bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Interannual variability of mid‐summer heat wave frequency over the Sichuan Basin
Authors: Huang Xiaomei , Zhang Tuantuan , Jiang Xingwen , Liu Sijia , Xiao Dingmu
Published: March 2021

Heat waves generally hit the Sichuan Basin (SCB) in summer, especially in July and August. This study investigates the interannual variability of mid‐summer heat wave frequency (HWF) over the SCB. The leading mode of the SCB mid‐summer HWF, which explains 48% of the total variance, exhibits an uniform spatial pattern and an increasing trend. This leading pattern mainly dominated by two factors: the mid‐to‐upper‐level height anomalies over western Europe and tropical convection anomalies. On one hand, the mid‐level height anomalies over western Europe could affect the HWF over most parts of the SCB by inducing an eastward‐propagating atmospheric teleconnection wave train to northeastern Asia, which causes a northwestward shifted western North Pacific subtropical high, leading to significant subsidence anomalies over the SCB, hence induces less cloudiness and below‐normal precipitation in‐situ. Consequently, there are increased surface solar radiation and decreased soil moisture over the region, favouring the occurrence of HWs there. On the other hand, the enhanced Philippine Sea convection and suppressed tropical eastern Indian Ocean convection excite an anomalous lower‐tropospheric cyclone dominant over the western North Pacific and southern China, which could weaken the transport of water vapour from the tropic oceans to the northeastern SCB and then contributes to decreased precipitation, favouring a higher HWF.
Chiroptical Cross‐Linked Polymers Grown via Radical Polymerization around Chiral Nanosilica
Authors: Tsunega Seiji , Jin Ren‐Hua
Published: March 2021

Chiral polymers are often prepared by two ways depending upon chiral monomers, chiral catalysts, and chiral auxiliaries which always come from organics: one is the enantio‐selective polymerization of prochiral or racemic monomers or polymerization of optically active monomers; and the other one is the molecular imprinting technique, which creates chiral recognition sites inside a densely cross‐linked polymer gel. Herein, a unique method for the synthesis of chiroptical cross‐linked polymers via radical polymerization of achiral divinyl monomers in the mediation of the inorganic chiral nanosilica is reported. The monomers that are cross‐linkable such as divinylbenzene (DVB) and N,N′ ‐methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) are physically adsorbed onto chiral silica bundles and then polymerized by dispersion of those monomers/silica bundles in the presence of radical initiators. The products are characterized by SEM, FT‐IR, solid‐state 13C NMR, TGA, and CD. Very interestingly, the cross‐linked polymers themselves obtained via final removal of the chiral silica show remarkable chiroptical activity with mirror relationship and can make achiral guest of porphyrin adsorbed on the polymers become optically active.
Court decision about MH treatment another important step for parity
Authors: Canady Valerie A.
Published: March 2021

A federal court ruled March 5 that the exclusion of a core treatment for autism by UnitedHealth violates the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) as well as United's fiduciary responsibilities under the Employee Retirement and Income Security Act (ERISA).
New research finds cancer patients at increased suicide risk
Authors: Canady Valerie A.
Published: March 2021

Patients with cancer are at increased risk for both suicidal ideation and completed suicide due to a combination of biological and psychological factors that must be addressed to increase quality of life, researchers say of their study published March 16 in Psychiatric Times.
Poll: Parents reporting teens' MH worsening during pandemic
Authors: Canady Valerie A.
Published: March 2021

The pandemic has taken a large toll on teens' mental health, according to a national poll on children's health released March 15. Restrictions put in place to contain COVID‐19 may be particularly difficult for teens, who rely heavily on their peer and social connections for emotional support, according to the new report.
Time dependence in diffusion MRI predicts tissue outcome in ischemic stroke patients
Authors: Lampinen Björn , Lätt Jimmy , Wasselius Johan , van Westen Danielle , Nilsson Markus
Published: March 2021

Purpose

Reperfusion therapy enables effective treatment of ischemic stroke presenting within 4–6 hours. However, tissue progression from ischemia to infarction is variable, and some patients benefit from treatment up until 24 hours. Improved imaging techniques are needed to identify these patients. Here, it was hypothesized that time dependence in diffusion MRI may predict tissue outcome in ischemic stroke.

Methods

Diffusion MRI data were acquired with multiple diffusion times in five non‐reperfused patients at 2, 9, and 100 days after stroke onset. Maps of “rate of kurtosis change” (k), mean kurtosis, ADC, and fractional anisotropy were derived. The ADC maps defined lesions, normal‐appearing tissue, and the lesion tissue that would either be infarcted or remain viable by day 100. Diffusion parameters were compared (1) between lesions and normal‐appearing tissue, and (2) between lesion tissue that would be infarcted or remain viable.

Results

Positive values of k were observed within stroke lesions on day 2 (P = .001) and on day 9 (P = .023), indicating diffusional exchange. On day 100, high ADC values indicated infarction of 50 ± 20% of the lesion volumes. Tissue infarction was predicted by high k values both on day 2 (P = .026) and on day 9 (P = .046), by low mean kurtosis values on day 2 (P = .043), and by low fractional anisotropy values on day 9 (P = .029), but not by low ADC values.

Conclusions

Diffusion time dependence predicted tissue outcome in ischemic stroke more accurately than the ADC, and may be useful for predicting reperfusion benefit.
Automated renal segmentation in healthy and chronic kidney disease subjects using a convolutional neural network
Authors: Daniel Alexander J. , Buchanan Charlotte E. , Allcock Thomas , Scerri Daniel , Cox Eleanor F. , Prestwich Benjamin L. , Francis Susan T.
Published: March 2021

Purpose

Total kidney volume (TKV) is an important measure in renal disease detection and monitoring. We developed a fully automated method to segment the kidneys from T2‐weighted MRI to calculate TKV of healthy control (HC) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients.

Methods

This automated method uses machine learning, specifically a 2D convolutional neural network (CNN), to accurately segment the left and right kidneys from T2‐weighted MRI data. The data set consisted of 30 HC subjects and 30 CKD patients. The model was trained on 50 manually defined HC and CKD kidney segmentations. The model was subsequently evaluated on 50 test data sets, comprising data from 5 HCs and 5 CKD patients each scanned 5 times in a scan session to enable comparison of the precision of the CNN and manual segmentation of kidneys.

Results

The unseen test data processed by the 2D CNN had a mean Dice score of 0.93 ± 0.01. The difference between manual and automatically computed TKV was 1.2 ± 16.2 mL with a mean surface distance of 0.65 ± 0.21 mm. The variance in TKV measurements from repeat acquisitions on the same subject was significantly lower using the automated method compared to manual segmentation of the kidneys.

Conclusion

The 2D CNN method provides fully automated segmentation of the left and right kidney and calculation of TKV in <10 s on a standard office computer, allowing high data throughput and is a freely available executable.
Finite element modeling of spherical indentation in a poro‐elasto‐plastic medium via step displacement loading
Authors: Liu Ming , Huang Haiying
Published: March 2021

A hydromechanically coupled finite element method (FEM) algorithm following a mixed continuous Galerkin formulation for displacement and pore pressure is adopted for modeling of spherical indentation in a poro‐elasto‐plastic medium. The fully saturated porous medium is assumed to be isotropic and elasto‐perfectly plastic, obeying a Drucker‐Prager yield criterion with an associative or non‐associative flow rule. The Newton‐Raphson method with the tangent stiffness scheme is employed to deal with plasticity in the solid skeleton. A stabilization scheme, which permits equal‐order interpolation for the displacement and pore pressure fields and suppresses pore pressure oscillation in the incompressible or nearly incompressible limit, is incorporated in this FEM algorithm. The FEM algorithm is extensively benchmarked with poroelastic analytical solutions to the problems of Terzaghi, Mandel, Cryer, and De Leeuw and an analytic solution for one‐dimensional poro‐elasto‐plastic consolidation. Numerical simulations of poroelastic spherical indentation via step displacement loading are conducted to show that the normalized indentation force as a function of dimensionless time has only relatively weak dependence on material properties through a single derived parameter . Such universality is shown for three types of surface drainage conditions. For indentation in a poro‐elasto‐plastic medium, it is shown that even though plasticity occurs immediately at the undrained limit, if cohesion is within a certain range, there is no plastic strain accumulation during the transient period and the normalized force relaxation behavior could be approximated as poroelastic.
High costs and limited dietitian services for home enteral nutrition users: A Canadian study
Authors: Sandhu Rebekah , Saran Delara , Ho Gloria , Vandop Kristina , Hussain Whitney
Published: March 2021

Background

Home enteral nutrition (HEN) is the provision of nutrition through a tube outside the hospital. The Canadian prevalence of HEN is not previously well understood. This study aimed to (1) describe the demographics and healthcare usage of HEN in adults in a Canadian health authority, (2) compare the proportion of HEN‐related hospital visits between patients who did and did not receive a community registered dietitian (RD) follow‐up, and (3) determine associations between demographic and healthcare usage of HEN adults .

Methods

A retrospective chart review was conducted on the records of HEN patients with a tube placed between April 1, 2012, and March 31, 2015. Descriptive and comparative statistics were applied.

Results

A total of 390 adults were discharged receiving HEN. The majority (74.9%, n = 271) of the sample did not have any record of visiting a community RD up to 6 years after tube placement. Fifty‐three percent of the sample visited the hospital for HEN‐related complications, costing CAD $14,324,465.00 (USD $10,677,946.00) to the healthcare system. Multiple regression analysis revealed that females ( P < .05), jejunostomy tubes ( P < .05), and older age ( P < .05) were associated with more hospital or emergency room visits.

Conclusion

This study found a higher prevalence of HEN patients and more varied demographic and clinical characteristics than previously reported. The healthcare costs per patient per year exceed previous reports. Further research is needed to explore the population's experiences and develop interventions that improve gaps in the healthcare system.
A derivative‐free scaling memoryless Broyden–Fletcher–Goldfarb–Shanno method for solving a system of monotone nonlinear equations
Authors: Ullah Najib , Sabi'u Jamilu , Shah Abdullah
Published: March 2021

This paper presents the two‐parameter scaling memoryless Broyden–Fletcher–Goldfarb–Shanno (BFGS) method for solving a system of monotone nonlinear equations. The optimal values of the scaling parameters are obtained by minimizing the measure function involving all the eigenvalues of the memoryless BFGS matrix. The optimal values can be used in the analysis of the quasi‐Newton method for ill‐conditioned matrices. This algorithm can also be described as a combination of the projection technique and memoryless BGFS method. Global convergence of the method is provided. For validation and efficiency of the scheme, some test problems are computed and compared with existing results.
Robust geometry and topology optimization of plane frames using order statistics and force density method with global stability constraint
Authors: Shen Wei , Ohsaki Makoto , Yamakawa Makoto
Published: March 2021

This paper presents a worst case approach for robust geometry and topology optimization of plane frames with global stability constraint. Uncertainty is assumed to exist in the nodal locations and cross‐sectional areas, and the worst values of the objective and stability constraint functions are relaxed to the quantile structural responses represented by the order statistics with given robustness and confidence levels. In order to alleviate the difficulty caused by melting nodes to some extent, the force density method is applied to an auxiliary truss model for geometry optimization of the frame, and the closely spaced nodes are merged. A method is presented for generating correlated imperfections for the nodal locations along each member, and a penalization approach is proposed for geometrical stiffness matrix to exclude superficial local buckling. It is demonstrated in the numerical examples that the result of robust optimization obtained by the proposed method is less sensitive to the uncertainty, and the stability constraint is also satisfied under uncertainty with the specified robustness and confidence levels.
A rapid evidence assessment of recent therapeutic touch research
Authors: Garrett Bernie , Riou Marliss
Published: March 2021

Aim

To synthesize the most recent evidence investigating the effectiveness and safety of therapeutic touch as a complementary therapy in clinical health applications.

Design

A rapid evidence assessment (REA) approach was used to review recent TT research adopting PRISMA 2009 guidelines.

Methods

CINAHL, PubMed, MEDLINE, Cochrane databases, Web of Science, PsychINFO and Google Scholar were screened between January 2009–March 2020 for studies exploring TT therapies as an intervention. The main outcome measures were for pain, anxiety, sleep, nausea and functional improvement.

Results

Twenty‐one studies covering a range of clinical issues were identified, including 15 randomized‐controlled trials, four quasi‐experimental studies, one chart review study and one mixed methods study including 1,302 patients. Eighteen of the studies reported positive outcomes. Only four exhibited a low risk of bias. All others had serious methodological flaws, bias issues, were statistically underpowered and scored as low‐quality studies. No high‐quality evidence was found for any of the benefits claimed.
Obesity, Ethnicity, and Risk of Critical Care, Mechanical Ventilation, and Mortality in Patients Admitted to Hospital with COVID‐19: Analysis of the ISARIC CCP‐UK Cohort
Authors: Yates Thomas , Zaccardi Francesco , Islam Nazrul , Razieh Cameron , Gillies Clare L. , Lawson Claire A. , Chudasama Yogini , Rowlands Alex , Davies Melanie J. , Docherty Annemarie B. , Openshaw Peter J. M. , Baillie J. Kenneth , Semple Malcolm G. ,   ISARIC4C investigators, Khunti Kamlesh
Published: March 2021

Objective

The aim of this study was to investigate the association of obesity with in‐hospital coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) outcomes in different ethnic groups.

Methods

Patients admitted to hospital with COVID‐19 in the United Kingdom through the Clinical Characterisation Protocol UK (CCP‐UK) developed by the International Severe Acute Respiratory and emerging Infections Consortium (ISARIC) were included from February 6 to October 12, 2020. Ethnicity was classified as White, South Asian, Black, and other minority ethnic groups. Outcomes were admission to critical care, mechanical ventilation, and in‐hospital mortality, adjusted for age, sex, and chronic diseases.

Results

Of the participants included, 54,254 (age = 76 years; 45.0% women) were White, 3,728 (57 years; 41.1% women) were South Asian, 2,523 (58 years; 44.9% women) were Black, and 5,427 (61 years; 40.8% women) were other ethnicities. Obesity was associated with all outcomes in all ethnic groups, with associations strongest for black ethnicities. When stratified by ethnicity and obesity status, the odds ratios for admission to critical care, mechanical ventilation, and mortality in black ethnicities with obesity were 3.91 (3.13‐4.88), 5.03 (3.94‐6.63), and 1.93 (1.49‐2.51), respectively, compared with White ethnicities without obesity.

Conclusions

Obesity was associated with an elevated risk of in‐hospital COVID‐19 outcomes in all ethnic groups, with associations strongest in Black ethnicities.
Implementation of near‐universal hydroxyurea uptake among children with sickle cell anemia: A single‐center experience
Authors: Karkoska Kristine , Todd Kevin , Niss Omar , Clapp Kelly , Fenchel Lynette , Kalfa Theodosia A. , Malik Punam , Quinn Charles T. , Ware Russell E. , McGann Patrick T.
Published: March 2021

Background

Without early initiation of disease‐modifying therapy, the acute and chronic complications of sickle cell anemia (SCA) begin early in childhood and progress throughout life. Hydroxyurea is a safe and effective medication that reduces or prevents most SCA‐related complications. Despite recommendations to prescribe hydroxyurea for all children with SCA as young as 9 months, utilization remains low.

Procedure

We completed a retrospective review of hydroxyurea‐prescribing practices and associated clinical outcomes at our institution over a 10‐year period before and after the 2014 National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) recommendations to use hydroxyurea for all children with SCA.

Results

Hydroxyurea use more than doubled within our pediatric SCA population from 43% in 2010 to 95% in 2019. The age of hydroxyurea initiation was significantly younger during 2014–2019 compared to 2010–2013 (median 2 years vs. 6 years, p ≤ .001). With this change in clinical practice, nearly all (69/71 = 97%) children born after 2013 received disease‐modifying therapy by the end of 2019, primarily hydroxyurea (93%). Concurrently, the number of SCA‐related admissions significantly decreased from 67/100 patient‐years in 2010 to 39/100 patient‐years in 2019 (p < .001).

Conclusion

The early and universal prescription of hydroxyurea for children with SCA is the standard of care. Here, we demonstrate that a careful and deliberate commitment to follow this guideline in clinical practice is feasible and results in measurable improvements in clinical outcomes. Our approach and improved outcomes can serve as a model for other programs to expand their hydroxyurea use for more children with SCA.
On the empirical scales of organic solvents established using probe/homomorph pairs
Authors: Catalán Javier
Published: March 2021

A critical analysis on the adequacy of empirical solvent scales established using probe/homomorph pairs is performed. The independence and robustness of the solvent scales SP (solvent polarizability), SdP (solvent dipolarity), SA (solvent HBD acidity), and SB (solvent HBA basicity) resulting from this approach are also verified. The nature of the solute/solvent molecular interactions that control the values of the Reichardt ET(30) scale is again revealed, it being independent on the solvent polarizability.
Exploring the effects of genomic testing on fear of cancer recurrence among breast cancer survivors
Authors: Gormley Maurade , Knobf M. Tish , Vorderstrasse Allison , Aouizerat Bradley , Hammer Marilyn , Fletcher Jason , D'Eramo Melkus Gail
Published: March 2021

Objective

Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is the greatest unmet psychosocial need among breast cancer survivors (BCS). The Oncotype Dx® test predicts the 10‐year risk of distant recurrence and benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy among women with early stage hormone receptor‐positive breast cancer. Despite the test's clinical utility, psychosocial responses are poorly understood.

Methods

A descriptive cross‐sectional study was conducted to explore associations between Oncotype Dx® test results (Recurrence Score [RS]) and FCR, health‐related quality of life (HRQOL), distress, anxiety, depression, illness representation and perceived risk. Bivariate analyses were used to examine the associations between variables followed by multiple linear regression to examine predictors of FCR.

Results

Greater FCR was associated with higher distress, anxiety, depression, illness representation and poorer HRQOL. BCS's with a high Oncotype Dx® RS reported higher overall fear (p = 0.013) and greater perceived consequences of their cancer (p = 0.034) compared to BCS's with a low RS. Using multiple linear regression, anxiety (  = 0.21, p = 0.016), greater emotional response  = 0.45, p < 0.001) and perceived consequences (  = 0.18, p = 0.039) of illness explained 58% of the variance (p < 0.001) in FCR.

Conclusion

BCS's with higher risk of recurrence may experience higher FCR. However, for FCR, modifiable factors such as anxiety and illness representation (greater emotional response and perceived consequences of illness) may be more important than non‐modifiable factors such as Oncotype Dx® test results and age. Further research is needed to develop personalized interventions to improve BCS's outcomes.
Cardiovascular impact and sequelae of bronchopulmonary dysplasia
Authors: Yallapragada Sushmita G. , Savani Rashmin C. , Goss Kara N.
Published: March 2021

The development, growth, and function of the cardiac, pulmonary, and vascular systems are closely intertwined during both fetal and postnatal life. In utero, placental, environmental, and genetic insults may contribute to abnormal pulmonary alveolarization and vascularization that increase susceptibility to the development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in preterm infants. However, the shared milieu of stressors may also contribute to abnormal cardiac or vascular development in the fetus and neonate, leading to the potential for cardiovascular dysfunction. Further, cardiac or pulmonary maladaptation can potentiate dysfunction in the other organ, amplify the risk for BPD in the neonate, and increase the trajectory for overall neonatal morbidity. Beyond infancy, there is an increased risk for systemic and pulmonary vascular disease including hypertension, as well as potential cardiac dysfunction, particularly within the right ventricle. This review will focus on the cardiovascular antecedents of BPD in the fetus, cardiovascular consequences of preterm birth in the neonate including associations with BPD, and cardiovascular impact of prematurity and BPD throughout the lifespan.
Structure and Magnetic Property of High‐Entropy Intermetallics Based on SmCo5 with the Equiatomic Ratios at Sm and Co Sites
Authors: Guo Xinpeng , Guo Yongquan , Yin Linhan
Published: March 2021

SmCo5‐based high‐entropy intermetallic compounds (Sm1/3Pr1/3Nd1/3)(Co1/3Ni1/3 Cu1/3)5 and (Sm1/4Ce1/4Pr1/4Nd1/4)(Co1/3Ni1/3Cu1/3)5 are prepared by substituting equiatomic ratios of rare earths at the Sm site and 3d transition metals at the Co site, respectively. Their crystal structures, chemical compositions, and magnetic properties are investigated. X‐ray diffraction confirms that the two high‐entropy intermetallic compounds are single phase with hexagonal CaCu5‐type structure. The configuration entropies are 6.59R for (Sm1/3Pr1/3Nd1/3)(Co1/3Ni1/3Cu1/3)5 and 6.88R for (Sm1/4Ce1/4Pr1/4Nd1/4)(Co1/3Ni1/3Cu1/3)5, respectively. Both of them show spin‐glass and field‐induced ferromagnetic order due to the disordered ferromagnetic state induced by the site‐disordered spin interactions at low temperature and the ordered arrangement of moments driven by the external field at the ferromagnetic transition temperature. Abnormal magnetic hysteresis loops are observed at the spin‐glass order temperature, which is suggested to be associated with the anisotropy induced by the interaction coupling between the 4f rare earth and the 3d transition metal.
Cholesterol‐lowering activity of natural mono‐ and sesquiterpenoid compounds in essential oils: A review and investigation of mechanisms using in silico protein–ligand docking
Authors: Bahr Tyler , Butler Gavin , Rock Christian , Welburn Kyle , Allred Kathryn , Rodriguez Damian
Published: March 2021

Mono‐ and sesquiterpenoids are the main chemical constituents of essential oils. Essential oils and their constituents have received increasing attention for lipid‐lowering properties in both cell and animal models. Despite the chemical diversity of essential oil compounds, the effects of many of these compounds on cholesterol metabolism are highly similar. In this report, we review the literature regarding the effects of essential oils and their terpenoid constituents on cholesterol homeostasis, and explore likely mechanisms using protein–ligand docking. We identified 98 experimental and seven clinical studies on essential oils, isolated compounds, and blends; 100 of these described improvements either in blood cholesterol levels or in sterol metabolic pathways. Our review and docking analysis confirmed two likely mechanisms common to many essential oil compounds: (1) direct agonism of peroxisome‐proliferator‐activated receptors, and (2) direct interaction with sterol‐sensing domains, motifs found in key sterol regulatory proteins including sterol regulatory element binding protein cleavage activating protein and HMG‐CoA reductase. Notably, these direct interactions lead to decreased transcription and accelerated degradation of HMG‐CoA reductase. Our work suggests that terpene derivatives in essential oils have cholesterol‐lowering activity and could potentially work synergistically with statins, however, further high quality studies are needed to establish their clinical efficacy.
Radar reflectivity and radial velocity assimilation in a hybrid ETKF‐3DVAR system for prediction of a heavy convective rainfall
Authors: Thiruvengadam P. , J Indu , Ghosh Subimal
Published: March 2021

Reliable forecasting of heavy convective rainfall events continues to be one of the greatest challenges for numerical weather prediction models. Studies across the globe have indicated that Doppler weather radar (DWR) data assimilation through three‐dimensional variational methods (3D‐Var) has a considerable impact on improving the forecast skill of convective precipitation. However, the time‐averaged background error statistics (BES) employed in 3D‐Var fail to address the day‐to‐day variability of forecast errors in BES. To effectively represent the convective precipitation events through DWR assimilation, it is important to account for the day‐to‐day variability in background error's variance and correlations in the BES. In this study, the effect of assimilating DWR data using flow‐dependent BES within the variational assimilation system is analysed via the hybrid Ensemble Transform Kalman Filter (ETKF)‐3DVAR. For this, the functionality of ETKF in the hybrid ETKF‐3DVAR has been extended to assimilate both DWR radial velocity and reflectivity information. The results suggest that assimilating DWR observations through the hybrid ETKF‐3DVAR improves the forecast skills of convective precipitation as compared to the 3D‐Var. It has also been observed that updating the ensemble states through assimilation of DWR observations in the ETKF system shows an increased wind and moisture convergence.
An implementation of single‐precision fast spherical harmonic transform in Yin–He global spectral model
Authors: Yin Fukang , Song Junqiang , Wu Jianping , Zhang Weimin
Published: March 2021

In this article, we describe an implementation of single‐precision fast spherical harmonic transform (SHT) in the Yin–He global spectral model (YHGSM). The potential of single‐precision arithmetic is explored for accelerating fast SHT. In particular, we assess the impact of using single‐precision fast SHT on the meteorological skill of YHGSM. Compared to double‐precision SHT, single‐precision fast SHT against is accelerated by about 59.83%, whereas the run‐time reduction achieved 25.28% in model integration for TL2047L137. The simulation results indicate that single‐precision fast SHT can improve computational efficiency without a noticeable impact on the forecast skill.
Analysis and design of covariance inflation methods using inflation functions. Part 2: adaptive inflation
Authors: Duc Le , Saito Kazuo , Hotta Daisuke
Published: March 2021

Part 1 of this study shows the existence of a unifying theory that encompasses all exiting covariance inflation (CI) methods under a framework of inflation functions operating on the eigenvalues of the ensemble transform matrix. Given a vast space of potential inflation functions, a natural question is how to choose the optimal one. This part 2 shows how adaptive inflation can be implemented in the context of inflation functions to estimate inflation functions on‐the‐fly from observations. Estimation of prior inflation functions (PIF) is equivalent to estimation of background error covariances G in observation space. However, the conventional CI methods confront a difficult problem of how to convert G back to model space to calculate analysis increments and perturbations, which is possible in very limited cases such as multiplicative inflation. The solution here is to exploit the equivalence between PIFs and inflation functions to transplant the estimated PIF into its equivalent inflation function. Analysis increments and perturbations can be calculated using this intermediate inflation function. Maximum likelihood (ML) estimations of three families of PIFs with two data assimilation systems show that this approach works well and that the adaptive methods can even beat a well‐tuned CI method. Estimation of the inflation functions that do not have equivalent PIFs is more difficult since we lack a theoretical guidance, such as Bayesian inference as in the case of PIFs. Those inflation functions are proposed to be estimated from posterior innovation statistics. There are two supporting facts for this estimation: (a) ML estimation of nonparametric PIFs leads back to the prior innovation statistics, and (b) posterior innovation statistics is an effective diagnostic tool for assessing performance of inflation functions. It is interesting to find that ML estimates of inflation functions yield analyses and forecasts better than ML estimates of PIFs.
Integrating new sea‐level scenarios into coastal risk and adaptation assessments: An ongoing process
Authors: Nicholls Robert J. , Hanson Susan E. , Lowe Jason A. , Slangen Aimée B. A. , Wahl Thomas , Hinkel Jochen , Long Antony J.
Published: March 2021

The release of new and updated sea‐level rise (SLR) information, such as from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Assessment Reports, needs to be better anticipated in coastal risk and adaptation assessments. This requires risk and adaptation assessments to be regularly reviewed and updated as needed, reflecting the new information but retaining useful information from earlier assessments. In this paper, updated guidance on the types of SLR information available is presented, including for sea‐level extremes. An intercomparison of the evolution of the headline projected ranges across all the IPCC reports show an increase from the fourth and fifth assessments to the most recent “Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate” assessment. IPCC reports have begun to highlight the importance of potential high‐end sea‐level response, mainly reflecting uncertainties in the Greenland/Antarctic ice sheet components, and how this might be considered in scenarios. The methods that are developed here are practical and consider coastal risk assessment, adaptation planning, and long‐term decision‐making to be an ongoing process and ensure that despite the large uncertainties, pragmatic adaptation decisions can be made. It is concluded that new sea‐level information should not be seen as an automatic reason for abandoning existing assessments, but as an opportunity to review (i) the assessment's robustness in the light of new science and (ii) the utility of proactive adaptation and planning strategies, especially over the more uncertain longer term.

This article is categorized under:

Assessing Impacts of Climate Change > Scenario Development and Application
Cwebs beyond three loops in multiparton amplitudes
Authors: Agarwal Neelima , Magnea Lorenzo , Pal Sourav , Tripathi Anurag
Published: March 2021

Abstract

Correlators of Wilson-line operators in non-abelian gauge theories are known to exponentiate, and their logarithms can be organised in terms of collections of Feynman diagrams called webs. In [1] we introduced the concept of Cweb, or correlator web, which is a set of skeleton diagrams built with connected gluon correlators, and we computed the mixing matrices for all Cwebs connecting four or five Wilson lines at four loops. Here we complete the evaluation of four-loop mixing matrices, presenting the results for all Cwebs connecting two and three Wilson lines. We observe that the conjuctured column sum rule is obeyed by all the mixing matrices that appear at four-loops. We also show how low-dimensional mixing matrices can be uniquely determined from their known combinatorial properties, and provide some all-order results for selected classes of mixing matrices. Our results complete the required colour building blocks for the calculation of the soft anomalous dimension matrix at four-loop order.
Conical spaces, modular invariance and cp,1 holography
Authors: Raeymaekers Joris
Published: March 2021

Abstract

We propose a non-unitary example of holography for the family of two-dimensional logarithmic conformal field theories with negative central charge c = cp,1 = −6p + 13 − 6p−1. We argue that at large p, these models have a semiclassical gravity-like description which contains, besides the global AdS3 spacetime, a tower of solitonic solutions describing conical excess angles. Evidence comes from the fact that the central charge and the natural modular invariant partition function of such a theory coincide with those of the cp,1 model. These theories have an extended chiral W-algebra whose currents have large spin of order |c|, and which in the bulk are realized as spinning conical solutions. As a by-product we also find a direct link between geometric actions for exceptional Virasoro coadjoint orbits, which describe fluctuations around the conical spaces, and Felder’s free field construction of degenerate representations.
Erratum to: Revised constraints and Belle II sensitivity for visible and invisible axion-like particles
Authors: Dolan Matthew J. , Ferber Torben , Hearty Christopher , Kahlhoefer Felix , Schmidt-Hoberg Kai
Published: March 2021

A mistake has been found in the numerical code used to reproduce the bounds from proton beam dump experiments from ref. [1] in figures 2 and 7 of ref. [2]. Correcting this mistake leads to slightly stronger bounds as shown below. We note that this correction does not include recent improvements in the analysis of proton beam dump experiments [3]. Additional recent bounds on GeV-scale ALPs can be found in refs. [4–8].
A worldsheet for Kerr
Authors: Guevara Alfredo , Maybee Ben , Ochirov Alexander , O’Connell Donal , Vines Justin
Published: March 2021

Abstract

We show that the Newman-Janis shift property of the exact Kerr solution can be interpreted in terms of a worldsheet effective action. This holds both in gravity, and for the single-copy $$ \sqrt{\mathrm{Kerr}} $$

Kerr

solution in electrodynamics. At the level of equations of motion, we show that the Newman-Janis shift holds also for the leading interactions of the Kerr black hole. These leading interactions are conveniently described using chiral classical equations of motion with the help of the spinor-helicity method familiar from scattering amplitudes.
Algebraic Approach to Casimir Force Between Two $$\delta $$-like Potentials
Authors: Ziemian Kamil
Published: March 2021

We analyse the Casimir effect of two nonsingular centers of interaction in three space dimensions, using the framework developed by Herdegen. Our model is mathematically well-defined and all physical quantities are finite. We also consider a scaling limit, in which the problem tends to that with two Dirac $$\delta $$
δ
’s. In this limit the global Casimir energy diverges, but we obtain its asymptotic expansion, which turns out to be model dependent. On the other hand, outside singular supports of $$\delta $$
δ
’s the limit of energy density is a finite universal function (independent of the details of the nonsingular model before scaling). These facts confirm the conclusions obtained earlier for other systems within the approach adopted here: the form of the global Casimir force is usually dominated by the modification of the quantum state in the vicinity of macroscopic bodies.
Patterns of suicide mortality in England and Wales before and after the suicide of the actor Robin Williams
Authors: Pitman Alexandra , Fink David S. , Whitley Rob
Published: March 2021

Purpose

There is international evidence supporting an association between sensational reporting of suicide and a subsequent increase in local suicide rates, particularly where reporting the death of a celebrity. We aimed to explore whether the observed increase in suicides in the United States, Canada and Australia in the 5 months following the 2014 suicide of the popular actor Robin Williams was also observed in England and Wales.

Method

We used interrupted time-series analysis and a seasonal autoregressive integrated moving averages (SARIMA) model to estimate the expected number of suicides during the 5 months following Williams’ death using monthly suicide count data for England and Wales from the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) 2013–2014.

Results

Compared with the observed 2051 suicide deaths in all age groups from August to December 2014, we estimated that we would have expected 1949 suicides over the same period, representing no statistically significant excess.

Conclusions

This finding is an outlier among previous studies and contrasts with the approximately 10% increase in suicides found in similar analyses conducted in other high-income English-speaking countries with established media reporting guidelines.
Eventual domination for linear evolution equations
Authors: Glück Jochen , Mugnolo Delio
Published: March 2021

We consider two $$C_0$$

C
0

-semigroups on function spaces or, more generally, Banach lattices and give necessary and sufficient conditions for the orbits of the first semigroup to dominate the orbits of the second semigroup for large times. As an important special case we consider an $$L^2$$

L
2

-space and self-adjoint operators A and B which generate $$C_0$$

C
0

-semigroups; in this situation we give criteria for the existence of a time $$t_1 \ge 0$$

t
1

≥
0

such that $$e^{tB} \ge e^{tA}$$

e

tB

≥

e

tA

for all subsequent times $$t\ge t_1$$

t
≥

t
1

. As a consequence of our abstract theory, we obtain many surprising insights into the behaviour of various second and fourth order differential operators.
Bioenergetics of the common seastar Asterias rubens: a keystone predator and pest for European bivalve culture
Authors: Agüera Antonio , Saurel Camille , Møller Lene F. , Fitridge Isla , Petersen Jens K.
Published: March 2021

Losses due to predation are recognized as an important factor affecting shellfish stocks, restoration efforts and aquaculture production. Managing and mitigating the impact of predators require information on the population dynamics and functional responses to prey availability under varying environmental conditions.Asteriasspp. are well-known keystone predators with the capacity to exert a top down control on shellfish populations.Asteriasspp.populations are extremely plastic, booming fast when prey is abundant and exhibiting a remarkable individual resilience to starvation and adverse environmental conditions. These aspects have ledAsteriasspp.to be considered pests by shellfish producers and fishers and to be catalogued among the most devastating invasive species. Assessment and mitigation of the impact ofAsterias rubensin northern Europe have been the objective of several projects. However, there is still a limited understanding of the processes behindA. rubenspopulation plasticity and how environmental conditions affect individual growth and predation. Under these circumstances a comprehensive eco-physiological model becomes necessary. These models can integrate available information on biology and eco-physiology to gain understanding of the effect of the environmental conditions on the impact ofA. rubens.

In this work, we performed a number of eco-physiological experiments and combined them with field data from a Danish estuary to estimate and validate the parameters of a dynamic energy budget (DEB) model for the whole life cycle ofA. rubens. DEB models can be used to assess the effects of environmental variability on the life cycle and key population traits allowing the prediction of the performance, abundance, resource requirements and potential distribution of individuals and populations under dynamic environments. As such the DEB model presented in this study aims to become a tool to be used to assess and manage the impact ofA. rubensin cultured and natural shellfish populations. The successfully parameterised DEB model describesA. rubensas a plastic species, an efficient predator with low maintenance costs and, at least while feeding on mussels, a high energy yield from its prey. The model validation against independent data resulted in the model being capable to assess growth, food demand, reproductive output and reserves dynamics ofA. rubensunder experimental and natural conditions. Moreover, application of the model to the Limfjorden seastar fishery is used to further discuss the use of the model to understand biology and ecology of this pest species in the context with the management of shellfish stocks and impact mitigation.
A prospective single-center study on CNI-free GVHD prophylaxis with everolimus plus mycophenolate mofetil in allogeneic HCT
Authors: Schäfer Henning , Blümel-Lehmann Jacqueline , Ihorst Gabriele , Bertz Hartmut , Wäsch Ralph , Zeiser Robert , Finke Jürgen , Marks Reinhard
Published: March 2021

We report a single-center phase I/II trial exploring the combination of everolimus (EVE) and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) as calcineurin inhibitor (CNI)-free GVHD prophylaxis for 24 patients with hematologic malignancies and indication for allogeneic HCT after a high dose or reduced-intensity ablative conditioning. The study was registered as EudraCT-2007-001892-12 and Clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00856505. All patients received PBSC grafts and no graft failure occurred. 7/24 patients (29%) developed acute grades III and IV GVHD (aGVHD), 16/19 evaluable patients (84%) developed chronic GVHD (cGVHD) of all grades, and 6/19 (31.6%) of higher grades. No severe toxicities related to study medication were observed. The median follow-up of all surviving patients is 2177 days. The 3-year OS was 45.2% (95% CI: 27.4–61.4%), and the 3-year PFS was 38.7% (95% CI: 22.0–55.1%). The cumulative incidence of relapse at 1 year and 3 year was 25% (95% CI: 12.5–50.0%), and 33.3% (95% CI: 18.9–58.7%), the cumulative incidence of NRM at 1 year and 3 years was 20.8% (95%CI: 9.6–45.5%), and 29.2% (95%CI: 15.6–54.4%), respectively. The utilization of CNI-free GVHD prophylaxis with EVE+MMF resulted in high rates of acute and chronic GVHD. Therefore, we do not recommend a CNI-free combination of mTOR inhibitor EVE with MMF as the sole GVHD prophylaxis. In subsequent studies, this combination should be modified, e.g., with further components like post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy) or anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG).
Adjuvant chemotherapy in stage II and III colon cancer: the role of the “budding and TILs-(tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes) combination” as tumor-host antagonists
Authors: Lang-Schwarz Corinna , Melcher Balint , Dregelies Theresa , Norouzzadeh Zahra , Rund-Küffner Stefanie , Lang-Schwarz Klaus , Vieth Michael , Sterlacci William
Published: March 2021

Purpose

To analyze the influence of adjuvant chemotherapy on the combination of tumor budding and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in stage II and III colon cancer and to elucidate its potential value for adjuvant treatment decisions.

Methods

306 patients with stage II and 205 patients with stage III colon cancer diagnosed between 2005 and 2016 who had undergone surgery in a curative setting were enrolled. Budding and TILs were assessed according to the criteria of the International Tumor Budding Consensus Conference (ITBCC) and the criteria of the International TILs Working Group (ITWG). Combinations of budding and TILs were analyzed, and the influence of adjuvant chemotherapy was assessed.

Results

In stage II colon cancer, stratification into the four budding/TILs groups showed no significant differences in overall survival (OS) between the chemotherapy and the surgery-alone group, not even in cases with high-risk features. In stage III colon cancer, patients with low budding/high TILs benefited significantly from chemotherapy (p=0.005). Patients with high budding/low TILs as well as high budding/high TILs showed a trend to benefit from adjuvant treatment. However, no chemotherapy benefit was seen for the low budding/low TIL group.

Conclusions

The budding/TIL combination identified subgroups in stage II and III colon cancer with and without benefit from adjuvant treatment. The results this study suggest that the combination of budding and TILs as tumor-host antagonists might be an additional helpful tool in adjuvant treatment decisions in stage II and III colon cancer.
Einflussfaktoren auf die Mortalität bei Patienten mit hüftgelenknahen Frakturen an einem regionalen Traumazentrum
Authors: Darwich Ali , Assaf Elio , Klein Roman , Gravius Sascha , Wölfl Christoph G. , Jawhar Ahmed
Published: March 2021

Hintergrund

Krankenhäuser der Grund- und Regelversorgung bzw. regionale Traumazentren spielen eine essenzielle Rolle in der Versorgung hüftgelenknaher Frakturen.

Ziel

Die vorliegende Arbeit untersucht den Zusammenhang zwischen patientenbezogenen Parametern und der Klinikmortalität sowie dem Auftreten von Komplikationen bei solchen Frakturen an einem regionalen Traumazentrum.

Methoden

Im Rahmen einer retrospektiven Studie wurden die Daten von allen Patienten, die über 2 Jahre an einem regionalen Traumazentrum mit einer hüftgelenknahen Fraktur aufgenommen wurden, erfasst. Eingeschlossen wurden nur Patienten älter als 60 Jahre. Die patientenbezogenen Parameter umfassten Alter, Geschlecht, Frakturlokalisation, Methode der operativen Versorgung, Operationszeitpunkt, Dauer der Operation und des stationären Aufenthalts, Bluttransfusion, Komplikationen, Komorbiditäten, Einnahme von Antikoagulanzien und Notwendigkeit einer postoperativen intensivmedizinischen Behandlung. Der Zusammenhang zwischen diesen Parametern und der Klinikmortalität sowie dem Auftreten von Komplikationen wurde untersucht.

Ergebnisse

Daten von 360 Patienten mit 335 Operationen (w:m 225:110) mit einem Alter von 83 ±8 Jahren wurden erfasst. Die Klinikmortalität lag bei 7,76 % (n = 26) und erhöhte sich bei Alter > 85 Jahren (Odds Ratio [OR] 5,126; 95%-Konfidenzintervall [95 %-KI] 0,665–39,498; p = 0,1167), männlichem Geschlecht (OR 1,85 95%-KI [0,82–4,14]; p = 0,0555), Zeitpunkt der Operation > 24 h (OR 1,896 95%-KI [0,661–5,441]; p = 0,2341), ≥ 3 Vorerkrankungen (OR 10,61 95%-KI [3,681–27,501]; p < 0,0001), Einnahme von Antikoagulanzien (OR 6,19 95%-KI [2,69–14,24]; p < 0,0001) und notwendiger postoperativer intensivmedizinischer Behandlung (OR 5,9 95%-KI [2,56–13,76]; p < 0,0001).

Schlussfolgerung

In der vorliegenden Studie fanden sich statistisch signifikante Einflüsse der Anzahl der Komorbiditäten, der Einnahme von Antikoagulanzien sowie der intensivmedizinischen Behandlung auf die Klinikmortalität bei Patienten mit hüftgelenknahen Frakturen an einem regionalen Traumazentrum.