bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Modeled interactions of mountain pine beetle and wildland fire under future climate and management scenarios for three western US landscapes
Authors: Keane Robert E. , Bentz Barbara , Holsinger Lisa M. , Saab Victoria A. , Loehman Rachel
Published: July 2022

Background

Mountain pine beetle (MPB) is a native disturbance agent across most pine forests in the western US. Climate changes will directly and indirectly impact frequencies and severities of MPB outbreaks, which can then alter fuel characteristics and wildland fire dynamics via changes in stand structure and composition. To investigate the importance of MPB to past and future landscape dynamics, we used the mechanistic, spatially explicit ecosystem process model FireBGCv2 to quantify interactions among climate, MPB, wildfire, fire suppression, and fuel management under historical and projected future climates for three western US landscapes. We compared simulated FireBGCv2 output from three MPB modules (none, simple empirical, and complex mechanistic) using three focus variables and six exploratory variables to evaluate the importance of MPB to landscape dynamics.

Results

We found that inclusion of MPB (empirical or mechanistic) in the simulations significantly changed past and future landscape dynamics and that the mechanistic MPB module had more cross-scale interactions that increased variability, and perhaps realism, of simulation results. We also evaluated impacts of fire and fuel management on MPB dynamics and found that fire suppression influenced fuel loadings more than MPB disturbance, but at a landscape scale, most fuel treatment programs did little to change fuel loadings, MPB dynamics, and burned area, except under high fire suppression.

Conclusions

Synergistic interactions of climate, MPB, and wildfire catalyzed landscape-scale changes in vegetation distributions, fuels, and fire regimes in FireBGCv2 simulations. Models that simulate climate change on pine-dominated landscapes may be improved by including mechanistic MPB simulations to account for potentially important ecological interactions.
COVID-19 outcomes in hospitalized Parkinson’s disease patients in two pandemic waves in 2020: a nationwide cross-sectional study from Germany
Authors: Scherbaum Raphael , Bartig Dirk , Richter Daniel , Kwon Eun Hae , Muhlack Siegfried , Gold Ralf , Krogias Christos , Tönges Lars
Published: July 2022

Background

The individualized clinical and public health management of the COVID-19 pandemic have changed over time, including care of people with PD. The objective was to investigate whether in-hospital COVID-19 outcomes and hospital care utilization of people with PD differed between the first two pandemic waves (W) 2020 in Germany.

Methods

We conducted a nationwide cross-sectional study of inpatients with confirmed COVID-19 and PD between March 1 and May 31 (W1), and October 1 and December 31 (W2), 2020 and 2019, using an administrative database. Outcomes were in-hospital mortality, ICU admission rate, change in hospital care utilization, demographical data, PD clinical characteristics, and selected comorbidities. Differences were assessed between waves, PD/non-PD groups, and years.

Results

We identified 2600 PD COVID-19 inpatients in W2 who in total showed higher in-hospital mortality rates and lower ICU admission rates, compared to both W1 (n = 775) and W1/W2 non-PD COVID-19 inpatients (n = 144,355). Compared to W1, W2 inpatients were more long-term care-dependent, older, more of female sex, and had less advanced disease. During both waves, PD inpatients were older, more frequently male and long-term care-dependent, and showed more risk comorbidities than non-PD COVID-19 inpatients. Decreases in hospital care utilization were stronger than average for PD inpatients but relatively weaker during W2. Non-COVID-19 PD inpatients showed poorer in-hospital outcomes in 2020 than in 2019 with better outcomes during W2.

Conclusions

In-hospital COVID-19 outcomes and hospital care utilization of PD patients in Germany differed between the two pandemic waves in 2020 with increased in-hospital mortality for PD COVID-19. Overall hospital care utilization for PD was increased during W2.

Trial registration

No trial registration or ethical approval was required because data were publicly available, anonymized, and complied with the German data protection regulations.
An increase in the number of peroxisomes is coupled to the initial infection stage and stress response of Botrytis cinerea
Authors: Han Hongjia , Niu Xuejing , Liang Wenxing , Liu Mengjie
Published: July 2022

Peroxisomes are very important organelles in eukaryotic cells and participate in various biological processes, including pathogen–host interactions. A variety of proteins involved in peroxisome proliferation and metabolic activity within peroxisomes have been shown to be essential for full virulence of several phytopathogenic fungi. However, the effects of changes in the number of peroxisomes and proteins involved in the peroxisome pathway on the pathogenicity of Botrytis cinerea have rarely been reported. In this study, by analysing transcriptome data and RT-qPCR validation, we found that more than half of the genes annotated to the peroxisome pathway in B. cinerea were upregulated more than twofold between mycelial samples cultured in medium with tomato leaves and without tomato leaves. A strain of B. cinerea with fluorescently labelled peroxisomes was obtained by overexpression of GFP fused to peroxisomal targeting signal 1 (the tripeptide ‘SKL’). The addition of tomato leaves to the liquid medium induced a significant increase in the number of peroxisomes, β-oxidation level, H2O2 content, and acetyl-CoA level in B. cinerea mycelia. When B. cinerea was cultured with oleic acid as the sole carbon source, the formation of infection-related structures and their penetration into plant cells were found to be associated with peroxisome pathway activity. Furthermore, peroxisome proliferation and lipid metabolism increased in response to different extracellular stresses in B. cinerea. Taken together, our results confirmed that activation of the peroxisome pathway in B. cinerea contributes to the initial infection and the ability to cope with environmental stress.
Clozapine treatment and risk of COVID-19
Authors: Osimo Emanuele F. , Lewis Jonathan , Cardinal Rudolf N. , Khandaker Golam M.
Published: July 2022

The antipsychotic clozapine is known to have immune-modulating effects. Clozapine treatment has been reported to be associated with increased risk of COVID-19 infection. However, it remains unclear whether this is because of increased testing of this patient group, who are closely monitored. We linked anonymised health records from mental health services in Cambridgeshire (UK), for patients taking antipsychotic medication, with data from the local COVID-19 testing hub. Patients receiving clozapine were more likely to be tested for COVID-19, but not to test positive. Increased testing in patients receiving clozapine suggests prudent judgement by clinicians, considering the overall health vulnerabilities of this group.
FramingThe Wealth of Nations
Authors: Tribe Keith
Published: July 2022

When The Wealth of Nations was published in 1776, this was recognized as another work by the author of The Theory of Moral Sentiments, a work that Smith extended and revised through six editions until the year he died, in 1790. Smith had in 1776 refrained from elaborating arguments that he had already made in 1759, and this was likely well understood by his contemporaries. But by the later 1790s The Theory of Moral Sentiments was no longer so widely read and was becoming regarded as dated in its approach. Smith had located the nature and causes of the wealth of nations in human attributes and prudent policy; detached from the context provided by The Theory of Moral Sentiments, The Wealth of Nations was now treated as a repository of economic principles that required criticism and correction. It was quickly converted into the founding text of a new political economy, exemplified by the French translation by Garnier (1802), Jean-Baptiste Say's Traité (1803), and of course David Ricardo's Principles (1817). Political economists of the early nineteenth century disregarded most of those features of The Wealth of Nations that have since the later 1970s been reemphasized by new scholarship; that the Glasgow edition began publication for the 1976 bicentenary of The Wealth of Nations was at the time thought only fitting for a writer then treated as the property of economists. But by comparing Ricardo's Principles with Smith's Wealth of Nations we can better understand that this foreshortened appreciation of Adam Smith's work has a longer history than usually thought.
Lrig1- and Wnt-dependent niches dictate segregation of resident immune cells and melanocytes in murine tail epidermis
Authors: Baess Susanne C. , Burkhart Ann-Kathrin , Cappello Sabrina , Graband Annika , Seré Kristin , Zenke Martin , Niemann Catherin , Iden Sandra
Published: July 2022

The barrier-forming, self-renewing mammalian epidermis comprises keratinocytes, pigment-producing melanocytes and resident immune cells as first-line host defense. In murine tail skin, interfollicular epidermis patterns into pigmented ‘scale’ and hypopigmented ‘interscale’ epidermis. Why and how mature melanocytes accumulate in scale epidermis is unresolved. Here, we delineate a cellular hierarchy among epidermal cell types that determines skin patterning. Already during postnatal development, melanocytes co-segregate with newly forming scale compartments. Intriguingly, this process coincides with partitioning of both Langerhans cells and dendritic epidermal T cells to interscale epidermis, suggesting functional segregation of pigmentation and immune surveillance. Analysis of non-pigmented mice and of mice lacking melanocytes or resident immune cells revealed that immunocyte patterning is melanocyte and melanin independent and, vice versa, immune cells do not control melanocyte localization. Instead, genetically enforced progressive scale fusion upon Lrig1 deletion showed that melanocytes and immune cells dynamically follow epithelial scale:interscale patterns. Importantly, disrupting Wnt-Lef1 function in keratinocytes caused melanocyte mislocalization to interscale epidermis, implicating canonical Wnt signaling in organizing the pigmentation pattern. Together, this work uncovers cellular and molecular principles underlying the compartmentalization of tissue functions in skin.
Foxl2 is required for the initiation of the female pathway in a temperature-dependent sex determination system in Trachemys scripta
Authors: Ma Xiaohui , Liu Fang , Chen Qiran , Sun Wei , Shen Jiadong , Wu Kaiyue , Zheng Ziyan , Huang Jiaqi , Chen Jiawen , Qian Guoying , Ge Chutian
Published: July 2022

KDM6B-mediated epigenetic modification of the testicular regulator Dmrt1 has previously been identified as the primary switch of the male pathway in a temperature-dependent sex-determination (TSD) system; however, the molecular network of the female pathway has not yet been established. Here, we have functionally characterized for the first time an upstream regulator of the female pathway, the forkhead transcription factor FOXL2, in Trachemys scripta, a turtle species with a TSD system. FOXL2 exhibited temperature-dependent female-specific expression patterns before the onset of gonadal differentiation and was preferentially localized in ovarian somatic cells. Foxl2 responded rapidly to temperature shifts and estrogen. Importantly, forced expression of Foxl2 at the male-producing temperature led to male-to-female sex reversal, as evidenced by the formation of an ovary-like structure, and upregulation of the ovarian regulators Cyp19a1 and R-spondin1. Additionally, knockdown of Foxl2 caused masculinization at the female-producing temperature, which was confirmed by loss of the female phenotype, development of seminiferous tubules, and elevated expression of Dmrt1 and Sox9. Collectively, we demonstrate that Foxl2 expression is necessary and sufficient to drive ovarian determination in T. scripta, suggesting a crucial role of Foxl2 in female sex determination in the TSD system.
Cerebral malaria – modelling interactions at the blood–brain barrier in vitro
Authors: Adams Yvonne , Jensen Anja Ramstedt
Published: July 2022

The blood–brain barrier (BBB) is a continuous endothelial barrier that is supported by pericytes and astrocytes and regulates the passage of solutes between the bloodstream and the brain. This structure is called the neurovascular unit and serves to protect the brain from blood-borne disease-causing agents and other risk factors. In the past decade, great strides have been made to investigate the neurovascular unit for delivery of chemotherapeutics and for understanding how pathogens can circumvent the barrier, leading to severe and, at times, fatal complications. One such complication is cerebral malaria, in which Plasmodium falciparum-infected red blood cells disrupt the barrier function of the BBB, causing severe brain swelling. Multiple in vitro models of the BBB are available to investigate the mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of cerebral malaria and other diseases. These range from single-cell monolayer cultures to multicellular BBB organoids and highly complex cerebral organoids. Here, we review the technologies available in malaria research to investigate the interaction between P. falciparum-infected red blood cells and the BBB, and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each model.
Active exploration of an environment drives the activation of the hippocampus–amygdala complex of domestic chicks
Authors: Morandi-Raikova Anastasia , Mayer Uwe
Published: July 2022

In birds, like in mammals, the hippocampus critically mediates spatial navigation through the formation of a spatial map. This study investigates the impact of active exploration of an environment on the hippocampus of young domestic chicks. Chicks that were free to actively explore the environment exhibited a significantly higher neural activation (measured by c-Fos expression) compared with those that passively observed the same environment from a restricted area. The difference was limited to the anterior and the dorsolateral parts of the intermediate hippocampus. Furthermore, the nucleus taeniae of the amygdala showed a higher c-Fos expression in the active exploration group than in the passive observation group. In both brain regions, brain activation was correlated with the number of locations that chicks visited during the test. This suggests that the increase of c-Fos expression in the hippocampus is related to increased firing rates of spatially coding neurons. Furthermore, our study indicates a functional linkage of the hippocampus and nucleus taeniae of the amygdala in processing spatial information. Overall, with the present study, we confirm that in birds, like in mammals, hippocampus and amygdala functions are linked and likely related to spatial representations.
Association of dissection features and primary collateral circulation with ischemic stroke in patients with spontaneous internal carotid artery dissection: evaluated using vessel wall-MRI and MRA
Authors: Shrestha Srijana , Bao Han , Gu Heyi , Gao Chao , Zeng Yizhen , Xie Kaipeng , Shi Yixin , Zhao Lei , He Bo , Zhao Wei , Tang Zhiwei , Li Zongfang
Published: July 2022

Objective:

To study the ischemic stroke risk factors in spontaneous internal carotid artery dissection (ICAD) patients via analyzing the dissection features and primary collateral circulation using vessel wall-MRI and magnetic resonance angiography.

Methods:

ICAD patients who had undergone VW-MRI were included in this study. A total of 36 patients were included and divided into ICAD stroke (N = 23) and non-stroke (N = 13) group. Dissection imaging features [intramural hematoma (IMH), length of IMH, intimal flap, double lumen, intraluminal thrombus, degree of stenosis] and primary collateral status were analyzed. The primary collateral score (0–4) was evaluated based on presence of anterior communicating and ipsilateral anterior cerebral artery A1 segment (0–2) and ipsilateral posterior communicating artery (0–2).

Results:

There were no significant differences in dissection imaging features such as presence of double lumen, intimal flap, IMH, length of IMH and intraluminal thrombus between the two groups. Degree of stenosis and primary collateral score showed significant differences between the two groups.

Conclusion:

Both the poor primary collateral circulation and severe stenosis may play an important role in occurrence of ischemic stroke for spontaneous ICAD patients and good primary collateral circulation can help to reduce the incidence of infarction.

Advances in knowledge:

ICAD is one of the major causes of ischemic stroke. Early evaluation of the status of the Circle of Willis in ICAD patients by MRI may help to make treatment strategies and improve clinical outcome.
Εικαστική έκφραση και επικοινωνία στις ζωγραφιές των παιδιών προσχολικής και πρωτοσχολικής εκπαίδευσης
Authors: Τσέβης Επαμεινώνδας
Published: July 2022

Η παιδική ζωγραφιά προβάλλει τον εσωτερικό κόσμο του παιδιού. Μέσα από τα παιδικά έργα μπορούμε να σκιαγραφήσουμε διάφορες πτυχές του ψυχικού κόσμου των παιδιών. Η παιδική ζωγραφική λειτουργεί ως μέσο έκφρασης και επικοινωνίας, χρησιμοποιεί την γλώσσα των εικόνων ανα¬λογικά προς την γλώσσα των λέξεων. Όπως στην γλώσσα της λεκτικής επικοινωνίας χρησιμοποιούνται λέξεις και φθόγγοι, έτσι και στην εικαστική γλώσσα περιλαμβάνονται μορφικά στοιχεία έκφρασης, τα οποία προσφέρονται για αποκωδικοποίηση και ανάγνωση. Στο θεωρητικό μέρος της παρούσας διατριβής, μέσα από την ανάπτυξη συγκεκριμένων κεφαλαίων, παρουσιάζεται εκτενώς η σχέση της εικαστικής έκφρασης των παιδιών προσχολικής και πρωτοσχολικής ηλικίας με την επικοινωνία μέσω της ζωγραφικής. Η παρούσα διατριβή ερευνά εάν μέσα από την παιδική ζωγραφική υπάρχει δυνατότητα έκφρασης συναισθημάτων, τα οποία πηγάζουν από τις οικογενειακές ή φιλικές σχέσεις των παιδιών και πώς οι καθημερινές βιωματικές εμπειρίες τους αποτυπώνονται εικαστικά σε μια αυθόρμητη και ενστικτώδη προσπάθεια επικοινωνίας. Η έρευνα προσπαθεί να συλλέξει μια σειρά στοιχείων τα οποία εκφράζουν φυσιολογικές-αρμονικές ή προβληματικές σχέσεις. Επίσης, από την ερμηνεία των δεδομένων της έρευνας, γίνονται εμφανή ορισμένα βιογραφικά στοιχεία της καθημερινότητας των παιδιών, τα οποία προβάλλονται μέσα από την παιδική ζωγραφική, στοιχεία τα οποία σκιαγραφούν τις συναισθηματικές, αντιληπτικές και νοητικές τους εμπειρίες. Στο πλαίσιο της διδακτορικής έρευνας δόθηκε σε κάθε παιδί που συμμετείχε σε αυτήν ένα κομμάτι χαρτί και του ζητήθηκε μέσω της νηπιαγωγού ή του δασκάλου να δημιουργήσει μια ζωγραφιά με θέμα: «Σε ποιόν μου αρέσει να λέω καλημέρα το πρωί». Το περιεχόμενο του ιχνογραφήματος που προκύπτει από την ζωγραφική πράξη εστιάζεται στα άτομα της καθημερινής συναναστροφής των παιδιών, δηλαδή στην πυρηνική ή την ευρύτερη οικογένεια και στο φιλικό ή σχολικό περιβάλλον. Η ποιότητα των σχέσεων αυτών αποτυπώνεται πρώτα στον ψυχικό του κόσμο και εκφράζεται στη συνέχεια στο ζωγραφικό έργο.Η έρευνα διεξήχθη σε Νηπιαγωγεία και Δημοτικά Σχολεία της Ρόδου κατά τα σχολικά έτη 2020-2021. Με την ολοκλήρωση της ζωγραφιάς ρωτήθηκαν τα παιδιά, «ποιόν εικονίζει το κάθε πρόσωπο στο ζωγραφικό τους έργο» και καταγράφηκαν πληροφορίες για το παιδί και το περιβάλλον του. Στο πλαίσιο της έρευνας δεν έγινε προσπάθεια προσέγγισης θεμάτων που άπτονται της αισθητικής αγωγής ή της γνωστικής ικανότητας των μικρών παιδιών. Το ενδιαφέρον της έρευνας εστιάστηκε στην δυνατότητα έκφρασης και επικοινωνίας των παιδιών προσχολικής και πρωτοσχολικής ηλικίας, μέσα από τα ζωγραφικά τους έργα.Η έρευνα στοχεύει στην ευαισθητοποίηση των Παιδαγωγών και στην ενίσχυση του παιδαγωγικού τους έργου και παράλληλα φιλοδοξεί να βοηθήσει τους γονείς να συνειδητοποιήσουν βαθύτερα τον δύσκολο και αναντικατάστατο παιδαγωγικό τους ρόλο. Ο ρόλος αυτός είναι ύψιστης σπουδαιότητας για την ομαλή ψυχοκοινωνική εξέλιξη του παιδιού τους.
Απόψεις και στάσεις της τοπικής αυτοδιοίκησης για τον ρόλο του αστικού πρασίνου και για τις δυνατότητες αξιοποίησής του σε περιβαλλοντικές και κοινωνικές δράσεις
Authors: Σακαλή Ελένη
Published: July 2022

Η αξιοποίηση του αστικού πρασίνου από την Τοπική Αυτοδιοίκηση αποτελεί ταυτόχρονα μέτρο περιβαλλοντικής πολιτικής αλλά και μέσο για τη βελτίωση της ποιότητας ζωής των ανθρώπων. Οι Οργανισμοί Τοπικής Αυτοδιοίκησης, με τον κατάλληλο στρατηγικό σχεδιασμό, έχουν τη δυνατότητα να προωθήσουν δράσεις αστικής γεωργίας, σε χώρους αστικού πρασίνου, με περιβαλλοντικό και κοινωνικό χαρακτήρα. Σημαντικός είναι ο ρόλος της τοπικής αυτοδιοίκησης στην ενεργοποίηση και ευαισθητοποίηση της τοπικής κοινωνίας, μέσω συμμετοχικών διαδικασιών που θα συμβάλλουν στην εποικοδομητική αλληλεπίδραση του ατόμου με το περιβάλλον. Σκοπός της έρευνας είναι η διερεύνηση του πλαισίου δυνατοτήτων αξιοποίησης του αστικού πρασίνου σε δράσεις αστικής γεωργίας και η σύνδεσή του με την ανθρώπινη ψυχοσύνθεση και την ενδυνάμωση των κοινωνικών δεσμών. Η διερεύνηση αντιλήψεων και στάσεων των υπαλλήλων του Δήμου Θεσσαλονίκης, των μελών των αστικών λαχανόκηπων των δήμων Θεσσαλονίκης και Νεάπολης - Συκεών, και των χρηστών χώρων πρασίνου - κατοίκων του πολεοδομικού συγκροτήματος Θεσσαλονίκης, αποτελούν επιμέρους στόχους που θα συνεισφέρουν στην ολοκληρωμένη προσέγγιση του θέματος. Η έρευνα πραγματοποιήθηκε με τη χρήση δομημένων ερωτηματολογίων στις τρεις εστιασμένες ομάδες. Για τη στατιστική επεξεργασία πραγματοποιήθηκε μια σειρά από αναλύσεις με τη χρήση του στατιστικού πακέτου SPSS. Από την έρευνα προέκυψε ότι τα προσδοκώμενα οφέλη στην ανθρώπινη ψυχοσύνθεση αλλά και στον τομέα των κοινωνικών δεσμών επιβεβαιώνουν τον πολυλειτουργικό χαρακτήρα του αστικού πρασίνου και της αστικής γεωργίας αλλά και τονίζουν την ανάγκη δέσμευσης της Τοπικής Αυτοδιοίκησης σε ένα ουσιαστικό διάλογο με τους πολίτες. Αυτό θα βοηθήσει καθοριστικά στην προώθηση συμμετοχικών διαδικασιών προς όφελος της τοπικής κοινωνίας και δράσεων περιβαλλοντικής ενημέρωσης και ευαισθητοποίησης. Η αξιολόγηση των αποτελεσμάτων της παρούσας διατριβής αναδεικνύει τον ρόλο της Τοπικής Αυτοδιοίκησης στην ολιστική προσέγγιση της αξιοποίησης του αστικού πρασίνου και μπορεί να αποτελέσει τη βάση για χάραξη πολιτικών και μελλοντική αξιοποίηση στον σχεδιασμό μέτρων και δράσεων.
Case Report: Open biopsy and drainage for breast abscess caused by cholesterol granuloma is beneficial rather than breast core biopsy
Authors: Halim Freda , Hanafi Ricarhdo Valentino , Wahjoepramono Eka Julianta
Published: July 2022

Cholesterol granuloma is a rare non-infectious disease. Currently, there are no established guidelines, leaving the clinician to decide the best practice for each patient. A 43-year-old woman presented to the Surgery Clinic at Siloam General Hospital, Tangerang, Banten, Indonesia, with the primary complaint of a painful mass located in her left breast over the previous week before being admitted to the hospital. The mass was found abruptly and was accompanied by severe pain and fever. On inspection, peau d’orange, nipple retraction, tenderness, and warmth of the skin were observed. Ultrasonography suggested a malignant mass. The primary diagnosis was breast cancer, with a secondary differential diagnosis of breast abscess. An open biopsy was chosen because a breast abscess was the possible diagnosis. The biopsy results showed characteristics of cholesterol granuloma. Following the operation, the pain score was notably reduced as the operation showed a satisfactory result. The primary purpose of this case report was to illustrate a case of breast abscess caused by cholesterol granuloma, in which open excisional biopsy and drainage was superior for pain reduction and faster recovery.
Detecting, extracting, and mapping of inland surface water using Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager: A case study of Pune district, India
Authors: Kulkarni Rushikesh , Khare Kanchan , Khanum Humera
Published: July 2022

Background: Recent developments in optical satellite remote sensing have led to a new era in the detection of surface water with its changing dynamics. This study presents the creation of surface water inventory for a part of Pune district (an administrative area), in India using the Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) and a multi spectral water indices method.

Methods: A total of 13 Landsat 8 OLI cloud free images were analyzed for surface water detection. Modified Normalized Difference Water Index (MNDWI) spectral index method was employed to enhance the water pixels in the image. Water and non-water areas in the map were discriminated using the threshold slicing method with a trial and error approach. The accuracy analysis based on kappa coefficient and percentage of the correctly classified pixels was presented by comparing MNDWI maps with corresponding Joint Research Centre (JRC) Global Surface Water Explorer (GSWE) images. The changes in the surface area of eight freshwater reservoirs within the study area (Bhama Askhed, Bhatghar, Chaskaman, Khadakwasala, Mulashi, Panshet, Shivrata, and Varasgaon) for the year 2016 were analyzed and compared to GSWE time series water databases for accuracy assessment. The annual water occurrence map with percentage water occurrence on a yearly basis was also prepared.

Results: The kappa coefficient agreement between MNDWI images and GSWE images is in the range of 0.56 to 0.96 with an average agreement of 0.82 indicating a strong level of agreement.

Conclusions: MNDWI is easy to implement and is a sufficiently accurate method to separate water bodies from satellite images. The accuracy of the result depends on the clarity of image and selection of an optimum threshold method. The resulting accuracy and performance of the proposed algorithm will improve with implementation of automatic threshold selection methods and comparative studies for other spectral indices methods.
Dental education during the pandemic – cross-sectional lecturer-side evaluation for the use of digital teaching concepts
Authors: Nold Ephraim , Demeter Vivienne , Erdelt Kurt-Jürgen , Edelhoff Daniel , Liebermann Anja
Published: July 2022

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in significant restrictions on dental teaching. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the attitudes of faculty members towards digital teaching formats and the effort creating digital lectures. We hypothesized that on the lecturer side there is no difference between the various digital teaching concepts in terms of workload and effort and that there is no increase in workload and effort when switching to digital teaching concepts.

Methods: All German dental faculties were invited to the online survey by an anonymous voluntary questionnaire from January to April 2021. The questionnaire consisted of 27 questions that could be answered with a visual analog scale, free text answers, or with fixed answer options. Data was analyzed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and an exploratory data analysis (α=0.05).

Results: Before the pandemic, 24.8% of the participating lecturers were using digital teaching and 64.4% had no previous experience. After the outbreak of the pandemic 100% of the dental teaching was initially held online. More than 80% of the lecturers stated that they offer online lectures (86.1%), online seminars (81.2%), and/or online bedside teaching (33.7%). 88.1% see face-to-face teaching as the preferred teaching format. The lecturers also see the greatest opportunities for interaction in the area of analog teaching and significantly worse in synchronous and asynchronous digital teaching. In the course of the pandemic, respondents' attitudes towards online teaching improved in the median of 24.0 to a median of 50.0.

Conclusions: Faculty members have positively changed their attitudes towards online teaching formats over the course of the pandemic. Although they see the greatest learning success in conventional face-to-face teaching formats and the creation of digital lectures is associated with a higher effort, they want more online lessons in the future.
The effect of ingestion of red dragon fruit extract on levels of malondialdehyde and superoxide dismutase after strenuous exercise in rats (Rattus norvegicus)
Authors: Rusip Gusbakti , Ilyas Syafrudin , Lister I. Nyoman Ehrich , Ginting Chrismis N. , Mukti Indra
Published: July 2022

Background: Prolonged activation of skeletal muscles causes a decrease in the production of fatigue. Exercise with strenuous intensity causes an increase in Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS). An increase in free radicals causes oxidative stress resulting in damage to cell function to mitochondrial dysfunction, and fatigue. This study aimed to determine the antioxidant potential of red dragon fruit (RDF) to delay fatigue due to oxidative stress, which improves cell function in mitochondria.

Methods: 25 male rats (Rattus norvegicus) aged three months were divided into five groups: Group K1 was N.A. (No Activity) but drinking and eating; Group K2 performed strenuous exercise without RDF treatment; Groups 3, 4, and 5 (P1, P2 and P3, respectively) performed strenuous exercise and were treated with 75 mg kg-1.bw, 150 mg kg-1.bw, and 300 mg kg-1.bw of RDF extract, respectively. The exercise for the rats involved intense swimming for 20 minutes every day, four days a week for 31 days.  Malondialdehyde (MDA) was measured with the ELISA and histopathology for muscle soleus and lung tissue.

Results: Strenuous exercise followed by RDF extract ingestion was compared for fatigue in terms of duration and time; before (24.55±1.38 minute) and after (95.31±7.82 minute) and led to a significant difference of 39% (p<0.01). The study also compared MDA before and after RDF extract ingestion in the K2 vs. the P1 group (p<0.05). At the same time, P2 differed more significantly (p<0.01). This indicated a spread of free radicals and featured histopathological damage of muscle cells. However, ingestion of RDF extract leads to improvement of soleus muscle cells; thus, repairs cell function, delaying fatigue.

Conclusion: This study confirmed that strenuous exercise, which causes an increase in ROS, intensifies free radicals with RDF extract ingestion and declines oxidative stress, repairing cell function and delaying fatigue.
Local brain-state dependency of effective connectivity: a pilot TMS–EEG study
Authors: Granö Ida , Mutanen Tuomas P. , Tervo Aino , Nieminen Jaakko O. , Souza Victor H. , Fecchio Matteo , Rosanova Mario , Lioumis Pantelis , Ilmoniemi Risto J.
Published: July 2022

Background: Spontaneous cortical oscillations have been shown to modulate cortical responses to transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). However, whether these oscillations influence cortical effective connectivity is largely unknown. We conducted a pilot study to set the basis for addressing how spontaneous oscillations affect cortical effective connectivity measured through TMS-evoked potentials (TEPs).

Methods: We applied TMS to the left primary motor cortex and right pre-supplementary motor area of three subjects while recording EEG. We classified trials off-line into positive- and negative-phase classes according to the mu and beta rhythms. We calculated differences in the global mean-field amplitude (GMFA) and compared the cortical spreading of the TMS-evoked activity between the two classes.

Results: Phase affected the GMFA in four out of 12 datasets (3 subjects × 2 stimulation sites × 2 frequency bands). Two of the observed significant intervals were before 50 ms, two between 50 and 100 ms, and one after 100 ms post-stimulus. Source estimates showed complex spatial differences between the classes in the cortical spreading of the TMS-evoked activity.

Conclusions: TMS-evoked effective connectivity seems to depend on the phase of local cortical oscillations at the stimulated site. This work paves the way to design future closed-loop stimulation paradigms.
Non-Invasive measurement of the cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen using MRI in rodents
Authors: Wood Tobias C , Cash Diana , MacNicol Eilidh , Simmons Camilla , Kim Eugene , Lythgoe David J , Zelaya Fernando , Turkheimer Federico
Published: July 2022

Malfunctions of oxygen metabolism are suspected to play a key role in a number of neurological and psychiatric disorders, but this hypothesis cannot be properly investigated without an in-vivo non-invasive measurement of brain oxygen consumption. We present a new way to measure the Cerebral Metabolic Rate of Oxygen (CMRO2) by combining two existing magnetic resonance imaging techniques, namely arterial spin-labelling and oxygen extraction fraction mapping. This method was validated by imaging rats under different anaesthetic regimes and was strongly correlated to glucose consumption measured by autoradiography.
Performance evaluation of a multinational data platform for critical care in Asia
Authors:   Collaboration for Research, Implementation and Training in Critical Care - Asia Investigators, Pisani Luigi , Rashan Thalha , Shamal Maryam , Ghose Aniruddha , Kumar Tirupakuzhi Vijayaraghavan Bharath , Tripathy Swagata , Aryal Diptesh , Hashmi Madiha , Nor Basri , Lam Minh Yen , Dondorp Arjen M. , Haniffa Rashan , Beane Abi
Published: July 2022

Background: The value of medical registries strongly depends on the quality of the data collected. This must be objectively measured before large clinical databases can be promoted for observational research, quality improvement, and clinical trials. We aimed to evaluate the quality of a multinational intensive care unit (ICU) network of registries of critically ill patients established in seven Asian low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Methods: The Critical Care Asia federated registry platform enables ICUs to collect clinical, outcome and process data for aggregate and unit-level analysis. The evaluation used the standardised criteria of the Directory of Clinical Databases (DoCDat) and a framework for data quality assurance in medical registries. Six reviewers assessed structure, coverage, reliability and validity of the ICU registry data. Case mix and process measures on patient episodes from June to December 2020 were analysed.

Results: Data on 20,507 consecutive patient episodes from 97 ICUs in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan and Vietnam were included. The quality level achieved according to the ten prespecified DoCDat criteria was high (average score 3.4 out of 4) as was the structural and organizational performance -- comparable to ICU registries in high-income countries. Identified strengths were types of variables included, reliability of coding, data completeness and validation. Potential improvements included extension of national coverage, optimization of recruitment completeness validation in all centers and the use of interobserver reliability checks.

Conclusions: The Critical Care Asia platform evaluates well using standardised frameworks for data quality and equally to registries in resource-rich settings.
Participatory Visual Methods with caregivers of children with Congenital Zika Syndrome in Colombia: A case study
Authors: Reichenberger Veronika , Smythe Tracey , Hameed Shaffa , Rubiano Perea Luisa Consuelo , Shakespeare Tom , Penn-Kekana Loveday , Kuper Hannah
Published: July 2022

Background: This study explores the acceptability and feasibility of the use of two different Participatory Visual Methods (Participatory Video and Digital Storytelling) in gathering information on the experiences and perspectives of carers of children with Congenital Zika Syndrome within Colombia.

Methods: Participatory Video was used to assess the impact of the Juntos parent-support intervention in the lives of carers, and Digital Storytelling was used to explore the healthcare access for these children. In-depth interviews were conducted to probe participants on their views of these methods.

Results: One Participatory Video was produced and four Digital Stories. Of the initial eight caregivers who took part in the Participatory Video process, four completed both the Digital Storytelling process and an in-depth interview about their experiences.  The main factors shaping participants’ experiences related to the skills learned in making the videos, the feeling of collectiveness and the control over the processes.

Conclusion: Women with children with Congenital Zika Syndrome have reported feeling marginalised and misunderstood in daily life. This case study found that Participatory Visual Methods is acceptable and feasible. Moreover, these approaches can support groups in different aspects, such as providing a space to share their stories creatively, hear others in similar situations as them and increase the feeling of community.
On the Axiom of Canonicity
Authors: Pogonowski Jerzy
Published: July 2022

The axiom of canonicity was introduced by the famous Polish logician Roman Suszko in 1951 as an explication of Skolem's Paradox (without reference to the L\"{o}wenheim-Skolem theorem) and a precise representation of the axiom of restriction in set theory proposed much earlier by Abraham Fraenkel. We discuss the main features of Suszko's contribution and hint at its possible further applications.
Local Applications of Logics via Model-Theoretic Interpretations
Authors: Benito-Monsalvo Carlos
Published: July 2022

This paper analyses the notion of ‘interpretation’, which is often tied to the semantic approach to logic, where it is used when referring to truth-value assignments, for instance. There are, however, other uses of the notion that raise interesting problems. These are the cases in which interpreting a logic is closely related to its justification for a given application. The paper aims to present an understanding of interpretations that supports the model-theoretic characterization of validity to the detriment of the proof-theoretic one. This is done by making use of the hierarchy of ST-related logics. Finally, a localist conception of logic is defended as the natural view stemming from the model-theoretic approach.
Weakly Supervised Multi-output Regression via Correlated Gaussian Processes
Authors: Chung Seokhyun , Al Kontar Raed , Wu Zhenke
Published: July 2022

Multi-output regression seeks to borrow strength and leverage commonalities across different but related outputs in order to enhance learning and prediction accuracy. A fundamental assumption is that the output/group membership labels for all observations are known. This assumption is often violated in real applications. For instance, in healthcare data sets, sensitive attributes such as ethnicity are often missing or unreported. To this end, we introduce a weakly supervised multi-output model based on dependent Gaussian processes. Our approach is able to leverage data without complete group labels or possibly only prior belief on group memberships to enhance accuracy across all outputs. Through intensive simulations and case studies on insulin, testosterone and body fat data sets, we show that our model excels in multi-output settings with missing labels while being competitive in traditional fully labeled settings. We end by highlighting the possible use of our approach in fair inference and sequential decision making.

History: Irad Ben-Gal served as the senior editor for this article.

Funding: This research was supported in part by the National Science Foundation’s Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) Program [Award 1931950].

Data Ethics & Reproducibility Note: The code capsule is available on Code Ocean at https://codeocean.com/capsule/2590027/tree/v1 and at https://doi.org/10.1287/ijds.2022.0018 .
Who am I?
Authors: Demetriadi Nicola
Published: July 2022

How do I view myself in my role when working with children? As a profession, the early years sector has never faced such pressures. External factors impact on our professional identity, and now, more than ever before, how we are viewed by society, politicians and policy makers, matters.
Creating a warm and safe environment
Authors: Thorpe Sarah
Published: July 2022

Teaching internationally has many differences, the current situation in war-torn Ukraine has had it's effects, where refugees have flooded into neighbouring countries looking for safety. Sarah Thorpe, an early years practitioner, gives an insight into how her school has supported Ukrainian families entering Slovakia.
Evolving practice
Authors: Penfold Sophie
Published: July 2022

As we have now approached the final article of my emotional literacy series, the following article will pull together some of the key themes that have been discussed throughout the series. I will be revisiting some participants from my study to see, two years on, whether their opinions of the effects of the pandemic have changed and how the research has evolved now we have a better understanding.
Academic self-concept and efficacy
Authors: Murdoch Joe
Published: July 2022

Practitioners' academic identity is integral to developing high levels of competency, but challenges emerge when examining the identity of practitioners within the current early years context. What can leaders do to boost confidence and harness the power of positive academic self-concepts?
The language of music
Authors: Celinska Angelica
Published: July 2022

Music is a form of self-expression, and children in the early years are encouraged to express themselves in as many different ways as possible, however, musical development still doesn't seem to play an important enough role in practice. Abigail Leow introduced this in her student spotlight last month, and will build on this in her follow up articles, but for now, take some time to get to know her.
Welcoming SEND families to early years settings
Authors: Withers Caroline
Published: July 2022

For many children with SEND, early years education will represent the first critical steps to independence outside the home. It is crucial that this experience is positive and inclusive, and a child is offered a nurturing environment where their needs are addressed.
Women’s History Month Special Article: Interview with“Professor Ozlem Kilic”
Authors: Noghanian Sima
Published: July 2022

The month of March is Women’s History Month. We all have heard and know that only a small percentage of electrical engineers are female. This percentage is even smaller for those that are experts in the field of applied computational electromagnetics. In this article, we are focusing on Dr. Ozlem Kilic, one of the well-known and established intellectuals in the field of computational electromagnetics. Dr. Kilic not only has been a role model for young students as an excellent researcher, a technical leader, and a prolific writer in this field, but also she has extensive experience in teaching and has taken many academic administrationroles.
Cavity-Backed Slot V2X Antenna for Automotive Applications
Authors: Khalifa Mohamed O. , Yacoub Ahmad M. , Aloi Daniel N.
Published: July 2022

In this work, a cavity-backed slot antenna has been designed to cover vehicle-to-everything (V2X) frequencies (5.85−5.9255.85-5.925 GHz). The antenna is made to be easily integrated in a vehicle windshield or rear mirror. The cavity-backed slot antenna does not require a ground plane to sit on which makes it an ideal model for below horizon performance. Antenna simulation has been done using high-frequency structure simulator (HFSS) and then on-foam and on vehicle’s windshield measurements have been carried out inside an anechoic chamber. The proposed antenna achieved a linear average gain (LAG) above 2.5 dBi in the targeted V2X elevation and azimuth angles with better than 15 dB return loss. The antenna performance has been reported in terms of reflection coefficient, surface current density, radiation pattern, LAG, and efficiency.
Satellite Communication Effectiveness Evaluation Based on Distributed Multi-Node Receptions
Authors: Gu Junbo , Zhou Dongfang , Deng Hailin , Huang Binggang , Peng Qiang , Zhang Dewei , Lv Dalong , Liu Qing
Published: July 2022

Satellite-communication effectiveness evaluation is one of the key issues in the field of satellite communication links for satellite operation, maintenance, and emergency communication. However, conventional model-based calculation methods require accurate meteorological parameters, thus not applicable to practical engineering problems. In this paper, a hybrid method, combing direct calculation and equilibrium approximation, is proposed to evaluate the effectiveness of a satellite communication system, with distributed multi-node receiver stations on the earth. Especially, the proposed equilibrium approximation approach is resilient to meteorological factors. Field tests corroborate the feasibility of this new method for real-world problems.
Speed Interference Suppression for PD Radar Based on Adaptive Dictionary
Authors: Du Zhe , Yu Lexin , Zhang Jin , Cai Mingjuan , Jiang Tao
Published: July 2022

Random pulse initial phase (RPIP) signal is a kind of agility waveform which is commonly used in pulse Doppler (PD) radar. Although RPIP has the merit of restraining velocity deception jamming effectively, its efficiency is restricted under the condition of strong interference. To make the RPIP signal fully play the anti-jamming performance, this paper proposed a speed interference suppression method based on adaptive dictionar that separates the target echo from the strong jamming signal with good sparsity. First, the prior knowledge of strong interference signal is obtained by the technique of peak detection which is combined with the dual channel processing. Second, the quasi-Karhunen-Loeve transform (Q-KLT) basis of interference signal is constructed based on the prior knowledge, and the approximate Q-KLT basis of target signal is constructed by the way of dictionary learning, and those signals can be obtained from the adaptive dictionary by the algorithm of base tracking (BP). Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by numerical simulation, which proves that the method can ensure a lower Doppler sidelobe in the strong interference scene, which confirmed that it has a good anti-velocity deception performance.
Evaluation of Pipe Cracks Based on Cloud Contour of Three-Dimensional Induced Eddy Current Field
Authors: Jiang Feng , Tao Li , Geng Long , Xu Tong
Published: July 2022

Considering the problem of non-destructive testing and quantitative evaluation of metal materials, an electromagnetic method for visual and quantitative evaluation of surface defects on metal pipe is proposed in this paper. The dual-excitation probe with the combination of arc-shaped and rectangular coils is constructed. The eddy current magnetic field on the outer cylindrical surface of metal pipe is calculated and analyzed by COMSOL Multiphysics finite-element software, and then the influences of crack location and geometric parameters on three-dimensional magnetic field characteristics are studied. The results show that the cloud contours constructed by the magnetic induction intensity norm can accurately evaluate the information such as the location, size, depth, and orientation of the surface crack. In addition, the cloud contours constructed separately by the magnetic induction intensity in three directions can be used for auxiliary judgment to further determine the relevant important parameters of the surface crack to be tested.