Access Portal Research Articles

Osgood-Schlatter Disease in an Adult Athlete: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Background: Osgood-Schlatter disease (OSD), a form of traction apophysitis, predominantly affects adolescents engaged in high- impact activities. While conservative management is often effective, surgical intervention becomes necessary in refractory cases. Case Report: A 29-year-old male athlete with persistent OSD symptoms underwent arthroscopic surgery after unsuccessful non- surgical treatments. Arthroscopic removal of the bony particle was undertaken using six portals with a novel setting (consisting of medial and lateral superior, standard, and inferior portals) to minimize the damage to the patellar tendon and intermeniscal ligaments. This setting of portals also obviates the need for fluoroscopy since it provides adequate visualization for confirmation of complete removal of the bony particle. The lower portals also provide more convenient access to the bony particle, minimizing the possibility of incomplete removal and persistence of symptoms. The patient experienced complete resolution of anterior knee pain and prominence within six months post-surgery. Arthroscopic removal of the ossicle involved the use of superior portals for optimal access and visualization. Low portals were strategically employed to eliminate the need for fluoroscopy, offering a unique advantage. Postoperative rehabilitation included immobilization followed by a gradual return to weight-bearing and full range of motion (ROM). Conclusion: Arthroscopic removal remains the preferred method for treating OSD, emphasizing fewer complications. However, challenges related to limited access and anatomical restoration persist.

Assessing the Relationship between Urban Heat Islands and Local Climate Zones during a Winter Period in the Coastal City of Balneário Camboriú/SC, Brazil

This research seeks to understand the link between urban heat island and urban cool island, which are the Local Climatic Zones (LCZ) and atmospheric systems during the winter season in the city of Balneário Camboriú, Southern Brazil. First, meteorological data on the urban environment was collected at 11 permanent points in the Balneário Camboriú metropolitan region. Next, a synoptic analysis of the dates was performed to understand the atmospheric systems operating in the region. Finally, the LCZs map created for the city in the World Urban Database and Access Portal Tools was used to correlate the magnitudes of the heat and cool islands found in Balneário Camboriú in the winter period. The results indicate that the increasing verticalization as a result of the construction of skyscrapers in Balneário Camboriú has a significant influence on local conditions for the occurrence of heat and cold islands. The findings indicate that LCZs with sparsely distributed buildings (LCZs 6, 8 and 9) and LCZs with dense vegetation (LCZ A) have lower intensity magnitudes of heat and cool conditions. The biggest magnitudes of heat and cool islands were reported in LCZs 1 and 3 during the timeframe. The synoptic analysis supports earlier research that points to atmospheric stability (Anticyclonic domain) as a favorable atmospheric setting for the emergence of urban heat and coolness islands.

Multiscale spatial variability in land and water productivity across the Gezira irrigation scheme, Sudan

Agricultural performance assessment spans various spatial scales, from single plots to entire irrigation systems. A multi-scale analysis is thus crucial for informed decision-making. The Gezira irrigation sScheme in Sudan is a longstanding large-scale irrigation system experiencing severe water management challenges, manifested by low land productivity, water productivity, and irrigation efficiency. Recognizing the interdependence of decision-making, this research focuses on variations in water and land productivity at different spatial scales within the Gezira irrigation scheme. As one of the world’s largest gravity-irrigated systems, covering 2.1 million feddan (1 feddan = 0.42 ha ∼ 1 acre), the scheme serves as an interesting case to study head-tail performance variations across four spatial scales: tertiary, secondary, and major units, and the whole scheme. This study is centered on the winter season wheat cultivation 2022–2023, and employs the FAO’s Water Productivity Open Access Portal (WaPOR v2.1) datasets, with 100 m resolution, for computing land and water productivity. Ground-observed yield data from nine tertiary units (nimras) in the Wadelbur irrigation division were used to validate WaPOR. The results showed a systematic underestimation of WaPOR derived land productivity by about 40 % compared to the ground dataset. The head-tail analysis of land and water productivity reveal contrasting results at different scales. At tertiary and secondary scales, no correlation exists between distance from offtake and productivity. At the major unit (irrigation division), a moderate correlation is observed: 0.7 for land productivity, and 0.6 for water productivity. At the scheme scale, the correlation factors are somewhat lower for land productivity (0.4) and the same for water productivity (0.6). At the largest scale, the productivity appears to increase from head to tail divisions, suggesting potential overirrigation and waterlogging in the head parts leading to reduced productivity. Another possibility is the presence of better agricultural practices in the tail areas compared to the head.

Twenty years of volcano data at GeoNet—collection, custodianship, and evolution of open data on New Zealand’s volcanoes

The GeoNet programme at GNS Science has monitored and managed data for volcanoes, earthquakes, landslides, and tsunami in Aotearoa New Zealand since 2001. Volcano monitoring data are collected from seismometers, acoustic sensors, GNSS receivers, webcams, remote gas monitoring sensors, and a range of environmental sensors, as well as manually during visits to volcanoes. The primary user of volcano data is the internal cross-specialised Volcano Monitoring Group (VMG), which fulfils the role of the national volcano observatory. GeoNet concentrates on automatic data collection and analysis, while supporting members of the VMG with manual data collection and interpretation. The application of open-data principles to both data and metadata has always been a core aspect of GeoNet; responses have been overwhelmingly positive, despite concerns regarding some high value, manually collected datasets. The website www.geonet.org.nz represents the primary data access portal. Data analysis and delivery applications are organised by data type rather than hazard, with no volcano-specific data applications. Most datasets have web-based and API delivery application options; both provide standard data formats from a cloud-based archive. One of the challenges for volcano data collection and management has been shifting from a reliance on manually collected data to automatic collection. Additionally, awareness of important questions related to Indigenous Māori data governance is increasing, although the associated impact is not yet understood. Overall, the current centralised, cooperative volcano monitoring and data collection and management system, which benefits from improved efficiency, interoperability, and data quality, has proved effective in Aotearoa New Zealand. Ongoing work aims to ensure optimal data collection and management for volcano monitoring and downstream activities.

The Pico Balloon Archive: Establishing the First Super Pressure Balloon Satellite Network for Atmospheric Research

Abstract We present the Pico Balloon Archive (PBA), a specialized platform for archiving, visualizing, and verifying data from pico balloons— lightweight, super pressure balloons capable of operating in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere for durations ranging from weeks to years. With a latitudinal range from 88.77°S to 89.60°N and data collection ongoing since 2021, the PBA stands as the most spatially extensive repository for super pressure balloons to date. It offers a centralized, user-friendly online portal (http://picoballoonarchive.org) for data access, featuring a summary of flight details, downloadable raw data, and individual flight visualizations. In this study, we validate the PBA’s wind speed and direction calculations against the Integrated Radiosonde Archive (IGRA), showing strong correlations (r2 = 0.66 and 0.78 for wind speed and direction, respectively). We also highlight the PBA’s effectiveness in charting global atmospheric circulation and the capacity of certain balloons to traverse hemispheres, a feat made possible by unique stratospheric dynamics. Furthermore, we demonstrate the PBA’s effectiveness in validating Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) Lagrangian trajectories, quantifying errors based on model initialization latitude. This continuously updated super pressure balloon network is poised to significantly aid the atmospheric science community, facilitating a deeper understanding of global atmospheric processes.

The CanPath-HDRN Canada Collaboration: Enabling Multi-jurisdictional Research in Canada

ObjectiveTo highlight the partnership between the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health (CanPath) and Health Data Research Network (HDRN Canada), which enables researchers to link CanPath’s health and lifestyle survey data to health records and related data across multiple regions. BackgroundCanPath is a population health study of over 350,000 Canadians from seven regional cohorts across all ten provinces, making it one of the world's largest population cohorts. HDRN Canada is a network of member organizations, including provincial, territorial, and pan-Canadian data centres. ApproachThis partnership leveraged collective expertise and resources to facilitate the linkage of CanPath’s harmonized data to multi-regional health and health-related administrative data held at HDRN Canada’ s data centres. Researchers can access these data for multi-regional projects through HDRN Canada’s Data Access Support Hub, which provides a single access portal. ResultsResearchers were able to successfully link CanPath’s survey data to provincial administrative health data. The collaboration’s streamlined process for data access enhances efficiency and facilitates pan-Canadian population health research. ConclusionThis collaboration demonstrates the feasibility and value of linking population health datasets while demonstrating the challenges and opportunities associated with accessing national administrative health data within a federated health data system. ImplicationsThe partnership between CanPath and HDRN Canada has significant implications for advancing population health research in Canada. By providing researchers with access to linked data from diverse sources, the partnership enables comprehensive investigations into health determinants, disease patterns, and clinical outcomes. This enhances the scope and depth of population health research in Canada, thereby leading to a better understanding of the most pressing health challenges.

Mapping local climate zones and its applications at the global scale: A systematic review of the last decade of progress and trend

The concept of local climate zone (LCZ) was proposed in 2012 to meet the needs of refinement and standardization of urban climate research. As an important contribution of the World Urban Database and Access Portal Tool (WUDAPT), which is an initiative to collect and share urban data globally to facilitate urban-focused climate researches, LCZ research has shown a booming trend in the past decade. As of the end of October 2023, more than 400 related papers, which involve about 250 cities in the world, have been published. At this juncture (decadal anniversary of the WUDAPT), a review from a global perspective and outlooks of the LCZ framework, from mapping to application and its coordinated development with WUDAPT, are needed to support the popularity and further progress of LCZ and WUDAPT. In this review, statistical and metadata analysis methods were used to summarize and analyze a sample of LCZ-related papers published since 2012, focusing on two aspects: mapping and application. The mapping methods were divided into three categories, namely, remote sensing-based, geographic information system-based, and hybrid methods. The application topics were grouped into two categories, namely, WUDAPT initiative and novel WUDAPT application. Two relevant themes originated from the above summary were further discussed, and then the future was forecasted on the basis of current research limitations. From this review, researchers can benefit from the recent progress in mapping and application of the LCZ system and future research directions, thereby further promoting the development in this field.

The impact of the urban landscape on PM2.5 from LCZ perspective: A case study of Shenyang

Based on the World City Database Access Portal tool (WUDAPT), the local Climate zoning (LCZ) classification of Shenyang(China) was carried out. With 8 environmental monitoring stations at the observation of the study area, LCZ landscape categories in the buffer zone of 500 m, 1000 m, and 3000 m were analyzed using ArcMap and Fragstats. The sensitivity analysis of the landscape category index correlated with PM2.5 was conducted to select the representativeness index. Matlab was used to construct the regression equation between the LCZ categories and PM2.5. The results show that AI_500, LSI_500, PD_500, LSI_1000, AI_1000, LSI_3000, and AI_3000 can be used as representative landscape indices to represent the aggregation and diversity of LCZ categories. The regression equations for PM2.5 in all four seasons include factors influencing the LCZ category landscape. This study analyzed the relationship between PM2.5 distribution and urban patterns from the perspective of the LCZ types. It provided the scientific reference for rational planning of urban layout and coordination of environment and urban development.

A Medical Student-Led Multipronged Initiative to Close the Digital Divide in Outpatient Primary Care.

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic accelerated the use of telehealth. However, this also exacerbated health care disparities for vulnerable populations. This study aimed to explore the feasibility and effectiveness of a medical student-led initiative to identify and address gaps in patient access to digital health resources in adult primary care clinics at an academic safety-net hospital. Medical students used an online HIPAA-compliant resource directory to screen for digital needs, connect patients with resources, and track outcome metrics. Through a series of Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles, the program grew to offer services such as information and registration for subsidized internet and phone services via the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) and Lifeline, assistance setting up and utilizing MyChart (an online patient portal for access to electronic health records), orientation to telehealth applications, and connection to community-based digital literacy training. Between November 2021 and March 2023, the program received 608 assistance requests. The most successful intervention was MyChart help, resulting in 83% of those seeking assistance successfully signing up for MyChart accounts and 79% feeling comfortable navigating the portal. However, subsidized internet support, digital literacy training, and telehealth orientation had less favorable outcomes. The PDSA cycles highlighted numerous challenges such as inadequate patient outreach, time-consuming training, limited in-person support, and unequal language assistance. To overcome these barriers, the program evolved to utilize clinic space for outreach, increase flier distribution, standardize training, and enhance integration of multilingual resources. This study is, to the best of our knowledge, the first time a medical student-led initiative addresses the digital divide with a multipronged approach. We outline a system that can be implemented in other outpatient settings to increase patients' digital literacy and promote health equity, while also engaging students in important aspects of nonclinical patient care.

Implementasi Metode Quality Function Deployment (QFD) Untuk Merancang Peningkatan Kualitas Pelayanan Pendidikan di Politeknik ‘Aisyiyah Pontianak

In order to improve the quality of higher education services at Politeknik 'Aisyiyah Pontianak, an action plan was developed to close the quality gap between perceived expectations and expectations expected by students, as well as the characteristics of higher education service quality desired by students as service users. The Quality Function Deployment (QFD) model is the method used in this study to determine service attributes using the Servqual model. Three general information regarding students' desires, satisfaction, and expectations of service attributes were included in the distributed questionnaires. In conclusion, from the data processing of twenty educational service quality attributes, there are six attributes that have gaps in educational service quality. These gaps are fast online and offline academic services, easy access to information related to academics, fast and accurate acquisition of academic information, adequate library facilities (the number of collections in the library), adequate Internet facilities (ease of access, browsing speed), complete and adequate laboratory facilities. The action plan for quality improvement is (1) Improving the Academic Service System, (2) Providing a special portal for access to academic information, (3) Improving Academic Information System Services, (4) Improving Library Facilities by adding amount book collections, e-books, e-journals etc., (5) Improving Internet Facilities by adding Bandwitch, (6) Improving Laboratory Facilities.

Urbanization impact on meteorological condition and O3 concentration under past and future climates scenarios over the Greater Bay Area in Southern China

Cities face twin challenges of changing climate and urban heat island (UHI) effect, with the environmental implications of urbanization still unclear. This study employs the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to examine the impacts of urbanization in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) during warm and cold seasons in past (2000) and near-future (2030) scenarios [i.e., under shared socioeconomic pathways (SSP): SSP1-26, SSP2-45, and SSP5-85]. Datasets from the World Urban Database and Access Portal Tools (WUDAPT) were incorporated into the WRF model to improve the representation of urbanization effects on weather patterns. Our findings indicate that urban expansion significantly increases urban temperatures and decreases wind speed across selected climate change scenarios. The spatially averaged urban temperatures in the fine resolution domain for 2030 could rise by 0.9 °C (warm season) and 2.4 °C (cold season), respectively, and urban wind speed decreases by ∼ 3 m/s under the SSP5-85 scenario. In cold season, the UHI effect could last over 20 h, while urban area may experience cooler nighttime temperatures than rural areas in warm season. Moreover, the future scenario predicts higher daytime O3 levels due to the warming effects of climate change and urbanization, but lower nighttime levels in warm season, attributed to intensified south-easterly sea breeze and background winds, when compared to the past scenario. This study highlights the importance of incorporating urbanization and climate change in future urban atmospheric environment studies, and underscores that urban climate change adaptation and mitigation should consider extra impacts on built-environment caused by urbanization.

The 1986 Annaburroo experimental grassland fires: data

Background In 1986, CSIRO conducted a large program of experimental fires in grassland at Annaburroo Station, Northern Territory, Australia, with the objective of quantifying the effect of fuel condition (load and height) on fire behaviour. Aims This paper provides the data collected during this program, representing a unique set of observations and measurements of large, free-burning experimental fires conducted in a multi-factor experimental design. Methods Data are collated by experimental burn plot, providing detailed measurements of weather (wind speed, air temperature, relative humidity), fuel state (load, height, moisture content, curing) and fire behaviour (rate of spread, flame depth, flame height, head fire width), as well as processed information (e.g. steady-state rate of spread). Data availability The data are made available for free download on the CSIRO Data Access Portal (https://data.csiro.au/collection/csiro:58746) and include detailed metadata descriptions of the data and their structure, also provided in this article. Conclusions We have made the data available for fire behaviour researchers around the world to use in their research under the Creative Commons Attributions licence. It is hoped they will analyse these data and extract new and innovative insights to help improve our understanding of wildland fires burning in grass fuels.

The multi-omic response to exercise training across rat tissues: interactive tools for data dissemination through the MoTrPAC data hub

The Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Consortium (MoTrPAC) aims to map the molecular responses to exercise and training to elucidate how exercise improves health and prevents disease. The first MoTrPAC data provides an extensive temporal map of the dynamic multi-omic response to endurance training across multiple rat tissues. All results can be viewed, interrogated, and downloaded in a user-friendly, publicly accessible data portal ( https://motrpac-data.org ). The MoTrPAC data compendium includes transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, phosphoproteomics, acetylproteomics, ubiquitylproteomics, DNA methylation, chromatin accessibility, and multiplexed immunoassay data. This compilation of 211 datasets across 19 tissues, 25 molecular assays, and 4 training time points in adult male and female rats constitutes 19 terabytes of data. Over 35,000 analytes were found to be differentially regulated in response to endurance training, with many displaying sexual dimorphism. We observed a male-specific recruitment of immune cells to adipose tissues and an anticorrelated transcriptional response in the adrenal gland related to the stress response. Temporal multi-omic and multi-tissue integration demonstrated similar temporal responses in the heart and skeletal muscle, reflecting a concerted adaptation of mitochondrial biogenesis and metabolism. Integrative multi-omic network analysis revealed connections between the heat shock-mediated stress response and mitochondrial biogenesis. Training increased phospholipids and decreased triacylglycerols in the liver, and there were extensive changes to mitochondrial protein acetylation. Many changes were relevant for human health conditions, such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, inflammatory bowel disease, cardiovascular wellness, and tissue damage and repair. Altogether, this MoTrPAC resource provides an unprecedented view of the effects of exercise across an organism, revealing mechanistic details of how exercise impacts mammalian health. The MoTrPAC data hub is the primary online resource to disseminate this large scale multi-omics data. The MoTrPAC Study is supported by NIH grants U24OD026629 (Bioinformatics Center), U24DK112349, U24DK112342, U24DK112340, U24DK112341, U24DK112326, U24DK112331, U24DK112348 (Chemical Analysis Sites), U24AR071113 (Consortium Coordinating Center), U01AG055133, U01AG055137 and U01AG055135 (PASS/Animal Sites). This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

Urban growth’s implications on land surface temperature in a medium-sized European city based on LCZ classification

The study determined the influence of changes in land use and land cover (LULC) on land surface temperature (LST) over a 33-year period based on a medium-sized European city (Poznań, Poland). The LST was estimated from Landsat 5, 8 and Terra (MOD11A2v6) satellites. The local estimation of climate patterns was based on the Local Climate Zones (LCZ) classification utilised with the methodology proposed by the World Urban Database and Access Portal Tools (WUDAPT). Moreover, the Copernicus’ imperviousness density product (IMD) was used. Between 2006 and 2018 the area with IMD of 41–100% increased by 6.95 km2, 0–20% decreased by 7.03 km2. The contribution of built-up LCZs increased by 7.4% (19.21 km2) between 1988 and 2021 reaching 13% (34 km2) within open mid-rise LCZ. Due to urbanisation and reforestation, low plants LCZ shrunk by 12.7%. For every 10% increase in IMD, LST increases by up to 0.14 °C. Between 1988 and 2021 the LSTm in specific LCZs rose from 1.52 up to 2.97 °C. As per LST models LCZ change from natural to built-up led up to 1.19 °C LST rise. The increase of the LSTm was registered even when the LCZ remained unchanged.

Abstract LB336: The African Cancer Atlas: Leveraging African data to diversify precision oncology

Abstract Africa has some of the highest age adjusted cancer mortality rates globally and cancer incidence in Africa is expected to double by 2040. Despite this disproportionate burden of disease, African cancer patients are woefully understudied along the cancer continuum. People of African descent are significantly underrepresented in cancer research, accounting for less than 3% of globally available genomic data and are often the least well served by advances in precision medicine.To address this gap, we have initiated the African Cancer Atlas project. This is an Africa-centred approach to overcoming cancer inequities - providing much needed biological and clinical data, but also seeking to identify and address the social determinants of inequities both within the continent and between high and low-middle income countries (LMIC). We have established an oncology partner network across 9 geographically dispersed African countries (Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Tunisia). We have developed LMIC-specific standardised protocols and best practices for sample collection and processing across multiple sites and continue to build a well-annotated bank of tissue, plasma, bone marrow and PBMC from individuals with breast, prostate, gastrointestinal cancers, liver, urinogenital and pediatric cancers that will be unrivalled in its diversity. So far, 1800 cancer samples have been collected and banked. We have also built a unique cloud-based clinical data management platform to facilitate the collection of longitudinal clinical metadata into a unified clinico-demographic database. We have initiated extensive genomic and molecular profiling of African-specific cancers using whole exome/genome sequencing (WES/WGS) of paired germline and tumour samples as well as RNA- sequencing of tumors. We have so far completed the first 200 WES, representing the first cancer samples sequenced entirely on the African continent. Ongoing work is investigating how population-specific genetic variation contributes to cancer risk, identifying driver mutations, somatic copy number alterations (SCNAs) and mutational signatures that can point to disease-relevant environmental exposures or impaired core biological pathways. Comparative analysis with existing cancer genomics cohorts will determine the prevalence of known hotspot mutations, cancer drivers and or common SCNAs in African cancer genomes. By comparing with available data for African Americans and other diasporan Africans, we will provide better understanding of cancer aetiology related to African ancestry applicable to the broader African diasporic communities in other regions of the world. We are also collecting data to assess socio-economic and health system factors affecting access to cancer care and survival across all study sites. Socio-demographic data collection is integrated with tissue/biodata collection creating digital longitudinal hospital-based cohorts. We will develop systems that integrate genomics, molecular demographics and clinical data with machine learning and a publicly accessible portal for data access and analytics will be available for the broader scientific community. Ultimately, this project will contribute towards better understanding of cancer among people of African descent and make precision oncology more effective for diverse populations. Citation Format: Yaw Bediako, Joyce Ngoi, Ruth Kiome, Seth Agyemang, Stephen Darkoh, Audrey Lemacon, Aida Manu, Frank Onyambu, Kanny Diallo, Lily Paemka, David Hutchful, Emmanuella Amoako, Abdoulaye Diallo. The African Cancer Atlas: Leveraging African data to diversify precision oncology [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 2 (Late-Breaking, Clinical Trial, and Invited Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(7_Suppl):Abstract nr LB336.

Shoulder and Knee Arthroscopy Access Point: Prospective Comparison of Sonographic and Palpatory Detection - Which Method is Better for Novices?

Purpose Arthroscopy is one of the most common interventions in orthopedics. Hence it is important to train users early in order to ensure the safest possible identification of access portals (AP). This prospective study aimed to compare a palpatory (PalpMethod) with a sonographic (SonoMethod) method for AP location in the shoulder and knee joints. Materials and Methods The study included trainee doctors (n=68) attending workshops (lasting approx. 90 minutes). In these workshops a teaching video initially demonstrated the PalpMethod and SonoMethod of AP identification. An experienced operator first marked the access portals on the test subject with a UV pen (determined ideal point [DIP]). Adhesive film was then affixed to the puncture regions. Subsequently participants marked on shoulders and knees first the point determined by palpation, then the point determined by sonography. Analysis involved DIP visualization with a UV lamp and employed a coordinate system around the central DIP. In addition, participants completed an evaluation before and after the workshop. Results The analysis included 324 measurements (n=163 shoulders and n= 161 knees). The majority of participants had not previously attended any courses on manual examination (87.9%) or musculoskeletal ultrasound (93.9%). Overall, the markings participants made on the shoulder using the SonoMethod were significantly closer to the DIP than those made by the PalpMethod (Palp 18.8mm ± 14.5mm vs. Sono 11.2mm ± 7.2mm; p<0.001). On the knee, however, the markings made by the PalpMethod were significantly closer to the DIP overall (Palp 8.0mm ± 3.2mm vs. Sono 12.8mm ± 5.2mm; p<0.001). Conclusion The results show that the SonoMethod produces more accurate markings on the shoulder, while the PalpMethod is superior for the knee.

Protecting the win, and securing the base: Kenya’s 2022 presidential election dispute and outcome

ABSTRACT In much of Africa, opposition presidential candidates face the benefits of incumbency and often accuse the government of rigging. But in Kenya’s 2022 presidential election, it was the government-favoured candidate, Raila Odinga, who lost and accused the electoral body of rigging. Then-incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta had mobilised allies and senior government officials to support Odinga against his own deputy president, William Ruto, who won the election. Drawing on interviews, court proceedings and media coverage, we argue that Kenyatta and Odinga campaign compared poorly with Ruto’s robust mobilisation approach and use of class and religious narratives that resonated with voters. Also, the steadfast determination of the chairperson of the electoral body to withstand pressure of manipulation and to produce a transparent election by posting results on a publicly accessible portal created an atmosphere of openness that made it difficult to support rigging claims. This provided evidence to protect Ruto’s win. The claims of rigging served a purpose: they helped Odinga to secure his strongholds as a critical support base in subsequent power negotiations and likely as future voting blocs.

113 The Effect of Civilian Purchased Care on Military Neurosurgery Wartime Readiness

INTRODUCTION: The current landscape of military neurosurgery reflects the relative peacetime for the US-World relationship - a problem of intrinsically low case volume compounded by patients being deferred away from Military Treatment Facilities (MTFs). TRICARE is the healthcare program of the US Department of Defense Military Health Care System, in which ‘Purchased Care’ or civilian based health care, is used to supplement healthcare needs when services are not readily available to TRICARE beneficiaries. Within military neurosurgery, case volume and complexity continue to be diverted via purchased case pathways, greatly affecting wartime readiness. Neurosurgery wartime readiness can be measured through the Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA) metric based on case complexity and volume. METHODS: We analyzed case counts and KSA values of active-duty military neurosurgery capable MTFs and purchased care counterparts using the CarePoint Access portal. Residents, civilian contractors, and retirees were excluded. RESULTS: In 2022, the KSA total for 16 MTFs was 139005, a result of 2286 cases and 47 surgeons. The average KSA/surgeon/month was 393.8, extrapolating to 4725.5/surgeon/year - 59% of the KSA goal of 8000/surgeon/year. The purchased care KSA of 10 MTFs totaled 301535 in 2022 from 7324 cases. Purchased care out-performed MTF case volume by over 300%. Recovering full purchased care volume would increase the individual MTF neurosurgeon KSA by 135%. CONCLUSIONS: The military neurosurgical community cannot maintain wartime readiness as defined by the KSA metric with current trends in military neurosurgery case volume and high incidence of purchased care. The solution lies in either recovering purchased care patients or expanding military-civilian partnerships to base military neurosurgeons at local academic hospitals and trauma centers.

Surface Li+/Ni2+ Antisite Defects Construction for Achieving High‐Voltage Stable Single‐Crystal Ni‐Rich Cathode by Anion/Cation Co‐Doping

AbstractNi‐rich cathode material possesses a considerable theoretical capacity, yet achieving their full capacity potential remains challenging. Elevating its operation voltage is an effective approach, while the stability of Ni‐rich cathode material is relatively poor, which is limited by Li+/Ni2+ mixing. Herein, a strategy of cation/anion co‐doping is proposed for single‐crystal ultrahigh‐nickel cathode LiNi0.92Co0.04Mn0.04O2 operated at 4.5 V. The enhancement mechanism is explicitly revealed by in situ/ex situ tests and theory calculations. Specifically, Mo6+ and F− are introduced to construct an appropriate Li+/Ni2+ antisite defects structure at the particle surface, which can maintain the low‐defect Li+ layered channel inside the bulk simultaneously, inducing a stable access portal for Li+ transport from the cathode/electrolyte interface. More importantly, the Li+/Ni2+ antisite passivation layer on the surface can uphold the stability of Li‐layer and optimize the reactive behavior of Ni2+, thus boosting the interfacial stability and reducing the lattice mismatch. As a result, it can achieve high capacity (204 mAh g−1 at 1 C) and stable retention during long‐term high‐voltage measurements both in half‐cell (87.1% after 200 cycles) and full‐cell (91.9% after 400 cycles). This facile strategy provides a feasible technical reference for further exploiting the ultrahigh‐capacity of Ni‐rich cathode for commercial application.

Numerical investigation of thermal patterns and local wind circulations to characterize Urban Heat Island during a heatwave in Turin

Heatwaves are annually increasing in terms of intensity and frequency. In urban areas, the impact could be further exacerbated by the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect. This work carries out an urban microclimate numerical analysis to evaluate the behavior of the UHI in the city of Turin (Italy) during a heatwave event. Turin is located in the North-West region of Italy, boarded by the Alps mountain ranges in the west and hills in the East. The study utilizes the WRF/MLUCM model and considers the heatwave period in June 2019. The high-resolution urban land use/land cover data is generated from local climate zone (LCZ) generator tool provided by the World Urban Database and Access Portal Tools (WUDAPT) portal. The simulation is validated with the data provided by ARPA (Regional Environmental Protection Agency) meteorological stations located over the region. The lower root mean squared error of air temperature and higher index of the agreement show that the simulation is in good agreement with the observational data. The simulation results are then used to analyze the rural-urban temperature distributions over the diurnal cycle and local wind circulations. According to the simulated results, the city of Turin has higher near-surface UHI intensity during the night and early morning (with maximum intensity greater than 5 °C), whereas the intensity is diminishing during the mid-day hours. The simulated wind patterns show a significant reduction in wind intensity over the urban areas. This reveals the potential of creating wind ventilation inside the city to minimize UHI effect and enhance air quality. Ultimately, this research contributes valuable insights into addressing the challenges posed by heatwaves and urban heat islands in Turin and offers a foundation for the development of sustainable urban climate strategies.