bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Spatial ecology of female bighorn sheep in a prairie landscape in Nebraska
Authors: Wood Erin , Nordeen Todd , Inselman Will M. , Mahoney Peter J. , Benson John F.
Published: February 2022

Understanding the spatial ecology of small populations at the periphery of their range is important for identifying factors limiting population growth and developing sound management strategies. Bighorn sheep were reintroduced to Nebraska in 1981 and persist in a small population at the easternmost extent of the distribution of the species, where 1 of the 2 subpopulations is declining. Bighorn sheep space use and movement has been studied extensively in mountain and desert populations, but information is sparse from prairie populations in the Northern Great Plains. We investigated the spatial ecology of female bighorn sheep in Nebraska, USA, with global positioning system (GPS) telemetry. We tested the hypothesis that space use and movements would vary across seasons, years, and individuals but predicted that migration would involve relatively short distances in this translocated population (relative to native populations) occupying a fragmented landscape. Overall, females used smaller seasonal home ranges (3.3–7.8 km2) than most of those reported previously for the species and exhibited a high degree of variability in space use and movements across seasons, subpopulations, and individuals. Most females (92–100%) exhibited fidelity to their home ranges across seasons and years. Six females migrated between spatially distinct core lambing and winter ranges, although the distances (range = 7.9–8.7 km) and mean elevations (range = 31–41 m) between these core seasonal ranges were less than those reported for most native, migratory bighorn sheep populations. After accounting for variation in season, subpopulation, and years, home range size was positively associated with road density in both subpopulations (P < 0.001), suggesting that females incur greater energetic costs associated with greater space use in areas of higher fragmentation. Our results establish the basic spatial ecology of female bighorn sheep in Nebraska where their behavior appears to reflect the isolated nature of suitable habitat in this fragmented prairie landscape.
Some applications of the Hermite–Hadamard inequality for log‐convex functions in quantum divergences
Authors: Hassanzad Fatemeh , Mehri‐Dehnavi Hossien , Agahi Hamzeh
Published: February 2022

One of the beautiful and very simple inequalities for a convex function is the Hermite–Hadamard inequality. The concept of
‐convexity is a strong variant of convexity. In this paper, by the Hermite–Hadamard inequality, we introduce two‐parametric Tsallis quantum relative entropy, two‐parametric Tsallis–Lin quantum relative entropy, and two‐parametric quantum Jensen–Shannon divergence in quantum information theory. Then some properties of quantum Tsallis–Jensen–Shannon divergence for two density matrices are investigated by this inequality.
Improvements in anthropometric measures and gastrointestinal tolerance in patients with cystic fibrosis by using a digestive enzyme cartridge with overnight enteral nutrition
Authors: Hendrix Sara J. , Flume Patrick A. , First Eric R. , Stone Albert Archie , Van Buskirk Mark
Published: February 2022

Background

Patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) and pancreatic insufficiency are at risk for suboptimal fat absorption, inability to maintain weight, poor growth, and increased gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms due to malabsorption. Enteral nutrition (EN) is used to supplement caloric intake and requires pancreatic enzyme replacement for effective digestion. We evaluated the relationship between long‐term use of an in‐line digestive enzyme cartridge with EN and changes in anthropometric measures and GI symptoms in patients with CF.

Methods

This is a single‐center, retrospective case review of patients with CF using a digestive enzyme cartridge with EN. Data were collected from the patient medical records and included weight, height, body mass index, EN regimen, and reported GI symptoms.

Results

Thirteen pediatric and five adult patients with a mean age of 12.6 years used a digestive enzyme cartridge with EN for a period of 3–27 months. Most patients (n = 14) had been using oral digestive enzymes with EN before using the digestive enzyme cartridge, whereas four started from the onset of EN. The indications to convert from oral enzymes to the digestive enzyme cartridge included poor growth (72.2%) and poor tolerance of EN (69.2%). There was a reduction in reported GI symptoms after initiating use of the digestive enzyme cartridge. After 12 months of digestive cartridge use, there were improvements in anthropometrics.

Conclusions

This real‐world experience with prolonged use of a digestive enzyme cartridge with EN demonstrated improved clinical outcomes and a reduction in GI symptoms in patients with CF.
Nature relatedness: A protective factor for snake and spider fears and phobias
Authors: Zsido Andras N. , Coelho Carlos M. , Polák Jakub
Published: February 2022

Worldwide, urbanization has created completely novel environments, which bring many conveniences but carry several drawbacks too. One of the most important disadvantages is that most people living in cities lose contact with nature including interaction with animals. Current evidence shows that countries with lower levels of urbanization also have a lower prevalence of animal fears and phobias.

Here, we sought to test whether nature relatedness (NR) and residence size serve as protective factors to the most common animal fears and phobias (i.e. that of snakes and spiders).

We used the NR Scale to measure the individuals' subjective connection with nature. Participants (N = 1,071, aged 18–65 years) were also asked to complete the Snake and Spider Questionnaire (SNAQ and SPQ, respectively) and to rate pictures of snakes and spiders according to valence, arousal and dominance. To explore complex relationships between various explanatory and response variables, we employed a generalized linear model, redundancy analysis and structural equation modelling.

Results show that snake and spider fear is strongly associated with the NR total score. Participants scoring higher on the SNAQ and SPQ also evaluate snake and spider images more negatively, are more aroused by the stimuli but feel less dominant over them. Moreover, subjects with higher snake or spider fear scored lower on the NR scale, especially its two subscales, Experience and Perspective.

Results demonstrate that the more people feel connected to nature, the less they are affected by animal fears or phobias. We believe this study presents an important implication for both conservationist endeavours and therapeutic interventions.

Read the freePlain Language Summaryfor this article on the Journal blog.
Study of the preparation and properties of polyvinyl chloride/nitrocellulose polymer blends
Authors: Jadhav Pratibha S , Joshi Girish M , Humbe Shankar S , Dubey Raghvendra S , Kaleemulla Shaik
Published: February 2022

In this study, we prepared Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)/Nitrocellulose (NC) polymer blend by the solution casting technique. The structural properties and decreased interplanar spacing and crystalline nature of the PVC/NC blends were confirmed by an XRD technique. Basic chemical fingerprint regions of PVC/NC blends were confirmed by the Fourier transform IR method. Optical properties correlated with a decreased direct and indirect bandgap energy of PVC/NC were estimated using UV–visible spectra. They exhibited a shift in the absorption spectra towards the longer wavelength region due to process of charge transfer in the blend system. An increased microporous nature of the blends was demonstrated by SEM. Based on the Maxwell–Wagner model the dielectric constant and relative loss were found to have a maximum in the low frequency region which may be contributed by the polar nature of NC. We confirmed the hydrophilic nature of the PVC/NC blends due to the presence of hydroxyl groups by the goniometer technique. The thermophysical properties of the blends were measured by Lee's disc method. NC loading in the blend system increased the thermal conductivity from 0.12 to 0.18 W/(m.K). The Shore A softness test of the blends exhibited an 18% increase. We quantified structure, bandgap, morphology, and dielectric, surface and thermal properties as a function of NC blending. This new emerging blend may be a remedy for various engineering applications. © 2022 Society of Industrial Chemistry.
Phases, Structures, and Electrical Properties of Li‐Doped LaNbO4 Materials
Authors: Xu Xiangyu , Yang Jian , Guo Yaqiong , Wu Shuangfeng , Cao Qin , Wu Jiazhen , Xu Jungu
Published: February 2022

Acceptor‐doped LaNbO4 is well documented to be a promising proton conductor. However, the relatively low proton conductivity limits its widely application, although many dopants are applied to overcome this shortcoming. Herein, a series of Li‐doped La1−x
Li
x
NbO4−x
materials are prepared via a traditional solid‐state reaction method, with their phases, structures, and electrical properties being studied thoroughly. The results reveal an extremely low solubility for Li at the La site, which can be rationalized by the high endothermic solution energy of ≈7.57 eV calculated by the atomistic–static–lattice simulation method. Thus, all the prepared single‐phase samples (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.3) show similar chemical compositions, crystal structures, and electrical properties.
Probing the Interlayer Exchange Coupling in Polycrystalline Co2FeAl/Cr/Co2FeAl Multilayers on Different Substrates
Authors: Wu Yong , Zhang Delin , Xu Xiaoguang , Jiang Yong
Published: February 2022

Interlayer exchange coupling in polycrystalline Co2FeAl/Cr/Co2FeAl multilayers with Ta and MgO capping layers is investigated. Compared with Ta‐capped samples, the MgO capping layer induces the oscillatory coupling periods, ≈2.1 nm for Si substrate and ≈4.0 and ≈1.9 nm for SiO2 substrate. The oscillatory coupling period originates from the formation of quantum well states at the Cr/Co2FeAl interface due to the MgO capping layer. Meanwhile, Δ1 Bloch state in the majority spin and Δ2' Bloch state in the minority spin contribute to the short (≈2.1 and ≈1.9 nm) and long oscillatory period (≈4.0 nm) in the disordered B2 Co2FeAl multilayers, respectively.
An extensive review on phytochemistry and pharmacological activities of Indian medicinal plantCelastrus paniculatusWilld
Authors: Nagpal Kajal , Garg Madhukar , Arora Deepshi , Dubey Abhilasha , Grewal Ajmer Singh
Published: February 2022

Celastrus paniculatusis a traditional herb belonging to the family Celastraceae and is widely used for a number of medicinal activities in the Indian Unani and Ayurvedic systems. In this study, the extensive literature search was carried out on phytochemistry, ethnobotanical uses and pharmacological activities of C. paniculatus (Willd.) in various scientific databases as well as patents. Research on phytochemical investigation has shown the presence of monoterpenes (linalool, α‐terpinyl acetate, nerol acetate), sesqueterpene esters (such as malkanguniol, malkangunin, valerenal, globulol, viridiflorol, cubenol and agarofuran derivatives), diterpenoids (such as phytone, isophytol), triterpenoids (such as lupeol, pristimerin, paniculatadiol, zeylasteral, zeylasterone, β‐amyrin, squalene), alkaloids (celapanin, celapanigin, celapagin, paniculatine, celastrine, maymyrsine), fatty acids, steroids (β‐sitosterol, carpesterol benzoate), flavonoids (paniculatin), benzoic acid, and vitamin C in this plant. All the reported pharmacological activities of this plant could be due to the presence of these phytochemicals. This plant possesses strong antioxidant activity which includes total flavonoid content, total phenolic content, nitric oxide scavenging activity and free radical scavenging activity. This plant possesses multiple pharmacological activities including cognition‐enhancing, neuroprotective, antipsychotic, anti‐depressant, antibacterial, anti‐arthritic, anti‐malarial, analgesic, anti‐inflammatory, anti‐fertility, cardiovascular, locomotor, anxiolytic, wound healing activity, anti‐spasmodic, hypolipidemic, anti‐cancerous and iron‐chelating activity with different extracts of this plant as well as various phytoconstituents present in this plant. The objective of this review article is to discuss in detail the reported ethnopharmacological uses, phytochemistry and various pharmacological activities ofC. paniculatus.
A multivariate parametric empirical Bayes screening approach for early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma using multiple longitudinal biomarkers
Authors: Tayob Nabihah , Lok Anna S. F. , Feng Ziding
Published: February 2022

The early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is critical to improving outcomes since advanced HCC has limited treatment options. Current guidelines recommend HCC ultrasound surveillance every 6 months in high‐risk patients however the sensitivity for detecting early stage HCC in clinical practice is poor. Blood‐based biomarkers are a promising direction since they are more easily standardized and less resource intensive. Combining of multiple biomarkers is more likely to achieve the sensitivity required for a clinically useful screening algorithm and the longitudinal trajectory of biomarkers contains valuable information that should be utilized. We propose a multivariate parametric empirical Bayes (mPEB) screening approach that defines personalized thresholds for each patient at each screening visit to identify significant deviations that trigger additional testing with more sensitive imaging. The Hepatitis C Antiviral Long‐term Treatment against Cirrhosis (HALT‐C) trial provides a valuable source of data to study HCC screening algorithms. We study the performance of the mPEB algorithm applied to serum ‐fetoprotein, a widely used HCC surveillance biomarker, and des‐ carboxy prothrombin, an HCC risk biomarker that is FDA approved but not used in practice in the United States. Using cross‐validation, we found that the mPEB algorithm demonstrated moderate but improved sensitivity compared to alternative screening approaches. Future research will validate the clinical utility of the approach in larger cohort studies with additional biomarkers.
Hetero‐Shelled Hollow Structure Coupled with Non‐Thermal Plasma Inducing Spatial Charge Rearrangement for Superior NO Conversion and Sulfur Resistance
Authors: Liao Yujie , Zhao Kun , Yang Jiahan , An Xuefei , Zhang Pan , Dou Yuhai , Zhao Meiting , Fu Dong
Published: February 2022

Facilitating the mass transfer and spatial charge separation is a great challenge for achieving efficient oxidation of NO and outstanding sulfur resistance. Herein, a hydrothermal‐assisted confinement growth technique is used to fabricate well‐defined three‐dimensional CuOx@MnOx hetero‐shelled hollow‐structure catalysts. By integrating the coupled plasma space reactor and the porous hierarchical structure of the catalyst, excellent stability (10 h) and high conversion of NO (93.86%) are reached under the concentration of SO2 (1000 mg m–3) and NO (200 mg m–3). Impressively, precise surface characterization and detailed density functional theory calculations show that the spatial hetero‐shelled micro‐reactor can orient the redox pairs transportation, facilitating the combination of NO with the surface coordinately unsaturated O atoms, and also prevent the poisoning of SO2 molecules due to the curvature and surface charge effect in the non‐thermal plasma equipment.
Effects of the position of confining transverse links on lap strength
Authors: Metelli Giovanni , Marchina Egidio , Plizzari Giovanni A.
Published: February 2022

The article presents the results of an experimental campaign to investigate the effect of the position of transverse links on the strength of lap splices in tension. Lap splices with transverse links either adjacent to the lapped bars or at a distance of 4.5 times the bar diameter from the lap were tested. The stirrups index of confinement was similar in all the specimens. The results show a reduction of the lap strength up to 15% when the transverse links are not close to the lapped bars because of the splitting crack propagation which is not adequately counteracted by the confining action of the links. The test results show that the provisions of MC2010 for lap splices, with links relatively far, may be unconservative. Furthermore, an experimental database on the strength of lap splices with different distances of transverse links to the lapped bars is gathered from studies published in literature. This database enables to assess the accuracy of the efficiency factor km of confining reinforcement in the fib MC2010 formulation. Based on the statistical analysis of the test results concerning the confining reinforcement, a reduction is proposed for the effectiveness factor (km), to be applied whenever the distance of laps to the transverse links exceeds four times the bar diameter.
Portraying secondary science teacher retention with the person‐position framework: An analysis of a state cohort of first‐year science teachers
Authors: Larkin Douglas B. , Patzelt Suzanne Poole , Ahmed Khadija M. , Carletta Liz , Gaynor Catherine R.
Published: February 2022

This study uses state‐level staffing data to analyze the five‐year career trajectories of all 231 first‐year secondary science teachers in New Jersey who began teaching during the 2010‐2011 school year. The person‐position framework for studying teacher retention is introduced in this analysis, and the authors present a case for the importance of specifying both location and duration in empirical reporting on teacher retention, as well as distinguishing between the employers’ and individual teachers’ perspectives on retention. In the cohort studied here, the 5‐year retention‐by‐employer rate was 38%, but the retention‐in‐profession rate for those actively teaching was 65%. An additional 24% of science teachers changed districts during or immediately after their first year, and were retained in their second districts for four or more years. 16% of the science teachers in the cohort identified as non‐White or Hispanic and these teachers were retained at similar rates to their White/non‐Hispanic counterparts. Alternate route preparation programs attracted many more secondary science teachers who identified as non‐White or Hispanic, but teachers from these programs had a far lower 5‐year retained‐in‐profession rate (45%) than non‐White or Hispanic traditional route teachers (75%). It was more common for science teachers in higher SES districts to transfer to lower SES districts than the reverse. The position turnover rate for science teachers was slightly lower in higher SES districts. As a category, charter schools had the lowest 5‐year science teacher retention rate (13%). There was no identifiable relationship between the age, sex, subject area certification, or starting salary of science teachers and the measures of retention used in this study. The authors discuss the characterization of retention itself in research, including the use of descriptors related to retention. Implications relating to science teacher education policy are discussed, as is the future use of state‐level data systems in retention research.
Prevalence of Eimeria spp. with associated risk factors in dairy calves in Sylhet, Bangladesh
Authors: Chandra Deb Liton , Ahmed Syed Sayeem Uddin , Baidhya Chandan Chandra , Deb Nath Nirmalendu , Ghosh Sumon , Paul Suman
Published: February 2022

Background

Bovine eimeriosis is thought to be very important for the productivity and health of cattle all over the world. Despite the importance of cattle farming in Sylhet, little is known about the prevalence of bovine Eimeria spp. and the risk factors connected with it.

Objectives

We conducted a study to evaluate the prevalence, species diversity and associated risk factors of Eimeria spp. in a population of 50 cattle farms from 12 upazilas (sub‐district) in Sylhet district.

Methods

Faecal samples were collected randomly from a total of 554 calves ranging in age from 1 month to 2 years old during a period of 7 months. We used Flotation and McMaster techniques for parasitological examination. Species identification was done by using their morphological and morphometric characteristics.

Results

Out of 554 calves, 308 were found to be positive for Eimeria species (55.60%). Seven species of Eimeria were identified. Among the identified species, E. bovis (38.98%), E. zuernii (26.17%) and E. alabamensis (22.38%) were found to be the most prevalent species. Mixed and species‐specific Eimeria infection were (24.73%; 95% CI 21.32–28.49) and (30.87%; 95% CI 27.17–34.84), respectively. In addition, the highest prevalence was observed at Zakigonj (68%; 95% CI 58.34–76.33) and the lowest at Companygonj (40%; 95% CI 30.94–49.80). Eimeria species intensity ranged between 50 and 76,550 oocyst per gram of faeces. Analysis of associated risk factors by using multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that age, gender and body condition were significantly (p < 0.05) associated with Eimeria infection.

Conclusions

Based on these present findings, it can be assumed that ‘coccidia belong to the most prevalent pathogens in the population of calves in the study area’. Thus, the findings of this study could be used as tools for adoptive surveillance and effective control and prevention of the disease in cattle populations in this region.
Effect of different processing techniques and presence of antioxidant on the chitosan film performance
Authors: Infurna Giulia , Cavallaro Giuseppe , Lazzara Giuseppe , Milioto Stefana , Dintcheva Nadka Tz.
Published: February 2022

In the last two decades, the naturally occurring polysaccharides have gained great attention because of their potential applications in different sectors, for example, from food to biomedical sectors. Chitosan is a cationic polysaccharide with good transparency, and currently, it has been considered also as suitable material for the formulation film and coating in cultural heritage protection. In this work, the chitosan films (Ch), with and without natural antioxidant such as citric acid (CA), are formulated considering two different processing techniques: (i) conventional solvent casting and (ii) compression molding, that is an unconventional method for this polysaccharide, giving the possibility to formulate films with extended surface and constant thickness. The effects of processing conditions and antioxidant presence on the properties and performance are evaluated by thermo‐gravimetric analysis, FTIR and UV–visible spectroscopy, water contact angle measurements and tensile test. Besides, the durability of all investigated Ch and Ch/CA has been evaluated subjecting thin film to UVB exposure and monitoring their structural changes by FTIR analysis in time. All obtained results suggest that the chitosan films can be processed successfully by both solvent casting and compression molding techniques. Further, the CA presence in Ch films has a beneficial effect on the thermal resistance and durability and no negative effect on the transparency and optical properties.
Papillary meningioma with multifocal leptomeningeal spread in a dog
Authors: Santifort Koen , Van Soens Iris , Beukers Martijn , Grinwis Guy , van der Lugt Jaco , Mandigers Paul
Published: February 2022

An 11‐year‐old, English cocker spaniel was presented with subacute progressive signs of vestibular ataxia, tetraparesis, left‐sided proprioceptive deficits, positional ventrolateral strabismus of the right eye and a right‐sided menace deficit. Magnetic resonance imaging of the cranium and cranial cervical spinal cord revealed multifocal T2 hyper‐/T1‐hypointense intradural lesions with dural tail signs and intra‐axial and intramedullary extension. Medical treatment resulted in initial improvement before deterioration was noticed. Cytological examination results of computed tomography‐guided fine‐needle aspiration biopsy of the C1–C2 lesion were consistent with mesenchymal neoplasia. Three days later, after progressive clinical deterioration, euthanasia was performed. Postmortem examination and subsequent histological examination of the brainstem and spinal cord revealed multifocal, strongly infiltrative growth of neoplastic cells with areas of pseudo‐rosette formation by cylindrical neoplastic cells with moderately large, oval nuclei in addition to areas of spindle‐shaped neoplastic cells with meningothelial whorls. The final diagnosis was a papillary (grade III) meningioma with multifocal leptomeningeal spread.
Die Hand positionieren, um zu agieren – Validierung des 8-Punkte-Greifraum-Tests
Authors: Krupp Sonja , Petersen Theresa , Balck Friedrich , Kasten Meike , Willkomm Martin , Kasper Jennifer
Published: February 2022

Hintergrund

Das standardisierte geriatrische Assessment der oberen Extremitäten beschränkt sich häufig auf die Messung der Handkraft. Als einziges weiteres Instrument nennt die S1-Leitlinie zum geriatrischen Assessment der Stufe 2 den 20-Cents-Test (20-C-T). Neben Kraft und Feinmotorik ist jedoch das erfolgreiche Platzieren der Hand eine Voraussetzung für die Selbstversorgung.

Ziel der Arbeit

Zur standardisierten seitengetrennten Überprüfung des alltagsrelevanten Positionierens der Hand im Sitzen wurde der 8‑Punkte-Greifraum-Test (8P-GRT) entwickelt. Die Studie diente der Ermittlung von Gütekriterien des 8P-GRT bei geriatrischen Krankenhauspatienten.

Material und Methoden

Zwischen dem 31.07.2019 und dem 23.09.2019 wurden im Krankenhaus Rotes Kreuz Lübeck – Geriatriezentrum 82 stationäre Patienten mithilfe des 8P-GRT, des Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI), einem zu den Handpositionen des 8P-GRT korrespondierenden Fragebogen zu Aktivitäten der Selbstversorgung, der Handkraftmessung und dem 20-C‑T untersucht.

Ergebnisse

Die Interrater-Reliabilität betrug 0,99, die Retest-Reliabilität 0,95 für die rechte und 0,90 für die linke Seite. Auf die Person bezogen, trat ein Deckeneffekt (beidseits Score 8) bei 4,1 % (n = 3) auf; kein Bodeneffekt wurde beobachtet. Die interne Konsistenz (Cronbachs α) des gemäß Faktorenanalyse zweifaktoriellen Tests betrug 0,78 (rechts) bzw. 0,76 (links). Jeder der anderen Tests korrelierte enger mit dem 8P-GRT auf der rechten Seite, wobei die Korrelation mit dem oben genannten Fragebogen am höchsten war (−0,72), gefolgt vom SPADI (−0,60).

Diskussion

Eine standardisierte Erhebung der Handkraft, Feinmotorik und aktiven Positionierung der Hand (z. B. 8P-GRT) fügt die Hauptaspekte der Funktionsfähigkeit der oberen Extremitäten zu einem Gesamtbild zusammen.
Creatinine-based GFR-estimating equations in children with overweight and obesity
Authors: van Dam Mark J. C. M. , Pottel Hans , Vreugdenhil Anita C. E.
Published: February 2022

Background

With the increasing prevalence of childhood obesity and related development of chronic kidney disease (CKD), there is a critical need to understand how best to assess kidney function in children with obesity. Since serum creatinine (SCr) is recommended as marker of first choice for GFR estimation, we evaluated and compared creatinine-based GFR equations in children with overweight and obesity.

Methods

Six hundred children with overweight and obesity (53.5% female; mean age 12.20 ± 3.28 years; mean BMI z-score 3.31 ± 0.75) were included from the Centre for Overweight Adolescent and Children’s Healthcare (COACH).

Results

Serum creatinine (SCr), normalized using Q-age polynomials obtained from reference values, results in median and mean SCr/Q value close to “1” for all age groups, and 96.5% of the children have a SCr/Q within the reference band [0.67–1.33], corresponding to the 2.5th and 97.5th percentile. eGFR CKiD (bedside Schwartz equation) and Schwartz-Lyon decreased with age, whereas eGFR EKFC and modified CKD-EPI40 showed no age-dependency, but the distribution of eGFR values was not symmetrical. eGFR CKiD under 25 (CKiDU25) demonstrated no age-dependency but major sex differences were observed. eGFR FAS age, FAS height, and adjusted-creatinine revised Lund-Malmö (LMR18) showed a relatively symmetrical distribution and no age-dependency.

Conclusions

Serum creatinine (SCr) values of children with overweight and obesity are mostly within the reference range for children. Normalization of SCr using reference Q-age polynomials works very well in this cohort. After evaluation of the different equations, we suggest that FAS age, FAS height, and LMR18 are the preferred creatinine-based GFR-estimating equations in children with overweight and obesity.

Clinical trial registration.

ClinicalTrial.gov; Registration Number: NCT02091544.

Graphical abstract

A higher resolution version of the Graphical abstract is available as Supplementary information
Sustainability assessment of short food supply chains (SFSC): developing and testing a rapid assessment tool in one African and three European city regions
Authors: Doernberg Alexandra , Piorr Annette , Zasada Ingo , Wascher Dirk , Schmutz Ulrich
Published: February 2022

Recent literature demonstrates the contribution of short food supply chains (SFSC) to regional economies and sustainable food systems, and acknowledges their role as drivers for sustainable development. Moreover, different types of SFSC have been supported by urban food policies (UFP) over the few last years and actors from the food chain became part of new institutional settings for urban food policies. However, evidence from the sustainability impact assessment (SIA) of these SFSC in urban contexts is limited. Our paper presents an approach for the development of an SIA framework for different SFSC types. In addition, a practical application of the tool in four metropolitan regions (Berlin, London, Ljubljana and Nairobi) is tested. The conceptual development of the SIA framework is based on an in-depth analysis of existing SIA frameworks and methods for assessing the sustainability of agriculture, food chains and food systems and adapted to the specific needs of analysing SFSC in metropolitan regions. The operational value and utility of the framework and the tool were tested with social and natural scientists and local stakeholders. The assessment results demonstrate that SFSC seems to be more sustainable than the baseline (long global food chains) in the social dimension, but also feature specific strengths and weaknesses concerning their economic and environmental sustainability. This might give an indication for regional adjusted strategies and food chain innovations that improve the sustainability performance may be required. We found the tool useful for framing the dialogue between food chain actors, consumers and policy, because it makes benefits and trade-offs of the chain types operating in an urban–rural context more visible and communicable.
The therapeutic potential of RNA Polymerase I transcription inhibitor, CX-5461, in uterine leiomyosarcoma
Authors: Kang Chang-Won , Hannan Katherine M. , Blackburn Anneke C. , Loh Amos H. P. , Hong Kuick Chik , Yuan Goh Jian , Hein Nadine , Drygin Denis , Hannan Ross D. , Coupland Lucy A.
Published: February 2022

Background. Uterine leiomyosarcoma is a rare aggressive smooth muscle cancer with poor survival rates. RNA Polymerase I (Pol I) activity is elevated in many cancers supporting tumour growth and prior studies in uterine leiomyosarcoma revealed enlarged nucleoli and upregulated Pol I activity-related genes. This study aimed to investigate the anti-tumour potential of CX-5461, a Pol I transcription inhibitor currently being evaluated in clinical trials for several cancers, against the human uterine leiomyosarcoma cell line, SK-UT-1. Methods. SK-UT-1 was characterised using genome profiling and western blotting. The anti-tumour effects of CX-5461 were investigated using cell proliferation assays, expression analysis using qRT-PCR, and BrdU/PI based cell cycle analysis. Results. Genetic analysis of SK-UT-1 revealed mutations in TP53, RB1, PTEN, APC and TSC1 & 2, all potentially associated with increased Pol I activity. Protein expression analysis showed dysregulated p53, RB1 and c-Myc. CX-5461 treatment resulted in an anti-proliferation response, G2 phase cell-cycle arrest and on-target activity demonstrated by reduced ribosomal DNA transcription. Conclusions. SK-UT-1 was confirmed as a representative model of uterine leiomyosarcoma and CX-5461 has significant potential as a novel adjuvant for this rare cancer.
Size variation, allometry and mating success in Aotearoa|New Zealand kelp flies (Coelopidae)
Authors: LeGrice Rebecca J. , Holwell Gregory I.
Published: February 2022

The need to respond quickly to the presence of an ephemeral resource required for breeding is often a feature of scramble competition mating systems. Scramble competition mating systems can feature extreme levels of sexual conflict and coercive mating by males. As a result, sexual selection can act on various traits used by males to overcome female resistance behaviours. Selection on these traits may result in significant intra and intersexual size variation and sexual dimorphism. Additionally, traits that influence mating success in males often show positive static allometry. Kelp flies (Coelopidae) are a small family of Diptera which specialise on wrack (beach cast marine macroalgae), a highly ephemeral resource. The mating system of these flies involves high levels of sexual conflict, with females rejecting all male mating attempts. In this study we describe intra and intersexual size variation and static allometry of traits in two of Aotearoa|New Zealand’s species, Coelopella curvipes and Chaetocoelopa littoralis. In addition, we investigate the mating behaviour of C. littoralis under ecologically relevant mating conditions. We found high levels of variation in both species with significant evidence of sexual dimorphism across all traits measured in C. littoralis, and in mid tibia length in C. curvipes. Furthermore, mid tibia length in both species exhibits positive static allometry and is disproportionally larger in larger males, suggesting that this trait in particular may be under strong sexual selection. We found that larger male C. littoralis which attempt to mate are significantly more likely to mate successfully demonstrating a large-size advantage in this species similar to findings across the Coelopidae. However, we only found a non-significant trend towards a mating advantage for males with longer mid-tibiae. We discuss these findings with reference to the population dynamics and ecology of these species.
Multinational ownership patterns and anti-tax avoidance legislation
Authors: Prettl Axel , von Hagen Dominik
Published: February 2022

We investigate whether controlled foreign corporation (CFC) rules influence cross-border merger and acquisition (M&A) activity on a global scale. CFC rules are one main anti-tax avoidance measure and potentially lead to immediate taxation of foreign subsidiaries’ income at parent level. Analyzing a large M&A data set and detailed self-compiled CFC rule data from 27 countries using two different econometric perspectives, we show if and how CFC rules distort firm behavior and ownership patterns. First, we find that the probability of being the acquirer of a low-tax target decreases if CFC rules may be applicable to this target’s income. Second, we show that CFC rules alter an acquirer’s choice of targets’ location. Altogether, our study shows that for affected acquirer countries, CFC rules lead to less M&A activity in low-tax countries due to potentially reduced incentives to shift income. However, these effects appear to be rather small in size and decrease over time. Thus, our study suggests that CFC rules do not substantially bias the market for corporate control as lobby groups partially claim and policy makers can be confident in reaching their goals of diminishing profit shifting with this increasingly important anti-tax avoidance rule.
Efficient and Robust Background Modeling with Dynamic Mode Decomposition
Authors: Krake Tim , Bruhn Andrés , Eberhardt Bernhard , Weiskopf Daniel
Published: February 2022

A large number of modern video background modeling algorithms deal with computational costly minimization problems that often need parameter adjustments. While in most cases spatial and temporal constraints are added artificially to the minimization process, our approach is to exploit Dynamic Mode Decomposition (DMD), a spectral decomposition technique that naturally extracts spatio-temporal patterns from data. Applied to video data, DMD can compute background models. However, the original DMD algorithm for background modeling is neither efficient nor robust. In this paper, we present an equivalent reformulation with constraints leading to a more suitable decomposition into fore- and background. Due to the reformulation, which uses sparse and low-dimensional structures, an efficient and robust algorithm is derived that computes accurate background models. Moreover, we show how our approach can be extended to RGB data, data with periodic parts, and streaming data enabling a versatile use.
Effect of intraoperative personalized goal-directed hemodynamic management on acute myocardial injury in high-risk patients having major abdominal surgery: a post-hoc secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial
Authors: Kouz Karim , Bergholz Alina , Diener Oliver , Leistenschneider Maximilian , Thompson Christina , Pichotka Friederike , Trepte Constantin , Schwedhelm Edzard , Renné Thomas , Krause Linda , Nicklas Julia Y. , Saugel Bernd
Published: February 2022

Acute myocardial injury is common after noncardiac surgery and associated with mortality. Impaired intraoperative cardiovascular dynamics are a risk factor for acute myocardial injury. Optimizing intraoperative cardiovascular dynamics may thus reduce acute myocardial injury. We aimed to investigate the effect of intraoperative personalized goal-directed hemodynamic management on the incidence of acute myocardial injury. We hypothesized that personalized goal-directed hemodynamic management reduces the incidence of acute myocardial injury compared to routine hemodynamic management in high-risk patients having major abdominal surgery. We performed a post-hoc secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial including 180 high-risk major abdominal surgery patients that were randomized to personalized goal-directed hemodynamic management or routine hemodynamic management. We compared the incidences of acute myocardial injury—defined according to the Fourth Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction (2018)—between patients randomized to personalized goal-directed hemodynamic management or routine hemodynamic management by calculating the relative and absolute risk reduction together with 95% Wald confidence intervals and P values. Acute myocardial injury occurred in 4 of 90 patients (4%) in the personalized goal-directed hemodynamic management group and in 12 of 90 patients (13%) in the routine hemodynamic management group (relative risk: 0.33, 95% confidence interval: 0.11 to 0.99, P = 0.036; absolute risk reduction: − 9%, 95% confidence interval: − 17% to − 0.68%, P = 0.034). In this post-hoc secondary analysis, intraoperative personalized goal-directed hemodynamic management reduced the incidence of acute myocardial injury compared to routine hemodynamic management in high-risk patients having major abdominal surgery. This needs to be confirmed in larger prospective trials.
‘Like holding the axe on who should live or not’: adolescents’ and adults’ perceptions of valuing children’s health states using a standardised valuation protocol for the EQ-5D-Y-3L
Authors: Åström Mimmi , Conte Helen , Berg Jenny , Burström Kristina
Published: February 2022

Purpose

There is an increasing interest for using qualitative methods to investigate peoples’ cognitive process when asked to value health states. A standardised valuation protocol for the EQ-5D-Y-3L instrument was recently developed. Little is known regarding how people think, reason, and feel when asked to value health states for children. The aim was to explore how adolescents and adults perceive the task of valuing children’s health states using the standardised valuation protocol.

Methods

This was a qualitative study where adults (n = 10) and adolescents (n = 10) from the general population participated in individual video-interviews. Initially, participants reported their own health with the EQ-5D-3L instrument. Then they were asked to complete several valuations tasks for a 10-year-old child according to the standardised valuation protocol, followed by a semi-structured interview with open-ended questions to further explore participants’ perceptions. A qualitative content analysis was performed.

Results

The two main categories that emerged from the data were ‘Thoughts and feelings when valuing children’s health states’ and ‘Strategies when valuing children’s health states’. Participants expressed feeling doubt, awfulness and being reluctant to trade-off life years, and questioned who has the right to value health states for children. Experience and point of view were strategies participants used to complete the valuation tasks.

Conclusion

The findings from the present study can contribute to the understanding and interpretation of quantitative results where the standardised valuation protocol has been used to derive values for the EQ-5D-Y-3L. Furthermore, results of the study support the feasibility of including adolescents in valuation studies.
Review on bisphenol A and the risk of polycystic ovarian syndrome: an insight from endocrine and gene expression
Authors: Mukhopadhyay Risani , Prabhu Navya B. , Kabekkodu Shama Prasada , Rai Padmalatha S.
Published: February 2022

Bisphenol A (BPA) is one of the most widely studied endocrine disrupting chemicals because of its structural similarity to 17-β estradiol; its ability to bind as an agonist/antagonist to estrogen receptors elicits adverse effects on the functioning of the metabolic and endocrinal system. Therefore, BPA has been thoroughly scrutinized concerning its disruption of pathways like lipid metabolism, steroidogenesis, insulin signaling, and inflammation. This has resulted in reports of its correlation with various aspects of cardiovascular diseases, obesity, diabetes, male and female reproductive disorders, and dysfunctions. Among these, the occurrence of the polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) in premenopausal women is of great concern. PCOS is a highly prevalent disorder affecting women in their reproductive age and is clinically characterized by hyperandrogenism, ovulatory dysfunction, and polycystic ovarian morphology, along with metabolism-related dysfunctions like hyperinsulinemia, obesity, and insulin resistance. In this review, we analyzed certain researched effects of BPA, while focusing on its ability to alter the expression of various significant genes like GnRH, AdipoQ, ESR1, StAR, CYP11A1, CYP19A1, and many more involved in the pathways and endocrine regulation, whose disruption is commonly associated with the clinical manifestations of PCOS.
Electricity Market Design and Zero-Marginal Cost Generation
Authors: Hogan William W.
Published: February 2022

Purpose of Review

Competitive electricity systems arose in the context of thermal generation with dispatchable production and increasing variable costs. This paper addresses key impacts on efficient market design with increasing reliance on renewable energy sources such as solar and wind that are intermittent and have very low marginal costs.

Recent Findings

The basics of efficient electricity markets design have been adopted by all the organized electricity markets in the USA. This is the only competitive electricity market design that supports the principles of open access and non-discrimination.

An expansion of intermittent zero-marginal cost generation does not change the fundamentals of efficient electricity market design. Rather, it increases the importance of implementing the design and associated reforms that have been identified from market experience. These include improved scarcity pricing, demand participation, and carbon pricing.
Control in the loop for synchronization of nonlinear chaotic systems via adaptive intuitionistic neuro-fuzzy: a comparative study
Authors: Helmy Salah , Magdy Mohamed , Hamdy Mohamed
Published: February 2022

This paper proposes control in the loop (CIL) for the synchronization between two nonlinear chaotic systems at the existence of uncertainties and disturbances using an adaptive intuitionistic neuro-fuzzy (AINF) control scheme. The chaotic systems have been subedited as one is the master and the other is the slave. They both have different initial conditions and parameters. The variation in the initial conditions leads to the butterfly effect, the concept that is well known in the chaos field and means that both systems diverge over time. Therefore, AINF control scheme has been proposed in this paper as a powerful scheme to get over this problem effectively. The main objective of using the AINF control scheme is that it collects the features of its contents. As the intuitionistic fuzzy gives the system flexibility and helps the controller collecting more information about the problem. The neural networks give the controller the ability to learn over time. The experimental results were obtained to verify the applicability and effectiveness of the proposed control scheme against external disturbance and model uncertainties with comparative study.
How Many Single Rulebooks? The EU’s Patchwork Approach to Ensuring Regulatory Consistency in the Area of Investment Management
Authors: Navid Kian
Published: February 2022

The principle of consistency has undergone a remarkable evolution in the European Union (EU) from a mere political objective to a justiciable constitutional principle of EU law. In the area of financial regulation, regulatory consistency plays a particularly salient role as it is considered a prerequisite for preserving financial stability. In the wake of the 2007/2008 financial crisis, EU policy makers coined the concept of the Single Rulebook, highlighting the importance of a consistent and unified regulatory framework for the EU financial sector with a view to completing the Single Market in financial services and ensuring financial stability. This article examines the progress made towards achieving the Single Rulebook in the area of investment management over a decade after the financial crisis. The post-crisis EU legislation in this area follows a patchwork approach with a multitude of Level 1 and Level 2 directives and regulations that largely rely on the contrived legal form and labels to determine the applicable rules. This form-over-substance approach has created a complicated regulatory regime that is often detached from actual risks for investors and financial stability and thus fails to achieve the overarching policy goal of ensuring regulatory consistency. The central argument put forward in this article is that the Single Rulebook would be better achieved with a substance-over-form approach that addresses substantially similar investor protection and financial stability risks in a consistent manner.
A model predictive control approach for highly automated vehicles in urban environments
Authors: Saljanin Miralem , Müller Sven , Kiebler Jochen , Neubeck Jens , Wagner Andreas
Published: February 2022

In this paper, a model predictive control (MPC) approach for the lateral and longitudinal control of a highly automated electric vehicle with all-wheel drive and dual-axis steering is presented. For the prediction of state trajectories a two-track vehicle model is used. The MPC problem for trajectory tracking is formulated by controlling the front and rear steering angle as well as the individual drive torques with respect to actuator and design constraints. Beside the steering angles, the MPC controller computes the individual drive torques to not only match the reference velocity but also to support the lateral dynamics of the vehicle using torque vectoring. The MPC problem is solved using ACADOS, a software package for efficiently solving optimal control problems. The effectiveness of the proposed MPC scheme is demonstrated via simulation.