bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Baby Box scheme in Scotland: A study of public attitudes and social value
Authors: Skea Zoë , Kostrzewa Agata , Locock Louise , Black Mairead , Morgan Heather M. , Ryan Mandy
Published: October 2022

Background

The Scottish Government introduced a free Baby Box scheme for all new parents in 2017, modelled on the Finnish scheme, to give every baby ‘an equal start in life’. There is little evidence that it results in better health outcomes, but there has been limited research into different perspectives and discourses on such schemes.

Methods

Four focus groups were conducted with 21 parents in North‐East Scotland. Recordings were transcribed verbatim, anonymized and analysed thematically with NVivo 12 software. Our thematic analysis was both inductive and deductive—remaining open to themes identified by participants themselves but also informed by the social policy literature on universalism and social cohesion.

Results

Across all the focus groups, we found a high degree of positivity about the principle of the Baby Box scheme, and for the most part the practical value of the contents. This was remarkably consistent across different communities and backgrounds. There was little evidence of the strongly polarized views present in media reporting. Parents seemed considerably less focused than the media on safety and health outcomes, and more focused on practical, material and social impacts. They reported little in the way of feeling patronized or monitored by the government.

Conclusion

Our findings have important implications for future economic evaluations of the baby box. Such evaluations should broaden the valuation space beyond health outcomes to allow for the value of feelings of inclusion, solidarity and being part of a community.

Patient or Public Contribution

This small project was designed in response to parent views already collected in the early roll‐out of the Baby Box scheme in Scotland, about their priorities and responses to the scheme. Additional views were sought on the topic guide for the focus groups, and local community groups advised us on recruitment and the best timing and location for the focus groups to be held. The focus groups themselves were conducted as research, but with the intent of ensuring parent views featured more prominently in a debate that has been largely dominated by clinical and public health perspectives.
Polymer‐derived ceramics for electrocatalytic energy conversion reactions
Authors: Guo Yanna , Sugahara Yoshiyuki
Published: October 2022

Polymer‐derived ceramics (PDCs) are being actively explored in various fields today because of their unique physiochemical properties. Very recent advances in the use of PDCs in energy storage technologies (e.g., batteries, supercapacitors) have motivated researchers to explore the possibilities of PDCs as electrocatalysts for use in energy conversion reactions. Impressively, the tunable functional properties, especially the electrical properties, of PDCs have helped to break through this “bottleneck” and enabled them to become promising materials for use in electrocatalytic conversion. This review presents an in‐time summary of the progress in the development of PDCs for electrochemical energy conversion. First, a general introduction to the preparation of PDCs is provided. Later, the factors (e.g., chemical stability, electron conductivity) most closely related to electrocatalytic performance are discussed. Specifically, the parameters that affect the electron conductivity of PDCs are enumerated to delve into advanced strategies for achieving effective electrocatalysts. The relevant electrocatalytic conversion reactions (e.g., hydrogen evolution reaction, oxygen evolution reaction, and oxygen reduction reaction) and utilization of PDCs in these reactions are also comprehensively introduced. Finally, the current challenges and future opportunities for PDC materials in the field of electrochemical energy conversion are summarized.
Peer interaction, mediation, and a view of teachers as creators of learner L2 development
Authors: Poehner Matthew E. , Leontjev Dmitri
Published: October 2022

SLA researchers in a variety of theoretical traditions have argued that interaction is essential to supporting learner L2 (second/foreign language) development. While L2 research informed by sociocultural theory has generally examined either peer‐to‐peer or teacher–learner interactions, the present study investigated how these may function together to form a mediating classroom environment. Drawing on examples from a collaborative project with a university teacher of L2 Japanese writing, we illustrate that while the quality of peer interactions may differ from teacher mediation, learner collaborative efforts allow them opportunities to collectively uncover partial understanding and synthesize their knowledge, positioning them to benefit from subsequent interactions with the teacher while also helping orient the teacher to areas of learner difficulty.
Feasibility of 24‐h urine creatinine clearance as a renal function monitoring tool in spinal cord injury patients
Authors: Shin Ji Cheol , Ahn Kwang Ho , Cho Kye Hee , Cho Su Hyun , IM Sang Hee
Published: October 2022

Objective

Renal dysfunction is a major cause of morbidity in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). A 24‐h urine creatinine (Cr) clearance (24‐h urine CCr) is cost‐effective and easy to implement compared to renal scintigraphy in the evaluation of renal function. This study aimed to verify the feasibility of 24‐h urine CCr in the SCI population by assessing the correlation with effective renal plasma flow (ERPF) on renal scintigraphy.

Methods

Data from 245 SCI patients (189 males, mean age: 50.2 years) were used in this retrospective review. Clinical characteristics, 24‐h urine CCr, serum Cr, comorbidities, and body composition analyses were assessed for correlation with laboratory parameters including renal scintigraphy. Strong predictors of ERPF were determined by multivariate linear regression analysis. Areas under receiver‐operating characteristic curves were calculated to evaluate the discriminating power of 24‐h urine CCr to predict ERPF <250 ml/min.

Results

Spinal cord injury patients showed tubular dysfunction despite normal serum Cr and 24‐h urine CCr. There was a significant correlation between 24‐h urine CCr and ERPF, and 24‐h urine CCr was one of the strongest predictors for ERPF (area under the curve 0.72, 95% CI 0.64–0.80, p < 0.000) among other parameters such as age, appendicular lean mass index, and body mass index. 24‐h urine CCr was an independent predictor of ERPF in subacute (R2 = 0.497, p < 0.001) and chronic SCI patients (R2 = 0.664, p < 0.0001). The optimized 24‐h urine CCr cut‐off was 139.4 ml/min/1.72 m2 for predicting decreased ERPF <250 ml/min (sensitivity 67.6% and specificity 64.0%).

Conclusion

24‐h urine CCr is a sensitive indicator for renal function deterioration of SCI patients. Further longitudinal studies with larger numbers of SCI patients are needed to confirm the feasibility of 24‐h urine CCr for monitoring this population.
Phase I/II study of multipeptide cancer vaccine IMA901 after single‐dose cyclophosphamide in Japanese patients with advanced renal cell cancer with long‐term follow up
Authors: Hongo Fumiya , Ueda Takashi , Takaha Natsuki , Tamada Satoshi , Nakatani Tatsuya , Miki Tsuneharu , Ukimura Osamu
Published: October 2022

Background

IMA901 is the first therapeutic vaccine for renal cell cancer (RCC). It contains multiple tumor‐associated peptides (TUMAPs) that are naturally present in human cancers.

Methods

In a phase I/II study, we treated a total of 10 Japanese patients with advanced RCC who were human leukocyte antigen A (HLA‐A)*02 +. Vaccination involved i.d. injection of GM‐CSF (75 μg), followed within 15–30 min by i.d. injection of IMA901 (containing 413 μg of each peptide). No treatment with either anticancer agents or immunosuppressants was allowed within 4 weeks before entering the trial. Patients were scheduled to receive 7 vaccinations during the first 5 weeks of treatment (induction period), followed by 10 further vaccinations at 3‐week intervals for up to 30 weeks (maintenance period). The primary endpoints were safety and tolerability, while the secondary endpoints were PFS, OS, and immunogenicity.

Results

There were no treatment‐related serious adverse events or deaths during the study period. When the response was assessed after 4 months, 10% of patients showed a partial response, 80% had stable disease, and 10% had progressive disease. Among patients in whom the T‐cell response was analyzed, five patients showed a vaccine‐induced T‐cell response against at least one HLA class I‐restricted TUMAP and two patients had T‐cell responses to multiple TUMAPs. PFS was 5.5 months and OS was 18 months.

Conclusions

This study demonstrated the safety and tolerability of IMA901 vaccine in Japanese RCC patients, and also showed that vaccination elicited an immune response.
Differences in management of pregnant women with obstructing infected ureteral stones: A population‐based analysis
Authors: Ha Albert S. , Wang Connie , Haas Christopher , Miles Caleb , Katz Matthew , Shah Ojas
Published: October 2022

Objectives

Obstructing ureteral stones complicated by urinary tract infection are urologic emergencies that require prompt decompression. We explore the association of pregnancy with rates of and delays in decompression in a cohort of women of reproductive age.

Methods

Using the National Inpatient Sample from 2010 to 2015, a cross‐sectional, descriptive analysis of women of reproductive age (15 to 44 years old) diagnosed with obstructing ureteral stones and urinary tract infection was performed and stratified by pregnancy status. Survey‐weighted regression models were used to assess the association of pregnancy on decompression, delays in decompression, and hospital length of stay. Additional exploratory analyses on the association of timing and type of decompression with maternal‐fetal outcomes were performed.

Results

A weighted total of 38 783 hospitalizations were identified, with 6.1% of admissions occurring in pregnant women. On multivariable regression, pregnant women with obstructing ureteral stones and urinary tract infection were 38% less likely of undergoing decompression (adjusted OR: 0.62; p < 0.001) compared with nonpregnant women. Among those decompressed, pregnant women had greater odds of delayed decompression (adjusted OR: 2.28; p < 0.001) and longer length of stay (adjusted IRR: 1.11; p = 0.007). Delayed decompression among pregnant women was associated with increased rates of C‐section, early or threatened labor, fetal distress, and umbilical cord complications.

Conclusions

Overall, pregnant women had reduced odds of decompression, as well as increased odds of delayed decompression, when compared with nonpregnant women of reproductive age. Delays in decompression among pregnant women were also associated with increased maternal and fetal complications.
Regulation through responsibilisation: Gendered exit policies and precarious migration from India and Sri Lanka
Authors: Joseph Jolin , Henderson Sophie , Withers Matt , Shivakoti Richa
Published: October 2022

Gendered migration governance has emerged as a key modality through which South Asian countries mobilise and manage women migrant workers. This involves complex policy articulations encompassing the restriction, protection and promotion of migration. Through analysis of state discourse and stakeholder responses in India and Sri Lanka, we examine how policies of labour‐sending states co‐produce and compound migrant vulnerability by displacing responsibility for risk‐management onto individual migrants and intermediaries. We suggest that institutional constraints on women's exit coalesce with structural inequalities at the regional level to exacerbate precarity during the course of migration, reducing potential economic gains from migration while heightening individual risk. The paper concludes by identifying the need for gender‐responsive, evidence‐based policy frameworks to promote safe migration and provide inclusive local employment alternatives.
Fibrillary and immunotactoid glomerulopathies in the Hunter region: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Cohen Adrienne W. S. , Vilayur Eswari
Published: October 2022

Background

Fibrillary (FGN) and immunotactoid (IT) glomerulonephritis are uncommon.

Aims

To evaluate the prevalence, clinicopathological correlations and outcomes of FGN and IT in our regional centre in Australia.

Methods

We interrogated a renal biopsy database for cases of FGN and IT from 2000 to 2020. Data included demographics, serum creatinine, haematuria status, proteinuria, comorbidities and histopathological findings.

Results

We had 14 cases of FGN and t of IT. The mean presenting age was 59.8 years, and 42.9% were males. No patients with FGN had dysproteinaemia, whereas both patients with IT had chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. At presentation, 75% of patients with FGN and both patients with IT had haematuria; all had proteinuria. Mean albumin‐creatinine ratio at presentation was 254 mg/mmol for FGN and 604 mg/mmol for IT. Mean presenting serum creatinine was 149 μmol/L for FGN and 95 μmol/L for IT. Four patients with FGN (28.6%) received immunomodulatory therapy.

The prognosis of FGN was poor, with six patients (46.2%) reaching end‐stage kidney disease after a median of 42 months (range 1–96 months). All patients presenting with proteinuria <30 mg/mmol entered complete remission; patients with higher‐grade proteinuria exhibited progressive chronic kidney disease. Patients with IT had complete remission with treatment of underlying haematological disease.

Conclusion

FGN is rare, with poor response to immunomodulatory therapy. It carries poor renal prognosis. Less proteinuria at diagnosis may predict a more benign disease course. IT is associated with haematological malignancy and carries better prognosis and response to treatment.
Synthesis of mesoporous silica using a mineral silica source
Authors: Tillman Langston , Voskanyan Albert , Navrotsky Alexandra
Published: October 2022

Mesoporous silica has been applied in catalysis, separations, and drug delivery. It has generally been made using organosilicon precursors such as tetraethyl orthosilicate. For sustainability, it is necessary to find readily accessible mineral sources for making mesoporous silica. In this work, we demonstrate the successful synthesis of mesoporous silica with 10 nm average pore size using the mineral forsterite (Mg2SiO4) as a silica source, providing a potentially cheaper and more Earth‐friendly route to making technologically important porous silica materials. Pure forsterite was synthesized by a solid‐state chemistry route at 1000°C and underwent dissolution–reprecipitation in aqueous hydrochloric acid containing the soft template surfactant, Pluronic P123. Variations of initial reaction pH (−0.2 to 0.6), reaction time (12–24 h), reaction temperature (50 to 90°C), and silica precursor (forsterite and fumed silica) were performed. The mesoporous silica aged at 70°C for 24 h had the highest porosity, with a surface area of 735 m2/g and a pore volume of 1.4 ml/g, comparable to mesoporous silica made using conventional starting materials. This novel geomimetic synthesis route supports the possibility of analogous formation of structured (mesoporous or zeolitic) silica in nature under abiotic or prebiotic conditions.
Testing the dopamine overdose hypothesis in action control: A study in people with Parkinson's disease
Authors: Ruitenberg Marit F. L. , Abrahamse Elger L. , Santens Patrick , Notebaert Wim
Published: October 2022

Prior work on patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) has shown that the administration of dopaminergic medication in the early to intermediate stages of PD benefits (motor) functions associated with the dopamine‐depleted dorsal striatal circuitry but may ‘overdose’ and interfere with (cognitive) functions associated with the relatively intact ventral striatal circuitry. The present study aimed to elucidate this so‐called dopamine overdose hypothesis for the action control domain. Using a within‐subject design in a sample of 13 people with PD, we evaluated the effect of dopaminergic medication on two cognitive processes underlying goal‐directed behaviour, namely action selection and initiation through event binding and conflict adaptation. We also investigated whether individual differences in the magnitude of medication effects were associated across these processes. Results showed no indications that dopaminergic medication affects action selection and initiation or conflict adaptation in PD patients. Additionally, we observed no correlations between both cognitive processes nor between individual differences in medication effects. Our findings do not support the notion that dopaminergic medication modulates action control processes, suggesting that the dopamine overdose hypothesis may only apply to a specific set of cognitive processes and should potentially be refined.
Negative Incentives and Regulatory Capture: Noncompliance with Price Ceilings on Essential Medicines in India
Authors: Benischke Mirko H. , Bhaskarabhatla Ajay
Published: October 2022

Nonmarket scholars have paid limited attention to noncompliance as an alternative strategy to capture regulators; yet noncompliance is particularly consequential given its potentially significant negative externalities. We exploit rich data on price ceilings introduced in India in 2013 on 255 essential medicines to test whether noncompliance by other firms drives the focal firm's noncompliance decision. Our results indicate that noncompliance by other firms, particularly those with larger products in the market, is positively associated with a focal firm's noncompliance. The focal firm's scope and sales positively moderate this relationship. Overall, our study indicates that firms are more likely conclude that the potential benefits of regulatory capture using negative incentives outweigh the potential financial and social costs in the presence of a greater number of firms that are already noncompliant. As such, our study draws attention to negative incentives as an important yet largely overlooked nonmarket strategy.
Severe maternal–fetal pathological damage and inflammatory responses contribute to miscarriage caused by hepatitis E viral infection during pregnancy
Authors: Xia Yueping , Yang Weimin , Li Yi , Qian Zhongyao , Chen Shuangfeng , Zhang Yike , Cong Chao , Li Tengyuan , Liu Huichan , Chen Dongxue , Zhao Wanqiu , Zhong Guo , Wei Daqiao , Yu Wenhai , Huang Fen
Published: October 2022

Background

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection causes serious adverse pregnancy outcomes during pregnancy. However, the maternal and fetal damage induced by HEV infection is rarely reported.

Methods

A BALB/c pregnant mouse model was established to explore the maternal and fetal pathological damage and inflammatory responses caused by HEV infection.

Results

Notably, miscarriages and stillbirths were observed in HEV‐infected pregnant mice. HEV infections were identified by qRT‐PCR, immunohistochemical analysis and immunofluorescence assay in the uterus, placenta, umbilical cords and livers and brains of fetuses. Serious inflammatory responses and pathological damage were triggered in the uterus and placenta of HEV‐infected pregnant mice. Vertical transmission of HEV resulted in severe pathological damage and inflammatory responses in the livers and brains of fetuses, as well as emerging apoptosis cells in the brains of fetuses. Most of the cytokines/chemokines in the sera were significantly increased in the HEV‐infected pregnant mice. Remarkably, cytokines/chemokines were significantly different between HEV‐infected pregnant and miscarriage mice; IL9, GM‐CSF and IL1α were the most important three cytokines/chemokines in determining the pregnancy outcomes.

Conclusion

HEV infections cause serious maternal/fetal pathological damage, inflammatory responses and apoptosis, which may be responsible for adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Anarchists and national identity: The case of German radicals in the United States and Brazil, 1880–1945
Authors: Goyens Tom
Published: October 2022

How German were German anarchists in the United States and Brazil? Did the experience of exile and immigration preserve or even heighten a national identity among radicals who openly espoused revolutionary internationalism? Anarchists distinguished between nation and nationality on the one hand, and the state and nationalism on the other. This article examines expressions of nationality by a handful of German anarchist editors and writers from the 1880s to the end of World War II. They wanted to be stateless, but not nationless. This article argues that German exile anarchists in the United States and Brazil expressed a militant, countercultural, antistatist and anticlerical nationality. They were ‘rooted cosmopolitans’: They identified with the international revolutionary tradition and at the same time remained attached to Germany's heritage of radical politics, arts and humanities. There was a remarkable consistency in their commentary levelled against Bismarck, the Kaiser, the Weimar government and the Nazis either in Germany or in the host country. Anarchists advocated for a borderless global federation of free communities and, to that end, rejected nationalism and urged people to stop ‘seeing like a state’ by exposing the false promises and crimes of statism.
October 2017 in Catalonia: The anarchists and the procés
Authors: Gutiérrez José A , Martí Font Jordi
Published: October 2022

The circumstances surrounding the call for a referendum on national independence in Catalonia in October 2017 led to high levels of collaboration between two, at first sight, unlikely partners: anarchists and Catalan independentists. Unlikely as this alliance may seem, it was well grounded on a number of factors: first of all, in the State response to the independentist challenge—the massive repression and the blockading of institutional channels to process nationalist demands pushed both movements closer in opposition to the central government; and secondly, in the prolonged interactions (in specific regions and industries) and engagement in joint solidarity activities between anarchists and segments of the Catalan left who had been influenced by the bottom‐up approach of the indignados movement. Finally, this collaboration was also rooted on a long history of mutual engagement between anarchism and sectors of Catalan nationalism that, while not unproblematic, provided deep roots to this dialogue.
The blue light receptor CRY1 interacts with FIP37 to promote N6‐methyladenosine RNA modification and photomorphogenesis in Arabidopsis
Authors: Yang Jiaxin , Li Lan , Li Xin , Zhong Ming , Li Xinmei , Qu Lina , Zhang Hui , Tang Dongying , Liu Xuanming , He Chongsheng , Zhao Xiaoying
Published: October 2022

Light is a particularly important environmental cue that regulates a variety of diverse plant developmental processes, such as photomorphogenesis. Blue light promotes photomorphogenesis mainly through the activation of the photoreceptor cryptochrome 1 (CRY1). However, the mechanism underlying the CRY1‐mediated regulation of growth is not fully understood.

Here, we found that blue light induced N6‐methyladenosine (m6A) RNA modification during photomorphogenesis partially via CRY1. Cryptochrome 1 mediates blue light‐induced expression of FKBP12‐interacting protein 37 (FIP37), which is a component of m6A writer. Moreover, we showed that CRY1 physically interacted with FIP37 in vitro and in vivo, and mediated blue light activation of FIP37 binding to RNA. Furthermore, CRY1 and FIP37 modulated m6A on photomorphogenesis‐related genes PIF3, PIF4, and PIF5, thereby accelerating the decay of their transcripts.

Genetically, FIP37 repressed hypocotyl elongation under blue light, and fip37 mutation could partially rescue the short‐hypocotyl phenotype of CRY1‐overexpressing plants.

Together, our results provide a new insight into CRY1 signal in modulating m6A methylation and stability of PIFs, and establish an essential molecular link between m6A modification and determination of photomorphogenesis in plants.
Clinical Effect of Minimally Invasive Microendoscopic‐Assisted Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion for Single‐Level Lumbar Disc Herniation
Authors: Chen Gang , Li Long Biao , Shangguan Zhitao , Wang Zhenyu , Liu Wenge , Li Jiandong
Published: October 2022

Objective

This retrospective study aimed to compare the clinical and radiological outcomes of transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) through the Wiltse approach (W‐TLIF) vs minimally invasive microendoscopy‐assisted transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (ME‐TLIF) in single‐segment lumbar disc herniation (LDH).

Methods

A retrospective study was conducted to study the differences in specific clinical outcomes between single‐segment LDH patients receiving W‐TLIF and ME‐TLIF. Single‐segment LDH patients admitted to the Fujian Medical University Union Hospital from March 2015 to June 2018 were included.

All the participants were divided into the ME‐TLIF group or the W‐TLIF group according to their TLIF surgery types. Demographic characteristics, the visual analog score (VAS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scale, blood loss volume, postoperative drainage, ambulated time, initial postoperative back pain, hospitalization duration, expenses, and improvement rates of patients in the two groups were collected for analysis. Radiographic fusion was ultimately assessed via the Bridwell interbody fusion grading system. All selected patients with TLIF were followed up for 1 year.

Results

Fifty‐seven patients were selected, with 26 in the ME‐TLIF group and 31 in the W‐TLIF group, both of whom were followed up for 1 year. The mean age of the included patients was 53.75 ± 9.313 years, and the sex ratio was indiscrimination. There was no significant difference in demographic data or operating time between the two groups prior to surgery. The blood loss volume (ME‐TLIF: 228.5 vs W‐TLIF: 681.3), postoperative drainage (ME‐TLIF:82.1 ± 23.5 vs W‐TLIF: 345.8 ± 65.2), initial postoperative back pain (ME‐TLIF: VAS_3 days: 1.96 ± 0.60 VAS_7 days: 1.73 ± 0.53, W‐TLIF: VAS_3 days: 2.48 ± 0.51 VAS_7 days: 1.87 ± 0.43), and hospitalization duration (ME‐TLIF: 9.04 vs. W‐TLIF: 11.29) were all significantly lower in the ME‐TILF group (p < 0.05). However, there were no statistical differences between the two groups in VAS, ODI, and JOA at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year postoperatively (p > 0.05). The fusion rates of the two groups showed no notable difference (p > 0.05), while the X‐ray exposure time in the ME‐TLIF group was significantly longer than in the W‐TLIF group (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

ME‐TLIF surgery was an effective and satisfactory surgical technique to manage LDH. Although ME‐TLIF increased the operation time and intraoperative fluoroscopic irradiation volume, it could effectively relieve low back pain from early postoperative onset and promote early postoperative recovery compared with W‐TLIF.
Tracing plant source water dynamics during drought by continuous transpiration measurements: An in‐situ stable isotope approach
Authors: Kübert Angelika , Dubbert Maren , Bamberger Ines , Kühnhammer Kathrin , Beyer Matthias , van Haren Joost , Bailey Kinzie , Hu Jia , Meredith Laura K. , Nemiah Ladd S. , Werner Christiane
Published: October 2022

The isotopic composition of xylem water (δX) is of considerable interest for plant source water studies. In‐situ monitored isotopic composition of transpired water (δT) could provide a nondestructive proxy for δX‐values. Using flow‐through leaf chambers, we monitored 2‐hourly δT‐dynamics in two tropical plant species, one canopy‐forming tree and one understory herbaceous species. In an enclosed rainforest (Biosphere 2), we observed δT‐dynamics in response to an experimental severe drought, followed by a 2H deep‐water pulse applied belowground before starting regular rain. We also sampled branches to obtain δX‐values from cryogenic vacuum extraction (CVE). Daily flux‐weighted δ18OT‐values were a good proxy for δ18OX‐values under well‐watered and drought conditions that matched the rainforest's water source. Transpiration‐derived δ18OX‐values were mostly lower than CVE‐derived values. Transpiration‐derived δ2HX‐values were relatively high compared to source water and consistently higher than CVE‐derived values during drought. Tracing the 2H deep‐water pulse in real‐time showed distinct water uptake and transport responses: a fast and strong contribution of deep water to canopy tree transpiration contrasting with a slow and limited contribution to understory species transpiration. Thus, the in‐situ transpiration method is a promising tool to capture rapid dynamics in plant water uptake and use by both woody and nonwoody species.
Defining social equity in emergency management: A critical first step in the nexus
Authors: Rivera Jason D. , Knox Claire Connolly
Published: October 2022

The conceptualization of social equity in public administration and emergency management has been subjective to the user of the term. While the vagueness of the concept provides fertile grounds for intellectual debate, the failure to arrive at a single and formal definition leads to confusion and an inability to measure it as a programmatic or policy goal. For emergency management, how scholars define social equity within research is profoundly important for assessing and making recommendations related to governmental practices that have social equity as its guiding principle. To address this detrimental definitional situation, this research analyzes 15 years of social equity related peer‐reviewed articles in highly ranked emergency management journals. This manuscript concludes with a proposed working definition of social equity, recommendations to measure the concept, and a discussion of its implications for future research and practice.
Mainstreaming displacement in development policies: An analysis of Solomon Islands and Vanuatu approaches
Authors: Endacott Joanna , Alam Shawkat
Published: October 2022

Pacific Small Island Developing States are uniquely vulnerable to climate disasters due to their geography and capacity to address disaster, displacement and development challenges. Climate disasters often trigger internal displacement. Long‐term recovery responses are ad hoc and unsustainable, often resulting in protracted displacement that undermines development progress. As displacement poses cross‐sectoral challenges, a development policy approach encourages integrated, durable solutions for internally displaced persons and host communities. This article advocates for mainstreaming displacement into development policy rather than treating it as a distinct policy issue. The article outlines the role of international law in guiding national displacement practices and analyse the policy experiences of Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands. Vanuatu has experienced widespread disaster displacement events, and the Solomon Islands have seen communities permanently relocate due to climate change. The article examines governance and institutional barriers inhibiting effective policy design and implementation. It concludes that mainstreaming displacement into development policies will promote integrated, inclusive and sustainable solutions for protracted displacement.
Subjective Inheritance Expectations and Economic Outcomes
Authors: Basiglio Stefania , Rossi Maria Cristina , van Soest Arthur
Published: October 2022

In this paper we investigate whether and to what extent inheritance expectations act as a driver of economic choices. We use survey data that are representative of the Dutch adult population with a specific module on subjective probabilities on receiving an inheritance and its amount in the next 10 years. We analyze whether the expected inheritance acts as a deterrent to saving. Results suggest that individuals perceive the expected inheritances as a potential increase of personal wealth, which leads to a reduction in savings. Expectations also appear to matter for the intentions to bequeath and for intended choices on work versus leisure in the future.
Beyond a centre‐periphery approach: Inter‐minority tensions and the development of contested categories of Kurdish mobilization in Iran
Authors: Khalili Mostafa
Published: October 2022

A significant feature of Kurdish history over the last several decades has been the proclivity of the Kurds for ethnic mobilization. The socio‐political incentives that lead to the mobilization of different Kurdish sub‐groups are usually complex and occasionally serve ambiguous political aspirations. To unpack such complexities, as the title of this paper suggests, it is useful to add an additional analytical lens to the common centre‐periphery approach (i.e. state nationalism vs. Kurdish resistance) by focusing on the mobilization incentives within the local context. To do so, the paper presents an ethnographic study of the social processes that shape the dynamics of Kurdish mobilization in the multi‐ethnic city of Urmia in northwestern Iran, where Kurmanji‐speaking Kurds live together with Azerbaijani Turks and in close proximity to Sorani‐speaking Iranian Kurds. The paper argues that the mobilization incentives for the Kurmanji‐speaking Kurds in the local context of Urmia often serve contradictory political ends, ranging from denial of the Kurdish nation at the inter‐ethnic layer to dividing it at the intra‐ethnic layer, and romanticizing it at the transnational layer. The broader contribution of this paper is to elucidate how these different and sometimes contradictory forms of ethnic mobilization are able to coexist, given that they are all characterized by the same emancipatory force – ‘a politico‐symbolic struggle over power and prestige’, in Bourdieu's terminology.
Phenotypic profiling of CD279 and CD185 level on helper T cells in patients with autoimmune hepatitis
Authors: Hou Yiwen , Liu Ying , Chen Chen , Li Zhurong , Li Zhencheng , Liu Yang , Hao Huiqin , Hou Tiezheng
Published: October 2022

The break of immune tolerance and transition from acute to chronic information in the liver lead to the development and persistence of autoimmune hepatitis. Elevated CD279 expression has been detected in type 1 autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) patients with anti‐nuclear and/or anti‐smooth muscle antibodies. This is correlated with increased CD185 positive CD4+ helper T cells which activate B cells producing autoantibodies. However, detailed CD279 profiles on T cell subsets were not clear. Here, we analysed PBMCs of 53 AIH patients and 18 healthy donors. Our work revealed that for their central and effector memory compartment of CD4 T cells was markedly increased. Furthermore, the percentage of CD279+CD185+ and CD279−CD185+ T follicular helper cells as well as CD279+CD185− but not CD279−CD185− populations are significantly enlarged in naïve, central and effector memory subsets. This study suggests that high levels of CD279 and CD185 expression are strongly associated with AIH and may inform disease progression and provide a potential novel therapeutic target.
The novel HLA‐C*01:02:89 allele, identified by Sanger dideoxy nucleotide sequencing in a Chinese individual
Authors: Wang Cai‐Li , Zheng Zhong‐Zheng , Du Ke‐Ming , An Lin , Zhang Jing‐Rong
Published: October 2022

HLA‐C*01:02:89 differs from HLA‐C*01:02:01:01 by one nucleotide in exon 2.
Two novel HLA class I alleles HLA‐A*03:409 and ‐B*49:72 and the extension of the ‐B*40:19 allele sequence
Authors: Bertinetto Francesca Eleonora , Fiore Roberto , Giordano Alberto , Ferrero Norma Maria , Amoroso Antonio
Published: October 2022

Two novel HLA class I alleles, HLA‐A*03:409 and ‐B*49:72 were characterized by next generation sequencing.
Effects of Hole Blockage on Endwall Film Cooling and Vane Phantom Cooling Performances of a Transonic Turbine Vane
Authors: Bai Bo , Li Zhigang , Zhang Kaiyuan , Li Jun , Mao Shuo , Ng Wing F.
Published: October 2022

Although the thermal-barrier coating (TBC) can protect the gas turbine components from the hot mainstream gas, it is not uncommon that the TBC partially blocks the film cooling holes during the spraying process. The film cooling hole blockage will alter the coolant flow behaviors and lead to a significant variation in film cooling performance. In this paper, a physical model of blockage holes including two key parameters of blockage ratios (B) and blockage angles (α), was proposed to analyze the effects of hole blockage on endwall film cooling performance, phantom cooling performance of vane pressure side surface (PS), and overall cooling performance. Based on a proposed double-coolant-temperature prediction method, the endwall film cooling effectiveness, phantom cooling effectiveness of the vane PS and area-averaged cooling effectiveness of an actual vane passage were numerically calculated and analyzed, for the common holes and blockage holes (three different blockage ratios of B and three different blockage angles of α) at the similarly realistic operating conditions of a gas turbine. Results indicated the hole blockage is pernicious to endwall film cooling performance, leading to a significant decrement of endwall film cooling effectiveness (up to 30% at B = 0.4), where the decrement magnitudes increase with increasing the blockage ratios (B). Compared to the blockage ratios (B), the effects of blockage angle (α) on endwall film cooling effectiveness are secondary and slight (less than 10% in η). Nonetheless, the hole blockage is beneficial to phantom cooling performance of the vane PS, leading to an obvious enhancement (more than 40%) in area-averaged phantom cooling effectiveness with increasing blockage ratios (B), due to the increase of the local blowing ratio (BReff). The area-averaged cooling effectiveness including endwall film cooling and phantom cooling on PS, decreases with the increase of blockage angle (α), and the benefits of hole blockage in overall cooling performance are negative at α = 20 deg. This suggests that the overlarge blockage ratios and short blockage lengths (correspond to the blockage position near film cooling holes exit or large blockage angle of α), should be utmost avoided during the spraying process of the TBC, otherwise, the film cooling scheme designs, based on the geometry of the pristine holes, may be inefficient.
Biaxial Tensile Prestress and Waveguide Effects on Estimates of the Complex Shear Modulus Using Optical-Based Dynamic Elastography in Plate-Like Soft Tissue Phantoms
Authors: Dore Marta , Luna Aime , Royston Thomas J.
Published: October 2022

Dynamic elastography attempts to reconstruct quantitative maps of the viscoelastic properties of biological tissue, properties altered by disease and injury, by noninvasively measuring mechanical wave motion in the tissue. Most reconstruction strategies that have been developed neglect boundary conditions, including quasi-static tensile or compressive loading resulting in a nonzero prestress. Significant prestress is inherent to the functional role of some biological tissues, such as skeletal and cardiac muscle, arterial walls, and the cornea. In the present article a novel configuration, inspired by corneal elastography but generalizable to other applications, is studied. A polymer phantom layer is statically elongated via an in-plane biaxial normal stress while the phantom's response to transverse vibratory excitation is measured. We examine the interplay between biaxial prestress and waveguide effects in this plate-like tissue phantom. Finite static deformations caused by prestressing coupled with waveguide effects lead to results that are predicted by a novel coordinate transformation approach previously used to simplify reconstruction of anisotropic properties. Here, the approach estimates material viscoelastic properties independent of the nonzero prestress conditions without requiring advanced knowledge of those stress conditions.
Molecular Mechanisms Underlying the Effect of Paeoniae Radix Rubra on Sepsis-Induced Coagulopathy: A Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking Approach
Authors: Gao Shan , Wang Dongsheng
Published: October 2022

To investigate the effective components and underlying mechanism of Paeoniae radix rubra (PRR) in treating sepsis-induced coagulopathy (SIC) on the basis of network pharmacology and molecular docking approaches. At present, no therapeutic agent has been approved for the treatment of SIC. Identifying drugs for SIC from Chinese medicine is an encouraging research direction. The predicted targets and effective components of PRR were identified by analysis of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP) database. Bio-informatics databases were employed to identify the disease targets of SIC. These key targets were then uploaded to the STRING database to generate protein–protein interaction networks. The ORG package in rv4.1.2 software was applied for functional and pathway enrichment analyses of the key targets. Finally, discovery studio software was used to perform docking analyses of key targets and effective components. Nine chemically active components and 84 common targets associated with drugs and SIC were identified. Protein–protein interaction (PPI) network analysis identified several key targets. Further analysis identified enrichment in several signaling pathways; these changes could exert influence on a number of biological processes, including responses to xenobiotic stimuli, oxidative stress, molecules of bacterial origin, thus playing an anti-SIC pharmacological role. According to molecular docking results, these key targets had strong binding affinity to the active components. PRR can contribute to SIC by medicating core target genes (e.g., CASP3, PTGS2, TP53, AKT1, MMP9, TNF, JUN, IL6, and CXCL8), and regulating multiple key pathways (e.g., the lipid and atherosclerosis pathway).
Adaptive Learning and Optimization of High-Speed Sailing Maneuvers for America's Cup
Authors: Rodriguez Renato , Wang Yan , Ozanne Joseph , Morrow Jay , Sumer Dogan , Filev Dimitar , Soudbakhsh Damoon
Published: October 2022

This paper presents an adaptive control strategy to optimize the sailing maneuvers of an AC75 foiling sailboat competing in America's Cup. Foiling yachts have nonlinear, high-dimensional, and unstable dynamics due to several articulations for fast motions and maneuverability. Achieving aggressive and optimal maneuvers requires taking these complex dynamics into account instead of analytical optimizations using reduced-order models. We compared extremum-seeking and Jacobian learning (JL) control approaches on a full-order model to achieve optimal maneuvers and used JL to optimize articulations. The controllers were integrated with a high-fidelity sailboat simulator for safe and efficient maneuver optimization. The optimal solutions were subject to physical/actuator constraints and those enforced to ensure the feasibility of the maneuvers by humans (sailors). The close-hauled and tacking maneuvers were optimized to achieve maximum velocity made good (VMG) and minimum loss of VMG, respectively. The optimal maneuvers boast a marginal VMG loss of less than 1.5%, which enables exploiting areas of good wind conditions in the racing environment.
Effective Constitutive Relations for Sintered Nano Copper Joints
Authors: Thekkut Sanoop , Sivasubramony Rajesh Sharma , Raj Arun , Kawana Yuki , Assiedu Jones , Mirpuri Kabir , Shahane Ninad , Thompson Patrick , Borgesen Peter
Published: October 2022

Sintered copper nanoparticles are being considered as alternatives to solder and/or sintered silver in different applications. Like for the alternatives, the interpretation of accelerated fatigue test results does however require modeling, typically involving prediction of stresses and strains versus time and temperature based on constitutive relations. This poses a challenge as the inelastic deformation properties depend strongly on both the initial particles and details of the processing, i.e., unlike for solder general constitutive relations are not possible. This work provides a mechanistic description of the early transient creep of relevance in cycling, including effects of sintering parameters and subsequent oxidation. Inelastic deformation is dominated by diffusion, rather than dislocation motion. Generalized constitutive relations are provided to the extent that quantitative modeling of a specific structure only requires the measurement of a single creep curve for that.
A New Molecular Insight in Effects of Alcohol Co-Solvents on Miscibility of Anhydrous Ethanol/Diesel Blends
Authors: Li Xueying , Hou Lei , Chai Chong , He Sichen , Huang Yanan
Published: October 2022

Sustainable policy leads to partially replace fossil diesel by bio-fuels and ethanol/diesel blends. The major challenge is how to enhance miscibility of ethanol with diesel. Molecular dynamics simulation was applied to study the effects of alcohol co-solvents on miscibility of ethanol with diesel. The 1-heptanol, 1-decanol, n-butanol, and butanol isomers were selected as co-solvents. The diesel model was constructed to quantitatively characterize miscibility and obtain interaction of ethanol and diesel. The solubility parameters, structural feature, and energy properties were analyzed. The results showed that long-chain alcohol co-solvents contributed to miscibility of blends. The aromatics had more effects on miscibility than linear alkanes and cycloalkanes. Radial distribution function results showed that straight-chain alcohols or high linearity co-solvents promoted miscibility of ethanol than branched alcohols. The energy analysis revealed that the hydrogen bonding and van der Waals interaction were the main driving forces to improve miscibility, while polarization interaction had no major contribution. The hydrogen bonding dominated for short-chain alcohols, while van der Waals interaction was vital for long-chain alcohols. The coordination of hydrogen bonding and van der Waals energy in dynamic equilibrium led to the optimal miscibility.
Modeling and Simulation of the Cavitation Phenomenon in a Turbopump: A Multiphase Approach
Authors: Cazé Joris , Petitpas Fabien , Daniel Eric , Le Martelot Sébastien , Queguineur Matthieu
Published: October 2022

In this study, cryogenic flows in rocket engine that may undergo a phase change because of a loss of pressure in pump, or any depressurization process are considered. We proposed a well-posed mathematical representation for this kind of flow as well as the numerical model for seeking the solutions. The two important points addressed in this study are: the compressibility of the phases and the use of a rotating reference frame. The compressibility effects are quite essentials to obtain a physical and realistic cavitation model through the equation of state of the fluids (liquid and vapor), while the moving reference frame being the way we chose to model the pump motion.

The model we develop is based on conservation equations of mass, momentum and energy for each phase plus a non-conservative equation evolution for the volume fraction. The description of the flow is based on the diffuse interface method: the interfaces appear naturally in the flow (interfaces between vapor and liquid for example) and do not require any interface tracking method. The phase change process is based on a stiff relaxation procedure using thermodynamic equilibrium considerations.

Results related to a pump application are then presented using the open-source platform ECOGEN where the present numerical method is implemented. The model is able to produce a quite realistic pump characteristic curve where the relationship between the pump overpressure and its operating mass flow rate is expressed. In these first calculations it will be shown that cavitation may occur in some regions of the flow and that the multiphase approach is suited for this study.