bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of nutrition status of very preterm infants in neonatal intensive care units using different growth indicators
Authors: Wang Na , Zhang Jia , Yu Zhangbin , Tang Bin , Zhang Lin , Yin Yujie , Wang Zengqin , Li Shuangshuang , Jiang Shanyu , Hou Weiwei , Gao Yan , Wang Huaiyan , Chen Xiaoqing , Deng Xiaoyi , Lu Yi , Zhu Lingling , Bo Lin , Han Shuping
Published: August 2021

Background

 Nutrition status of very preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is strongly associated with postnatal growth. This study aimed to develop indicators of nutrition status using growth data of very preterm infants during hospitalization.

Methods

The data of 596 newborns from eight NICUs were retrospectively analyzed. Inclusion criteria were birth at <32 weeks’ gestation, NICU admission ≤24 h after delivery, and length of hospital stay ≥28 days. Three indicators were evaluated: (indicator I) prevalence of extrauterine growth restriction (EUGR); (indicator II) z‐score for change in weight from birth to discharge, adjusted for birth weight z‐score and gestational age; and (indicator III) change in weight z‐score from birth to discharge, adjusted for birth weight z‐score, gestational age, and time to regain birth weight. Using data from NICU 1 as the reference for the latter two indicators, we established linear regression models of the adjusted change in weight z‐score from birth to discharge. The difference between the observed value and the baseline value (calculated by the two models) served as the nutrition indices.

Results

The prevalence of EUGR differed significantly between the eight NICUs (P = .009). Statistically significant differences were found between the mean indices calculated by the other two models (all P < .05).

Conclusions

Indicator III, change in weight z‐score from birth to discharge (adjusted for birth weight z‐score, gestational age, and time to regain birth weight), appears to be the most accurate for evaluating the quality of nutrition in the NICU.
From clinical guidelines to practice: The nutrition elements for enhancing recovery after colorectal surgery
Authors: Hasil Leslee , Fenton Tanis R. , Ljungqvist Olle , Gillis Chelsia
Published: August 2021

The Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Care System improves patient outcomes. The ERAS Protocol describes multimodal, evidence‐based processes that are bundled into >20 care elements, and the ERAS Implementation Program provides strategies to guide the successful adoption of the care elements. Although formal training is essential to implement ERAS correctly, with this article we aim to bridge the gap between the nutritionally relevant care elements of the protocol and their implementation for colorectal surgery. This article also describes how dietitians can support optimal patient outcomes by playing an active role in implementing, monitoring, and evaluating ERAS practices.
Success and failures of telehealth during COVID‐19 should inform digital applications to combat obesity
Authors: Vasselli Joseph R. , Juray Susan , Trasino Steven E.
Published: August 2021

Background

In response to the COVID‐19 pandemic, telehealth digital applications (apps) permitted the delivery of health care to millions of individuals, including those with poor access to health services.

Aim

To review a body of evidence demonstrating that telehealth and mobile health (mHealth) apps can promote clinically meaningful weight loss, and thus hold potential to increase access to treatment and weight loss care for individuals suffering from obesity.

Results

Data from COVID‐19 pandemic revealed that access to telehealth and mHealth remains a challenge for underserved communities that are disproportionately affected by obesity.

Conclusions

The development of telehealth and mHealth for obesity treatment must be informed by the success and failures of telehealth during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Failure to do so, risks alienating the very populations that stand most to benefit from telehealth and mHealth apps for obesity treatment.
FOXL2 in adult‐type granulosa cell tumour of the ovary: oncogene or tumour suppressor gene?
Authors: Pilsworth Jessica A , Todeschini Anne‐Laure , Neilson Samantha J , Cochrane Dawn R , Lai Daniel , Anttonen Mikko , Heikinheimo Markku , Huntsman David G , Veitia Reiner A
Published: August 2021

A recurrent mutation in FOXL2 (c.402C>G; p.C134W) is present in over 95% of adult‐type granulosa cell tumours (AGCTs). In contrast, various loss‐of‐function mutations in FOXL2 lead to the development of blepharophimosis, ptosis, and epicanthus inversus syndrome (BPES). BPES is characterised by an eyelid malformation often accompanied with primary ovarian insufficiency. Two recent studies suggest that FOXL2 C402G is a gain‐ or change‐of‐function mutation with altered DNA‐binding specificity. Another study proposes that FOXL2 C402G is selectively targeted for degradation, inducing somatic haploinsufficiency, suggesting its role as a tumour suppressor. The latter study relies on data indicative of an FOXL2 allelic imbalance in AGCTs. Here we present RNA‐seq data as genetic evidence that no real allelic imbalance is observed at the transcriptomic level in AGCTs. Additionally, there is no loss of protein expression in tumours harbouring the mutated allele. These data and other features of this mutation compared to other oncogenes and tumour suppressor genes argue strongly against FOXL2 being a tumour suppressor in this context. Given the likelihood that FOXL2 C402G is oncogenic, targeting the variant protein or its downstream consequences is the most viable path forward to identifying an effective treatment for this cancer. © 2021 The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Experimental study on the effect of graphene nanoplatelets on the low‐velocity impact response of prestressed filament wound basalt‐based composite pressure vessels
Authors: Sepetcioglu Harun
Published: August 2021

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact behavior of composite pressure vessel (CPV) in‐service case. Additionally, graphene nanoplatelets (GnPs) were introduced to epoxy resin. [±55°]4 basalt/epoxy specimens were manufactured using the filament‐winding method, and the low‐velocity impact (LVI) response was investigated. The LVI tests of CPVs were performed at energy levels of 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 J under 50 bar internal pressure. The prestress value considering the internal pressure used under service conditions was taken as 1:5 of the burst pressure of the basalt/epoxy CPVs. After the LVI tests, the contact force–time and force–displacement curves were acquired. Also, absorbed energy values by CPVs were calculated over the obtained curves. The effects of GnPs on damage formations on basalt/epoxy CPVs under LVI loads were evaluated based on microscopic analysis. According to evaluations, damage formations such as matrix cracks on outer and inner surfaces of CPV, transverse cracks, and delamination were detected. Test liquid was detected on the impact surface at 25 J LVI test. The leakage observed due to the 25 J impact energy proves that damages can result in a leakage path. Consequently, the areas of damage formed in the cross sections perpendicular to the axis of basalt/epoxy CPVs decrease with the addition of GnPs, and the CPVs are more resistant to LVI effects.
Barrier Lypunov functions‐based nonsingular fixed‐time switching control for strict‐feedback nonlinear dynamics with full state constraints
Authors: Zhang Wenqian , Dong Wenhan , Lv Maolong , Liu Zongcheng , Zhou Yang , Feng Haoming
Published: August 2021

This work proposes a nonsingular adaptive fixed‐time switching control method for a class of strict‐feedback nonlinear dynamics subject to full state constraints. The peculiarity of this design lies in overcoming the singularity issue that typically appears in the existing backstepping‐based fixed‐time control methods caused by the iterative differentiation of fractional power terms as tracking errors approach to zero, while guaranteeing the nonviolation of full state constraints. Crucial in solving such singularity issue is to skillfully introduce a smooth switching between fractional power and integer power terms, which guarantees that fractional power term is confined within a positive interval all the time. An asymmetric time‐varying barrier Lyapunov function is delicately incorporated into control design, rendering state variables to be within prescribed time‐varying bounds. Besides, radial basis function neural network is employed to handle system unknown nonlinearities. It is rigorously proved that all the closed‐loop signals eventually converge to small regions around origin within fixed‐time. Comparative simulation results are finally given to validate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed control strategy.
Further analysis for consensus of hybrid multiagent systems: A unified framework
Authors: Zhao Qi , Zheng Yuanshi , Liu Jian , Liu Bo
Published: August 2021

Hybrid multiagent systems exist widely in real world and have been applied in many engineering fields. In this article, we consider the consensus problem for the hybrid multiagent system consisting of continuous‐time and discrete‐time dynamic agents. Different from the previous works, in this article, the interactions between different agents no longer only occur at the sampling time, but continuous‐time dynamic agents can interact with their continuous‐time dynamic neighbors in real time. By using graph theory and differential mean value theorem of matrix function, a consensus criterion is obtained for the hybrid multiagent system. A unified framework is also established for the consensus of continuous‐time and discrete‐time multiagent systems. Finally, a simulation example is given to illustrate the validity of our protocol.
Estimating the marginal effect of a continuous exposure on an ordinal outcome using data subject to covariate‐driven treatment and visit processes
Authors: Coulombe Janie , Moodie Erica E. M. , Platt Robert W.
Published: August 2021

In the statistical literature, a number of methods have been proposed to ensure valid inference about marginal effects of variables on a longitudinal outcome in settings with irregular monitoring times. However, the potential biases due to covariate‐driven monitoring times and confounding have rarely been considered simultaneously, and never in a setting with an ordinal outcome and a continuous exposure. In this work, we propose and demonstrate a methodology for causal inference in such a setting, relying on a proportional odds model to study the effect of the exposure on the outcome. Irregular observation times are considered via a proportional rate model, and a generalization of inverse probability of treatment weights is used to account for the continuous exposure. We motivate our methodology by the estimation of the marginal (causal) effect of the time spent on video or computer games on suicide attempts in theAdd Healthstudy, a longitudinal study in the United States. Although in theAdd Healthdata, observation times are prespecified, our proposed approach is applicable even in more general settings such as when analyzing data from electronic health records where observations are highly irregular. In simulation studies, we let observation times vary across individuals and demonstrate that not accounting for biasing imbalances due to the monitoring and the exposure schemes can bias the estimate for the marginal odds ratio of exposure.
What a week! A moderated‐mediation crossover model for daily boundary violations at home and partner evening affect
Authors: Grotto Angela R. , Lyness Karen S.
Published: August 2021

Increasingly blurred boundaries allow work to breach home borders, disrupting personal tasks and goals which feel like violations to employees and thereby may trigger affective strain responses. Yet, the potential adverse effects of boundary violations at home on partner affective strain remains unexplored. Based on affective events and crossover theories, we considered the occurrence of violations at home as work‐related stressors originating at home and thereafter evoking emotional strain in partners through employees' own affective strain response. Based on the differential reactivity model, we expected employee affective strain responses to boundary violations at home and subsequent emotional transmission to partners would be exacerbated during a period (i.e., one week) of high emotional strain when employees and partners are hyper‐responsive to their home environments. Event data were collected for seven days from 69 employees and partners for 483 data points. Since the occurrence of homebound violations and associated effects on employees and partners likely fluctuates daily, a multilevel two‐stage moderated‐mediation model was tested. Results showed indirect effects of violations on partner affective strain through employee affective strain, with a backdrop of high emotional strain for the week moderating the affective event and crossover processes. Implications for scholars and organizations are discussed.
Scaffold 3D‐Printed from Metallic Nanoparticles‐Containing Ink Simultaneously Eradicates Tumor and Repairs Tumor‐Associated Bone Defects
Authors: Lin Huimin , Shi Shanwei , Lan Xinyue , Quan Xiaolong , Xu Qinqin , Yao Guangyu , Liu Jia , Shuai Xintao , Wang Chong , Li Xiang , Yu Meng
Published: August 2021

Bone metastasis occurs in about 70% of breast cancer patients. The surgical resection of metastatic tumors often leads to bone erosion and destruction, which greatly hinders the treatment and prognosis of breast cancer patients with bone metastasis. Herein, a bifunctional scaffold 3D‐printed from nanoink is fabricated to simultaneously eliminate the tumor cells and repair the tumor‐associated bone defects. The metallic polydopamine (PDA) nanoparticles (FeMg‐NPs) may effectively load and sustainably release the metal ions Fe3+ and Mg2+ in situ. Fe3+ exerts a chemodynamic therapy to synergize with the photothermal therapy induced by PDA with effective photothermal conversion under NIR laser, which efficiently eliminates the bone‐metastatic tumor. Meanwhile, the sustained release of osteoinductive Mg2+ from the bony porous 3D scaffold enhances the new bone formation in the bone defects. Taken together, the implantation of scaffold (FeMg‐SC) 3D‐printed from the FeMg‐NPs‐containing nanoink provides a novel strategy to simultaneously eradicate bone‐metastatic tumor and repair the tumor‐associated bone defects.
Concepts in Action: Introduction
Authors: Bechberger Lucas , Liu Mingya
Published: August 2021

It is impossible to talk about human cognition without talking about concepts—there simply is no human cognition without concepts. Concepts form an abstraction of reality that is central to the functioning of the human mind. Conceptual knowledge (of e.g., APPLE, LOVE and BEFORE) is crucial for us to categorize, understand, and reason about the world. Only equipped with concepts and words for them can we successfully communicate and carry out actions. But what exactly are concepts? How are concepts acquired? How does the human mind use concepts? In this introduction chapter, we elaborate on these questions (i.e., representation, learning, application), and provide summaries of the seven individual chapters in the volume, which from different scientific disciplines relate to one or the other of the questions.
Generalizing Psychological Similarity Spaces to Unseen Stimuli
Authors: Bechberger Lucas , Kühnberger Kai-Uwe
Published: August 2021

The cognitive framework of conceptual spaces proposes to represent concepts as regions in psychological similarity spaces. These similarity spaces are typically obtained through multidimensional scaling (MDS), which converts human dissimilarity ratings for a fixed set of stimuli into a spatial representation. One can distinguish metric MDS (which assumes that the dissimilarity ratings are interval or ratio scaled) from nonmetric MDS (which only assumes an ordinal scale). In our first study, we show that despite its additional assumptions, metric MDS does not necessarily yield better solutions than nonmetric MDS. In this chapter, we furthermore propose to learn a mapping from raw stimuli into the similarity space using artificial neural networks (ANNs) in order to generalize the similarity space to unseen inputs. In our second study, we show that a linear regression from the activation vectors of a convolutional ANN to similarity spaces obtained by MDS can be successful and that the results are sensitive to the number of dimensions of the similarity space.
Does the Activation of Motor Information Affect Semantic Processing?
Authors: Scerrati Elisa , Iani Cristina , Rubichi Sandro
Published: August 2021

Several behavioral studies show that semantic content influences reach-to-grasp movement responses. However, not much is known about the influence of motor activation on semantic processing. The present study aimed at filling this gap by examining the influence of pre-activated motor information on a subsequent lexical decision task. Participants were instructed to observe a prime object (e.g., the image of a frying pan) and then judge whether the following target was a known word in the lexicon or not. They were required to make a keypress response to target words describing properties either relevant (e.g., handle) or irrelevant (e.g., ceramic) for action or unrelated to the prime object (e.g., eyelash). Response key could be located on the same side as the depicted action-relevant property of the prime object (i.e., spatially compatible key) or on the opposite side (i.e., spatially incompatible key). Results showed a facilitation in terms of lower percentage errors when the target word was action-relevant (e.g., handle) and there was spatial compatibility between the orientation of the action-relevant component of the prime object and the response. This preliminary finding suggests that the activation of motor information may affect semantic processing. We discuss implications of these results for current theories of action knowledge representation.
Localization and duality for ABJM latitude Wilson loops
Authors: Griguolo Luca , Guerrini Luigi , Yaakov Itamar
Published: August 2021

Abstract

We investigate several aspects of BPS latitude Wilson loops in gauge theories in three dimensions with $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
≥ 4 supersymmetry. We derive a matrix model for the bosonic latitude Wilson loop in ABJM using supersymmetric localization, and show how to extend the computation to more general Chern-Simons-matter theories. We then define latitude type Wilson and vortex loop operators in theories without Chern-Simons terms, and explore a connection to the recently derived superalgebra defining local Higgs and Coulomb branch operators in these theories. Finally, we identify a BPS loop operator dual to the bosonic latitude Wilson loop which is a novel bound state of Wilson and vortex loops, defined using a worldvolume supersymmetric quantum mechanics.
Treatment of closed femoral shaft fractures in children aged 2–10 years: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: van Cruchten Stijn , Warmerdam Eefke C. , Kempink Dagmar R. J. , de Ridder Victor A.
Published: August 2021

Objective

To review current literature on treatment of closed femoral shaft fractures in children of 2–10 years old, with subgroup analysis of children aged 2–6 years, comparing intramedullary nailing (IMN) to conservative treatment modalities.

Methods

We included clinical trials and observational studies that compared traction and subsequent casting (TSC), spica casting and IMN for treatment of femur shaft fractures in children of 2–10 years of age. Subgroup analysis of children aged 2–6 years was performed.

Results

Compared to treatment with immediate spica casting, IMN led to significantly less coronal angulation (mean difference (MD): 2.03 degrees, confidence interval (CI) 1.15–2.90), less sagittal angulation (MD: 1.59 degrees, CI 0.82–2.35) and lower rates of LLD (Risk difference (RD): 0.07, CI 0.03–0.11). In terms of rehabilitation, IMN leaded to shorter time until walking with aids (MD: 31.53 days, CI 16.02–47.03), shorter time until independent ambulation (MD: 26.59 days, CI 22.07, 31.11) and shorter time until full weight bearing (MD: 27.05 days, CI 6.11, 47,99). Compared to TSC, IMN led to a lower rate of malunion (RD: 0.31, CI 0.05–0.56), shorter hospital stays (MD: 12.48 days, CI 11.57, 13.39), time until walking with aids (MD: 54.55, CI 40.05–69.04) and full weight bearing (MD: 27.05 days [6.11, 47,99]).

Conclusion

Although a lack of quality evidence, this systematic review showed a clear tendency to treatment with elastic intramedullary nails of femoral shaft fractures in children of 2–10 years of age.

Level of evidence

3.
Biodegradation of metoprolol in oxic and anoxic hyporheic zone sediments: unexpected effects on microbial communities
Authors: Rutere Cyrus , Posselt Malte , Ho Adrian , Horn Marcus A.
Published: August 2021

Metoprolol is widely used as a beta-blocker and considered an emerging contaminant of environmental concern due to pseudo persistence in wastewater effluents that poses a potential ecotoxicological threat to aquatic ecosystems. Microbial removal of metoprolol in the redox-delineated hyporheic zone (HZ) was investigated using streambed sediments supplemented with 15 or 150 μM metoprolol in a laboratory microcosm incubation under oxic and anoxic conditions. Metoprolol disappeared from the aqueous phase under oxic and anoxic conditions within 65 and 72 days, respectively. Metoprolol was refed twice after initial depletion resulting in accelerated disappearance under both conditions. Metoprolol disappearance was marginal in sterile control microcosms with autoclaved sediment. Metoprolol was transformed mainly to metoprolol acid in oxic microcosms, while metoprolol acid and α-hydroxymetoprolol were formed in anoxic microcosms. Transformation products were transient and disappeared within 30 days under both conditions. Effects of metoprolol on the HZ bacterial community were evaluated using DNA- and RNA-based time-resolved amplicon Illumina MiSeq sequencing targeting the 16S rRNA gene and 16S rRNA, respectively, and were prominent on 16S rRNA rather than 16S rRNA gene level suggesting moderate metoprolol-induced activity-level changes. A positive impact of metoprolol on Sphingomonadaceae and Enterobacteriaceae under oxic and anoxic conditions, respectively, was observed. Nitrifiers were impaired by metoprolol under oxic and anoxic conditions. Collectively, our findings revealed high metoprolol biodegradation potentials in the hyporheic zone under contrasting redox conditions associated with changes in the active microbial communities, thus contributing to the attenuation of micropollutants.

Key points

• High biotic oxic and anoxic metoprolol degradation potentials in the hyporheic zone.

• Key metoprolol-associated taxa included Sphingomonadaceae, Enterobacteraceae, and Promicromonosporaceae.

• Negative impact of metoprolol on nitrifiers.
Combining Calcium Hydroxylapatite and Hyaluronic Acid Fillers for Aesthetic Indications: Efficacy of an Innovative Hybrid Filler
Authors: Fakih-Gomez Nabil , Kadouch Jonathan
Published: August 2021

Background

Limited data are available describing effectiveness of combining the use of calcium hydroxylapatite (CaHA) and hyaluronic acid (HA).

Methods

The authors performed a retrospective chart review of patients injected with a premixed combination of CaHA and a cohesive polydensified matrix (CPM®) HA (CaHA:CPM-HA ) in the authors’ aesthetic practices. The midface and lower face were injected. Patients’ records were evaluated, and treatment results were scored using the Merz Aesthetics Scale for the jawline® (clinician rated, CR-MASJ). Adverse events were recorded.

Results

A total of 41 patients were included, all females with a mean age of 47.5 years (range 21–63 years). The mean CR-MASJ score improved from 2.12 at baseline to 0.68 at t = 3 months (SD = 0.69, 95% CI 1.28–1.60) and 1.27 at t = 12 months (SD = 0.74, 95% CI 0.43–0.74). 100% of the subjects had experienced a ≥1-point improvement in CR-MASJ score at t = 3 months, versus 85% at t = 12 months. No adverse events were reported.

Conclusion

The results of this study support the volumizing and lifting potential of the hybrid mix CaHA:CPM-HA for treatment of cheeks and jawline.

Level of Evidence IV

This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.
Dynamic mode decomposition in adaptive mesh refinement and coarsening simulations
Authors: Barros Gabriel F. , Grave Malú , Viguerie Alex , Reali Alessandro , Coutinho Alvaro L. G. A.
Published: August 2021

Dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) is a powerful data-driven method used to extract spatio-temporal coherent structures that dictate a given dynamical system. The method consists of stacking collected temporal snapshots into a matrix and mapping the nonlinear dynamics using a linear operator. The classical procedure considers that snapshots possess the same dimensionality for all the observable data. However, this often does not occur in numerical simulations with adaptive mesh refinement/coarsening schemes (AMR/C). This paper proposes a strategy to enable DMD to extract features from observations with different mesh topologies and dimensions, such as those found in AMR/C simulations. For this purpose, the adaptive snapshots are projected onto the same reference function space, enabling the use of snapshot-based methods such as DMD. The present strategy is applied to challenging AMR/C simulations: a continuous diffusion–reaction epidemiological model for COVID-19, a density-driven gravity current simulation, and a bubble rising problem. We also evaluate the DMD efficiency to reconstruct the dynamics and some relevant quantities of interest. In particular, for the SEIRD model and the bubble rising problem, we evaluate DMD’s ability to extrapolate in time (short-time future estimates).
Diet quality indices and gastrointestinal cancer risk: results from the Lifelines study
Authors: Moazzen Sara , Cortes-Ibañez Francisco O. , van der Vegt Bert , Alizadeh Behrooz Z. , de Bock Geertruida H.
Published: August 2021

Objective

To investigate the long-term association between four dietary quality indices and the risk of gastrointestinal (GI) cancer.

Methods

Baseline details of the dietary intake of participants, assessed by a single food frequency questionnaire from the prospective Lifelines population-based cohort were translated to diet quality scores using several dietary and dietary-lifestyle indices. Incident cases of GI cancer were then assessed by linkage to the Dutch nationwide histo-cytopathology registry. The association between GI cancer risk and diet quality (defined as higher quintiles on dietary indices compared to the first quintile) was assessed by multivariable Cox proportional hazard models.

Results

We included 72,695 participants aged 51.20 ± 8.71 years with a median follow-up to cancer diagnosis of 8 years (interquartile range 2 years). During follow-up, 434 colorectal cancers and 139 upper GI cancers were diagnosed. There was a significant reduction in colorectal cancer risk for high categories in the American Cancer Society (ACS) Index (hazard ratio 0.62; 95% CI 0.46–0.84). However, high dietary index scores were not associated with strong beneficial effects on upper GI cancer risk.

Conclusion

High quintiles on the ACS Index were associated with a significantly reduced risk of colorectal cancer. This index may be of use in a colorectal cancer prevention program.
Tolerable amounts of amino acids for human supplementation: summary and lessons from published peer-reviewed studies
Authors: Blachier François , Blais Anne , Elango Rajavel , Saito Kuniaki , Shimomura Yoshiharu , Kadowaki Motoni , Matsumoto Hideki
Published: August 2021

Amino acid supplementation may be indicated to correct for insufficient amino acid intake in healthy individuals, and in specific physiological or pathophysiological situations. However, there is a concern to not supplement beyond the tolerable upper intake level (UL) by determining parameters of no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) or lowest-observed-adverse-effect level (LOAEL) for each amino acid. Since the NOAEL and LOAEL values are at least one order of magnitude different when comparing the values obtained in rats and humans, the aim of this review is to evaluate to what extent the amino acid UL measured in the rat model, when referenced to the dietary usual consumption (UC) and dietary requirement (RQ) for indispensable amino acids, may be used as an approximation of the UL in humans. This review then compares the ratios of the NOAEL or LOAEL over UC and RQ in the rat model with the same ratios calculated in humans for the nine amino acids (arginine, serine, glycine, histidine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, and tryptophan) for which this comparison can be done. From the calculations made, it appears that for these 9 amino acids, the calculated ratios for rats and humans, although rather different for several amino acids, remains for all of them in the same order of magnitude. For tryptophan, tyrosine, and valine, the ratios calculated in rats are markedly different according to the sex of animals, raising the view that it may be also the case in humans.
Anthropogenic Transformation Disconnects a Lowland River From Contemporary Carbon Stores in Its Catchment
Authors: Tittel Jörg , Musolff Andreas , Rinke Karsten , Büttner Olaf
Published: August 2021

Rivers transport carbon from continents to oceans. Surprisingly, this carbon has often been found to be centuries old, not originating from contemporary plant biomass. This can be explained by anthropogenic disturbance of soils or discharge of radiocarbon–depleted wastewater. However, land enclosure and channel bypassing transformed many rivers from anabranching networks to single–channel systems with overbank sediment accumulation and lowered floodplain groundwater tables. We hypothesized that human development changed the fluvial carbon towards older sources by changing the morphology of watercourses. We studied radiocarbon in the Elbe, a European, anthropogenically–transformed lowland river at discharges between low flow and record peak flow. We found that the inorganic carbon, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and particulate organic carbon was aged and up to 1850 years old. The ∆14C values remained low and invariant up to median discharges, indicating that the sources of modern carbon (fixed after 1950) were disconnected from the river during half of the time. The total share of modern carbon in DOC export was marginal (0.04%), 72% of exported DOC was older than 400 years. This was in contrast to undisturbed forested subcatchments, 72% of whose exported DOC was modern. Although population density is high, mass balances showed that wastewater did not significantly affect the ∆14C-DOC in the Elbe river. We conclude that wetlands and other sources of contemporary carbon were decoupled from the anthropogenically transformed Elbe stream network with incised stream bed relative to overbank sediments, shifting the sources of fluvial carbon in favor of aged stores.
Climate change attribution and legal contexts: evidence and the role of storylines
Authors: Lloyd Elisabeth A. , Shepherd Theodore G.
Published: August 2021

In a recent very influential court case, Juliana v. United States, climate scientist Kevin Trenberth used the “storyline” approach to extreme event attribution to argue that greenhouse warming had affected and will affect extreme events in their regions to such an extent that the plaintiffs already had been or will be harmed. The storyline approach to attribution is deterministic rather than probabilistic, taking certain factors as contingent and assessing the role of climate change conditional on those factors. The US Government’s opposing expert witness argued that Trenberth had failed to make his case because “all his conclusions of the injuries to Plaintiffs suffer from the same failure to connect his conditional approach to Plaintiffs’ local circumstances.” The issue is whether it is possible to make statements about individual events based on general knowledge. A similar question is sometimes debated within the climate science community. We argue here that proceeding from the general to the specific is a process of deduction and is an entirely legitimate form of scientific reasoning. We further argue that it is well aligned with the concept of legal evidence, much more so than the more usual inductive form of scientific reasoning, which proceeds from the specific to the general. This has implications for how attribution science can be used to support climate change litigation.

“The question is”, said Alice, “whether you can make words mean different things.” “The question is”, said Humpty Dumpty, “which is to be master — that’s all.” (Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland).
Scope Elasticity of Willingness to pay in Discrete Choice Experiments
Authors: Dugstad Anders , Grimsrud Kristine M. , Kipperberg Gorm , Lindhjem Henrik , Navrud Ståle
Published: August 2021

Sensitivity to scope in nonmarket valuation refers to the property that people are willing to pay more for a higher quality or quantity of a nonmarket public good. Establishing significant scope sensitivity has been an important check of validity and a point of contention for decades in stated preference research, primarily in contingent valuation. Recently, researchers have begun to differentiate between statistical and economic significance. This paper contributes to this line of research by studying the significance of scope effects in discrete choice experiments (DCEs) using thescope elasticity of willingness to payconcept. We first formalize scope elasticity in a DCE context and relate it to economic significance. Next, we review a selection of DCE studies from the environmental valuation literature and derive their implied scope elasticity estimates. We find that scope sensitivity analysis as validity diagnostics is uncommon in the DCE literature and many studies assume unitary elastic scope sensitivity by employing a restrictive functional form in estimation. When more flexible specifications are employed, the tendency is towards inelastic scope sensitivity. Then, we apply the scope elasticity concept to primary DCE data on people’s preferences for expanding the production of renewable energy in Norway. We find that the estimated scope elasticities vary between 0.13 and 0.58, depending on the attribute analyzed, model specification, geographic subsample, and the unit of measurement for a key attribute. While there is no strict and universally applicable benchmark for determining whether scope effects are economically significant, we deem these estimates to be of an adequate and plausible order of magnitude. Implications of the results for future DCE research are provided.
Quantumbit Cosmology Explains Effects of Rotation Curves of Galaxies
Authors: Görnitz Thomas , Schomäcker Uwe
Published: August 2021

Some terms identify enigmata of today’s cosmology: “Inflation” is expected to explain the homogeneity and isotropy of the cosmic background. The repulsive force of a “dark energy” shall prevent a re-collapse of the cosmos. The additional gravitational effect of a “dark matter” was originally supposed to explain the deviations of the rotation curves of the galaxies from Kepler’s laws. Adopting a theory founded on the core notion of absolute quantum information–Protyposis–being a cosmological concept from the outset, the observed phenomena can be explained without postulating further unknown specific “particles” or “fields”. Moreover, this theory allows for a rationalization of the fact that huge black holes with their enormous jet structures, acting as “seeds” of the galaxies, are detected ever closer to the big bang. The problem of the rotation curves in the galaxies can be addressed outside of General Relativity within a Newtonian approximation: by an attenuation of the gravitational acceleration as in the modified Newtonian dynamics, or by the effect of additional invisible “particles of dark matter”, yet unknown and not yet established in natural sciences. Within the Protyposis theory, these problems are solved without having to invent a lot of parameters. The cosmology of the Protyposis causes the change of the gravitational acceleration in the vicinity of large (black hole) masses and, at the same time, avoids a recollapse of the cosmos for which a cosmological constant or “dark energy” was invented.
Seaweed aquaculture: a preliminary assessment of biosecurity measures for controlling the ice-ice syndrome and pest outbreaks of a Kappaphycus farm
Authors: Kambey Cicilia S. B. , Campbell Iona , Cottier-Cook Elizabeth J. , Nor Adibi R. M. , Kassim Azhar , Sade Ahemad , Lim Phaik E.
Published: August 2021

The application of biosecurity in seaweed aquaculture plays an important role in reducing the impact of disease and pest outbreaks. The continuous occurrence of seaweed pests including the macroalgal epiphytes, epi-endophytic filamentous algae and biofilms on Kappaphycus farms may also potentially induce further incidences of the ice-ice syndrome. In this study, on-farm biosecurity management measures were tested on the commercially grown seaweeds Kappaphycus malesianus and Kappaphycus alvarezii during peak ice-ice season at Gallam-Gallam Village, Sabah, Malaysia. The investigation was focused on preventative control measures including the early detection of the ice-ice syndrome and pests through propagule health checks, regular cleaning of the crop thallus and associated long-line ropes and monitoring of the environment. Farm procedures and practices were also assessed in terms of their biosecurity ‘risk’ using the hazard analysis and critical control point (HCCAP) approach. Observations were replicated in two different farm management systems; one system adopted routine biosecurity measures and the other had no biosecurity measures. The results showed that the ice-ice syndrome and pest outbreak was significantly decreased by 60–75% for K. malesianus and 29–71% for K. alvarezii at the farm which adopted the routine biosecurity measures compared with the no biosecurity treatment. The biosecurity measures also significantly improved growth rate and seaweed quality. The infection levels of the epi-endophyte Melanothamnus sp. contributed to the ice-ice syndrome in K. malesianus, whilst the epiphyte coverage was correlated to the ice-ice incidence in K. alvarezii. This study provides the first evidence of biosecurity management measures significantly decreasing the incidence of the ice-ice syndrome and pests on a commercial seaweed farm.
Assessment of the independent and combined effects of copper and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on gametogenesis and sporophyte development of the kelp Lessonia spicata (Phaeophyceae, Ochrophyta)
Authors: Espinoza-González Camila , Meynard Andrés , Núñez Alejandra , Castañeda Francisco , Oyarzo-Miranda Carolina , Latorre-Padilla Nicolás , Rivas Jorge , Contreras-Porcia Loretto
Published: August 2021

Coastal shores near the industrial park of Quintero Bay in central Chile exhibit increasing concentrations of copper (Cu) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), well above international standards. This raises concern about their combined toxic effects on early development stages of kelps. Accordingly, we aimed to assess more accurately the independent and combined effects of Cu and PAHs on gametogenesis and sporophyte development in the kelp Lessonia spicata from central Chile by in vitro cultivation. Independent Cu and PAH trials were performed using increasing nominal concentrations of Cu and PAHs in the ranges 0.8–200 µg L−1 and 0.05–100 µg L−1, respectively. Cu and PAH median effective concentrations (EC50) on gametogenesis and early sporophyte formation were calculated using DRC in the R environment. Then, combined EC50 Cu + PAH trials were conducted to determine their effects on gametogenesis and sporophyte formation. Cu EC50 values on gametogenesis and sporophyte formation were up to three orders of magnitude lower than EC50 reported previously on spore germination in kelps. The gametogenesis (EC50 = 1.39 µg L−1) was more sensitive to Cu than sporophyte formation (EC50 = 11 µg L−1). Inversely, sporophyte formation (EC50 = 0.04 µg L−1) was more sensitive to PAHs (EC50 = 0.11 µg L−1). Considering the entire exposure period, the combined EC50 Cu + PAH exposure was the most harmful and rapid for L. spicata microscopic stages, especially the synergistic effect on early sporophytes. This highlights the need to acquire an integrated knowledge of the seasonal variation of pollutants and their combination on highly intervened coasts.
In situ visualization of large-scale turbulence simulations in Nek5000 with ParaView Catalyst
Authors: Atzori Marco , Köpp Wiebke , Chien Steven W. D. , Massaro Daniele , Mallor Fermín , Peplinski Adam , Rezaei Mohamad , Jansson Niclas , Markidis Stefano , Vinuesa Ricardo , Laure Erwin , Schlatter Philipp , Weinkauf Tino
Published: August 2021

In situ visualization on high-performance computing systems allows us to analyze simulation results that would otherwise be impossible, given the size of the simulation data sets and offline post-processing execution time. We develop an in situ adaptor for Paraview Catalyst and Nek5000, a massively parallel Fortran and C code for computational fluid dynamics. We perform a strong scalability test up to 2048 cores on KTH’s Beskow Cray XC40 supercomputer and assess in situ visualization’s impact on the Nek5000 performance. In our study case, a high-fidelity simulation of turbulent flow, we observe that in situ operations significantly limit the strong scalability of the code, reducing the relative parallel efficiency to only $$\approx 21\%$$

≈
21
%

on 2048 cores (the relative efficiency of Nek5000 without in situ operations is $$\approx 99\%$$

≈
99
%

). Through profiling with Arm MAP, we identified a bottleneck in the image composition step (that uses the Radix-kr algorithm) where a majority of the time is spent on MPI communication. We also identified an imbalance of in situ processing time between rank 0 and all other ranks. In our case, better scaling and load-balancing in the parallel image composition would considerably improve the performance of Nek5000 with in situ capabilities. In general, the result of this study highlights the technical challenges posed by the integration of high-performance simulation codes and data-analysis libraries and their practical use in complex cases, even when efficient algorithms already exist for a certain application scenario.
Journal flipping to Open Access: The Perception of Spanish Journal Managers
Authors: Bautista-Puig Núria , López-Illescas Carmen , Moed Henk F.
Published: August 2021

There is a growing interest in determining the factors that influence a journal’s flipping to Open Access (OA). Using semi-structured interviews combined with bibliometric indicators, this paper uncovers the perception of Spanish managers related to OA and the decision to flip. The key research questions are twofold: How well do bibliometric measures reflect the changes in the status of the journal? How do journal managers perceive the flipping process? In order to answer these, twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted with journal managers of Spanish Journals. The findings suggest the great majority of managers are aware of the indicators, but only two considered they reflect their reality. The results indicate as the main motivations to flip to OA: being imposed by the host institution, economic reasons, and increase visibility and internationalization. An increase in the number of submissions, visibility, or internationalization since the transition is perceived as a benefit while the loss of interchanges with other institutions is seen as the major drawback. Although flipping to OA is perceived by the managers to have many advantages, it raises some challenges too, especially the need for funding, lack of resources capacity for technical support, and the creation of alliances.
Crystallography of Fe–Mn–Al–Ni Shape Memory Alloys
Authors: Leineweber A. , Walnsch A. , Fischer P. , Schumann H.
Published: August 2021

The microstructure of the martensite formed in Fe–Mn–Al–Ni alloys of varying composition, consisting of A2 austenite and A1-like martensite, was investigated by means of electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). While sufficiently structured EBSD patterns clearly revealed a tetragonal distortion of the (twinned) martensite, robust indexing using Hough-transform-based methods were successful only by assuming a cubic symmetry of the martensite. It was shown that predictions made based on the Phenomenological Theory of Martensite Crystallography (PTMC) were well compatible with the experimental data, irrespective of the alloy composition. This includes a (near-)Pitsch orientation relationship and habit planes close to {110}A2.
High Order Semi-implicit Multistep Methods for Time-Dependent Partial Differential Equations
Authors: Albi Giacomo , Pareschi Lorenzo
Published: August 2021

We consider the construction of semi-implicit linear multistep methods that can be applied to time-dependent PDEs where the separation of scales in additive form, typically used in implicit-explicit (IMEX) methods, is not possible. As shown in Boscarino et al. (J. Sci. Comput. 68: 975–1001, 2016) for Runge-Kutta methods, these semi-implicit techniques give a great flexibility, and allow, in many cases, the construction of simple linearly implicit schemes with no need of iterative solvers. In this work, we develop a general setting for the construction of high order semi-implicit linear multistep methods and analyze their stability properties for a prototype linear advection-diffusion equation and in the setting of strong stability preserving (SSP) methods. Our findings are demonstrated on several examples, including nonlinear reaction-diffusion and convection-diffusion problems.
Effect of a parenting intervention on decreasing adolescents’ behavioral problems via reduction in attachment insecurity: A longitudinal, multicenter, randomized controlled trial
Authors: Barone Lavinia , Carone Nicola , Costantino Antonella , Genschow Jennifer , Merelli Sara , Milone Annarita , Polidori Lisa , Ruglioni Laura , Moretti Marlene M.
Published: August 2021

Introduction

Secure attachment in adolescence, related to caregiving quality, is a robust predictor of positive behavioral adjustment in early adulthood and beyond. Nevertheless, few attempts have been made to develop treatments to promote parent–adolescent attachment security.

Methods

Using a longitudinal, multicenter, randomized controlled trial design, two questionnaire‐based studies were run in Italy (Study 1: n = 100 mothers of adolescents, 60% boys, Mage = 14.89, SD = 1.58; Study 2: n = 40 mothers and 40 adolescents, 60% boys, Mage = 14.90, SD = 1.91) to test the effectiveness of an attachment‐based parenting intervention (i.e., Connect) in reducing adolescents’ behavioral problems and attachment insecurity 2 weeks post‐intervention (t2) and at a 4‐month follow‐up (t3). It was further investigated whether a decrease in avoidant and anxious attachment at t2 would account for changes in externalizing and internalizing problems, respectively, at t3. All adolescents belonged to two‐parent intact families.

Results

Mothers who completed Connect reported significantly fewer adolescent behavioral problems and lower adolescent attachment insecurity, compared to mothers in the waitlist group, at both t2 and t3 (Study 1). These findings were confirmed in a second subsample (Study 2), considering both mothers' and adolescents’ reports. Controlling for pre‐intervention behavioral problems, reductions in internalizing and externalizing problems were observed in both studies at t3 via a decrease in anxious and avoidant attachment, respectively, at t2.

Conclusions

The findings point to the malleability of attachment security in adolescence and highlight the importance of targeting parenting quality to promote adolescent behavioral adjustment.