bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Root system growth and anatomy of cotton seedlings under suboptimal temperature
Authors: Snider John L. , Thangthong Nuengsap , Rossi Chiara , Pilon Cristiane
Published: March 2022

Root morphology and anatomy are important plant traits that could potentially influence seedling vigour, resource acquisition and susceptibility to early‐season stress. Therefore, the objective of the current experiment was to evaluate the effects of cultivar and growth temperature on seedling root growth and anatomical characteristics in cotton. To address this objective, experiments were conducted with six modern cotton cultivars, expected to have differences in seedling vigour, grown under optimal (30/20°C) and suboptimal (20/15°C) day/night temperature regimes. Root morphology and taproot cross‐sectional anatomy were evaluated two weeks after planting. Cultivars with the most vigorously growing root systems produced 73% more secondary roots, 68% more total root length, 74% more surface area and 72% higher total root volume than the least vigorous cultivars. The cultivar with the greatest production of secondary roots also exhibited a somewhat uncommon hexarch arrangement of vascular bundles in taproot cross sections. Thus, we suggest that this difference in root anatomy may be a determinant of genotypic differences in lateral root development. In response to low temperature, taproot length, total root length, secondary root formation, root surface area and root volume declined substantially relative to optimal temperature conditions (35%–75% declines). This reinforces the need to ensure optimal temperature conditions at planting or to identify cultivars with improved performance under suboptimal early‐season conditions. Conversely, root diameter responded positively to low growth temperatures, and cold‐induced increases in root thickness were associated with increases in the number and cross‐sectional area of root cells.
Women's reasons and motivations around planning a home birth with a qualified midwife in Spain
Authors: Galera‐Barbero Trinidad María , Aguilera‐Manrique Gabriel
Published: March 2022

Aims

The aim of this study was to describe and understand the reasons and motivations that lead a woman to choose home birth in Spain.

Design

A qualitative study based on Gadamer's hermeneutic phenomenology was carried out.

Methods

In‐depth interviews were conducted with 24 women who had planned a home birth in the last year. The recruitment phase was carried out over a 3‐week period during the month of March 2021. Inductive analysis was used to find themes based on the data obtained.

Results

Four main themes emerged from the data analysis: (1) Women's home birth decision making, (2) Partner as the main support, (3) Need to prepare for childbirth and (4) Reasons for choosing home birth.

Conclusion

The women in this study spent a lot of time and dedication to choose the place where they would give birth. According to this research, decision making is influenced by multiple factors, both positive and negative, such as women's individual beliefs and values. The main reasons why women chose a home birth were the intimacy and security of the home, the accompaniment and the desire for a natural and free birth.

Impact

This study adds knowledge about the factors that influence the decision of women who choose home birth in Spain and the reasons and motivations that lead them to do so. In addition, it raises new questions about the satisfaction of women giving birth in the hospital as well as outside the hospital, and the quality of service provided by health professionals in the current Spanish public maternity system.
Detection of delirium by family members in the intensive care unit: Translation, Cross‐Cultural adaptation and validation of the Family Confusion Assessment Method for the German‐Speaking area
Authors: Greindl Stephanie , Weiss Björn , Magnolini Raphael , Lingg Charlotte , Mayer Hanna , Schaller Stefan J.
Published: March 2022

Aim

The aim of this study was the translation, cross‐cultural adaptation and validation of the Family Confusion Assessment Method in critically ill patients.

Background

Delirium is a frequently unrecognized disorder in critically ill patients. Visiting family members might be the first to notice subtle changes in a patient's cognition and behaviour. The Family Confusion Assessment Method was developed to detect delirium by family members, but has not been available for the German‐speaking area yet.

Design

A prospective validation study was conducted between January 2020 and October 2020.

Methods

The Family Confusion Assessment Method was translated into German according to the Principles of Good Practice for the Translation and Cultural Adaptation Process for Patient‐Reported Outcomes. Subsequently, we compared the Family Confusion Assessment Method with the Confusion Assessment Method for the Intensive Care Unit in critically ill patients and their family members in a medical intensive care unit in Germany.

Results

We included 50 dyads of critically ill patients and their family members. The prevalence of delirium measured by Confusion Assessment Method for the Intensive Care Unit was 44%. Cohen's kappa coefficient was 0.84. The German Family Confusion Assessment Method had a high sensitivity of 95.5% and specificity of 89.3%. The positive predictive value and negative predictive value were 87.5% and 96.2% respectively.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that the German Family Confusion Assessment Method is an accurate assessment tool for delirium detection in the intensive care unit by family members. Furthermore, the results indicate that family members may identify delirium by the Family Confusion Assessment Method without prior training.

Impact

Collaborating medical staff with patients' family members to detect delirium in the intensive care unit may lead to early recognition of delirium.
The experience of IPV among older women in Puerto Rico; a hermeneutic phenomenological study
Authors: Irene‐López Lourdes , Kalmakis Karen A.
Published: March 2022

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global public health problem linked to long‐term health, social and economic consequences. Despite the growing number of women over age 60 in Puerto Rico, knowledge about culturally specific IPV in women of this age group is lacking. This is problematic because older women experiencing abuse often do not report it, and nurses are often not educated to identify IPV in older women.

Aims

To explore the experiences of IPV in a sample of Puerto Rican women over 60 years of age, and to understand the effects of IPV on older women's health.

Design

Hermeneutic phenomenology was used to understand the experiences of older Puerto Rican women exposed to IPV.

Methods

Data were collected during two in‐depth interviews with each of six women during 2018 and 2019.

Results

Five themes were identified through analysis: (a) enduring multiple forms of abuse across the lifespan, (b) enduring the pain and suffering of IPV, (c) IPV's lasting impact on the health of older women, (d) finding support and learning to cope, and (e) escape from violence. Participants experienced adverse events in childhood that influenced IPV experiences as adults, continuing until after the age of 60. Cultural factors influenced participants' experiences of IPV, specifically ‘machismo’. IPV was related to harmful effects on psychological and physiological health.

Conclusion

The health management and early identification of IPV, along with referrals to centres dealing with trauma or violence, helped participants receive the appropriate nursing interventions to find their way out of the violence.

Impact

Nurses must be educated in the complexity of IPV and adopt a trauma‐informed, culturally sensitive approach to provide an environment in which older women feel safe and able to disclose their experiences of IPV.
Evaluating compositional changes in the avian communities of eastern North America using temperature and precipitation indices
Authors: Curley Shannon R. , Manne Lisa L. , Ramírez‐Garofalo José R. , Veit Richard R.
Published: March 2022

Aim

Species distributions are altered by climate change, resulting in changes in community composition. How communities are changing with climate is important for understanding the dynamics of changing diversity patterns. In this study, we employ two community weighted means (CWMs) of temperature (CTI) and precipitation (CPI) to evaluate patterns in climate‐driven community changes.

Location

Eastern North America between −100° and −60° longitude and 25°–50°N latitude.

Taxon

North American birds

Methods

We used North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) data from 1990 to 2018 to test the spatiotemporal trends of these indices at a sub‐continental (across all BBS routes) and at a regional scale (sub‐continental scale partitioned by 5° latitude bands). We employ a jackknife analysis to highlight individual species contributions to CTI and CPI trends and further identify group characteristics of species based on relative abundance trends and range expansion and contraction trends.

Results

Across all BBS routes, temperature marginally increased and precipitation significantly increased. At the sub‐continental scale, we found no correlation between CTI and temperature, but a positive correlation between CPI and precipitation. CTI and CPI both increased, driven by increased abundances of “warm” and “wet” dwelling species expanding in range. Regional scale CTI and CPI patterns deviated from sub‐continental patterns. CTI was driven by “warm” dwelling species increasing in abundance and expanding in range, whereas decreases in “dry” dwelling species contracting in range drove CPI trends at the highest latitudes.

Main conclusions

The concurrent use of CTI and CPI highlights that community dynamics are more complicated than using temperature metrics alone. Employing more than one community index demonstrates how simultaneous increases in two separate evaluative indices can have disproportionate effects on the number of species that contribute to a trend and highlight disparate mechanisms that contribute to these underlying differences.
Rethinking the Rise of China: A Postcolonial Critique of China and a Chinese Critique of the Postcolonial
Authors: Tenzin Jinba
Published: March 2022

This article is intended to rethink a symbiotic but otherwise inadequately attended relationship between postcolonial studies and Chinese academia at a time when the rise of China evokes epistemic, ontological and empirical challenges for critical reflection. Above all, I argue that China is situated in her postcolonial conditions in such a way that these conditions largely define China's multi‐faceted positioning as colonial agent, (semi‐)colonial victim, recipient of colonialist ideology, overthrower of that ideology and its accompanying world‐system, and contender for the “top place” within such a world‐system. Postcolonial theory hence becomes relevant and productive in terms of its potential to problematize various puzzles, contradictions and tensions during China's rise like widespread disregard of basic civic values, political partisanship in scholarship, aggravation of the East‐West divide and rising Chinese exceptionalism. Additionally, however, this article also pinpoints the need to transform and reshape the oftentimes Eurocentric inclination in postcolonial studies through an incorporation of the revolutionary and post‐revolutionary experiences in China and elsewhere. Doing so therefore calls for a post‐revolutionary paradigm as proposed by Wang Hui, among others. I thus advocate cross‐fertilization, rather than mutual exclusion, not only between the postcolonial and post‐revolutionary paradigms but also between postcolonial studies and Chinese scholarship/academia.
From the editors: Introduction to the emerging discourse incubator on the topic of leveraging multiple types of resources within the supply network for competitive advantage
Authors: Cantor David E. , Yan Tingting , Pagell Mark , Tate Wendy L.
Published: March 2022

The Journal of Supply Chain Management's 2022 emerging discourse incubator looks to encourage scholars from different disciplines to develop and test new theories to advance our understanding about why and how firms should manage supply network resources for deploying competitive actions and gaining competitive advantage. To start that discourse, this issue offers three invited papers. In “Broadening our understanding of interfirm rivalry: A call for research on how supply networks shape competitive behavior and performance,” Christian Hofer, Jordan Barker, Laura d'Oria, and Jon Johnson discuss the criticality of the supply network to a focal firm's capability in engaging competitive behaviors and the effectiveness of their rivalrous activities, which together affect the firm's competitive advantage. Michael Howe and Yao Jin explore the relational multiplexity theoretical framework in “It's Nothing Personal, or is it? Exploring How Relational Multiplexity in the Supply Chain Can Enhance Competitive Behavior.” In “A theoretical model on how firms can leverage their supply chain strategy through political actions,” Abhay Grover and Martin Dresner use the structure‐conduct‐performance and competitive dynamics perspectives to theorize about the relationship between political strategies, supply chain risk management strategy, and firm competitive advantage. These invited papers provide a solid foundation to further a discourse that explains how and why changes in supply chain networks can enable firms to rapidly introduce competitive actions such as new product innovations to remain competitive in their respective industries.
Carnivore coexistence facilitated by spatial and dietary partitioning and fine‐scale behavioural avoidance in a semi‐arid ecosystem
Authors: Müller Lana , Briers‐Louw Willem Daniel , Amin Rajan , Lochner Christiaan Stefanus , Leslie Alison Jane
Published: March 2022

Sympatric carnivores compete for similar resources which may lead to dominant species influencing the ecology of subordinate ones. However, carnivores often make use of coevolutionary strategies which enable them to minimise competition with dominant competitors and thus facilitate coexistence. We used camera trapping and scat analysis to investigate the potential competition between leopards (Panthera pardus) and caracals (Caracal caracal) along spatial, temporal and dietary axes to determine the mechanisms of their coexistence in the Cederberg, South Africa. Our results showed that both carnivores co‐occurred at 39.73% of camera trapping sites, but spatial overlap based on Pianka's index was relatively low. We found a high overlap in daily activity patterns between these carnivore species both during winter and summer. Leopards and caracals exhibited fine‐scale behavioural avoidance of one another, with time‐to‐encounters between interspecific competitors being significantly larger compared to intraspecific competitors. The two carnivores had a relatively high diet overlap, although this was largely due to one prey species, namely rock hyrax (Procavia capensis), which appears to be an important shared prey item. However, we did find evidence of dietary niche segregation, as leopards consumed larger prey compared to caracals. Our study suggests that carnivore coexistence in the Cederberg is facilitated by a combination of population‐level partitioning in space‐use and dietary habits, as well as fine‐scale behavioural avoidance at the individual level to reduce interference competition. This study provides insights into the competition and coexistence mechanisms between sympatric carnivores and broadens our understanding of these ecological processes in carnivore guild systems.
Comparative transcriptomics reveals altered species interaction between the bioeroding sponge Cliona varians and the coral Porites furcata under ocean acidification
Authors: DeBiasse Melissa B. , Stubler Amber D. , Kelly Morgan W.
Published: March 2022

Bioeroding sponges interact and compete with corals on tropical reefs. Experimental studies have shown global change alters this biotic interaction, often in favour of the sponge. Ocean acidification in particular increases sponge bioerosion and reduces coral calcification, yet little is known about the molecular basis of these changes. We used RNA‐Seq data to understand how acidification impacts the interaction between the bioeroding sponge, Cliona varians, and the coral, Porites furcata, at the transcriptomic level. Replicate sponge and coral genets were exposed to ambient (8.1 pH) and acidified (7.6 pH) conditions in isolation and in treatments where they were joined for 48 h. The coral had a small gene expression response (tens of transcripts) to the sponge, suggesting it does little at the transcriptomic level to deter sponge overgrowth. By contrast, the sponge differentially expressed 7320 transcripts in response to the coral under ambient conditions and 3707 transcripts in response to acidification. Overlap in the responses to acidification and the coral, 2500 transcripts expressed under both treatments, suggests a similar physiological response to both cues. The sponge expressed 50× fewer transcripts in response to the coral under acidification, suggesting energetic costs of bioerosion, and other cellular processes, are lower for sponges under acidification. Our results suggest how acidification drives ecosystem‐level changes in the accretion/bioerosion balance on coral reefs. This shift is not only the result of changes to the thermodynamic balance of these chemical reactions but also the result of active physiological responses of organisms to each other and their abiotic environment.
Evolutionary biology of lichen symbioses
Authors: Spribille Toby , Resl Philipp , Stanton Daniel E. , Tagirdzhanova Gulnara
Published: March 2022

Lichens are the symbiotic outcomes of open, interspecies relationships, central to which are a fungus and a phototroph, typically an alga and/or cyanobacterium. The evolutionary processes that led to the global success of lichens are poorly understood. In this review, we explore the goods and services exchange between fungus and phototroph and how this propelled the success of both symbiont and symbiosis. Lichen fungal symbionts count among the only filamentous fungi that expose most of their mycelium to an aerial environment. Phototrophs export carbohydrates to the fungus, which converts them to specific polyols. Experimental evidence suggests that polyols are not only growth and respiratory substrates but also play a role in anhydrobiosis, the capacity to survive desiccation. We propose that this dual functionality is pivotal to the evolution of fungal symbionts, enabling persistence in environments otherwise hostile to fungi while simultaneously imposing costs on growth. Phototrophs, in turn, benefit from fungal protection from herbivory and light stress, while appearing to exert leverage over fungal sex and morphogenesis. Combined with the recently recognized habit of symbionts to occur in multiple symbioses, this creates the conditions for a multiplayer marketplace of rewards and penalties that could drive symbiont selection and lichen diversification.
Change in use of pediatric oral antibiotics in Japan, pre‐ and post‐implementation of an antimicrobial resistance action plan
Authors: Iwamoto Noriko , Morisaki Naho , Uda Kazuhiro , Kasai Masashi , Kodama Eiichi N. , Ohmagari Norio , Miyairi Isao
Published: March 2022

Background

Most antimicrobials are prescribed to outpatients, making outpatient antibiotic prescription an important target for antibiotic stewardship. A national antimicrobial resistance (AMR) action plan was developed in 2016 by the Japanese government with various antimicrobials steawardship activities for pediatric outpatients. We aimed to evaluate changes in antibiotic use pre‐ and post‐implementation of the AMR action plan.

Methods

All antimicrobials prescribed to pediatric outpatients in Japan from 2011 to 2018 were retrospectively analyzed using data from a national database. Antimicrobials dispensed for patients aged ≤19 years were reviewed. Antimicrobial use was surveyed by age, year of use, type of antimicrobial prescribed, and prescribing facility. Five cities were selected as pilot areas to investigate the variations, based on the clinical specialties of the prescribing physicians.

Results

Antimicrobial usage varied with age. Specifically, usage decreased post‐AMR in patients aged ≤8 years and increased in those aged >15 years. Further, antimicrobial prescriptions tended to decrease after 2016 in primary care clinics and hospitals. In the pilot areas of the study, 35% of all oral antimicrobials were prescribed in otolaryngology departments, and 8% were prescribed in dermatology clinics. Notably, antimicrobial prescriptions from both departments showed an upward trend from 2011 to 2018.

Conclusion

The use of antimicrobial agents decreased in children younger than 8 years in pediatric clinics, hospitals, and internal medicine clinics. However, use increased in children older than 15 years and in other specialty clinics. Settings with an increasing use of antimicrobials are potential targets for the next antibiotic stewardship program and should be investigated in detail.
Michler’s Ketone: β‐CyclodextrinHost–Guest Inclusion Complex for Enhancing the Ultraviolet Protection Factor of Poplin Cotton Fabric
Authors: Krishnamoorthy Sivakumar , Allabasha Nalini , Mani Murali Krishnan , Sarkar Ajoy K.
Published: March 2022

Michler’s ketone(4,4’ bis(N,N‐dimethylamino)benzophenone)mkis a potential ultraviolet radiation (UVR) absorber in various materials. In this study, we have tested the UVR filtering ability ofmkon cotton fabric. The beta‐cyclodextrin (β‐CD) inclusion complex ofmkenhances ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) drastically. The impact of β‐CD on the UVR filtering ofmkare demonstrated by investigating theguest(mk:absorbers)‐host(β‐CD:enhancer) inclusion complex. Spectral and molecular docking analysis ofmk:β‐CDcomplex infers the vertical insertion of the guest molecule by positioning ‐C=O group ofmkat the center of the host molecule with the exclusion of the terminal atoms of guest molecule outside the β‐CD cavity. Thus, the host; β‐CD renders an inflexible fit to the guest:mk. The inflexible fit ofmkinto the β‐CD cavity enhances the UVR dissipation when it is incorporated on the poplin cotton fabric. With UPF = 46mk:β‐CD complexis proposed as a potential UVR absorber suitable for manufacturing sun protective textiles. The holding ofmkby β‐CD enhances the UVR dissipation and hence facilitates the native red‐shifted emission and non‐radiative relaxation by the formation of twisted intramolecular charge transfer inmk.
Genomic full‐length sequence of the HLA‐C*03:227 allele was identified by full length group‐specific sequencing
Authors: Feng Zhihui , An Run , Jiao Shuxian , Pang Shutao
Published: March 2022

Genomic full‐length sequence of HLA‐C*03:227 was identified by a group‐specific sequencing approach in a Chinese individual.
Quando o Jurista Volta à História - O Pensamento de Radbruch e sua Obra Sobre Feuerbach
Authors: Lisle Cerqueira Leite Seelaender Airton
Published: March 2022

Visto usualmente, no Brasil, como se fosse o formulador de um mero jeitinho neotomista de solução de casos que permitiria ao juiz desvencilhar-se de leis injustas, G. Radbruch não se enquadrou, em fase alguma de sua vida, em tão errônea descrição. Mesmo quem optasse por classificar como jusnaturalista seus apelos à “justiça” e à “natureza das coisas” teria de admitir que boa parte de sua obra assumiu outros pressupostos: a crença em certo caráter classista das concepções de direito, o relativismo fundamentado na teoria neokantiana dos valores, a defesa do pluralismo político e a aposta no direito positivo como veículo da emancipação humana por via democrática. Reler os estudos histórico-jurídicos de Radbruch ajuda-nos a redescobrir, em seu pensamento, a complexidade e a mudança.
Voltage controlled bio-organic inverse phototransistor
Authors: Mishra Esha , Ekanayaka Thilini K. , Dowben Peter A.
Published: March 2022

Thin films of poly-d-lysine act as polar organic and are also light sensitive. The capacitance-voltage, current-voltage, and transistor behavior were studied to gauge the photoresponse of possible poly-d-lysine thin film devices both with and without methylene blue as an additive. Transistors fabricated from poly-d-lysine act as inverse phototransistors, i.e., the on-state current is greatest in the absence of illumination. The poly-d-lysine thin film capacitance and the transistor current decrease with illumination, both with and without methylene blue as an additive. This suggests that the unbinding of photo exciton is significantly hindered in this system which is supported by the significant charge carrier lifetime for poly-d-lysine films both with and without methylene blue. For the majority carrier, the transistor geometry appears to depend on the gate voltage; in other words, the majority carrier depends on the polarization of the poly-d-lysine films, both with and without methylene blue as an additive.
Link between stimulus otoacoustic emissions fine structure peaks and standing wave resonances in a cochlear model
Authors: Wen Haiqi , Meaud Julien
Published: March 2022

In response to an external stimulus, the cochlea emits sounds, called stimulus frequency otoacoustic emissions (SFOAEs), at the stimulus frequency. In this article, a three-dimensional computational model of the gerbil cochlea is used to simulate SFOAEs and clarify their generation mechanisms and characteristics. This model includes electromechanical feedback from outer hair cells (OHCs) and cochlear roughness due to spatially random inhomogeneities in the OHC properties. As in the experiments, SFOAE simulations are characterized by a quasiperiodic fine structure and a fast varying phase. Increasing the sound pressure level broadens the peaks and decreases the phase-gradient delay of SFOAEs. A state-space formulation of the model provides a theoretical framework to analyze the link between the fine structure and global modes of the cochlea, which arise as a result of standing wave resonances. The SFOAE fine structure peaks correspond to weakly damped resonant modes because they are observed at the frequencies of nearly unstable modes of the model. Variations of the model parameters that affect the reflection mechanism show that the magnitude and sharpness of the tuning of these peaks are correlated with the modal damping ratio of the nearly unstable modes. The analysis of the model predictions demonstrates that SFOAEs originate from the peak of the traveling wave.
Regions of Reduced Total Enthalpy in the Near Wake of a Body in a Viscous Gas Flow
Authors: Aleksyuk A. I.
Published: March 2022

Abstract—

The influence of the body shape on gas cooling (decrease in the stagnation temperature) in regions of reduced total enthalpy in the wake is studied. The problem is simulated by numerically solving the Navier–Stokes equations for a two-dimensional viscous perfect gas flow around thermally insulated bodies at the Reynolds number $${\text{Re}} = 1000$$ and the Mach number $${{{\text{M}}}_{\infty }} = 0.4$$. Elliptic-cross-section cylinders and a pair of side-by-side circular cylinders located across the flow are considered. The accuracy of the results of simplified models for describing the phenomenon based on the velocity field in the developed wake is discussed. Some examples that demonstrate that neglecting the total enthalpy redistribution during the vortex formation process in such models can lead to considerable deviations from the data of numerical calculations in vortex cores are given.
Transplastomic Plants: Problems of Production and Their Solution
Authors: Rozov S. M. , Sidorchuk Yu. V. , Deineko E. V.
Published: March 2022

The major problem associated with production of transgenic proteins in plant expression systems is the low level of their accumulation. Transplastomic plants with a transgene incorporated not in the nuclear but in the plastid genome (plastome) in some cases ensure elevation of the yield of the desired protein dozens of times and more. However, two problems arise in this case: low frequency of integration of transgenes into the plastid genome and difficulties with production of homoplastomic and homoplastidic plants. Recently, a number of tendencies to overcome these difficulties have been outlined. The first problem is being solved via an improvement of the systems of delivery of exogenous DNA and a fine design of the vectors and the second by multistep screening on several antibiotics and the use of dedifferentiated tissues for transformation. This review deals with a detailed analysis of these problems and their solution.
Physical activity as a protective factor for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease: systematic review, meta-analysis and quality assessment of cohort and case–control studies
Authors: Iso-Markku Paula , Kujala Urho M , Knittle Keegan , Polet Juho , Vuoksimaa Eero , Waller Katja
Published: March 2022

Objective

Physical activity (PA) is associated with a decreased incidence of dementia, but much of the evidence comes from short follow-ups prone to reverse causation. This meta-analysis investigates the effect of study length on the association.

Design

A systematic review and meta-analysis. Pooled effect sizes, dose–response analysis and funnel plots were used to synthesise the results.

Data sources

CINAHL (last search 19 October 2021), PsycInfo, Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science (21 October 2021) and SPORTDiscus (26 October 2021).

Eligibility criteria

Studies of adults with a prospective follow-up of at least 1 year, a valid cognitive measure or cohort in mid-life at baseline and an estimate of the association between baseline PA and follow-up all-cause dementia, Alzheimer’s disease or vascular dementia were included (n=58).

Results

PA was associated with a decreased risk of all-cause dementia (pooled relative risk 0.80, 95% CI 0.77 to 0.84, n=257 983), Alzheimer’s disease (0.86, 95% CI 0.80 to 0.93, n=128 261) and vascular dementia (0.79, 95% CI 0.66 to 0.95, n=33 870), even in longer follow-ups (≥20 years) for all-cause dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Neither baseline age, follow-up length nor study quality significantly moderated the associations. Dose–response meta-analyses revealed significant linear, spline and quadratic trends within estimates for all-cause dementia incidence, but only a significant spline trend for Alzheimer’s disease. Funnel plots showed possible publication bias for all-cause dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Conclusion

PA was associated with lower incidence of all-cause dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, even in longer follow-ups, supporting PA as a modifiable protective lifestyle factor, even after reducing the effects of reverse causation.
Attention for sex in COVID-19 trials: a review of regulatory dossiers
Authors: de Vries Sieta T , Starokozhko Viktoriia , Schellens Ingrid M M , Wijnans Leonoor , Enzmann Harald , Cavaleri Marco , Mol Peter G M
Published: March 2022

An under-representation of women and a lack of sex-specific analyses in COVID-19 trials has been suggested. However, the higher number of men than women who are severely affected by COVID-19 and the restricted information in scientific publications may have biased these suggestions. Therefore, we evaluated sex proportionality and sex-specific efficacy and safety data in trials of COVID-19 treatments and vaccines using both publicly available regulatory documents and confidential documents used by regulators in their review of medicinal products. Included were two treatments (ie, remdesivir and dexamethasone) and four vaccines (ie, BNT162b2 mRNA (BioNTech/Pfizer), mRNA-1273 (Moderna), ChAdOx1-S (AstraZeneca) and Ad26.COV2-S (Janssen)) that received marketing authorisation by the European Commission at the time of the study conduct. An under-representation of women was shown in three of the nine data sets for one treatment (ie, remdesivir), but the proportion of women included was representative in each of the data sets for the other five products. This indicates that there is no structural under-representation of women in the COVID-19 trials. Currently, sex-specific efficacy data are available for five of the six assessed products and sex-specific safety data are available for half of the products only. It is important that this information will also be made available for the other products. There are only small differences in efficacy and safety between men and women which are likely to be of limited clinical relevance. Sex-specific efficacy information can generally be found in the publicly available regulatory documents other than the Summary of Product Characteristics, for which more awareness might be required.
Physiological-based cord clamping versus immediate cord clamping for infants born with a congenital diaphragmatic hernia (PinC): study protocol for a multicentre, randomised controlled trial
Authors: Horn-Oudshoorn Emily J J , Knol Ronny , Vermeulen Marijn J , te Pas Arjan B , Hooper Stuart B , Cochius-den Otter Suzan C M , Wijnen Rene M H , Crossley Kelly J , Rafat Neysan , Schaible Thomas , de Boode Willem P , Debeer Anne , Urlesberger Berndt , Roberts Calum T , Kipfmueller Florian , Reiss Irwin K M , DeKoninck Philip L J
Published: March 2022

Introduction

Pulmonary hypertension is a major determinant of postnatal survival in infants with a congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). The current care during the perinatal stabilisation period in these infants might contribute to the development of pulmonary hypertension after birth—in particular umbilical cord clamping before lung aeration. An ovine model of diaphragmatic hernia demonstrated that cord clamping after lung aeration, called physiological-based cord clamping (PBCC), avoided the initial high pressures in the lung vasculature while maintaining adequate blood flow, thereby avoiding vascular remodelling and aggravation of pulmonary hypertension. We aim to investigate if the implementation of PBCC in the perinatal stabilisation period of infants born with a CDH could reduce the incidence of pulmonary hypertension in the first 24 hours after birth.

Methods and analysis

We will perform a multicentre, randomised controlled trial in infants with an isolated left-sided CDH, born at ≥35.0 weeks. Before birth, infants will be randomised to either PBCC or immediate cord clamping, stratified by treatment centre and severity of pulmonary hypoplasia on antenatal ultrasound. PBCC will be performed using a purpose-built resuscitation trolley. Cord clamping will be performed when the infant is considered respiratory stable, defined as a heart rate >100 bpm, preductal oxygen saturation >85%, while using a fraction of inspired oxygen of <0.5. The primary outcome is pulmonary hypertension diagnosed in the first 24 hours after birth, based on clinical and echocardiographic parameters. Secondary outcomes include neonatal as well as maternal outcomes.

Ethics and dissemination

Central ethical approval was obtained from the Medical Ethical Committee of the Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (METC 2019-0414). Local ethical approval will be obtained by submitting the protocol to the regulatory bodies and local institutional review boards.

Trial registration number

NCT04373902.
The herbicide paraquat alters growth and melanin production on the Cryptococcus neoformans/Cryptococcus gattii species complex
Authors: Castelo-Branco Débora de Souza Collares Maia , Rocha Maria , Oliveira Jonathas Sales de , dos Santos Araújo Géssica , Martins Daniel , Garcia Lana , Cordeiro Rossana de Aguiar , Sidrim José J.C. , Pereira Neto Waldemiro , Guedes Glaucia Morgana de Melo , Brilhante Raimunda , Rocha Marcos Fábio Gadelha
Published: March 2022

Paraquat (PQ) is a free-radical producing herbicide that affects cell membranes and can upset the environmental balance of microorganisms present in soil, such as Cryptococcus spp. This study aimed to evaluate the in vitro activity of PQ against Cryptococcus spp. in planktonic and biofilm forms, as well as the protective effect of antioxidant agents against the antifungal effect of PQ and the kinetics of melanin production in response to PQ. Susceptibility to PQ was evaluated by the microdilution. Cryptococcus sp. strains exposed to PQ were grown in media with ascorbic acid (AA) and glutathione (GSH). Melanin production was assessed in the presence of L-dopa + PQ. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of PQ against Cryptococcus spp. ranged from 8 -256 μg/mL. Furthermore, PQ reduced biofilm formation. AA and GSH restored the fungal growth of Cryptococcus spp. exposed to PQ. In addition, L-dopa + PQ delayed melanin production by 24 and 48 hours for C. deuterogattii and C. neoformans sensu lato, respectively, suggesting that PQ induces a fitness trade off in melanin production. Taken together, our data suggest that antifungal effect of PQ against Cryptococcus spp. exerts a possibly selective pressures interfering with biofilm formation and melanin production by these yeasts.
An extended analysis for a generalized Chaplygin gas model
Authors: Al Mamon Abdulla , Paliathanasis Andronikos , Saha Subhajit
Published: March 2022

In this work, we have extended the analysis on the generalized Chaplygin gas (GCG) model as the unification of dark energy and dark matter. Specifically, we have shown that the model of our consideration known as the new generalized Chaplygin gas (NGCG) model, admits a scalar field description, which means that there exist a minimally coupled scalar field for a given scalar field potential where the equation of state is that of the NGCG. With the use of the later property we can construct the slow-roll parameters and derive the corresponding values for the spectral indices for the tensor to scalar perturbation and for the density perturbations. We have also studied the growth rate of matter perturbations in the NGCG scenario. Finally, we have studied the viability of the generalized second law of thermodynamics by assuming that the dynamical apparent horizon in a NGCG universe is endowed with Hawking temperature and Bekenstein entropy.
Self-phoretic Brownian dynamics simulations
Authors: Roca-Bonet Sergi , Ripoll Marisol
Published: March 2022

A realistic and effective model to simulate phoretic Brownian dynamics swimmers based on the general form of the thermophoretic force is here presented. The collective behavior of self-phoretic dimers is investigated with this model and compared with two simpler versions, allowing the understanding of the subtle interplay of steric interactions, propulsion, and phoretic effects. The phoretic Brownian dynamics method has control parameters which can be tuned to closely map the properties of experiments or simulations with explicit solvent, in particular those performed with multiparticle collision dynamics. The combination of the phoretic Brownian method and multiparticle collision dynamics is a powerful tool to precisely identify the importance of hydrodynamic interactions in systems of self-phoretic swimmers.

Graphic Abstract
Gyrotactic cluster formation of bottom-heavy squirmers
Authors: Rühle Felix , Zantop Arne W. , Stark Holger
Published: March 2022

Squirmers that are bottom-heavy experience a torque that aligns them along the vertical so that they swim upwards. In a suspension of many squirmers, they also interact hydrodynamically via flow fields that are initiated by their swimming motion and by gravity. Swimming under the combined action of flow field vorticity and gravitational torque is called gyrotaxis. Using the method of multi-particle collision dynamics, we perform hydrodynamic simulations of a many-squirmer system floating above the bottom surface. Due to gyrotaxis they exhibit pronounced cluster formation with increasing gravitational torque. The clusters are more volatile at low values but compactify to smaller clusters at larger torques. The mean distance between clusters is mainly controlled by the gravitational torque and not the global density. Furthermore, we observe that neutral squirmers form clusters more easily, whereas pullers require larger gravitational torques due to their additional force-dipole flow fields. We do not observe clustering for pusher squirmers. Adding a rotlet dipole to the squirmer flow field induces swirling clusters. At high gravitational strengths, the hydrodynamic interactions with the no-slip boundary create an additional vertical alignment for neutral squirmers, which also supports cluster formation.
Classification of Depth of Coma Using Complexity Measures and Nonlinear Features of Electroencephalogram Signals
Authors: Altıntop Çiğdem Gülüzar , Latifoğlu Fatma , Akın Aynur Karayol , Bayram Adnan , Çiftçi Murat
Published: March 2022

In recent years, some electrophysiological analysis methods of consciousness have been proposed. Most of these studies are based on visual interpretation or statistical analysis, and there is hardly any work classifying the level of consciousness in a deep coma. In this study, we perform an analysis of electroencephalography complexity measures by quantifying features efficiency in differentiating patients in different consciousness levels. Several measures of complexity have been proposed to quantify the complexity of signals. Our aim is to lay the foundation of a system that will objectively define the level of consciousness by performing a complexity analysis of Electroencephalogram (EEG) signals. Therefore, a nonlinear analysis of EEG signals obtained with a recording scheme proposed by us from 39 patients with Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) between 3 and 8 was performed. Various entropy values (approximate entropy, permutation entropy, etc.) obtained from different algorithms, Hjorth parameters, Lempel–Ziv complexity and Kolmogorov complexity values were extracted from the signals as features. The features were analyzed statistically and the success of features in classifying different levels of consciousness was measured by various classifiers. Consequently, levels of consciousness in deep coma (GCS between 3 and 8) were classified with an accuracy of 90.3%. To the authors’ best knowledge, this is the first demonstration of the discriminative nonlinear features extracted from tactile and auditory stimuli EEG signals in distinguishing different GCSs of comatose patients.
Introducing the activity parameter for elementary cellular automata
Authors: Concha-Vega Pablo , Goles Eric , Montealegre Pedro , Ríos-Wilson Martín , Santivañez Julio
Published: March 2022

Given an elementary cellular automaton (ECA) with local transition rule [Formula: see text], two different types of local transitions are identified: the ones in which a cell remains in its current state, called inactive transitions, and the ones in which the cell changes its current state, which are called active transitions. The number of active transitions of a rule is called its activity value. Based on latter identification, a rule [Formula: see text] is called a sub-rule of [Formula: see text] if the set of active transitions of [Formula: see text] is a subset of the active transitions of [Formula: see text].

In this paper, the notion of sub-rule for elementary cellular automata is introduced and explored: first, we consider a lattice that illustrates relations of nonequivalent elementary cellular automata according to nearby sub-rules. Then, we introduce statistical measures that allow us to compare rules and sub-rules. Finally, we explore the possible similarities in the dynamics of a rule with respect to its sub-rules, obtaining both empirical and theoretical results.
On the virtual singular braid monoid
Authors: Caprau Carmen , Zepeda Sarah
Published: March 2022

We study the algebraic structures of the virtual singular braid monoid, [Formula: see text], and the virtual singular pure braid monoid, [Formula: see text]. The monoid [Formula: see text] is the splittable extension of [Formula: see text] by the symmetric group [Formula: see text]. We also construct a representation of [Formula: see text].
Weak pullback mean random attractors for the stochastic convective Brinkman–Forchheimer equations and locally monotone stochastic partial differential equations
Authors: Kinra K. , Mohan M. T.
Published: March 2022

This work is concerned about the asymptotic behavior of the solutions of the two- and three-dimensional stochastic convective Brinkman–Forchheimer (SCBF) equations [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text] driven by white noise with nonlinear diffusion terms (for some [Formula: see text]). We prove the existence and uniqueness of weak pullback mean random attractors for the 2D SCBF equations (for [Formula: see text]) as well as 3D SCBF equations (for [Formula: see text], any [Formula: see text] and for [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text]) in Bochner spaces, when the diffusion terms are Lipschitz nonlinear functions. Furthermore, we establish the existence of weak pullback mean random attractors for a class of locally monotone stochastic partial differential equations.
Dynamic Instability of Sandwich Beams Made of Isotropic Core and Functionally Graded Graphene Platelets-Reinforced Composite Face Sheets
Authors: Asgari Gholam Reza , Arabali Amirbahador , Babaei Masoud , Asemi Kamran
Published: March 2022

In this study, dynamic instability of a sandwich beam made of an isotropic core and functionally graded (FG) graphene platelets-reinforced composite (GPLRC) face sheets is investigated for the first time. A Frostig theory for soft core and third-order shear deformation theory (TSDT) for sheets are used. Hamilton’s principle is used to derive the governing equations of motion, and by applying Bolotin’s approach, the dynamic instability regions (DIRs) are investigated. A comprehensive investigation is conducted to assess the effects of different weight fractions of nanofiller, various GPL patterns, boundary conditions, slenderness ratio, the thickness of face sheet and static load factors on the DIRs of the beam.
Size-Effect Analysis on Vibrational Response of Functionally Graded Annular Nano-Plate Based on Nonlocal Stress-Driven Method
Authors: Shishesaz Mohammad , Shariati Mojtaba , Hosseini Mohammad
Published: March 2022

Dynamic analysis of functionally graded size-dependent annular nano-plate is the main concern in this study. To obtain the vibrational behavior of this plate, the stress-driven nonlocal integral elasticity, as well the strain gradient theory were used in conjunction with the classical plate theory. The resulting equilibrium equations were solved using the generalized differential quadrature rule (GDQR) and the influences of various parameters such as; size-effect parameter, material heterogeneity index, the aspect ratio of the inner to outer radii, and the effects of different boundary conditions were investigated on the vibrational behavior of the nano-plate, based on different types of boundary conditions. Results indicate that the natural frequencies increase with an increase in the heterogeneity index [Formula: see text] and the increase in size-effect parameter shows a similar effect in both models. Additionally, for the simply supported and free-edge boundary conditions (for both edges), as well as the free and knife-edges, and simply supported-free edges, the strain gradient theory predicts higher values of frequency ratios as [Formula: see text] was increased. Similar results were obtained for the remaining types of boundary conditions, with a higher sensitivity to [Formula: see text], provided the stress-driven model is used. This behavior can be interpreted as the sensitivity of the nano-plate to [Formula: see text] that is manifested by the use of the stress-driven model for the prediction of vibrational behavior of the nano-plate.