bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of preexamination conditions in a centralized-testing model of non-invasive prenatal screening
Authors: Fibke Chad , Giroux Sylvie , Caron André , Starks Elizabeth , Parker Jeremy D.K. , Swanson Lucas , Jouan Loubna , Langlois Sylvie , Rouleau Guy , Rousseau François , Karsan Aly
Published: November 2021

Objectives

Non-invasive prenatal testing requires the presence of fetal DNA in maternal plasma. Understanding how preexamination conditions affect the integrity of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) and fetal fraction (FF) are a prerequisite for test implementation. Therefore, we examined the adjusted effect that EDTA and Streck tubes have on the cfDNA quantity and FF.

Methods

A total of 3,568 maternal blood samples across Canada were collected in either EDTA, or Streck tubes, and processing metrics, maternal body mass index (BMI), gestational age and fetal karyotype and sex were recorded. Plasma samples were sequenced using two different sequencing platforms in separate laboratories. Sequencing data were processed with SeqFF to estimate FF. Linear regression and multivariate imputation by chained equations were used to estimate the adjusted effect of tube type on cfDNA and FF.

Results

We found a positive association between cfDNA quantity and blood shipment time in EDTA tubes, which is significantly reduced with the use of Streck tubes. Furthermore, we show the storage of plasma at −80 °C is associated with a 4.4% annual relative decrease in cfDNA levels. FF was not associated with collection tube type when controlling for confounding variables. However, FF was positively associated with gestational age and trisomy 21, while negatively associated with BMI, male fetus, trisomy 18, Turners syndrome and triploidy.

Conclusions

Preexamination, maternal and fetal variables are associated with cfDNA quantity and FF. The consideration of these variables in future studies may help to reduce the number of pregnant women with inconclusive tests as a result of low FF.
Legends of Lace: Commerce and Ideology in Narratives of Women’s Domestic Craft Production
Authors: Hopkin David
Published: November 2021

Although a relatively recent invention (c. 1500), many legends have accumulated around the origins of lace, more than have been recorded for other crafts. Almost every region involved in pillow or needle lace had its own origin story: I will concentrate on those circulating in Italy, Catalonia, France, Belgium, and England. Lacemaking was a poorly paid, dispersed and overwhelmingly female occupation, but none the less it had a strong craft tradition, including the celebration of particular saints’ feastdays.

The legends drew on elements of this work culture, and especially the strong connections to royal courts and the Catholic Church, but they did not originate among lacemakers themselves. Rather they were authored by persons – lace merchants and other patrons – who in the nineteenth century took on the task of defending homemade lace in its drawn-out conflict with machine-made alternatives. Legends first circulated in print, in lace histories, newspapers and magazines, before transferring to other media such as the stage, historical pageants, even the visual arts. More recently they have continued to propagate on the web. While not originally oral narratives, they behave much like legends in oral storytelling environments: they are usually unsourced; they accumulate and shed motifs; they adapt to new circumstances and audiences. They were told with the intention of creating a special status for handmade lace, and to mobilize protectors and consumers.
Internationale Märchen in Namibia. Bewahren und anpassen
Authors: Schmidt Sigrid
Published: November 2021

In der gegenwärtigen Erzählforschung wird oft bezweifelt, dass es eine längere mündliche Kontinuität des Volksmärchens gegeben hat. Dieser Beitrag versucht, die Kraft der mündlichen Überlieferung aufzuzeigen. Als Grundlage dienen Märchen, die zwischen 1960 und 1997 in Namibia aufgenommen wurden. Vergleichsstudien der Motive zeigen nicht nur, dass eine ganze Anzahl der Texte nicht von Buchversionen abhängen können, sondern dass sie regionale Besonderheiten der mündlichen Erzähltradition in Europa erhalten haben. Auffallend häufig sind Beziehungen zur mündlichen Überlieferung der Bretagne und des Mittelmeerraumes. Es ist zu vermuten, dass diese Märchen von den Hugenotten-Flüchtlingen, die meist aus diesen Gegenden stammten, um 1700 nach Südafrika mitgebracht wurden.
On the Processes of Narrative Reworking in Spanish Gitano Tradition: Imagological Self-Representation
Authors: Mañero-Lozano David
Published: November 2021

My aim is to analyze a corpus of Spanish gitano stories in which the phenomenon of self-representation arises and involves, among other concepts, auto-images and hetero-images, that is, the stereotyped images or imagotypes that a given group has of itself and others. I will examine various processes by means of which the heritage assimilated and transformed is perceived by the gitanos as belonging to their own culture.
It’s Only You and Me and We Just Disagree: The Ideological Foundations of Affective Polarization
Authors: Abramowitz Alan I.
Published: November 2021

Using the extensive battery of issue questions included in the 2020 ANES survey, I find that a single underlying liberal-conservative dimension largely explains the policy preferences of ordinary Americans across a wide range of issues including the size and scope of the welfare state, abortion, gay and transgender rights, race relations, immigration, gun control and climate change. I find that the distribution of preferences on this liberal-conservative issue scale is highly polarized with Democratic identifiers and leaners located overwhelmingly on the left, Republican identifiers and leaners located overwhelmingly on the right and little overlap between the two distributions. Finally, I show that ideological preferences strongly predict feelings toward the parties and presidential candidates. These findings indicate that polarization in the American public has a rational foundation. Hostility toward the opposing party reflects strong disagreement with the policies of the opposing party. As long as the parties remain on the opposite sides of almost all major issues, feelings of mistrust and animosity are unlikely to diminish regardless of Donald Trump’s future role in the Republican Party.
Geist oder Gesellschaft. Über die Konstruktion sozialer Akteure in der Literaturwissenschaft in der ersten Hälfte des 20. Jahrhunderts
Authors: Dainat Holger
Published: November 2021

In the first decades of the 20th century, literary studies in the history of ideas (Geistesgeschichte) experimented with sociological and socio-historical perspectives and concepts in search of a stable basis. In doing so, it reacts to the problems of historical-philological research that focuses on social aspects of literary change. In the competition for the sovereignty of interpretation, holistic(national, ethnic) concepts also prevail against empirical findings.
Dichtkunst als Soziologie? Ferdinand Tönnies und Friedrich Schiller
Authors: Friedrich Peter
Published: November 2021

Ferdinand Tönnies’ relationship to the sociology of art and literature was ambivalent and contradictory. On the one hand, the consideration of art and literature plays a role in Tönnies’ theoretical works. On the other hand, in the founding years of sociology, he was opposed to an independent sub-discipline in the sociology of literature because he feared for the unity of the discipline. All the more interesting is the fact that Tönnies repeatedly published on poets and poetry. In addition to articles on Theodor Storm, there are several studies on Friedrich Schiller as a poet and theorist, which show the sociologist as a reader and interpreter of literature. This paper attempts a critical review and classification of these works by Tönnies against the background of the political debate about Schiller in the Schiller anniversary year of 1905.
Die frühe Soziologie und die Literatur. Untersuchungen zur Soziologie von Max Weber
Authors: Steuerwald Christian
Published: November 2021

The present study shows that in the sociology of Max Weber three ways of using literature can be observed: (1) literary sociological theses, (2) literature as reference, and (3) literature as illustration.
Effect of a Persian metabolic diet on the functional dyspepsia symptoms in patients with postprandial distress syndrome: a randomized, double-blind clinical trial
Authors: Nouri Fereshteh , Naseri Mohsen , Abdi Saeed , Faghihzadeh Soghrat , Pasalar Mehdi , Mohammadi Farsani Gholamreza , Zali Mohammad Reza
Published: November 2021

Objectives

Postprandial distress syndrome (PDS) is associated with food indigestion. Efficacy of drugs used against PDS is limited whereas dietary modifications were shown to have important beneficial effects. Traditional Persian Medicine (TPM) sages suggested a dietary regimen known as Persian metabolic diet (PMD) for the management of PDS patients. In this study, the efficacy of PMD in alleviating the symptoms of PDS was explored.

Methods

This single-center, parallel-group, randomized clinical trial included 56 patients whom were randomly allocated to PMD group (29 participants) and Optional diet (OD) group (27 participants). They were instructed to follow the protocol for two weeks. Using a standard validated questionnaire, all outcomes were evaluated at baseline, end of the intervention period, and end of follow-up time.

Results

At the end of the intervention period, comparing the changes of severity scores between the groups showed a statistically significant difference in week 2 (p-value<0.001) and week 8 (p-value<0.001) follow-up comparing to the baseline. Similarly, at the end of the follow-up period, epigastric fullness, epigastric discomfort, and bloating were significantly improved in the PMD group (p<0.001).

Conclusions

This diet prepared based on Persian medicine seems to be effective in relieving the symptoms of patients with PDS.
Performance of high scalability hybrid system of 10G-TDM-OCDMA-PON based on 2D-SWZCC code
Authors: Zaeer Dhaam Haidar , Al Dujaili Mohammed Jawad , Mezeel Mushtaq Talib , Qasim Abdullah Ali
Published: November 2021

A new architecture for increasing the number of simultaneous users in a hybrid system and providing a solution for the channel bottleneck problem has been designed and simulated. The 10G-TDM-OCDMA-PON system combines optical code division multiple access (OCDMA) and time-division multiplexed passive optical network (TDM-PON) techniques. The high bit rate TDM-PON system is based on a bit interleaving that uses noncontiguous order for data arranging manner, this system used to obtain ultra-high-speed data rate of 40 Gbps based on four TDM channels of 10 Gbps. The OCDMA system is based on two-dimensional single weight zero cross-correlation (2D-SWZCC) employing polarization and wavelength scheme with two orthogonal polarization angles (vertical and horizontal states). The proposed hybrid system increases the scalability by multiplexing M OCDMA codes in the same time slot of the TDM system that hasNtime slots. The results show that the proposed system with 2D-SWZCC has better performance with a high number of users and higher scalability than the system with 1D-SWZCC.
Utility of wrist circumference in recognition of metabolic syndrome in overweight and obese South Indian children and adolescents
Authors: Ahilan Vidhya , Krishna Varun Govind , Prasad Hemchand Krishna , Narayanasamy Kannan , Krishnamoorthy Nedunchelian
Published: November 2021

Objective

To describe the utility of wrist circumference in the identification of cardiometabolic risk in overweight and obese children.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted in the obesity clinic of a tertiary care referral hospital over a two year period. All children and adolescents aged 5–17 years with nutritional overweight and obesity were recruited. Data pertaining to chronological age, sex, risk factors and family history were collected. Clinical assessment of anthropometry: Weight, height, body mass index (BMI), Tanner’s stage, wrist circumference, blood pressure, waist circumference and triceps skinfold thickness done as per standard criteria. Biochemical assessment of blood glucose, serum insulin, lipid profile, and Homeostatic Model for Insulin Resistance performed after 12 h of fasting.

Results

We recruited 118 subjects (mean age 10.9 years, 71.1% males, 87.3% obese and 12.7% overweight); 30 (25.4%) had metabolic syndrome. The mean z scores of wrist circumference of children who presented with and without metabolic syndrome was 2.7 ± 0.8 and 2.1 ± 0.7, respectively (p<0.05). We observed a fair positive correlation between wrist circumference z score and BMI z score, (r=0.5; p<0.05). On receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, 97th percentile of wrist circumference predicted metabolic syndrome among overweight and obese children with a sensitivity of 86.7% and specificity of 37.5% (AUC=0.675).

Conclusions

Wrist circumference with 97th percentile as a cut-off is a useful tool to identify metabolic syndrome amongst overweight and obese children and adolescents.
Historische Meinung
Authors: Ueding Gert
Published: November 2021

Shortly before his ninetieth anniversary, one of the most pre-eminent American theorists of historiography in the second half of 20th century died: Hayden White (1928–2018). This article confronts White’s ideas on metahistory and the fundamental narrativity of historiography, which at least for the decades to follow have revolutionized the theory of history, with important scholarly sources from German intellectual history, such as Nietzsche, Bloch, Kracauer und Blumenberg, to conclude that the central focus of White’s thought-provoking theoretical experiment, to conceive of historiography as an interplay of four directional literary forms – romance, satire, comedy and tragedy –, grounded in the epistemology of the basic tropes (metaphor, metonymy, synecdoche and irony), inadvertently induced a neglect of rhetoric in the scholarly enterprise of understanding the past and of finding argumentative plausibility and consensus in the dialogue of historiographic negotiation.
Zur Narrativisierung der Natur
Authors: Niekerk Carl
Published: November 2021

This essay investigates the narrative structures employed to describe nature in Johann Friedrich Blumenbach’s Beyträge zur Naturgeschichte (1790). Blumenbach’s text can be read as the product of two fundamentally different (and opposed) narrative models which both have roots in the eighteenth-century discipline of natural history. On the one hand, the text shows traces of a static, predominantly spatially oriented model of representing nature, associated during the eighteenth century in particular with Carl Linné’s influential Systema naturae (first published 1735). The text, however, also demonstrates the advantages of a temporal, dynamic model of nature, introduced into Enlightenment natural history by Buffon’s Histoire naturelle (1749–1788). In addition, Blumenbach’s text also articulates the transition from natural history to anthropology, a new discipline emerging in the final decades of the eighteenth century that provides Blumenbach, who will be instrumental for its introduction, with a new set of narrative strategies.
Historische Sinnstiftung in Claude Simons Roman Les Géorgiques: Traditionelle Konzepte de- und rekonstruiert
Authors: Eick Anna-Lena
Published: November 2021

In his novel Les Géorgiques (published in 1981), Claude Simon reviews and evaluates different methods for the creation and generation of historical meaning whilst upholding the simultaneity of possibilities and alleged aporias of this critical endeavour. History is presented as a paradoxical force that seems to move endlessly in circles without proceeding, as an aimlessly wandering maelstrom, sweeping everything away without mercy. Simon subjects conventional ideas of history as well as the literary presentation of war-memories to a harsh critique by using the example of a narrative linking of the destinies of three men who are – each at their own times – confronted with direct and indirect effects of war in general. In this way, Simon succeeds in making his readers aware of the failure of several classical narrative conceptions of historical sense-making. However, Les Géorgiques does not hold at a mere de-constructive criticism, but rather evolves and shows in a re-constructive manner literary alternatives of historical sense-generation as narrative attempts to overcome conflicts of content and medium. This article aims to present the subversive narrative program of Claude Simon’s Les Géorgiques to investigate, if a ›literary text‹ can accomplish a critical position towards this discourse by using a concatenation of a literary production and factually established historical content and thus become an appropriate medium of negotiation of the dichotomy of history and story.
Endstation Meer oder Die unendliche Fahrt zum Müllstrudel
Authors: Wilke Sabine
Published: November 2021

Images of the North Pacific Vortex have been circulating all over the world since the 1980 s and are meanwhile a central part of the project of ecological historiography. They visualize what cannot be seen with the naked eye, i. e., the enormous pollution of our oceans that can take on the form of bizarre shapes that can have horrendous consequences for the non-human environment. On the example of two art projects and an exhibit about waste production this essay examines artistic strategies of critique of acceleration processes. All three examples focus on the image of the ocean as the final resting point from a variety of different perspectives and utilizing different rhetorical strategies. They all stage the cultural dimension of water. Thanks to these approaches the harmful disruption of closed circuits, specifically the perversion of water circuits and the mythopoetic re-imagination of our oceans into the final resting point for industrial products becomes perceivable to its full extent. The invisibility of the phenomenon is staged in these curatorial and artistic strategies and becomes the object of critical reflection. Rhetoric and history can be experienced in their interwovenness with a focus on their ecological dimension.
Sample size calculation for active-arm trial with counterfactual incidence based on recency assay
Authors: Gao Fei , Glidden David V. , Hughes James P. , Donnell Deborah J.
Published: November 2021

Objectives

The past decade has seen tremendous progress in the development of biomedical agents that are effective as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention. To expand the choice of products and delivery methods, new medications and delivery methods are under development. Future trials of non-inferiority, given the high efficacy of ARV-based PrEP products as they become current or future standard of care, would require a large number of participants and long follow-up time that may not be feasible. This motivates the construction of a counterfactual estimate that approximates incidence for a randomized concurrent control group receiving no PrEP.

Methods

We propose an approach that is to enroll a cohort of prospective PrEP users and aug-ment screening for HIV with laboratory markers of duration of HIV infection to indicate recent infections. We discuss the assumptions under which these data would yield an estimate of the counterfactual HIV incidence and develop sample size and power calculations for comparisons to incidence observed on an investigational PrEP agent.

Results

We consider two hypothetical trials for men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW) from different regions and young women in sub-Saharan Africa. The calculated sample sizes are reasonable and yield desirable power in simulation studies.

Conclusions

Future one-arm trials with counterfactual placebo incidence based on a recency assay can be conducted with reasonable total screening sample sizes and adequate power to determine treatment efficacy.
Numerical investigation on implication of innovative hydrogen strut injector on performance and combustion characteristics in a scramjet combustor
Authors: Kireeti Sribhashyam Krishna , Ravikiran Sastry Gadepalli , Gugulothu Santosh Kumar
Published: November 2021

A detailed numerical analysis on a scramjet combustor is carried out by introducing an innovative shaped strut in place of the conventional strut. The design of newly added strut aids in generating intense vorticity which helps in efficient mixing of fuel and oxidizer. The air from the isolator enters the combustor at Mach 2.0, whereas fuel enters from the trailing edge of the strut sonically. In this study the flow dynamics with finite volume approach on commercial software Ansys-Fluent 20.0 to solve the two-dimensional Reynolds average Navier Stokes equation (RANS) with compressible fluid flow by considering the density-based solver with SST k-ε turbulent model. The species transport model with volumetric reaction and finite rate/eddy dissipation turbulence chemistry interaction is adopted to study the combustion phenomena and validated with the experimental results, and it is found that the interaction of the shear shock layer enhances the mixing rate by intensifying turbulence. The modified strut injector’s mixing efficiency is compared to the base strut and observed that with a 40% reduction in length, the modified strut injection technique exhibited a mixing efficiency of >95%. The combustion efficiency is then estimated streamwise, and the plot follows the same pattern as the mixing efficiency with fuel burns down completely when x = 150 mm for the modified strut whereas x = 200 mm for the base strut. This can compact the combustion chamber and increases the thrust-to-weight ratio. So, the innovative strut adopted can improvise the combustion efficiency.
Kinetics, equilibrium and thermodynamics of dyes adsorption onto modified chitosan: a review
Authors: Kausar Abida , Naeem Kashaf , Iqbal Munawar , Nazli Zill-i-Huma , Bhatti Haq N. , Ashraf Aisha , Nazir Arif , Kusuma Heri S. , Khan Muhammad I.
Published: November 2021

In view of promising sorption capacity, stability, biodegradability, cost-effectiveness, environmental friendly nature, regeneration and recycling ability, the chitosan (CS) based adsorbents are highly efficient for the sequestration of dyes. Since CS offers variable chemical structures and CS have been modified by incorporating different moieties. The CS composites with unique properties have been employed successfully for dye adsorption with reasonably high adsorption capacity versus other similar adsorbents. Modifications of CS were promising for the preparation of composites that are extensively studied for their adsorption capacities for various dyes. This review highlights the CS and its modification and their applications for the adsorption of dyes. The removal capacities of CS-based adsorbents, equilibrium modeling, kinetics studies and the thermodynamic characteristics are reported. Moreover, the FTIR, BET, SEM, TGA and XRD were employed for the characterization of CS modified adsorbents are also discussed. Results revealed that the modified CS is highly efficient and can be employed for the sequestration of dyes from effluents.
NEST Desktop, an Educational Application for Neuroscience
Authors: Spreizer Sebastian , Senk Johanna , Rotter Stefan , Diesmann Markus , Weyers Benjamin
Published: November 2021

Simulation software for spiking neuronal network models matured in the past decades regarding performance and flexibility. But the entry barrier remains high for students and early career scientists in computational neuroscience since these simulators typically require programming skills and a complex installation. Here, we describe an installation-free Graphical User Interface (GUI) running in the web browser, which is distinct from the simulation engine running anywhere, on the student’s laptop or on a supercomputer. This architecture provides robustness against technological changes in the software stack and simplifies deployment for self-education and for teachers. Our new open-source tool, NEST Desktop, comprises graphical elements for creating and configuring network models, running simulations, and visualizing and analyzing the results. NEST Desktop allows students to explore important concepts in computational neuroscience without the need to learn a simulator control language before. Our experiences so far highlight that NEST Desktop helps advancing both quality and intensity of teaching in computational neuroscience in regular university courses. We view the availability of the tool on public resources like the European ICT infrastructure for neuroscience EBRAINS as a contribution to equal opportunities.
The Role of Muscle Spindle Feedback in the Guidance of Hindlimb Movement by the Ipsilateral Forelimb during Locomotion in Mice
Authors: Mayer William P. , Akay Turgay
Published: November 2021

Safe and efficient locomotion relies on placing the foot on a reliable surface at the end of each leg swing movement. Visual information has been shown to be important for determining the location of foot placement in humans during walking when precision is required. Yet in quadrupedal animals where the hindlimbs are outside of the visual field, such as in mice, the mechanisms by which precise foot placement is achieved remain unclear. Here we show that the placement of the hindlimb paw is determined by the position of the forelimb paw during normal locomotion and in the presence of perturbations. When a perturbation elicits a stumbling corrective reaction, we found that the forelimb paw shifts posteriorly relative to body at the end of stance, and this spatial shift is echoed in hindlimb paw placement at the end of the swing movement. Using a mutant mouse line in which muscle spindle feedback is selectively removed, we show that this posterior shift of paw placement is dependent on muscle spindle feedback in the hindlimb but not in the forelimb. These findings uncover a neuronal mechanism that is independent of vision to ensure safe locomotion during perturbation. This mechanism adds to our general knowledge of how the nervous system controls targeted limb movements and could inform the development of autonomous walking machines.
No “Little Saigon” in L.A.
Authors: Gonzalez Elwing Sương
Published: November 2021

Starting in 1975, Los Angeles attracted what would become, within a decade, the largest concentration of resettled Vietnamese refugees in the United States. A combination of legacies led to the concentration of Vietnamese in Los Angeles: decades of U.S. involvement in Vietnam; Cold War foreign policy; domestic urban planning; and public housing policies born of the city’s history of racial segregation. These structural forces also drew many other immigrant groups to Los Angeles during the same period, as Koreans, Thais, Mexicans, and Central Americans likewise concentrated in L.A., each developing their own distinctive enclaves in the same districts and neighborhoods as the Vietnamese refugees. Refugee resettlement in Los Angeles in the 1970s and ’80s meant that the Vietnamese benefited from services and institutions established earlier for prior immigrant and refugee groups who had made their way to L.A., but also competition and conflict over space, markets, services, and resources, as well as cross-cultural cooperation and convergence. However, unlike some other newcomer groups, Vietnamese refugees had access to specific government-funded resources and opportunities, in addition to personal, professional, and military-related connections, that stemmed from the United States’ decades-long imperialist project in Vietnam. This article examines the settlement and placemaking experiences of Vietnamese refugees among other immigrant groups—overlap, similarities, and differences—in Los Angeles in this era.
Investor Decision for Retirement: An Exploratory Review on Financial Resource and Economic Force Influences
Authors:   Faculty of Business and Management, UCSI University, Malaysia, Edna Santhana Rajan Marcia , Abdullah Amalina ,   School of Business and Economics, University Putra Malaysia, Malaysia, Hisyam Ab Razak Nazrul ,   School of Business and Economics, University Putra Malaysia, Malaysia, Nor Normaziah ,   School of Business and Economics, University Putra Malaysia, Malaysia
Published: November 2021

In Malaysia, many people exhibit sluggish retirement investor decisions despite the presence of investment platforms such as unit trusts, which provide a reliable source for asset accumulation. While prior literature advocates the influences of financial advisors; medical expense risk; and housing on retirement financial planning behaviours, there is a dearth of clarity on the roles these influences play in clarifying the investor behaviour aspect of retirement financial planning. This study is aimed at investigating the importance of these influences on individual retirement investor decisions through an inclusive review of relevant literature. Outcomes of the study mainly inform retirement planning researchers the value in further examining the extended lifecycle theory in the investment domain of retirement financial planning behaviour. The importance of financial advisors, housing, and medical expense risk further prove critical in explaining such behaviours, and accordingly deserves more attention in studies forthcoming. These influences are consequently proposed as factors to be considered in retirement investor decisions believed to stir decisions and in turn, wealth accumulation for late-life.
Biosynthesis of bacterial cellulose for in-situ assembly of intelligent packaging with natural dyes
Authors: Lv Pengfei , Lu Xiaomin , Zhou Huimin , Sun Xiaohang
Published: November 2021

Natural materials such as wood, bone, and skin continue to command the respect and admiration of materials scientists. It is difficult to achieve comparable properties by the use conventional industrial manufacturing processes. In this essay we are proposing a radical approach to the preparation of future intelligent packaging materials. Rather than attempting to assemble the chemical components at a nano-scale to make an intelligent package, our proposal is to let life itself take care of much of the assembly. We propose that the natural growth of bacterial cellulose can be used as a way to prepare a well-integrated structure at the nano-scale. Additives such as natural dyes can be introduced already during biosynthesis and thus become well integrated with the packaging material from the start. For example, one can develop a smart label for pH monitoring based on bacterial cellulose doped with natural dyes extracted from natural byproducts by in situ biosynthesis of cellulose. The resulting film has potential to be used as a visual indicator of the pH variations during storage of packaged food.
Experimental study on notched connectors for glulam-lightweight concrete composite beams
Authors: Jiang Yuchen , Hu Xiamin , Hong Wan , Zhang Jun , He Fangqian
Published: November 2021

A new type of structural element, the timber-concrete composite beam, exhibited excellent structural performance. The notched connector is widely used in timber-concrete composite systems as a result of its considerable shear capacity and stiffness. Six groups of push-out tests were performed to investigate the shear performance of the notched connectors for the timber-concrete composite beams, with consideration to the varying concrete types, the shear length of the timber, and whether the notch was reinforced. From the test results, the notched connectors that corresponded to the shear fracture of concrete or timber had a low shear capacity and poor ductility. Notched connectors that simultaneously failed at the concrete slab (via shear force), as well as at the lag screw reinforcement point during bending presented the greatest shear capacity. This was followed by the notched connectors that exhibited diagonal-compression failure at the concrete slab. Screw fasteners in the notch were shown to improve the strength, ductility, and post-peak behavior of the notched connectors. In addition, the concrete type, the shear length of the timber, and whether the notch was reinforced were found to have no major influence on the slip modulus of the notched connectors.
Tikslinis fotovoltinių silicio prietaisų savybių keitimas, panaudojant gilų paviršiaus tekstūrinimą ir dvimatės medžiagos dangas
Authors:   , Kamarauskas Mindaugas
Published: November 2021

Intentional modification of silicon photovoltaic devices by deep surface structuring and two dimensional material coatings
Theory of Heat Capacity of Liquid Helium-4 for Temperatures above the Critical Point
Authors: Vakarchuk I.O. , Pastukhov V.S. , Prytula R.O.
Published: November 2021

We analyze numerically the behavior of the heat capacity of liquid 4He for the entire temperature range with the corresponding formula for the internal energy obtained in Ref. [I.O. Vakarchuk, R.O. Prytula, A.A. Rovenchak, J. Phys. Stud. 11, 259 (2007)] combined with a simple calculation of the effective mass of interacting Bose particles. The results agree quite well with experimental data.
Про новий кристал LiNH4SO4 з ізотропною точкою
Authors: Стадник В.Й. , Романюк М.О. , Брезвін Р.С.
Published: November 2021

Вирощено кристали LiNH4SO4 α-модифікації та досліджено їх спектральні залежності показників заломлення і двопроменезаломлення. Виявлено перетин кривих ni(λ), що свідчить про наявність за кімнатної температури інверсії знака двопроменезаломлення (Δny = 0), яка знаходиться на довжині світлової хвилі λ0 ≈ 683 нм. У випадку підвищення температури ця точка зміщується в короткохвильову ділянку спектра. Досліджено температурну залежність кута між оптичними осями, показано зміну площини оптичних осей під час переходу в ізотропний стан.
Preventive Cardiology
Authors: Gupta Dhruv
Published: November 2021

Key Points

The etiology of premature cardiovascular disease in children is multifactorial Hypocholesteremia Obesity/lack of physical activity Smoking The goals of preventive cardiology are to Prevent, identify, and treat potential atherosclerotic cardiac risk factors. Educate children and families on preventive strategies. Intervene early to decrease the burden of atherosclerotic heart disease in adult life. The American Heart Association and American Academy of Pediatrics have proposed a risk stratification and treatment algorithm for children at increased risk for premature coronary heart disease. The National Cholesterol Education Program recommends 2 separate approaches to managing hypercholesterolemia in children. Broad, population-based approach Iindividualized patient approach
Gender Identity
Authors: Weimer Amy
Published: November 2021

Key Points

The prevalence of gender dysphoria is increasing, and all providers should be prepared to interact with transgender patients.Gender-affirming care has been shown to improve health outcomes. The specific treatments recommended vary depending on age and developmental stage.Pubertal suppression may be used for children at Tanner stages 2 to 4 to prevent unwanted pubertal changes and allow more time to evaluate goals.Hormone therapy is partially irreversible and may be considered for teenagers with stable gender identity.Surgery is typically deferred until adulthood, although masculinizing chest reconstruction may be pursued in adolescence.Care through a multidisciplinary program may be optimal, but pediatricians have an important role in providing resources and psychosocial support and navigating family discussions.
Constipation
Authors: Kuo Alice A.
Published: November 2021

Key Points

Bowel patterns can vary widely, as long as stools are painless and soft. Constipation involves painful stools that are hard, dry or difficult to pass. Causes include diet, illness, withholding or stressors. Encopresis is when a child no longer feels the sensation of the need to defecate and liquid stool leaks around retained hard stool in the rectum. Prevention includes eating fiber, drinking water and having timed sits on the toilet. Treatment can involve dietary and behavioral changes, and in some cases laxatives are needed to help clean out retained stool.
Dizziness and Vertigo
Authors: Wells Lindsay
Published: November 2021

Key Points

Dizziness and vertigo are very different symptoms with different clinical implications.Dizziness indicates a symptom such as faintness, giddiness, light-headedness, or unsteadiness.Vertigo is a sensation of rotating, spinning, or whirling motion.The mechanisms for dizziness and vertigo depend on their underlying causes.In most cases, the origin of dizziness and vertigo can be determined by history and physical examination alone.Laboratory/imaging studies are indicated on the basis of suspected origin.Management depends on the origin of dizziness and vertigo.
Epistaxis
Authors: Kirolos Henry
Published: November 2021

Key Points

Anterior acute bleeding from the nostril or nasal cavity accounts for greater than 90% of epistaxis in children. Posterior bleeding into the nasopharynx and mouth is more difficult to assess and likelier to lead to hemodynamic instability. Up to one-third of children with recurrent bleeding have a coagulopathy. Direct pressure via pinching the nostrils for 5 to 10 minutes is the first-line treatment. Topical lidocaine, silver nitrate sticks, topical oxymetazoline, anterior packing, and other vasoconstrictive and hemostatic tactics may be used. Posterior epistaxes require referral to an otolaryngologist because they are more difficult to control.
Foot and Leg Problems
Authors: Adam Henry
Published: November 2021

Key Points

Most common problems of the foot and leg in children are benign and resolve with time.These either require no treatment beyond reassurance or can be managed without subspecialty referral.If a pathologic deformity is found, other congenital anomalies should be sought, especially of the skeletal and nervous systems.
Hemoptysis
Authors: Adam Henry M.
Published: November 2021

Key Points

Hemoptysis is bleeding that originates within the thorax. Must distinguish hemoptysis from gastrointestinal and upper airway bleeding. Priority is to determine whether the patient is stable or requires emergency resuscitative intervention. Once the patient is stable, differential diagnosis is guided by a detailed history and physical examination and whether or not there is an underlying predisposing medical condition.
Hepatomegaly
Authors: Adam Henry M.
Published: November 2021

Key Points

Hepatomegaly results from increase in the number or size of cells in the liver. Liver span correlates more strongly with hepatomegaly than projection below the costal margin. As a sign, not itself a disease, hepatomegaly can result from broad categories of disorders with an extensive differential diagnosis.
Hyperhidrosis
Authors: Adam Henry
Published: November 2021

Key Points

Hyperhidrosis is most commonly localized to the palms, soles, axillae, or any combination of those.Treatment most often involves lifestyle adaptations and topical agents.Systemic pharmacological agents are available for more severe cases.If generalized, hyperhidrosis may be caused by an underlying systemic disorder.
Petechiae and Purpura
Authors: Adam Henry
Published: November 2021

Key Points

The differential diagnosis for petechiae and/or purpura is broad, but in an ill-appearing child with sepsis must be at the top of the list.In a well-appearing child, petechiae and/or purpura should raise the possibility of a platelet disorder or another hemostatic defect.Facial petechiae after vaginal delivery in a well-appearing newborn likely result from birth trauma, but more diffuse petechiae warrant further investigation.If thrombocytopenia is accompanied by an abnormality of red and/or white blood cells, a bone marrow process should be considered.
Recurrent Infections
Authors: Adam Henry
Published: November 2021

Key Points

Recurrent infections from immunodeficiency are much less common than the normal pattern of frequent infections in early childhood.Immunodeficiency secondary to nonimmunologic causes (eg, cancer, malnutrition, medication/toxin) is more common than primary immunodeficiency.Common allergic conditions can be confused for recurrent infections: allergic rhinitis for upper respiratory tract infections and asthma for pneumonias.Children thought to be immunodeficient should not receive live attenuated vaccines (measles-mumps-rubella, rotavirus, varicella, oral poliovirus).Prompt diagnosis and treatment of children with immunodeficiency can be lifesaving.
Scrotal Swelling and Pain
Authors: Adam Henry
Published: November 2021

Key Points

Scrotal swelling can be classified as painful or painless and as acute or chronic.Inguinal hernias and hydroceles are the most common causes of scrotal swelling.When testicular torsion is considered, it is an emergency; confirmatory imaging (ie, ultrasound with Doppler or nuclear scintigraphy) should be done only if it will not delay surgical exploration.Laboratory tests are of limited value.
Short Stature
Authors: Adam Henry
Published: November 2021

Key Points

Parents may worry their child is too short even if their child’s height does not meet accepted criteria for short stature.The commonest causes of short stature are constitutional growth delay and familial short stature.The most helpful tools for evaluation are the growth curve and a thorough history.For short children approaching or in puberty, pubertal staging is a key part of evaluation.Growth hormone is not a panacea and has limited indications.
Syncope
Authors: Adam Henry M.
Published: November 2021

Key Points

Most cases of pediatric syncope occur in adolescence and are benign, either neurally mediated syncope (also known as vasovagal or neurocardiogenic syncope) or orthostatic hypotension. In early childhood (6 months to 3 years) syncopal episodes typically result from breath-holding spells, either cyanotic or pallid. A detailed history is most crucial in distinguishing benign syncope from less common but more serious episodes, particularly cardiac- induced syncope or seizures. All patients with syncope need close follow-up to monitor for frequency of episodes and response to any therapeutic interventions.
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
Authors: Gupta Dhruv
Published: November 2021

Key Points

Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) is a normal physiological process that entails relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter, independent of swallowing. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is frequent, persistent, and troublesome symptoms associated with GER, leading to complications or sequelae or complications associated with GER. GER is prevalent in the first 5 months after birth; most cases resolve by 12 to 14 months of age, and almost all by 24 months of age. No single criterion standard test or testing approach allows a definitive diagnosis of GER or GERD. Diagnosis of reflux disorders is generally based on a description of symptoms in the absence of alternative diagnoses. Many diagnostic modalities can be used in a thoughtful and serial manner to provide specific information about the cause and severity of acid reflux and to investigate for associated or alternative conditions. Management of GER/GERD involves lifestyle modifications, buffering agents, acid suppression, promoters of gastric emptying, and motility. Surgical therapy is reserved for children at risk for significant life-threatening complications of GERD.
Henoch-Schonlein Purpura
Authors: Kamat Deepak M.
Published: November 2021

Key Points

Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) is the most common form of vasculitis in children.It is a small-vessel vasculitis mediated by immunoglobulin A–containing immune complexes and characterized by nonthrombocytopenic purpura, abdominal pain, arthralgia, and renal disease.Diagnosis of HSP is clinical, and no laboratory tests are specific for HSP.Newborn screening has helped with early diagnosis and management, thus decreasing morbidity and improving longevity.Treatment is supportive. Patients with severe abdominal and joint pain may be treated with steroids.Steroids do not prevent renal disease in patients with HSP.Patients with nephritic or nephrotic syndrome have a much higher risk of developing chronic kidney disease and should be referred to a nephrologist.
Otitis Media
Authors: Bode Sara
Published: November 2021

Key Points

Acute otitis media (AOM) may be treated with close observation only in the following children without severe signs or symptoms (severe otalgia or fever >39°C (102.2°F): Those 6 to 24 months of age with unilateral or bilateral otitis media Those older than 24 months with bilateral otitis media First-line antibiotic treatment for AOM is high-dose amoxicillin (90 mg/kg/d). Children younger than 24 months: 10-day course Children 2 to 5 years of age: 7-day course Children older than 5 years with mild symptoms: 5-day course
Psoriasis
Authors: Bode Sara
Published: November 2021

Key Points

Psoriasis is characterized by well-demarcated erythematous papules and plaques with overlying scale. Scalp and face may be common sites in children.Guttate psoriasis can follow a streptococcal infection; consider a throat and perianal swab for streptococci to assist in diagnosis and treatment.Medium- to high-potency topical steroids with or without calcipotriol (Dovonex) or calcipotriene are first-line therapy.Refer to dermatology specialist if persistent or widespread disease for consideration of systemic or light therapy.
Altered Mental Status
Authors: Weber Amanda
Published: November 2021

Key Points

Etiologically heterogeneous condition, with leading causes that include trauma and infection.Duration of onset, associated symptoms, and physical examination findings help narrow differential diagnosis.Emergent management focuses on stabilizing the patient (airway, breathing, circulation [ABCs]) and quickly identifying and treating reversible causes.
Acute Kidney Injury
Authors: DeWitt Thomas G.
Published: November 2021

Key Points

Awareness and early identification are important. Serum creatinine and urine output are key to assessing acute kidney injury. Congenital heart disease, sepsis, and nephrotoxic medications are major causes.
Severe Acute Asthma (Status Asthmaticus)
Authors: DeWitt Thomas G.
Published: November 2021

Key Points

Initiate high- flow oxygen therapy to maintain oxygen saturation of greater than 90%.Dexamethasone is as effective as methylprednisolone and should be given as soon as possible.Intravenous magnesium sulfate is a useful adjunct if therapy with β-agonists and anti-cholinergics are not effective initially.
Screening for Genetic-Metabolic Diseases
Authors: Levy Paul
Published: November 2021

Key Points

The goal of screening is early detection of disorders for which intervention can improve outcome.Newborn screening can now include more than 60 disorders.Many inherited metabolic disorders have later onset forms that may not manifest until childhood, adolescence, or even adulthood.
Implementation of Ultra-High Performance Concrete in Long-Span Precast Pretensioned Elements for Concrete Buildings and Bridges
Authors:   eConstruct USA, LLC,   Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc.,   University of Nebraska-Lincoln,   The NCSU Constructed Facilities Laboratory,   Louisiana Tech University
Published: November 2021

This Phase II Report on ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) supersedes and incorporates the Phase I report.