bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Design of New Launch and Interferometer Systems for the IMGC-02 Absolute Gravimeter
Authors: Prato Andrea , Desogus Sergio , Origlia Claudio , Bisi Marco , Germak Alessandro
Published: April 2020

For the measurement of the acceleration due to gravity, INRiM developed a transportable ballistic rise-and-fall absolute gravimeter, the IMGC-02. It uses laser interferometry to measure the symmetrical free rising and falling motion of a test mass in the gravity field. The launch system is composed of a moveable carriage fixed to two pairs of springs loaded by an electric stepper motor, which vertically throw up a corner cube retroreflector in vacuum. The interferometer system is a modified Mach-Zehnder interferometer where the launched corner cube acts as the reflector in one of the optical arms of the interferometer and the other retroreflector acts as inertial reference during the measurement. However, both systems entail some practical problems and uncertainty contributions that need to be reduced. In particular, the current launch system might cause beam shear and rotational effects due to unavoidable small different loadings of the springs, while the current interferometer system poses problems in the alignment of the mirrors, which is a highly time-consuming procedure and has to be performed before and, sometimes, during the measurement session. For this reason, a new launch system consisting of an electric linear motor which produces a linear force along its length, and a modified Jamin interferometer system entailing a simpler alignment and a better stability in time, have been designed. This works deals with the description of these new systems.
Cytotoxicity of some synthetic bis(arylidene) derivatives of cyclic ketones towards cisplatin-resistant human ovarian carcinoma cells
Authors: Patel Hinal , Mothia Begum , Patel Jaison , Fasanya Olatunde , Sooda Kartheek , Javid Farideh , Wyatt Peter B.
Published: April 2020

Symmetrical α,αʹ-bis(arylidene)ketones were prepared by acid-catalyzed aldol condensations between aliphatic ketones (e.g., cyclopentanone, 4-alkylcyclohexanones, tetrahydropyran-4-one, and tetrahydrothiopyran-4-one) and two equivalents of an aromatic hydroxyaldehyde (e.g., 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde, 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde, vanillin, isovanillin, and 3-fluoro-4-hydroxybenzaldehyde). Most of the compounds were cytotoxic towards the cisplatin-resistant human ovarian cancer cell line A2780-CP70 as well as the non-resistant line A2780.
S3-Leitlinie: Analfissur
Authors: Marti Lukas , Post Stefan , Herold Alexander , Schwandner Oliver , Hetzer Franc , Strittmatter Bernhard , Iesalnieks Igors , Huth Marcus , Schmidt-Lauber Martin , Weyandt Gerhard , Ommer Andreas , Ebinger Sabrina M.
Published: April 2020

Die Analfissur ist eine der häufigsten Pathologien, welche sich dem Proktologen präsentiert. Entsprechend ist es wichtig, verlässliche Leitlinien dazu zu entwickeln. Die aktuelle Leitlinie wurde anhand eines systematischen Literaturreview von einem interdisziplinären Expertengremium diskutiert und verabschiedet.

Die akute Analfissur, soll auf Grund ihrer hohen Selbstheilungstendenz konservativ behandelt werden. Die Heilung wird am besten durch die Einnahme von Ballaststoff reicher Ernährung und einer medikamentösen Relaxation durch Kalziumkanal-Antagonisten (CCA) unterstützt. Zur Behandlung der chronischen Analfissur (CAF), soll den Patienten eine medikamentöse Behandlung zur „chemischen Sphinkterotomie“ mittels topischer CCA oder Nitraten angeboten werden. Bei Versagen dieser Therapie, kann zur Relaxation des inneren Analsphinkters Botulinumtoxin injiziert werden. Es ist belegt, dass die operativen Therapien effektiver sind. Deshalb kann eine Operation schon als primäre Therapie oder nach erfolgloser medikamentöser Therapie erfolgen. Die Fissurektomie, evtl. mit zusätzlicher Botulinumtoxin Injektion oder Lappendeckung, ist die Operation der Wahl. Obwohl die laterale Internus Sphinkterotomie die CAF effektiver heilt, bleibt diese wegen dem höheren Risiko für eine postoperative Stuhlinkontinenz eine Option für Einzelfälle.
Correction to: Twelve Hundred Consecutive Pancreato‐Duodenectomies from Single Centre: Impact of Centre of Excellence on Pancreatic Cancer Surgery Across India
Authors: Shrikhande Shailesh V. , Shinde Rajesh S. , Chaudhari Vikram A. , Kurunkar Sagar R. , Desouza Ashwin L. , Agarwal Vandana , Bhandare Manish S.
Published: April 2020

The authors’ affiliations are updated as reflected here.
Mid‐Term and Long‐Term Impact of Permanent Hypoparathyroidism After Total Thyroidectomy
Authors: Ponce de León‐Ballesteros Guillermo , Bonilla‐Ramírez Carlos , Hernández‐Calderón Francisco Javier , Pantoja‐Millán Juan Pablo , Sierra‐Salazar Mauricio , Velázquez‐Fernández David , Herrera Miguel F.
Published: April 2020

Background

Permanent hypoparathyroidism (PH) is the most frequent long‐term complication after total thyroidectomy. PH is related to many short‐term and long‐term complications, including clinical manifestations of hypocalcemia, hypercalcemia due to overtreatment, hyperphosphatemia, gastrointestinal, neuropsychiatric symptoms, decrease in renal function and infectious complications. The aim of this study was to identify the most frequent effects of PH and its associated risk factors.

Methods

We performed a retrospective analysis of a single institutional series of patients who developed PH after total thyroidectomy between 2000 and 2016. PH was defined as hypoparathormonemia (≤12 pg/mL) or the need for calcium/vitamin D supplementation to achieve normal calcium levels for more than 12 months. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed based on the natural scaling of each included variable.

Results

Thirty‐nine patients fulfilled the criteria for PH. Mean ± SD age was 46.26 ± 13.4 years; 6 (15.4%) were males and 33 (84.6%) females. Mean follow‐up was 6.13 ± 3.25 years. Mean calcium carbonate supplementation doses per day were 18.95 ± 17.5 g and 21.4 ± 19.3 g at 1 year and last follow‐up, respectively. Hypocalcemic crisis was the most common complication (66.7%), followed by neuropsychiatric (38.5%) and gastrointestinal symptoms (33.3%). Ten patients showed a decrease in renal function (eGFR drop ≥25%) and 4 developed chronic kidney disease. The amount of calcium supplementation was the most relevant related risk factor.

Conclusions

PH is associated with multiple complications, including renal function impairment, gastrointestinal, neuropsychiatric and infectious complications. Lower calcium supplementation doses are related to lower complications rates.
Characterisation of the static offset in the travelling wave in the cochlear basal turn
Authors: Ota Takeru , Nin Fumiaki , Choi Samuel , Muramatsu Shogo , Sawamura Seishiro , Ogata Genki , Sato Mitsuo P. , Doi Katsumi , Doi Kentaro , Tsuji Tetsuro , Kawano Satoyuki , Reichenbach Tobias , Hibino Hiroshi
Published: April 2020

In mammals, audition is triggered by travelling waves that are evoked by acoustic stimuli in the cochlear partition, a structure containing sensory hair cells and a basilar membrane. When the cochlea is stimulated by a pure tone of low frequency, a static offset occurs in the vibration in the apical turn. In the high-frequency region at the cochlear base, multi-tone stimuli induce a quadratic distortion product in the vibrations that suggests the presence of an offset. However, vibrations below 100 Hz, including a static offset, have not been directly measured there. We therefore constructed an interferometer for detecting motion at low frequencies including 0 Hz. We applied the interferometer to record vibrations from the cochlear base of guinea pigs in response to pure tones. When the animals were exposed to sound at an intensity of 70 dB or higher, we recorded a static offset of the sinusoidally vibrating cochlear partition by more than 1 nm towards the scala vestibuli. The offset’s magnitude grew monotonically as the stimuli intensified. When stimulus frequency was varied, the response peaked around the best frequency, the frequency that maximised the vibration amplitude at threshold sound pressure. These characteristics are consistent with those found in the low-frequency region and are therefore likely common across the cochlea. The offset diminished markedly when the somatic motility of mechanosensitive outer hair cells, the force-generating machinery that amplifies the sinusoidal vibrations, was pharmacologically blocked. Therefore, the partition offset appears to be linked to the electromotile contraction of outer hair cells.
Laboratory Scaled Coal Dust Explosions and Physical Test Results for CFD Explosion Models
Authors: Maier Patrick , Hartlieb Philipp , Brune Jürgen F.
Published: April 2020

The work was carried out during an exchange program of several-months at the Colorado School of Mines (CSM) in Golden, Colorado. The goal of the thesis was to investigate scaled methane and coal dust explosions for the validation of CFD models. A series of different tests were performed in a horizontal, cylindrical steel reactor with a length of 1.5 m and a diameter of 63 mm at a scale of about 1:30. These tests are used to investigate the effect of coal dust on the combustion process by measuring the velocity of propagation. Furthermore, a reactor was constructed to visualize coal dust explosions, their interaction with the methane flame and the entrainment of coal dust particles. These approaches will help to understand the relationship between the particle dispersion and the turbulent flame propagation and to prepare experiments in a larger, ~1:5 scaled steel reactor (L = 31 m, D = 0.71 m).
Projektion der COVID-19-Epidemie in Deutschland
Authors: Donsimoni Jean Roch , Glawion René , Plachter Bodo , Wälde Klaus
Published: April 2020

Zusamenfassung

Die COVID-19-Epidemie wird in Deutschland im optimistischen Szenario mindestens bis Juli 2020 dauern, im normalen Szenario bis August. Öffentliche Maßnahmen wie Kontaktverbote flachen den Anstieg der Zahl der Erkrankungen temporär ab und verlängern die Dauer der Epidemie. In der Spitze sind im optimistischen Szenario gleichzeitig bis zu 200.000 Menschen erkrankt, im normalen Szenario liegen die Werte um 1 Million. Langfristig werden im normalen Szenario 6 % der Bevölkerung (gemeldet) erkrankt gewesen sein.
Exploratory study of the association in the United Kingdom between hypertension and inorganic arsenic (iAs) intake from rice and rice products
Authors: Xu Lingqian , Polya David A.
Published: April 2020

Hypertension risks arising from chronic exposure to inorganic arsenic (iAs) are well documented. Consumption of rice is a major iAs exposure route for over 3 billion people; however, there is a lack of epidemiological evidence demonstrating an association of hypertension risks with iAs intake from rice, especially in areas where there is little exposure from drinking water but a growing demand for rice intake. To address this, we conducted an individual-level cross-sectional analysis to quantify the extent to which daily iAs intake from rice and rice products (E-iAsing,rice) modifies the association between hypertension risks and previously well-established risk factors. The analysis was based on secondary dietary, socio-demographic and health status data of 598 participants recorded in the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey 2014–2016. E-iAsing,rice and five blood pressure endpoints were derived with potential associations explored through generalized linear models. According to the results, a negative but not significant relationship was found between hypertension risks and E-iAsing,rice after adjusting for major risk factors, notably age, gender, diabetes and obesity, with relatively higher risks being observed for male, middle-aged, overweight, alcohol consumer or Asian or Asian British, Black or Black British and mixed ethnic groups. Though inconclusive and mainly limited by potential incomplete adjustment for major confounders and intrinsic disadvantages of a cross-sectional design, this study was the first quantifying the individual level dose–response relationship between E-iAsing,rice and hypertension risks and is consistent with previous studies on the limited associations of hypertension with low-level arsenic exposure from drinking water. Larger scale cohort studies are indicated to quantify the association but in any event it is likely to be weak.
Using Neuro–Evolutionary Techniques to Tune Odometric Navigational System of Small Biomimetic Autonomous Underwater Vehicle – Preliminary Report
Authors: Praczyk Tomasz
Published: April 2020

Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are robots that operate in underwater environment and do not need involvement of an operator when performing some tasks. In order to move independently in water environment, AUVs need navigation capabilities, on the one hand, they have to be able to detect obstacles and avoid them, and on the other hand, they also have to know their own position and spatial orientation, at least course. With regard to the orientation, there are many various solutions like inertial systems, inclinometers, magnetic compasses, optical gyro–compasses, whereas, position due to unavailability of GPS requires solutions dedicated to underwater environment such as inertial navigation. To this end, information about spatial orientation and velocity is necessary. When the vehicle is not equipped with a device to measure velocity, e.g. because of small size of the vehicle itself, the only solution is to use odometry, that is, to apply information from the drive to estimate the velocity. The paper presents Odometric Navigational System (ONS) designed for a small biomimetic autonomous underwater vehicle (BAUV) and tuned by means of neuro–evolutionary techniques. To verify system performance, data from the real BAUV were applied.
Prevalence of Positive Mental Health and Associated Factors Among Postpartum Women in Canada: Findings from a National Cross-Sectional Survey
Authors: Varin Mélanie , Palladino Elia , Orpana Heather M. , Wong Suzy L. , Gheorghe Mihaela , Lary Tanya , Baker Melissa M.
Published: April 2020

Objectives

The objectives of this study were to compare the prevalence of three positive mental health (PMH) outcomes (self-rated mental health, life satisfaction, sense of community belonging) in postpartum women to the general population, and to examine the relationship between protective factors and the three PMH outcomes among postpartum women.

Methods

The national cross-sectional Survey on Maternal Health (n = 6558) was analyzed. Analyses were weighted and 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Three adjusted logistic regression models were generated. To compare this sample to the general population of women, estimates from the Canadian Community Health Survey—Annual Component (2018) were used.

Results

Compared to the general population of women, a larger proportion of postpartum women reported a strong sense of community belonging. The odds of postpartum women with high self-rated physical health having high self-rated mental health were approximately seven times greater (aOR 6.9, 95% confidence interval [CI] 5.9, 8.1) than postpartum women with lower self-rated physical health. The absence of symptoms of postpartum depression (PPD) or generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and high self-rated physical health were significantly associated with all three PMH outcomes. Frequent availability of maternal support was associated with greater odds of high life satisfaction (aOR 1.6, 95% CI 1.4, 1.9) and sense of community belonging (aOR 1.4, 95% CI 1.2, 1.6).

Conclusions

Our study demonstrated that availability of maternal support, self-rated physical health and absence of symptoms of PPD or GAD were associated with PMH among postpartum women. As physical health had the strongest association with mental health, we encourage further examination of this relationship.
Ethnopharmacologically important but underestimated genus Sorbus: a comprehensive review
Authors: Sołtys Agnieszka , Galanty Agnieszka , Podolak Irma
Published: April 2020

Sorbus L. sensu lato (Rosaceae family) comprises over 250 trees and shrubs growing in the Northern Hemisphere. Several Sorbus species have found their way into traditonal materia medica, as different leaf, bark or fruit preparations have a long-standing folk use. Ethnomedicine recommends their use not only in respiratory and gastrointestinal system disorders, but also in rheumatism, cancer or diabetes. Chemical composition of the genus Sorbus has been studied since 1960s and until now more than 250 compounds have been identified from thirty-eight species. The most thoroughly investigated substances are phenolic compounds (flavonoids and phenolic acids). Other constituents include triterpenes, sterols, carboxylic acids, coumarins and cyanogenic glycosides. Biological activity studies performed on the representatives of the genus Sorbus have been predominantly conducted on extracts prepared with the use of different solvents, and more rarely on isolated constituents. The majority of these studies were devoted to determination of antioxidant potential of Sorbus extracts. In a few cases targeted studies were conducted to confirm specific folk usage. Two of the fairly well documented medicinal uses are the antidiabetic activity of Sorbus decora and anti-inflammatory activity of Sorbus commixta.
Growing up Healthy in Families Across the Globe: Cross-Cultural Harmonisation of Childhood Risk-Factors Using Longitudinal Studies from Ireland, Scotland and New Zealand
Authors: Doran Patty , Bradshaw Paul , Morton Susan , Tautolo El-Shadan , Williams James , Cunningham Chris
Published: April 2020

The Growing Up Healthy in Families Across the Globe project is an international collaboration examining the potential for harmonised analysis using five longitudinal studies (from New Zealand, Ireland and Scotland). All five studies follow the lives of children, are interested in the dynamics of family change and work to inform policy to potentially improve population well-being across the life-course. Comparative analysis from harmonised longitudinal studies, where change over time is emphasised, provides a unique view to determine how and why environments change, which environments are supportive and which are not. This paper discusses the challenges and tasks involved when preparing and conducting harmonised analysis, and initial findings from the Growing Up Healthy project are discussed. The studies were, from New Zealand, Te Hoe Nuku Roa, the Pacific Island Families Study and Growing Up in New Zealand, and from Scotland and Ireland Growing Up in Scotland and Growing Up in Ireland. Post hoc data harmonisation of measures resulted in the identification of several closely aligned variables. The harmonised descriptive variables from the five studies highlight many similarities across the studies. A risk factor model to predict child development outcomes (using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire) was developed and resulted in very similar patterns of risk in New Zealand, Ireland and Scotland. Risks included: maternal relationship status, maternal education, smoking in pregnancy, maternal self-reported health and maternal long-standing illness. The insights will be of interest to all those concerned with child development in contemporary New Zealand, Ireland, Scotland and other similar countries.
Morphology of the anterolateral ligament: a complex of fibrous tissues spread to the anterolateral aspect of the knee joint
Authors: Nasu Hisayo , Nimura Akimoto , Yamaguchi Kumiko , Akita Keiichi
Published: April 2020

The anterolateral ligament (ALL) has recently received considerable attention as a key structure maintaining the rotational stability of the tibia. However, the morphology of the ALL, particularly the proximal attachment, is controversial. This study aimed to elucidate the morphological relationship between the ALL and its adjacent structures. A total of 25 knees from 22 cadavers were used in the current study. One knee was set at 30°, 60° and 90° of flexion. Stretched or winkled fibrous tissues were then observed with internal and external rotations of the tibia at each angle. In 22 knees, fibrous tissues that were attached to the lateroposterior area to the Gerdy’s tubercle were macroscopically observed. In the other 2 knees, the fibrous tissues were histologically investigated and analyzed using computer-assisted three-dimensional reconstruction. A taut fibrous tissue was observed between the lateroposterior area to the Gerdy’s tubercle and the posterosuperior area to the lateral epicondyle during an internal rotation of the tibia. A complex of fibrous tissues that were attached to the lateroposterior area to the Gerdy’s tubercle spread to the anterolateral aspect of the knee as a sheet-like structure. This complex tissue was composed of the fascia lata and fibrous tissues continuous from the fabellofibular ligament, intermuscular septum, and tendon of the gastrocnemius. Three-dimensional reconstruction showed that each fibrous tissue formed a sheet. The structure recognized as the ALL could not be detected; therefore, the ALL that has been reported to date is considered to be a complex of fibrous tissues with a sheet-like structure.
“The biggest barrier was my own self”: the role of social comparison in non-traditional students’ journey to medicine
Authors: Ball Rachel , Alexander Kirsty , Cleland Jennifer
Published: April 2020

Introduction Social comparisons strongly influence an individual’s concept of self, their aspirations and decisions. This study investigates how non-traditional applicants used social comparison to shape their preferences, beliefs and predictions whilst preparing an application for medical school.

Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 UK medical students from non-traditional backgrounds to explore their process of ‘getting ready’ for medical school, and the role social comparison played in their experiences. Thematic analysis was used to inductively develop themes in the data, before findings were interpreted through the ‘triadic model’ of social comparison.

Results Findings revealed that participants looked to the opinions of those with similar norms and backgrounds to accept their desire to study medicine. They sought the opinions of ‘experts’ to affirm a belief in their suitability but lacked confidence until success in crucial examinations ‘proved’, in their own view, that they had the ability to do medicine. Social comparison to peers who were perceived to be less committed to medicine, and to relatable role models, reassured participants that someone from their background could succeed in medicine.

Discussion Our findings further understanding about ‘how’ and ‘why’ exposure to relevant experts, peers and role models can positively influence application to medicine through the lens of social comparison.
Nonparametric Predictive Inference Bootstrap with Application to Reproducibility of the Two-Sample Kolmogorov–Smirnov Test
Authors: Coolen Frank P. A. , Himd Sulafah Bin
Published: April 2020

This paper introduces a new bootstrap method based on the nonparametric predictive inference (NPI) approach to statistics. NPI is a frequentist statistics framework which explicitly focuses on prediction of future observations. The NPI framework enables a bootstrap method (NPI-B) to be introduced which, different to Efron’s classical bootstrap (Ef-B), is aimed at prediction of future observations instead of estimation of population characteristics. A brief initial comparison of NPI-B and Ef-B is presented. The main reason for introducing NPI-B here is for its application to NPI for reproducibility of statistical tests, which is illustrated for the two-sample Kolmogorov–Smirnov test.
Documentation of acute change in mental status in nursing homes highlights opportunity to augment infection surveillance criteria
Authors: Penna Austin R. , Sancken Christina L. , Stone Nimalie D. , Eure Taniece R. , Bamberg Wendy , Barney Grant , Barter Devra , Carswell Stacy , Clogher Paula , Dumyati Ghinwa , Felsen Christina B. , Frank Linda , Godine Deborah , Johnston Helen , Kainer Marion A. , Li Linda , Lynfield Ruth , Mahoehney J. P. , Nadle Joelle , Pierce Rebecca , Ray Susan M. , Davis Sarah Shrum , Sievers Marla , Wilson Lucy E. , Zhang Alexia Y. , Magill Shelley S. , Thompson Nicola D.
Published: April 2020

Acute change in mental status (ACMS), defined by the Confusion Assessment Method, is used to identify infections in nursing home residents. A medical record review revealed that none of 15,276 residents had an ACMS documented. Using the revised McGeer criteria with a possible ACMS definition, we identified 296 residents and 21 additional infections. The use of a possible ACMS definition should be considered for retrospective nursing home infection surveillance.
AMERICAN DIPLOMACY AND EXPORT-ORIENTED INDUSTRIALIZATION ON TAIWAN
Authors: Lee James
Published: April 2020

Scholars have pointed to the period 1958-1962 as the beginning of Taiwan's transition to export-oriented industrialization. Although the Nationalist Party (KMT) had traditionally supported state socialism, the KMT began to oversee economic reforms in the late 1950s, setting Taiwan on the course of export-led growth under a capitalist model. Using archival materials from both the United States and Taiwan, I argue that the reforms resulted from U.S. influence on how the KMT understood the role of economic development in its grand strategy. U.S. arguments succeeded in creating political support at the highest levels of the KMT leadership for a reform-oriented faction in the economic bureaucracy. This finding shows how an aid donor can promote economic reforms even when the recipient is strategically important for the donor: although threats to enforce conditionality may not be credible, the donor can influence the recipient through persuasion.
Inferring geothermal heat flux from an ice-borehole temperature profile at Law Dome, East Antarctica
Authors: Mony Laura , Roberts Jason L. , Halpin Jacqueline A.
Published: April 2020

Geothermal heat flux (GHF) is an important control on the dynamics of Antarctica's ice sheet because it controls basal melt and internal deformation. However, it is hard to estimate because of a lack of in-situ measurements. Estimating GHF from ice-borehole temperature profiles is possible by combining a heat-transfer equation and the physical properties of the ice sheet in a numerical model. In this study, we truncate ice-borehole temperature profiles to determine the minimum ratio of temperature profile depth to ice-sheet thickness required to produce acceptable GHF estimations. For Law Dome, a temperature profile that is within 60% of the local ice thickness is sufficient for an estimation that is within approximately one median absolute deviation of the whole-profile GHF estimation. This result is compared with the temperature profiles at Dome Fuji and the West Antarctic Ice Sheet divide which require a temperature profile that is 80% and more than 91% of the ice thickness, respectively, for comparable accuracy. In deriving GHF median estimations from truncated temperature profiles, it is possible to discriminate between available GHF models. This is valuable for assessing and constraining future GHF models.
US AND UK LABOUR MARKETS BEFORE AND DURING THE COVID-19 CRASH
Authors: Bell David N.F. , Blanchflower David G.
Published: April 2020

We examine labour market performance in the US and the UK prior to the onset of the Covid-19 crash. We then track the changes that have occurred in the months and days from the beginning of March 2020 using what we call the Economics of Walking About (EWA) that shows a collapse twenty times faster and much deeper than the Great Recession. We examine unemployment insurance claims by state by day in the US as well as weekly national data. We track the distributional impact of the shock and show that already it is hitting the most vulnerable groups who are least able to work from home the hardest – the young, the least educated and minorities. We have no official labour market data for the UK past January but see evidence that job placements have fallen sharply. We report findings from an online poll fielded from 11–16 April 2020 showing that a third of workers in Canada and the US report that they have lost at least half of their income due to the Covid-19 crisis, compared with a quarter in the UK and 45 per cent in China. We estimate that the unemployment rate in the US is around 20 per cent in April. It is hard to know what it is in the UK given the paucity of data, but it has gone up a lot.
Wood from the Netherlands around the Time of the Santorini Eruption Dated by Dendrochronology and Radiocarbon
Authors: Kuitems Margot , van der Plicht Johannes , Jansma Esther
Published: April 2020

Eighteen new high-precision radiocarbon (14C) dates obtained for dendrochronologically dated wood from Bodegraven, the Netherlands are reported. They are relevant for establishing the revised calibration curve around the time of the Bronze Age Santorini eruption. Most of our new data overlap within one sigma with IntCal13, but a few data points are slightly increased in 14C age compared to IntCal13.
Adolescent antecedents of maternal and paternal perinatal depression: a 36-year prospective cohort
Authors: Thomson Kimberly C , Romaniuk Helena , Greenwood Christopher J , Letcher Primrose , Spry Elizabeth , Macdonald Jacqui A , McAnally Helena M , Youssef George J , McIntosh Jennifer , Hutchinson Delyse , Hancox Robert J , Patton George C , Olsson Craig A
Published: April 2020

Background

Rates of common mental health problems (depression/anxiety) rise sharply in adolescence and peak in young adulthood, often coinciding with the transition to parenthood. Little is known regarding the persistence of common mental health problems from adolescence to the perinatal period in both mothers and fathers.

Methods

A total of 393 mothers (686 pregnancies) and 257 fathers (357 pregnancies) from the intergenerational Australian Temperament Project Generation 3 Study completed self-report assessments of depression and anxiety in adolescence (ages 13–14, 15–16, 17–18 years) and young adulthood (ages 19–20, 23–24, 27–28 years). The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale was used to assess depressive symptoms at 32 weeks pregnancy and 12 months postpartum in mothers, and at 12 months postpartum in fathers.

Results

Most pregnancies (81%) in which mothers reported perinatal depression were preceded by a history of mental health problems in adolescence or young adulthood. Similarly, most pregnancies (83%) in which fathers reported postnatal depression were preceded by a preconception history of mental health problems. After adjustment for potential confounders, the odds of self-reporting perinatal depression in both women and men were consistently higher in those with a history of persistent mental health problems across adolescence and young adulthood than those without (ORwomen 5.7, 95% CI 2.9–10.9; ORmen 5.5, 95% CI 1.03–29.70).

Conclusions

Perinatal depression, for the majority of parents, is a continuation of mental health problems with onsets well before pregnancy. Strategies to promote good perinatal mental health should start before parenthood and include both men and women.
The rearing environment and the risk for alcohol use disorder: a Swedish national high-risk home-reared v. adopted co-sibling control study
Authors: Kendler Kenneth S. , Ohlsson Henrik , Sundquist Jan , Sundquist Kristina
Published: April 2020

Background

Although alcohol use disorder (AUD) runs strongly within families, studies examining the impact of rearing environment, unconfounded by genetic effects, are rare and, to date, contradictory. We here seek to conduct such a study using an adoptive co-sib control design.

Methods

Defining high-risk as having ⩾1 biological parent with an externalizing syndrome (AUD, drug abuse or crime), we identified 1316 high-risk full-sibships and 4623 high-risk half-sibships containing at least one member who was home-reared and one who was adopted-away. Adoptive families are carefully screened in Sweden to provide high-quality rearing environment for adoptees. AUD was assessed from national medical, criminal and pharmacy registries.

Results

Controlling for sex, parental age at birth, and, for half-siblings, affection status of the non-shared parent, hazard ratios (±95% CI) for AUD in the matched adopted v. home-reared full- and half-siblings were, respectively, 0.76 (0.65–0.89) and 0.77 (0.70–0.84). The protective effect of adoption on AUD risk was stronger in the full- and half-sibling pairs with very high familial liability (two high-risk parents) and significantly weaker when the adoptive family was broken by death or divorce or contained a high-risk adoptive parent.

Conclusions

In both full- and half-sibling pairs, we found evidence that the rearing environment substantially impacts on the risk for AUD. High-quality rearing environments can meaningfully reduce the risk for AUD, especially in those at high familial risk.
Acute effects of cannabis on speech illusions and psychotic-like symptoms: two studies testing the moderating effects of cannabidiol and adolescence
Authors: Mokrysz Claire , Shaban Natacha D. C. , Freeman Tom P. , Lawn Will , Pope Rebecca A. , Hindocha Chandni , Freeman Abigail , Wall Matthew B. , Bloomfield Michael A. P. , Morgan Celia J. A. , Nutt David J. , Curran H. Valerie
Published: April 2020

Background

Acute cannabis administration can produce transient psychotic-like effects in healthy individuals. However, the mechanisms through which this occurs and which factors predict vulnerability remain unclear. We investigate whether cannabis inhalation leads to psychotic-like symptoms and speech illusion; and whether cannabidiol (CBD) blunts such effects (study 1) and adolescence heightens such effects (study 2).

Methods

Two double-blind placebo-controlled studies, assessing speech illusion in a white noise task, and psychotic-like symptoms on the Psychotomimetic States Inventory (PSI). Study 1 compared effects of Cann-CBD (cannabis containing Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and negligible levels of CBD) with Cann+CBD (cannabis containing THC and CBD) in 17 adults. Study 2 compared effects of Cann-CBD in 20 adolescents and 20 adults. All participants were healthy individuals who currently used cannabis.

Results

In study 1, relative to placebo, both Cann-CBD and Cann+CBD increased PSI scores but not speech illusion. No differences between Cann-CBD and Cann+CBD emerged. In study 2, relative to placebo, Cann-CBD increased PSI scores and incidence of speech illusion, with the odds of experiencing speech illusion 3.1 (95% CIs 1.3–7.2) times higher after Cann-CBD. No age group differences were found for speech illusion, but adults showed heightened effects on the PSI.

Conclusions

Inhalation of cannabis reliably increases psychotic-like symptoms in healthy cannabis users and may increase the incidence of speech illusion. CBD did not influence psychotic-like effects of cannabis. Adolescents may be less vulnerable to acute psychotic-like effects of cannabis than adults.
The Symptom Check-List 90R (SCL-90R) in a French general psychiatric 708 outpatient sample: is there a factor structure?
Authors: Pariente P. , Lepine J. P. , Boulenger J.P. , Zarifian E. , Lemperiere T. , Lellouch J.
Published: April 2020

During a French study on anxiety disorders, 708 outpatients seen in general psychiatric settings answered the French version of the SCL-90 R (Symptom Check-List 90-Revised) as a self-report check-list of complaints. A principal component analysis followed by screenplot examination and Varimax rotation yielded an 11-factor solution explaining 47.5% of total variance. These orthogonal factors each have at least 3 items whose loadings are above 0.4 and are all clinically significant. After replication on split-half samples, the 3 main factors (Depression, Somatization, Panic-Agoraphobia) proved to be stable. These results are compared to those from other international studies.
Monitoring of tricyclic antidepressant plasma levels and clinical response: a review of the literature. Part II
Authors: De Oliveira I.R. , Do Prado-Lima P.A.S. , Samuel-Lajeunesse B.
Published: April 2020

Part II of this paper contains some general considerations on tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) monitoring. Long-term assessment of TCA plasma levels is advised by the few existent studies, although each of these focusses on different aspects. Cardiovascular and central nervous system toxicity is reviewed as well as pharmacokinetics and the importance of protein binding. Some consideration is also given to their use in elderly patients. The authors conclude that although available data support its usefulness in many situations, routine measurement of TCA levels is not warranted.
From wood to vent: first cocculinid limpet associated with hydrothermal activity discovered in the Weddell Sea
Authors: Chen Chong , Linse Katrin
Published: April 2020

Lush ‘oases’ of life seen in chemosynthetic ecosystems such as hot vents and cold seeps represent rare, localized exceptions to the generally oligotrophic deep ocean floor. Organic falls, best known from sunken wood and whale carcasses, are additional sources of such oases. Kemp Caldera (59°42'S, 28°20'W) in the Weddell Sea exhibits active hydrothermal vents and a natural whale fall in close proximity, where an undescribed cocculinid limpet was found living in both types of chemosynthetic habitats. This represents the first member of the gastropod order Cocculinida discovered from hot vents, and also the first record from the Southern Ocean. Here, we applied an integrative taxonomy framework incorporating traditional dissection, electron microscopy, genetic sequencing and 3D anatomical reconstruction through synchrotron computed tomography in order to characterize this species. Together, our data revealed an unusual member of the genusCocculinawith a highly modified radula for feeding on bacterial film, described herein asCocculina enigmadontan. sp. Its phylogenetically derived position within the largely wood-inhabitingCocculinaindicates that it probably evolved from an ancestor adapted to living on sunken wood, providing a compelling case of the ‘stepping stone’ evolutionary trajectory from organic falls to seeps and vents.
AN EFFIGY OF TEZCATLIPOCA FROM THE BILIMEK COLLECTION IN VIENNA
Authors: Coltman Jeremy D. , Olivier Guilhem , van Bussel Gerard
Published: April 2020

Most representations of Tezcatlipoca, the supreme sorcerer of Late Postclassic central Mexico, come from the codices of the Mixteca-Puebla tradition. This important deity was also represented, however, in statues, wall paintings, bas-reliefs, as well as head-shaped ceramic pieces, the latter of which are little-known and poorly studied. In this study, we offer a detailed analysis of one of the best examples of Tezcatlipoca head-shaped ceramic pieces sheltered in the Bilimek Collection at the Weltmuseum in Vienna. We compare the Tezcatlipoca effigy head of Vienna with similar pieces from the Colección Fundación Televisa in Mexico City, the Museo Regional de Cholula, and the Museo del Valle de Tehuacán, all representations being fine examples of the Eastern Nahua artistic tradition. The similarity between the iconography on the Tezcatlipoca pedestal in Vienna and the murals of Ocotelulco and Tizatlan, Tlaxcala, are particularly striking, sharing representations of skulls, hands, and a motif we have identified as a mirror. We also analyze in detail the links between the iconography of Tezcatlipoca with that of the Macuiltonaleque. Finally, we propose the possibility of a ritual use of these ceramic vessels, associated with the ingestion of pulque in the framework of a Tezcatlipoca drinking cult.
Review of periodical articles
Authors: Buylaert Frederik , Verhoeven Gerrit , Vermoesen Reinoud , Verlaan Tim
Published: April 2020

One of the great interpretive arcs of history as an academic discipline is the opposition between pre-modern and modern societies. Stimulated by post-modern theory, historians have done much in the past decades to expunge the ideological baggage of history as a ‘great march of civilization’, but they continue to imagine the industrial revolution as a great hinge between two distinct epochs. For all its merits, this perspective also creates problems. Burdened by hindsight, medievalists and modernists are often inclined to understand a case-study as either a prefiguration of a nineteenth- or twentieth-century development, or as its foil. Some of the most important publications on the history of medieval European towns published in 2019 were about destroying such assumptions.
Enablers and barriers to implementation of and compliance with school-based healthy food and beverage policies: a systematic literature review and meta-synthesis
Authors: Ronto R. , Rathi N. , Worsley A. , Sanders T. , Lonsdale C. , Wolfenden L.
Published: April 2020

Objective:

Schools have been recognised as a potential setting for improving young peoples’ food and beverage choices; however, many schools fail to adhere to healthy food and beverage policy standards. The current study aimed to explore the enablers and barriers to effective implementation of and compliance with school-based food and beverage policies.

Design:

Systematic review and meta-synthesis. Eight electronic databases were searched for articles in June 2019. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they reported on implementation and/or compliance of school-based food and/or beverage policies with outcomes relating to enablers and/or barriers. This review had no restrictions on study design, year of publication or language. Seventy-two full-text articles were assessed for eligibility, of which twenty-eight were included in this review.

Setting:

Studies conducted globally that focused on schools.

Participants:

School-based healthy food and beverage policies.

Results:

Financial (cost of policy-compliant foods, decreased profit and revenue), physical (availability of policy-compliant foods, close geographical proximity to unhealthy food outlets) and social (poor knowledge, understanding, and negative stakeholders’ attitudes towards policy) factors were the most frequently reported barriers for policy implementation. Sufficient funding, effective policy communication and management, and positive stakeholders’ attitudes were the most frequently reported enablers for policy implementation.

Conclusions:

There is a need for better communication strategies, financial and social support prior to school-based food policy implementation. Findings of this review contribute to a thorough understanding of factors that underpin best practice recommendations for the implementation of school-based food policy, and inform those responsible for improving public health nutrition.
When George met Bill: Orwell, Empson, and the Language of Propaganda
Authors: Collini Stefan
Published: April 2020

George Orwell and William Empson worked closely together at the BBC during the Second World War and they remained friends thereafter. InThe Structure of Complex Words(1951) Empson paid surprisingly serious attention to the view of language expounded inNineteen Eighty-Four, seeing in Orwell's presentation of the meaningless slogans of totalitarianism, such as “War Is Peace,” a challenge to his own more rationalistic analysis of how language works. This article first explores the development of Orwell's thinking about language, including his engagement with Basic English (which Empson helped to propagate); a particularly close, and critical, analysis is given of his celebrated essay “Politics and the English Language.” Orwell's views are then contrasted with Empson's unpacking of the interplay of multiple senses within individual words, demonstrating that even the most extreme propaganda statements need to draw upon and respect the mechanics of meaning as embodied in such words if they are to be persuasive. Intellectual historians have much to learn from these exchanges, as do contemporary analysts of “fake news” and authoritarian bombast more generally.
Italian-Uruguayans for Free Italy:Serafino Romualdi's Quest for Transnational Anti-Fascist Networks during World War II
Authors: Cameselle-Pesce Pedro
Published: April 2020

In 1941, the well-known international Cold War actor Serafino Romualdi traveled to South America for the first time. As a representative of the New York-based Mazzini Society, Romualdi sought to grow a robust anti-fascist movement among South America's Italian communities, finding the most success in Uruguay. As Romualdi conducted his tour of South America, he began writing a series of reports on local fascist activities, which caught the attention of officials at the Office of the Coordinator for Inter-American Affairs (OCIAA), a US government agency under the direction of Nelson Rockefeller. The OCIAA would eventually tap Romualdi and his growing connections in South America to gather intelligence concerning Italian and German influence in the region. This investigation sheds light on the critical function that Romualdi and his associates played in helping the US government to construct the initial scaffolding necessary to orchestrate various strategies under the umbrella of OCIAA-sponsored cultural diplomacy. Despite his limited success with Italian anti-fascist groups in Latin America, Romualdi's experience in the region during the early 1940s primed him to become an effective agent for the US government with a shrewd understanding of the value in shaping local labor movements during the Cold War.
Veterans of Christ:Soldier Reintegration and the Seventh-day Adventist Experience in the Andean Plateau, 1900–1925
Authors: Mabat Yael
Published: April 2020

This article recounts the story of the Seventh-day Adventists’ success in Puno, Peru, between 1900 and 1925, from a grassroots perspective. Retracing the footsteps of prominent indigenous converts, the article presents the discovery that most of the church's native leaders were army veterans. These men had spent years away from their communities and, upon their return, discovered the numerous challenges of reintegration into rural society. In almost every aspect of communal life, veterans encountered obstacles to their reintegration: their lands had been usurped, they lacked the necessary social and political outreach, and they were ridiculed and marginalized because of the cultural—apparently mestizo—habits and practices they had adopted while away. In their quest for alternatives, these veterans left the Catholic Church and converted to Seventh-day Adventism. Conversion, I argue, offered an answer to the difficulties of their reintegration. It provided new opportunities for social and economic mobility and possibilities for veterans to reinterpret their Indian racial identity in a way that would include the seemingly mestizo traits they had adopted while in the barracks and on the coast. Thus, this paper sheds light on how religious conversion served to ameliorate some of the difficulties that veterans faced as they attempted to re-enter rural life.
Ist jünger immer besser? Frühes Fremdsprachenlernen in der Grundschule
Authors: Fleckenstein Johanna , Möller Jens , Baumert Jürgen
Published: April 2020

Zusammenfassung. Die Vorverlegung des Fremdsprachenunterrichts von der Sekundar- in die Primarstufe ist im europäischen Bildungsraum innerhalb der letzten beiden Jahrzehnte annähernd flächendeckend umgesetzt worden. Grundlage dieser Politik des frühen Fremdsprachenlernens ist die Annahme, dass Kinder besser Sprachen lernten, je jünger sie seien. Der Frühbeginn soll damit neben dem erhöhten Sprachkontakt durch zusätzlichen Unterricht ( amount of exposure) auch den Vorteil größerer Lernerfolge durch geringes Alter bei Beginn ( age of onset) bieten. Der vorliegende Beitrag fasst den aktuellen Forschungsstand zusammen und beschreibt einschlägige empirische Studien, die sich mit den Effekten des Frühbeginns auseinandersetzen. Die Befundlage erweist sich dabei als ernüchternd: Der Frühbeginn führt weder zu mittel- noch zu langfristigen Vorteilen. Auch wenn die Leistungen am Ende der Grundschulzeit zufriedenstellend sind, können die höheren Lernraten bei Spätbeginn die zusätzliche Lernzeit bei Frühbeginn in den meisten Fällen vollständig kompensieren. Mögliche Erklärungsansätze hinsichtlich der Qualität des Fremdsprachenunterrichts, der Ausbildung von Grundschullehrkräften sowie des Übergangs in die Sekundarstufe werden diskutiert.