bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Looking beyond the audiogram in ototoxicity associated with platinum-based chemotherapy
Authors: Baguley David M. , Prayuenyong Pattarawadee
Published: December 2019

Introduction

Ototoxicity associated with platinum-based chemotherapy is highly prevalent and can cause detrimental consequences among cancer survivors.

Discussion

In this article, we highlight important aspects of the evaluation of ototoxicity with the aim to increase awareness of Oncologists in this regard. Standard pure tone audiometry alone is inadequate for this context. Comprehensive and consistent hearing tests should be implemented in a monitoring and surveillance program. High-frequency audiometry (10–16 kHz) is a sensitive tool in the detection of ototoxic hearing loss at onset. In addition to threshold audiometry, measures of speech comprehension (both in quiet and in noise) can add useful information in the evaluation of hearing in real-life situations. Not only hearing loss, but also tinnitus and imbalance are common in patients who receive platinum-based chemotherapy, and can cause debilitating effects upon quality of life in this population. Moreover, self-report measures associated with cochlear and vestibular handicaps can provide valuable information regarding the impact of ototoxicity.

Conclusions

It is vital to build awareness about the variety and impact of the symptoms of ototoxicity. Comprehensive evaluation of hearing status along with self-reported impact of the cochlear and vestibular handicap should be implemented in a monitoring and surveillance program for appropriate investigation and management.
Resting-state network topology and planning ability in healthy adults
Authors: Vriend Chris , Wagenmakers Margot J. , van den Heuvel Odile A. , van der Werf Ysbrand D.
Published: December 2019

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have been used extensively to investigate the brain areas that are recruited during the Tower of London (ToL) task. Nevertheless, little research has been devoted to study the neural correlates of the ToL task using a network approach. Here we investigated the association between functional connectivity and network topology during resting-state fMRI and ToL task performance, that was performed outside the scanner. Sixty-two (62) healthy subjects (21–74 years) underwent eyes-closed rsfMRI and performed the task on a laptop. We studied global (whole-brain) and within subnetwork resting-state topology as well as functional connectivity between subnetworks, with a focus on the default-mode, fronto-parietal and dorsal and ventral attention networks. Efficiency and clustering coefficient were calculated to measure network integration and segregation, respectively, at both the global and subnetwork level. Our main finding was that higher global efficiency was associated with slower performance (β = 0.22,Pbca = 0.04) and this association seemed mainly driven by inter-individual differences in default-mode network connectivity. The reported results were independent of age, sex, education-level and motion. Although this finding is contrary to earlier findings on general cognition, we tentatively hypothesize that the reported association may indicate that individuals with a more integrated brain during the resting-state are less able to further increase network efficiency when transitioning from a rest to task state, leading to slower responses. This study also adds to a growing body of literature supporting a central role for the default-mode network in individual differences in cognitive performance.
The geodesics in Liouville quantum gravity are not Schramm–Loewner evolutions
Authors: Miller Jason , Qian Wei
Published: December 2019

We prove that the geodesics associated with any metric generated from Liouville quantum gravity (LQG) which satisfies certain natural hypotheses are necessarily singular with respect to the law of any type of $$\mathrm{SLE}_\kappa $$

SLE
κ

. These hypotheses are satisfied by the LQG metric for $$\gamma =\sqrt{8/3}$$

γ
=

8
/
3

constructed by the first author and Sheffield, and subsequent work by Gwynne and the first author has shown that there is a unique metric which satisfies these hypotheses for each $$\gamma \in (0,2)$$

γ
∈
(
0
,
2
)

. As a consequence of our analysis, we also establish certain regularity properties of LQG geodesics which imply, among other things, that they are conformally removable.
Current knowledge on non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug-induced small-bowel damage: a comprehensive review
Authors: Watanabe Toshio , Fujiwara Yasuhiro , Chan Francis K. L.
Published: December 2019

Recent advances in small-bowel endoscopy such as capsule endoscopy have shown that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) frequently damage the small intestine, with the prevalence rate of mucosal breaks of around 50% in chronic users. A significant proportion of patients with NSAIDs-induced enteropathy are asymptomatic, but some patients develop symptomatic or complicated ulcers that need therapeutic intervention. Both inhibition of prostaglandins due to the inhibition of cyclooxygenases and mitochondrial dysfunction secondary to the topical effect of NSAIDs play a crucial role in the early process of injury. As a result, the intestinal barrier function is impaired, which allows enterobacteria to invade the mucosa. Gram-negative bacteria and endogenous molecules coordinate to trigger inflammatory cascades via Toll-like receptor 4 to induce excessive expression of cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-α and to activate NLRP3 inflammasome, a multiprotein complex that processes pro-interleukin-1β into its mature form. Finally, neutrophils accumulate in the mucosa, resulting in intestinal ulceration. Currently, misoprostol is the only drug that has a proven beneficial effect on bleeding small intestinal ulcers induced by NSAIDs or low-dose aspirin, but its protection is insufficient. Therefore, the efficacy of the combination of misoprostol with other drugs, especially those targeting the innate immune system, should be assessed in the next step.
Path complexity and bicyclist route choice set quality assessment
Authors: Koch Thomas , Knapen Luk , Dugundji Elenna
Published: December 2019

Everyday route choices made by bicyclists are known to be more difficult to explain than vehicle routes, yet prediction of these choices is essential for guiding infrastructural investment in safe cycling. Building route choice sets is a difficult task. Even including detailed attributes such as the number of left turns, the number of speed bumps, distance and other route choice properties we still see that choice set quality measures suggest poor replication of observed paths. In this paper we study how the concept of route complexity can help generate and analyze plausible choice sets in the demand modeling process. The complexity of a given path in a graph is the minimum number of shortest paths that is required to specify that path. Complexity is a path attribute which could potentially be considered to be important for route choice in a similar way. The complexity was determined for a large set of observed routes and for routes in the generated choice sets for the corresponding origin-destination pairs. The respective distributions are shown to be significantly different so that the choice sets do not reflect the traveler preferences, this is in line with classical choice set quality indicators. Secondly, we investigate often used choice set quality methods and formulate measures that are less sensitive to small differences between routes that can be argued to be insignificant or irrelevant. Such difference may be partially due to inaccuracy in map-matching observations to dense urban road networks.
Anxiety risk SNPs on chromosome 2 modulate arousal in children in a fear generalization paradigm
Authors: Reinhard Julia , Drepper Carsten , Weber Heike , Schiele Miriam A. , Kneer Katharina , Mittermeier Anna , Frey Lillien , Reif Andreas , Pauli Paul , Domschke Katharina , Deckert Jürgen , Romanos Marcel
Published: December 2019

Alterations in fear learning/generalization are considered to be relevant mechanisms engendering the development of anxiety disorders being the most prevalent mental disorders. Although anxiety disorders almost exclusively have their first onset in childhood and adolescence, etiological research focuses on adult individuals. In this study, we evaluated findings of a recent meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies in adult anxiety disorders with significant associations of four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a large cohort of 347 healthy children (8–12 years) characterized for dimensional anxiety. We investigated the modulation of anxiety parameters by these SNPs in a discriminative fear conditioning and generalization paradigm in the to-date largest sample of children. Results extended findings of the meta-analysis showing a genomic locus on 2p21 to modulate anxious personality traits and arousal ratings. These SNPs might, thus, serve as susceptibility markers for a shared risk across pathological anxiety, presumably mediated by alterations in arousal.
Halfspaces minimise nonlocal perimeter: a proof via calibrations
Authors: Pagliari Valerio
Published: December 2019

We consider a nonlocal functional$$J_K$$JKthat may be regarded as a nonlocal version of the total variation. More precisely, for any measurable function$$u:\mathbb {R}^d\rightarrow \mathbb {R}$$u:Rd→R, we define$$J_K(u)$$JK(u)as the integral of weighted differences ofu. The weight is encoded by a positive kernelK, possibly singular in the origin. We study the minimisation of this energy under prescribed boundary conditions, and we introduce a notion of calibration suited for this nonlocal problem. Our first result shows that the existence of a calibration is a sufficient condition for a function to be a minimiser. As an application of this criterion, we prove that halfspaces are the unique minimisers of$$J_K$$JKin a ball, provided they are admissible competitors. Finally, we outline how to exploit the optimality of hyperplanes to recover a$$\varGamma $$Γ-convergence result concerning the scaling limit of$$J_K$$JK.
Personal programming and the object computer
Authors: Reenskaug Trygve M. H.
Published: December 2019

My objective is to create an intuitive computer for laypeople who want to go beyond ready-made apps and create programs to control their electronic environment. I submit Loke, a new kind of computer that is a universe of objects and nothing but objects. I call it an object computer. Loke is implemented in Squeak, a variant of Smalltalk, and is an extensible, conceptual model for execution, inspection, and exploration. It was first used to demonstrate how Ellen, a novice, programs a smart alarm clock through a GUI adapted to her competence, needs, and preferences. Informal demonstrations indicated that laypeople immediately grasp the idea of communicating objects that represent real things in their environment. They also wanted to use it for their own purposes. They were creative in identifying personal opportunities for Loke and in sketching out their implementations. Interestingly, expert programmers who attended the demonstration did not see the point of Loke. I have completed the programming of Loke qua conceptual model. The model underpins its potential security and privacy and sustains its object and message models. The Loke qua programming environment is still in its infancy, and its inherent security and privacy properties are still not realized in practice. A future Loke device will be accessible from anywhere and embedded in its own hardware to achieve them. The Loke IDE rests on Data–Context–Interaction (DCI), a new programming paradigm that leads to readable code with a clear architecture. I submit Loke for the pleasure of personal programming.
Exploring reach and experiences of participation in health-promoting senior meetings in a municipality context
Authors: Norberg Eva-Britt , Biberg Elisabeth , Zingmark Magnus
Published: December 2019

Aim

To explore reach and experiences of participants during implementation of health-promoting meetings of seniors in a Swedish municipality context.

Subjects and methods

A mixed-methods approach was used, including older people who were recruited consecutively and invited to participate as they applied for health care and/or home help services in the municipality. Inclusion criterion was allocation of “early” home-care services, e.g., meals on wheels, safety alarms. Health-care services were limited to persons applying for an outside walker. The intervention was multi-professional, e.g., occupational therapy and physiotherapy. Each session included a mix of short lectures and group discussions about, for example, the importance of engagement in meaningful activity, social contacts, and physical activity. Recruitment procedures were modified during the trial in order to enhance reach. The data collection included information on the flow of participants during recruitment and participation in the intervention, field notes covering the experience of implementing the intervention, a survey covering adherence to recruitment procedures, and qualitative interviews exploring the experience of participants.

Results

Senior meetings were experienced as positive and strengthened the participants in dealing with health-related concerns. The identification of potential participants and recruitment were challenging, but as recruitment procedures were modified, a higher proportion of potential participants were reached. In all, there were 29 participants over the study period.

Conclusion

For health-promoting meetings to enable community-dwelling older people to fulfill their potential by positively affecting health outcomes, recruitment procedures for optimizing reach is a critical feature.
Establishing a Developmentally Appropriate fMRI Paradigm Relevant to Presurgical Mapping of Memory in Children
Authors: Wood Amanda G. , Foley Elaine , Virk Parnpreet , Ruddock Helen , Joshee Paras , Murphy Kelly , Seri Stefano
Published: December 2019

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is an established eloquent cortex mapping technique that is now an integral part of the pre-operative work-up in candidates for epilepsy surgery. Emerging evidence in adults with epilepsy suggests that material-specific fMRI paradigms can predict postoperative memory outcomes, however these paradigms are not suitable for children. In pediatric age, the use of memory fMRI paradigms designed for adults is complicated by the effect of developmental stages in cognitive maturation, the impairment experienced by some people with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and the normal representation of memory function during development, which may differ from adults. We present a memory fMRI paradigm designed to activate mesial temporal lobe structures that is brief, independent of reading ability, and therefore a novel candidate for use in children. Data from 33 adults and 19 children (all healthy controls) show that the paradigm captures the expected leftward asymmetry of mesial temporal activation in adults. A more symmetrical pattern was observed in children, consistent with the progressive emergence of hemispheric specialisation across childhood. These data have important implications for the interpretation of presurgical memory fMRI in the pediatric setting. They also highlight the need to carefully consider the impact of cognitive development on fMRI tools used in clinical practice.
Bridging different perspectives for biocultural conservation: art-based participatory research on native maize conservation in two indigenous farming communities in Oaxaca, Mexico
Authors: Rivera López Flor , Wickson Fern , Helen Hausner Vera
Published: December 2019

Native maize conservation rests on the custody of traditional and indigenous small-scale farmers, but their traditional practices and way of life are challenged by multiple forces associated with globalization, international trade and neoliberal agricultural policies. Through participatory art-based research with two indigenous communities in Oaxaca, Mexico, we identified the main challenges and strategies for native maize conservation, as perceived by these farming communities. We implemented a stepwise method to elicit local strategies for biocultural conservation pertinent across gender and generations. We conclude that understanding the heterogeneity of perspectives is important for identifying root causes of agrobiodiversity decline and strategies for biocultural native maize conservation.
Effects of hypolimnetic aeration on the quantity and quality of settling material in a eutrophied dimictic lake
Authors: Niemistö Juha , Silvonen Soila , Horppila Jukka
Published: December 2019

Effects of hypolimnetic aeration (pumping of epilimnetic water into the hypolimnion) on the quantity of settling material in eutrophied Lake Vesijärvi, Finland were studied by comparing spatially comprehensive gross sedimentation rates as dry and organic matter prior to aeration activity and during two aerated years. Possible changes in the organic matter (as loss on ignition, LOI), carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) contents and changes in the C/N ratio of the settling material and surface sediment were quantified. Thermal stratification broke up earlier due to aeration and was followed by sedimentation peaks. The absolute amount of dry and organic matter as well as C and N settling to the lake bottom were significantly higher in the aerated years. Increased sedimentation rates were especially pronounced in the deep zones indicating enhanced sediment focusing. Increased sedimentation of C and N reflected higher primary production during the aerated years, which most likely was associated with increased temperature and turbulence and the subsequent regeneration and recycling of nutrients in the water body. Aeration seemed to slightly enhance degradation, but contrary to its ultimate aim, it failed to decrease the phosphorus content of the water column and deposits of organic material in the deep zones of the lake.
Increasing Extrinsic Motivation Improves Time-Based Prospective Memory in Adults with Autism: Relations with Executive Functioning and Mentalizing
Authors: Landsiedel Julia , Williams David M.
Published: December 2019

Time-based prospective memory (PM) is diminished under various task demands in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, it is still unclear what underpins their impairment or how it could be remediated. This study explored whether instructions to prioritise one element of a PM task over another improved performance in adults with ASD (compared to a group of matched neurotypical adults), and how that is related to cognitive abilities. Results indicated that importance instructions significantly improved the PM performance of participants with ASD. Moreover, the extent of the benefit was associated significantly with objectively-measured executive set-shifting ability and self-reported inhibitory control ability (the poorer the set-shifting/inhibitory control, thegreaterthe benefit). Implications for future research and clinical practice are discussed.
Load Balancing in the Presence of Services in Named-Data Networking
Authors: Mansour Dima , Osman Haidar , Tschudin Christian
Published: December 2019

Load balancing is a mechanism to distribute client requests among several service instances. It enables resource utilization, lowers response time, and increases user satisfaction. In Named-Data Networking (NDN) and NDN-like architectures, load balancing becomes crucial when dynamic services are present, where relying solely on forwarding strategies can overload certain service instances while others are underutilized especially with the limited benefit of on-path caching when it comes to services. To understand the challenges and opportunities of load balancing in NDN, we analyze conventional load balancing in IP networks, and three closely related fields in NDN: congestion control, forwarding strategies, and data center management. We identify three possible scenarios for load balancing in NDN: facade load balancer, controller for Interest queues, and router-based load balancing. These different solutions use different metrics to identify the load on replicas, have different compliance levels with NDN, and place the load balancing functionality in different network components. From our findings, we propose and implement a new lightweight router-based load balancing approach called the communicating vessels and experimentally show how it reduces service response time and senses server capabilities without probing.
Simulation of pool boiling of nanofluids by using Eulerian multiphase model
Authors: Kamel Mohammed Saad , Al-agha Mohamed Sobhi , Lezsovits Ferenc , Mahian Omid
Published: December 2019

In the present work, a new simulation of nanofluid/vapor two-phase flow inside the 2-D rectangular boiling chamber was numerically investigated. The Eulerian–Eulerian approach used to predict the boiling curve and the interaction between two phases. The surface modification during pool boiling of silica nanofluid represented by surface roughness and wettability is put into the account in this simulation. New closure correlations regarding the nucleation sites density and bubble departure diameter during boiling of silica nanofluid were inserted to extend the boiling model in this work. Besides, the bubble waiting time coefficient which involved in quenching heat flux under heat flux partitioning HFP model was corrected to improve the results of this study. The numerical results validated with experimental works in the literature, and they revealed good agreements for both pure water and nanofluids. The results found that when improving the heat flux partitioning model HFP by considering the surface modification of nucleate pool boiling parameters, it will give more mechanistic sights compared to the classical model, which is used for predicting of boiling heat transfer of pure liquid.
Social Ills in Rich Countries: New Evidence on Levels, Causes, and Mediators
Authors: Delhey Jan , Steckermeier Leonie C.
Published: December 2019

The income inequality hypothesis claims that in rich societies inequality causes a range of health and social problems (henceforth: social ills), e.g. because economic inequality induces feelings of status anxiety and corrodes social cohesion. This paper provides an encompassing test of the income inequality hypothesis by exploring levels and breeding conditions of social ills in 40 affluent countries worldwide, as well as pathways for a subsample of wealthy European countries. Our aggregate-level research is based on a revised and updated Index of Social Ills inspired by Wilkinson and Pickett’s book The Spirit Level, which we compile for both more countries (40) and more years (2000–2015) and combine with survey information about experienced quality-of-life as potential mediators. We get three major results: First, cross-sectionally income inequality is indeed strongly and consistently related to social ills, but so is economic prosperity. Second, while longitudinally changes in inequality do not result in changing levels of social ills, rising prosperity effectively reduces the amount of social ills, at least in Europe. Finally, whereas the cross-sectional analysis indicates that aspects of social cohesion most consistently mediate between economic conditions and social ills, the longitudinal mediation analyses could not ultimately clarify through which pathway rising prosperity reduces social ills. Overall we conclude that the income inequality hypothesis is, at best, too narrow to fully understand health and social problems in rich countries.
Scheelite weathering and tungsten (W) mobility in historical oxidic-sulfidic skarn tailings at Yxsjöberg, Sweden
Authors: Hällström Lina P.B. , Alakangas Lena , Martinsson Olof
Published: December 2019

More knowledge of the geochemical behavior of tungsten (W) and associated contamination risks is needed. Therefore, weathering of scheelite (CaWO4) and secondary sequestration and transport of W to groundwater in historical skarn tailings and surface water downstream of the tailings were studied. The tailings contained 920 mg/kg W, primarily in scheelite. Mineralogical and geochemical analyses were combined to elucidate the geochemical behavior of W in the tailings, and water samples were taken monthly during 2018 to monitor its mobility. In the tailings, a large peak of W was found at 1.5 m depth. There, 30 wt%. of W was present in easily reducible phases, indicating former scheelite weathering. Currently, W is being released from scheelite to water-soluble phases at 2.5 m depth. The release of WO42− is hypothetically attributed to anion exchange with CO32− released from calcite neutralizing acid produced from pyrrhotite oxidation in the upper tailings and transported downwards to pH conditions > 7. Higher concentrations of dissolved W were found in the groundwater and particulate W in downstream surface water than in reference water, but they were lower than current contamination thresholds. Tungsten showed correlations with hydrous ferric oxides (HFO) in both the tailings and surface water.
Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) shows significant reduction of thigh muscle stiffness in healthy older adults
Authors: Kennedy Paul , Barnhill Eric , Gray Calum , Brown Colin , van Beek Edwin J.R. , Roberts Neil , Greig Carolyn Anne
Published: December 2019

Determining the effect of ageing on thigh muscle stiffness using magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) and investigate whether fat fraction and muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) are related to stiffness. Six healthy older adults in their eighth and ninth decade and eight healthy young men were recruited and underwent a 3 T MRI protocol including MRE and Dixon fat fraction imaging. Muscle stiffness, fat fraction and muscle CSA were calculated in ROIs corresponding to the four quadriceps muscles (i.e. vastus lateralis (VL), vastus medialis (VM), vastus intermedius (VI), rectus femoris (RF)), combined quadriceps, combined hamstrings and adductors and whole thigh. Muscle stiffness was significantly reduced (p < 0.05) in the older group in all measured ROIs except the VI (p = 0.573) and RF (p = 0.081). Similarly, mean fat fraction was significantly increased (p < 0.05) in the older group over all ROIs with the exception of the VI (p = 0.059) and VL muscle groups (p = 0.142). Muscle CSA was significantly reduced in older participants in the VM (p = 0.003) and the combined quadriceps (p = 0.001), hamstrings and adductors (p = 0.008) and whole thigh (p = 0.003). Over the whole thigh, stiffness was significantly negatively correlated with fat fraction (r = − 0.560, p = 0.037) and positively correlated with CSA (r = 0.749, p = 0.002). Stepwise regression analysis revealed that age was the most significant predictor of muscle stiffness (p = 0.001). These results suggest that muscle stiffness is significantly decreased in healthy older adults. Muscle fat fraction and muscle CSA are also significantly changed in older adults; however, age is the most significant predictor of muscle stiffness.
Medical oncology management of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma 2019: a reality check
Authors: Lee Amy , Lee Fa-Chyi
Published: December 2019

In terms of global cancer-related deaths, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has the fourth highest mortality rate. Up until 2017, treatment of advanced HCC was largely limited to sorafenib, an oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor, with little to no success in the development of alternative treatment options. However, in the past two years, there has been an unprecedented increase in both the number and type of treatment options available for HCC. As of 2019, the US FDA has approved four oral tyrosine kinase inhibitors, two immune checkpoint inhibitors, and one anti-angiogenesis antibody for the treatment of HCC. Even with this new variety, systemic treatment of advanced HCC remains largely unsatisfactory, and the median survival rate stands at approximately one year. The expected breakthrough of using immune checkpoint inhibitors in advanced HCC did not materialize in 2019. The use of immune checkpoint inhibitors in conjunction with oral tyrosine kinase inhibitors or anti-angiogenesis medications is the current clinical research trend, the results of which are eagerly anticipated. Despite limited progress in survival, HCC research is currently experiencing a period of growth and innovation, and there is hope for significant advances in the treatment of advanced HCC as the field continues to develop.
Is Revisional Gastric Bypass as Effective as Primary Gastric Bypass for Weight Loss and Improvement of Comorbidities?
Authors: Abdulrazzaq Sama , Elhag Wahiba , El Ansari Walid , Mohammad Amjad Salah , Sargsyan Davit , Bashah Moataz
Published: December 2019

Background

Revisional gastric bypass (R-RYGB) surgery is utilized for the management of inadequate weight loss or weight regain observed after some cases of bariatric surgeries. Data on the mid-term effectiveness of primary gastric bypass (P-RYGB) compared with R-RYGB (e.g., post sleeve gastrectomy/gastric banding) are controversial.

Methods

Retrospective chart review of all patients who received P-RYGB and R-RYGB (January 2011–June 2015) at our center. One hundred twenty patients who underwent P-RYGB and 34 R-RYGB who completed 18 months follow-up were included. We compared the effectiveness of P-RYGB with R-RYGB by assessing four anthropometric, two glycemic, and four lipid parameters, as well as the control of type 2 diabetes (T2DM), hypertension, dyslipidemia (remission, improvement, persistence, relapse, de novo), mortality and complications rates.

Results

A comparison of the effectiveness of P-RYGB with R-RYGB at 18 months revealed no significant differences in patients’ age, gender, and preoperative BMI between groups. However, patients who received P-RYGB had lower mean weight (P= 0.001) and BMI (P< 0.001), reflected by a higher mean delta BMI (P= 0.02), total weight loss percentage (TWL%) (P< 0.0001) and excess weight loss percentage (EWL%) (P< 0.0001). No differences in glycemic parameters, lipid profiles, control of T2DM, hypertension, and dyslipidemia were observed. No death is reported and complication rates were comparable.

Conclusions

Although R-RYGB effectively addressed inadequate weight loss, weight regain, and recurrence of comorbidities after restrictive bariatric surgery, R-RYGB resulted in inferior weight loss compared with P-RYGB. Neither procedure differed in their clinical control of T2DM, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. Both procedures exhibited comparable complication rates.
Preschoolers’ different ways of structuring part-part-whole relations with finger patterns when solving an arithmetic task
Authors: Kullberg Angelika , Björklund Camilla
Published: December 2019

In this paper we report on findings from a study of 5-to-6-year-old children’s ways of structuring part-part-whole relations using finger patterns. We focused our analysis on data from interviews with 28 children who during their last year of preschool learned to enact a structural approach. We used this data set to analyze their different ways of structuring a task with one part unknown, and what constitutes the ability to structure the task in a conceptually powerful way. The way children structure number relations was interpreted as being related to how they experience the task at hand. We identified some ways of structuring as being more powerful for future learning, particularly those that facilitate the child in experiencing parts and the whole simultaneously. We suggest that there are three aspects that children need to discern in order to structure the task successfully in both the short and the long term: what constitutes the whole, the parts within the whole, and finger patterns as a representation of the cardinality of a set. The pedagogical implications are that attention to children’s ways of experiencing the number relations in arithmetic tasks gives clues to why some children develop powerful strategies, and how to support children in their learning to solve arithmetic tasks.
Chris Cannings: A Life in Games
Authors: Bishop D. Timothy , Broom Mark , Southwell Richard
Published: December 2019

Chris Cannings was one of the pioneers of evolutionary game theory. His early work was inspired by the formulations of John Maynard Smith, Geoff Parker and Geoff Price; Chris recognized the need for a strong mathematical foundation both to validate stated results and to give a basis for extensions of the models. He was responsible for fundamental results on matrix games, as well as much of the theory of the important war of attrition game, patterns of evolutionarily stable strategies, multiplayer games and games on networks. In this paper we describe his work, key insights and their influence on research by others in this increasingly important field. Chris made substantial contributions to other areas such as population genetics and segregation analysis, but it was to games that he always returned. This review is written by three of his students from different stages of his career.
Delay Performance of a Two-User Broadcast Channel with Security Constraints
Authors: Arvanitaki Antonia , Pappas Nikolaos , Mohapatra Parthajit , Carlsson Niklas
Published: December 2019

In this paper, we consider the two-user broadcast channel with security constraints. We assume that a source broadcasts packets to two receivers, and that one of them has secrecy constraints, i.e., its packets need to be kept secret from the other receiver. The receiver with secrecy constraint has full-duplex capability, allowing it to transmit a jamming signal to increase its secrecy. We derive the average delay per packet and provide simulations and numerical results, where we compare different performance metrics for the cases when both receivers treat interference as noise, when the legitimate receiver performs successive decoding, and when the eavesdropper performs successive decoding. The results show that successive decoding provides better average packet delay for the legitimate user. Furthermore, we define a new metric that characterizes the reduction on the success probability for the legitimate user that is caused by the secrecy constraint. The results show that secrecy poses a significant amount of packet delay for the legitimate receiver when either receiver performs successive decoding. We also formulate an optimization problem, wherein the throughput of the eavesdropper is maximized under delay and secrecy rate constraints at the legitimate receiver. We provide numerical results for the optimization problem, where we show the trade-off between the transmission power for the jamming and the throughput of the non-legitimate receiver. The results provide insights into how channel ordering and encoding differences can be exploited to improve performance under different interference conditions.
A systematic review and meta‐analysis of the association of neighborhood ethnic‐racial concentrations and adolescent behaviour problems in the U.S.
Authors: White Rebecca M.B. , Pasco Michelle C. , Korous Kevin M. , Causadias José M.
Published: December 2019

Introduction

Evidence suggesting a link between neighborhood ethnic‐racial concentrations and adolescent behaviour problems in the U.S. is mixed, with some studies documenting negative and others positive associations. This work raises important questions about promotingandinhibiting effects of neighborhood environments characterized by high concentrations of ethnic‐racial minority groups, including Asian Americans, Blacks or African Americans, and Latinos. We conducted a meta‐analysis to examine 1) the magnitude, direction, and variability of the association between neighborhood ethnic‐racial concentrations and adolescent behaviour problems, and 2) whether these associations varied by putative moderators.

Methods

We conducted a systematic search in PsycINFO, Web of Science, and PubMed as well as searching reference lists and relying on expert knowledge (285 initial records). We coded the records for theoretical and design elements.

Results

We included 40 effect sizes from 17 records (24% unpublished) withN = 11,858. The average association between neighborhood ethnic‐racial concentrations and adolescent behaviour problems was not significantly different from zero (r = −0.001, 95% CI ‐0.048, 0.046,p = .964,τ2=0.006); there was a large percentage of systematic heterogeneity (I2 = 77.1%), which was not explained by putative moderators.

Conclusions

There is substantial unexplained systematic heterogeneity in the association between neighborhood ethnic‐racial concentrations and adolescents’ behaviour problems. There is heavy reliance on a small number of parent datasets in research on this topic, alongside critical reporting omissions. We offer recommendations to guide future work, in hopes of supporting culturally and developmentally informed policies and programs capable of addressing residential segregation.
Across‐Fault Velocity Gradients and Slip Behavior of the San Andreas Fault Near Parkfield
Authors: Piana Agostinetti N. , Giacomuzzi G. , Chiarabba C.
Published: December 2019

A long‐lasting question in earthquake physics is why slip on faults occurs as creep or dynamic rupture. We compute passive measurements of the seismic P wave velocity gradient across the San Andreas Fault near Parkfield, where this transition of slip mode occurs at a scale of a few kilometers. Unbiased measurements are obtained through the application of a new Bayesian local earthquake tomographic code that avoids the imposition of any user‐defined, initial velocity‐contrast across the fault, or any damping scheme that may cause biased amplitude in retrieved seismic velocities. We observe that across‐fault velocity gradients correlate with the slip behavior of the fault. The P wave velocity contrast decays from 20% in the fault section that experience dynamic rupture to 4% in the creeping section, suggesting that rapid change of material properties and attitude to sustain supra‐hydrostatic fluid pressure are conditions for development of dynamic rupture. Low Vp and high Vp/Vs suggest that fault rheology at shallow depth is conversely controlled by low frictional strength material.
Quantifying the Effects of Nondiffuse Noise on Ballistic and Coda Wave Amplitude From Variances of Seismic Noise Interferometry in Southern California
Authors: Liu Xin , Beroza Gregory C.
Published: December 2019

We develop a new approach based on the variance of noise cross‐correlation to characterize the noise source and wave propagation under the influence of a nondiffuse noise field. Based on the standard errors for the Fourier spectra of stacked noise cross‐correlation and the assumption of a diffuse field, we derive an analytical expression for the variance of every time point in the stacked cross‐correlation and validate the theory using synthetic diffuse noise data. The ambient seismic noise field in Southern California is, however, not fully diffuse. The observed correlated neighboring frequencies in the noise data—a definitive character of the nondiffuse field, map into the noise cross‐correlation, biasing its variances from theoretical predictions under fully diffuse field assumption. For the secondary ocean microseism, we find strong positive correlation between the correlated neighboring frequencies and the deviations from diffuse field theory‐predicted variances. The ballistic arrivals on average contain more significant bias than the coda segments of the noise cross‐correlation, which agrees with previous time‐lapse monitoring studies based on ambient seismic noise. In addition, the station pairs having significant bias between actual and diffuse field theory‐predicted variances are aligned with the strongest source direction and exhibit significant beamforming source fluctuation.
Characterizing the Influence of Fracture Density on Network Scale Transport
Authors: Sherman Thomas , Hyman Jeffrey , Dentz Marco , Bolster Diogo
Published: December 2019

The topology of natural fracture networks is inherently linked to the structure of the fluid velocity field and transport therein. Here we study the impact of network density on flow and transport behaviors. We stochastically generate fracture networks of varying density and simulate flow and transport with a discrete fracture network model, which fully resolves network topology at the fracture scale. We study conservative solute trajectories with Lagrangian particle tracking and find that as fracture density decreases, solute channelization to large local fractures increases, thereby reducing plume spreading. Furthermore, in sparse networks mean particle travel distance increases and local network features, such as velocity zones where flow is counter to the primary pressure gradient, become increasingly important for transport. As the network density increases, network statistics homogenize and such local features have a reduced impact. We quantify local topological influence on transport behavior with an effective tortuosity parameter, which measures the ratio of total advective distance to linear distance at the fracture scale; large tortuosity values are correlated to slow‐velocity regions. These large tortuosity, slow‐velocity regions delay downstream transport and enhance tailing on particle breakthrough curves. Finally, we predict transport with an upscaled, Bernoulli spatial Markov random walk model and parameterize local topological influences with a novel tortuosity parameter. Bernoulli model predictions improve when sampling from a tortuosity distribution, as opposed to a fixed value as has previously been done, suggesting that local network topological features must be carefully considered in upscaled modeling efforts of fracture network systems.
Diagnostic Evaluation of Large‐Domain Hydrologic Models Calibrated Across the Contiguous United States
Authors: Rakovec Oldrich , Mizukami Naoki , Kumar Rohini , Newman Andrew J. , Thober Stephan , Wood Andrew W. , Clark Martyn P. , Samaniego Luis
Published: December 2019

This study presents diagnostic evaluation of two large‐domain hydrologic models: the mesoscale Hydrologic Model (mHM) and the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) over the contiguous United States (CONUS). These models have been calibrated using the Multiscale Parameter Regionalization scheme in a joint, multibasin approach using 492 medium‐sized basins across the CONUS yielding spatially distributed model parameter sets. The mHM simulations are used as a performance benchmark to examine performance deficiencies in the VIC model. We find that after calibration to streamflow, VIC generally overestimates the magnitude and temporal variability of evapotranspiration (ET) as compared to mHM as well as the FLUXNET observation‐based ET product, resulting in underestimation of the mean and variability of runoff. We perform a controlled calibration experiment to investigate the effect of varying number of transfer function parameters in mHM and to enable a fair comparison between both models (14 and 48 for mHM vs. 14 for VIC). Results of this experiment show similar behavior of mHM with 14 and 48 parameters. Furthermore, we diagnose the internal functioning of the VIC model by looking at the relationship of the evaporative fraction versus the degree of soil saturation and compare it with that of the mHM model, which has a different model structure, a prescribed nonlinear relationship between these variables and exhibits better model skill than VIC. Despite these limitations, the VIC‐based CONUS‐wide calibration constrained against streamflow exhibits better ET skill as compared to two preexisting independent VIC studies.
Resistorless Realization of First‐Order Current Mode Universal Filter
Authors: Chaturvedi B. , Mohan J. , Jitender  , Kumar A.
Published: December 2019

This paper proposes a first‐order current mode universal filter employing single active building block, namely differential difference dual‐X second generation current conveyor. The proposed filter is designed to provide multiple filter responses simultaneously, namely low‐pass, high‐pass, and all‐pass on applying a current signal at its input terminal. The proposed work also enjoys the presence of metal oxide semiconductor transistors working as tunable resistors. Some of the key features of the proposed filter are as follows: use of single passive element (a grounded capacitor), ease of cascadability as all the outputs are available at highimpedance ports, low active and passive sensitivities, significantly high frequency of operation (3 MHz), low total harmonic distortion of output current (1.28%), low output current noise (10 pA/√Hz), and low power dissipation (2 mW). A detailed study of device nonidealities is also presented to show the satisfactory performance of the proposed structure under all practical considerations. PSPICE simulations effectively demonstrate the good performance of the proposed filter.
Forced Return Flow Deep in the Subduction Channel, Syros, Greece
Authors: Ring Uwe , Pantazides Hermes , Glodny Johannes , Skelton Alasdair
Published: December 2019

We present the results of a detailed structural study in the Cycladic Blueschist Unit at Fabrika on Syros Island, Greece, and discuss their significance for tectonic processes at the subduction interface. Some samples record top‐to‐the‐west shear reflecting prograde (burial), peak high‐pressure (HP) and initial decompression (exhumation) conditions. Other nearby samples record top‐to‐the‐east shear during HP metamorphism and exhumation. Some rocks re‐equilibrated at greenschist‐facies conditions and record top‐to‐the‐west shear. Greenschist‐facies top‐to‐the‐west shear is also found at the base of non‐HP upper units above the Fabrika HP sequence. We interpret the HP structures to reflect forced return flow and incipient formation of an extrusion wedge in the subduction channel. The HP top‐to‐the‐west structures resulted from thrusting along the base of the wedge and started to form during burial before the rocks reached their deepest point. The HP top‐to‐the‐east structures reflect deformation near the top of the developing extrusion wedge. After considerable exhumation during ongoing subduction, out‐of‐sequence, top‐to‐the‐west thrusts emplaced the non‐HP upper units above the exhuming extrusion wedge ~10 Myr after the wedge initially formed. Our work suggests that the HP rocks were considerably exhumed during sustained lithospheric shortening in the subduction channel by forced return flow. Because return flow is controlled by the velocity of the subducting slab, it may explain why HP rocks can be exhumed at subduction rates. On the regional scale we find that four distinct HP belts were sequentially accreted and exhumed between ~50 and 20 Ma suggesting continuous subduction‐channel return flow in the Hellenic subduction zone.