bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of Mn doping on the microstructure and magnetic properties of CuFeO2 ceramics
Authors: Ye Fengjiao , Dai Haiyang , Peng Ke , Li Tao , Chen Jing , Chen Zhenping , Li Nannan
Published: July 2020

The effects of Mn doping on the microstructure and magnetic properties of CuFeO2 systems were studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and a physical property measurement method. The microstructure measurements demonstrated that the substitution of Mn for Fe can cause lattice distortion, promote grain growth, and change the valence state of Fe and Mn ions. Ceramic samples with doping content x = 0.00−0.03 exhibited two successive magnetic transition temperature (TN) at TN1 ≈ 14 K and TN2 ≈ 10 K. TN decreased gradually with the Mn4+ content, and TN2 was not observed in the x > 0.05 samples within a temperature range of T = 5−300 K. Magnetic hysteresis loops revealed that only anti-ferromagnetic behavior occurred in the low-doped samples (x = 0.00−0.03), and the coexistence of ferromagnetism and anti-ferromagnetism was observed in the high-doped samples (x = 0.05−0.10). Besides, the x = 0.10 sample had a maximum magnetization of 5.98 emu/g. This study provides basic experimental data for investigating the relationship between the microstructure and magnetic properties of CuFeO2 systems.
Effect of friction on the contact stress of a coated polymer gear
Authors: Bae Su-Min , Seo Kuk-Jin , Kim Dae-Eun
Published: July 2020

Polymer gears are used extensively in various applications. However, durability issues have been emerging because of friction at gear tooth contact areas. To extend the lifetime of polymer gears, a low-frictional coating has been considered as a possible strategy. In this study, a finite element simulation method was performed to investigate the contact stress between a pair of coated polymer gears. The simulation included various friction coefficients (COFs) for studying the effects of friction during the operation. Numerical results revealed that the friction causes the contact stress to shift over the roll angle, which is attributed to the direction of the sliding friction based on a free-body diagram. We also investigated the effects of coating and found that a thin coating has little effect on the bulk deformation behavior of the gear. Moreover, the stress distribution in the coating at the pitch point was investigated as the COF increased. Under zero friction, three notable stress regions were observed: 1) the center of the surface, 2) the end of the contact, and 3) the overall contact area. As COF was increased in the micro-slip region of the contact interface, both tensile and compressive stresses in the coating increased. This study provides significant aid to engineers for understanding the stress response of the coating applied to polymer gears to achieve an optimal design.
Sleep Apnea and the Kidney
Authors: Marrone Oreste , Bonsignore Maria Rosaria
Published: July 2020

Purpose of Review

There are some uncertainties about the interactions between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and chronic kidney disease (CKD). We critically reviewed recent studies on this topic with a focus on experimental and clinical evidence of bidirectional influences between OSA and CKD, as well as the effects of treatment of either disease.

Recent Findings

Experimental intermittent hypoxia endangers the kidneys, possibly through activation of inflammatory pathways and increased blood pressure. In humans, severe OSA can independently decrease kidney function. Treatment of OSA by CPAP tends to blunt kidney function decline over time, although its effect may vary. OSA may increase cardiovascular complications and mortality in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), while it seems of little harm after renal transplantation. Excessive fluid removal may explain some of the improvements in OSA severity in ESRD and after transplantation.

Severe OSA and CKD do interact negatively, mainly through hypoxia and fluid retention. The moderate mutually interactive benefits that treatment of each disease exerts on the other one warrant further studies to improve patient management.
Double ring bending tests on heat pretreated soda–lime silicate glass
Authors: Schwind Gregor , von Blücher Fabian , Drass Michael , Schneider Jens
Published: July 2020

The strength of glass plays an important role in the dimensioning of glass components in the building industry. Here, not only parameters such as support conditions, loading rate, relative humidity etc. play an important role, but the damage by means of scratches also determines the fracture strength of glass. A heat treatment after damaging may have an influence on the resulting glass strength. The correlation between heat treatment temperature, and in particular elevated temperatures up to the glass transition temperature, and fracture stress has been studied by different researchers with several approaches of pre-treatment of specimens and test setups. This paper methodically presents various preliminary investigations which were carried out within the framework of the pre-treatment of the samples in order to investigate the influence of heat treatment of the pre-damaged samples on the fracture stress. For this purpose, double ring bending tests were performed at room temperature on pre-damaged, heat-treated soda–lime silicate glass specimens. The aim of the investigations is to obtain estimates of the extent to which a heat treatment prior to the strength test influences the fracture strength of soda–lime silicate glass. Parameters like the heat treatment temperature, the dwell time of the samples inside the furnace and the furnace design were considered. The results show that the heat treatment can increase the fracture stress of soda–lime silicate glass as float glass significant due to an assumed healing of the pre-damage during heat treatment.
Development of a process chain for the production of high-performance 100% metal spun yarns based on planed metal staple fibres
Authors: Schmidt Erik , Hasan Mir Mohammad Badrul , Abdkader Anwar , Cherif Chokri
Published: July 2020

The high potential of metal fibres for various technical applications including filtration, electrical, heat and cut resistance or composite applications is still not fully exploited due to their high production costs. This paper presents the development of a new process chain for spinning 100% metal spun yarns from planed metal staple fibres as an alternative to conventional metal fibres. The developed spinning process chain begins with a stretch breaking process to create metal staple fibre sliver with a narrow fibre length distribution and defined mean fibre length. Next, a drafting process on a draw frame is performed in order to produce highly uniform metal staple fibre sliver. This is the basis for the development of a flyer spinning process to realise high-performance metal spun yarn. Finally, the fundamental relationships between fibre properties, processing characteristics, semi-finished product properties and the performance of the resulting metal spun yarns are described in detail.
Time series forecasting of agricultural product prices based on recurrent neural networks and its evaluation method
Authors: Kurumatani Koichi
Published: July 2020

We propose a time series forecasting method for the future prices of agricultural products and present the criteria by which forecasted future time series are evaluated in the context of statistical characteristics. Time series forecasting of agricultural products has the basic importance in maintaining the sustainability of agricultural production. The prices of agricultural products show seasonality in their time series, and conventional methods such as the auto-regressive integrated moving average (ARIMA or the Box Jenkins method) have tried to exploit this feature for forecasting. We expect that recurrent neural networks, representing the latest machine learning technology, can forecast future time series better than conventional methods. The measures used in evaluating the forecasted results are also of importance. In literature, the accuracy determined by the error rate at a specific time point in the future, is widely used for evaluation. We predict that, in addition to the error rate, the criterion for conservation of the statistical characteristics of the probability distribution function from the original past time series to the future time series in the forecasted future is also important. This is because some time series have a non-Gaussian probability distribution (such as the Lévy stable distribution) as a characteristic of the target system; for example, market prices on typical days change slightly, however on certain occasions, change dramatically. We implemented two methods for time series forecasting based on recurrent neutral network (RNN), one of which is called time-alignment of time point forecast (TATP), and another one is called direct future time series forecast (DFTS). They were evaluated using the two aforementioned criteria consisting of the accuracy and the conservation of the statistical characteristics of the probability distribution function. We found that after intensive training, TATP of LTSM shows superior performance in not only accuracy, but also the conservation compared to TATP of other RNNs. In DFTS, DFTS of LSTM cannot show the best performance in accuracy in RMS sense, but it shows superior performance in other criteria. The results suggest that the selection of forecasting methods depends on the evaluation criteria and that combinations of forecasting methods is useful based on the application. The advantage of our method is that the required length of time series for training is enough short, namely, we can forecast the whole cycle of future time series after training with even less than the half of the cycle, and it can be applied to the field where enough numbers of continuous data are not available.
Challenges to implementing the urban ecosystem service concept in green infrastructure planning: a view from practitioners in Swedish municipalities
Authors: Hagemann Frederik Aagaard , Randrup Thomas B. , Sang Åsa Ode
Published: July 2020

In building a sustainable society, numerous ecosystem services have shown to play important roles for the benefit of urban residents. The distinct concept of Urban Ecosystem Services (UES) to accentuate and enhance the value of urban ecosystems has been proposed, primarily in research, with implementation in practice still at an early stage. This study examined challenges to future implementation of the UES concept in municipal planning and management of urban green spaces. Based on interviews in six Swedish municipalities, we identified four overall discourses challenging implementation of UES in municipal practice. These included (i) a need to prioritize UES in municipal planning in order to address the contemporary challenges of e.g., urbanization and biodiversity loss. This in turn creates (ii) a need for increased holistic thinking within the municipal organization, based on (iii) further documentation and standards, which should help (iv) initiate organizational transition and cross-sectorial approaches. These discourses provide interrelated challenges that could also act as opportunities for scientists and practitioners collaborations to advance integration of UES into planning and management, thereby increasing the sustainability of urban environments. This work provides a starting point for introduction of the UES concept into municipal planning.
Use of the Posterior Lumbar Approach for Psoas Major Injection in Hip Flexor Spasticity
Authors: Duong Allen , Sharma Satyendra , Agur Anne A.M.
Published: July 2020

Background:

Hip flexor spasticity in patients with upper motor neuron syndrome of multiple etiologies has been managed with botulinum neurotoxin injections mainly targeting the “iliopsoas” muscle. A lumbar approach to target psoas major (PM) has been described; however, it has not been incorporated into clinical practice due to perceived risk of injury to surrounding structures. This study will investigate the feasibility and accuracy of ultrasound-guided (UG)-PM injection using a lumbar approach by assessing the intra/extramuscular injectate spread in cadaveric specimens.

Methods:

In eight lightly embalmed specimens, toluidine blue dye/saline was injected into PM using a UG-posterior lumbar approach. The posterior abdominal wall was exposed, and dye spread and surrounding structures digitized and modeled in 3D. The area and vertebral level of dye spread, distance of dye to the inferior vena cava (IVC), and abdominal aorta (AA) and dye spread to adjacent organs were quantified.

Results:

The models enabled visualization of the dye spread in 3D. Mean area of dye spread was 24.4 ± 2.8 cm2; most commonly between L2 and L4 vertebral levels. Mean distance of the dye to AA was 3.2 ± 1.2 cm and to IVC was 1.8 ± 0.4 cm. Dye spread remained intramuscular in all but one specimen. No dye spread occurred to any adjacent organs.

Conclusions:

The injection of PM using the UG-posterior lumbar approach was consistent and without spread to surrounding structures. This technique alone or in addition to the anterior approach is expected to have better clinical outcomes in the treatment of hip flexor spasticity. Further clinical studies are required.
Facing the SARS-CoV-2 Outbreak: What Should Obstetricians and Gynecologists Do?
Authors: Zhang Hongyuan , Hu Yuanjing , Zhu Yingjun , Chen Xu
Published: July 2020

An outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has spread worldwide. In this major outbreak, women are a special group, especially pregnant patients. Many problems faced by clinicians are still unclear and need to be solved. As the largest obstetrics and gynecology hospital in North China, here we summarize the diagnosis and treatment process and key points of obstetrics and gynecology patients in our hospital during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic, hoping to provide available information to inform care of obstetrics and gynecology patients.
Stranger Months: How SARS-CoV-2, Fear of Contagion, and Lockdown Measures Impacted Attendance and Clinical Activity During February and March 2020 at an Urban Emergency Department in Milan
Authors: Franchini Stefano , Spessot Marzia , Landoni Giovanni , Piani Cecilia , Cappelletti Chiara , Mariani Federica , Mauri Simona , Taglietti Maria Vittoria , Fortunato Manuela , Furlan Federico , Guglielmi Barbara , Setti Eleonora , Di Napoli Davide , Borghi Giovanni , Pascucci Federico , Ujlaki-Formenti George , Sannicandro Riccardo , Moro Matteo , Colombo Sergio , Dagna Lorenzo , Castagna Antonella , Tresoldi Moreno , Rovere-Querini Patrizia , Ambrosio Alberto , Ciceri Fabio , Zangrillo Alberto , Carlucci Michele , Faccincani Roberto
Published: July 2020

Objectives:

An unprecedented wave of patients with acute respiratory failure due to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) disease 2019 (COVID-19) hit emergency departments (EDs) in Lombardy, starting in the second half of February 2020. This study describes the direct and indirect impacts of the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak on an urban major-hospital ED.

Methods:

Data regarding all patients diagnosed with COVID-19 presenting from February 1 to March 31, 2020, were prospectively collected, while data regarding non-COVID patients presenting within the same period in 2019 were retrospectively retrieved.

Results:

ED attendance dropped by 37% in 2020. Two-thirds of this reduction occurred early after the identification of the first autochthonous COVID-19 case in Lombardy, before lockdown measures were enforced. Hospital admissions of non-COVID patients fell by 26%. During the peak of COVID-19 attendance, the ED faced an extraordinary increase in: patients needing oxygen (+239%) or noninvasive ventilation (+725%), transfers to the intensive care unit (+57%), and in-hospital mortality (+309%), compared with the same period in 2019.

Conclusions:

The COVID-19 outbreak determined an unprecedented upsurge in respiratory failure cases and mortality. Fear of contagion triggered a spontaneous, marked reduction of ED attendance, and, presumably, some as yet unknown quantity of missed or delayed diagnoses for conditions other than COVID-19.
SARS-CoV-2 Viral and Serological Testing When College Campuses Reopen: Some Practical Considerations
Authors: Fung Isaac Chun-Hai , Cheung Chi-Ngai , Handel Andreas
Published: July 2020

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic prompted universities across the United States to close campuses in Spring 2020. Universities are deliberating whether, when, and how they should resume in-person instruction in Fall 2020. In this essay, we discuss some practical considerations for the use of 2 potentially useful control strategies based on testing: (1) severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing followed by case-patient isolation and quarantine of close contacts, and (2) serological testing followed by an “immune shield” approach, that is, low social distancing requirements for seropositive persons. The isolation of case-patients and quarantine of close contacts may be especially challenging, and perhaps prohibitively difficult, on many university campuses. The “immune shield” strategy might be hobbled by a low positive predictive value of the tests used in populations with low seroprevalence. Both strategies carry logistical, ethical, and financial implications. The main nonpharmaceutical interventions will remain methods based on social distancing (eg, capping class size) and personal protective behaviors (eg, universal facemask wearing in public space) until vaccines become available, or unless the issues discussed herein can be resolved in such a way that using mass testing as main control strategies becomes viable.
COVID-19 and Mass Fatality Management: A Public Health Challenge
Authors: Kumar Anant , Nayar K. Rajasekharan
Published: July 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed a serious question over preparedness to deal with mass fatality. The current trend shows that there would be more bodies than the capacity and resources to handle them. The international agencies have alerted governments that the number of deaths may overwhelm the local capacity to handle dead bodies properly. Mass fatality management and planning are important to respecting the dignity of the deceased and surviving family. Inadequate capacity to deal with dead bodies may affect the psychological well-being of survivors which may result in distress to families and community.
QIAN 謙 IN EARLY CHINESE THOUGHT
Authors: Kim Doil
Published: July 2020

Qian xun 謙遜 in modern Chinese is usually translated as “modesty” in English. In this paper, I examine the arguably earliest version of it in early Chinese thought, qian 謙. I first extract its basic features from the qian hexagram 謙卦 in the Yi jing 易經 and identify very similar features in other texts, such as the Dao de jing 道德經, the Xunzi 荀子, and the Lüshi chunqiu 呂氏春秋. On the basis of this textual comparison, then, I reconstruct the idea of qian in a way that captures what underlies the relevant passages in all of the aforementioned texts. Finally, I understand the qian person to be someone who is disposed not to present himself in a better light than the other person in social interactions but to treat the other person as better by highlighting some aspect of the other person. I ultimately argue that this idea of qian was shared widely among early Chinese thinkers regardless of later historical divisions of different schools of thought.
INTRODUCING THE *WU ZE YOU XING TU MANUSCRIPT FROM MAWANGDUI
Authors: Waring Luke
Published: July 2020

The *Wu ze you xing tu 物則有形圖 silk manuscript was discovered inside a lacquer case in Mawangdui Tomb 3. This little-known manuscript of unusual design contains a philosophical text on the relationships between things (wu 物), forms (xing 形), names (ming 名), and speech (yan 言), and the text is arranged on the surface of the silk in the form of a densely clustered spiral within a ring inside a square. The writing on the manuscript is also accompanied by colors and shapes that represent a domed Heaven (tian 天) above a square Earth (di 地). Since it was first catalogued in 2004, just a few studies of the *Wu ze you xing tu have been published in Chinese, and the manuscript is almost entirely absent from Western scholarship. This article aims to remedy this situation by providing a detailed description of the manuscript, transcriptions and translations of its contents, a consideration of its philosophical context, and an analysis of its design. In the process, I show that this silk document functioned not just as a convenient surface or carrier for an important philosophical text, but as a material artifact in its own right, one that was designed to have a powerful impact on its viewers, readers, and users, forcing them to move their eyes and bodies in ways that reinforced its central philosophical message.
What’s in a Fraud? The Many Worlds of Gregor MacGregor, 1817–1824
Authors: CLAVEL DAMIAN
Published: July 2020

This article revisits the story of one the greatest financial frauds in history: Poyais. In the 1820s, Gregor MacGregor issued bonds for this alleged fictitious Central American state on the London capital market. Putting together scattered evidence reveals a complex, multifaceted experiment undertaken by a private adventurer hoping to politically and economically position himself in a changing world. Poyais was a failed project to establish a settlement on a territory granted by an Indigenous leader and financed through British capital markets. Studying a financial failure provides nuanced insights into the political and legal frameworks defining origination processes of early nineteenth-century foreign loans. Following MacGregor’s actions entails drawing a story with contours that extend well beyond the City of London, revealing a rich set of transatlantic actors and spaces not known to be traditionally linked to the London-based capital market. The story of Poyais constitutes a window into the early financial dynamics of private colonialism and how these contributed to British imperial expansion. The Poyais loan appears as constituting a financial endeavor born from the encounter of different “worlds,” with MacGregor mediating these together but ultimately failing to legally and politically guarantee their lasting encounter.
Multi-criteria assessment of pea protein quality in rats: a comparison between casein, gluten and pea protein alone or supplemented with methionine
Authors: Guillin Florence M. , Gaudichon Claire , Guérin-Deremaux Laetitia , Lefranc-Millot Catherine , Azzout-Marniche Dalila , Khodorova Nadezda , Calvez Juliane
Published: July 2020

The objective of this study was to assess the nutritional quality of pea protein isolate in rats and to evaluate the impact of methionine (Met) supplementation. Several protein diets were studied: pea protein, casein, gluten, pea protein–gluten combination and pea protein supplemented with Met. Study 1: Young male Wistar rats (n 8/group) were fed the test diets ad libitum for 28 d. The protein efficiency ratio (PER) was measured. Study 2: Adult male Wistar rats (n 9/group) were fed the test diets for 10 d. A protein-free diet group was used to determine endogenous losses of N. The rats were placed in metabolism cages for 3 d to assess N balance, true faecal N digestibility and to calculate the Protein Digestible-Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS). They were then given a calibrated meal and euthanised 6 h later for collection of digestive contents. The true caecal amino acid (AA) digestibility was determined, and the Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score (DIAAS) was calculated. Met supplementation increased the PER of pea protein (2·52 v. 1·14, P < 0·001) up to the PER of casein (2·55). Mean true caecal AA digestibility was 94 % for pea protein. The DIAAS was 0·88 for pea protein and 1·10 with Met supplementation, 1·29 for casein and 0·25 for gluten. Pea protein was highly digestible in rats under our experimental conditions, and Met supplementation enabled generation of a mixture that had a protein quality that was not different from that of casein.
“A Christy Minstrel, a Harlequin, or an Ancient Persian”?: Opera, Hindustani Classical Music, and the Origins of the Popular South Asian “Musical”
Authors: Nicholson Rashna Darius
Published: July 2020

The story of South Asian colonial modernity and music offers up a multidirectional and polymorphous conceptual terrain featuring, among many agents, Hindustani royalty, touring minstrel and burlesque troupes, Jesuit missionaries and orientalists, and not least, social reformists. Nevertheless, scholarship on the history of Hindustani music consistently traces its development through classicization against the rise of Hindu nationalism while overlooking other palpable clues in the colonial past. This article argues for a substantial reevaluation of colonial South Asian music by positing an alternative and hitherto invisible auditory stimulus in colonial Asia's aural landscape: opera. Janaki Bakhle contends that “as a musical form, opera put down even fewer roots than did orchestral, instrumental Western classical music,” even though she subsequently states that “Western orchestration did become part of modern ceremonial activities, and it moved into film music even as it was played by ersatz marching bands.” Bakhle further argues that Hindustani music underwent processes of sanitization and systematization within a Hindu nation-making project, a view that has been complicated by historians such as Tejaswini Niranjana. Niranjana describes how scholarship that focuses exclusively on the codification or nationalization of Hindustani music through the interpellation of a Hindu public neglects “sedimented forms of musical persistence.” Not dissimilarly, Richard David Williams highlights how the singular emphasis on the movement of Hindustani music reform risks reducing the heterogeneous and complex musicological traditions in the colonial period to the output of a single, monolithic, middle-class “new elite.” Previous scholarship, he argues, concentrates on “one player in a larger ‘economy’ of musical consumption.” Following these calls for more textured perspectives on South Asian musical cultures, I suggest a somewhat heretical thesis: that opera functioned as a common mediating stimulus for both the colonial reinscription of Hindustani music as classical as well as the emergence of popular pan-Asian musical genres such as “Bollywood” music.
Loneliness, social dislocation and invisibility experienced by older men who are single or living alone: accounting for differences across sexual identity and social context
Authors: Willis Paul , Vickery Alex , Jessiman Tricia
Published: July 2020

Across literature on loneliness and ageing, little attention is given to the intersection of ageing, sexuality and masculinities, and how this shapes the social connections of older men. We report findings from a qualitative study of older men's experiences of loneliness and social participation, focusing on perspectives from two groups who are single and/or living alone: men identifying as (a) heterosexual and (b) gay (not bisexual). We present findings generated from semi-structured interviews with 72 men residing in England (65–95 years). We discuss three prominent themes: (a) loneliness, loss and social dislocation; (b) diverging life-events that trigger loneliness; and (c) variations in visibility and exclusion across social settings. Embedded within men's descriptions of loneliness is a running theme of social dislocation that speaks to a wider sense of social separation and estrangement. Unique to gay men's accounts are the ways in which experiences of loneliness and social isolation are compounded by living in heteronormative social environments and their encounters with ageism in gay social settings. Older men's accounts convey anxieties about visibility and anticipated exclusion across social settings shared with other men that vary according to sexual identity and context. We discuss how sexuality and being single and/or living alone impact on older men's social participation as we seek to move beyond a heterocentric understanding of loneliness.
Comparison of semi-quantitative and quantitative methods for diagnosis of catheter-related blood stream infections: a systematic review and meta-analysis of diagnostic accuracy studies
Authors: Zhang Yan , Yang Li , Chu Yanmei , Wu Linlin
Published: July 2020

Catheter-related blood-stream infections (CRBSIs) are the most common healthcare-associated blood-stream infections. They can be diagnosed by either semi-quantitative or quantitative methods, which may differ in diagnostic accuracy. A meta-analysis was undertaken to compare the diagnostic accuracy of semi-quantitative and quantitative methods for CRBSI. A systematic search of Medline, Scopus, Cochrane and Embase databases up to January 2020 was performed and subjected to a QUADAS (quality assessment of diagnostic accuracy studies 2) tool to evaluate the risk of bias among studies. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of the methods were determined and heterogeneity was evaluated using the χ2 test and I2. Publication bias was assessed using a Funnel plot and the Egger's test. In total, 45 studies were analysed with data from 11 232 patients. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of semi-quantitative methods were 85% (95% CI 79–90%) and 84% (95% CI 79–88%), respectively; and for quantitative methods were 85% (95% CI 79–90%) and 95% (95% CI 91–97%). Considerable heterogeneity was statistically evident (P < 0.001) by both methods with a correspondingly symmetrical Funnel plot that was confirmed by a non-significant Deek's test. We conclude that both semi-quantitative and quantitative methods are highly useful for screening for CRBSI in patients and display high sensitivity and specificity. Quantitative methods, particularly paired quantitative cultures, had the highest sensitivity and specificity and can be used to identify CRBSI cases with a high degree of certainty.
Household food insecurity and educational outcomes in school-going adolescents in Ghana
Authors: Masa Rainier , Chowa Gina
Published: July 2020

Objectives:

We examined the association of household food insecurity with educational outcomes and explored the moderating effect of gender and school lunch programme.

Design:

The study used a cross-sectional design. Data were collected in 2014 using interviewer-administered questionnaires and school administrative records. We measured household food insecurity using the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale. Educational outcomes referred to knowledge, attitudes and skills that students are expected to obtain while attending school. We obtained sixteen different measures of educational outcomes, ranging from academic grades to beliefs and attitudes towards school and education. Data were analysed using multilevel modelling with covariates at the student and school levels. We conducted moderation tests by adding a two-way interaction between food insecurity and gender, and between food insecurity and school lunch programme.

Setting:

The study was conducted in 100 schools located in fifty-four districts within Ghana’s eight administrative regions in 2014.

Participants:

Participants included 2201 school-going adolescents aged 15–19 years.

Results:

More than 60 % of adolescents were from food-insecure households. Household food insecurity was negatively associated with Math grade and school attendance. Food insecurity was also inversely associated with socio-emotional outcomes, including academic self-efficacy, commitment to school and academic aspirations and expectations. We did not find a moderating effect of gender and school lunch programme.

Conclusions:

Food insecurity is negatively associated with wide-ranging educational outcomes related to both learning and socio-emotional abilities. Our study supports prior evidence suggesting the importance of food access on both cognitive and non-cognitive educational outcomes.
Exploring the feasibility of patient safety huddles in general practice
Authors: Panayiotou Hannah , Higgs Charlotte , Foy Robbie
Published: July 2020

Background:

Patient safety is a key priority for healthcare systems. Patient safety huddles have been advocated as a way to improve safety. We explored the feasibility of huddles in general practice.

Methods:

We invited all general practices in West Yorkshire to complete an online survey and interviewed practice staff.

Results:

Thirty-four out of 306 practices (11.1%) responded to our survey. Of these, 22 practices (64.7%) reported having breaks for staff to meet and eight (23.5%) reported no longer having breaks in their practices. Seven interviewees identified several barriers to safety huddles including time and current culture; individuals felt meetings or breaks would not be easily integrated into current primary care structure.

Discussion:

Despite their initial promise, there are major challenges to introducing patient safety huddles within the current context of UK general practice. General practice staff may need more convincing of potential benefits.
Diverse vertebrate assemblage of the Kilmaluag Formation (Bathonian, Middle Jurassic) of Skye, Scotland
Authors: PANCIROLI Elsa , BENSON Roger B. J. , WALSH Stig , BUTLER Richard J. , CASTRO Tiago Andrade , JONES Marc E. H. , EVANS Susan E.
Published: July 2020

The Kilmaluag Formation on the Isle of Skye, Scotland, provides one of the richest Mesozoic vertebrate fossil assemblages in the UK, and is among the richest globally for Middle Jurassic tetrapods. Since its discovery in 1971, this assemblage has predominantly yielded small-bodied tetrapods, including salamanders, choristoderes, lepidosaurs, turtles, crocodylomorphs, pterosaurs, dinosaurs, non-mammalian cynodonts and mammals, alongside abundant fish and invertebrates. It is protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and by Nature Conservancy Order. Unlike contemporaneous localities from England, this assemblage yields associated partial skeletons, providing unprecedented new data. We present a comprehensive updated overview of the Kilmaluag Formation, including its geology and the fossil collections made to date, with evidence of several species occurrences presented here for the first time. We place the vertebrate faunal assemblage in an international context through comparisons with relevant contemporaneous localities from the UK, Europe, Africa, Asia and the US. This wealth of material reveals the Kilmaluag Formation as a vertebrate fossil assemblage of global significance, both in terms of understanding Middle Jurassic faunal composition and the completeness of specimens, with implications for the early evolutionary histories of mammals, squamates and amphibians.
Screening for Dark Personalities
Authors: Paulhus Delroy L. , Buckels Erin E. , Trapnell Paul D. , Jones Daniel N.
Published: July 2020

Abstract. Consensus is emerging that the constellation of dark personalities should include the sadistic personality. To build a four-factor measure, we modified and extended the Short Dark Triad (SD3) measure to include sadism. A series of three studies yielded the Short Dark Tetrad (SD4), a four subscale inventory with 7 items per construct. Study 1 ( N = 868) applied exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to a diverse 48-item pool using data collected on MTurk. A 4-factor solution revealed a separate sadism factor, as well as a shifted Dark Triad. Study 2 ( N = 999 students) applied EFA to a reduced 37-item set. Associations with adjustment and sex drive provided insight into unique personality dynamics of the four constructs. In Study 3 ( N = 660), a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the final 28 items showed acceptable fit for a four-factor solution. Moreover, the resulting 7-item subscales each showed coherent links with the Big Five and adjustment. In sum, the four-factor structure replicated across student and community samples. Although they overlap to a moderate degree, the four subscales show distinctive correlates – even with a control for acquiescence. We also uncovered a novel link between sadism and sexuality, but no association with maladjustment.
Ocean Acidification From Below in the Tropical Pacific
Authors: Ishii Masao , Rodgers Keith B. , Inoue Hisayuki Y. , Toyama Katsuya , Sasano Daisuke , Kosugi Naohiro , Ono Hisashi , Enyo Kazutaka , Nakano Toshiya , Iudicone Daniele , Blanke Bruno , Aumont Olivier , Feely Richard A.
Published: July 2020

Identifying ocean acidification and its controlling mechanisms is an important priority within the broader question of understanding how sustained anthropogenic CO2 emissions are harming the health of the ocean. Through extensive analysis of observational data products for ocean inorganic carbon, here we quantify the rate at which acidification is proceeding in the western tropical Pacific Warm Pool, revealing −0.0013 ± 0.0001 year−1 for pH and −0.0083 ± 0.0007 year−1 for the saturation index of aragonite for the years 1985–2016. However, the mean rate of total dissolved inorganic carbon increase (+0.81 ± 0.06 μmol · kg−1 · year−1) sustaining acidification was ~20% slower than what would be expected if it were simply controlled by the rate of atmospheric CO2 increase and transmitted through local air‐sea CO2 equilibration. Joint Lagrangian and Eulerian model diagnostics indicate that the acidification of the Warm Pool occurs primarily through the anthropogenic CO2 that invades the ocean in the extra‐tropics is transported to the tropics through the thermocline shallow overturning circulation and then re‐emerges into surface waters within the tropics through the Equatorial Undercurrent from below. An interior residence time of several years to decades, acting in conjunction with the accelerating CO2 growth in the atmosphere, can be expected to contribute to modulating the rate of Warm Pool acidification.
Cretaceous Evolution of the Central Asian Proto‐Paratethys Sea: Tectonic, Eustatic, and Climatic Controls
Authors: Kaya Mustafa Yücel , Dupont‐Nivet Guillaume , Proust Jean‐Noël , Roperch Pierrick , Meijer Niels , Frieling Joost , Fioroni Chiara , Özkan Altiner Sevinç , Stoica Marius , Aminov Jovid , Mamtimin Mehmut , Guo Zhaojie
Published: July 2020

The timing and mechanisms of the Cretaceous sea incursions into Central Asia are still poorly constrained. We provide a new chronostratigraphic framework based on biostratigraphy and magnetostratigraphy together with detailed paleoenvironmental analyses of Cretaceous records of the proto‐Paratethys Sea fluctuations in the Tajik and Tarim basins. The Early Cretaceous marine incursion in the western Tajik Basin was followed by major marine incursions during the Cenomanian (ca. 100 Ma) and Santonian (ca. 86 Ma) that reached far into the eastern Tajik and Tarim basins. These marine incursions were separated by a Turonian‐Coniacian (ca. 92–86 Ma) regression. Basin‐wide tectonic subsidence analyses imply that the Early Cretaceous sea incursion into the Tajik Basin was related to increased Pamir tectonism. We find that thrusting along the northern edge of the Pamir at ca. 130–90 Ma resulted in increased subsidence in a retro‐arc basin setting. This tectonic event and coeval eustatic highstand resulted in the maximum observed geographic extent of the sea during the Cenomanian (ca. 100 Ma). The following Turonian‐Coniacian (ca. 92–86 Ma) major regression, driven by eustasy, coincides with a sharp slowdown in tectonic subsidence during the late orogenic unloading period with limited thrusting. The Santonian (ca. 86 Ma) major sea incursion was likely controlled by eustasy as evidenced by the coeval fluctuations in the west Siberian Basin. An early Maastrichtian cooling (ca. 71–70 Ma), potentially connected to global Late Cretaceous trends, is inferred from the replacement of mollusk‐rich limestones by bryozoan‐ and echinoderm‐rich limestones.
Geological and Thermal Control of the Hydrothermal System in Northern Yellowstone Lake: Inferences From High‐Resolution Magnetic Surveys
Authors: Bouligand Claire , Tivey Maurice A. , Finn Carol A. , Morgan Lisa A. , Shanks W. C. Pat , Sohn Robert A.
Published: July 2020

A multiscale magnetic survey of the northern basin of Yellowstone Lake was undertaken in 2016 as part of the Hydrothermal Dynamics of Yellowstone Lake Project (HD‐YLAKE)—a broad research effort to characterize the cause‐and‐effect relationships between geologic and environmental processes and hydrothermal activity on the lake floor. The magnetic survey includes lake surface, regional aeromagnetic, and near‐bottom autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) data. The study reveals a strong contrast between the northeastern lake basin, characterized by a regional magnetic low punctuated by stronger local magnetic lows, many of which host hydrothermal vent activity, and the northwestern lake basin with higher‐amplitude magnetic anomalies and no obvious hydrothermal activity or punctuated magnetic lows. The boundary between these two regions is marked by a steep gradient in heat flow and magnetic values, likely reflecting a significant structure within the currently active ~20‐km‐long Eagle Bay‐Lake Hotel fault zone that may be related to the ~2.08‐Ma Huckleberry Ridge caldera rim. Modeling suggests that the broad northeastern magnetic low reflects both a shallower Curie isotherm and widespread hydrothermal activity that has demagnetized the rock. Along the western lake shoreline are sinuous‐shaped, high‐amplitude magnetic anomaly highs, interpreted as lava flow fronts of upper units of the West Thumb rhyolite. The AUV magnetic survey shows decreased magnetization at the periphery of the active Deep Hole hydrothermal vent. We postulate that lower magnetization in the outer zone results from enhanced hydrothermal alteration of rhyolite by hydrothermal condensates while the vapor‐dominated center of the vent is less altered.
Socioeconomic Drought Under Growing Population and Changing Climate: A New Index Considering the Resilience of a Regional Water Resources System
Authors: Liu Suning , Shi Haiyun , Sivakumar Bellie
Published: July 2020

Socioeconomic drought occurs when water supply from a regional water resources system cannot meet the water demands. Even if a socioeconomic drought ends, the antecedent water deficit may continue to have impacts for some time, thus influencing the resilience of a regional water resources system. To take this into account, especially under growing population and changing climate, this study develops a new method through integrating a new index, Water Resources System Resilience Index (WRSRI), into socioeconomic drought event identification. The new index represents the percentage of the antecedent water deficit for a socioeconomic drought that can be recovered from the excess water during subsequent periods through analyzing records of a historical drought event. The methodology, implemented on the East River Basin in South China, involves three major steps: (1) calculation of WRSRI value; (2) analysis of key features of identified future socioeconomic drought events, that is, total number, longest duration (LD), and percentage on different drought levels; and (3) sensitivity analysis of WRSRI based on a total of 52 streamflow data sets generated from General Circulation Model outputs and using a macroscale hydrologic model. The results indicate that, for each data set, the total number decreases with an increase in WRSRI but the LD increases; moreover, for most data sets, the LD is less sensitive within the WRSRI range of [0, 0.6]. The outcomes of this study can enhance our capability in more effectively assessing the resilience of a regional water resources system, especially under changing future socioeconomic and environmental conditions.
Regime Identification, Dimensionless Numbers, and Parameter Sensitivity of Variable‐Density Flow in Porous Media Based on Numerical Simulations
Authors: Liu Jiaqi , Tokunaga Tomochika
Published: July 2020

Variable‐density flow and mass transport are important processes for a variety of groundwater problems. This study numerically investigated 2‐D vertical unconfined aquifers with horizontal groundwater flow and vertical injection of dense solute from the top. In total, 189 numerical simulation cases were performed with various scenarios of boundary conditions and aquifer properties. Based on the simulation results, three end‐member flow regimes were identified that are dominated by horizontal hydraulically driven flow, vertical hydraulically driven flow, and vertical density‐driven flow, respectively. The regimes can be clearly distinguished by a set of three dimensionless numbers, which are the convective ratios Mx (the ratio of the total flux of the vertical density‐driven flow to the total flux of the horizontal hydraulically driven flow) and Mz (the ratio of the total flux of the vertical density‐driven flow to the total flux of the vertical hydraulically driven flow), and the modified Rayleigh number Rad (the ratio of the vertical density‐driven force to the forces caused by dispersion and diffusion). The dimensionless numbers were applied to published numerical and physical experimental results for interpreting their flow behaviors and for classifying their flow regimes. Besides, the analysis of the parameter sensitivity indicated that the shifts among the end‐member regimes are mainly controlled by dimensionless‐number‐related parameters including horizontal groundwater flow velocity, injection rate and concentration of solute, and anisotropy ratio of hydraulic conductivity. The regime shifts are not strongly affected by the unsaturated properties or heterogeneity of hydraulic conductivity within the parameter ranges investigated in this paper.
Environmental heterogeneity determines the ecological processes that govern bacterial metacommunity assembly in a floodplain river system
Authors: Huber Paula , Metz Sebastian , Unrein Fernando , Mayora Gisela , Sarmento Hugo , Devercelli Melina
Published: July 2020

How diversity is structured has been a central goal of microbial ecology. In freshwater ecosystems, selection has been found to be the main driver shaping bacterial communities. However, its relative importance compared with other processes (dispersal, drift, diversification) may depend on spatial heterogeneity and the dispersal rates within a metacommunity. Still, a decrease in the role of selection is expected with increasing dispersal homogenization. Here, we investigate the main ecological processes modulating bacterial assembly in contrasting scenarios of environmental heterogeneity. We carried out a spatiotemporal survey in the floodplain system of the Paraná River. The bacterioplankton metacommunity was studied using both statistical inferences based on phylogenetic and taxa turnover as well as co-occurrence networks. We found that selection was the main process determining community assembly even at both extremes of environmental heterogeneity and homogeneity, challenging the general view that the strength of selection is weakened due to dispersal homogenization. The ecological processes acting on the community also determined the connectedness of bacterial networks associations. Heterogeneous selection promoted more interconnected networks increasing β-diversity. Finally, spatiotemporal heterogeneity was an important factor determining the number and identity of the most highly connected taxa in the system. Integrating all these empirical evidences, we propose a new conceptual model that elucidates how the environmental heterogeneity determines the action of the ecological processes shaping the bacterial metacommunity.