bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assessment of the changing role of lower tropospheric temperature advection under arctic amplification using a large ensemble climate simulation dataset
Authors: Hori Masatake E. , Yoshimori Masakazu
Published: January 2023

The role of temperature advection in the Arctic lower troposphere under changing level of global warming is investigated using a large-ensemble climate simulation dataset. Taking the 30-year climatology of the non-warming simulation (HPB-NAT) as a reference, we examined the difference in temperature advection under changing basic states of the historical experiment (HPB) and 2 K and 4 K warming experiments (HFB-2K and HFB-4K) and decomposed them into terms related to dynamical changes, thermodynamical changes and the eddy term which is a covariance term related to the effect of sub-monthly transient eddies. Under the HPB experiment, it was found that the total change in advection hangs in a balance between the positive signal located along the sea-ice boundary in the North Atlantic and along the Eurasian continent driven by a stronger dynamical term and a negative signal in the thermodynamical term and eddy term. It is found that with the progression of global warming the dynamical term of advection increases due to changes in the large-scale atmospheric circulation, but the thermodynamical term and eddy term decrease due to weaker temperature gradient and increased sensible heat flux from the newly opened ice-free ocean, respectively. Atmospheric temperature advection terms related to large-scale atmospheric circulation partially cancels one another, and the relative importance of the eddy term diverging locally induced sensible heat from the newly opened ice-free ocean dominates as global warming progresses.
Multi-omics approaches for precision obesity management
Authors: Woldemariam Selam , Dorner Thomas E. , Wiesinger Thomas , Stein Katharina Viktoria
Published: January 2023

Introduction

Obesity is a multifactorial chronic disease that cannot be addressed by simply promoting better diets and more physical activity. To date, not a single country has successfully been able to curb the accumulating burden of obesity. One explanation for the lack of progress is that lifestyle intervention programs are traditionally implemented without a comprehensive evaluation of an individual’s diagnostic biomarkers. Evidence from genome-wide association studies highlight the importance of genetic and epigenetic factors in the development of obesity and how they in turn affect the transcriptome, metabolites, microbiomes, and proteomes.

Objective

The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the different types of omics data: genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics and illustrate how a multi-omics approach can be fundamental for the implementation of precision obesity management.

Results

The different types of omics designs are grouped into two categories, the genotype approach and the phenotype approach. When applied to obesity prevention and management, each omics type could potentially help to detect specific biomarkers in people with risk profiles and guide healthcare professionals and decision makers in developing individualized treatment plans according to the needs of the individual before the onset of obesity.

Conclusion

Integrating multi-omics approaches will enable a paradigm shift from the one size fits all approach towards precision obesity management, i.e. (1) precision prevention of the onset of obesity, (2) precision medicine and tailored treatment of obesity, and (3) precision risk reduction and prevention of secondary diseases related to obesity.
Marginal bone loss around dental implants: comparison between diabetic and non-diabetic patients—a retrospective clinical study
Authors: Ayele Sarah , Sharo Nora , Chrcanovic Bruno Ramos
Published: January 2023

Objectives

The aim of the present retrospective study was to compare the marginal bone loss (MBL) around dental implants in a group of diabetic patients in relation to a matched group of non-diabetic patients.

Materials and methods

The present dental record–based retrospective study included patients selected from individuals treated with dental implants at one specialist clinic in Malmö, Sweden. Patients were excluded if they had history of periodontitis and/or were treated for periodontal disease. The study group included 710 implants installed in 180 patients (mean age 60.3±13.0 years), 349 implants in 90 diabetic (21 T1DM and 69 T2DM patients), and 361 implants in 90 non-diabetic patients.

Results

The results suggested that jaw (greater MBL in the maxilla), diabetes (greater MBL for diabetic patients, and worse for T1DM patients), bruxism (greater MBL for bruxers), and smoking (greater MBL for smokers and former smokers) had a statistically significant influence on MBL over time.

Conclusions

Patients with diabetes have an estimated greater MBL over time compared to non-diabetic patients. The difference was greater in patients with diabetes type 1 compared to patients with diabetes type 2. Bruxism, smoking, and implant location (maxilla) were also associated with a higher loss of marginal bone around implants over time.

Clinical relevance

Awareness of the possible influence of diabetes on the long-term outcomes of dental implant treatment is important, in order to be able to minimize the possibility of a high MBL with time, which can eventually lead to the loss of the implant.
How path dependency manifests in flood risk management: observations from four decades in the Ennstal and Aist catchments in Austria
Authors: Seebauer Sebastian , Thaler Thomas , Hanger-Kopp Susanne , Schinko Thomas
Published: January 2023

Path dependency occurs when a contingent event predetermines what further steps can be taken and self-reinforcing mechanisms lock-in any further development on a sub-optimal trajectory. Path dependency is a prominent concept in the adaptation pathways literature, but insufficiently defined and operationalised. The present paper empirically tracks all constitutive elements of path dependency for four decades of flood risk management (FRM) in two alpine mountain regions in Austria, the Ennstal and Aist river catchments, using a mixed-methods approach. FRM governance has a critical role whether decisions lead to path dependency. Lock-in manifests not just in technical structures, but also in inertia of incumbent actor coalitions and management paradigms. Sub-optimality is hard to assess for lack of clearly defined protection targets; however, it appears in the ways that structural measures are implemented—too little, too late or with negative impacts on nature conservation. Past floods do not qualify as contingent events, as they have not fundamentally changed FRM practice. By contrast, technological and institutional shifts over longer periods, such as digital hazard maps and EU directives, have gradually reoriented FRM strategies. Institution-based self-reinforcing mechanisms are more prevalent than technology-based self-reinforcing mechanisms. Established actor coalitions combined with institutional density illustrate how those in charge uphold a path to defend their position, power and resources. Our recommendations for how to overcome path dependency in FRM governance are: encourage niche experiments, link FRM more closely with climate change adaptation, revise the national policy framework towards polycentric governance approaches and improve professional training.
Improving mechanical performance and functionality of birch veneer with mechano-enzymatic microfibrillated cellulose coating
Authors: Orelma Hannes , Kunnari Vesa , Yamamoto Akio , Valkonen Mikko , Rautkari Lauri , Korpela Antti
Published: January 2023

In this study, we investigated the coating of birch veneers (BVs) with mechano-enzymatically manufactured microfibrillated cellulose (meMFC) to improve mechanical strength and functionality. The meMFC has a broad particle size distribution and similar chemistry to lignocellulose materials, which are both beneficial properties in the coating of wood products. The veneer coating trials were carried out with a spray coating system developed to coat controllable thin coating layers. The spray coating produced uniform layers, which smoothened the BV surface significantly and was verified with scanning electron microscope imaging and optical profilometer measurements. The surface energy measurements showed that the meMFC is like cellulose, whereas the BV is like lignin. This observation proposes pre-treatment methods to secure a good adhesion level between the meMFC and BVs. The adhesion and compatibility of meMFC with the BV surface were measured with pull-off tests and surface energy measurements. The adhesion on a native BV surface was limited, while pre-treatment with sanding or using a primer significantly enhanced the adhesion. The meMFC coating slightly improved the BV transverse tensile strength (perpendicular to the wood veneer grain direction). A thermochromic functionality was installed on the BVs using meMFC as a binder. The produced thermochromic BVs displayed thermochromic behaviour; the coating could control the warming of the BVs subjected to solar radiation. The activation of a photocatalytic reaction of a meMFC coating containing TiO2 was studied on the wood surface under both ultraviolet and fluorescent light, indicating in a reduction of formaldehyde concentrations. The results also showed that wood discolouration was inhibited by meMFC with not only TiO2 but also only the meMFC coating. This study presents a practical approach to surface-treating wood materials with the meMFC to improve the mechanical and functional properties of wood products.
Statistical methods to estimate the impact of remote teaching on university students’ performance
Authors: Bacci Silvia , Bertaccini Bruno , Del Sarto Simone , Grilli Leonardo , Rampichini Carla
Published: January 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic manifested around the World since February 2020, leading to disruptive effects on many aspects of people social life. The suspension of face-to-face teaching activities in schools and universities was the first containment measure adopted by the Governments to deal with the spread of the virus. Remote teaching has been the emergency solution implemented by schools and universities to limit the damages of schools and universities closure to students’ learning. In this contribution we intend to suggest to policy makers and researchers how to assess the impact of emergency policies on remote learning in academia by analysing students’ careers. In particular, we exploit the quasi-experimental setting arising from the sudden implementation of remote teaching in the second semester of academic year 2019/2020: we compare the performance of the cohort 2019/2020, which represents the treatment group, with the performance of the cohort 2018/2019, which represents the control group. We distinguish the impact of remote teaching at two levels: degree program and single courses within a degree program. We suggest to use Difference-In-Differences approach in the former case and multilevel modeling in the latter one. The proposal is illustrated analysing administrative data referred to freshmen of cohorts 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 for a sample of degree programs of the University of Florence (Italy).
Hamlet and Rational Choice
Authors: Leitzel Jim
Published: January 2023

A standard interpretation of the character of Hamlet is that he is indecisive, even pathologically so, and that his indecisiveness is manifested by the lengthy passage of time between when Hamlet is told that his father’s death was a murder and when he kills the perpetrator. Rational choice in economics concerns the connection between means and ends. A person is rational if, given her ends (her goals), she chooses reasonable means to achieve those ends. With uncertainty, a bad (or tragic) outcome can occur even when the best decision is taken. A reasonable approach to achieving one’s goal does not imply that the goal is attained. In Shakespeare’sHamlet, the fact that most of the main characters, including Hamlet, meet untimely deaths is, therefore, not sufficient to conclude that Hamlet (or any other character) engages in less-than-rational behavior. This article examines Hamlet’s actions through the lens of rational choice. Hamlet’s delay in seeking revenge, combined with his interest in collecting more evidence of the alleged assailant’s guilt, comports well with economic rationality. The common view of Hamlet as indecisive, as someone who incorrectly substitutes deliberation for action, is unwarranted.
Diachronic Emergence as Transubstantiation
Authors: Wyss Peter
Published: January 2023

Diachronic emergence has recently been characterised as transformation. This aims to capture the thought that the entities that emerge are radically new or different. Transformation is hence closely linked with a central (but rarely raised) challenge for all emergentists: how to account for the identity and individuation of entities involved in emergence. With this challenge in view, I develop and probe four interpretations of transformation: addition, replacement, fusion, and transubstantiation. Of those, transubstantiation provides the most plausible response to the challenge about identity. Accordingly, diachronic emergence is a transformative process whereby an individual passes from one primary kind to another.
Digital footprints as a new translational approach for mental health care: a commentary
Authors: Licinio Julio , Wong Ma-Li
Published: January 2023

There is a crisis in mental health care, with more people suffering from psychiatric disorders than resources that are available for treatment, even though spending is substantial. Millions who suffer from addiction, psychosis, depression and suicidality are either untreated or inadequately treated and organized psychiatry is unable to reach them. Possibly as reflection of under-treatment of psychiatric disorders, the rates of suicide have risen: from 1999 through 2014, the age-adjusted suicide rate in the US increased 24%, from 10.5 to 13.0 per 100,000. Assessment of psychiatric symptoms in ongoing outpatient settings is costly, inadequate and unable to detect clinical changes over time. One’s digital phenotype is assessed through footprints left over as result of our interface with technology, including automated assessments of quantity and quality of social media activity, patterns and speed of device usage, and physiological data that is automatically collected, such as location, quantity and type of movement, heart rate, and sleep patterns. The use of digital footprints has been advocated for large-scale data collection that can facilitate psychiatric research in naturalistic settings. We highlight recent papers inDiscover Mental Healthaddressing digital approaches to mental health and we also advance here the concept that digital footprints are ready for clinical use. However, before that happens there needs to be discussion on the appropriate boundaries between care that is driven by signals from digital footprints and the rights to privacy and self-determination.
Family Firm
Authors: Micelotta Evelyn , Benedetti Carlotta , Rovelli Paola
Published: January 2023

This Element reinvigorates calls to explore avenues to further integrate the research fields of Organization Theory (OT) and Family Business (FB). It presents the family business literature in management journals and categorizes these papers based on four types of theoretical contribution: Embedded, Integrative, Challenger and Generalized. It discusses opportunities for dialogue between FB and OT for each type in three research domains: (i) managing hybridity, (ii) mastering tensions, dualities, and paradoxes, and (iii) modelling time and temporality.
Reversing the Criminalization of Reproductive Health Care Access
Authors: Boone Meghan
Published: January 2023

The state is increasingly criminalizing reproduction. While prosecutions of pregnant people for prenatal drug use began occurring several decades ago,1 this type of prosecution remained relatively rare for many years.2 But such prosecutions have increased dramatically—thousands have now occurred across the United States.3 In addition, the criminalization of reproduction is not limited to instances of prenatal drug use,4 but extends to a wide array of prosecutions in the reproductive space—including the criminalization of stillbirth,5 miscarriage,6 breastfeeding,7 home births,8 and c-section refusals.9 And, of course, recent changes in the Supreme Court have resulted in an almost certain change in the criminal regulation of abortion, as well.10 The criminalization of reproduction often occurs at an initial point of access to the health care system – at the hospital, the doctor’s office, the lactation consultant appointment, or the addiction treatment clinic. In this way, health care settings become gateways into the criminal justice system, and it is the attempt to access reproductive health care that results in criminal prosecution.11
The Proscription Paradox: Banning Parties Based on Threshold Requirements and Electoral Volatility in Latin America
Authors: Kouba Karel
Published: January 2023

Banning political parties is an extreme institutional measure that democracies tend to use sparingly. Nevertheless, Latin American countries frequently proscribe their parties through rules that activate dissolution for not reaching a certain number of votes or seats in an election. Such rules are expected to stabilize and simplify party systems. However, a competing theory suggests that such rules instead promote electoral volatility by injecting political uncertainty into the party system through cyclical refoundation of extinct parties and the mechanical effects of parties’ exits. Attempting to resolve this paradox, this analysis tests the effect of dissolution thresholds on electoral volatility in all Latin American democratic elections since 1980. Party bans based on dissolution thresholds are found to promote electoral volatility, which bears implications for democratic governance.
Mediators of improved PTSD symptoms in veterans and civilians following a yoga program
Authors: Davis Louanne W. , Schmid Arlene A. , Daggy Joanne K. , Yang Ziyi
Published: January 2023

Objective:

Although yoga shows some promise as an intervention for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), little is known about how yoga reduces PTSD symptoms. The current study hypothesised that aspects of interoceptive awareness would mediate the effect of a yoga intervention on PTSD symptoms.

Methods:

We used data from our recently completed randomised controlled trial of a 16-week holistic yoga programme for veterans and civilians diagnosed with PTSD (n = 141) that offered weekly 90-minute sessions. We conducted a mediation analysis using interoceptive awareness and other variables that were associated with PTSD symptom reduction at mid-treatment and treatment end.

Results:

Although measures of anxiety, interoceptive awareness, and spirituality were identified in individual mediator models, they were no longer found to be significant mediators when examined jointly in multiple mediator models. When examining the multiple mediator models, the strongest mediator of the yoga intervention on PTSD symptoms was mental well-being at mid-treatment and stigma at the treatment end. The total effect of yoga on CAPS and PCL at the treatment end mediated by stigma was 37.1% (–1.81/–4.88) and 33.6% (–1.91/–5.68), respectively.

Conclusion:

Investigation of mental well-being and mental illness stigma as potential mediators is warranted in future studies of yoga as a treatment for PTSD as they may prove to be important foci for yoga interventions.
Institutional Change and Property Rights before the Industrial Revolution: The Case of the English Court of Wards and Liveries, 1540–1660
Authors: Bottomley Sean
Published: January 2023

Secure property rights are usually considered to be essential for sustained economic development. In England, it is debated whether property rights have been secure since the medieval period or if they were only established after the Glorious Revolution. In this context, the paper examines the Court of Wards, which from 1540 to 1646 administered the Crown’s right to take custody of children and their lands when these were held by feudal-military tenures. The paper shows that wardship was a common occurrence, its exactions arbitrary but often heavy, and that it reduced the value of lands held by these tenures.
The utility of adoptionism as a heuristic category: The baptism narrative in the Gospel of the Ebionites as a test case
Authors: Kok Michael
Published: January 2023

Although the Christology of the Ebionites in general, and the so-called Gospel of the Ebionites cited by Epiphanius of Salamis in particular, has been commonly classified as adoptionist, the utility of the term ‘adoptionism’ has been recently called into question. This article will focus on the fragment about Jesus’ baptism in Panarion, 30.13.7–8 to determine whether it depicts Jesus’ adoption to divine sonship. Although the text does not use adoptionist terminology and imagery, Jesus does acquire a new christological identity in the pericope when he is possessed by the spirit and metaphorically begotten by the deity. This should be relabelled as a possessionist Christology. However, Epiphanius wrongly interpreted the text through the lens of Cerinthus’ Christology, in which Jesus is only temporarily inhabited by the Christ aeon between his baptism and his crucifixion.
Scaling up health technology assessment capacities in selected African countries – A conceivable route ahead
Authors: Mueller Debjani , Alouane Leila , Jameleddine Mouna , Lenoir-Wijnkoop Irene
Published: January 2023

Background

This study aimed to provide a structured description of the commonalities and differences in healthcare structures across Africa to establish a reliable basis for the health technology assessment (HTA) of nutrition and nutrition interventions. A ranking of current nutrition conditions in the general population of the participating countries was included to gain a better understanding of the factors influencing hospital malnutrition (HMN), which will inform future multi-country research.

Method

A questionnaire on the structure of the health systems was distributed among ten African countries. Subsections were included that inquired about the drivers or barriers to using principles of HTA to assess nutritional care. Analysis and ranking of malnutrition data were based on data from the Global Hunger Index report and two poverty indicators used by the World Bank.

Results

The health system structure of each country was identified and described, whereas questions about HTA could not always be analyzed due to a lack of adequate in-depth knowledge and skills in most countries. Early experience from some countries demonstrates a conceivable route ahead for African countries in strengthening the capacity for and implementing HTA in accordance with distinct national healthcare contexts and social determinants of health.

Conclusion

Problems related to nutritional care represent one of the major priorities in the surveyed countries. A future HMN multi-country study will provide valuable insight into the potential of low-cost primary prevention orientations.
In Interview: Key Features of Contemporary British Drama
Authors: Sierz Aleks , Günenç Mesut
Published: January 2023

In this interview on 22 March 2022 in London, Mesut Gunenc talks to theatre critic and historian Aleks Sierz about how his work has influenced contemporary British drama, why he chose the name ‘in-yer-face theatre’ for 1990s avant-garde plays, and why some writers have rejected the label. They also discuss the differences between experiential and experimental theatre, especially focusing on the work of Anthony Neilson, and finish by considering the key themes that characterize 1990s new writing in Britain.

Aleks Sierz is author of the seminal In-Yer-Face Theatre: British Drama Today (Faber, 2001), as well as of other work about new writing and post-war British theatre history. His more recent books include Rewriting the Nation: British Theatre Today (Methuen Drama, 2011), Modern British Playwriting: The 1990s (Methuen Drama, 2012), and Good Nights Out: A History of Popular British Theatre Since the Second World War (Methuen Drama, 2021). He has co-authored, with Lia Ghilardi, The Time Traveller’s Guide to British Theatre: The First Four Hundred Years (Oberon, 2015). Mesut Gunenc is Assistant Professor in the Department of English Language and Literature at Adnan Menderes University in Turkey. He is the author of Postdramatic Theatrical Signs in Contemporary British Playwrights (Lambert, 2017) and co-editor, with Enes Kavak, of New Readings in British Drama: From the Post-War Period to the Contemporary Era (Peter Lang, 2021). He is currently a visiting postdoctoral scholar at Loughborough University in the UK.
COBWEB THEORY, MARKET STABILITY, AND PRICE EXPECTATIONS
Authors: Poitras Geoffrey
Published: January 2023

Contributors to cobweb theory include many leading economists of the twentieth century. From early beginnings in 1930, cobweb theory played a key role in evolving perceptions of market stability arising from recursive linear models with endogenous dynamics. The focal point of this evolution in cobweb theory is the transition from naive to adaptive to rational price expectations. After a review of the prehistory, this paper examines the first wave of linear cobweb theory initiated by Jan Tinbergen, Henry Schultz, and Umberto Ricci and proceeds to consider the evolution of price expectations in the second wave of cobweb models associated with endogenous cycles in commodity markets. The role of modern cobweb theory in discussions about the stability of market equilibrium and the connection to processes with rational expectations is assessed.
Cracking the Nest Egg: Comparing Pension Politics in Post-Communist Russia and Hungary
Authors: Prisiazhniuk Daria , Sokhey Sarah Wilson
Published: January 2023

Growing fiscal challenges and ageing populations have made pension reform a pressing issue. Two particularly salient areas of pension reform have been: raising the retirement age; and structural reforms like the adoption and reversal of pension privatisation. The authors compare two very similar cases: Russia and Hungary in the post-communist period. Both countries faced growing demographic and fiscal challenges prompting pension reform, but at the time of reform Hungary was democratic and Russia was authoritarian. Some scholars predicted that authoritarian governments would be better able than democratic ones at enacting unpopular, but arguably necessary, economic reforms. Others argue that democratic governments can more easily enact policy changes because of greater confidence about public opinion. Additionally, authoritarian policymaking can be uniquely slowed by bureaucratic in-fighting. The authors find support for the position that democratic governments can be more flexible: thus offering important insight into how regime type shapes policymaking.
A micronutrient supplement modulates homocysteine levels regardless of vitamin B biostatus in elderly subjects
Authors: Savic-Hartwig Marija , Kerlikowsky Felix , van de Flierdt Edda , Hahn Andreas , Schuchardt Jan Philipp
Published: January 2023

Abstract: Elevated homocysteine (Hcy) levels (≥15 μmol/L) in the elderly are frequently associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and cognitive decline. Several studies have already shown an Hcy-lowering effect of B vitamin supplementation in cohorts deficient in these nutrients. The aim of this randomized, double-blinded 12-week intervention study was to investigate whether Hcy levels in healthy elderly subjects (75.4±4.5 years, n=133) could be lowered with a micronutrient supplement (i.e., 400 μg folic acid, 100 μg cobalamin). Difference in mean initial Hcy levels between intervention (17.6±7.1 μmol/L, n=65) and placebo group (18.9±6.1 μmol/L, n=68) was not significant. The prevalence of cobalamin and folate deficiency in the total study population was low: 27% had serum-cobalamin levels ≤150 pmol/L, 12% holo-transcobalamin (Holo-TC) levels ≤50 pmol/L, 13% low cobalamin status using the aggregated cobalamin marker 4cB12 and 10% red blood cell (RBC) folate ≤570 nmol/L. Nevertheless, the treated subjects still showed improved cobalamin and folate biostatus (serum cobalamin Δt12-t0: 63±48 pmol/L; Holo-TC Δt12-t0: 17±19 pmol/L; RBC folate Δt12-t0: 326±253 nmol/L) and Hcy levels (Δt12-t0: −3.6±5.7 μmol/L). The effects were statistically significant compared to the placebo group with p=0.005 (serum cobalamin), p=0.021 (Holo-TC), p=0.014 (RBC-folate) and p<0.001 (Hcy). The Hcy-lowering effect was dependent on the initial Hcy levels (p<0.001). Our findings suggest that elevated Hcy levels in elderly subjects can be lowered regardless of the initial cobalamin and folate biostatus.
The Magic of WDEP in Reality Therapy
Authors: Arab Arefe , Khodabakhshi-Koolaee Anahita
Published: January 2023

Abstract. Background: Reality therapy’s WDEP helps people to become aware of their wants and to engage in directing, evaluating, and planning to recognize the challenges and find solutions to them. This study examined the effect of reality therapy intervention on marital intimacy needs and communication patterns in married men. Methods: We conducted this quasiexperimental study using a pretest-posttest design with a control group. The participants were 30 men selected using simple random sampling who were placed into two intervention and control groups, each of 15 persons. The data were collected using the Communication Patterns Questionnaire ( Christensen & Sullaway, 1984 ) and the Marital Intimacy Needs Questionnaire (MINQ; Bagarozzi, 1997 ). We performed the reality therapy intervention for the members of the intervention groups in 8 sessions of 90 minutes. We then analyzed the collected data using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with SPSS software (version 26). Analysis: The implementation of the reality therapy intervention increased the couples’ scores of intimacy needs and all its subscales ( p < .05). Further, there was an increase in constructive relationships with the spouse in the intervention group ( p < .01). However, these changes were not observed in the participants in the control group. Conclusion: Since the reality therapy intervention focuses on accepting responsibility, valuing thinking, and acting in life instead of making excuses, it can help married men to identify their intimacy needs and establish more effective communication with their wives.
Future Local Ground‐Level Ozone in the European Area From Statistical Downscaling Projections Considering Climate and Emission Changes
Authors: Hertig Elke , Jahn Sally , Kaspar‐Ott Irena
Published: January 2023

Ground‐level ozone is a major air pollutant harmful to human health. In the scope of climate change, it is essential to provide high‐quality local‐scale assessments of the anticipated changes for public health and policy interventions. Assessments and projections of ground‐level ozone usually rely on numerical modeling, but statistical approaches are also available. The present study enhances the validity of statistical downscaling by taking climate change as well as air pollution changes into account. Besides considering meteorological predictors such as air temperature, short‐wave radiation, humidity, and wind, ozone trends from changes in precursor emissions were included in the statistical models. Meteorological and ozone predictor information extracted from reanalysis data for the observational period and output of seven Earth System Models (ESMs) for the projection periods were used, with three of them having interactive chemical modeling, while the other four used prescribed ozone changes. Ground‐level ozone, more precisely daily maximum 8‐hr running means (MDA8) as well as daily maximum 1‐hr values (MDA1), at 798 measurement stations across the European area in the “ozone season” from April to September were assessed. Results depended strongly on whether only meteorological information or additional information about emission changes were considered. As a general picture under the consideration of climate and emission changes, decreasing ground‐level ozone concentrations were projected under the moderate SSP2‐4.5 scenario, while for the more pessimistic scenario SSP3‐7.0 increasing ozone concentrations over Europe, especially at the end of the 21st century, were assessed.
Meplazumab in hospitalized adults with severe COVID-19 (DEFLECT): a multicenter, seamless phase 2/3, randomized, third-party double-blind clinical trial
Authors: Bian Huijie , Chen Liang , Zheng Zhao-Hui , Sun Xiu-Xuan , Geng Jie-Jie , Chen Ruo , Wang Ke , Yang Xu , Chen Shi-Rui , Chen Si-Yu , Xie Rong-Hua , Zhang Kui , Miao Jin-Lin , Jia Jun-Feng , Tang Hao , Liu Shuang-Shuang , Shi Hong-Wei , Yang Yong , Chen Xiao-Chun , Malhotra Vinay , Nasir Nosheen , Khanum Iffat , Mahmood Faisal , Hamid Saeed , Stadnik Claudio Marcel Berdun , Itinose Kengi , de Oliveira Caroline Cândida Carvalho , Dusilek Cesar , Rivabem Lucas , Cavalcante Adilson Joaquim Westheimer , Lopes Suzara Souto , Saporito Wladmir Faustino , Fucci Fábio José Concilio , Simon-Campos Jesus Abraham , Wang Ling , Liu Lin-Na , Wang Qing-Yi , Wei Ding , Zhang Zheng , Chen Zhi-Nan , Zhu Ping
Published: January 2023

Meplazumab, a humanized CD147 antibody, has shown favourable safety and efficacy in our previous clinical studies. In DEFLECT (NCT04586153), 167 patients with severe COVID-19 were enroled and randomized to receive three dosages of meplazumab and a placebo. Meplazumab at 0.12 mg/kg, compared to the placebo group, showed clinical benefits in significantly reducing mortality by 83.6% (2.4% vs. 14.6%, p = 0.0150), increasing the proportion of patients alive and discharged without supplemental oxygen (82.9% vs. 70.7%, p = 0.0337) and increasing the proportion of patients who achieved sustained clinical improvement (41.5% vs. 31.7%). The response rate in the 0.2 mg/kg group was relatively increased by 16.0% compared with the placebo group (53.7% vs. 46.3%). Meplazumab also reduced the viral loads and multiple cytokine levels. Compare with the placebo group, the 0.3 mg/kg significantly increased the virus negative rate by 40.6% (p = 0.0363) and reduced IL-8 level (p = 0.0460); the 0.2 mg/kg increased the negative conversion rate by 36.9%, and reduced IL-4 (p = 0.0365) and IL-8 levels (p = 0.0484). In this study, the adverse events occurred at a comparable rate across the four groups, with no unexpected safety findings observed. In conclusion, meplazumab promoted COVID-19 convalescence and reduced mortality, viral load, and cytokine levels in severe COVID-19 population with good safety profile.
Genetic diversity and local adaption of alfalfa populations (Medicago sativa L.) under long-term grazing
Authors: Wang Hu , Coulman Bruce , Bai Yuguang , Tarˈan Bunyamin , Biligetu Bill
Published: January 2023

Genomic information on alfalfa adaptation to long-term grazing is useful for alfalfa genetic improvement. In this study, 14 alfalfa populations were collected from long-term grazing sites (> 25 years) across four soil zones in western Canada. Alfalfa cultivars released between 1926 and 1980 were used to compare degree of genetic variation of the 14 populations. Six agro-morphological and three nutritive value traits were evaluated from 2018 to 2020. The genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) data of the alfalfa populations and environmental data were used for genotype-environment association (GEA). Both STRUCTURE and UPGMA based on 19,853 SNPs showed that the 14 alfalfa populations from long-term grazing sites had varying levels of parentages from alfalfa sub-species Medicago sativa and M. falcata. The linear regression of STRUCTURE membership probability on phenotypic data indicated genetic variations of forage dry matter yield, spring vigor and plant height were low, but genetic variations of regrowth, fall plant height, days to flower and crude protein were still high for the 14 alfalfa populations from long-term grazing sites. The GEA identified 31 SNPs associated with 13 candidate genes that were mainly associated with six environmental factors of. Candidate genes underlying environmental factors were associated with a variety of proteins, which were involved in plant responses to abiotic stresses, i.e., drought, cold and salinity-alkali stresses.
The collaborative role of blockchain, artificial intelligence, and industrial internet of things in digitalization of small and medium-size enterprises
Authors: Khan Abdullah Ayub , Laghari Asif Ali , Li Peng , Dootio Mazhar Ali , Karim Shahid
Published: January 2023

Due to digitalization, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have significantly enhanced their efficiency and productivity in the past few years. The process to automate SME transaction execution is getting highly multifaceted as the number of stakeholders of SMEs is connecting, accessing, exchanging, adding, and changing the transactional executions. The balanced lifecycle of SMEs requires partnership exchanges, financial management, manufacturing, and productivity stabilities, along with privacy and security. Interoperability platform issue is another critical challenging aspect while designing and managing a secure distributed Peer-to-Peer industrial development environment for SMEs. However, till now, it is hard to maintain operations of SMEs' integrity, transparency, reliability, provenance, availability, and trustworthiness between two different enterprises due to the current nature of centralized server-based infrastructure. This paper bridges these problems and proposes a novel and secure framework with a standardized process hierarchy/lifecycle for distributed SMEs using collaborative techniques of blockchain, the internet of things (IoT), and artificial intelligence (AI) with machine learning (ML). A blockchain with IoT-enabled permissionless network structure is designed called “B-SMEs” that provides solutions to cross-chain platforms. In this, B-SMEs address the lightweight stakeholder authentication problems as well. For that purpose, three different chain codes are deployed. It handles participating SMEs' registration, day-to-day information management and exchange between nodes, and analysis of partnership exchange-related transaction details before being preserved on the blockchain immutable storage. Whereas AI-enabled ML-based artificial neural networks are utilized, the aim is to handle and optimize day-to-day numbers of SME transactions; so that the proposed B-SMEs consume fewer resources in terms of computational power, network bandwidth, and preservation-related issues during the complete process of SMEs service deliverance. The simulation results present highlight the benefits of B-SMEs, increases the rate of ledger management and optimization while exchanging information between different chains, which is up to 17.3%, and reduces the consumption of the system’s computational resources down to 9.13%. Thus, only 14.11% and 7.9% of B-SME’s transactions use network bandwidth and storage capabilities compared to the current mechanism of SMEs, respectively.
Comparative analysis of the relationship between four hepatic steatosis indices and muscle mass
Authors: Lee Taesic , Chung Tae-Ha
Published: January 2023

Several studies have attempted to validate the relationship between hepatic steatosis and sarcopenia. The crucial limitation is to establish the status of hepatic steatosis by costly or invasive methods. Therefore, several models predicting non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) have been developed but have exhibited heterogeneous results. In this study, we aimed to review and compare four representative models and analyze their relationship with the risk of low muscle mass. Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys from 2008 to 2011 were used to confirm our hypothesis. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry was used to measure the amount of skeletal muscle mass. We used four hepatic steatosis indices: hepatic steatosis index (HSI), Framingham steatosis index (FSI), liver fat score (LFS), and fatty liver index (FLI). Multivariate linear and logistic regressions were used to reveal the relationship between NAFLD and low skeletal muscle index (LSMI). Pairs of FSI-FLI and HSI-FLI exhibited the best and second-best correlations among all possible pairs. The four hepatic steatosis models were associated with increased risk for LSMI. After removing the body mass index effect, HSI and FLI remained robust predictors for LSMI. NAFLD was a significant and potent risk factor for low skeletal muscle.
Examining mediators of associations of food insecurity and being bullied with suicide among in-school adolescents in Eswatini: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Motsa Mfundi President Sebenele , Chiou Hung-Yi , Sanna Mattia , Simelane Maswati S. , Shabalala Fortunate S. , Chen Yi-Hua
Published: January 2023

We examined the potential mediating roles of anxiety and loneliness on the association of concurrent food insecurity (FI) and being bullied (BB) with suicidal behavior (SB) in Eswatini, a lower-middle-income country. We used data from the Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS; N = 3264), which employed a two-stage cluster sampling: first, 25 schools were selected based on the proportionate probability of enrollment; second, classes were randomly selected. A self-reported 84-item GSHS questionnaire was used to collect data for students aged 13–17 years. FI was measured by requesting students to recall how often they went hungry because of a lack of food at home in the 30 days before the study. Multiple logistic regressions and binary mediation function was applied to examine mediating factors of SB. The prevalence of SB, FI, and BB among adolescents was 27.5%, 7.7%, and 30.2%, respectively. Moreover, the relationship between FI and BB with SB was partly (approximately 24%) mediated by anxiety and loneliness. Our results highlight the mediating roles of anxiety and loneliness in suicidal adolescents who experience FI and BB. In conclusion, interventions for alleviating SB in high-risk adolescents experiencing FI and BB should also be aimed at ameliorating anxiety and loneliness.
Kinetics of thermal degradation of raw lacquer enhanced by formaldehyde urea prepolymer
Authors: Xiao Qiang , Cao Yanjun , Zheng Wenyu , Hou Tianle , Gao Shuhang , Lyu Jianhua , Xiao Hui , Chen Yuzhu , Chen Ming
Published: January 2023

In this study, formaldehyde-urea prepolymer (FUP) were synthesized, which were used to modify the raw lacquer (RL) and this composition named LF, while the basic properties of the RL were tested. Thermal gravimetric (TG) analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to analyze the degradative characteristics and the surface morphology of RL before and after modification. The result indicated that FUP can significantly improve the performance of RL. The drying time of the LF is significantly shortened, the gloss, the pencil hardness, and the impact performance are significantly enhanced at the same time. TG analysis and thermal decomposition kinetics analysis illustrated that the thermal stability and the activation energy of LF2 were stronger than that of RL. In addition, SEM analysis illustrated that the surface smoothness of RL were also improved.
An urban crowd flow model integrating geographic characteristics
Authors: Zhang Yu , Wu Sheng , Zhao Zhiyuan , Yang Xiping , Fang Zhixiang
Published: January 2023

Predicting urban crowd flow spatial distributions plays a critical role in optimizing urban public safety and traffic congestion management. The spatial dependency between regions and the temporal dynamics of the local crowd flow are two important features in urban crowd flow prediction. However, few studies considered geographic characteristic in terms of spatial features. To fill this gap, we propose an urban crowd flow prediction model integrating geographic characteristics (FPM-geo). First, three geographic characteristics, proximity, functional similarity, and road network connectivity, are fused by a residual multigraph convolution network to model the spatial dependency relationship. Then, a long short-term memory network is applied as a framework to integrate both the temporal dynamic patterns of local crowd flow and the spatial dependency between regions. A 4-day mobile phone dataset validates the effectiveness of the proposed method by comparing it with several widely used approaches. The result shows that the root mean square error decreases by 15.37% compared with those of the typical models with the prediction interval at the 15-min level. The prediction error increases with the crowd flow size in a local area. Moreover, the error reaches the top of the morning peak and the evening peak and slopes down to the bottom at night.
Transmutation of MAs and LLFPs with a lead-cooled fast reactor
Authors: Sun X. Y. , Han L. H. , Li X. X. , Hu B. L. , Luo W. , Liu L.
Published: January 2023

The management of nuclear wastes has long been a problem that hinders the sustainable and clean utilization of nuclear energy since the advent of nuclear power. These nuclear wastes include minor actinides (MAs: 237Np, 241Am, 243Am, 244Cm and 245Cm) and long-lived fission products (LLFPs: 79Se, 93Zr, 99Tc, 107Pd, 129I and 135Cs), and yet are hard to be handled. In this work, we propose a scheme that can transmute almost all the MAs and LLFPs with a lead-cooled fast reactor (LFR). In this scheme, the MAs and the LLFPs are loaded to the fuel assembly and the blanket assembly for transmutation, respectively. In order to study the effect of MAs loading on the operation of the core, the neutron flux distribution, spectra, and the keff are further compared with and without MAs loading. Then the LLFPs composition is optimized and the support ratio is obtained to be 1.22 for 237Np, 1.63 for 241Am, 1.27 for 243Am, 1.32 for 79Se, 1.53 for 99Tc, 1.02 for 107Pd, and 1.12 for 129I, respectively, indicating that a self-sustained transmutation can be achieved. Accordingly, the transmutation rate of these nuclides was 13.07%/y for 237Np, 15.18%/y for 241Am, 13.34%/y for 243Am, 0.58%/y for 79Se, 0.92%/y for 99Tc, 1.17%/y for 107Pd, 0.56%/y for 129I. Our results show that a lead-cooled fast reactor can be potentially used to manage nuclear wastes with high levels of long-lived radioactivity.
Diffusion of cosmic-ray electrons in M 51 observed with LOFAR at 54 MHz
Authors: Heesen V. , de Gasperin F. , Schulz S. , Basu A. , Beck R. , Brüggen M. , Dettmar R.-J. , Stein M. , Gajović L. , Tabatabaei F. S. , Reichherzer P.
Published: January 2023

Context. The details of cosmic-ray transport have a strong impact on galaxy evolution. The peak of the cosmic-ray energy distribution is observable in the radio continuum using the electrons as proxy.

Aims. We aim to measure the distance that the cosmic-ray electrons (CREs) are transported during their lifetime in the nearby galaxy M 51 across one order of magnitude in cosmic-ray energy (approximately 1–10 GeV). To this end, we use new ultra-low frequency observations from the LOw Frequency ARay (LOFAR) at 54 MHz and ancillary data between 144 and 8350 MHz.

Methods. As the CREs originate from supernova remnants, the radio maps are smoothed in comparison to the distribution of the star formation. By convolving the map of the star formation rate (SFR) surface density with a Gaussian kernel, we can linearise the radio–SFR relation. The best-fitting convolution kernel is then our estimate of the CRE transport length.

Results. We find that the CRE transport length increases at low frequencies, as expected since the CRE have longer lifetimes. The CRE transport length is lCRE = √4Dtsyn, where D is the isotropic diffusion coefficient and tsyn is the CRE lifetime as given by synchrotron and inverse Compton losses. We find that the data can be well fitted by diffusion, where D = (2.14 ± 0.13)×1028 cm2 s−1. With D ∝ E0.001 ± 0.185, the diffusion coefficient is independent of the CRE energy E in the range considered.

Conclusions. Our results suggest that the transport of GeV-cosmic ray electrons in the star-forming discs of galaxies is governed by energy-independent diffusion.