bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evidences of soil warming from long-term trends (1951–2018) in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Authors: Dorau Kristof , Bamminger Chris , Koch Daniel , Mansfeldt Tim
Published: January 2022

Soil temperature (ST) is an important property of soils and driver of below ground biogeochemical processes. Global change is responsible that besides variable meteorological conditions, climate-driven shifts in ST are observed throughout the world. In this study, we examined long-term records in ST by a trend decomposition procedure from eleven stations in western Germany starting from earliest in 1951 until 2018. Concomitantly to ST data from multiple depths (5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 cm), various meteorological variables were measured and included in the multivariate statistical analysis to explain spatiotemporal trends in soil warming. A significant positive increase in temperature was more pronounced for ST (1.76 ± 0.59 °C) compared with air temperature (AT; 1.35 ± 0.35 °C) among all study sites. Air temperature was the best explanatory variable to explain trends in soil warming by an average 0.29 ± 0.21 °C per decade and the trend peaked during the period from 1991–2000. Especially, the summer months (June to August) contributed most to the soil warming effect, whereby the increase in maximum ST (STmax) was nearby fivefold with 4.89 °C compared with an increase of minimum ST (STmin) of 1.02 °C. This widening between STmax and STmin fostered enhanced diurnal ST fluctuations at ten out of eleven stations. Subsoil warming up to + 2.3 °C in 100-cm depth is critical in many ways for ecosystem behavior, e.g., by enhanced mineral weathering or organic carbon decomposition rates. Thus, spatiotemporal patterns of soil warming need to be evaluated by trend decomposition procedures under a changing climate.

Graphical abstract
Dispositional optimism and depression risk in older women in the Nurses´ Health Study: a prospective cohort study
Authors: Weitzer Jakob , Trudel-Fitzgerald Claudia , Okereke Olivia I. , Kawachi Ichiro , Schernhammer Eva
Published: January 2022

Dispositional optimism is a potentially modifiable factor and has been associated with multiple physical health outcomes, but its relationship with depression, especially later in life, remains unclear. In the Nurses´ Health Study (n = 33,483), we examined associations between dispositional optimism and depression risk in women aged 57–85 (mean = 69.9, SD = 6.8), with 4,051 cases of incident depression and 10 years of follow-up (2004–2014). We defined depression as either having a physician/clinician-diagnosed depression, or regularly using antidepressants, or the presence of severe depressive symptoms using validated self-reported scales. Age- and multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) across optimism quartiles and for a 1-standard deviation (SD) increment of the optimism score. In sensitivity analyses we explored more restrictive definitions of depression, potential mediators, and moderators. In multivariable-adjusted models, women with greater optimism (top vs. bottom quartile) had a 27% (95%CI = 19–34%) lower risk of depression. Every 1-SD increase in the optimism score was associated with a 15% (95%CI = 12–18%) lower depression risk. When applying a more restrictive definition for clinical depression, the association was considerably attenuated (every 1-SD increase in the optimism score was associated with a 6% (95%CI = 2–10%-) lower depression risk. Stratified analyses by baseline depressive symptoms, age, race, and birth region revealed comparable estimates, while mediators (emotional support, social network size, healthy lifestyle), when combined, explained approximately 10% of the optimism-depression association. As social and behavioral factors only explained a small proportion of the association, future research should investigate other potential pathways, such as coping strategies, that may relate optimism to depression risk.
Environmental regionalization and endemic plant distribution in the Maghreb
Authors: Walas Łukasz , Taib Asma
Published: January 2022

Clustering methods based on environmental variables are useful in the planning of conservation strategies for species and ecosystems. However, there is a lack of work on the regionalization of the vast space of North Africa and the distribution of plant species. The current lists of endemic plants are focused mostly on an occurrence at the country level and not on regions with different conditions. The aim of this work was to lay out an environmental scheme for northwest Africa and to collect data about the occurrence of endemic plants in this area. Clustering with 12 of 33 tested environmental rasters was performed to divide the Maghreb into environmental clusters. Then, a list of 1618 endemic plant taxa (1243 species and 375 subspecies) was prepared and their distribution in estimated environmental clusters was examined. Eleven clusters with different conditions were estimated. The main drivers of regionalization were temperature amplitude, precipitation seasonality, and precipitation of the warmest quarter. According to the occurrence of endemic plants, northwest Africa may be divided into three zones: Atlas, Mediterranean (two environmental clusters), and southern zone (eight environmental clusters). The presented results provide a good basis for understanding the spatial patterns of the Maghreb, including its environment and species diversity. A designed list of endemic plant species together with environmental data may facilitate the planning of future research in north Africa and arranging methods of biodiversity protection.
On the synergy between Ariel and ground-based high-resolution spectroscopy
Authors: Guilluy Gloria , Sozzetti Alessandro , Giacobbe Paolo , Bonomo Aldo S. , Micela Giuseppina
Published: January 2022

Since the first discovery of an extra-solar planet around a main-sequence star, in 1995, the number of detected exoplanets has increased enormously. Over the past two decades, observational instruments (both onboard and on ground-based facilities) have revealed an astonishing diversity in planetary physical features (i. e. mass and radius), and orbital parameters (e.g. period, semi-major axis, inclination). Exoplanetary atmospheres provide direct clues to understand the origin of these differences through their observable spectral imprints. In the near future, upcoming ground and space-based telescopes will shift the focus of exoplanetary science from an era of “species discovery” to one of “atmospheric characterization”. In this context, the Atmospheric Remote-sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large (Ariel) survey, will play a key role. As it is designed to observe and characterize a large and diverse sample of exoplanets, Ariel will provide constraints on a wide gamut of atmospheric properties allowing us to extract much more information than has been possible so far (e.g. insights into the planetary formation and evolution processes). The low resolution spectra obtained with Ariel will probe layers different from those observed by ground-based high resolution spectroscopy, therefore the synergy between these two techniques offers a unique opportunity to understanding the physics of planetary atmospheres. In this paper, we set the basis for building up a framework to effectively utilise, at near-infrared wavelengths, high-resolution datasets (analyzed via the cross-correlation technique) with spectral retrieval analyses based on Ariel low-resolution spectroscopy. We show preliminary results, using a benchmark object, namely HD 209458 b, addressing the possibility of providing improved constraints on the temperature structure and molecular/atomic abundances.
The face is central to primate multicomponent signals
Authors: Waller Bridget M. , Kavanagh Eithne , Micheletta Jerome , Clark Peter R. , Whitehouse Jamie
Published: January 2022

A wealth of experimental and observational evidence suggests that faces have become increasingly important in the communication system of primates over evolutionary time and that both the static and moveable aspects of faces convey considerable information. Therefore, whenever there is a visual component to any multicomponent signal the face is potentially relevant. However, the role of the face is not always considered in primate multicomponent communication research. We review the literature and make a case for greater focus on the face going forward. We propose that the face can be overlooked for two main reasons: first, due to methodological difficulty. Examination of multicomponent signals in primates is difficult, so scientists tend to examine a limited number of signals in combination. Detailed examination of the subtle and dynamic components of facial signals is particularly hard to achieve in studies of primates. Second, due to a common assumption that the face contains “emotional” content. A priori categorisation of facial behavior as “emotional” ignores the potentially communicative and predictive information present in the face that might contribute to signals. In short, we argue that the face is central to multicomponent signals (and also many multimodal signals) and suggest future directions for investigating this phenomenon.
The Role of Intimate Partner Violence, Couple Dissatisfaction and Parenting Behaviors in Understanding Parental Burnout
Authors: Prandstetter Katharina , Murphy Hugh , Foran Heather M.
Published: January 2022

Parental burnout (PB), a relatively new and under-studied construct, is defined as a condition resulting from chronic parenting stress. While recent research confirmed its negative associations with familial variables, such as relationship satisfaction and positive parenting practices, little is known about the role of intimate partner violence (IPV) and how it relates to parental burnout. The present study, therefore, aimed to extend existing knowledge on chronic parenting stress by 1) testing for the mediational role of couple dissatisfaction in explaining the link from IPV victimization to PB as well as the link from IPV victimization to dysfunctional parenting, and 2) investigating how specialist gender roles and parental responsibilities for child care relate to IPV victimization and PB. Data collection was part of an international collaboration on factors related to parental satisfaction and exhaustion across different countries. Self-report data from Austrian mothers (N = 121) were collected online and analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results indicated that couple dissatisfaction mediates the link from IPV victimization to PB, as well as IPV victimization to dysfunctional parenting. Furthermore, only specialist gender roles were significantly related to IPV, while parental responsibilities for child care did not significantly relate to experiences of violence. Additionally, neither specialist gender roles nor parental responsibilities were significantly associated with PB in the final model. Overall, our findings connect to family models, such as the Family System Theory and Spillover Theory, underscoring the importance of couples’ relationship quality for understanding parental burnout and parenting behaviors in mothers.
A unified physiological framework of transitions between seizures, sustained ictal activity and depolarization block at the single neuron level
Authors: Depannemaecker Damien , Ivanov Anton , Lillo Davide , Spek Len , Bernard Christophe , Jirsa Viktor
Published: January 2022

The majority of seizures recorded in humans and experimental animal models can be described by a generic phenomenological mathematical model, the Epileptor. In this model, seizure-like events (SLEs) are driven by a slow variable and occur via saddle node (SN) and homoclinic bifurcations at seizure onset and offset, respectively. Here we investigated SLEs at the single cell level using a biophysically relevant neuron model including a slow/fast system of four equations. The two equations for the slow subsystem describe ion concentration variations and the two equations of the fast subsystem delineate the electrophysiological activities of the neuron. Using extracellular K+ as a slow variable, we report that SLEs with SN/homoclinic bifurcations can readily occur at the single cell level when extracellular K+ reaches a critical value. In patients and experimental models, seizures can also evolve into sustained ictal activity (SIA) and depolarization block (DB), activities which are also parts of the dynamic repertoire of the Epileptor. Increasing extracellular concentration of K+ in the model to values found during experimental status epilepticus and DB, we show that SIA and DB can also occur at the single cell level. Thus, seizures, SIA, and DB, which have been first identified as network events, can exist in a unified framework of a biophysical model at the single neuron level and exhibit similar dynamics as observed in the Epileptor.

Author Summary: Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by the occurrence of seizures. Seizures have been characterized in patients in experimental models at both macroscopic and microscopic scales using electrophysiological recordings. Experimental works allowed the establishment of a detailed taxonomy of seizures, which can be described by mathematical models. We can distinguish two main types of models. Phenomenological (generic) models have few parameters and variables and permit detailed dynamical studies often capturing a majority of activities observed in experimental conditions. But they also have abstract parameters, making biological interpretation difficult. Biophysical models, on the other hand, use a large number of variables and parameters due to the complexity of the biological systems they represent. Because of the multiplicity of solutions, it is difficult to extract general dynamical rules. In the present work, we integrate both approaches and reduce a detailed biophysical model to sufficiently low-dimensional equations, and thus maintaining the advantages of a generic model. We propose, at the single cell level, a unified framework of different pathological activities that are seizures, depolarization block, and sustained ictal activity.
Using the Split Bregman Algorithm to Solve the Self-repelling Snakes Model
Authors: Pan Huizhu , Song Jintao , Liu Wanquan , Li Ling , Zhou Guanglu , Tan Lu , Chen Shichu
Published: January 2022

Preserving contour topology during image segmentation is useful in many practical scenarios. By keeping the contours isomorphic, it is possible to prevent over-segmentation and under-segmentation, as well as to adhere to given topologies. The Self-repelling Snakes model (SR) is a variational model that preserves contour topology by combining a non-local repulsion term with the geodesic active contour model. The SR is traditionally solved using the additive operator splitting (AOS) scheme. In our paper, we propose an alternative solution to the SR using the Split Bregman method. Our algorithm breaks the problem down into simpler sub-problems to use lower-order evolution equations and a simple projection scheme rather than re-initialization. The sub-problems can be solved via fast Fourier transform or an approximate soft thresholding formula which maintains stability, shortening the convergence time, and reduces the memory requirement. The Split Bregman and AOS algorithms are compared theoretically and experimentally.
Monocytes and pyrophosphate promote mesenchymal stem cell viability and early osteogenic differentiation
Authors: Svensson Sara , Palmer Michael , Svensson Johan , Johansson Anna , Engqvist Håkan , Omar Omar , Thomsen Peter
Published: January 2022

Pyrophosphate-containing calcium phosphate implants promote osteoinduction and bone regeneration. The role of pyrophosphate for inflammatory cell-mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) cross-talk during osteogenesis is not known. In the present work, the effects of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and pyrophosphate (PPi) on primary human monocytes and on osteogenic gene expression in human adipose-derived MSCs were evaluated in vitro, using conditioned media transfer as well as direct effect systems. Direct exposure to pyrophosphate increased nonadherent monocyte survival (by 120% without LPS and 235% with LPS) and MSC viability (LDH) (by 16–19% with and without LPS). Conditioned media from LPS-primed monocytes significantly upregulated osteogenic genes (ALP and RUNX2) and downregulated adipogenic (PPAR-γ) and chondrogenic (SOX9) genes in recipient MSCs. Moreover, the inclusion of PPi (250 μM) resulted in a 1.2- to 2-fold significant downregulation of SOX9 in the recipient MSCs, irrespective of LPS stimulation or culture media type. These results indicate that conditioned media from LPS-stimulated inflammatory monocytes potentiates the early MSCs commitment towards the osteogenic lineage and that direct pyrophosphate exposure to MSCs can promote their viability and reduce their chondrogenic gene expression. These results are the first to show that pyrophosphate can act as a survival factor for both human MSCs and primary monocytes and can influence the early MSC gene expression.
Sibling Bullying in Turkish Adolescents: Translation and Cross-Cultural Validation of the Sibling Bullying Questionnaire
Authors: Deniz Emre , Derinalp Pelin , Gulkanat Ilayda , Kaz Cagla , Ozhan Neslihan , Toseeb Umar
Published: January 2022

The primary aim of this study was to translate the Sibling Bullying Questionnaire (SBQ) into Turkish and validate it. A secondary aim was to estimate the prevalence of sibling bullying in Turkish adolescents. The SBQ was translated by a team of English-Turkish bilinguals. Self-report data were collected from Turkish adolescents (N = 301) aged 10 to 18 years old (mean age = 14.25 years, SD = 2.46). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to confirm the factor structure of the newly translated Turkish SBQ (T-SBQ). Descriptive analyses were then conducted to report the characteristics of the sample and the prevalence of sibling bullying. CFA confirmed the original two-factor structure of the T-SBQ indicating that a first-order correlated two-factor model shows the best fit: x2=160.33 (p < 0.001), df = 61, RMSEA = 0.07, CFI = 0.95 and TLI = 0.93. The T-SBQ showed satisfactory levels of internal consistency in victimisation (α = 0.84) and perpetration (α = 0.83) subscales, excellent reliability in the overall test scale (α = 0.90), and a high level of convergent validity when compared with the Revised Sibling Bullying Questionnaire (α = 0.79). In terms of sibling bullying prevalence, approximately half of the adolescents (51%) reported having been involved in some form of sibling bullying in the preceding six months, either as pure-victim (18%), pure-bully (3%) or bully-victim (30%). This result aligns with the findings from other countries such as the United States (41%), Israel (51%), and the United Kingdom (49%). The T-SBQ is valid and reliable in measuring sibling bullying in Turkish adolescents and sibling bullying is prevalent in the lives of Turkish adolescents.
Taking Up Thagard’s Challenge: A Formal Model of Conceptual Revision
Authors: Bozdag Sena , De Benedetto Matteo
Published: January 2022

Thagard (1992) presented a framework for conceptual change in science based on conceptual systems. Thagard challenged belief revision theorists, claiming that traditional belief-revision systems are able to model only the two most conservative types of changes in his framework, but not the more radical ones. The main aim of this work is to take up Thagard’s challenge, presenting a belief-revision-like system able to mirror radical types of conceptual change. We will do that with a conceptual revision system, i.e. a belief-revision-like system that takes conceptual structures as units of revisions. We will show how our conceptual revision and contraction operations satisfy analogous of the AGM postulates at the conceptual level and are able to mimic Thagard’s radical types of conceptual change.
Trends, directions for further research, and some open problems of fractional calculus
Authors: Diethelm Kai , Kiryakova Virginia , Luchko Yuri , Machado J. A. Tenreiro , Tarasov Vasily E.
Published: January 2022

The area of fractional calculus (FC) has been fast developing and is presently being applied in all scientific fields. Therefore, it is of key relevance to assess the present state of development and to foresee, if possible, the future evolution, or, at least, the challenges identified in the scope of advanced research works. This paper gives a vision about the directions for further research as well as some open problems of FC. A number of topics in mathematics, numerical algorithms and physics are analyzed, giving a systematic perspective for future research.
Effect of Community Support on the Implementation of Primary Health Care-Based Measurement of Alcohol Consumption
Authors: Solovei Adriana , Jané-Llopis Eva , Mercken Liesbeth , Bustamante Inés , Kokole Daša , Mejía-Trujillo Juliana , Medina Aguilar Perla Sonia , Natera Rey Guillermina , O’Donnell Amy , Piazza Marina , Schmidt Christiane Sybille , Anderson Peter , de Vries Hein
Published: January 2022

Alcohol measurement delivered by health care providers in primary health care settings is an efficacious and cost-effective intervention to reduce alcohol consumption among patients. However, this intervention is not yet routinely implemented in practice. Community support has been recommended as a strategy to stimulate the delivery of alcohol measurement by health care providers, yet evidence on the effectiveness of community support in this regard is scarce. The current study used a pre-post quasi-experimental design in order to investigate the effect of community support in three Latin American municipalities in Colombia, Mexico, and Peru on health care providers’ rates of measuring alcohol consumption in their patients. The analysis is based on the first 5 months of implementation. Moreover, the study explored possible mechanisms underlying the effects of community support, through health care providers’ awareness of support, as well as their attitudes, subjective norms, self-efficacy, and subsequent intention toward delivering the intervention. An ANOVA test indicated that community support had a significant effect on health care providers’ rates of measuring alcohol consumption in their patients (F (1, 259) = 4.56, p = 0.034, ηp2 = 0.018). Moreover, a path analysis showed that community support had a significant indirect positive effect on providers’ self-efficacy to deliver the intervention (b = 0.07, p = 0.008), which was mediated through awareness of support. Specifically, provision of community support resulted in a higher awareness of support among health care providers (b = 0.31, p < 0.001), which then led to higher self-efficacy to deliver brief alcohol advice (b = 0.23, p = 0.010). Results indicate that adoption of an alcohol measurement intervention by health care providers may be aided by community support, by directly impacting the rates of alcohol measurement sessions, and by increasing providers’ self-efficacy to deliver this intervention, through increased awareness of support. Trial Registration ID: NCT03524599; Registered 15 May 2018; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03524599
Role of anatomical location, cellular phenotype and perfusion of adipose tissue in intermediary metabolism: A narrative review
Authors: Camastra Stefania , Ferrannini Ele
Published: January 2022

It is well-established that adipose tissue accumulation is associated with insulin resistance through multiple mechanisms. One major metabolic link is the classical Randle cycle: enhanced release of free fatty acids (FFA) from hydrolysis of adipose tissue triglycerides impedes insulin-mediated glucose uptake in muscle tissues. Less well studied are the different routes of this communication. First, white adipose tissue depots may be regionally distant from muscle (i.e., gluteal fat and diaphragm muscle) or contiguous to muscle but separated by a fascia (Scarpa’s fascia in the abdomen, fascia lata in the thigh). In this case, released FFA outflow through the venous drainage and merge into arterial plasma to be transported to muscle tissues. Next, cytosolic triglycerides can directly, i.e., within the cell, provide FFA to myocytes (but also pancreatic ß-cells, renal tubular cells, etc.). Finally, adipocyte layers or lumps may be adjacent to, but not anatomically segregated, from muscle, as is typically the case for epicardial fat and cardiomyocytes. As regulation of these three main delivery paths is different, their separate contribution to substrate competition at the whole-body level is uncertain. Another important link between fat and muscle is vascular. In the resting state, blood flow is generally higher in adipose tissue than in muscle. In the insulinized state, fat blood flow is directly related to whole-body insulin resistance whereas muscle blood flow is not; consequently, fractional (i.e., flow-adjusted) glucose uptake is stimulated in muscle but not fat. Thus, reduced blood supply is a major factor for the impairment of in vivo insulin-mediated glucose uptake in both subcutaneous and visceral fat. In contrast, the insulin resistance of glucose uptake in resting skeletal muscle is predominantly a cellular defect.
Crowdfunding and bank financing: substitutes or complements?
Authors: Miglo Anton
Published: January 2022

In this paper, we analyze a firm choice between crowdfunding and bank financing. For many entrepreneurs, it is an important issue. We analyze a model where the choice of financing is affected by moral hazard problem regarding the choice of production scale that favors bank financing, and by the uncertainty about market demand that favors crowdfunding. We argue that long crowdfunding campaigns or campaigns with large targets usually are less efficient in mitigating moral hazard problem than small/short campaigns. We also argue that high-quality firms and firms with potentially large markets will tend to select bank financing while projects with largest amount of investment should select mixed financing where the firm uses a short crowdfunding campaign and a bank loan. Most of our model empirical predictions have not been directly tested so far while they are indirectly consistent with available evidence.
A Probabilistic Formulation of the Diffusion Coefficient in Porous Media as Function of Porosity
Authors: Zech Alraune , de Winter Matthijs
Published: January 2022

We investigate the upscaling of diffusive transport parameters using a stochastic framework. At sub-REV (representative elementary volume) scale, the complexity of the pore space geometry leads to a significant scatter of the observed diffusive transport. We study a large set of volumes reconstructed from focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy data. Each individual volume provides us sub-REV measurements on porosity and the so-called transport-ability, being a dimensionless parameter representing the ratio of diffusive flux through the porous volume to that through an empty volume. The detected scatter of the transport-ability is mathematically characterized through a probability distribution function (PDF) with a mean and variance as function of porosity, which includes implicitly the effect of pore structure differences among sub-REV volumes. We then investigate domain size effects and predict when REV scale is reached. While the scatter in porosity observations decreases linearly with increasing sample size as expected, the observed scatter in transport-ability does not converge to zero. Our results confirm that differences in pore structure impact transport parameters at all scales. Consequently, the use of PDFs to describe the relationship of effective transport coefficients to porosity is advantageous to deterministic semiempirical functions. We discuss the consequences and advocate the use of PDFs for effective parameters in both continuum equations and data interpretation of experimental or computational work. The presented statistics-based upscaling technique of sub-REV microscopy data provides a new tool in understanding, describing and predicting macroscopic transport behavior of microporous media.
Rotation in Correspondence Analysis from the Canonical Correlation Perspective
Authors: Makino Naomichi
Published: January 2022

Correspondence analysis (CA) is a statistical method for depicting the relationship between two categorical variables, and usually places an emphasis on graphical representations. In this study, we discuss a CA formulation based on canonical correlation analysis (CCA). In CCA-based formulation, the correlations within and between row/column categories in a reduced dimensional space can be expressed by canonical variables. However, in existing CCA-based formulations, only orthogonal rotation is permitted. Herein, we propose an alternative CCA-based formulation that permits oblique rotation. In the proposed formulation, the CA loss function can be defined as maximizing the generalized coefficient of determination, which is a measure of proximity between two variables. Simulation studies and real data examples are presented in order to demonstrate the benefits of the proposed formulation.
Prevalence and predictors of occupational asthma among workers in detergent and cleaning products industry and its impact on quality of life in El Asher Men Ramadan, Egypt
Authors: Ahmed Amani Shawki , Ibrahim Dalia Anas , Hassan Tarek Hamdy , Abd-El-Azem Wael Galal
Published: January 2022

Cleaning products are mixtures of many chemical ingredients that are known to contain sensitizers, disinfectants, and fragrances, as well as strong airway irritants which associated with lower respiratory tract and asthma symptoms.

The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence and possible risk factors of occupational asthma and its effect on quality of life among workers in detergent and cleaning products industries in El Asher men Ramadan city.

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 780 workers. All participants were personally interviewed at their workplaces and were subjected to a questionnaire regarding sociodemographic, work characteristics and asthma symptoms, clinical examination, chest X-ray, spirometer, and bronchodilator test.

The prevalence of occupational asthma among the studied workers was 35.4%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that female gender [odds ratio 1.397; 95% CI 1.09–1.96], manually working participants [odds ratio 3.067; 95% CI 1.72–5.46], and history of atopy [odds ratio 1.596; 95% CI 1.09–2.33] were risk factors for development of occupational asthma. The total mean score of asthma-specific quality of life was significantly lower in asthmatic (5.10 ± 0.49) than non-asthmatic workers (5.89 ± 0.46) (P < 0.01) indicating impairment of quality of life among asthmatic group.

Workers in detergent and cleaning products industry are at higher risk for developing occupational asthma that adversely affects their general health and quality of life.
Celebrating Heritage, Promoting Tourism, and Relocating Svāmī Vivekānanda: A Study of the Vivekananda Rock Memorial
Authors: Beckerlegge Gwilym
Published: January 2022

Svāmī Vivekānanda’s (1863–1902) relationship with hisguruŚrī Rāmakṛṣṇa (ca.1836–1886), and his role in the creation of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission in the final decade of the nineteenth century, has attracted far more scholarly attention than the meanings invested in Vivekānanda after his death by devotees and admirers beyond the Math and Mission and by the various organizations that have disseminated these meanings. To redress this imbalance, this article examines the message embodied in, and projected by, the Vivekananda Rock Memorial at Kanniyakumari. It explores the Memorial’s contribution to Kanniyakumari’s expanding role as a tourist destination and the problematic nature of the story that has provided the rationale for the Memorial’s location. It shows how evolving versions of this story have fed the different understandings of Vivekānanda’s mission now institutionalized respectively in the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission and the Vivekananda Kendra, which manages the Memorial. It argues that the creation of the Memorial has directed attention away from Kolkata (Calcutta), the scene of Vivekānanda’s interaction with hisguruRāmakṛṣṇa, and thus away from that seminal relationship. The Memorial presents, instead, Vivekānanda’s experience at Kanniyakumari as the defining moment in his evolving mission as a “spiritual nationalist.” The article concludes by noting implications of this shift for the critical understanding of Vivekānanda, emphasizing the importance of the Rock Memorial’s function as an increasingly popular portal to “Vivekānanda of Kanniyakumari.”
Long-Term Results of Single-Anastomosis Duodeno-ileal Bypass with Sleeve Gastrectomy (SADI-S)
Authors: Sánchez-Pernaute Andrés , Herrera Miguel Ángel Rubio , Ferré Natalia Pérez , Rodríguez Carlos Sáez , Marcuello Clara , Pañella Clara , Antoñanzas Leyre Lopez , Torres Antonio , Pérez-Aguirre Elia
Published: January 2022

Background

Single-anastomosis duodeno-ileal bypass with sleeve gastrectomy (SADI-S) is a simplification of the duodenal switch (DS) in which the alimentary limb is eliminated, and the common channel is lengthened from 200 to 300 cm. Short-term results have demonstrated that SADI-S is safe and reproducible and that weight loss and comorbidities resolution are comparable to biliopancreatic diversion or DS.

Objective

To analyze the long-term outcomes of SADI-S.

Methods

From May 2007 to December 2015, 164 patients were consecutively submitted to a one-step SADI-S. The mean age was 47 years, and the mean body mass index (BMI) was 45.8 kg/m2. A total of 101 patients had type 2 diabetes, 91 arterial hypertension, 81 obstructive apnea, and 118 dyslipidemia. Limb length was 200 cm in 50 cases, 250 cm in 99, and 300 cm in 15.

Results

There was no mortality. One patient had a gastric leak, and 2 patients had an anastomotic leak. A total of 25% of the patients were lost to follow-up at 10 years. Excess weight loss and total weight loss were 87% and 38% at 5 years and 80% and 34% at 10 years. A total of 12 patients were submitted to revisional surgery for hypoproteinemia. Preoperatively 41 diabetics were under insulin treatment; at 5 years, 7 remained with insulin and 12 at 10 years. Mean glycemia was 104 mg/dL at 5 years and 118 mg/dL at 10 years. Mean HbA1c was 5.51% at 5 years and 5.86 at 10 years.

Conclusion

In the long term, SADI-S offers satisfactory weight loss and comorbidities resolution.

Graphical Abstract
A potential crack region method to detect crack using image processing of multiple thresholding
Authors: Chen Cheng , Seo Hyungjoon , Jun ChangHyun , Zhao Yang
Published: January 2022

In this paper, a potential crack region method is proposed to detect road pavement cracks by using the adaptive threshold. To reduce the noises of the image, the pre-treatment algorithm was applied according to the following steps: grayscale processing, histogram equalization, filtering traffic lane. From the image segmentation methods, the algorithm combines the global threshold and the local threshold to segment the image. According to the grayscale distribution characteristics of the crack image, the sliding window is used to obtain the window deviation, and then, the deviation image is segmented based on the maximum inter-class deviation. Obtain a potential crack region and then perform a local threshold-based segmentation algorithm. Real images of pavement surface were used at the Su Tong Li road in Suzhou, China. It was found that the proposed approach could give a more explicit description of pavement cracks in images. The method was tested on 509 images of the German asphalt pavement distress (Gap) dataset: The test results were found to be promising (precision = 0.82, recall = 0.81, F1 score = 0.83).
Nature of Mineralizing Fluid in Paleoproterozoic Dolomite Hosted Talc Deposits, Cuddapah Basin, India
Authors: Banerjee Amlan , Majumder Tuasha , Patranabis-Deb Sarbani , Saha Dilip
Published: January 2022

Dolomite hosted talc deposits of the Vempalle Formation (VF), Cuddapah basin, Andhra Pradesh produces nearly 6% of total talc demand of India. The strata bound talc zones extending over kilometers along strike have tabular geometry and are concordant with the stratification and primary depositional contacts, though sometimes the talc bodies locally cross-cut the stratification. Field and petrographic evidences suggest that the strata-bound talc deposit, located at the flank of the basin, was formed by replacement of platformal carbonate sequences of the passive margin (stromatolitic dolomite), preserving the primary texture and structure of the host. Lack of anomalous concentrations of V, Fe, Ni, Cr and Co; depletion of Ta, Hf, Zr and Th and Ni, Cu, Pb, Zn in the talc and talc bearing dolomites may be indicative of the absence of magmatic and/or metamorphic source for the mineralization fluid. The igneous intrusions within the Vempalle Formation (VF) – earlier thought to be the source of mineralization fluid – thus are neither coeval with talc mineralization nor they acted as the heat source. Furthermore, depletion of REE, Al3+, K+, Na and Sr in the talc and talc bearing dolomites suggest that the mineralizing fluid was probably evolved from Paleoproterozoic ocean water that was super-saturated with respect to talc and had higher dissolved silica concentration. This evolved fluid source can also explain the supply and sustenance of large volume of water needed for the talcification of the host dolomite.
Chrome-diopside Xenocrysts Entrained in a Neoproterozoic Lamprophyre Dyke from the Mysuru Area: Their Origin and Implications for Lithospheric Thickness Beneath the Western Dharwar Craton, Southern India
Authors: Raghuvanshi Sneha , Chalapathi Rao N.V. , Talukdar Debojit , Sharma Abhinay , Pandey Rohit
Published: January 2022

In comparison to the eastern Dharwar Craton, the mantle-derived xenocrysts/xenoliths are extremely rare or even unreported from the western Dharwar Craton, southern India. A Neoproterozoic (ca. 800-900 Ma) lamprophyre cropping out in the Mysuru area of southern India contains chrome-diopside xenocrysts (Cr2O3 content varying from 0.2 – 1.23 wt%) which provide important evidence about the pressure-temperature conditions and lithospheric thickness beneath the western Dharwar Craton. Studied chrome-diopsides show compositional zoning which is lacking in the liquidus phases (amphiboles and feldspars) of the lamprophyre which additionally favors a non-cognate origin of the former. Based on the compositional zoning, all the chrome-diopside xenocrysts can be divided into three groups: (i) Group I- which are euhedral and show reverse zoning with increasing Cr-content from core to rim; (ii) Group II- which are characterized by fractures and resorption textures, show complex reverse zoning and display up to three distinct compositional layers, and (iii) Group III- which evidence the reaction of chrome-diopsides with lamprophyric melt and are marked by alteration phases, such as actinolite and chlorite, together with relicts of some unaltered xenocrysts. High Cr2O3, moderate MgO and low Al2O3 content of all the three varieties of chrome-diopside suggest them to represent disaggregated xenocrysts of mantle-derived garnet peridotite. Temperature-pressure estimates for chrome-diopside xenocrysts ranges from 895 - 1026 °C (± 30 °C) and 32 – 38 kbar respectively and correspond to depth range of 106 – 127 km. The study reveals that lithospheric thickness during the Neoproterozoic beneath the western Dharwar craton was at least ~115 km and is similar in composition to that of the cratonic lithosphere found in the other cratonic domains.
Small Size Gastropod Fauna from the Matli Geothermal Spring, Bhagirathi Valley, Garhwal Himalaya, Uttarakhand: Ecological Implications
Authors: Chatterjee Nikitasha , Gupta Anil K. , Tiwari Sameer K. , Clemens Steven C. , Sharma Kanishak
Published: January 2022

The occurrence of freshwater molluscs in the geothermal springs is reported by numerous workers in different parts of the world. However, reports of such occurrences in the Indian subcontinent are either scanty or are not available in the published literature. In this study, a swarm of small size gastropod community have been encountered in the vicinity of Matli geothermal spring, which is located on the right bank of the downstream Bhagirathi river in the Garhwal Himalaya in Uttarakhand, India. Gastropod samples were collected from 3 locations near the spring and water samples were collected from the spring and the river. The samples were identified as belonging to the species Lymnaea acuminata Lamarck, 1822 according to their form and habitat. The abundance, size and thickness of the snails were higher near the spring than near the Bhagirathi river. The δ18Oshell and δ13Cshell values of all the bulk samples range from – 8.2 to – 7.8‰ (VPDB) and from – 9.5‰ (VPDB) to – 6.5‰ (VPDB), respectively. Since the temperature of the geothermal spring remains constant irrespective of seasons, no significant intra-shell variation in δ18O is observed, while intra–shell δ13C values show shell shell significant variation reflecting season change. Lymnaea accuminata is originally a freshwater gastropod which is found all along the Ganga-Brahmaputra watersheds. This species prefers a habitat near the geothermal spring owing to the abundance of nutrients in spring water and other physiological factors.
Differential Crustal Attenuation in the Garhwal and Kumaon Himalaya Obtained from Seismological and Geophysical Studies
Authors: Joshi A. , Pandey Mohit
Published: January 2022

The Uttarakhand Himalaya which comprises of the Garhwal and Kumaon Himalaya lies in the central seismic gap region of India. Strong motion networks have been installed separately in the Garhwal and Kumaon Himalaya under various sponsored research projects funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES). These networks have recorded several near field earthquakes in the recent past. Recorded data from these networks have been utilised to study the crustal attenuation characteristics of these two regions. The crustal attenuation characteristics of medium can be directly estimated from the frequency dependent quality factor ‘Q’. Estimation of shear wave quality factor, coda wave quality factor and attenuation relations have been made by using same methodology in the data set obtained separately from these two regions. It has been found that there is a substantial difference in the attenuation characteristics of the crustal rocks in these two regions. Since shear wave attenuation has a close relation with the shear wave velocity, therefore, the shear wave velocity has been estimated at various locations of the Garhwal and Kumaon Himalaya by both active and passive methods. It has been found that the average shear wave velocity of crustal rocks in the Garhwal Himalaya is comparatively higher than that in the Kumaon Himalaya which clearly support the high attenuation property of the crustal rocks in the Kumaon Himalaya compared to the Garhwal Himalaya.
“Novel 2019 Coronavirus Outbreak” through the Eyes of GNSS Signal
Authors: Kundu Bhaskar , Panda Dibyashakti , Vissa Naresh Krishna , Tyagi Bhishma
Published: January 2022

Besides the global crisis of the novel COVID-19 outbreak, we have presented the other side towards an environmental perspective. Due to the economic shutdown of major cities, the novel COVID-19 outbreak has significantly influenced air quality in the atmosphere and also affected the tropospheric refraction on Global Navigation Satellite System GNSS signal propagation in the horizontally stratified column. We suggest that GNSS signal propagation and variation in Zenith Tropospheric Delay (ZTD) in the tropospheric column can be used as a proxy for the pollutionmonitoring tool in the future. Although we have presented a case study from mainland China, the hypothesis can be tested globally.
Aquifer Mapping in Parts of Murshidabad and Adjoining Birbhum Districts, West Bengal, India
Authors: Brahma Supriya
Published: January 2022

Aquifer Mapping has been carried out in an area of 2660 sq km in Ganga Basin lying on the west of River Bhagirathi. The present area comprises a total of 13 C. D. blocks, 4 north-eastern C. D. blocks of Birbhum district, and 9 western C.D. blocks of Murshidabad district, in the state of West Bengal. Present area is entirely covered by Quaternary alluvium. This study revealed the existence of multiple aquifer groups characterised by inherent litho-logical properties and often typical geo-morphological setup, distribution in space and geological time, and ground water potentiality. The geogenic contamination of ground water by arsenic and fluoride poses a serious health problem in the area. The objective of the present study is to delineate the subsurface aquifer groups in successive geological formations up to targeted depth of exploration of 325m, graphically represent them by 3D model & 2D sections, to generate geo-environmental data of aforesaid contaminants in ground water of individual aquifer groups separately and to provide a plausible explanation behind this contamination. This study is helpful for identification of aquifers, which bear potable ground water and those, which are under stress and need immediate intervention for sustainable management.
Resource frontiers and agglomeration economies: The varied logics of transnational land-based investing in Southern and Eastern Africa
Authors: Abeygunawardane Dilini , Kronenburg García Angela , Sun Zhanli , Müller Daniel , Sitoe Almeida , Meyfroidt Patrick
Published: January 2022

Actor-level data on large-scale commercial agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa are scarce. The peculiar choice of transnational investing in African land has, therefore, been subject to conjecture. Addressing this gap, we reconstructed the underlying logics of investment location choices in a Bayesian network, using firm- and actor-level interview and spatial data from 37 transnational agriculture and forestry investments across 121 sites in Mozambique, Zambia, Tanzania, and Ethiopia. We distinguish four investment locations across gradients of resource frontiers and agglomeration economies to derive the preferred locations of different investors with varied skillsets and market reach (i.e., track record). In contrast to newcomers, investors with extensive track records are more likely to expand the land use frontier, but they are also likely to survive the high transaction costs of the pre-commercial frontier. We highlight key comparative advantages of Southern and Eastern African frontiers and map the most probable categories of investment locations.
Evaluation of batch mesophilic anaerobic digestion of raw and trampled llama and dromedary dungs: methane potential and kinetic study
Authors: Fernández-Rodríguez M. J. , Mancilla-Leytón J. M. , de la Lama-Calvente D. , Borja R.
Published: January 2022

This research was carried out with the aim to evaluate the anaerobic digestion (AD) of llama and dromedary dungs (both untreated and trampled) in batch mode at mesophilic temperature (35 °C). The biochemical methane potential (BMP) tests with an inoculum to substrate ratio of 2:1 (as volatile solids (VS)) were carried out. The methane yield from trampled llama dung (333.0 mL CH4 g−1 VSadded) was considerably higher than for raw llama, raw and trampled dromedary dungs (185.9, 228.4, 222.9 mL CH4 g−1 VSadded, respectively). Therefore, trampled llama dung was found to be the best substrate for methane production due to its high content of volatile solids as well as its high nitrogen content (2.1%) and more appropriate C/N ratio (23.6) for AD. The experimental data was found to be in accordance with both first-order kinetic and transference function mathematical models, when evaluating the experimental methane production against time. By applying the first-order kinetic model, the hydrolysis rate constants, kh, were found to be 19% and 11% higher for trampled dungs in comparison with the raw dung of dromedary and llama, respectively. In addition, the maximum methane production rate (Rm) derived from the transference function model for trampled llama dung (22.0 mL CH4 g−1 VS d−1) was 83.3%, 24.4% and 22.9% higher than those obtained for raw llama manure and for raw and trampled dromedary dungs, respectively.