bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Parent-Mediated Interventions for Infants under 24 Months at Risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials
Authors: Law Mei L. , Singh Jatinder , Mastroianni Mathilde , Santosh Paramala
Published: July 2021

Prodromal symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have been detected within the first year of life. This review evaluated evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of parent-mediated interventions for infants under 24 months who are at risk for ASD. Electronic databases, including grey literature, were searched up till November 2019. Seven RCTs were identified. There was substantial heterogeneity in recruitment, outcome measures and effect size calculations. Interventions did not reduce the risk of later ASD diagnosis and post-intervention effects on infant outcomes were inconsistent, with five studies reporting significant improvements across both treatment and control groups. Moderate level of evidence of intervention effects on parental interaction skills and the small number of RCTs, and significant limitations restrict generalizability across studies.
Relative Camera Pose Estimation using Synthetic Data with Domain Adaptation via Cycle-Consistent Adversarial Networks
Authors: Yang Chenhao , Liu Yuyi , Zell Andreas
Published: July 2021

Learning-based visual localization has become prospective over the past decades. Since ground truth pose labels are difficult to obtain, recent methods try to learn pose estimation networks using pixel-perfect synthetic data. However, this also introduces the problem of domain bias. In this paper, we first build aTuebingen Buildingsdataset of RGB images collected by a drone in urban scenes and create a 3D model for each scene. A large number of synthetic images are generated based on these 3D models. We take advantage of image style transfer and cycle-consistent adversarial training to predict the relative camera poses of image pairs based on training over synthetic environment data. We propose a relative camera pose estimation approach to solve the continuous localization problem for autonomous navigation of unmanned systems. Unlike those existing learning-based camera pose estimation methods that train and test in a single scene, our approach successfully estimates the relative camera poses of multiple city locations with a single trained model. We use theTuebingen Buildingsand theCambridge Landmarksdatasets to evaluate the performance of our approach in a single scene and across-scenes. For each dataset, we compare the performance between real images and synthetic images trained models. We also test our model in the indoor dataset7Scenesto demonstrate its generalization ability.
The digital home learning environment and its relation to children’s ICT self-efficacy
Authors: Bonanati Sabrina , Buhl Heike M.
Published: July 2021

With the rapid progress of technological development, self-efficacy in reference to digital devices (i.e., information and computer technology [ICT] self-efficacy) is an important driver that helps students to deal with technological problems and support their lifelong learning processes. Schools, peers, and home learning environments are important sources for the development of positive self-efficacy. Expanding on previous research, we investigated the associations between different aspects of the digital home learning environment and students’ ICT self-efficacy. The moderation effects of gender were also tested. A total of 651 children answered a questionnaire about different digital home learning environment dimensions and estimated their ICT self-efficacy using an adapted scale—Schwarzer and Jerusalem’s (1999) general self-efficacy scale. Using the structural equation modeling technique, a digital home learning environment containing six different qualities of parental support was investigated. Families’ cultural capital, parents’ attitudes toward the Internet, and shared Internet activities at home contributed positively to ICT self-efficacy. We observed small gender differences, with the moderation effect being nonsignificant. The results help researchers and practitioners to understand how different dimensions of the digital home learning environment support ICT self-efficacy. We will discuss how parents can enhance the home learning environment and how teachers can integrate this knowledge into formal education.
Historical reconstruction and evolution of the large landslide of Inza (Navarra, Spain)
Authors: de Ojeda P. Sanz , Sanz E. , Galindo R.
Published: July 2021

In the winter of 1714–1715, a large rotational landslide originated on the northern slope of the Sierra de Aralar (Navarra, Spain), generating an earthflow that slowly descended through the valley for a kilometer and a half destroying the village of Inza. An interdisciplinary research recreated the historical process of the event and the geomorphological characterization of this large landslide. The geological analysis and hydrogeological characteristics of the site also identified the determining factors of this historical event. From the analysis that triggered the landslide and how the climate affected events can now be demonstrated from historical records of excess rainfall and the initial start of the process. From the recreated pre-failure topography, the stability of the original slope was studied using a 3D numerical model to identify the factors, causes and mechanism that controlled the development of the landslide.
What is that’s going on here? A multidimensional time concept is foundational to framing for decision making in situations of uncertainty
Authors: Raia Federica , Legados Lezel , Silacheva Irina , Plotkin Jennifer B. , Krishnan Srikanth , Deng Mario C.
Published: July 2021

STEM disciplines are the dominant culture in K-12 education. With its study of organs and diseases that afflict patients’ bodies, Western evidence-based medicine is seen and understood in the modern cultural paradigm as a science and as the practice in which a subject, the doctor, acts on an object; the patient’s body—a dominant culture in the patient’s journey. However, with the continually evolving high-technological and medical knowledge, life-saving therapeutic options are life-changing. They can range from changes in the diet, requiring structural and cultural changes in family life, to changes related to the experiences of learning to live tethered to a machine that is partly inside and partly outside one’s body or with somebody else’s heart. In this article, we show how competing needs to personalize care for the patient as a person forcefully emerge in response to evidence-based medicine’s global cultural dominance. We highlight two fundamental issues emerging in decision-making processes: (1) Framing evidence-based knowledge, uncertainties of the course of the disease and options, and (2) working with different, equally important, and often at odds conceptions of time in the care for the Other. Through the longitudinal analysis of moment-to-moment interactions in high-tech medicine encounters of a patient, his family, and the team caring for them, we show how framing and different conceptions of time emerge as issues, are profoundly interconnected, and are addressed by participants to care for a patient confronting existential decisions.
24-Months Cluster-Randomized Intervention Trial of a Targeted Fall Prevention Program in a Primary Care Setting
Authors: Hentschke Christian , Halle Martin , Geilhof Barbara , Landendoerfer Peter , Blank Wolfgang , Sieber Cornel Christian , Siegrist Monika , Freiberger Ellen
Published: July 2021

Background

Falls and fall-related injuries are common in community-dwelling older persons. Longitudinal data on effective fall prevention programs are rare.

Objective

Therefore, we evaluated a 4-months multi-component exercise fall prevention program in a primary care setting on long-term effects over 24 months on falls and concomitant injuries in older community-dwelling persons with high risk of falling.

Design and Setting

In the Prevention of Falls (PreFalls) study, forty general practitioners in Germany were cluster-randomized (1:1) into an intervention group (IG) or control group (CG). Three hundred seventy-eight independently living people with high risk of falling (78.1 ± 5.9 years, 75% women) were assigned to IG (n = 222) or CG (n = 156).

Intervention and Measurements

Patients in IG took part in a 4-months multi-component exercise program comprising strength and balance exercises (28 sessions); patients in CG received no intervention. Primary outcome measure was number of falls over 24 months, analyzed by a patient-level, linear mixed Poisson model. Secondary endpoints were number of fall-related injuries, changes in physical function, fear of falling, and mortality.

Results

After 24 months, the IG demonstrated significantly fewer falls (IRR = 0.63,p = 0.021), injurious falls (IRR = 0.69,p = 0.034), and less fear of falling (p = 0.005). The mortality rate was 5.0% in IG and 10.3% in CG (HR = 0.51, 95% CI: 0.24 to 1.12;p = 0.094).

Conclusions

In older community-dwelling persons with high risk of falling, a short-term multi-component exercise intervention reduced falls and injurious falls, as well as fear of falling over 24 months.
A reevaluation of the Late Jurassic dinosaur tracksite Barkhausen (Wiehengebirge, Northern Germany)
Authors: Meyer Christian A. , Belvedere Matteo , Englich Benjamin , Lockley Martin G.
Published: July 2021

A restudy of the Barkhausen dinosaur tracksite shows that the track-bearing surface reveals considerably more detail than previously indicated, and a new map is presented, showing the trackways of nine sauropods, traveling north, possibly as a group. These are among the smallest sauropod tracks recorded in Europe. There is also evidence of two large theropods crossing the area, one moving to the south and the other to the west. Evidence of at least three other sauropods is registered in the form of isolated manus traces that represent larger individuals. Previous interpretations inferred that sauropod trackways trended south, and therefore suggested a predator chasing its prey as in the purported but controversial attack scenario claimed for the famous Paluxy River site in Texas. Based on the present study, this scenario is no longer tenable for the Barkhausen tracksite. The description of Elephantopoides barkhausensis (Kaever and Lapparent, 1974) shows that it represents a moderately wide gauge, but small manus sauropod and can be assigned under the ichnofamily label Parabrontopodidae. E. barkhausensis as originally defined was a nomen dubium, but it has since been re-described semi-formally, without renaming, we emend the description and assigned them to the ichnotaxon Parabrontopodus barkhausensis comb. nov. These tracks could have been produced by the small sauropod dinosaur taxon Europasaurus. The problematic ichnotaxon Megalosauropus teutonicus (Kaever and Lapparent, 1974), which represents a large three-toed theropod, is assigned to the recently described ichnogenus Jurabrontes from the Late Kimmeridgian of the Swiss Jura mountains as Jurabrontes teutonicus comb. nov. Furthermore, we attribute the theropod tracks from the time equivalent Langenberg quarry to the same ichnotaxon.
The sustainability assessment of CO2 capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) and the conversion of cropland to forestland program (CCFP) in the Water–Energy–Food (WEF) framework towards China’s carbon neutrality by 2060
Authors: Xie Yachen , Hou Zhengmeng , Liu Hejuan , Cao Cheng , Qi Jiaguo
Published: July 2021

The global warming induced by the emission of greenhouse gases, especially the carbon dioxide, has become the global climate and environmental issues. China has been working in the CO2 emission reduction and carbon sinks with the purpose of becoming the carbon-neutral country by 2060. The CO2 capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) technologies and the reforestation technology represented by the Conversion of Cropland to Forestland Program (CCFP) have great potential for sinking CO2 emission. However, the trade-off among CCFP, CCS/CCUS and Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus are not well evaluated. In this paper, the remote-sensing data are collected and used to evaluate the sustainability of CCFP by analyzing the variation of land use and land cover (LULC), crop production, etc. The results show that 13.29% of the cropland in 2001 vanished and converted to grassland (8.3%), mosaic cropland (3%) and urban land (0.98%) in 2019, demonstrating that the CCFP is successful in both WEF nexus and carbon sink. The total crop production has increased around 50% between 2001 and 2019, implying that the CCFP will not lead to the food risk during the conversion of croplands into other types of land in China. A sustainable implementation of CCFP and other environmental Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) policies in 2019–2060 could reach an estimated total growth of 7.462 billion m3 in comparison of that in 2018 and the total plantation forest stock of about 10.852 billion m3 in 2060, with a corresponding minimum CO2 sink of 2.90 billion tons in 2060. The estimated peak of net equivalent CO2 emissions before 2030 is about 11.0 billion tons and could not be reduced to zero by 2060 without the large-scale application of the CCS/CCUS technologies as geological sequestration of CO2. Besides, the application of CCS/CCUS can be beneficial for WEF, e.g., through replacing the water by CO2 during energy production, especially in the shale gas production in the regions with high water risks in China. In one word, CCS/CCUS and CCFP are two decided pathways of carbon sequestration and should be systematically applied to achieve China’s carbon neutrality by 2060.
Rock analysis to characterize Saudi soft sandstone rock
Authors: Almisned Omar A. , Alqahtani Naif B.
Published: July 2021

As more engineering projects and activities are taking place on and around weak rocks, it is becoming more important to study and characterize them. Since regular practices of rock mechanical testing are not effective for weak rocks, special laboratory tests and measurements were performed to characterize the Alkharj Saudi weak sandstone rock which is a clastic rock dominantly sandy limestone and sandstone. Test results are presented in this paper. Porosity, permeability, and mechanical properties (stress, strain, Poisson's ratio, confined compressive strength and unconfined compressive strength) were obtained and then used to characterize the proposed weak rock. This paper provides a mean of classifying weak soft rocks despite encountered problems in handling and testing such materials.
Source rock potential assessment of the Paleocene coal and coaly shale in the Attock-Cherat Range of Pakistan
Authors: Latif Khalid , Hanif Muhammad , Shah Syed Anjum , Jan Irfan U. , Khan Muhammad Younis , Iqbal Hamid , Khan Abdullah , Siyar Syed Mamoon , Mohibullah Mohibullah
Published: July 2021

In this study the hydrocarbon generation potential of the coal and coaly shale samples collected from coal mines in Attock-Cherat Range of Pakistan is optically and analytically evaluated. These samples, representing the Paleocene Hangu Formation, are analyzed across a range of thermal maturity stages to understand their hydrocarbon generation potential. The visual examination of maceral type and values of vitrinite reflectance have been considered while interpreting the geochemical results for the coal and associated sediments from the Paleocene Hangu Formation. The maceral group is dominated by vitrinite, mainly collodetrinite, followed by inertinite and liptinite, and suggests Type III kerogen for the samples. The geochemical parameters suggest that the samples are post mature, however, the vitrinite reflectance measurements show late mature conditions for a gas-prone generation. The overall petrographical and geochemical data suggest that the coal and coaly shale appear to occupy the gas window and fall in the dry gas zone. Based on the maceral types and Rock–Eval data, an anoxic to terrestrial environment is inferred for the deposition of the coal and associated sediments. The vitrinite reflectance, Rock–Eval pyrolysis, and the type and frequency of macerals show that the coal is of good quality, i.e., medium to high volatile bituminous and hard brown coal, mature, and is lying in the gas window. Oxygen index is continuously low throughout the analyzed interval, which further supports that the coal is of good quality.
‘Level-off’ cement plugging method to cure lost circulation verified with case studies
Authors: Ashena Rahman , Ghalambor Ali , Elmgerbi Asad , Hekmatinia Abdol-Azim , Mubashir Muhammad
Published: July 2021

Controlling lost circulation during drilling operations in a reservoir prone to fluid losses is typically remedied by cement squeezing or plug setting as the last resort. The aim being to minimize or stop drilling fluid losses and to regain full returns at surface, and to maintain wellbore integrity. Different placement methods of cement plugs have been discussed in detail in the literature, except for the ‘level-off’ method, which can be effective for curing complete loss circulation cases. Following modeling and calculations of this cement plug placement method, its design and execution procedures are discussed, together with two successful field cases in highly fractured carbonate reservoirs in the Middle East. Using drill pipe and a Retrievable-Test-Treat-Squeeze (RTTS) packer, set with some spacing from the loss zone, the method entails that the cement slurry is allowed to drop by gravity in order to cure lost circulation. As the column of fluid, mud and slurry in the well exceeds formation pore pressure, i.e., overbalanced conditions, a volume of acid-soluble cement slurry is allowed to slowly drop and freely penetrate the formation, i.e., through its fractures or caverns. During the penetration of this viscous slurry into the loss zone, the cement slurry can set and the fracture or fissure openings are plugged. Presented are detailed design calculations for the level-off placement technique, determination of required cement slurry and displacement volumes, and recommended displacement and RTTS packer setting depths. The expected depth of the top of cement plug is estimated. The design parameters are compared with field cases and explanations are given for possible discrepancies. Success of the operation is discussed in terms of final mud loss after cement plugging and Non-Productive Time mitigation. Detailed field procedures and execution are also presented. The level-off job is already practiced by the industry, but it is not published in the literature, in some cases they have different methods with causing some errors. To the best of authors’ knowledge, this is the first detailed description and stepwise calculation of the level-off cement placement technique in the literature.
A new technique for forecasting pore pressure in two oil wells in North Rumaila field based on specific energy concept
Authors: Abbas Rafid K.
Published: July 2021

Forecasting the pore or formation pressure is crucially significant in every well drilling operation to determine whether the pore pressure gradient is abnormal or subnormal. Abnormal pore pressure gradient means that the pore pressure gradient exceeds the gradient of the normal pressure, while when the opposite happens it means that the pore pressure is subnormal. Both cases required high care with special control of the mud weight to overcome the vital situation. Accurate pore pressure determination is rigorous in drilling engineering to plan for drilling hydrocarbon wells with appropriate mud program with less effort and cost. Precise forecasting of formation pore pressure prevents occurring various drilling hazards such as lost circulation, stuck pipe and well kick as a result of abnormal pore pressure. In the present work, a new technique was proposed to predict the pore or formation pressure from the specific energy. A new formula of specific energy was used involving the rock properties and the drilling parameters. The new specific energy formula is functioned later in Eaton’s equation to obtain a new suggested formula of pore pressure. There is a lack of researches in the literature that determine the real-time pore pressure without depending on well logs. Abnormal and subnormal pressure zones can be determined accordingly based on the fact that abnormal pressure intervals possess low effective stress and require less energy to drill than the intervals that have normal pressure at the same depth. The new proposed formula of pore pressure was tested in two oil wells in North Rumaila field (N14 and N15) in Basrah province south of Iraq. The obtained pore pressure from the new technique based on the suggested specific energy formula that involves the physical properties of the rock being excavated and the drill bit is compared with the actual (measured) pore pressure derived from other wells in North Rumaila field using measurements while drilling logs, drill stem test and real formation test. There was a good rapprochement between the predicted and the measured pore pressure. The present approach depends mainly on the value of the slope (m) which is determined and varied from one place to another. The new method could provide an alternative method for estimating the pore pressure especially for wells being planned to be drilled where the actual pore pressure is unknown and there is shortage in well logs and formation tests, where most of the previous articles in the literature depend mainly on well logs of adjacent wells in predicting the pore pressure of a specific well. The findings of this study can help for better understanding the prediction of formation or pore pressure that helps to choose the appropriate mud weight to control the well without collapsing and preventing well kick that might occur.
Evaluating geomechanical effects related to the production of a Brazilian reservoir
Authors: Lima Raquel Oliveira , do Nascimento Guimarães Leonardo José , Pereira Leonardo Cabral
Published: July 2021

This paper presents a coupled finite element approach for modeling geomechanical effects induced by production/injection processes in petroleum reservoirs. The module developed employs coupled- reservoir analysis using CMG IMEX® as the flow simulator and a finite element program in MATLAB® as the stress–strain simulator, in a two-way explicit partial coupling scheme. The flow and mechanical problems are coupled by the change of effective stress due to the change in pore pressure and by varying stress-dependent reservoir properties, such as pore compressibility, absolute permeability, and porosity. The coupling procedure was applied to the Namorado Field (Campos Basin, Brazil) to quantify the impact of the rock deformation on fluid recovery. Based on the cases studied, the coupled analyses predicted higher oil recovery than the conventional reservoir simulations. The results showed that the reservoir deformation can affect its performance and must be taken into account in reservoir-engineering studies depending on production strategy and reservoir stiffness. Besides, the geomechanical calculations were performed only in the coupling timesteps, reducing the computational effort and making this coupling method feasible on a field scale.
Simulation of Wellbore Drilling Energy Saving of Nanofluids Using an Experimental Taylor–Couette Flow System
Authors: Rashidi Masoud , Sedaghat Ahmad , Misbah Biltayib , Sabati Mohammad , Vaidyan Koshy , Mostafaeipour Ali , Hosseini Dehshiri Seyyed Shahabaddin , Almutairi Khalid , Issakhov Alibek , Oloomi Seyed Amir Abbas , Malayer Mahdi Ashtian , Arockia Dhanraj Joshuva
Published: July 2021

Power consumption of wellbore drilling in oil and gas exploitations count for 40% of total costs, hence power saving of WBM (water-based mud) by adding different concentrations of Al2O3, TiO2 and SiO2 nanoparticles is investigated here. A high-speed Taylor–Couette system (TCS) was devised to operate at speeds 0–1600 RPM to simulate power consumption of wellbore drilling using nanofluids in laminar to turbulent flow conditions. The TCS control unit uses several sensors to record current, voltage and rotational speed and Arduino microprocessors to process outputs including rheological properties and power consumption. Total power consumption of the TCS was correlated with a second-order polynomial function of rotational speed for different nanofluids, and the correlated parameters were found using an optimization technique. For the first time, energy saving of three nanofluids at four low volume concentrations 0.05, 0.1, 0.5 and 1% is investigated in the TCS simulating wellbore drilling operation. It is interesting to observe that the lower concentration nanofluids (0.05%) have better power savings. In average, for the lower concentration nanofluids (0.05%), power was saved by 39%, 30% and 26% for TiO2, Al2O3 and SiO2 WBM nanofluids, respectively. TiO2 nanofluids have better power saving at lower concentrations of 0.05 and 0.1%, while Al2O3 nanofluids have saved more power at higher concentrations of 0.5 and 1.0% compared with their counterpart nanofluids.
CDON gene contributes to pituitary stalk interruption syndrome associated with unilateral facial and abducens nerve palsy
Authors: Obara-Moszyńska Monika , Budny Bartłomiej , Kałużna Małgorzata , Zawadzka Katarzyna , Jamsheer Aleksander , Rohde Anna , Ruchała Marek , Ziemnicka Katarzyna , Niedziela Marek
Published: July 2021

The relationship between congenital defects of the brain and facial anomalies was proven. The Hedgehog signaling pathway plays a fundamental role in normal craniofacial development in humans. Mutations in the sonic hedgehog (SHH) signaling gene CDON have been recently reported in patients with holoprosencephaly and with pituitary stalk interruption syndrome (PSIS). This study’s aim was an elucidation of an 18-year-old patient presenting PSIS, multiple pituitary hormone deficiency, and congenital unilateral facial and abducens nerve palsy. Additionally, bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, dominating at the right site, was diagnosed. From the second year of life, growth deceleration was observed, and from the age of eight, anterior pituitary hormone deficiencies were gradually confirmed and substituted. At the MRI, characteristic triad for PSIS (anterior pituitary hypoplasia, interrupted pituitary stalk and ectopic posterior lobe) was diagnosed. We performed a comprehensive genomic screening, including microarrays for structural rearrangements and whole-exome sequencing for a monogenic defect. A novel heterozygous missense variant in the CDON gene (c.1814G > T; p.Gly605Val) was identified. The variant was inherited from the mother, who, besides short stature, did not show any disease symptoms. The variant was absent in control databases and 100 healthy subjects originating from the same population. We report a novel variant in the CDON gene associated with PSIS and congenital cranial nerve palsy. The variant revealed autosomal dominant inheritance with incomplete penetrance in concordance with previous studies reporting CDON defects.
Improved and Sustained Graduate Programs Diversity Outcomes: a 10-year Analysis and Summary of the Brown University IMSD Program
Authors: Campbell Andrew G. , Thompson Nancy L. , Duncan Marlina , Harrington Elizabeth O.
Published: July 2021

This report describes the 10-year outcome of implementing practices that support and foster success of underrepresented students in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) graduate training at Brown University. The results show sustained improvements in compositional diversity, retention, and degree attainment of supported students relative to their peers. Among the outcomes is an increase in enrolled student diversity from 19 (35 of 179) to 26% (58 of 223) for historically underrepresented minority (URM) students and an increase in Ph.D. degree attainment from 4 (1 of 25) to 14% (6 of 44) for this group. These achievements follow the introduction and coordination of academic and co-curricular practices through the National Institutes of General Medical Sciences–funded Brown University Initiative to Maximize Student Development (IMSD) Program. At the center of these outcomes is the alignment of IMSD practices with recent diversity initiatives launched by the university. The outcomes described result from long-term commitments to building a culture that includes: (1) development of relationships that serve underrepresented students, (2) provision of a personalized education program of support and skills-based learning that supplements discipline-based research and coursework, and (3) investments in processes that build a culture that values and benefits from diversity. These practices may yield similar outcomes and success for students when applied elsewhere.
A Brand-New Look at You: Predicting Brand Personality in Social Media Networks with Machine Learning
Authors: Pamuksuz Utku , Yun Joseph T. , Humphreys Ashlee
Published: July 2021

Tools for analyzing social media text data to gain marketing insight have recently emerged. While a wealth of research has focused on automated human personality assessment, little research has focused on advancing methods for obtaining brand personality from social media content. Brand personality is a nuanced aspect of brands that has a consistent set of traits aside from its functional benefits. In this study, we introduce a novel, automated, and generalizable data analytics approach to extract near real-time estimates of brand personalities in social media networks. This method can be used to track attempts to change brand personality over time, measure brand personality of competitors, and assess congruence in brand personality. Applied to consumer data, firms can assess how consumers perceive brand personality and study the effects of brand–consumer congruence in personality. Our approach develops a novel hybrid machine learning algorithmic design (LDA2Vec), which bypasses often extensive manual coding tasks, thus providing an adaptable and scalable tool that can be used for a range of management studies. Our approach enhances the theoretical understanding of channeled and perceived brand personality as it is represented in social media networks and provides practitioners with the ability to foster branding strategies by using big data resources.
Validation of the Chinese Version of the Gender Identity/Gender Dysphoria Questionnaire for Adolescents and Adults
Authors: Wang Yuanyuan , Feng Yi , Su Di , Wilson Amanda , Pan Bailin , Liu Ye , Wang Ning , Guo Bin , Han Meng , Zucker Kenneth J. , Chen Runsen
Published: July 2021

Background

The number of individuals with potential gender dysphoria (GD) being referred to specialized gender identity clinics or programs is increasing internationally; these cases are initially screened using the Gender Identity/Gender Dysphoria Questionnaire for Adolescents and Adults (GIDYQ-AA).

Aim

The current study aimed to assess the psychometric properties of the GIDYQ-AA in a sample of adolescents and young adults from China.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted in October 2020. Sociodemographic information of the participants was first collected. Participants then completed the GIDYQ-AA, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 scale, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and a suicidal ideation assessment. A total of 2,533 participants with a mean age of 19.30 (SD = 1.19) years were recruited. Of the participants, 841 (33.2%) were cis men, 1,589 (62.7%) were cis women, 66 (2.6%) self-identified as transgender, 17 (0.7%) self-identified as non-binary, and 20 (0.8%) self-identified as gender queer.

RESULTS

The GIDYQ-AA had high internal consistency with a Cronbach’s alpha = 0.89. Exploratory factor analysis showed that the GIDYQ-AA had a four-factor structure in China. The GIDYQ-AA was significantly correlated with anxiety symptoms (r = –0.32, P < .01), depressive symptoms (r = –0.33, P < .01), and suicidal ideation (r = –0.20, P < .01).

Clinical Translation

The Chinese version of GIDYQ-AA is a useful measurement with high practical value, which could promote the assessment and research of GD across China or among Chinese migrants in other countries.

Strengths and Limitations

This is the first study assessing the psychometric properties of the GIDYQ-AA in Chinese adolescents and young adults. The convergent and divergent validity of the GIDYQ-AA were not examined due to the unavailability of data. Also, the sample did not have an equal distribution of male to males and female to females.

CONCLUSION

The Chinese version of GIDYQ-AA is a useful measure, which could promote both the assessment and research of GD in the Chinese population.
Plato's Sun-Like Good
Authors: Broadie Sarah
Published: July 2021

Plato's Sun-Like Good is a revolutionary discussion of the Republic's philosopher-rulers, their dialectic, and their relation to the form of the good. With detailed arguments Sarah Broadie explains how, if we think of the form of the good as 'interrogative', we can re-conceive those central reference-points of Platonism in down-to-earth terms without loss to our sense of Plato's philosophical greatness. The book's main aims are: first, to show how for Plato the form of the good is of practical value in a way that we can understand; secondly, to make sense of the connection he draws between dialectic and the form of the good; and thirdly, to make sense of the relationship between the form of the good and other forms while respecting the contours of the sun-good analogy and remaining faithful to the text of the Republic itself.
Analysis of bird situation around airports using avian radar
Authors: Chen W.S. , Huang Y.F. , Lu X.F. , Zhang J.
Published: July 2021

To improve the ability of avian radar to process bird information, a statistical analysis method for the bird situation around airport is proposed based on avian radar data. By accumulating a large amount of avian radar data, hotspots of the activity area of bird targets can be determined and taken as a reference point to realise lifecycle management of each bird target from initiation to continuation and finally death. In the process of target tracking, combined with the particle filter method, the probability of several possible events is estimated, leading to completion of the data association and real-time statistics for the number of targets. The simulation results reveal that this method is superior to the traditional logic method regarding the timeliness of multi-target initiation. With the application of the proposed method to avian radar data, the bird population and its basic activity rules can be discovered by fixing the bird habitats around the airport.
The ‘ultimate insurance’ or an ‘irrelevance’ for national security needs? Partisanship, foreign policy attitudes, and the gender gap in British public opinion towards nuclear weapons
Authors: Clements Ben , Thomson Catarina P.
Published: July 2021

Only two European countries – France and the UK, both NATO members – have nuclear weapons, and leading politicians have called for the UK and EU to maintain close military and security links post-Brexit. In the context of the Trident renewal debate and the UK government's recently published integrated defence and security review, this article uses data from the new UK Security Survey to analyse attitudes towards the possession of nuclear weapons among the British public. It assesses three key theorical strands in the wider scholarly literature on public opinion and states’ use of military force: domestic political attitudes, foreign policy predispositions, and the ‘gender gap’. We find that all three theoretical perspectives contribute to the underpinnings of contemporary public opinion towards nuclear weapons. Support for the retention of Britain's nuclear deterrent is associated with being a Conservative Party supporter, favouring Brexit, endorsing superior military power worldwide as an important foreign policy goal, wanting to protect the transatlantic relationship, and with being male. The article makes a distinctive contribution to the growing subfield of research on public opinion and foreign policy, while the findings advance wider empirical understanding of contemporary citizen engagement in a key dimension of security policy.
The unhappy chaperone
Authors: Linse Sara , Thalberg Kyrre , Knowles Tuomas P. J.
Published: July 2021

Chaperones protect other proteins against misfolding and aggregation, a key requirement for maintaining biological function. Experimental observations of changes in solubility of amyloid proteins in the presence of certain chaperones are discussed here in terms of thermodynamic driving forces. We outline how chaperones can enhance amyloid solubility through the formation of heteromolecular aggregates (co-aggregates) based on the second law of thermodynamics and the flux towards equal chemical potential of each compound in all phases of the system. Higher effective solubility of an amyloid peptide in the presence of chaperone implies that the chemical potential of the peptide is higher in the aggregates formed under these conditions compared to peptide-only aggregates. This must be compensated by a larger reduction in chemical potential of the chaperone in the presence of peptide compared to chaperone alone. The driving force thus relies on the chaperone being very unhappy on its own (high chemical potential), thus gaining more free energy than the amyloid peptide loses upon forming the co-aggregate. The formation of heteromolecular aggregates also involves the kinetic suppression of the formation of homomolecular aggregates. The unhappiness of the chaperone can explain the ability of chaperones to favour an increased population of monomeric client protein even in the absence of external energy input, and with broad client specificity. This perspective opens for a new direction of chaperone research and outlines a set of outstanding questions that aim to provide additional cues for therapeutic development in this area.
Democratic Subversion: Elite Cooptation and Opposition Fragmentation
Authors: ARRIOLA LEONARDO R. , DEVARO JED , MENG ANNE
Published: July 2021

Incumbents in electoral regimes often retain power despite having to regularly compete in multiparty elections. We examine a specific channel through which incumbents can seek to prevent the emergence of a strong opposition that might threaten them in future elections. We present a formal model demonstrating that incumbents can strategically induce opposition fragmentation by appointing some opposition members to ministerial cabinet positions. Opposition politicians who have the opportunity to secure a cabinet position in an incumbent’s government tend to compete for office independently rather than coalescing into broad-based parties or electoral alliances. The model shows that weaker incumbents are more likely to rely on this cooptation strategy. Using original data on presidential elections across African countries during 1990–2016, we show that past cooptation of opposition politicians is associated with a more fragmented opposition field in subsequent elections.
Short-term effects of a Mediterranean-style dietary pattern on cognition and mental well-being: a systematic review of clinical trials
Authors: Esgunoglu Latife , Jennings Amy , Connole Elizabeth Sanchia , Murphy Karen Joy , Minihane Anne Marie
Published: July 2021

Although the long-term effects of a Mediterranean-style dietary pattern (MDP) on cognition and overall mental well-being have been consistently described, the short-term effects of the MDP on cognitive performance, mood and anxiety have not been as widely reviewed. Therefore, the aims of this systematic review were to synthesise the evidence from randomised controlled trials (RCT), to examine whether a MDP can alter cognition and overall mental well-being in the short-term (up to 10 d). This will also be used to identify research gaps and to inform the design of future acute RCT in the area. Ovid Embase, Ovid MEDLINE and Web of Science Core Collection were searched from inception to 8 December 2020. The data were synthesised narratively with no quantitative synthesis. The detailed protocol is available on PROSPERO, with the registration number CRD42021221085. A total of 3002 studies were initially identified. After the deduplication and screening stages, four studies (three articles and one conference proceeding) were eligible to be included. Despite the very limited data obtained, the literature suggests that a MDP can improve cognition and mood in the short-term. Specifically, improvements in attention, alertness and contentment were consistently reported. A MDP appears as a promising strategy to improve short-term cognitive and mental health. A limitation of this review is the small number of studies identified; therefore, future studies are required to confirm these initial novel findings and to provide granularity as to which domains are most responsive and in which population subgroups.
Body size, sex and high philopatry influence the use of agricultural land by Galapagos giant tortoises
Authors: Pike Kyana N. , Blake Stephen , Cabrera Freddy , Gordon Iain J. , Schwarzkopf Lin
Published: July 2021

As agricultural areas expand, interactions between wild animals and farmland are increasing. Understanding the nature of such interactions is vital to inform the management of human–wildlife coexistence. We investigated patterns of space use of two Critically Endangered Galapagos tortoise species,Chelonoidis porteriandChelonoidis donfaustoi, on privately owned and agricultural land (hereafter farms) on Santa Cruz Island, where a human–wildlife conflict is emerging. We used GPS data from 45 tortoises tracked for up to 9 years, and data on farm characteristics, to identify factors that influence tortoise movement and habitat use in the agricultural zone. Sixty-nine per cent of tagged tortoises used the agricultural zone, where they remained for a mean of 150 days before returning to the national park. Large male tortoises were more likely to use farms for longer periods than female and smaller individuals. Tortoises were philopatric (mean overlap of farmland visits = 88.7 ± SE 2.9%), on average visiting four farms and occupying a mean seasonal range of 2.9 ± SE 0.3 ha. We discuss the characteristics of farm use by tortoises, and its implications for tortoise conservation and coexistence with people.
Are policymakers responsive to public demand in climate politics?
Authors: Schaffer Lena Maria , Oehl Bianca , Bernauer Thomas
Published: July 2021

Normative theories of democracy agree that public demand should be the main guide in policymaking. But positive theories and related empirical research disagree about the extent to which this holds true in reality. We address this debate with an empirical focus on climate change policy. Specifically, we are interested in whether observable variation in public demand for climate change mitigation can help explain variation in adopted national climate policies. Using our own data to approximate public demand, we estimate the responsiveness of policymakers to changes in public demand in six OECD countries from 1995 to 2010. We find that policymakers are responsive and react in predicted ways to variation in our opinion component of measured public demand, rather than to the mere salience of the climate issue. The effect of issue salience is strongest in combination with our opinion measure as this creates a scope for action. The results underscore the importance and usefulness of our concept and empirical measures for public demand, as well as of our disaggregated analysis of climate policy outputs in this area.
The power-trust cycle in global health: Trust as belonging in relations of dependency
Authors: Anderson Emma-Louise , Considine Laura , Patterson Amy S.
Published: July 2021

Trust between actors is vital to delivering positive health outcomes, while relationships of power determine health agendas, whose voices are heard and who benefits from global health initiatives. However, the relationship between trust and power has been neglected in the literatures on both international politics and global health. We examine this relationship through a study of relations between faith based organisations (FBO) and donors in Malawi and Zambia, drawing on 66 key informant interviews with actors central to delivering health care. From these two cases we develop an understanding of ‘trust as belonging’, which we define as the exercise of discretion accompanied by the expression of shared identities. Trust as belonging interacts with power in what we term the ‘power-trust cycle’, in which various forms of power undergird trust, and trust augments these forms of power. The power-trust cycle has a critical bearing on global health outcomes, affecting the space within which both local and international actors jockey to influence the ideologies that underpin global health, and the distribution of crucial resources. We illustrate how the power-trust cycle can work in both positive and negative ways to affect possible cooperation, with significant implications for collective responses to global health challenges.
Freeze tolerance in neotropical frogs: an intrageneric comparison using Pristimantis species of high elevation and medium elevation
Authors: Carvajalino-Fernández Juan Manuel , Bonilla Gomez Maria Argenis , Giraldo-Gutierréz Liliana , Navas Carlos Arturo
Published: July 2021

Paramos are high-elevation tropical Andean ecosystems above the tree line that display variable temperature and frequent freezing spells. Because a significant anuran community lives in this environment, physiological protection against freezing must characterise individuals in this community. Antifreeze protection has been studied in amphibians from other communities, and it is likely that Paramo anurans rely on the same underlying molecules that convey such protection to Nearctic species. However, given the pervasive presence of freezing spells in the Paramos year-round, the processes of activating protection mechanisms may differ from that of seasonal counterparts. Accordingly, this study investigated cryoprotection strategies in high-elevation tropical frogs, using as a model the terrestrial and nocturnal genus Pristimantis, specifically P. bogotensis, P. elegans and P. nervicus from Paramos, and the warm ecosystem counterparts P. insignitus, P. megalops and P. sanctaemartae. We focused on freeze tolerance and its relationship with glucose accumulation and ice formation. Under field conditions, the highest elevation P. nervicus exhibited higher glucose concentration at dawn compared to noon (1.7 ± 0.6 mmol/L versus 3.5 ± 1.32 mmol/L). Under experimental thermal freeze exposure for 2 hours between −2 and −4 ºC, the glucose concentration of the three Paramo species increased but physiological diversity was evident (P. nervicus 126%; P. bogotensis 100%; and P. elegans 55%). During this test, body ice formation was assessed calorimetrically. The species with the highest body ice formation was P. bogotensis (17% ± 5.37; maximum value: 63%; n = 8), followed by P. nervicus (5% ± 3.27; maximum value: 11%; n = 5) and P. elegans (0.34% ± 0.09; maximum value: 1%; n = 4). The study shows physiological diversity both within a genus and across the amphibian community around the freezing contour. Overall, Paramo species differ in freezing physiology from their low-elevation counterparts. Thus, climate shifts increasing freezing spells may affect the structure of communities in this zone.