bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Elements of a design method – a basis for describing and evaluating design methods
Authors: Gericke Kilian , Eckert Claudia , Stacey Martin
Published: December 2022

Method development is at the heart of design research as methods are a formalised way to express knowledge about how aspects of design could or should be done. However, assuring that methods are in fact used in industry has remained a challenge. Industry will only use methods that they can understand and that they feel will give them benefit reliably. To understand the challenges involved in adopting a method, the method needs to be seen in context: it does not exist in isolation but forms a part of an ecosystem of methods for tackling related design problems. A method depends on the knowledge and skills of the practitioners using it: while a description of a method is an artefact that is a formalisation of engineering knowledge, a method in use constitutes a socio-technical system depending on the interaction of human participants with each other as well as with the description of the method, representations of design information and, often, tools for carrying out the method’s tasks. This paper argues that crucial factors in the adoption of methods include how well they are described and how convincingly they are evaluated. The description of a method should cover itscore idea, therepresentationsin which design information is described, theprocedureto be followed, itsintended use, and thetoolsit uses. The account of a method’s intended use should cover itspurpose, the situations or product types within itsscope, itscoverageof kinds of problems within its scope, itsexpected benefitandconditionsfor its use. The different elements need to be evaluated separately as well as the method as an integrated whole. While verification and validation are important for some elements of methods, it is rarely possible to prove the validity of a method. Rather the developers of methods need to gather sufficient evidence that a method will work within a clearly articulated scope. Most design methods do not have binary success criteria, and their usefulness in practice depends as much on simplicity and usability as on the outcomes they produce. Evaluation should focus on how well they work, and how they can be customised and improved.
Khintchine-type recurrence for 3-point configurations
Authors: Ackelsberg Ethan , Bergelson Vitaly , Shalom Or
Published: December 2022

The goal of this paper is to generalise, refine and improve results on large intersections from [2, 8]. We show that if G is a countable discrete abelian group and

$\varphi , \psi : G \to G$

are homomorphisms, such that at least two of the three subgroups

$\varphi (G)$

,

$\psi (G)$

and

$(\psi -\varphi )(G)$

have finite index in G, then

$\{\varphi , \psi \}$

has the large intersections property. That is, for any ergodic measure preserving system

$\textbf {X}=(X,\mathcal {X},\mu ,(T_g)_{g\in G})$

, any

$A\in \mathcal {X}$

and any

$\varepsilon>0$

, the set

$$ \begin{align*} \{g\in G : \mu(A\cap T_{\varphi(g)}^{-1} A \cap T_{\psi(g)}^{-1} A)>\mu(A)^3-\varepsilon\} \end{align*} $$

is syndetic (Theorem 1.11). Moreover, in the special case where

$\varphi (g)=ag$

and

$\psi (g)=bg$

for

$a,b\in \mathbb {Z}$

, we show that we only need one of the groups

$aG$

,

$bG$

or

$(b-a)G$

to be of finite index in G (Theorem 1.13), and we show that the property fails, in general, if all three groups are of infinite index (Theorem 1.14).

One particularly interesting case is where

$G=(\mathbb {Q}_{>0},\cdot )$

and

$\varphi (g)=g$

,

$\psi (g)=g^2$

, which leads to a multiplicative version of the Khintchine-type recurrence result in [8]. We also completely characterise the pairs of homomorphisms

$\varphi ,\psi $

that have the large intersections property when

$G = {{\mathbb Z}}^2$

.

The proofs of our main results rely on analysis of the structure of the universal characteristic factor for the multiple ergodic averages

$$ \begin{align*} \frac{1}{|\Phi_N|} \sum_{g\in \Phi_N}T_{\varphi(g)}f_1\cdot T_{\psi(g)} f_2. \end{align*} $$

In the case where G is finitely generated, the characteristic factor for such averages is the Kronecker factor. In this paper, we study actions of groups that are not necessarily finitely generated, showing, in particular, that, by passing to an extension of

$\textbf {X}$

, one can describe the characteristic factor in terms of the Conze–Lesigne factor and the

$\sigma $

-algebras of

$\varphi (G)$

and

$\psi (G)$

invariant functions (Theorem 4.10).
A comparative study of eight European countries: how life course events affect female migrant labour market integration under the perspective of welfare and production regimes
Authors: Lee Juhyun
Published: December 2022

This article analyses how life course events including education, citizenship, marriage status and having children would affect female migrant labour market integration. This is put in terms of employment status and job quality under the perspective of welfare and production regimes. To investigate different institutional effects, countries representative of these regimes’ typologies, such as the UK and Ireland for liberal market economies/liberal welfare states, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden for coordinated market economies (CME)/social democratic welfare states, alongside Germany and France for CME/conservative welfare states, were employed. European Social Survey data are adopted within a linear probability model, alongside a nested model aggregating life course events. Through these, migrant penalty is analysed regarding labour market outcomes with respect to natives. Among the life course events, education and citizenship acquisition showed a particularly strong impact on migrant penalty, while marriage and having a child did not significantly affect migrant penalty.
Viability of chemical and water isotope ratio measurements of RAID ice chippings from Antarctica
Authors: Rowell Isobel F. , Mulvaney Robert , Rix Julius , Tetzner Dieter R. , Wolff Eric W.
Published: December 2022

The British Antarctic Survey's (BAS) Rapid Access Isotope Drill (RAID), designed for rapid drilling to survey prospective ice core sites, has been deployed at multiple Antarctic locations over 6 years. This drilling method creates ice chippings that can be discretely sampled and analysed for their chemical and water isotopic composition. Ice sampling methods have evolved since the first uses of the BAS RAID, enabling a more quantifiable sample resolution. Here, we show that water isotope records obtained from RAID ice are comparable to those of equivalent depth resolution from proximal ice cores. Records of chemical impurities also show good agreement with nearby cores. Our findings suggest that the RAID is suitable for both chemical and isotopic reconnaissance of drilling sites. Residual contamination of certain ions is discussed, with proposed design changes to avoid this issue with future use.
Cornulitid tubeworms and other calcareous tubicolous organisms from the Hirmuse Formation (Katian, Upper Ordovician) of northern Estonia
Authors: Vinn Olev , Madison Anna , Wilson Mark A. , Toom Ursula
Published: December 2022

Seven species of cornulitids, one unidentified tubicolous shell, and the problematic bryozoan Lagenosypho Spandel, 1898 are here described from the Katian of Baltica. Three new species—Cornulites lindae new species, Cornulites meidlai new species, and Conchicolites kroegeri new species—are described. The unidentified tubicolous organism has punctate shell structure and setae-like structures that can best be affiliated with lophophorates. The Hirmuse fauna indicates that the diversity and number of cornulitids in the Ordovician of Baltica has been underestimated and it is likely that the Baltic cornulitid fauna was as diverse and abundant as the fauna of Laurentia. Clay mud-bottom environments supported the highest cornulitid diversity in the Late Ordovician of Baltica. The occurrence of intermediate forms indicates that some tentaculitid characters, e.g., regular annulation and a nearly straight shell, which were thought to be apomorphies of free-living tentaculitids, were actually inherited from ancestral cornulitids. The cornulitid fauna of the Late Ordovician of Laurentia somewhat resembles the cornulitid fauna of the Late Ordovician of Baltica, but there are fewer common faunal elements between Gondwana and Baltica.

UUID: http://zoobank.org/cc704237-b578-4d06-a8ed-8457ca3ce972
Revision ofEothinocerasand the status of the Eothinoceratidae (Cyrtocerinida, Multiceratoidea, Cephalopoda)
Authors: Evans David H. , Cichowolski Marcela
Published: December 2022

The type specimens ofEothinoceras americanumUlrich et al., 1944, type species of the genusEothinocerasUlrich et al., 1944, are revised based on new photographic material. The resulting interpretation of the conch shape ofEothinocerasshows that the type species is an endogastric cyrtocone, necessitating the restriction ofEothinocerasto the type species and requiring the revision of the family Eothinoceratidae and the order Cyrtocerinida. A new scheme for classifying the genera of the order Cyrtocerinida into its three families is proposed: (1) Eothinoceratidae Ulrich et al., 1944, containing the generaEothinoceras;ProtothinocerasChen and Teichert, 1987;MesothinocerasChen and Teichert, 1987; andConothinocerasChen and Teichert, 1987; (2) Cyrtocerinidae Flower, 1946, includingCyrtocerinaBillings, 1865;TangshanocerasChen, 1976; andCentrocyrtocerinaStait, 1983; (3) Bathmoceratidae Gill, 1871, containingBathmocerasBarrande, 1865;SalocerasEvans, 2005;SacerdosocerasEvans, 2005;MargaritocerasCecioni and Flower, 1985; andMutveicerasCichowolski et al., 2014.
Metaphors and culturally unique idioms of eating and drinking in Mongolian
Authors: Wu Tana
Published: December 2022

This paper investigates the cognitive mechanisms underlying eating and drinking metaphors in Mongolian and discusses complex linguistic features of some culturally unique idioms relating toid-‘eat’ anduu-‘drink’, which are interpreted from a sociocultural perspective, along with the help of world knowledge. Metaphorical extensions ofid- anduu-fall into three subcategories: (1) agent-oriented extensions, highlighting the consumer’s role in the source domain of eating and drinking; (2) patient-oriented extensions, focusing on destructive effects on the patient in the source domain; (3) extensions involving both agent and patient orientations, describing the agent’s sensation and “destruction” of the patient at the same time. Based on the Mongolian Web Corpus (mnWac16) and an extensive online dictionary (mongoltoli.mn), it is found that patient-oriented extensions tend to be more connected with EAT verbs in Mongolian, denoting a range of extensions like overcoming of the patient, spending material wealth, psychological torment or destruction, corrosion caused by external factors, etc., while agent-oriented extensions are more likely to involve DRINK verbs, denoting ‘smoking’, receiving material wealth (e.g., earning money) and absorption of such liquids as ink or oil. Overall,id- has a broader extension thanuu-, and there are some overlaps involving both agent and patient orientations in terms of living on material wealth and physical exploitation. Some common usages pertaining to metaphorical extensions of consumption verbs are found cross-linguistically.
An RNA-seq transcriptome analysis for investigating the anti-lung cancer activity of medicinalCuscuta chinensisLam plant
Authors: Maimaiti Aikebaier , Xu Juewen , Shi Linsen
Published: December 2022

Cuscuta chinensisLam. is a traditional medicinal herb used to treat female sterility and male reproductive system disorders. However, the anti-lung cancer properties ofCuscuta chinensisLam. and possible molecular mechanisms have yet to be explored. Thus, the study’s main purpose was to evaluatein vitroandin vivoanti-lung cancer properties ofC. chinensiswater extract (CLW) in human lung adenocarcinomas and the underlying molecular mechanism involved. Our results demonstrated that CLW caused a significant inhibition of cell viability and induced G1 cycle arrest in lung cancer cells. Furthermore, RNA-seq transcriptome analysis revealed 602 common genes with a significant expression in A549 and H1650 cells under CLW treatment. Functional enrichment analysis suggested that these common genes regulated by CLW mainly involve lung cancer cell proliferation, metastases and apoptosis processes. In addition, forty-six common genes (> 2-fold change) regulated by CLW in A549 and H1650 cells were selected for further validation.In vitroquantitative real-time PCR results confirmed that twelve genes were up-regulated, and four genes were down-regulated in A549 and H1650 cells. Thein vivoexperiment demonstrated CLW could significantly decrease tumour volume and tumour weight of mice compared with the control group. Moreover,in vivoquantitative real-time PCR results revealed that C11orf96, FGFBP1, FOSB and NPTX1 genes were up-regulated and EGR1, GBP4 and MAP2K6 genes were down-regulated in tumour tissues compared with the control group. These data strongly suggest that CLW could be developed as an efficacious drug for lung cancer treatment.
IN DEFENCE OF FEMALE CITIZENSHIP: APOLLODORUS, AGAINST NEAERA 113
Authors: Campa Naomi T.
Published: December 2022

In a passage from Apollodorus’ Against Neaera ([Dem.] 59.113), the manuscripts have unanimously transmitted the feminine plural genitive of ‘citizen’, πολιτίδων. Since Reiske's 1770 emendation, however, editions of the text have printed the considerably more common masculine form, πολιτῶν. Emphasizing the importance of female citizenship in Athens, this note proposes restoring the manuscript reading of the text.
Runaway dynamics in reactor-scale spherical tokamak disruptions
Authors: Berger Esmée , Pusztai István , Newton Sarah L. , Hoppe Mathias , Vallhagen Oskar , Fil Alexandre , Fülöp Tünde
Published: December 2022

Understanding generation and mitigation of runaway electrons in disruptions is important for the safe operation of future tokamaks. In this paper we investigate the runaway dynamics in reactor-scale spherical tokamaks, focusing on a compact nominal design with a plasma current of 21 megaamperes (MA), 1.8 T magnetic field on axis and major radius of approximately 3 m. We study both the severity of runaway generation during unmitigated disruptions, and the effect that typical mitigation schemes based on massive material injection have on runaway production. The study is conducted using the numerical framework dream (Disruption Runaway Electron Analysis Model). We find that, in many cases, mitigation strategies are necessary to prevent the runaway current from reaching multi-MA levels. Our results indicate that, with a suitably chosen deuterium–neon mixture for mitigation, it is possible to achieve a tolerable runaway current and ohmic current evolution. However, this does not account for the runaway source due to wall activation, which has been found to severely limit successful mitigation at conventional aspect ratios, but whose definition requires a more complete wall specification. Furthermore, the majority of the thermal energy loss is found to happen through radial transport rather than radiation, which poses a risk of unacceptable localised heat loads.
Differential alterations of amygdala nuclei volumes in acutely ill patients with anorexia nervosa and their associations with leptin levels
Authors: Wronski Marie-Louis , Geisler Daniel , Bernardoni Fabio , Seidel Maria , Bahnsen Klaas , Doose Arne , Steinhäuser Jonas L. , Gronow Franziska , Böldt Luisa V. , Plessow Franziska , Lawson Elizabeth A. , King Joseph A. , Roessner Veit , Ehrlich Stefan
Published: December 2022

Background

The amygdala is a subcortical limbic structure consisting of histologically and functionally distinct subregions. New automated structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) segmentation tools facilitate thein vivostudy of individual amygdala nuclei in clinical populations such as patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) who show symptoms indicative of limbic dysregulation. This study is the first to investigate amygdala nuclei volumes in AN, their relationships with leptin, a key indicator of AN-related neuroendocrine alterations, and further clinical measures.

Methods

T1-weighted MRI scans were subsegmented and multi-stage quality controlled using FreeSurfer. Left/right hemispheric amygdala nuclei volumes were cross-sectionally compared between females with AN (n= 168, 12–29 years) and age-matched healthy females (n= 168) applying general linear models. Associations with plasma leptin, body mass index (BMI), illness duration, and psychiatric symptoms were analyzed via robust linear regression.

Results

Globally, most amygdala nuclei volumes in both hemispheres were reduced in ANv.healthy control participants. Importantly, four specific nuclei (accessory basal, cortical, medial nuclei, corticoamygdaloid transition in the rostral-medial amygdala) showed greater volumetric reduction even relative to reductions of whole amygdala and total subcortical gray matter volumes, whereas basal, lateral, and paralaminar nuclei were less reduced. All rostral-medially clustered nuclei were positively associated with leptin in AN independent of BMI. Amygdala nuclei volumes were not associated with illness duration or psychiatric symptom severity in AN.

Conclusions

In AN, amygdala nuclei are altered to different degrees. Severe volume loss in rostral-medially clustered nuclei, collectively involved in olfactory/food-related reward processing, may represent a structural correlate of AN-related symptoms. Hypoleptinemia might be linked to rostral-medial amygdala alterations.
A cross-sectional study of cognitive performance in bipolar disorder across the lifespan: the cog-BD project
Authors: Jones Brett D. M. , Fernandes Brisa S. , Husain M. Ishrat , Ortiz Abigail , Rajji Tarek K. , Blumberger Daniel M. , Butters Meryl A. , Gildengers Ariel G. , Shablinski Tatiana , Voineskos Aristotle , Mulsant Benoit H.
Published: December 2022

Background

Neuroprogressive models of the trajectory of cognitive dysfunction in patients with bipolar disorder (BD) have been proposed. However, few studies have explored the relationships among clinical characteristics of BD, cognitive dysfunction, and aging.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional analysis in euthymic participants with the MATRICS Cognitive Consensus Battery, the Trail Making Test B, the Stroop Test, and the Wechsler Test of Adult Reading. Age- and gender-equated control participants without a mental disorder [‘Healthy Controls’ – HC)] were assessed similarly. We compared cognitive performance both globally and in seven domains in four groups: younger BD (age ⩽49 years; n = 70), older BD (age ⩾50 years; n = 48), younger HC (n = 153), and older HC (n = 44). We also compared the BD and HC groups using age as a continuous measure. We controlled for relevant covariates and applied a Bonferroni correction.

Results

Our results support both an early impairment (‘early hit’) model and an accelerated aging model: impairment in attention/vigilance, processing speed, and executive function/working memory were congruent with the accelerated aging hypothesis whereas impairment in verbal memory was congruent with an early impairment model. BD and HC participants exhibited similar age-related decline in reasoning/problem solving and visuospatial memory. There were no age- or diagnosis-related differences in social cognition.

Conclusion

Our findings support that different cognitive domains are affected differently by BD and aging. Longitudinal studies are needed to explore trajectories of cognitive performance in BD across the lifespan.
LARGE SAMPLE JUSTIFICATIONS FOR THE BAYESIAN EMPIRICAL LIKELIHOOD
Authors: Sueishi Naoya
Published: December 2022

This study investigates the asymptotic properties of the Bayesian empirical likelihood (BEL), which uses the empirical likelihood as an alternative to a parametric likelihood for Bayesian inference. We establish two asymptotic equivalence results based on the Bernstein–von Mises (BvM) theorem by introducing a new formulation of the moment restriction model. First, the limiting posterior distribution of the BEL is the same as that of a parametric Bayesian method that uses the likelihood of a least favorable model of the moment restriction model. Second, the limiting posterior distribution is also the same as that of a semiparametric Bayesian method that places priors on both a finite-dimensional parameter of interest and an infinite-dimensional nuisance parameter. Because parametric and semiparametric Bayesian methods are legitimate Bayesian procedures, the equivalence results provide a large sample justification for the BEL as a Bayesian inference method. Moreover, the BvM theorem provides a frequentist justification for BEL posterior inference.
TESTING A CLASS OF SEMI- OR NONPARAMETRIC CONDITIONAL MOMENT RESTRICTION MODELS USING SERIES METHODS
Authors: Sørensen Jesper Riis-Vestergaard
Published: December 2022

This paper proposes a new test for a class of conditional moment restrictions (CMRs) whose parameterization involves unknown, unrestricted conditional expectation functions. Motivating examples of such CMRs arise from models of discrete choice under uncertainty including certain static games of incomplete information. The proposed test may be viewed as a semi-/nonparametric extension of the Bierens (1982, Journal of Econometrics 20, 105–134) goodness-of-fit test of a parametric model for the conditional mean. Estimating conditional expectations using series methods and employing a Gaussian multiplier bootstrap to obtain critical values, the test is shown to be asymptotically correctly sized and consistent. Simulation studies indicate good finite-sample properties. In an empirical application, the test is used to study the validity of a game-theoretical model for discount store market entry, treating equilibrium beliefs as nonparametric conditional expectations. The test indicates that Walmart and Kmart entry decisions do not result from a static discrete game of incomplete information with linearly specified profits.
WEAK CONVERGENCE TO DERIVATIVES OF FRACTIONAL BROWNIAN MOTION
Authors: Johansen Søren , Nielsen Morten Ørregaard
Published: December 2022

It is well known that, under suitable regularity conditions, the normalized fractional process with fractional parameter d converges weakly to fractional Brownian motion (fBm) for

$d>\frac {1}{2}$
. We show that, for any nonnegative integer M, derivatives of order

$m=0,1,\dots ,M$
of the normalized fractional process with respect to the fractional parameter d jointly converge weakly to the corresponding derivatives of fBm. As an illustration, we apply the results to the asymptotic distribution of the score vectors in the multifractional vector autoregressive model.
Adults with small, unrepaired atrial septal defects have reduced cardiac index during exercise
Authors: Maagaard Marie , Boutrup Nicolai , Udholm Sebastian , Ahlstrup Mathias , Nielsen-Kudsk Jens Erik , Ringgaard Steffen , Hjortdal Vibeke
Published: December 2022

Objectives:

Small, unrepaired atrial septal defects are considered a benign lesion with good prognosis. Recently, clinical and register-based studies discovered increased long-term mortality and morbidity. The nature of these findings is not fully understood. Therefore, MRI was performed to evaluate cardiac function at rest and during exercise.

Methods:

Adults with open or spontaneously closed atrial septal defects and healthy, matched controls underwent MRI for evaluation of cardiac chamber volume. Quantitative flow scans measured blood flow in the ascending aorta and the proximal pulmonary artery at rest and during increasing supine exercise.

Results:

In total, 15 open defects (39 ± 11 years) and 15 matched controls (38 ± 12 years) were included, along with 20 spontaneously closed (36 ± 13 years) and 20 controls (36 ± 11 years). Cardiac chamber volumes and flow measurements at rest were comparable between groups, as were heart rates and workloads during exercise. At maximal exercise, open defects reached 31% lower cardiac index and had 38% higher retrograde flow in the pulmonary artery than their controls, p < 0.01. Shunt ratio remained unchanged during exercise, 1.2 ± 0.2. Closed defects reached 18% lower cardiac index, p = 0.02, with comparable pulmonary retrograde flow. Maximal cardiac index was inversely correlated with increasing age for patients only.

Conclusion:

Adults with a small, open or spontaneously closed atrial septal defects exhibit markedly lower exercise capacity compared with healthy peers. Moreover, open defects exhibit higher retrograde flows with increasing exercise. Finally, increasing age is related to poorer results in patients but not healthy controls. Longitudinal studies are necessary in order to determine potential accelerated worsening of physical capacity along with age-related changes in patients.
Bleak Prospects: Wasteland and National Identity in Thomas Hardy'sReturn of the Native
Authors: Fruit Zachary
Published: December 2022

Thomas Hardy'sThe Return of the Native(1878) has been praised for its careful attention to the relationship between humans and their environment. Hardy traces the intricate relationship between local community, ecosystem, economy, and national political structures with surprising fluidity. This essay argues that his attention to detail provides an important account of the function of the wasteland in English historical development. In doing so, it also establishes the category of waste as a functional element of the character networks of narrative fiction. While Hardy's attention to waste emerges from a respect for the English rural laborer and a nostalgia for precapitalist modes of social and economic life, his valorization of English parsimony and imagination nonetheless subtend a form of nationalism coextensive with the production of British imperial ideology.
The role of daily spoken language on the performance of language tests: The Indonesian experience
Authors: Pesau Heni Gerda , Immanuel Aria Saloka , Sulastri Augustina , van Luijtelaar Gilles
Published: December 2022

The performance of cognitive tests is highly dependent on the proficiency of the language in which the tests are administered. Not all Indonesians speak Indonesian daily and many are bilingual. We investigate whether language(s) spoken affects the performance on three language tests in 840 participants ranging in age (16–80) and education (6–22 years). Analysis of covariance followed by Helmert contrasts showed a disadvantage on the Boston Naming Test (BNT) and on the most difficult items of the Token Test for those who do not speak Bahasa daily. Bilinguals did worse on the BNT. Education had a large positive effect on the language tests, age a smaller negative effect. This suggests that besides age and education, the factor of language spoken, either in public or at home, needs to be taken into account when a participant's test scores on the BNT and TT are interpreted and compared with normative data.
System approaches to childhood obesity prevention: ground up experience of adaptation and real-world context
Authors: Fraser Penny , Whelan Jillian M , Brown Andrew D , Allender Steven E , Bell Colin , Bolton Kristy A
Published: December 2022

Objective:

Childhood obesity prevention is critical to reducing the health and economic burden currently experienced by the Australian economy. System science has emerged as an approach to manage the complexity of childhood obesity and the ever-changing risk factors, resources and priorities of government and funders. Anecdotally, our experience suggests that inflexibility of traditional research methods and dense academic terminology created issues with those working in prevention practice. Therefore, this paper provides a refined description of research-specific terminology of scale-up, fidelity, adaptation and context, drawing from community-based system dynamics and our experience in designing, implementing and evaluating non-linear, community-led system approaches to childhood obesity prevention.

Design:

We acknowledge the importance of using a practice lens, rather than purely a research design lens, and provide a narrative on our experience and perspectives on scale-up, fidelity, context and adaptation through a practice lens.

Setting:

Communities.

Participants:

Practice-based researcher experience and perspectives.

Results:

Practice-based researchers highlighted the key finding that community should be placed at the centre of the intervention logic. This allowed communities to self-organise with regard to stakeholder involvement, capacity, boundary identification, and co-creation of actions implemented to address childhood obesity will ensure scale-up, fidelity, context and adaptation are embedded.

Conclusions:

We need to measure beyond primary anthropometric outcomes and focus on evaluating more about implementation, process and sustainability. We need to learn more from practitioners on the ground and use an implementation science lens to further understand how actions work. This is where solutions to sustained childhood obesity prevention will be found.
The role of spirituality in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and their caregivers: Scoping review
Authors: Gonçalves Filipe , Teixeira Margarida I. , Magalhães Bruno
Published: December 2022

Background

There are few studies evaluating the role of spirituality and the role of spiritually integrated interventions in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (PALS) and their caregivers.

Objectives

A scoping review was conducted to examine the nature and breadth of peer-reviewed literature on the role of spirituality, interventions integrating spirituality, and outcomes for PALS and their caregivers.

Methods

A literature review was performed, following the methods from the Joanna Briggs Institute Reviewers, based on all articles published between January 2006 and April 2022, identified in the CINAHL Complete, MEDLINE Complete, MedicLatina, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, and SPORTDiscus with full-text databases using key terms. Extracted data included research aims, study design, population and characteristics, theme description, and measures or type of intervention.

Results

A total of 18 articles were included in this study: 14 qualitative, 3 quantitative, and 1 protocol of a quantitative study. Eight studies were based in Europe. The search identified different main themes related to spirituality for caregivers and patients, 2 spiritual measure scales, and one intervention. However, many studies were limited in sample size, generalizability, and transferability and used less sophisticated research designs.

Significance of the results

This scoping review illustrates the importance given to spirituality by caregivers and PALS and reveals a very heterogeneous response. Thus, experimental studies in the area of spirituality are needed to systematically explore the impact of spiritual interventions, and the results of these studies could advance practice and policy by enhancing the quality of life for PALS and their caregivers.
Nutzerorientierte Bedarfsanalyse zum potenziellen Einsatz von Assistenzrobotern in der direkten Pflege
Authors: Langensiepen Sina , Nielsen Svenja , Madi Murielle , Siebert Maximilian , Körner Daniel , Elissen Maurice , Meyer Gabriele , Stephan Astrid
Published: December 2022

Zusammenfassung. Hintergrund: In der Pflege sind bislang kaum Roboter verbreitet, die patientennahe Tätigkeiten übernehmen und dabei die körperliche Belastung der Pflegenden reduzieren. Unter Nutzung von User-Centered Designansätzen wurde daher im interdisziplinären Projekt „PfleKoRo“ ein robotisches Assistenzsystem entwickelt, das in der direkten Pflege von bettlägerigen Schwer- und Schwerstpflegebedürftigen eingesetzt werden kann. Ziel: Ziel dieser Studie war die Ermittlung von pflegerischen Tätigkeiten mit dem größten Unterstützungspotenzial für einen Assistenzroboter zur direkten Pflege von bettlägerigen Pflegebedürftigen. Methode: In einem explorativen Mixed-Methods-Design wurden Fokusgruppen ( n = 3) mit Pflegefachpersonen ( n = 14) aus Akut- und Langzeitpflege durchgeführt und inhaltsanalytisch ausgewertet. Eine Auswahl pflegerischer Tätigkeiten wurde anschließend von Teilnehmenden der Fokusgruppen ( n = 10) hinsichtlich ihres Unterstützungspotenzials durch einen Assistenzroboter in einer standardisierten Befragung priorisiert. Ergebnisse: Mit der höchsten Priorität bewertet wurden das Drehen und Halten von Pflegebedürftigen in Seitenlage sowie das Halten des Beines für pflegerische Maßnahmen. Weiterer Unterstützungsbedarf zeichnete sich u.a. für die Repositionierung der Pflegebedürftigen zum Kopfende des Bettes und Transfertätigkeiten ab. Schlussfolgerung: Das Drehen und Halten in Seitenlage sowie das Halten des Beines bieten als Zieltätigkeiten mit dem größten Unterstützungspotenzial für „PfleKoRo“ den Ausgangspunkt für die weitere Entwicklung.
Precoded Large Scale Multi‐User‐MIMO System Using Likelihood Ascent Search for Signal Detection
Authors: Bagadi Kalapraveen , Ravikumar Chinthaginjala V. , Alibakhshikenari Mohammad , Challa Nagaraj , Rajesh Anbazhagan , Aïssa Sonia , Dayoub Iyad , Falcone Francisco , Limiti Ernesto
Published: December 2022

Multiple antennas at each user equipment (UE) and/or thousands of antennas at the base station (BS) comprise the extremely spectrum efficient large scale multi‐user multiple input multiple output system (BS). Due to space constraints, the closely spaced numerous antennas at each UE may cause inter antenna interference (IAI). Furthermore, when one UE comes into contact with another UE in the same cellular network, multi‐user interference (MUI) may be introduced to the received signal. To mitigate IAI, efficient precoding pre‐coding is necessary at each UE, and the MUI present at the BS can be canceled by efficient Multi‐user Detection (MUD) techniques. The majority of earlier literature deal with one or more of these interferences. This paper implements a joint pre‐coding and MUD, Lenstra‐Lovasz (LLL) based Lattice Reduction (LR) assisted likelihood accent search (LAS) (LLL‐LR‐LAS), to mitigate IAI and MUI simultaneously LLL‐based LR pre‐coding mitigates IAI at each UE, and the LAS algorithm is a neighborhood search‐based MUD that cancels BS MUI. The proposed approaches' performance was evaluated using Bit Error Rate analysis, and their complexity were determined using multiplication and addition.
Multidimensional Governing Equations of Matrix Flow Component of Subsurface Stormflow as Function of Bedrock Surface Geometry
Authors: Kavvas M. Levent , Tu Tongbi , Ercan Ali , Chen Z. Q.
Published: December 2022

Subsurface flow is a critical component in the hydrological cycle, since it controls the quantity and timing of surface runoff and groundwater flow. Field studies have shown the fundamental influence of the bedrock surface geometry on subsurface stormflow (SSSF) and that the SSSF process consists of at least two major components: the matrix flow component and the macropore flow component that are in dynamical interaction toward forming the SSSF. Furthermore, field studies have shown that the bedrock surface that underlies the SSSF has essentially a two‐dimensional (2D) geometry, where not only the longitudinal profile along the hillslope but also the profile in the transverse direction influence the subsurface stormflow over the bedrock. The macropore flow itself being a multidimensional flow process, requires a multidimensional matrix flow component in order to quantify realistic dynamical interactions between these components within the subsurface stormflow module of a watershed hydrology model. Within this framework, the critical research question is how to extend the existing 2D Boussinesq model for the matrix flow over an inclined flat 2D surface in the longitudinal hillslope direction by developing the governing equations of matrix flow at hillslope scale over various 2D bedrock surface geometries that are reported in the field studies of SSSF. Then, numerical experiments are performed by applying the developed governing equations to various bedrock surface geometries. The results of the numerical simulations show (a) the proposed governing equations can simulate various two‐dimensional bedrock surface geometries, and are capable of incorporating the upward or downward concavity of bedrock surface in longitudinal and transverse directions into SSSF by modulating the timing and magnitude of the flows and (b) the proposed governing equations for matrix flow provide an appropriate setting for the dynamical interaction of the matrix flows with the macropore flows, creating a promising modeling framework for SSSF.
In utero exposure to cannabidiol disrupts select early-life behaviors in a sex-specific manner
Authors: Iezzi Daniela , Caceres-Rodriguez Alba , Chavis Pascale , Manzoni Olivier J. J.
Published: December 2022

Cannabidiol (CBD), one of the main components of cannabis, is generally considered safe. CBD crosses the placenta and its use during pregnancy is steadily increasing, the impact of gestational CBD’s effects on prenatal life and neurodevelopment are poorly understood. Here, we combined behavioral approaches and deep learning analysis to assess the sex-dependent neonatal behavior of CBD exposed progeny. Gestating C57BL6/J dams were exposed daily with vehicle or CBD (3 mg/Kg, s.c.), from gestational day 5 to 18. Body weight, pup ultrasound vocalizations (USVs, PND 10) and homing behavior (PND 13) were quantified in the progeny. Thus, male (but not female) pups from CBD-treated dams gained more weight than sham. There were sex-dependent differences in the coarse characteristics of ultrasonic vocalizations. Prenatally-CBD exposed male pups emitted shorter calls, whereas CBD females made more high frequency calls when compared with their control counterparts. There were significant qualitative changes in the syllabic USV repertoire reflected in call typologies and communication patterns. Finally, the homing behavior test showed that CBD-exposed females presented a greater vulnerability to gestational CBD than males. Only CBD-exposed female pups showed reduced motor and discriminatory abilities. Together the results suggest a sexual divergence in the consequences of in utero CBD exposure on neonates at early developmental ages, which may be predictive of adult psychopathology. Given the extent of cannabis and CBD use worldwide, these findings challenge the idea that CBD is a universally safe compound and reveal the need for additional studies on the effect of perinatal CBD exposure.
Poricoic acid A suppresses renal fibroblast activation and interstitial fibrosis in UUO rats via upregulating Sirt3 and promoting β-catenin K49 deacetylation
Authors: Chen Dan-Qian , Chen Lin , Guo Yan , Wu Xia-Qing , Zhao Ting-Ting , Zhao Hai-Ling , Zhang Hao-Jun , Yan Mei-Hua , Zhang Guo-Qiang , Li Ping
Published: December 2022

Renal interstitial fibrosis is the common pathological process of various chronic kidney diseases to end-stage renal disease. Inhibition of fibroblast activation attenuates renal interstitial fibrosis. Our previous studies show that poricoic acid A (PAA) isolated from Poria cocos is a potent anti-fibrotic agent. In the present study we investigated the effects of PAA on renal fibroblast activation and interstitial fibrosis and the underlying mechanisms. Renal interstitial fibrosis was induced in rats or mice by unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO). UUO rats were administered PAA (10 mg·kg−1·d−1, i.g.) for 1 or 2 weeks. An in vitro model of renal fibrosis was established in normal renal kidney fibroblasts (NRK-49F cells) treated with TGF-β1. We showed that PAA treatment rescued Sirt3 expression, and significantly attenuated renal fibroblast activation and interstitial fibrosis in both the in vivo and in vitro models. In TGF-β1-treated NRK-49F cells, we demonstrated that Sirt3 deacetylated β-catenin (a key transcription factor of fibroblast activation) and then accelerated its ubiquitin-dependent degradation, thus suppressing the protein expression and promoter activity of pro-fibrotic downstream target genes (twist, snail1, MMP-7 and PAI-1) to alleviate fibroblast activation; the lysine-49 (K49) of β-catenin was responsible for Sirt3-mediated β-catenin deacetylation. In molecular docking analysis, we found the potential interaction of Sirt3 and PAA. In both in vivo and in vitro models, pharmacological activation of Sirt3 by PAA significantly suppressed renal fibroblast activation via facilitating β-catenin K49 deacetylation. In UUO mice and NRK-49F cells, Sirt3 overexpression enhanced the anti-fibrotic effect of PAA, whereas Sirt3 knockdown weakened the effect. Taken together, PAA attenuates renal fibroblast activation and interstitial fibrosis by upregulating Sirt3 and inducing β-catenin K49 deacetylation, highlighting Sirt3 functions as a promising therapeutic target of renal fibroblast activation and interstitial fibrosis.
RNA binding protein HuD mediates the crosstalk between β cells and islet endothelial cells by the regulation of Endostatin and Serpin E1 expression
Authors: Jung Myeongwoo , Ryu Seungyeon , Kim Chongtae , Cha Seongho , Kang Hoin , Ji Eunbyul , Hong Youlim , Lee Youngjoon , Han Sukyoung , Jeong Seung Min , Kim Wook , Lee Eun Kyung
Published: December 2022

RNA binding protein HuD plays essential roles in gene expression by regulating RNA metabolism, and its dysregulation is involved in the pathogenesis of several diseases, including tumors, neurodegenerative diseases, and diabetes. Here, we explored HuD-mediated differential expression of secretory proteins in mouse insulinoma βTC6 cells using a cytokine array. Endostatin and Serpin E1 that play anti-angiogenic roles were identified as differentially expressed proteins by HuD. HuD knockdown increased the expression of α chain of collagen XVIII (Col18a1), a precursor form of endostatin, and Serpin E1 by associating with the 3′-untranslated regions (UTRs) of Col18a1 and Serpin E1 mRNAs. Reporter analysis revealed that HuD knockdown increased the translation of EGFP reporters containing 3′UTRs of Col18a1 and Serpin E1 mRNAs, which suggests the role of HuD as a translational repressor. Co-cultures of βTC6 cells and pancreatic islet endothelial MS1 cells were used to assess the crosstalk between β cells and islet endothelial cells, and the results showed that HuD downregulation in βTC6 cells inhibited the growth and migration of MS1 cells. Ectopic expression of HuD decreased Col18a1 and Serpin E1 expression, while increasing the markers of islet vascular cells in the pancreas of db/db mice. Taken together, these results suggest that HuD has the potential to regulate the crosstalk between β cells and islet endothelial cells by regulating Endostatin and Serpin E1 expression, thereby contributing to the maintenance of homeostasis in the islet microenvironment.
Migration deficits of the neural crest caused by CXADR triplication in a human Down syndrome stem cell model
Authors: Liu Huanyao , Huang Shanshan , Wang Weijia , Wang Huiyan , Huang Weijun , Zhai Zhichen , Wang Ding , Fan Yubao , Sun Jiaqi , Li Dairui , Chiu Weicheng , Lai Xingqiang , Zeng Jixiao , Ke Qiong , Wang Tao , Xiang Andy Peng , Yuan Yong , Zhang Xinchun , Li Weiqiang
Published: December 2022

Down syndrome (DS) is the most common chromosomal abnormality in live-born infants and is caused by trisomy of chromosome 21. Most individuals with DS display craniofacial dysmorphology, including reduced sizes of the skull, maxilla, and mandible. However, the underlying pathogenesis remains largely unknown. Since the craniofacial skeleton is mainly formed by the neural crest, whether neural crest developmental defects are involved in the craniofacial anomalies of individuals with DS needs to be investigated. Here, we successfully derived DS-specific human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) using a Sendai virus vector. When DS-hiPSCs were induced to differentiate into the neural crest, we found that trisomy 21 (T21) did not influence cell proliferation or apoptosis. However, the migratory ability of differentiated cells was significantly compromised, thus resulting in a substantially lower number of postmigratory cranial neural crest stem cells (NCSCs) in the DS group than in the control group. We further discovered that the migration defects could be partially attributed to the triplication of the coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor gene (CXADR; an adhesion protein) in the DS group cells, since knockdown of CXADR substantially recovered the cell migratory ability and generation of postmigratory NCSCs in the DS group. Thus, the migratory deficits of neural crest cells may be an underlying cause of craniofacial dysmorphology in individuals with DS, which may suggest potential targets for therapeutic intervention to ameliorate craniofacial or other neural crest-related anomalies in DS.
Planar aggregation of the influenza viral fusion peptide alters membrane structure and hydration, promoting poration
Authors: Rice Amy , Haldar Sourav , Wang Eric , Blank Paul S. , Akimov Sergey A. , Galimzyanov Timur R. , Pastor Richard W. , Zimmerberg Joshua
Published: December 2022

To infect, enveloped viruses employ spike protein, spearheaded by its amphipathic fusion peptide (FP), that upon activation extends out from the viral surface to embed into the target cellular membrane. Here we report that synthesized influenza virus FPs are membrane active, generating pores in giant unilamellar vesicles (GUV), and thus potentially explain both influenza virus’ hemolytic activity and the liposome poration seen in cryo-electron tomography. Experimentally, FPs are heterogeneously distributed on the GUV at the time of poration. Consistent with this heterogeneous distribution, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of asymmetric bilayers with different numbers of FPs in one leaflet show FP aggregation. At the center of FP aggregates, a profound change in the membrane structure results in thinning, higher water permeability, and curvature. Ultimately, a hybrid bilayer nanodomain forms with one lipidic leaflet and one peptidic leaflet. Membrane elastic theory predicts a reduced barrier to water pore formation when even a dimer of FPs thins the membrane as above, and the FPs of that dimer tilt, to continue the leaflet bending initiated by the hydrophobic mismatch between the FP dimer and the surrounding lipid.
Precise atom manipulation through deep reinforcement learning
Authors: Chen I-Ju , Aapro Markus , Kipnis Abraham , Ilin Alexander , Liljeroth Peter , Foster Adam S.
Published: December 2022

Atomic-scale manipulation in scanning tunneling microscopy has enabled the creation of quantum states of matter based on artificial structures and extreme miniaturization of computational circuitry based on individual atoms. The ability to autonomously arrange atomic structures with precision will enable the scaling up of nanoscale fabrication and expand the range of artificial structures hosting exotic quantum states. However, the a priori unknown manipulation parameters, the possibility of spontaneous tip apex changes, and the difficulty of modeling tip-atom interactions make it challenging to select manipulation parameters that can achieve atomic precision throughout extended operations. Here we use deep reinforcement learning (DRL) to control the real-world atom manipulation process. Several state-of-the-art reinforcement learning (RL) techniques are used jointly to boost data efficiency. The DRL agent learns to manipulate Ag adatoms on Ag(111) surfaces with optimal precision and is integrated with path planning algorithms to complete an autonomous atomic assembly system. The results demonstrate that state-of-the-art DRL can offer effective solutions to real-world challenges in nanofabrication and powerful approaches to increasingly complex scientific experiments at the atomic scale.