bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Suppressed Daytime Convection Over the Amazon River
Authors: Wu M. , Lee J.‐E. , Wang D. , Salameh M.
Published: June 2021

We investigated the interaction between surface conditions and precipitating convection by comparing the Amazon River against the surrounding forest. Despite similar synoptic conditions within a few tens of kilometers, the river surface is substantially cooler than the surrounding forest during the day and warmer at night. We analyzed 20 years of high‐resolution satellite precipitation data and confirmed previous findings of daytime rainfall reduction over the river for the whole Amazon Basin. The percentage reduction is strongest during the dry‐to‐wet transition season. In addition, the percentage reduction of individual tributary is significantly correlated with the Laplacian of surface temperature, which causes thermally driven surface divergence and suppresses local convection. Additionally, nighttime rainfall is enhanced over tributaries near the Atlantic coast during the wet season. A regional climate model then simulates the local rainfall anomalies associated with the river. Above the river, moisture diverges near the surface and converges above the surface before the daytime rainfall, partially driven by the horizontal gradient of humidity. Unlike the river, moisture convergence within the boundary layer is more critical for the rainfall above the forest region. Our studies suggest that strong thermal contrast can be important in deriving heterogeneous convection in moist tropical regions.
Climate Change is Contributing to Faster Rates of Lake Ice Loss in Lakes Around the Northern Hemisphere
Authors: Imrit Mohammad Arshad , Sharma Sapna
Published: June 2021

Lake ice phenology has been recorded for decades, providing us with long‐term records to investigate the impact of climate change in lakes since the Industrial Revolution. Here, we examine the trends and drivers of 18 lakes across the Northern Hemisphere, with 156–204 years of data, starting in the 1810s. We show that: (a) trends in ice phenology are faster than found by previous studies. Ice‐on is 11 days later per century, ice‐off is 9 days earlier per century, and ice cover duration is 19 days shorter per century; (b) there are significant breakpoints in the 1850s, 1870s, mid‐1890s, and mid‐1990s, after which trends in ice phenology are even faster, and associated with changing weather and climate; and (c) local air temperatures explain the most variation in ice phenology, on average 36.5%, followed by progressive climate change explaining around 17.5% on average, with teleconnection patterns explaining the least variation. Our findings support the assertion that broad‐scale climatic changes have led to more rapid lake ice loss in lakes distributed across the Northern Hemisphere, with potential widespread impacts on critical ecosystem services that lake ice provides.
Improving CLM5.0 Biomass and Carbon Exchange Across the Western United States Using a Data Assimilation System
Authors: Raczka Brett , Hoar Timothy J. , Duarte Henrique F. , Fox Andrew M. , Anderson Jeffrey L. , Bowling David R. , Lin John C.
Published: June 2021

The Western United States is dominated by natural lands that play a critical role for carbon balance, water quality, and timber reserves. This region is also particularly vulnerable to forest mortality from drought, insect attack, and wildfires, thus requiring constant monitoring to assess ecosystem health. Carbon monitoring techniques are challenged by the complex mountainous terrain, thus there is an opportunity for data assimilation systems that combine land surface models and satellite‐derived observations to provide improved carbon monitoring. Here, we use the Data Assimilation Research Testbed to adjust the Community Land Model (CLM5.0) with remotely sensed observations of leaf area and above‐ground biomass. The adjusted simulation significantly reduced the above‐ground biomass and leaf area, leading to a reduction in both photosynthesis and respiration fluxes. The reduction in the carbon fluxes mostly offset, thus both the adjusted and free simulation projected a weak carbon sink to the land. This result differed from a separate observation‐constrained model (FLUXCOM) that projected strong carbon uptake to the land. Simulation diagnostics suggested water limitation had an important influence upon the magnitude and spatial pattern of carbon uptake through photosynthesis. We recommend that additional observations important for water cycling (e.g., snow water equivalent, land surface temperature) be included to improve the veracity of the spatial pattern in carbon uptake. Furthermore, the assimilation system should be enhanced to maximize the number of the simulated state variables that are adjusted, especially those related to the recommended observed quantities including water cycling and soil carbon.
Transpolar Convection and Magnetospheric Ring Current Relations: Real‐Time Applications of the Polar Cap (PC) Indices
Authors: Stauning Peter
Published: June 2021

The present study confirms the validity of previously derived relations between the polar cap (PC) indices and the ASY‐H and the Dst and SYM‐H ring current indices when used in real‐time applications. PC indices are here derived in simulated real‐time (SRT) versions by using past data only from −40 days up to current time in the construction of the quiet reference levels (QDCs) for the magnetic data. From analyses spanning a decade (2009–2018), equivalent ASY‐H index values were derived from a linear relation with SRT PCN (North) and PCS (South) indices combined to form the non‐negative PCC indices. For the cases of strong magnetic storms (Dst(peak )< −100 nT), the equivalent ASY‐H indices were found to agree well with reported (real) ASY‐H index values. The SRT PCC indices, furthermore, have been used in a PC‐based source function to derive equivalent values of the total ring current indices Dst (or SYM‐H) up to 1 h ahead of time. With integration of the source function throughout a decade (2009–2018) with no attachment to reported Dst values, the SRT equivalent Dst indices display close agreement with real Dst index values. The applied method could be used without modifications to generate PC index values and derived ASY‐H and Dst (or SYM‐H) index values in real‐time space weather applications.
A Geomorphic Examination of the Calabrian Forearc Translation
Authors: Pavano F. , Gallen S. F.
Published: June 2021

The evolution of subduction forearcs as archived in the tectonic and geomorphic record serves to constrain geodynamic models of many convergent plate margins. This paper presents geomorphic stream channel metrics and river longitudinal profile modeling to assess geodynamic models describing the late Cenozoic horizontal translation of a Mediterranean forearc. The northern flank of Sicily is drained by roughly parallel north‐flowing streams arranged across the hypothesized west‐to‐east migration path of the Calabrian forearc high. These streams present a snapshot of current geomorphic processes driven by spatiotemporal variations in crustal deformation, including river incision and landscape steepness. A stream power rule‐based numerical modeling of the fluvial response time and knickpoint migration provides an independent prediction for the history of rock uplift associated with the translating forearc over the past ∼4 Myr. The results serve as a test for two, crustal wave versus transform‐fault, end‐member geodynamic models for the Calabrian forearc evolution, suggesting that our modeling supports the former. The river profile modeling shows that northern Sicily rivers experienced two pulses of time‐transgressive rock uplift that progressively sweeps west to east. This analysis suggests the most rapid contemporary rock uplift rates are focused in NE‐Sicily, where the forearc is currently located and where Pleistocene marine terraces indicate the highest rock uplift rates. These results are consistent with the west‐to‐east passage of a forearc high embedded in the subduction wedge, followed by a dynamic wave of rock uplift in its wake similar to what has been proposed for slab windows in other plate boundary settings.
Ground‐Based Magnetometer Response to Impacting Magnetosheath Jets
Authors: Norenius L. , Hamrin M. , Goncharov O. , Gunell H. , Opgenoorth H. , Pitkänen T. , Chong S. , Partamies N. , Baddeley L.
Published: June 2021

Localized dynamic pressure pulses in the magnetosheath, or jets, have been a popular topic for discussion in recent decades. Studies show that they can propagate through the magnetosheath and impact the magnetopause, possibly showing up as geoeffective elements at ground level. However, questions still remain on how geoeffective they can be. Previous studies have been limited to case studies during few days and with only a handful of events. In this study we have found 65 cases of impacting jets using observations from the Multiscale Magnetospheric mission during 2015–2017. We examine their geoeffectiveness using ground‐based magnetometers (GMAGs). From our statistics we find that GMAGs observe responses as fluctuations in the geomagnetic field with amplitudes of 34 nT, frequencies of 1.9 mHz, and damping times of 370 s. Further, the parallel length and the maximum dynamic pressure of the jet dictate the amplitude of the observed GMAG response. Longer and higher pressure jets inducing larger amplitude responses in GMAG horizontal components. The median time required for the signal to be detected by GMAGs is 190 s. We also examine if jets can be harmful for human infrastructure and cannot exclude that such events could exist.
Tropical TGF Paradox: A Perspective From TRMM Precipitation Radar
Authors: Morales Rodriguez Carlos A. , Montanyà Joan , van der Velde Oscar A. , Fabró Ferran , Lopez Jesus A.
Published: June 2021

The Terrestrial Gamma‐ray Flash (TGF) to lightning ratio, computed over the three tropical chimneys, presents a paradox: African thunderstorms produce the most lightning but yield the lowest fraction of TGFs when compared to American and Southeast Asian thunderstorms. To understand the physical insights into this asymmetry, Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission Precipitation Radar measurements are used to depict the vertical precipitation structure and infer the vertical electrical charge fraction distribution of the observed thunderstorms in the three regions and the thunderstorms during TGF occurrences detected by the AGILE, Fermi‐GBM, and RHESSI sensors. Regional differences show that African thunderstorms are taller, smaller, and have a higher concentration of denser ice particles (graupel and or hail) above the freezing level in addition to having more lightning flashes per thunderstorm. The overall TGF‐related thunderstorms are taller, more intense (0.5–1.5 dBZ) and present similar radar reflectivity decay with height independent of the region. The two dimensional precipitation vertical distribution diagrams indicate that TGF thunderstorms develop to a mature stage. Independent of the region, thunderstorms show a midlevel negative charge center varying from 4.6 to 8.1 km in height and an upper level positive charge center ranging from 7.4 to 14.6 km. TGF thunderstorms have thicker positive inferred charge layer and present larger vertical distances between the opposite charging layers in comparison with the overall thunderstorm population, here defined as Climatology. African TGF thunderstorms have higher fraction of positive charges near the negative layer, helping to produce more and shorter lightning discharges.
Bound on Lunar Plate Motion
Authors: Shapiro Irwin I. , Chandler John F. , Murphy Thomas W. , Reasenberg Robert D.
Published: June 2021

We analyzed high accuracy time delays of laser signals sent from the Earth to the retroreflector arrays on the Moon in conjunction with several other sets of solar‐system astrometric data. Using especially the lunar laser ranging data obtained from the Apache Point Observatory telescope site in New Mexico and the Apollo 11 and Apollo 14 retroreflectors on the Moon, we have set a bound on their relative motion along the connecting great circle of 4 mm/yr over a 14‐year period.
Timing of Alpine Orogeny and Postorogenic Extension in the Alboran Domain, Inner Rif Chain, Morocco
Authors: Marrone Sara , Monié Patrick , Rossetti Federico , Aldega Luca , Bouybaouene Mohamed , Charpentier Delphine , Lucci Federico , Phillips David , Theye Thomas , Zaghloul Mohamed Najib
Published: June 2021

The variety of temporal and structural constraints on the Alpine tectonometamorphic signature of the metamorphic core of the Betic‐Rif orogen (Alboran Domain) has supported a long‐lasting debate regarding the Alpine tectonic and geodynamic evolution of the Western Mediterranean region. Uncertainty still exists on the timing and tectonic significance of (a) the Alpine orogenic construction; (b) exhumation of the deep roots of the orogen; and (c) transition from orogenic shortening to crustal extension. In this study, we address these major geological issues by focusing on the lower‐grade units of the Alboran Domain (Upper Sebtides and Ghomarides) exposed in the Rif belt of northern Morocco. Through a multidisciplinary approach that integrates mesostructural and microstructural investigations with X‐ray diffraction, quantitative mineral chemistry, and 40Ar/39Ar geochronology, a 20 Ma long tectonic history is reconstructed, which involves burial of the tectonic units at depth (late Eocene) and postorogenic exhumation under brittle conditions in the upper crust (early Miocene). We document a Priabonian (∼37‐34 Ma) D1/M1 progressive compressional deformation, during the formation of a SW‐verging orogenic wedge (present coordinates), accreted toward the Africa plate. Brittle extensional detachment tectonics operated during the Burdigalian (∼18‐17 Ma), controlling the thinning of the previously structured Alboran Domain nappe stack and the final exhumation of the Alpine orogenic units. We propose that transition from orogenic build‐up to collapse in the hinterland of the Betic‐Rif orogen occurred when the retreat of the Apennine‐Maghrebian subduction was efficient to drive transition from shortening to extension in the back‐arc domain of the western termination of the Apennine‐Maghrebian subduction zone.
Increased non-typhoidal Salmonella hospitalizations in transfusion-naïve thalassemia children: a nationwide population-based cohort study
Authors: Sheen Jiunn-Ming , Lin Fang-Ju , Yang Yao-Hsu , Kuo Kuang-Che
Published: June 2021

Introduction

Although non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) infection usually causes self-limited enterocolitis, several risk factors have been found to predispose individuals to more severe NTS infections. However, few studies have discussed the association between NTS infection and pediatric thalassemia populations.

Material and methods

A nationwide population-based retrospective cohort study was conducted using medical records of the selected children from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. Immunocompromised individuals or patients with a history of transfusion or splenectomy were excluded. One thalassemia patient was matched with four non-thalassemia patients based on their year of birth, sex, and urbanization level.

Results

In this cohort, 912 patients with thalassemia and 3648 comparison cohort were analyzed. The mean age of NTS hospitalization was 2.0 ± 1.4 in thalassemia cohort and 2.6 ± 2.4 in non-thalassemia cohort. Transfusion-naïve thalassemia children were proved to have a higher rate of NTS hospitalization (6.90 vs 4.11 per 1000 person-year; p = 0.0004) than the non-thalassemia cohort, with an adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of 1.68 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.26–2.24).

Conclusion

Our research shows that transfusion-naïve thalassemia is associated with an increased risk of NTS hospitalization. Further prospective study comparing the incidence and severity of NTS infection among children with and without thalassemia is needed.

Impact

Pediatric transfusion-naïve thalassemia patients have an 1.68-fold increased risk for hospitalization due to non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) infection.

This is the first nationwide population-based cohort study based on an extremely large database that shows pediatric transfusion-naïve thalassemia patients have an increased risk for NTS hospitalizations.

Besides the previously known risk factors such as extremes of age, sickle cell disease, or immunosuppressing conditions, clinicians must also take thalassemia as a possible risk factor for more severe NTS disease.
Mitochondrial STAT5A promotes metabolic remodeling and the Warburg effect by inactivating the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex
Authors: Zhang Liang , Zhang Jianong , Liu Yan , Zhang Pingzhao , Nie Ji , Zhao Rui , Shi Qin , Sun Huiru , Jiao Dongyue , Chen Yingji , Zhao Xiaying , Huang Yan , Li Yao , Zhao Jian-Yuan , Xu Wei , Zhao Shi-Min , Wang Chenji
Published: June 2021

Signal transducer and activator 5a (STAT5A) is a classical transcription factor that plays pivotal roles in various biological processes, including tumor initiation and progression. A fraction of STAT5A is localized in the mitochondria, but the biological functions of mitochondrial STAT5A remain obscure. Here, we show that STAT5A interacts with pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC), a mitochondrial gatekeeper enzyme connecting two key metabolic pathways, glycolysis and the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Mitochondrial STAT5A disrupts PDC integrity, thereby inhibiting PDC activity and remodeling cellular glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation. Mitochondrial translocation of STAT5A is increased under hypoxic conditions. This strengthens the Warburg effect in cancer cells and promotes in vitro cell growth under hypoxia and in vivo tumor growth. Our findings indicate distinct pro-oncogenic roles of STAT5A in energy metabolism, which is different from its classical function as a transcription factor.
Mitochondrial Ca2+ oscillation induces mitophagy initiation through the PINK1-Parkin pathway
Authors: Yu Zhengying , Wang Haipeng , Tang Wanyi , Wang Shaoyang , Tian Xiaoying , Zhu Yujie , He Hao
Published: June 2021

Dysregulation of the PINK1/Parkin-mediated mitophagy is essential to Parkinson’s disease. Although important progress has been made in previous researches, the biochemical reagents that induce global and significant mitochondrial damage may still hinder deeper insights into the mechanisms of mitophagy. The origin of PINK1/Parkin pathway activation in mitophagy remains elusive. In this study, we develop an optical method, ultra-precise laser stimulation (UPLaS) that delivers a precise and noninvasive stimulation onto a submicron region in a single mitochondrial tubular structure. UPLaS excites localized mitochondrial Ca2+ (mitoCa2+) oscillations with tiny perturbation to mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) or mitochondrial reactive oxygen species. The UPLaS-induced mitoCa2+ oscillations can directly induce PINK1 accumulation and Parkin recruitment on mitochondria. The Parkin recruitment by UPLaS requires PINK1. Our results provide a precise and noninvasive technology for research on mitophagy, which stimulates target mitochondria with little damage, and reveal mitoCa2+ oscillation directly initiates the PINK1-Parkin pathway for mitophagy without MMP depolarization.
Carbon nanocoils decorated with a porous NiCo2O4 nanosheet array as a highly efficient electrode for supercapacitors
Authors: Khan Abdul Sammed , Pan Lujun , Farid Amjad , Javid Muhammad , Huang Hui , Zhao Yongpeng
Published: June 2021

Well-organized substrate materials are of considerable significance in the development of energy-efficient pseudocapacitor electrodes.
Design, synthesis and use of phthalocyanines as a new class of visible-light photoinitiators for free-radical and cationic polymerizations
Authors: Breloy Louise , Yavuz Ozgur , Yilmaz Ismail , Yagci Yusuf , Versace Davy-Louis
Published: June 2021

Phthalocyanines present excellent photochemical properties for use as photoinitiators under visible or IR light exposure.
Activation of phosphorene-like two-dimensional GeSe for efficient electrocatalytic nitrogen reductionviastates filtering of Ru
Authors: Shu Zheng , Cai Yongqing
Published: June 2021

The filtered states of GeSe by a Ru dimer could lead to a superior NRR catalytic activity for the promoted activation of inert nitrogen bonds and subsequent reduction of nitrogen by hydrogenation.
Parallax‐based second‐order mixed attention for stereo image super‐resolution
Authors: Duan Chenyang , Xiao Nanfeng
Published: June 2021

Stereo image pairs can effectively enhance the performance of super‐resolution (SR) since both intra‐view and cross‐view information can be used. However, exploiting cross‐view information accurately is extremely challenging. Most recent methods use the attention mechanism to get stereo correspondence. But these methods ignore the high‐frequency information since they only utilise first‐order statistics, which leads to reducing the discriminative ability of the network. To address this issue, in this work, a parallax‐based second‐order mixed attention stereo SR network (PSMASSRnet) is proposed to integrate the cross‐view information from a stereo image pair for SR. Specifically, a novel parallax‐based second‐order mixed attention module (PSMAM) is developed to combine second‐order channel features and spatial features to obtain more discriminative representations. Furthermore, a dense cross‐atrous spatial pyramid pooling (ASPP) module is also presented, which can effectively explore the local and the multi‐scale features with different dilation rates to extract more discriminative features with fewer parameters and less execution. The extensive experiments on the KITTI2012, KITTI2015 and Middlebury datasets have demonstrated the superiority of the proposed PSMASSRnet over the state‐of‐the‐art methods in the aspects of both the quantitative metrics and the visual quality.
A non‐equal gap distance dielectric barrier discharge: Between cone‐shape and cylinder‐shape electrodes
Authors: Jin Shaohui , Li Zhiyu , Xian Yubin , Nie Lanlan , Lu Xinpei
Published: June 2021

A non‐equal gap distance dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) between cone‐shape and a cylinder‐shaped electrodes is reported. The DBD is driven by a nanosecond voltage pulse. When the pulse frequency is 500 Hz or lower, ladder‐shape plasma with multiple plasma layers is generated within the gap, with a distance increasing from 1 to 7 mm. According to high‐speed photographs of the plasma captured by an intensified charge‐coupled camera detector camera, the ladder‐shaped plasma is formed owing to propagation of ring‐shaped plasma from the region of the short‐gap distance to the region of long‐gap distance with regular variations in its propagation speed. The propagation speed drops to zero and lasts for about 20–30 ns at the region of each plasma layer, which results in bright plasma layers. The electric field of the plasma layer at the region of the different gap distance is evaluated according to the optical emission intensity ratio R391/394 of N2+ at 391 nm and N2 at 394 nm. The obtained electric field drops from 8.1 to 6.4 kV/mm when the plasma is propagated from regions of gap distance of 2–5 mm. When the pulse frequency is increased to 1 kHz or higher, the discharge changes into a filamentary mode and the multiple‐layer plasma disappears.
Radiation characteristics of a double‐layer spherical dielectric lens antenna with a conformal PEC disk fed by on‐axis dipoles
Authors: Tikhenko Maria E. , Radchenko Valery V. , Dukhopelnykov Sergii V. , Nosich Alexander I.
Published: June 2021

The radiation of a double‐layer spherical dielectric lens equipped with a conformal spherical‐disk PEC reflector and excited by elementary sources located on the antenna axis of rotation is considered. The sources are either a radial electric dipole or a tangential magnetic dipole. Using the analytical inversion of the static part of the homogeneous‐lens problem with the aid of the Abel integral transform, developed earlier for plane‐wave scattering, each of the considered problems are cast to the Fredholm second‐kind infinite matrix equation with elements containing only the elementary functions. This guarantees convergence and enables accurate characterisation of the considered lens antennas in terms of directivity and total radiated power, in wide frequency range. It is demonstrated that the best directivity is provided by the quasi‐Luneburg lens configuration with dielectric constants of the core and the shell being 2 and 1.1, respectively, shell thickness being 0.1 of the outer lens radius, and reflector size around 30°. This performance, however, is spoiled by the whispering‐gallery‐mode resonances that can be effectively alleviated by the introduction of the moderate losses to the shell material.
Alive Animal Model for Epilepsy by Intradorsal Striatum Injection of Colchicine
Authors: Fakhroleslam Zahra , Karami Manizheh , Roghani Mehrdad , Nejadebrahim Atiyeh
Published: June 2021

Background Epilepsy is a neural disorder with repeatable seizure attacks. In this article, we used the neurotoxin colchicine, which is derived from the plant Colchicum autumnale, to introduce a low cost but the more valuable alive animal model for epilepsy.

Materials and Methods Wistar rats weighing 250 to 300 g after intraperitoneal injection of ketamine (100 mg/kg) and xylazine (20 mg/kg) were restrained in the stereotaxic apparatus; they were cannulated in the dorsal striatal area (AP: 0.5 mm; L: 3 mm; V: 3.6 mm). One week later, an injection cannula attached to a 5-µ Hamilton syringe by polyethylene tubing guided 0.05 to 25 μg/rat colchicine in the recovered healthy rats once daily for 4 consecutive days. The control group solely received the saline solution. The behavioral signs of all animals were daily recorded. Finally, the brains of rats under deep euthanasia were collected in 10% formalin and examined histopathologically. The dorsal striatal regions were cut coronally into 3 to 4 µm-thick slices, and then stained with hematoxylin-eosin. They were eventually examined under the light microscope to verify the injection placement or possibility of lesions. All data were analyzed by analysis of variance under α = 0.05.

Results Behaviors were quantified based on Racine five-stage scoring and showed the significant epileptic generalized seizures in alive animal treated by intrastriatal injection of colchicine. However, tissue damage was invisible in the target brain area.

Conclusion The colchicine, using injection successively into the dorsal striatal region of rat, can create recurring epileptic convulsions in the animal.
Effect of Hypoproteinemia on Electrolyte Measurement by Direct and Indirect Ion Selective Electrode Methods
Authors: Gohel Mukesh , Makadia Jemil S. , Chakrabarti Chandan
Published: June 2021

Objective The aim of this study was to see the effect of hypoproteinemia on electrolyte measurement by two different techniques, that is, direct ion selective electrode (ISE) and indirect ISE.

Material and Method It was an observational study in which 90 serum samples with normal protein content (Group-1) were subjected to sodium (Na+) and potassium (K+) measurements by direct and indirect ISE methods. In the same way, 90 serum samples with total protein < 5 g/dL (Group-2) were subjected to Na+ and K+ measurements by direct and indirect ISE methods.

Result In samples from Group-1 patients, average Na+ was 138.1 ± 4.764 mmol/L by direct ISE method and 139.3 ± 3.887 mmol/L by indirect ISE method while average K+ was 4.41 ± 0.644 mmol/L by direct ISE method and 4.40 ± 0.592 mmol/L by indirect ISE method. There was no statistically significant difference in Na+ and K+ values measured by different methods. In samples from Group-2 patients, measured value of Na+ by direct ISE and indirect ISE was 134.57 ± 5.520 mmol/L and 138.64 ± 5.401 mmol/L, respectively. Difference between these two values was statistically significant with p-value of < 0.0001, but direct ISE and indirect ISE measured values of K+ was 4.146 ± 0.9639 mmol/L and 4.186 ± 0.8989, respectively, with no significant difference.

Conclusion Direct and indirect ISE methods are not comparable and showing significantly different results for Na+ in case of hypoproteinemia. So, it is recommended that setups like intensive care unit or emergency department, where electrolyte values have significant treatment outcome, should follow direct ISE method and should compare its previous result with the same method. Both the methods should not be used interchangeably.
Role of Sildenafil in Management of Pediatric Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
Authors: Janagill Monika , Pooni Puneet Aulakh , Bhargava Siddharth , Chhabra Shibba Takkar
Published: June 2021

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) has high mortality and multiple therapeutic strategies have been used to improve the outcome. Inhaled nitric oxide (INO), a pulmonary vasodilator, is used to improve oxygenation. This study was conducted to determine the role of sildenafil, an oral vasodilator, to improve oxygenation and mortality in pediatric ARDS (PARDS). The prevalence of pulmonary hypertension in PARDS was studied as well. Inclusion criteria included children (1–18 years) with ARDS requiring invasive ventilation admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit of a teaching hospital in Northern India over a 1-year period of time. Thirty-five patients met the inclusion criteria. Pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) was determined by echocardiogram. Patients with persistent hypoxemia were started on oral sildenafil. The majority of patients (77%) had a primary pulmonary etiology of PARDS. Elevated PAP (>25 mm Hg) was detected in 54.3% patients at admission. Sildenafil was given to 20 patients who had severe and persistent hypoxemia. Oxygenation improved in most patients after the first dose with statistically significant improvement in PaO2/FiO2 ratios at both 12 and 24 hours following initiation of therapeutic dosing of sildenafil. Improvement in oxygenation occurred irrespective of initial PAP. Outcomes included a total of 57.1% patients discharged, 28.6% discharged against medical advice (DAMA), and a 14.3% mortality rate. Mortality was related to the severity of PARDS and not the use of sildenafil. This is the first study to determine the effect of sildenafil in PARDS. Sildenafil led to improvement in oxygenation in nearly all the cases without affecting mortality. Due to unavailability of INO in most centers of developing countries, sildenafil may be considered as an inexpensive alternative in cases of persistent hypoxemia in PARDS. We recommend additional randomized controlled trials to confirm the effect of sildenafil in PARDS as determined in this study.
Extubation to High-Flow Nasal Cannula in Infants Following Cardiac Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Stevens Hannah , Gallant Julien , Foster Jennifer , Horne David , Krmpotic Kristina
Published: June 2021

High-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) therapy is commonly used in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) for postextubation respiratory support. This hypothesis-generating retrospective cohort study aimed to compare postextubation PICU length of stay in infants extubated to HFNC and low flow oxygen (LF) in PICU following cardiac surgery. Of 136 infants (newborn to 1 year) who were intubated and mechanically ventilated in PICU following cardiac surgery, 72 (53%) were extubated to HFNC and 64 (47%) to LF. Compared with patients extubated to LF, those extubated to HFNC had significantly longer durations of cardiopulmonary bypass (152 vs. 109 minutes; p = 0.002), aortic cross-clamp (90 vs. 63 minutes; p = 0.003), and invasive mechanical ventilation (3.2 vs. 1.6 days; p < 0.001), although demographic and preoperative clinical variables were similar. No significant difference was observed in postextubation PICU length of stay between HFNC and LF groups in unadjusted analysis (3.3 vs. 2.6 days, respectively; p = 0.19) and after controlling for potential confounding variables (F [1,125] = 0.17, p = 0.68, R2
 = 0.16). Escalation of therapy was similar between HFNC and LF groups (8.3 vs. 14.1%; p = 0.41). HFNC was effective as rescue therapy for six patients in the LF group requiring escalation of therapy. Need for reintubation was similar between HFNC and LF groups (8.3 vs. 4.7%; p = 0.5). Although extubation to HFNC was associated with a trend toward longer postextubation PICU length of stay and was successfully used as rescue therapy for several infants extubated to LF, our results must be interpreted with caution given the limitations of our study.
Vitamin D Status in Children with Idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyopathy
Authors: Raafat Duaa M. , EL-Asheer Osama M. , Mahmoud Amal A. , Darwish Manal M. , Osman Naglaa S.
Published: June 2021

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is the third leading cause of heart failure in pediatrics. The exact etiology of DCM is unknown in more than half of the cases. Vitamin D receptors are represented in cardiac muscles, endothelium, and smooth muscles of blood vessels suggesting that vitamin D could have a vital cardioprotective function. This study aimed to assess serum level of vitamin D in children with idiopathic DCM and to correlate the serum level of vitamin D with the left ventricular dimensions and function. This study is a descriptive cross-sectional single-center study, includes 44 children of both sexes, diagnosed as idiopathic DCM. Serum level of vitamin D was assessed and correlated with the left ventricular dimensions and function. Mean age of studied children was 6.08 ± 4.4 years. Vitamin D deficiency was found in 90.9% of children with idiopathic DCM with a mean level 13.48 ng/mL. There was a negative correlation between vitamin D level and fraction shortening and left ventricular end-diastolic diameter in children with DCM. Vitamin D level is not only significantly low in children with idiopathic DCM but it is also significantly correlated with the degree of left ventricular dysfunction.
The instruments of Eurozone fiscal surveillance through the lens of the soft law/hard law dichotomy—Looking for a new approach
Authors: Dermine Paul
Published: June 2021

The past decade has profoundly reshaped the fiscal governance system of the Eurozone. Supranational prerogatives vis-à-vis State budgets have been significantly expanded, thereby redefining the nature of Union action in the field of fiscal policy and transforming the dynamics between the Union and its Member States. In spite of its overhaul and the practical effects that Eurozone fiscal governance now produces on the ground, the paper shows that overall, this regulatory system still formally qualifies as soft law. This results in a deep disconnect between the form and substance of Eurozone fiscal surveillance in the Eurozone, which raises a number of constitutional challenges. The paper shows that the source of this disconnect is to be found in the strict apprehension of the hard law/soft law divide and the narrow understanding of bindingness attached to it, which currently prevails in the legal discipline, but no longer corresponds to the realities of the EU’s regulatory practice. From there on, the paper offers an alternative approach towards the distinction between hard and soft law, based on a renewed, more open and contextual, understanding of the concepts of bindingness and legal effects, which might reconcile the form and the reality of Eurozone fiscal governance nowadays.
What makes a corporate heritage brand authentic for consumers? A semiotic approach
Authors: Rindell Anne , Santos Fernando Pinto
Published: June 2021

In this article, the purpose is to develop a consumer-focused understanding of authenticity within corporate heritage research. Our research question is as follows: “What makes a corporate heritage brand authentic for consumers?” We employ Peirce’s semiotic concepts of icon, index and symbol to analyse consumers’ perceptions of the Finnish corporate heritage brand Fazer, founded in 1891. Our study shows that childhood memories, consumer experiences and expectations as well as shared social conventions make the corporate heritage brand authentic for consumers. Thus, our research empirically advances the understanding of authenticity as socially constructed. Importantly, our study highlights the temporal dimension of this construction and advances the current knowledge on corporate heritage brands by showing that uniqueness, credibility and consistency over time are key dimensions of corporate heritage brand authenticity assessments. This understanding is fundamental for corporate heritage management practice, especially for developing the strategic positioning of corporate heritage brands in the markets by harnessing the assessments of authenticity.
The politics of judicial review of elections in Ghana: Implications for judicial reforms and emerging electoral jurisprudence
Authors: Appiah-Thompson Christopher
Published: June 2021

This paper explores the contentions surrounding the legal reasoning in the judicial review of Ghana’s 2012 presidential election petition and its electoral and legal implications. Due to the political nature of the electoral petition, the judiciary is dragged into the ‘live wire’ of electoral politics, which brings their credibility and legitimacy into question. This study argues that the adversarial nature of judicial review makes it more likely for defeated political actors to impugn political bias in the administration of electoral justice, instead of adhering to the higher constitutional principles of popular sovereignty and natural justice. Based on content analyses of the different principles and interpretive methods underpinning the adjudication of the election petition, it distils some implications for the direction of judicial reforms and the emerging electoral jurisprudence. The paper demonstrates that the excessive executive powers in the appointment of procedures of judges’ revealed major cracks in the practice of judicial review. In sum, this study makes an important theoretical and empirical contribution to the current debates on the role of constitutional courts in the consolidation of democratic governance in African states.
The perils of megaphone diplomacy on Malawi’s ambitious Shire- Zambezi Waterway project
Authors: Kayuni Happy , Banik Dan , Chunga Joseph J.
Published: June 2021

The landlocked geo-political situation has been a dominating theme that has influenced Malawi’s foreign policy since independence in 1964. Mozambique shares a long border line with Malawi surrounding it from south-east to south-west and offers the closest port city for its trade and commerce. For purposes of trade, Malawi uses four so-called corridors, three of which pass through Mozambique. Malawi’s quest to deal with its geo-political disadvantage of being landlocked often appears to collide with Mozambique’s national interests. This article critically discusses a recent and highly controversial effort undertaken by Malawi to improve its geo-political position under the umbrella of the Shire-Zambezi Waterway project. The main goal of the project was to provide Malawi with access to the Indian ocean through Mozambique’s port city of Chinde. The article draws on a range of methodological approaches including extensive literature review as well as over fifty interviews with key informants. It argues that despite the project’s economic benefits, the ‘megaphone diplomacy’ strategy that the former Malawian president adopted in relation to Mozambique resulted in the failure of the project. In spite of the popularity of concepts such as ‘globalization’, ‘regional integration’ and ‘partnerships’, we demonstrate how the national interest continues to reign supreme in diplomacy. The article concludes that the waterway project may work out in the future on two possible grounds: when Malawi changes its diplomatic approach and when the national interests of both countries are harmonized.
The Zoom Effect: Exploring the Impact of Video Calling on Appearance Dissatisfaction and Interest in Aesthetic Treatment During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Pikoos Toni D , Buzwell Simone , Sharp Gemma , Rossell Susan L
Published: June 2021

Background

The popularity of videoconferencing platforms has skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, concerns have been expressed regarding the potential for video calls to promote appearance dissatisfaction because individuals are exposed to an image of themselves on camera for extended periods.

Objectives

The aim of the current study was to characterize current video usage behaviors and their relation to appearance dissatisfaction and interest in aesthetic procedures in the general population.

Methods

An online survey was completed by 335 adults currently living in Australia. Multiple aspects of video usage were assessed, including engagement in video-manipulation techniques to enhance appearance and the focus of visual attention (ie, on self or others) while on video calls. The Dysmorphic Concern Questionnaire was administered to determine if video-use behaviors were associated with greater body image disturbance.

Results

Over one-third of participants had identified new appearance concerns while on video. Dysmorphic concern was associated with self-focused attention, greater engagement in video-manipulation behaviors, and increasing appearance concerns due to their time on video calls. Individuals who identified new video-based appearance concerns reported greater interest in obtaining future beauty treatments (eg, waxing) and aesthetic procedures (eg, nonsurgical procedures such as antiwrinkle injections).

Conclusions

This is one of first empirical studies to report the potential consequences of video-call usage for increasing appearance dissatisfaction and dysmorphic concern, and to demonstrate a link between the use of video calls and interest in cosmetic procedures.
Umbilicoplasty in Abdominoplasty: Modifications for Improved Aesthetic Results
Authors: Hespe Geoffrey E , Stepien David M , Sherif Rami D , Gilman Robert H
Published: June 2021

Umbilicoplasty is a key component of any abdominoplasty as the umbilicus has been described as the central aesthetic subunit to the abdomen. Here, we describe our preferred technique for umbilicoplasty which involves a half-moon design with periumbilical defatting which in our hands produces consistent, aesthetically pleasing results.
Demystifying emerging bulk RNA-Seq applications: the application and utility of bioinformatic methodology
Authors: Thind Amarinder Singh , Monga Isha , Thakur Prasoon Kumar , Kumari Pallawi , Dindhoria Kiran , Krzak Monika , Ranson Marie , Ashford Bruce
Published: June 2021

Significant innovations in next-generation sequencing techniques and bioinformatics tools have impacted our appreciation and understanding of RNA. Practical RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) applications have evolved in conjunction with sequence technology and bioinformatic tools advances. In most projects, bulk RNA-Seq data is used to measure gene expression patterns, isoform expression, alternative splicing and single-nucleotide polymorphisms. However, RNA-Seq holds far more hidden biological information including details of copy number alteration, microbial contamination, transposable elements, cell type (deconvolution) and the presence of neoantigens. Recent novel and advanced bioinformatic algorithms developed the capacity to retrieve this information from bulk RNA-Seq data, thus broadening its scope. The focus of this review is to comprehend the emerging bulk RNA-Seq-based analyses, emphasizing less familiar and underused applications. In doing so, we highlight the power of bulk RNA-Seq in providing biological insights.
Patterns and resectability of colorectal cancer recurrences: outcome study within the COLOFOL trial
Authors: Hansdotter P , Scherman P , Petersen S H , Mikalonis M , Holmberg E , Rizell M , Naredi P , Syk I
Published: June 2021

Background

Improvements in surgery, imaging, adjuvant treatment, and management of metastatic disease have led to modification of previous approaches regarding the risk of recurrence and prognosis in colorectal cancer. The aims of this study were to map patterns, risk factors, and the possibility of curative treatment of recurrent colorectal cancer in a multimodal setting.

Methods

This was a cohort study based on the COLOFOL trial population of patients who underwent radical resection of stage II or III colorectal cancer. The medical files of all patients with recurrence within 5 years after resection of the primary tumour were scrutinized. Follow-up time was 5 years after the first recurrence. Primary endpoints were cumulative incidence, site, timing, and risk factors for recurrence, and rate of potentially curative treatment. A secondary endpoint was survival.

Results

Of 2442 patients, 471 developed recurrences. The 5-year cumulative incidence was 21.4 (95 per cent c.i. 19.5 to 23.3) per cent. The median time to detection was 1.1 years after surgery and 87.3 per cent were detected within 3 years. Some 98.2 per cent of patients who had potentially curative treatment were assessed by a multidisciplinary tumour board. A total of 47.8 per cent of the recurrences were potentially curatively treated. The 5-year overall survival rate after detection was 32.0 (95 per cent c.i. 27.9 to 36.3) per cent for all patients with recurrence, 58.6 (51.9 to 64.7) per cent in the potentially curatively treated group and 7.7 (4.8 to 11.5) per cent in the palliatively treated group.

Conclusion

Time to recurrence was similar to previous results, whereas the 21.4 per cent risk of recurrence was somewhat lower. The high proportion of patients who received potentially curative treatment, linked to a 5-year overall survival rate of 58.6 per cent, indicates that it is possible to achieve good results in recurrent colorectal cancer following multidisciplinary assessment.
Synaptic and Genetic Bases of Impaired Motor Learning Associated with Modified Experience-Dependent Cortical Plasticity in Heterozygous Reeler Mutants
Authors: Nishibe Mariko , Toyoda Hiroki , Hiraga Shin-ichiro , Yamashita Toshihide , Katsuyama Yu
Published: June 2021

Patients with neurodevelopmental disorders show impaired motor skill learning. It is unclear how the effect of genetic variation on synaptic function and transcriptome profile may underlie experience-dependent cortical plasticity, which supports the development of fine motor skills. RELN (reelin) is one of the genes implicated in neurodevelopmental psychiatric vulnerability. Heterozygous reeler mutant (HRM) mice displayed impairments in reach-to-grasp learning, accompanied by less extensive cortical map reorganization compared with wild-type mice, examined after 10 days of training by intracortical microstimulation. Assessed by patch-clamp recordings after 3 days of training, the training induced synaptic potentiation and increased glutamatergic-transmission of cortical layer III pyramidal neurons in wild-type mice. In contrast, the basal excitatory and inhibitory synaptic functions were depressed, affected both by presynaptic and postsynaptic impairments in HRM mice; and thus, no further training-induced synaptic plasticity occurred. HRM exhibited downregulations of cortical synaptophysin, immediate-early gene expressions, and gene enrichment, in response to 3 days of training compared with trained wild-type mice, shown using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, immunohistochemisty, and RNA-sequencing. We demonstrated that motor learning impairments associated with modified experience-dependent cortical plasticity are at least partially attributed by the basal synaptic alternation as well as the aberrant early experience-induced gene enrichment in HRM.