bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Physical Determinism, Zygote-Manipulation and Responsible Agency
Authors: Huoranszki Ferenc
Published: January 2021

Agents have no control over the formation of their own zygote. Others may do. According to a well-known argument, the so-called Zygote Argument for incompatibilism, these facts, together with a prima facie plausible further assumption, are sufficient to prove that human agents cannot be responsible for their actions if they live in a deterministic universe. This paper argues that the lack of agents’ control over the constitution of their own zygote can undermine their responsibility only in exceptional conditions and that the occurrence or non-occurrence of those conditions has nothing to do with the truth or falsity of determinism. What undermines agents’ responsibility in the situations described by the Zygote Argument is the occurrence of some specific initial conditions which may render the manipulation of agents’ behaviour possible, and not the truth of determinism.
Positive Psychology for Mental Wellbeing of UK Therapeutic Students: Relationships with Engagement, Motivation, Resilience and Self-Compassion
Authors: Kotera Yasuhiro , Green Pauline , Sheffield David
Published: January 2021

This study aimed to examine the relationships between mental wellbeing and positive psychological constructs in therapeutic students (psychotherapy and occupational therapy students). The number of therapeutic students has increased recently; however, they suffer from poor mental health, which may be improved by potentiating their positive psychological constructs, bypassing mental health shame. Therapeutic students (n = 145) completed measures regarding positive psychological constructs, namely mental wellbeing, engagement, motivation, resilience, and self-compassion. Resilience and self-compassion predicted mental wellbeing, explaining a large effect. Self-compassion partially mediated the relationship between resilience and mental wellbeing. This study highlights the importance of positive psychological constructs, especially resilience and self-compassion, for mental wellbeing of therapeutic students.
Working cancer survivors’ physical and mental characteristics compared to cancer-free workers in Japan: a nationwide general population-based study
Authors: Ota Atsuhiko , Li Yuanying , Yatsuya Hiroshi , Tanno Kozo , Sakata Kiyomi , Yamagishi Kazumasa , Iso Hiroyasu , Yasuda Nobufumi , Saito Isao , Kato Tadahiro , Arima Kazuhiko , Sou Yoko , Shimazu Taichi , Yamaji Taiki , Goto Atsushi , Inoue Manami , Iwasaki Motoki , Sawada Norie , Tsugane Shoichiro ,   for the JPHC-NEXT Study Group
Published: January 2021

Purpose

This study compared working cancer survivors’ self-rated health status (SRHS), physical functional capacity, depressive symptoms, and happiness to those of cancer-free workers.

Methods

A nationwide general population-based cross-sectional study on a sample of Japanese was conducted. Prevalence of deteriorated SRHS, restricted physical functional capacity, depressive symptoms, and perceived happiness were compared between working cancer survivors and cancer-free workers with multivariable logistic regression analysis adjusted for age and sociodemographic and health-related backgrounds.

Results

Of the 28,311 male and 26,068 female workers, 977 (3.5%) and 1267 (4.9%) were cancer survivors, respectively. Working cancer survivors reported deteriorated SRHS more frequently than cancer-free workers: 21.3% vs. 13.8%, multivariable-adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval), 1.64 (1.39–1.95) for men, 23.8% vs. 17.5%, 1.34 (1.16–1.54) for women. Restricted physical functional capacity was reported more frequently in working cancer survivors than cancer-free workers: 6.8% vs. 2.6%, 1.76 (1.34–2.32) for men, 4.9% vs. 2.0%, 2.06 (1.56–2.71) for women. No significant difference was found for depressive symptoms: 21.6% vs. 22.9% in men, 30.0% vs. 28.5% in women. Working cancer survivors felt happiness more frequently than cancer-free survivors in men (77.3% vs. 71.7%, 1.21 (1.01–1.45)) but not in women (76.1% vs. 74.9%).

Conclusions

Working cancer survivors had worse SRHS and more restricted physical functional capacity than cancer-free workers. In men, working cancer survivors felt happiness more frequently than cancer-free workers.

Implications for Cancer Survivors

Continuous support to improve cancer survivors’ SRHS and physical functional capacity would be necessary even while they are working.
The legal framework for delegated and implementing powers ten years after the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty
Authors: Chamon Merijn
Published: January 2021

This Article gives an overview of the legal framework governing the exercise of the delegated and implementing powers foreseen in Articles 290 and 291 TFEU in light of the most recent jurisprudence of the EU Courts in this field. It clarifies what essential elements are under Article 290 TFEU, how the Courts test this requirement and how it relates to the requirement under Article 290 TFEU that a delegation must also be specific. The article subsequently discusses and compares the control regimes in place under Articles 290 and 291 TFEU, noting that in post-Lisbon institutional practice they have evolved towards each other. Linked to this is the question how delegated and implementing powers differ. In light of the Court’s jurisprudence the article concludes that it is up to the legislature to make this distinction and that the legislature can also create executive powers outside the framework of Articles 290 and 291 TFEU and grant them to EU agencies. The article concludes by flagging some open questions which the Court has not resolved yet.
A Dynamical Perspective on the Generality Problem
Authors: Stephens Andreas , Tjøstheim Trond A. , Roszko Maximilian K. , Olsson Erik J.
Published: January 2021

The generality problem is commonly considered to be a critical difficulty for reliabilism. In this paper, we present a dynamical perspective on the problem in the spirit of naturalized epistemology. According to this outlook, it is worth investigating how token belief-forming processes instantiate specific types in the biological agent’s cognitive architecture (including other relevant embodied features) and background experience, consisting in the process of attractor-guided neural activation. While our discussion of the generality problem assigns “scientific types” to token processes, it represents a unified account in the sense that it incorporates contextual and common sense features emphasized by other authors.
Quantitative Regularity for p-Minimizing Maps Through a Reifenberg Theorem
Authors: Vedovato Mattia
Published: January 2021

In this article we extend to arbitrary p-energy minimizing maps between Riemannian manifolds a regularity result which is known to hold in the case $$p=2$$

p
=
2

. We first show that the set of singular points of such a map can be quantitatively stratified: we classify singular points based on the number of almost-symmetries of the map around them, as done in Cheeger and Naber (Commun Pure Appl Math 66(6): 965–990, 2013). Then, adapting the work of Naber and Valtorta (Ann Math (2) 185(1): 131–227, 2017), we apply a Reifenberg-type Theorem to each quantitative stratum; through this, we achieve an upper bound on the Minkowski content of the singular set, and we prove it is k-rectifiable for a k which only depends on p and the dimension of the domain.
Hitting the Target but Missing the Point? Modelling Health and Economic Impacts of Different Approaches to Meeting the Global Action Plan for Physical Activity Target
Authors: Mizdrak Anja , Ding Ding , Cleghorn Christine , Blakely Tony , Richards Justin
Published: January 2021

Background

The World Health Organization launched the Global Action Plan for Physical Activity (GAPPA) in 2018, which set a global target of a 15% relative reduction in the prevalence of physical inactivity by 2030. This target, however, could be acheived in various ways.

Methods

We use an established multi-state life table model to estimate the health and economic gains that would accrue over the lifetime of the 2011 New Zealand population if the GAPPA target was met under two different approaches: (1) an equal shift approach where physical activity increases by the same absolute amount for everyone; (2) a proportional shift approach where physical activity increases proportionally to current activity levels.

Findings

An equal shift approach to meeting the GAPPA target would result in 197,000 health-adjusted life-years (HALYs) gained (95% uncertainty interval (UI) 152,000–246,000) and healthcare system cost savings of US$1.57b (95%UI $1.16b–$2.03b; 0% discount rate). A proportional shift to the GAPPA target would result in 158,000 HALYs (95%UI 127,000–194,000) and US$1.29billion (95%UI $0.99b–$1.64b) savings to the healthcare system.

Interpretation

Achieving the GAPPA target would result in large health gains and savings to the healthcare system. However, not all population approaches to increasing physical activity are equal—some population shifts bring greater health benefits. Our results demonstrate the need to consider the entire population physical activity distribution in addition to evaluating progress towards a target.
FMCGP: frameshift mutation cartesian genetic programming
Authors: Fang Wei , Gu Mindan
Published: January 2021

Cartesian Genetic Programming (CGP) is a variant of Genetic Programming (GP) with the individuals represented by a two-dimensional acyclic directed graph, which can flexibly encode many computing structures. In general, CGP only uses a point mutation operator and the genotype of an individual is of fixed size, which may lead to the lack of population diversity and then cause the premature convergence. To address this problem in CGP, we propose a Frameshift Mutation Cartesian Genetic Programming (FMCGP), which is inspired by the DNA mutation mechanism in biology and the frameshift mutation caused by insertion or deletion of nodes is introduced to CGP. The individual in FMCGP has variable-length genotype and the proposed frameshift mutation operator helps to generate more diverse offspring individuals by changing the compiling framework of genotype. FMCGP is evaluated on the symbolic regression problems and Even-parity problems. Experimental results show that FMCGP does not exhibit the bloat problem and the use of frameshift mutation improves the search performance of the standard CGP.
Fachdidaktiken im Spannungsfeld zwischen kompetenzorientiertem fachlichen Lernen und inklusiver Pädagogik: Vereinigungsbemühungen oder Verdeckungsgeschehen?
Authors: Vogt Michaela , Neuhaus Till
Published: January 2021

In den vergangenen 20 Jahren sahen sich die Fachdidaktiken zwei zentralen paradigmatischen Wendungen ausgesetzt: der durch PISA (2000) induzierten Kompetenzorientierung und der Umsetzung der Behindertenrechtskonvention der Vereinten Nationen (2006/2009). Auf ihre historischen Wurzeln zurückgeführt verhalten sich diese beiden Ansätze antinomisch zueinander und erzeugen für die Fachdidaktiken ein Spannungsfeld, in dem sich diese positionieren und verorten müssen. Dieser Beitrag argumentiert, dass die bis dato dominante Kompetenzorientierung auf dieses neu entstandene Spannungsfeld mit einem Verdeckungsgeschehen antwortete – einer Denkfigur, die bereits in einigen geistes- und sozialwissenschaftlichen (Teil‑)Disziplinen beobachtet, aber noch nie metatheoretisch systematisiert worden ist. Anhand der Bereiche Teilhabe, Leistung und Perspektive (auf Schüler) konkretisiert der Beitrag diese Überlegungen.
Orientierungen und Praktiken sportunterrichtlicher Differenzkonstruktionen. Perspektiven praxistheoretischer Unterrichtsforschung im formal inklusiven Grundschulsport
Authors: Schiller Daniel , Rode Daniel , Zander Benjamin , Wolff Dennis
Published: January 2021

Im Beitrag werden Differenzkonstruktionen und praktische Ein‑/Ausschlussprozesse im formal inklusiven Grundschulsportunterricht untersucht. Auf Basis videographischer Daten wird in einer wissenssoziologischen, praxistheoretischen Perspektive an einem Fallbeispiel ein kollektiv-geteilter Orientierungsrahmen der Personifikation unterrichtlicher Handlungen aufgezeigt, an dem drei Dimensionen von Differenzkonstruktionen – Reifizierung von ‚Unfähigkeit‘, Komplementarität von Handlungsräumen, Verschränkung von Sach- und Differenzherstellung – sowie Perspektiven für eine praxistheoretische Grundschul(sport)unterrichtsforschung diskutiert werden können.
Role of Cystoseira mediterranea extracts (Sauv.) in the Alleviation of salt stress adverse effect and enhancement of some Hordeum vulgare L. (barley) growth parameters
Authors: Bensidhoum Leila , Nabti El-hafid
Published: January 2021

Cystoseira mediterranea (Sauv.) extract was tested for its ability to restore barley (Hordeum vulgare) growth under salt stress (350 mM NaCl), shoot growth; membrane integrity; lipid peroxidation and hydrogen peroxide determination were performed. In normal conditions, the obtained data revealed the ability of the extract to stimulate most of barley growth parameters. However, it showed significant effect on most of barley growth parameters (plant height, fresh and dry weight of shoots and roots) and chlorophyll content, under salt stress. The measurement of stress parameters (membrane integrity, lipid peroxidation and hydrogen peroxide) revealed significant effect of C. mediterranea extract on reducing the deleterious impact of salt stress on barley seedlings.
Non-isothermal Bingham fluid flow between two horizontal parallel plates with Ion-slip and Hall currents
Authors: Mollah Md. Tusher , Poddar Saykat , Islam Muhammad Minarul , Alam Md. Mahmud
Published: January 2021

This study presents the numerical solution of velocity and temperature fields based on mass conservation, momentum and energy balances for the time-dependent Couette-Poiseuille flow of Bingham materials through channels. The channel flow of Bingham fluid concerns the flow of cement paste in the building industry and the mudflow in the drilling industry. The specific aim is to introduce the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) phenomena specified by both Ion-slip and Hall currents into the non-isothermal channel flow in a theoretical approach. The Bingham constitutive equation is formulated by the generalized Newtonian fluid technique and solved by employing the explicit Finite Difference Method (FDM) using the MATLAB R2015a and Compaq Visual FORTRAN 6.6a both. For the exactness of numerical performance estimations, the criteria for stabilization and the convergence factor are analyzed. The velocity and temperature profiles are discussed individually at the moving and stationary walls of the channel. It is observed that magnetohydrodynamic phenomena accelerate the flow, and the temperature distributions reach the steady-state situation earlier than velocity distributions. Furthermore, the dominance of MHD parameters on the velocity distributions, shear stress, temperature distributions, and Nusselt number are discussed.
Effects of wood distillate and soy lecithin on the photosynthetic performance and growth of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.)
Authors: Vannini Andrea , Moratelli Filippo , Monaci Fabrizio , Loppi Stefano
Published: January 2021

This study investigated the effectiveness of foliar application of sweet chestnut wood distillate on the photosynthetic performance and growth of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. cv ‘Canasta’), both alone and in combination with soybean lecithin used as biosurfactant. Seedlings of lettuce were treated with a foliar application of either mineral water (control), or 1:500 solutions of 3% soy lecithin, wood distillate and wood distillate plus 3% soy lecithin. After 1 week, the chlorophyll content, chlorophyll fluorescence, chlorophyll reflectance and dry biomass were measured. The results showed that both wood distillate and lecithin exerted a positive effect on chlorophyll content and biomass production, but the joint use of wood distillate and lecithin quickly stimulated a ca. 50% increase in these parameters and is thus recommended.
Kalman filter based method for tracking dynamic transmission line parameters
Authors: Zhang Yiqi , Liao Yuan
Published: January 2021

Transmission line parameters are required by various power system applications. Thus, it is important to develop accurate transmission line parameter estimation methods. This paper puts forward Kalman filter based methods to track the dynamically changing line parameters. The proposed methods can overcome the estimation inaccuracy problem caused by the effect of the noise in the measurements. The proposed methods are based upon the equivalent- circuit of long line and utilize voltage and current data recorded by the Phasor Measurement Units at both ends of the line. Non-compensated and differently configured series compensated lines have been considered in this paper. The case studies demonstrate that the proposed methods have the capability of dynamically tracking changing line parameters and yield accurate estimates with the presence of measurement noises.
Rainfall variability and socio-economic constraints on livestock production in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania
Authors: Leweri Cecilia M. , Msuha Maurus J. , Treydte Anna C.
Published: January 2021

Rainfall variability is of great importance in East Africa, where small-scale farmers and pastoralists dominate.
Their livestock production activities are heavily dependent on rainfall. We assessed pastoralist perceptions on climate change, particularly rainfall variability, its impact on livestock production, and the adaptive capacity of pastoralists in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA), Tanzania. We combined 241 household interviews and information from 52 participants of Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) with archived data from the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA). We found that most (71%) pastoralists were aware of general climate change impacts, rainfall variability, and impacts of extreme events on their livestock. Most (> 75%) respondents perceived erratic and reduced amounts of rainfall, prolonged and frequent periods of drought as the main climate change challenges. Mean annual rainfall accounted for only 46% (R2), (p = 0.076) and 32% (R2), (p = 0.22) of cattle, and sheep and goat population variability, respectively. Unexpectedly, cattle losses intensified by 10% when herd size increased (p < 0.001) and by 98% (p = 0.049) when mobility increased, implying that increasing herd sizes and mobility do not cushion households against climate change shocks. Our study highlights the need to enhance adaptive capacity of the pastoralist communities through interventions that proactively reduce vulnerability. We recommend that future research should address the profitability of pastoral cattle production under changing environmental conditions.
Fault severity detection of a worm gearbox based on several feature extraction methods through a developed condition monitoring system
Authors: Hızarcı Berkan , Ümütlü Rafet Can , Kıral Zeki , Öztürk Hasan
Published: January 2021

This study presents the severity detection of pitting faults on worm gearbox through the assessment of fault features extracted from the gearbox vibration data. Fault severity assessment on worm gearbox is conducted by the developed condition monitoring instrument with observing not only traditional but also multidisciplinary features. It is well known that the sliding motion between the worm gear and wheel gear causes difficulties about fault detection on worm gearboxes. Therefore, continuous monitoring and observation of different types of fault features are very important, especially for worm gearboxes. Therefore, in this study, time-domain statistics, the features of evaluated vibration analysis method and Poincaré plot are examined for fault severity detection on worm gearbox. The most reliable features for fault detection on worm gearbox are determined via the parallel coordinate plot. The abnormality detection during worm gearbox operation with the developed system is performed successfully by means of a decision tree.
Effects of climatic factors on the sedimentation trends of Tarbela Reservoir, Pakistan
Authors: Mazhar Nausheen , Mirza Ali Iqtadar , Abbas Sohail , Akram Muhammad Ameer Nawaz , Ali Muhammad , Javid Kanwal
Published: January 2021

The study explores the factors affecting the sedimentation trends in the surrounding catchment area of the Tarbela Dam for the period 1980–2017, specifically rain and temperature. Furthermore, this study also investigates the seasonal effects of sediment loads coming into the reservoir from 2007 to 2012. The statistical techniques were applied for the estimation of the effects of climate (rainfall and temperature) on the sedimentation and the inflow of Tarbela Dam and its surrounding catchment area. The results revealed that sediment deposition pattern points toward the greater bed elevation at 7–12 range lines that lie near the Main Embankment Dam, also that Barandu River carried more bulk of inflow to the Indus, as compared to Siran River and thus contributed a greater amount of sediments to the reservoir. Summer monsoon season also contributed to the greatest bulk of sediments to the Tarbela Dam and its surrounding catchment area. The regression confirmed that for one degree increase in temperature there will be a 7 Million Acre Feet (MAF) increase; for a 1 mm (mm) increase in rainfall there will be a 1 MAF decrease and for a 1 Cusec increase in the inflow coming into the reservoir, there be a 4 MAF increase in sedimentation of the reservoir. Thus, the contribution of the temperature in sediment generation is found to be greater than rainfall. The study recommended that for the proper functioning of Tarbela Dam, the shift in the climate of the Upper Indus Basin (UIB) might be regularly monitored as rising temperatures in UIB would result in greater glacial melt and hence greater sediments to settle down into the reservoirs downstream.
Modeling dynamic mechanical system behavior using sequence modeling of embodiment function relations: case study on a hammer mechanism
Authors: Wettstein Andreas , Grauberger Patric , Matthiesen Sven
Published: January 2021

In engineering design, an issue for using complex simulation models in system analysis are unknown causes for dynamic system behavior, which make parameterization difficult. This paper presents a case study in which a structured system analysis is used for the parameterization of complex dynamic multi-domain models. The dynamic system behavior of an impact wrench during fastening of a bolt is analyzed and modeled using the Contact and Channel Approach for structured parameterization of a multibody simulation model. This qualitative model building serves as a basis for a simulation model that quantifies the relations of design parameters and system behavior. Comparison with experimental test results is done as a validation. With this approach, the behavior identified in the simulation model could be traced back in a structured way to its cause in the system embodiment. The simulation model represented the real dynamic system behavior with an initial sufficient precision, but showed a lack of precision in detail. On this basis, the Contact and Channel Model was extended by adding additional statistical behavior of the system. Parameters of the system embodiment were identified qualitatively to improve the simulation model. A limitation in qualitative modeling of dynamic changes in the system has been identified that needs to be addressed in further research.
Techno-economic and environmental design of an optimal hybrid energy system for a community multimedia centre in Cameroon
Authors: Talla Konchou Franck Armel , Djeudjo Temene Hermann , Tchinda René , Njomo Donatien
Published: January 2021

Hybrid Renewable Energy System is a very good solution to the energy deficit encounter in developing countries. The paper presents the optimal design of a hybrid renewable energy system regarding the technical aspect that is Loss of Power Supply Probability (LPSP), economic aspect that is Cost of Electricity (COE) and Net Present Cost (NPC) and environmental aspect that is Total Greenhouse gases emission (TGE) aspects using a multi-objective Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm for a Community multimedia center in MAKENENE, Cameroon. Optimal configurations including Photovoltaic (PV), Wind, Battery and Diesel generator (DG), separated into Scenarios 1–7 of hybrid energy systems are tested to have the most appropriate Scenario. Scenario 3 (Hybrid system with PV, Battery and DG) with Loss of Power Supply Probability, Cost of Electricity, Net Present Cost and Emission of 0.003%, 0.132 $/kWh, 38,817.7 $ and 2.2 kg/year respectively is found to be the most appropriate for the Community multimedia center.
Broadband photoluminescence in a ceramic (Mg2SnO4–SnO2):Cr3+ system
Authors: Santana N. D. C. , López A. , Sosman L. P. , Pedro S. S.
Published: January 2021

This study reports the synthesis and photoluminescence spectroscopic studies of Cr3+-doped Mg2SnO4–SnO2ceramics. The crystal structure was analyzed by X-ray powder diffraction, and photoluminescence was investigated at room temperature. The diffractogram confirmed the presence of Mg2SnO4and SnO2phases. Photoluminescence spectroscopy identified broad and intense emission bands assigned to the Cr3+cation occupation in octahedral Mg2SnO4sites and an orange band assigned to SnO2emission. All spectra were analyzed and interpreted according to crystal field theory and Tanabe–Sugano theory for the d3electronic configuration. The broad and intense emission band covering the visible/near-infrared region suggests that this system may be a promising material for use as an active medium in a broadband light source at room temperature.
A set of distinct facial traits learned by machines is not predictive of appearance bias in the wild
Authors: Steed Ryan , Caliskan Aylin
Published: January 2021

Research in social psychology has shown that people’s biased, subjective judgments about another’s personality based solely on their appearance are not predictive of their actual personality traits. But researchers and companies often utilize computer vision models to predict similarly subjective personality attributes such as “employability”. We seek to determine whether state-of-the-art, black box face processing technology can learn human-like appearance biases. With features extracted with FaceNet, a widely used face recognition framework, we train a transfer learning model on human subjects’ first impressions of personality traits in other faces as measured by social psychologists. We find that features extracted with FaceNet can be used to predict human appearance bias scores for deliberately manipulated faces but not for randomly generated faces scored by humans. Additionally, in contrast to work with human biases in social psychology, the model does not find a significant signal correlating politicians’ vote shares with perceived competence bias. With Local Interpretable Model-Agnostic Explanations (LIME), we provide several explanations for this discrepancy. Our results suggest that some signals of appearance bias documented in social psychology are not embedded by the machine learning techniques we investigate. We shed light on the ways in which appearance bias could be embedded in face processing technology and cast further doubt on the practice of predicting subjective traits based on appearances.
The Effect of Comorbid Depression on Sudden Gains During Transdiagnostic Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy for Anxiety Disorders
Authors: D'Arcy Sasha , Norton Peter J.
Published: January 2021

During psychotherapy some patients experience large symptom improvements between sessions, termed sudden gains. Most commonly, sudden gains are observed during treatment for depression (40–50% of participants), but these are occasionally also observed in treatment for anxiety (15–20%). This study investigated the impact of comorbid depression on sudden gains in a primary anxiety sample. It was hypothesised that sudden gains would occur more frequently in participants with anxiety and comorbid depression than anxiety-only participants. The sample consisted of 58 adults who participated in a 12-week transdiagnostic cognitive-behavioural therapy (tCBT) programme. Sudden gains were more frequent in the comorbid depression group than in the anxiety-only group. Sudden gains may be predominantly a function of depressive disorders, which supports the higher rates seen in depressive disorders compared with anxiety disorders. Future research should endeavour to replicate these findings, as this was the first study designed to specifically investigate comorbidity in sudden gains.
Ship Mounds Matter: The Referential Qualities of Earth-Sourced Materials in Viking Ship Mounds
Authors: Cannell Rebecca J.S.
Published: January 2021

This article discusses the construction details of the mounds erected over large Viking ship burials in Norway and shows that they form an integral part of mortuary practice. Moreover, elements of the construction that are potentially unique to this type of monument are repeated, suggesting a knowledge of the properties of materials and their inter-relationships within the mounds. Here, referencing between and within the mounds is considered alongside the connections these soils, sediments, and other earth-sourced materials contained in relation to the cultural landscape. The selection of such materials and the location of the burials in the landscape were fundamental to the creation of a performative scene for the burial rites, and for establishing a desired, interlinked, social memory.
Metabolic syndrome may be associated with a lower prevalence of iron deficiency in Ecuadorian women of reproductive age
Authors: Muñoz-Ruiz Melisa A. , González-Zapata Laura I. , Abril-Ulloa Victoria , Gaitán-Charry Diego A.
Published: January 2021

The present study aimed to assess the associations of the stages of Fe deficiency (Fe deficiency without anaemia (ID) and Fe-deficiency anaemia (IDA)) and anaemia with metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Ecuadorian women. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 5894 women aged 20–59 years, based on data from the 2012 Ecuadorian National Health and Nutrition Survey. The sample was stratified by age. A χ2 test was used to assess the possible associations of ID, IDA and anaemia with MetS. The prevalence ratio (PR) for each stage of Fe deficiency and anaemia was estimated considering women without MetS as a reference. The total prevalence of MetS, ID, IDA and anaemia was 32⋅3 % (se 0⋅6), 6⋅2 % (se 0⋅3), 7⋅1 % (se 0⋅3) and 5⋅0 % (se 0⋅3), respectively. In women aged 20–29, 30–39 and 40–49 years, MetS was associated with a lower prevalence of ID (PR (95 % CI; P-value)): 0⋅17 (0⋅06, 0⋅46; P < 0⋅001), 0⋅69 (0⋅48, 0⋅99; P = 0⋅044) and 0⋅44 (0⋅29, 0⋅67; P < 0⋅001), respectively. In women aged 50–59 years, MetS was associated with IDA and anaemia (PR (95 % CI; P-value)): 0⋅12 (0⋅02, 0⋅96; P = 0⋅026) and 0⋅22 (0⋅07, 0⋅64; P = 0⋅002), respectively. In conclusion, Ecuadorian women of reproductive age with MetS have a lower prevalence of ID compared with those without MetS. Furthermore, the MetS and IDA coexist at the population level. These findings require an analysis from a dietary pattern approach, which could provide key elements for developing public policies that simultaneously address all forms of malnutrition.
A comparative study of animation versus static effects in the spatial concept-based metaphor awareness-raising approach on EFL learners’ cognitive processing of request strategies
Authors: TAKIMOTO MASAHIRO
Published: January 2021

abstract

This study evaluates the relative effects of two cognitive linguistic approaches – using animated versus static scenes in an illustration based on the spatial concept-oriented metaphor – and a non-cognitive linguistic approach on the Japanese EFL learners’ processing of request strategies with degrees of politeness. The cognitive linguistic approach consisted of applying the metaphor politeness is distance in the teaching of different degrees of politeness. It involved a spatial concept projection through which participants could understand degrees of politeness in terms of the spatially visualized concepts of near–far and high–low relationships associated with three social variables – closeness, power, and speaker difficulty – in either animated or static illustration. In contrast, the non-cognitive linguistic approach involved rote learning of target English polite requests in a list. The results demonstrated that the static version of the cognitive linguistic approach enabled participants to process degrees of politeness and perform as well as those who underwent the animated version. Moreover, the animation effects did not appear to have had a major impact on the overall performance of groups subjected to both cognitive language approaches. The results also showed that the cognitive linguistic approach groups outperformed the non-cognitive linguistic approach and control groups.
REINTERPRETING THE ROLE OF MUSLIMS IN THE WEST AFRICAN MIDDLE AGES
Authors: Nobili Mauro
Published: January 2021

Recent research points to a renewed scholarly interest in the West African Middle Ages and the Sahelian imperial tradition. However, in these works only tangential attention is paid to the role of Muslims, and especially to clerical communities. This essay tackles theoretical and historiographical insights on the role of African Muslims in the era of the medieval empires and argues that the study of Islam in this region during the Middle Ages still suffers from undertheorizing. On the contrary, by using a ‘discursive approach’ scholars can unravel access to fascinating aspects of the history of West African Muslims and in particular to the crucial role played by clerical communities, who represented one node of the web of diffused authority which is characteristic of precolonial West African social and political structures.
Is angular artery trauma seen frequently in lateral osteotomy and responsible for peri-orbital ecchymosis?
Authors: Altunay Z Onerci , Onerci T M
Published: January 2021

Objective

This study was performed on fresh frozen cadavers to investigate the role of angular artery damage.

Methods

Lateral osteotomies (‘high-low-high’ method) were carried out bilaterally, with a 4 mm guarded lateral osteotome, after the creation of a subperiosteal tunnel. Following completion of the lateral osteotomy, a skin incision was made in the midline dorsum. The dermis and subcutaneous tissues were carefully dissected, taking care not to damage the angular artery. Overlying tissues were cut and retracted to show the course of the angular artery.

Results

The angular artery was not damaged in any of the cadavers. The angular artery was always lateral to the lateral osteotomy line.

Conclusion

The high-low-high lateral osteotomy does not damage or traumatise the angular artery. The ecchymosis and oedema are related to other factors.
Treatment outcomes of laryngectomy compared to non-surgical management of T3 laryngeal carcinomas: a 10-year multicentre audit of 179 patients in the northeast of England
Authors: Lin D J , Goodfellow M , Ong J , Chin M Y , Lazarova L , Cocks H C
Published: January 2021

Objective

Wide-ranging outcomes have been reported for surgical and non-surgical management of T3 laryngeal carcinomas. This study compared the outcomes of T3 tumours treated with laryngectomy or (chemo)radiotherapy in the northeast of England.

Methods

The outcomes of T3 laryngeal carcinoma treatment at three centres (2007–2016) were retrospectively analysed using descriptive statistics and survival curves.

Results

Of 179 T3 laryngeal carcinomas, 68 were treated with laryngectomies, 57 with chemoradiotherapy and 32 with radiotherapy. There was no significant five-year survival difference between treatment with laryngectomy (34.1 per cent) and chemoradiotherapy (48.6 per cent) (p = 0.184). The five-year overall survival rate for radiotherapy (12.5 per cent) was significantly inferior compared to laryngectomy and chemoradiotherapy (p = 0.003 and p < 0.001, respectively). The recurrence rates were 22.1 per cent for laryngectomy, 17.5 per cent for chemoradiotherapy and 50 per cent for radiotherapy. There were significant differences in recurrence rates when laryngectomy (p = 0.005) and chemoradiotherapy (p = 0.001) were compared to radiotherapy.

Conclusion

Laryngectomy and chemoradiotherapy had significantly higher five-year overall survival and lower recurrence rates compared with radiotherapy alone. Laryngectomy should be considered in patients unsuitable for chemotherapy, as it may convey a significant survival advantage over radiotherapy alone.
The impact of new evidence on regional variation in paediatric tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy: a historical review
Authors: van Munster J J C M , Zamanipoor Najafabadi A H , Schoones J W , Peul W C , van den Hout W B , van Benthem P P G
Published: January 2021

Background

Tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy have been among the most commonly performed procedures in children for approximately 100 years. These procedures were the first for which unwarranted regional variation was discovered, in 1938. Indications for these procedures have become stricter over time, which might have reduced regional practice variation.

Methods

This paper presents a historical review on practice variation in paediatric tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy rates. Data on publication year, region, level of variation, methodology and outcomes were collected.

Results

Twenty-one articles on practice variation in paediatric tonsil surgery were included, with data from 12 different countries. Significant variation was found throughout the years, although a greater than 10-fold variation was observed only in the earliest publications.

Conclusion

No evidence has yet been found that better indications for tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy have reduced practice variation. International efforts are needed to reconsider why we are still unable to tackle this variation.
The effect of sertraline on emotional processing: secondary analyses of the PANDA randomised controlled trial
Authors: Ahmed Norin , Bone Jessica K. , Lewis Gemma , Freemantle Nick , Harmer Catherine J. , Duffy Larisa , Lewis Glyn
Published: January 2021

Background

According to the cognitive neuropsychological model, antidepressants reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety by increasing positive relative to negative information processing. Most studies of whether antidepressants alter emotional processing use small samples of healthy individuals, which lead to low statistical power and selection bias and are difficult to generalise to clinical practice. We tested whether the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) sertraline altered recall of positive and negative information in a large randomised controlled trial (RCT) of patients with depressive symptoms recruited from primary care.

Methods

The PANDA trial was a pragmatic multicentre double-blind RCT comparing sertraline with placebo. Memory for personality descriptors was tested at baseline and 2 and 6 weeks after randomisation using a computerised emotional categorisation task followed by a free recall. We measured the number of positive and negative words correctly recalled (hits). Poisson mixed models were used to analyse longitudinal associations between treatment allocation and hits.

Results

A total of 576 participants (88% of those randomised) completed the recall task at 2 and 6 weeks. We found no evidence that positive or negative hits differed according to treatment allocation at 2 or 6 weeks (adjusted positive hits ratio = 0.97, 95% CI 0.90–1.05, p = 0.52; adjusted negative hits ratio = 0.99, 95% CI 0.90–1.08, p = 0.76).

Conclusions

In the largest individual placebo-controlled trial of an antidepressant not funded by the pharmaceutical industry, we found no evidence that sertraline altered positive or negative recall early in treatment. These findings challenge some assumptions of the cognitive neuropsychological model of antidepressant action.
Parental rearing and personality traits as predictors for adolescents with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD)
Authors: Zhang Yafeng , Tian Wei , Wang Chao , Guo Bin , Yan Guangcan , Yin Hui , Zhang Zuoming , Tao Yuchun , Liu Yixin , Zhou Quan , Wang Limin
Published: January 2021

We aim to determine the correlation between parental rearing, personality traits, and obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) in different quantiles. In particular, we created an intermediary effect model in which parental rearing affects OCD through personality traits. All predictors were measured at the time of the survey, comprising parental rearing (paternal rearing and maternal rearing), demographics (grade and gender), and personality traits (neuroticism, extroversion, and psychoticism). These results suggest that (a) paternal emotional warmth was negatively correlated with OCD at the 0.40–0.80 quantile, while maternal emotional warmth was positively correlated with the OCD at the 0.45–0.69 quantile. (b) The correlation between negative parental rearing and OCD ranged from the 0.67 to 0.95 quantile for paternal punishment, 0.14–0.82 quantile for paternal overprotection, 0.05–0.36 and >0.50 quantile for maternal over-intervention and overprotection, and 0.08–0.88 quantile for maternal rejection. (c) Extroversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism were not only associated with OCD in a particular quantile but also mediated between parental rearing (namely parental emotional warmth, paternal punishment, paternal overprotection, maternal rejection, maternal over-intervention, and overprotection) and OCD. These findings provide targets for early interventions of OCD to improve the form of family education and personality traits and warrant validation.
Can facial emotion recognition be rapidly improved in children with disruptive behavior? A targeted and preventative early intervention study
Authors: Hunnikin Laura M. , Wells Amy E. , Ash Daniel P. , van Goozen Stephanie H. M.
Published: January 2021

An impairment in recognizing distress is implicated in the development and severity of antisocial behavior. It has been hypothesized that a lack of attention to the eyes plays a role, but supporting evidence is limited. We developed a computerized training to improve emotion recognition in children and examined the role of eye gaze before and after training. Children referred into an intervention program to prevent antisocial outcomes completed an emotion recognition task with concurrent eye tracking. Those with emotion recognition impairments (n = 54, mean age: 8.72 years, 78% male) completed the training, while others (n = 38, mean age: 8.95 years, 84% male) continued with their usual interventions. Emotion recognition and eye gaze were reassessed in all children 8 weeks later. Impaired negative emotion recognition was significantly related to severity of behavioral problems at pretest. Children who completed the training significantly improved in emotion recognition; eye gaze did not contribute to impairment or improvement in emotion recognition. This study confirms the role of emotion recognition in severity of disruptive behavior and shows that a targeted intervention can quickly improve emotion impairments. The training works by improving children's ability to appraise emotional stimuli rather than by influencing their visual attention.
Dispersive fractalisation in linear and nonlinear Fermi–Pasta–Ulam–Tsingou lattices
Authors: OLVER PETER J. , STERN ARI
Published: January 2021

We investigate, both analytically and numerically, dispersive fractalisation and quantisation of solutions to periodic linear and nonlinear Fermi–Pasta–Ulam–Tsingou systems. When subject to periodic boundary conditions and discontinuous initial conditions, e.g., a step function, both the linearised and nonlinear continuum models for FPUT exhibit fractal solution profiles at irrational times (as determined by the coefficients and the length of the interval) and quantised profiles (piecewise constant or perturbations thereof) at rational times. We observe a similar effect in the linearised FPUT chain at timestwhere these models have validity, namelyt= O(h−2), wherehis proportional to the intermass spacing or, equivalently, the reciprocal of the number of masses. For nonlinear periodic FPUT systems, our numerical results suggest a somewhat similar behaviour in the presence of small nonlinearities, which disappears as the nonlinear force increases in magnitude. However, these phenomena are manifested on very long time intervals, posing a severe challenge for numerical integration as the number of masses increases. Even with the high-order splitting methods used here, our numerical investigations are limited to nonlinear FPUT chains with a smaller number of masses than would be needed to resolve this question unambiguously.
Prevalence and nutrient composition of menu offerings targeted to customers with dietary restrictions at US fast casual and full-service restaurants
Authors: Hua Sophia V , Soto Mark J , Dunn Caroline G , Bleich Sara N , Vercammen Kelsey A
Published: January 2021

Objective:

To examine the prevalence and nutrient composition of menu offerings targeted to customers with dietary restrictions at US fast casual and full-service chain restaurants.

Design:

We used 2018 data from MenuStat, a database of nutrient information for menu items at large US chain restaurants. Five alternative diets were examined: gluten-free, low-calorie, low-carbohydrate, low-fat and vegetarian. Diet offerings were identified by searching MenuStat item descriptions and reviewing online menus. For each diet, we reported counts and proportions. We used bootstrapped multilevel models to examine differences in predicted mean kilojoules, saturated fat, Na and sugars between diet and non-diet menu items.

Setting:

Forty-five US fast casual and full-service chain restaurants in 2018 (including 6419 items in initial analytic sample across small plates, salads and main dishes).

Participants:

None.

Results:

The most prevalent diets were gluten-free (n 631, 9·8 % of menu items), low-calorie (n 306, 4·8 %) and vegetarian (n 230, 3·6 %). Compared with non-diet counterparts, low-calorie main dishes had significantly lower levels of all nutrients examined and vegetarian main dishes had significantly lower levels of all nutrients except saturated fat. Gluten-free small plates had significantly fewer kilojoules, grams of saturated fat and milligrams of Na compared with non-diet small plates.

Conclusions:

A small proportion of fast casual and full-service restaurant menus are targeted towards customers with dietary restrictions. Compared with non-diet items, those classified as gluten-free, low-calorie or vegetarian generally have healthier nutrient profiles, but overall nutrient values are still too high for most menu items, regardless of dietary label.
SHOULD YOU DESIGN THE PERFECT BABY?
Authors: D'Olimpio Laura
Published: January 2021

As our technology rapidly advances, designer babies and other bioethical issues are fast becoming possible. Instead of solely being considered in economic terms, or in terms of accuracy and desirability, ethical questions should also be asked such as ‘is this a good thing to do?’. This article considers whether moral people would ‘design’ and genetically engineer their babies and applies the moral theories of virtue ethics, deontology and utilitarianism to help guide our ethical decision-making in relation to this complex issue. Even if we can do something, we should pause and consider whether or not we should.
THE KALAM COSMOLOGICAL ARGUMENT: CRITIQUING A RECENT DEFENCE
Authors: Halper Phillip
Published: January 2021

In the late 1970s the big bang model of cosmology was widely accepted and interpreted as implying the universe had a beginning. At the end of that decade William Lane Craig revived an argument for God known as the Kalam Cosmological Argument (KCA) based on this scientific consensus. Furthermore, he linked the big bang to the supposed biblical concept of creation ex nihilo found in Genesis. I shall critique Craig's position as expressed in a more recent update and argue that contemporary cosmology no longer understands the big bang as the ultimate beginning, seriously undermining the KCA. I will further contend that book of Genesis should not be understood as describing creation ex nihilo anyway.