bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development and Validation of a New Tool to Measure Performance Knowledge and Communication Skill of Multidisciplinary Health Science Learners on Radiation Emergency Preparedness and Response Management
Authors: Bhushan Shivanand , Malapure Sumeet Suresh , D’Souza Nisha Rachel , Tandon Pankaj , Oommen Sibi , G. Srinidhi , Verma Ashwani Kumar , Pandey Akhilesh K. , Wilson William , Kulkarni Muralidhar M.
Published: June 2023

Objective:

The purpose of the study was to design, develop, and validate a newer tool on radiation emergency preparedness responses (RadEM-PREM IPE tool) to measure communication, knowledge, performance skills in multidisciplinary health science learners.

Methods:

The study design is a prospective, single centric, pilot study. Five subject experts designed, analyzed, and selected items of the instrument for relevant content and domain. Psychometrics that the tool assessed were content validity, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and intraclass correlation coefficient. Twenty-eight participants completed test-retest reliability for validation of 21 sorted out items calculated percentage of agreement >70% I-CVI/UA (item content validity index with universal acceptability) and S-CVI/UA (scale content validity index with universal agreement method).

Results:

Items with percentage agreement >70% and I-CVI over 0.80 were kept, ranged from 0.70 to 0.78 were revised, and below 0.70 were rejected. Items with kappa values ranging from 0.04 to 0.59 were revised and ≥0.74 were retained. Internal consistency assessed using Cronbach’s alpha was 0.449. Positive correlation between attitude and communication (r = 0.448), between performance and communication (r = 0.443) were statistically significant at 0.01 level. Overall, intraclass correlation coefficient for all the measures is 0.646, which is statistically significant at 0.05 level (P < 0.05).

Conclusions:

Study concludes that the RadEM-PREM IPE tool would be a new measuring tool to assess knowledge, performance, and communication skills of interprofessional radiation emergency response team learner’s evaluation.
Readying Community Pharmacies to Participate in COVID-19 Testing and Vaccination
Authors: Bacci Jennifer L. , Shah Parth D. , Arnold Jenny , Atkins Dana L. , Weiner Bryan J.
Published: June 2023

Objective:

Washington State established a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and operational plan in 2012 to coordinate pharmacy infrastructure and workforce during a public health emergency. The objectives of this study were to adapt the MOU operational plan to the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and assess community pharmacies’ organizational readiness to implement COVID-19 testing and vaccination.

Methods:

This mixed methods study was conducted June-August 2020. Three facilitated discussions were conducted with community pharmacists and local health jurisdiction (LHJ) representatives to test the MOU operational plan. Facilitated discussions were thematically analyzed to inform adaptations to the operational plan. Pharmacists were surveyed to assess their organization’s readiness for COVID-19 testing and vaccination before and after the facilitated discussions using the Organizational Readiness for Implementing Change (ORIC) measure. Survey responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Results:

Six pharmacists from 5 community pharmacy organizations and 4 representatives from 2 LHJs participated in at least 1 facilitated discussion. Facilitated discussions resulted in 3 themes and 16 adaptations to the operational plan. Five of 6 community pharmacists (83% response rate) completed both surveys. Mean organizational readiness decreased from baseline to follow-up for COVID-19 testing and vaccination.

Conclusions:

Operational plan adaptations highlight opportunities to strengthen MOUs between local and state health departments and community pharmacies to support future emergency preparedness and readiness efforts.
Regular consumption of lacto-fermented vegetables has greater effects on the gut metabolome compared with the microbiome
Authors: Guse Kylene , Sharma Ashok , Weyenberg Emily , Davison Sam , Ma Yiwei , Choi Yuni , Johnson Abigail J. , Chen Chi , Gomez Andres
Published: June 2023

The industrialisation of Western food systems has reduced the regular consumption of lacto-fermented vegetables (LFV). Consuming LFV may exert health benefits through the alteration of the gut microbiome, but the mechanisms involved remain unclear. To start understanding the possible benefits of LFV, we compared faecal microbial diversity and composition, as well as dietary habits between individuals who regularly consume LFV (n = 23) and those who do not (n = 24). We utilised microbial DNA amplicon sequencing (16S rRNA and ITS2) and untargeted metabolomics (LC–MS) to analyse stool samples. Study participants also provided three consecutive days of dietary data. Results show minor effects on microbiome composition; with the enrichment of a few microorganisms potentially associated with vegetable ferments, such as Leuconostoc mesenteroides and Rhodotorula mucilaginosa (P < 0.05), in LFV consumers. However, LFV consumption had greater effects on the faecal metabolome, with higher abundances of butyrate, acetate, and valerate (P < 0.05) and significantly greater metabolome diversity (P < 0.001). Overall, the observations of minor changes in the faecal microbiome and greater effects on the faecal metabolome from LFV consumption warrant further investigations on the health significance of LFV as regular components of the daily diet in humans.
Use of a severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) strand-specific assay to evaluate for prolonged viral replication >20 days from illness onset
Authors: Ferguson Jessica D. , Tayyar Ralph , Contreras Gustavo , Kiener Melanie , Zimmet Alex N. , Contag Caitlin A. , Rodriguez Nava Guillermo , Tompkins Lucy S. , Shepard John , Rosenthal Ayelet , Subramanian Aruna K. , Pinsky Benjamin A. , Salinas Jorge L.
Published: June 2023

Severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) strand-specific assay can be used to identify active SARS-CoV-2 viral replication. We describe the characteristics of 337 hospitalized patients with at least 1 minus-strand SARS-CoV-2 assay performed >20 days after illness onset. This test is a novel tool to identify high-risk hospitalized patients with prolonged SARS-CoV-2 replication.
Causal associations between dietary habits and CVD: a Mendelian randomisation study
Authors: Yang Miaomiao , Gao Xiong , Xie Liangzhen , Lin Zhizhan , Ye Xingsheng , Ou Jianyan , Peng Jian
Published: June 2023

Over the years, numerous observational studies have substantiated that various dietary choices have opposing effects on CVD. However, the causal effect has not yet been established. Thus, we conducted a Mendelian randomisation (MR) analysis to reveal the causal impact of dietary habits on CVD. Genetic variants strongly associated with 20 dietary habits were selected from publicly available genome-wide association studies conducted on the UK Biobank cohort (n 449 210). Summary-level data on CVD were obtained from different consortia (n 159 836–977 323). The inverse-variance weighted method (IVW) was the primary outcome, while MR-Egger, weighted median and MR Pleiotropy RESidual Sum and Outlier were used to assess heterogeneity and pleiotropy. We found compelling evidence of a protective causal effect of genetic predisposition towards cheese consumption on myocardial infarction (IVW OR = 0·67; 95 % CI = 0·544, 0·826; P = 1·784 × 10−4) and heart failure (IVW OR = 0·646; 95 % CI = 0·513, 0·814; P = 2·135 × 10−4). Poultry intake was found to be a detrimental factor for hypertension (IVW OR = 4·306; 95 % CI = 2·158, 8·589; P = 3·416 × 10−5), while dried fruit intake was protective against hypertension (IVW OR = 0·473; 95 % CI = 0·348, 0·642; P = 1·683 × 10−6). Importantly, no evidence of pleiotropy was detected. MR estimates provide robust evidence for a causal relationship between genetic predisposition to 20 dietary habits and CVD risk, suggesting that well-planned diets may help prevent and reduce the risk of CVD.
Tetrathyridia in an endemic lizard from Chile: molecular evidence for South America
Authors: Correa J. P. , Farías F. , San Juan E. , Yáñez-Meza A. , Muñoz-Leal S. , Botto-Mahan C. , Oyarzún-Ruiz P.
Published: June 2023

Mesocestoides is a controversial tapeworm with significant lack of data related to systematics and life cycles. This helminth has an indirect life cycle with vertebrates, mostly carnivorous mammals, as definitive hosts. Theoretically, a coprophagous arthropod would be the first intermediate host, and herptiles, mammals, and birds, which prey on these insects, would represent the second intermediate hosts. However, recent evidence suggests that this life cycle would require only two hosts, with no arthropods involved. In the Neotropics, although there are records of mammals and reptiles as hosts for Mescocestoides, no molecular analyses have been performed. This work aimed to record an additional intermediate host and molecularly characterize the isolated larvae. Thus, 18 braided tree iguanas (Liolaemus platei) from Northern Chile were collected and dissected during 2019. One lizard was parasitized by three morphotypes of larvae compatible with tetrathyridia of Mescocestoides. To achieve its specific identity, a molecular approach was performed: 18S rRNA and 12S rRNA loci were amplified through cPCR. The inferred phylogenies confirmed the morphological diagnosis and stated that all morphotypes were conspecifics. The sequences for both loci formed a monophyletic clade with high nodal support, representing a sister taxon to Mescocestoides clade C. This study represents the first molecular characterization of any taxon of Mescocestoides from the Neotropics. Future surveys from potential definitive hosts would help to elucidate its life cycle. Furthermore, an integrative taxonomic approach is required in additional studies from the Neotropical region, which would contribute to a better understanding of the evolutionary relationships of this genus.
Cardiovascular manifestations and cardiac magnetic resonance follow-up of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C)
Authors: Karagözlü Selen , Ramoğlu Mehmet G. , Bayram Özlem , Bakhtiyarzada Jeyhun , Aydın Alperen , Yılmaz Mehmet Mustafa , Murt Begüm , Özkan Ersin , İnceli Hatice Belkıs , Gurbanov Anar , Şükriye Yılmaz , Demir Berrin , Özdemir Halil , Çiftçi Ergin , Kendirli Tanıl , Uçar Tayfun , Fitoz Ömer Suat , Tutar Ercan
Published: June 2023

Objective:

This study aimed to evaluate the cardiovascular manifestations and surveillance of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) and to determine the correlation of echocardiographic findings with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging findings.

Methods:

Forty-four children diagnosed as MIS-C with cardiac involvement were enrolled in this observational descriptive study. The diagnosis of MIS-C was made according to the criteria of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Clinical findings, laboratory parameters, and electrocardiographic and echocardiographic findings at the time of diagnosis and during follow-up were evaluated. Cardiac magnetic resonance was performed on 28 (64%) cases. The 1-year follow-up imaging was performed in all cases with abnormal initial cardiac magnetic resonance findings.

Results:

Forty-four patients (56.8% male) with a mean age of 8.5 ± 4.8 years were enrolled in this study. There was a significant positive correlation between high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (mean: 162 ± 444.4 pg/ml) and N-terminal pro b-type natriuretic peptide (mean: 10,054 ± 11,604 pg/ml) (p < 0.01). Number of cases with an electrocardiographic and echocardiographic abnormality was 34 (77%) and 31 (70%), respectively. Twelve cases (45%) had left ventricular systolic dysfunction and 14 (32%) cases had pericardial effusion on admission. Three cases (11%) had cardiac magnetic resonance findings that may be attributed to the presence of myocardial inflammation, and pericardial effusion was present in seven (25%) cases. Follow-up cardiac magnetic resonances of all cases were normal. Cardiac abnormalities were completely resolved in all except two cases.

Conclusions:

Myocardial involvement can be seen during acute disease, but MIS-C generally does not lead to prominent damage during a year of surveillance. Cardiac magnetic resonance is a valuable tool to evaluate the degree of myocardial involvement in cases with MIS-C.
Dosimetric comparison of three-dimensional (3D), intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and hybrid IMRT for left-sided postmastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT)
Authors: Thongthanom Siwika , Nobnop Wannapha
Published: June 2023

Purpose:

This study aimed to determine the suitable breast treatment technique for a small facility’s hospital with limited staff and equipment resources. The benefits and drawbacks of each technique should be considered to guide radiation oncologists choose the appropriate treatment option for postmastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT) patients.

Methods and Materials:

This study included the computed tomography images of 15 patients who received left-sided PMRT. The patient’s characteristics were classified into two groups: 1. irradiation of only the chest wall (CW) and 2. CW lymph nodes plus supraclavicular lymph nodes (SPCs). All 15 PMRT patients were generated in 4 treatment techniques including 3DCRT, field-in-field (FiF), intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and hybrid (3DCRT + IMRT). Each treatment technique’s dosimetric parameters and treatment time were compared.

Result:

All four treatment plans met the acceptable criteria. The IMRT plans achieved the highest plan quality scores for two groups of PMRT patients but require the longest treatment time, whereas the 3DCRT and FiF plans demonstrated superiority for organ at risk (OAR) sparing and required the shortest treatment time when compared with the IMRT and hybrid plans.

Conclusion:

The IMRT plan had the highest plan quality but required the most time to treat. Treatment times are critical in facilities with limited resources. As a result, the FiF plan was found to be a suitable technique for both CW-only and CW plus SPC irradiation due to its short treatment time and high plan quality scores for OAR dose sparing.
How Do Earthquakes Stop? Insights From a Minimal Model of Frictional Rupture
Authors: Barras Fabian , Thøgersen Kjetil , Aharonov Einat , Renard François
Published: June 2023

The question “what arrests an earthquake rupture?” sits at the heart of any potential prediction of earthquake magnitude. Here, we use a one‐dimensional, thin‐elastic‐strip, minimal model, to illuminate the basic physical parameters that may control the arrest of large ruptures. The generic formulation of the model allows for wrapping various earthquake arrest scenarios into the variations of two dimensionless variables (initial dimensionless stress parameter on the fault) and (dimensionless fracture energy), valid for both in‐plane and antiplane shear loading. Our continuum model is equivalent to the standard Burridge‐Knopoff model, with an added characteristic length scale, H, that corresponds to either the thickness of the damage zone for strike‐slip faults or to the thickness of the downward moving plate for subduction settings. We simulate the propagation and arrest of frictional ruptures and derive closed‐form expressions to predict rupture arrest under different conditions. Our generic model illuminates the different energy budget that mediates crack‐ and pulse‐like rupture propagation and arrest. It provides additional predictions such as generic stable pulse‐like rupture solutions, stress drop independence of the rupture size, the existence of back‐propagating fronts, and predicts that asymmetric slip profiles arise under certain pre‐stress conditions. These diverse features occur also in natural earthquakes, and the fact that they can all be predicted by a single minimal framework is encouraging and pave the way for future developments of this model.
Non‐Fossil Origin Explains the Large Seasonal Variation of Highly Processed Organic Aerosol in the Northeastern Tibetan Plateau (3,200 m a.s.l.)
Authors: Ni Haiyan , Yao Peng , Zhu Chongshu , Qu Yao , Tian Jie , Ma Yongyong , Yang Lu , Zhong Haobin , Huang Ru‐Jin , Dusek Ulrike
Published: June 2023

Carbonaceous aerosol plays an important role in climate, but its sources and atmospheric processes are least understood in the Tibetan Plateau (TP), a remote yet climatically sensitive region. This study presents the first seasonal cycle of radiocarbon and stable isotope 13C of organic and elemental carbon (OC and EC) in the atmosphere of the northeastern TP. Large seasonal variations of EC and OC concentrations were explained by non‐fossil sources. Regardless of the season, fossil contribution to OC was strongly correlated with inverse OC concentrations. This allowed the separating a constant background source and a source responsible for OC variability that was mostly of non‐fossil origin. The 13C signature of OC shows that OC was highly atmospherically processed and thus less volatile than OC found near sources or in urban areas. The 13C‐depleted secondary sources contributed strongly to more volatile OC, whereas the 13C‐enriched less volatile OC suggests the influence of atmospheric aging.
MultiVI: deep generative model for the integration of multimodal data
Authors: Ashuach Tal , Gabitto Mariano I. , Koodli Rohan V. , Saldi Giuseppe-Antonio , Jordan Michael I. , Yosef Nir
Published: June 2023

Jointly profiling the transcriptome, chromatin accessibility and other molecular properties of single cells offers a powerful way to study cellular diversity. Here we present MultiVI, a probabilistic model to analyze such multiomic data and leverage it to enhance single-modality datasets. MultiVI creates a joint representation that allows an analysis of all modalities included in the multiomic input data, even for cells for which one or more modalities are missing. It is available at scvi-tools.org.
Versatile properties of dynein molecules underlying regulation in flagellar oscillation
Authors: Fujiwara Takashi , Shingyoji Chikako , Higuchi Hideo
Published: June 2023

Dynein is a minus-end-directed motor that generates oscillatory motion in eukaryotic flagella. Cyclic beating, which is the most significant feature of a flagellum, occurs by sliding spatiotemporal regulation by dynein along microtubules. To elucidate oscillation generated by dynein in flagellar beating, we examined its mechanochemical properties under three different axonemal dissection stages. By starting from the intact 9 + 2 structure, we reduced the number of interacting doublets and determined three parameters, namely, the duty ratio, dwell time and step size, of the generated oscillatory forces at each stage. Intact dynein molecules in the axoneme, doublet bundle and single doublet were used to measure the force with optical tweezers. The mean forces per dynein determined under three axonemal conditions were smaller than the previously reported stall forces of axonemal dynein; this phenomenon suggests that the duty ratio is lower than previously thought. This possibility was further confirmed by an in vitro motility assay with purified dynein. The dwell time and step size estimated from the measured force were similar. The similarity in these parameters suggests that the essential properties of dynein oscillation are inherent to the molecule and independent of the axonemal architecture, composing the functional basis of flagellar beating.
Time-dependent cytokines changes in ultra-rush wasp venom immunotherapy
Authors: Urbańska W. , Szymański L. , Ciepelak M. , Cios A. , Stankiewicz W. , Klimaszewska E. , Lieto Krystyna , Skopek Rafał , Chciałowski A. , Lewicki S.
Published: June 2023

Venom immunotherapy (VIT) represents a potential therapeutic approach for the management of venom allergies, aiming to modify the immune response to venom allergens and enhance its precision. Previous studies have demonstrated that VIT induces a shift in T helper cell responses from Th2 to Th1, characterized by the production of IL-2 and interferon-gamma by CD4+ and CD8+ cells. In order to explore long-term pathways following VIT treatment and verify potential new outcomes, the serum concentrations of 30 cytokines were assessed in a cohort of 61 patients (18 control, 43 study group) exhibiting hypersensitivity to wasp venom. Cytokine levels were measured at 0, 2, 6, and 24 weeks after the initiation phase of VIT in the study group. The present study found no significant alterations in the levels of IL-2 and IFN-γ in the peripheral blood following VIT. However, a noteworthy finding was the substantial increase in the concentration of IL-12, a cytokine capable of promoting the differentiation of Th0 cells into Th1 cells. This observation supports the involvement of the Th1 pathway in the desensitization process induced by VIT. Additionally, the study revealed a significant rise in the levels of IL-9 and TGF-β after VIT. These cytokines may play a role in the generation of inducible regulatory T (Treg) cells, indicating their potential importance in the immune response to venom allergens and the desensitization process associated with VIT. Nevertheless, further investigations are required to comprehend the underlying mechanisms driving the VIT process comprehensively.
Investigation of osmotic shock effect on pulsed electric field treated S. cerevisiae yeast cells
Authors: Gančytė Greta , Šimonis Povilas , Stirkė Arūnas
Published: June 2023

Pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment is known to cause plasma membrane permeabilization of microorganisms, an effect known as electroporation. PEF treatment is very attractive since it can achieve permeabilization with or without lethal damage in accordance with desired results. This study aimed to expand the accomplishment of electroporation outcomes by applying sudden post-PEF osmotic composition change of the media. Changes in yeast cells’ viability, size and plasma membrane regeneration rate were evaluated. However, we still have questions about the intracellular biochemical processes responsible for plasma membrane recovery after electroporation. Our suggested candidate is the high osmolarity glycerol (HOG) kinase pathway. The HOG pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeasts is responsible for volume recovery after dangerous shape modifications and intracellular water disbalance caused by environmental osmotic pressure changes. Thus, we evaluated the HOG pathway inactivation effect on S. cerevisiae’s reaction to PEF treatment. Results showed that Hog1 deficient S. cerevisiae cells were considerably more sensitive to electric field treatment, confirming a link between the HOG pathway and S. cerevisiae recovery process after electroporation. By suddenly changing the osmolarity of the media after PEF we influenced the cells’ plasma membrane recovery rate, severity of permeabilization and survivability of yeast cells. Studies of electroporation in combination with various treatments might improve electric field application range, efficiency, and optimization of the process.
Recognition of pear leaf disease under complex background based on DBPNet and modified mobilenetV2
Authors: Wu Xuehui , Luo Zhiwei , Xu Huanliang
Published: June 2023

Given the challenge of pear leaf disease recognition caused by uneven illumination, overlapping leaves, and other green plants in the background, a two‐stage strategy‐based framework for pear leaf segmentation and disease classification is proposed. Initially, a double branch polymerization net fusing features of the low‐level feature branch and semantic branch is constructed to extract the target diseased pear leaf and eliminate background interference. Then an improved lightweight neural network (Inverted‐Inception Efficient‐Excitation‐and‐Filtering‐Bottleneck MobileNet‐v2, I2EMv2) is used to capture multi‐scale lesion information and ainhibit invalid feature channels and filter redundant features for the final classification. The experimental results show that the proposed framework can accurately extract the pear leaf region with complete boundary from the complex background, maximize the retention of lesion information, and achieve high‐precision pear leaf disease identification. The mean absolute error, F‐measure, and intersection over union of leaf segmentation are 0.027, 0.947, and 0.880, respectively, and the average recognition accuracy of leaf disease is 92.05%. Compared with others, the method proposed in this paper has superior performance on segmentation and classification, which provides a reference for pear leaf disease classification under complex background.
Adaptive control schemes based on characteristic model for servo motor drives
Authors: Wang Jiyao , Xu Wei , Fang Shuhua , Chen Yong , Wang Yicheng , Wang Wei
Published: June 2023

In the paper, two adaptive control schemes based on characteristic model (CM) method are proposed to achieve great dynamic performance for servo motor drive applications. Two second‐order CMs of permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs) are established based on the difference equation method. An adaptive controller consisting of four control laws is designed based on CMs. The proposed controller implements an improved maintaining/tracking control law that considers load torque ripple, plus a golden‐section adaptive control law, a logic differential control law, and a logic integral control law. In addition, two different servo systems using adaptive controllers are established, both of which are simple to implement and can achieve accurate position‐tracking or speed‐tracking in a servo drive system. The feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed adaptive control schemes are experimentally tested and verified on a servo motor drive platform.
Endoscopic closure versus surgical revision in the management of gastro-gastric fistula following Roux-en-Y gastric bypass
Authors: Dolan Russell D. , Jirapinyo Pichamol , Maahs Ethan D. , Thompson Christopher C.
Published: June 2023

Background and study aims Gastro-gastric fistulae (GGF) occur in 1.3 % to 6 % of Rouxy-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) patients and can be associated with abdominal pain, reflux, weight regain and onset of diabetes. Endoscopic and surgical treatments are available without prior comparisons. The study aim was to compare endoscopic and surgical treatment methods in RYGB patients with GGF.

Patients and methods A retrospective matched cohort study of RYGB patients who underwent endoscopic closure (ENDO) or surgical revision (SURG) for GGF. One-to-one matching was performed based on age, sex, body mass index and weight regain. Patient demographics, GGF size, procedural details, symptoms and treatment-related adverse events (AEs) were collected. A comparison of symptom improvement and treatment-related AEs was performed. Fisher’s Exact, t-test and Wilcoxon Rank Sum tests were performed.

Results Ninety RYGB patients with GGF (45 ENDO, 45 matched SURG) were included. GGF symptoms included weight regain (80 %), gastroesophageal reflux disease (71 %) and abdominal pain (67 %). At 6 months, the ENDO and SURG groups experienced 0.59 % and 5.5 % total weight loss (TWL) (P = 0.0002). At 12 months, the ENDO and SURG groups experienced 1.9 % and 6.2 % TWL (P = 0.007). Abdominal pain improved in 12 (52.2 %) ENDO and 5 (15.2 %) SURG patients at 12 months (P = 0.007). Diabetes and reflux resolution rates were similar between groups. Treatment-related AEs occurred in four (8.9 %) ENDO and 16 (35.6 %) SURG patients (P = 0.005), of which none and eight (17.8%), respectively, were serious (P = 0.006).

Conclusions Endoscopic GGF treatment produces greater improvement in abdominal pain and fewer overall and serious treatment-related AEs. However, surgical revision appears to yield greater weight loss.
Producing a faster, more accurate, less invasive instrument for detecting cancer
Authors: Green Leigh Ann
Published: June 2023

Biomimetic cameras, non-linear optical microscopes, and artificial intelligence join forces in the fight against gastric cancer.
Advances point to promise for epidermal electrophysiological signal processing
Authors: Liebendorfer Adam
Published: June 2023

Self-adapting and self-sensing technologies with deep learning are paving the way for enhanced medical diagnoses and health surveillance.
Preparation of polymeric composite for antiskid flooring purpose
Authors: Salih Rana M , Kadhim Hanaa J , Nassif Rafah A
Published: June 2023

Three polymeric blends were prepared using epoxy, nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR), and polyurethanes (PU) to develop antiskid surfaces with the required mechanical properties. The optimum mixing ratio was decided according to the results of the coefficient of friction and impact tests. Mechanical properties, including wear, bending, compression, impact, hardness, and water uptake, were measured. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to investigate the microscopic features. The results showed variations in the values of coefficient of friction for the three blends, where the epoxy/NBR specimens showed the highest value of 0.81, followed by specimens of epoxy blended with the two types of commercial polyurethanes, Sikaflex™ and Sikaswell™ of 0.73 and 0.69, respectively. The highest wear rate was noticed for the epoxy/NBR specimen, while the epoxy+Sikaflex specimen showed the lowest wear rate compared to other specimens. The epoxy/Sikaflex also showed the highest values for hardness, compared with epoxy/Sikaswell and epoxy/NBR, respectively. The resultant blends showed improved mechanical properties with high slipping resistance, which makes the prepared blends potential alternatives compared to traditional flooring materials.
Oblique laser transmission and scattering characteristics of multilayer ice-water mixed clouds based on the successive scattering method
Authors: Wei Yafei , Wang Mingjun , Zhang Jialin , Wang Wanrou , Huang Chaojun
Published: June 2023

Clouds are widely distributed in the atmosphere, which is an important factor affecting the laser engineering application. In the paper, we developed a scattering transmission model of laser light in multilayer ice-water mixed clouds for applications in laser communication, laser detection, and laser weapons. Based on the successive scattering method, the direct transmission and first-order scattering of the laser between an aircraft and a target are numerically calculated in different cloud structures. The effects of the vertical structure of the clouds and the position of the aircraft and the target on the laser scattering are analyzed. The results show that the direct transmission can always have minimal and maximal values at the bottom and top of the clouds, respectively, while the peak of the first-order scattering appears near the top of the clouds. Compared to ice clouds, water clouds will produce a huge attenuation of the laser transmission. Our results can provide theoretical guidance for engineering applications in the real cloud environment.
Effects of initial electronic state on elliptically polarized attosecond pulses
Authors: Huo Xiao-Xin , Xing Yun-He , Zhang Jun , Liu Xue-Shen
Published: June 2023

We investigate the ellipticity dependence of the high-order harmonic generation from molecular hydrogen ions with different initial states (

1

σ

g

and

1

σ

u

). The ellipticity of the harmonics can be tuned and is more sensitive to the alignment angle with the ground state. The position of the maximum ellipticity shifts with the increase of the alignment angles, which can be illustrated by the two-center interference model and molecular orbital symmetry. The underlying physical mechanisms of the ellipticity can be demonstrated by the phase difference and amplitude difference of the x and y components of the harmonics. In addition, with specific carrier envelope phase of the laser fields, the elliptically polarized attosecond pulse with high intensity and large ellipticity ɛ = 0.77 is synthesized from the first excited state, which can be used as the bright elliptically polarized EUV light source.
Enhanced mechanical property of Ti-45551 alloy due to TRIP effect
Authors: Chen Lianyang , Deng Qiong , Wu Yue , Sun Biwei , Wang Chuanyun
Published: June 2023

The martensitic phase transformation of nearly β titanium during deformation facilitates the increase and stabilization of strain hardening rate leading to excellent formability. In this work, a nearly β titanium (Ti-4Al-5Mo-5V-5Cr-1Nb %) was designed and exhibited a high yield stress (~760 MPa), a well rate of strain hardening (~950 MPa) up to 40% true strain. Microstructure characterization of the samples after deformation revealed that the excellent mechanical properties were induced by martensitic phase transformation without twinning.
Stress-strain Curve Correction Based on Finite Element Method
Authors: Wang Yongshuai , Wang Haodong , He Xuanfu , Wang Cunxian
Published: June 2023

Necking is a very common phenomenon in uniaxial tensile experiments. It is particularly prominent in materials with high-stress levels. It can be considered a deformation destabilization phenomenon or a localized concentration of deformation. The occurrence of this phenomenon can lead to the failure of the stress-strain curve of the material. Therefore, this paper will examine the problem of stress-strain curve correction in uniaxial tension for materials with high levels of yield stress. Due to the high-stress levels in this class of materials, the material quickly undergoes necking after entering yield, resulting in distorted stress-strain curves. Sometimes, there is not even enough information to fit the intrinsic parameters. In this paper, the real mechanical response of such materials is inverted according to the finite element method to correct the stress-strain curve of the material.
Co-sintered Steel-TA Complex Shells under Impact Loading
Authors: Ke Ming , Fan Ruyu , Qian Bingwen , Li Kang , Li Xian , Zhou Gang
Published: June 2023

To assess the application of the co-sintering method in fabricating steel-tungsten alloy (TA) complex shells, three types of structures were designed and accelerated by a light-gas gun to penetrate concrete targets. Experiment results show that, at around 500 m/s, the co-sintered steel-TA shells can survive the loadings penetrating the concrete targets without obvious deformation, confirming the viability of co-sintering in making steel-TA complex shells for moderate impact velocity. The fact that only a few scratches are left on the head of the penetrator implies the potential for higher velocities.
The failure evolution characteristic of the arched structure under blast loading
Authors: Lin Qindong , Feng Chun , Zhang Yulei , Gan Yundan , Yuan Jianfei
Published: June 2023

Aiming at the arched structure in the field of defense engineering, it is of significant military value and theoretical innovation to investigate the failure mode and evolution characteristic of the arched structure under blast loading. First, a full-time simulation of the underground arched structure under blast loading is carried ou. Then, the displacement evolution characteristic of the arched structure is studied. Finally, the crack evolution characteristic of the arched structure is studied. The numerical simulation indicates that the dispalcement of concrete near the midpoint of the straight wall at the right side is largest. The rock mass on the outside of the right arch segment and the middle arch segment collapses the most seriously. As the time increases, the fracture ratio continuous to increase, and the fractured interface appearing during the explosion stage accounts for 43.65% of the total fractured interface. The damage degree of concrete of the straight wall and the arch segment at the right side is the most severe, and the rock mass mainly undergoes shear fracture.
The corrosion resistance of Al-Fe-Co-Cr-Ni-Cu high entropy alloy coatings
Authors: Niu Xuelian , Luan Zhongqi , Mei Yan , Yu You
Published: June 2023

A high entropy alloy AlxFeCoCrNiCu (x=0.5, 1) coating was prepared by the electron beam evaporation method on the surface of the steel. The influence of aluminum content on the corrosion resistance of the coating is discussed. The obtained results show that the HEA coatings retain the HEA phase structure without any phase change. The polarization curves show that the high entropy alloy coating of Al0.5FeCoCrNiCu had better corrosion resistance in 0.5 mol/L H2SO4 solution and 1 mol/L NaCl solution. This design of the HEA coatings provides a novel method for steel corrosion-resistant materials.
Compression Behavior of Extra-soft Porcine Lung Tissue at the Wide Strain Rate
Authors: Liu Yue , Peng Feiyang , Wang Yongshuai , Chen Mingwei , Hu Zhi , Miao Yinggang
Published: June 2023

Lung is the respiratory organ and the important hematopoietic organ of the human body, which is easily damaged under impact load. Therefore, studying the mechanical behavior of the lung under impact load is an important way to understand its damage mechanism of it. Compression experiments of porcine lung tissue at a wide strain rate (0.001-3000 s−1) were carried out at room temperature. The modifications were made for the highly accurate mechanical measurement of the tissue due to its low wave impedance. The results show that its behaviors consist of three stages, linear elasticity, plateau stage, and compaction. The lung tissue presents distinct rate-dependence in the compaction stage. Furthermore, it behaves nearly similarly under both the loading directions of vertical and parallel trachea, which facilitates to a demonstration of its isotropy.
Fluctuations of Strongly-interacting Matter in Thermal Models at Chemical Freeze-out
Authors: Karthein Jamie M.
Published: June 2023

Fluctuations provide a powerful tool for elucidating the nature of strongly-interacting matter in the QCD phase diagram. In heavy-ion-collision systems, the net-particle number fluctuations are captured at the moment of chemical freeze-out. Studies of the chemical freeze-out via susceptibilities from lattice QCD and the Hadron Resonance Gas model contribute to the characterization of the transition region of the QCD phase diagram. This contribution to proceedings will show how susceptibilities can be used to study the interplay between different conserved charges via cross-correlators and to constrain interactions in the hadron gas phase.
Strain and vibration measurements by FBG sensors for engineering applications
Authors: Castaldo A. , Caponero M.A. , Clemente P. , Mazzotta C. , Polimadei A. , Terranova G. , Capasso M. , Darban R. , Lavorato D. , Nuti C. , Signorini S. , Sonzogni F. , Failla C.
Published: June 2023

Fiber optic sensors based on the fiber Bragg grating (FBG)
technology [1] is widely used to produce quasi-distributed monitoring systems to measure
mechanical parameters for Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) of civil engineering
structures [2]. FBG sensors are produced in the core of the optical fiber, as a short
segment of fiber where a diffraction grating is produced (5–10 mm). The principle of operation
of the FBGs is based on the diffraction occurring at the grating: if broadband light propagates, a
quasi-monochromatic counter propagating light originates. The wavelength of the diffracted light
depends on the value of the refraction index of the core along the grating which in turn is
affected by both temperature and strain. Thus, by measuring the wavelength change of the counter
propagating light, the change of strain and the temperature can be worked out. The PREFOS
Project [3] aims to develop a novel procedure to apply the use of FBGs to monitor the
prestressed strands of civil engineering prefabricated components. In this paper, we report
results of an experimental campaign intended to measure the sensitivity of saddle-like sensors to
induced vibration and mechanical strain. Measurements were done performing static and dynamic
tests on a steel strand equipped with 3 sensors. The tests have been performed applying different
tensioning to the steel strand. Static measurements were worked out applying a stepwise tensioning
increase. Dynamic tests were worked out at each stepped tension level, inducing vibration by both
sharp hammer impact and release of hanged weight. The paper is organized as follows, in
section 1 a general description of the testbed structure used for the experiments will
be provided. In section 2 the results of static analysis and dynamic tests will be
presented with the dynamic behavior of the strand evaluated by performing a simple Fast Fourier
Transform (FFT). Finally, the conclusions will be drawn.
Age-related advanced glycation end-product accumulation impairs mitochondrial regulation after vitrification
Authors: Ito Jun , Iwata Hisataka
Published: June 2023

Vitrification is an important assisted reproductive technology, although it induces mitochondrial dysfunction in embryos. Herein, we aimed to investigate whether age-associated accumulation of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) in oocytes impairs the recovery of embryos from cryopreservation-induced mitochondrial dysfunction/damage. Mouse eight-cell stage embryos developed in vitro were vitrified and warmed and incubated up to the blastocyst stage. AGE levels in oocytes were higher in both aged mice and AGE accumulation mouse models (MGO-mice) than those in young and control mice. In addition, the level of SIRT1 upregulation was lower for embryos of aged and MGO-mice than that for embryos of young and control mice. The highest mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content was detected in blastocysts derived from vitrified embryos of aged and MGO-mice. The spent culture medium of blastocysts derived from both aged and MGO-mice contained higher mtDNA content than that of the blastocysts derived from young and control mice. EX527 increased mtDNA content in the spent culture medium of vitrified embryos derived from young mice. In addition, p62 aggregate levels were higher in vitrified embryos of control mice than those in vitrified embryos of MGO-mice. The SIRT1 activator, resveratrol, increased p62 aggregation levels in vitrified embryos derived from young and aged mice, whereas vitrification did not affect p62 aggregation levels in embryos from aged mice. Therefore, age-associated AGE accumulation induces decreased responsive SIRT1 upregulation following vitrified–warmed treatment and impairs mitochondrial quality control activity in vitrified embryos.
Implementing rubric co-construction in ESL writing teaching
Authors: Zhang Tong , Weng Zhenjie
Published: June 2023

Rubrics are often used as scoring tools in evaluating student writing performance. Although there is a considerable amount of research on the use of rubrics in ESL writing instruction, little attention has been paid to studies of engaging students in rubric co-construction in the ELT context. This study investigates the implementation of teacher-student rubric co-construction as an alternative formative assessment in an ESL university writing course. Through analyzing the data collected from student interviews and teacher reflection, this study focuses on elucidating the rubric co-construction process and providing insights of students and the teacher who have engaged in rubric co-construction in ESL writing teaching and learning.
Effect of the U.S.–China Trade War on Stock Markets: A Financial Contagion Perspective
Authors: Oh Minseog , Kim Donggyu
Published: June 2023

In this article, to model risk contagion between the U.S. and China stock markets based on high-frequency financial data, we develop a novel continuous-time jump-diffusion process. For example, we consider three channels for volatility contagion—such as integrated volatility, positive jump variation, and negative jump variation—and each stock market is able to affect the other stock market as an overnight risk factor. We develop a quasi-maximum likelihood estimator for model parameters and establish its asymptotic properties. Furthermore, to identify contagion channels and test the existence of a structural break with a known structural break date, we propose hypothesis test procedures. Using the proposed diffusion model with high-frequency financial data, we investigate the effect of the U.S.–China trade war on stock markets from a financial contagion perspective. From the empirical study, we find evidence of financial contagion from the United States to China and evidence that the risk contagion channel has changed from integrated volatility to negative jump variation.
Consequences of postglacial contact between phylogroups of Blarina brevicauda in North America’s Great Lakes Region
Authors: Cassidy Ellen R , Galbreath Kurt E
Published: June 2023

Across eastern North America, glacial cycles of the Pleistocene drove episodic latitudinal range shifts by temperate species. Isolation of populations within low-latitude refugia during glacial maxima was enhanced by physiographic barriers, leading to patterns of phylogeographic differentiation that are shared across diverse taxa. Postglacial population expansion created opportunities for differentiated lineages to come into contact, with various potential population-genetic outcomes. Northern short-tailed shrews (Blarina brevicauda) exhibit three mitochondrial phylogroups that probably originated via glacial-age range restriction and isolation. We investigate the history of postglacial expansion and interlineage contact between historically isolated regional populations of B. brevicauda. Morphological differences between skulls of shrews representing a Western lineage and those representing Central and Eastern lineages are consistent with past subspecies delineations. However, we demonstrate broad range overlap between neighboring phylogroups across the Upper Peninsula and Lower Peninsula in Michigan. Further, incongruence between phylogroup association and morphology among individuals in Upper Peninsula populations suggests that genetic admixture between shrews representing the Western and Central groups has occurred in the past and may be ongoing. We show that across most cranial measurements, shrews within the contact zone are morphologically most similar to the Central group regardless of mitochondrial identity, but one measurement in these contact zone shrews (depth of skull) is more similar to that seen in the Western group. These results suggest that hybridization between historically isolated populations has resulted in the origin of a novel skull phenotype that is proportionally deeper, narrower, and shorter than those seen in core Western and Central populations.