bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of deep geothermal exploration drillings in the crystalline basement of the Fennoscandian Shield Border Zone in south Sweden
Authors: Rosberg Jan-Erik , Erlström Mikael
Published: August 2021

The 3.1- and 3.7-km-deep FFC-1 and DGE-1 geothermal explorations wells drilled into the Precambrian crystalline basement on the southern margin of the Fennoscandian Shield are evaluated regarding experiences from drilling, geological conditions, and thermal properties. Both wells penetrate an approximately 2-km-thick succession of sedimentary strata before entering the crystalline basement, dominated by orthogneiss, metabasite and amphibolite of the (1.1–0.9 Ga) Eastern Interior Sveconorwegian Province. The upper c. 400 m of the basement is in FFC-1 severely fractured and water-bearing which disqualified the use of percussion air drilling and conventional rotary drilling was, therefore, performed for the rest of the borehole. The evaluation of the rotary drillings in FFC-1 and DGE-1 showed that the average bit life was very similar, 62 m and 68 m, respectively. Similarly, the average ROP varied between 2 and 4 m/h without any preferences regarding bit-type (PDC or TCI) or geology. A bottomhole temperature of 84.1 °C was measured in FFC-1 borehole with gradients varying between 17.4 and 23.5 °C/km for the main part of the borehole. The calculated heat flow varies between 51 and 66 mW/m2and the average heat production is 3.0 µW/m3. The basement in FFC-1 is, overall, depleted in uranium and thorium in comparison to DGE-1 where the heat productivity is overall higher with an average of 5.8 µW/m3. The spatial distribution of fractures was successfully mapped using borehole imaging logs in FFC-1 and shows a dominance of N–S oriented open fractures, a fracture frequency varying between 0.85 and 2.49 frac/m and a fracture volumetric density between 1.68 and 3.39 m2/m3. The evaluation of the two boreholes provides insight and new empirical data on the thermal properties and fracturing of the concealed crystalline basement in the Fennoscandian Shield Border Zone that, previously, had only been assessed by assumptions and modelling. The outcome of the drilling operation has also provided insight regarding the drilling performance in the basement and statistical data on various drill bits used. The knowledge gained is important in feasibility studies of deep geothermal projects in the crystalline basement in south Sweden.
Electroacupuncture suppresses glucose metabolism and GLUT-3 expression in medial prefrontal cortical in rats with neuropathic pain
Authors: Jiang Menghong , Chen Xiaomei , Zhang Liangping , Liu Weiting , Yu Xiangmei , Wang Zhifu , Zheng Meifeng
Published: August 2021

Background

Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that the electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation could effectively alleviate neuropathic pain. The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is a vital part of the cortical representation of pain in the brain, and its glucose metabolism is mostly affected in the progression of pain. However, the central mechanism of EA analgesia remains unclear.

Methods

Fifty-four male SD rats were equally randomized into sham surgery (Sham) group, chronic constriction injury (CCI) group and EA stimulation (EA) group. The CCI model, involving ligature of the right sciatic nerve, was established in all animals except the Sham group. EA stimulation was applied on the right side acupoints of Huantiao (GB30) and Yanglingquan (GB34) in the EA group. Paw withdrawal threshold (PWT) and paw thermal withdrawal latency (PWL) were measured. The18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) was used to evaluate glucose metabolism changes in the mPFC. The expression of glucose transporter 3 (GLUT-3) in the mPFC was determined by immune histochemistry and ELISA.

Results

Comparing with CCI groups, EA treatment was obviously reversed CCI-induced mechanical allodynia (P < 0.01), thermal hyperalgesia (P < 0.01) and the increase of glucose metabolism in the left mPFC (P < 0.05). Furthermore, EA treatment significantly decreased the protein expression of GLUT-3 in the left mPFC (P < 0.01).

Conclusions

Our results indicate that EA analgesia effect may be related to suppressing the glucose metabolism and GLUT-3 expression in the mPFC. This study could provide a potential insight into the central mechanisms involved in the analgesic effect of EA.
Robust unified Granger causality analysis: a normalized maximum likelihood form
Authors: Hu Zhenghui , Li Fei , Cheng Minjia , Shui Junhui , Tang Yituo , Lin Qiang
Published: August 2021

Unified Granger causality analysis (uGCA) alters conventional two-stage Granger causality analysis into a unified code-length guided framework. We have presented several forms of uGCA methods to investigate causal connectivities, and different forms of uGCA have their own characteristics, which capable of approaching the ground truth networks well in their suitable contexts. In this paper, we considered comparing these several forms of uGCA in detail, then recommend a relatively more robust uGCA method among them, uGCA-NML, to reply to more general scenarios. Then, we clarified the distinguished advantages of uGCA-NML in a synthetic 6-node network. Moreover, uGCA-NML presented its good robustness in mental arithmetic experiments, which identified a stable similarity among causal networks under visual/auditory stimulus. Whereas, due to its commendable stability and accuracy, uGCA-NML will be a prior choice in this unified causal investigation paradigm.
Intrapulmonary percussive ventilation via Mini-Trach II in critical care: a case report
Authors: Niisato Emina , Hiramoto Yoshiyuki , Yamada Hitoshi , Matsumiya Naoki
Published: August 2021

Background

Intrapulmonary percussive ventilation (IPV) facilitates the mobilization and clearance of bronchial secretions. Cricothyroidotomy using a Mini-Trach II device is a minimally invasive method used for secretion clearance. To our knowledge, there are no previous reports regarding IPV combined with Mini-Trach II.

Case presentation

An 82-year-old man underwent controlled mechanical ventilation and IPV via an endotracheal tube to treat atelectasis following emergency surgical repair of a traumatic diaphragm laceration. He underwent cricothyroidotomy using Mini-Trach II for ensuring airway management after extubation. On resumption, IPV through a mouthpiece or face mask was unsuccessful owing to air leakage from his mouth. However, IPV via the already inserted Mini-Trach II could deliver the percussion flow and led to a marked improvement in his condition.

Conclusion

This experience indicates that Mini-Trach II is beneficial as a minimally invasive interface for IPV that can deliver percussion flow efficiently.
A narrative review on environmental impacts of cannabis cultivation
Authors: Zheng Zhonghua , Fiddes Kelsey , Yang Liangcheng
Published: August 2021

Interest in growing cannabis for medical and recreational purposes is increasing worldwide. This study reviews the environmental impacts of cannabis cultivation. Results show that both indoor and outdoor cannabis growing is water-intensive. The high water demand leads to water pollution and diversion, which could negatively affect the ecosystem. Studies found out that cannabis plants emit a significant amount of biogenic volatile organic compounds, which could cause indoor air quality issues. Indoor cannabis cultivation is energy-consuming, mainly due to heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and lighting. Energy consumption leads to greenhouse gas emissions. Cannabis cultivation could directly contribute to soil erosion. Meanwhile, cannabis plants have the ability to absorb and store heavy metals. It is envisioned that technologies such as precision irrigation could reduce water use, and application of tools such as life cycle analysis would advance understanding of the environmental impacts of cannabis cultivation.
Prediction of arch perimeter based on arch width as a guide for diagnosis and treatment planning
Authors: Elhiny Omnia A. , Elyazied Mohammed Abou , Salem Ghada A.
Published: August 2021

Background

The choice between extraction and expansion treatment is an endless debate in orthodontics. Ethnic and secular variations showed that there was a change in  arch perimeter over the last 50 years. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relation between the arch perimeter and the intercanine and intermolar widths in normal occlusion. Also, to design regression equations for the prediction of the arch perimeter based on arch width, in a sample of the Egyptian population. The images of 340 cast pairs for 11 to 13-year-old patients were traced using TracerNet. Intercanine width, intermolar width and arch perimeter were measured, statistical analysis was performed and regression equations for both arches were formulated.

Results

There was a positive correlation between the lower arch AP, ICW and IMW and between the upper arch AP and ICW. Lower arch perimeter = 0.536 I33 + 71.642, lower arch perimeter = 0.828 l66 + 58.604 and upper arch perimeter = 1.988 U33 + 30.492 were the significant derived equations.

Conclusions

The formulation of regression equations offers a tool for the prediction of arch perimeter or arch width that can act as a guide in diagnosis and treatment planning.
E2112: Randomized Phase III Trial of Endocrine Therapy Plus Entinostat or Placebo in Hormone Receptor–Positive Advanced Breast Cancer. A Trial of the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group
Authors: Connolly Roisin M. , Zhao Fengmin , Miller Kathy D. , Lee Min-Jung , Piekarz Richard L. , Smith Karen L. , Brown-Glaberman Ursa A. , Winn Jennifer S. , Faller Bryan A. , Onitilo Adedayo A. , Burkard Mark E. , Budd George T. , Levine Ellis G. , Royce Melanie E. , Kaufman Peter A. , Thomas Alexandra , Trepel Jane B. , Wolff Antonio C. , Sparano Joseph A.
Published: August 2021

PURPOSE

Endocrine therapy resistance in advanced breast cancer remains a significant clinical problem that may be overcome with the use of histone deacetylase inhibitors such as entinostat. The ENCORE301 phase II study reported improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) with the addition of entinostat to the steroidal aromatase inhibitor (AI) exemestane in advanced hormone receptor (HR)–positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)–negative breast cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

E2112 is a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase III study that enrolled men or women with advanced HR-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer whose disease progressed after nonsteroidal AI. Participants were randomly assigned to exemestane 25 mg by mouth once daily and entinostat (EE) or placebo (EP) 5 mg by mouth once weekly. Primary end points were PFS by central review and OS. Secondary end points included safety, objective response rate, and lysine acetylation change in peripheral blood mononuclear cells between baseline and cycle 1 day 15.

RESULTS

Six hundred eight patients were randomly assigned during March 2014-October 2018. Median age was 63 years (range 29-91), 60% had visceral disease, and 84% had progressed after nonsteroidal AI in metastatic setting. Previous treatments included chemotherapy (60%), fulvestrant (30%), and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor (35%). Most common grade 3 and 4 adverse events in the EE arm included neutropenia (20%), hypophosphatemia (14%), anemia (8%), leukopenia (6%), fatigue (4%), diarrhea (4%), and thrombocytopenia (3%). Median PFS was 3.3 months (EE) versus 3.1 months (EP; hazard ratio = 0.87; 95% CI, 0.67 to 1.13; P = .30). Median OS was 23.4 months (EE) versus 21.7 months (EP; hazard ratio = 0.99; 95% CI, 0.82 to 1.21; P = .94). Objective response rate was 5.8% (EE) and 5.6% (EP). Pharmacodynamic analysis confirmed target inhibition in entinostat-treated patients.

CONCLUSION

The combination of exemestane and entinostat did not improve survival in AI-resistant advanced HR-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer.
Service Work, Sex Work, and the “Prostitute Imaginary”
Authors: McClanahan Annie , Settell Jon-David
Published: August 2021

This article considers the figure of the sex worker across Marxist political economy. Taking up what Melissa Gira Grant terms the “prostitute imaginary,” the authors suggest that from classical political economy to contemporary Marxist-feminist thought, the sex worker has been rhetorically deployed to trouble the boundaries between productive, unproductive, and reproductive work. More recently, the prostitute imaginary has shaped accounts of contemporary service work: in particular, the figure of the sex worker has been used to metaphorize the intimate affects demanded by service work. Rather than use service work to think about the exploitation and coercion that shapes all wage labor under capital, however, such accounts tend to treat service work and sex work as uniquely abject. As a result, they do not attend to the systemic and structural features common to both. The authors take up one of those features in particular: the use of tip-based or piece-rate methods of wage payment. They explore the history of this insecure and informalized wage form not only to track the systematization of hyperexploitation in the service sector, but also to unearth a history of resistance to that exploitation, arguing that service workers and sex workers offer a new and urgent model of revolutionary class consciousness.
Impossible Migrants
Authors: Shah Svati P.
Published: August 2021

In the wake of the twinned specters of authoritarianism and antidemocratic governance that the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns in India have both exacerbated and facilitated, the author argues that scholarship on sex work deployed through a critique of labor will be pressed to rethink its analytic focus on the law. Instead, the author argues for a field-level focus built around both the everyday life of surviving sex work in the informal economy and the understanding that enforcement of the law regularly diverges from the letter of the law itself. Unless it accounts for prevailing epistemic conditions, new critical work on sex work as a labor strategy may afford opportunities to be taken up in support of reductive narratives of sex work, built around the trope of injury. The consequences of not addressing the conditions of the production of our critiques will be the continued erasure of sex workers as migrant workers and as economic agents. In the post-COVID-19 world, these critiques will be stressed even further, as the informal sector expands along with uneven policing, and as sex work continues to serve as a measure of security for some, against a backdrop of extreme and intensifying precarity.
Customer Service Representatives
Authors: Glover Julian Kevon
Published: August 2021

This article investigates sex work among Black transgender women in Chicago’s ballroom scene, drawing on ethnographic data to argue that Black transwomen engage in sex work as a practice of self-investment undergirded by an epistemological shift regarding the centrality of affective labor to their work. In so doing, interlocutors reap the benefits of deploying embodied knowledge—the harnessing and transformation of insight derived from lived experiences of racial, gender, and sexual subjection into useful strategies, tactics, and tools—to secure material and human resources necessary for survival. A focus on how Black transwomen live, despite continued physical, spiritual, socioeconomic, political, and cultural annihilation, remains critically important given the myriad indicators (low average life expectancy, low annual income, disproportionally high murder rate, etc.) that expose the world’s indifference to the plight of this community and Black bodies writ large. Further, the author places interlocutors in conversation with Black feminist historians’ and theorists’ discussions of sex work among Black women to expose points of convergence between Black cis- and transgender women. The author also complicates narratives that link sex work to “survival” and subsequently obfuscate explorations of limited and situated agency among Black women that have significant historical precedent.
Mobilizing Truck Drivers in China
Authors: Lin Kevin , Ngai Pun
Published: August 2021

In June 2018, a group of Chinese truck drivers, overwhelmingly made up of rural migrant workers, staged wildcat strikes across China to demand better pay from a monopolistic, logistic, app-based platform. The strike wave intersects with two emerging phenomena in China: the rising employment in the logistics industry and the expanding platform-based economy taking over new and traditional sectors. As the locus of the Chinese economy shifts from manufacturing to service, understanding the nature and implications of the logistics workers’ organizing sheds light on China’s ever-evolving labor movement.
Against Unjust Laws
Authors: Chowdhury Arnab Roy
Published: August 2021

In Myanmar, the Citizenship Law of 1982 made the Rohingya “stateless.” The Rohingya consider Bangladesh a haven and take to the sea on rickety boats to cross borders. If they do, however, they become “illegal migrants.” Considering such laws unjust, local and international NGOs have been leading struggles to uphold the Rohingyas’ rights in Bangladesh. This article registers the struggles of these organizations against the production of illegality and statelessness. It discusses how they contest and negotiate the thick mix of politics, the local labor control regime, laws, and national regulations, and how in turn the refugees assert their agency through resilience and resistance, individually and collectively.
Using Step Counts to Prescribe Physical Activity: What Is the Optimal Dose?
Authors: Washburn Benjamin D. , Ihm Joseph M.
Published: August 2021

An activity goal of 10,000 steps per day is widely known but was not initially developed based on scientific evidence. The last several years have seen an increase in both the availability of consumer-based step counting devices and research examining the link between daily step counts and various health outcomes. Daily step counts are an intuitive metric of physical activity and are useful for goal-setting and motivating behavioral change. This article reviews the current evidence for daily step counts as related to common health conditions to determine activity goals to prescribe to patients, and also discusses factors to consider when counseling patients on physical activity.
Does radiology require informed consent for radiation risk?
Authors: Davies Elizabeth M , Bridges Andrew J , Chung Emma ML
Published: August 2021

Recent trends in medical decision-making have moved from paternalistic doctor-patient relations to shared decision-making. Informed consent is fundamental to this process and to ensuring patients’ ongoing trust in the health-care profession. It cannot be assumed that patients consent to the risk associated with medical exposures, unless they have been provided with the information to make that decision. This position is supported by both the legal and ethical framework around Radiation Protection detailed in this commentary.
The need to reassess single-cell RNA sequencing datasets: more is not always better
Authors: Ascensión Alex M. , Araúzo-Bravo Marcos J. , Izeta Ander
Published: August 2021

Background: The advent of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) and additional single-cell omics technologies have provided scientists with unprecedented tools to explore biology at cellular resolution. However, reaching an appropriate number of good quality reads per cell and reasonable numbers of cells within each of the populations of interest are key to infer conclusions from otherwise limited analyses. For these reasons, scRNAseq studies are constantly increasing the number of cells analysed and the granularity of the resultant transcriptomics analyses.

Methods: We aimed to identify previously described fibroblast subpopulations in healthy adult human skin by using the largest dataset published to date (528,253 sequenced cells) and an unsupervised population-matching algorithm.

Results: Our reanalysis of this landmark resource demonstrates that a substantial proportion of cell transcriptomic signatures may be biased by cellular stress and response to hypoxic conditions.

Conclusions: We postulate that the ”more is better” approach, currently prevalent in the scientific community, might undermine the extent of the analysis, possibly due to long computational processing times inherent to large datasets.
Dynamics of the Consumer Spending Multiplier As a Reference Point for the State's Economic Policy in Difficult Economic Conditions
Authors: Mahmudova Muhabbat , Efremova Veronika
Published: August 2021

In difficult economic conditions, it is important to choose effective tools for state regulation of economic processes that take into account the goals, state and capabilities of the regulator. The article presents an assessment of the sensitivity of the dynamics of consumer spending to changes in the monetary income of the population in order to consider the possibility of further use of this parameter in the system of measures to stabilize the national economy. The dependence of the multiplier of expenditures and the rate of gross production in the country is revealed. The variants of state intervention adequate to modern economic conditions are proposed.
Current Approaches to Team Building in Management
Authors: Shirinkina Elena , Voronina E. , Sergeeva E. , Sobirov B.
Published: August 2021

The relevance of the study stems from the fact that teamwork is increasingly seen in corporate environments as the foundation for impressive productivity. Creation of a favorable environment for cooperation is becoming more and more important. The purpose of this study is to present approaches to the formation of teams, to determine the fundamental principles. The practical relevance of this study will enable organizations and enterprises to strategize in the context of project management in order to form highly effective teams.
New faunistic records of cockroaches (Insecta: Blattodea) from Oman
Authors: Al-Jahdhami Ali , Al-Shukaili Sheikha
Published: August 2021

The knowledge of Blattodea from Oman is still incipient. One species of cockroaches are reported from Oman so far and this indicates the large blank in our knowledge in this order when compared to recorded species from other neighboring countries in the Arabian Peninsula.  Blattodea have been collected at various localities in Sultanate of Oman with different sampling artifacts. The present communication records five species of cockroaches from Oman, namely Blattella biligata (Walker, 1868), Heterogamisca Bey-Bienko, 1950, Pycnoscelus surinamensis (Linnaeus, 1758), Tivia fusca Bohn, 2008 from northern Oman and Neostylopyga rhombifolia (Stoll, 1813) from southern Oman.
El nihilismo como ausencia de fines y su superación en el pensar histórico del Ser.
Authors: Gómez Algarra César
Published: August 2021

La publicación, desde 1989, de los tratados póstumos sobre la historia del Ser profundiza el sentido del problema del nihilismo en la filosofía de Heidegger. En el presente artículo buscamos demostrar que estos textos (de las Contribuciones a la filosofía a los Cuadernos negros) permiten una nueva perspectiva interpretativa del pensar histórico del Ser: la de ausencia de fines (Zielen) y la búsqueda como fin en sí mismo. Esto nos ayuda a entender mejor tanto el problema del nihilismo en Heidegger, como la forma especial que adopta su solución: la superación del nihilismo en el pensar del Ereignis
La barbarie de Michel Henry: De una filosofía epitelial a la cuestión de la técnica.
Authors: Giribet Gaston
Published: August 2021

En el primer encuentro con La barbarie (Michel Henry, 1987), y sin que esta afirmación pretenda ser general o de manera alguna esconder los prejuicios individuales al acercarse a una lectura de esta naturaleza, surge en muchos de nosotros la pregunta de si se está frente a una pieza de irracionalismo ingenuo, una paráfrasis pesimista de cuestiones ya tratadas, por ejemplo, en Die Frage nach der Technik (Heidegger, 1954), o si, por el contrario, Henry ofrece en este libro una visión radicalmente renovadora del riesgo en que se encuentra la cultura (y lo que él define como vida) ante el avance de una ideología, la de la barbarie, que promulga el saber de la ciencia como el único saber. Responder a esta pregunta es, precisamente, la motivación principal de este trabajo. Suspendiendo los prejuicios sobre el libro de Henry, incluso a riesgo de perder en el camino mucho de la inocultable pretensión de provocación que es parte inextirpable de esta obra suya, nos avocamos a señalar los elementos esenciales discutidos en La barbarie, a encontrar las resonancias que éstos pueden tener con el resto de la obra de Henry, y, en especial, a discutir los temas principales de La barbarie en relación a otro texto clave de la tradición fenomenológica: las consideraciones de Heidegger en torno a La pregunta por la técnica.
Uma contemplação da Maquinação, concebida por Heidegger, enquanto o destinamento de uma transfiguração historicamente consumada do Ser do ente na figura do Niilismo.
Authors: Rutigliano Francisca
Published: August 2021

Eis aqui uma interpretação da explanação de Heidegger dos fundamentos e desdobramentos do fenômeno do Niilismo, procedida pelo viés da fixação do sentido do Ser enquanto Maquinação. Esta interpretação implica a apresentação dos passos preparatórios do Filósofo para uma Escrita acerca do sentido do Ser orientada por um outro Princípio que o instituído pela Metafísica, e se faz a partir da contemplação de dois textos exemplares de Heidegger, em que ele investiga a determinação metafísica do Ser em dois períodos capitais da história do Pensamento: o período clássico da Metafísica grega, notadamente em Aristóteles, e o período consumado da Metafísica moderna, visado através da Filosofia de Nietzsche.
Julian the Apostate’s religious policy and renovatio imperii morumque in the Res Gestae of Ammianus Marcellinus
Authors: Mleczek Anna
Published: August 2021

This article deals with Julian the Apostate’s religious policy and its relationship with the renewal of both the Roman state and the morals of Roman society during the emperor’s reign. Julian, who was a zealous follower of pagan religion, attempted to re-establish the old cultus deorum in the Christian-pagan society and to make paganism the Roman state religion. Ammianus, who witnessed Julian’s reign, shows in his Res Gestae that the emperor did his utmost to renew equally the morals of society and condition of the state. In this article the author argues that ‒ according to Ammianus ‒ Julian’s religious programme influenced neither his good moral conduct nor his secular policy. In the Res Gestae, the historian demonstrates that the imperial power as well as Julian’s virtues were sufficient means to renew the morals of society and to restore and strengthen the state, whereas religion only accompanied the emperor’s moves and did not influence them. This article was written with a view to presenting Ammianus’ standpoint on this matter as it emerges from the Res Gestae; one that may seem contrary to how some modern scholars tend to accentuate the role played by pagan religion in the secular policy of the Apostate.
Byzantine Gibraltar – impressions of monemvasia in Kostas Ouranis’ Travelogue
Authors: Bzinkowski Michał
Published: August 2021

Kostas Ouranis (1890–1953), a Greek poet and essayist, lesser known abroad, was regarded as one of the first to introduce “travel writing” in Greece. As a correspondent of different newspapers, he travelled to many countries in Europe and abroad and recorded his impressions in travel books, of which the best known is his travelogue on Spain, Sol y sombra (1934). However, the book that is of special interest as regards the Greek perspective of the writer, is Travels in Greece (Ταξίδια στην Ελλάδα, 1949), where Ouranis describes impressions from his travels in his homeland which took place in 1930. In the present paper, basing on the brief chapter on Monemvasia from the above-mentioned book, I will shed some light on the reception of Byzantium in Ouranis’ view, trying to answer, among others, the question whether the writer conveys any specific knowledge of the subject. In my opinion, his view of Byzantine heritage deserves special attention as regards the broad framework of the European approach to the legacy of the Eastern Roman Empire. Firstly, because his impressions on this Byzantine town constitute a vivid example of a clearly Greek perspective in this regard, which is relatively poorly known. Secondly, his deeply personal account on Monemvasia reveals the general attitude of the Greeks to their legacy and as such it may be regarded as a characteristic miniature which, like a lens, focuses their approach to the past.
On (Measurable) Multiattribute Value Functions: An Expository Argument
Authors: Smith James E. , Dyer James S.
Published: August 2021

In this note, we provide an easy-to-understand introduction to strength-of-preference measures in the context of deterministic multiattribute value assessments, focusing on what they are and why they matter. Though these issues are well understood by some decision analysts, we believe that many do not understand or appreciate the role of strength-of-preference assumptions when assessing or interpreting multiattribute value functions. The note is structured around an argument between the two authors that took place when reviewing applications of multiattribute value functions.
Microfoundations of Discounting
Authors: Adamou Alexander , Berman Yonatan , Mavroyiannis Diomides , Peters Ole
Published: August 2021

An important question in economics is how people choose between different payments in the future. The classical normative model predicts that a decision maker discounts a later payment relative to an earlier one by an exponential function of the time between them. Descriptive models use nonexponential functions to fit observed behavioral phenomena, such as preference reversal. Here we propose a model of discounting, consistent with standard axioms of choice, in which decision makers maximize the growth rate of their wealth. Four specifications of the model produce four forms of discounting—no discounting, exponential discounting, hyperbolic discounting, and a hybrid of exponential and hyperbolic discounting—two of which predict preference reversal. Our model requires no assumption of behavioral bias or payment risk.
Anticipating, experiencing and overcoming challenges in clinical academic training
Authors: Trusson Diane , Rowley Emma , Barratt Jonathan
Published: August 2021

Background/Aims

This article builds on studies that have reported on the challenges of pursuing a clinical academic career. It aims to explore the perceived challenges that clinical academic trainees experience, and the ways in which they overcome them.

Methods

Data were collected from clinical academic trainees via an online survey and semi-structured interviews, then thematic analysis was performed.

Results

The trainees experienced challenges relating to balancing and progressing a clinical academic career. They sought to overcome these through self-efficacy and by drawing on the support of peers, supervisors and mentors.

Conclusions

Clinical academic trainees experience significant challenges as they strive to develop careers in academic medicine. They draw on their own resources and the support of others to help them to overcome these challenges. They also often act to advocate, advise and support other aspiring clinical academics.
Automatic Knot Detection in Coarse-Resolution Cone-Beam Computed Tomography Images of Softwood Logs
Authors: Fredriksson Magnus , Cool Julie , Avramidis Stavros
Published: August 2021

X-ray computed tomography (CT) scanning of sawmill logs is associated with costly and complex machines. An alternative scanning solution was developed, but its data have not been evaluated regarding detection of internal features. In this exploratory study, a knot detection algorithm was applied to images of four logs to evaluate its performance in terms of knot position and size. The results were a detection rate of 67 percent, accurate position, and inaccurate size. Although the sample size was small, it was concluded that automatic knot detection in coarse resolution CT images of softwoods is feasible, albeit for knots of sufficient size.
Dual-output filter-free microwave photonic single sideband up-converter with high mixing spur suppression
Authors: Ding Jiewen , Zhu Dan , Zhang Bowen , Pan Shilong
Published: August 2021

A dual-output filter-free microwave photonic single sideband (SSB) up-converter with the mixing spurs highly suppressed is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. By introducing the balanced Hartley structure using a 90° optical hybrid, the lower sideband (LSB) and upper sideband (USB) up-converted RF signals can be generated simultaneously and output separately, with no need of either optical or electrical filtering. The structure avoids the special requirement with the optical modulation format of the local oscillator (LO) signal. The intermediate frequency signal is modulated with the optical carrier suppressed -SSB modulation format. The undesired optical components are highly suppressed. In this way, the high sideband and LO leakage suppression ratios of the SSB up-converter are guaranteed. The dual-output SSB up-conversion is experimentally achieved within the working frequency range of 10–30 GHz. The undesired sideband and LO leakage suppression ratios are larger than 67 dB for the whole frequency range. The spurious-free dynamic range of larger than

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has also been achieved experimentally for both the LSB and USB up-conversion conditions.
The random walk of accommodation fluctuations
Authors: Leroux Charles-Edouard , Leahy Conor , Fontvieille Christophe , Bardin Fabrice
Published: August 2021

The focusing distance of the eye fluctuates during accommodation. However, the visual role of these accommodation fluctuations is not yet fully understood. The fluctuation complexity is one of the obstacles to this long standing challenge in visual science. In this work we seek to develop a statistical approach that i) accurately describes experimental measurements and ii) directly generates randomized and realistic simulations of accommodation fluctuations for use in future experiments. To do so we use the random walk approach, which is usually appropriate to describe the dynamics of systems that combine both randomness and memory.
Numerical observation of SPM rogue waves in normal dispersion cascaded supercontinuum generation
Authors: Hansen Rasmus Eilkœr , Engelsholm Rasmus Dybbro , Petersen Christian Rosenberg , Bang Ole
Published: August 2021

Numerical modeling of cascaded mid-infrared (IR) supercontinuum generation (SCG) is used to study how an ensemble of spectrally and temporally distributed solitons from the long-wavelength part of an SC evolves when coupled into the normal dispersion regime of a highly nonlinear chalcogenide fiber. This has revealed a novel phenomenon—the generation of a high-energy rogue wave in the normal dispersion regime in the form of a strong self-phase-modulation (SPM) chirped pulse. This SPM rogue wave is generated by swallowing the energy of many sufficiently closely spaced pulses through inter-pulse Raman amplification and is a key effect behind efficient cascaded mid-IR SCG.
Magnetic field and Fermi energy modulated quantized Imbert–Fedorov shifts in graphene
Authors: Shah Muzamil , Sajid Muhammad , Shah Mudasir
Published: August 2021

We theoretically investigate the spatial Imbert–Fedorov (SIF) shifts of a light beam reflected from a graphene–substrate system in the presence of an externally applied magnetic field. We impinge a monochromatic light beam of finite width on the surface of a graphene–substrate system and investigate the reflection and transmission coefficients of the beam. We find that the Fermi energy modulated quantized transverse shifts can be achieved in the graphene–substrate system for incident angles in the vicinity of the Brewster angle and frequencies in the terahertz regime. In the case of partial reflection of the light beam, IF shifts acquire moderate magnitudes, while for the case of total internal reflection in the quantum Hall regime, our results show giant negative and positive SIF shifts. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the Brewster angle changes with changing magnetic field and Fermi energy. Our findings are important from the point of view of tuning the IF shifts with magnetic field and Fermi energy conveniently and effectively, which is required to develop new tunable photonic devices in the terahertz regime.
Distributed silicon nanoparticles: an efficient light trapping platform toward ultrathin-film photovoltaics
Authors: Shameli Mohammad Ali , Mirnaziry Sayyed Reza , Yousefi Leila
Published: August 2021

In this paper, a new architecture comprising silicon nanoparticles inside a hole transport layer laid on a thin silicon layer is proposed to develop ultrathin film solar cells. Using generalized Mie theory, a fast analytical approach is developed to evaluate the optical absorption of the proposed structure for various geometries, polarizations and angles of incidence. The analytical results are verified through comparison with full-wave simulations, illustrating a reasonable agreement. The electrical performance of a distributed silicon nanoparticle solar cell is determined for selected configurations. To be able to predict the light-trapping in a solar cell comprising randomly distributed nanospheres, a new technique based on probability theory is developed and validated through comparison with the simulation results. Both analytical and numerical results show that the excited Mie resonant modes in the proposed structure lead to a significant enhancement in both absorption and the photo-generated current, in comparison to a conventional silicon solar cell with an equivalent volume of the active layer. In the case of random distributions, other advantages, including the simple fabrication process, indicate that the cell is a promising structure for ultrathin photovoltaics.
Hollow-core mode propagation in an isomeric nested anti-resonant fiber
Authors: Hu Di , Song Ningfang , Gao Fuyu , Li Wei , Xu Xiaobin
Published: August 2021

We present a modified fiber model based on the nested hollow core anti-resonant fiber that enables the stable transmission of the orbital-angular-momentum mode HE21. By replacing a pair of nested anti-resonant tubes in the horizontal axis with resonant tubes, the coupling between core mode and cladding mode has been increased. Therefore, the relative strength of fundamental mode HE11 and the first higher mode HE21 has been modified. The numerical simulation results indicate that the loss ratio of the lowest loss HE11 to HE21 can be optimized to more than 187, while the HE21 still maintains a low confinement loss as 0.0027 dB/m. Our research has brought about a solution of low loss hollow core mode propagation in optical fiber. Those properties will make this fiber an ideal medium for blue-detuned atomic guidance.
Multiplexing meta-hologram with separate control of amplitude and phase
Authors: Fu Rao , Shan Xin , Deng Liangui , Dai Qi , Guan Zhiqiang , Li Zile , Zheng Guoxing
Published: August 2021

Metasurfaces have shown their unique capabilities to manipulate the phase and/or amplitude properties of incident light at the subwavelength scale, which provides an effective approach for constructing amplitude-only, phase-only or even complexed amplitude meta-devices with high resolution. Most of meta-devices control the amplitude and/or phase of the incident light with the same polarization state; however, separately controlling of amplitude and phase of the incident light with different polarization states can provide a new degree of freedom for improving the information capacity of metasurfaces and designing multifunctional meta-devices. Herein, we combine the amplitude manipulation and geometric phase manipulation by only reconfiguring the orientation angle of the nanostructure and present a single-sized design strategy for a multiplexing meta-hologram which plays the dual roles: a continuous amplitude-only meta-device and a two-step phase-only meta-device. Two different modulation types can be readily switched merely by polarization controls. Our approach opens up the possibilities for separately and independently controlling of amplitude and phase of light to construct a multiplexing meta-hologram with a single-sized metasurface, which can contribute to the advanced research and applications in multi-folded optical anti-counterfeiting, optical information hiding and optical information encoding.
The effect of risk at birth on breastfeeding duration and exclusivity: A cohort study at a Brazilian referral center for high-risk neonates and infants
Authors: Silva Maíra Domingues Bernardes , de Oliveira Raquel de Vasconcellos Carvalhaes , Alves Davi da Silveira Barroso , Melo Enirtes Caetano Prates
Published: August 2021

Background and aim

Both breastfeeding and the use of human milk are strategies that provide better conformation to health throughout an individual’s life and bring countless short- and long- term benefits, which are well established in the scientific literature. For at-risk newborns (NBs), these strategies are crucial interventions to enable neonatal survival with better quality of life due to the distinctive and complex composition of human milk, which serves as personalized food-medicine-protection. However, there is limited knowledge about breastfeeding practices in high-risk NBs. The aim was to estimate the duration of EBF and to investigate the effect of risk at birth on EBF discontinuity in the first six months of life’.

Methods

This cohort study included 1,003 NBs from a high-risk referral center, followed up from birth to the sixth month of life, between 2017 and 2018. Correspondence and cluster analysis was used to identify neonatal risk clusters as the main exposure. The object of interest was the time until EBF discontinuity. The Kaplan-Meier methods and the Cox proportional hazards model were used to estimate the hazard ratio and 95% confidence intervals.

Results

The prevalence and median duration of EBF decreased proportionally in the three groups. The multiple model revealed a gradient in EBF discontinuity, which was 40% higher in risk group 1 and 111% higher in risk group 2 compared to healthy full-term NBs. Additionally, EBF during hospitalization predicted a longer median duration of this practice for high-risk NBs.

Conclusion

This study confirms a high proportion of high-risk NBs who have EBF discontinued before six months of life. The risk of EBF discontinuity is higher in risk groups, with a gradual effect even when adjusted by several factors. Effective interventions are needed to promote, protect, and support breastfeeding in different profiles of risk-at-birth groups.
Endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery for resection of pituitary macroadenoma: A retrospective study
Authors: Yan Jiun-Lin , Chang Chen-Nen , Chen Pin-Yuan
Published: August 2021

Background

The endoscopic transsphenoidal approach is an efficient minimally invasive procedure for removal of pituitary tumors that can be accomplished through a one-hand or two-hand approach. The one-hand procedure through one nostril is more intuitive for surgeons, but maneuvering the instruments can be restrictive. The two-hand procedure using a one-and-half nostril approach provides more precise manipulation. This study aimed to compare the surgical outcomes of one-hand/mono-nostril and two-hand/one-and-half nostril surgeries for resection of large pituitary tumors by a single neurosurgeon.

Materials and methods

The surgical data of 78 consecutive cases with pituitary macroadenoma (diameter >1 cm) were reviewed retrospectively. Altogether, 30 cases received one-hand/mono-nostril surgery, while 48 cases received two-hand/one-and-half nostril surgery. Postoperative outcomes of the two operations were compared.

Results

The operative time, hospital stay, residual rate of pituitary macroadenoma, visual field, surgical complications, and re-operative rates were slightly improved in the two-hand/one-and-half nostril surgery group compared with that in the one-hand/mono-nostril surgery group (all p>0.05). However, postoperative hypopituitarism was less frequent (1/48; 2.0%) with the two-hand/one-and-half nostril approach than with the mono-nostril approach (p = 0.004). Similar surgical outcomes were found in all patients with either small or large pituitary tumors, except that the difference in postoperative improvement in visual field change reached statistical significance (p = 0.044).

Conclusion

A single-surgeon endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal surgery with two-hand/one-and-half nostril approach is an effective and safe procedure for removal of large pituitary tumors.
Substance use disorders and suicidality in youth: A systematic review and meta-analysis with a focus on the direction of the association
Authors: Rioux Charlie , Huet Anne-Sophie , Castellanos-Ryan Natalie , Fortier Laurianne , Le Blanc Myriam , Hamaoui Stéphanie , Geoffroy Marie-Claude , Renaud Johanne , Séguin Jean R.
Published: August 2021

Background

Reviews and meta-analyses suggest that substance use and suicidality (i.e., suicidal ideations and attempts) are associated in youth, but the direction of this association remains unclear. Theoretically, the secondary psychiatric disorder hypothesis (SPDH) posits that substance use leads to suicidality, while the secondary substance use disorder hypothesis (SSUDH) posits that suicidality leads to substance use. To clarify these associations, this meta-analysis systematically reviewed studies that examined the prospective associations between SUDs and suicidality in youth (age 25 and younger) and compared results according to the direction of the association.

Methods

Web of Science, Embase, PsycINFO, PubMed, Medline and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global were searched from inception to March 8, 2020, and 55 effect sizes from 23 samples were included and analyzed using a three-level meta-analysis.

Results

SUDs significantly predicted subsequent suicidality (OR = 2.16, 95%CI 1.57–2.97), suicidality significantly predicted subsequent SUDs (OR = 2.16, 95%CI 1.53–3.04), and these effect sizes did not differ (p = 0.49).

Conclusions

Considering that 65% of reviewed studies only examined the SPDH, this review highlights that more attention should be given to the SSUDH, and that studies should examine bidirectional associations between SUDs and suicidality across time. Clinically, because SUDs and suicidality were found to influence each other, results suggest that mental health and SUDs should ideally be detected and treated early, and that co-occurring disorders should be assessed and treated concomitantly.
Literary runaway: Increasingly more references cited per academic research article from 1980 to 2019
Authors: Dai Can , Chen Quan , Wan Tao , Liu Fan , Gong Yanbing , Wang Qingfeng
Published: August 2021

References are employed in most academic research papers to give credits and to reflect scholarliness. With the upsurge in academic publications in recent decades, we are curious to know how the number of references cited per research article has changed across different disciplines over that time. The results of our study showed significant linear growth in reference density in eight disciplinary categories between 1980 and 2019 indexed in Web of Science. It appears that reference saturation is not yet in sight. Overall, the general increase in the number of publications and the advanced accessibility of the Internet and digitized documents may have promoted the growth in references in certain fields. However, the seemingly runaway tendency should be well appreciated and objectively assessed. We suggest that authors focus on their research itself rather than on political considerations during the process of writing, especially the selection of important references to cite.