bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
MIN3P-HPC: A High-Performance Unstructured Grid Code for Subsurface Flow and Reactive Transport Simulation
Authors: Su Danyang , Mayer K. Ulrich , MacQuarrie Kerry T. B.
Published: October 2020

The numerical simulation of flow and reactive transport in porous media with complex domains is nontrivial. This paper presents a method to implement fully unstructured grid capabilities into the well-established software ParMIN3P-THCm, a process-based numerical model designed for the investigation of subsurface fluid flow and multicomponent reactive transport in variably saturated porous media with parallelization capability. The enhanced code, MIN3P-HPC, is modularized to support different cell types, spatial discretization methods and gradient reconstruction methods. MIN3P-HPC uses a vertex-centered control volume method with consideration of both vertex-based and cell-based material properties (e.g., permeability). A flexible parallelization scheme based on domain decomposition and thread acceleration was implemented, which allows the use of OpenMP, MPI and hybrid MPI-OpenMP, making optimized use of computer resources ranging from desktop PCs to distributed memory supercomputers. The code was verified by comparing the results obtained with the unstructured grid version to those produced by the structured grid version. Numerical accuracy was also verified against analytical solutions for 2D and 3D solute transport, and by comparison with third-party software using different cell types. Parallel efficiency of OpenMP, MPI and hybrid MPI-OpenMP versions was examined through a series of solute transport and reactive transport test cases. The results demonstrate the versatility and enhanced performance of MIN3P-HPC for reactive transport simulation.
Elbow stability after simple elbow dislocation
Authors: Willin Jana , Schmalzl Jonas , Lehmann Lars , Gerhardt Christian
Published: October 2020

Aim

We aimed to compare the clinical results after ligamentous elbow dislocation between patients treated nonoperatively (group A) and patients who underwent ligamentous repair (group B).

Methods

Hospital records were investigated for cases of ligamentous elbow dislocation from January 2015 to December 2018. In total, 30 patients were identified: nine with nonoperative treatment and 21 with surgical ligamentous repair. The range of motion (ROM) including arc of extension/flexion and pronation/supination, valgus instability, and posterolateral rotatory instability were evaluated. The scores of several outcome measures assessing elbow injury were evaluated. Sonographic examination was performed on all patients to evaluate translation under valgus and posterolateral rotatory stress.

Results

Overall, 14 patients with simple elbow dislocation (group An = 5, 46.4 ± 19.3 years, follow-up [FU] 27 ± 12.4 months; group Bn = 9, 57.3 ± 21.0 years, FU 36 ± 11.1 months; 4 female patients in each group) were evaluated. No significant difference was seen in extension/flexion and ext/flex-arc although there was a tendency to limited extension (p = 0.07) in group A. A significantly reduced supination (84 ± 15° vs. 77 ± 21°,p = 0.02) was observed regarding the contralateral side in group B. There was no significant difference in the evaluated scores between the groups. A significantly increased medial angulation during ultrasound evaluation was found in group B compared with the contralateral side.

Conclusion

There were no significant differences concerning ROM and functional scores between the nonoperative treatment and ligamentous repair groups. On clinical evaluation, a higher rate of sufficiently healed ligaments was found following surgical repair, although this was not reflected in the ultrasound evaluation.
Nearly Invariant Subspaces with Applications to Truncated Toeplitz Operators
Authors: O’Loughlin Ryan
Published: October 2020

In this paper we first study the structure of the scalar and vector-valued nearly invariant subspaces with a finite defect. We then subsequently produce some fruitful applications of our new results. We produce a decomposition theorem for the vector-valued nearly invariant subspaces with a finite defect. More specifically, we show every vector-valued nearly invariant subspace with a finite defect can be written as the isometric image of a backwards shift invariant subspace. We also show that there is a link between the vector-valued nearly invariant subspaces and the scalar-valued nearly invariant subspaces with a finite defect. This is a powerful result which allows us to gain insight in to the structure of scalar subspaces of the Hardy space using vector-valued Hardy space techniques. These results have far reaching applications, in particular they allow us to develop an all encompassing approach to the study of the kernels of: the Toeplitz operator, the truncated Toeplitz operator, the truncated Toeplitz operator on the multiband space and the dual truncated Toeplitz operator.
Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation Affects Mineral Status in Female Rats with a Deficiency of These Micronutrients
Authors: Suliburska Joanna , Skrypnik Katarzyna , Chmurzyńska Agata
Published: October 2020

Supplementation with iron and folic acid is widely recommended in women of childbearing age and during pregnancy; however, the effect of such supplementation on mineral status is not well-known. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of oral iron and folic acid, administered together and separately, on copper, zinc, calcium, and magnesium concentrations in the tissues of rats with a deficiency of both these micronutrients. The experiment was performed on 8-week-old female Wistar rats. In the first stage of the experiment, the animals were randomly assigned to a control group of rats fed the standard diet (AIN-93 M), and to a study group of rats fed a diet deficient in iron and folate. The study group was then randomly divided to four groups: group D was fed a deficit diet, group FE was fed a deficit diet with iron gluconate, the FOL group was fed a deficit diet with folate acid, and the FEFOL group was fed a deficit diet with iron gluconate and folate acid. After 2, 10, and 21 days of the intervention, ten animals from each group were killed. Mineral concentrations were assayed in the liver, spleen, pancreas, heart, and kidneys using atomic absorption spectrometry. Statistical analysis was performed using Statistica 12.0 with the ANOVA test (p < 0.05). It was found that separate supplementation with iron and folic acid significantly decreased copper concentrations in tissues. The deficit in iron and folic acid decreased, and their simultaneous supplementation increased calcium content in the organs. Separate and simultaneous supplementation decreased magnesium status in deficient rats. In conclusion, iron and folic acid, supplemented separately or simultaneously, affect the copper, calcium, and magnesium level in tissues.
Influence of storage on the physical and chemical properties of Scots pine bark
Authors: Routa Johanna , Brännström Hanna , Hellström Jarkko , Laitila Juha
Published: October 2020

Bark is currently used mainly to produce energy, but the extraction of valuable compounds before combustion offers an interesting cascading use for debarking biomass. Buffer storage is an inevitable part of bark biomass logistics, but substantial dry matter and extractive losses can degrade the properties and reduce the economic value of the raw material during storage. In this study, moisture and ash content, calorific value, and extractives content and composition of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) sawmill bark were determined over 2 months of buffer storage, and the change in energy content during storage was calculated. The results showed that the energy content (MWh m−3) of the bark increased 3% during storage, while at the same time the moisture content decreased 16%. The content of acetone-soluble extractives decreased markedly, with only 56% of the original amount remaining after 8 weeks of storage. In particular, hydrophilic, phenolic extractive compounds were rapidly lost after debarking and piling of the bark. About 60% of condensed tannins (CT) and about 26% of the quantified lipophilic compounds were lost after 2 weeks of storage. The fastest rate of decrease and the most significant changes in extractives content and composition occurred within the first 2 weeks of storage. Utilization of these valuable compounds necessitates fast supply of material for further processing after debarking. The comprehensive utilization of bark requires efficiency at all levels of the supply chain to ensure that tree delivery times are kept short and loss of bark is avoided during harvest and transport.
States, Nations, and Civilizations
Authors: Therborn Göran
Published: October 2020

Nation-states are inherently part of cultural formations, sustaining, legitimating, and inspiring them. The nations sustaining contemporary states are very different, and major routes of historical nation-state formation can be distinguished, which means that global discussions of nation-states cannot be confined to such states “in a European sense” only. Civilization(s) is a concept with different meanings in singular and in plural, belonging to different semantic fields, at least in European languages. As a singular concept it arose in mid-eighteenth century, distinguishing a high degree of social and cultural development from “barbarism” and “savagery”. It spread rapidly across European languages in the nineteenth century with European world supremacy and evolutionism, as a European self-designation. Civilizations in plural first appeared on a large intellectual scale after World War I, the horrendous slaughters of which shattered the Western ideas of continuous evolution and progress, and of the West as the unique pinnacle of human development. In the plural, civilizations have been used in philosophies of comparative history and evolution, but it may also be used as a tool of cultural analysis. In this sense, civilizations refer to large, ancient enduring cultural configurations, to the deepest layer of contemporary cultural geology. In terms of current demographic size five major such civilizations can be identified. They impinge upon the political culture of states, upon the visions and the language of the state rulers. They do not clash, and they do not determine state behaviour. Nations and civilizations are compared as cultural entities or referents, with a view to laying a basis for analytical comparisons of nation states and civilization-states, in particular their implications of agency, time and history, including their different historical contexts of emergence. The nation and civilization designations of states also related to a wider range of contemporary state categorizations. Contemporary politics and political theorizing of civilizations are looked at in brief empirical overviews of the impact of civilizations upon international relations in the wake of Samuel Huntington’s thesis of “clashes of civilizations”, and of the promise of civilization states as a political project, and as an illuminating tool of cognition.
Male bats respond to adverse conditions with larger colonies and increased torpor use during sperm production
Authors: Hałat Zuzanna , Dechmann Dina K. N. , Zegarek Marcin , Ruczyński Ireneusz
Published: October 2020

Changes in environmental conditions can have strong energetic effects on animals through limited food availability or increased thermoregulatory costs. Especially difficult are periods of increased energy expenditures, such as reproduction. Reproductive female bats from the temperate zone often aggregate in maternity colonies to profit from social thermoregulation to reduce torpor use and buffer the effects of poor conditions. The much rarer male colonies may form for similar reasons during testes development. Male colonies thus allow us to study the influence of environmental conditions on energy budget and colony size, without the confounding effects of parental care. We remotely monitored skin temperature and assessed colony size of male parti-coloured bats Vespertilio murinus during summer, and correlated those variables with environmental conditions and food availability (i.e. insect abundance). As we had hypothesized, we found that colony size increased at colder temperatures, but decreased at low wind speeds. Also as predicted, torpor use was relatively low, however, it did increase slightly during adverse conditions. Male sociality may be an adaptation to adverse environmental conditions during sexual maturation, but the pressure to avoid torpor during spermatogenesis may be lower than in pregnant or lactating females.
How Accurate is the Use of Contralateral Implant Size as a Template in Bilateral Hemiarthroplasty?
Authors: Marappa-Ganeshan Raghavendra , Sim Francis , Sidhom Sameh , Chakrabarty Gautam , Pandit Hemant G. , van Duren Bernard H.
Published: October 2020

Purpose

Accurately predicting implant size for hemiarthroplasties offers an important contribution to theatre efficiency and patients’ intraoperative care. However, pre-operative sizing using templating of implants in hip fracture patients requiring a hemiarthroplasty is often difficult due to non-standard radiographs, absence of a calibration marker, poor marker placement, variable patient position, and in many institutions a lack of templating facilities. In patients who have previously undergone a hemiarthroplasty on the contralateral side, surgeons can use the contralateral implant size for pre-operative planning purposes. However, the accuracy of doing this has not previously been reported. The aim of this study was to investigate the reliability of using an in situ contralateral implant as a predictor of implant size on the contralateral side.

Methods

A retrospective review of our local neck of femur fracture (NOF) database was undertaken to identify patients who had bilateral hip hemiarthroplasty. Operative records were reviewed to establish the size of prostheses used at operation. Correlation, agreement, and reliability analysis were performed using the least squares, Bland–Altman plot, and intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) methods, respectively.

Results

Operative records were identified for 45 patients who had bilateral hemiarthroplasties. There was a difference in implant size used in 58% of cases. Of these 77% required a larger implant on the right. Implant sizes were within 1 mm of the contralateral side in 78% and within 2 mm in 91% of patients. However, in 9% of patients, there was a discrepancy greater than 2 mm with some cases having up to 6 mm discrepancy. Correlation coefficient was 0.83 and the ICC 0.90.

Conclusions

The findings in this study indicated that using the size of a contralateral implant can be used as a reliable indicator of head size in cases of bilateral hemiarthroplasty. However, the surgeon should remain cautious as there is a one in ten chance of there being a 3 mm or more difference in implant size.
From State Capture to “Pariah” Status? The Preference Attainment of the Hungarian Banking Association (2006–14)
Authors: Sebők Miklós , Kozák Sándor
Published: October 2020

One of the major political narratives in the build-up to the critical parliamentary election of 2010 in Hungary was related to the “government of bankers.” Pre-2010 governments earned this label by the opposition based on their supposed close relationship with banking interests and for purportedly formulating financial and tax policy according to the needs of major financial institutions. In this article, we examine the preference attainment of the Hungarian Banking Association, the pre-eminent interest group in banking, and that of OTP, the biggest bank in Hungary, in order to evaluate this popular claim. The article addresses this challenge by comparing the policy influence of Hungarian Banking Association and OTP in the government cycles ending and starting in 2010. We adopt a computer-assisted qualitative content analysis framework and juxtapose the policy positions of the interest group in their formal communications with actual legislation related to the same issues. Results show that the general preference attainment of the banking lobby on major policy issues decreased after 2010—nevertheless, seismic activity was already under way after 2006.
Effects of the Pedernales Earthquake on Ecuador’s Health Care System
Authors: Cañizares Fuentes Ricardo , Barquet Abi Hanna Giaffar , Santana Véliz Carlos , Blasco Carlos Miquel
Published: October 2020

Objective:

This study analyzes the effects of the Pedernales earthquake (April 2016) on Ecuador’s health care system.

Methods:

A research was carried out in Chone Canton, which combined documentary, quantitative, and qualitative techniques. Epidemiological and service production information taken from official documents was analyzed systematically. In-depth interviews and surveys were conducted with health care program directors and technicians from the Health Centres of the Ministry of Public Health and the users.

Results:

Deficiencies in the health care system were already observed in Chone Canton prior to the earthquake mainly due to the lack of doctors, nurses, and hospital beds. According to the interviewees, the health district was not prepared for an emergency like the earthquake. Some buildings fell after the earthquake, and Chone Hospital was disabled. These problems coupled with preventive action failures at the community level led to an increase in diseases after the earthquake.

Conclusions:

The shortage of personnel and physical infrastructure, weaknesses in primary health care in the Ecuadorian health system, the lack of preparation, and limited availability of information on health indicators were the causes of the sharp increase in pre-existing diseases in the area, and of new epidemic outbreaks after the earthquake.
Investigating the Effect of Different Parameters on CHTC Using Wind-Tunnel Measurement and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to Develop CHTC Correlations for Mixed CHTCS
Authors: Agabalaie Fakhim Hamed , Zamzamian Kamiar , Hanifi Masoud
Published: October 2020

Convective Heat Transfer Coefficient (CHTC) is a determining factor in building energy simulation (BES) tools for building thermal calculations. The accuracy of CHTC calculation has a direct effect on building energy analysis.This study aims to assess the impact of multiple parameters, namely temperature difference, wind speed, and wind direction on CHTC of building exterior surfaces. Then the overall high accuracy correlation based on these parameters for CHTC is provided. According to the specified values for temperature and velocity, Richardson’s number range from 0.1 to 10, representing a mixed heat transfer. The simulated results are compared with a wind tunnel experiment for validation. The standard k-epsilon model is used for turbulence simulation. Several cases are numerically simulated, considering various velocities, wind directions, and temperature differences. Results indicate that the studied parameters could be ranked as velocity, building orientation, and temperature difference in the order of effectiveness. All of the correlations used in EnergyPlus software for the exterior surface of the building are compared with the presented correlation and simulated data. The comparison shows that the proposed expression could predict CHTC for various angles, velocities, and temperature differences with an error of below 3%.
Between trust and violence: medical encounters under Japanese military occupation during the War in China (1937–1945)
Authors: Harari Reut
Published: October 2020

During the War in China (1937–1945), the Japanese military combined warfare with the maintenance of a military occupation. To sustain its tentative grasp over the occupied territories, the Japanese military vied to cultivate trust among the local population. This was a challenging task in the midst of a violent war which as many historical works described was accompanied by brutal war crimes. A less explored aspect of the occupation was medical care. This article unfolds this history by analysing medical encounters between Japanese military medics and military affiliated agents, and members of the local population in the rural Chinese countryside. Testimonies reveal that these encounters – some spontaneous and others deliberate – were small moments of humanity and benevolence within a violent environment. Concomitantly, they demonstrate the overarching tension in this unequal encounter and the use of medicine as a pacifying tool that also served as means to build and maintain the occupation through the transference of medical trust towards the military at large. Thus, this article presents a different aspect of the role of trust and distrust in medical care, as well as expanding the analysis of medicine as a ‘tool of empire’ to the context of military occupation.
Incident psychopharmacological treatment and psychiatric hospital contact in individuals with newly developed type 2 diabetes – a register-based cohort study
Authors: Rohde Christopher , Schmitz Norbert , Thomsen Reimar W. , Østergaard Søren D.
Published: October 2020

To investigate the association between newly developed type 2 diabetes (T2D) and incident psychopharmacological treatment and psychiatric hospital contact. Via Danish registers, we identified all 56 640 individuals from the Central and Northern Denmark Regions with newly developed T2D (defined by the first HbA1c measurement ≥6.5%) in 2000–2016 as well as 315 694 age- and sex-matched controls (without T2D). Those having received psychopharmacological treatment or having had a psychiatric hospital contact in the 5 years prior to the onset of T2D were not included. For this cohort, we first assessed the 2-year incidence of psychopharmacological treatment and psychiatric hospital contact. Secondly, via Cox regression, we compared the incidence of psychopharmacological treatment/psychiatric hospital contact among individuals with T2D to propensity score-matched controls – taking a wide range of potential confounders into account. Finally, via Cox proportional hazards regression, we assessed which baseline (T2D onset) characteristics were associated with subsequent psychopharmacological treatment and psychiatric hospital contact. A total of 8.3% of the individuals with T2D initiated psychopharmacological treatment compared to 4.6% of the age- and sex-matched controls. Individuals with T2D were at increased risk of initiating psychopharmacological treatment compared to the propensity score-matched controls (HR = 1.51, 95% CI = 1.43–1.59), whereas their risk of psychiatric hospital contact was not increased to the same extent (HR = 1.14, 95% CI = 0.98–1.32). Older age, somatic comorbidity, and being divorced/widowed were associated with both psychopharmacological treatment and psychiatric hospital contact following T2D. Individuals with T2D are at elevated risk of requiring psychopharmacological treatment.
Traitors in Limbo: Chinese Trials of White Russian Spies, 1937–1948
Authors: Xia Yun
Published: October 2020

Following the October Revolution, tens of thousands of White Russians sought refuge in China and became inevitably involved in the escalating Sino-Japanese War (1931–1945). The Japanese deployed measures of coercion, material incentives, and ideological indoctrination to recruit White Russians for Japan’s military and political maneuvers in the China theater of WWII. With the conclusion of the war, the Chinese Nationalist government launched a legal campaign against all collaborators with Japan and labeled themhanjian, “traitors to the Han Chinese,” regardless of the race and nationality of the defendants. Based on archival materials in Chinese, English, Japanese, and Russian, this article examines the context and process of the incrimination of White Russians in China’s postwar trials of traitors. With no consular support and little diplomatic significance, the White Russians became the ideal foreigners for the Chinese government to exercise its newly recovered judicial sovereignty and to claim its legitimacy in administering justice related to war crimes. Dozens of White Russians were convicted of the crime ofhanjianand sentenced to prison terms of varied lengths.
Fermentative characteristics and chemical composition of cochineal nopal cactus silage containing chemical and microbial additives
Authors: Sá W. C. C. S. , Santos E. M. , de Oliveira J. S. , de Araujo G. G. L. , Perazzo A. F. , da Silva A. L. , Pereira D. M. , César Neto J. M. , Santos F. N. S. , Leite G. M.
Published: October 2020

The objective of this study was to evaluate the fermentative characteristics and chemical composition of cochineal nopal cactus silage additives with urea or Lactobacillus buchneri (LB), as well as the association of both additives in four storage times (7, 15, 60 and 120 days) and during aerobic stability, with evaluations at 0, 48 and 96 h. Four silages were used: no additive, addition of 2% urea, addition of LB and addition of 2% urea and LB. The study was divided into two experiments: the first experiment evaluated the silages at different storage times, and the second experiment evaluated the silages during the aerobic stability test. In both experiments, the experimental design was completely randomized in a factorial scheme (4 × 4 and 4 × 3) with three replicates per treatment. After the ensiling process, lactic acid bacteria predominated in all treatments. The concentration of lactic acid increased significantly from 60 days of ensiling. The concentration of acetic acid varied significantly between the storage times only for the silages treated with urea and LB alone. The silage treated with urea maintained a constant pH value up to 120 days of storage. During the 96 h aerobic stability test, no breaking in the stability of silages was observed. The exclusive or associated use of urea and LB promotes improvement in the fermentative characteristics of cochineal nopal cactus silage, without major alterations in the chemical composition or interfering with the aerobic stability of the silages.
On the integration of early health technology assessment in the innovation process: reflections from five stakeholders
Authors: Tummers Marcia , Kværner Kari , Sampietro-Colom Laura , Siebert Markus , Krahn Murray , Melien Øyvind , Hamerlijnck Dominique , Abrishami Payam , Grutters Janneke
Published: October 2020

Early health technology assessment (HTA), which includes all methods used to inform industry and other stakeholders about the potential value of new medical products in development, including methods to quantify and manage uncertainty, has seen many applications in recent years. However, it is still unclear how such early value assessments can be integrated into the technology innovation process. This commentary contributes to the discussion on the purposes early HTA can serve. Similarities and differences in the perspectives of five stakeholders (i.e., the hospital, the patient, the assessor, the medical device industry, and the policy maker) on the purpose, value, and potential challenges of early HTA are described. All five stakeholders agreed that integrating early HTA in the innovation process has the possibility to shape and refine an innovation, and inform research and development decisions. The early assessment, using a variety of methodologies, can provide insights that are relevant for all stakeholders but several challenges, for example, feasibility and responsibility, need to be addressed before early HTA can become standard practice. For early evaluations to be successful, all relevant stakeholders including patients need to be involved. Also, nimble, flexible assessment methods are needed that fit the dynamics of medical technology. Best practices should be shared to optimize both the innovation process and the methods to perform an early value assessment.
How does HTA addresses current social expectations? An international survey
Authors: Gagnon Hubert , Legault Georges-Auguste , Bellemare Christian A. , Parent Monelle , Dagenais Pierre , K.-Bédard Suzanne , Tapin Danielle , Bernier Louise , Béland Jean-Pierre , Daniel Charles-Étienne , Patenaude Johane
Published: October 2020

Objectives

Integration of ethics into technology assessment in healthcare (HTA) reports is directly linked to the need of decision makers to provide rational grounds justifying their social choices. In a decision-making paradigm, facts and values are intertwined and the social role of HTA reports is to provide relevant information to decision makers. Since 2003, numerous surveys and discussions have addressed different aspects of the integration of ethics into HTA. This study aims to clarify how HTA professionals consider the integration of ethics into HTA, so an international survey was conducted in 2018 and the results are reported here.

Methods

A survey comprising twenty-two questions was designed and carried out from April 2018 to July 2018. Three hundred and twenty-eight HTA agencies from seventy-five countries were invited to participate in this survey.

Results

Eighty-nine participants completed the survey, representing a participation rate of twenty-seven percent. As to how HTA reports should fulfill their social role, over 84 percent of respondents agreed upon the necessity to address this role for decision makers, patients, and citizens. At a lower level, the same was found regarding the necessity to make value-judgments explicit in different report sections, including ethical analysis. This contrasts with the response-variability obtained on the status of ethical analysis with the exception of the expertise required. Variability in stakeholder-participation usefulness was also observed.

Conclusions

This study reveals the importance of a three-phase approach, including assessment, contextual data, and recommendations, and highlights the necessity to make explicit value-judgments and have a systematic ethical analysis in order to fulfill HTA's social role in guiding decision makers.
In situ XRPD study of the ambient-pressure synthesis of nonstoichiometric Ag3O from Ag–Ag2O thin films: Phase abundance, unit-cell parameters, and c/a as a function of temperature and time
Authors: Schields Paul J. , Dunwoody Nicholas , Field David , Wilson Zachary
Published: October 2020

Ag3O was synthesized by jet-milling magnetron-sputtered Ag–Ag2O thin films. Heating the jet-milled powders in air and N2 from 40 to 148 °C at ambient pressure produced Ag3O-rich powders. The phase composition and unit-cell parameters of the jet-milled powders were measured as a function of temperature with in situ X-ray powder diffraction experiments from −186 to 293 °C. Ag3O was also produced by ball milling and sonicating jet-milled films at ambient conditions. The phase composition, unit-cell parameters, and thermal-reaction rates indicate nonstoichiometric Ag3O was produced from the reaction of metastable, nonstoichiometric Ag2O (cuprite structure) and ccp Ag. The thermal expansion of Ag3O is anisotropic; below 25 °C, the a-axis expansion is about twice the c-axis expansion resulting in a negative slope of c/a(T). The reversal of the sign of c/a(T) near 25 °C is dramatic. The thermal reaction is arrested when the temperature is rapidly increased from ambient to 130 °C. Ag3O is metastable and decreases its unit-cell volume during kinetic decomposition to Ag when heated above ambient temperature in air and nitrogen. The relative volume expansion of Ag3O is about 80% less than Ag at room temperature and below. The suite of nonstoichiometric Ag3O produced by heating displays a linear relation between c/a and unit-cell volume at room temperature. The c/a and unit-cell volume of a hydrothermally grown Ag3O single crystal reported in a published structure determination was the Ag-rich, low-volume end member of the linear series. The c/a and unit-cell volume are sensitive indicators of the oxygen content and state of disorder.
Proposal: A Political Science Peer Review and Publication Consortium
Authors: Gerring John , Pemstein Daniel
Published: October 2020

The traditional process of peer review and publication has come under intense scrutiny in recent years. The time seems propitious for a consideration of alternatives in political science. To that end, we propose a Peer Review and Publication Consortium. The Consortium retains the virtues of the traditional peer-review process (governed by academic journals) while also mitigating some of its vices.
Awareness of family physician residents of their roles in disaster health management: a cross-sectional study in Turkey
Authors: Yılmaz Tarık Eren , Yılmaz Tuğba , Örnek Büken Nüket , Özkara Adem , Altıntaş Kerim Hakan
Published: October 2020

Aim:

Family physicians are role models for their societies in disaster management and have an important place in it. This study was carried out during the specialty training of the residents, who are currently family physicians fighting against COVID-19 in the field, and was aimed to identify the awareness levels of residents regarding the roles and duties of family physicians before, during, and after disasters and to increase their awareness of disaster medicine and management.

Background:

The duties and responsibilities of a family physician in disasters should be a part of their specialty training. This study has contributed to the limited literature, increased awareness, and opened a new avenue of research for studies to be conducted with family physicians by demonstrating the current situation of family physicians in disaster management.

Methods:

This is an observational and descriptive study. The knowledge, experience, opinions, willingness, attitudes of the residents, and the awareness levels of the residents regarding their roles and duties in a disaster were evaluated along with their sociodemographic information. The surveys were applied in the family medicine clinics of the all residents by the interview method (n = 233).

Findings:

Only 9.2% of the residents stated that they had received training on disaster medicine where they currently work. The knowledge level of the residents on this subject was found as ‘Unsure’. In total, 80% of the residents stated that family physicians should have a role in disasters. It was found that 83.3% of the residents had never joined a disaster drill, 94.3% had never participated in making or applying a disaster plan, and 97.7% had never worked in any disaster.

Conclusion:

The residents participating in the study lacked not only information on disaster management but also experience. The residents’ willingness to receive training, work voluntarily, significantly question the curriculum, and specialize in disaster medicine were a positive outcome.
An Empirical History of the US Postal Savings System
Authors: Sprick Schuster Steven , Jaremski Matthew , Perlman Elisabeth Ruth
Published: October 2020

Seeking to reach the unbanked, the US Postal Savings System provided a federally insured savings alternative to traditional banks. Using novel data sets on postal deposits, demographic characteristics, and banks, we study how and by whom the system was used. We find the program was initially used by nonfarming immigrant populations for short-term saving, then as a safe haven during the Great Depression, and finally as long-term investments for the wealthy during the 1940s. Postal Savings was only a partial substitute for traditional banks, as locations with banks often still heavily used Postal Savings.
Noninvasive Assessment of Coronary Artery Disease – Anatomical versus Functional Imaging and the Marginal Role of Exercise Electrocardiograms
Authors: Boscolo Berto Martina , Benz Dominik C. , Gräni Christoph
Published: October 2020

Abstract. Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the industrialized countries. Assessment of symptomatic patients with suspected obstructive CAD is a common reason for a clinical visit. Noninvasive anatomical and functional imaging are established tools to rule-in and rule-out CAD, to assess the severity of disease and to determine the potential risk of future cardiovascular events. In this review, we discuss the updated Guidelines from the European Society of Cardiology on Chronic Coronary Syndromes and explore the different imaging modalities used in current clinical practice for the noninvasive assessment of CAD. The pros and cons of each method, especially comparing anatomical and functional testing, are presented. Furthermore we we address the practical clinical aspects in the selection of the optimal noninvasive tests according to clinical need.
Für einmal nicht Coronavirus – Eine nicht alltägliche Ursache für Fieber und Hepatitis
Authors: Gerhards Veronika , Reiner Martin F. , Beer Jürg H. , Greiner Michael
Published: October 2020

Zusammenfassung. Unser Fall handelt von akutem Q-Fieber als eine nicht alltägliche Fieber- Ursache, begleitet von Pneumonie und/oder Hepatitis. Es wird verursacht durch das Bakterium Coxiella burnetii, das vor allem bei Nutztieren auftritt und durch Aerosol-Inhalation von Exkrementen infizierter Tiere auf den Menschen übertragen wird. Da die Krankheit gut behandelt werden kann, lohnt es sich, sie in differenzialdiagnostische Überlegungen mit einzubeziehen, vor allem bei typischer Umgebungsanamnese. Der Übertragungsweg bei unserem Patienten bleibt unklar, da er glaubhaft jeglichen Tierkontakt verneint.
CME: Chronisch generalisierter Pruritus nicht-dermatologischer Ursache
Authors: Petruse Liliana , Kiesel Holger , Rampini Silvana K.
Published: October 2020

Zusammenfassung. Chronisch generalisierter Pruritus ist ein häufiges Symptom. Dermatologische Ursachen müssen von nicht-dermatologischen Ursachen unterschieden werden. Nicht-dermatologisch bedingter Pruritus hat vielfältige Ursachen, wie systemische, infektiologische, neurologische, psychogene Erkrankungen und medikamentöse Nebenwirkungen, von denen einige mit einer signifikanten Morbidität verbunden sein können. Die Möglichkeit einer systemischen Erkrankung sollte bei Patientinnen und Patienten mit generalisiertem Pruritus und ohne Anzeichen für primäre Hautläsionen ausgeschlossen werden. Neben einer sorgfältigen Anamnese und körperlichen Untersuchung können ausgewählte Laboruntersuchungen hilfreich sein, um eine Diagnose zu stellen. Pruritus kann das erste Anzeichen einer malignen, im Besonderen hämatologischen, Erkrankung sein. Pruritus im Zusammenhang mit soliden Tumoren ist auch nicht so selten. Da chronischer Pruritus oft therapierefraktär ist, geht er mit einer deutlichen Einschränkung der Lebensqualität einher. Dieser CME-Artikel bietet eine Herangehensweise an den nicht-dermatologisch bedingten chronisch generalisierten Pruritus des Erwachsenen mit möglicher Abklärungsstrategie und differenzialdiagnostischen Überlegungen.
Nuclear FOXP3 inhibits tumor growth and induced apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma by targeting c-Myc
Authors: Gong Zhongqin , Jia Hao , Yu Jianqing , Liu Yi , Ren Jianwei , Yang Shengli , Hu Baoguang , Liu Liping , Lai Paul B. S. , Chen George Gong
Published: October 2020

The status of FOXP3 and its isoforms in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is unclear. We aimed to investigate the expression and function of FOXP3 and its isoforms in HCC. The study was performed on 84 HCC patients, HCC cell lines and a mouse tumor model. The levels of FOXP3 and its isoforms were determined by nested PCR, quantitative real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining. The correlation between their levels and clinicopathologic characteristics was analyzed. The full length of FOXP3 (FOXP3) and exon 3-deleted FOXP3 (FOXP3Δ3) were found to be the major isoforms in HCC. The levels of FOXP3Δ3 mRNA and protein in HCC tumor samples were not significantly different from their adjacent normal tissues. The high expression of FOXP3 protein in HCC patients showed a good overall survival. The overexpression of FOXP3 significantly reduced tumor cell proliferation, migration and invasion. The immunofluorescence result indicated that FOXP3 needed to be translocated into the nucleus to exert its inhibitory function. The luciferase assay demonstrated that FOXP3 could be synergistic with Smad2/3/4 to inhibit the oncogene c-Myc. The co-immunoprecipitation results further revealed that FOXP3 could interact with Smad2/3/4. The chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay showed that both FOXP3 and Smad2/3/4 bound the promoter of the c-Myc to inhibit it. The in vivo mouse tumor model study confirmed the inhibitory effect of FOXP3. Collectively, the expression of tumor FOXP3 can inhibit the growth of HCC via suppressing c-Myc directly or indirectly via interacting with Smad2/3/4. Therefore, FOXP3 is a tumor suppressor in HCC.
Synergetic therapy of glioma mediated by a dual delivery system loading α-mangostin and doxorubicin through cell cycle arrest and apoptotic pathways
Authors: Nie Wen , Zan Xin , Yu Ting , Ran Mengni , Hong Zehua , He Yihong , Yang Tingting , Ju Yan , Gao Xiang
Published: October 2020

Two of the biggest hurdles in the deployment of chemotherapeutics against glioma is a poor drug concentration at the tumor site and serious side effects to normal tissues. Nanocarriers delivering different drugs are considered to be one of the most promising alternatives. In this study, a dual delivery system (methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(ε-caprolactone) (MPEG-PCL)) loaded with α-mangostin (α-m) and doxorubicin (Dox) was decorated and constructed by self-assembly to determine its ability to treat glioma. Molecular dynamics simulations showed that MPEG-PCL could provide ideal interaction positions for both α-m and Dox, indicating that the two drugs could be loaded into MPEG-PCL. Based on the in vitro results, MPEG-PCL loaded with α-m and Dox (α-m-Dox/M) with a size of 25.68 nm and a potential of −1.51 mV was demonstrated to significantly inhibit the growth and promote apoptosis in Gl261, C6 and U87 cells, and the effects of the combination were better than each compound alone. The mechanisms involved in the suppression of glioma cell growth were blockage of the cell cycle in S phase by inhibition of CDK2/cyclin E1 and promotion of apoptosis through the Bcl-2/Bax pathway. The synergetic effects of α-m-Dox/M effectively inhibited tumor growth and prolonged survival time without toxicity in mouse glioma models by inducing glioma apoptosis, inhibiting glioma proliferation and limiting tumor angiogenesis. In conclusion, a codelivery system was synthesized to deliver α-m and Dox to the glioma, thereby suppressing the development of glioma by the mechanisms of cell cycle arrest and cellular apoptosis, which demonstrated the potential of this system to improve the chemotherapy response of glioma.
Interleukin-1 receptor-induced PGE2 production controls acetylcholine-mediated cardiac dysfunction and mortality during scorpion envenomation
Authors: Reis Mouzarllem B. , Rodrigues Fernanda L. , Lautherbach Natalia , Kanashiro Alexandre , Sorgi Carlos A. , Meirelles Alyne F. G. , Silva Carlos A. A. , Zoccal Karina F. , Souza Camila O. S. , Ramos Simone G. , Matsuno Alessandra K. , Rocha Lenaldo B. , Salgado Helio C. , Navegantes Luiz C. C. , Kettelhut Ísis C. , Cupo Palmira , Gardinassi Luiz G. , Faccioli Lúcia H.
Published: October 2020

Scorpion envenomation is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among accidents caused by venomous animals. Major clinical manifestations that precede death after scorpion envenomation include heart failure and pulmonary edema. Here, we demonstrate that cardiac dysfunction and fatal outcomes caused by lethal scorpion envenomation in mice are mediated by a neuro-immune interaction linking IL-1 receptor signaling, prostaglandin E2, and acetylcholine release. IL-1R deficiency, the treatment with a high dose of dexamethasone or blockage of parasympathetic signaling using atropine or vagotomy, abolished heart failure and mortality of envenomed mice. Therefore, we propose the use of dexamethasone administration very early after envenomation, even before antiserum, to inhibit the production of inflammatory mediators and acetylcholine release, and to reduce the risk of death.
Author Correction: High-power lithium–selenium batteries enabled by atomic cobalt electrocatalyst in hollow carbon cathode
Authors: Tian Hao , Tian Huajun , Wang Shijian , Chen Shuangming , Zhang Fan , Song Li , Liu Hao , Liu Jian , Wang Guoxiu
Published: October 2020

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Probing coordinated co-culture cancer related motility through differential micro-compartmentalized elastic substrates
Authors: Chou Szu-Yuan , Lin Chang-You , Cassino Theresa , Wan Li , LeDuc Philip R.
Published: October 2020

Cell development and behavior are driven by internal genetic programming, but the external microenvironment is increasingly recognized as a significant factor in cell differentiation, migration, and in the case of cancer, metastatic progression. Yet it remains unclear how the microenvironment influences cell processes, especially when examining cell motility. One factor that affects cell motility is cell mechanics, which is known to be related to substrate stiffness. Examining how cells interact with each other in response to mechanically differential substrates would allow an increased understanding of their coordinated cell motility. In order to probe the effect of substrate stiffness on tumor related cells in greater detail, we created hard–soft–hard (HSH) polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrates with alternating regions of different stiffness (200 and 800 kPa). We then cultured WI-38 fibroblasts and A549 epithelial cells to probe their motile response to the substrates. We found that when the 2 cell types were exposed simultaneously to the same substrate, fibroblasts moved at an increased speed over epithelial cells. Furthermore, the HSH substrate allowed us to physically guide and separate the different cell types based on their relative motile speed. We believe that this method and results will be important in a diversity of areas including mechanical microenvironment, cell motility, and cancer biology.
Recovery expectations of neck pain patients do not predict treatments outcome in manual therapy
Authors: Mutsaers J.-H. A. M. , Pool-Goudzwaard A. L. , Peters R. , Koes B. W. , Verhagen A. P.
Published: October 2020

Patient recovery expectations can predict treatment outcome. Little is known about the association of patient recovery expectations on treatment outcome in patients with neck pain consulting a manual therapist. This study evaluates the predictive value of recovery expectations in neck pain patients consulting manual therapists in the Netherlands. The primary outcome measure ‘recovery’ is defined as ‘reduction in pain and perceived improvement’. A prospective cohort study a total of 1195 neck pain patients. Patients completed the Patient Expectancies List (PEL) at baseline (3 item questionnaire, score range from 3 to 12), functional status (NDI), the Global Perceived Effect (GPE) for recovery (7-points Likert scale) post treatment and pain scores (NRS) at baseline and post treatment. The relationship between recovery expectancy and recovery (dichotomized GPE scores) was assessed by logistic regression analysis. Patients generally reported high recovery expectations on all three questions of the PEL (mean sumscores ranging from 11.3 to 11.6). When adjusted for covariates the PEL sum-score did not predict recovery (explained variance was 0.10 for the total PEL). Separately, the first question of the PEL showed predictive potential (OR 3.7; 95%CI 0.19–73.74) for recovery, but failed to reach statistical significance. In this study patient recovery expectations did not predict treatment outcome. Variables predicting recovery were recurrence and duration of pain. The precise relationship between patient recovery expectations and outcome is complex and still inconclusive. Research on patient expectancy would benefit from more consistent use of theoretical expectancy and outcome models.