bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
New mixed ranked set sampling variations
Authors: Hanandeh Ahmad A. , Al‐Nasser Amjad D. , Al‐Omari Amer I.
Published: August 2021

Building efficient sampling procedures to provide more accurate results with small sample sizes is one of the main goals in sampling surveys. The ranked set sampling (RSS) is a well‐known procedure for selecting representative samples and improving parametric estimation by employing ranking on observations. In order to have a more efficient sampling procedure, new sampling procedures are proposed and investigated in this article. The main focus of this article is to enhance the mean estimation of the study population using the proposed RSS procedures. The performance of the proposed sampling procedures is compared with their competitors in RSS, double RSS (DRSS), extreme RSS (ERSS), and double extreme RSS (DERSS) by conducting simulation studies for numerous (symmetric and asymmetric) distributions. An application to a real dataset is also considered to exemplify the achievement of the proposals. Numerical simulations show that the new modified estimators are unbiased for the population mean for symmetric distributions and they outperform their competitors in most of the cases investigated in this article.
Electrospun Starch Nanofibers as a Delivery Carrier for Carvacrol as Anti‐Glioma Agent
Authors: Fonseca Laura Martins , Bona Natalia Pontes , Crizel Rosane Lopes , Pedra Nathalia Stark , Stefanello Francieli Moro , Lim Loong‐Tak , Carreño Neftali Lenin Villarreal , Dias Alvaro Renato Guerra , Zavareze Elessandra da Rosa
Published: August 2021

Phenolic compounds are prone to degradation from external deleterious conditions. Thus, a carrier for its delivery can be useful in protecting them and ensuring their optimal release profile. The objective of this study is to produce starch nanofibers as delivery carriers for carvacrol and to evaluate its in‐vitro digestion simulation and anti‐glioma activity. Nanofibers are produced by electrospinning of a starch solution where carvacrol is incorporated in various concentrations (20, 30, and 40% v/w; dry basis). The nanofibers are evaluated by in‐vitro digestion simulation and anti‐tumoral activity in C6 rat glioma cells and cytotoxicity in astrocytes. By measuring the residual amount of carvacrol after digestion, the starch nanofibers are shown to be a promising vehicle for the delivery of carvacrol by resisting in‐vitro digestion. The carvacrol‐loaded starch nanofibers result in up to 50% reduction in tumoral cells (C6 rat glioma cells). Free carvacrol elicits cytotoxicity in astrocytes after 72 h of treatment; interestingly the carvacrol‐loaded starch nanofibers are not toxic to this cell. In view of the demand for natural drugs in pharmaceutical applications, the nanofibers may be promising for cancer complementary treatment.
Mining text from natural scene and video images: A survey
Authors: Shivakumara Palaiahnakote , Alaei Alireza , Pal Umapada
Published: August 2021

In computer terminology, mining is considered as extracting meaningful information or knowledge from a large amount of data/information using computers. The meaningful information can be extracted from normal text, and images obtained from different resources, such as natural scene images, video, and documents by deriving semantics from text and content of the images. Although there are many pieces of work on text/data mining and several survey/review papers are published in the literature, to the best of our knowledge there is no survey paper on mining textual information from the natural scene, video, and document images considering word spotting techniques. In this article, we, therefore, provide a comprehensive review of both the non‐spotting and spotting based mining techniques. The mining approaches are categorized as feature, learning and hybrid‐based methods to analyze the strengths and limitations of the models of each category. In addition, it also discusses the usefulness of the methods according to different situations and applications. Furthermore, based on the review of different mining approaches, this article identifies the limitations of the existing methods and suggests new applications and future directions to continue the research in multiple directions. We believe such a review article will be useful to the researchers to quickly become familiar with the state‐of‐the‐art information and progresses made toward mining textual information from natural scene and video images.

This article is categorized under:

Algorithmic Development > Text Mining
American Woodcock Use of Managed Forest Wildlife Openings
Authors: Shartell Lindsey M.
Published: August 2021

American woodcock (Scolopax minor) were surveyed at managed forest wildlife openings in northern Minnesota to assess the importance of management frequency, opening size and configuration, vegetation, and surrounding habitat on woodcock use. Singing ground surveys conducted mid‐April through May 2016–2018 indicated that 69% of openings were used by peenting male woodcock during at least one year. Roosting ground surveys conducted June through August 2016 and 2018 indicated that 72% of openings were used by woodcock in at least one year. Predicted probability of detection was positively correlated with opening size in both singing and roosting ground surveys, although woodcock were observed across the full range of opening sizes ( = 0.78 ha, range = 0.19–2.59 ha). Years since management (1–4 years) was not an important driver of singing ground use, but openings managed more recently were more likely to have woodcock detected in roosting ground surveys. Woodcock were also more likely to be detected in roosting ground surveys at openings with shorter herbaceous vegetation ( = 0.73 m, range = 0.17–1.2 m). The proportion of woodcock habitat adjacent to openings was an important factor in determining singing ground use, with woodcock being more likely to be detected in openings with a higher proportion of surrounding habitat ( = 0.21, range = 0–1.0). At singing grounds, the surrounding habitat may be a more important consideration than the vegetation within openings. Wildlife managers interested in creating and maintaining singing and roosting habitat for woodcock in forest‐dominated areas should create large openings, locate openings in areas with abundant woodcock habitat (young deciduous forest ≤18 years old and lowland and upland shrubs), and use management (mowing) as needed to decrease vegetation height and prevent the establishment of shrubs and trees. © 2021 The Wildlife Society.
Kinematic numerators from the worldsheet: cubic trees from labelled trees
Authors: He Song , Hou Linghui , Tian Jintian , Zhang Yong
Published: August 2021

Abstract

In this note we revisit the problem of explicitly computing tree-level scattering amplitudes in various theories in any dimension from worldsheet formulas. The latter are known to produce cubic-tree expansion of tree amplitudes with kinematic numerators automatically satisfying Jacobi-identities, once any half-integrand on the worldsheet is reduced to logarithmic functions. We review a natural class of worldsheet functions called “Cayley functions”, which are in one-to-one correspondence with labelled trees, and natural expansions of known half-integrands onto them with coefficients that are particularly compact building blocks of kinematic numerators. We present a general formula expressing kinematic numerators of all cubic trees as linear combinations of coefficients of labelled trees, which satisfy Jacobi identities by construction and include the usual combinations in terms of master numerators as a special case. Our results provide an efficient algorithm, which is implemented in a Mathematica package, for computing all tree amplitudes in theories including non-linear sigma model, special Galileon, Yang-Mills-scalar, Einstein-Yang-Mills and Dirac-Born-Infeld.
Quality control in scRNA-Seq can discriminate pacemaker cells: the mtRNA bias
Authors: Galow Anne-Marie , Kussauer Sophie , Wolfien Markus , Brunner Ronald M. , Goldammer Tom , David Robert , Hoeflich Andreas
Published: August 2021

Single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) provides high-resolution insights into complex tissues. Cardiac tissue, however, poses a major challenge due to the delicate isolation process and the large size of mature cardiomyocytes. Regardless of the experimental technique, captured cells are often impaired and some capture sites may contain multiple or no cells at all. All this refers to “low quality” potentially leading to data misinterpretation. Common standard quality control parameters involve the number of detected genes, transcripts per cell, and the fraction of transcripts from mitochondrial genes. While cutoffs for transcripts and genes per cell are usually user-defined for each experiment or individually calculated, a fixed threshold of 5% mitochondrial transcripts is standard and often set as default in scRNA-seq software. However, this parameter is highly dependent on the tissue type. In the heart, mitochondrial transcripts comprise almost 30% of total mRNA due to high energy demands. Here, we demonstrate that a 5%-threshold not only causes an unacceptable exclusion of cardiomyocytes but also introduces a bias that particularly discriminates pacemaker cells. This effect is apparent for our in vitro generated induced-sinoatrial-bodies (iSABs; highly enriched physiologically functional pacemaker cells), and also evident in a public data set of cells isolated from embryonal murine sinoatrial node tissue (Goodyer William et al. in Circ Res 125:379–397, 2019). Taken together, we recommend omitting this filtering parameter for scRNA-seq in cardiovascular applications whenever possible.
Sterblichkeit der Lungenembolie in der DACH-Region
Authors: Hobohm Lukas , Sebastian Tim , Valerio Luca , Mahmoudpour Seyed Hamidreza , Vatsakis Georgios , Johner Fabian , Keller Karsten , Münzel Thomas , Kucher Nils , Konstantinides Stavros V. , Barco Stefano
Published: August 2021

Hintergrund

Kürzlich veröffentliche Studien zeigen eine steigende Inzidenz für die Lungenarterienembolie (LE) bei gleichzeitigem Rückgangs der LE-assoziierten Mortalität.

Ziel der Studie

Detaillierte Daten zur Mortalität der LE in Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz (DACH-Region) sind derzeit nicht vorhanden.

Material und Methoden

Datensätze wurden aus der Mortalitätsdatenbank der Weltgesundheitsorganisation (WHO) ausgewertet. Hierbei analysierten wir die Häufigkeit sowohl der akuten LE als auch der tiefen/oberflächlichen Venenthrombose als primärer Todesursache.

Ergebnisse

Demnach sank die jährliche altersstandardisierte Mortalität zwischen Januar 2000 und Dezember 2015 von 15,6 auf 7,8 Todesfälle pro 1000 Einwohner. Zwischen Januar 2012 und Dezember 2016 ereigneten sich in der DACH-Region (Bevölkerungsanzahl: 98.273.320 Menschen) durchschnittlich 9127 durch LE verursache Todesfälle pro Jahr. Interessanterweise ist LE–assoziierte Gesamtmortalität bei Frauen zwischen dem 15. und 55. Lebensjahr deutlich höher als bei gleichaltrigen Männern.

Schlussfolgerung

Der Rückgang der Mortalität durch die Erkrankung LE seit dem Jahr 2000 ist vermutlich durch eine verbesserte Patientenversorgung mit Einführung neuer Antikoagulanzien und durch den vermehrten Einsatz und diagnostischen Fortschritt bei den computertomographischen Untersuchungen erklärt. Festzuhalten ist, dass die LE eine wichtige Todesursache vor allem im höheren Alter darstellt. Außerdem ist der Anteil der Frauen im gebärfähigen Alter, die nach einer akuten LE sterben, mit 3,5 % hoch. Daher sind, trotz des medizinischen Fortschritts, weitere Anstrengungen für eine Verbesserung der Prävention, Diagnostik und Therapie, aber insbesondere auch des Krankheitsbewusstseins notwendig.
Patterns of care analysis for salivary gland cancer: a survey within the German Society of Radiation Oncology (DEGRO) and recommendations for daily practice
Authors: von der Grün Jens , Rödel Claus , Semrau Sabine , Balermpas Panagiotis , Martin Daniel , Fietkau Rainer , Haderlein Marlen
Published: August 2021

Background

Salivary gland cancer (SGC) is rare and a heterogeneous type of cancer. Prospective randomized trials are lacking. No guideline focusing on standard procedures of radiotherapy (RT) in the treatment of SGC exists. Therefore, we surveyed the members of the German Society of Radiation Oncology (DEGRO) to gain information about current therapeutic strategies of SGC.

Methods

An anonymous questionnaire was designed and made available on the online platform umfrageonline.com. The corresponding link was sent to all DEGRO members who provided their user data for contact purposes. Alternatively, a PDF printout version was sent. Frequency distributions of responses for each question were calculated. The data were also analyzed by type of institution.

Results

Sixty-seven responses were received, including answers from 21 university departments, 22 non-university institutions, and 24 radiation oncology practices. Six participants reported that their departments (practice: n = 5, non-university hospital: n = 1) did not treat SGC, and therefore the questionnaire was not completed. Concerning radiation techniques, target volume definition, and concomitant chemotherapy, treatment strategies varied greatly among the participants. Comparing university vs. non-university institutions, university hospitals treat significantly more patients with SGC per year and initiated more molecular pathological diagnostics.

Conclusion

SGC represents a major challenge for clinicians, as reflected by the inhomogeneous survey results regarding diagnostics, RT approaches, and systemic therapy. Future prospective, multicenter clinical trials are warranted to improve and homogenize treatment of SGC and to individualize treatment according to histologic subtypes and risk factors.
The use of astronomy VLBA campaign MOJAVE for geodesy
Authors: Krásná Hana , Petrov Leonid
Published: August 2021

We investigated the suitability of the astronomical 15 GHz Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) observing program MOJAVE-5 for estimation of geodetic parameters, such as station coordinates and Earth orientation parameters. We processed a concurrent dedicated VLBA geodesy program observed at 2.3 GHz and 8.6 GHz starting on September 2016 through July 2020 as reference dataset. We showed that the baseline length repeatability from MOJAVE-5 experiments is only a factor of 1.5 greater than from the dedicated geodetic dataset and still below 1 ppb. The wrms of the difference of estimated Earth orientation parameters with respect to the reference IERS C04 time series are a factor of 1.3 to 1.8 worse. We isolated three major differences between the datasets in terms of their possible impact on the geodetic results, i.e. the scheduling approach, treatment of the ionospheric delay, and selection of target radio sources. We showed that the major factor causing discrepancies in the estimated geodetic parameters is the different scheduling approach of the datasets. We conclude that systematic errors in MOJAVE-5 dataset are low enough for these data to be used as an excellent testbed for further investigations on the radio source structure effects in geodesy and astrometry.
Optical beam splitter, Mach–Zehnder interferometer and the delayed choice issue
Authors: von der Linde Dietrich
Published: August 2021

John Wheeler's delayed choice thought experiment is often invoked in discussions of the wave-particle duality of quantum physics. Every so often interpretations are offered that do not restrict to straight physics. The key element of the 'Gedankenexperiment' is a Mach–Zehnder interferometer composed of two optical beam splitters. The quantum description of these devices and the treatment of delayed choice experiment in the framework of quantum optics are discussed here.
Boundaryless working hours and recovery in Germany
Authors: Vieten Laura , Wöhrmann Anne Marit , Michel Alexandra
Published: August 2021

Objective

Due to recent trends such as globalization and digitalization, more and more employees tend to have flexible working time arrangements, including boundaryless working hours. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships of various aspects of boundaryless working hours (overtime, Sunday work, and extended work availability) with employees’ state of recovery. Besides, we examined the mediating and moderating role of recovery experiences (psychological detachment, relaxation, mastery, and control) in these relationships.

Methods

We used data from 8586 employees (48% women; average age of 48 years) who took part in the 2017 BAuA-Working Time Survey, a representative study of the German working population. Regression analyses were conducted to test main effects as well as mediation and moderation.

Results

Overtime work, Sunday work, and extended work availability were negatively related to state of recovery. Psychological detachment mediated these relationships. Furthermore, we found that relaxation and control mediated the association between extended work availability and state of recovery. However, no relevant moderating effects were found.

Conclusions

Altogether, our findings indicate that various aspects of boundaryless working hours pose a risk to employees’ state of recovery and that especially psychological detachment is a potential mechanism in these relationships. In addition, the results suggest that a high level of recovery experiences cannot attenuate these negative relationships in leisure time. Therefore, employers and employees alike should try to avoid or minimize boundaryless working hours.
Paediatric Residents and Fellows Ethics (PERFEct) survey: perceptions of European trainees regarding ethical dilemmas
Authors: Boer M. C. den , Zanin A. , Latour J. M. , Brierley J.
Published: August 2021

With an increasingly complex healthcare environment, ethics is becoming a more critical part of medical education. We aimed to explore European paediatric trainees’ experiences of facing ethical dilemmas and their medical ethics education whilst assessing their perceptions of ethical dilemmas in current and future practice. The Young Sections of the European Academy of Paediatrics and European Society of Paediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care developed an explorative online survey covering demographics, ethical dilemmas faced and ethics training. The survey was made available in nine languages from November 2019 to January 2020 via newsletters and social media. Participants (n = 253) from 22 countries, predominantly female (82%) and residents (70%), with a median age of 29-years, completed the survey. The majority (58%) faced ethical dilemmas monthly or more frequently. Most ethics training was received by ethics lectures in medical school (81%) and on the job (60%). A disagreement between the healthcare team and patient/family was the most frequently faced moral dilemma (45%); the second was withholding/withdrawing life-prolonging measures (33%). The latter was considered the most challenging dilemma to resolve (50%). Respondents reported that ethical issues are not sufficiently addressed during their training and wished for more case-based teaching. Many have been personally affected by moral dilemmas, especially regarding withholding/withdrawing life-prolonging measures, and often felt inadequately supported.

Conclusion: Paediatric trainees face many moral issues in daily practice and consider that training about managing current and future ethical dilemmas should be improved, such as by the provision of a core European paediatric ethics curriculum.

What is Known:• Paediatric services are becoming more complex with an increase in ethical dilemmas asking for rigorous training in ethics.• Ethics training is often lacking or covered poorly in both pre- and postgraduate medical education curricula.• Existing ethics training for European paediatric trainees is haphazard and lacks standardisation.

What is New:• The PaEdiatric Residents and Fellows Ethics (PERFEct) survey provides insight into the European paediatric trainees’ views regarding ethical dilemmas in their current and future practice.• European paediatric trainees report a lack of ethics training during paediatric residency and fellowship.• This study provides content suggestions for standardised medical ethics training for paediatric trainees in Europe.
Ramadan and gestational diabetes: maternal and neonatal outcomes
Authors: AlMogbel Turki Abdullah , Ross Glynis , Wu Ted , Molyneaux Lynda , Constantino Maria Ines , McGill Margaret , Harding Anna Jane , Pech Christine , Alrasheed Abdullah A. , Wong Jencia
Published: August 2021

Aims

The impact of Ramadan exposure to Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) pregnancies is not known. We therefore aimed to assess the association of Ramadan with maternal and neonatal outcomes among pregnant women with GDM.

Methods

Retrospective cohort study of 345 Muslim women with singleton pregnancies who attended a major Sydney teaching hospital during the period 1989–2010, was undertaken. Exposure to Ramadan was stratified by the: (1) total pregnancy days exposed to Ramadan, (2) duration (hours) of daily fasting and (3) trimester of exposure. Maternal and neonatal outcomes were examined by exposure status, and never exposed pregnancies were comparator in all three analyses. Fasting status was not recorded.

Results

We found no significant effect of Ramadan exposure on mean birthweight, macrosomia and maternal outcomes. However, we found a significant trend for increased neonatal hyperbilirubinemia with increasing Ramadan days exposure and later trimester exposure (ptrend ≤ 0.02 for both), with adjusted OR 3.9 (p=0.03) for those with ≥ 21 days exposure to Ramadan and adjusted OR 4.3 (p=0.04) for third trimester exposure. Conversely longer Ramadan exposure and late trimester exposure were independently associated with a lower prevalence of neonatal hypoglycaemia (adjusted OR 0.4 and 0.3 for ≥ 21 days and third trimester exposure, respectively). Furthermore, neonatal hypoglycaemia decreased for the fasting period of > 15 h group (adjusted OR 0.2, p = 0.01).

Conclusions

Ramadan exposure is associated with reduced neonatal hypoglycaemia, with no effect on birthweight, implying more favourable glycaemic control. However, the fourfold excess of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia indicates a need for further study of Ramadan and GDM.
Surgical management of post-transplant bronchial stenoses: a single-center experience
Authors: Faccioli Eleonora , Dell’Amore Andrea , Ferrigno Pia , Schiavon Marco , Mammana Marco , Terzi Stefano , Rea Federico
Published: August 2021

Purpose

Bronchial stenoses are challenging complications after lung transplantation and are associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. We report a series of patients who underwent bronchoplasty or sleeve resection for bronchial stenoses that did not resolve with endoscopic treatment after lung transplantation.

Methods

Between 1995 and 2020, 497 patients underwent lung transplantation at our Institution. 35 patients (7.0%) experienced bronchial stenoses with a median time from transplantation of 3 months. Endoscopic management was effective in 28 cases (5.6%) while 1 patient required re-transplantation. Six patients (1.2%) underwent bronchoplasty or sleeve resection.

Results

The procedures of the six patients who underwent bronchoplasty or sleeve resection were as follows: lower sleeve bilobectomy (n = 3), wedge bronchoplasty of the bronchus intermedius (n = 1), isolated sleeve resection of the bronchus intermedius (n = 1), and isolated sleeve resection of the bronchus intermedius (n = 1), associated with a middle lobectomy. All patients were discharged after a median time of 11 days. At a median of 12 months from surgery, two patients remain alive with a preserved pulmonary function. Four patients died after a median time of 56 months from bronchoplasty of causes that were not related to surgery.

Conclusions

Bronchial reconstructions are challenging procedures that can be performed in highly specialized centers. Despite this, they can be considered a good strategy to obtain a definitive resolution of stenosis after lung transplantation.
Synthesis and analytical characterization of all N–N-coupled, dimeric oxidation products of α-tocopheramine: hydrazo-, azo-, and azoxy-tocopherol
Authors: Patel Anjan , Rosenau Thomas
Published: August 2021

Tocopherols are a mixture of antioxidants which are commonly referred to as vitamin E. Tocopheramines differ from tocopherols by an amino function in lieu of the phenolic OH group. They are potent antioxidants which are used in biomedical scenarios as well as stabilizers for polymers against aging. While in aqueous media α-tocopheramine is mainly oxidized to α-tocopherylquinone and N-oxidized by-products, oxidation in apolar media or in polymeric matrices mainly leads to dimeric compounds of hitherto unknown structure. In the present study, we synthesized the whole array of N,N-dimerization product of α-tocopheramine, including the hydrazo, azo, and azoxy derivatives for the first time, and provided comprehensive analytical data as well as general protocols to access the compounds in straightforward syntheses. These results can now be used to identify the common oxidation by-products of α -tocopheramine in different reaction systems.

Graphic abstract
Intensivtransport Neugeborener mit respiratorischem Versagen
Authors: Klemme Mathias , Staffler Alex , Förster Kai M. , Kappeler Julia , Flemmer Andreas W.
Published: August 2021

Hintergrund und Ziel der Studie

Der Transport von Früh und Neugeborenen mit respiratorischem Versagen ist mit einem hohen Transportrisiko assoziiert und stellt höchste Anforderungen an medizinisches Personal und technische Ausrüstung. Eine kontinuierliche Überprüfung der Qualität ist daher unumgänglich. Ziel dieser monozentrischen retrospektiven Analyse ist es, die Mortalität transportierter Neugeborener mit respiratorischem Versagen mithilfe eines Outcomescores, Transport Risk index of Physiologic Stability, Version II, (TRIPS-II-Score) und im Vergleich zu bereits publizierter Literatur zu analysieren.

Methodik

Es wurden 79 Intensivtransporte von Früh- und Neugeborenen mit hochgradigem respiratorischem Versagen retrospektiv analysiert. Zur Einschätzung des Transportrisikos und der Transportqualität wurde der TRIPS-II-Score erhoben und mit der Literatur verglichen.

Ergebnisse

Insgesamt wurden 77 Patienten luft- (n = 56, 73 %) oder bodengebunden (n = 21, 27 %) transportiert. Zwei Patienten verstarben vor dem Transport. Kein Patient verstarb während des Transports. Alle Patienten mussten invasiv beatmet werden, davon 22 (29 %) mit Hochfrequenzoszillation (HFOV) und 55 (71 %) erhielten inhalatives Stickoxid (iNO). Der mittlere Oxygenierungsindex (OI) betrug 33 [4-100, min.-max.] Insgesamt mussten 24 Patienten (31 %) nach Aufnahme einer ECMO-Therapie unterzogen werden. Insgesamt verstarben 20 (26 %) Neugeborene, 7 davon in der ECMO-Therapie-Gruppe.

Schlussfolgerung

Transporte von Neugeborenen mit schwerem Lungenversagen können durch den Einsatz eines spezialisierten Teams mit Sonderequipment meist komplikationslos durchgeführt werden. Die scheinbar sehr hohe Mortalität ist mit Daten der internationalen Literatur vergleichbar.
Pharmainnovationen: überragende Position der USA und Schwächen der deutschen Forschung
Authors: Eckert Andreas , Maennig Wolfgang
Published: August 2021

Die Innovationskraft von Forschungsleistungen wird oft an Inputs wie Forschungsmitteln oder Outputs wie Patentanmeldungen gemessen. Hier wird ein neuartiger Indikator für pharmazeutische Innovationskraft vorgestellt, der sich auf die weltweiten medizinischen Durchbrüche und die assoziierten Patente konzentriert. Demnach sind US-Unternehmen von 2010 bis 2019 für 55 % der weltweiten medizinischen Durchbrüche verantwortlich, ihre deutschen Konkurrenten für rund 9 %. Bei den zugrundeliegenden Ankerpatenten ist die Dominanz der USA mit 62 % noch größer — aus Deutschland kommen nur 7 % der Ankerpatente. US-Universitäten halten 3,8 % aller Ankerpatente — deutsche Universitäten keine. Die Schwäche der deutschen Universitäten kann nicht durch die deutschen außeruniversitären Forschungsinstitute ausgeglichen werden.
Unilateral Phase-Out of Coal to Power in an Emissions Trading Scheme
Authors: Eichner Thomas , Pethig Rüdiger
Published: August 2021

We investigate the displacement effects of unilateral phase-out-of-coal policies in a stylized two-country model with coal- and gas-fired electricity generation in an international emissions trading scheme. In the basic policy scenario, electricity markets are national and one country bans coal while the emissions cap remains unchanged. The allocative displacement effects are strongly asymmetric: the coal-banning country suffers a welfare loss, the other country is better off, and aggregate welfare declines. Furthermore, the permit price decreases, while the electricity price rises in the unilaterally acting country and declines in the other country. If all countries would phase out coal, the effects would be symmetric and all countries would lose. We then extend the analysis to the cases (i) when the unilateral coal ban is combined with a moderate cut of the emissions cap (as recently suggested in an EU Directive) and (ii) when we allow for international trade in electricity. Compared to the basic unilateral policy, in these cases, the total welfare costs tend to be smaller and some tend to be shifted from the unilaterally acting country to the other one.
Hollow ZnO microspheres self-assembled from rod-like nanostructures: morphology-dependent linear and Kerr-type nonlinear optical properties
Authors: Haghighatzadeh Azadeh , Mazinani Babak , Ostad Masood , Shokouhimehr Mohammadreza , Dutta Joydeep
Published: August 2021

Hollow nanostructures have attracted attention because of their unique physiochemical properties and broad potential applications in electronics, optics and photonics. In this study, a facile hydrothermal approach was developed to fabricate hollow ZnO microspheres via self-assembled rod-like nanostructures. The morphology-controlled synthesis was conducted by altering hydrothermal treatment temperature (150, 200 and 250 °C) in solutions containing zinc acetate dihydrate precursor and glycerol as the stabilizing agent. The morphological observations indicated that hydrothermally grown ZnO architectures could be reasonably adjusted by modulating hydrothermal reaction temperature. Possible growth routes are proposed to elucidate the formation process of ZnO microspheres with the rod-like nanostructures. Morphology-dependent absorbance and emission along with red-shifts with improved crystalline qualities were observed with increasing hydrothermal growth temperature. Kerr-type nonlinear optical characteristics examined using single-beam Z-scan technique in the near infrared spectral range under nanosecond Nd-YVO4 laser pulses showed positive values of nonlinear refraction providing an evidence of self-focusing behaviors at the excitation wavelength of 1064 nm in all the samples studied. The highest Kerr-type nonlinear susceptibility was estimated to be 2.31 × 10–6 esu for hollow ZnO microspheres grown at 250 °C, suggesting synergistic effects of surface morphologies on optical nonlinearities.
COVID-19 and Children’s Well-Being: A Rapid Research Agenda
Authors: Dudovitz Rebecca N. , Russ Shirley , Berghaus Mary , Iruka Iheoma U. , DiBari Jessica , Foney Dana M. , Kogan Michael , Halfon Neal
Published: August 2021

Purpose

Understanding the full impact of COVID-19 on U.S. children, families, and communities is critical to (a) document the scope of the problem, (b) identify solutions to mitigate harm, and (c) build more resilient response systems. We sought to develop a research agenda to understand the short- and long-term mechanisms and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on children’s healthy development, with the goal of devising and ultimately testing interventions to respond to urgent needs and prepare for future pandemics.

Description

The Life Course Intervention Research Network facilitated a series of virtual meetings that included members of 10 Maternal and Child Health (MCH) research programs, their research and implementation partners, as well as family and community representatives, to develop an MCH COVID-19 Research Agenda. Stakeholders from academia, clinical practice, nonprofit organizations, and family advocates participated in four meetings, with 30–35 participants at each meeting.

Assessment

Investigating the impacts of COVID-19 on children’s mental health and ways to address them emerged as the highest research priority, followed by studying resilience at individual and community levels; identifying and mitigating the disparate negative effects of the pandemic on children and families of color, prioritizing community-based research partnerships, and strengthening local, state and national measurement systems to monitor children’s well-being during a national crisis.

Conclusion

Enacting this research agenda will require engaging the community, especially youth, as equal partners in research co-design processes; centering anti-racist perspectives; adopting a “strengths-based” approach; and integrating young researchers who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). New collaborative funding models and investments in data infrastructure are also needed.
Trust in Government Actions During the COVID-19 Crisis
Authors: Rieger Marc Oliver , Wang Mei
Published: August 2021

The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic puts countries and their governments in an unprecedented situation. Strong countermeasures have been implemented in most places, but how much do people trust their governments in handling this crisis? Using data from a worldwide survey, conducted between March 20th and April 22nd, 2020, with more than 100,000 participants, we study people’s perceptions of government reactions in 57 countries. We find that media freedom reduces government trust directly as well as indirectly via a more negative assessment of government reactions as either insufficient or too strict. Higher level of education is associated with higher government trust and lower tendency to judge government reactions as too extreme. We also find different predictors of perceived insufficient reactions vs. too-extreme reactions. In particular, number of COVID-19 deaths significantly predicts perceived insufficient reactions but is not related to perceived too-extreme reactions. Further survey evidence suggests that conspiracy theory believers tend to perceive government countermeasures as too strict.
Nonnegative Bayesian nonparametric factor models with completely random measures
Authors: Ayed Fadhel , Caron François
Published: August 2021

We present a Bayesian nonparametric Poisson factorization model for modeling dense network data with an unknown and potentially growing number of overlapping communities. The construction is based on completely random measures and allows the number of communities to either increase with the number of nodes at a specified logarithmic or polynomial rate, or be bounded. We develop asymptotics for the number and size of the communities of the network and derive a Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm for targeting the exact posterior distribution for this model. The usefulness of the approach is illustrated on various real networks.
Smart carbon monitoring platform under IoT-Cloud architecture for small cities in B5G
Authors: Zhang He , Zhang Jianxun , Wang Rui , Huang Yazhe , Zhang Mengxiao , Shang Xuefeng , Gao Chang
Published: August 2021

With the rapid development of the Internet of Things (IoT) in the 5G age, the construction of smart cities around the world consequents on the exploration of carbon reduction path based on IoT technology is an important direction for global low carbon city research. Carbon dioxide emissions in small cities are usually higher than that in large and medium cities. However, due to the huge difference in data environment between small cities and Medium-large sized cities, the weak hardware foundation of the IoT, and the high input cost, the construction of a small city smart carbon monitoring platform has not yet been carried out. This paper proposes a real-time estimate model of carbon emissions at the block and street scale and designs a smart carbon monitoring platform that combines traditional carbon control methods with IoT technology. It can exist long-term data by using real-time data acquired with the sensing device. Therefore, the dynamic monitoring and management of low-carbon development in small cities can be achieved. The contributions are summarized as follows: (1) Intelligent thermoelectric systems, industrial energy monitoring systems, and intelligent transportation systems are three core systems of the monitoring platform. Carbon emission measurement methods based on sample monitoring, long-term data, and real-time data have been established, they can solve the problem of the high cost of IoT equipment in small cities. (2) Combined with long-term data, the real-time correction technology, they can dispose of the matter of differences in carbon emission measurement under diverse scales.
Reversal of deficits in aged skeletal muscle during disuse and recovery in response to treatment with a secrotome product derived from partially differentiated human pluripotent stem cells
Authors: Fix Dennis K. , Mahmassani Ziad S. , Petrocelli Jonathan J. , de Hart Naomi M.M.P. , Ferrara Patrick J. , Painter Jessie S. , Nistor Gabriel , Lane Thomas E. , Keirstead Hans S. , Drummond Micah J.
Published: August 2021

Aged individuals are at risk to experience slow and incomplete muscle recovery following periods of disuse atrophy. While several therapies have been employed to mitigate muscle mass loss during disuse and improve recovery, few have proven effective at both. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a uniquely developed secretome product (STEM) on aged skeletal muscle mass and function during disuse and recovery. Aged (22 months) male C57BL/6 were divided into PBS or STEM treatment (n = 30). Mice within each treatment were assigned to either ambulatory control (CON; 14 days of normal cage ambulation), 14 days of hindlimb unloading (HU), or 14 days of hindlimb unloading followed by 7 days of recovery (recovery). Mice were given an intramuscular delivery into the hindlimb muscle of either PBS or STEM every other day for the duration of their respective treatment group. We found that STEM-treated mice compared to PBS had greater soleus muscle mass, fiber cross-sectional area (CSA), and grip strength during CON and recovery experimental conditions and less muscle atrophy and weakness during HU. Muscle CD68 +, CD11b + and CD163 + macrophages were more abundant in STEM-treated CON mice compared to PBS, while only CD68 + and CD11b + macrophages were more abundant during HU and recovery conditions with STEM treatment. Moreover, STEM-treated mice had lower collagen IV and higher Pax7 + cell content compared to PBS across all experimental conditions. As a follow-up to examine the cell autonomous role of STEM on muscle, C2C12 myotubes were given STEM or horse serum media to examine myotube fusion/size and effects on muscle transcriptional networks. STEM-treated C2C12 myotubes were larger and had a higher fusion index and were related to elevated expression of transcripts associated with extracellular matrix remodeling. Our results demonstrate that STEM is a unique cocktail that possesses potent immunomodulatory and cytoskeletal remodeling properties that may have translational potential to improve skeletal muscle across a variety of conditions that adversely effect aging muscle.
Adherence to physical activity recommendations and barriers to physical activity participation among adults with type 1 diabetes
Authors: Finn Mary , Sherlock Mark , Feehan Sinead , Guinan Emer M. , Moore Kevin B.
Published: August 2021

Background

Physical activity (PA) is important for those with type 1 diabetes (T1DM); however, accurate information on PA in people with T1DM is limited.

Aims

This study assessed adherence to PA guidelines using both objective and subjective PA measures and evaluated the relationship between accelerometer-measured PA and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. Barriers to PA were also assessed.

Methods

Using an observational cross-sectional design, PA was measured objectively over 7 days in 72 participants (34 males) using an accelerometer (ActiGraph) and subjectively using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Perceived barriers to PA were assessed using the Barriers to Physical Activity in Diabetes (type 1) scale. Multiple linear regression models assessed the influence of PA on HbA1c and CVD risk factors.

Results

Mean age ± SD was 40.9 ± 12.9 years, diabetes duration was 18 ± 11.6 years, and HbA1c was 65 ± 14 mmol/mol /8.0 ± 1.3%. Twenty-three (32%) participants exercised according to PA recommendations as measured by an accelerometer. Sixty-nine (97%) participants reported meeting the recommendations as per the IPAQ. Those meeting recommendations (accelerometry) had a lower HbA1c (p = 0.001), BMI (p = 0.032), waist circumference (p = 0.006), and fat mass (p = 0.032) and a greater number of hypoglycaemic events (p = 0.004). Fear of hypoglycaemia was the strongest barrier to PA (mean 3.4 ± 2.0).

Conclusion

The majority of participants failed to meet PA recommendations. Meeting the recommendations was associated with healthier CVD risk factor profiles. Individuals with T1DM possibly overestimate their PA using self-reported measures and require support and education to safely improve activity levels.
Economic evaluation of an early childhood development center–based agriculture and nutrition intervention in Malawi
Authors: A Gelli , CG Kemp , A Margolies , A Twalibu , M Katundu , C Levin
Published: August 2021

Malnutrition is a leading cause of death and disability among children in low-income countries. Nutrition-sensitive interventions show promise in increasing food access and improving diets. There are possible synergies of integrating these programs with other sectors, improving effectiveness by leveraging resources. However, economic evaluations of these multi-sectoral programs are limited. We aimed to estimate the cost efficiency, cost-effectiveness, benefit-cost ratio, and net benefit of using community-based early childhood development (ECD) centers as platforms for an intervention promoting agricultural production and nutrition among households with young children in Malawi. The intervention was costed using bottom-up micro-costing and top-down expenditure analysis with a societal perspective and a 12-month horizon. Effectiveness estimates were derived from a cluster-randomized control trial. Premature deaths and stunting cases averted were estimated using the Lived Saved Tool. We calculated DALYs averted, and the value of three benefits streams resulting from reductions in premature mortality, increases in lifetime productivity and household agricultural productivity. We transferred the US value of a statistical life (VSL) to Malawi using an income elasticity of 1.5, and a 10% discount rate. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis was conducted using a Monte Carlo model. The intervention cost $197,377, reaching 4,806 beneficiaries at $41 per beneficiary, $595 per case of stunting, $18,310 per death, and $516 per DALY averted. Net benefit estimates ranged from $507,589 to $4,678,258, and benefit-cost ratios from 3.57 to 24.70. Sensitivity analyses confirmed a positive return on investment. Implementing agriculture-nutrition interventions through ECD platforms may be an efficient use of resources in Malawi and similar contexts.
Effects of Mindfulness-Based Parallel-Group Interventions on Family Functioning and Child and Parent Mental Health: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: Xie Qian-Wen , Dai Xiaolu , Lyu Renhui , Lu Shuang
Published: August 2021

Objectives

Involving parents and children in mindfulness-based interventions may holistically benefit family well-being. This meta-analysis systematically reviews and synthesizes the effects of mindfulness-based parallel-group (MBPG) interventions, which simultaneously involve parent and child, on family functioning, and the mental health of parents and children.

Methods

A total of 20 relevant studies were identified from 14 databases. The overall intervention effect size was estimated by pooled standardized mean difference. Moderator analyses were performed to explain the variability in intervention effects. Risk of bias and publication bias were also assessed.

Results

MBPG interventions showed minor-to-small positive effects on family functioning (d = 0.182, 95% CI [0.045, 0.319]), parental mental health (d = 0.238, 95% CI [0.110, 0.365]), and child mental health (d = 0.325, 95% CI [0.137, 0.513]). The effects of MBPG interventions on child mental health varied significantly by child age, child gender, recruitment setting, type of parent group, other activities in child group, other activities in parent group, and study design.

Conclusions

MBPG interventions show promising effects in improving mental health of both parents and children as well as in improving overall family functioning. However, significant variations exist in characteristics of participants, interventions, and study designs. Given the limited evidence currently available, more studies are needed to assess the determinants of effectiveness in MBPG interventions.

Protocol Registration: PROSPERO #CRD42020164927
Dynamic surplus optimization with performance- and index-linked liabilities
Authors: Desmettre Sascha , Wahl Markus , Zagst Rudi
Published: August 2021

The increasing importance of liability-driven investment strategies and the shift towards retirement products with lower guarantees and more performance participation provide challenges for the development of portfolio optimization frameworks which cover these aspects. To this end, we establish a general and flexible terminal surplus optimization framework in continuous time, allowing for dynamic investment strategies and stochastic liabilities, which can be linked to the performance of an index or the asset portfolio of the insurance company. Besides optimality results in a fairly general surplus optimization setting, we obtain closed-form solutions for the optimal investment strategy for various specific liability models, which include the cases of index-linked and performance-linked liabilities and liabilities which are completely or only partially hedgeable. We compare the results in numerical examples and study the impact of the performance participation, unhedgeable risk components, different ways of modeling the liabilities and the relative risk aversion parameter. We find that performance- or index-linked liabilities, which provide a close link between the wealth of the insurance company and its liabilities, allow for a higher allocation in the risky investment. On the other hand, unhedgeable risks reduce the allocation in the risky investment. We conclude that, aiming at a high expected return for the policy holder, insurance companies should try to connect the performance of insurance products closely to the wealth and minimize unhedgeable risks.