bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The impact of anti‐hypertensive treatment on foetal growth and haemodynamics in pregnant women with pre‐existing diabetes – An explorative study
Authors: Vestgaard Marianne , Al‐Saudi Elaf , Ásbjörnsdóttir Björg , Nørgaard Lone N. , Pedersen Berit Woetman , Ekelund Charlotte Kvist , Ringholm Lene , Andersen Lise Lotte T. , Jensen Dorte M. , Tabor Ann , Damm Peter , Mathiesen Elisabeth R.
Published: October 2021

Objectives

To explore the impact of anti‐hypertensive treatment of pregnancy‐induced hypertension on foetal growth and hemodynamics in women with pre‐existing diabetes.

Methods

A prospective cohort study of 247 consecutive pregnant women with pre‐existing diabetes (152 type 1 diabetes; 95 type 2 diabetes), where tight anti‐hypertensive treatment was initiated and intensified (mainly with methyldopa) when office blood pressure (BP) ≥135/85 mmHg and home BP ≥130/80 mmHg. Foetal growth was assessed by ultrasound at 27, 33 and 36 weeks and foetal hemodynamics were assessed by ultrasound Doppler before and 1–2 weeks after initiation of anti‐hypertensive treatment.

Results

In 215 initially normotensive women, anti‐hypertensive treatment for pregnancy‐induced hypertensive disorders was initiated in 42 (20%), whilst 173 were left untreated. Chronic hypertension was present in 32 (13%). Anti‐hypertensive treatment for pregnancy‐induced hypertensive disorders was not associated with foetal growth deviation (linear mixed model, p = 0.681). At 27 weeks, mainly before initiation of anti‐hypertensive treatment, the prevalence of small foetuses with an estimated foetal weight <10th percentile was 12% in women initiating anti‐hypertensive treatment compared with 4% in untreated women (p = 0.054). These numbers were close to the prevalence of birth weight ≤10th percentile (small for gestational age (SGA)) (17% vs. 4%, p = 0.003). Pulsatility index in the umbilical and middle cerebral artery remained stable after the onset of anti‐hypertensive treatment in a representative subgroup (n = 12, p = 0.941 and p = 0.799, respectively).

Conclusion

There is no clear indication that antihypertensive treatment causes harm in this particular at‐high‐risk group of pregnant women with diabetes, such that a larger well‐designed study to determine the value of tight antihypertensive control would be worthwhile.
Applications of microneedling for various dermatologic indications with a special focus on pigmentary disorders: A comprehensive review study
Authors: Ziaeifar Elham , Ziaeifar Fatemeh , Mozafarpoor Samaneh , Goodarzi Azadeh
Published: October 2021

Microneedling can accelerate skin repair through numerous complex processes triggered by micro‐injuries it produces on the skin surface with very thin needles. The current growth in the application of microneedling in the treatment of cutaneous diseases can be explained by its numerous effects on the skin as reported in the literature. Despite the numerous studies conducted on the application of microneedling in the treatment of skin lesions, its effects on pigmented skin lesions have remained relatively unexplored. The present review comprises an examination of the evidence for the application of microneedling in skin diseases in general and a comprehensive review of the applications of microneedling in pigmentation disorders. The review involved a search of all clinical studies, including trials, case reports, and case series, in the databases MEDLINE/PubMed and Google Scholar using the following keywords: “microneedling,” “dermal needling,” “percutaneous collagen induction,” “skin needling,” “dermaroller,” and “dermatology disorder.” Pertinent data were extracted from all relevant articles published from 1990 to April 2021, and focused on the application of microneedling in the treatment of pigmented skin lesions. Despite the limited number of available studies, evidence suggests the effectiveness and safety of microneedling in treating vitiligo, melasma, and periorbital hypermelanosis. It is noteworthy that the combination of any type of non‐aggressive needing technique with other effective therapies (especially topical agents and mesotherapy) yields more promising therapeutic results than single therapy for melasma, dark cycles, and vitiligo as the prototype of pigmentary disorders. However, single needling therapy is significantly effective, too.
Optimal factor taxation in a scale free model of vertical innovation
Authors: Annicchiarico Barbara , Antonaroli Valentina , Pelloni Alessandra
Published: October 2021

The objective of the paper is to study how the tax burden arising from an exogenous stream of public expenditures and transfers should be distributed between labor and capital in a scale‐less endogenous growth model, where the engine of growth are successful innovations. Our laboratory is a prototypical quality ladder model with a labor/leisure choice where research and development productivity is decreasing in the size of the economy. Our contribution is to show that even when labor supply has no effects on growth in the long run, it will still be optimal to tax capital for reasonable parametrizations of the model.
Naked (N) mutant mice carry a nonsense mutation in the homeobox of Hoxc13
Authors: Perez Carlos J. , Mecklenburg Lars , Fernandez Almudena , Cantero Marta , de Souza Tiago Antonio , Lin Kevin , Dent Sharon Y. R. , Montoliu Lluis , Awgulewitsch Alexander , Benavides Fernando
Published: October 2021

Loss of function mutations in HOXC13 have been associated with Ectodermal Dysplasia‐9, Hair/Nail Type (ECTD9) in consanguineous families, characterized by sparse to complete absence of hair and nail dystrophy. Here we characterize the spontaneous mouse mutation Naked (N) as a terminal truncation in the Hoxc13 (homeobox C13) gene. Similar to previous reports for homozygous Hoxc13 knock‐out (KO) mice, homozygous N/N mice exhibit generalized alopecia with abnormal nails and a short lifespan. However, in contrast to Hoxc13 heterozygous KO mice, N/+ mice show generalized or partial alopecia, associated with loss of hair fibres, along with normal lifespan and fertility. Our data point to a lack of nonsense‐mediated Hoxc13 transcript decay and the presence of the truncated mutant protein in N/N and N/+ hair follicles, thus suggesting a dominant‐negative mutation. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a semi‐dominant and potentially dominant‐negative mutation affecting Hoxc13/HOXC13. Furthermore, recreating the N mutant allele in mice using CRISPR/Cas9‐mediated genome editing resulted in the same spectrum of deficiencies as those associated with the spontaneous Naked mutation, thus confirming that N is indeed a Hoxc13 mutant allele. Considering the low viability of the Hoxc13 KO mice, the Naked mutation provides an attractive new model for studying ECTD9 disease mechanisms.
An intelligent system for monitoring students' engagement in large classroom teaching through facial expression recognition
Authors: Pabba Chakradhar , Kumar Praveen
Published: October 2021

Students' disengagement problem has become critical in the modern scenario due to various distractions and lack of student‐teacher interactions. This problem is exacerbated with large offline classrooms, where it becomes challenging for teachers to monitor students' engagement and maintain the right‐level of interactions. Traditional ways of monitoring students' engagement rely on self‐reporting or using physical devices, which have limitations for offline classroom use. Student's academic affective states (e.g., moods and emotions) analysis has potential for creating intelligent classrooms, which can autonomously monitor and analyse students' engagement and behaviours in real‐time. In recent literature, a few computer vision based methods have been proposed, but they either work only in the e‐learning domain or have limitations in real‐time processing and scalability for large offline classes. This paper presents a real‐time system for student group engagement monitoring by analysing their facial expressions and recognizing academic affective states: ‘boredom,’ ‘confuse,’ ‘focus,’ ‘frustrated,’ ‘yawning,’ and ‘sleepy,’ which are pertinent in the learning environment. The methodology includes certain pre‐processing steps like face detection, a convolutional neural network (CNN) based facial expression recognition model, and post‐processing steps like frame‐wise group engagement estimation. For training the CNN model, we created a dataset of the aforementioned facial expressions from classroom lecture videos and added related samples from three publicly available datasets, BAUM‐1, DAiSEE, and YawDD, to generalize the model predictions. The trained model has achieved train and test accuracy of 78.70% and 76.90%, respectively. The proposed methodology gave promising results when compared with self‐reported engagement levels by students.
Liana optical traits increase tropical forest albedo and reduce ecosystem productivity
Authors: Meunier Félicien , Visser Marco D. , Shiklomanov Alexey , Dietze Michael C. , Guzmán Q. J. Antonio , Sanchez‐Azofeifa G. Arturo , De Deurwaerder Hannes P. T. , Krishna Moorthy Sruthi M. , Schnitzer Stefan A. , Marvin David C. , Longo Marcos , Liu Chang , Broadbent Eben N. , Almeyda Zambrano Angelica M. , Muller‐Landau Helene C. , Detto Matteo , Verbeeck Hans
Published: October 2021

Lianas are a key growth form in tropical forests. Their lack of self‐supporting tissues and their vertical position on top of the canopy make them strong competitors of resources. A few pioneer studies have shown that liana optical traits differ on average from those of colocated trees. Those trait discrepancies were hypothesized to be responsible for the competitive advantage of lianas over trees. Yet, in the absence of reliable modelling tools, it is impossible to unravel their impact on the forest energy balance, light competition, and on the liana success in Neotropical forests. To bridge this gap, we performed a meta‐analysis of the literature to gather all published liana leaf optical spectra, as well as all canopy spectra measured over different levels of liana infestation. We then used a Bayesian data assimilation framework applied to two radiative transfer models (RTMs) covering the leaf and canopy scales to derive tropical tree and liana trait distributions, which finally informed a full dynamic vegetation model. According to the RTMs inversion, lianas grew thinner, more horizontal leaves with lower pigment concentrations. Those traits made the lianas very efficient at light interception and significantly modified the forest energy balance and its carbon cycle. While forest albedo increased by 14% in the shortwave, light availability was reduced in the understorey (−30% of the PAR radiation) and soil temperature decreased by 0.5°C. Those liana‐specific traits were also responsible for a significant reduction of tree (−19%) and ecosystem (−7%) gross primary productivity (GPP) while lianas benefited from them (their GPP increased by +27%). This study provides a novel mechanistic explanation to the increase in liana abundance, new evidence of the impact of lianas on forest functioning, and paves the way for the evaluation of the large‐scale impacts of lianas on forest biogeochemical cycles.
Responses of soil pH to no‐till and the factors affecting it: A global meta‐analysis
Authors: Zhao Xin , He Cong , Liu Wen‐Sheng , Liu Wen‐Xuan , Liu Qiu‐Yue , Bai Wei , Li Li‐Jun , Lal Rattan , Zhang Hai‐Lin
Published: October 2021

No‐till (NT) is a sustainable option because of its benefits in controlling erosion, saving labor, and mitigating climate change. However, a comprehensive assessment of soil pH response to NT is still lacking. Thus, a global meta‐analysis was conducted to determine the effects of NT on soil pH and to identify the influential factors and possible consequences based on the analysis of 114 publications. When comparing tillage practices, the results indicated an overall significant decrease by 1.33 ± 0.28% in soil pH under NT than that under conventional tillage (p < .05). Soil texture, NT duration, mean annual temperature (MAT), and initial soil pH are the critical factors affecting soil pH under NT. Specifically, with significant variations among subgroups, when compared to conventional tillage, the soil under NT had lower relative changes in soil pH observed on clay loam soil (−2.44%), long‐term implementation (−2.11% for more than 15 years), medium MAT (−1.87% in the range of 8–16℃), neutral soil pH (−2.28% for 6.5 < initial soil pH < 7.5), mean annual precipitation (−1.95% in the range of 600–1200 mm), in topsoil layers (−2.03% for 0–20 cm), with crop rotation (−1.98%), N fertilizer input (the same for NT and conventional tillage) of 100–200 kg N ha−1 (−1.83%), or crop residue retention (−1.52%). Changes in organic matter decomposition under undisturbed soil and with crop residue retention might lead to a higher concentration of H+ and lower of basic cations (i.e., calcium, magnesium, and potassium), which decrease the soil pH, and consequently, impact nutrient dynamics (i.e., soil phosphorus) in the surface layer under NT. Furthermore, soil acidification may be aggravated by NT within site‐specific conditions and improper fertilizer and crop residue management and consequently leading to adverse effects on soil nutrient availability. Thus, there is a need to identify strategies to ameliorate soil acidification under NT to minimize the adverse consequences.
Land use intensification increasingly drives the spatiotemporal patterns of the global human appropriation of net primary production in the last century
Authors: Kastner Thomas , Matej Sarah , Forrest Matthew , Gingrich Simone , Haberl Helmut , Hickler Thomas , Krausmann Fridolin , Lasslop Gitta , Niedertscheider Maria , Plutzar Christoph , Schwarzmüller Florian , Steinkamp Jörg , Erb Karl‐Heinz
Published: October 2021

Land use has greatly transformed Earth's surface. While spatial reconstructions of how the extent of land cover and land‐use types have changed during the last century are available, much less information exists about changes in land‐use intensity. In particular, global reconstructions that consistently cover land‐use intensity across land‐use types and ecosystems are missing. We, therefore, lack understanding of how changes in land‐use intensity interfere with the natural processes in land systems. To address this research gap, we map land‐cover and land‐use intensity changes between 1910 and 2010 for 9 points in time. We rely on the indicator framework of human appropriation of net primary production (HANPP) to quantify and map land‐use‐induced alterations of the carbon flows in ecosystems. We find that, while at the global aggregate level HANPP growth slowed down during the century, the spatial dynamics of changes in HANPP were increasing, with the highest change rates observed in the most recent past. Across all biomes, the importance of changes in land‐use areas has declined, with the exception of the tropical biomes. In contrast, increases in land‐use intensity became the most important driver of HANPP across all biomes and settings. We conducted uncertainty analyses by modulating input data and assumptions, which indicate that the spatial patterns of land use and potential net primary production are the most critical factors, while spatial allocation rules and uncertainties in overall harvest values play a smaller role. Highlighting the increasing role of land‐use intensity compared to changes in the areal extent of land uses, our study supports calls for better integration of the intensity dimension into global analyses and models. On top of that, we provide important empirical input for further analyses of the sustainability of the global land system.
Temperature sensitivity of anaerobic methane oxidation versus methanogenesis in paddy soil: Implications for the CH4 balance under global warming
Authors: Fan Lichao , Dippold Michaela A. , Thiel Volker , Ge Tida , Wu Jinshui , Kuzyakov Yakov , Dorodnikov Maxim
Published: October 2021

The global methane (CH4) budget is based on a sensitive balance between methanogenesis and CH4 oxidation (aerobic and anaerobic). The response of these processes to climate warming, however, is not quantified. This largely reflects our lack of knowledge about the temperature sensitivity (Q10) of the anaerobic oxidation of CH4 (AOM)—a ubiquitous process in soils. Based on a 13CH4 labeling experiment, we determined the rate, Q10 and activation energy of AOM and of methanogenesis in a paddy soil at three temperatures (5, 20, 35°C). The rates of AOM and of methanogenesis increased exponentially with temperature, whereby the AOM rate was significantly lower than methanogenesis. Both the activation energy and Q10 of AOM dropped significantly from 5–20 to 20–35°C, indicating that AOM is a highly temperature‐dependent microbial process. Nonetheless, the Q10 of AOM and of methanogenesis were similar at 5–35°C, implying a comparable temperature dependence of AOM and methanogenesis in paddy soil. The continuous increase of AOM Q10 over the 28‐day experiment reflects the successive utilization of electron acceptors according to their thermodynamic efficiency. The basic constant for Q10 of AOM was calculated to be 0.1 units for each 3.2 kJ mol−1 increase of activation energy. We estimate the AOM in paddy soils to consume 2.2~5.5 Tg CH4 per year on a global scale. Considering these results in conjunction with literature data, the terrestrial AOM in total consumes ~30% of overall CH4 production. Our data corroborate a similar Q10 of AOM and methanogenesis. As the rate of AOM in paddy soils is lower than methanogenesis, however, it will not fully compensate for an increased methane production under climate warming.
Quantitatively monitoring the resilience of patterned vegetation in the Sahel
Authors: Buxton Joshua E. , Abrams Jesse F. , Boulton Chris A. , Barlow Nick , Rangel Smith Camila , Van Stroud Samuel , Lees Kirsten J. , Lenton Timothy M.
Published: October 2021

Patterning of vegetation in drylands is a consequence of localized feedback mechanisms. Such feedbacks also determine ecosystem resilience—i.e. the ability to recover from perturbation. Hence, the patterning of vegetation has been hypothesized to be an indicator of resilience, that is, spots are less resilient than labyrinths. Previous studies have made this qualitative link and used models to quantitatively explore it, but few have quantitatively analysed available data to test the hypothesis. Here we provide methods for quantitatively monitoring the resilience of patterned vegetation, applied to 40 sites in the Sahel (a mix of previously identified and new ones). We show that an existing quantification of vegetation patterns in terms of a feature vector metric can effectively distinguish gaps, labyrinths, spots, and a novel category of spot–labyrinths at their maximum extent, whereas NDVI does not. The feature vector pattern metric correlates with mean precipitation. We then explored two approaches to measuring resilience. First we treated the rainy season as a perturbation and examined the subsequent rate of decay of patterns and NDVI as possible measures of resilience. This showed faster decay rates—conventionally interpreted as greater resilience—associated with wetter, more vegetated sites. Second we detrended the seasonal cycle and examined temporal autocorrelation and variance of the residuals as possible measures of resilience. Autocorrelation and variance of our pattern metric increase with declining mean precipitation, consistent with loss of resilience. Thus, drier sites appear less resilient, but we find no significant correlation between the mean or maximum value of the pattern metric (and associated morphological pattern types) and either of our measures of resilience.
Differences in instrumental activities of daily living between mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease: A study using a detailed executive function assessment
Authors: Maeshima Shinichiro , Osawa Aiko , Kondo Izumi , Kamiya Masaki , Ueda Ikue , Sakurai Takashi , Arai Hidenori
Published: October 2021

Aim

Executive dysfunction is pathognomonic for dementia and impedes the activities of daily living (ADL). This study aimed to examine the relationship of dementia severity with executive dysfunction and ADL in mild cognitive impairment and dementia.

Methods

This single‐center study enrolled 86 patients (men, 40; women, 46; mean age, 76.1 ± 7.5 years) referred for cognitive and physical rehabilitation between October 2015 and September 2020. The Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) was 0.5, 1, and ≥2 in 45, 30, and 11 patients, respectively. The presence and severity of executive dysfunction were assessed using the Behavioral Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome–Japanese version (BADS). The ADL and instrumental ADL (IADL) were assessed using the Barthel Index and Frenchay Activities Index (FAI), respectively. We examined the relationship between CDR severity and overall BADS profile score and its sub‐items, and that between the overall BADS profile score and IADL.

Results

The cognitive and executive functional assessment scores differed significantly depending on the CDR severity. The CDR severity and overall BADS profile score exhibited significant correlations. The BADS found cognitive impairment in 31%, 70%, and 100% of patients with CDR0.5, CDR1, and CDR≥2, respectively.

The FAI score differed according to the CDR severity in women but not in men. The overall profile and age‐adjusted BADS scores were strongly correlated with the IADL in women but not in men.

Conclusions

The greater the severity of executive dysfunction, the greater the difficulty in performing ADL. This effect was more pronounced in women and may predict dementia progression. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2021; 21: 1111–1117.
Synthesis mechanism and phase stability analysis of z‐Y2Si2O7 by sol‐gel process
Authors: Ma Qin , Yang Jinshan , Xue Yudong , Hu Jianbao , Zhang Xiangyu , Dong Shaoming
Published: October 2021

Synthesis mechanism and phase stability analysis of square z‐Y2Si2O7 was studied in this research by using Y(NO3)3·6H2O and tetra ethoxy orthosilicate as precursors. The concentration of the precursor directly affects the degree of hydrolysis of tetra ethoxy orthosilicate and the uniformity of the gel by Fourier transform infrared spectral analysis. The thermogravimetric analysis shows that the crystallization temperature of the precursor decreases gradually with the decrease of precursor concentration. Because the low precursor concentration is beneficial to the formation of the homogeneous molecular level of yttrium silica network gel. Finally, the crystallized z‐Y2Si2O7 was detected by X‐ray diffraction and further verified by a transmission electron microscope after calcining at 800°C. The maximum stable temperature of z‐Y2Si2O7 was less than 1050°C. The microscopic morphology of z‐Y2Si2O7 is square nanoparticles. The grain size of z‐Y2Si2O7 increases with the decrease of precursor concentration.
The impact of environmental policy on wage inequality
Authors: Kuo Kuo‐Hsing , Wu Shang‐Fen , Lee Cheng‐Te
Published: October 2021

Consider a small open Harris and Todaro's model. This paper analyzes the impact of the policy of environmental protection on skilled–unskilled wage inequality. We find that, in the economy with urban unemployment, if the elasticity of substitution between unskilled labor and pollution in the urban low‐skill sector is small (large) enough then a rise in the pollution tax will expand (narrow down) skilled–unskilled wage inequality. In addition, we prove that, in the economy with full employment, a rise in the pollution tax will raise the skilled–unskilled wage inequality, if the elasticity of substitution between unskilled labor and pollution is larger than that between capital and pollution in the urban low‐skill sector.
Merger under horizontal and vertical product differentiation
Authors: Sen Neelanjan , Narula Drishti
Published: October 2021

This paper studies the possibility of a merger when firms are asymmetric in marginal costs and produce vertically and horizontally differentiated products. The merger of two firms that produce the better‐quality products (w.r.t. third firm) is possible, if the quality difference (net of cost) or the horizontal product differentiation between the firms that merge is high. If the quality difference (net of cost) between the merged firms and the non‐merged firm increases, then a merger is possible if the quality difference (net of cost) and the horizontal product differentiation of the merged firms are significantly high.
Metabolomics in early life and the association with body composition at age 2 years
Authors: van Beijsterveldt Inge A.L.P. , Snowden Stuart G. , Myers Pernille Neve , de Fluiter Kirsten S. , van de Heijning Bert , Brix Susanne , Ong Ken K. , Dunger David B. , Hokken‐Koelega Anita C.S. , Koulman Albert
Published: October 2021

Background and Objectives

Early life is a critical window for adiposity programming. Metabolic‐profile in early life may reflect this programming and correlate with later life adiposity. We investigated if metabolic‐profile at 3 months of age is predictive for body composition at 2 years and if there are differences between boys and girls and between infant feeding types.

Methods

In 318 healthy term‐born infants, we determined body composition with skinfold measurements and abdominal ultrasound at 3 months and 2 years of age. High‐throughput‐metabolic‐profiling was performed on 3‐month‐blood‐samples. Using random‐forest‐machine‐learning‐models, we studied if the metabolic‐profile at 3 months can predict body composition outcomes at 2 years of age.

Results

Plasma metabolite‐profile at 3 months was found to predict body composition at 2 years, based on truncal: peripheral‐fat‐skinfold‐ratio (T:P‐ratio), with a predictive value of 75.8%, sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 50%. Predictive value was higher in boys (Q2 = 0.322) than girls (Q2 = 0.117). Of the 15 metabolite variables most strongly associated with T:P‐ratio, 11 were also associated with visceral fat at 2 years of age.

Conclusion

Several plasma metabolites (LysoPC(22:2), dimethylarginine and others) at 3 months associate with body composition outcome at 2 years. These results highlight the importance of the first months of life for adiposity programming.
The association between early country‐level COVID‐19 testing capacity and later COVID‐19 mortality outcomes
Authors: Kannoth Sneha , Kandula Sasikiran , Shaman Jeffrey
Published: October 2021

Background

The COVID‐19 pandemic has overrun hospital systems while exacerbating economic hardship and food insecurity on a global scale. In an effort to understand how early action to find and control the virus is associated with cumulative outcomes, we explored how country‐level testing capacity affects later COVID‐19 mortality.

Methods

We used the Our World in Data database to explore testing and mortality records in 27 countries from December 31, 2019, to September 30, 2020; we applied Cox proportional hazards regression to determine the relationship between early COVID‐19 testing capacity (cumulative tests per case) and later COVID‐19 mortality (time to specified mortality thresholds), adjusting for country‐level confounders, including median age, GDP, hospital bed capacity, population density, and nonpharmaceutical interventions.

Results

Higher early testing implementation, as indicated by more cumulative tests per case when mortality was still low, was associated with a lower risk for higher per capita deaths. A sample finding indicated that a higher cumulative number of tests administered per case at the time of six deaths per million persons was associated with a lower risk of reaching 15 deaths per million persons, after adjustment for all confounders (HR = 0.909; P = 0.0001).

Conclusions

Countries that developed stronger COVID‐19 testing capacity at early timepoints, as measured by tests administered per case identified, experienced a slower increase of deaths per capita. Thus, this study operationalizes the value of testing and provides empirical evidence that stronger testing capacity at early timepoints is associated with reduced mortality and improved pandemic control.
Comparative analysis of COVID‐19 case fatality rate between two waves in Nepal
Authors: GC Sulochan , Khanal Ashok , Paudel Atmika , GC Vijay S. , Khanal Aashis , Panthee Suresh
Published: October 2021

The first COVID‐19 case in Nepal was reported on January 23, 2020. Then infection, then, started to spread gradually, and October marked the most devastating increase in COVID‐19 cases of the year 2020. Compared with the October 2020 peak in Nepal, the May 2021 peak of COVID‐19 observed 2‐ and 10‐fold rise in new cases and deaths per day, respectively. Given that this surprising increase in the death rate was not observed in other countries, this study analyzed the COVID‐19 case fatality rates between the two peaks in Nepal. We found an increase in death rates among younger adults and people without comorbidities.
A scoping review of research on well‐being across diverse family structures: Rethinking approaches for understanding contemporary families
Authors: Jensen Todd M. , Sanner Caroline
Published: October 2021

In the United States and across the globe, demographic trends have coalesced to produce an increasingly diverse set of family structures, fueling international interest in exploring diverse family structures as key developmental contexts for adults and children. Given the persistence of research focused on well‐being differences across family structures, and in order to move this research into the future productively, it is critical to rigorously chart and evaluate how this research is being conducted. In this scoping review, we evaluate 283 studies that examined associations between family structure and well‐being. We reflect on dominant methodological trends across four primary domains: (a) approaches to measuring family structure, (b) approaches to analyzing associations between family structure and well‐being, (c) the application of theory, and (d) conceptualizations of well‐being. In evaluating observable trends, we offer recommendations for rethinking where we can (and perhaps should) go next to better understand and support contemporary families.
Machine learning‐assisted screening for cognitive impairment in the emergency department
Authors: Yadgir Simon R. , Engstrom Collin , Jacobsohn Gwen Costa , Green Rebecca K. , Jones Courtney M. C. , Cushman Jeremy T. , Caprio Thomas V. , Kind Amy J. H. , Lohmeier Michael , Shah Manish N. , Patterson Brian W.
Published: October 2021

Background/objectives

Despite a high prevalence and association with poor outcomes, screening to identify cognitive impairment (CI) in the emergency department (ED) is uncommon. Identification of high‐risk subsets of older adults is a critical challenge to expanding screening programs. We developed and evaluated an automated screening tool to identify a subset of patients at high risk for CI.

Methods

In this secondary analysis of existing data collected for a randomized control trial, we developed machine‐learning models to identify patients at higher risk of CI using only variables available in electronic health record (EHR). We used records from 1736 community‐dwelling adults age > 59 being discharged from three EDs. Potential CI was determined based on the Blessed Orientation Memory Concentration (BOMC) test, administered in the ED. A nested cross‐validation framework was used to evaluate machine‐learning algorithms, comparing area under the receiver‐operator curve (AUC) as the primary metric of performance.

Results

Based on BOMC scores, 121 of 1736 (7%) participants screened positive for potential CI at the time of their ED visit. The best performing algorithm, an XGBoost model, predicted BOMC positivity with an AUC of 0.72. With a classification threshold of 0.4, this model had a sensitivity of 0.73, a specificity of 0.64, a negative predictive value of 0.97, and a positive predictive value of 0.13. In a hypothetical ED with 200 older adult visits per week, the use of this model would lead to a decrease in the in‐person screening burden from 200 to 77 individuals in order to detect 10 of 14 patients who would fail a BOMC.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates that an algorithm based on EHR data can define a subset of patients at higher risk for CI. Incorporating such an algorithm into a screening workflow could allow screening efforts and resources to be focused where they have the most impact.
Regulation of root secondary metabolites by partial root‐associated microbiotas under the shaping of licorice ecotypic differentiation in northwest China
Authors: Liu Yang , Wang Hao , Peng Ziheng , Li Da , Chen Weimin , Jiao Shuo , Wei Gehong
Published: October 2021

Interactions between plant hosts and their microbiotas are becoming increasingly evident, while the effects of plant communities on microbial communities in different geographic environments are poorly understood. Here, the differentiation of licorice plant ecotypes and the distribution of root‐associated microbiotas were investigated across five sampling sites in northwest China. The interactions between the environment, plant and microbial communities, and their effects on licorice root secondary metabolites, were elucidated. The plant community was clearly differentiated into distinct ecotypes based on genotyping‐by‐sequencing and was primarily driven by geographic distance and available soil nitrogen. The bulk soil and root‐associated microbiotas (rhizosphere soil and root endosphere) partially correlated with plant community, but all were significantly discriminated by plant clade. Moreover, these microbiotas were explained to different extents by distinct combinations of environment, geography, and plant community. Similarly, three structural equation models showed that licorice root secondary metabolites were complicatedly modulated by multiple abiotic and biotic factors, and were mostly explained by these factors in the rhizosphere model. Collectively, the results provide novel insights into the role of environment–plant–microbiota interactions in regulating root secondary metabolites. That should be accounted for when selecting appropriate licorice planting sites and management measures.
Turnover of diacylglycerol kinase 4 by cytoplasmic acidification induces vacuole morphological change and nuclear DNA degradation in the early stage of pear self‐incompatibility response
Authors: Kong Xiao‐Xiong , Mei Jia‐Wei , Zhang Jing , Liu Xiao , Wu Ju‐You , Wang Chun‐Lei
Published: October 2021

Pear has an S‐RNase‐based gametophytic self‐incompatibility (SI) system. Nuclear DNA degradation is a typical feature of incompatible pollen tube death, and is among the many physiological functions of vacuoles. However, the specific changes that occur in vacuoles, as well as the associated regulatory mechanism in pear SI, are currently unclear. Although research in tobacco has shown that decreased activity of diacylglycerol kinase (DGK) results in the morphological change of pollen tube vacuole, whether DGK regulates the pollen tube vacuole of tree plants and whether it occurs in SI response, is currently unclear. We found that DGK activity is essential for pear pollen tube growth, and DGK4 regulates pollen tube vacuole morphology following its high expression and deposition at the tip and shank edge of the pollen tube of pear. Specifically, incompatible S‐RNase may induce cytoplasmic acidification of the pollen tube by inhibiting V‐ATPase V0 domain a1 subunit gene expression as early as 30 min after treatment, when the pollen tube is still alive. Cytoplasmic acidification induced by incompatible S‐RNase results in reduced DGK4 abundance and deposition, leading to morphological change of the vacuole and fragmentation of nuclear DNA, which indicates that DGK4 is a key factor in pear SI response.
Efficacy, tolerability, and safety of montelukast versus finasteride for the treatment of moderate acne in women: A prospective, randomized, single‐blinded, active‐controlled trial
Authors: Rokni Ghasem Rahmatpour , Mohammadnezhad Farzaneh , Saeedi Majid , Shadi Shiva , Sharma Aseem , Sandhu Sunmeet , Gupta Atula , Goldust Mohamad
Published: October 2021

Background

Acne is a chronic inflammatory skin disease which involves the pilosebaceous unit. Tissue inflammation isone of the crucial mechanisms, amongst others. Of the various cytokines, leukotriene B4 (LT‐B4) is the most potentleucocyte chemotactic mediator. Montelukast is an antagonist of the LT‐B4 receptor. Finasteride is an antiandrogen whichspecifically inhibits the 5α‐reductase enzyme.

Aims

This study aimed at comparing the efficacy, tolerability and safety of montelukast versus finasteride in the treatmentof moderate acne in women.

Patients/Method

This randomized, single‐blinded, prospective trial over 12 weeks recruited 65 female subjects with moderate acne vulgaris (Global Acne Grading System Scale) for evaluation. One group (n = 30) received oral montelukast (10 mg PO daily), while the second group (n = 25) received oral finasteride (2.5 mg PO daily) in combination with topical clindamycin 2% solution. Lesion count and acne severity were evaluated at time intervals of 0 (baseline), 4, 8, and 12 weeks. Adverse effects of the drugs were noted.

Results

Both lesion count and severity of acne decreased significantly after treatment in both the groups as compared to the baseline. The acne severity score reached from 33.93 in time zero to 20.6 in the 12th week and 35.71 at baseline to 16.43 at the end of treatment in the Montelukast and Finasteride groups, respectively. Side effects were noted in 3 patients and 2 patients in the monteleukast and finasteride group, respectively, which were transient and non‐serious in nature proving the satisfactory tolerability and safety of these two drugs.

Conclusion

The results of this study show that both montelukast and finasteride have good efficacy in the treatment of acne. Finasteride has more efficacy than montelukast for treating moderate acne in normo‐androgenic women.
Mental health and psychological resilience among acne vulgaris patients during the pandemic: A cross‐sectional controlled study
Authors: Sagaltici Eser , Tas Betul
Published: October 2021

Background

The current literature has not yet addressed mental health among acne vulgaris (AV) patients during the COVID‐19 pandemic.

Objective

We aimed to investigate the psychological status of AV patients and analyze the influencing factors on psychological symptoms, during the pandemic.

Methods

This cross‐sectional study included consecutively selected 220 eligible AV patients and 190 age/sex‐matched healthy subjects. The Post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) checklist for DSM‐5, Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale‐21, Brief Resilience Scale, and the Stressful Life Events List resulting from the pandemic were administered to the participants.

Results

There were not significantly differences between the AV patients and the control group in terms of depression, anxiety, stress, psychological resilience levels, and experienced stressful life events. Probable PTSD rate was significantly higher for AV patients (16.4%) than the control groups (9.5%) (p = 0.040). High levels of depression and anxiety, low psychological resilience, and high levels in experienced traumatic life events predicted high severity in PTSD symptoms, whereas low psychological resilience predicted high levels of depression, anxiety, and stress in AV patients.

Conclusions

AV patients are at high risk of developing PTSD during the COVID‐19 pandemic. The obtained results highlight the need to assess their psychological state, in particular those with low psychological resilience.
Acne scar treatment using high‐energy fractional nanosecond Q‐switched 1064 nm laser
Authors: Mani Nasrin , Zorman Anže
Published: October 2021

Aims

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of high‐energy ablative fractional nanosecond Q‐switched 1064 nm laser therapy for acne scars.

Material and methods

Forty‐six patients aged from 16 to 69 years and of Fitzpatrick skin type from 2 to 4 were included in this retrospective study. Multiple passes were delivered with a fractional 1064‐nm handpiece at high energy. Results were evaluated using blinded analysis of patient before and after photographs and also by evaluating patient satisfaction.

Results

Most patients (75%) were improved or very improved according to blinded evaluation. Patient satisfaction was high. No hypo/hyperpigmentation, scarring, or any other side effects were reported by any of the patients.

Conclusions

The study demonstrated good clinical outcomes in facial acne scar management with a high patient satisfaction rate and no adverse side effects.
Uncertainty, GVC participation and the export of Chinese firms
Authors: Wang Xiaosong , Wu Huan , Li Le , Liu Lu
Published: October 2021

Increasing uncertainty has hindered the development of international trade in recent years. Participating in the global value chain (GVC) has become one way for Chinese export firms to deal with uncertainty and reduce external risks. Based on trade theory with heterogeneous firms, this study constructs a theoretical framework encompassing uncertainty and GVC participation. We find that uncertainty inhibits the export of firms, but GVC participation can alleviate the negative impact of uncertainty, which is verified through empirical analysis. Additionally, mechanism analysis reveals that GVC participation plays a moderating role through product diversity, market diversity, cost‐saving effects, and quality‐improving effects. This study demonstrates that in the absence of serious adverse events, GVC is highly efficient. Accordingly, China should actively participate in the governance of the COVID‐19 pandemic, reduce the external uncertainty faced by Chinese export firms, promote the return of an efficient GVC, and further ameliorate the negative impact of uncertainty.
Literature review on the impact of welfare policy design on children and youth
Authors: Broadway Barbara , LoRiggio Tessa , Ryan Chris , Zhu Anna
Published: October 2021

We review the empirical literature on the causal effects of welfare‐to‐work policies on the employment of low‐income parents and the intergenerational impacts on their children. We focus on welfare policies that change benefit levels, activity requirements, time limits, and in‐work benefits. These policies may affect children through several mechanisms, including changes in family income, time spent with parents, and attitudes towards work or welfare. To unpack these mechanisms and understand the net effects of these policies, we assess how the impact on children varies across outcomes, home environments and institutional settings. Overall, the literature shows that income tax credits are an attractive policy, simultaneously increasing employment and improving child development outcomes. In contrast, other policies that boost employment either have no or negative impacts on child development.
How rational is gambling?
Authors: Stetzka Robin Maximilian , Winter Stefan
Published: October 2021

The typical gambler loses money but continues to gamble nonetheless. Why? Research from orthodox and behavioral economics, psychology, sociology, and medicine has offered a wide range of possible explanations. This paper reviews these explanations. The evidence is organized according to the degree of rationality assumed and/or found in the studies. This approach allows research from highly distinctive fields to be integrated within a unified framework. Gambling patterns are so highly dispersed that no satisfying one‐fits‐all explanation is possible. The findings suggest that the whole spectrum from rationality to highly destructive irrationality can be found within the gambler population.
Household debt and macroeconomic stability: An empirical stock‐flow consistent model for the Danish economy
Authors: Byrialsen Mikael Randrup , Raza Hamid
Published: October 2021

This paper addresses the issue of household debt in the Danish economy. We develop a large‐scale stock‐flow consistent model. The model has five main sectors namely, household, firms, financial corporations, government, and the rest of the world sectors. We use the model to explore the macroeconomic stability of the Danish economy, given the recent level of household debt. We fit the model to annual data from 1998 to 2016, estimate the structural parameters, and simulate the model for a baseline scenario, against which we compare and contrast the effects of different economic shocks. To assess the macroeconomic risks associated with high household debt, we introduce two shocks separately—a fall in house prices and a rise in interest rates—finding that these shocks have adverse effects on the economy. Focusing on macroeconomic stability, we find that private domestic demand seems to be relatively sensitive to the changes in interest rates and house prices, but the overall output is less affected, mainly due to strong current account surplus. Overall, it can be concluded that in the absence of global shocks, domestic shocks to the economy may not pose a serious risk to macroeconomic stability, when purely focusing on the sensitivity of output growth and unemployment.
Joint location and assignment optimization of multi‐type fire vehicles
Authors: Liu Han , Soleimaniamiri Saeid , Li Xiaopeng , Xie Siyang
Published: October 2021

Fire service quality relies on fast response and cooperation of various types of responders to maintain efficient operations and reliable rescue services. This paper investigates a joint location and assignment optimization (JLAO) problem, where fire vehicles from different fire stations can be dispatched jointly as a cooperative unit in a fire rescue operation. We first propose a mixed integer non‐linear program to optimize the station location and vehicle assignment decisions, aiming to minimize the total system cost including facility construction, operations cost, and fire damage losses. We proposed a Stingy‐Interchange (SI) algorithm to efficiently solve this problem to a near‐optimal solution. The JLAO model and the proposed solution method are then applied to hypothetical instances with different sizes and parameter settings to compare the performance of the SI algorithm with a commercial solver (Gurobi). An empirical case study on a major city is conducted to reveal insights on how cost measures are affected by key parameters.