bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Quality and Value Appropriation by Colombian Coffee Producers: Starting to Fill the Gap from a Gender Perspective
Authors: Quiñones-Ruiz Xiomara F. , Giraldo-Liévano Tatiana
Published: August 2022

Gender – considered as an intersectional analysis unit – can bring further insights into global value chains from production and processing to retailing and final consumption. This article provides insights on gender-specific constructs from an intersectional research perspective to enrich the understanding of quality attributes and conventions along the global coffee value chain. The exploration uncovers the roles and positions as well as value appropriation of female and male Colombian producers – in particular rural female producers – as they enter the specialty coffee niche characterized by distinctive cup quality (taste of coffee). Recognizing and valuing the contribution of women in all social and economic fields is a fundamental right under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5 to combat all forms of discrimination and enhance self-determination of women and girls as well as gender equality.
Forschungsperspektiven zur Hofnachfolge: Eine Systematisierung der wissenschaftlichen Literatur
Authors: Larcher Manuela
Published: August 2022

Dieser Beitrag untersucht die agrarsoziologische und sozioökonomische Forschung zur Hofnachfolge. Ausgehend von theoretischen und empirischen Definitionen der Hofnachfolge, Forschungsfragen, empirischen Methoden und der Einbettung in die Literatur werden fünf Forschungsperspektiven erarbeitet: i) Hofnachfolge als langjähriger komplexer sozialer Prozess, ii) Hofnachfolge und Ruhestand als spiegelbildliche Prozesse, iii) Wahrscheinlichkeit der Hofnachfolge als Funktion endogener und exogener Einflussfaktoren, iv) Hofnachfolge als Einflussfaktor auf bäuerliche Haushaltsstrategien und v) Hofnachfolge im Kontext von Überalterung in der Landwirtschaft. Jede Perspektive bietet spezifische Einblicke in die Hofnachfolge in landwirtschaftlichen Betrieben.
Armut, Armutsgefährdung, soziale Ausgrenzung: Ursachen und Konsequenzen im ländlichen Raum
Authors: Wiesinger Georg
Published: August 2022

Ländliche Armut wird häufig mit bäuerlicher Armut gleichgesetzt, was der Realität aber längst nicht mehr entspricht. Die ländliche Bevölkerung ist heute vielfältig. Bauern und Bäuerinnen sind eine Minderheit. Laut wissenschaftlicher Studien unterscheiden sich städtische und ländliche Armut nicht grundlegend. Es lassen sich zwar ähnliche Armutsfaktoren feststellen, ihre Wirkungsmechanismen sind räumlich aber oft sehr unterschiedlich. Dieser Beitrag beleuchtet die zentralen Aspekte ländlicher Armut und zeigt, dass eingeschränkte Erwerbsmöglichkeiten, niedrige Einkommen, unzureichendes Angebot an Mobilität und Wohnraum zu ihren strukturellen Ursachen zählen.
Biobaumwollinitiativen und ihre Wirkung auf das Gemeinschaftskapital ländlicher Regionen in Tansania, Indien und Peru
Authors: Altenbuchner Christine , Larcher Manuela
Published: August 2022

Der Anbau von zertifizierter Biobaumwolle wird durch unterschiedliche Initiativen in mehreren Ländern weltweit unterstützt. Dieser Beitrag untersucht die Wirkung ausgewählter Initiativen auf das Gemeinschaftskapital der beteiligten Bäuerinnen und Bauern unter Berücksichtigung verschiedener naturräumlicher, ökonomischer, sozialer und kultureller Rahmenbedingungen. Mit dem Community Capitals Framework als Analyserahmen werden die Wirkungen in drei Fallbeispielen aus Tansania, Indien und Peru systematisch untersucht und verglichen. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass nicht nur der Anbau von Biobaumwolle das Gemeinschaftskapital erhöht, sondern auch begleitende Maßnahmen zur Förderung der Selbstermächtigung der Bäuerinnen und Bauern sowie zur Errichtung von gemeinschaftlicher Infrastruktur, beispielsweise von Saatgutbanken oder Brunnen.
Zielpluralismus, Zielkonflikte und berufliche Werthaltungen in der Vergabepraxis
Authors: Jaehrling Karen , Stiehm Christin
Published: August 2022

Das Kapitel widmet sich dem Wandel der Handlungsorientierungen in der Vergabepraxis. Sowohl die Ermessensspielräume, die der Gesetzgeber in Form der vielen Kann-Regelungen vorsieht, als auch die Pluralität von informellen Normen und Handlungsleitfäden, die Orientierungshilfen im Umgang mit den Ermessensspielräumen bieten, lassen erwarten, dass Kommunen und einzelne Vergabezuständige hier unterschiedliche Schwerpunkte setzen. In den Interviews mit Verwaltungskräften zeichnet sich dabei ein recht deutlicher, branchen- und ortsübergreifender Trend ab, und zwar zugunsten einer stärkeren Gewichtung der Qualität der eingekauften Dienstleistungen, sowie weiterer Ziele, die sich auf das Wohl der Adressat*innen der Dienstleistungen beziehen. Folglich beziehen sich auch viele der wahrgenommenen Herausforderungen und Handlungsdilemmata in erster Linie auf Aspekte, die eine Steigerung der Dienstleistungsqualität erschweren. Gute Arbeitsbedingungen (Sozialpolitisierung) oder der Schutz des Wettbewerbs als Institution (Vermarktlichung) nehmen demgegenüber einen sekundären Platz im Wertekanon der Vergabefachkräfte ein, und werden in erster Linie funktional auf das primäre Leitbild bezogen: Sie gelten also insoweit als nützlich (bzw. schädlich), als sie die Gewährleistung von qualitativ guten Dienstleistungen unterstützen.
Industrielle Beziehungen und Arbeitsregulierung im neuen ‚Experimentierraum‘
Authors: Jaehrling Karen , Stiehm Christin
Published: August 2022

Das Kapitel analysiert die Praktiken der sozialverantwortlichen Auftragsvergabe im engeren Sinn.  Dabei richtet sich der Blick stärker als bislang auch auf die nichtstaatlichen Akteure, die in Deutschland traditionell eine wichtige Rolle bei der Aushandlung und Durchsetzung von Löhnen und weiteren Arbeitsstandards spielen, nämlich Gewerkschaften und Arbeitgeberverbände. Damit stehen hier die Interaktionen und Wechselwirkungen zwischen den alten Arenen industrieller Beziehungen und dem neuem ‚Experimentierraum‘ Vergabepraxis im Zentrum. Als zentrale Stellschrauben in diesem ‚Experimentierraum‘ geht das Kapitel auf die Lern –und Aushandlungsprozesse zu geeigneten Maßnahmen der Durchsetzung und Kontrolle extern gesetzter Lohnstandards (Tariflöhne, Vergabe-Mindestlöhne), zur Ermittlung angemessener Preise (als eine Form der indirekten Lohnsetzung), und zu weiteren Auflagen zu Arbeitsbedingungen bei den beauftragten Firmen ein. Die Analyse bestätigt tendenziell die Annahme eines komplementären Verhältnisses: Neigungen und Fähigkeiten kommunaler Akteure zur sozialverantwortlichen Auftragsvergabe hängen wenigstens partiell auch von den Impulsen und Handlungskapazitäten auf Seiten der Akteure der industriellen Beziehungen ab.
Schubert problems, positivity and symbol letters
Authors: Yang Qinglin
Published: August 2022

Abstract

We propose a geometrical approach to generate symbol letters of amplitudes/integrals in planar $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
= 4 Super Yang-Mills theory, known as Schubert problems. Beginning with one-loop integrals, we find that intersections of lines in momentum twistor space are always ordered on a given line, once the external kinematics Z is in the positive region G+(4, n). Remarkably, cross-ratios of these ordered intersections on a line, which are guaranteed to be positive now, nicely coincide with symbol letters of corresponding Feynman integrals, whose positivity is then concluded directly from such geometrical configurations. In particular, we reproduce from this approach the 18 multiplicative independent algebraic letters for n = 8 amplitudes up to three loops. Finally, we generalize the discussion to two-loop Schubert problems and, again from ordered points on a line, generate a new kind of algebraic letters which mix two distinct square roots together. They have been found recently in the alphabet of two-loop double-box integral with n ≥ 9, and they are expected to appear in amplitudes at k + ℓ ≥ 4.
Rényi entropy and negativity for massless Dirac fermions at conformal interfaces and junctions
Authors: Capizzi Luca , Murciano Sara , Calabrese Pasquale
Published: August 2022

Abstract

We investigate the ground state of a (1+1)-dimensional conformal field theory (CFT) built withMspecies of massless free Dirac fermions coupled at one boundary point via a conformal junction/interface. Each CFT represents a wire of finite lengthL. We develop a systematic strategy to compute the Rényi entropies for a generic bipartition between the wires and the entanglement negativity between two non-complementary sets of wires. Both these entanglement measures turn out to grow logarithmically withLwith an exactly calculated universal prefactor depending on the details of the junction and of the bipartition. These analytic predictions are tested numerically for junctions of free Fermi gases, finding perfect agreement.
Translativity of beta-type functions
Authors: Małolepszy Tomasz , Matkowski Janusz
Published: August 2022

Translativity of the beta-type function $$B_{f}:I^{2}\rightarrow \left( 0,\infty \right) $$

B
f

:

I
2

→

0
,
∞

, $$\begin{aligned} B_{f}\left( x,y\right) :=\frac{f\left( x\right) f\left( y\right) }{f\left( x+y\right) }, \end{aligned}$$

B
f

x
,
y

:
=

f

x

f

y

f

x
+
y

,

where f is a single variable function defined either on $$I={\mathbb {R}}$$

I
=
R

or $$I=[ 0,\infty )$$

I
=
[
0
,
∞
)

, or $$I=\left( 0,\infty \right) $$

I
=

0
,
∞

, is considered. In each of these three cases a complete solution is given.
Surface generation on titanium alloy through powder-mixed electric discharge machining with the focus on bioimplant applications
Authors: Farooq Muhammad Umar , Bhatti Haider Ali , Asad Muhammad , Kumar M. Saravana , Zahoor Sadaf , Khan Aqib Mashood
Published: August 2022

The inflammation around poorly osseointegrated bioimplant is one of the root causes of its failure. Therefore, the biomedical industry constantly strives for new ways to develop bioactive surfaces in permanent implants to enhance the service life. In this regard, implant surface modification at micro/nanoscales is carried out to enrich substrate with higher engineering attributes and biocompatibility. Considering the complexities of post-processing of implants, this study evaluates the potentiality of an integrated process of implant machining and surface modification, namely, powder-mixed electric discharge machining (PMEDM). Ti6Al4V ELI implant material, as substrate, is machined under two distinct (Si, SiC) mixed additive conditions using a full factorial design of experiments. The surface quality, surface morphology, recast layer depth, surface chemistry, and work hardening have been holistically investigated. The bioactivity analysis of machined surfaces shows more porosity in the case of Si powder particles (200 to 400 nm) compared to SiC (100 to 250 nm). Furthermore, the study optimized the process parameters for minimum roughness and recast layer depth considering 5 g/L powder concentration, 5A pulse current, 50 µs pulse on time for Si, and 100 µs pulse on time for SiC. A comprehensive review of surface features based on process physical science is established, and nanoscale surface topography influencing protein absorption is analyzed.
Impact of urinary catheter on resistance patterns and clinical outcomes on complicated urinary tract infection
Authors: Moreno Carlos Ernesto Lombo , Velandia Oscar Mauricio Muñoz , Sánchez Cindy Alejandra Bonilla , Diaz Juan Sebastián Montealegre , Herazo Javier Ricardo Garzón
Published: August 2022

Introduction and hypothesis

Complicated urinary tract infection (cUTI) is highly prevalent and costly for health systems. The impact of the indwelling urinary catheter on etiologic agents and clinical outcomes has been poorly studied in Latin America.

Methods

Cross-sectional study including patients with cUTI, with positive urine culture, treated at Hospital Universitario San Ignacio, Bogotá (Colombia) between 2017 and 2020. Clinical and microbiologic characteristics, treatments and outcomes are explored, comparing those with and without indwelling urinary catheter.

Results

Seven hundred thirty-five patients with non-catheter-associated cUTI (NC-cUTI) and 165 with catheter-associated cUTI (CAUTI) were included. CAUTI group had a higher proportion of recurrent UTI (18% vs 33.3%, p < 0.001), ICU requirement (2.7% vs 8.5%, p < 0.001), longer hospital stay (6 vs 10 days, p < 0.001) and > 30 days unplanned readmission rate (5.8% vs 10.3%, p < 0.001). In the same group, we found a higher frequency of Pseudomonas spp (2.6% vs 9.4%, p < 0.001), Enterococcus spp. (2.4% vs 3.3%, p = 0.016), Serratia marcescens (0.6% vs 3.3%, p < 0.001) and Citrobacter freundii (0.5% vs 5.7%, p < 0.001). It implied a higher number of patients treated with fourth-generation cephalosporins (1.4% vs 4.8%, p = 0.004), ertapenem (32.9% vs 41.8%, p = 0.027) and carbapenems associated with a second antibiotic (1.9% vs 8.5%, p < 0.001).

Conclusions

Patients with CAUTI have a higher frequency of resistant germs, require greater use of resources and have worse clinical outcomes than patients who do not require such devices. Measures should be strengthened to minimize its use, in both the hospital and outpatient setting.
Contextual and own-age effects in age perception
Authors: Pilz Karin S. , Lou Hao
Published: August 2022

Our judgement of certain facial characteristics such as emotion, attractiveness or age, is affected by context. Faces that are flanked by younger faces, for example, are perceived as being younger, whereas faces flanked by older faces are perceived as being older. Here, we investigated whether contextual effects in age perception are moderated by own age effects. On each trial, a target face was presented on the screen, which was flanked by two faces. Flanker faces were either identical to the target face, were 10 years younger or 10 years older than the target face. We asked 40 older (64–69 years) and 43 younger adults (24–29) to estimate the age of the target face. Our results replicated previous studies and showed that context affects age estimation of faces flanked by target faces of different ages. These context effects were more pronounced for younger compared to older flankers but present across both tested age groups. An own-age advantage was observed for older adults for unflanked faces who had larger estimation errors for younger faces compared to older faces and younger adults. Flanker effects, however, were not moderated by own-age effects. It is likely that the increased effect of younger flankers is due to mechanisms related to perceptual averaging.
Patterns of biogeographic and regional life-history trait variation in four large-bodied tropical wrasses
Authors: Lowe J. R. , Russ G. R. , Bucol A. A. , Abesamis R. A. , Stockwell B. L. , Choat J. H.
Published: August 2022

Ectotherms display substantial demographic variation across latitudinal gradients of temperature. Higher temperatures are often associated with smaller size, rapid initial growth rates, and early maturation, generally described as the Temperature-Size Rule (TSR). The longevity of most ectotherms also declines at warmer, lower latitudes. However, these patterns may be modified by increases in food resources that can flow on to continuous growth and large adult size. The present study estimates age-based demographic parameters of large-bodied tropical wrasses (Hemigymnus melapterus, H. fasciatus, Cheilinus fasciatus, and Oxycheilinus digramma) collected from Philippine fish markets (9–11°N) and sampled from Palm (18.53–18.70°S) and Whitsunday (20.05–20.21°S) reefs on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia (GBR). Differences in longevity, initial growth rates, and the age at sexual maturation at a biogeographic scale, between the Philippines and GBR, conformed to predictions of the TSR. However, Philippine specimens exhibited greater relative body condition and sustained periods of growth beyond sexual maturity resulting in larger adult size than GBR samples. Size-structure data from Philippine marine reserves and fished sites indicated that these differences were not confounded by fishery-dependent sampling. Moreover, latitudinal length–weight relationships could not be explained by lower densities of the focal wrasses in the Philippines or by relative gonad size. Less pronounced patterns of demographic variation that differed across species were evident at a regional scale, among Palm and Whitsunday reefs. Patterns of demographic variation between the Philippines and GBR strongly suggest that differences in food resource levels will be important in explaining the observed geographic variation.
From dyads to collectives: a review of honeybee signalling
Authors: Hasenjager Matthew J. , Franks Victoria R. , Leadbeater Ellouise
Published: August 2022

The societies of honeybees (Apis spp.) are microcosms of divided labour where the fitness interests of individuals are so closely aligned that, in some contexts, the colony behaves as an entity in itself. Self-organization at this extraordinary level requires sophisticated communication networks, so it is not surprising that the celebrated waggle dance, by which bees share information about locations outside the hive, evolved here. Yet bees within the colony respond to several other lesser-known signalling systems, including the tremble dance, the stop signal and the shaking signal, whose roles in coordinating worker behaviour are not yet fully understood. Here, we firstly bring together the large but disparate historical body of work that has investigated the “meaning” of such signals for individual bees, before going on to discuss how network-based approaches can show how such signals function as a complex system to control the collective foraging effort of these remarkable social insect societies.
Maximizing sexual signal transmission: use of multiple display sites by male houbara bustards
Authors: Alonso Juan C. , Abril-Colón Inmaculada , Palacín Carlos , Ucero Alberto , Álvarez-Martínez José M.
Published: August 2022

A good location of song or call posts and visual display sites of males is crucial for territory defence and mate attraction. These sites are typically located at prominent positions to ensure an efficient, long-distance sexual advertisement. If the purpose of display sites is to maximize visibility, a suitable strategy would be to use multiple display sites rather than just one site. We investigated this in the ground-displaying houbara bustard by using two recent technological advances that enabled us collecting high precision data, GSM/GPRS loggers provided with accelerometer and very high-resolution digital elevation models of the terrain. We found that 12 out of 20 marked males used two or three display sites instead of just one as previously assumed in this species. The most used display site had the largest viewshed and use of both alternative sites decreased in proportion to their decreasing viewsheds. The number of display sites was apparently determined by two factors. First, it was correlated with display intensity, suggesting that using multiple display sites may be a mechanism to increase sexual signal transmission in males that are dominant or in better condition. Second, supplementary display sites were not used when the principal display site already provided an excellent view of the surroundings, e.g. when it was located on a hilltop. These results confirmed that the function of secondary display sites is to supplement the viewshed provided by the principal display site, and so maximize sexual signal transmission.

Significance statement

Performing sexual display from just a single place is often not enough to reach all possible mates or competitors, so using multiple posts may be crucial for an effective sexual signal transmission. This is particularly important when the display is visual, and topographical barriers or vegetation may block the male’s line of view. Using last generation GSM/GPRS loggers equipped with accelerometers and very high-resolution digital elevation models of the terrain, we show how houbara bustard males, who perform a costly running display on the ground, have developed a complex display pattern that involves the use of various nearby display sites. These display sites are used in proportion to their visibilities, which shows that this multiple display site system has evolved to maximize the aggregated visual field of males and so increase their visibility to females and neighbour males.
A statistical description method of global sub-grid topography for numerical models
Authors: Wang Yaqi , Wang Lanning , Feng Juan , Song Zhenya , Wu Qizhong , Cheng Huaqiong
Published: August 2022

Slope and aspect are important topographic elements for thermodynamics and dynamics of atmospheric circulation, especially for local radiation and topographic precipitation. We propose a simple realistic statistical method based on trigonometric function transformation to calculate sub-grid slope and aspect for describing the orographic characteristics of complex areas over the globe. It is found that the transformed conditional probability density function conforms to the Gaussian distribution in most of the global areas (~ 98%), and this feature is not eliminated with the increasing of horizontal resolution. The reasonability of this method is tested over the Tibetan Plateau. The results show that the improvement ratio of surface solar radiation downward (SSRD) over the Tibetan Plateau improved significantly compared with the results from the grid average scheme, especially in autumn. The improvement of root mean square error is approximately 18.2 W/m2, and the improvement ratio reached 38.4%. The improvements of maximum and regional-averaged SSRD over the whole Tibetan Plateau were ~ 130 W/m2 and ~ 44.3 W/m2 respectively. Although we only consider the effect of sub-grid slope and aspect on solar shortwave radiation, which has a certain bias with the observation data, it is sufficient to prove the rationality of the statistical method compared with the unobstructed horizontal surfaces scheme.
Polar jet stream fluctuations in an energy balance model
Authors: Perillo Cord , Klein David , Djellouli Rabia
Published: August 2022

We investigate the effect of increased longwave radiative forcing (a proxy for increased greenhouse gas concentration) on the zonally averaged location of the eddy-driven jet stream in a latitude dependent, two-layer Energy Balance Model. The model includes separate terms for atmospheric and surface albedos, and takes into account reflections of shortwave radiation between the surface and atmospheric layers. We introduce the notion of a cloud factor function, which depends on temperature gradients, to simulate the eddy-driven jet. An increase in longwave radiative forcing initially results in a poleward movement of the jet stream’s mean latitude, but as the forcing increases, the location of the jet stream becomes quasi-periodic and its mean location moves equatorward.
Descriptive analysis of dietary (poly)phenol intake in the subcohort MAX from DCH-NG: “Diet, Cancer and Health—Next Generations cohort”
Authors: Lanuza Fabian , Zamora-Ros Raul , Rostgaard-Hansen Agnetha Linn , Tjønneland Anne , Landberg Rikard , Halkjær Jytte , Andres-Lacueva Cristina
Published: August 2022

Purpose

(Poly)phenols are bioactive compounds widely distributed in plant-based foods. Currently, limited data exist on the intake distribution of (poly)phenols across meals. This study aimed to estimate dietary intakes of all individual (poly)phenols and total intake per class and subclass by meal event, and to identify their main food sources in the subcohort MAX from the Diet, Cancer and Health—Next Generations cohort (DCH-NG).

Methods

Dietary data were collected using three web-based 24-h dietary recalls over 1 year. In total, 676 participants completed at least one recall. The dietary data were linked to Phenol-Explorer database using standardized procedures and an in-house software. We categorized foods/drinks into five options of meal events selected by the participant: 'Breakfast', 'Lunch', 'Evening', 'Snack', and 'Drink'.

Results

Adjusted total (poly)phenols mean intake by meal was the highest in the drink event (563 mg/day in men and 423 mg/day in women) and the lowest in the evening event (146 mg/day in men and 137 mg/day in women). The main overall (poly)phenol class contributor was phenolic acids (55.7–79.0%), except for evening and snack events where it was flavonoids (45.5–60%). The most consumed (poly)phenol subclasses were hydroxycinnamic acids and proanthocyanidins. Nonalcoholic beverages (coffee accounted for 66.4%), cocoa products, and cereals were the main food sources of total (poly)phenols.

Conclusion

This study provides data on the variability in the intake of classes and subclasses of (poly)phenols and their main food sources by meal event according to lifestyle data, age, and gender in a Danish population.
Transmission of cervid prions to humanized mice demonstrates the zoonotic potential of CWD
Authors: Hannaoui Samia , Zemlyankina Irina , Chang Sheng Chun , Arifin Maria Immaculata , Béringue Vincent , McKenzie Debbie , Schatzl Hermann M. , Gilch Sabine
Published: August 2022

Prions cause infectious and fatal neurodegenerative diseases in mammals. Chronic wasting disease (CWD), a prion disease of cervids, spreads efficiently among wild and farmed animals. Potential transmission to humans of CWD is a growing concern due to its increasing prevalence. Here, we provide evidence for a zoonotic potential of CWD prions, and its probable signature using mice expressing human prion protein (PrP) as an infection model. Inoculation of these mice with deer CWD isolates resulted in atypical clinical manifestation with prion seeding activity and efficient transmissible infectivity in the brain and, remarkably, in feces, but without classical neuropathological or Western blot appearances of prion diseases. Intriguingly, the protease-resistant PrP in the brain resembled that found in a familial human prion disease and was transmissible upon second passage. Our results suggest that CWD might infect humans, although the transmission barrier is likely higher compared to zoonotic transmission of cattle prions. Notably, our data suggest a different clinical presentation, prion signature, and tissue tropism, which causes challenges for detection by current diagnostic assays. Furthermore, the presence of infectious prions in feces is concerning because if this occurs in humans, it is a source for human-to-human transmission. These findings have strong implications for public health and CWD management.
A new look into uveitis in Colombia: changes in distribution patterns and clinical characteristics over the last 25 years
Authors: Polanía Diego , Reyes-Guanes Juliana , Rojas-Carabali William , Pardo-Pizza Daniella , Barraquer-Lopez Doménico , Cifuentes-González Carlos , Neira-Segura Natalia , de-la-Torre Alejandra
Published: August 2022

Purpose

To describe the distribution patterns and clinical characteristics of patients diagnosed with uveitis at a specialized uveitis center in Bogotá, Colombia, from 2013 to 2021 and compare these patterns with the previously reported between 1996 and 2006.

Methods

We performed an observational descriptive cross-sectional study systematically reviewing clinical records of patients attending between 2013 and 2021. Data were analyzed and compared with previous reports.

Results

Of the 489 patients with uveitis, 310 were females (63.4%). The mean age of onset was 38.7, with a range between 1 and 83 years. Bilateral (52.8%), anterior (45.8%), non-granulomatous (90.8%), and recurrent (47.6%) were the most common types of uveitis found in our population sample. The most common cause of uveitis in this study was idiopathic, followed by toxoplasmosis and HLA-B27 + associated uveitis, which differs from the previous Colombian study where ocular toxoplasmosis was the most frequent cause. This highlights a significant shift from infectious etiologies to more immune-mediated processes as the cause of uveitis in Colombia nowadays.

Conclusion

The results of this study provide a comparison between the clinical patterns of presentation of uveitis from 1996 to 2006 and the patterns observed from 2013 to 2021, enhancing awareness about the changing dynamics of uveitis in Colombia to guide a better understanding of the diagnosis, classification, and correlation with other systemic conditions of the disease.
Multimodal tract-based MRI metrics outperform whole brain markers in determining cognitive impact of small vessel disease-related brain injury
Authors: De Luca Alberto , Kuijf Hugo , Exalto Lieza , Thiebaut de Schotten Michel , Biessels Geert-Jan ,   The Utrecht VCI Study Group, van den Berg E. , Biessels G. J. , Exalto L. G. , Frijns C. J. M. , Groeneveld O. , Heinen R. , Heringa S. M. , Kappelle L. J. , Reijmer Y. D. , Verwer J. , Vlegels N. , de Bresser J. , De Luca A. , Kuijf H. J. , Leemans A. , Koek H. L. , Hamaker M. , Faaij R. , Pleizier M. , Vriens E.
Published: August 2022

In cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD), whole brain MRI markers of cSVD-related brain injury explain limited variance to support individualized prediction. Here, we investigate whether considering abnormalities in brain tracts by integrating multimodal metrics from diffusion MRI (dMRI) and structural MRI (sMRI), can better capture cognitive performance in cSVD patients than established approaches based on whole brain markers. We selected 102 patients (73.7 ± 10.2 years old, 59 males) with MRI-visible SVD lesions and both sMRI and dMRI. Conventional linear models using demographics and established whole brain markers were used as benchmark of predicting individual cognitive scores. Multi-modal metrics of 73 major brain tracts were derived from dMRI and sMRI, and used together with established markers as input of a feed-forward artificial neural network (ANN) to predict individual cognitive scores. A feature selection strategy was implemented to reduce the risk of overfitting. Prediction was performed with leave-one-out cross-validation and evaluated with the R2 of the correlation between measured and predicted cognitive scores. Linear models predicted memory and processing speed with R2 = 0.26 and R2 = 0.38, respectively. With ANN, feature selection resulted in 13 tract-specific metrics and 5 whole brain markers for predicting processing speed, and 28 tract-specific metrics and 4 whole brain markers for predicting memory. Leave-one-out ANN prediction with the selected features achieved R2 = 0.49 and R2 = 0.40 for processing speed and memory, respectively. Our results show proof-of-concept that combining tract-specific multimodal MRI metrics can improve the prediction of cognitive performance in cSVD by leveraging tract-specific multi-modal metrics.
Nutrition and physical activity in cancer patients: a survey on their information sources
Authors: Boesenecker Sebastian Josef , Mathies V. , Buentzel J. , Huebner J.
Published: August 2022

Background

Many cancer patients suffer from problems concerning nutrition and physical activity (PA) during and after their treatment. Forwarding reliable health information could help to alleviate severe symptoms. The present study aimed to examine cancer patients’ commonly used information sources on nutrition and PA.

Methods

An anonymous questionnaire was developed and distributed to German cancer patients in different settings. In total, 90 questionnaires have been completed between October 2021 and March 2022. For analysis, descriptive statistics were used and associations between information sources and patients’ lifestyle behaviour explored utilising Spearman’s Rho, Mann–Whitney U, and Pearson’s Chi Square tests.

Results

The cancer patients received information on nutrition and PA most frequently from physicians (70.9%), family and friends (68%) and browsing the internet (61.3%). Half of the patients (51.1%) had questions concerning these topics during the time of their disease. The majority of those patients (81.8%) reported that their questions were answered. The topics were addressed primarily with outpatient oncologists (60.0%) and in rehabilitation clinics (53.3%). Just about half of the patients (55.3%) felt satisfactorily informed on nutrition and PA in their cancer disease, more so if they talked to their oncologist or family physician (Z = − 2.450, p = 0.014 and Z = − 3.425, p = 0.001 resp.).

Conclusion

Cancer patients receive information on nutrition and PA predominantly after their initial treatment. Since they might be missing significant information to alleviate severe symptoms during their treatment, the importance of nutrition and PA should be emphasised by clinicians early on in treatment.

Trial registration

Trial Registration Number (May 7, 2021): 2021-2149-Bef.
Sex-related differences of invasive therapy in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage
Authors: Bögli S. Y. , Utebay D. , Smits N. , Westphal L. P. , Hirsbrunner L. , Unseld S. , Keller E. , Brandi G.
Published: August 2022

Background

Sex-related differences in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) exist. More females than males are affected. Aneurysm location is associated to sex. The relationship between sex and outcome, however, is unclear. Possible differences in management might influence the occurrence of primary and secondary brain injury and thus outcome. The study compares demographics, intensity of treatment, complications, and outcome among females and males with aSAH.

Methods

All consecutive patients with aSAH admitted to the neurocritical care unit, University Hospital Zurich over a 5-year period were eligible in this retrospective study. Patients’ characteristics, comorbidities, aSAH severity, frequency of vasospasm/delayed cerebral ischemia, frequency of invasive interventions, and 3-month outcome were compared by sex. Univariate analysis was performed with the data dichotomized by sex, and outcome. Multivariate analysis for prediction of outcomes was performed.

Results

Three hundred forty-eight patients were enrolled (64% females). Women were older than men. Comorbidities, scores at admission, and treatment modality were comparable among males and females. Vasospasm and DCI occurred similarly among females and males. Interventions and frequency of intraarterial spasmolysis were comparable between sexes. In the multivariate analysis, increasing age, female sex, increasing comorbidities, WFNS and Fisher grade, and presence of delayed cerebral ischemia were predictors of unfavorable outcome when considering all patients. However, after excluding death as a possible outcome, sex did not remain a predictor of unfavorable outcome.

Conclusions

In the study population, women with aSAH might have present a worse outcome at 3 months. However, no differences by sex that might explain this difference were found in intensity of treatment and management.
Opioid poisoning during pregnancy: prevalence, characteristics, and neonatal outcomes
Authors: Kelty Erin , Pyle Anwyn , Preen David B.
Published: August 2022

While it has been postulated that opioid poisoning during pregnancy may cause adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes, the harm associated with opioid poisoning during pregnancy has not been robustly examined. Pregnant women admitted to hospital or presenting to the emergency department (ED) in Western Australia (WA) with a diagnosis of opioid poisoning were identified by linking state midwifery records with hospital and ED administrative data. Maternal and neonatal outcomes were compared with opioid poisoning that occurred in the 12 months prior to conception or the 12 months following birth. Between 2003 and 2018, 57 neonates were born to women who had experienced opioid poisoning during pregnancy (14.1 per 100,000 births) in WA. The incidence of opioid poisoning in the year prior to pregnancy (IRR: 3.04, 95%CI: 2.30, 4.02) and the year following pregnancy (IRR: 1.96, 95%CI: 1.46, 2.64) was significantly higher than during pregnancy. Opioid poisoning during pregnancy was less likely to involve multiple substances and be intentional (rather than accidental). Neonatal conditions associated with in utero hypoxia were significantly less common in neonates born to women who experience opioid poisoning prior to pregnancy compared with during pregnancy (OR: 0.17, 95%CI: 0.04, 0.80). Opioid poisoning in pregnancy was not associated with an increased risk of other serious adverse neonatal outcomes. Opioid poisoning during pregnancy is uncommon and less likely to be intentional and involve multiple substances. Opioid poisoning during pregnancy is likely associated with an increased risk of conditions associated with in utero hypoxia.
A knowledge-driven approach for designing data analytics platforms
Authors: Bandara Madhushi , Rabhi Fethi A. , Bano Muneera
Published: August 2022

Big data analytics technologies are rapidly expanding across all industry sectors as organisations try to make analytics an integral part of their everyday decision-making. Although there are many software tools and libraries to assist analysts and software engineers in developing solutions, organisations are looking for flexible analytics platforms that can address their specific objectives and requirements. To minimise costs, such platforms also need to co-exist with existing IT infrastructures and reuse knowledge and resources already accumulated within the organisation. To address such needs, this paper proposes the Data Analytics Solution Engineering (DASE) framework—a knowledge-driven approach supported by semantic web technologies for requirements engineering, design and development of new data analytics platforms. It includes a meta-model that captures data analytics platform requirements via a Knowledge Base, a set of guidelines that organisations can follow in engineering data analytics platforms and a reference architecture that demonstrates how to use these guidelines. We evaluate the DASE framework through two case studies and demonstrate how it can facilitate knowledge-based and requirements-driven data analytics platform engineering. The resulting data analytics platforms are observed to be user friendly, easy to maintain and flexible in handling changes to requirements. This work contributes to the body of knowledge in knowledge-driven requirements engineering, and data analytics platform engineering by providing a meta-model and a reference architecture that can be tailored to different analytics application domains.
Aberrant brain dynamics and spectral power in children with ADHD and its subtypes
Authors: Luo Na , Luo Xiangsheng , Zheng Suli , Yao Dongren , Zhao Min , Cui Yue , Zhu Yu , Calhoun Vince D. , Sun Li , Sui Jing
Published: August 2022

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder in children, usually categorized as three subtypes, predominant inattention (ADHD-I), predominant hyperactivity-impulsivity (ADHD-HI), and a combined subtype (ADHD-C). Yet, common and unique abnormalities of electroencephalogram (EEG) across different subtypes remain poorly understood. Here, we leveraged microstate characteristics and power features to investigate temporal and frequency abnormalities in ADHD and its subtypes using high-density EEG on 161 participants (54 ADHD-Is and 53 ADHD-Cs and 54 healthy controls). Four EEG microstates were identified. The coverage of salience network (state C) were decreased in ADHD compared to HC (p = 1.46e-3), while the duration and contribution of frontal–parietal network (state D) were increased (p = 1.57e-3; p = 1.26e-4). Frequency power analysis also indicated that higher delta power in the fronto-central area (p = 6.75e-4) and higher power of theta/beta ratio in the bilateral fronto-temporal area (p = 3.05e-3) were observed in ADHD. By contrast, remarkable subtype differences were found primarily on the visual network (state B), of which ADHD-C have higher occurrence and coverage than ADHD-I (p = 9.35e-5; p = 1.51e-8), suggesting that children with ADHD-C might exhibit impulsivity of opening their eyes in an eye-closed experiment, leading to hyper-activated visual network. Moreover, the top discriminative features selected from support vector machine model with recursive feature elimination (SVM-RFE) well replicated the above results, which achieved an accuracy of 72.7% and 73.8% separately in classifying ADHD and two subtypes. To conclude, this study highlights EEG microstate dynamics and frequency features may serve as sensitive measurements to detect the subtle differences in ADHD and its subtypes, providing a new window for better diagnosis of ADHD.
Applicability of d-excess and 17O-excess as groundwater tracers for determination of recharge area
Authors: Machida Isao , Ono Masahiko , Kamitani Takafumi , Muranaka Yasuhide
Published: August 2022

Methods to determine the recharge elevation of groundwater using the altitude effect of δD and δ18O have been extensively applied in hydrogeological investigations. The secondary parameter d-excess has also been used as a groundwater tracer. In this study, to examine the usefulness of these tracers along with 17O-excess, ~160 groundwater samples were collected from a humid region at the foot of Mt. Fuji, Japan. The sampling area covered 40 × 45 km, with most sampling sites located below 1,000 m above sea level. The relatively low elevation and small scale of the basin allowed for examination of the elevation-dependence of groundwater isotopes. Using high-precision isotope analyses, a low lapse rate but clear elevation-dependence in spring waters was observed for d-excess (0.18‰·100 m−1). The recharge elevation determined by d-excess correlated with those by δD and δ18O, indicating that d-excess has high potential as a groundwater tracer for the determination of recharge elevation. On the other hand, 17O-excess in groundwater held small spatial variation, with an average of 25 per meg in the horizontal direction and a lapse rate of 0.6 per meg·100 m−1. The low lapse rate compared to the analysis error inhibits its usefulness as a tracer. The fact that the recharge elevation determined by δD, δ18O, and d-excess were similar indicates that the combination of these tracers could increase the reliability of the results.
Rare stroke mechanisms in 4154 consecutive patients: causes, predictors, treatment, and outcomes
Authors: Vicino Alex , Sirimarco Gaia , Eskandari Ashraf , Lambrou Dimitris , Maeder Philippe , Dunet Vincent , Michel Patrik
Published: August 2022

Background

Rare mechanisms of stroke (RMS) in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) have rarely been studied applying a systematic approach. Our aim was to define the frequency, etiologies, predictors, and outcomes of RMS in a consecutive series of AIS.

Methods

Data from consecutive patients from 2003 to 2016 were derived from the Acute STroke Registry and Analysis of Lausanne (ASTRAL). Frequency of subcategories of RMS was calculated. In a case–control design, RMS were compared to strokes of all other mechanisms. Outcome was assessed with 3-month Rankin-shift and 12-month mortality and recurrence rates.

Results

Out of 4154 AISs, 222 (5.3%) were found to have a RMS (42.0% female, median age 66 years). The most frequent RMS etiologies were medical interventions (25.6%), active oncological disease (22.5%), and vasculitis (11.7%). In multivariate analysis, RMS patients were younger, had more preceding and bilateral strokes, and a higher admission temperature. They were associated with less traditional risk factors and more systemic disease (such as AIDS, coagulopathy, and cancer). RMS also had more early ischemic changes on plain CT, less revascularization treatments, and more symptomatic hemorrhagic transformations. They presented significantly higher 3-month disability (Rankin-shift-ORadj 1.74), 12-month recurrence (ORadj 1.99), and mortality rates (ORadj 2.41).

Conclusions

RMS occurred in 5.3% of a large population of consecutive AISs and are most frequently related to medical interventions, cancer, and vasculitis. RMS patients have less traditional risk factors but more systemic comorbidities, hemorrhagic transformations, recurrences, and a worse long-term outcome. Identification of RMS has direct implications for early treatment and long-term outcome.
Assessing logging residues availability for energy production by using forest management plans data and geographic information system (GIS)
Authors: Nonini Luca , Schillaci Calogero , Fiala Marco
Published: August 2022

The aim of the work was to quantify the mass of logging residues (branches and tops; t yr−1 dry matter, DM) for energy generation starting from Forest Management Plans (FMP) data. The methodology was applied to public stands of an Italian district (area: 3.60 × 104 ha; period: 2009–2018). Compared to the previous preliminary analysis, the potentially available residues were computed considering forest accessibility and road traversability, by combining FMPs data with a geographic information system (GIS). New issues that were assessed here were: (i) representation of stands consisting of multiple disconnected parts; (ii) calculation of producible residues by using different values of biomass expansion factors (Scenario 1, S1; Scenario 2, S2). The potentially available residues computed for the analyzed period were used to quantify the current sustainable supply. Then, the potentially generated heat (thermal energy, TE; GJ yr−1) and electricity (EE; GJ yr−1), and the potentially avoided CO2 emissions into the atmosphere (EM; t yr−1 CO2) related to the final combustion process were computed by assuming that the current supply of residues was used as woodchips in a local centralized heating plant currently operating. For both S1 and S2, the large difference between the potentially producible and the potentially available residues demonstrated that geodata are essential for reliable estimations. Moreover, as the required information for the GIS analysis can be easily found in databases made available by forestry authorities, the proposed approach can be applied also to other areas; this could be helpful to support local decision-makers in defining sustainable practices for residues recovery.
Science advocacy in political rhetoric and actions
Authors: Quigley Mark , Silver Jeremy D.
Published: August 2022

‘Science’is a proportionately small but recurring constituent in the rhetorical lexicon of political leaders. To evaluate the use of science-related content relative to other themes in political communications, we undertake a statistical analysis of keywords in U.S. Presidential State of the Union (SOTU) addresses and Presidential Budget Messages (PBM) from Truman (1947) to Trump (2020). Hierarchical clustering and correlation analyses reveal proximate affinities between‘science’and‘research’, ‘space’, ‘technology’, ‘education’, and‘climate’. The keywords that are least correlated with‘science’relate to fiscal(‘inflation’, ‘tax’) and conflict-related themes (‘security’, ‘war’, ‘terror’). The most ubiquitous and frequently used keywords are‘economy’and‘tax’. Science-related keywords are used in a positive (promotional) rhetorical context and thus their proportionality in SOTU and PBM corpora is used to define fields of science advocacy (public perception advocacy, funding advocacy, advocacy) for each president. Monte Carlo simulations and randomized sampling of three elements:language(relative frequency of usage of science-related keywords),funding(proposed funding and allocated discretionary funding of science agencies), andactions(e.g. expediency of science advisor appointments, (dis-) establishment of science agencies) are used to generate ascience advocacy score (SAS)for each president. TheSASis compared with independent survey-based measures of political popularity. A myriad of political, contextual, and other factors may contribute to lexical choices, policy, and funding actions. Within this complex environment ‘science’ may have political currency under certain circumstances, particularly where public and political perceptions of the value of science to contribute to matters of priority align.