bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Osteoperiostitis in children: proposal for a diagnostic algorithm
Authors: Zulian Francesco , Marigo Elena , Ardenti-Morini Francesca , Vittadello Fabio , Zuliani Monica , Giraudo Chiara , Meneghel Alessandra , Martini Giorgia
Published: April 2021

Juvenile osteoperiostites (JOP) are a group of inflammatory bone diseases whose differential diagnosis is often difficult. The main conditions are acute osteomyelitis (AOM), chronic non-bacterial osteomyelitis (CNO) and the Goldbloom syndrome (GS). The study was aimed to develop an algorithm to enable an early diagnosis of JOP. Clinical records of patients with AOM, CNO and GS, followed at our Center over the past 10 years, were reviewed. Twelve additional patients with GS were selected from PubMed/MEDLINE literature search. Data collected included demographics, clinical manifestations, laboratory and instrumental investigations at disease onset. The association between categorical variables was investigated, and the segmentation of patients with different diagnoses was analyzed through a classification tree model (CTREE package) in order to build up a diagnostic algorithm. Ninety-two patients (33 CNO, 44 AOM, 15 GS) entered the study. Among 30 variables considered at onset, nine (age at onset, fever, weight loss, symmetry, focality, functional limitation, anemia, elevated ESR, CRP) resulted statistically significant in differentiating the three clinical entities from each other and were chosen to build up a decisional tree. Three variables, symmetry of bone involvement, presence of fever and age at disease onset, resulted significant to discriminate each of the three diseases from the others. The performance of the diagnostic algorithm was validated by comparing the diagnoses provided by the model with the real diagnoses and showed 85.9% accuracy.

Conclusion: We propose a diagnostic algorithm, based on simple clinical data, which can help guide a prompt and appropriate diagnosis of JOP.

What is Known:• Juvenile osteoperiostitis (JOP) are a group of inflammatory bone diseases followed by various pediatric specialists.• The distinction between these conditions is not easy as clinical and laboratory features often overlap.What is New:• We propose a diagnostic algorithm, based on clinical data of real patients, with high degree accuracy.• This instrument can help guide the prompt and appropriate diagnosis of JOP.
The Late Carboniferous deeply eroded Tharandt Forest caldera–Niederbobritzsch granite complex: a post-Variscan long-lived magmatic system in central Europe
Authors: Breitkreuz Christoph , Käßner Alexandra , Tichomirowa Marion , Lapp Manuel , Huang Shan , Stanek Klaus
Published: April 2021

Samples and documentation of outcrops and drillings, facies analysis, whole rock geochemistry and radiometric ages have been employed to re-evaluate the Late Carboniferous Tharandt Forest caldera (TFC) and the co-genetic Niederbobritzsch granite (NBG) in the eastern Erzgebirge near Dresden, Germany. The c. 52 km2 TFC harbours strongly welded ignimbrites with a preserved minimum thickness of 550 m. Composition of initial fallout tephra at the base of the TFC fill, comprising lithics of rhyolitic and basic lava, and of silica-rich pyroclastic rocks, suggests a bimodal volcanic activity in the area prior to the climactic TFC eruption. The lower part of the TFC fill comprises quartz-poor ignimbrites, overlain by quartz-rich ignimbrites, apparently without a depositional break. Landslides originating from the collapse collar of the caldera plunged into the still hot TFC fill producing monolithic gneiss mesobreccia with clasts ≤ 1 m in a pyroclastic matrix. Aphanitic and porphyritic rhyolitic magma formed ring- and radial dykes, and subvolcanic bodies in the centre of TFC. Whole rock geochemical data indicate a high silica (most samples have > 73 wt% SiO2) rhyolitic composition of the TFC magma, and a similar granodiorite–granitic composition for the NBG. Based on drillings and caldera extent, a minimum volume of 22 km3 of TFC fill is preserved, the original fill is assumed at about 33 km3. This estimate translates into a denudation of at least c. 210 m during Late Paleozoic to pre-Cenomanian. Telescopic subsidence of the TFC took place in two, perhaps three stages. A possible TFC outflow facies has been completely eroded and distal TFC tuff has not been recognized in neighboring basins. New CA-ID-TIMS measurements on two TFC samples gave mean zircon ages of 313.4 ± 0.4 Ma and 311.9 ± 0.4 Ma; two samples from NBG resulted in 318.2 ± 0.5 Ma and 319.5 ± 0.4 Ma. In addition, for one sample of the ring dyke an age of ca. 314.5 ± 0.5 Ma has been obtained. These ages, together with field relations, allow for a model of a long-standing evolution of an upper crustal magmatic system (~ 5 Ma?), where pulses of magmatic injection and crustal doming alternate with magmatic quietness and erosion. Together with the Altenberg–Teplice Volcanic Complex, located some 10 km to the southeast, the TFC–NBG Complex represents an early post-Variscan magmatic activity in central Europe.
Der Einfluss staatlicher Vorgaben auf Raumzuschnitt und Institutionalisierung in Regionsbildungsprozessen
Authors: Diller Christian , Nischwitz Guido
Published: April 2021

In dem Beitrag geht es um die Frage, welchen Einfluss staatliche Vorgaben auf Prozesse der Regionsbildung haben, insbesondere auf den räumlichen Zuschnitt und die Institutionalisierungsform der Regionen. Die bundesweite empirische Erhebung von 1350 Programmregionen, die aus 27 Programmen von verschiedenen Politikfeldern gefördert wurden, macht zweierlei deutlich: Zum einen können Regionszuschnitt und Institutionalisierung als sich ergänzende Möglichkeiten der stabileren regionalen Zusammenarbeit gesehen werden. Zum anderen werden Regionszuschnitt und Institutionalisierung maßgeblich auch von den staatlichen Vorgaben bestimmt.
The impact of maternal eating disorders on breastfeeding practices: a systematic review
Authors: Kaß Anna , Dörsam Annica Franziska , Weiß Magdalene , Zipfel Stephan , Giel Katrin Elisabeth
Published: April 2021

Breastfeeding is an effective way to protect and promote the health of the infant and mother. Cultural, social, economic, medical, or psychological factors might interfere with successful breastfeeding. Therefore, maternal eating disorders (EDs) may have detrimental effects on the decision of breastfeeding initiation and on its continuation. There is limited knowledge about the breastfeeding practices of mothers with EDs. We performed a systematic review to generate more evidence in this area. A search was conducted in PubMed and PsycINFO, and several journals were hand searched for relevant publications. Of N = 3904 hits, 13 full texts were included in the qualitative analysis. The findings on total duration of BF between mothers with and without EDs were mixed, but women with EDs showed more negative experiences and emotional problems during BF. There was not enough evidence to conclude on breastfeeding initiation, or on the duration of exclusive breastfeeding. Maternal EDs might have a negative impact on BF practices with possible negative effects on the maternal-child feeding environment. Further studies with comparable data and information on the women’s partners’ attitudes about breastfeeding are needed.
Sound Transmission Comparisons of Active Elastic Wave Metamaterial Immersed in External Mean Flow
Authors: He Zhi-Hua , Wang Yi-Ze , Wang Yue-Sheng
Published: April 2021

Using the active feedback control system on the elastic wave metamaterial, this research concentrates on the sound transmission with the dynamic effective model. The metamaterial is subjected to an incident pressure and immersed in the external mean flow. The elastic wave metamaterial consists of double plates and the upper and lower four-link mechanisms are attached inside. The vertical resonator is attached by the active feedback control system and connected with two four-link mechanisms. Based on the dynamic equivalent method, the metamaterial is equivalent as a single-layer plate by the dynamic effective parameter. With the coupling between the fluid and structure, the expression of the sound transmission loss (STL) is derived. This research shows the influence of effective mass density on sound transmission properties, and the STL in both modes can be tuned by the acceleration and displacement feedback constants. In addition, the dynamic response and the STL are also changed obviously by different values of structural damping, incident angle (i.e., the elevation and azimuth angles) and Mach number of the external fluid with the mean flow property. The results for sound transmission by two methods are compared, i.e., the virtual work principle for double plates and the dynamic equivalent method corresponding to a single one. This paper is expected to be helpful for understanding the sound transmission properties of both pure single- and double-plate models.
Akute Dekompensation und akut-auf-chronisches Leberversagen
Authors: Ferstl P. G. , Schulz M. , Trebicka J.
Published: April 2021

Die akute Dekompensation ist eine rasch eintretende Komplikation der Leberzirrhose. Durch alle Stadien der akuten Dekompensation hinweg weisen die portale Hypertension und systemische Inflammation eine zunehmende Schwere auf. Das akut-auf-chronische Leberversagen ist die schwerste Stufe der akuten Dekompensation, und ist durch Organversagen und hohe Mortalität charakterisiert.
Data augmentation and transfer learning to classify malware images in a deep learning context
Authors: Marastoni Niccolò , Giacobazzi Roberto , Dalla Preda Mila
Published: April 2021

In the past few years, malware classification techniques have shifted from shallow traditional machine learning models to deeper neural network architectures. The main benefit of some of these is the ability to work with raw data, guaranteed by their automatic feature extraction capabilities. This results in less technical expertise needed while building the models, thus less initial pre-processing resources. Nevertheless, such advantage comes with its drawbacks, since deep learning models require huge quantities of data in order to generate a model that generalizes well. The amount of data required to train a deep network without overfitting is often unobtainable for malware analysts. We take inspiration from image-based data augmentation techniques and apply a sequence of semantics-preserving syntactic code transformations (obfuscations) to a small dataset of programs to generate a larger dataset. We then design two learning models, a convolutional neural network and a bi-directional long short-term memory, and we train them on images extracted from compiled binaries of the newly generated dataset. Through transfer learning we then take the features learned from the obfuscated binaries and train the models against two state of the art malware datasets, each containing around 10 000 samples. Our models easily achieve up to 98.5% accuracy on the test set, which is on par or better than the present state of the art approaches, thus validating the approach.
Modeling of the BOF Tapping Process: The Reactions in the Ladle
Authors: You Dali , Bernhard Christian , Mayer Peter , Fasching Josef , Kloesch Gerald , Rössler Roman , Ammer Rainer
Published: April 2021

A tapping process model of the steel from the basic oxygen furnace (BOF) addressing the reactions in the ladle is proposed. In the model, the effective equilibrium reaction zone (EERZ) method is applied to describe the steel/slag interfacial reaction. The equilibrium reactions in the bulk steel (steel/inclusion/lining wear) and slag (liquid slag/slag additions/lining wear) are considered. The thermodynamic library—ChemApp is used to perform thermodynamic calculation. The process model includes most of the actions during the tapping process, such as the additions of ferroalloys and slag formers, carryover slag entrapment and air pick-up. After the calibration by the industrial measurements of two plants, the model is applied to study the influence of the amount of carryover slag.
Reducing energy costs and CO2 emissions by production system energy flexibility through the integration of renewable energy
Authors: Materi Sergio , D’Angola Antonio , Enescu Diana , Renna Paolo
Published: April 2021

In recent years, the production of renewable energy has increased continuously to reduce fossil fuel consumption and CO2 emissions and to increase energy efficiency. The challenge of industries is to integrate renewable energy systems into the existing power system of manufacturing industries. In the energy flexibility approach, the manufacturing energy demand is aligned with renewable energy availability, to improve the use of the renewable energy source. This paper aims to investigate a manufacturing system supplied by a photovoltaic plant coupled with a battery storage system. A basic storage model has been developed and implemented to pursue this issue. The model is applied in the simplified case of a manufacturing system composed of a cutting numerical control machine, which can adapt the cutting speed to align the power needed to the power supplied by the photovoltaic plant. However, the model can be extended to realistic production cases characterized by complex systems as long as the time evolution of energy consumptions are known in detail. The introduction of battery storage allows reducing the cutting speed fluctuations, improving the cutting life derived from the fatigue effect. This solution reduces the costs of the machine and improves the forecasting of the means needed for the manufacturing system. Finally, a detailed analysis of greenhouse gas reduction is discussed.
Supercyclicity and Resolvent Condition for Weighted Composition Operators
Authors: Mengestie Tesfa , Seyoum Werkaferahu
Published: April 2021

For pairs of holomorphic maps $$(u,\psi )$$

(
u
,
ψ
)

on the complex plane, we study some dynamical properties of the weighted composition operator $$W_{(u,\psi )}$$

W

(
u
,
ψ
)

on the Fock spaces. We prove that no weighted composition operator on the Fock spaces is supercyclic. Conditions under which the operators satisfy the Ritt’s resolvent growth condition are also identified. In particular, we show that a non-trivial composition operator on the Fock spaces satisfies such a growth condition if and only if it is compact.
Mechanochemistry of fluoride solids: from mechanical activation to mechanically stimulated synthesis
Authors: Scholz Gudrun
Published: April 2021

This lecture text is focused on the comparatively young field of mechanochemistry of fluoride solids, considering both their mechanical activation and their mechanochemical synthesis. Beside a literature survey, the mechanochemical synthesis of binary fluorides MF2, MF3, of complex fluorides MMgF4, of solid solutions MaxMb1−xF2or M1−xLnxF2+x(Ln: Y, Eu) and of fluorine-containing coordination polymers is presented. Owing to their interesting potential applications in the field of fluoride ion conductivity or luminescence properties when doped, most of the given examples are alkaline earth metal compounds. A short historical survey, remarks on peculiarities and consequences of mechanical activation as well as the necessary technical equipment for mechanochemical reactions precede the section.

Graphic abstract
Prevalence of hypokalemia in older persons: results from the PolSenior national survey
Authors: Adamczak Marcin , Chudek Jerzy , Zejda Jan , Bartmańska Magdalena , Grodzicki Tomasz , Zdrojewski Tomasz , Wiecek Andrzej
Published: April 2021

Purpose

Hypokalemia is one of the most common electrolyte disturbances in clinical practice. There are only a few epidemiological studies analyzing the occurrence of hypokalemia in older persons. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of hypokalemia in the Polish older population.

Methods

Serum potassium concentration was estimated in 4654 participants (2270 females and 2384 males, mean age 76.5 [11.0] years), who participated in the PolSenior study. Hypokalemia was defined as serum potassium concentration below 3.5 mmol/L. Hypokalemia was found in 39 participants (0.84%) and was significantly more frequent among females (28 females = 1.23% and 11 males = 0.46%; p = 0.003). The prevalence of hypokalemia was not related to age. Among 3303 participants suffering from arterial hypertension, 1093 were treated with potassium-losing diuretics.

Results

Hypokalemia was significantly more frequent among hypertensive than normotensive older participants (1.06 vs. 0.30% respectively; p = 0.007) and among hypertensive participants treated with potassium losing diuretics than ones untreated with these drugs (1.96 vs. 0.46% respectively; p < 0.001). In hypertensive participants, the prevalence of hypokalemia did not depend significantly on oral supplementation of potassium (1.92 and 0.98% respectively, NS). None of 81 participants using laxative agents presented hypokalemia.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates that: older age seems not to appear to be a significant risk factor of hypokalemia. Hypokalemia is more often found in the older hypertensive patients treated with potassium losing diuretics, and prevention of diuretic-induced hypokalemia with oral supplementation of potassium seems to be insufficient.
Understanding the effects of personal factors and situational factors for adolescent cyberbullying perpetration: The roles of internal states and parental mediation
Authors: Wang Lin , Ngai Steven Sek‐yum
Published: April 2021

Introduction

The risk and protective factors of cyberbullying perpetration have been widely investigated. Less attention is paid to explore the effects of personal and situational factors, internal states, and external states in an integrated framework. This study aims to fill this void by developing an integrated framework to investigate the effects of power imbalance, the online disinhibition effect, internal states, and parental mediation on cyberbullying among Chinese adolescents.

Methods

Multistage cluster random sampling was employed with 1103 adolescents (Mage = 15.3, 52.5% girls) who responded to the questionnaire. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was conducted.

Results

Proficiency in technology use was directly related to cyberbullying. Social status among peers was found to be not only directly related to cyberbullying but also to operate through low self‐control to predict cyberbullying. The online disinhibition effect did not directly correlate to cyberbullying but operated through moral disengagement and low self‐control to predict cyberbullying. Notably, the results showed that physical power was neither directly correlated to cyberbullying nor aligned with moral disengagement or low self‐control to predict cyberbullying. The multiple‐group comparison analysis revealed that parental mediation moderated the effects of the online disinhibition effect on cyberbullying. However, this study found that parental mediation had no buffering effects when examining the relationships between physical power, social status, technology use, and cyberbullying.

Conclusions

Findings suggest that cyberbullying prevention should consider the effects of both internal states and external factors. The study has provided theoretical and practical implications for understanding and tackling the widespread problem of cyberbullying among adolescents.
After Saigon's Fall
Authors: Demmer Amanda C.
Published: April 2021

Few historians of the Vietnam War have covered the post-1975 era or engaged comprehensively with refugee politics, humanitarianism, and human rights as defining issues of the period. After Saigon's Fall is the first major work to uncover this history. Amanda C. Demmer offers a new account of the post-War normalization of US–Vietnam relations by centering three major transformations of the late twentieth century: the reassertion of the US Congress in American foreign policy; the Indochinese diaspora and changing domestic and international refugee norms; and the intertwining of humanitarianism and the human rights movement. By tracing these domestic, regional, and global phenomena, After Saigon's Fall captures the contingencies and contradictions inherent in US-Vietnamese normalization. Using previously untapped archives to recover a riveting narrative with both policymakers and nonstate advocates at its center, Demmer's book also reveals much about US politics and society in the last quarter of the twentieth century.
CM liftings of surfaces over finite fields and their applications to the Tate conjecture
Authors: Ito Kazuhiro , Ito Tetsushi , Koshikawa Teruhisa
Published: April 2021

We give applications of integral canonical models of orthogonal Shimura varieties and the Kuga-Satake morphism to the arithmetic of$K3$surfaces over finite fields. We prove that every$K3$surface of finite height over a finite field admits a characteristic$0$lifting whose generic fibre is a$K3$surface with complex multiplication. Combined with the results of Mukai and Buskin, we prove the Tate conjecture for the square of a$K3$surface over a finite field. To obtain these results, we construct an analogue of Kisin’s algebraic group for a$K3$surface of finite height and construct characteristic$0$liftings of the$K3$surface preserving the action of tori in the algebraic group. We obtain these results for$K3$surfaces over finite fields of any characteristics, including those of characteristic$2$or$3$.
Political ideology and diurnal associations
Authors: Ksiazkiewicz Aleksander
Published: April 2021

Social scientists have begun to uncover links between sleep and political attitudes and behaviors. This registered report considers how diurnal morning-night associations relate to political ideology using data from the Attitudes, Identities, and Individual Differences Study, a large-scale online data collection effort. Measures encompass perceived cultural attitudes and social pressures regarding diurnal preferences and explicit and implicit measures of both morning-night attitudes and morning-night self-concepts. Together, the analyses demonstrate a relationship between morning orientation and conservatism for explicit morning-night self-concepts and, to a lesser extent, explicit morning-night attitudes. This relationship is not present for implicit associations, and associations with perceived cultural attitudes and social pressure are also largely absent. This study reinforces the notion that morningness and eveningness as explicit identities are associated with political ideology.
Examining the association between childhood autistic traits and adolescent hypomania: a longitudinal twin study
Authors: Taylor Mark J. , Ronald Angelica , Martin Joanna , Lundström Sebastian , Hosang Georgina M. , Lichtenstein Paul
Published: April 2021

Background

There is evidence that autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) co-occur with bipolar disorder (BD) relatively frequently. Individuals with BD often report symptoms of mania and hypomania during adolescence, prior to the age of onset for BD. It is unknown whether these symptoms are associated with ASDs. We examined whether diagnoses of ASDs and autistic traits were associated with hypomania in a large, population-based Swedish twin sample.

Methods

Parental structured interviews assessed autistic traits, and were used to assign screening diagnoses of ASDs, when twins were aged 9 or 12 (N = 13 533 pairs). Parents then completed questionnaires assessing hypomania when the twins were aged 15 and 18 (N = 3852 pairs at age 15, and 3013 pairs at age 18). After investigating the phenotypic associations between these measures, we used the classical twin design to test whether genetic and environmental influences on autistic traits influence variation in adolescent hypomania.

Results

Autistic traits and ASD diagnoses in childhood were associated with elevated scores on the measures of adolescent hypomania. Twin analyses indicated that 6–9% of the variance in hypomania was explained by genetic influences that were shared with autistic traits in childhood. When repeating these analyses for specific autistic trait domains, we found a stronger association between social interaction difficulties and hypomania than for other autistic trait domains.

Conclusions

These results indicate a genetic link between autistic traits and hypomania in adolescence. This adds to the growing evidence base of genetic factors associated with ASDs showing links with psychiatric outcomes across childhood and into adulthood.
Secundum atrial septal defects transcatheter closure versus surgery in adulthood: a 2000–2020 systematic review and meta-analysis of intrahospital outcomes
Authors: Rigatelli Gianluca , Zuin Marco , Roncon Loris , Nanjiundappa Aravinda
Published: April 2021

Introduction:

Technologically, advances in both transcatheter and surgical techniques have been continuing in the past 20 years, but an updated comprehensive comparison in device-based versus surgery in adults in terms of incidence of in-hospital mortality, perioperative stroke, and atrial fibrillation onset is still lacking. We investigate the performance of transcatheter device-based closure compared to surgical techniques by a systematic review and meta-analysis of the last 20 years literature data.

Material and methods:

The analysis was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. Literature search was performed based on Cochrane Library, Embase, PubMed, and Google Scholar to locate articles published between January 2000 and October 2020, regarding the comparison between short-term outcome and post-procedural complications of atrial septal defect patients receiving transcatheter or surgical closure. The primary outcome was the comparison of in-hospital mortality from all causes between patients treated with transcatheter closure or cardiac. Secondary outcomes were the onset of post-procedural atrial fibrillation or perioperative stroke.

Results:

A total of 2360 patients were included of which 1393 [mean age 47.6 years, 952 females (68.3%)] and 967 [mean age 40.3 years, 693 females (71.6%)] received a transcatheter device-based and surgery closure, respectively. In-hospital mortality [OR 0.16 (95% CI (0.66−0.44)), p = 0.0003, I2 = 0%], perioperative stroke [OR 0.51 (95% CI (0.31−0.84)), p = 0.003, I2 = 79%], and post-procedural atrial fibrillation [OR 0.14 (95% CI (0.03−0.61)), p = 0.009, I2 = 0%] significantly favoured transcatheter device-based closure

Conclusion:

Transcatheter atrial septal defect closure resulted safer in terms of in-hospital mortality, perioperative stroke, and post-procedural atrial fibrillation compared to traditional surgery.
The road less travelled: percutaneous closure of a secundum atrial septal defect through the left internal jugular vein
Authors: Shibbani Kamel , Mohammad Nijres Bassel , Aldoss Osamah
Published: April 2021

In cases where femoral access is untenable for secundum atrial septal defect closure, the internal jugular vein can be used instead. We report a case of atrial septal defect closure in a patient with significant vascular thrombosis, requiring the use of the left internal jugular vein for access. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report that documents the use of the left internal jugular vein for atrial septal defect closure in a patient with situs solitus anatomy.
Study of high efficiency, low noise sputtered magnetron's cathode using GaN and SiC semiconductors for modulated microwave power transmission
Authors: Wen Chek Leong , Mekhilef Saad , Ramiah Harikrishnan
Published: April 2021

Semiconductor deposition on magnetron's cathode surface using different materials such as gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductors is conducted to grow approximately 80, 100 and 120 nm plasma layers. The cathode is then used to generate high frequency and low-power microwave for further comparison and analysis with the conventional magnetron operation. Parameter of analysis to identify the efficiency includes electron drift velocity, harmonic order, total harmonic distortion, low harmonic distortion, and spectrum observation. The sputtered cathode of the magnetron is used to generate a low-power microwave observing a generator efficiency up to 93 and 88% for GaN and SiC materials, respectively, compared to the conventional material, which observes 37% of efficiency at 2450 MHz, 5 W. Also reported is the quality of semiconductor sputtering on the magnetron cathode, which was manipulated by the deposition period, temperature, and plasma layer growth thickness.
An updated systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of the randomized controlled trials on the effects of alpha-lipoic acid supplementation on inflammatory biomarkers
Authors: Vajdi Mahdi , Mahmoudi-Nezhad Mahsa , Farhangi Mahdieh Abbasalizad
Published: April 2021

Abstract: Data about the effects of alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) supplementation on inflammatory markers are inconsistent. This systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials was performed to summarize the effects of ALA supplementation on inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in adults. A comprehensive literature search was conducted in the electronic databases of PubMed, Web of Science, ProQuest, Embase, and SCOPUS from inception to February 2020. Among all of the eligible studies, 20 articles were selected. The weighted mean differences (WMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated to evaluate the pooled effect size. Between-study heterogeneity was evaluated using Cochran’s Q test and I2. Subgroup analysis was done to evaluate the potential sources of heterogeneity. The dose-response relationship was evaluated using fractional polynomial modeling. Twenty eligible studies with a total sample size of 947 participants were included in the current meta-analysis. The findings of the meta-analysis showed that ALA supplementation significantly reduced CRP (WMD: −0.69 mg/L, 95% CI: −1.13, −0.26, P=0.002), IL-6 (WMD: −1.83 pg/ml, 95% CI: −2.90, −0.76, P=0.001), and TNF-α concentrations (WMD: −0.45 pg/ml, 95% CI: −0.85, −0.04, P=0.032). No evidence of departure from linearity was observed between dose and duration of the ALA supplementation on serum CRP, IL-6 and TNF-α concentration. In subgroup analysis, ALA dosage, baseline concentrations of the parameter, sample size, and gender were considered as possible sources of heterogeneity. In summary, ALA supplementation improves inflammatory markers without any evidence of non-linear association to dose or duration of the trial.
Classification of Weather Phenomenon From Images by Using Deep Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Xiao Haixia , Zhang Feng , Shen Zhongping , Wu Kun , Zhang Jinglin
Published: April 2021

Weather phenomenon recognition notably affects many aspects of our daily lives, for example, weather forecast, road condition monitoring, transportation, agriculture, forestry management, and the detection of the natural environment. In contrast, few studies aim to classify actual weather phenomenon images, usually relying on visual observations from humans. To the best of our knowledge, the traditional artificial visual distinction between weather phenomena takes a lot of time and is prone to errors. Although some studies improved the recognition accuracy and efficiency of weather phenomenon by using machine learning, they identified fewer types of weather phenomena. In this paper, a novel deep convolutional neural network (CNN) named MeteCNN is proposed for weather phenomena classification. Meanwhile, we establish a data set called the weather phenomenon database (WEAPD) containing 6,877 images with 11 weather phenomena, which has more categories than the previous data set. The classification accuracy of MeteCNN on the WEAPD testing set is around 92%, and the experimental result demonstrates the superiority and effectiveness of the proposed MeteCNN model. Realizing the automatic and high‐quality classification of weather phenomena images can provide a reference for future research on weather image classification and weather forecasting.
Elevation‐Dependent Warming Over the Tibetan Plateau From an Ensemble of CORDEX‐EA Regional Climate Simulations
Authors: Niu Xiaorui , Tang Jianping , Chen Deliang , Wang Shuyu , Ou Tinghai
Published: April 2021

Under the Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiments‐East Asia (CORDEX‐EA‐II), the outputs from two regional climate models (RCMs) driven by four global climate models (GCMs) are used to investigate the characteristics and possible mechanisms of the projected elevation‐dependent warming (EDW) over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) under the Representative Concentration Pathway emission scenario 8.5 (RCP8.5). Results show that widespread warming over the TP is projected with considerable disagreements in warming intensity and the maximum warming center among RCMs. The largest spread in the surface air temperature (Tas) projections is found above 5,000 m, indicating that a large uncertainty exists over the higher elevations. A marked EDW signal over the TP is simulated under the RCP 8.5 by the multi‐RCM ensemble mean for all seasons, particularly in autumn. Based on the analysis of the surface energy budget, it is found that the surface albedo feedback (SAF) is the primary contributor to EDW and acts as the main source of uncertainty in EDW projections among RCMs. The downward longwave radiation (DLW) is found to be the dominant factor in regulating Tas change over the TP, and its contribution to EDW is model‐dependent. Furthermore, the structure and magnitude of projected EDW are sensitive to the RCM physics and driving GCM, as they can alter the projections of snow cover and albedo, which modulate the simulated SAF and its effect on EDW. Additionally, RegCM4 shows a higher sensitivity to the anthropogenic greenhouse forcing than WRF, evidenced by the larger temperature projections and stronger EDW signal in RegCM4.
Global Distribution of Electrostatic Electron Cyclotron Harmonic Waves in Saturn's Magnetosphere: A Survey of Over‐13‐Year Cassini RPWS Observations
Authors: Long Minyi , Gu Xudong , Ni Binbin , Cao Xing , Ma Xin , Zhao Yiwen
Published: April 2021

Based on the measurements from Radio and Plasma Wave Science instrument onboard the Cassini spacecraft over 13 years, we perform a statistical analysis of electron cyclotron harmonic (ECH) wave spatial distribution in Saturn's magnetosphere. The wave occurrence rates, amplitudes, and peak frequencies as functions of magnetic local time, L‐shell, and magnetic latitude are investigated in detail. Our results confirm that the fundamental band ECH waves mainly occur near the magnetic equator (|λ| < 5°) and also at high latitudes (20° < |λ| ≤ 40°), with averaged amplitudes of about 0.01–0.1 mV/m. By comparison, the amplitudes and occurrence rates of higher harmonics n decrease significantly, and the higher harmonic bands tend to occur at lower L‐shells along with the enhanced day‐night asymmetry. Overall, Saturnian ECH emissions are preferentially a nightside phenomenon and exhibit a gap in the midlatitude regions (5° < |λ| ≤ 20°) for the occurrence rates. The occurrence rates of ECH waves are higher at high latitudes than those near the magnetic equator, but the statistically averaged amplitudes of high latitude emissions are relatively weaker. Furthermore, the averaged peak frequencies of each ECH wave harmonic band are generally below (n + 1/2) fce and have the smallest deviation from (n + 1/2) fce near the equator. These results can be readily adopted as representative inputs to quantify the electron scattering effect of multi‐harmonic Saturnian ECH waves and investigate the underlying contribution of ECH emissions to the evolution of the Saturnian radiation belt.
Coupled Aqua and Ridge Planets in the Community Earth System Model
Authors: Wu Xiaoning , Reed Kevin A. , Wolfe Christopher L. P. , Marques Gustavo M. , Bachman Scott D. , Bryan Frank O.
Published: April 2021

Idealized models can reveal insights into Earth’s climate system by reducing its complexities. However, their potential is undermined by the scarcity of fully coupled idealized models with components comparable to contemporary, comprehensive Earth System Models. To fill this gap, we compare and contrast the climates of two idealized planets which build on the Simpler Models initiative of the Community Earth System Model (CESM). Using the fully coupled CESM, the Aqua configuration is ocean‐covered except for two polar land caps, and the Ridge configuration has an additional pole‐to‐pole grid‐cell‐wide continent. Contrary to most sea surface temperature profiles assumed for atmosphere‐only aquaplanet experiments with the thermal maximum on the equator, the coupled Aqua configuration is characterized by a global cold belt of wind‐driven equatorial upwelling, analogous to the eastern Pacific cold tongue. The presence of the meridional boundary on Ridge introduces zonal asymmetry in thermal and circulation features, similar to the contrast between western and eastern Pacific. This zonal asymmetry leads to a distinct climate state from Aqua, cooled by ∼2°C via the radiative feedback of clouds and water vapor. The meridional boundary of Ridge is also crucial for producing a more Earth‐like climate state compared to Aqua, including features of atmospheric and ocean circulation, the seasonal cycle of the Intertropical Convergence Zone, and the meridional heat transport. The mean climates of these two basic configurations provide a baseline for exploring other idealized ocean geometries, and their application for investigating various features and scale interactions in the coupled climate system.
Analyzing the Impact of Streamflow Drought on Hydroelectricity Production: A Global‐Scale Study
Authors: Wan Wenhua , Zhao Jianshi , Popat Eklavyya , Herbert Claudia , Döll Petra
Published: April 2021

Electricity production by hydropower is negatively affected by drought. To understand and quantify risks of less than normal streamflow for hydroelectricity production (HP) at the global scale, we developed an HP model that simulates time series of monthly HP worldwide and thus enables analyzing the impact of drought on HP. The HP model is based on a new global hydropower database (GHD), containing 8,716 geo‐localized plant records, and on monthly streamflow values computed by the global hydrological model WaterGAP with a spatial resolution of 0.5°. The GHD includes 44 attributes and covers 91.8% of the globally installed capacity. The HP model can reproduce HP trends, seasonality, and interannual variability that was caused by both (de)commissioning of hydropower plants and hydrological variability. It can also simulate streamflow drought and its impact on HP reasonably well. Global risk maps of HP reduction were generated for both 0.5° grid cells and countries, revealing that 67 out of the 134 countries with hydropower suffer, in 1 out of 10 years, from a reduction of more than 20% of mean annual HP and 18 countries from a reduction of more than 40%. The developed HP model enables advanced assessments of drought impacts on hydroelectricity at national to international levels.
Past Climate Change Affected Mountain Building in the Andes
Authors: Stanley Sarah
Published: April 2021

Increased glaciation in the North Patagonian Andes may have influenced tectonic dynamics over the past 7 million years, suggesting a connection between climate change and mountain-building processes.
Temporal multiomic modeling reveals a B-cell receptor proliferative program in chronic lymphocytic leukemia
Authors: Schleiss Cedric , Carapito Raphael , Fornecker Luc-Matthieu , Muller Leslie , Paul Nicodème , Tahar Ouria , Pichot Angelique , Tavian Manuela , Nicolae Alina , Miguet Laurent , Mauvieux Laurent , Herbrecht Raoul , Cianferani Sarah , Freund Jean-Noel , Carapito Christine , Maumy-Bertrand Myriam , Bahram Seiamak , Bertrand Frederic , Vallat Laurent
Published: April 2021

B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling is crucial for the pathophysiology of most mature B-cell lymphomas/leukemias and has emerged as a therapeutic target whose effectiveness remains limited by the occurrence of mutations. Therefore, deciphering the cellular program activated downstream this pathway has become of paramount importance for the development of innovative therapies. Using an original ex vivo model of BCR-induced proliferation of chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells, we generated 108 temporal transcriptional and proteomic profiles from 1 h up to 4 days after BCR activation. This dataset revealed a structured temporal response composed of 13,065 transcripts and 4027 proteins, comprising a leukemic proliferative signature consisting of 430 genes and 374 proteins. Mathematical modeling of this complex cellular response further highlighted a transcriptional network driven by 14 early genes linked to proteins involved in cell proliferation. This group includes expected genes (EGR1/2, NF-kB) and genes involved in NF-kB signaling modulation (TANK, ROHF) and immune evasion (KMO, IL4I1) that have not yet been associated with leukemic cells proliferation. Our study unveils the BCR-activated proliferative genetic program in primary leukemic cells. This approach combining temporal measurements with modeling allows identifying new putative targets for innovative therapy of lymphoid malignancies and also cancers dependent on ligand–receptor interactions.
Improving outcomes in chronic myeloid leukemia through harnessing the immunological landscape
Authors: Hsieh Ya-Ching , Kirschner Kristina , Copland Mhairi
Published: April 2021

The quest for treatment-free remission (TFR) and deep molecular response (DMR) in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) has been profoundly impacted by tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Immunologic surveillance of residual leukemic cells is hypothesized to be one of the critical factors in successful TFR, with self-renewing leukemic stem cells implicated in relapse. Immunological characterization in CML may help to develop novel immunotherapies that specifically target residual leukemic cells upon TKI discontinuation to improve TFR rates. This review focuses on immune dysfunction in newly diagnosed CML patients, and the role that TKIs and other therapies have in restoring immune surveillance. Immune dysfunction and immunosurveillance in CML points towards several emerging areas in the key goals of DMR and TFR, including: (1) Aspects of innate immune system, in particular natural killer cells and the newly emerging target plasmacytoid dendritic cells. (2) The adaptive immune system, with promise shown in regard to leukemia-associated antigen vaccine-induced CD8 cytotoxic T-cells (CTL) responses, increased CTL expansion, and immune checkpoint inhibitors. (3) Immune suppressive myeloid-derived suppressor cells and T regulatory cells that are reduced in DMR and TFR. (4) Immunomodulator mesenchymal stromal cells that critically contribute to leukomogenesis through immunosuppressive properties and TKI- resistance. Therapeutic strategies that leverage existing immunological approaches include donor lymphocyte infusions, that continue to be used, often in combination with TKIs, in patients relapsing following allogeneic stem cell transplant. Furthermore, previous standards-of-care, including interferon-α, hold promise in attaining TFR in the post-TKI era. A deeper understanding of the immunological landscape in CML is therefore vital for both the development of novel and the repurposing of older therapies to improve TFR outcomes.
A large-scale genome-wide gene expression analysis in peripheral blood identifies very few differentially expressed genes related to antidepressant treatment and response in patients with major depressive disorder
Authors: Nøhr Anne Krogh , Lindow Morten , Forsingdal Annika , Demharter Samuel , Nielsen Troels , Buller Raimund , Moltke Ida , Vitezic Morana , Albrechtsen Anders
Published: April 2021

A better understanding of the biological factors underlying antidepressant treatment in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) is needed. We perform gene expression analyses and explore sources of variability in peripheral blood related to antidepressant treatment and treatment response in patients suffering from recurrent MDD at baseline and after 8 weeks of treatment. The study includes 281 patients, which were randomized to 8 weeks of treatment with vortioxetine (N = 184) or placebo (N = 97). To our knowledge, this is the largest dataset including both gene expression in blood and placebo-controlled treatment response measured by a clinical scale in a randomized clinical trial. We identified three novel genes whose RNA expression levels at baseline and week 8 are significantly (FDR < 0.05) associated with treatment response after 8 weeks of treatment. Among these genes were SOCS3 (FDR = 0.0039) and PROK2 (FDR = 0.0028), which have previously both been linked to depression. Downregulation of these genes was associated with poorer treatment response. We did not identify any genes that were differentially expressed between placebo and vortioxetine groups at week 8 or between baseline and week 8 of treatment. Nor did we replicate any genes identified in previous peripheral blood gene expression studies examining treatment response. Analysis of genome-wide expression variability showed that type of treatment and treatment response explains very little of the variance, a median of <0.0001% and 0.05% in gene expression across all genes, respectively. Given the relatively large size of the study, the limited findings suggest that peripheral blood gene expression might not be the best approach to explore the biological factors underlying antidepressant treatment.
Are psychiatric disorders risk factors for COVID-19 susceptibility and severity? a two-sample, bidirectional, univariable, and multivariable Mendelian Randomization study
Authors: Luykx Jurjen J. , Lin Bochao D.
Published: April 2021

Observational studies have suggested bidirectional associations between psychiatric disorders and COVID-19 phenotypes, but results of such studies are inconsistent. Mendelian Randomization (MR) may overcome the limitations of observational studies, e.g., unmeasured confounding and uncertainties about cause and effect. We aimed to elucidate associations between neuropsychiatric disorders and COVID-19 susceptibility and severity. To that end, we applied a two-sample, bidirectional, univariable, and multivariable MR design to genetic data from genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of neuropsychiatric disorders and COVID-19 phenotypes (released in January 2021). In single-variable Generalized Summary MR analysis, the most significant and only Bonferroni-corrected significant result was found for genetic liability to BIP-SCZ (a combined GWAS of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia as cases vs. controls) increasing risk of COVID-19 (OR = 1.17, 95% CI, 1.06–1.28). However, we found a significant, positive genetic correlation between BIP-SCZ and COVID-19 of 0.295 and could not confirm causal or horizontally pleiotropic effects using another method. No genetic liabilities to COVID-19 phenotypes increased the risk of (neuro)psychiatric disorders. In multivariable MR using both neuropsychiatric and a range of other phenotypes, only genetic instruments of BMI remained causally associated with COVID-19. All sensitivity analyses confirmed the results. In conclusion, while genetic liability to bipolar disorder and schizophrenia combined slightly increased COVID-19 susceptibility in one univariable analysis, other MR and multivariable analyses could only confirm genetic underpinnings of BMI to be causally implicated in COVID-19 susceptibility. Thus, using MR we found no consistent proof of genetic liabilities to (neuro)psychiatric disorders contributing to COVID-19 liability or vice versa, which is in line with at least two observational studies. Previously reported positive associations between psychiatric disorders and COVID-19 by others may have resulted from statistical models incompletely capturing BMI as a continuous covariate.
Correction: Cortisol reactivity in patients with anorexia nervosa after stress induction
Authors: Schmalbach Ileana , Herhaus Benedict , Pässler Sebastian , Runst Sarah , Berth Hendrik , Wolff-Stephan Silvia , Petrowski Katja
Published: April 2021

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-021-01326-6