bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Is duodeno-jejunal bypass liner superior to pylorus preserving bariatric surgery in terms of complications and efficacy?
Authors: Balint Istvan Bence , Csaszar Ferenc , Somodi Krisztian , Ternyik Laszlo , Biro Adrienn , Kaposztas Zsolt
Published: March 2021

Purpose

Based on recent scientific evidence, bariatric surgery is more effective in the management of morbid obesity and related comorbidities than conservative therapy. Pylorus preserving surgical procedures (PPBS) such as laparoscopic single-anastomosis duodeno-jejunal or duodeno-ileal bypass with sleeve gastrectomy are modified duodenal switch (DS) surgical techniques. The duodeno-jejunal bypass liner (DJBL) is a novel surgical method in the inventory of metabolism focused manual interventions that excludes duodeno-jejunal mucosa from digestion, mimicking DS procedures without the risk of surgical intervention. The aim of this article is to summarize and compare differences between safety-related features and weight loss outcomes of DJBL and PPBS.

Methods

A literature search was conducted in the PubMed database. Records of DJBL-related adverse events (AEs), occurrence of PPBS-related complications and reintervention rates were collected. Mean weight, mean body mass index (BMI), percent of excess of weight loss (EWL%), percent of total weight loss (TWL%) and BMI value alterations were recorded for weight loss outcomes.

Results

A total of 11 publications on DJBL and 6 publications on PPBS were included, involving 800 and 1462 patients, respectively. The baseline characteristics of the patients were matched. Comparison of DJBL-related AEs and PPBS-related severe complications showed an almost equal risk (risk difference (RD): −0.03 and confidence interval (CI): −0.27 to 0.21), despite higher rates among patients having received endoscopic treatment. Overall AE and complication rates classified by Clavien-Dindo showed that PPBS was superior to DJBL due to an excess risk level of 25% (RD: 0.25, CI: 0.01–0.49). Reintervention rates were more favourable in the PPBS group, without significant differences in risk (RD: −0.03, CI: −0.27 to 0.20). However, PPBS seemed more efficient regarding weight loss outcomes at 1-year follow-up according to raw data, while meta-analysis did not reveal any significant difference (odds ratio (OR): 1.08, CI: 0.74–1.59 for BMI changes).

Conclusion

Only limited conclusions can be made based on our findings. PPBS was superior to DJBL with regard to safety outcomes (GRADE IIB), which failed to support the authors’ hypothesis. Surgical procedures showed lower complication rates than the incidence of DJBL-related AEs, although it should be emphasized that the low number of PPBS-related mild to moderate complications reported could be the result of incomplete data recording from the analysed publications. Weight loss outcomes favoured bariatric surgery (GRADE IIB). As the DJBL is implanted into the upper gastrointestinal tract for 6 to 12 months, it seems a promising additional method in the inventory of metabolic interventions.
Vascular calcification and response to neoadjuvant therapy in locally advanced rectal cancer: an exploratory study
Authors: Knight Katrina A. , Drami Ioanna , McMillan Donald C. , Horgan Paul G. , Park James H. , Jenkins John T. , Roxburgh Campbell S. D.
Published: March 2021

Purpose

Patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) may experience a clinical complete response (cCR) to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NACRT) and opt for non-operative management. Pathological factors that relate to NACRT response have been well described. Host factors associated with response, however, are poorly defined. Calcification of the aortoiliac (AC) vessels supplying the rectum may influence treatment response.

Methods

Patients with LARC having NACRT prior to curative surgery at Glasgow Royal Infirmary (GRI) and St Mark’s hospital (SMH) between 2008 and 2016 were identified. AC was scored on pre-treatment CT imaging. NACRT response was assessed using pathologic complete response (pCR) rates, tumour regression grades (TRGs), the NeoAdjuvant Rectal score and T-/N-downstaging. Associations were assessed using Chi-squared, Mantel–Haenszel and Fisher’s exact tests.

Results

Of 231 patients from GRI, 79 (34%) underwent NACRT for LARC. Most were male (58%), aged over 65 (51%) with mid- to upper rectal tumours (56%) and clinical T3/4 (95%), node-positive (77%) disease. pCR occurred in 10 patients (13%). Trends were noted between higher clinical T stage and poor response by Royal College of Pathologist’s TRG (p = 0.021) and tumour height > 5 cm and poor response by Mandard TRG (0.068). In the SMH cohort, 49 of 333 (15%) patients underwent NACRT; 8 (16%) developed a pCR. AC was not associated with NACRT response in either cohort.

Conclusions

AC was not associated with NACRT response in this cohort. Larger contemporary cohorts are required to better assess host determinants of NACRT response and develop predictive models to improve patient selection.
Effective properties of particulate nano-composites including Steigmann–Ogden model of material surface
Authors: Nazarenko Lidiia , Stolarski Henryk , Altenbach Holm
Published: March 2021

The objective of this work is inclusion of the Steigmann-Ogden interface in the Method of Conditional Moments to investigate the influence of surface effects on the effective properties of random particulate composites. The particular focus is centered on accounting for the surface bending stiffness. To this end, the notion of the energy-equivalent inhomogeneity developed for Gurtin–Murdoch interface is generalized to include the surface bending contribution. The crucial aspect of that generalization is identification of the formula defining energy associated with the surface bending. With the help of that formula, the real nano-particle and its surface are replaced by equivalent inhomogeneity with properties incorporating the surface effects. Closed-form expressions for the effective moduli of a composite with a matrix and randomly distributed spherical inhomogeneities are derived. The normalized shear moduli of nanoporous material as a function of void volume fraction is analyzed and evaluated in the context of other theoretical predictions.
On the turnpike property with interior decay for optimal control problems
Authors: Gugat Martin
Published: March 2021

In this paper the turnpike phenomenon is studied for problems of optimal control where both pointwise-in-time state and control constraints can appear. We assume that in the objective function, a tracking term appears that is given as an integral over the time-interval $$[0,\, T]$$

[
0
,

T
]

and measures the distance to a desired stationary state. In the optimal control problem, both the initial and the desired terminal state are prescribed. We assume that the system is exactly controllable in an abstract sense if the time horizon is long enough. We show that that the corresponding optimal control problems on the time intervals $$[0, \, T]$$

[
0
,

T
]

give rise to a turnpike structure in the sense that for natural numbers n if T is sufficiently large, the contribution of the objective function from subintervals of [0, T] of the form $$\begin{aligned} {[}t - t/2^n,\; t + (T-t)/2^n] \end{aligned}$$

[
t
-
t
/

2
n

,

t
+

(
T
-
t
)

/

2
n

]

is of the order $$1/\min \{t^n, (T-t)^n\}$$

1
/
min
{

t
n

,

(
T
-
t
)

n

}

. We also show that a similar result holds for $$\epsilon $$
ϵ
-optimal solutions of the optimal control problems if $$\epsilon >0$$

ϵ
>
0

is chosen sufficiently small. At the end of the paper we present both systems that are governed by ordinary differential equations and systems governed by partial differential equations where the results can be applied.
Green machine learning via augmented Gaussian processes and multi-information source optimization
Authors: Candelieri Antonio , Perego Riccardo , Archetti Francesco
Published: March 2021

Searching for accurate machine and deep learning models is a computationally expensive and awfully energivorous process. A strategy which has been recently gaining importance to drastically reduce computational time and energy consumed is to exploit the availability of different information sources, with different computational costs and different “fidelity,” typically smaller portions of a large dataset. The multi-source optimization strategy fits into the scheme of Gaussian Process-based Bayesian Optimization. An Augmented Gaussian Process method exploiting multiple information sources (namely, AGP-MISO) is proposed. The Augmented Gaussian Process is trained using only “reliable” information among available sources. A novel acquisition function is defined according to the Augmented Gaussian Process. Computational results are reported related to the optimization of the hyperparameters of a Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier using two sources: a large dataset—the most expensive one—and a smaller portion of it. A comparison with a traditional Bayesian Optimization approach to optimize the hyperparameters of the SVM classifier on the large dataset only is reported.
High incidence of fractures after R-CHOP-like chemotherapy for aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas
Authors: Huang Li-Wen , Sun Dong , Link Thomas M. , Lang Thomas , Ai Weiyun , Kaplan Lawrence D. , Steinman Michael A. , Andreadis Charalambos
Published: March 2021

Purpose

Patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) have a median age of 67, with 70% surviving over 5 years. Chemotherapy for aggressive NHL includes cyclophosphamide, anthracycline, and high doses of corticosteroids, which can impair bone health. By reviewing clinical characteristics and standard-of-care CT scans, we evaluate the prevalence and incidence of fractures and the clinical correlates of fractures in patients treated for aggressive B-cell NHL.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed patients seen at the University of California San Francisco lymphoma clinic from January 1, 2016, to March 31, 2017 who had (1) aggressive B-cell NHL, (2) received first-line therapy with R-CHOP-like regimens, and had (3) CT scans pre- and post-treatment available for review. Associations between clinical variables and vertebral, rib, and pelvic fracture outcomes were assessed, and multivariate logistic regression models were used to identify predictors of prevalent and incident fractures.

Results

We identified 162 patients who met the inclusion criteria. Median age at diagnosis was 60 years. Of the 162 patients, 38 patients (28%) had prevalent fractures prior to receiving chemotherapy. Within 1 year after treatment, 16 patients (10%) developed new fractures. Having a prevalent fracture strongly predicted developing a new fracture after treatment, with incident fractures occurring in 12 of 38 patients with prevalent fractures versus 4 of 124 without prevalent fractures (odds ratio 10.45, p<0.0005).

Conclusion

Our results suggest that patients with aggressive B-cell NHL who receive R-CHOP-like therapy should be screened for fractures prior to treatment and those with existing fractures should be considered for therapy to decrease risk of new fractures.
On Finite Groups with an Automorphism of Prime Order Whose Fixed Points Have Bounded Engel Sinks
Authors: Khukhro E. I. , Shumyatsky P.
Published: March 2021

A left Engel sink of an element g of a group G is a set $${\mathscr {E}}(g)$$

E
(
g
)

such that for every $$x\in G$$

x
∈
G

all sufficiently long commutators $$[...[[x,g],g],\dots ,g]$$

[
.
.
.
[
[
x
,
g
]
,
g
]
,
⋯
,
g
]

belong to $${\mathscr {E}}(g)$$

E
(
g
)

. (Thus, g is a left Engel element precisely when we can choose $${\mathscr {E}}(g)=\{ 1\}$$

E
(
g
)
=
{
1
}

.) We prove that if a finite group G admits an automorphism $$\varphi $$
φ
of prime order coprime to |G| such that for some positive integer m every element of the centralizer $$C_G(\varphi )$$

C
G

(
φ
)

has a left Engel sink of cardinality at most m, then the index of the second Fitting subgroup $$F_2(G)$$

F
2

(
G
)

is bounded in terms of m. A right Engel sink of an element g of a group G is a set $${\mathscr {R}}(g)$$

R
(
g
)

such that for every $$x\in G$$

x
∈
G

all sufficiently long commutators $$[\ldots [[g,x],x],\dots ,x]$$

[
…
[
[
g
,
x
]
,
x
]
,
⋯
,
x
]

belong to $${\mathscr {R}}(g)$$

R
(
g
)

. (Thus, g is a right Engel element precisely when we can choose $${\mathscr {R}}(g)=\{ 1\}$$

R
(
g
)
=
{
1
}

.) We prove that if a finite group G admits an automorphism $$\varphi $$
φ
of prime order coprime to |G| such that for some positive integer m every element of the centralizer $$C_G(\varphi )$$

C
G

(
φ
)

has a right Engel sink of cardinality at most m, then the index of the Fitting subgroup $$F_1(G)$$

F
1

(
G
)

is bounded in terms of m.
Financial judgment determination in adults with ADHD
Authors: Koerts Janneke , Bangma Dorien F. , Fuermaier Anselm B. M. , Mette Christian , Tucha Lara , Tucha Oliver
Published: March 2021

ADHD has a debilitating influence on everyday functioning, including the capability to make financial decisions. The capability to make financial decisions is a multidimensional construct that includes financial knowledge, financial judgment, financial performance and related contextual factors. So far, the majority of studies in adults with ADHD focused on financial performance, while the other aspects of financial capability were less explored. The current study aims to partly bridge this gap by examining the ability of financial judgment in adults with ADHD. Thirty-nine adults with ADHD and 83 adults without ADHD were included. All participants were assessed with the Financial Competence Assessment Inventory (FCAI) and Financial Decision-Making Interview (FDMI) which both assess the four abilities of financial judgment, i.e., understanding, appreciation, reasoning and communication. The results show that adults with ADHD, compared to adults without ADHD, obtained significantly lower scores on understanding (according to the FCAI and FDMI). Furthermore, adults with ADHD showed a significantly lower appreciation, reasoning and communication (according to the FCAI) than adults without ADHD. In conclusion, adults with ADHD have difficulties with financial judgment especially with the ability to understand information that is relevant for a financial situation or transaction. Furthermore, adults with ADHD were found to have problems with appreciating, reasoning and communicating about practical information that partly relates to their own financial situation (as assessed with the FCAI). A careful assessment of financial capability in adults with ADHD, therefore, appears warranted in clinical practice.
Characterisation of upper gradients on the weighted Euclidean space and applications
Authors: Lučić Danka , Pasqualetto Enrico , Rajala Tapio
Published: March 2021

In the context of Euclidean spaces equipped with an arbitrary Radon measure, we prove the equivalence among several different notions of Sobolev space present in the literature and we characterise the minimal weak upper gradient of all Lipschitz functions.
Oseledets Splitting and Invariant Manifolds on Fields of Banach Spaces
Authors: Ghani Varzaneh Mazyar , Riedel S.
Published: March 2021

We prove a semi-invertible Oseledets theorem for cocycles acting on measurable fields of Banach spaces, i.e. we only assume invertibility of the base, not of the operator. As an application, we prove an invariant manifold theorem for nonlinear cocycles acting on measurable fields of Banach spaces.
Inability to Work Fulltime, Prevalence and Associated Factors Among Applicants for Work Disability Benefit
Authors: Boersema Henk-Jan , Hoekstra Tialda , Abma Femke , Brouwer Sandra
Published: March 2021

Purpose Inability to work fulltime is an important outcome in the assessment of workers applying for a disability benefit. However, limited knowledge is available about the prevalence and degree of the inability to work fulltime, the associations between disease-related and socio-demographic factors with inability to work fulltime and whether the prevalence and the associations differ across disease groups. Methods Anonymized register data on assessments of workers with residual work capacity (n = 30,177, age 48.8 ± 11.0, 53.9% female) applying for a work disability benefit in 2016 were used. Inability to work fulltime was defined as being able to work less than 8 h per day. Results The prevalence of inability to work fulltime was 39.4%, of these 62.5% could work up to 4 h per day. Higher age (OR 1.01, 95% CI 1.01–1.01), female gender (OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.37–1.52), higher education (OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.33–1.55) and multimorbidity (OR 1.06, 95% CI 1.01–1.11) showed higher odds for inability to work fulltime. Highest odds for inability to work fulltime were found for diseases of the blood, neoplasms and diseases of the respiratory system. Within specific disease groups, different associations were identified between disease-related and socio-demographic factors. Conclusion The prevalence and degree of inability to work fulltime in work disability benefit assessments is high. Specific chronic diseases are found to have higher odds for inability to work fulltime, and associated factors differ per disease group.
Post-Diagnostic Dietary and Lifestyle Factors and Prostate Cancer Recurrence, Progression, and Mortality
Authors: Langlais Crystal S. , Graff Rebecca E. , Van Blarigan Erin L. , Palmer Nynikka R. , Washington Samuel L. , Chan June M. , Kenfield Stacey A.
Published: March 2021

Purpose of Review

This study aimed to summarize evidence published between 1999 and June 2020 examining diet and lifestyle after prostate cancer (PC) diagnosis in relation to risk of biochemical recurrence, PC progression, and PC-specific mortality.

Recent Findings

Secondary prevention is an important research area in cancer survivorship. A growing number of studies have reported associations between post-diagnostic modifiable behaviors and risk of PC outcomes.

Evidence on modifiable lifestyle factors and PC remains limited. Where multiple studies exist, findings are often mixed. However, studies consistently suggest that smoking and consumption of whole milk/high-fat dairy are associated with higher risk of PC recurrence and mortality. In addition, physical activity and ½ to 1 glass of red wine/day have been associated with lower risk of recurrence and PC-specific mortality. Greater inclusion of racially/ethnically diverse groups in future research is necessary to understand these relationships in populations most impacted by adverse PC outcomes.
An exploratory investigation into the effects of mental defeat on pain threshold, pain rating, pain anticipation, and mood
Authors: Collard Victoria E. J. , Gillett Jenna L. , Themelis Kristy , Tang Nicole K. Y.
Published: March 2021

In chronic pain, mental defeat is considered as a disabling type of self-evaluation triggered by repeated episodes of debilitating pain. This exploratory study experimentally tested the effect of an activated sense of defeat, as well as its interaction with pain catastrophizing, on pain and mood. Participants (N = 71) were allocated to either high or low pain catastrophizing groups and then randomly assigned to receive either defeat or neutral manipulations. A cold pressor task administered before and after the thought manipulation measured pain threshold, alongside visual analogue scales for mental defeat, attention, pain intensity, pain anticipation as well as mood. Thought manipulation checks supported successful defeat activation. Defeat activation was associated with increased negative mood and attentional disengagement from the nociceptive stimuli, irrespective of pain catastrophizing tendency. There were no changes in pain threshold, pain or pain anticipation ratings. The results suggest that mental defeat can be experimentally activated using an autobiographical memory task and that an activated sense of defeat appears to operate independently from pain catastrophizing in influencing mood and attentional disengagement from the nociceptive stimuli. Future research can utilize our experimental approach to evaluate the effect of an activated sense of mental defeat in people with chronic pain, for whom the magnitude of pain, mood and attentional responses may be stronger and broader.
Life Cycle Assessment of Agricultural Wood Production—Methodological Options: a Literature Review
Authors: Perdomo E. E. Alejandro , Schwarzbauer Peter , Fürtner Daniela , Hesser Franziska
Published: March 2021

In Europe, poplar and other fast-growing tree species are considered valuable resources for meeting the required wood demand of the rising bioeconomy. The agricultural technique of short rotation coppice (SRC) has gained relevance to ease the pressure of the demand for wood from forests. Previous studies have implemented the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology to evaluate such systems’ potential environmental impacts. These studies present different outcomes, though a general pattern on the potential benefit of SRC is observed. The variation of relevant methodological options, such as goal and scope, system boundary, functional unit, reference system, data source, characterization models, and impact categories assessed can significantly affect the results. A consequence of this discrepancy is its effect on results’ interpretation, making the absolute comparison of case studies challenging and hindering the understanding of the potential impacts of SRC LCAs in support of developing a sustainable bioeconomy. Therefore, the current research attempts to understand the methodological implementation of LCA in assessing SRC value chains. Through literature research, studies are analyzed based on the four LCA phases. One of the results of this study shows how most of the articles focus on assessing the impact category related to climate change, while other environmental issues that are particularly relevant for agricultural woody biomass systems are seldomly evaluated. By discussing the state of the art of SRC LCA, this review paper attempts to suggest improvements that will allow future LCA studies to reach a more comprehensive understanding of the overall environmental impact of SRC systems.
Designing business model development tools for sustainability—a design science study
Authors: Schoormann Thorsten , Stadtländer Maren , Knackstedt Ralf
Published: March 2021

The development of business models that boost fundamental changes in behavior to act more economically, ecologically, and socially is a challenging task because the consideration of sustainability is a multidimensional problem characterized by uncertainty and value conflicts. In order to deal with such complex tasks, methodological and technical tool support is required. Even though tools for business model development are well-established, they typically focus on economic obligations and pay little attention to ecological and social concerns. To bridge this gap, we shed light on the question of how functions for software can be designed to respect sustainability in business models. We present a software prototype and prescriptive design knowledge in the form of design principles and features, and thereby aim to contribute to the information systems body of knowledge by providing guidance to software designers and business model developers on how to reflect on sustainability.
On the application of surrogate regression models for aerodynamic coefficient prediction
Authors: Andrés-Pérez Esther , Paulete-Periáñez Carlos
Published: March 2021

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations are nowadays been intensively used in aeronautical industries to analyse the aerodynamic performance of different aircraft configurations within a design process. These simulations allow to reduce time and cost compared to wind tunnel experiments or flight tests. However, for complex configurations, CFD simulations may still take several hours using high-performance computers to deliver results. For this reason, surrogate models are currently starting to be considered as a substitute of the CFD tool with a reasonable prediction. This paper presents a review on surrogate regression models for aerodynamic coefficient prediction, in particular for the prediction of lift and drag coefficients. To compare the behaviour of the regression models, three different aeronautical configurations have been used, a NACA0012 airfoil, a RAE2822 airfoil and 3D DPW wing. These databases are also freely provided to the scientific community to allow other researchers to make further comparison with other methods.
Soil geochemistry, edaphic and climatic characteristics as components of Tunisian olive terroirs: Relationship with the multielemental composition of olive oils for their geographical traceability
Authors: Damak Fadwa , Bougi Mohamed Seddik Mahmoud , Araoka Daisuke , Baba Koji , Furuya Manami , Ksibi Mohamed , Tamura Kenji
Published: March 2021

Olive oil traceability based on the intrinsic chemical composition of the oil is becoming increasingly important due to the prevalence of fraudulent geographical labelling of olive oils. For a traceability tool to be valid, it should be based on olive oil properties that are clearly related to provenance factors. However, multielement analysis of the oil has been used as a traceability tool without any proof of a direct link between the multielemental composition and the geographical origin of the oil. In order to verify this link, Tunisian olive terroir components from the 11 major olive-producing regions were sampled to evaluate the influences of these components (especially soil and climate) on the geochemical composition of Tunisian olive oil. Overall, geochemical processes relating to strontium and rare-earth element (REE) enrichment were found to control the multelemental compositions of Tunisian soils. Even though olive oils from the 11 Tunisian olive-growing regions considered did not strongly reflect the geochemical signatures of the corresponding Tunisian soils, the concentrations of four elements in the oils, namely Fe, Ti, Ni and Ba, showed significant positive Spearman correlations with their concentrations in the bioavailable extracts from those soils. Moreover, there were numerous significant correlations of elements in the olive oil with soil chemical and climate parameters. Our results clearly confirm that the complex interactions of the olives with the climate and soil chemistry during cultivation significantly affect the multielemental composition of the resulting olive oil. This finding implies that the elemental profile of the olive oil is an effective and valid marker of the geographical origin of the oil, as it is significantly linked to oil provenance factors. It also explains the discrepancies between the geochemical signature of an oil and that of the soil in which the olives were grown, as climate parameters affect the transfer of that signature from soil to olives. This work therefore provides the basis for a scientifically based approach to olive oil traceability. The results of this work can be utilized by agricultural authorities to realise the multielement-based traceability of olive oils from various Tunisian regions.

Graphic abstract
Comparing quantum hybrid reinforcement learning to classical methods
Authors: Moll Maximilian , Kunczik Leonhard
Published: March 2021

In recent history, reinforcement learning (RL) proved its capability by solving complex decision problems by mastering several games. Increased computational power and the advances in approximation with neural networks (NN) paved the path to RL’s successful applications. Even though RL can tackle more complex problems nowadays, it still relies on computational power and runtime. Quantum computing promises to solve these issues by its capability to encode information and the potential quadratic speedup in runtime. We compare tabular Q-learning and Q-learning using either a quantum or a classical approximation architecture on the frozen lake problem. Furthermore, the three algorithms are analyzed in terms of iterations until convergence to the optimal behavior, memory usage, and runtime. Within the paper, NNs are utilized for approximation in the classical domain, while in the quantum domain variational quantum circuits, as a quantum hybrid approximation method, have been used. Our simulations show that a quantum approximator is beneficial in terms of memory usage and provides a better sample complexity than NNs; however, it still lacks the computational speed to be competitive.
Diagnosis and management of community-acquired urinary tract infection in infants and children
Authors: Albarrak May , Alzomor Omar , Almaghrabi Rana , Alsubaie Sarah , Alghamdi Faisal , Bajouda Asrar , Nojoom Maha , Faqeehi Hassan , Rubeea Subhy Abo , Alnafeesah Razan , Dolgum Saeed , ALghoshimi Mohammed , AlHajjar Sami , AlShahrani Dayel
Published: March 2021

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is the most common bacterial disease in childhood worldwide and may have significant adverse consequences, particularly for young children. In this guideline, we provide the most up-to-date information for the diagnosis and management of community-acquired UTI in infants and children aged over 90 days up to 14 years. The current recommendations given by the American Academy of Pediatrics Practice guidelines, Canadian Pediatric Society guideline, and other international guidelines are considered as well as regional variations in susceptibility patterns and resources. This guideline covers the diagnosis, therapeutic options, and prophylaxis for the management of community-acquired UTI in children guided by our local antimicrobial resistance pattern of the most frequent urinary pathogens. Neonates, infants younger than three months, immunocompromised patients, children recurrent UTIs, or renal abnormalities should be managed individually because these patients may require more extensive investigation and more aggressive therapy and follow up, so it is considered out of the scope of these guidelines. Establishment of children-specific guidelines for the diagnosis and management of community-acquired UTI can reduce morbidity and mortality. We present a clinical statement from the Saudi Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society (SPIDS), which concerns the diagnosis and management of community-acquired UTI in children.
Israel's Regime Untangled
Authors: Ariely Gal
Published: March 2021

Israel attracts enormous attention among scholars, journalists, politicians, and the general public. Some regard the country as an apartheid regime that can only be challenged through boycotts and sanctions. Others believe it is a stable liberal democracy, created under extreme conditions. This book seeks to unravel these conflicting interpretations by focusing on three questions: How can the Israeli regime be classified? What are the borders of the Israeli regime? And what are the key factors that shape the regime and support its relative stability? Gal Ariely calls for an approach which disaggregates democracy into specific dimensions, examining the diverse aspects of the Israeli regime to determine the level of 'democraticness' exhibited rather than classifying the regime as a whole. In doing so he provides a comprehensive account of the Israeli regime, untangling conflicting interpretations and illustrates the advantages of using this approach for analysing disputed regimes more widely.
Campaign Finance Regulations and Public Policy
Authors: GILENS MARTIN , PATTERSON SHAWN , HAINES PAVIELLE
Published: March 2021

Despite a century of efforts to constrain money in American elections, there is little consensus on whether campaign finance regulations make any appreciable difference. Here we take advantage of a change in the campaign finance regulations of half of the U.S. states mandated by the Supreme Court’sCitizens Uniteddecision. This exogenously imposed change in the regulation of independent expenditures provides an advance over the identification strategies used in most previous studies. Using a generalized synthetic control method, we find that afterCitizens United, states that had previously banned independent corporate expenditures (and thus were “treated” by the decision) adopted more “corporate-friendly” policies on issues with broad effects on corporations’ welfare; we find no evidence of shifts on policies with little or no effect on corporate welfare. We conclude that even relatively narrow changes in campaign finance regulations can have a substantively meaningful influence on government policy making.
Deposition and metabolism of dietary n-3 very-long-chain PUFA in different organs of rat, mouse and Atlantic salmon
Authors: Torrissen Martina , Svensen Harald , Stoknes Iren , Nilsson Astrid , Østbye Tone-Kari , Berge Gerd Marit , Bou Marta , Ruyter Bente
Published: March 2021

There is limited knowledge about the metabolism and function of n-3 very-long-chain PUFA (n-3 VLC-PUFA) with chain lengths ≥ 24. They are known to be produced endogenously in certain tissues from EPA and DHA and not considered to originate directly from dietary sources. The aim of this study was to investigate whether n-3 VLC-PUFA from dietary sources are bio-available and deposited in tissues of rat, fish and mouse. Rats were fed diets supplemented with a natural fish oil (FO) as a source of low dietary levels of n-3 VLC-PUFA, while Atlantic salmon and mice were fed higher dietary levels of n-3 VLC-PUFA from a FO concentrate. In all experiments, n-3 VLC-PUFA incorporation in organs was investigated. We found that natural FO, due to its high EPA content, to a limited extent increased endogenous production of n-3 VLC-PUFA in brain and eye of mice with neglectable amounts of n-3 VLC-PUFA originating from diet. When higher dietary levels were given in the form of concentrate, these fatty acids were bio-available and deposited in both phospholipids and TAG fractions of all tissues studied, including skin, eye, brain, testis, liver and heart, and their distribution appeared to be tissue-dependent, but not species-specific. When dietary EPA and DHA were balanced and n-3 VLC-PUFA increased, the major n-3 VLC-PUFA from the concentrate increased significantly in the organs studied, showing that these fatty acids can be provided through diet and thereby provide a tool for functional studies of these VLC-PUFA.
Unpacking the Agricultural Black Box: The Rise and Fall of American Farm Productivity Growth
Authors: Pardey Philip G. , Alston Julian M.
Published: March 2021

Has the golden age of U.S. agricultural productivity growth ended? We analyze the detailed patterns of productivity growth spanning a century of profound changes in American agriculture. We document a substantial slowing of U.S. farm productivity growth, following a late mid-century surge—20 years after the surge and slowdown in U.S. industrial productivity growth. We posit and empirically probe three related explanations for this farm productivity surge-slowdown: the time path of agricultural R&D-driven knowledge stocks; a big wave of technological progress associated with great clusters of inventions; and dynamic aspects of the structural transformation of agriculture, largely completed by 1980.
Context sensitivity and the semantics of count nouns in the evaluation of partial objects by children and adults
Authors: SYRETT Kristen , ARAVIND Athulya
Published: March 2021

Previous research has documented that children count spatiotemporally-distinct partial objects as if they were whole objects. This behavior extends beyond counting to inclusion of partial objects in assessment and comparisons of quantities. Multiple accounts of this performance have been proposed: children and adults differ qualitatively in their conceptual representations, children lack the processing skills to immediately individuate entities in a given domain, or children cannot readily access relevant linguistic alternatives for the target count noun. We advance a new account, appealing to theoretical proposals about underspecification in nominal semantics and the role of the discourse context. Our results demonstrate that there are limits to which children allow partial objects to serve as wholes, and that under certain conditions, adult performance resembles that of children by allowing in partial objects. We propose that children's behavior is in fact licensed by the inherent context dependence of count nouns.
The association between dietary diversity and development among children under 24 months in rural Uganda: analysis of a cluster-randomised maternal education trial
Authors: Kakwangire Paul , Moss Cami , Matovu Nicholas , Atukunda Prudence , Westerberg Ane C , Iversen Per O , Muhoozi Grace
Published: March 2021

Objective:

To assess the association between dietary diversity and development among children under 24 months in rural Uganda and to establish other factors that could be associated with development among these children.

Design:

A secondary data analysis of a cluster-randomised controlled maternal education trial (n511) was conducted on a sub-sample of 385 children. We used adjusted ORs (AORs) to assess the associations of dietary diversity scores (DDS) and other baseline factors assessed at 6–8 months with child development domains (communication, fine motor, gross motor, personal–social and problem solving) at 20–24 months of age.

Setting:

Rural areas in Kabale and Kisoro districts of south-western Uganda.

Participants:

Children under 24 months.

Results:

After multivariable analysis, DDS at 6–8 months were positively associated with normal fine motor skills development at 20–24 months (AOR = 1·18; 95 % CI 1·01, 1·37;P= 0·02). No significant association was found between DDS and other development domains. Children who were not ill at 6–8 months had higher odds of developing normal communication (AOR = 1·73; 95 % CI 1·08, 2·77) and gross motor (AOR = 1·91; 95 % CI 1·09, 3·36) skills than sick children. Girls had lower odds of developing normal gross motor skills compared with boys (AOR = 0·58; 95 % CI 0·33, 0·98). Maternal/caregiver nutritional education intervention was positively associated with development of gross motor, fine motor and problem-solving skills (P-values < 0·05).

Conclusions:

We found an association between child DDS at 6–8 months and improvement in fine motor skills development at 20–24 months. Child illness status, maternal/caregiver nutritional education intervention and sex were other significant baseline predictors of child development at 20–24 months.
Changes on myocardial perfusion scintigraphy and contrast-enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance imaging after definitive radiotherapy in patients with lung cancer
Authors: Lideståhl A. , Larsson T. , Thorén L. , Brodin O. , Lind P. A.
Published: March 2021

Aim:

To determine whether myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (MPS) changes in lung cancer patients treated with radiotherapy (RT) were detectable with late gadolinium enhancement cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (LGE CMR).

Materials and methods:

Twenty-one patients with lung cancer were evaluated pre-RT and at 2 and 6 months post-RT follow-up (FU) with MPS and LGE CMR. MPS changes in the left ventricle (LV) were analysed using the semi-quantitative summed rest score method (20 segments) and the Bull’s-eye-view technique. The LGE CMR studies were analysed for visual signs of myocardial damage (fibrosis), that is, focal LGE in the LV and cardiac function parameters.

Results:

MPS changes were detected in 7/20 patients at 2 months FU and in 8/13 patients at 6 months FU. Only one patient had a new irreversible defect judged to be caused by direct irradiation. MPS changes in two cases were deemed to be caused by attenuation. All new MPS defects were minor and no corresponding myocardial damage, or any functional changes, were evident on LGE CMR.

Findings:

The extent of MPS changes at 6 months FU appeared less prominent than in previous reports. No visual signs or functional changes corresponding to myocardial damage were detected on LGE CMR. A risk for false-positive MPS changes caused by attenuation is evident.
‘Under the Gallic Spell’: Boston's Embrace of Gabriel Fauré, 1892–1924
Authors: de Savage Heather
Published: March 2021

French influence on American twentieth-century music has long been central to historical narratives, particularly in relation to Nadia Boulanger and her pupils from the 1920s onward. Yet the much earlier impact of Gabriel Fauré (1845–1924), Boulanger's own teacher, has been largely ignored. While most American audiences around the turn of the century were largely unfamiliar with Fauré, Boston embraced his music enthusiastically. By the 1890s, a growing Francophile aesthetic reflected in the city's musical life encouraged performances of French repertoire, and a remarkable number of Fauré's compositions were introduced, some heard frequently enough to become well known to local audiences. Many of Boston's most influential critics, educators, performers and patrons admired Fauré and advocated for him as a representative modern French composer. That his music was so warmly welcomed in Boston at the end of the nineteenth century without any overt self-promotion by the composer has not been widely known until now. Although Fauré never visited the United States, his music found a home away from home in Boston, both while he was still living and well beyond.
Variability and Hemispheric Symmetry of the Pedersen Conductance in the Jovian Aurora
Authors: Gérard J.‐C. , Gkouvelis L. , Bonfond B. , Grodent D. , Gladstone G. R. , Hue V. , Greathouse T. K. , Kammer J. A. , Versteeg M. , Giles R. S.
Published: March 2021

Ionospheric conductance contributes to regulate the characteristics of the ionospheric current and the closure of the magnetosphere‐ionosphere circuit in the ionosphere. Measurements of Birkeland currents with the Juno magnetometer have indicated that they are statistically larger in the south. It has been suggested that these asymmetries may be the consequence of a higher Pedersen conductance in the southern hemisphere. We have derived the local precipitated electron energy flux and their characteristic energy from 14 multi‐spectral images collected with the ultraviolet spectrograph on board Juno. This information was then used as input to an ionospheric model providing the density of H3+, H+, and hydrocarbon ions to calculate the spatial distribution of the Pedersen conductance for Juno perijoves 1–15. We show that the area‐integrated conductance is closely proportional to the H3+ ion content and quasi equal in the north and the south. The mean conductance is 0.47 mho in both hemispheres. However, local variations in the Pedersen conductivity and/or hemispheric differences between the magnetospheric rotation and the rotation velocities of the neutrals can also result in asymmetry of Birkeland currents.
Open Science: Open Data, Open Models, …and Open Publications?
Authors: Clark Martyn P. , Luce Charles H. , AghaKouchak Amir , Berghuijs Wouter , David Cédric H. , Duan Qingyun , Ge Shemin , van Meerveld Ilja , Zheng Chunmiao , Parlange Marc B. , Tyler Scott W.
Published: March 2021

This commentary explores the challenges and opportunities associated with a possible transition of Water Resources Research to a publication model where all articles are freely available upon publication (“Gold” open access). It provides a review of the status of open access publishing models, a summary of community input, and a path forward for AGU leadership. The decision to convert to open access is framed by a mix of finances and values. On the one hand, the challenge is to define who pays, and how, and what we can do to improve the affordability of publishing. On the other hand, the challenge is to increase the extent to which science is open and accessible. The next steps for the community include an incisive analysis of the financial feasibility of different cost models, and weighing the financial burden for open access against the desire to further advance open science.
Maize germplasm chronosequence shows crop breeding history impacts recruitment of the rhizosphere microbiome
Authors: Favela Alonso , O Bohn Martin , D Kent Angela
Published: March 2021

Recruitment of microorganisms to the rhizosphere varies among plant genotypes, yet an understanding of whether the microbiome can be altered by selection on the host is relatively unknown. Here, we performed a common garden study to characterize recruitment of rhizosphere microbiome, functional groups, for 20 expired Plant Variety Protection Act maize lines spanning a chronosequence of development from 1949 to 1986. This time frame brackets a series of agronomic innovations, namely improvements in breeding and the application of synthetic nitrogenous fertilizers, technologies that define modern industrial agriculture. We assessed the impact of chronological agronomic improvements on recruitment of the rhizosphere microbiome in maize, with emphasis on nitrogen cycling functional groups. In addition, we quantified the microbial genes involved in nitrogen cycling and predicted functional pathways present in the microbiome of each genotype. Both genetic relatednesses of host plant and decade of germplasm development were significant factors in the recruitment of the rhizosphere microbiome. More recently developed germplasm recruited fewer microbial taxa with the genetic capability for sustainable nitrogen provisioning and larger populations of microorganisms that contribute to N losses. This study indicates that the development of high-yielding varieties and agronomic management approaches of industrial agriculture inadvertently modified interactions between maize and its microbiome.
Task-generic and task-specific connectivity modulations in the ADHD brain: an integrated analysis across multiple tasks
Authors: Chauvin Roselyne J. , Buitelaar Jan K. , Sprooten Emma , Oldehinkel Marianne , Franke Barbara , Hartman Catharina , Heslenfeld Dirk J. , Hoekstra Pieter J. , Oosterlaan Jaap , Beckmann Christian F. , Mennes Maarten
Published: March 2021

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with altered functioning in multiple cognitive domains and neural networks. This paper offers an overarching biological perspective across these. We applied a novel strategy that extracts functional connectivity modulations in the brain across one (Psingle), two (Pmix) or three (Pall) cognitive tasks and compared the pattern of modulations between participants with ADHD (n-89), unaffected siblings (n = 93) and controls (n = 84; total N = 266; age range = 8–27 years). Participants with ADHD had significantly fewer Pall connections (modulated regardless of task), but significantly more task-specific (Psingle) connectivity modulations than the other groups. The amplitude of these Psingle modulations was significantly higher in ADHD. Unaffected siblings showed a similar degree of Pall connectivity modulation as controls but a similar degree of Psingle connectivity modulation as ADHD probands. Pall connections were strongly reproducible at the individual level in controls, but showed marked heterogeneity in both participants with ADHD and unaffected siblings. The pattern of reduced task-generic and increased task-specific connectivity modulations in ADHD may be interpreted as reflecting a less efficient functional brain architecture due to a reduction in the ability to generalise processing pathways across multiple cognitive domains. The higher amplitude of unique task-specific connectivity modulations in ADHD may index a more “effortful” coping strategy. Unaffected siblings displayed a task connectivity profile in between that of controls and ADHD probands, supporting an endophenotype view. Our approach provides a new perspective on the core neural underpinnings of ADHD.