bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Creation of fertility-restored materials for Ogura CMS in Brassica oleracea by introducing Rfo gene from Brassica napus via an allotriploid strategy
Authors: Yu Hai-long , Li Zhi-yuan , Ren Wen-jing , Han Feng-qing , Yang Li-mei , Zhuang Mu , Lv Hong-hao , Liu Yu-mei , Fang Zhi-yuan , Zhang Yang-yong
Published: July 2020

Key message

Ogura CMS fertility-restored materials, with 18 chromosomes, normal seed setting, stable fertility and closer genetic background to the parent Chinese kale, were successfully developed inB. oleraceavia a triploid strategy for the first time.

Ogura cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) is the most widely used sterile type in seed production for commercial hybrids ofBrassica oleraceavegetables. However, the natural Ogura CMS restorer line has not been found inB. oleraceacrops. In this study, the triploid strategy was used with the aim to create euploidB. oleraceaprogenies with theRfogene. The allotriploid AAC hybrid YL2 was used as a male parent to backcross with Ogura CMS Chinese kale. After successive backcrosses, the BC2Rfo-positive individual 16CMSF2-11 and its BC3progenies, with 18 chromosomes, were developed, which were morphologically identical to the parent Chinese kale. Compared with F1and BC1plants, it showed stable fertility performance, and regular meiosis behavior and could produce seeds normally under natural pollination. The genomic composition analysis ofRfo-positive progenies by using molecular markers showed that more than 87% of the C-genome components of BC3Rfo-progenies recovered to the parent Chinese kale, while most or all of theAn-genome segments were lost in 16CMSF2-11 and its progenies. The results suggested that the genetic background ofRfo-positive individuals was closer to that of the parent Chinese kale along with backcrossing. Hereof, the Ogura CMS fertility-restored materials of Chinese kale were successfully created via triploid strategy for the first time, providing a bridge for utilizing the Ogura CMSB. oleraceagermplasm in the future. Moreover, our study indicates that the triploid strategy is effective for transferring genes fromB. napusintoB. oleracea.
Method development for on-line species-specific sulfur isotopic analysis by means of capillary electrophoresis/multicollector ICP-mass spectrometry
Authors: Faßbender Sebastian , Rodiouchkina Katerina , Vanhaecke Frank , Meermann Björn
Published: July 2020

In this work, a method for species-specific isotopic analysis of sulfur via capillary electrophoresis hyphenated on-line with multicollector ICP-MS (CE/MC-ICP-MS) was developed. Correction for the mass bias caused by instrumental mass discrimination was realized via external correction with multiple-injection sample-standard bracketing. By comparing the isotope ratio measurement results obtained using the newly developed on-line CE/MC-ICP-MS method with those obtained via traditional MC-ICP-MS measurement after analyte/matrix separation by anion exchange chromatography for isotopic reference materials and an in-house bracketing standard, the most suitable data evaluation method could be identified. The repeatability for the sulfate-δ34S value (calculated from 18 measurements of a standard conducted over seven measurement sessions) was 0.57‰ (2SD) and thereby only twice that obtained with off-line measurements (0.30‰, n = 68). As a proof of concept for analysis of samples with a real matrix, the determination of the sulfur isotopic composition of naturally present sulfate was performed for different river systems. The CE/MC-ICP-MS results thus obtained agreed with the corresponding off-line MC-ICP-MS results within the 2SD ranges, and the repeatability of consecutive δ34S measurements (n = 3) was between 0.3‰ and 1.3‰ (2SD). Finally, the isotopic analysis of two different S-species in a river water sample spiked with 2-pyridinesulfonic acid (PSA) was also accomplished.
Examples of smooth components of moduli spaces of stable sheaves
Authors: Reede Fabian , Zhang Ziyu
Published: July 2020

LetMbe a projective fine moduli space of stable sheaves on a smooth projective varietyXwith a universal family$${\mathcal {E}}$$E. We prove that in four examples,$${\mathcal {E}}$$Ecan be realized as a complete flat family of stable sheaves onMparametrized byX, which identifiesXwith a smooth connected component of some moduli space of stable sheaves onM.
Correction to: Is Extended‐Duration (Post‐Hospital Discharge) Venous Thromboembolism Chemoprophylaxis Safe and Efficacious in High‐Risk Surgery Patients? A Systematic Review
Authors: Shaikh Saamia , Reddy Melanie , McKenney Mark , Elkbuli Adel
Published: July 2020

In the original article, the authors’ affiliations and affiliation addresses are inaccurate. They are correct as reflected here.
Functional diversity of reef molluscs along a tropical-to-temperate gradient
Authors: Floyd Matthew , Mizuyama Masaru , Obuchi Masami , Sommer Brigitte , Miller Mark GR , Kawamura Iori , Kise Hiroki , Reimer James D. , Beger Maria
Published: July 2020

Global warming is leading to range shifts of marine species, threatening the structure and functioning of ecological communities and human populations that rely on them. The largest changes are seen in biogeographic transition zones, such as subtropical reef communities, where species range shifts are already causing substantial community reorganisation. This causes functional changes in communities over subtropical latitudes, though a baseline functional understanding remains elusive for many taxa. One key marine taxon are molluscs, which provide many ecosystem services, are important prey for fishes and are also fisheries targets themselves, but remain largely unstudied. Here, we examine the trait composition, functional diversity, and functional redundancy of mollusc assemblages along the tropical-to-temperate transition in Japan (25° to 35° Northern latitude). Specifically, we use a trait database of 88 mollusc species from 31 subtropical reefs along the Pacific coast of Japan to show that trait composition of mollusc assemblages changes continuously along the latitudinal gradient. We discover that functional diversity of mollusc assemblages decreases with increasing latitude, a pattern associated with declines in functional dispersion. Moreover, we find a clear distinction between tropical and subtropical mollusc assemblages, with substrate-attached, suspension feeding bivalves more abundant in the tropics and free-living gastropod grazers more prevalent at higher latitudes. Our trait-based evidence in this study shows a contraction and almost complete shift in the functioning of marine mollusc assemblages at biogeographic transition zones and our trait database facilitates further study. Our findings provide evidence of the changing taxonomic and functional composition of extant mollusc communities with latitude, pointing to potential pertinent changes and tropicalisation of these communities with rapid ocean warming.
Einseitige Optikusatrophie bei einem 9-jährigen Patienten
Authors: Nguyen-Höhl Anna , Khattab Mohammed H. , Henneke Marco , Feltgen Nicolas , Hoerauf Hans , Bemme Sebastian
Published: July 2020

Ein 9‑jähriger Patient stellte sich aufgrund einer seit 2 Wochen zufällig bemerkten Sehminderung auf dem linken Auge vor. Funduskopisch waren neben einer leichten Vitritis eine blasse Papille, enggestellte Gefäße und eine Reflexvermehrung der Netzhautoberfläche sichtbar. In der Blutuntersuchung waren die Werte bis auf eine Eosinophilie und einen erhöhten Immunglobublin E(IgE)-Antikörpertiter normal.
Evaluating the didactic value of 3D visualization in otosurgery
Authors: Weiss Nora M. , Schneider Armin , Hempel John M. , Uecker Florian C. , van Bonn Sara M. , Schraven Sebastian P. , Rettschlag Stefanie , Schuldt Tobias , Müller Joachim , Plontke Stefan K. , Mlynski Robert
Published: July 2020

Introduction

Improvements of surgical visualization add value to the quality of clinical routine and offer the opportunity to improve surgical education of medical staff. The aim of this study was to determine whether otorhinolaryngology trainees gain additional comprehension of the anatomical structures and the surgical site when 3D visualization is used.

Methods

Data were collected from ENT trainees of microsurgical courses of the middle ear, inner ear and lateral skull base at four university ENT departments (Charité (Berlin), Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (Halle/Saale), Ludwig Maximilian University (Munich) and Rostock University Medical Center). Participants were asked to complete a questionnaire assessing the subjective value of identical surgical field visualization in 3D for surgeon and observer.

Results

A total of 112 participants completed the questionnaire. The majority of participants stated a high additional value of 3D visualization compared to 2D visualization, with 75% fully agreeing to the statement that 3D visualization of the surgical field is superior to perceive the anatomical topography and structures compared to 2D representation. Participants encouraged the storage of data in online learning platforms.

Conclusion

The results show that 3D visualization with identical imaging for surgeon and observer is a useful tool in teaching of microsurgery. It addresses perception of anatomical topography and structures as well as conception of the surgical workflow.
Apomorphine formulation may influence subcutaneous complications from continuous subcutaneous apomorphine infusion in Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Hagell Peter , Höglund Arja , Hellqvist Carina , Johansson Eva-Lena , Löwed Berit , Sjöström Anne-Christine , Karlberg Carina , Lundgren Margareth , Dizdar Nil , Johansson Anders , Willows Thomas , Rådberg Johan , Bergquist Filip
Published: July 2020

Continuous subcutaneous (s.c.) apomorphine infusion is an effective therapy for Parkinson’s disease (PD), but a limitation is the formation of troublesome s.c. nodules. Various chemically non-identical apomorphine formulations are available. Anecdotal experiences have suggested that shifting from one of these (Apo-Go PumpFill®; apoGPF) to another (Apomorphine PharmSwed®; apoPS) may influence the occurrence and severity of s.c. nodules. We, therefore, followed 15 people with advanced PD (median PD-duration, 15 years; median “off”-phase Hoehn and Yahr, IV) on apoGPF and with troublesome s.c. nodules who were switched to apoPS. Data were collected at baseline, at the time of switching, and at a median of 1, 2.5, and 7.3 months post-switch. Total nodule numbers (P < 0.001), size (P < 0.001), consistency (P < 0.001), skin changes (P = 0.058), and pain (P ≤ 0.032) improved over the observation period. PD severity and dyskinesias tended to improve and increase, respectively. Apomorphine doses were stable, but levodopa doses increased by 100 mg/day. Patient-reported apomorphine efficacy tended to increase and all participants remained on apoPS throughout the observation period; with the main patient-reported reason being improved nodules. These observations suggest that patients with s.c. nodules caused by apoGPF may benefit from switching to apoPS in terms of s.c. nodule occurrence and severity. Alternatively, observed benefits may have been due to the switch itself. As nodule formation is a limiting factor in apomorphine treatment, a controlled prospective study comparing local tolerance with different formulations is warranted.
Automated simulation of voxel-based microstructures based on enhanced finite cell approach
Authors: Fangye Yannick F. , Miska Niklas , Balzani Daniel
Published: July 2020

A new and efficient method is proposed for the decomposition of finite elements into finite subcells, which are used to obtain an integration scheme allowing to analyse complex microstructure morphologies in regular finite element discretizations. Since the geometry data of reconstructed microstructures are often given as voxel data, it is reasonable to exploit the special properties of the given data when constructing the subcells, i.e. the perpendicularly cornered shape of the constituent interfaces at the microscale. Thus, in order to obtain a more efficient integration scheme, the proposed method aims to construct a significantly reduced number of subcells by aggregating as much voxels as possible to larger cuboids. The resulting methods are analysed and compared with the conventional Octree algorithm. Eventually, the proposed optimal decomposition method is used for a virtual tension test on a reconstructed three-dimensional microstructure of a dual-phase steel, which is afterwards compared to real experimental data.
Muscle pain induced by hypertonic saline in the knee extensors decreases single-limb isometric time to task failure
Authors: Smith Samuel A. , Micklewright Dominic , Winter Samantha L. , Mauger Alexis R.
Published: July 2020

Purpose

Increased nociceptive activity and the experience of exercise-induced pain (EIP) may contribute to fatigue during endurance exercise. To investigate this, a pain model that produces pain similar to EIP and decouples its relationship to exercise intensity is required. This study (1) compared the quality of pain caused by a hypertonic saline injection into the vastus lateralis in resting and exercise conditions, and (2) investigated whether this pain contributes to changes in time to task failure.

Methods

On separate days, 18 participants completed a time to task failure at 20% maximal voluntary torque (MVT), a resting hypertonic saline intramuscular injection, and in a further three visits a time to task failure at 10% MVT following injection of isotonic saline, hypertonic saline or a control (no injection).

Results

In a subset of eligible participants (n = 12), the hypertonic saline combined with 10% MVT produced a qualitative experience of pain (assessed by the McGill Pain Questionnaire) that felt similar to EIP. 10% MVT with hypertonic saline significantly elevated pain intensity in the first 20% of the time to task failure and caused a significantly (P < 0.05) shorter time to task failure (448 ± 240 s) compared with the isotonic saline (605 ± 285 s) and control (514 ± 197 s) conditions.

Conclusion

These findings demonstrate that hypertonic saline increases the intensity of pain during exercise, which results in a faster occurrence of exercise-induced fatigue. These results provide important evidence supporting pain as a limiting factor in endurance performance.
Quality of life and mortality after surgical treatment for vertebral osteomyelitis (VO): a prospective study
Authors: Yagdiran Ayla , Otto-Lambertz Christina , Lingscheid Kristina Michaela , Sircar Krishnan , Samel Christina , Scheyerer Max Joseph , Zarghooni Kourosh , Eysel Peer , Sobottke Rolf , Jung Norma , Siewe Jan
Published: July 2020

Purpose

Vertebral osteomyelitis (VO) has a high mortality and leads to chronic pain and functional disability. Surgical treatment is often necessary. To date, little is known about the consequences of surgery on patient outcome. The aim of this study was to determine the quality of life (QoL) and mortality rates of surgically treated VO patients for a period of 2 years.

Methods

Patients with VO undergoing surgical treatment in a tertiary referral hospital from 2008 to 2015 were included prospectively. Data were collected before (T0) as well as 1 year (T1) and 2 years (T2) post-surgery. Within the European Spine Tango registry, prospective patient and QoL data were collected using validated outcome scores: Oswestry Disability Index, Short Form 36/EuroQol, Visual Analog Scale, and Core Outcome Measures Index.

Results

From 195 patients surgically treated for VO, QoL data were available from 136 patients at T0, 100 patients at T1, and 82 patients at T2, respectively. The 1- and 2-year mortality rates were 20% and 23%. Mainly all QoL outcome scores showed significant improvement at T1 and did not change significantly from T1 to T2.

Conclusion

Surgical treatment of VO patients leads to significantly improved QoL. Nevertheless, QoL levels were below those of the general population. Our results underscore that spine disability questionnaires measuring QoL are mandatory to demonstrate comprehensively the severity of this entity. Our study confirms a high mortality and points out the role of VO as a potentially life-threatening condition.
Gestalt descriptions for deep image understanding
Authors: Hörhan Markus , Eidenberger Horst
Published: July 2020

In this work, we present a novel visual perception-inspired local description approach as a preprocessing step for deep learning. With the ongoing growth of visual data, efficient image descriptor methods are becoming more and more important. Several local point-based description methods were defined in the past decades before the highly accurate and popular deep learning methods such as convolutional neural networks (CNNs) emerged. The method presented in this work combines a novel local description approach inspired by the Gestalt laws with deep learning, and thereby, it benefits from both worlds. To test our method, we conducted several experiments on different datasets of various forensic application domains, e.g., makeup-robust face recognition. Our results show that the proposed approach is robust against overfitting and only little image information is necessary to classify the image content with high accuracy. Furthermore, we compared our experimental results to state-of-the-art description methods and found that our method is highly competitive. For example it outperforms a conventional CNN in terms of accuracy in the domain of makeup-robust face recognition.
Is there an unmet medical need for palliative care services in Germany? Incidence, prevalence, and 1-year all-cause mortality of palliative care sensitive conditions: real-world evidence based on German claims data
Authors: Gothe H. , Brinkmann C. , Schmedt N. , Walker J. , Ohlmeier C.
Published: July 2020

Aim

To characterize palliative care patients, to estimate the incidence, prevalence, and 1-year all-cause mortality in patients in Germany who received palliative care treatment.

Subject and methods

The study analyzed the InGef Research Database, which covers 4 million people insured in German statutory health insurance companies. Specific outpatient and inpatient reimbursement codes were used to capture cases with palliative conditions. The prevalence was ascertained for the year 2015. The incidence was calculated for patients without documented palliative care services in the year before the observation period. The Kaplan–Meier method was used to analyze the 1-year all-cause mortality.

Results

The incidence rate of palliative conditions was 41.3 and 34.9 per 10,000 persons in women and men, respectively. The prevalence per 10,000 persons was 61.3 in women and 51.1 in men. The 1-year all-cause mortality among patients receiving their first palliative care treatment was 67.5%. Mortality was lower in patients receiving general outpatient palliative care treatment (AAPV; 60.8%) compared to patients receiving specialized outpatient palliative care treatment (SAPV; 86.1%) or inpatient palliative care treatment (90.6%). Within the first 30 days, mortality was particularly high (~43.0%).

Conclusions

In Germany, more than 400,000 patients per year receive palliative care treatment, which is lower compared to estimates of the number of persons with a potential need for palliative care. This gap was observed particularly in younger to middle-aged individuals. The findings indicate a demand for methodologically sound studies to investigate the public health burden and to quantify the unmet need for palliative care in Germany.
Estrogen, progesterone, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 discordance between primary and metastatic breast cancer
Authors: Walter Vincent , Fischer Chiara , Deutsch Thomas M. , Ersing Catherine , Nees Juliane , Schütz Florian , Fremd Carlo , Grischke Eva-Maria , Sinn Peter , Brucker Sara Y. , Schneeweiss Andreas , Hartkopf Andreas D. , Wallwiener Markus
Published: July 2020

Background

The estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) statuses are frequently discordant between the primary tumor and metastatic lesions in metastatic breast cancer. This can have important therapeutic implications.

Patients and methods

In all, 541 patients with available receptor statuses from both primary tumor and metastatic lesion treated at Heidelberg and Tuebingen University Hospitals between 1982 and 2018 were included.

Results

Statistically significant discordance rates of 14% and 32% were found for ER and PR. HER2 status was statistically insignificantly discordant in 15% of patients. Gain in HER2 positivity was associated with an improved overall survival, whereas loss of HR positivity was associated with worse overall survival. Antiendocrine treatment differed in 20% of cases before and after biopsy and HER2-directed treatment in 14% of cases.

Conclusions

Receptor statuses are discordant between primary tumor and metastasis in a considerable fraction of patients with metastatic breast cancer. Next to a highly presumed predictive value with respect to efficacy of endocrine and HER2-targeted therapy, discordance seems to provide prognostically relevant information. Where feasible, metastatic lesions should be biopsied in accordance with current guidelines.
Confessions without guilt: public confessions of state violence in Turkey
Authors: Yıldız Yeşim Yaprak , Baert Patrick
Published: July 2020

Drawing on Austin’s speech act theory and on related theories of performativity and positioning, this article analyses the public confessions during the 1990s by three prominent state actors in Turkey about their direct involvement in state crimes against Kurds and left-wing political opponents. All three cases received significant media attention at the time. The aim of the article is not only to shed new light on those specific confessions by the perpetrators within the Turkish context, but also to develop further theoretical insights into the phenomenon of public confessions as such. Whilst confessions of this kind are often welcomed and portrayed as truth-statements that are cathartic and enable society to move forward, this analysis demonstrates that the reality is often more complex as the confessions in question tend to go hand in hand with a disavowal of individual responsibility by the perpetrators involved.
Where have all the working papers gone? Evidence from four major economics working paper series
Authors: Baumann Alexandra , Wohlrabe Klaus
Published: July 2020

Working papers or preprints have become an important part in the scientific landscape. Such papers present research before (potentially) being published in refereed journals. But is every working paper finally published in a journal? We answer this question for four major working paper series in economics. Based on linked data in RePEc and a random sample we provide an estimate of 66.5% of more than 28,000 investigated working papers that are published in a journal. About 8% are released as a book chapter. For the remaining 25.5% we find no evidence for what happened to the article.
The Heritage of Cultural Determinants of Law and Literature: Methodological Findings
Authors: Andruszkiewicz Marta
Published: July 2020

During the second half of the twentieth century, the humanities saw increased interest in the broadly defined theory of culture and theory of politics, and in their study in a pragmatic cultural context. This was due to the influence of postmodernism, as well as pragmatism and neo-pragmatism. This approach is developed in cultural studies, which stress the importance of interdisciplinary research, combining the semiotic and cultural perspectives. The humanities have experienced a series of watersheds or turns (such as the linguistic, interpretative, political and communicative turns), and in particular the cultural turn. In consequence, the boundaries of various scientific disciplines are becoming blurred, while the scope of theoretical literary research is expanding. The integration of humanistic disciplines has intensified. This has an effect not only on the philosophical and theoretical study of language and literature, but also on the theory of politics and theory of law. As a result of these changes, various cultural objects—politics, the law, literature—have become the subject of complementary research. Cultural research assumes the cultural intertextuality of different semiotic objects, especially of text and discourse. This paper describes the influence of cultural studies—as a legacy of cultural determinants—on the law and literature movement. It also answers the question of what that movement can derive from cultural studies. The paper provides an overview of key trends, which may receive more detailed treatment in future studies.
Reflected Near-field Blast Pressure Measurements Using High Speed Video
Authors: Rigby S. E. , Knighton R. , Clarke S. D. , Tyas A.
Published: July 2020

Background: The design and analysis of protective systems requires a detailed understanding of, and the ability to accurately predict, the distribution of pressure loads acting on an obstacle following an explosive detonation. In particular, there is a pressing need for accurate characterisation of blast loads in the region very close to a detonation, where even small improvised devices can produce serious structural or material damage. Objective: Accurate experimental measurement of these near-field blast events, using intrusive methods, is demanding owing to the high magnitudes (> 100 MPa) and short durations (< 1 ms) of loading. The objective of this article is to develop a non-intrusive method for measuring reflected blast pressure distributions using image analysis. Methods: This article presents results from high speed video analysis of near-field spherical PE4 explosive blasts. The Canny edge detection algorithm is used to track the outer surface of the explosive fireball, with the results used to derive a velocity-radius relationship. Reflected pressure distributions are calculated using this velocity-radius relationship in conjunction with the Rankine-Hugoniot jump conditions. Results: The indirectly measured pressure distributions from high speed video are compared with directly measured pressure distributions and are shown to be in good qualitative agreement with respect to distribution of reflected pressures, and in good quantitative agreement with peak reflected pressures (within 10% of the maximum recorded value). Conclusions: The results indicate that it is possible to accurately measure blast loads in the order of 100s MPa using techniques which do not require sensitive recording equipment to be located close to the source of the explosion.
A handheld flexible manipulator system for frontal sinus surgery
Authors: Coemert Suat , Roth Robert , Strauss Gero , Schmitz Pia M. , Lueth Tim C.
Published: July 2020

Purpose

Draf drainage is the standard treatment procedure for frontal sinus diseases. In this procedure, rigid angled endoscopes and rigid curved instruments are used. However, laterally located pathologies in the frontal sinus cannot be reached with rigid instrumentation. In order to assist surgeons with such complicated cases, we propose a novel handheld flexible manipulator system.

Methods

A cross section of 3 mm × 4.6 mm enables transnasal guiding of a flexible endoscope with 1.4 mm diameter and a standard flexible surgical instrument with up to 1.8 mm diameter into the frontal sinus with increased reachability. The developed system consists of an electrical discharge-machined flexure hinge-based nitinol manipulator arm and a purely mechanical handheld control unit. The corresponding control unit enables upward and left–right bending of the manipulator arm, translation, rolling, actuation and also quick exchange of the surgical instrument. In order to verify the fulfillment of performance requirements, tests regarding reachability and payload capacity were conducted.

Results

Reachability tests showed that the manipulator arm can be inserted into the frontal sinus and reach its lateral regions following a Draf IIa procedure. The system can exert forces of at least 2 N in the vertical direction and 1 N in the lateral direction which is sufficient for manipulation of frontal sinus pathologies.

Conclusion

Considering the fact that the anatomical requirements of the frontal sinus are not addressed satisfactorily in the development of prospective flexible instruments, the proposed system shows great potential in terms of therapeutic use owing to its small cross section and dexterity.
Gender Discrimination in the Hiring of Skilled Professionals in Two Male-Dominated Occupational Fields: A Factorial Survey Experiment with Real-World Vacancies and Recruiters in Four European Countries
Authors: Bertogg Ariane , Imdorf Christian , Hyggen Christer , Parsanoglou Dimitris , Stoilova Rumiana
Published: July 2020

The present article investigates gender discrimination in recruitment for two male-dominated occupations (mechanics and IT professionals). We empirically test two different explanatory approaches to gender discrimination in hiring; namely, statistical discrimination and taste-based discrimination. Previous studies suggest that, besides job applicants’ characteristics, organisational features play a role in hiring decisions. Our article contributes to the literature on gender discrimination in the labour market by investigating its opportunity structures located at the recruiter, job and company level, and how gender discrimination varies across occupations and countries.

The analysed data come from a factorial survey experiment conducted in four countries (Bulgaria, Greece, Norway and Switzerland). Real job advertisements were sampled, and the recruiters in charge of hiring for these positions (n = 1,920) rated up to ten hypothetical CVs (vignettes). We find gender discrimination in Bulgaria and Greece and to a lesser degree in Switzerland, but not in Norway. The degree of gender discrimination appears to be greater in mechanics than in IT. Multivariate analyses that test a number of opportunity structures for discrimination suggest that mechanisms of statistical discrimination rather than those of taste-based discrimination might be at work.
Glass-Forming Ability of Fe-Ni Alloys Substituted by Group V and VI Transition Metals (V, Nb, Cr, Mo) Studied by Thermodynamic Modeling
Authors: Śniadecki Z.
Published: July 2020

The glass-forming ability (GFA) of Fe-Ni-TM alloys, where TM = V, Nb, Cr, Mo, was determined utilizing thermodynamic modeling. Enthalpies of formation of amorphous state were calculated and analyzed along with normalized mismatch entropy and glass-forming ability parameter. All thermodynamic quantities were qualitatively compared with enthalpies of formation of solid solution and experimental results. Due to the fact that FeNi-based amorphous ribbons are used nowadays in magnetoelastic sensors (MES), which can be used in biomedical or chemical applications, discussion is concentrated mainly on the substitution effect of group V and VI transition metals on the improvement of GFA. In this sense, group V elements are preferred, with Nb as the most promising candidate among all analyzed TM elements. This is a consequence of significant differences of potential and density of electrons at the boundary of Wigner–Seitz cell comparing to Fe and Ni, which in turn leads to more negative values of interfacial enthalpy and higher driving force for vitrification.
Effect of changing the height of final step of the stepped chute on the flow profile in stilling basin using the VOF method
Authors: Pazooki Peyman , Hamedi Amirmasoud , Torabi Mohammadamin , Zeidi Seyedmohammadjavad , Vosoughifar Hamidreza
Published: July 2020

In this study, the effect of the geometry modification in the physical model (step height) on flow factors in the stilling basin is investigated numerically. The Navier–Stokes equations were used to solve the flow field; the Reynolds stress turbulence model was used to model Reynolds stresses, and the volume of fluid method was used to determine the surface flow profile. Momentum and turbulence equations have been solved by the finite volume method. The results indicate that when the height of the steps in the stilling basin increases, the flow depth increases, and eventually the flow velocity decreases. When the height of the steps decreases, the flow velocity increases, and the flow depth decreases. The results of the numerical model are in good enough agreement with experimental results.
Leveraging Arguments in User Reviews for Generating and Explaining Recommendations
Authors: Donkers Tim , Ziegler Jürgen
Published: July 2020

Review texts constitute a valuable source for making system-generated recommendations both more accurate and more transparent. Reviews typically contain statements providing argumentative support for a given item rating that can be exploited to explain the recommended items in a personalized manner. We propose a novel method called Aspect-based Transparent Memories (ATM) to model user preferences with respect to relevant aspects and compare them to item properties to predict ratings, and, by the same mechanism, explain why an item is recommended. The ATM architecture consists of two neural memories that can be viewed as arrays of slots for storing information about users and items. The first memory component encodes representations of sentences composed by the target user while the second holds an equivalent representation for the target item based on statements of other users. An offline evaluation was performed with three datasets, showing advantages over two baselines, the well-established Matrix Factorization technique and a recent competitive representative of neural attentional recommender techniques.
Revisiting the Fertility Transition in England and Wales: The Role of Social Class and Migration
Authors: Jaadla Hannaliis , Reid Alice , Garrett Eilidh , Schürer Kevin , Day Joseph
Published: July 2020

We use individual-level census data for England and Wales for the period 1851–1911 to investigate the interplay between social class and geographical context determining patterns of childbearing during the fertility transition. We also consider the effect of spatial mobility or lifetime migration on individual fertility behavior in the early phases of demographic modernization. Prior research on the fertility transition in England and Wales has demonstrated substantial variation in fertility levels and declines by different social groups; however, these findings were generally reported at a broad geographical level, disguising local variation and complicated by residential segregation along social class and occupational lines. Our findings confirm a clear pattern of widening social class differences in recent net fertility, providing strong support for the argument that belonging to a certain social group was an important determinant of early adoption of new reproductive behavior in marriage in England and Wales. However, a relatively constant effect of lower net fertility among long-distance migrants both before the transition and in the early phases of declining fertility indicates that life course migration patterns were most likely factor in explaining the differences in fertility operating through postponement of marriage and childbearing.
Screening, Characterization and Evaluation of Mangiferin Polymorphs
Authors: Yang Shiying , Zhou Qi , Zhang Baoxi , Zhang Li , Yang Dezhi , Yang Haiguang , Du Guanhua , Lu Yang
Published: July 2020

Mangiferin is a compound with many pharmacological activities and exists in many natural products. Anhydrous and hydrate of mangiferin have been reported separately in two literatures, but the polymorphism of this compound has not been realized until this paper. In this study, polymorph screening of mangiferin has been carried out and five forms have been obtained including three new forms never reported. Several solid state characterization methods, such as powder X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetry, are used to identify and characterize all of mangiferin forms. The comparison of the crystallographic data and hirshfeld surface analysis were first reported for mangiferin anhydrous and hydrate. Furthermore, the studies on stability, transformation and solubility have been undertaken, the results prompt that form V can be used as the dominant polymorph for the development of innovative pharmaceuticals.

Graphic Abstract
Bicomplex Bergman and Bloch spaces
Authors: Reséndis O. L. F. , Tovar S. L. M.
Published: July 2020

In this article, we define the bicomplex weighted Bergman spaces on the bidisk and their associated weighted Bergman projections, where the respective Bergman kernels are determined. We study also the bicomplex Bergman projection onto the bicomplex Bloch space.
The prevalence of and exact indications for daily opioid use among aged home care clients with and without dementia
Authors: Mörttinen-Vallius Heidi , Hartikainen Sirpa , Seinelä Lauri , Jämsen Esa
Published: July 2020

Background

The increasing trend of opioid use for non-malignant pain among older people has raised concerns about whether opioids are used for appropriate indications. On the other hand, pain in patients with dementia may be undertreated.

Aims

To examine the prevalence of and indications for daily opioid use among home care clients, and to determine opioid use differs between those with and without dementia.

Methods

All home care clients aged ≥ 65 years using opioids daily (n = 282) were identified based on their first Resident Assessment Instrument–Home Care assessment in 2014. Exact indications for opioid use, the opioid substance used, the median duration of use, and changes in opioid medication within 12 months from study entry were obtained from the electronic medical records.

Results

The prevalence of daily opioid use was 9.3%, and the median duration of use before the study entry was 357 days (interquartile range 126–719 days). The majority of clients continued to use opioids daily during the follow-up year. Vertebral osteoporotic fractures (21.6%), degenerative spinal disorders (20.9%), and osteoarthritis (20.6%) were the most common indications for opioid use. Buprenorphine was used more frequently in persons with dementia, but otherwise there were no differences between those with and without dementia.

Discussion and conclusions

Home care clients use opioids for long periods of time for pain related mostly to musculoskeletal disorders, although the effectiveness of long-term opioid use is not clear. The lack of effective or suitable options for management of pain might explain the situation.
Functionalized Mesoporous Silicon Nanomaterials in Inorganic Soil Pollution Research: Opportunities for Soil Protection and Advanced Chemical Imaging
Authors: Yang Jia-Wei , Fang Wen , Williams Paul N. , McGrath John W. , Eismann Carlos Eduardo , Menegário Amauri Antonio , Elias Lucas Pellegrini , Luo Jun , Xu Yingjian
Published: July 2020

“Innovative actions towards a pollution free-planet” is a goal of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA). Aided by both the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) and its Global Soil Partnership under the 3rd UNEA resolution, a consensus from > 170 countries have agreed a need for accelerated action and collaboration to combat soil pollution. This initiative has been tasked to find new and improved solutions to prevent and reduce soil pollution, and it is in this context that this review provides an updated perspective on an emerging technology platform that has already provided demonstrable utility for measurement, mapping, and monitoring of toxic trace elements (TTEs) in soils, in addition to the entrapment, removal, and remediation of pollutant sources. In this article, the development and characteristics of functionalized mesoporous silica nanomaterials (FMSN) will be discussed and compared with other common metal scavenging materials. The chemistries of the common functionalizations will be reviewed, in addition to providing an outlook on some of the future directions/applications of FMSN. The use of FMSN in soil will be considered with some specific case studies focusing on Hg and As. Finally, the advantages and developments of FMSN in the widely used diffusive gradients-in-thin films (DGT) technique will be discussed, in particular, its advantages as a DGT substrate for integration with oxygen planar optodes in multilayer systems that provide 2D mapping of metal pollutant fluxes at submillimeter resolution, which can be used to measure detailed sediment-water fluxes as well as soil-root interactions, to predict plant uptake and bioavailability.
Simulation of water evaporation under natural conditions—A state-of-the-art overview
Authors: Wickert Daniel , Prokop Günther
Published: July 2020

The phase change of water or other liquids is a process that takes part in many technical applications. The field of research is widely diversified with domains in energy technology, air conditioning, and even corrosion. The modalities of the phase change vary thereby. While condensation always occurs under the same condition, evaporation is much more complicated. The evaporation of a liquid can be forced by boiling or happens under natural condition. Boiling is a process with a high-energy flow and therefore a fast procedure. Evaporation under natural conditions is a much more time-intensive process but in researches of the wetting and as a result the damage of daily products more relevant. This contribution analyses different CFD-tools with regard to their ability to simulate the evaporation of water under natural conditions and gives an overview of the state-of-the-art for a few mesh and meshfree methods. The mesh-based CFD showed varying results from unsuitable models to detailed calculations. The mesh-free CFD is dependent on an artificial model due to some methodological assumptions. As a conclusion, the use of an artificial model is recommended in order to be able to generate a usable result and evaluate the benefit of countermeasures.
Commercial channels vs free distribution and screening of agricultural learning videos: A case study from Benin and Mali
Authors: Zoundji Gérard C. , Okry Florent , Vodouhê Simplice D. , Bentley Jeffery W. , Witteveen Loes
Published: July 2020

Farmers’ access to reliable information is crucial to improving rural livelihoods, food security, and national economies in West Africa. This paper discusses the dynamics of accessing and using agricultural learning videos from commercial channels, vs project and non-project channels in Benin and Mali. Using combinations of different models to assess the effectiveness of agricultural extension programs, the findings showed that farmers were motivated to pay for videos and watch them by themselves, without facilitation. Farmers who watched the videos through project support have also continued to watch on their own if the videos are of interest to them. Nevertheless, farmers were less motivated in the learning process when they received the Digital Video Disc (DVD) free and without support to watch them. We also found that the distribution of learning videos through commercial channels reaches more serious users and increases farmers’ self-determination for learning, and farmers are more motivated to provide feedback than viewers who receive DVDs for free or via project support, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), or farmer organizations. Although buying a DVD is an individual action, they like to watch the videos in groups. After buying the DVD, about 43% of respondent borrowed DVD players and one person in five bought a DVD player to watch the videos. Efforts to promote improved technologies need to expand beyond the conventional focus on research and extension services. Support to agricultural technology dissemination must go beyond assistance to smallholder farmers and NGOs (practical implication). As the private sector has a role to play, both in making technologies available and in teaching farmers how to use them, their contribution would create space for innovation (theoretical implication). Our findings suggest that successful development intervention programs can be sell audiovisual material to farmers, who will use it proactively.
Reusable respirators as personal protective equipment during ENT surgery
Authors: Patel B , Hardman J C , Yang W , Robson A , Putnam G , George A , Paleri V
Published: July 2020

Background

Robust personal protective equipment is essential in preventing the transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 to head and neck surgeons who are routinely involved in aerosol generating procedures.

Objective

This paper describes the collective experience, across 3 institutes, of using a reusable half-face respirator in 72 head and neck surgery cases.

Method

Cost analysis was performed to demonstrate the financial implications of using a reusable respirator compared to single-use filtering facepiece code 3 masks.

Conclusion

The reusable respirator is a cost-effective alternative to disposable filtering facepiece code 3 respirators. Supplying reusable respirators to individual staff members may increase the likelihood of them having appropriate personal protective equipment during their clinical duties.
On Historicising the War in Spain
Authors: Graham Helen
Published: July 2020

In the early 2000s a popular British history magazine commissioned me to write a historiographical essay on the war of 1936–9 in Spain, only then to say that they wouldn't be able to publish my text because their readers ‘wouldn't recognise in it the war they knew’. The essay I'd written analysed the conflict in 1930s Spain in the context of the many cognate ones catalysed across continental Europe by the war of 1914–8. All these conflicts were, in one way or another, conflicts between those who wanted to preserve the hierarchical social and political structures of the pre-1914 European world, already shaken by the First World War, and those who sought to effect some form of levelling social and political change, whether by reformist or revolutionary means. Everywhere, including in Spain, such conflicts arose from a common hinterland of accelerating urbanisation, industrialisation and, crucially, from the accompanying processes of increasing migration from countryside to city.
An Integrated Methodology to Study Riparian Vegetation Dynamics: From Field Data to Impact Modeling
Authors: Latella M. , Bertagni M. B. , Vezza P. , Camporeale C.
Published: July 2020

Riparian environments are highly dynamic ecosystems that support biodiversity and numerous services and that are conditioned by anthropogenic activities and climate change. In this work, we propose an integrated methodology that combines different research approaches—field studies and numerical and analytical modeling—in order to calibrate an ecohydrological stochastic model for riparian vegetation. The model yields vegetation biomass statistics and requires hydrological, topographical, and biological data as input. The biological parameters, namely, the carrying capacity and the flood‐related decay rate, are the target of the calibration as they are related to intrinsic features of vegetation and site‐specific environmental conditions. The calibration is here performed for two bars located within the riparian zone of the Cinca River (Spain). According to our results, the flood‐related decay rate has a spatial dependence that reflects the zonation of different plant species over the study site. The carrying capacity depends on the depth of the phreatic surface, and it is adequately described by a right‐skewed curve. The calibrated model well reproduces the actual biogeography of the Cinca riparian zone. The overall percentage absolute difference between the real and the computed biomass amounts to 9.3% and 3.3% for the two bars. The model is further used to predict the future evolution of riparian vegetation in a climate‐change scenario. The results show that the change of hydrological regime forecast by future climate projections may induce dramatic reduction of vegetation biomass and strongly modify the Cinca riparian biogeography.