bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dehiscence and fenestration of Class I individuals with normality patterns in the anterior region: a CBCT study
Authors: Sun Liangyan , Mu Chuangchuang , Chen Li , Zhao Bingjiao , Pan Jie , Liu Yuehua
Published: March 2022

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of alveolar bone dehiscence and fenestration of Class I individuals with normality patterns in the anterior region using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT).

Materials and methods

A total of 4715 retrospective cases from January 2018 to December 2020 in the Orthodontic Department of Shanghai Stomatological Hospital were screened. Sixty-one cases were Class I individuals with normality patterns in the anterior region. Their incidence of dehiscence and fenestration in the anterior teeth region was studied and statistically analyzed.

Results

Dehiscence was found in 27.46% of the evaluated anterior teeth and fenestration was found in 26.91% of anterior teeth. Severe dehiscences and fenestrations mainly occurred in mandibular canines and maxillary canines, respectively. Alveolar bone defects were present in 100% of patients, while one patient had alveolar bone defects in 91.67% of the anterior teeth.

Conclusions

Dehiscence was found in 27.46% of the anterior teeth of Class I individuals with normality patterns, while fenestration was found in 26.91% of them. Alveolar bone defects were present in 100% of patients.

Clinical relevance

Alveolar bone dehiscence and fenestration were normal and common in our sample, indicating that they are more likely to be physiological rather than pathological defects. Orthodontists should be aware of the presence and severity of these defects before treatment in order to avoid both possible complications and overtreatment.
The Source of Power Matters: Positional Power as a Better Predictor of Sexual Interest Perceptions than Dispositional Power Among Men within a Military Context
Authors: Goh Pei Hwa , Stoeckli Peter Lucas , Schoebi Dominik , Annen Hubert
Published: March 2022

The current research examined the roles of positional power induced by one’s hierarchical position in an organization and dispositional power (i.e., one’s general feeling of power) in the perception of sexual interest in a military context. In two vignette-based experiments with men who were military members, positional power induced by military rank led to heightened sexual perceptions. Men estimated higher sexual interest from their interaction partner when interacting with a hypothetical woman of a lower military rank, compared to a woman of equal (Experiment 1;N = 144) or higher military rank (Experiment 2;N = 232). Being in a relatively higher rank induces feelings of power over the interaction partner and thus results in a higher perception of sexual interest. Furthermore, Experiment 2 revealed that positional power better predicted heightened perceived sexual interest than dispositional power.
On cross-lingual retrieval with multilingual text encoders
Authors: Litschko Robert , Vulić Ivan , Ponzetto Simone Paolo , Glavaš Goran
Published: March 2022

Pretrained multilingual text encoders based on neural transformer architectures, such as multilingual BERT (mBERT) and XLM, have recently become a default paradigm for cross-lingual transfer of natural language processing models, rendering cross-lingual word embedding spaces (CLWEs) effectively obsolete. In this work we present a systematic empirical study focused on the suitability of the state-of-the-art multilingual encoders for cross-lingual document and sentence retrieval tasks across a number of diverse language pairs. We first treat these models as multilingual text encoders and benchmark their performance in unsupervised ad-hoc sentence- and document-level CLIR. In contrast to supervised language understanding, our results indicate that for unsupervised document-level CLIR—a setup with no relevance judgments for IR-specific fine-tuning—pretrained multilingual encoders on average fail to significantly outperform earlier models based on CLWEs. For sentence-level retrieval, we do obtain state-of-the-art performance: the peak scores, however, are met by multilingual encoders that have been further specialized, in a supervised fashion, for sentence understanding tasks, rather than using their vanilla ‘off-the-shelf’ variants. Following these results, we introduce localized relevance matching for document-level CLIR, where we independently score a query against document sections. In the second part, we evaluate multilingual encoders fine-tuned in a supervised fashion (i.e., we learn to rank) on English relevance data in a series of zero-shot language and domain transfer CLIR experiments. Our results show that, despite the supervision, and due to the domain and language shift, supervised re-ranking rarely improves the performance of multilingual transformers as unsupervised base rankers. Finally, only with in-domain contrastive fine-tuning (i.e., same domain, only language transfer), we manage to improve the ranking quality. We uncover substantial empirical differences between cross-lingual retrieval results and results of (zero-shot) cross-lingual transfer for monolingual retrieval in target languages, which point to “monolingual overfitting” of retrieval models trained on monolingual (English) data, even if they are based on multilingual transformers.
The upcoming rise of SMEs in cross-border public procurement: is it a matter of networking capabilities?
Authors: Fayos Teresa , Calderón Haydeé , García-García Juan Manuel , Derqui Belén
Published: March 2022

The participation of SMEs in public procurement is a recurring theme in recent academic literature. However, little attention has been paid to its influence in cross-border procurement. To participate in this market, SMEs must overcome barriers that make the task difficult and minimise their chances of winning contracts. Within this context, dynamic capabilities in general, and networking ones in particular, are crucial to overcome barriers and boost performance. This article presents an abductive qualitative research study of multiple cases using CAQDAS to analyse which networking capabilities prepare SMEs for cross-border public procurement processes. The results show not only how these capabilities have enabled SMEs to perform well in this environment but also which barriers have helped them to overcome each phase of the procurement process. The article also provides recommendations for both SMEs that decide to enter this market and the administrations that wish to support them.
Truncated geometry on the circle
Authors: Hekkelman E.
Published: March 2022

In this letter, we prove that the pure state space on the$$n \times n$$n×ncomplex Toeplitz matrices converges in the Gromov–Hausdorff sense to the state space on$$C(S^1)$$C(S1)asngrows to infinity, if we equip these sets with the metrics defined by the Connes distance formula for their respective natural Dirac operators. A direct consequence of this fact is that the set of measures on$$S^1$$S1with density functions$$c \prod _{j=1}^n (1-\cos (t-\theta _j))$$c∏j=1n(1-cos(t-θj))is dense in the set of all positive Borel measures on$$S^1$$S1in the weak$$^*$$∗topology.
Are credit screening contracts designed for men?
Authors: Comeig Irene , Jaramillo-Gutiérrez Ainhoa , Ramírez Federico
Published: March 2022

Access to credit is key to succeed in business. Theoretical models of credit under asymmetric information classify borrowers and grant or deny credit, typically based on incentive-compatible contracts with collateral. However, if women are particularly risk averse, female borrowers may be wrongly classified and denied credit. We conduct in three countries a laboratory experiment to study this systematic gender difference. Results show that incentive-compatible contracts with collateral fail to disclose women’s private information, while disclosing men’s private information. We suggest that banks should incorporate the gender difference in risk attitudes to avoid the glass ceiling in women’s access to credit.
Robotic versus hand-assisted laparoscopic living donor nephrectomy: comparison of two minimally invasive techniques in kidney transplantation
Authors: Windisch Olivier Laurent , Matter Maurice , Pascual Manuel , Sun Pamela , Benamran Daniel , Bühler Leo , Iselin Christophe Emmanuel
Published: March 2022

Robot-assisted donor nephrectomy (RDN) is increasingly used due to its advantages such as its precision and reduced learning curve when compared to laparoscopic techniques. Concerns remain among surgeons regarding possible longer warm ischemia time. This study aimed to compare patients undergoing robotic living donor nephrectomy to the more frequently used hand-assisted laparoscopic nephrectomy (HLDN) technique, focusing on warm ischemia time, total operative time, learning curve, hospital length of stay, donor renal function and post-operative complications. Retrospective study comparing RDN to HLDN in a collaborative transplant network. 176 patients were included, 72 in RDN and 104 in HLDN. Left-sided nephrectomy was favored in RDN (82% vs 52%,p < 0.01). Operative time was longer in RDN (287 vs 160 min;p < 0.01), while warm ischemia time was similar (221 vs 213 secs,p = 0.446). The hospital stay was shorter in RDN (3.9 vs 5.7 days,p < 0.01).Concerning renal function, a slightpersistent increase of 7% of the creatinine ratio was observed in the RDN compared to the HLDN group (1.56 vs 1.44 at 1-month checkup,p < 0.01). The results show that RDN appears safe and efficient in comparison to the gold-standard HLDN technique. Warm ischemia time was similar for both techniques, whereas RDN operative time was longer. Patients undergoing RDN had a shorter hospital stay, this being possibly mitigated by differences in center release criteria. Donor renal function needs to be assessed on a longer-term basis for both techniques.
The Critical Role of Spreading Depolarizations in Early Brain Injury: Consensus and Contention
Authors: Andrew R. David , Hartings Jed A. , Ayata Cenk , Brennan K. C. , Dawson-Scully Ken D. , Farkas Eszter , Herreras Oscar , Kirov Sergei. A. , Müller Michael , Ollen-Bittle Nikita , Reiffurth Clemens , Revah Omer , Robertson R. Meldrum , Shuttleworth C. William , Ullah Ghanim , Dreier Jens P.
Published: March 2022

Background

When a patient arrives in the emergency department following a stroke, a traumatic brain injury, or sudden cardiac arrest, there is no therapeutic drug available to help protect their jeopardized neurons. One crucial reason is that we have not identified the molecular mechanisms leading to electrical failure, neuronal swelling, and blood vessel constriction in newly injured gray matter. All three result from a process termed spreading depolarization (SD). Because we only partially understand SD, we lack molecular targets and biomarkers to help neurons survive after losing their blood flow and then undergoing recurrent SD.

Methods

In this review, we introduce SD as a single or recurring event, generated in gray matter following lost blood flow, which compromises the Na+/K+pump. Electrical recovery from each SD event requires so much energy that neurons often die over minutes and hours following initial injury, independent of extracellular glutamate.

Results

We discuss how SD has been investigated with various pitfalls in numerous experimental preparations, how overtaxing the Na+/K+ATPase elicits SD. Elevated K+or glutamate are unlikely natural activators of SD. We then turn to the properties of SD itself, focusing on its initiation and propagation as well as on computer modeling.

Conclusions

Finally, we summarize points of consensus and contention among the authors as well as where SD research may be heading. In an accompanying review, we critique the role of the glutamate excitotoxicity theory, how it has shaped SD research, and its questionable importance to the study of early brain injury as compared with SD theory.
A sustainable sourcing competence model for purchasing and supply management professionals
Authors: Schulze Heike , Bals Lydia , Warwick Jon
Published: March 2022

In order to implement sustainability standards in practice, capabilities are needed at the organizational level as well as at the individual level. The presented sustainable purchasing and supply management (SPSM) competence model is based on the combination of a systematic literature review (SLR) and a Delphi study. The competence model outlines specific SPSM competences which are divided into functional-oriented, cognition-oriented, social-oriented and meta-oriented competence clusters. We also discuss their applicability during typical purchasing and supply management processes. Each of the 26 competences is presented with a short definition as well as exemplary behaviors. For research on SPSM from an organizational point of view, the analysis of the relevance of competences with regard to purchasing process stages offers a conceptual basis for bringing sustainability into overall PSM models, instead of positioning sustainability as an ‘add-on’ activity, which risks the potential of sustainability issues becoming marginalized. The resulting SPSM competence model can serve as a basis for improving teaching and training in both higher education and professional training contexts. In practice, it can also serve to aid the selection of new employees, evaluate employee performance, create development plans or build HR systems.
A localization and deployment model for wireless sensor networks using arithmetic optimization algorithm
Authors: Bhat Soumya J , K V Santhosh
Published: March 2022

With the advancement of sensor technologies, Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) are envisioning a rich variety of promising services in many fields. WSN is formed by the deployment of sensor nodes in the regions of interest using a deterministic or random deployment strategy. The random deployment strategy is more suitable in large monitoring areas and harsh environments. But, in this type of deployment, coverage holes and disconnected networks can exist. Important events may get unnoticed reducing the reliability of the networks. Since the locations of nodes are unknown in a randomly deployed WSN, it is difficult to locate the holes. For this, we are proposing a localization and deployment model. The localization algorithm uses Arithmetic Optimization Algorithm (AOA) and the results of this algorithm are further used to develop a deployment model to achieve a completely connected network. This algorithm is tested in various fields. The algorithm is able to localize nodes accurately and identify the coverage holes with an error rate of less than 0.27% when the Average Localization Error (ALE) is within 5m.
Childbearing among Polish migrant women and their descendants in Sweden: an origin-destination country approach
Authors: Lindström Jonathan , Mussino Eleonora , Oláh Livia Sz.
Published: March 2022

This paper examines the childbearing behaviour of Polish migrant women and their descendants in Sweden. Also considering stayers in the country of origin, we rely on a country-of-origin and country-of-destination approach in a careful examination regarding the relevance of three hypotheses on migrant fertility: the socialisation, selection, and adaptation hypotheses. We analyse the transitions to first and second births based on a piecewise exponential model, using Swedish register data and the Polish Generations and Gender Survey (GGS) first wave. The results support the socialisation hypothesis, as the Polish stayers and the first-generation Polish migrants have their first child at younger ages and are less likely to remain childless than the other groups but are also more likely to not proceed to a second child, unlike the Swedish natives and the second generation. We find partial support for the selection hypothesis. Descriptively, we observe signs of selection into migration based on education, cohort, and marital status. Additionally, our study shows that the impact of marriage varies between stayers and migrants, in the first-birth transition, suggesting selection into migration when it comes to unobserved characteristics as well. The adaptation hypothesis is also supported, as the fertility behaviour of the second generation more closely resembles that of the Swedish natives than that of the first generation and differs more from that of the Polish stayers in terms of both quantum and timing of the first and second births.
Zircon Xenocrysts from the Shaka Ridge Record Ancient Continental Crust: New U-Pb Geochronological and Oxygen Isotopic Data
Authors: Skublov Sergey G. , Rumyantseva Natalia A. , Li Qiuli , Vanshtein Boris G. , Rezvukhin Dmitriy I. , Li Xianhua
Published: March 2022

Over the past two decades, a significant number of discoveries of ancient zircon xenocrysts in ocean-floor magmatic rocks have been reported. These findings provide compelling evidence for the presence of ancient continental crust within young oceanic lithosphere. Almost all finds of ancient zircon xenocrysts within oceanic crust are from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. For other localities, however, similar data are very limited. This report presents the first age determinations (U-Pb, SHRIMP-II) and isotope-geochemical data (oxygen, trace and rare earth elements) for zircon xenocrysts from gabbro-diorites of the Shaka Ridge, in the vicinity of the Shaka fracture zone, near the western end of the Southwest Indian Ridge. The work is based on a study of bottom rock material dredged during expeditionary research on the R/V “Akademik Fedorov” (Russia) in 2016. The U-Pb isotope system of the zircon xenocrysts recorded a crystallization age of ∼2.8 Ga at an upper discordia intercept and an age of ∼600 Ma interpreted as the timing of a superimposed thermal event at a lower discordia intercept. The zircon xenocrysts show geochemical signatures of magmatic origin, i.e., fractionated REE distribution spectra with an increase in chondrite-normalized values from light to heavy REE, positive Ce anomalies and negative Eu anomalies, and high Th/U ratios (0.59–7.77). In discrimination diagrams based on a series of inter-element relationships, zircon compositions fall into the fields of zircons from rocks of continental crust, mostly granitoids. The Li content of the zircons is high (1.8 ppm–50 ppm), adding further evidence to their derivation from rocks of continental crust. During their residence within young oceanic crust, the zircon xenocrysts experienced alterations under the influence of submarine high-temperature hydrothermal fluids, which selectively affected the distribution of trace elements in the zircons and reduced the δ18O values to 1.75‰–3.15‰. The presence of obviously older zircons in Shaka gabbro-diorites clearly demonstrates the presence of ancient continental fragments and their recycling into the mantle at the western end of the Southwest Indian Ridge.
The benefits of Q + PPGIS for coupled human-natural systems research: A systematic review
Authors: Johnson Malcolm S. , Adams Vanessa M. , Byrne Jason , Harris Rebecca M. B.
Published: March 2022

Managing complex problems in socio-ecological systems (SES) requires innovative approaches, which account for multiple scales, large datasets, and diverse lived experiences. By combining two commonly utilized mixed-methods, public participation GIS (PPGIS) and Q-method (Q), Q + PPGIS has the potential to reveal competing agendas and reduce conflict, but its benefits and weaknesses are comparatively understudied. Using a systematic review, we evaluated how different studies have employed and implemented the Q + PPGIS method. We found 16 studies, comprising 30 publications, with considerable variation in their geographic foci, research disciplines, and addressed SES challenges. These studies exhibit a lack of cohesion between methodological design and implementation and the absence of a consistent application of the method. Nonetheless, Q + PPGIS offers a tool that can guide policy, better inform stakeholders, and reduce conflict based on misconceptions. Resolving the shortcomings identified here will broaden Q + PPGIS utility in geographically situating and representing multiple realities within complex socio-ecological systems challenges.
Image recognition using convolutional neural networks for classification of honey bee subspecies
Authors: De Nart Dario , Costa Cecilia , Di Prisco Gennaro , Carpana Emanuele
Published: March 2022

Four models based on convolutional neural networks were used to investigate whether image recognition techniques applied to honey bee wings could be used to discriminate among honey bee subspecies. A dataset consisting of 9887 wing images belonging to 7 subspecies and one hybrid was analysed with ResNet 50, MobileNet V2, Inception Net V3, and Inception ResNet V2. Accuracy values of classification of individual wings were over 0.92, and all models outperformed traditional morphometric evaluation. The Inception models achieved the highest accuracies and higher scores of precision and recall for most classes. When wing images were grouped by colony, almost all wings in the colony samples were labelled with the same class. We conclude that automatic image recognition and machine learning applied to honey bee wings can reliably discriminate among the European subspecies and could thus represent a useful tool for fast classification of honey bee subspecies for breeding and conservation aims.
A Competency-Guided Approach to Optimizing a Physician-Scientist Curriculum
Authors: Estrada Lourdes , Williams Megan A. , Williams Christopher S.
Published: March 2022

Physician-scientists are uniquely positioned to achieve significant biomedical advances to improve the human condition. Their clinical and scientific training allows them to bridge fields and contribute to cutting-edge, clinically relevant research. The need for a highly skilled physician-scientist workforce has never been more acute. We propose a competency-guided program design (CGPD) framework that focuses on core skills to enhance the physician-scientist training curriculum. In partnership with clinical and graduate curricula, the CGPD framework can be employed as a tool to meaningfully integrate physician-scientist training, address barriers to attract and sustain the physician-scientist workforce, and avoid overprogramming that detracts from a solid foundation of clinical and graduate research training.
Market-Induced Fiscal Discipline in Europe
Authors: Cafiso Gianluca , Cellini Roberto
Published: March 2022

We discuss and test market-induced fiscal discipline, with an emphasis on the conditions that determine its emergence. The analysis is based on the effect of the public-debt interest bill on key budget variables in the European Union over the 1995–2019 period. We focus on conditions regarding threshold effects, institutional characteristics and the government’s political orientation. We assess also whether fiscal discipline, which we detect on average, emerges constantly over the entire period. Overall, a positive robust effect from interest payments to the primary budget emerges, such an effect materializes mainly through expenditure containment and it results to depend significantly on some of the conditions tested.
Zinc Vaporization and Self-reduction Behavior of Industrial Waste Residues for Recycling to the HIsarna Furnace
Authors: Kerry Timothy , Peters Alexander , Georgakopoulos Evangelos , Dugulan Iulian , Meijer Koen , Hage Johannes , Offerman Erik , Yang Yongxiang
Published: March 2022

Within the steelmaking industry, a large amount of zinc-bearing waste is produced which cannot be effectively treated through integrated steel mills. Concurrently, zinc smelters generate waste residues containing significant amounts of iron and zinc which are stored or landfilled. The zinc concentration of iron and steelmaking residues inhibits its recycling to the blast furnace but is insufficient to be sent directly to the zinc producers. Consequently, a means of up-concentration is required. The pilot HIsarna ironmaking furnace has shown potential for processing secondary iron-bearing resources. Furthermore, zinc can be concentrated in the off-gas flue dust, providing an enriched input for zinc smelters. The potential recyclability of blast furnace (BF) and basic oxygen furnace (BOF) dust and ‘goethite’ residue from the zinc industry has been studied. The input materials have been comprehensively characterized and their reduction–vaporization behavior, has been investigated. Individual samples were tested at temperatures of up to 1300 °C. Here, it was shown that minimal reduction of iron and volatilization of zinc occurred in the goethite and BOF samples. Conversely, even at 1000 °C, the BF dust showed complete reduction of iron and removal of zinc within 30 min. This was due to its high carbon content (40 wt%) which can act as a reductant. Consequently, mixtures of BOF dust and goethite with BF dust were studied. It has been shown that mixtures of 30:70 BF dust to goethite and 20:80 BF dust to BOF dust are suitable for recovering zinc to the gas phase and fully reducing the contained iron.

Graphical Abstract
Moderators of reputation effects in peer-to-peer online markets: a meta-analytic model selection approach
Authors: Jiao Ruohuang , Przepiorka Wojtek , Buskens Vincent
Published: March 2022

The effect of seller reputation on seller success in peer-to-peer online markets has been investigated in dozens of studies by means of the analysis of digital trace data. A recent meta-analysis synthesizing evidence from over a hundred studies corroborates that sellers with a better reputation sell more products at higher prices. However, the meta-analysis also shows that these reputation effects exhibit excess variation that cannot be attributed to sampling error. Moreover, there is still little consensus on how the size of a reputation effect should be interpreted and what might cause its variation. Here we use a meta-analytic model selection approach and multi-model inference on two subsets of 406 coefficient estimates to identify potential moderators of reputation effects. We identify contextual, product-related, and method-related moderators. Our results show that, among others, geographical region, product condition, sample size, and type of regression model have a bearing on the size of the reputation effect. The moderating effect of the geographical region suggests that reputation effects are substantially larger in the Chinese context than in the European or US contexts. The moderating effect of product condition—estimates based on new products are larger than estimates based on used products—is unexpected and worthwhile investigating further. The moderating effects of sample size and model type could be related to study quality. We do not find evidence for publication bias as a potential explanation for the effects of method-related moderators.
The Normative Power of the GDPR: A Case Study of Data Protection Laws of South Asian Countries
Authors: Bentotahewa Vibhushinie , Hewage Chaminda , Williams Jason
Published: March 2022

The increased dependency on technology brings national security to the forefront of concerns of the 21st century. It creates many challenges to developing and developed nations in their effort to counter cyber threats and adds to the inherent risk factors associated with technology. The failure to securely protect data would potentially give rise to far-reaching catastrophic consequences. Therefore, it is crucially important to have national, regional, and global data protection policies and regulations to penalise those engaged in unethical use of technology and abuse the system vulnerabilities of technology. This research paper aims to analyse GDPR inspired Bills in the South Asian Region and to identify their appropriateness for developing a global level data protection mechanism, given that Asian nations are far more diverse than those of the European nations. Against that background, the objectives of this paper are to identify GDPR inspired Bills in the South Asian Region, identify the similarities and disparities, and the barriers to developing a regional level data protection mechanism, thereby fulfilling the need for developing a global level mechanism. This research is qualitative in nature, and with that in mind, the researcher conducted an extensive literature survey of previous research papers, journal articles, previous survey reports and government publications on the above content. Taking account of the findings of the survey, the researcher critically analysed the important parameters identified in the literature review. The key findings of this research indicate that many countries in the South Asian region are in the process of reviewing their current data protection mechanisms, in line with GDPR. In concluding, the researcher emphasised the need to develop adequate data protection mechanisms and believed that going forward it would be the appropriate and practical way to develop a consensus-based regional mechanism that would ultimately enable to develop a lasting global level data protection mechanism.
A Review of the Associations Between Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and Possible Mechanisms of Disease
Authors: Tong Xingyi , Yang Linzhu , Jiang Chengyan , Weng Zhiying , Zu Anju , Hou Yunjiao , Fang Yan , Yang Weimin , Sun Shibo
Published: March 2022

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) usually leads to the occurrence of diabetes. Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common gestational complication associated with adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. Increasing studies suggest that women with OSA during pregnancy may be at a significantly greater risk of developing GDM. It is crucial to explore the association between OSA and GDM and the mechanisms underlying this association. In this review, we presented a comprehensive literature review of the following: the association between OSA and GDM, the possible mechanisms of this association, and the effects of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on OSA with GDM. The results showed that most authors suggested that there was an association between OSA and GDM. The intermittent hypoxemia (IH) and reduction of slow-wave sleep (SWS) may be the key to this association. IH induces the products of oxidative stress and inflammation as well as dysregulation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal, which lead to diabetes. In addition, SWS reduction in OSA enhances the inflammation by increasing the inflammatory cytokines, increases the sympathetic activation, and causes changes in leptin level, which result in the development of GDM. Additionally, whether CPAP is beneficial to GDM remains still unclear.
Adolescent cannabis users who have never smoked a combustible cigarette: trends and level of addictive drug use from 1976 to 2020
Authors: Miech Richard A.
Published: March 2022

Background

Adolescents cannabis users are at a substantially elevated risk for use of highly addictive drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and nonmedical use of prescription drugs. Unknown is whether this elevated risk applies to adolescent cannabis users who have never smoked a combustible cigarette, a group that has grown considerably in size in recent years. This study documents the recent growth in the proportion of adolescent cannabis users who abstain from combustible cigarette use, and examines their probability for use of addictive drugs.

Methods

Data are annual, cross-sectional, nationally-representative Monitoring the Future surveys of 607,932 U.S. 12th grade students from 1976 to 2020.

Results

Among ever cannabis users, the percentage who had never smoked a combustible cigarette grew from 11% in 2000 to 58% in 2020. This group had levels of addictive drug use that were 8% higher than their peers. In comparison, adolescents who had ever used cannabis—regardless of whether they had ever smoked a cigarette—had levels of addictive drug use 500% higher than their peers.

Conclusions

Adolescent cannabis users who have not smoked a combustible cigarette have much lower levels of addictive drug use than the group of cannabis users as a whole. These results suggest policies and laws aimed at reducing adolescent prevalence of addictive drugs may do better to focus on cigarette use of adolescent cannabis users rather than cannabis use per se.
Unpacking the COVID-19 rescue and recovery spending: an assessment of implications on greenhouse gas emissions towards 2030 for key emitters
Authors: Hans Frederic , Woollands Santiago , Nascimento Leonardo , Höhne Niklas , Kuramochi Takeshi
Published: March 2022

This paper analyses how fiscal stimulus spending in response to the COVID-19 pandemic supports the low-carbon transition. We developed a new framework to categorise rescue and recovery spending measures according to their level of greenness and their type of expected impact on greenhouse gas emissions. This framework allows to better capture how measures’ emission impacts may unfold over time and to identify the share of fiscal spending missing robust conditions or incentives to be considered low carbon. We assess nearly 2500 measures announced by 26 emitters as of May 2021, representing around 67% of global GHG emissions excluding land use in 2019. Our findings show that the largest share (35%) of spending with potential GHG emission implications went to measures that cannot be explicitly coded as high-carbon or low-carbon but substantiate current business-as-usual practice (‘supporting the status quo’). Our assessment reveals the different magnitudes to which the emitters have missed the opportunity for a green recovery. Low-carbon spending is sizeable (22%) across countries. However, almost two-thirds will likely rather unfold its impact over time. This fiscal spending may trigger emissions reductions through enabling or catalytic causal effects over time but will not necessarily lead to direct emission reduction impacts before 2030.
Fertility, electricity and television: is there a link? Evidence from Pakistan, 1990–2018
Authors: Tasciotti Luca , Sulehria Farooq , Wagner Natascha
Published: March 2022

In 1960s Pakistan, every woman was giving birth to more than 6 children on average. In 2021, Pakistan still has the second-highest fertility rate in South Asia with every woman giving birth to 3.4 children on average. This paper uses four waves of Demographic and Health Survey data to empirically analyze trends in fertility in Pakistan between 1990 and 2018; accounting for wealth, education and locational differences, this paper looks at three additional pathways for reducing fertility: (i) electrification, (ii) access to TV and (iii) family planning commercials broadcast on television. Results show that electricity does not reduce fertility whereas access to television has a significant effect in reducing fertility rates. The content and evolution of Pakistani soap-operas are also discussed, and it is argued that the role models, the types of households and the messages conveyed by these soap-operas may represent strong pathways for the fertility decline.
Tribes and Smugglers in Iran's Eastern Borderlands, 1921–41
Authors: Koyagi Mikiya
Published: March 2022

Based primarily on British consular reports, this article studies transborder movement in Iran's eastern borderlands during the two decades following the rise of Reza Khan in 1921. It discusses two kinds of transborder movements: tribal exodus and smuggling. By examining the contexts of these transborder movements, this article explores the desire of the new state to assert sovereignty as it appeared in the borderlands and demonstrates that, rather than simply closing the borders, the Pahlavi state attempted to control the flows of people and goods, with dual effects. It introduced new constraints to mobility and as well fostered the development of borderland networks that enabled diffused transborder movement, making it harder for the authorities to control.
The role of soy and soy isoflavones on women's fertility and related outcomes: an update
Authors: Rizzo Gianluca , Feraco Alessandra , Storz Maximilian Andreas , Lombardo Mauro
Published: March 2022

Soy is a key food in human nutrition. It is widely used in eastern traditional cuisine and it has recently diffused among self-conscious and vegetarian diets. The success of soy mainly depends on versatility and supposed healthy properties of soy foods and soy components. Meanwhile, the possible influence on endocrine system, in particular by isoflavones, raised concerns among some researchers. The present paper aims to conduct a review of available data on the effect of soy, soy foods and soy components on women's fertility and related outcomes. Eleven interventional studies, eleven observational studies and one meta-analysis have been selected from the results of queries. A weak, not clinically relevant effect has been highlighted on cycle length and hormonal status. However, a suggestive positive influence has been shown among women with fertility issues and during assisted reproductive technologies. Overall, soy and soy components consumption do not seem to perturb healthy women's fertility and can have a favourable effect among subjects seeking pregnancy. However, because of the paucity of studies exploring the impact of soy intake on women's fertility, as well as the limited population sample size, the frequently incomplete specimens’ collection to investigate all cycle phases and the insufficient characterisation of participants, the evidence is suggestive and it needs further in-depth research taking into account all these aspects.
Simulating ice-shelf extent using damage mechanics
Authors: Kachuck Samuel B. , Whitcomb Morgan , Bassis Jeremy N. , Martin Daniel F. , Price Stephen F.
Published: March 2022

Inaccurate representations of iceberg calving from ice shelves are a large source of uncertainty in mass-loss projections from the Antarctic ice sheet. Here, we address this limitation by implementing and testing a continuum damage-mechanics model in a continental scale ice-sheet model. The damage-mechanics formulation, based on a linear stability analysis and subsequent long-wavelength approximation of crevasses that evolve in a viscous medium, links damage evolution to climate forcing and the large-scale stresses within an ice shelf. We incorporate this model into the BISICLES ice-sheet model and test it by applying it to idealized (1) ice tongues, for which we present analytical solutions and (2) buttressed ice-shelf geometries. Our simulations show that the model reproduces the large disparity in lengths of ice shelves with geometries and melt rates broadly similar to those of four Antarctic ice shelves: Erebus Glacier Tongue (length ~ 13 km), the unembayed portion of Drygalski Ice Tongue (~ 65 km), the Amery Ice Shelf (~ 350 km) and the Ross Ice Shelf (~ 500 km). These results demonstrate that our simple continuum model holds promise for constraining realistic ice-shelf extents in large-scale ice-sheet models in a computationally tractable manner.
Biostratigraphic ages and depositional environments of the upper Oligocene to lower Miocene Veldhoven Formation in the central Roer Valley Rift System (SE Netherlands-NE Belgium)
Authors: Munsterman Dirk K. , Deckers Jef
Published: March 2022

Discussions on the age and the depositional environments of the Veldhoven Formation and its members are persistent in Belgium and the Netherlands. Uncertainties on stratigraphy and the constructive process of sediment accumulation continue today as a result of lack of data on this succession within the Roer Valley Rift System. The present study provides new information on the bio- and lithostratigraphy and facies from two boreholes based on dinoflagellate cyst taxa. The results were correlated by gamma-ray logs towards other key boreholes in the region and show a good consistency for stratigraphy and depositional environments for the members of the Veldhoven Formation.

After marginal to restricted marine conditions in the latest Rupelian (early Oligocene), the start of deposition of the Veldhoven Formation marked the transition towards a higher sea level, expressed by increased glauconite contents and gamma-ray values. The Voort Member in the lower part of the Veldhoven Formation has an early to late Chattian (Late Oligocene) age and comprises predominantly shallow marine (fluctuating restricted to open marine) conditions. The lithology in the lower part of this unit is often very clayey but is coarsening upward into sands. The superjacent Wintelre Member has a latest Chattian to early Aquitanian (early Miocene) age. This member is distinct by its clayey nature which is expressed by relatively high gamma-ray values. Earlier studies suggest a deeper marine facies for the Wintelre Member compared to the Someren and Voort members. However, the dinoflagellate cyst assemblages in this unit are mostly dominated by a single genus indicating a restricted marine setting, including salinities that deviate from normal marine conditions, most probably due to minor ventilation by narrow or lack of connection to the Atlantic Ocean. A glacio-eustatic sea-level fall around the Oligocene/Miocene boundary limited the sea coverage to the strongest subsiding areas, where deposition of the Wintelre Member is recorded, while non-deposition or erosion occurred in the surrounding highs, hence creating an isolated (sub)basin. The superjacent Someren Member was deposited during the late Aquitanian to middle Burdigalian and consists of shallow to open marine clayey fine sands. Increasing clay contents indicate a gradual development towards a higher sea level, which coincide with upward increasing gamma-ray values.

The biostratigraphic results of this study suggest that no major hiatuses are present in the differentially subsiding blocks of the Roer Valley Rift System during the late Oligocene to early Miocene.
Terrorism activates ethnocentrism to explain greater willingness to sacrifice civil liberties: evidence from Germany
Authors: Hansen Christina Novak , Dinesen Peter Thisted
Published: March 2022

Research from the United States has shown that the 9/11 terrorist attacks activated individuals’ ethnocentric predispositions to structure public opinion toward several political and social issues. Beyond this overall finding, several aspects of the activation hypothesis remain unexplored, including its geographical and substantive scope. Using the quasi-random timing of terrorist attacks during the collection of the 2016 GGSS, we demonstrate the terrorism-induced activation of ethnocentrism in Germany. Specifically, a cascade of terrorist attacks involving immigrants in the summer of 2016 activated ethnocentrism among native Germans to predict (lower) support for civil liberties relative to security concerns after its influence had been absent just a month before. Further, we show that the activation of ethnocentrism holds up in a series of robustness checks and is not explained by alternative factors, including other predispositions.
The associations of soya intakes with non-communicable diseases: a scoping review of meta-analyses
Authors: Yip Cynthia Sau Chun , Yip Yuk Cheung , Chan Wendy
Published: March 2022

This scoping review aimed to identify published meta-analyses of the associations of dietary soya intakes with cardiovascular, cancer and diabetes II diseases and the best relative risk estimates. A published novel assessment process combining the well-validated Cochrane Review measures, the AMSTAR 2 checklist and a published algorithm specifically designed for conducting a scoping review of similar meta-analyses was employed. This scoping review identified and evaluated twenty-eight meta-analysis reports, published between 2000 and 2021, on the associations of soya intakes with cardiovascular, cancer and diabetes II diseases. It identified eighteen significantly negatively associated risk–disease pairs for total soya intakes, four significantly negatively associated risk–disease pairs for unfermented soya intakes and four significantly negatively associated risk–disease pairs for fermented soya intakes when compared high against low intakes. The largest significant risk decrease found was gastric cancer mortalities with relative risk (RR) 0·49 (95 % CI: 0·35, 0·68); followed by colorectal cancer mortalities RR 0·59 (95 % CI: 0·41, 0·84); ovarian cancer RR 0·52 (95 % CI: 0·42, 0·66) and endocrine-related gynaecological cancer RR 0·61 (95 % CI: 0·53, 0·72). The fermented soya intake and gastric cancer risk–disease pair were identified to be significantly positively associated, RR 1·22 (95 % CI: 1·02, 1·44) when compared high against low intakes. Four significantly negatively associated risk–disease dose–responses were also identified. Being the products with lower greenhouse gas emission intensities, soya products could be the better dietary alternatives to animal products for reducing cardiovascular, cancer and diabetes II diseases and helping combat climate change.
CURSE TABLETS: THE HISTORY OF A TECHNOLOGY
Authors: Woolf Greg
Published: March 2022

This article sets out to reconsider the history of curse tablets in the ancient Mediterranean world as the history of a technology, one marked by episodes of innovation and appropriation. Attempts to write a history in terms of diffusion or of the spread of classical ideas or of magic have failed to convince, and most recent studies focus on the particularities of specific tablets or groups of tablets. This article argues that, if human and object agency are taken into account, it is possible to explain both the discontinuities in the history of curse tablets and also the shape of their thousand-year history. Curse tablets emerge as a technology the affordances of which allowed it to be put to many uses in many different social locations formed by the complex and shifting cultural contours of antiquity.
Layers of Indigenous Citizenship: Colonial, Republican and Plurinational Rights in Bolivia
Authors: Iamamoto Sue A. S.
Published: March 2022

This article explores the complexity of Indigenous citizenship in contemporary Bolivia through the analysis of a land dispute involving the Indigenous people of Coroma and a neighbouring Indigenous group. The Coromeños understand their rights as stemming from the colonial, republican and plurinational periods: their citizenship is thus described as ‘time-layered’. This study highlights the importance of the image of the state for practices of Indigenous citizenship in Bolivia, in contrast with an understanding based solely on rights of self-government. Furthermore, by comprehending these layers as social memories, the article underlines the importance of conceiving of citizenship as rooted in historical experiences and reproduced by practices of collective memory.
The nature and frequency of relative clauses in the language children hear and the language children read: A developmental cross-corpus analysis of English complex grammar
Authors: HSIAO Yaling , DAWSON Nicola J. , BANERJI Nilanjana , NATION Kate
Published: March 2022

As written language contains more complex syntax than spoken language, exposure to written language provides opportunities for children to experience language input different from everyday speech. We investigated the distribution and nature of relative clauses in three large developmental corpora: one of child-directed speech (targeted at pre-schoolers) and two of text written for children – namely, picture books targeted at pre-schoolers for shared reading and children’s own reading books. Relative clauses were more common in both types of book language. Within text, relative clause usage increased with intended age, and was more frequent in nonfiction than fiction. The types of relative clause structures in text co-occurred with specific lexical properties, such as noun animacy and pronoun use. Book language provides unique access to grammar not easily encountered in speech. This has implications for the distributional lexical-syntactic features and associated discourse functions that children experience and, from this, consequences for language development.