bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Investigating the link between medical urgency and hospital efficiency – Insights from the German hospital market
Authors: Schneider Annika Maren , Oppel Eva-Maria , Schreyögg Jonas
Published: September 2020

With hospital budgets remaining tight and healthcare expenditure rising due to demographic change and advances in technology, hospitals continue to face calls to contain costs and allocate their resources more efficiently. In this context, efficiency has emerged as an increasingly important way for hospitals to withstand competitive pressures in the hospital market. Doing so, however, can be challenging given unpredictable fluctuations in demand, a prime example of which are emergencies, i.e. urgent medical cases. The link between medical urgency and hospitals’ efficiency, however, has been neglected in the literature to date. This study therefore aims to investigate the relationship between hospitals’ urgency characteristics and their efficiency. Our analyses are based on 4094 observations from 1428 hospitals throughout Germany for the years 2015, 2016, and 2017. We calculate an average urgency score for each hospital based on all cases treated in that hospital per year and also investigate the within-hospital dispersion of medical urgency. To analyze the association of these urgency measures with hospitals’ efficiency we use a two-stage double bootstrap data envelopment analysis approach with truncated regression. We find a negative relationship between the urgency score and hospital efficiency. When testing for non-linear effects, the results reveal a u-shaped association, indicating that having either a high or low overall urgency score is beneficial in terms of efficiency. Finally, our results reveal that higher within-hospital urgency dispersion is negatively related to efficiency.
Correction to: Imaging plant responses to water deficit using electrical resistivity tomography
Authors: Rao Sathyanarayan , Lesparre Nolwenn , Flores-Orozco Adrián , Wagner Florian , Kemna Andreas , Javaux Mathieu
Published: September 2020

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake. The authors would like to add Andreas Kemna as the fifth author of this paper. The updated list of authors as well as the complete affiliation is presented in this correction article.
Effective theories and infinite idealizations: a challenge for scientific realism
Authors: Rivat Sébastien
Published: September 2020

Williams and J. Fraser have recently argued that effective field theory methods enable scientific realists to make more reliable ontological commitments in quantum field theory (QFT) than those commonly made. In this paper, I show that the interpretative relevance of these methods extends beyond the specific context of QFT by identifying common structural features shared by effective theories across physics. In particular, I argue that effective theories are best characterized by the fact that they contain intrinsic empirical limitations, and I extract from their structure one central interpretative constraint for making more reliable ontological commitments in different subfields of physics. While this is in principle good news, this constraint still raises a challenge for scientific realists in some contexts, and I bring the point home by focusing on Williams’s and J. Fraser’s defense of selective realism in QFT.
Media capture strategies in new authoritarian states: the case of Turkey
Authors: Coşkun Gülçin Balamir
Published: September 2020

This article focuses on the forced transformation of the mass media as an institution in new authoritarian states. It aims to understand the methods used by theses states to control and manipulate the flux of news through the mass media. Turkey’s media system has been chosen as a case study because the recent political developments in the country offer worrisome und devastating examples. This article aims to answer to the following question: How can we classify methods and strategies used by the AKP government to capture the media in Turkey? Why and how do the methods used by the AKP government differ from those applied by previous governments? To answer to these questions, the article draws on media capture as a framework of analysis. It argues that the AKP captured the media by using new strategies which can be divided into three overlapping and interconnected categories: capture by creating its own private media, capture through financial sanctions, and capture by intimidating and criminalizing journalists.
Parcelized Cut-and-Carry Agroforestry Systems for Confined Livestock
Authors: Seruni A. P. , Aguilar F. X. , Cai Z. , Gold M. A. , Roshetko J. M.
Published: September 2020

We characterize a parcelized land management system that does not meet traditional co-located agroforestry practices in the tropics. A cut-and-carry agroforestry system for confined livestock emphasizes land utilization as a source of fodder, cutting and carrying feed from parcels to paddocks near a farmer’s home. It reduces feed cost by utilizing parcels under private, shared, and/or public ownership. Within cut-and-carry systems, we distinguish between those where parcels are managed as monocrops and traditional co-located agroforestry practices. Primary data for our case study were collected by surveying heads of household in Central Java, Indonesia, and analyzed following a capitals-based rural livelihoods framework. A sample of 122 farmers who managed parcels under co-located agroforestry practices was compared against 50 farmers who implemented parcelized monocropping. Overall, the adoption of cut-and-carry systems supports financial resiliency by limiting cash expenditures, facilitating income diversification, and producing assets that meet planned market opportunities and unforeseen cash needs. Survey results show that farmers who engage in parcelized agroforestry have more farming experience, higher farming income, are located at higher elevations, and live farther from the nearest local market. On-farm income among agroforestry cut-and-carry farmers was on average 11.1% higher than those using a cut-and-carry system but only adopting monocrop practices. Land as a biophysical capital asset under full private-ownership and at higher altitudes, and longer farming experience as a human capital asset, increased the likelihood of adopting parcelized co-located agroforestry practices. Membership in cash-crop cooperatives as a form of social capital asset was associated with a higher likelihood of managing land as parcelized monocrops.
Validity test of the theory of planned behavior in college students’ withdrawal from smartphone dependence
Authors: Yue Heng , Li Cuiyun , Liu Min , Jin Ruyi , Bao Hugejiletu
Published: September 2020

Smartphone usage has brought great convenience to our daily life. However, the detrimental consequences of smartphone dependence also require special attention. Based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), this study designed a questionnaire to investigate college students’ withdrawal from smartphone dependence. The reliability and validity of the questionnaire were tested. The results showed that the reliability of the questionnaire was good (α = 0.84–0.94). The principal component analysis was conducted, contribution rates of these factors were moderately high (62.06%–82.35%). The validity was verified through confirmatory factor analysis. All the model fit indices were higher than the acceptable standard, which indicated the construct validity of the TPB questionnaire is good. The results of the multi-group structural equation model revealed that the model provided excellent fit to the data in each demographic group. The results of structural equation model presented that, in most demographic groups, students’ attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control of withdrawal from smartphone dependence positively influenced their behavioral intention. Furthermore, subjective norm was the most effective predictors in each group. However, part of the paths from intention to behavior failed to reach the significant level, and their coefficients are relatively small. This reveals the gap between college students’ withdrawal intention and their actual behavior, and there may be other factors influence the relationship between the two variables.
Internationale Drogenpolitik: „Vom Zwang zum Zusammenhalt“. Abschied vom Drogenkrieg?
Authors: Lessmann Robert
Published: September 2020

In der internationalen Drogenpolitik zeichnet sich eine Abkehr vom Drogenkrieg hin zu einer von gesundheitspolitischen Prioritäten geleiteten Politik ab – zumindest auf rhetorischer Ebene. Der vorliegende Essay zeichnet die Entwicklung und ihre Triebkräfte nach und zeigt Perspektiven auf.
A Review of Translational Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Human and Rodent Experimental Models of Small Vessel Disease
Authors: Stringer Michael S. , Lee Hedok , Huuskonen Mikko T. , MacIntosh Bradley J. , Brown Rosalind , Montagne Axel , Atwi Sarah , Ramirez Joel , Jansen Maurits A. , Marshall Ian , Black Sandra E. , Zlokovic Berislav V. , Benveniste Helene , Wardlaw Joanna M.
Published: September 2020

Cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) is a major health burden, yet the pathophysiology remains poorly understood with no effective treatment. Since much of SVD develops silently and insidiously, non-invasive neuroimaging such as MRI is fundamental to detecting and understanding SVD in humans. Several relevant SVD rodent models are established for which MRI can monitor in vivo changes over time prior to histological examination. Here, we critically review the MRI methods pertaining to salient rodent models and evaluate synergies with human SVD MRI methods. We found few relevant publications, but argue there is considerable scope for greater use of MRI in rodent models, and opportunities for harmonisation of the rodent-human methods to increase the translational potential of models to understand SVD in humans. We summarise current MR techniques used in SVD research, provide recommendations and examples and highlight practicalities for use of MRI SVD imaging protocols in pre-selected, relevant rodent models.
Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Effects of Carbohydrate Ingestion During Exercise
Authors: Rollo Ian , Gonzalez Javier T. , Fuchs Cas J. , van Loon Luc J. C. , Williams Clyde
Published: September 2020

The purpose of this current opinion paper is to describe the journey of ingested carbohydrate from ‘mouth to mitochondria’ culminating in energy production in skeletal muscles during exercise. This journey is conveniently described as primary, secondary, and tertiary events. The primary stage is detection of ingested carbohydrate by receptors in the oral cavity and on the tongue that activate reward and other centers in the brain leading to insulin secretion. After digestion, the secondary stage is the transport of monosaccharides from the small intestine into the systemic circulation. The passage of these monosaccharides is facilitated by the presence of various transport proteins. The intestinal mucosa has carbohydrate sensors that stimulate the release of two ‘incretin’ hormones (GIP and GLP-1) whose actions range from the secretion of insulin to appetite regulation. Most of the ingested carbohydrate is taken up by the liver resulting in a transient inhibition of hepatic glucose release in a dose-dependent manner. Nonetheless, the subsequent increased hepatic glucose (and lactate) output can increase exogenous carbohydrate oxidation rates by 40–50%. The recognition and successful distribution of carbohydrate to the brain and skeletal muscles to maintain carbohydrate oxidation as well as prevent hypoglycaemia underpins the mechanisms to improve exercise performance.
Gender susceptibility to COVID-19: a review of the putative role of sex hormones and X chromosome
Authors: Foresta C. , Rocca M. S. , Di Nisio A.
Published: September 2020

Background

The recent emergence of COVID-19 poses a global health emergency. One of the most frequently reported data is sex-related severity and mortality: according to the last available analysis on 239,709 patients in Italy, lethality is 17.7% in men and 10.8% in women, with 59% of total deaths being men. Interestingly, the infection rate is lower in males than in females, with 45.8% and 54.2% of positive cases, respectively, suggesting that gender-related factor may worsen disease evolution. A tentative hypothesis to explain these findings is the role of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and serine protease TMPRSS2 involved in viral infection.

Purpose

In this review, we summarize the available evidence pointing to gender-related differences in ACE2 and TMPRSS2 expression, from both genetic and endocrine points of view.

Results

Altogether, available evidence points toward two not-mutually exclusive mechanisms in gender susceptibility to COVID-19 by sex hormonal regulation of ACE2 and TMPRSS2. On one hand, ACE2 expression could be increased in women, either by estrogens or constitutively by X chromosome inactivation escape or by reduced methylation, providing a larger reservoir of ACE2 to maintain the fundamental equilibrium of RAS regulatory axis. On the other, low levels of androgens in women may keep at low levels TMPRSS2 expression, representing a further protective factor for the development of COVID-19 infection, despite the increased expression of ACE2, which represents the Trojan horse for SARS-CoV-2 entry.

Conclusions

Both mechanisms consistently point to the role of sex hormones and sex chromosomes in the differential severity and lethality of COVID-19 in men and women.
Optimal and prototype dimensioning of 48V P0+P4 hybrid drivetrains
Authors: Werra Matthias , Sturm Axel , Küçükay Ferit
Published: September 2020

This paper presents a virtual toolchain for the optimal concept and prototype dimensioning of 48 V hybrid drivetrains. First, this toolchain is used to dimension the drivetrain components for a 48 V P0+P4 hybrid which combines an electric machine in the belt drive of the internal combustion engine and a second electric machine at the rear axle. On an optimal concept level, the power and gear ratios of the electric components in the 48 V system are defined for the best fuel consumption and performance. In the second step, the optimal P0+P4 drivetrain is simulated with a prototype model using a realistic rule-based operating strategy to determine realistic behavior in legal cycles and customer operation. The optimal variant shows a fuel consumption reduction in the Worldwide harmonized Light Duty Test Cycle of 13.6 % compared to a conventional vehicle whereas the prototype simulation shows a relatively higher savings potential of 14.8 %. In the prototype simulation for customer operation, the 48 V hybrid drivetrain reduces the fuel consumption by up to 24.6 % in urban areas due to a high amount of launching and braking events. Extra-urban and highway areas show fuel reductions up to 11.6 % and 4.2 %, respectively due to higher vehicle speed and power requirements. The presented virtual toolchain can be used to combine optimal concept dimensioning with close to reality behaviour simulations to maximise realistic statements and minimize time effort.
Online influence, offline violence: language use on YouTube surrounding the ‘Unite the Right’ rally
Authors: van der Vegt Isabelle , Mozes Maximilian , Gill Paul , Kleinberg Bennett
Published: September 2020

The media frequently describes the 2017 Charlottesville ‘Unite the Right’ rally as a turning point for the alt-right and white supremacist movements. Social movement theory suggests that the media attention and public discourse concerning the rally may have engendered changes in social identity performance and visibility of the alt-right, but this has yet to be empirically tested. The presence of the movement on YouTube is of particular interest, as this platform has been referred to as a breeding ground for the alt-right. The current study investigates whether there are differences in language use between 7142 alt-right and progressive YouTube channels, in addition to measuring possible changes as a result of the rally. To do so, we create structural topic models and measure bigram proportions in video transcripts, spanning approximately 2 months before and after the rally. We observe differences in topics between the two groups, with the ‘alternative influencers’, for example, discussing topics related to race and free speech to a larger extent than progressive channels. We also observe structural breakpoints in the use of bigrams at the time of the rally, suggesting there are changes in language use within the two groups as a result of the rally. While most changes relate to mentions of the rally itself, the alternative group also shows an increase in promotion of their YouTube channels. In light of social movement theory, we argue that language use on YouTube shows that the Charlottesville rally indeed triggered changes in social identity performance and visibility of the alt-right.
Retreatability analysis of the Musina copper mine tailings in South Africa: an exploratory study
Authors: Singo N. K. , Kramers J. D.
Published: September 2020

In recent times, the potential beneficial uses of abandoned mine sites have been recognised and acted upon through the retreatment of tailings in order to win minerals of interest still available in economically viable concentrations. The most notable benefit (although not usually factored in financially) is that, once the tailings have been removed, the land has a greater potential to be developed further. The main aim of this study was to investigate the contents of copper and potentially harmful elements in the tailings of the Musina mine, an abandoned Cu mine in the northern Limpopo Province, in order to assess environmental hazards and to provide a first estimate of the feasibility of future economic rehabilitation. The concept of reclaiming was here seen in a broad way and ranged from the reworking of tailings or other residues to residential and/or recreational use. To quantify the potential economic importance and impacts of the metal content of the tailings, geochemical analysis of samples from auger holes and resource modelling were employed. Neutral to slightly basic pH values and very low concentrations of arsenic and lead showed that acid drainage and toxic groundwater contamination (apart from Cu itself) would not be a concern. Three-dimensional (3D) and two-dimensional (2D) models were applied to estimate the resource potential of the tailings dump. The models revealed that residual Cu in the Musina mine tailings is currently at 8555 tonnes. Accordingly, going forward, we recommend a formalised geometallurgical study to assess the economic feasibility of extracting Cu, with a view to reworking the copper tailings dump. It is very important that this tailings dump be mined in future, in order to extract all Cu and ensure that the sterilised land (up to 95 ha) can be used for other purposes.
Endtimes of Human Rights? Neue Forschungen zur Geschichte der Menschenrechte
Authors: Möckel Benjamin
Published: September 2020

Die Menschenrechte sind in den letzten Jahren unter Druck geraten. Einige Autoren haben zuletzt sogar von einem „Ende“ der Menschenrechte als Leitlinie der internationalen Politik gesprochen. Der Artikel analysiert, wie neuere Forschungen der Menschenrechtsgeschichte auf diese Herausforderung reagieren. Er argumentiert, dass der lange dominierende Fokus auf Fragen der Periodisierung einem neuen Bewusstsein für die zeitliche, räumliche und thematische Pluralität und Heterogenität der Menschenrechte gewichen sei und beleuchtet vor diesem Hintergrund vier zentrale Forschungsfelder: erstens das Verhältnis von Menschenrechten und Ökonomie, zweitens die Geschichte humanitärer Interventionen und der hiermit einhergehenden Verbindung von Menschenrechten und militärischer Gewalt, drittens die Rolle der Medien in der Geschichte der Menschenrechte und viertens die neuen Herausforderungen einer Globalgeschichte der Menschenrechte.
Detecting possibly frequent change-points: Wild Binary Segmentation 2 and steepest-drop model selection—rejoinder
Authors: Fryzlewicz Piotr
Published: September 2020

Many existing procedures for detecting multiple change-points in data sequences fail in frequent-change-point scenarios. This article proposes a new change-point detection methodology designed to work well in both infrequent and frequent change-point settings. It is made up of two ingredients: one is “Wild Binary Segmentation 2” (WBS2), a recursive algorithm for producing what we call a ‘complete’ solution path to the change-point detection problem, i.e. a sequence of estimated nested models containing $$0, \ldots , T-1$$

0
,
…
,
T
-
1

change-points, where T is the data length. The other ingredient is a new model selection procedure, referred to as “Steepest Drop to Low Levels” (SDLL). The SDLL criterion acts on the WBS2 solution path, and, unlike many existing model selection procedures for change-point problems, it is not penalty-based, and only uses thresholding as a certain discrete secondary check. The resulting WBS2.SDLL procedure, combining both ingredients, is shown to be consistent, and to significantly outperform the competition in the frequent change-point scenarios tested. WBS2.SDLL is fast, easy to code and does not require the choice of a window or span parameter.
Predation and survival in reintroduced populations of the Common hamster Cricetus cricetus in the Netherlands
Authors: La Haye Maurice J. J. , van Kats Ruud J. M. , Müskens Gerard J. D. M. , Hallmann Caspar A. , Jongejans Eelke
Published: September 2020

European populations of Common hamster (Cricetus cricetus) have dramatically declined in the last decades, and in many EU countries, the species is on the brink of extinction. In the Netherlands, a research and reintroduction program was started in three areas with hamster-friendly management to reverse the decline of the species. Since 2002, more than 800 captive-bred and wild-born hamsters were monitored using implant radiotransmitters to quantify survival rates and discover the main causes of death after release compared to those of wild individuals. Individuals with a transmitter were regularly checked at their burrow. Predation by foxes, birds of prey, and small mustelids was the most important cause of mortality of this medium-sized rodent, while crop type and harvest regime were also likely to be important drivers as they influenced survival rates through the presence or absence of protective cover. The fitted weekly survival model showed that male hamsters had much lower survival rates during the active season than females, which corresponds with the ‘risky male hypothesis’. Survival rates of females appeared too low to keep populations at a stable level. To establish a viable population, more optimal environmental conditions for both survival and reproduction of the hamsters are necessary. Using electric fences around fields with hamsters significantly increased the survival of females. However, hamster conservationists need to consider not just subadult and adult survival rates, but also habitat connectivity, weather effects on reproduction, and alternative agricultural practices on a landscape scale.
Prevalence Rates of Sexual Behaviors, Condom Use, and Contraception Among Australian Heterosexual Adolescents
Authors: Fisher Christopher M. , Kauer Sylvia , Mikolajczak Gosia , Ezer Paulina , Kerr Lucille , Bellamy Rosalind , Waling Andrea , Lucke Jayne
Published: September 2020

Background

The development of effective health promotion practices and education programs to reduce rates of sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancy requires accurate, up-to-date information about young people's sexual behaviors.

Aims

To provide prevalence rates on sexual behaviors and condom and contraceptive use for Australian year 10–12 heterosexual students in a nationally representative sample.

Methods

A nationally representative sample of 2,301 male and 2,055 female year 10 through 12 heterosexual students were recruited to an online survey about their lifetime sexual behaviors and condom and contraceptive use. Means and 95% confidence intervals of weighted data, based on the national census, were reported.

Outcomes

The main outcomes of this study were prevalence of sexual behaviors by gender (excluding trans and gender diverse) and prevalence of contraception and condom use among sexually active students by gender.

Results

The most common sexual behavior was masturbation (96.3% of male students, 78.9% of female students), and the least common behavior was anal or vaginal sex (43.7% of male students, 48.5% of female students). Of the sexually active students, condoms were used by 78.1% of male students and 77.5% of female students at first sexual experience and by 65.1% of male students and 56.8% of female students at their most recent sexual experience, whereas 91.6% of male students and 92.3% of female students used some form of contraception at most recent sexual experience.

Clinical Translation

Results provide up-to-date information on the practices clinicians who are likely to encounter with heterosexual cisgender adolescent populations in Australia.

Strengths & Limitaitons

The study represents the largest representative cohort of adolescents in Australia to date. However, comparisons with previous representative studies were limited owing to differing samples by age and culture.

Conclusions

Compared with earlier Australian studies, young heterosexual cisgender people today engage in slightly less oral and penetrative sexual behaviors, with the exception of more women receiving oral sex, and are generally consistent in condom and contraceptive use.
Why are SMS codes still the global ID solution?
Authors: Stephens Chris
Published: September 2020

SMS one-time passwords (OTPs) have become the default ‘step-up’ authentication option when individuals are performing high-risk actions online. It's because this approach is relatively easy for businesses to implement, and it works for most of their customers who nearly all possess a mobile phone and are familiar with OTPs. As a result, businesses typically use OTPs to authenticate both their customers and employees; and many banks are relying on this method to quickly comply with the upcoming PSD2 Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) regulation.
Effectiveness of chlorhexidine dressings to prevent catheter-related bloodstream infections. Does one size fit all? A systematic literature review and meta-analysis
Authors: Puig-Asensio Mireia , Marra Alexandre R. , Childs Christopher A. , Kukla Mary E. , Perencevich Eli N. , Schweizer Marin L.
Published: September 2020

Objective:

To evaluate the effectiveness of chlorhexidine (CHG) dressings to prevent catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSIs).

Design:

Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methods:

We searched PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, and ClinicalTrials.gov for studies (randomized controlled and quasi-experimental trials) with the following criteria: patients with short- or long-term catheters; CHG dressings were used in the intervention group and nonantimicrobial dressings in the control group; CRBSI was an outcome. Random-effects models were used to obtain pooled risk ratios (pRRs). Heterogeneity was evaluated using the I2 test and the Cochran Q statistic.

Results:

In total, 20 studies (18 randomized controlled trials; 15,590 catheters) without evidence of publication bias and mainly performed in intensive care units (ICUs) were included. CHG dressings significantly reduced CRBSIs (pRR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.58–0.87), independent of the CHG dressing type used. Benefits were limited to adults with short-term central venous catheters (CVCs), including onco-hematological patients. For long-term CVCs, CHG dressings decreased exit-site/tunnel infections (pRR, 0.37; 95% CI, 0.22–0.64). Contact dermatitis was associated with CHG dressing use (pRR, 5.16; 95% CI, 2.09–12.70); especially in neonates and pediatric populations in whom severe reactions occurred. Also, 2 studies evaluated and did not find CHG-acquired resistance.

Conclusions:

CHG dressings prevent CRBSIs in adults with short-term CVCs, including patients with an onco-hematological disease. CHG dressings might reduce exit-site and tunnel infections in long-term CVCs. In neonates and pediatric populations, proof of CHG dressing effectiveness is lacking and there is an increased risk of serious adverse events. Future studies should investigate CHG effectiveness in non-ICU settings and monitor for CHG resistance.
Facilitators and Barriers to Inclusion of Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Parent, Teacher, and Principal Perspectives
Authors: Stephenson Jennifer , Browne Leah , Carter Mark , Clark Trevor , Costley Debra , Martin Jon , Williams Katrina , Bruck Susan , Davies Louise , Sweller Naomi
Published: September 2020

The inclusion of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is increasing, but there have been no longitudinal studies of included students in Australia. Interview data reported in this study concern primary school children with ASD enrolled in mainstream classes in South Australia and New South Wales, Australia. In order to examine perceived facilitators and barriers to inclusion, parents, teachers, and principals were asked to comment on the facilitators and barriers to inclusion relevant to each child. Data are reported about 60 students, comprising a total of 305 parent interviews, 208 teacher interviews, and 227 principal interviews collected at 6-monthly intervals over 3.5 years. The most commonly mentioned facilitator was teacher practices. The most commonly mentioned barrier was intrinsic student factors. Other factors not directly controllable by school staff, such as resource limitations, were also commonly identified by principals and teachers. Parents were more likely to mention school- or teacher-related barriers. Many of the current findings were consistent with previous studies but some differences were noted, including limited reporting of sensory issues and bullying as barriers. There was little change in the pattern of facilitators and barriers identified by respondents over time. A number of implications for practice and directions for future research are discussed.
Characterization, expression profiling, and thermal tolerance analysis of heat shock protein 70 in pine sawyer beetle, Monochamus alternatus hope (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)
Authors: Li Hui , Qiao Heng , Liu Yujie , Li Shouyin , Tan Jiajin , Hao Dejun
Published: September 2020

Monochamus alternatus Hope (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) warrants attention as a dominant transmission vector of the pinewood nematode, and it exhibits tolerance to high temperature. Heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) family members, including inducible HSP70 and heat shock cognate protein 70 (HSC70), are major contributors to the molecular chaperone networks of insects under heat stress. In this regard, we specifically cloned and characterized three MaltHSP70s and three MaltHSC70s. Bioinformatics analysis on the deduced amino acid sequences showed these genes, having close genetic relationships with HSP70s of Coleopteran species, collectively shared conserved signature structures and ATPase domains. Subcellular localization prediction revealed the HSP70s of M. alternatus were located not only in the cytoplasm and endoplasmic reticulum but also in the nucleus and mitochondria. The transcript levels of MaltHSP70s and MaltHSC70s in each state were significantly upregulated by exposure to 35–50°C for early 3 h, while MaltHSP70s reached a peak after exposure to 45°C for 2–3 h in contrast to less-upregulated MaltHSC70s. In terms of MaltHSP70s, the expression threshold in females was lower than that in males. Also, both fat bodies and Malpighian tubules were the tissues most sensitive to heat stress in M. alternatus larvae. Lastly, the ATPase activity of recombinant MaltHSP70-2 in vitro remained stable at 25–40°C, and this recombinant availably enhanced the thermotolerance of Escherichia coli. Overall, our findings unraveled HSP70s might be the intrinsic mediators of the strong heat tolerance of M. alternatus due to their stabilized structure and bioactivity.
Resting and field metabolic rates of Awassi sheep and Baladi goats raised by Negev bedouin
Authors: Kam Michael , El-Meccawi Shaher , Brosh Arieh , Degen A. Allan
Published: September 2020

Sheep are grazers and goats are intermediate feeders. By employing O2 consumption and heart rate measurements, resting metabolic rate (RMR) and field metabolic rate (FMR) were determined in four male fat-tailed Awassi sheep (44.0 ± 3.94) and four male Baladi goats (35.5 ± 5.42 kg) that were co-grazing natural pasture in the Negev Desert. There were 67.7 ± 3.75 g DM/m2 of herbaceous vegetation biomass, which was rapidly becoming senescent and more fibrous. We hypothesized that FMR of these desert-adapted ruminants would be relatively low when compared to other sheep and goat breeds, as animals in arid areas tend to have low metabolic rates. Both sheep (n = 6) and goats (n = 6) foraged 71% of the allotted 11 h free-pasture period; however, sheep grazed more than goats (P < 0.001); whereas goats browsed more than sheep (P < 0.001). RMR was higher (P = 0.007) in sheep than in goats (529 ± 23.5 v. 474 ± 25.4 kJ/kg0.75 BW/d), but FMR did not differ between species (618 ± 55.7 v. 613 ± 115.2 kJ/kg0.75 BW/d). In addition, the cost of activities, as a proportion of FMR, did not differ between sheep and goats; FMR increased by 89 kJ/kg0.75 BW/d or 17% in sheep and by 138 kJ/kg0.75 BW/d or 29% in goats. In comparing FMRs of sheep and goats in this study with these species in other studies, differences were inconsistent and, therefore, our hypothesis was not supported.
Sociocultural theory and concept-based language instruction
Authors: Lantolf James P. , Xi Jiao , Minakova Valeriya
Published: September 2020

In the initial sociocultural theory (SCT) timeline, Lantolf and Beckett (2009) surveyed a broad spectrum of research informed by sociocultural psychology as it was extended into the field of second language acquisition and language teaching. Since that time, the amount of research that has been published within the SCT framework has grown exponentially. With regard to the educational setting, two major strands of research have emerged; one that addresses pedagogical practice and the other that deals with assessment. The assessment strand, Dynamic Assessment, adheres to principles that emerge from the SCT concept of the Zone of Proximal Development and is the topic of a separate timeline (see Poehner & Wang, forthcoming). The pedagogical strand, the topic of the present article, is generally referred to as Concept-based Language Instruction (C-BLI), although in some publications the rubric Concept-based Instruction (CBI) is used. Unfortunately, the abbreviation of the alternative rubric has on more than one occasion been confused with content-based instruction, also abbreviated as CBI. We would like to suggest here that it would be better if SCT researchers were to adopt C-BLI to avoid misinterpretations going forward.
‘The Most Traditional and the Most Pioneering’: New Concept Kun Opera
Authors: He Chengzhou
Published: September 2020

Featuring hybridity, transgression, and improvisation, New Concept Kun Opera refers to experimental performances by Ke Jun and other Kun Opera performers since the beginning of the twenty-first century. From telling the ancient stories to expressing the modern self, this new form marks the awakening of the performer’s subjectivity and develops a contemporary outlook by rebuilding close connections between Kun Opera and modern life. A synthetic use of intermedial resources contributes to its appeal to today’s audiences. Its experimentation succeeds in maintaining the most traditional while exploring the most pioneering, thus providing Kun Opera with the potential for renewal, as well as an alternative future for Chinese opera in general. Chengzhou He is a Yangtze River Distinguished Professor of English and Drama at the School of Foreign Studies and the School of Arts at Nanjing University. He has published widely on Western drama, intercultural theatre, and critical theory in both Chinese and English. Currently, he is the principal investigator for a national key-research project, ‘Theories in European and American Theatre and Performance Studies’.
Pathways to a more peaceful and sustainable world: The transformative power of children in families
Authors: Britto Pia R. , Hanöz-Penney Suna , Ponguta Liliana Angelica , Sunar Diane , Issa Ghassan , Hein Sascha D. , do Rosário Maria Conceição , Almuneef Maha A. , Korucu Irem , Togo Yaya , Kurbonov Jamshed , Choibekov Nurlan , Phan Hien Thi Thu , Fallon N. Shemrah , Artukoğlu Bekir B. , Hartl Franz J. , Salah Rima , Fitzpatrick Siobhán , Connolly Paul , Dunne Laura , Miller Sarah , Pruett Kyle , Leckman James F.
Published: September 2020

This article provides an overview of selected ongoing international efforts that have been inspired by Edward Zigler's vision to improve programs and policies for young children and families in the United States. The efforts presented are in close alignment with three strategies articulated by Edward Zigler: (a) conduct research that will inform policy advocacy; (b) design, implement, and revise quality early childhood development (ECD) programs; and (c) invest in building the next generation of scholars and advocates in child development. The intergenerational legacy left by Edward Zigler has had an impact on young children not only in the United States, but also across the globe. More needs to be done. We need to work together with a full commitment to ensure the optimal development of each child.
The mimetic basis of pure music in Machaut's refrain songs: part 2, musical abstraction
Authors: MAW DAVID
Published: September 2020

The dualistic relationship of words and music in Machaut's refrain songs (proposed in Part 1 of this article) enables abstraction of the music from the poetic model that inspires it. This situation is at its most extreme in certain rondeaux, representatives of a genre for which a special function in Machaut's output is argued. Studies of specific groups of songs (B9–R4 and B35–R13–R21) illustrate the gradual development and detachment of material in related compositions. Through these accounts, it can be seen that the relationship of words and music proceeds on the same fundamental basis in the seemingly melismatic rondeaux as in the syllabic virelais, despite the apparently closer connection found in these latter. The technical unity at work in Machaut's song composition is constitutive of an aesthetic position. The abstracted musical text is an aspect of the multifaceted voice of Machaut's lyric œuvre and tends to subsume the poetry it sets creating an aesthetic of pure music.
Blackbirds and blue whales: stress in English A+N constructions
Authors: BAUER LAURIE
Published: September 2020

In this article various constructions of English with the form A + N are considered, with particular reference to stress patterns. It is shown that there are several such patterns, and that stress patterns do not correlate with fixed effects. It is also argued that a simple division between compound and phrase does not seem to provide a motivation for the patterns found. The patterns seem to be determined partly by factors which are known to influence stress patterns in N + N constructions, and partly by lexical class, though variability in which expression belongs to which class is acknowledged. It is concluded that this is an area of English grammar that needs further research.
Let Justice be Done Though the Overheads Fall: How Online Courts Promote Access to Justice
Authors: Amirsolimani Armin
Published: September 2020

English justice was once as accessible as the air we breathe. The early Anglo-Saxons settled disputes effortlessly by bundling claimants into lakes and adjudicating by virtue of whether God intervened to rescue them from sinking.
Mobilizing Meiji Nostalgia and Intentional Forgetting in Japan's World Heritage Promotion
Authors: Nakano Ryoko
Published: September 2020

The language of shared heritage for humanity holds a central position within UNESCO's World Heritage. However, the “Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution” as World Heritage is primarily Japan's national project for globalizing a glorious historical narrative of Meiji Japan. While this national nostalgia matches the contemporary political discourse of overcoming domestic and international challenges in twenty-first century Japan, it also encourages people to forget alternative perspectives related to Korean memories of forced labor, colonialism, and war. Ministry officials and cultural council members expressed concerns over possible critical reactions from South Korea, but the Japanese government accelerated its campaign for UNESCO's World Heritage designation and achieved its objective in 2015. Why did the Japanese government take this step despite the alarming voices within Japan? This paper uncovers the process in which Japan's industrial heritage was constructed and promoted as World Heritage. It points to the role of Japanese and Western heritage experts in a newly established committee outside the conventional procedure for Japan's World Heritage nomination and concludes that Japan's heritage diplomacy pushes alternative historical narratives into oblivion.
Television food advertisements and childhood obesity: A systematic review
Authors: Pourmoradian Samira , Ostadrahimi Alireza , Bonab Ali Milani , Roudsari Arezoo Haghighian , Jabbari Masoumeh , Irandoost Pardis
Published: September 2020

Abstract. The prevalence of childhood obesity has increased worldwide and various environmental factors have accelerated this trend. Several reports have suggested that food advertising causes childhood obesity. We proposed a review study to evaluate the relationship between TV food advertisements and obesity in children. By searching over electronic databases (including PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar), the reference lists of original studies, and reviews using key search terms, 1181 articles were identified. Out of these, only 9 articles met the inclusion and quality criteria. Most of the longitudinal study carried out at the national level have reported a significant association between commercial viewing and BMI in children. The duration of these studies varied between 7 months and 5 years. The children’s TV viewing time was between 1.5 and 3.5 hours per day. Results of the reviewed studies have revealed a controversial attitude about the influence of TV food advertisements on obesity. However, three of four modeling studies indicated an increment in the prevalence of overweight and obesity following exposure to food advertisements. Further interventional and longitude studies are needed to achieve more precise results.
Die Lactatazidose und andere Missverständnisse
Authors: Baumann Lukas , Studhalter Michael
Published: September 2020

Zusammenfassung. Die Lactatazidose ist eine relativ häufig angetroffene klinische Entität im intensivmedizinischen Alltag. Hierbei sind die biochemischen Grundlagen unzureichend verstanden, was zu diversen Missverständnissen führt. Lactat ist ein physiologischerweise ständig produzierter, wichtiger Energieträger im menschlichen Organismus und keineswegs ein metabolisches «Abfallprodukt». Lactat als konjugierte Base der Milchsäure entsteht direkt aus Pyruvat, wobei die zugrundeliegende Reaktion H+ verbraucht und damit nicht für die begleitende Azidose verantwortlich sein kann. Eine Lactaterhöhung per se lässt keine Rückschlüsse auf die zugrundeliegenden Pathomechanismen zu, insbesondere ist Lactat kein adäquater Marker für Sauerstoffmangel und ist nicht dafür geeignet, die Gewebeoxygenierung kritischer Patientinnen und Patienten zu steuern.
CME-Sonografie 93/Antworten: Ultraschall der Enthese – nicht jede «Enthesitis» bedeutet eine Spondyloarthritis
Authors: Tamborrini Giorgio , Bruyn George A.
Published: September 2020

Zusammenfassung. In diesem CME konzentrieren wir uns auf die Ultraschallanatomie der Enthese. Es ist wichtig, sämtliche Erkrankungen zu kennen, welche sich an der Enthese manifestieren können, damit Diagnosen korrekt gestellt werden können. Dabei kann der Ultraschall die Differenzialdiagnose massgebend eingrenzen. An dieser Stelle sei erwähnt, dass der Befund einer Enthesitis nicht zwingend mit einer Spondylarthritis assoziiert sein muss.
Dams Alter Nutrient Flows to Coasts
Authors: Thompson Elizabeth
Published: September 2020

New models indicate how dams worldwide influence the mix of nutrients in river water reaching the ocean. As more dams are built, changing nutrient loads may adversely affect coastal ecosystems.
The Probability of Mantle Plumes in Global Tomographic Models
Authors: Marignier Augustin , Ferreira Ana M. G. , Kitching Thomas
Published: September 2020

While the downward mass flux in the Earth's deep interior is well constrained by seismic tomography, the upward flux is still poorly understood and debated. Recent tomography studies suggest that we are now starting to resolve deep mantle plume structures. However, a lack of uncertainty quantification impedes a full assessment of their significance and whether they are statistically distinct from noise. This work uses a spherical wavelet transform and random noise realizations to quantify the probability of deep plume‐like features in six recent global tomographic models. We find that out of 50 possible mantle deep plumes, 12 are highly likely, with probabilities larger than 80%, and 12 are likely, with probability between 70% and 80%. Objective, quantitative approaches as proposed in this study should be used for model interpretation. The five most likely deep mantle plumes are Tahiti, Macdonald, East Africa, Pitcairn, and Marquesas, which have some of the largest buoyancy fluxes estimated in a previous study that used hotspot swell volumes. This could resolve past discrepancies between deep mantle plumes inferred by visual analysis of tomography models and flux estimations from hotspot swell data. In addition, a notable unlikely deep mantle plume is Yellowstone, with probability lower than 50%. We also identify a likely deep mantle plume associated with the Amsterdam‐St Paul hotspot, a region scarcely discussed in previous studies and that deserves future investigation. Hence, our automated, objective approach is a valuable alternative approach for the quantitative interpretation of tomographic models.
Estimates of the Temperature and Melting Conditions of the Carpathian‐Pannonian Upper Mantle From Volcanism and Seismology
Authors: Bracco Gartner Antoine J. J. , McKenzie Dan
Published: September 2020

What drives the formation of basaltic melts beneath intraplate volcanoes not associated with extensive thermal anomalies or lithospheric extension? Detailed constraints on the melting conditions and source region are imperative to resolve this question. Here we model the geochemistry of alkali basalts and mantle nodules brought up by young (12–0.1 Ma) intraplate volcanoes distributed across the Carpathian‐Pannonian region and combine the results with geophysical observations. Rare earth element inversion and forward calculation of elemental concentrations show that the basalts require the mantle to have undergone less than 1% melting in the garnet‐spinel transition zone, at depths of about 63–72 km. The calculated melt distributions correspond to a mantle potential temperature of ∼1257°C, equivalent to a real temperature of 1290°C at 65 km beneath the Pannonian Basin. The composition, modal mineralogy, and clinopyroxene geochemistry of some of the entrained mantle nodules closely resemble the basalt source, though the latter equilibrated at greater depths. The gravity anomalies and topography of the Basin reveal no large‐scale features that can account for the post‐extensional volcanism. Instead, the lithospheric thickness and geotherm show that melting occurs because the base of the lithosphere, at ∼50‐km depth, is close to or at the solidus temperature over a large part of the Basin. Hence, only a small amount of upwelling is required to produce minor volumes (up to a few cubic kilometers) of melt. We conclude that the Pannonian volcanism originates from upwelling in the asthenosphere just below thinned lithosphere, which is likely to be driven by thermal buoyancy.