bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Atmospheric mercury pollution: the current methodological framework outlined by environmental legislation
Authors: Ciani Francesco , Rimondi Valentina , Costagliola Pilario
Published: May 2021

Mercury is a toxic pollutant that exists in the atmosphere in several forms, operationally identified according to their chemical and physical characteristics. The problem of atmospheric mercury pollution has recently received increasing attention, as evidenced by the numerous European regulations issued in the last years. The normative question is closely related to the methodological one, as the quantification of the mercury species is strictly linked to the sampling and analysis methods. Due to their different bioavailability, airborne mercury forms detection is fundamental both in outdoor and indoor (i.e., workplace) environments. This paper presents an overview of European legislation on atmospheric mercury pollution, with particular attention to the Italian legislation. Starting from the regulatory protocols, the methodological framework for mercury quantification was reviewed, underlining the limits and the problems of the different methodologies and providing new guidance for the analysis. Regulatory and methodological updates have led to great specificity in mercury quantification, which is distinguished for the outdoor and indoor environments. For workplace environments, all mercury species (i.e., gaseous and particulate mercury) are required to be quantified by the Italian legislation; on the contrary, only gaseous compounds are monitored in outdoor conditions. It hence appears of primary importance that the monitoring operator chooses the sampling and analytical method for mercury sampling and analysis that correctly adheres to the normative regulations. Detailed norms describe how to carry on the monitoring in both outdoor and indoor conditions, preventing the operator’s arbitrariness, which otherwise can lead to airborne mercury underestimation/overestimation.
Garfinkel’s Politics: Collaborating with Parsons to Document Taken-for-Granted Practices for Assembling Cultural Objects and their Grounding in Implicit Social Contract
Authors: Rawls Anne W. , Turowetz Jason
Published: May 2021

From his 1940–1942 studies of Race, through his 1967 study of an “inter-sexed” person called Agnes, Garfinkel’s researchwas always politically engaged. When Garfinkel was Parsons’ PhD student at Harvard (1946–1952) and later during a period of collaboration with Parsons (1958–1964), both theorized culture as a domain of social interaction independent from social structure and resting on its own implicit social contract. This conception of culture grounded their respective “voluntaristic” and “reciprocity” based approaches to specifying assembly processes for making social categories in a way that put the empirical assembly of categories under a microscope and made social justice a scientific concern. Garfinkel emphasized the importance of social contract aspects of Parsons’ theory – adapted from Durkheim – and with his studies in ethnomethodology, planned to contribute an empirical foundation for aspects of Parsons’ position that were criticized for their abstraction. Nevertheless, important differences remained. Parsons’ model required assimilation and consensus, thus inadvertently enforcing existing inequalities. Garfinkel, by contrast, was deeply concerned with “structural problems” like inequality, and treatedassimilationistpositions as scientifically and ethically unsound. His research documented reciprocity as a pre-requisite for successful interaction, while treating “troubles” generated by inequality as an important key to understanding social order writ large.
Losing Meaning: Philosophical Reflections on Neural Interventions and their Influence on Narrative Identity
Authors: Leuenberger Muriel
Published: May 2021

The profound changes in personality, mood, and other features of the self that neural interventions can induce can be disconcerting to patients, their families, and caregivers. In the neuroethical debate, these concerns are often addressed in the context of possible threats to the narrative self. In this paper, I argue that it is necessary to consider a dimension of impacts on the narrative self which has so far been neglected: neural interventions can lead to a loss of meaning of actions, feelings, beliefs, and other intentional elements of our self-narratives. To uphold the coherence of the self-narrative, the changes induced by neural interventions need to be accounted for through explanations in intentional or biochemical terms. However, only an explanation including intentional states delivers the content to directly ascribe personal meaning, i.e., subjective value to events. Neural interventions can deprive events of meaning because they may favor a predominantly biochemical account. A loss of meaning is not inherently negative but it can be problematic, particularly if events are affected one was not prepared or willing to have stripped of meaning. The paper further examines what it is about neural interventions that impacts meaning by analyzing different methods. To which degree the pull towards a biochemical view occurs depends on the characteristics of the neural intervention. By comparing Deep Brain Stimulation, Prozac, Ritalin, psychedelics, and psychotherapy, the paper identifies some main factors: the rate of change, the transparency of the causal chain, the involvement of the patient, and the presence of an acute phenomenological experience.
Hippocampal Interneurons are Required for Trace Eyeblink Conditioning in Mice
Authors: Zhang Wei-Wei , Li Rong-Rong , Zhang Jie , Yan Jie , Zhang Qian-Hui , Hu Zhi-An , Hu Bo , Yao Zhong-Xiang , Chen Hao
Published: May 2021

While the hippocampus has been implicated in supporting the association among time-separated events, the underlying cellular mechanisms have not been fully clarified. Here, we combined in vivo multi-channel recording and optogenetics to investigate the activity of hippocampal interneurons in freely-moving mice performing a trace eyeblink conditioning (tEBC) task. We found that the hippocampal interneurons exhibited conditioned stimulus (CS)-evoked sustained activity, which predicted the performance of conditioned eyeblink responses (CRs) in the early acquisition of the tEBC. Consistent with this, greater proportions of hippocampal pyramidal cells showed CS-evoked decreased activity in the early acquisition of the tEBC. Moreover, optogenetic suppression of the sustained activity in hippocampal interneurons severely impaired acquisition of the tEBC. In contrast, suppression of the sustained activity of hippocampal interneurons had no effect on the performance of well-learned CRs. Our findings highlight the role of hippocampal interneurons in the tEBC, and point to a potential cellular mechanism subserving associative learning.
Application of Carbonized Starches as Carbon Electrode Active Material Compared to Graphene Nanoplatelets-Based Anode in a Lithium-Ion Cell
Authors: Pigłowska Marita , Kurc Beata , Rymaniak Łukasz
Published: May 2021

The main aim of this research is the examination of the physicochemical properties and their impact on the electrochemical activity of carbon materials obtained from the starch of different botanical origin (SCs). The obtained materials are compared to graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) of different particle sizes (5 and 25 µm) applied as an anode active material for high-performance lithium-ion cells. SCs were obtained via thermal carbonization and this process enables an obtainment of better sorption properties compared to GNPs. The excellent electrochemical properties are mainly attributed to the good DLi+(3.03 × 10−13–7.64 × 10−11cm2s−1for SCs and 7.60 × 10−13–5.42 × 10−12cm2s−1for GNPs) and relatively small resistances (EIS). However, the primary focus is on the specific capacity and cyclability. The capacity retentions of CSC cycled at 1 mA g−1, 10 mA g−1, 50 mA g−1, 1 mA g−1for 50 cycles are 98%, 99%, 96%, 94% with specific capacities equal to 820, 800, 790, 1000 mAh g−1, respectively. The 5GNPs and 25GNPs may present a much smaller reversible capacity of 650, 600 mAh g−1at 10 mA g−1. The thermal modification process of starches is simple, safe and widely applied, providing new paths for rational engineering of anode materials for LIBs. Moreover, the applied materials are easily available worldwide and are promising in the well-known Green Chemistry aspect making the cells more biodegradable.

Graphic Abstract
Perforated gastric cancer: a critical appraisal
Authors: Di Carlo Sara , Franceschilli Marzia , Rossi Piero , Cavallaro Giuseppe , Cardi Maurizio , Vinci Danilo , Sibio Simone
Published: May 2021

Gastric cancer perforation is a life-threatening condition that accounts for less than 5% of all gastric cancer patients and typically requires emergency surgery. However, preoperative diagnosis is difficult and management has a dual purpose: to treat peritonitis and to achieve a curative resection. The optimal surgical strategy is still unclear and prognosis remains poor. A search of the literature was performed using MEDLINE databases (Pubmed, EMBASE, Web of Science and Cochrane) using terms such as “perforated gastric cancer”, “perforated gastric cancer and surgery”, “perforated gastric tumour” and “gastric cancer perforated”. Case reports, other reviews, non-english written papers and papers written before 2010 were excluded. Eight articles published between 2010 and 2020 matched the inclusion criteria for this review. Perforated gastric cancer was more prevalent in elderly males. Distal stomach was most frequently involved. Preoperative diagnosis was uncommon. Mortality rates ranged from 2 to 46%. Patients able to receive an R0 resection demonstrated better long-term survival compared with patients who had simple closure procedures. Laparoscopic procedure was mentioned only in one study. In an emergency situation, curative RO resection should always be offered in patients without multiple adverse factors. A surgical strategy using laparoscopic local repair as first step of surgery to resolve the peritonitis followed by a radical open or laparoscopic gastrectomy with lymphadenectomy could be considered. A balance between emergency and oncological needs should drive the surgical choice on a case by case basis.
The orbit of closure-involution operations: the case of Boolean functions
Authors: Dassow Jürgen
Published: May 2021

For a setAof Boolean functions, a closure operatorcand an involutioni, let$$\mathcal{N}_{c,i}(A)$$Nc,i(A)be the number of sets which can be obtained fromAby repeated applications ofcandi. The orbit$$\mathcal{O}(c,i)$$O(c,i)is defined as the set of all these numbers. We determine the orbits$$\mathcal{O}(S,i)$$O(S,i)whereSis the closure defined by superposition andiis the complement or the duality. For the negation$${{\,\mathrm{non}\,}}$$non, the orbit$$\mathcal{O}(S,{{\,\mathrm{non}\,}})$$O(S,non)is almost determined. Especially, we show that the orbit in all these cases contains at most seven numbers. Moreover, we present some closure operators where the orbit with respect to duality and negation is arbitrarily large.
Introduction: Managed retreat and environmental justice in a changing climate
Authors: Siders A. R. , Ajibade Idowu
Published: May 2021

In response to global climate change, managed retreat has emerged as a controversial adaptation strategy. The purposeful movement of people and communities away from hazardous places raises numerous social and environmental justice concerns that will become even more pressing as retreat occurs more frequently and at larger scales. This special issue contributes to an emerging body of literature on managed retreat by providing a range of perspectives and approaches to considering justice in managed retreat. The assembled papers represent diversevoices(including perspectives from individuals whose communities are currently relocating or considering relocation),disciplines(including oral histories, legal analyses, and cultural heritage considerations), andlensesthrough which to consider the justice implications of managed retreat. They describe completed, in-progress, and foiled relocations. They suggest opportunities for improvement through improved evaluations and broader collaborations. While each presents a unique lens, key themes emerge around the need for transparent and equitable policies, self-determination of communities, holistic metrics for assessing individual and community well-being, the importance of culture both as something to be protected and an asset to be leveraged, and the need to address historical and systemic injustices that contribute to vulnerability and exposure to risk.
Mindfulness in Treatment Approaches for Addiction — Underlying Mechanisms and Future Directions
Authors: Rosenthal Annika , Levin Michael E. , Garland Eric L. , Romanczuk-Seiferth Nina
Published: May 2021

Purpose of Review

While the treatment of addictive disorders proves to be challenging, new treatment approaches that evolved around the concepts of mindfulness and acceptance have been utilized and investigated in recent years. Our goal is to summarize the efficacy and possible underlying mechanisms of mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) in addictive disorders.

Recent Findings

Various meta-analyses have suggested that MBIs show clinical efficacy in the treatment of addictive disorders. Considering the factors that impact addictive disorders, MBIs have been indicated to augment responsiveness to natural rewards in contrast to addiction-related cues as well as to increase top-down cognitive control, decrease subjective and physiological stress perception, and enhance positive affect.

In summary, MBIs hold promise in treating addictive disorders while larger randomized controlled trials with longitudinal study designs are needed to confirm their utility. Newest clinical endeavors strive to enhance the clinical utility of MBIs by augmentation or personalization.
Asperity-based modification on theory of contact mechanics and rubber friction for self-affine fractal surfaces
Authors: Emami Anahita , Khaleghian Seyedmeysam , Taheri Saied
Published: May 2021

Modeling the real contact area plays a key role in every tribological process, such as friction, adhesion, and wear. Contact between two solids does not necessarily occur everywhere within the apparent contact area. Considering the multiscale nature of roughness, Persson proposed a theory of contact mechanics for a soft and smooth solid in contact with a rigid rough surface. In this theory, he assumed that the vertical displacement on the soft surface could be approximated by the height profile of the substrate surface. Although this assumption gives an accurate pressure distribution at the interface for complete contact, when no gap exists between two surfaces, it results in an overestimation of elastic energy stored in the material for partial contact, which typically occurs in many practical applications. This issue was later addressed by Persson by including a correction factor obtained from the comparison of the theoretical results with molecular dynamics simulation. This paper proposes a different approach to correct the overestimation of vertical displacement in Persson’s contact theory for rough surfaces with self-affine fractal properties. The results are compared with the correction factor proposed by Persson. The main advantage of the proposed method is that it uses physical parameters such as the surface roughness characteristics, material properties, sliding velocity, and normal load to correct the model. This method is also implemented in the theory of rubber friction. The results of the corrected friction model are compared with experiments. The results confirm that the modified model predicts the friction coefficient as a function of sliding velocity more accurately than the original model.
Mechanochemical reactions of GaN-Al2O3 interface at the nanoasperity contact: Roles of crystallographic polarity and ambient humidity
Authors: Guo Jian , Gao Jian , Xiao Chen , Chen Lei , Qian Linmao
Published: May 2021

Mechanochemical reactions of the GaN-Al2O3 interface offer a novel principle for scientific and technological merits in the micro-/nano-scale ultra-precision surface machining. In this work, the mechanochemical reactions on Ga- and N-faced GaN surfaces rubbed by the Al2O3 nanoasperity as a function of the environmental humidity were investigated. Experimental results indicate that the N-face exhibits much stronger mechanochemical removal over the relative humidity range of 20%–80% than the Ga-face. Increasing water molecules in environmental conditions significantly promotes the interfacial mechanochemical reactions and hence accelerates the atomic attrition on N-face. The hypothesized mechanism of the selective water-involved mechanochemical removal is associated with the dangling bond configuration, which affects the mechanically-stimulated chemical reactions via altering the activation energy barrier to form the bonding bridge across the sliding interface. These findings can enrich the understanding of the underlying mechanism of mechanochemical reactions at GaN-Al2O3 interface and a broad cognition for regulating the mechanochemical reactions widely existing in scientific and engineering applications.
Approximate Solutions for Dark and Singular Optical Solitons of Chen-Lee-Liu Model by Adomian-based Methods
Authors: Mohammed A. S. H. F. , Bakodah H. O.
Published: May 2021

The current manuscript investigates by proposing new numerical schemes based on the Adomian's technique for the resolution of the dark and singular solutions of the Chen-Lee-Liu (CLL) equation. More precisely, the schemes are derived from the Wazwaz's modification of the Adomian's method and the improved Adomian's method for treating complex-valued evolution equations. The CLL model is applicable to a variety of applications including photonic and optical crystal fibers. The schemes which are implemented via the help of theMaplesoftware have many salient advantages as contained in the comparative analysis. Finally, we depict certain results graphically together with some supportive tables, in addition to some comprehensive remarks.
Engineering Two-Phase Bifunctional Oxygen Electrocatalysts with Tunable and Synergetic Components for Flexible Zn–Air Batteries
Authors: Niu Yanli , Teng Xue , Gong Shuaiqi , Xu Mingze , Sun Shi-Gang , Chen Zuofeng
Published: May 2021

Metal–air batteries, like Zn–air batteries (ZABs) are usually suffered from low energy conversion efficiency and poor cyclability caused by the sluggish OER and ORR at the air cathode.
Herein, a novel bimetallic Co/CoFe nanomaterial supported on nanoflower-like N-doped graphitic carbon (NC) was prepared through a strategy of coordination construction–cation exchange-pyrolysis and used as a highly efficient bifunctional oxygen electrocatalyst. Experimental characterizations and density functional theory calculations reveal the formation of Co/CoFe heterostructure and synergistic effect between metal layer and NC support, leading to improved electric conductivity, accelerated reaction kinetics, and optimized adsorption energy for intermediates of ORR and OER. The Co/CoFe@NC exhibits high bifunctional activities with a remarkably small potential gap of 0.70 V between the half-wave potential (E1/2) of ORR and the potential at 10 mA cm‒2 (Ej=10) of OER. The aqueous ZAB constructed using this air electrode exhibits a slight voltage loss of only 60 mV after 550-cycle test (360 h, 15 days). A sodium polyacrylate (PANa)-based hydrogel electrolyte was synthesized with strong water-retention capability and high ionic conductivity. The quasi-solid-state ZAB by integrating the Co/CoFe@NC air electrode and PANa hydrogel electrolyte demonstrates excellent mechanical stability and cyclability under different bending states.
In-Cell Nanoelectronics: Opening the Door to Intracellular Electrophysiology
Authors: Xu Dongxin , Mo Jingshan , Xie Xi , Hu Ning
Published: May 2021

Establishing a reliable electrophysiological recording platform is crucial for cardiology and neuroscience research. Noninvasive and label-free planar multitransistors and multielectrode arrays are conducive to perform the large-scale cellular electrical activity recordings, but the signal attenuation limits these extracellular devices to record subthreshold activities. In recent decade, in-cell nanoelectronics have been rapidly developed to open the door to intracellular electrophysiology. With the unique three-dimensional nanotopography and advanced penetration strategies, high-throughput and high-fidelity action potential like signal recordings is expected to be realized. This review summarizes in-cell nanoelectronics from versatile nano-biointerfaces, penetration strategies, active/passive nanodevices, systematically analyses the applications in electrogenic cells and especially evaluates the influence of nanodevices on the high-quality intracellular electrophysiological signals. Further, the opportunities, challenges and broad prospects of in-cell nanoelectronics are prospected, expecting to promote the development of in-cell electrophysiological platforms to meet the demand of theoretical investigation and clinical application."Image missing"
What process causes the slowdown of pressure solution creep
Authors: Lu Renchao , Cheng Chaojie , Nagel Thomas , Milsch Harald , Yasuhara Hideaki , Kolditz Olaf , Shao Haibing
Published: May 2021

The slowdown of pressure solution creep has been thought to be caused by stress redistribution. This study presents a fresh view towards this creep behaviour. Basically, two rate-limiting mechanisms come into play amid pressure solution creep: (1) stress redistribution across expanding inter-granular contacts and (2) solute accumulation in the water film. Because non-hydrostatic dissolution occurs under open system conditions, solute accumulation in the water film is constrained by the ensuing solute transport process. Relying on the matter exchange across the contact surface boundary, the active processes in the voids, e.g., solute migration and deposition, affect pressure solution creep. Based upon the above, we sum up two requirements that have to be met for achieving chemical compaction equilibrium: (1) the Gibbs free energy of reaction, i.e., the driving force of non-hydrostatic dissolution process, gets depleted and (2) the concentration gradient between the water film and surrounding pore water vanishes.

Highlights

The slowdown of pressure solution creep is a combined result of stress migration across contacts and solute accumulation in the water film.

Matter exchange with the surroundings inhibits solute accumulation in the water film.

This article identifies two prerequisites that need to be fulfilled for achieving chemical compaction equilibrium.
Improved approximate rips filtrations with shifted integer lattices and cubical complexes
Authors: Choudhary Aruni , Kerber Michael , Raghvendra Sharath
Published: May 2021

Rips complexes are important structures for analyzing topological features of metric spaces. Unfortunately, generating these complexes is expensive because of a combinatorial explosion in the complex size. Fornpoints in$$\mathbb {R}^d$$Rd, we present a scheme to construct a 2-approximation of the filtration of the Rips complex in the$$L_\infty $$L∞-norm, which extends to a$$2d^{0.25}$$2d0.25-approximation in the Euclidean case. Thek-skeleton of the resulting approximation has a total size of$$n2^{O(d\log k +d)}$$n2O(dlogk+d). The scheme is based on the integer lattice and simplicial complexes based on the barycentric subdivision of thed-cube. We extend our result to use cubical complexes in place of simplicial complexes by introducingcubical mapsbetween complexes. We get the same approximation guarantee as the simplicial case, while reducing the total size of the approximation to only$$n2^{O(d)}$$n2O(d)(cubical) cells. There are two novel techniques that we use in this paper. The first is the use ofacyclic carriersfor proving our approximation result. In our application, these are maps which relate the Rips complex and the approximation in a relatively simple manner and greatly reduce the complexity of showing the approximation guarantee. The second technique is what we refer to asscale balancing, which is a simple trick to improve the approximation ratio under certain conditions.
Sexual Violence Against Children and Transitional Justice: Bearing Witness and Preserving Testimony About Injustice in Childhood
Authors: Andresen Sabine
Published: May 2021

Efforts to come to terms with sexual violence against children and adolescents are predicated on a desire to achieve justice. Based on the work done by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse in Germany, this article attempts to identify the interfaces between the Inquiry’s undertakings and the field of transitional justice. Using an approach informed by the theory of childhood, it examines the issues that arise when survivors bear witness to past childhood events. This must adopt a perspective that is sensitive to childhood and adolescence as unique life phases. That, in turn, requires accounting for concomitant factors, such as the context presented by a child’s growth and development, the function of families, the role played by educational institutions, and the legal position accorded children by society. The article thus adopts a framework rooted in childhood theory that considers children both generally as human beings and specifically as children.
Population assessment of common storage pests in deiri date palm cultivar using spectrophotometric method
Authors: Latifian Masoud , Rad Bahar
Published: May 2021

Opportune and accurate identification of Date pests during storage, is prerequisite for reducing pest damages and having a good export. The present study aimed to define a new sampling method for three main storage pests Oryzaephilus surinamensis (Linnaeus), Ephestia kuehniella (Zeller) and Plodia interpunctella (Hübner) in date Deiri Cultivar, by Spectrophotometer. The experiments were conducted in a completely randomized design with factorial arrangement in two levels. The first factor consisted of 4 levels including different stages in pests life cycle and the second factor had 10 levels including different densities of each development stage of insect species. First, the curve of changes in absorbance level in each life cycle stage was plotted against the wavelength changes and again it was repeated for each species. This curve enabled us to determine the absorption range of the device in different wavelengths. Our results showed that the maximum absorption wavelength for egg, larva, pupa and adult of O. surinamensis, in Deiri Cultivar was 1210, 1230, 1250, 1270 nm, respectively. These values were 1320, 1340, 1380, 1390 nm for E. kuehniella and 1350, 1400, 1410, 1480 nm for P. interpunctella, respectively. The lowest sample size (each sample consisted of 110 g of date fruits) for an accurate estimation of theegg, larva, pupa and adult of O. surinamensis were 1, 2, 2, 2, respectively. These values were 1, 1, 3, 3 samples for E. kuehniella and 1, 2, 2, 2 samples for P. interpunctella, respectively. The Relative Variation values for the four development stages of O. surinamensis were 1.39, 2.41, 2.91 and 3.12, respectively. These values were 1.59, 1.63, 4.62 and 4.34 for E. kuehniella and 1.78. 3.24, 2.62 and 2.24 for P. interpunctella, respectively. The accuracy level of samplings was lower than 10 in all the cases. The Relative net precision values for three studied pests in all life cycle stages were 35.95, 20.73, 17.19, 16.06 for O. surinamensis; 31.32, 30.69, 10.82, 11.53 for E. kuehniella and 28.15, 15.42, 19.05, 22.27 for P. interpunctella, respectively. Therefore, we can conclude that the spectrophotometer can detect the hidden life cycle stages of studied pests in Deiri cultivar during storage and reduce the cost of sampling.
Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery in gynecology: What do we know till now?
Authors: Moufawad Graziella , Albaini Obey , Farah Stephanie , Jallad Karl
Published: May 2021

Surgical advancements are focusing currently on minimally invasive techniques, the latest of which is natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery. Though this approach is feasible through different natural orifices, the vaginal approach is the one which gained attention the most, given the vaginal flexibility and the ability to access pelvic and abdominal organs. Compared to gynecologists, general surgeons were precedents for using the vaginal orifice as a port of surgical entry. However, this vaginal approach is being more frequently implemented during gynecological surgeries nowadays. Advantages of natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery include scarless surgery, better exposure, reduced pain scores, less peri-operative complications, shorter hospital stay and improved patient satisfaction. This article provides an idea on the application of vaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery in gynecology along with future potentials.
Child and adolescent mental health disorders in the GCC
Authors: Chan Moon Fai , Al Balushi Rola , Al Falahi Maryam , Mahadevan Sangeetha , Al Saadoon Muna , Al-Adawi Samir
Published: May 2021

Background:

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), with a predominant ‘youth bulge’ among its 54 million people, has witnessed an exponential increase in research pertinent to child and adolescent mental health (CAMH). Aside from a few narrative reviews, to date, no critical appraisal examining the magnitude of CAMH has emerged from this region.

Aims:

This study aimed to report the prevalence rates of CAMH disorders in the GCC through a systematic review of the existing literature followed by a meta-analysis.

Methods:

A systematic review of the literature from the six GCC countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates) was conducted. The databases used included Scopus, ProQuest, Pubmed, and a final check was performed on Google Scholar to account for any remaining studies that may have still been under review. Meta analytic techniques were then used to estimate prevalence rates of each specific mental disorder, i.e. ADHD, depression, anxiety, stress, eating disorders, and tobacco use disorder.

Results:

A total of 33 studies from the six countries were included. The pooled prevalence of ADHD as per the Vanderbilt ADHD Diagnostic Rating Scale (VADHDDRS), clinical judgments, Attention Deficit Disorders Evaluation Scale (ADDES), and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was found to be 13.125%, 13.38%, 26.135%, and 12.83%, respectively. The pooled prevalence of depressive symptoms solicited by the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS), and Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents (MINI Kid) was 44.684%, 45.09%, and 26.12%, respectively. The pooled prevalence of anxiety according to the DASS and the MINI Kid was 57.04% and 17.27%, respectively, while the pooled prevalence of stress as per the DASS was found to be 43.15%. The pooled prevalence of disordered eating solicited by the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) was 31.55%. Lastly, the pooled prevalence of tobacco use disorder per the Global Youth Tobacco Survey was 19.39%.

Discussion:

To date, this is the first systematic review and meta-analysis of its kind from the GCC. The prevalence rate of CAMH disorders appears to be in the upper range of international trends. The higher rates could be attributed to the existing studies using suboptimal methodological approaches and instruments to solicit the presence of CAMH.
Republic at Risk
Authors: Stone Walter J. , McCann James A.
Published: May 2021

When people have the freedom to further their own personal interests in politics, the results may be disastrous. Chaos? Tyranny? Can a political system be set up to avoid these pitfalls, while still granting citizens and politicians the freedom to pursue their interests? Republic at Risk is a concise and engaging introduction to American politics. The guiding theme is the problem of self-interest in politics, which James Madison took as his starting point in his defense of representative government in Federalist 10 and 51. Madison believed that unchecked self-interest in politics was a risk to a well-ordered and free society. But he also held that political institutions could be designed to harness self-interest for the greater good. Putting Madison's theory to the test, the authors examine modern challenges to the integrity and effectiveness of US policy-making institutions, inviting readers to determine how best to respond to these risks.
A Complete Data Set of Equatorial Projections of Saturn's Energetic Neutral Atom Emissions Observed by Cassini‐INCA
Authors: Bader A. , Kinrade J. , Badman S. V. , Paranicas C. , Constable D. A. , Mitchell D. G.
Published: May 2021

Observations of energetic neutral atoms (ENAs) are a useful tool for analyzing ion and neutral abundances in planetary magnetospheres. They are created when hot plasma, originating for example from magnetic reconnection sites, charge‐exchanges with the ambient neutral population surrounding the planet. The motion of ENAs is not governed by the magnetic field, allowing remote imaging. During the Cassini mission, the Ion and Neutral CAmera (INCA) of the Magnetosphere Imaging Instrument (MIMI) collected vast amounts of hydrogen and oxygen ENA observations of Saturn's magnetosphere from a variety of different viewing geometries. To enable investigations of the morphology and dynamics of Saturn's ring current, it is useful to re‐bin and re‐project the camera‐like views from the spacecraft‐based perspective into a common reference frame. We developed an algorithm projecting INCA's ENA observations into a regular grid in Saturn's equatorial plane. With most neutrals and ions being confined into an equatorial rotating disc, this projection is quite accurate in both spatial location and preservation of ENA intensity, provided the spacecraft is located at large enough elevations. Such projections were performed for all INCA ENA data from the Cassini Saturn tour; the data are available for download together with a Python routine flagging contaminated data and returning detailed spacecraft geometry information. The resulting data set is a good foundation for investigating for example the statistical properties of Saturn's ring current and its complicated dynamics in relation to other remote and in situ observations of, for example, auroral emissions and magnetotail reconnection events.
The Ionosphere at Middle and Low Latitudes Under Geomagnetic Quiet Time of December 2019
Authors: Kuai Jiawei , Li Qiaoling , Zhong Jiahao , Zhou Xu , Liu Libo , Yoshikawa Akimasa , Hu Lianhuan , Xie Haiyong , Huang Chaoyan , Yu Xumin , Wan Xin , Cui Jun
Published: May 2021

The ionospheric electron density shows remarkable day‐to‐day variability due to solar radiance, geomagnetic activity and lower atmosphere forcing. In this report, we investigated the ionospheric variations at middle and low latitudes during a period under geomagnetic quiet time (Kpmax = 1.7) from November 30 to December 8, 2019. During the quiescent period, the ionosphere is not undisturbed as expected in the Asian‐Australian and the American sectors. Total electron content (TEC) has multiple prominent enhancements at middle and low latitudes in the two sectors, and TEC depletions also occur repeatedly in the Asian‐Australian sector. The low‐latitude electric fields vary significantly, which is likely to be modulated by the notably changing tides in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere region. It is worth noting that the variations of TEC and the electric fields are not consistent in the two sectors, particularly on December 4–6. Further investigation reveals that the increase in TEC depends on altitude. The TEC enhancements are mainly contributed by the altitude below 500 km in both two sectors, which indirectly reflects that the driving sources may come from the lower atmosphere. Especially, a mid‐latitude band structure continuously appears at all local times in the North American sector on December 6–8, which is also mainly contributed by the altitude below 500 km.
Modeling the Dynamics of Radiation Belt Electrons With Source and Loss Driven by the Solar Wind
Authors: Xiang Zheng , Li Xinlin , Kapali Sudha , Gannon Jennifer , Ni Binbin , Zhao Hong , Zhang Kun , Khoo Leng Ying
Published: May 2021

A radial diffusion model directly driven by the solar wind is developed to reproduce MeV electron variations between L = 2–12 (L is L* in this study) from October 2012 to April 2015. The radial diffusion coefficient, internal source rate, quick loss due to EMIC waves, and slow loss due to hiss waves are all expressed in terms of the solar wind speed, dynamic pressure, and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). The model achieves a prediction efficiency (PE) of 0.45 at L = 5 and 0.51 at L = 4 after converting the electron phase space densities to differential fluxes and comparing with Van Allen Probes measurements of 2  and 3 MeV electrons at L = 5 and L = 4, respectively. Machine learning techniques are used to tune parameters to get higher PE. By tuning parameters for every 60‐day period, the model obtains PE values of 0.58 and 0.82 at L = 5 and L = 4, respectively. Inspired by these results, we divide the solar wind activity into three categories based on the condition of solar wind speed, IMF Bz, and dynamic pressure, and then tune these three sets of parameters to obtain the highest PE. This experiment confirms that the solar wind speed has the greatest influence on the electron flux variations, particularly at higher L, while the dynamic pressure has more influence at lower L. Also, the PE at L = 4 is mostly higher than those at L = 5, suggesting that the electron loss due to the magnetopause shadowing combined with the outward radial diffusion is not well captured in the model.
The Influence of Ionospheric Neutral Wind Variations on the Morphology and Propagation of Medium Scale Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances on 8th August 2016
Authors: Luo Ji , Xu Jiyao , Wu Kun , Wang Wenbin , Xiong Chao , Yuan Wei
Published: May 2021

This study reports a special case of the propagation and morphology of medium scale traveling ionospheric disturbances (MSTIDs) over middle‐latitude China on the night of August 8, 2016. The MSTIDs were simultaneously observed by multi‐instruments, including the all‐sky imager, Swarm satellite, and global positioning system (GPS). The MSTIDs lasted for about 6 h in the field view of airglow imager, showing typical wavelength, phase velocity of 272–296 km and 67–250 m/s, respectively. In addition, the imagers show that the inclination angles of phase fronts for some MSTIDs were decreasing during their propagation, resulting in the propagation direction changed from southwestward to nearly westward. More interestingly, the MSTIDs began to dissipate in the airglow observation when they propagated to lower latitudes (below ∼40°N) whereas the MSTIDs at higher latitudes were still visible in the later local times. Simulation results from the Thermosphere‐Ionosphere‐Electrodynamics General Circulation Model are fairly consistent with the Fabry‐Perot Interferometer (FPI) wind observations, which provide convincing explanation to show that the variations of ionospheric neutral winds might play important roles in the changes of propagation direction and the dissipation of MSTIDs.
Low‐Latitude Plasma Drifts From the Horizontal Neutral Wind Model and a Coupled Ionosphere‐Electric Field Model
Authors: Eccles James Vincent , Valladares Cesar Enrique
Published: May 2021

Results from a dynamo electric field model are presented to examine the consistency of the widely used empirical models of low‐latitude plasma drifts and thermospheric neutral winds. The sector defined by the Jicamarca Radar measured plasma drifts is used due to the greater certainty of the empirical vertical plasma drifts. The plasma drifts produced by the Horizontal Wind Model (HWM) in a coupled ionosphere‐electric field model for geomagnetically quiet and moderate solar conditions are compared against empirical models of equatorial plasma drifts for the Peruvian sector. The HWM generates reasonable sunset prereversal enhancement of the vertical drift in all but May, June, July, and August when no prereversal enhancement exists in the empirical results. The daytime vertical drifts are deficient during all seasons. A solar diurnal and semi‐diurnal tidal forcing are required in the E region (100–150 km) to bring the HWM into better agreement as a dynamo driver for the daytime electric fields associated with the broad Solar Quiet current system.
The Evolution of an AgI Cloud‐Seeding Track in Central China as Seen by a Combination of Radar, Satellite, and Disdrometer Observations
Authors: Wang Jin , Yue Zhiguo , Rosenfeld Daniel , Zhang Lei , Zhu Yannian , Dai Jin , Yu Xing , Li Jinhui
Published: May 2021

Operational cloud seeding has been implemented to alleviate local precipitation shortages in China for over half a century. Here, we present quantitative evidence for the effect of AgI seeding on supercooled layer clouds with a top cloud temperature of −15°C in China, as documented for the first time by a combination of radar, satellite, and disdrometer observations. A radar signature appeared 18 min after seeding, shortly followed by a visible glaciated seeding track. The seeding signature expanded horizontally at a rate of ∼1.4 and ∼0.3 m s−1 before and after 04:25 UTC. The radar signature descended to the surface 40 min after seeding. A disdrometer captured the precipitation of the first seeded raindrops that reached maximum diameter of 2.75 mm compared to the maximum diameter of 1 mm of the light background rain. The enhanced surface rainfall was observed within the subsequent 100 min. A conceptual model for the formation and expansion of the seeding track is presented. Although the precipitation was light, it is a promising step toward the goal of quantifying the impact of cloud seeding in China.
Current Status, Characteristics and Causes of Particulate Air Pollution in the Fenwei Plain, China: A Review
Authors: Cao Jun Ji , Cui Long
Published: May 2021

Particulate air pollution is one of the most important environmental issues confronting China, especially in northern cities during winter. The Fenwei Plain has been designated as one of the three key regions for air pollution control, replacing the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region in 2018. On average, the annual mass concentrations of PM2.5, PM10, SO2, and NO2 in the Fenwei Plain were the highest of the three key regions, which also include the Beijing‐Tianjin‐Hebei (BTH) region (the “2 + 26” region) and the Yangtze River Delta (YRD). In terms of major air pollutants, PM2.5, PM10, SO2, and NO2 at 11 typical cities in the Fenwei Plain exceeded the second level of Chinese National Ambient Air Quality Standards, most often in winter. Here, the characteristics of airborne particulate matter in the Fenwei Plain are presented, and source apportionments for PM2.5 and PM2.5 as associated chemical species are reviewed. The causes of severe particulate matter air pollution during wintertime in this region are summarized, and several recommendations for improving local air quality are presented based on previous studies and an assessment of recent air pollution trends in the Fenwei Plain.
Estimation of Oceanic and Land Carbon Sinks Based on the Most Recent Oxygen Budget
Authors: Li Changyu , Huang Jianping , Ding Lei , Liu Xiaoyue , Han Dongliang , Huang Jiping
Published: May 2021

Robust assessments of global carbon uptake are important for understanding Earth's carbon cycle and its response to human impacts. Here, based on the most recent oxygen budget, we presented an alternative estimate of ocean and land carbon sinks over the past few decades and future projections under climate change. For the period from 1990 to 2015, the ocean and land carbon sinks were ∼2.16 ± 0.73 and 1.37 ± 0.91 GtC/yr, respectively, which are in good agreement with the results from the Global Carbon Project (GCP). Our estimated temporal evolution of oceanic carbon uptake, however, presents a stronger decadal variation than the quasi‐monotonous increase estimated by the GCP. Future projections of carbon sinks show significant discrepancies under different scenarios. At the end of this century, the ocean and land sinks will be 2.96 and 0.75 GtC/yr, respectively, under RCP4.5 (representative concentration pathways), while these values will be much larger under RCP8.5 at ∼5.70 and 3.69 GtC/yr, highlighting the vital role of the human‐induced influence on the carbon cycle.
High School Junior Builds Cheap Earthquake Warning Device
Authors: Lee Jack
Published: May 2021

The project exploring seismic noise during the coronavirus pandemic was fueled by Google searches and bathroom soldering sessions.
Amazon Forests Are Turning into Savannas
Authors: Pardikar Rishika
Published: May 2021

Floodplain forests have low resilience to repeated exposure to wildfires. As climate change increases the instances of fires, forests may transform to less productive grassland ecosystems.
Using Cell Phones as Space Weather Vanes
Authors: O’Hanlon Larry
Published: May 2021

Tiny magnetometers have turned your phone into a compass, and new research shows they are sensitive to geomagnetic storms.
Identifying the Dominant Drivers of Hydrological Change in the Contiguous United States
Authors: Li Zhiying , Quiring Steven M.
Published: May 2021

Understanding the dominant drivers of hydrological change is essential for water resources management. Watersheds in the United States are experiencing different types of changes (e.g., wet gets wetter and dry gets drier); however, few studies have analyzed what drivers are responsible for these changes, and how the dominant drivers vary over time and as a function of the climate/water regime and land cover. This study uses a time‐varying Budyko framework to quantify the relative importance of precipitation, potential evapotranspiration, and other factors (e.g., climate seasonality, agricultural drainage, and urbanization) in 889 watersheds in the contiguous United States from 1950 to 2009. Results show that watersheds that are getting wetter are primarily due to increases in precipitation. However, watersheds in dry climates that are getting drier are primarily due to other factors, while watersheds in wet climates that are getting drier are primarily due to precipitation. The drivers causing statistically significant streamflow trends vary depending on dominant land‐use types. Temporally, the increasing effects of other factors are more pronounced after the 1980s in the Midwest. The dominant drivers of streamflow in the United States are time‐varying instead of constant. This is consistent with non‐stationary patterns of streamflow. The time‐varying drivers provide information on the processes that are increasingly important and require the most attention in water resources management.
Immunoglobulin light chain amyloidosis diagnosis and treatment algorithm 2021
Authors: Hasib Sidiqi M. , Gertz Morie A.
Published: May 2021

Immunoglobulin light chain amyloidosis (AL) commonly presents with nephrotic range proteinuria, heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, nondiabetic peripheral neuropathy, unexplained hepatomegaly or diarrhea, and should be considered in patients presenting with these symptoms. More importantly, patients being monitored for smoldering multiple myeloma and a monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) are at risk for developing AL amyloidosis. MGUS and myeloma patients that have atypical features, including unexplained weight loss; lower extremity edema, early satiety, and dyspnea on exertion should be considered at risk for light chain amyloidosis. Overlooking the diagnosis of light chain amyloidosis leading to therapy delay is common, and it represents an error of diagnostic consideration. Herein we provide a review of established and investigational treatments for patients with AL amyloidosis and provide algorithms for workup and management of these patients.