bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Study of gravastars in 4D Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet gravity
Authors: Shah Hassan , Shah Hasrat Hussian , Ahmad Zahid , Hussain Sardar Muhammad , Ali Amna , Rahaman Farook
Published: June 2023

In the present work, we investigate the configuration of gravastar in the framework of

4


Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet (EGB) gravity. A gravastar is conceptually an alternative model for black holes, which has three distinct layers with different equations of state. Under these specifications, we find out a set of exact and singularity free solutions of the gravastar in

4


EGB gravity. The interior and exterior layers are matched by considering the Israel and Darmois junction conditions. The mass of the thin intermediate shell is formulated and various physical aspects of gravastar, specifically, energy of the shell, entropy inside the shell, intermediate thin shell and proper length of the shell is examined. It is noted that the Gauss-Bonnet term strongly affects the physical properties of gravastar in

4


EGB gravity.
Effect of dielectric mismatch on impurity binding energy, photoionization cross-section and stark shift of CdS/ZnSe core shell spherical quantum dots
Authors: Cherni A , Yahyaoui N , Zeiri N , Baser P , Said M , Saadaoui S
Published: June 2023

The variational approach has been used to investigate theoretically the effects of the dot radius and electric filed strength on binding energy (BE), Stark-shift and photoionization-cross section (PICS) of donor impurity confined in the (CdS/ZnSe) core/shell spherical quantum dot (CSSQDs) capped in different dielectric matrices such as the silicon dioxide (SiO2), the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). Our achieved results showed that the BE and the Stark shift depended highly on the presence of the dielectric matrix and the modification of the core radius. The increase of applied electric field (EF) intensity and the core radius induces a decrease in the BE and lead to an improvement of (PICS) magnitude accompanied by the redshift of their resonance peaks.
Excitation spectrum and momentum distribution of the ionic Bose–Hubbard model
Authors: Nishizawa Hiroki
Published: June 2023

We investigate the excitation spectrum and momentum distribution of the ionic Bose–Hubbard model by the standard basis operator method. We derive Green’s functions in the random phase approximation in Mott insulator, superfluid, charge density wave, and supersolid phases. The excitation spectrum has gapped modes and gapless Goldstone modes in the superfluid and supersolid phases. We show that the momentum distribution has a peak at the zone corner in the supersolid phase and the charge density wave phase close to the phase boundary. In addition, we demonstrate that the momentum distribution can be explained by the excitation spectrum and spectral weights of hole excitation modes.
Statistic behaviors of gauge-invariance-dominated 1D chiral current random model
Authors: Wu Chen-Huan
Published: June 2023

By considering energy flow, we construct the one-dimensional (1d) model consisting of the quasiparticles caused by asymmetric hopping (in carrier position space) or the complex bosonic potential whose varying gradient with a chiral ordering plays the role of ingredient of quasiparticles. A bosonic potential can be generated and the chaotic dynamics of chiral excitations after disorder average can be investigated in the presence of gauge invariance. This feature is also shared by the well-known non-Hermitian systems.
Nonclassicalities of hybrid coherent states
Authors: Turek Yusuf , Aishan Nuerbiya , Islam Akbar
Published: June 2023

We address the non-classicality of hybrid coherent (HC) states, i.e. states expressed as a superposition of coherent state and single-photon-added coherent (SPAC) state. In particular, we evaluate their photon statistics, squeezing, and negativity of the Wigner function. Our results indicated that the HC states could exhibit larger non-classicalities than the SPAC state. We also suggest a generation scheme for HC states, which involves Kerr nonlinearity and postselection.
To understand the miglitol adsorption behavior on BC3, BN, and GNS nanosheets using DFT and QTAIM analysis for drug delivery applications
Authors: Bithe Shahida Akter , Hasan Mehade , Oishi Adita Afrin , Dhali Palash , Roy Debashis
Published: June 2023

Utilizing nanomaterials in the drug delivery system has a potential impact on administering a drug to a patient’s body, and that helps to reduce the severe adverse effect by carrying them into the targeted cell location. The implementation of boron carbide (BC3), boron nitride (BN), and graphene nanosheet (GNS) as miglitol (MT) drug carriers in both gaseous and fluid phases has been evaluated using density functional theory. We methodically looked at the optimum adsorption energy, frontier molecular orbital, density of state, dipole moment, and UV–vis spectroscopy analysis to grasp the targeted drug delivery capability of these nanostructures. The adsorption energy analysis displayed that MT drug adsorption occurs stably on the nanosheet both in gas (−57.86 kj mol−1) and water (−43.72 kj mol−1) media. This physical interaction is suitable for an undeniable offloading of MT drugs to the targeted site. The outcomes of the quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) have also supported these assessments. Our study reveals that the BC3 nanosheet exhibits more stable adsorption of MT drugs than that of BN and GNS.
Effects of thermophoresis and brownian motion on the pulsating nano-fluid in a curved diseased arterial segment
Authors: Hussain M , Shabbir M S , Abbas Z
Published: June 2023

In this article, we have examined the impacts of curvature on the time dependent non-Newtonian flow of the nano-fluid. In this numerical study, a mathematical framework is created to analyse the impacts of blood shear thinning/thickening on the rheology of the nano-fluid within the curved channel, which is not yet explored. The pulsating flow of a nano-fluid (blood) through a curved artery with stenosis and post-stenotic dilatation in its interior is analyzed numerically to determine the impacts of Thermophoresis and Brownian motion. The basic suggested physical system mathematically incorporates the 2-dimensional curvilinear coordinate system. The Herschel-Bulkley model successfully captures the fluid’s rheology. By applying the mild stenosis premise, we are able to describe and simplify the highly coupled momentum, energy, and mass concentration. The non-dimensionalized governing equations associated with the boundary condition can be discretized and solved by employing explicit finite differences methods. Graphs and discussions of the effects of changing pertinent geometric and rheological factors on key flow characteristics, such as temperature, velocity, and mass concentration, are provided. Even though the curvature of the artery only marginally modifies the blood’s temperature and mass concentration, the curved channel’s radius is observed to significantly impact blood velocity. Furthermore, as the Brownian motion of the nano-fluid increases, the temperature of the fluid decreases, while the thermophoresis measure exhibits the contrary behavior.
Revisiting kinematic fast dynamo in three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamicplasmas: dynamo transition from non-helical to helical flows
Authors: Biswas Shishir , Ganesh Rajaraman
Published: June 2023

Dynamos wherein magnetic field is produced from velocity fluctuations are fundamental to our understanding of several astrophysical and/or laboratory phenomena. Though fluid helicity is known to play a key role in the onset of dynamo action, its effect is yet to be fully understood. In this work, a fluid flow proposed recently (Yoshida et al 2017, Phys. Rev. Lett.
119, 244501) is invoked such that one may inject zero or finite fluid helicity using a control parameter, at the beginning of the simulation. Using a simple kinematic dynamo model, for the considered flow, we demonstrate unambiguously a strong dependency of short scale dynamo on fluid helicity. In contrast to conventional understanding, it is shown that fluid helicity does strongly influence the physics of short scale dynamo for the flow profiles considered. To corroborate our findings, late time magnetic field spectra for various values of injected fluid helicity is presented along with ‘geometric” signatures of the 3D magnetic field surfaces, which shows a transition from ‘twisted ribbon’ or ‘twisted’ sheet to ‘cigar’ like configurations. This work brings out, for the first time, the role of fluid helicity in the transition from ‘non-dynamo’ to ‘dynamo’ regime systematically. It is also shown that one of the most studied ABC dynamo model is not the ”fastest’ dynamo model for problems at lower magnetic Reynolds number.
Primordial black holes and induced gravitational waves from double-pole inflation
Authors: Fu Chengjie , Wang Shao-Jiang
Published: June 2023

The primordial black hole (PBH) productions from the inflationary potential with an inflection point usually rely heavily on the fine-tuning of the model parameters. We propose in this work a new kind of theα-attractor inflation with asymmetric double poles that naturally and easily lead to a period of non-attractor inflation, during which the PBH productions are guaranteed with less fine-tuning the model parameters. This double-pole inflation can be tested against the observational data in the future with rich phenomenological signatures: (1) the enhanced curvature perturbations at small scales admit a distinctive feature of ultraviolet oscillations in the power spectrum; (2) the quasi-monochromatic mass function of the produced PBHs can be made compatible to the asteroid-mass PBHs as the dominant dark matter component, the planet-mass PBHs as the OGLE ultrashort-timescale microlensing events, and the solar-mass PBHs as the LIGO-Virgo events; (3) the induced gravitational waves can be detected by the gravitational-wave detectors in space and Pulsar Timing Array/Square Kilometer Array.
Allometry of Escherichia coli surface area with volume: effect of size variability, filamentation and division dynamics
Authors: Kale Tanvi , Khatri Dhruv , Athale Chaitanya A
Published: June 2023

The cell surface area (SA) increase with volume (V) is determined by growth and regulation of size and shape. Most studies of the rod-shaped model bacterium Escherichia coli have focussed on the phenomenology or molecular mechanisms governing such scaling. Here, we proceed to examine the role of population statistics and cell division dynamics in such scaling by a combination of microscopy, image analysis and statistical simulations. We find that while the SA of cells sampled from mid-log cultures scales with V by a scaling exponent 2/3, i.e. the geometric law SA ∼V

2

/

3

, filamentous cells have higher exponent values. We modulate the growth rate to change the proportion of filamentous cells, and find SA-V scales with an exponent

>

2

/

3

, exceeding that predicted by the geometric scaling law. However, since increasing growth rates alter the mean and spread of population cell size distributions, we use statistical modeling to disambiguate between the effect of the mean size and variability. Simulating (i) increasing mean cell length with a constant standard deviation (s.d.), (ii) a constant mean length with increasing s.d. and (iii) varying both simultaneously, results in scaling exponents that exceed the 2/3 geometric law, when population variability is included, with the s.d. having a stronger effect. In order to overcome possible effects of statistical sampling of unsynchronized cell populations, we ‘virtually synchronized’ time-series of cells by using the frames between birth and division identified by the image-analysis pipeline and divided them into four equally spaced phases—B, C1, C2 and D. Phase-specific scaling exponents estimated from these time series and the cell length variability were both found to decrease with the successive stages of birth (B), C1, C2 and division (D). These results point to a need to consider population statistics and a role for cell growth and division when estimating SA-V scaling of bacterial cells.
Mitochondrial networks through the lens of mathematics
Authors: Lewis Greyson R , Marshall Wallace F
Published: June 2023

Mitochondria serve a wide range of functions within cells, most notably via their production of ATP. Although their morphology is commonly described as bean-like, mitochondria often form interconnected networks within cells that exhibit dynamic restructuring through a variety of physical changes. Further, though relationships between form and function in biology are well established, the extant toolkit for understanding mitochondrial morphology is limited. Here, we emphasize new and established methods for quantitatively describing mitochondrial networks, ranging from unweighted graph-theoretic representations to multi-scale approaches from applied topology, in particular persistent homology. We also show fundamental relationships between mitochondrial networks, mathematics, and physics, using ideas of graph planarity and statistical mechanics to better understand the full possible morphological space of mitochondrial network structures. Lastly, we provide suggestions for how examination of mitochondrial network form through the language of mathematics can inform biological understanding, and vice versa.
Ultra-compact all-optical logical circuits for photonic integrated circuits
Authors: T Sridarshini , S Geerthana , V R Balaji , Thirumurugan Arun , R Sitharthan , A Sivanantha Raja , Dhanabalan Shanmuga Sundar
Published: June 2023

In this paper, a photonic crystal based ultra-compact Optical XOR gate followed by an optical half-subtractor is proposed. Plane wave expansion is used to evaluate the photonic bandgap of the devised structure. The output and efficiency of logical circuits can be improved by maintaining distinct thresholds for the output logic states, thereby enabling the design to operate even in low power inputs. Reliability of the structure is enhanced by retaining a threshold for the output value. The performance of the proposed circuit is examined using the Finite Difference Time Domain method. The output is considered as logic 1 when the power level exceeds 0.7 μW and logic ‘0’ if it is below 0.35 μW. The proposed logical circuit has high contrast ratio. The XOR gate has a contrast ratio of about 12.55 dB, and the half subtractor has 7.78 dB and 11.76 dB for Difference and Borrow respectively. These devices work at 1550 nm wavelength and are ultra-compact in size. The proposed structure of logic gates will be suitable for photonic integrated circuits due to its ultra-small and simple design.
Ultrafast dynamics in photo-excited Mott insulator Sr3Ir2O7 at high pressure
Authors: Yin 尹 Xia 霞 , Zhang 张 Jianbo 建波 , Dong 王 Wang 东 , Nakagawa Takeshi , Xia 夏 Chunsheng 春生 , Zhang 张 Caoshun 曹顺 , Guo 郭 Weicheng 伟程 , Chang 昌 Jun 峻 , Ding 丁 Yang 阳
Published: June 2023

High-pressure ultrafast dynamics, as a new crossed research direction, are sensitive to subtle non-equilibrium state changes that might be unresolved by equilibrium states measurements, providing crucial information for studying delicate phase transitions caused by complex interactions in Mott insulators. With time-resolved transient reflectivity measurements, we identified the new phases in the spin–orbit Mott insulator Sr3Ir2O7 at 300 K that was previously unidentified using conventional approaches such as x-ray diffraction. Significant pressure-dependent variation of the amplitude and lifetime obtained by fitting the reflectivity ΔR/R reveal the changes of electronic structure caused by lattice distortions, and reflect the critical phenomena of phase transitions. Our findings demonstrate the importance of ultrafast nonequilibrium dynamics under extreme conditions for understanding the phase transition of Mott insulators.
New insights into the limit of the magnetic monopole flux and the heating source in white dwarfs*
Authors: Liu Jing-Jing , Liu Dong-Mei , Hao Liang-Huan
Published: June 2023

Based on the magnetic monopole (MM) catalytic nuclear decay (Rubakov-Callan (RC) effect), we propose five new models to discuss the limit of the MM flux and the heating energy resources of white dwarfs (WDs) based on observations of 13 red giant branch (RGB) stars. We find that the number of MMs captured can reach a maximum value of

when

GeV,

,

. The good agreement of our calculated luminosities for WDs with observation provides support for our model based on the RC effect by MMs. We obtain a new limit of the MM flux of

, and

at

when

,

, and

, respectively. Our results show that the RC effect could cause heating that prevents white dwarfs from cooling down into a stellar graveyard. Our results will also provide a new idea for further research on the upper limit of MM flow (note:

are the baryon number density, reaction cross section, mass, MM flux, and the new limit of the MM flux, respectively, and

is the ratio of the speed of MMs to that of light).
Modelling the relative risk of plastic pollution to wildlife when data are scarce: an applied approach in the Mekong and Ganges river basins
Authors: Schuyler Qamar , Roman Lauren , Lawson T J , Hardesty Britta Denise
Published: June 2023

Plastic pollution of aquatic ecosystems is a growing environmental problem. Most plastic pollution originates from land-based sources and is transported via rivers, where plastic densities can exceed those at sea. Rivers in southeast Asia are regularly identified among those transporting the greatest plastic loads globally, yet are among the least studied major river systems. This is particularly concerning since they provide habitat for commercially, culturally and ecologically important species. We present a four-step risk framework to assess the relative risk to wildlife at different sections of a river, particularly where data may be sparse. We apply this method to a case study in the Ganges and Mekong rivers. The first step is to estimate litter density and abandoned fishing gear (ALDFG) to determine the relative level of pressure from ingestion or entanglement. Step two uses a risk assessment to determine the likelihood of a species interacting with a given item, and the further likelihood of a negative outcome of that encounter. Step three determines the overlap of the habitat of the species with the litter present in the environment, and the final step integrates all of these factors to present an overall relative risk to migratory species within each watershed. In the Ganges and Mekong rivers, entanglement represents the highest risk to species. The methods presented here estimate the relative risk to vertebrate fauna from litter interactions in rivers where empirical data are not available, aiming to determine (i) where in each river do we expect to find the most plastic and ALDFG and (ii) whether species suspected to be threatened by plastic pollution overlap with these predicted high-risk regions. This approach will aid decision-makers to make informed precautionary assessments bridging data gaps about relative plastic loads and associated risks in aquatic systems, until empirical data becomes available.
Complementarity in quantum walks
Authors: Grudka Andrzej , Kurzyński Paweł , Polak Tomasz P , Sajna Adam S , Wójcik Jan , Wójcik Antoni
Published: June 2023

The eigenbases of two quantum observables,

{

|

a
i

⟩

}

i
=
1

D

and

{

|

b
j

⟩

}

j
=
1

D

, form mutually unbiased bases (MUB) if

|

⟨

a
i

|

b
j

⟩

|

=
1

/

D

for all i and j. In realistic situations MUB are hard to obtain and one looks for approximate MUB (AMUB), in which case the corresponding eigenbases obey

|

⟨

a
i

|

b
j

⟩

|

⩽
c

/

D

, where c is some positive constant independent of D. In majority of cases observables corresponding to MUB and AMUB do not have clear physical interpretation. Here we study discrete-time quantum walks (QWs) on d-cycles with a position and coin-dependent phase-shift. Such a model simulates a dynamics of a quantum particle moving on a ring with an artificial gauge field. In our case the amplitude of the phase-shift is governed by a single discrete parameter q. We solve the model analytically and observe that for prime d the eigenvectors of two QW evolution operators form AMUB. Namely, if d is prime the corresponding eigenvectors of the evolution operators, that act in the D-dimensional Hilbert space (

D
=
2
d

), obey

|

⟨

v
q

|

v

q

′

′

⟩

|

⩽

2

/

D

for

q
≠

q

′

and for all

|

v
q

⟩

and

|

v

q

′

′

⟩

. Finally, we show that the analogous AMUB relation still holds in the continuous version of this model, which corresponds to a one-dimensional Dirac particle.
Helical beams of electrons in a magnetic field: new analytic solutions of the Schrödinger and Dirac equations
Authors: Bialynicki-Birula Iwo , Bialynicka-Birula Zofia
Published: June 2023

We derive new solutions of the Schrödinger, Klein–Gordon and Dirac equations which describe the motion of particles in a uniform magnetic field. In contrast to the well known stationary solutions, our solutions exhibit the behavior of quantum particles which very closely resembles classical helical trajectories. These solutions also serve as an illustration of the meaning of the Ehrenfest theorem in relativistic quantum mechanics.
Curves in quantum state space, geometric phases, and the brachistophase
Authors: Chryssomalakos C , Flores-Delgado A G , Guzmán-González E , Hanotel L , Serrano-Ensástiga E
Published: June 2023

Given a curve in quantum spin state space, we inquire what is the relation between its geometry and the geometric phase accumulated along it. Motivated by Mukunda and Simon’s result that geodesics (in the standard Fubini-Study metric) do not accumulate geometric phase, we find a general expression for the derivatives (of various orders) of the geometric phase in terms of the covariant derivatives of the curve. As an application of our results, we put forward the brachistophase problem: given a quantum state, find the (appropriately normalized) Hamiltonian that maximizes the accumulated geometric phase after time τ—we find an analytical solution for all spin values, valid for small τ. For example, the optimal evolution of a spin coherent state consists of a single Majorana star separating from the rest and tracing out a circle on the Majorana sphere.
Random matrices with row constraints and eigenvalue distributions of graph Laplacians
Authors: Akara-pipattana Pawat , Evnin Oleg
Published: June 2023

Symmetric matrices with zero row sums occur in many theoretical settings and in real-life applications. When the offdiagonal elements of such matrices are i.i.d. random variables and the matrices are large, the eigenvalue distributions converge to a peculiar universal curvepzrs(λ)that looks like a cross between the Wigner semicircle and a Gaussian distribution. An analytic theory for this curve, originally due to Fyodorov, can be developed using supersymmetry-based techniques. We extend these derivations to the case of sparse matrices, including the important case of graph Laplacians for large random graphs withNvertices of mean degreec. In the regime1≪c≪N, the eigenvalue distribution of the ordinary graph Laplacian (diffusion with a fixed transition rate per edge) tends to a shifted and scaled version ofpzrs(λ), centered atcwith width∼c. At smallerc, this curve receives corrections in powers of1/caccurately captured by our theory. For the normalized graph Laplacian (diffusion with a fixed transition rate per vertex), the largeclimit is a shifted and scaled Wigner semicircle, again with corrections captured by our analysis.
The intensity enhancement of transmission small angle x-ray scattering from nanostructures with a high aspect ratio
Authors: Fu W E , He B C , Wu W L
Published: June 2023

Transmission small angle x-ray scattering (tSAXS) has been developed as a metrology for the critical dimension (CD) measurements to facilitate integrated circuit (IC) chip fabrications. Synchrotron x-ray sources were used for their high brilliance and a wavelength less than one tenth of a nanometer was chosen for its high penetration power to enable transmission measurements through a silicon wafer with a nominal thickness of 0.7 mm. A major hold back preventing tSAXS from reaching wide applications in IC fabrication is the lack of high brilliance laboratory-based x-ray sources. Within the last few years, even without any major breakthrough in x-ray source technology, this tSAXS metrology has finally been used for 3D NAND and DRAM, i.e., memory chips with tall or high aspect ratio (HAR) architectures. The scattering intensities from HAR structures will be discussed quantitatively in terms of the sample height and the effective longitudinal coherence length of the incident x-ray.
Rings with transitive chaining of idempotents
Authors: Mary Xavier
Published: June 2023

We prove that transitivity of strong or weak 2-chaining of idempotents is equivalent to centrality of idempotents modulo the Jacobson radical.
Investigating the Associations of Sexual Minority Stressors and Incident Hypertension in a Community Sample of Sexual Minority Adults
Authors: Caceres Billy A , Sharma Yashika , Levine Alina , Wall Melanie M , Hughes Tonda L
Published: June 2023

Background

Sexual minority adults are at higher risk of hypertension than their heterosexual counterparts. Sexual minority stressors (i.e., unique stressors attributed to sexual minority identity) are associated with a variety of poor mental and physical health outcomes. Previous research has not tested associations between sexual minority stressors and incident hypertension among sexual minority adults.

Purpose

To examine the associations between sexual minority stressors and incident hypertension among sexual minority adults assigned female sex at birth.

Methods

Using data from a longitudinal study, we examined associations between three sexual minority stressors and self-reported hypertension. We ran multiple logistic regression models to estimate the associations between sexual minority stressors and hypertension. We conducted exploratory analyses to determine whether these associations differed by race/ethnicity and sexual identity (e.g., lesbian/gay vs. bisexual).

Results

The sample included 380 adults, mean age 38.4 (± 12.81) years. Approximately 54.5% were people of color and 93.9% were female-identified. Mean follow-up was 7.0 (± 0.6) years; during which 12.4% were diagnosed with hypertension. We found that a 1-standard deviation increase in internalized homophobia was associated with higher odds of developing hypertension (AOR 1.48, 95% Cl: 1.06–2.07). Stigma consciousness (AOR 0.85, 95% CI: 0.56–1.26) and experiences of discrimination (AOR 1.07, 95% CI: 0.72–1.52) were not associated with hypertension. The associations of sexual minority stressors with hypertension did not differ by race/ethnicity or sexual identity.

Conclusions

This is the first study to examine the associations between sexual minority stressors and incident hypertension in sexual minority adults. Implications for future studies are highlighted.
Changing Mindsets About Side Effects of the COVID-19 Vaccination: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Crum Alia J , Heathcote Lauren C , Morrison Zara , Yielder Rachael , Leibowitz Kari , Petousis-Harris Helen , Thomas Mark G , Prober Charles G , Berek Jonathan S , Petrie Keith J
Published: June 2023

Background

Side-effect concerns are a major barrier to vaccination against COVID-19 and other diseases. Identifying cost- and time-efficient interventions to improve vaccine experience and reduce vaccine hesitancy—without withholding information about side effects—is critical.

Purpose

Determine whether a brief symptom as positive signals mindset intervention can improve vaccine experience and reduce vaccine hesitancy after the COVID-19 vaccination.

Methods

English-speaking adults (18+) were recruited during the 15-min wait period after receiving their second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination and were randomly allocated to the symptom as positive signals mindset condition or the treatment as usual control. Participants in the mindset intervention viewed a 3:43-min video explaining how the body responds to vaccinations and how common side effects such as fatigue, sore arm, and fever are signs that the vaccination is helping the body boost immunity. The control group received standard vaccination center information.

Results

Mindset participants (N = 260) versus controls (N = 268) reported significantly less worry about symptoms at day 3 [t(506)=2.60, p=.01, d=0.23], fewer symptoms immediately following the vaccine [t(484)=2.75, p=.006, d=0.24], and increased intentions to vaccinate against viruses like COVID-19 in the future [t(514)=−2.57, p=.01, d=0.22]. No significant differences for side-effect frequency at day 3, coping, or impact.

Conclusions

This study supports the use of a brief video aimed at reframing symptoms as positive signals to reduce worry and increase future vaccine intentions.

Clinical Trial information

Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12621000722897p.
Systematic Evaluation of Hematologic Parameters and Blood Smear Findings in Patients With SARS-CoV-2 vs Other Viral Respiratory Infections
Authors: Chopra Saurav , Karandikar Nitin J , Holman Carol J
Published: June 2023

Objectives

We evaluated and compared the peripheral blood findings in patients with acute COVID-19 vs other viral respiratory infections.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed peripheral blood counts and smear morphology in patients with a positive viral respiratory panel (VRP) or SARS-CoV-2 test.

Results

A total of 97 peripheral blood samples (COVID-19 infection, 53; VRP positive, 44) from 50 patients (mean [SD] age, 45.8 [20.8] years; females 52%) were reviewed. There were no statistically significant differences in the demographic characteristics between the 2 groups. The most common peripheral blood abnormalities were anemia, thrombocytopenia, absolute lymphopenia, and reactive lymphocytes. The following peripheral blood findings were significantly associated with other viral respiratory infections compared with COVID-19 infection: low red blood cell count, low hematocrit, high mean corpuscular volume, thrombocytopenia, low mean platelet volume, high red cell distribution width, band neutrophilia, and toxic granulation in neutrophils.

Conclusions

Our study showed that there are several peripheral blood count and morphologic abnormalities seen in patients with COVID-19, but most of these findings lack specificity as they are also seen in the other viral respiratory infections.
Clinical and Pathologic Factors Associated With Colonic Spirochete (Brachyspira pilosicoli and Brachyspira aalborgi) Infection: A Comprehensive Systematic Review and Pooled Analysis
Authors: Eslick Guy D , Fan Kening , Nair Prema M , Burns Grace L , Hoedt Emily C , Keely Simon , Talley Nicholas J
Published: June 2023

Objectives

This study aims to determine what pathologic and clinical factors differentiate Brachyspira species that may be useful to clinicians and pathologists.

Methods

We identified 21 studies of Brachyspira infection with individual patient information (n = 113) and conducted a pooled analysis comparing each species.

Results

There were differences in the pathologic and clinical profiles of each Brachyspira species. Patients infected with Brachyspira pilosicoli infection were more likely to have diarrhea, fever, HIV, and immunocompromised conditions. Those patients infected with Brachyspira aalborgi were more likely to have lamina propria inflammation.

Conclusions

Our novel data provide potential insights into the pathogenic mechanism(s) and the specific risk factor profile of Brachyspira species. This may be clinically useful when assessing and managing patients.
Traffic-Calming Measures and Road Traffic Collisions and Injuries: A Spatiotemporal Analysis
Authors: Batomen Brice , Cloutier Marie-Soleil , Carabali Mabel , Hagel Brent , Howard Andrew , Rothman Linda , Perreault Samuel , Brown Patrick , Di Ruggiero Erica , Bondy Susan
Published: June 2023

Traffic-calming measures (TCMs) are physical modifications of the road network aimed at making the roads safer. Although researchers have reported reductions in numbers of road crashes and injuries tied to the presence of TCMs, such studies have been criticized for their pre-/post- designs. In this study, we aimed to complement our knowledge of TCMs’ effectiveness by assessing their impact using a longitudinal design. The implementation of 8 TCMs, including curb extensions and speed humps, was evaluated at the intersection and census tract levels in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from 2012 to 2019. The primary outcome was fatal or serious collisions among all road users. Inference was performed using a Bayesian implementation of conditional Poisson regression in which random effects were used to account for the spatiotemporal variation in collisions. TCMs were generally implemented on local roads, although most collisions occurred on arterial roads. Overall, there was weak evidence that TCMs were associated with study outcomes. However, subgroup analyses of intersections on local roads suggested a reduction in collision rates due to TCMs (median incidence rate ratio, 0.31; 95% credible interval: 0.12, 0.86). To improve road safety, effective counterparts of TCMs on arterial roads must be identified and implemented.
Therapeutic review: The role of tranexamic acid in management of traumatic brain injury, nontraumatic intracranial hemorrhage, and aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage
Authors: Sigmon Jana , Crowley Kelli L , Groth Christine M
Published: June 2023

Purpose

To summarize current literature evaluating tranexamic acid in the management of intracranial bleeding associated with traumatic and nontraumatic brain injuries and implications for clinical practice.

Intracranial hemorrhage, regardless of etiology, is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Tranexamic acid is an antifibrinolytic with anti-inflammatory properties shown to reduce mortality in trauma patients with extracranial injuries. In traumatic brain injury, a large randomized trial found no difference in outcomes when tranexamic acid was compared to placebo; however, subgroup analyses suggested that it may reduce head injury–related mortality in the context of mild-to-moderate injury if treatment occurs within 1 hour of symptom onset. More recent out-of-hospital data have disputed these findings and even suggested harm in severely injured patients. In spontaneous, nontraumatic intracranial hemorrhage, treatment with tranexamic acid did not result in a difference in functional status; however, rates of hematoma expansion, even though modest, were significantly reduced. In aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage, tranexamic acid may prevent rebleeding, but has not led to improved outcomes or reduced mortality, and there is concern for increased incidence of delayed cerebral ischemia. Overall, tranexamic acid has not been shown to result in increased risk of thromboembolic complications across these classes of brain injury.

Conclusion

Despite its favorable safety profile overall, tranexamic acid does not seem to improve functional outcomes and cannot be routinely recommended. More data are needed to determine which head injury subpopulations are most likely to benefit from tranexamic acid and which patients are at increased risk for harm.
Estimating Firms’ Responses to Securities Regulation Using a Bunching Approach
Authors: Dharmapala Dhammika
Published: June 2023

Many important provisions of US securities law—most notably, crucial elements of the Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) legislation enacted in 2002—apply only to firms that have a public float of at least $75 million. Public float (i.e., the market value of shares held by non-insiders) is not comprehensively reported in standard databases, so I “scrape” public float data from firms’ 10-K filings for an extensive sample of reporting entities over fiscal years 1993–2015. I use a bunching approach that compares the number of observations immediately below the $75 million threshold to a smooth counterfactual density. Prior to SOX (i.e., over 1993–2002), there is no detectable bunching. Following SOX (i.e., over 2003–15), there is statistically significant evidence of bunching. However, the magnitude of bunching is relatively modest. Moreover, bunching is concentrated in the early post-SOX years (2003–09) and is virtually absent in later years (2010–15). The magnitude of bunching is not a sufficient statistic for the compliance costs of securities regulation because the costs of managing public float are unobservable. Nonetheless, the results of the bunching analysis cast some doubt on widespread claims that the regulatory burdens of these securities law provisions are large.
It Is Time to Resolve the Dilemma and Move Away From Using Drains in Primary Breast Augmentation
Authors: Montemurro Paolo , Gupta Tarush
Published: June 2023

Background

Breast augmentation is one of the most commonly performed aesthetic surgical procedures, yet there has been no consensus on the use of drains. While some surgeons believe in using them due to fear of complications or because they were taught in a conventional manner, the authors present their experience of performing breast surgery without the use of drains.

Objectives

To study whether performing breast augmentation without the use of drains is safe.

Methods

Anthropometric details and complications of all the consecutive primary breast augmentation patients performed by a single surgeon from 2009 to 2022 were collected and analyzed. In none of these patients, drains were used.

Results

A total of 429 (21%) patients were lost to follow-up and only those 1617 patients with a minimum follow-up of 6 months were included in this study. The mean age of the study group was 29.8 years with a mean BMI of 24.68. Mean follow-up was 16.24 months. Hematoma occurred in 15 patients (0.92%), seroma in 12 (0.74%), explantation due to infection in 3 patients (0.18%), and capsular contracture in 44 patients (2.72%). All these complications were in the lower range of complications of breast augmentation reported in the literature.

Conclusions

Unwarranted use of drains in breast augmentation should be avoided as it does not seemingly prevent the complications of breast augmentation surgery. Instead, it may increase the chances of infection, pain, and discomfort, and prolong the antibiotic coverage, and hence put an additional overall financial burden on the patient.

Level of Evidence: 4
Widespread transcriptomic alterations of transient receptor potential channel genes in cancer
Authors: Pan Tao , Gao Yueying , Xu Gang , Yu Lei , Xu Qi , Yu Jinyang , Liu Meng , Zhang Can , Ma Yanlin , Li Yongsheng
Published: June 2023

Ion channels, in particular transient–receptor potential (TRP) channels, are essential genes that play important roles in many physiological processes. Emerging evidence has demonstrated that TRP genes are involved in a number of diseases, including various cancer types. However, we still lack knowledge about the expression alterations landscape of TRP genes across cancer types. In this review, we comprehensively reviewed and summarised the transcriptomes from more than 10 000 samples in 33 cancer types. We found that TRP genes were widespreadly transcriptomic dysregulated in cancer, which was associated with clinical survival of cancer patients. Perturbations of TRP genes were associated with a number of cancer pathways across cancer types. Moreover, we reviewed the functions of TRP family gene alterations in a number of diseases reported in recent studies. Taken together, our study comprehensively reviewed TRP genes with extensive transcriptomic alterations and their functions will directly contribute to cancer therapy and precision medicine.
Evaluation of sequence-based predictors for phase-separating protein
Authors: Liao Shaofeng , Zhang Yujun , Qi Yifei , Zhang Zhuqing
Published: June 2023

Liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) of proteins and nucleic acids underlies the formation of biomolecular condensates in cell. Dysregulation of protein LLPS is closely implicated in a range of intractable diseases. A variety of tools for predicting phase-separating proteins (PSPs) have been developed with the increasing experimental data accumulated and several related databases released. Comparing their performance directly can be challenging due to they were built on different algorithms and datasets. In this study, we evaluate eleven available PSPs predictors using negative testing datasets, including folded proteins, the human proteome, and non-PSPs under near physiological conditions, based on our recently updated LLPSDB v2.0 database. Our results show that the new generation predictors FuzDrop, DeePhase and PSPredictor perform better on folded proteins as a negative test set, while LLPhyScore outperforms other tools on the human proteome. However, none of the predictors could accurately identify experimentally verified non-PSPs. Furthermore, the correlation between predicted scores and experimentally measured saturation concentrations of protein A1-LCD and its mutants suggests that, these predictors could not consistently predict the protein LLPS propensity rationally. Further investigation with more diverse sequences for training, as well as considering features such as refined sequence pattern characterization that comprehensively reflects molecular physiochemical interactions, may improve the performance of PSPs prediction.
Interpolating discriminant functions in high-dimensional Gaussian latent mixtures
Authors: Bing Xin , Wegkamp Marten
Published: June 2023

This paper considers binary classification of high-dimensional features under a postulated model with a low-dimensional latent Gaussian mixture structure and nonvanishing noise. A generalized least-squares estimator is used to estimate the direction of the optimal separating hyperplane. The estimated hyperplane is shown to interpolate on the training data. While the direction vector can be consistently estimated, as could be expected from recent results in linear regression, a naive plug-in estimate fails to consistently estimate the intercept. A simple correction, which requires an independent hold-out sample, renders the procedure minimax optimal in many scenarios. The interpolation property of the latter procedure can be retained, but surprisingly depends on the way the labels are encoded.
The ECO framework: advancing evidence-based science engagement within environmental research programs and organizations
Authors: Garlick Sarah , Fallon Kathy
Published: June 2023

Despite widespread interest in science communication, public engagement with science, and engaged research, a large gap exists between the theories behind science engagement and how it is practiced within the scientific community. The scholarship of science engagement is also fractured, with knowledge and insights fragmented across discourses related to science communication, informal science learning, participatory research, and sustainability science. In the present article, we share a planning tool for integrating evidence and theory from these discourses into effective programs and projects. The ECO framework promotes three distinct and interacting modes of science engagement practice: formative engagement (listening and relationship building), codesign and coproduction (action-oriented partnerships), and broader outreach (expanding networks and dissemination). By planning engagement activities with attention to these three modes of engagement, scientists and scientific research organizations will be better poised to address urgent needs for stronger connections between science and society and increased use of scientific research in decision-making.
Shower thoughts: why scientists should spend more time in the rain
Authors: Van Stan John T , Allen Scott T , Aubrey Douglas P , Berry Z Carter , Biddick Matthew , Coenders-Gerrits Miriam A M J , Giordani Paolo , Gotsch Sybil G , Gutmann Ethan D , Kuzyakov Yakov , Magyar Donát , Mella Valentina S A , Mueller Kevin E , Ponette-González Alexandra G , Porada Philipp , Rosenfeld Carla E , Simmons Jack , Sridhar Kandikere R , Stubbins Aron , Swanson Travis
Published: June 2023

Stormwater is a vital resource and dynamic driver of terrestrial ecosystem processes. However, processes controlling interactions during and shortly after storms are often poorly seen and poorly sensed when direct observations are substituted with technological ones. We discuss how human observations complement technological ones and the benefits of scientists spending more time in the storm. Human observation can reveal ephemeral storm-related phenomena such as biogeochemical hot moments, organismal responses, and sedimentary processes that can then be explored in greater resolution using sensors and virtual experiments. Storm-related phenomena trigger lasting, oversized impacts on hydrologic and biogeochemical processes, organismal traits or functions, and ecosystem services at all scales. We provide examples of phenomena in forests, across disciplines and scales, that have been overlooked in past research to inspire mindful, holistic observation of ecosystems during storms. We conclude that technological observations alone are insufficient to trace the process complexity and unpredictability of fleeting biogeochemical or ecological events without the shower thoughts produced by scientists’ human sensory and cognitive systems during storms.
A stand-up paddle boarding granuloma
Authors: Kloczko Ewa , Biswas Asok , Moncayo Olga , Laurenson Ian , Rice Shantini
Published: June 2023

To the best of our knowledge, this is the only case of a patient with cutaneous Mycobacterium marinum infection associated with stand-up paddle boarding in the Lake District in the UK.
The predictive value and response to immunosuppressive therapy of IgA nephropathy patients with crescents in a large retrospective Chinese cohort
Authors: Guo Yingman , Shi Sufang , Zhou Xujie , Liu Lijun , Lv Jicheng , Zhu Li , Wang Suxia , Zhang Hong
Published: June 2023

Background

The prognostic value and response to immunosuppressive therapy (IST) of patients with crescents in the different backgrounds of pathological presentations in immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) is unclear.

Methods

A total of 1262 IgAN patients were enrolled. Crescents (C, 0/1/2), fibrinoid necrosis (FN, 0/1) and endocapillary hypercellularity (E, 0/1) were integrated into different degrees of glomerular activity (0–4 points): mild (0), moderate (1–2) and severe (≥3). The effect of IST on patients with different glomerular activity scores and chronic tubular and interstitial lesions (T, 0/1/2) were analysed using Cox regression analysis. The kidney outcome was defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate decrease ≥30% or end-stage kidney disease.

Results

C2 was an independent risk factor for kidney outcomes {overall cohort: hazard ratio [HR] 1.85 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03–3.31], P = .040; T0 patients: HR 6.52 [95% CI 2.92–14.54], P < .001; reference to C0} in those without IST, while the HR decreased to 0.83 (95% CI 0.54–1.27; P = .396) in the overall cohort and 2.39 (95% CI 1.00–5.67; P = .049) in T0 patients with IST. For patients with severe glomerular activity, IST decreased the risk of kidney outcomes by 70% in the overall cohort [HR 0.30 (95% CI 0.12–0.74), P = .009; reference to those without IST] and 86% in T0 patients [HR 0.14 (95% CI 0.04–0.54), P = 0.005; reference to those without IST].

Conclusions

IST could reduce the risk for kidney outcomes in IgAN patients with C2 and T0 lesions together, as well as in those with crescents and at least one other active lesion, including FN and E1 lesions.