Reduction In Mobility Research Articles

0722 Sleep disturbances and subsequent mobility disability in chronic disease: Findings from the Nurses’ Health Study

Abstract Introduction Impaired mobility is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. Across chronic neurological, metabolic, and musculoskeletal conditions, mobility reductions are observed beyond expected effects of aging. Poor sleep health may be one common factor that drives accelerated reduction in mobility among people with chronic conditions. This study compared longitudinal associations between self-reported sleep disturbances and mobility disability progression among women with and without multiple sclerosis (MS), diabetes, and osteoarthritis (OA). Methods This prospective cohort study used data from four waves of the Nurses’ Health Study (2008, 2012, 2014, 2016). Logistic regression and the Kaplan-Meier method were used to quantify associations between baseline sleep-related variables and subsequent increase in mobility disability. Results Of 70,303 women (mean age 73), 392 had MS, 7,302 had diabetes, and 24,099 had OA. Between 2008-2016, mobility disability increased in 16.9% of the sample overall, 27.8% in the MS subgroup, 27.0% in the diabetes subgroup, and 23.7% in the OA subgroup. Between 2008-2016, known/suspected OSA was significantly associated with increased mobility disability in the overall sample (OR:1.4, 95%CI:1.2,1.5), and within the diabetes (OR:1.5, 95%CI:1.2,1.9) and OA subgroups (OR:1.2, 95%CI:1.0,1.4), but not the MS subgroup (OR:2.3, 95%CI:0.6,8.9); however, across 2012-2016, this association was significant for MS (OR:4.0, 95%CI:1.0,16.1). Suboptimal sleep duration was significantly associated with increased odds of mobility disability progression in the overall sample, but not within disease subgroups. Conversely, perception of adequate sleep was significantly associated with lower odds of mobility disability progression overall (OR:0.82, 95%CI:0.78,0.87) and for the OA subgroup (OR:0.83, 95%CI:0.76,0.91). Excessive daytime sleepiness was significantly associated with mobility disability progression overall (OR:1.2, 95%CI:1.1,1.4) and for the OA subgroup (OR:1.2, 95%CI:1.0,1.4). Conclusion Prevalent sleep disturbances could increase risk of disability progression among women, particularly in common chronic disease populations. Informed by these data, future research could offer new insight into sleep-based strategies to ameliorate mobility decline. Support (if any) This work was supported in part by a Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research Pilot Grant (UL1TR002240). Dr. Shieu was supported by a T32 grant from National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (T32HL110952).

Injury Pattern Recognition and Surgical Technique of Pilon Fracture Reduction With Posterior Tibial Tendon Incarceration.

Pilon fractures occur over a broad spectrum of injury severity and soft-tissue compromise. This article will review a distinct pilon injury variant characterized by posterior tibial tendon incarceration in posteromedial pilon fracture propagation. This injury pattern is vital to recognize preoperatively because failure to mobilize the entrapped posterior tibial tendon (PTT) will result in fracture malreduction and postoperative loss of PTT excursion. In addition, the authors' preferred surgical technique for PTT mobilization and anatomic fracture reduction is described.

Probing lithium mobility at a solid electrolyte surface

Solid-state electrolytes overcome many challenges of present-day lithium ion batteries, such as safety hazards and dendrite formation1,2. However, detailed understanding of the involved lithium dynamics is missing due to a lack of in operando measurements with chemical and interfacial specificity. Here we investigate a prototypical solid-state electrolyte using linear and nonlinear extreme-ultraviolet spectroscopies. Leveraging the surface sensitivity of extreme-ultraviolet-second-harmonic-generation spectroscopy, we obtained a direct spectral signature of surface lithium ions, showing a distinct blueshift relative to bulk absorption spectra. First-principles simulations attributed the shift to transitions from the lithium 1 s state to hybridized Li-s/Ti-d orbitals at the surface. Our calculations further suggest a reduction in lithium interfacial mobility due to suppressed low-frequency rattling modes, which is the fundamental origin of the large interfacial resistance in this material. Our findings pave the way for new optimization strategies to develop these electrochemical devices via interfacial engineering of lithium ions.

Impact of Human Mobility on COVID-19 Transmission According to Mobility Distance, Location, and Demographic Factors in the Greater Bay Area of China: Population-Based Study.

Mobility restriction was one of the primary measures used to restrain the spread of COVID-19 globally. Governments implemented and relaxed various mobility restriction measures in the absence of evidence for almost 3 years, which caused severe adverse outcomes in terms of health, society, and economy. This study aimed to quantify the impact of mobility reduction on COVID-19 transmission according to mobility distance, location, and demographic factors in order to identify hotspots of transmission and guide public health policies. Large volumes of anonymized aggregated mobile phone position data between January 1 and February 24, 2020, were collected for 9 megacities in the Greater Bay Area, China. A generalized linear model (GLM) was established to test the association between mobility volume (number of trips) and COVID-19 transmission. Subgroup analysis was also performed for sex, age, travel location, and travel distance. Statisticalinteractionterms were includedin a variety of models that express different relations between involved variables. The GLM analysis demonstrated a significant association between the COVID-19 growth rate ratio (GR) and mobility volume. A stratification analysis revealed a higher effect of mobility volume on the COVID-19 GR among people aged 50-59 years (GR decrease of 13.17% per 10% reduction in mobility volume; P<.001) than among other age groups (GR decreases of 7.80%, 10.43%, 7.48%, 8.01%, and 10.43% for those aged ≤18, 19-29, 30-39, 40-49, and ≥60 years, respectively; P=.02 for the interaction). The impact of mobility reduction on COVID-19 transmission was higher for transit stations and shopping areas (instantaneous reproduction number [Rt] decreases of 0.67 and 0.53 per 10% reduction in mobility volume, respectively) than for workplaces, schools, recreation areas, and other locations (Rt decreases of 0.30, 0.37, 0.44, and 0.32, respectively; P=.02 for the interaction). The association between mobility volume reduction and COVID-19 transmission was lower with decreasing mobility distance as there was a significant interaction between mobility volume and mobility distance with regard to Rt (P<.001 for the interaction). Specifically, the percentage decreases in Rt per 10% reduction in mobility volume were 11.97% when mobility distance increased by 10% (Spring Festival), 6.74% when mobility distance remained unchanged, and 1.52% when mobility distance declined by 10%. The association between mobility reduction and COVID-19 transmission significantly varied according to mobility distance, location, and age. The substantially higher impact of mobility volume on COVID-19 transmission for longer travel distance, certain age groups, and specific travel locations highlights the potential to optimize the effectiveness of mobility restriction strategies. The results from our study demonstrate the power of having a mobility network using mobile phone data for surveillance that can monitor movement at a detailed level to measure the potential impacts of future pandemics.

Restriction of Mouth Opening, Reduction in Pressure Pain Thresholds and Activation of Myofascial Trigger Points in Mandibular and Cervical Regions after Root Canal Therapy: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Background: In daily clinical practice, patients often refer temporomandibular or cervical complaints after different oral procedures, especially in lengthy procedures that can result in iatrogenic postures or trauma that can affect the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). This study aimed to evaluate the clinical and functional changes of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and cervical region immediately after a session of root canal therapy. Methods: Twenty-nine subjects who received a session of root canal therapy were included. Clinical assessments included mouth opening, cervical mobility, pain intensity, pressure pain thresholds (PPTs), and myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) of the jaw and neck muscles. Results: After the intervention, a significant reduction in mouth opening (41.90 mm; SD = 6.21) was observed compared to baseline (46.28 mm; SD = 6.17) (p &lt; 0.001). A significant reduction in PPTs and cervical mobility (p &lt; 0.05), and an increase in MTrPs (p = 0.002–0.026) were demonstrated after the intervention. Conclusions: A session of root canal therapy can produce an immediate significant reduction in mouth opening, PPTs, and cervical mobility, and an increase in MTrPs. The risk can be higher if there is a previous TMJ limitation.

Resilience patterns of human mobility in response to extreme urban floods.

Large-scale disasters can disproportionately impact different population groups, causing prominent disparity and inequality, especially for the vulnerable and marginalized. Here, we investigate the resilience of human mobility under the disturbance of the unprecedented '720' Zhengzhou flood in China in 2021 using records of 1.32 billion mobile phone signaling generated by 4.35 million people. We find that although pluvial floods can trigger mobility reductions, the overall structural dynamics of mobility networks remain relatively stable. We also find that the low levels of mobility resilience in female, adolescent and older adult groups are mainly due to their insufficient capabilities to maintain business-as-usual travel frequency during the flood. Most importantly, we reveal three types of counter-intuitive, yet widely existing, resilience patterns of human mobility (namely, 'reverse bathtub', 'ever-increasing' and 'ever-decreasing' patterns), and demonstrate a universal mechanism of disaster-avoidance response by further corroborating that those abnormal resilience patterns are not associated with people's gender or age. In view of the common association between travel behaviors and travelers' socio-demographic characteristics, our findings provide a caveat for scholars when disclosing disparities in human travel behaviors during flood-induced emergencies.

Fats and Oils as Renewable Feedstock for the Chemical Industry

The 11th Workshop on Fats and Oils as Renewable Feedstock for the Chemical Industry was scheduled for March 2021. However, COVID-19 appeared, and the pandemic developed and soon had Europe and most parts of the world under control. Therefore, in November 2020, we decided to defer the Workshop by 1 year to March 2022. We thought that after 1 year, we could forget all problems with COVID-19. That was an error. In January 2022, we discussed the alternative of a real versus a virtual conference. After consultations with the invited speakers, we decided to favor an actual face-to-face workshop and another postponement in the summer because of the pandemic. And then Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, setting in motion a devastating European ground war. Nonetheless, the 11th Workshop eventually took place in Dortmund, Germany, from May 30 to June 01, 2022, organized by abiosus e.V. in cooperation with the Agency of Renewable Resources (FNR), Germany, and with financial support from the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture.[1] Some important contributions to the Workshop are compiled in this Special issue. COVID-19 had a tremendous impact on the global production and consumption of fats and oils. Overall, vegetable oil production was projected in 2020 in the OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook to increase globally by about 1.4% p.a., mainly driven by food demand in developing countries as a result of population and income growth. Vegetable oil consumption was also projected to grow by about 1.4%.[2a] Though, it was already stated in this Outlook that the pandemic spread of COVID-19 has resulted in a reduction of mobility with substantial implications for away-from-home consumption. Hence, the demand for vegetable oil, widely used for deep-frying, may have been affected. In addition, the decline in economic activity and reduced crude oil price curb the demand for vegetable oil as biodiesel feedstock.[2b] In fact, global production of the major vegetable oils decreased by 0.64 Mt (0.3%) in 2020/21, followed by a lower-than-projected increase of 0.8% in 2021/22. In 2022/23, global production grew by 4.4%, close to the growth projected in summa.[3] The minor production is mainly due to the slow to negative growth in palm oil production in Malaysia and Indonesia due to weather issues and labor shortages linked partly to the COVID pandemic.[4a] The global vegetable oil consumption corresponded in 2019/20 and 2020/21 approximately the projection, whereas a decrease of about 0.3% occurred in 2021/22.[2, 3] Global exports, which were projected to increase by 1.2% p. a.,[2a] decreased by 1.9 Mt (2.2%) in 2020/21 and by 6.4 Mt (7.9%) in 2021/22.[3] For example, China's COVID-related restrictions, slowing economic growth, and higher global commodity prices have weakened the country's demand for vegetable oil consumption. For the marketing year 2021/22, China's imports of major vegetable oils declined by 6.13 Mt (46%) and domestic consumption by 3.8 Mt (9.4%).[3, 4b] On the other hand, the export of palm oil by Indonesia declined by 4.7 Mt for the marketing year 2021/22, followed by an increase in domestic consumption of 2.45 Mt, primarily due to biodiesel production combined with an increased biodiesel blending mandate of up to 35%.[3, 4c] Moreover, the Russian invasion of Ukraine triggered a series of major impacts on the global oilseed market. Ukraine exported 0.8 Mt (15%) less sunflower seed oil in the marketing year 2021/22 than in the previous year.[3, 4d] Last but not least, we would like to invite you to the 12th Workshop on Fats and Oilsas Renewable Feedstock for the Chemical Industry from June 3 to 5, 2024. Hopefully, you will have the opportunity to participate. We are looking forward to an exciting and fruitful discussion with you, the fats and oils community. The program and additional information will be available in September 2023 (http://www.abiosus.org/meetings.html.de). The authors declare no conflict of interest.

A novel approach in wood waste utilization for manufacturing of catalyst-free polyurethane-wood composites (PU-WC)

In recent decades, due to the increase in environmental awareness and noticeable environmental degradation, the area of wood waste management has attracted increasing attention. The purpose of this study is to develop a new type of highly filled polyurethane wood-composite (PU-WC) by the utilization of large amount of wood wastes without addition of a catalyst. Although wood-plastic composites (WPCs) are widely known, there is still a lack of knowledge about WPCs with a polyurethane matrix. Obtained results showed that composites with a wood content of up to 80% show mechanical properties to commonly used MDF boards. This may be caused proper adhesion between polyurethane matrix and the wooden filler which was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy. The flexural strength of the manufactured composites varied between 19.25 and 25.11 MPa, while the flexural modulus varied between 966 and 1255 MPa. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) of the composites showed a shift of Tgβ (from −70.3 to −52.3 °C) and Tgα (from 94.9 to 117.8 °C) to higher temperatures with increasing filler amount. The observed shift could be interpreted as a reduction of polymer chain mobility and an increase in cross-linking density of composites with a higher amount of wood. This is caused by chemical reactions between isocyanates and reactive hydroxyl groups on the wood surface. Thermogravimetric analysis has shown that PU-WC degrades in one step with Tmax at around 360 °C and T2% significantly reduce with greater addition of wood. Water absorption tests that water absorption strongly depends on wood content and varies between 13 and 80%. Moreover, cyclic water absorption tests showed no considerable difference between the water adsorption of samples after each cycle. Our work suggests that PU-WC can be used successfully as a potential substitute for wood or different types of wood-plastic composites (WPC).

Rewiring of catecholamine-induced calcium signalling is an early event in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a global health problem without approved pharmacological treatment (Riazi et al., 2022). Mechanistically, excessive accumulation of triglycerides in hepatocytes due to increased de novo lipogenesis and decreased β-oxidation constitutes an early defining feature in the pathogenesis of NAFLD. Emerging evidence of the last 20 years assigned a central role in the regulation of hepatic energy homeostasis to calcium signalling (Oliva-Vilarnau et al., 2018). However, information about molecular events preceding the onset of hepatic steatosis are limited. The study by Brumer et al. (2023) convincingly demonstrates changes in catecholamine-induced inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) production and calcium signalling in mouse liver after short-term exposure to high fat diet (HFD) before the apparition of histological changes. Lying at the root of these early changes are liver-resident alpha-1B adrenergic receptors (α1BARs) that play a role in glycaemic control, as well as carbohydrate and lipid homeostasis. α1BARs are G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) that activate Gαq/11 following the binding of catecholamines such as norepinephrine. Once active, Gαq/11 kicks off a signalling cascade involving phospholipase C (PLC) that is directly involved in the production of IP3 and diacylglycerol (DAG) from phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate. Then, IP3 diffuses to the endoplasmic reticulum where it binds the IP3 receptor resulting in the mobilization of calcium, an important second messenger in human physiology. The reduction in calcium mobilization upon HFD did not result from an inhibition of the sarco/endoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase (SERCA) or store-operated Ca2⁺ channel (SOC) activity. Nor was any difference observed in the expression or distribution of the key signalling components α1BAR, Gαq, PLCβ3, IP3R, SERCA. Instead, Brumer et al. (2023) showed that short-term exposure to HFD affected the amount of IP3 that is generated by PLC, which results in lower IP3R activity and limited release of calcium from intracellular stores. Taken together, these findings shed new light on the early events that lead to NAFLD and may facilitate the development of therapeutics that rescue this hormone-induced calcium signalling axis. However, further work is needed to address the molecular basis for the decrease in IP3 production. One possibility could be a reduced ability of α1BARs to efficiently activate Gαq/11. Although the expression and distribution of α1BARs and Gαq/11 remained unchanged after short-term HFD, differences in membrane fatty acid composition can allosterically affect the ability of GPCRs to effectively exchange the GDP in the Gα subunit with GTP (Dawaliby et al., 2016). This would result in fewer active GTPGαq/11 available to bind PLC. Similarly, membrane lipid composition can affect the localization of PLC and the availability of calcium can affect its catalytic activity. Yet another explanation could come from the generation of DAG through hepatic lipogenesis that activates novel protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms in the absence of calcium mobilization, resulting in PKC-dependent desensitization of GPCR-dependent calcium signalling. Moving forward, it will be important to show that the observed phenomena also occur in human hepatocytes in order to narrow the translational gap. Of relevance in this context could be the wealth of organotypic hepatocyte culture methods that have emerged in recent years, which allow the accurate emulation of hepatic steatosis and its progression to inflammation and fibrosis (Ramos et al., 2022). Although not specifically evaluated yet, their overall phenotypic and molecular resemblance to steatotic liver fuels hopes that also hormonally controlled Ca2⁺ oscillations are preserved in these systems. Combined, the finding that high-fat diet rapidly curbs GPCR-dependent PLC activation, resulting in perturbed Ca2⁺ transients and suppressed propagation of trans-lobular Ca2⁺ waves, opens new avenues for the pharmacological exploration of new mechanisms that target NAFLD onset. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article. VML is co-founder, CEO and a shareholder of HepaPredict AB, as well as chairman of the board and shareholder of PersoMedix AB. SCW declares no competing interests. S.W. and V.L. were responsible for the conception or design of the work, drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content, and final approval of the version to be published. Both authors agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work. S.C.W. is supported by a fellowship from the Swedish Society for Medical Research (P18-0098; PD20-0153). V.M.L. is supported by the Swedish Research Council (grant agreement numbers 2019-01837 and 2021-02801), by the EU/EFPIA/OICR/McGill/KTH/Diamond Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking (EUbOPEN grant number 875510), by the Swedish Strategic Research Programme in Diabetes (SFO Diabetes) and Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine (SFO StratRegen), and by the Robert Bosch Foundation, Stuttgart, Germany.

The effect of community mobility changes to air quality in Java-Bali during the early phase of COVID-19 pandemic

Previous studies found a reduction in pollution levels when travel was banned due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to identify the changes in community mobility and air quality, as well as to analyze the effect of community mobility changes on air quality during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study used daily secondary data from Google Mobility Report and station data archive of Air Quality Monitoring System (AQMS) which records Air Pollutant Index Standard (ISPU). This study focused on the early phase of the pandemic (15th Feb – 15th June 2020) in six provinces in Java and Bali. This study used panel regression and GIS. The results show that there is 35-90% reduction in mobility and also some decreases in air quality pollutants. Furthermore, it was shown that there is a positive relationship between ISPU and mobility. Community mobility explains ISPU in Bali, the Special Region of Yogyakarta, the Special Capital Region of Jakarta, West Java, Central Java, and East Java by 24%, 53%, 13%, 3.7%, 20%, and 39% respectively. Meanwhile, the combined influence of the six provinces is 18.8%. The variable that has a significant effect is the community mobility changes on transit stations. Every 1% increase in the transit station's mobility is capable to increase ISPU by 0.4.

Suppression of grain boundary contributions on carrier mobility in thin Al-doped ZnO epitaxial films

Realizing very thin transparent conductive (TCO) films is a key aspect of many applications, but often the film quality tends to worsen at very small thicknesses. In this work we demonstrate that Al-doped ZnO (AZO) thin films grown epitaxially on SrTiO3 retain their optimal properties even at thicknesses as low as 30 nm. We deposit by radio frequency magnetron sputtering and investigate the film morphology, structure, crystallinity, electrical and optical properties. We prove that the Hall mobility of epitaxial films is limited mostly by ionized impurity scattering, with a negligible contribution of grain boundary scattering, leading to comparably high mobility in thin epitaxial films. On the contrary, in polycrystalline films the properties of AZO films strongly deteriorate at reduced film thickness, due to grain boundary contributions. The optical carrier density and mobility do not change significantly between epitaxial and polycrystalline films, suggesting that the different electrical properties are indeed mainly due to grain boundary scattering and not to a reduction of carriers and intrinsic mobility. In this way we obtain an epitaxial thin TCO film with the optimal properties of a bulk by a scalable technique, paving the way to applications in plasmonic devices and in thin films solar cells.

Lifetime of photoexcited carriers in space-controlled Si nanopillar/SiGe composite films investigated by a laser heterodyne photothermal displacement method

Thermal management has become more critical as semiconductor devices are miniaturized. In metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistors, the problem is the reduction in electron mobility in the channel layer owing to the temperature rise caused by heat generation near the channel-drain region. Focusing on the mean free paths of phonons and electrons in Si, nanostructures of a few 10 nm may only hinder heat propagation without affecting electron transportation. Therefore, inserting nanostructures into the channel layer may prevent a temperature rise and maintain a higher electron mobility. To discuss the relationship between the spacing between the nanopillars (NPs) and the heat generation and carrier behavior of the Si-NP/SiGe composite film, samples with NP spacings of 13, 27, or 47 nm were prepared. We previously confirmed that the thermal conductivity of the Si-NP/SiGe composite film decreased as NP spacing narrowed. The NPs scattered phonon propagation and suppressed heat propagation. However, carrier transport properties such as electrical conductivity, carrier mobility, and carrier lifetime have never been discussed. The laser heterodyne photothermal displacement method was used to examine the effect of nanostructures on carrier mobility and carrier lifetime of Si-NP/SiGe composite films. We observed that the carrier lifetime became longer when the NP spacing was comparable to the electron mean-free path of approximately 27 nm.

The impact of COVID-19 on the labour market and the role of E-commerce development in developing countries: Evidence from Indonesia

This paper assesses the impact of covid-19 pandemic, measured through work mobility reduction, and e-commerce growth on the labour market using data from Indonesian labour force surveys and e-commerce transaction values. The findings confirm that the pandemic adversely affects workers’ employment prospects, work hours, total earnings, and hourly earnings. E-commerce growth does not counteract the adverse impact of the pandemic as expected, but it plays a role as an employment buffer during the crisis, although it tends to suppress workers’ earnings. Our results imply that more efforts are needed to improve the productivity of workers involved in e-commerce.

Observation of photoinduced polarons in semimetal 1T-TiSe2

In this work, ultrafast carrier dynamics of mechanically exfoliated 1T-TiSe2 flakes from the high-quality single crystals with self-intercalated Ti atoms are investigated by femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. The observed coherent acoustic and optical phonon oscillations after ultrafast photoexcitation reveal the strong electron–phonon coupling in 1T-TiSe2. The ultrafast carrier dynamics probed in both visible and mid-infrared regions indicate that some photogenerated carriers localize near the intercalated Ti atoms and form small polarons rapidly within several picoseconds after photoexcitation due to the strong and short-range electron–phonon coupling. The formation of polarons leads to a reduction of carrier mobility and a long-time relaxation process of photoexcited carriers for several nanoseconds. The formation and dissociation rates of the photoinduced polarons are dependent on both the pump fluence and the thickness of TiSe2 sample. This work offers new insights into the photogenerated carrier dynamics of 1T-TiSe2, and emphasizes the effects of intercalated atoms on the electron and lattice dynamics after photoexcitation.

Impacts of social distancing policy and vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Korea

This paper investigates the dynamic impact of social distancing policy on coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infection control, mobility of people, and consumption expenditures in the Republic of Korea. We employ structural and threshold vector autoregressive (VAR) models using big-data-driven mobility data, credit card expenditure, and a social distancing index. We find that the social distancing policy significantly reduces the spread of COVID-19, but there exists a significant, growing trade-off between infection control and economic activity over time. When the level of stringency in social distancing is already high, its marginal effect on mobility is estimated to be smaller than when social distancing stringency is low. The effect of social distancing also becomes secondary after vaccination. Increased vaccination is found to significantly reduce the critical cases while it increases visitors and consumption expenditures. The results also show that the effect of social distancing policy on mobility reduction is strongest among the population of age under 20 and the weakest among the population of age over 60.

Prevalence of sleep disturbance in patients with cervical radiculopathy and an analysis of risk factors: a cross-sectional study.

Previous research has shown that many patients with musculoskeletal diseases suffer from sleep disturbances. However, the sleep quality of patients with cervical radiculopathy (CR) has yet to be fully investigated. This study aims to investigate the prevalence and status of sleep disturbances in patients with CR and identify the mechanisms and risk factors associated with this condition. We conducted a cross-sectional study of patients diagnosed with CR. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) were used to evaluate the sleep quality of patients and determine whether patients experience sleep disturbances. In addition, we analyzed the clinical and radiological risk factors of sleep disturbance and determined the key risk factors related to sleep disturbance by multivariable analysis. According to specific inclusion and exclusion criteria, 186 patients with CR were finally included, with a mean age of 59.1 ± 14.3years, of which 113 (60.8%) were female. Sleep disturbance was defined as a PSQI score ≥ 6 and was identified in 56.5% of patients (105/186). By performing multivariate analysis, we determined that sleep disturbance was closely related to the female gender, a higher Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) score, a reduction in cervical mobility, an increase in C2-C7 sagittal vertical axis (C2-C7 SVA), and severe asymmetry of the paravertebral muscle at C5 and C6 levels. In this study, we identified the high prevalence and potential high-risk factors of sleep disturbance in patients with CR. Clinicians should closely evaluate and monitor such patients and consider appropriate treatment strategies. IV.

Assessing the effectiveness of perimeter lockdowns as a response to epidemics at the urban scale

From September 2020 to May 2021 Madrid region (Spain) followed a rather unique non-pharmaceutical intervention (NPI) by establishing a strategy of perimeter lockdowns (PLs) that banned travels to and from areas satisfying certain epidemiological risk criteria. PLs were pursued to avoid harsher restrictions, but some studies have found that the particular implementation by Madrid authorities was rather ineffective. Based on Madrid’s case, we devise a general, minimal framework to investigate the PLs effectiveness by using a data-driven metapopulation epidemiological model of a city, and explore under which circumstances the PLs could be a good NPI. The model is informed with real mobility data from Madrid to contextualize its results, but it can be generalized elsewhere. The lowest lockdown activation threshold Theta considered (14-day cumulative incidence rate of 20 cases per every 10^5 inhabitants) shows a prevalence reduction >20% with respect to the scenario Theta =10^3, more akin to the case of Madrid, and assuming no further mitigation. Only the combination of Theta =20 and mobility reduction >90% can avoid PLs for more than >20% of the system. The combination of low Theta and strong local transmissibility reduction is key to minimize the impact, but the latter is harder to achieve given that we assume a situation with highly mitigated transmission, resembling the one observed during the second wave of COVID-19 in Madrid. Thus, we conclude that a generalized lockdown is hard to avoid under any realistic setting if only this strategy is applied.

Effect of Significant Parameters on Squeeze Film Characteristics in Pathological Synovial Joints

Synovial joints are unique biological tribo-systems that allow for efficient mobility. Most of the synovial joint activities in the human body are accomplished due to the presence of synovial fluid. As a biological lubricant, synovial fluid lubricates the articular cartilage to minimize wear and friction. The key components of synovial fluid that give it its lubricating ability are lubricin, hyaluronic acid (HA), and surface-active phospholipids. Due to age and activities, synovial fluid and articular cartilages lose their properties, restricting synovial joint mobility and resulting in articular cartilage degradation, leading to the pathological synovial joint, which is a major cause of disability. In this context, synovial joint research remains significant. Even though synovial joint lubrication has been investigated, several problems linked to squeeze film lubrication need greater attention. The Newtonian model of squeeze film lubrication in synovial joints must be studied more extensively. This work aims to investigate squeeze film lubrication in diseased synovial joints. The lubrication and other properties of synovial fluid and the flow of synovial fluid in a diseased human knee joint are investigated theoretically in this work. We have investigated the effect of the synovial fluid viscosity and the effects of permeability and thickness of articular cartilage on squeeze film properties. Moreover, we have also investigated the effect of squeeze velocity and film thickness on the characteristics of the squeeze film formed between the articular cartilages of a diseased human knee joint. In this work, the articular cartilages were treated as a rough, porous material, and the geometry was approximated as parallel rectangular plates, while the synovial fluid flow is modeled as a viscous, incompressible, and Newtonian fluid. The modified Reynolds equation is obtained using the principles of hydrodynamic lubrication and continuum mechanics, and it is solved using the appropriate boundary conditions. The expressions for pressure distribution, load-bearing capacity, and squeezing time are then determined, and theoretical analysis for various parameters is conducted. Pressure is increased by squeeze velocity and viscosity, while it is decreased by permeability and film thickness, leading to an unhealthy knee joint and a reduction in knee joint mobility. The load capacity of the knee joint decreases with permeability and increases with viscosity and squeezing velocity, resulting in a reduction in the load-carrying capacity of the knee joint in diseased conditions. Synovial knee joint illness is indicated by increased pressure and squeeze time. The squeeze film properties of synovial joints are important for maintaining joint health and function. Joint diseases such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and gout can affect the composition and production of synovial fluid, leading to changes in squeeze film properties and potentially causing joint damage and pain. Understanding these relationships can help in the development of effective treatments for joint diseases.

Computational modeling of passive transport of functionalized nanoparticles.

Functionalized nanoparticles (NPs) are complex objects present in a variety of systems ranging from synthetic grafted nanoparticles to viruses. The morphology and number of the decorating groups can vary widely between systems. Thus, the modeling of functionalized NPs typically considers simplified spherical objects as a first-order approximation. At the nanoscale label, complex hydrodynamic interactions are expected to emerge as the morphological features of the particles change, and they can be further amplified when the NPs are confined or near walls. Direct estimation of these variations can be inferred via diffusion coefficients of the NPs. However, the evaluation of the coefficients requires an improved representation of the NPs morphology to reproduce important features hidden by simplified spherical models. Here, we characterize the passive transport of free and confined functionalized nanoparticles using the Rigid Multi-Blob (RMB) method. The main advantage of RMB is its versatility to approximate the mobility of complex structures at the nanoscale with significant accuracy and reduced computational cost. In particular, we investigate the effect of functional groups' distribution, size, and morphology over nanoparticle translational and rotational diffusion. We identify that the presence of functional groups significantly affects the rotational diffusion of the nanoparticles; moreover, the morphology of the groups and number induce characteristic mobility reduction compared to non-functionalized nanoparticles. Confined NPs also evidenced important alterations in their diffusivity, with distinctive signatures in the off-diagonal contributions of the rotational diffusion. These results can be exploited in various applications, including biomedical, polymer nanocomposite fabrication, drug delivery, and imaging.

A Systematic Review of the Pros and Cons of Digital Pollution and its Impact on the Environment

Digital technologies are becoming more important in our daily lives. Because of digital technology, our carbon footprint has significantly increased and caused ecological consequences. As gadgets get smaller and have more internal components, there is more trashes produced during manufacture. By 2023, more than 70% of the world's population will own a mobile phone. From the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and the numerous ensuing lockdowns, there has been an exponential increase in the use of video transmission (streaming) all over the world. In fact, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), watching an hour of video streaming on Netflix entails emissions of 36gCO2. Between 2020 and 2030, the overall amount of data transmission will increase fourteen times. Digital technologies can contribute up to 20% to net-zero energy, materials, and mobility reduction required by IEA by 2050. However, there aren't many summaries of the digital transformation of environmental sustainability. This review presents the implications of the digital world on environmental sustainability, including both beneficial and detrimental aspects. Some methods are based on the network and its energy consumption. The outcomes also show how changes in three key areas—waste management and handling, pollution prevention and control, and sustainable resource management—have preserved the environment. The footprints are also significantly smaller than previously predicted. While subscriptions and data traffic have continued to rise, the footprint of the ICT and E&amp;M sectors has shrunk. As countless individuals are used to digital daily life, this study points out the challenges to govern this issue. This review also points out the potential and problems in this field, which tries to provide a vision for future research, based on the literature overview.