaching sessions for learners on PHM rotations. The program’s impact was evaluated by using an electronic work tracking form and surveying learners, attending hospitalists, and TEAM hospitalists, leading to iterative program improvements.

Outcomes

Over an 18-month period, TEAM hospitalists completed 1,573 direct observations, 265 teaching sessions attended by 1,921 learners, and more than 497 learner evaluations. Survey results showed that 95% of learners indicated TEAM was “very effective” or “somewhat effective” in helping achieve individualized learning goals, and a similar percentage “strongly agreed” or “agreed” that TEAM hospitalists were effective educators. Eighty-four percent of attending hospitalist survey respondents reported TEAM contributed “very much” or “somewhat” to learner education. Attending hospitalists particularly appreciated TEAM’s ability to focus on learners identified as struggling, while TEAM hospitalists rated observation of rounds and small-group teaching sessions as the most valuable TEAM activities.

Next Steps

The TEAM program employed concepts of self-regulated learning to enhance education in PHM through direct observation, feedback, written evaluations, and teaching efforts. This program can mitigate many challenges facing attending physicians and can serve as a model for other institutions. Next steps include evaluation of higher-level learning outcomes.
Risk Models to Predict Mortality in Burn Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: Mrad Mohamed Amir , Al Qurashi Abdullah A. , Shah Mardan Qutaiba N. M. , Al Jabr Faisal Ali , Almenhali Ahmed A. , Bamakhrama Basma , Alsharif Bayan , AlEtebi Rakan Abdulkarim A. , Zarkan Abdullah Hatem , Kattan Ibrahim A. , Alsubaie Nasser S. , Gronfula Amin Ghazi
Published: December 2022

Background:

The predictive capability of various risk assessment models (RAMs) in evaluating the risk of mortality in burn patients is not well established. It is also unclear which RAM provides the highest discriminative ability and presents the highest clinical utility. We pooled all available studies to establish this validity and compare the predictive capability of the various RAMs.

Methods:

We reviewed PubMed, MEDLINE, and Embase from their inception up until December 2021 for studies evaluating risk of mortality in burn patients as stratified by RAMs. Data were pooled using random-effect models and presented as area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve.

Results:

Thirty-four studies, comprising of a total of 98,610 patients, were included in our analysis. Most studies were found to have a low risk of bias and a good measure of applicability. Nine RAMs were evaluated. We discovered that the classic Baux; the revised Baux; and the Fatality by Longevity, APACHE II score, Measured Extent of burn, and Sex (FLAMES) scores presented with the highest discriminative power with there being no significant difference between the results presented by them [AUROCs (95% CI), 0.92 (0.90–0.95), 0.92 (0.90–0.93), 0.94 (0.91–0.97), respectively, with P < 0.00001 for all].

Conclusions:

Many RAMs exist with no consensus on the optimal model to utilize and assess risk of mortality for burn patients. This study is the first systematic review and meta-analysis to compare the current RAMs’ discriminative ability to predict mortality in patients with burn injuries. This meta-analysis demonstrated that RAMs designed for assessing mortality in individuals with burns have acceptable to great discriminative capacity, with the classic Baux, revised Baux, and FLAMES demonstrating superior discriminative performance in predicting death. FLAMES exhibited the highest discriminative ability among the RAMs studied.
Nerve injury increases native CaV2.2 trafficking in dorsal root ganglion mechanoreceptors
Authors: Nieto-Rostro Manuela , Patel Ryan , Dickenson Anthony H. , Dolphin Annette C.
Published: December 2022

Neuronal N-type (CaV2.2) voltage-gated calcium channels are essential for neurotransmission from primary afferent terminals in the dorsal horn. In this study, we have used a knockin mouse containing CaV2.2 with an inserted extracellular hemagglutinin tag (CaV2.2_HA), to visualise the pattern of expression of endogenous CaV2.2 in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons and their primary afferents in the dorsal horn. We examined the effect of partial sciatic nerve ligation (PSNL) and found an increase in CaV2.2_HA only in large and medium dorsal root ganglion neurons and also in deep dorsal horn synaptic terminals. Furthermore, there is a parallel increase in coexpression with GFRα1, present in a population of low threshold mechanoreceptors, both in large DRG neurons and in their terminals. The increased expression of CaV2.2_HA in these DRG neurons and their terminals is dependent on the presence of the auxiliary subunit α2δ-1, which is required for channel trafficking to the cell surface and to synaptic terminals, and it likely contributes to enhanced synaptic transmission at these synapses following PSNL. By contrast, the increase in GFRα1 is not altered in α2δ-1–knockout mice. We also found that following PSNL, there is patchy loss of glomerular synapses immunoreactive for CaV2.2_HA and CGRP or IB4, restricted to the superficial layers of the dorsal horn. This reduction is not dependent on α2δ-1 and likely reflects partial deafferentation of C-nociceptor presynaptic terminals. Therefore, in this pain model, we can distinguish 2 different events affecting specific DRG terminals, with opposite consequences for CaV2.2_HA expression and function in the dorsal horn.
Acute Ischemic Stroke Among Cannabis Users in the United States and Possible Risk Factors for Mortality
Authors: Ramphul Kamleshun , Lohana Petras , Verma Renuka , Kumar Nomesh , Ramphul Yogeshwaree , Arti FNU , Sombans Shaheen , Mejias Stephanie Gonzalez , Kumari Komal
Published: December 2022

Background:

With changes in state laws, cannabis is now more accessible in many parts of the United States. The drug has previously been associated with a higher incidence of acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Our study analyzed the effect of cannabis use on AIS outcomes.

Methods:

The 2019 National Inpatient Sample from Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality was used to evaluate the AIS patients ages 25 and more. Cannabis users were compared with nonusers. Their mortality risks were also assessed.

Results:

Five hundred thirty-nine thousand eight hundred eighty patients with AIS were in our study and 8850 used cannabis. Among the cannabis users with AIS, 69.8% were males, 50.6% were white, 61.8% were aged 46 to 65, 32.1% used Medicaid, 86.1% were nonobese, 72.0% were nondiabetics, 81.7% had hypertension, 80.7% did not have a history of alcohol abuse, and 77.5% were smokers (nicotine). Only 12.8% of cannabis users reported any cardiac dysrhythmia, whereas 5.4% required mechanical thrombectomy, and 8.0% received intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (tPA).

After adjusting the variables, cannabis users covered by Medicare, with diabetes, a history of alcohol abuse, cardiac dysrhythmias, and who underwent mechanical thrombectomy had a higher risk of dying. The overall adjusted odds ratio of dying among cannabis users with AIS was 0.603 (95% CI, 0.504-0.722, P<0.01).

Conclusions:

Although the overall mortality risk seems to be lower among cannabis users, those with certain risk factors still present higher mortality risks. Patients with cannabis use should therefore be monitored closely for possible complications and mortality after AIS.
Wait-and-see strategy is justified after ERCP and endoscopic sphincterotomy in elderly patients with common biliary duct stones
Authors: Kivivuori Antti , Mattila Laura , Siiki Antti , Laukkarinen Johanna , Rantanen Tuomo , Ukkonen Mika
Published: December 2022

BACKGROUND

Older patients with simultaneous main bile duct and gallbladder stones, especially those with high-surgical risks, create a common clinical dilemma. After successful endoscopic removal of main bile duct stones, should these patients undergo laparoscopic cholecystectomy to reduce risk of recurrent biliary events? In this population-based cohort study, we report long-term outcomes of a wait-and-see strategy after successful endoscopic extraction of main bile duct stones.

METHODS

Consecutive patients 75 years or older undergoing endoscopic stone extraction without subsequent cholecystectomy in two tertiary academic centers between January 2010 and December 2018 were included. Primary outcome measure was recurrence of biliary events. Secondary outcome measures were operation-related morbidity and mortality.

RESULTS

A total of 450 patients (median age, 85 years; 61% female) were included, with a median follow-up time of 36 months (0–120 months). Recurrent biliary events occurred in 51 patients (11%), with a median time from index hospital admission to recurrence of 307 days (12–1993 days). The most common biliary event was acute cholecystitis (7.1%). Twelve patients had cholangitis (2.7%) and two biliary pancreatitis (0.4%). Only one patient (0.4%) underwent surgery due to later gallstone-related symptoms. Eighteen patients (4.0%) required endoscopic intervention and 16 (3.5%) underwent surgery. There were no operation-associated deaths or morbidity among those undergoing later surgical or endoscopic interventions.

CONCLUSION

In elderly patients, it is relatively safe to leave gallbladder in situ after successful sphincterotomy and endoscopic common bile duct stone removal. In elderly and frail patients, a wait-and-see strategy without routine cholecystectomy rarely leads to clinically significant consequences.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Therapeutic/Care Management; Level III.
Prolonged Controlled Oxygenated Rewarming Improves Immediate Tubular Function and Energetic Recovery of Porcine Kidneys During Normothermic Machine Perfusion
Authors: Ogurlu Baran , Pamplona Carolina C. , Van Tricht Isa M. , Hamelink Tim L. , Lantinga Veerle A. , Leuvenink Henri G.D. , Moers Cyril , Pool Merel B.F.
Published: December 2022

Background.

Normothermic machine perfusion (NMP) is typically performed after a period of hypothermic preservation, which exposes the kidney to an abrupt increase in temperature and intravascular pressure. The resultant rewarming injury could be alleviated by gradual rewarming using controlled oxygenated rewarming (COR). This study aimed to establish which rewarming rate during COR results in the best protective effect on renal rewarming injury during subsequent NMP.

Methods.

Twenty-eight viable porcine kidneys (n = 7/group) were obtained from a slaughterhouse. After these kidneys had sustained 30 min of warm ischemia and 24 h of oxygenated HMP, they were either rewarmed abruptly from 4–8 °C to 37 °C by directly initiating NMP or gradually throughout 30, 60, or 120 min of COR (rate of increase in kidney temperature of 4.46%/min, 2.20%/min, or 1.10%/min) before NMP.

Results.

Kidneys that were rewarmed during the course of 120 min (COR-120) had significantly lower fractional excretion of sodium and glucose at the start of NMP compared with rewarming durations of 30 min (COR-30) and 60 min (COR-60). Although COR-120 kidneys showed superior immediate tubular function at the start of normothermic perfusion, this difference disappeared during NMP. Furthermore, energetic recovery was significantly improved in COR-30 and COR-120 kidneys compared with abruptly rewarmed and COR-60 kidneys.

Conclusions.

This study suggests that a rewarming rate of 1.10%/min during COR-120 could result in superior immediate tubular function and energetic recovery during NMP. Therefore, it may provide the best protective effect against rewarming injury.
Importance of database curation in taxonomic assignation of 16S data.
Authors: Soverini Matteo , Castagnetti Andrea
Published: December 2022

Microbial identification is the key component to microbial community analysis. Since mid-2000s, with the advent of Next-generation sequencing techniques, it has been necessary to use increasingly refined and complete databases to uniquely assign the taxonomy of each sequence or taxonomic unit. In this study we evaluate the relevance of the database curation in this assignation process.
Halocatena salina sp. nov., a filamentous halophilic archaeon isolated from Aiding Salt Lake
Authors: Wu Zhang-Ping , Zheng Xi-Wen , Sun Ya-Ping , Wang Bei-Bei , Hou Jing , Cui Heng-Lin
Published: December 2022

A filamentous cell-shaped halophilic archaeon (strain AD-1T) was isolated from Aiding Salt Lake, PR China. Its colonies on HCM7 agar plates were pinkish white, 1–4 mm (diameter), elevated and round. The optimum conditions for growth were observed at 42 °C, 4.3 M NaCl, 0.01 M MgCl2 and pH 7. Strain AD-1T could hydrolyse Tween 60, Tween 80, starch and gelatin. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene, rpoB′ and the concatenated 484 single-copy orthologous proteins revealed that strain AD-1T formed a clade with

Halocatena pleomorpha

SPP-AMP-1T. The average nucleotide identity and in silico DNA–DNA hybridization values between strain AD-1T and

Halocatena pleomorpha

SPP-AMP-1T were both below the species delineation thresholds (95~96 and 70 %, respectively). The major phospholipids of strain AD-1T were phosphatidic acid, phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylglycerol phosphate methyl ester, while the major glycolipids were sulphated galactosyl mannosyl glucosyl diether, galactosyl mannosyl glucosyl diether and glucosyl mannosyl glucosyl diether. The phenotypic, phylogenetic and genome-based analyses suggested that strain AD-1T (=CGMCC 1.13724T=JCM 32960T) represents a novel species, for which the name Halocatena salina sp. nov. is proposed.
Meta-analysis of sputum microbiome studies identifies airway disease-specific taxonomic and functional signatures
Authors: Ghosh Abhirupa , Saha Sudipto
Published: December 2022

Introduction. Studying taxonomic and functional signatures of respiratory microbiomes provide a better understanding of airway diseases.

Gap Statement. Several human airway metagenomics studies have identified taxonomic and functional features restricted to a single disease condition and the findings are not comparable across airway diseases due to use of different samples, NGS platforms, and bioinformatics databases and tools.

Aim. To study the microbial taxonomic and functional components of sputum microbiome across airway diseases and healthy smokers.

Methodology. Here, 57 whole metagenome shotgun sequencing (WMSS) runs coming from the sputum of five airway diseases: asthma, bronchiectasis, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD), cystic fibrosis (CF), tuberculosis (TB), and healthy smokers as the control were reanalysed using a common WMSS analysis pipeline.

Results. Shannon’s index (alpha diversity) of the healthy smoker group was the highest among all. The beta diversity showed that the sputum microbiome is distinct in major airway diseases such as asthma, COPD and cystic fibrosis. The microbial composition based on differential analysis showed that there are specific markers for each airway disease like

Acinetobacter bereziniae

as a marker for COPD and

Achromobacter xylosoxidans

as a marker of cystic fibrosis. Pathways and metabolites identified from the sputum microbiome of these five diseases and healthy smokers also show specific markers. ‘ppGpp biosynthesis’ and ‘purine ribonucleosides degradation’ pathways were identified as differential markers for bronchiectasis and COPD. In this meta-analysis, besides bacteria kingdom, Aspergillus fumigatus was detected in asthma and COPD, and Roseolovirus human betaherpesvirus 7 was detected in COPD. Our analysis showed that the majority of the gene families specific to the drug-resistant associated genes were detected from opportunistic pathogens across all the groups.

Conclusion. In summary, the specific species in the sputum of airway diseases along with the microbial features like specific gene families, pathways, and metabolites were identified which can be explored for better diagnosis and therapy.
Innate immune response of human periodontal ligament fibroblasts via the Dectin-1/Syk pathway
Authors: Inomata Megumi , Amano Shigeru , Abe Masayo , Hayashi Toru , Sakagami Hiroshi
Published: December 2022

Introduction. A diverse microbiota including fungi exists in the subgingival sites of patients with chronic periodontitis. The cell wall of Candida albicans, the most abundant fungal species, contains β-glucan. Dectin-1 binds β-glucan and participates in fungal recognition.

Gap statement. Human periodontal ligament fibroblasts (PDLFs) are present in the periodontal ligament and synthesize immunomodulatory cytokines that influence the local response to infections. However, the expression and role of Dectin-1 in PDLFs have not been explored.

Aim. This study aimed to determine if PDLFs express Dectin-1 and induce innate immune responses through Dectin-1 and the signalling molecule Syk.

Methodology. The expression of Dectin-1 in PDLFs was determined by flow cytometry, western blotting and confocal microscopy. Real-time PCR and Western blotting were used to determine the immune response of PDLFs stimulated with β-glucan-rich zymosan and C. albicans.

Results. Dectin-1 was constitutively expressed in PDLFs. Zymosan induced the expression of cytokines, including IL6, IL1B and IL17A, and the chemokine IL8. Zymosan also induced the expression of the antimicrobial peptide β-defensin-1 (DEFB1). Further, the phosphorylation of Syk and NF-κB occurred upon Dectin-1 activation. Notably, heat-killed C. albicans induced the expression of IL6, IL17A, IL8 and DEFB1, and this activation was suppressed by the Syk inhibitor, R406.

Conclusion. These findings indicate that the Dectin-1/Syk pathway induces an innate immune response of PDLFs, which may facilitate the control of oral infections such as candidiasis and periodontitis.
Antimicrobial resistance in Escherichia coli isolates from Japanese raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes viverrinus) in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan: Emergence of extended-spectrum cephalosporin-resistant human-related clones
Authors: Shimizu Takae , Kido Nobuhide , Miyashita Naoki , Tanaka Sohei , Omiya Tomoko , Morikaku Kouki , Kawahara Minori , Harada Kazuki
Published: December 2022

Introduction. Wild animals are one of the putative reservoirs of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, but the significance of raccoon dogs remains to be investigated.

Hypothesis. Raccoon dogs can be a reservoir of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria.

Aim. This study aimed to explore the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance, mainly extended-spectrum cephalosporins resistance, in

Escherichia coli

isolates from faeces of 80 Japanese raccoon dogs in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.

Methodology. All of the 80 faecal samples were streaked onto deoxycholate-hydrogen sulfate-lactose (DHL) and cefotaxime (CTX)-supplemented DHL (DHL-CTX) agars. Susceptibilities to ten antimicrobials were determined using the agar dilution method. Additionally, extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) and AmpC-type β-lactamases (ABLs) were identified in addition to sequence types (STs), in ESC-resistant isolates by a polymerase chain reaction and sequencing.

Results. Out of all the samples, 75 (93.8 %) and 20 (25.0 %)

E. coli

isolates were isolated by DHL and DHL-CTX agars, respectively. Significantly higher resistance rates to most of the drugs were found in DHL-CTX-derived isolates than DHL-derived isolates (P<0.01). Genetic analysis identified CTX-M-14 (n=6), CTX-M-2 (n=2), CTX-M-1 (n=1) and CTX-M-55 (n=1) as ESBLs, and CMY-2 (n=8) and DHA-1 (n=1) as ABLs in 20 DHL-CTX-derived isolates. Most of the detected STs were related to Japanese humans (i.e. ST10, ST58, ST69, ST131, ST357, ST648 and ST4038). Notably, this is the first report on ST69, ST131, ST155 and ST648, which are well-known international high-risk clones in Japanese raccoon dogs.

Conclusion. Our findings underscore the need to understand the significance of raccoon dogs as an antimicrobial-resistant bacteria reservoir using one health approach.
Genomic epidemiology of clinical ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae in a German hospital suggests infections are primarily community- and regionally-acquired
Authors: Neffe Lisa , Forde Taya L. , Oravcova Katarina , Köhler Ute , Bautsch Wilfried , Tomasch Jürgen , Häussler Susanne
Published: December 2022

Clinical

Enterobacteriaceae

isolates that produce extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) have been increasingly reported at a global scale. However, comprehensive data on the molecular epidemiology of ESBL-producing strains are limited and few studies have been conducted in non-outbreak situations.

We used whole-genome sequencing to describe the population structure of 294 ESBL-producing

Escherichia coli

and

Klebsiella pneumoniae

isolates that were recovered from a German community hospital throughout a 1 year sampling period in a non-outbreak situation.

We found a high proportion of

E. coli

isolates (61.5 %) belonged to the globally disseminated extraintestinal pathogenic ST131, whereas a wider diversity of STs was observed among

K. pneumoniae

isolates. The

E. coli

ST131 population in this study was shaped by multiple introductions of strains as demonstrated by contextual genomic analysis including ST131 strains from other geographical sources. While no recent common ancestor of the isolates of the current study and other international isolates was found, our clinical isolates clustered with those previously recovered in the region. Furthermore, we found that the isolation of ESBL-producing clinical strains in hospitalized patients could only rarely be associated with likely patient-to-patient transmission, indicating primarily a community and regional acquisition of strains.

Further genomic analyses of clinical, carriage and environmental isolates is needed to uncover hidden transmissions and thus discover the most common sources of ESBL-producing pathogen infections in our hospitals.