bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
COVID-19 pandemic and therapy with ibuprofen or renin-angiotensin system blockers: no need for interruptions or changes in ongoing chronic treatments
Authors:   on behalf of the German Society for Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology (DGPT), Zolk Oliver , Hafner Susanne , Schmidt Christoph Q.
Published: May 2020

Scientists hypothesized that drugs such as ibuprofen or renin-angiotensin system (RAS) blockers could exacerbate the novel coronavirus disease COVID-19 by upregulating the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), which serves as an entry receptor for the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. This hypothesis was taken up by the lay press and led to concerns among doctors and patients whether the use of these drugs was still safe and justified against the background of the pandemic spread of SARS-CoV-2 with an increasing number of cases and deaths. In this article, we summarize what is known about the effect of RAS blockers or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on the course of COVID-19 disease. In the case of RAS inhibition, we also find evidence for the opposite hypothesis, namely, that RAS inhibition in COVID-19 could be protective. In view of the inconsistent and limited evidence and after weighing up the benefits and risks, we would not currently recommend discontinuing or switching an effective treatment with RAS blockers. NSAIDs should be used at the lowest effective dose for the shortest possible period. The choice of drug to treat COVID-19-associated fever or pain should be based on a benefit-risk assessment for known side effects (e.g., kidney damage, gastrointestinal ulceration).
Is Early Initiation of Adjuvant Chemotherapy Beneficial for Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer Following Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy and Radical Surgery?
Authors: Sun Yanwu , Huang Zhekun , Zhang Yiyi , Lin Huiming , Lu Xingrong , Huang Ying , Chi Pan
Published: May 2020

Aim

This study aimed to evaluate whether earlier initiation (< 4 weeks) of adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) confer any oncological benefits for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) and radical surgery.

Method

Clinicopathological and survival outcomes were compared. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to adjust for differences between groups. Cox regression analysis was performed to evaluate the impact of earlier ACT initiation on overall survival (OS) and disease‐free survival (DFS).

Results

Totally, 443 eligible patients were included. More laparoscopic surgeries, less postoperative complications, and more ACT completion were observed in patients whose ACT was initiated within 4 weeks after surgery (all P < 0.001). With a mean follow‐up of 59 months, the 5‐year OS and DFS rate was 89.8% and 82.0% in the early group, significantly higher than 81.6% and 73.1% in the late group (P = 0.007, and P = 0.022, respectively). After PSM, the 5‐year OS and DFS rate was 90.9% and 84.4% in the early group, significantly higher than 83.4% and 68.8% in the late group (P = 0.047, and P = 0.017, respectively). Cox regression analysis demonstrated that time to ACT initiation (early vs. late, HR = 0.486, P = 0.008) was independently associated with OS.

Conclusion

Early initiation of ACT (<4 weeks) confers a survival benefit, and is an independent prognostic factor of OS in LARC patients following nCRT. Further investigations are needed to define the role of earlier initiation of ACT in patients with LARC after nCRT.
Measuring quality of life in patients with abdominal wall hernias: a systematic review of available tools
Authors: Grove T. N. , Muirhead L. J. , Parker S. G. , Brogden D. R. L. , Mills S. C. , Kontovounisios C. , Windsor A. C. J. , Warren O. J.
Published: May 2020

Introduction

Abdominal wall herniation (AWH) is an increasing problem for patients, surgeons, and healthcare providers. Surgical-site specific outcomes, such as infection, recurrence, and mesh explantation, are improving; however, successful repair still exposes the patient to what is often a complex major operation aimed at improving quality of life. Quality-of-life (QOL) outcomes, such as aesthetics, pain, and physical and emotional functioning, are less often and less well reported. We reviewed QOL tools currently available to evaluate their suitability.

Methods

A systematic review of the literature in compliance with PRISMA guidelines was performed between 1st January 1990 and 1st May 2019. English language studies using validated quality-of-life assessment tool, whereby outcomes using this tool could be assessed were included.

Results

Heterogeneity in the QOL tool used for reporting outcome was evident throughout the articles reviewed. AWH disease-specific tools, hernia-specific tools, and generic tools were used throughout the literature with no obviously preferred or dominant method identified.

Conclusion

Despite increasing acknowledgement of the need to evaluate QOL in patients with AWH, no tool has become dominant in this field. Assessment, therefore, of the impact of certain interventions or techniques on quality of life remains difficult and will continue to do so until an adequate standardised outcome measurement tool is available.
Will dairy cattle production in West Africa be challenged by heat stress in the future?
Authors: Rahimi Jaber , Mutua John Yumbya , Notenbaert An M. O. , Dieng Diarra , Butterbach-Bahl Klaus
Published: May 2020

This study focuses on heat stress conditions for dairy cattle production in West Africa under current and future climatic conditions. After testing the accuracy of the dynamically downscaled climate datasets for simulating the historical daily maximum temperature (Tmax) and relative humidity (RH) in West Africa for 50 meteorological stations, we used the dataset for calculating the temperature-humidity index (THI), i.e., an index indicating heat stress for dairy cattle on a daily scale. Calculations were made for the historical period (1981–2010) using the ERA-Interim reanalysis dataset, and for two future periods (2021–2050 and 2071–2100) using climate predictions of the GFDL-ESM2M, HadGEM2-ES, and MPI-ESM-MR Global Circulation Models (GCMs) under the RCP4.5 emission scenario. Here, we show that during the period from 1981 to 2010 for > 1/5 of the region of West Africa, the frequency ofsevere/dangerheat events per year, i.e., events that result in significant decreases in productive and reproductive performances, increased from 11 to 29–38 days (significant at 95% confidence level). Most obvious changes were observed for the eastern and southeastern parts. Under future climate conditions periods withsevere/dangerheat stress events will increase further as compared with the historical period by 5–22% depending on the GCM used. Moreover, the average length of periods withsevere/dangerheat stress is expected to increase from ~ 3 days in the historical period to ~ 4–7 days by 2021–2050 and even to up to 10 days by 2071–2100. Based on the average results of three GCMs, by 2071–2100, around 22% of dairy cattle population currently living in this area is expected to experience around 70 days more ofsevere/dangerheat stress (compare with the historical period), especially in the southern half of West Africa. The result is alarming, as it shows that dairy production systems in West Africa are jeopardized at large scale by climate change and that depending on the GCM used, milk production might decrease by 200–400 kg/year by 2071–2100 in around 1, 7, or 11%. Our study calls for the development of improved dairy cattle production systems with higher adaptive capacity in order to deal with expected future heat stress conditions.
Studying Illegal Online Trades in Plants: Market Characteristics, Organisational and Behavioural Aspects, and Policing Challenges
Authors: Lavorgna Anita , Sajeva Maurizio
Published: May 2020

Illegal commerce in plants and their derivatives threatens and destroys numerous species and important natural resources, and may cause phytosanitary and health problems. This illegal trade, which has been boosted by the commercialisation of the Internet, has been relatively overlooked in criminological research. Furthermore, the policing of illegal plant markets remains limited and poorly resourced, with law enforcement agencies lacking awareness and technical capacity in investigation and prosecution services. Based on semi-structured interviews with law enforcement officers and other relevant experts, this study, developed in the context of the ESRC-funded project “FloraGuard: Tackling the illegal trade in endangered plants” offers an analysis of the characteristics of illegal online trading in plants and of the actors operating therein, of current policing practices, and identification of the main challenges to be addressed to better assist law enforcement. It concludes by offering practical recommendations to curb this illegal market.
High-frequency measured turbidity as a surrogate for phosphorus in boreal zone rivers: appropriate options and critical situations
Authors: Kämäri Maria , Tarvainen Marjo , Kotamäki Niina , Tattari Sirkka
Published: May 2020

In situ high-frequency measured turbidity can potentially be used as a surrogate for riverine phosphorus (P) concentrations to better justify the effectiveness of nutrient loss mitigation measures at agricultural sites. We explore the possibilities of using turbidity as a surrogate for total phosphorus (TP) and particulate phosphorus (PP) in four snowmelt-driven rivers draining agricultural clayey catchments. Our results suggest slightly stronger relationship between in situ measured turbidity andPPthan between turbidity andTP. Overall, linearTPandPPregressions showed better error statistics in the larger catchments compared with their sub-catchments. Local calibration of the in situ sensors was sensitive to the number of high P concentration discrete water samples. Two optional calibration curves, one with and one without influential data, resulted in a 17% difference in the estimated meanTPconcentrations of a snowmelt storm contributing 18% of the annual discharge volume. Accordingly, the error related to monthly meanTPestimates was the largest in spring months at all sites. The addition of total dissolved phosphorus (TDP) improved the model performance, especially for sites where theTDP/TPratio is large and highly variable over time. We demonstrate how long-term discrete samples beyond sensor deployment can be utilized in the evaluation of the applicability range of the local calibration. We recommend analysing the validity of P concentration estimates, especially during high discharge episodes that contribute substantially to annual riverine nutrient fluxes, since the use of surrogates may introduce large differences into the P concentration estimates based on selected local calibration curves.
A Loophole of All ‘Loophole-Free’ Bell-Type Theorems
Authors: Czachor Marek
Published: May 2020

Bell’s theorem cannot be proved if complementary measurements have to be represented by random variables which cannot be added or multiplied. One such case occurs if their domains are not identical. The case more directly related to the Einstein–Rosen–Podolsky argument occurs if there exists an ‘element of reality’ but nevertheless addition of complementary results is impossible because they are represented by elements from different arithmetics. A naive mixing of arithmetics leads to contradictions at a much more elementary level than the Clauser–Horne–Shimony–Holt inequality.
Perching birds or scattered streams: a study of how trust affects civic engagement among university students in contemporary China
Authors: Liu Ye , Shen Wenqin
Published: May 2020

This article explores how trust affects the nature and characteristics of civic engagement among university students in contemporary China. We draw upon empirical evidence from in-depth individual interviews involving 68 students born between 1993 and 1999. Four different types of civic activities, including associational membership with the Chinese Communist Party as well as self-organised town-fellowship associations, volunteering and digital activism, are analysed in relation to bridging, bonding and/or obligatory relationships. Generalised trust amongst university students seems to be low, but they do exhibit unquestioned trust in the State. The organisations with which they associate either are top-down through the Communist Party, which is ideologically narrow and socially distant among the members, or promote geographical origin-based bonding rather than bridging relationships. Our findings add new depth to our understanding of the relationships between the dominant modalities of trust and the typical form of civic participation in Chinese universities. We also highlight the effects of increasing meritocratic competition and stress on performativity on the civic attitudes and behaviour of students. We argue that the hybrid of neoliberal individualism and Confucianism seems to be a perfect match to reconcile the absence of civic traditions and to validate civic consciousness among university youth.
Parasites in sympatric populations of native and invasive freshwater bivalves
Authors: Taskinen Jouni , Urbańska Maria , Ercoli Fabio , Andrzejewski Wojciech , Ożgo Małgorzata , Deng Binglin , Choo Jocelyn M. , Riccardi Nicoletta
Published: May 2020

An increasing threat to local, native freshwater mussels (Unionida)—an ecologically important but globally alarmingly declining group—is the invasion by exotic bivalves. The Enemy Release Hypothesis predicts that introduced species should benefit from enemy-mediated competition because they are less likely to be harmed by natural enemies, such as parasites, than their native competitors. We investigated within-site differences in parasitism between sympatric native (tot. five spp.) and invasive (tot. three spp.) bivalves in eight northern European waterbodies, which harboured totally 15 parasite taxa. In paired comparisons using within-site averages, the mean number of parasite species in the native bivalves was 2.3 times higher, and the sum of parasite prevalences 2.4 times higher, than in the invasive bivalves. This may lead to enemy-mediated competitive release of invaders and contribute to the success of invasive freshwater bivalves, in general. However, while the invasive clam Corbicula fluminea was completely free from parasites, parasite parameters of the other invader, Sinanodonta woodiana, were relatively high, indicating that the role of parasites can be invader-specific and urges further research. Understanding the factors affecting success of freshwater bivalve invasions, such as parasitism, can aid invasion control and conservation of local, native (endangered) bivalves.
Silent Voices: Exploring Narratives of Women's Experiences of Health Care Professional Responses to Domestic Violence and Abuse
Authors: McGarry Julie , Hinsliff-Smith Kathryn
Published: May 2020

The impact of domestic violence and abuse (DVA) is far reaching not least in terms of both the immediate and longer term physical and mental wellbeing of those who have experienced abuse. DVA also exerts a considerable detrimental impact on the wider family including children. While professional perspectives of working with DVA survivors is increasingly well documented, there remains a paucity of accounts of encounters with healthcare services and/or healthcare professionals from survivors of DVA themselves. A central aim of this study was the exploration of women’s experiences of healthcare encounters told purely as personal narrative rather than framed in more traditional research terms. The focus of this paper therefore is unedited personal stories of encounters with healthcare professionals. The position of narrative as research method and the presentation of narratives in this particular instance are also considered.
Spectral Composition of Sunlight Affects the Microbial Functional Structure of Beech Leaf Litter During the Initial Phase of Decomposition
Authors: Pieristè Marta , Forey Estelle , Lounès-Hadj Sahraoui Anissa , Meglouli Hacène , Laruelle Frédéric , Delporte Philippe , Robson T. Matthew , Chauvat Matthieu
Published: May 2020

Aims

This study tests whether different spectral regions of sunlight affect the microbial decomposer assemblage in surface leaf litter in a beech understorey over the first 6 months following leaf senescence.

Methods

We performed a litterbag experiment employing filters attenuating combinations of UV-B, UV-A, blue, and green light as well as the whole spectrum of sunlight. We measured changes in microbial biomass and community structure, litter mass loss and litter chemistry during the first 6 months of decomposition.

Results

Fungal and total microbial biomass were highest in the treatment excluding UV radiation, blue and green light. Exclusion of UV-B radiation decreased the fungal:bacterial biomass ratio and litter nitrogen content. Bacterial biomass was lower in the dark treatment compared to treatments receiving at least part of the solar spectrum. Our filter treatments affected microbial functional structure from the beginning of the experiment, whereas mass loss was only significantly affected after 6 months of decomposition and no effect was found on litter carbon content.

Conclusions

This study proves that sunlight, in a spectrally dependent manner, affects both microbial functional structure and biomass in temperate deciduous forests early in the decomposition process, with bacteria tending to dominate in sunlight and fungi in dark conditions. We found sunlight to be important in the decomposition in temperate forest understoreys despite the low irradiance characterizing these environments. However, long-term studies are required to estimate the relative contribution of sunlight among factors affecting the eventual incorporation of decomposing leaf litter into forest soils.
Bringing the doctoral thesis by published papers to the Social Sciences and the Humanities: A quantitative easing? A small study of doctoral thesis submission rules and practice in two disciplines in the UK
Authors: Rigby John , Jones Barbara
Published: May 2020

This paper examines how an alternative to the traditional monograph form of the doctoral thesis is emerging that reflects a new approach to the valuation and designation of scientific outputs. This new approach, based on co-citation as underpinning principle for the measurement of knowledge structures, values knowledge and knowledge producers in increasinglyquantitativeterms. Such a change aligns with wider institutional market-based approaches that have been transforming higher education sectors world-wide. Under these influences, which prioritize quantification and tangibility of output, with quality equated with citation, the thesis, a keyinstitutionof the university, is now subject to pressures to transform and be constituted by a series of publishable papers, referred to by a variety of terms, the most common being ‘Thesis by Published Papers’, although ‘Journal Format Thesis’, ‘Alternative Format Thesis’, and ‘Integrated Thesis’ are also used. While the scientific disciplines have traditionally been closer to this paper-based model, albeit with significant national variations, Social Sciences and Humanities subjects are now being affected. We present evidence from a small study of the UK higher education sector of organisational regulations in 54 departments concerning doctoral degree submission formats in two disciplines in the Humanities and Social Sciences (History and Sociology). We investigate the prevalence of this new practice, investigate some of its key aspects, and identify a number of questions for future research on this emerging and important topic.
State of the art in the analysis of brominated flame retardants in biota and sediment: insights from the characterisation of two new certified reference materials
Authors: Ricci Marina , Shegunova Penka , Vorkamp Katrin
Published: May 2020

The Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission has recently released two new Certified Reference Materials (CRMs) for the analysis of brominated flame retardants (BFRs): the freshwater sediment ERM-CC537a and the fish tissue ERM-CE102. The production of these CRMs responds to the need of expanding the offer of quality assurance/quality control tools for the analysis of BFRs in the fields of environmental analysis and food control, especially for compliance purposes. The sediment ERM-CC537a carries certified values for polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD) diastereoisomers in the μg/kg range (dry mass), while the fish tissue ERM-CE102 is certified for PBDEs in the ng/kg range (wet weight). ERM-CC537a is the first reference material ever available with certified values for α-, β- and γ-HBCDD. The assignment of the certified values was performed via an intercomparison of expert laboratories. The evaluation of the data confirms the improving trend, observed in recent years, regarding the comparability of PBDE measurement results. The relative standard deviation (RSD) among laboratories is slightly better for the fish material (8–11%) compared to the sediment (9–15%), despite lower mass fractions in the biota matrix. The RSD of HBCDD data (17%) reveals that they are more challenging analytes. The average measurement uncertainty declared by the participants is about 30%, but an in-depth analysis of their performance reveals that it should be feasible to reduce the uncertainty budget.
Evaluation of the factors limiting biogas production in full-scale processes and increasing the biogas production efficiency
Authors: Kouzi Afamia I. , Puranen Matti , Kontro Merja H.
Published: May 2020

Biogas production from sewage sludge volatile solids (VS) by anaerobic digestion slows down towards the end of the process, among inhibitory factors being pH increase upon ammonia accumulation, poorly digestible biomaterials, and high fixed solid (FS) content. The possibility of concentrating the digested sludge VS (41.7–56.6% on a dry weight basis) by surface and bottom layer separation with biogas post-production was studied. Furthermore, the potential to recycle concentrated VS and digested sludge back to the process after adjusting pH 7.0 to optimal for biogas-producing microbes and after acid, alkali, thermal, and sonolytic treatments was examined. In general, pH 7.0 control alone improved biogas production from the recycled digested sludge the most. An equally good improvement in biogas production was achieved by recycling the digested sludge, which had been heated until ammonia had evaporated and the pH dropped to 7.0 (1–2 h, 75 °C), and at the same time, VS was degraded. The biogas production from the sonicated and recycled sludge was almost as good as from the pH-adjusted, or heat-treated recycled sludge. After the acid and base treatments of the digested sludge, the recycled sludge yielded often the lowest biogas volume, as the added chemicals increased the FS concentration, which proved to be a more important inhibitory factor than poorly degradable VS. The high FS content significantly reduced the benefits of the treatments. By separating the surface and bottom layers with biogas post-production, the surface layer of VS was concentrated to 51.6–61.8%, while different compositions of the layers affected the biogas production.
Are the factors recommended by UNEP-SETAC for evaluating biodiversity in LCA achieving their promises: a case study of corrugated boxes produced in the US
Authors: Gaudreault Caroline , Loehle Craig , Prisley Stephen , Solarik Kevin A. , Verschuyl Jacob P.
Published: May 2020

Purpose

We tested the effectiveness of the global and ecoregion-based average characterization factors (CFs) for “Potential Species Loss” recommended by the UNEP-SETAC Life Cycle Initiative to identify hotspots and improvement opportunities compared to using a land competition indicator for a product for which the predominant life cycle use of land is forest management.

Methods

For a case study of average corrugated boxes produced in the US, system boundaries were defined to encompass all life cycle stages from forest management to disposal. Fiber procurement was regionalized to US ecoregions, and (Chaudhary et al. Environ Sci Technol 49:9987–9995, 2015) ecoregion-specific CFs were applied. US-average CFs were applied to other background processes. Hotspots were identified using contribution analyses, and improvement opportunities were evaluated using scenarios. We compared the results with those from applying a land competition indicator, often used as a proxy for biodiversity in LCA.

Results and discussion

Forest management was identified as the activity within the life cycle of corrugated boxes that uses the greatest amount of land, allowing the definition of two potential improvement opportunities: reducing fiber consumption and intensifying forest management. By applying the recommended CFs, fiber procurement was also identified as the main contributor to “Potential Species Loss.” The CFs also allowed to identify ecoregions in which species were potentially the most affected by forest management and related potential improvement opportunities. Tradeoffs between taxonomic groups were discussed. In some cases, the results contradicted those from applying a land competition indicator, and in many cases, we were unable to reconcile the results obtained with existing scientific knowledge on species diversity and forest management.

Conclusions and recommendations

The results obtained by applying the recommended CFs could not always be reconciled with existing scientific knowledge on the effect of forest management on species diversity, significantly impairing the usefulness of these factors for assessing improvement opportunities and increasing the risk of counterproductive decisions. The local effect on species of forest management is likely to be misrepresented by the average number of species in a given ecoregion. Successful consideration of biodiversity response in the context of forest management would require the integration of other approaches, such as site-specific studies. Potential improvements to the proposed method include further spatialization of the CFs, defining a range of forest management practices for which CFs would be defined, considering forest productivity, and defining CFs using a baseline that would encourage better practices even within a given existing management regime.
Intolerance of Uncertainty and Mental Wellbeing: Serial Mediation by Rumination and Fear of COVID-19
Authors: Satici Begum , Saricali Mehmet , Satici Seydi Ahmet , Griffiths Mark D.
Published: May 2020

The novel coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has become globally widespread with millions of confirmed cases and many countries implementing various levels of quarantine. Therefore, it is important to investigate the psychological consequences of this process, given the unique situation that has been experienced globally. Therefore, the present study examined whether intolerance of uncertainty was related to mental wellbeing and whether this relationship was mediated by rumination and fear of COVID-19. The sample comprised 1772 Turkish individuals (aged between 18 and 73 years) from 79 of 81 cities in Turkey, who completed measures of mental wellbeing, intolerance of uncertainty, rumination, and fear of COVID-19. Results of serial mediation analyses showed that intolerance of uncertainty had a significant direct effect on mental wellbeing. Rumination and fear of COVID-19, in combination, serially mediated the association between intolerance of uncertainty and mental wellbeing. The findings are discussed within the framework of the psychological consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and related literature.
Redox reactions of iron and manganese oxides in complex systems
Authors: Huang Jianzhi , Zhang Huichun
Published: May 2020

Conspectus: Redox reactions of Fe- and Mn-oxides play important roles in the fate and transformation of many contaminants in natural environments. Due to experimental and analytical challenges associated with complex environments, there has been a limited understanding of the reaction kinetics and mechanisms in actual environmental systems, and most of the studies so far have only focused on simple model systems. To bridge the gap between simple model systems and complex environmental systems, it is necessary to increase the complexity of model systems and examine both the involved interaction mechanisms and how the interactions affected contaminant transformation. In this Account, we primarily focused on (1) the oxidative reactivity of Mn- and Fe-oxides and (2) the reductive reactivity of Fe(II)/iron oxides in complex model systems toward contaminant degradation. The effects of common metal ions such as Mn2+, Ca2+, Ni2+, Cr3+ and Cu2+, ligands such as small anionic ligands and natural organic matter (NOM), and second metal oxides such as Al, Si and Ti oxides on the redox reactivity of the systems are briefly summarized.
Toxicity-oriented water quality engineering
Authors: Dong Shengkun , Yin Chenyue , Chen Xiaohong
Published: May 2020

The fundamental goal of water quality engineering is to ensure water safety to humans and the environment. Traditional water quality engineering consists of monitoring, evaluation, and control of key water quality parameters. This approach provides some vital insights into water quality, however, most of these parameters do not account for pollutant mixtures - a reality that terminal water users face, nor do most of these parameters have a direct connection with the human health safety of waters. This puts the real health-specific effects of targeted water pollutant monitoring and engineering control in question. To focus our attention to one of the original goals of water quality engineering - human health and environmental protection, we advocate here the toxicity-oriented water quality monitoring and control. This article presents some of our efforts towards such goal. Specifically, complementary to traditional water quality parameters, we evaluated the water toxicity using high sensitivity toxicological endpoints, and subsequently investigated the performance of some of the water treatment strategies in modulating the water toxicity. Moreover, we implemented the toxicity concept into existing water treatment design theory to facilitate toxicity-oriented water quality control designs. Suggestions for the next steps are also discussed. We hope our work will intrigue water quality scientists and engineers to improve and embrace the mixture water pollutant and toxicological evaluation and engineering control.
Dorsal Pancreatic Artery—a Study of Its Detailed Anatomy for Safe Pancreaticoduodenectomy
Authors: Tatsuoka T , Noie T , Noro T , Nakata M , Yamada H , Harihara Y
Published: May 2020

Early division of the dorsal pancreatic artery (DPA) or its branches to the uncinate process during pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) in addition to early division of the gastroduodenal artery and inferior pancreaticoduodenal artery should be performed to reduce blood loss by completely avoiding venous congestion. However, the significance of early division of DPA or its branches to the uncinate process has not been reported. The aim of this study was to investigate the anatomy of DPA and its branches to the uncinate process using the currently available high-resolution dynamic computed tomography (CT) as the first step to investigate the significance of DPA in the artery-first approach during PD. Preoperative dynamic thin-slice CT data of 160 consecutive patients who underwent hepato–pancreato–biliary surgery were examined focusing on the anatomy of DPA and its branches to the uncinate process. DPA was recognized in 103 patients (64%); it originated from the celiac axis or its branches in 70 patients and from the superior mesenteric artery or its branches in 34 patients. The branches to the uncinate process were visualized in 82 patients (80% of those with DPA), with diameters of 0.5–1.5 mm in approximately 80% of the 82 patients irrespective of DPA origin. DPA branches to the uncinate process were recognized using high-resolution CT in approximately half of the patients.
Discovery of Organic Matter and Palynomorphs from the Neoproterozoic Zor Diamictite of the Ramsu Formation in the Ramban District, Jammu and Kashmir, India
Authors: Khullar Sumeet , Pandita Sundeep K. , Meinhold Guido , Bhat Ghulam M. , Raina Brij K. , Thusu Bindra , Jones Malcolm J.
Published: May 2020

The presence of medium-grade organic matter confirmed by Raman spectroscopy is reported for the first time from the Zor diamictite of the Ramsu Formation, Tethyan Himalaya. The organic matter has undergone overmature thermal evolution. The sediment shows low total organic carbon (TOC) and low total sulfur (TS) values of <0.25% and <0.01%, respectively. Low TS/TOC < 0.08 suggests oxic bottom waters during the deposition of the Zor diamictite. The recovered palynomorph assemblage includes Leiosphaeridia spp., Kildinosphaera verrucata, Trachyhystrichosphaera sp., the filamentous cyanophyte Taeniatum sp., the clusters of simple, spheroidal forms Myxococcoides sp., and the colonial cyanobacteria Synsphaeridium sp. This palynomorph assemblage suggests a Neoproterozoic age for the Zor diamictite of the Ramsu Formation.
Evaluation of Geochemical Characteristics of Groundwater in Parts of Ghataprabha Sub-basin Using DRASTIC Indices
Authors: Mali Shailaja. C. , Thabaj Kiran. A. , Purandara B. K.
Published: May 2020

Ghataprabha is an auxiliary of river Krishna and flows over Chandgad taluk of Kolhapur district, Maharashtra. Bauxite mining was one of the major issues in this part of the sub-basin, in the early ’90s due to which there was a strong public protest about the quality of water. Accordingly, a survey was conducted to get the public perception on water pollution in the headwater catchment of Ghataprabha sub-basin. During the survey, a broad opinion was expressed with regard to water quality contamination of Ghataprabha river by a section of the society living in the riparian zones of the river basin. Therefore, in this paper, an effort has been done to understand the in variation in water quality with special reference to groundwater. Thirty-eight groundwater samples (nineteen each from before and after rainy season) were assembled and analysed for EC, TDS, pH, chlorine ion HCO3, SO4, PO4, Ca, Mg, Na and K. The values have shown that the density of all measured factors is broadly within the permissible limits (as per BIS Standards), before and after-monsoon. The present observations do compared with the earlier reported parameters of the year 2000. The results show that there is a betterment of water quality in the mining field as compared to previous data. This clearly demonstrates that the mining area can be reclaimed over the years by taking appropriate conservation measures. However, ionic ratios such as SAR, KR and SSP showed considerable variations indicating that there is localised impact on water quality resulting in the groundwater pollution. DRASTIC indices were computed based on hydrogeological characteristics and found that more than 30% of the observatory wells are contaminated where the nitrates are very high (more than 45mg/L) which clearly demonstrated that groundwater is getting polluted in high intense agriculture areas and also in areas close to settlements.
Biological activity of composts obtained from hop waste generated during the brewing
Authors: Kopeć Michał , Mierzwa-Hersztek Monika , Gondek Krzysztof , Wolny-Koładka Katarzyna , Zdaniewicz Marek , Jarosz Renata
Published: May 2020

New ways of managing hop sediments from brewing and fermentation of beer are constantly being sought and the existing ones improved as part of the circular economy. These wastes are not generated in large amounts, but the absence of their proper characteristics may lead to further processing errors. The study analyses the composting of hop waste under laboratory conditions and the effects of the biological activity of composts introduced into the soil. The study was carried out on two-hop sediments from two different technological stages of beer production: hot trub (HT) and spent hops (SH). Chemical, microbiological and biochemical analyses, as well as the assessment of phytotoxicity to Lepidium sativum L., were performed in the materials. The results proved that, due to their formation technology, the tested feedstocks are safe from an epidemiological point of view and are not a source of microbial contamination. Inhibitory properties for plant development were found for HT and it most likely results from the organic compound content. The mineral composition of hot trub does not exclude composting if its share in biomass is low. Spent hops (SH) were characterised by a significant total nitrogen content, which affected the composting process. Composting this sediment required the selection of substrates with a wide C:N ratio. The number of microorganisms inhabiting the analysed material was very diverse and varied depending on the type of sediments. The sample that contained the composted SH from dry hopping had a much larger number of microorganisms than the sample with HT from wet hopping.
GDTM: Graph-based Dynamic Topic Models
Authors: Ghoorchian Kambiz , Sahlgren Magnus
Published: May 2020

Dynamic Topic Modeling (DTM) is the ultimate solution for extracting topics from short texts generated in Online Social Networks (OSNs) like Twitter. It requires to be scalable and to be able to account for sparsity and dynamicity of short texts. Current solutions combine probabilistic mixture models like Dirichlet Multinomial or Pitman-Yor Process with approximate inference approaches like Gibbs Sampling and Stochastic Variational Inference to, respectively, account for dynamicity and scalability of DTM. However, these methods basically rely on weak probabilistic language models, which do not account for sparsity in short texts. In addition, their inference is based on iterative optimizations, which have scalability issues when it comes to DTM. We present GDTM, a single-pass graph-based DTM algorithm, to solve the problem. GDTM combines a context-rich and incremental feature representation method with graph partitioning to address scalability and dynamicity and uses a rich language model to account for sparsity. We run multiple experiments over a large-scale Twitter dataset to analyze the accuracy and scalability of GDTM and compare the results with four state-of-the-art models. In result, GDTM outperforms the best model by $$11\%$$

11
%

on accuracy and performs by an order of magnitude faster while creating four times better topic quality over standard evaluation metrics.
Emissions of Er3+ and Yb3+ co-doped SrZrO3 nanocrystals under near-infrared and near-ultraviolet excitations
Authors: Lim Hyeontae , Lim Juyeong , Jang Soyoung , Lee Y. S.
Published: May 2020

In this study, the upconversion (UC) emissions of Er3+ and Yb3+ co-doped SrZrO3 nanocrystals (NCs) were investigated in terms of the thermal annealing temperature and concentration of Er3+ ions and compared with the emissions under a near-ultraviolet (near-UV) excitation. The NCs were synthesized by the combustion method, and the as-synthesized NCs were post-annealed at high temperatures. The X-ray diffraction patterns revealed that the grain sizes and crystallinity degrees of the samples increased with increasing annealing temperatures. The photoluminescence spectra of our samples exhibited strong green and very weak red emissions with the near-UV excitation, originating from the f-f transitions in the Er3+ ions. Interestingly, under near-infrared (near-IR) excitation, we identified sizable visible emissions at 525, 547, and 660 nm in our NCs, which indicated that the UC process successfully occurred in our NCs. These UC emissions were maximized in the NCs with an Er3+ concentration of 0.02 and thermal annealing at 1000 °C. We found that the intensity ratios of red to green emissions increased with increasing annealing temperatures. We discussed the differences in the emissions between near-UV and near-IR excitations.
Correction to: The impact of production-dependent geometric properties on fatigue-relevant stresses in aser-welded corrugated core steel sandwich panels
Authors: Nilsson Peter , Hedegård Joakim , Al-Emrani Mohammad , Atashipour Seyed Rasoul
Published: May 2020

The publication of this article unfortunately contained a mistake. Table 8 of Appendix B was not correct; please see the updated table below.
Product platform architecture for cloud manufacturing
Authors: Wei Wei , Zhou Feng , Liang Peng-Fei
Published: May 2020

Cloud manufacturing is emerging as a new manufacturing paradigm and an integrated technology. To adapt to the increasing challenges of the traditional manufacturing industry transforming toward service-oriented and innovative manufacturing, this paper proposes a product platform architecture based on cloud manufacturing. Firstly, a framework for the product platform for cloud manufacturing was built. The proposed architecture is composed of five layers: resource, cloud technology, cloud service, application, and user layers. Then, several key enabling technologies for forming the product platform were studied. Finally, the product platform for cloud manufacturing built by a company was taken as an application example to illustrate the architecture and functions of the system. The validity and superiority of the architecture were verified.
An efficient melting probe for glacial research
Authors: Heinen Dirk , Linder Peter , Zierke Simon , Wiebusch Christopher
Published: May 2020

In this paper, we present an electric-thermal drill with a novel design of a melting head that was developed within the EnEx-RANGE project. The design combines a short melting head with a large surface area of parabolic shape. It was succesfully tested in the laboratory as well as on Alpine glaciers (Langenferner and Mittelbergferner) and at the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica. In all these different environments, a high melting speed per specific power of typically 8.8 cm3 w−1 h−1 is achieved that is close to the ideal maximum bound of ~10.5–11.8 cm3 w−1 h−1 when neglecting all heat losses. It has also been demonstrated that the melting probe can be operated with typical equipment of small-scale field camps including a small power generator.
Leveraging community engaged research partnerships for crisis and emergency risk communication to vulnerable populations in the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Wieland Mark L. , Asiedu Gladys B. , Lantz Kiley , Abbenyi Adeline , Njeru Jane W. , Osman Ahmed , Goodson Miriam , Ahmed Yahye , Molina Luz E. , Doubeni Chyke A. , Sia Irene G. ,   for the Rochester Healthy Community Partnership COVID-19 Task Force
Published: May 2020

Community engagement is important for reaching vulnerable populations in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. A risk communication framework was implemented by a community-engaged research (CEnR) partnership in Southeast Minnesota to address COVID-19 prevention, testing, and socioeconomic impacts. Bidirectional communication between Communication Leaders and community members within their social networks was used by the partnership to refine messages, leverage resources, and advise policy makers. Over 14 days, messages were delivered by 24 Communication Leaders in 6 languages across 9 electronic platforms to 9882 individuals within their networks. CEnR partnerships may effectively implement crisis and emergency risk communication to vulnerable populations in a pandemic.
Combinatorial independence and naive entropy
Authors: LI HANFENG , RONG ZHEN
Published: May 2020

We study the independence density for finite families of finite tuples of sets for continuous actions of discrete groups on compact metrizable spaces. We use it to show that actions with positive naive entropy are Li–Yorke chaotic and untame. In particular, distal actions have zero naive entropy. This answers a question of Lewis Bowen.
Current knowledge of COVID-19 and infection prevention and control strategies in healthcare settings: A global analysis
Authors: Islam M. Saiful , Rahman Kazi M. , Sun Yanni , Qureshi Mohammed O. , Abdi Ikram , Chughtai Abrar A. , Seale Holly
Published: May 2020

Objective:

In the current absence of a vaccine for COVID-19, public health responses aim to break the chain of infection by focusing on the mode of transmission. We reviewed the current evidence on the transmission dynamics and on pathogenic and clinical features of COVID-19 to critically identify any gaps in the current infection prevention and control (IPC) guidelines.

Methods:

In this study, we reviewed global COVID-19 IPC guidelines by organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Guidelines from 2 high-income countries (Australia and United Kingdom) and from 1 middle-income country (China) were also reviewed. We searched publications in English on ‘PubMed’ and Google Scholar. We extracted information related to COVID-19 transmission dynamics, clinical presentations, and exposures that may facilitate transmission. We then compared these findings with the recommended IPC measures.

Results:

Nosocomial transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in healthcare settings occurs through droplets, aerosols, and the oral–fecal or fecal–droplet route. However, the IPC guidelines fail to cover all transmission modes, and the recommendations also conflict with each other. Most guidelines recommend surgical masks for healthcare providers during routine care and N95 respirators for aerosol-generating procedures. However, recommendations regarding the type of face mask varied, and the CDC recommends cloth masks when surgical masks are unavailable.

Conclusion:

IPC strategies should consider all the possible routes of transmission and should target all patient care activities involving risk of person-to-person transmission. This review may assist international health agencies in updating their guidelines.
Horseshoe crab trace fossils from the Upper Cretaceous Two Medicine Formation of Montana, USA, and a brief review of the xiphosurid ichnological record
Authors: Shibata Masateru , Varricchio David J.
Published: May 2020

A locality in the Upper Cretaceous Two Medicine Formation of Montana preserves abundant and variable horseshoe crab tracks and trails of the ichnotaxonKouphichniumisp. These specimens span six morphologies differing in track form and trail configuration. These differences likely reflect variations in track-maker locomotion and behavior, substrate consistency, epichnial versus hypichnial preservation, and undertrack versus true tracks. Several tracks preserve the first clear appendage impressions for an extinct horseshoe crab. This discovery adds new information to the fossil horseshoe crab diversity in the Cretaceous Period. Trackway dimensions, such as the external width across the pusher legs or of the prosomal drag mark, provide information on the track-maker size. Most trackways correspond with crabs 9–14 cm wide; the abundance but limited size range of the traces suggests the large assemblage corresponds to a mating aggregation. The trace fossil record of xiphosurids indicates that throughout their history, horseshoe crabs inhabited both marine and nonmarine settings. They were definitively present in freshwater habitats from the lower Carboniferous through at least the Paleogene. Horseshoe crab trace abundance is highest from the upper Carboniferous through the Jurassic and likely reflects two factors: true upper Carboniferous taxonomic diversity and a preponderance of suitable sites for trackway preservation in the Late Triassic and Jurassic. Cretaceous traces are uncommon, and this Two Medicine locality is the first occurrence of horseshoe crab traces in the Late Cretaceous worldwide. Overall, track abundance and diversity would seem to correspond well with the reported horseshoe crab body fossil record.