bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Demographic and Clinical Characteristics of Individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment Related to Grade of Alcohol Consumption
Authors: Tsevis Theofanis , Westman Eric , Poulakis Konstantinos , Lindberg Olof , Badji Atef , Religa Dorota , Wahlund Lars-Olof
Published: January 2022

Introduction: While alcohol overconsumption is regarded as a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, the specific relationship between alcohol consumption and cognitive impairment remains unclear and poorly understood. Our primary objective is to investigate whether alcohol consumption is associated with lower cognitive performance at an early phase of the development of cognitive impairment (mild cognitive impairment [MCI] stage) and second to present the clinical and demographic characteristics depending on the grade of alcohol consumption. Methods: This is a cross-sectional observational study, including 251 subjects with the diagnosis MCI, having caregiving contact with Memory Clinic, Karolinska University Hospital, under year 2015. We compared subgroups with different levels of alcohol consumption, concerning social parameters, cognitive, radiological, laboratory profile as well as comorbidities and burden of drugs. Results: Mini-mental State Examination score was not associated with alcohol consumption. Light to moderate drinkers were significantly higher educated. There were significantly more subjects using antianxiety medications among heavy drinkers in comparison with light to moderate drinkers. Finally, never/rare drinkers had significantly lower levels of erythrocyte mean corpuscular volume in their blood tests. Discussion/Conclusion: Alcohol consumption was not correlated with a more pronounced cognitive deficit or a distinct clinical severity at an early stage of cognitive impairment apart from higher usage of antianxiety medications. We are planning to follow up all individuals to ascertain if heavy drinkers have a different outcome compared with the other groups.
Effect of Low-Dose Statins in Addition to Standard Therapy on Brain Perfusion and Neurocognitive Performance in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder
Authors: Massardo Teresa , Quintana Juan C. , Risco Luis , Corral Sebastian , Spuler Jane , Vicentini Daniel , Castro-Muñoz Gabriel , Riedel Byron , Villa Carolina , Pereira Jaime I.
Published: January 2022

Introduction: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a prevalent condition which has a well-known association with ischemic cardiomyopathy, probably explained by an inflammatory mediator mechanism. Statins, besides reducing cholesterol production, have pleiotropic effects including anti-inflammatory activity. The goal was to evaluate the effect of statins as an addition to standard therapy on mood status, brain perfusion, and neurocognitive performance in MDD. Methods: We studied 20 MDD patients with brain single-photon emission tomography and Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB), half randomized to 10 mg of Rosuvastatin or placebo, in addition to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) therapy and being reevaluated 3 months later. The images were compared using Statistical Parametric Mapping; clinical scores (Hamilton Depression Score with 17 items and Beck’s Depression Inventory) as well as neurocognitive parameters were applied as covariances (CoV) to estimate regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) changes with both therapies. Results: Clinical scores decreased in both groups (p = 0.0001); Beck’s presented a larger decrease with statins. We observed significantly rCBF changes expressed as significant larger clusters of voxels (p < 0.05) in the pre/subgenual anterior cingulate plus orbitofrontal cortex and a small area in the posterior cingulate gyrus in the statins group, whereas it was not observed with placebo, when using clinical scores as CoV. A similar pattern of rCBF changes was present with emotions recognition, attentional, paired associates learning, spatial planning, and working memory tasks. Conclusion: Short-term use of low-dose statins in MDD patients under SSRIs results in important rCBF changes in key mood associated areas to improvement in neurocognitive performance. These findings, even though demonstrated in a small sample, could open a new therapeutic tool in the comprehensive management of this disorder.
Red Cell Distribution Width Is Independently Associated with Mortality in Sepsis
Authors: Dankl Daniel , Rezar Richard , Mamandipoor Behrooz , Zhou Zhichao , Wernly Sarah , Wernly Bernhard , Osmani Venet
Published: January 2022

Background: Mortality in sepsis remains high. Studies on small cohorts have shown that red cell distribution width (RDW) is associated with mortality. The aim of this study was to validate these findings in a large multicenter cohort. Methods: We conducted this retrospective analysis of the multicenter eICU Collaborative Research Database in 16,423 septic patients. We split the cohort in patients with low (≤15%; n = 7,129) and high (>15%; n = 9,294) RDW. Univariable and multivariable multilevel logistic regressions were used to fit regression models for the binary primary outcome of hospital mortality and the secondary outcome intensive care unit (ICU) mortality with hospital unit as random effect. Optimal cutoffs were calculated using the Youden index. Results: Patients with high RDW were more often older than 65 years (57% vs. 50%; p < 0.001) and had higher Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) IV scores (69 vs. 60 pts.; p < 0.001). Both hospital (adjusted odds ratios [aOR] 1.18; 95% CI: 1.16–1.20; p < 0.001) and ICU mortality (aOR 1.16; 95% CI: 1.14–1.18; p < 0.001) were associated with RDW as a continuous variable. Patients with high RDW had a higher hospital mortality (20 vs. 9%; aOR 2.63; 95% CI: 2.38–2.90; p < 0.001). This finding persisted after multivariable adjustment (aOR 2.14; 95% CI: 1.93–2.37; p < 0.001) in a multilevel logistic regression analysis. The optimal RDW cutoff for the prediction of hospital mortality was 16%. Conclusion: We found an association of RDW with mortality in septic patients and propose an optimal cutoff value for risk stratification. In a combined model with lactate, RDW shows equivalent diagnostic performance to Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score and APACHE IV score.
The Gut in Heart Failure: Current Knowledge and Novel Frontiers
Authors: Gallo Antonella , Macerola Noemi , Favuzzi Angela Maria , Nicolazzi Maria Anna , Gasbarrini Antonio , Montalto Massimo
Published: January 2022

Heart failure (HF) represents a major health problem affecting millions of people worldwide. In the latest years, many efforts have been made to search for more effective strategies to prevent and modify the course of this disease, but results are still not satisfying. HF represents a complex clinical syndrome involving many other systems, including the gastrointestinal system. Although the relationship between the gut and HF is far from being fully understood, based on recent evidence highlighting the putative role of the gastrointestinal system in different cardiovascular diseases, it is conceivable that the gut-heart link may represent the basis for novel therapeutic approaches in the HF context as well. This intricate interplay involving typical hemodynamic changes and their consequences on gut morphology, permeability, and function, sets the stage for alterations in microbiota composition and is able to impact mechanisms of HF through different routes such as bacterial translocation and metabolic pathways. Thus, the modulation of the gut microbiota through diet, probiotics, and fecal transplantation has been suggested as a potential therapeutic approach. More interestingly, another effect of alteration in microbiota composition reflects in the upregulation of cotransporters (NHE3) with consequent salt and fluid overload and worsening visceral congestion. Therefore, the inhibitors of this cotransporter may also represent a novel therapeutic frontier. By review of recent data on this topic, we describe the current state of the complex interplay between the gastrointestinal and cardiac systems in HF, and the relevance of this knowledge in seeking new therapeutic strategies.
Acute but Not Chronic Central Administration of the Neuropeptide 26RFa (QRFP) Improves Glucose Homeostasis in Obese/Diabetic Mice
Authors: Le Solliec Marie-Anne , Arabo Arnaud , Takhlidjt Saloua , Maucotel Julie , Devère Mélodie , Riancho Julien , Berrahmoune Hind , do Rego Jean-Luc , do Rego Jean-Claude , Bénani Alexandre , Nedelec Emmanuelle , Lefranc Benjamin , Leprince Jérôme , Anouar Youssef , Picot Marie , Chartrel Nicolas , Prévost Gaëtan
Published: January 2022

Introduction: The aim of the study is to investigate whether acute or chronic central administration of the hypothalamic neuropeptide 26RFa may ameliorate the glycemic control of obese/diabetic mice. Methods: Mice were treated for 4 months with a high-fat (HF) diet and received a single i.c.v. injection of 26RFa (3 µg) or a chronic i.c.v. administration of the peptide during 28 days via osmotic minipumps (25 µg/day). i.p. and oral glucose (GLU) tolerance tests, insulin (INS) tolerance test, glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS), food/water intake, horizontal/vertical activity, energy expenditure, meal pattern, and whole-body composition were monitored. In addition, 26RFa and GPR103 mRNA expressions as well as plasma 26RFa levels were evaluated by RT-QPCR and radioimmunoassay. Results: Acute administration of 26RFa in HF mice induced a robust antihyperglycemic effect by enhancing INS secretion, whereas chronic administration of the neuropeptide is unable to improve glucose homeostasis in these obese/diabetogenic conditions. By contrast, chronic 26RFa treatment induced an increase of the body weight accompanied with an enhanced food intake and a decreased energy expenditure. Finally, we show that the HF diet does not alter the hypothalamic expression of the 26RFa/GPR103 neuropeptidergic system nor the levels of circulating 26RFa. Conclusion: Our data indicate that the central beneficial effect of 26RFa on glucose homeostasis, by potentiating GSIS, is preserved in HF mice. However, chronic administration of the neuropeptide is unable to balance glycemia in these pathophysiological conditions, suggesting that the hypothalamic 26RFa/GPR103 neuropeptidergic system mainly affects short-term regulation of glucose metabolism.
Predicting Atrial Fibrillation Recurrence by Combining Population Data and Virtual Cohorts of Patient-Specific Left Atrial Models
Authors: Roney Caroline H. , Sim Iain , Yu Jin , Beach Marianne , Mehta Arihant , Alonso Solis-Lemus Jose , Kotadia Irum , Whitaker John , Corrado Cesare , Razeghi Orod , Vigmond Edward , Narayan Sanjiv M. , O’Neill Mark , Williams Steven E. , Niederer Steven A.
Published: January 2022

Background:

Current ablation therapy for atrial fibrillation is suboptimal, and long-term response is challenging to predict. Clinical trials identify bedside properties that provide only modest prediction of long-term response in populations, while patient-specific models in small cohorts primarily explain acute response to ablation. We aimed to predict long-term atrial fibrillation recurrence after ablation in large cohorts, by using machine learning to complement biophysical simulations by encoding more interindividual variability.

Methods:

Patient-specific models were constructed for 100 atrial fibrillation patients (43 paroxysmal, 41 persistent, and 16 long-standing persistent), undergoing first ablation. Patients were followed for 1 year using ambulatory ECG monitoring. Each patient-specific biophysical model combined differing fibrosis patterns, fiber orientation maps, electrical properties, and ablation patterns to capture uncertainty in atrial properties and to test the ability of the tissue to sustain fibrillation. These simulation stress tests of different model variants were postprocessed to calculate atrial fibrillation simulation metrics. Machine learning classifiers were trained to predict atrial fibrillation recurrence using features from the patient history, imaging, and atrial fibrillation simulation metrics.

Results:

We performed 1100 atrial fibrillation ablation simulations across 100 patient-specific models. Models based on simulation stress tests alone showed a maximum accuracy of 0.63 for predicting long-term fibrillation recurrence. Classifiers trained to history, imaging, and simulation stress tests (average 10-fold cross-validation area under the curve, 0.85±0.09; recall, 0.80±0.13; precision, 0.74±0.13) outperformed those trained to history and imaging (area under the curve, 0.66±0.17) or history alone (area under the curve, 0.61±0.14).

Conclusion:

A novel computational pipeline accurately predicted long-term atrial fibrillation recurrence in individual patients by combining outcome data with patient-specific acute simulation response. This technique could help to personalize selection for atrial fibrillation ablation.
Arrhythmic Burden and the Risk of Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients With Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation and Cardiac Implanted Electronic Devices
Authors: Chew Derek S. , Li Zhen , Steinberg Benjamin A. , O’Brien Emily C. , Pritchard Jessica , Bunch T. Jared , Mark Daniel B. , Patel Manesh R. , Nabutovsky Yelena , Greiner Melissa A. , Piccini Jonathan P.
Published: January 2022

Background:

Whether the amount of atrial fibrillation (AF) patients experience conveys important prognostic information beyond that provided by the diagnosis of AF is uncertain. The study objective was to assess the dose-response relationship between device-detected AF burden and subsequent cardiovascular outcomes.

Methods:

Among patients with paroxysmal AF who underwent cardiac implantable electronic device implantation (2010–2016), Merlin.net remote-monitoring data were linked to Medicare claims to assess the magnitude and strength of the associations between device-based AF burden (defined as a daily percentage of time spent in AF or maximal AF episode duration ascertained at baseline over 30 days) and key cardiovascular outcomes.

Results:

Among 39 710 patients (mean age 77.1±8.7 years, 60.7% male, and a mean CHA
2
DS
2
-VASc score 4.9±1.3), all-cause mortality at 1-year increased with baseline AF burden: 8.54% with AF burden 0%, 8.9% with AF burden 0% to 5%, and 10.9% with AF burden 5% to 98% (
P
<0.001) There was also a dose-response relationship between increasing AF burden and all-cause or cardiovascular hospitalization and ischemic stroke. Updating AF burden data every 30 days did not alter the AF burden-prognostic relationships determined from the use of baseline data alone. Results were also consistent when 3-year outcomes were considered and after accounting for the use of oral anticoagulants.

Conclusions:

In paroxysmal AF, there is a clinically relevant dose-response relationship between increasing AF burden and rates of adverse outcomes at 1- and 3-years, including increasing risks of cardiovascular hospitalization, ischemic stroke, and mortality.
U-Shaped Relationship of High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol and Incidence of Total, Ischemic and Hemorrhagic Stroke: A Prospective Cohort Study
Authors: Li Haibin , Qian Frank , Zuo Yingting , Yuan Jinhuan , Chen Shuohua , Wu Shouling , Wang Anxin
Published: January 2022

Background:

We aimed to investigate the association between serially measured HDL-C (high-density lipoprotein cholesterol) levels and stroke risk in a prospective cohort study.

Methods:

We included 96 258 individuals (79.6% men, mean age 51.5 years) without a history of stroke, myocardial infarction, or cancer at baseline from the Kailuan Study, with repeated measurements of HDL-C in 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016. Cumulatively, averaged HDL-C concentrations were calculated using all available HDL-C measurements before incidence stroke or end of follow-up (December 31, 2017). Incident stroke cases were confirmed by review of medical records and further subclassified into ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke. Cox proportional hazards regression and restricted cubic splines were used to examine these associations.

Results:

During a median follow-up of 10.7 years, 5012 incident stroke cases occurred. Restricted cubic splines analysis suggested a U-shaped association between concentrations of cumulatively averaged HDL-C and risk of stroke (
P
nonlinearity
<0.001), with the nadir of risk at 1.29 mmol/L. After adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors, individuals with cumulatively averaged HDL-C ≤1.06 mmol/L or ≥2.05 mmol/L had hazard ratios for total stroke of 1.31 (95% CI, 1.15–1.49) and 1.85 (1.63–2.09) compared with those with HDL-C of 1.26 to 1.39 mmol/L. Corresponding hazard ratios were 1.29 (1.11–1.48) and 1.84 (1.60–2.11) for ischemic stroke and 1.54 (1.12–2.12) and 2.29 (1.73–3.04) for hemorrhagic stroke, respectively.

Conclusions:

Both low and high cumulatively averaged HDL-C were associated with an increased risk of ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes.
The Visual Communication of Book Covers in Croatia
Authors: Selthofer Josipa
Published: January 2022

The aim of this paper is to analyse and compare the graphic elements present on book covers published in Croatia from 2012 to 2018, and compare the data with the graphic elements on book covers from five other European book markets. Hofstede’s model of cultural dimensions was used in the research to examine the ways in which the design of book covers is influenced by culture. The graphic elements on book covers from Croatia and a sample of five European countries were compared using the visual content analysis method. Element frequency scores were correlated with indexes from Hofstede’s model of national culture and interpreted on the basis of the existing literature using the chi-squared test. Both the quantitative and qualitative analyses were carried out on the sample of 633 book covers (using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences [SPSS] and a custom-made web application, respectively).
Didymocarpus cordifolius (Gesneriaceae), a new species from southern Yunnan, China
Authors: LI PENG-WEI , YANG LI-HUA
Published: January 2022

Didymocarpus cordifolius, a new species of Gesneriaceae from southern Yunnan Province, China is described and illustrated. The new species is morphologically similar to D. silvarum and D. margaritae, but can be readily distinguished by its short petioles with both glandular and eglandular hairs, pale purple corolla, hairy anthers, and ovary and style of subequal length.
Fire-Generated Tornadic Vortices
Authors: Lareau Neil P. , Nauslar Nicholas J. , Bentley Evan , Roberts Matthew , Emmerson Samuel , Brong Brian , Mehle Matthew , Wallman James
Published: January 2022

Fire-generated tornadic vortices (FGTVs) linked to deep pyroconvection, including pyrocumulonimbi (pyroCbs), are a potentially deadly, yet poorly understood, wildfire hazard. In this study we use radar and satellite observations to examine three FGTV cases during high-impact wildfires during the 2020 fire season in California. We establish that these FGTVs each exhibit tornado-strength anticyclonic rotation, with rotational velocity as strong as 30 m s−1 (60 kt), vortex depths of up to 4.9 km AGL, and pyroCb plume tops as high as 16 km MSL. These data suggest similarities to EF2+ strength tornadoes. Volumetric renderings of vortex and plume morphology reveal two types of vortices: embedded vortices anchored to the fire and residing within high-reflectivity convective columns and shedding vortices that detach from the fire and move downstream. Time-averaged radar data further show that each case exhibits fire-generated mesoscale flow perturbations characterized by flow splitting around the fire’s updraft and pronounced flow reversal in the updraft’s lee. All the FGTVs occur during deep pyroconvection, including pyroCb, suggesting an important role of both fire and cloud processes. The commonalities in plume and vortex morphology provide the basis for a conceptual model describing when, where, and why these FGTVs form.
Criticality in the Shallow-to-Deep Transition of Simulated Tropical Marine Convection
Authors: Powell Scott W.
Published: January 2022

Idealized simulations of tropical, marine convection depict shallow, nonprecipitating cumuli located beneath the 0°C level transitioning into cumulonimbi that reach up to 12 km and higher. The timing of the transition was only weakly related to environmental stability, and 13 of the 15 simulations run with 5 different lapse-rate profiles had rain develop at nearly the same time after model start. The key quantity that apparently controlled deep convective formation was vertical acceleration inside cloudy updrafts between cloud base and the 0°C level. Below a critical value of updraft vertical acceleration, little rainfall occurred. Just as the domain-mean updraft acceleration reached the critical value, the first convection quickly grew to past 12 km altitude. Then, as acceleration increased above the critical value, rain rate averaged in the model domain increased quickly over about a 3-h-long period. The specific value of the critical updraft acceleration depended on how updrafts were defined and in what layer the acceleration was averaged; however, regardless of how criticality was defined, a robust relationship between domain-mean updraft vertical acceleration and rain rate occurred. Positive acceleration of updrafts below the 0°C level was present below 2.75 km and was largest in the 500 m above cloud base. However, the maximum difference between updraft and environmental temperatures occurred between 2 and 3 km. The domain-mean Archimedean buoyancy of updrafts relative to some reference state was a poor predictor for domain-mean rain rate. The exact value of the critical updraft acceleration likely depends on numerous other factors that were not investigated.

Significance Statement

A numerical model is utilized to investigate potential thermodynamic and dynamic quantities related to the growth of cumulus clouds into cumulonimbus clouds over tropical oceans when the atmosphere is sufficiently moist to support rainfall. Archimedean buoyancy alone cannot be used to predict rain rate reliably. Instead the total buoyancy not relative to an arbitrary reference state must be considered. The simulated relationship between total vertical acceleration in updrafts and rain rate was robust. While the processes that control the vertical acceleration remain unclear, our results highlight the importance of observing processes that occur on spatial scales of tens of meters and temporal scales of a few minutes.
A Seesaw Variability in Tropical Cyclone Genesis between the Western North Pacific and the North Atlantic Shaped by Atlantic Multidecadal Variability
Authors: Wang Chao , Wang Bin , Wu Liguang , Luo Jing-Jia
Published: January 2022

Variabilities in tropical cyclone (TC) activity are commonly interpreted in individual TC basins. We identify an antiphase decadal variation in TC genesis between the western North Pacific (WNP) and North Atlantic (NA). An inactive (active) WNP TC genesis concurs with an enhanced (suppressed) NA TC genesis. We propose that the transbasin TC connection results from a subtropical east–west “relay” teleconnection triggered by Atlantic multidecadal oscillation (AMO), involving a chain atmosphere–ocean interaction in the North Pacific. During a negative AMO phase, the tropical NA cooling suppresses local convective heating that further stimulates a descending low-level anticyclonic circulation in the tropical NA and eastern North Pacific as a Rossby wave response, inhibiting the NA TC genesis. Meanwhile, the anomalous southwesterly to the western flank of the anomalous anticyclonic circulation tends to weaken the surface evaporation and warm the SST over the subtropical eastern North Pacific (southwest–northeast-oriented zone from the tropical central Pacific to the subtropical west coast of North America). The SST warming further sustains a cyclonic circulation anomaly over the WNP by local atmosphere–ocean interaction and the Bjerknes feedback, promoting the WNP TC genesis. This transbasin linkage helps us interpret the moderate amplitude of variations in TC genesis frequency in the Northern Hemisphere.
A Multidataset Assessment of Climatic Drivers and Uncertainties of Recent Trends in Evaporative Demand across the Continental United States
Authors: Albano Christine M. , Abatzoglou John T. , McEvoy Daniel J. , Huntington Justin L. , Morton Charles G. , Dettinger Michael D. , Ott Thomas J.
Published: January 2022

Increased atmospheric evaporative demand has important implications for humans and ecosystems in water-scarce lands. While temperature plays a significant role in driving evaporative demand and its trend, other climate variables are also influential and their contributions to recent trends in evaporative demand are unknown. We address this gap with an assessment of recent (1980–2020) trends in annual reference evapotranspiration (ETo) and its drivers across the continental United States based on five gridded datasets. In doing so, we characterize the structural uncertainty of ETo trends and decompose the relative influences of temperature, wind speed, solar radiation, and humidity. Results highlight large and robust changes in ETo across much of the western United States, centered on the Rio Grande region where ETo increased 135–235 mm during 1980–2020. The largest uncertainties in ETo trends are in the central and eastern United States and surrounding the Upper Colorado River. Trend decomposition highlights the strong and widespread influence of temperature, which contributes to 57% of observed ETo trends, on average. ETo increases are mitigated by increases in specific humidity in non-water-limited regions, while small decreases in specific humidity and increases in wind speed and solar radiation magnify ETo increases across the West. Our results show increases in ETo across the West that are already emerging outside the range of variability observed 20–40 years ago. Our results suggest that twenty-first-century land and water managers need to plan for an already increasing influence of evaporative demand on water availability and wildfire risks.

Significance Statement

Increased atmospheric thirst due to climate warming has the potential to decrease water availability and increase wildfire risks in water-scarce regions. Here, we identified how much atmospheric thirst has changed across the continental United States over the past 40 years, what climate variables are driving the change, and how consistent these changes are among five data sources. We found that atmospheric thirst is consistently emerging outside the range experienced in the late twentieth century in some western regions with 57% of the change driven by temperature. Importantly, we demonstrate that increased atmospheric thirst has already become a persistent forcing of western landscapes and water supplies toward drought and will be an essential consideration for land and water management planning going forward.
New Polarimetric Radar Algorithm for Melting-Layer Detection and Determination of Its Height
Authors: Ryzhkov Alexander , Krause John
Published: January 2022

A novel polarimetric radar algorithm for melting-layer (ML) detection and determination of its height has been developed and tested for a large number of cold-season weather events. The algorithm uses radial profiles of the cross-correlation coefficient (ρhv or CC) at the lowest elevation angles (<5°–6°). The effects of beam broadening on the spatial distribution of CC have been taken into account via theoretical simulations of the radial profiles of CC assuming intrinsic vertical profiles of polarimetric radar variables within the ML with varying heights and depths of the ML. The model radial profiles of CC and their key parameters are stored in lookup tables and compared with the measured CC profiles. The matching of the model and measured CC radial profiles allows the algorithm to determine the “true” heights of the top and bottom of the ML, Ht and Hb, at distances up to 150 km from the radar. Integrating the CC information from all available antenna elevations makes it possible to produce accurate maps of Ht and Hb over large areas of radar coverage as opposed to the previous ML detection methods including the existing algorithm implemented on the U.S. network of the WSR-88Ds. The initial version of the algorithm has been implemented in C++ and tested for a multitude of cold-season weather events characterized by a low ML with different degrees of spatial nonuniformity including cases with sharp frontal boundaries and rain–snow transitions. The new ML detection algorithm (MLDA) exhibits robust performance, demonstrating spatial and temporal continuity, and showing general consistency of the ML designations matching those obtained from the regional model and the quasi-vertical profiles (QVP) methodology output.
Use of Power Transform Total Number Concentration as Control Variable for Direct Assimilation of Radar Reflectivity in GSI En3DVar and Tests with Six Convective Storms Cases
Authors: Li Huiqi , Liu Chengsi , Xue Ming , Park Jun , Chen Lianglyu , Jung Youngsun , Kong Rong , Tong Chong-Chi
Published: January 2022

When using a double-moment microphysics scheme, both hydrometeor mixing ratios and number concentrations are part of the state variables that are needed to initialize convective-scale forecasting. In the Thompson microphysics scheme, both mixing ratio and total number concentration of rainwater (Ntr) are predicted and they are also involved in the reflectivity observation operator. In such a case, when directly assimilating reflectivity using Ntr as the control variable (denoted as CVnr) within a variational framework, the large dynamic range of Ntr and the nonlinear relationship between reflectivity and Ntr prevent efficient minimization convergence. Using logarithmic Ntr as the control variable (CVlognr) alleviates the problem to some extent but can produce spurious analysis increments in Ntr. In this study, a general power transform of Ntr is proposed as the new control variable for Ntr (CVpnr) where the nonlinearity of transform can be adjusted by tuning the exponent parameter. This formulation is implemented within the Gridpoint Statistical Interpolation ensemble-3DVar system. The performance of CVpnr with an optimal exponent parameter value of 0.4 is compared with those of CVnr and CVlognr for the analysis and prediction of a supercell case of 16 May 2017 in more detail. CVpnr with optimal exponent yields faster convergence of cost function minimization than CVnr. Subjective and objective evaluations of analyzed and predicted reflectivity and hourly precipitation indicate that the optimized CVpnr outperforms the other two methods. When applied to five additional cases from May 2017, overall statistics show that CVpnr produces generally superior forecasts and is therefore the preferred choice.
A Review of Antithrombotic Therapies for Patients with Chronic Peripheral Arterial Disease and after Revascularization
Authors: Skeik Nedaa , Jordano Lia , Robinson Emilie C. , Mirza Aleem K. , Manunga Jesse
Published: January 2022

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) represents a major health issue that significantly impacts patient’s survival and quality of life. In addition to limb-related events, patients with PAD have an increased risk of myocardial infarction, stroke, and death. However, compared with coronary and cerebrovascular disease, studies addressing optimal risk reduction modalities including antithrombotic therapies in patients with PAD have been underrepresented in the literature. This publication serves as a narrative review of existing evidence on the effectiveness of antithrombotic therapy in patients with PAD. In patients with chronic stable PAD or post-revascularization, antithrombotic therapies including single or dual antiplatelet agents, anticoagulation, or a combination of these treatments have been shown to reduce cardiovascular and limb events. This narrative review provides a summary of the available literature on the management of patients with PAD, categorized into treatment strategies for chronic, post-endovascular treatment, and post-open surgical revascularization and to discuss the antithrombotic protocol utilized at our institution while providing a rational for our treatment algorithm.
‘Yelling at the Masses’: Making Propaganda Audible in the Communist Revolution
Authors: Bixiao He
Published: January 2022

This article, which is largely based on the Yan’an diary of the journalist Cormac Shanahan, a member of the delegation of Chinese and foreign journalists to Yan’an in 1944, and other relevant documents, seeks to investigate how this visit caused the Yan’an revolution to be seen and heard at a key moment when the Chinese Communists were in need of international recognition and support. A media landscape that had shifted from ‘being read’ to ‘being heard’ (and choosing what kind of revolutionary voice would be heard) and, most importantly, was geared towards auditory media amplified the voice of the Chinese Communist Party in its small corner of the world. This process underscores how the auditory media culture of the Yan’an period emphasised listening at the expense of the print media traditions of individual thinking and public debate within the context of the mediatised politics prevailing in China since the late Qing Dynasty. Additionally, this work provides new insight into how auditory media contributed to radicalisation during the Chinese Revolution and Chinese Communist Revolution and to communist consolidation in the reform era.
Postdeployment Treatment Gap: Symptoms and Treatment Utilization Among Returning National Guard Soldiers
Authors: Goldberg Simon B. , Flynn Anthony W. P. , Abbas Maleeha , Schultz Megan E. , Hiserodt Michele , Thomas Kathryn A. , Kallio Kasey C. , Wyman Mary F.
Published: January 2022

This study evaluated rates of psychiatric symptoms and mental health treatment utilization among National Guard service members during postdeployment. National Guard service members ( N = 311) completed surveys assessing demographics, beliefs about mental health treatment, emotion regulation strategies, and psychiatric symptoms. Mental health treatment utilization was assessed at the 6-months follow-up. Postdeployment, 41.2% of the sample had psychiatric symptoms above the clinical cut-off for at least one symptom measure. This proportion increased at follow-up (53.5%). Alcohol use disorder (AUD) symptoms showed the largest increase ( d = 0.66), although symptoms of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) also showed small magnitude increases. Among those with elevated symptoms postdeployment ( n = 128), only 27.8% received mental health treatment at follow-up. Severity of depression, anxiety, and PTSD were higher among those who utilized treatment. The postdeployment period is a vulnerable one. Continued efforts to understand and address barriers to treatment for this population are warranted.
Effect of Automating Procedural Work on Situation Awareness and Workload
Authors: Schreckenghost Debra , Holden Kritina , Greene Maya , Milam Tod , Hamblin Chris
Published: January 2022

Objective

In future deep space exploration missions, crew will have to work more autonomously from Earth. Greater crew autonomy will increase dependence on automated systems. This study investigates the performance effects of different strategies to automate procedural work for space exploration operations.

Background

The following strategies are investigated for performing procedural work: •  Manual Work uses no procedure automation and crew performs all actions. •  Shared Work uses procedure automation to perform some actions within a procedure while crew performs other actions. •  Supervised Work uses procedure automation to perform procedure actions while crew supervises the automation.

Method

Twenty-seven participants participated in a planetary habitat scenario-based simulation using electronic procedures with automatable actions to investigate the effect of these strategies on situation awareness (SA) and workload. This study used a modification of the Situation Presence Assessment Method to measure SA and the Bedford Workload Scale to measure subjective workload.

Results

Mean response times and accuracy for SA queries show no significant difference among the three strategies. Bedford Workload ratings compared across the three strategies indicate that participants rated their workload as highest in the Manual Work condition, followed by the Shared Work condition, and lowest in the Supervised Work condition.

Conclusion

The study hypothesized that increased levels of automation would lead to lower subjective workload and decreased SA. Although no significant difference in SA was observed, subjective workload was lower in automation strategies. Based on subjective ratings, 93% of participants preferred some form of automation, with 56% preferring the Shared Work automation condition.
Burden of Proof: The Debate Surrounding Aerotoxic Syndrome
Authors: Mawdsley Stephen E.
Published: January 2022

Since the 1980s, some commercial airline pilots and flight crews in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia began to report an illness they believed was caused by exposure to contaminated cabin air. Despite a body of scientific research and health activism calling for this condition, termed Aerotoxic Syndrome (AS), to be classified an occupational illness, it has not been accepted as a clinical entity because its causation remains contested. This article contends that debates over the recognition of AS have been shaped by the politics of science and what can be considered evidence of a causal link; the burden of proof lay with survivors and their allies rather than with airlines and manufacturers. The history of AS shows the challenges of reacting to health risks in a global industry that provides an important form of transportation, and enjoys considerable political and economic influence. It also reveals that at the heart of commercial jet air travel remains an unresolved public health issue, and those who claim to be suffering from AS expected prompt recognition, reform and assistance in light of scientific research and personal testimony, as well as a range of chemical, medical, legal and air safety reports.
The Spectrum of End-of-Life Experiences: A Tool for Advancing Death Education
Authors:   Shared Crossing Research Initiative
Published: January 2022

Studies on end-of-life experiences (ELEs) suggest that caregivers and loved ones of dying patients also have ELEs, though these are rarely explored. This article introduces the Spectrum of End-of-Life Experiences (SELE) as a descriptive list of types of ELEs reported by all members of the care unit, including dying patients, their caregivers, and their loved ones. We applied SELE towards identifying ELEs reported by 143 caregivers and loved ones and successfully identified every experience. Interviews revealed that participants viewed their ELEs as profound communicative events, yet a substantial minority also reported struggling to name and process these experiences. We propose that SELE be included in death education to raise awareness about ELEs that can occur within the care unit, and we suggest that SELE has additional applications, including use as a prognostic aid in end-of-life care and as a therapeutic aid for bereavement support.
Correlates of the victim–offender overlap based on daily conflict-Level data from digital diaries
Authors: Taylor Bruce G. , Mumford Elizabeth A. , Maitra Poulami
Published: January 2022

This study addresses the dearth of research in the victim–offender (V-O) overlap literature regarding the context in which incident-level abuse occurs. With a national sample of 589 young adults (age 18–32), 9.2% reported 2,015 daily conflicts (73% involving abuse) through digital diaries over a 6-week period. Using individual conflicts as our unit of analysis, we estimated multilevel models to explore both the nature of the individual conflicts and the characteristics of the parties in the conflict. We explored what distinguishes routine nonabusive conflicts from conflicts that involve abuse. We also examined the predictors of abusive conflicts and the V-O overlap. The nature of the incidents and proximities of the parties to the conflict were associated with the presence of abuse in conflicts and the V-O overlap. How young adults manage conflicts played a role in whether the dispute escalated to include abusive behaviors, especially mutual abuse.
From Horkheimer to Honneth and back again: A comment on Asger Sørensen’s capitalism, alienation and critique
Authors: Ibsen Malte Frøslee
Published: January 2022

This article comments on Asger Sørensen’s stimulating book “Capitalism, Alienation and Critique”. The article argues that Sørensen overlooks an important methodological contiunuity between Max Horkheimer’s and Axel Honneth’s work: namely, the model of immanent critique, to which both remain committed. Moreover, through a critical discussion of Honneth’s method of normative reconstruction, the article argues that globalized capitalism represents a serious methodological challenge not only to Honneth’s work, but to the Frankfurt School model of immanent crituque as such.
Neoliberalism, the entrepreneur and critique of political economy: A commentary on Sørensen’s Capitalism, Alienation and Critique
Authors: Langergaard Luise Li
Published: January 2022

This article is a commentary on Asger Sørensen's book Capitalism, Alienation and Critique, especially his definition and delimitation of neoliberalism. Overall, I sympathize with Sørensen's aim and critical project and also acknowledge the contribution of his particular approach to a critique of capitalism, political economy and more specifically neoliberalism. However, I shall discuss whether his definition of neoliberalism is the most appropriate from a critical perspective, i.e. as a Critical Theory approach to the role of neoliberalism in contemporary capitalism. This commentary aims to provide a perspective to certain themes in Sørensen's text by discussing his approach in comparison with other ways of defining and understanding neoliberalism.
Learner-centered pedagogy and student engagement in a virtual elementary instrumental music program
Authors: Beirnes Sean
Published: January 2022

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the effect of learner-centered pedagogy on student engagement in a virtual elementary instrumental music program. Eleven fourth- and fifth-grade students from an elementary school in the Southeastern United States worked remotely toward creating a virtual performance over 28 weeks. All songs were chosen by students, and they were given the liberty to choose which parts to practice. Data were collected through regular Flipgrid practice videos, bi-weekly journals, and a final journal before being coded. At the end of the study, there was a noticeable correlation between student engagement and learner-centered pedagogy through students’ self-efficacy, motivation for improvement, and desire for autonomy. Students also wished the program would have been in an in-person format instead of virtual. The results suggest that learner-centered pedagogy and popular music should be incorporated into the curriculums of instrumental music programs.
Muslim Leadership within Gujarat’s Congress in the 1980S
Authors: Okayama Seiko
Published: January 2022

Much literature covers how the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in India impacted on the political marginalisation of Muslims, while it has not been examined in sufficient depth how the internal dynamics of Congress contributed to this decline in Muslim nominations for elections. This article examines the Congress party’s organisational circumstances that affected Muslims’ electoral representation in 1980s Gujarat. It demonstrates that, along with the influence of competing Hindutva forces, the ongoing ‘deinstitutionalisation’ of the Congress party also damaged the political representation of Muslims. Interview accounts and archival documents indicate how factional fighting within Congress subverted the faction-like consolidation of the Muslim leaders’ negotiation power. The article argues that despite vertical and dyadic ties with Hindu leaders inside the party, Muslim Congressmen could not attain unified leadership to generate sufficient pressure on the party to nominate Muslims for elections.
A primer on studying effects of relationship duration in dyadic research: Contrasting cross-sectional and longitudinal approaches
Authors: Brauer Kay , Sendatzki Rebekka , Proyer René T.
Published: January 2022

There has been increasing interest in the analysis of dyadic data. While there is ongoing progress in the development of statistically fine-grained methods to model complex dyadic data, many studies examine relationship duration in dyads using cross-sectional data (e.g., when testing the effects of acquaintanceship on the accuracy of personality judgments). We discuss the theoretical and methodological implications of analyzing and interpreting time-based variables in dyadic research on basis of the cross-sectional and longitudinal design approaches. We give examples from the literature on romantic relationships and interpersonal perception. Finally, we derive recommendations on addressing questions of time-based indexes in dyadic research and discuss advantages and disadvantages of each approach.
Men say “I love you” before women do: Robust across several countries
Authors: Watkins Christopher D. , Bovet Jeanne , Fernandez Ana Maria , Leongómez Juan David , Żelaźniewicz Agnieszka , Corrêa Varella Marco Antônio , Wagstaff Danielle
Published: January 2022

Feeling and expressing love is at the core of romantic relationships, but individuals differ in their proclivity to worry about their relationships and/or avoid intimacy. Saying “I love you” signals a commitment to a future with our romantic partner. Contrary to gender stereotypes, research in the United States demonstrates that men are more likely to confess love first. We aimed to replicate this sex difference in an online cross-national sample (seven countries, three continents), while testing for variation according to attachment style and environment (the national sex ratio). Men were more likely to confess love first in a relationship, with preliminary evidence that this was more likely when men had more choice (more female-biased sex ratio). Independent of biological sex, highly avoidant respondents were less happy to hear “I love you” than less avoidant respondents, and highly anxious respondents were happier to hear “I love you” than less anxious respondents. Our findings suggest that prior observations generalize beyond an ethnically homogenous sample and incorporate attachment theory into the study of love confessions. Our research suggests a dissociation between initial declarations of love (moderated by biological sex) and emotional responses to love confessions, moderated by attachment style but not by biological sex.
Romantic nostalgia as a resource for healthy relationships
Authors: Evans Nicholas D. , Juhl Jacob , Hepper Erica G. , Wildschut Tim , Sedikides Constantine , Fetterman Adam K.
Published: January 2022

Nostalgia is an emotion that confers psychological benefits. The literature has neglected romantic nostalgia—that is, nostalgia specifically for past experiences shared with one’s partner—and its potential advantages for relationships. We examined romantic nostalgia in one correlational study, two experiments, and one daily diary study ( N = 638). Romantic nostalgia was positively associated with greater relationship commitment, satisfaction, and closeness (Study 1). Additionally, inducing romantic nostalgia via a writing task (Study 2) or music (Study 3) strengthened relational benefits. Finally, participants reported more positive relationship-specific experiences on days when they felt greater romantic nostalgia (Study 4). We discuss contributions to the nostalgia and relationships literatures.