bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Study of non‐adiabatic interactions among low‐lying electronic states of HeH2+ with its implication in its dissociation into various species
Authors: Mondal Rintu , Mukhopadhyay Debasis
Published: November 2020

Possible interplay of various atomic and molecular systems like He+, He, H+, H, H2+, H2, HeH+, HeH2+ in the interstellar spaces in various phases of the creation and development of the universe as well as in the present interstellar spaces have been the subject of experimental and theoretical investigations for quite a long period. A chemical network involving these species has been considered. The molecular system HeH2+, being a weakly bound species, may readily give the dissociation products (H, HeH+), (He, H2+), (He+, H2) and (He, H, H+) through different dissociation channels, as has been argued from the contour diagram of the ground as well as non‐adiabatically interacting excited electronic state. A seam of Conical Intersections (CI) between two lowest excited states of linear HeH2+, as a result of non‐adiabatic interactions, has been demonstrated for the first time, through calculation and plot of non‐adiabatic coupling term (NACT) between these two states. Calculations of NACT's, followed by construction of the adiabatic‐to‐diabatic transformation (ADT) angles, ADT matrix and calculation of topological (Berry) phases have been presented to confirm the presence of Jahn‐Teller(JT) CI in two representative configuration spaces(CS) in this seam: (i) one away from the equilibrium geometry hosting JT‐CI between two excited states 22A′ and 32A′ and (ii) another CS near the equilibrium geometry hosting JT‐CI between excited states 22A′ and 32A′ as well as a closely spaced JT‐CI between excited states 32A′ and 42A′. Suitable diabatizations have been performed for a range of CS covering these two CI, which help in understanding several dissociation channels of HeH2+ involving the above mentioned excited states, leading to an increase in the yield of dissociation products (He, H, H+). Distribution of Mulliken partial charges, as obtained from Mulliken population analysis have been analyzed for justifying the existence of HeH2+, the possibility of different dissociation products of HeH2+ in different dissociation channels as well as the justification of the CI‐induced charge transfer in excited states.
Theoretical investigation on the mechanism and enantioselectivity of organocatalytic asymmetric Povarov reactions of anilines and aldehydes
Authors: Lu Nan , Liang Hui , Qian Ping , Lan Xiaozheng , Miao Chengxia
Published: November 2020

The mechanism is investigated for organocatalytic asymmetric Povarov reaction of anilines and aldehydes using M06‐2X functional. Two molecule of aldehyde condense with aniline and catalyst giving N‐arylimine and enamine. The reaction is stepwise involving [2 + 2] cycloaddition and ring‐opening/cyclization. Four competitive paths exist in step 1 leading to isomers of quaternary nitrogen heterocycle as cycloadduct. Step 2 is sequential with proton transfer and concerted ring‐opening/cyclization in two feasible orders. Each path in step 1 divides into two in step 2 producing isomers of tetrahydroquinoline (THQ) bonded with catalyst as cyclization product. The reactive nucleophilic adduct with two charge centers in step 1 supports the recovery of catalyst and generation of aldehyde assisted by water. THQ alcohol is obtained in the following intramolecular Friedel–Crafts reaction. The enantio‐ and diastereoselectivity are both thermodynamic control with preferred path yielding the most stable isomer with 2S3S or 1R2S3S configuration. The path bias is in line with the reduction degree of energy barrier in solvent compared with gas phase. Our conclusion is verified by Multiwfn analysis and the predicted ee, dr value of THQ scaffold in experiment.
Beaver dam analogue configurations influence stream and riparian water table dynamics of a degraded spring‐fed creek in the Canadian Rockies
Authors: Munir Tariq M. , Westbrook Cherie J.
Published: November 2020

Beaver dam analogues (BDAs) are intended to simulate natural beaver dam ecohydrological functions including modifying stream hydrology and enhancing stream‐riparian hydrological connectivity. River restoration practitioners are proactively deploying BDAs in thousands of degraded streams. How various BDAs or their configurations impact stream hydrology and the riparian water table remains poorly understood. We investigated three types of BDA configurations (single, double and triple) in a spring‐fed Canadian Rocky Mountain stream over three study seasons (April–October; 2017–2019). All three BDA configurations significantly elevated the upstream stage. The deepest pools occurred upstream of the triple‐configuration BDAs (0.46 m) and the shallowest pools occurred upstream of the single‐configuration (0.36 m). Further, the single‐BDA configuration lowered stream stage and flow peaks below it but raised low flows. The double‐BDA configuration modulated flow peaks but had little influence on low flows. Unexpectedly, higher flow peaks and low flows were recorded below the triple‐BDA configuration, owing to groundwater seep. Similar to the natural beaver dam function, we observed an immediate water table rise in the riparian area after installation of the BDAs. The water table rise was greatest 2 m from the stream (0.14 m) and diminished with increasing lateral distance from the stream. Also noted was a reversal in the direction of flow between the stream and riparian area after BDA installation. Future research should further explore the dynamics of stream‐riparian hydrological connections under various BDA configurations and spacings, with the goal of identifying best practices for simulating the ecohydrological functions of natural beaver dams.
When disinformation makes sense: Contextualizing the war on coal in Appalachian Kentucky
Authors: Biesel Shelly Annette
Published: November 2020

Recent scholarship indicates that populist rhetoric can profoundly shape commonsense understandings of global energy crises. While scholars often depict rural, working‐class communities as objects of right‐wing disinformation, posttruths, and alternative facts, how rural communities interpret or experience populist narratives is far from adequately understood. This research examines the recent coal industry recession in coal‐producing areas of Appalachian Kentucky, which contributed to ten thousand job losses since 2010. Amid the downturn, politicians and pro‐coal lobby groups riled the public by blaming the recession on an alleged “war on coal.” This article illustrates how neoliberal disinformation underpins war‐on‐coal narratives claiming that deregulating industry is the only way communities can save the industry and access economic well‐being. Drawing from qualitative interviews, participant observation, and discourse analysis, I explore how war‐on‐coal disinformation becomes a commonsense explanation for many dealing with coal industry recession. While findings suggest that the war on coal “makes sense” for many living in coal‐mining communities, this does not indicate an indeterminate embrace of the industry or pro‐coal rhetoric. Communities negotiate commonsense narratives against complicated relationships with the industry, the many dangers of mining, and the challenges coal poses for alternative economic futures.
Thick PCL Fibers Improving Host Remodeling of PGS‐PCL Composite Grafts Implanted in Rat Common Carotid Arteries
Authors: Fu Jiayin , Wang Michael , De Vlaminck Iwijn , Wang Yadong
Published: November 2020

Vasculopathy and the consequential ischemia are major medical challenges. Grafting is an effective treatment to vascular occlusion. However, autologous grafting, despite scarcity, is the only choice for small diameter blood vessels. Synthetic grafts can fill the gap if they can work satisfactorily in arterial circulation. Electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) sheathed porous poly(glycerol sebacate) (PGS) vascular grafts have good performances in arterial circulation in abdominal aortas and carotid arteries in rats. However, a major issue associated with the graft remodeling in vivo is limited neo‐tissue formation inside PCL sheaths. Small pores of PCL sheaths inhibit cell infiltration and migration. To increase porosity of PCL sheaths of PGS‐PCL composite grafts, diameters of electrospun PCL fibers are increased. The thick PCL fibers encourage cell migration and elicit a higher degree of CD206+ cells. In addition, some of the CD206+ cells co‐express vascular cell markers in the thick‐fiber grafts. The thick‐fiber grafts also show improved mechanical properties and a higher elastin and collagen content. The data demonstrate the feasibility of improving graft vascular remodeling by increasing PCL fiber diameters and the critical role of CD206+ cells during graft vascular remodeling.
Impacts of Warm Equal‐Channel Angular Pressing on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Granular Pearlitic Steel
Authors: Li Yong , Xiong Yi , Zhou Tian , Singh Harishchandra , Kömi Jukka , Huttula Marko
Published: November 2020

Equal‐channel angular pressing (ECAP) of granular pearlite high‐carbon steel at 650 °C via the Bc route is thoroughly investigated. Together with microstructural evolution investigated through scanning and transmission electron microscopies, microtensile and microhardness testing are conducted for their mechanical properties. After four passes of warm deformation, the formed ultra‐microduplex structure is found to contain both ferrite grains of size ≈0.45 μm and cementite particles with the diameter of ≈0.3 μm. The corresponding microhardness and tensile strength are observed to increase first, followed by a decrement with the number of deformations passes. Meanwhile, yield strength and yield ratio increase with the ECAP passes, along with a slight decrease in elongation. The fracture morphology also changes from many deep dimples before ECAP to many small dimples after ECAP application, denoting a typical ductile fracture of the pearlitic steel.
Viscothermal Behavior and Structural Characterization of Temperate Highland Himalayan Rice Cultivars
Authors: Naseer Bazila , Naik Haroon Rashid , Hussain Syed Zameer , Qadri Tahiya , Beigh Mushtaq Ahmad
Published: November 2020

Four of five Indica and three japonica rice cultivars, widely cultivated under temperate condition in highland Himalayas are evaluated for nutritional, pasting and thermal properties and are subsequently subjected to structural characterization. Out of the different cultivars, highest peak viscosity (3990 cP), breakdown viscosity (2015 cP), final viscosity (5580 cP), setback viscosity (3605 cP); onset temperature (75.97 °C), peak temperature (83.17 °C), conclusion temperature (93.66 °C), enthalpy of gelatinization (6.66 J g−1) and peak height index (0.92) are recorded for Jhelum. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) also reveals that some morphological difference existed in these genotypes. All the cultivars show an A type X‐ray diffraction pattern with different degrees of crystallinity ranging from 21.21 % to 39.42 %. ATR‐FTIR in combination with Raman spectroscopy provides some useful information about functional groups of molecules and validates that some dissimilarities exist in structure and chemical profile of these varieties. Based on the pasting behavior, Jhelum is considered best for cooking purposes while Koshikari, due to its good nutritional profile, can be explored for nutritional improvement programs in future. The outcome of this study serves as basic guideline to plan future research on such varieties and to formulate selection indices for developing quality rice from highland Himalayan rice cultivars.
Montsechia vidalii from the Barremian of Spain, the earliest known submerged aquatic angiosperm, and its systematic relationship to Ceratophyllum
Authors: Gomez Bernard , Daviero‐Gomez Véronique , Coiffard Clément , Barral Abel , Martín‐Closas Carles , Dilcher David L.
Published: November 2020

Montsechia vidalii is an abundant plant fossil from the Barremian of northeastern Spain. Systematic affinities have been suggested with several living plant clades (liverworts, horsetails, conifers, Gnetales), particularly with angiosperms. We provide detailed descriptions, documentation, and discussion of morphology and histology based on hand specimens of isolated leafy stems with fruits examined under the stereomicroscope, and with light and scanning electron microscopy. Montsechia vidalii shows shoots with flexible axes of two phyllotaxies and leaf morphologies. One morphology has opposite‐decussate leaves and stems, with small linear leaves. The other has spirally arranged leaves and stems, with inconspicuous leaves. The cuticle is thin and shows anomocytic stomata. Some stems bear terminal pairs of indehiscent fruits, probably developing from bicarpellate reproductive complexes, probably corresponding to two simple flowers each with a single carpel and arranged in indeterminate inflorescences. Every fruit contains a single seed and shows both similarities to the uniovulate ascidiate carpel that has been reconstructed as ancestral in angiosperms and derived features such as orthotropous, pendent and unitegmic ovules that are shared with the aquatic living genus Ceratophyllum. Phylogenetic analyses confirm that these similarities reflect a systematic relationship to Ceratophyllum and relatives. This and other recently described fossils, in particular Pseudoasterophyllites, suggest that this clade was diverse and ecologically significant in the Early Cretaceous. Flexible axes, thin cuticles, low number of stomata, and indehiscent fruits, as well as sedimentological and taphonomic evidence, strongly suggest a freshwater habit for M. vidalii.
Monitoring and Evaluation in South-South Cooperation: The Case of CPEC in Pakistan
Authors: Ali Murad
Published: November 2020

Pakistan is a key country in China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) where the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is under implementation. An investment model of financing through loans, grants and private investments, CPEC is an example of South-South cooperation (SSC) having a number of benefits for both countries. Aimed at developing energy, industry, and communication infrastructure, the corridor initially valued at  $46 billion but is now worth $62 billion. CPEC is expected to contribute significantly to socio-economic development and regional connectivity and trade. The main research question is, while implementing projects in Pakistan, to what extent China adheres to its avowed principles comprising features such as mutual respect, non-conditionality, equality, building local capacity and addressing actual needs of partner countries. Based mainly on the analysis of primary data collected during fieldwork in Pakistan, this research explores the extent to which the official narrative influences the actual practice of China’s development cooperation on the ground. To critically examine CPEC, this chapter uses a monitoring and evaluation framework developed by the Network of Southern Think Tanks (NeST), which is dedicated to generating systematic and clearly comparable knowledge on SSC (Besharati et al. 2017). The findings illustrate that, as per the five broad dimensions of the SSC framework, the China–Pakistan partnership under CPEC has performed well in the four areas of inclusive national ownership, horizontality, self-reliance and sustainability, and development effectiveness, but it has lagged in accountability and transparency.
The SDGs and the Empowerment of Bangladeshi Women
Authors: Hossain Naomi
Published: November 2020

This chapter describes Bangladesh’s successes with advancing gender equality in the period of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), locating their origins in elite commitment to including women in the development process, and in the partnerships and aid that built the state and NGO capacity to reach them. The chapter reflects on the lessons of Bangladesh’s innovative and unexpected advances in the light of the new challenges posed by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), notably those of early marriage and the achievement of decent work. The chapter asks whether contemporary conditions suggest that the elite commitment and state capacity that drove progress on the MDGs are up to meeting the more contentious and complex goals of the SDGs.
South-South Development Cooperation as a Modality: Brazil’s Cooperation with Mozambique
Authors: Seifert Jurek
Published: November 2020

This chapter investigates the widespread claim that South-South development cooperation (SSDC) differs from North-South cooperation, as it is said to be based on horizontality, to be demand-driven, to create mutual benefits, and to provide “Southern” solutions to development challenges through knowledge exchange. Based on an analysis of Brazil’s cooperation with Mozambique, the chapter shows that cooperation practices do not always follow the narrative around SSDC as a modality contesting established cooperation. The chapter further assesses what this means for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and for the growing relevance ascribed to SSDC providers in international development cooperation.
Triangular Cooperation: Enabling Policy Spaces
Authors: Zoccal Geovana
Published: November 2020

In the past decade, a number of studies, reports, and data have been produced on triangular cooperation (TrC). The focus of these publications is mainly on (i) the project level and/or (ii) political relations between stakeholders. I argue that, beyond being an effective modality for the implementation of development projects, TrC is an enabler of policy negotiation spaces. Through TrC, the clashes of traditional principles and practices with a new narrative of Southern providers are loosened, enabling spaces that do not directly confront contested political positions jeopardising the dialogue. The chapter identifies that TrC serves as a bridge for coordination between stakeholders. Findings suggest that it has been used for sharing costs and solutions as well as for the development of joint guidelines and processes.
The Role and Contributions of Development NGOs to Development Cooperation: What Do We Know?
Authors: Banks Nicola
Published: November 2020

Research has focussed on the function rather than volume of NGOs’ contributions to development cooperation. That a deeply managerial-driven aid system has constrained NGO effectiveness has been a critical focus, highlighting how this has led NGOs to prioritise service delivery over social justice. Yet, a lack of systematic analysis of development NGO sectors within donor countries means it has made it impossible to measure their full contributions to development cooperation. We explore new evidence of their growing and significant contributions vis-à-vis official development assistance and look at new donor policy innovations that move from a managerial to a transformative ideology for civil society funding. Such innovations have the potential to enhance partnerships and cooperation and reduce the contested nature of NGOs’ contributions to development cooperation.
The Untapped Functions of International Cooperation in the Age of Sustainable Development
Authors: Kloke-Lesch Adolf
Published: November 2020

Universality is one of the key novel characteristics of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. By applying a functional approach to external policies, this chapter challenges traditional notions of development cooperation and shows that the agenda’s means of implementation as well as their application are lopsided towards so-called developing countries. However, achieving the Sustainable Development Goals critically depends on the agenda’s implementation also within the so-called developed countries as well as between them. Therefore, the function of development cooperation to shape conditions within other countries by using cooperative and promotional instruments should be exerted also vis-à-vis “developed countries”. International cooperation for sustainable development needs to become universal, multimodal, mutual, and transformative if it wants to deliver change, not aid.
The Difficulties of Diffusing the 2030 Agenda: Situated Norm Engagement and Development Organisations
Authors: Engberg-Pedersen Lars , Fejerskov Adam
Published: November 2020

The adoption of the 2030 Agenda was only the end of the beginning. To realise the goals, the challenge that lies ahead—prompted by its universal nature—is to implement the agenda’s rapid diffusion into national policies and reforms needed all over the world. This is no easy task. The historical legacies of global normative agreements have taught us that global norms rarely bring about the forms of change that we expect them to. How can we explain these apparent challenges of spreading global norms across the world? We argue that the diffusion of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals is not only challenged because of contemporary political circumstances, but also because of the fundamental situated nature of how actors engage with global norms.
Studying Everyday Practice(s) in the SEM
Authors: Affolter Laura
Published: November 2020

This chapter explores what it means to study a bureaucracy at work. It outlines my methodological approach for analysing everyday practices in the SEM, the challenges I encountered during fieldwork as well as the methodological limits of this study. Building on Reckwitz’s (European Journal of Social Theory5: 243–263, 2002) definition of practice, I argue that methodological triangulation and particularly participant observation—mostly in the form of following administrative caseworkers around in their daily work—are crucial for analysing both the discursive and non-discursive aspects of practices. Yet, at the same time, following Hitchings (Area44: 61–67, 2012), I challenge the claim made by some authors that discursive methods are methodologically unfitting for researching practices from a practice theoretical perspective. Rather, I argue that people’s retrospective descriptions of past events, their explicit knowledge of rules and norms and particularly their capacity to reflect on why they do what they do provide us with valuable insights into everyday practice.
The Normalisation of Disbelief
Authors: Affolter Laura
Published: November 2020

The final chapter of this book highlights the importance of studying the shaping of practices of decision-making for understanding how administrations, law, policies and the state work. By bringing together the discussions of the different chapters of this book, it shows how different factors concur to produce the relatively stable outcomes of administrative practice that can be observed from the outside. These factors include the ideological environment administrations are embedded in, the professional norms and values at the heart of administrative work, the laws and policies caseworkers are in charge of “applying” and the structural conditions of administrative-legal decision-making as well as the dispositions caseworkers acquire through their socialisation on the job, and that are reproduced through their everyday practices. It shows how together these factors produce a regularity in asylum determination, namely that the majority of asylum claims are rejected on the basis of non-credibility. Disbelief becomes normalised.
Developing the Questionnaire
Authors: Mariel Petr , Hoyos David , Meyerhoff Jürgen , Czajkowski Mikolaj , Dekker Thijs , Glenk Klaus , Jacobsen Jette Bredahl , Liebe Ulf , Olsen Søren Bøye , Sagebiel Julian , Thiene Mara
Published: November 2020

This chapter outlines the essential topics for developing and testing a questionnaire for a discrete choice experiment survey. It addresses issues such as the description of the environmental good, pretesting of the survey, incentive compatibility, consequentiality or mitigation of hypothetical bias. For the latter, cheap talk scripts, opt-out reminders or an oath script are discussed. Moreover, the use of instructional choice sets, the identification of protest responses and strategic bidders are considered. Finally, issues related to the payment vehicle and the cost vector design are the subject of this section.
Introduction—That Big Green Elephant in the Room
Authors: Hernandez Ariel Macaspac
Published: November 2020

Transformations, transitions and structural changes are not new to human civilization. Transitions can be emergent, that is, a subservient response to changes such as technological breakthroughs, or purposive, that is, a strategically instigated effort to achieve certain goals. Changes are constantly occurring and define identities, aspirations and how we see our human nature (Menschenbild), how we interact with each other, and how we make sense of the world (Weltbild).
The Philippines as a Case Study—Populism and Institutional Activism in Transformation Processes Towards Sustainability
Authors: Hernandez Ariel Macaspac
Published: November 2020

The current resurgence and reinforcement of populists in many countries has profited not only from various real or imagined crises (e.g., 2015-present refugee crisis in Europe or the caravan of migrants in Latin America heading to the United States), but also from how established political parties and polities have addressed these crises, which have disenfranchised, in a de facto manner, a significant portion of the population. Former Greek finance minister and Professor of Economics at the University of Athens, Yanis Varoufakis, notes that President Trump’s election, Brexit, and the resurgence of right-wing political parties in Germany, Austria & other countries are not new in history, but merely “a post-modern variant of the 1930s, complete with deflation, xenophobia, and divide-and-rule politics” (Varoufakis 2016). Populist movements have found and instrumentalized compelling issues, such as emission reduction, to gain political importance.
Lessons for Practice: Reflexivity and Stakeholder Engagement for Transformations Towards Sustainability
Authors: Hernandez Ariel Macaspac
Published: November 2020

This chapter intends to present a practical approach to strategically facilitating sustainable, low-carbon transformation. The recommendations that can be made are presented while using a Weberian understanding (Verstehen) of various variables and dynamics that has been crystalized through this book’s theoretical foundation (chapters 2 to 6), methodological tools (chapters 7 and 8), case studies (chapters 9 to 12), simulation game (part of chapter 12), and the theoretical claims through the conceptual framework (chapter 13). A major contribution of this book is a set of recommendations that aim to support an inquiry-based, reflective, collaborative, and integrative facilitation of the transformation process.
The Systems Perspective on the Transformation Towards Sustainability
Authors: Hernandez Ariel Macaspac
Published: November 2020

From the systems perspective, the ultimate ‘Angst’ of societies is the occurrence of ‘dystopian’ system rupture, which can be the outcome not only of unexpected events leading to the elimination of principles that bind actors together (e.g., identity), but also by purported solutions that create further ‘horrendous’ events. System ruptures are not only linked with natural hazards such as earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, and pandemics (such as the Ebola outbreak), but also with collapsing national governments and regimes, for example following the outbreak of a popular revolt after a state-sanctioned escalation of violence (e.g., Mubarak’s Egypt and Ghadafi’s Libya) or an outside intervention (e.g., Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq following the US intervention). Assuming that transformation can be either a response to a collapsed system or a preventive effort to avert collapse, this chapter starts by looking at the cognitive aspects of transformation in terms of experiences.
Führt eine COVID-19-bedingte Ausgangsbeschränkung zu einer Reduktion schwer verletzter Patienten an einem überregionalen Traumazentrum?
Authors: Fuchs Konrad F. , Eden Lars , Gilbert Fabian , Bernuth Silvia , Wurmb Thomas , Meffert Rainer H. , Jordan Martin C.
Published: November 2020

Hintergrund

Intensiv- und Beatmungskapazitäten sind für die Behandlung COVID-19-erkrankter Patienten essenziell. Unabhängig davon beanspruchen auch schwer verletzte Patienten häufig Intensiv- und Beatmungskapazitäten. Daraus ergibt sich folgende Fragestellung: Führt eine Ausgangsbeschränkung zu einer Reduktion schwer verletzter Patienten, und kann hierdurch mit frei werdenden Intensivkapazitäten gerechnet werden?

Material und Methoden

Es erfolgte eine retrospektive Auswertung schwer verletzter Patienten mit einem Injury Severity Score (ISS) ≥16 zwischen dem 17.03.2020 und 30.04.2020 (landesweiter Shutdown) an einem überregionalen Traumazentrum. Erfasst wurden der Unfallmechanismus, ISS, Versicherungsträger (BG vs. GKV/PKV), ob es sich um einen dokumentierten Suizidversuch handelte, und ob eine operative Intervention innerhalb der ersten 24 h erforderlich war. Als Kontrollgruppe wurden die Daten des gleichen Zeitraums der Jahre 2018 und 2019 ausgewertet.

Ergebnisse

Es konnte keine wesentliche Veränderung bezüglich der Anzahl an schwer verletzten Patienten festgestellt werden (2018 n = 30, 2019 n = 23, 2020 n = 27). Es zeigten sich insgesamt keine deutlichen Veränderungen der absoluten Zahlen bezüglich der Intensivpflichtigkeit in den ersten 24 h und der Beatmungspflichtigkeit beim Verlassen des Schockraums. Die Anzahl an Patienten, die eine Operation innerhalb der ersten 24 h nach Eintreffen im Schockraum benötigten, war 2020 sogar leicht erhöht, jedoch nicht statistisch signifikant. Der durchschnittliche ISS blieb konstant. Bezüglich der Unfallursache zeigte sich 2020 kein Motorradfahrer, der einen nicht berufsgenossenschaftlich versicherten Unfall erlitt (2018 n = 5, 2019 n = 4, 2020 n = 0). Es wurde 2020 ein erhöhter Anteil an Arbeitsunfällen mit einem ISS ≥16 festgestellt (2018: 10 %, 2019: 26,1 %, 2020: 44,4 %).

Diskussion

Eine Ausgangsbeschränkung führte zu keiner Reduktion verletzter- und intensivpflichtiger Patienten am untersuchten Zentrum. Auch unter einer landesweiten Ausgangsbeschränkung muss für dieses Patientenkollektiv eine ausreichende Menge an Intensiv- und OP-Kapazitäten vorgehalten werden. Die Bestätigung dieser Ergebnisse durch Auswertung nationaler Register steht noch aus.
Human skeletal muscle mitochondrial dynamics in relation to oxidative capacity and insulin sensitivity
Authors: Houzelle Alexandre , Jörgensen Johanna A. , Schaart Gert , Daemen Sabine , van Polanen Nynke , Fealy Ciarán E. , Hesselink Matthijs K. C. , Schrauwen Patrick , Hoeks Joris
Published: November 2020

Aims/hypothesis

Mitochondria operate in networks, adapting to external stresses and changes in cellular metabolic demand and are subject to various quality control mechanisms. On the basis of these traits, we here hypothesise that the regulation of mitochondrial networks in skeletal muscle is hampered in humans with compromised oxidative capacity and insulin sensitivity.

Methods

In a cross-sectional design, we compared four groups of participants (selected from previous studies) ranging in aerobic capacity and insulin sensitivity, i.e. participants with type 2 diabetes (n = 11), obese participants without diabetes (n = 12), lean individuals (n = 10) and endurance-trained athletes (n = 12); basal, overnight fasted muscle biopsies were newly analysed for the current study and we compared the levels of essential mitochondrial dynamics and quality control regulatory proteins in skeletal muscle tissue.

Results

Type 2 diabetes patients and obese participants were older than lean participants and athletes (58.6 ± 4.0 and 56.7 ± 7.2 vs 21.8 ± 2.5 and 25.1 ± 4.3 years, p < 0.001, respectively) and displayed a higher BMI (32.4 ± 3.7 and 31.0 ± 3.7 vs 22.1 ± 1.8 and 21.0 ± 1.5 kg/m2, p < 0.001, respectively) than lean individuals and endurance-trained athletes. Fission protein 1 (FIS1) and optic atrophy protein 1 (OPA1) protein content was highest in muscle from athletes and lowest in participants with type 2 diabetes and obesity, respectively (FIS1: 1.86 ± 0.79 vs 0.79 ± 0.51 AU, p = 0.002; and OPA1: 1.55 ± 0.64 vs 0.76 ± 0.52 AU, p = 0.014), which coincided with mitochondrial network fragmentation in individuals with type 2 diabetes, as assessed by confocal microscopy in a subset of type 2 diabetes patients vs endurance-trained athletes (n = 6). Furthermore, lean individuals and athletes displayed a mitonuclear protein balance that was different from obese participants and those with type 2 diabetes. Mitonuclear protein balance also associated with heat shock protein 60 (HSP60) protein levels, which were higher in athletes when compared with participants with obesity (p = 0.048) and type 2 diabetes (p = 0.002), indicative for activation of the mitochondrial unfolded protein response. Finally, OPA1, FIS1 and HSP60 correlated positively with aerobic capacity (r = 0.48, p = 0.0001; r = 0.55, p < 0.001 and r = 0.61, p < 0.0001, respectively) and insulin sensitivity (r = 0.40, p = 0.008; r = 0.44, p = 0.003 and r = 0.48, p = 0.001, respectively).

Conclusions/interpretation

Collectively, our data suggest that mitochondrial dynamics and quality control in skeletal muscle are linked to oxidative capacity in humans, which may play a role in the maintenance of muscle insulin sensitivity.

Clinical Trial registry

numbers NCT00943059, NCT01298375 and NL1888
Positivity of the CM line bundle for families of K-stable klt Fano varieties
Authors: Codogni Giulio , Patakfalvi Zsolt
Published: November 2020

The Chow–Mumford (CM) line bundle is a functorial line bundle on the base of any family of klt Fano varieties. It is conjectured that it yields a polarization on the moduli space ofK-poly-stable klt Fano varieties. Proving ampleness of the CM line bundle boils down to showing semi-positivity/positivity statements about the CM-line bundle for families withK-semi-stable/K-polystable fibers. We prove the necessary semi-positivity statements in theK-semi-stable situation, and the necessary positivity statements in the uniformK-stable situation, including in both cases variants assumingK-stability only for general fibers. Our statements work in the most general singular situation (klt singularities), and the proofs are algebraic, except the computation of the limit of a sequence of real numbers via the central limit theorem of probability theory. We also present an application to the classification of Fano varieties. Additionally, our semi-positivity statements work in general for log-Fano pairs.
Inborn errors of thymic stromal cell development and function
Authors: Kreins Alexandra Y. , Maio Stefano , Dhalla Fatima
Published: November 2020

As the primary site for T cell development, the thymus is responsible for the production and selection of a functional, yet self-tolerant T cell repertoire. This critically depends on thymic stromal cells, derived from the pharyngeal apparatus during embryogenesis. Thymic epithelial cells, mesenchymal and vascular elements together form the unique and highly specialised microenvironment required to support all aspects of thymopoiesis and T cell central tolerance induction. Although rare, inborn errors of thymic stromal cells constitute a clinically important group of conditions because their immunological consequences, which include autoimmune disease and T cell immunodeficiency, can be life-threatening if unrecognised and untreated. In this review, we describe the molecular and environmental aetiologies of the thymic stromal cell defects known to cause disease in humans, placing particular emphasis on those with a propensity to cause thymic hypoplasia or aplasia and consequently severe congenital immunodeficiency. We discuss the principles underpinning their diagnosis and management, including the use of novel tools to aid in their identification and strategies for curative treatment, principally transplantation of allogeneic thymus tissue.
Cardiogenic shock: incidence, survival and mechanical circulatory support usage 2007–2017-insights from a national registry
Authors: Lang Corinna N. , Kaier Klaus , Zotzmann Viviane , Stachon Peter , Pottgiesser Torben , von zur Muehlen Constantin , Zehender Manfred , Duerschmied Daniel , Schmid Bonaventura , Bode Christoph , Wengenmayer Tobias , Staudacher Dawid L.
Published: November 2020

Background

A central element in the management of cardiogenic shock (CS) comprises mechanical circulatory support (MCS) systems to maintain cardiac output (CO). This study aims to quantify incidence, outcome and influence of MCS in CS over the last decade.

Methods

All patients hospitalized with CS in a tertiary university hospital in Germany between 2007 and 2017 were identified utilizing the international coding system ICD-10 with code R57.0. Application of MCS was identified via German procedure classification codes (OPS).

Results

383,983 cases of cardiogenic shock were reported from 2007 to 2017. Patients had a mean age of 71 years and 38.5% were female. The incidence of CS rose by 65.6% from 26,828 cases in 2007 (33.1 per 100,000 person-years, hospital survival 39.2%) to 44,425 cases in 2017 (53.7 per 100,000 person-years, survival 41.2%). In 2007, 16.0% of patients with CS received MCS (4.6 per 100,000 person-years, survival 46.6%), dropping to 13.9% in 2017 (6.6 per 100,000 person-years, survival 38.6%). Type of MCS changed over the years, with decreasing use of the intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP), an increase in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) and percutaneous ventricular assist device (pVAD) usage. Significant differences regarding in-hospital survival were observed between the devices (survival: overall: 40.2%; medical treatment = 39.5%; IABP = 49.5%; pVAD = 36.2%; VA-ECMO = 30.5%;p < 0.001).

Conclusions

The incidence of CS is increasing, but hospital survival remains low. MCS was used in a minority of patients, and the percentage of MCS usage in CS has decreased. The use rates of the competing devices change over time.

Graphical Abstract
Mouse models of atherosclerosis and their suitability for the study of myocardial infarction
Authors: Golforoush Pelin , Yellon Derek M. , Davidson Sean M.
Published: November 2020

Atherosclerotic plaques impair vascular function and can lead to arterial obstruction and tissue ischaemia. Rupture of an atherosclerotic plaque within a coronary artery can result in an acute myocardial infarction, which is responsible for significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Prompt reperfusion can salvage some of the ischaemic territory, but ischaemia and reperfusion (IR) still causes substantial injury and is, therefore, a therapeutic target for further infarct limitation. Numerous cardioprotective strategies have been identified that can limit IR injury in animal models, but none have yet been translated effectively to patients. This disconnect prompts an urgent re-examination of the experimental models used to study IR. Since coronary atherosclerosis is the most prevalent morbidity in this patient population, and impairs coronary vessel function, it is potentially a major confounder in cardioprotective studies. Surprisingly, most studies suggest that atherosclerosis does not have a major impact on cardioprotection in mouse models. However, a major limitation of atherosclerotic animal models is that the plaques usually manifest in the aorta and proximal great vessels, and rarely in the coronary vessels. In this review, we examine the commonly used mouse models of atherosclerosis and their effect on coronary artery function and infarct size. We conclude that none of the commonly used strains of mice are ideal for this purpose; however, more recently developed mouse models of atherosclerosis fulfil the requirement for coronary artery lesions, plaque rupture and lipoprotein patterns resembling the human profile, and may enable the identification of therapeutic interventions more applicable in the clinical setting.
Comparative analyses of angiosperm secretomes identify apoplastic pollen tube functions and novel secreted peptides
Authors: Flores-Tornero María , Wang Lele , Potěšil David , Hafidh Said , Vogler Frank , Zdráhal Zbyněk , Honys David , Sprunck Stefanie , Dresselhaus Thomas
Published: November 2020

Key message

Analyses of secretomes of in vitro grown pollen tubes from Amborella, maize and tobacco identified many components of processes associated with the cell wall, signaling and metabolism as well as novel small secreted peptides.

Flowering plants (angiosperms) generate pollen grains that germinate on the stigma and produce tubes to transport their sperm cells cargo deep into the maternal reproductive tissues toward the ovules for a double fertilization process. During their journey, pollen tubes secrete many proteins (secreted proteome or secretome) required, for example, for communication with the maternal reproductive tissues, to build a solid own cell wall that withstands their high turgor pressure while softening simultaneously maternal cell wall tissue. The composition and species specificity or family specificity of the pollen tube secretome is poorly understood. Here, we provide a suitable method to obtain the pollen tube secretome from in vitro grown pollen tubes of the basal angiosperm Amborella trichopoda (Amborella) and the Poaceae model maize. The previously published secretome of tobacco pollen tubes was used as an example of eudicotyledonous plants in this comparative study. The secretome of the three species is each strongly different compared to the respective protein composition of pollen grains and tubes. In Amborella and maize, about 40% proteins are secreted by the conventional “classic” pathway and 30% by unconventional pathways. The latter pathway is expanded in tobacco. Proteins enriched in the secretome are especially involved in functions associated with the cell wall, cell surface, energy and lipid metabolism, proteolysis and redox processes. Expansins, pectin methylesterase inhibitors and RALFs are enriched in maize, while tobacco secretes many proteins involved, for example, in proteolysis and signaling. While the majority of proteins detected in the secretome occur also in pollen grains and pollen tubes, and correlate in the number of mapped peptides with relative gene expression levels, some novel secreted small proteins were identified. Moreover, the identification of secreted proteins containing pro-peptides indicates that these are processed in the apoplast. In conclusion, we provide a proteome resource from three distinct angiosperm clades that can be utilized among others to study the localization, abundance and processing of known secreted proteins and help to identify novel pollen tube secreted proteins for functional studies.
Identification of Chaboche–Lemaitre combined isotropic–kinematic hardening model parameters assisted by the fuzzy logic analysis
Authors: Wójcik M. , Skrzat A.
Published: November 2020

A very good knowledge of material properties is required in the analysis of severe plastic deformation problems in which the classical material processing methods are accelerated by the application of the additional cyclic load. A general fuzzy logic-based approach is proposed for the analysis of experimental and numerical data in this paper. As an application of the fuzzy analysis, the calibration of Chaboche–Lemaitre model hardening parameters of PA6 aluminum is considered here. The experimental data obtained in a symmetrical strain-controlled cyclic tension–compression test were used to estimate the material’s hardening parameters. The numerically generated curves were compared to the experimental ones. For better fitting of numerical and experimental results, the optimization approach using the least-square method was applied. Unfortunately, commonly accepted calibration methods can provide various sets of hardening parameters. In order to choose the most reliable set, the fuzzy analysis was used. Primarily selected values of hardening parameters were assumed to be fuzzy input parameters. The error of the hysteresis loop approximation for each set was used to compute its membership function. The discrete value of this error was obtained in the defuzzification step. The correct selections of hardening parameters were verified in ratcheting and mean stress relaxation tests. The application of the fuzzy analysis has improved the convergence between experimental and numerical stress–strain curves. The fuzzy logic allows analyzing the variation of elastic–plastic material response when some imprecisions or uncertainties of input parameters are taken into consideration.
Kreislauftherapie bei Sepsis – wann, wie und wie viel?
Authors: Kochanek Matthias , Shimabukuro-Vornhagen Alexander , Eichenauer Dennis A. , Böll Boris
Published: November 2020

Das Management der hämodynamischen Instabilität im Rahmen einer Sepsis bzw. eines septischen Schocks steht in der Notfallversorgung und auf der Intensivstation ganz im Vordergrund. Kreislaufinstabilität hat einen dramatischen Einfluss auf die Rate an Organkomplikationen und die Mortalität bei Sepsis. Nach der Leitlinie zur Therapie der Sepsis soll ein mittlerer arterieller Druck von 65 mm Hg nicht unterschritten werden. Kristalloide balancierte Flüssigkeit und Katecholamine sind die Eckpfeiler des therapeutischen Managements der septischen Kreislaufinstabilität. In diesem Beitrag sollen die wichtigsten Punkte – das Was, Wann und Wieviel – der Kreislauftherapie präsentiert und kritisch diskutiert werden.
Open educational resources: undertheorized research and untapped potential
Authors: Wiley David A.
Published: November 2020

This paper is in response to the manuscript entitled “Open educational resources and college textbook choices: a review of research on efficacy and perceptions” (Hilton in Educ Technol Res Dev 64(4): 573–590, 2016) from a theoretical perspective. The response describes the way many of the papers reviewed by Hilton were undertheorized, limiting their potential for impact. A brief summary of more recent research shows one current direction toward stronger theorization of OER research. Over the short-term, including during the rapid shift to digital learning catalyzed by the COVID-19 pandemic, OER adoption can be expected to save college students money and close the achievement gap between Pell-eligible students and their wealthier peers. Over the longer term, this benefit will likely disappear, and faculty will need to more fully explore the affordances of the 5Rs in order to create dramatic improvements in success for all students.
Material Hardship and Contraceptive Use During the Transition to Adulthood
Authors: Field Elly
Published: November 2020

Decades of research have attempted to understand the paradox of stubbornly high unintended pregnancy rates despite widespread use of contraception. Much of this research has focused on socioeconomic disparities in rates of unintended pregnancy, finding that economically disadvantaged women tend to use less effective contraceptive methods and use them less consistently. Building on this research, this study examines how material hardship is associated with less consistent contraceptive use among women who do not desire to become pregnant. Using the Relationship Dynamics and Social Life (RDSL) Study, a weekly longitudinal survey, I find lower levels of contraceptive use and less consistent use of contraception among women experiencing material hardship, relative to those without hardship experiences. I also investigate the extent to which this association is explained by access barriers and lower contraceptive efficacy among women experiencing hardship. Using structural equation modeling, I find that these mediators significantly explain the relationship between hardship and risky contraceptive behaviors, suggesting that hardship creates mental and resource constraints that impede successful implementation of contraception. However, net of these mediators, material hardship remains associated with riskier contraceptive behaviors among young women, calling for further research on how hardship exposes women to greater risk of unintended pregnancies.