bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
When the Expatriate Wife Returns Home: Swedish Women Navigating National Welfare Politics and Ideals of Gender Equality in Expatriate Family Migration
Authors: Lundström Catrin
Published: April 2021

This chapter analyses how expatriate women navigate national political ideals formulated around gender equality and the dual-earner model upon their return to Sweden. The study is based on 46 in-depth interviews and participant observation conducted in a network for returning migrant women in Sweden. The vast majority were married to Swedish men working in transnational companies and had returned to Sweden due to their husbands’ completed expatriate contracts. As the women had been situated outside the formal labour market during their time abroad, they had no work experience or pensionable income in the Swedish welfare system, which is based on the idea that women and men share labour- and family-related work. Hence, their positions as ‘trailing spouses’ had a severe impact on their opportunities for reintegration into Swedish society. On the one hand, the women’s work enabled their husband’s mobility and working life in transnational companies. On the other, national social benefits did not take this (gendered) work into account. Thus, the women continued to depend on their husband’s income and private insurances back in Sweden, located in-between different ‘global’ market-based solutions and a national welfare system.
Reconciling State Immunity with Remedies for War Victims in a Legal Pluriverse
Authors: Peters Anne , Volpe Valentina
Published: April 2021

The chapter explains the threefold aspiration of the book as an academic, societal, and diplomatic project. It introduces the three interwoven themes of international law arising in the German-Italian saga: state immunity, reparation for serious human rights violations committed during World War II, and the interplay between international and domestic law, notably the role of courts therein. The chapter proposes an approach of ‘ordered pluralism’ to coordinate this interplay, and finally tables a ‘modest proposal’ for a way out of the current impasse.
The Consequences of Sentenza 238/2014: What to Do Now?
Authors: König Doris
Published: April 2021

This chapter illustrates the two ways in which national constitutional courts can deal with a conflict between international or European law on the one hand and national constitutional law on the other hand. The dualist approach of not complying with international or European law comes at the risk of undermining respect for an external legal order and in the author’s view should thus be used in exceptional cases only. The chapter argues that the test of equivalent protection is more constructive but requires a close relationship between the legal orders involved. Therefore, this option is difficult to apply in cases which are about conflicts with international and not with European law. In Sentenza 238/2014, the Italian Constitutional Court chose a dualist approach. Although the legal path has not been exhausted yet (Germany could bring another case before the International Court of Justice), the author advocates negotiations with the aim of achieving a political solution which takes into account the interests of all parties involved.
Would the World Be a Better Place If One Were to Adopt a European Approach to State Immunity? Or, ‘Soll am Europäischen Wesen die Staatenimmunität Genesen’?
Authors: Zimmermann Andreas
Published: April 2021

This chapter argues not only that there is no European Sonderweg (or ‘special way’) when it comes to the law of state immunity but that there ought not to be one. Debates within The Hague Conference on Private International Law in the late 1990s and those leading to the adoption of the 2002 UN Convention on Jurisdictional Immunities of States, as well as the development of the EU Brussels Regulation on Jurisdiction and Enforcement, as amended in 2015, all demonstrate that state immunity was not meant to be limited by such treaties but ‘safeguarded’. Likewise, there is no proof that regional European customary law limits state immunity when it comes to ius cogens violations, as Italy and (partly) Greece are the only European states denying state immunity in such cases while the European Court of Human Rights has, time and again, upheld a broad concept of state immunity. It therefore seems unlikely that in the foreseeable future a specific European customary law norm on state immunity will develop, especially given the lack of participation in such practice by those states most concerned by the matter, including Germany. This chapter considers the possible legal implications of the jurisprudence of the Italian Constitutional Court for European military operations (if such operations went beyond peacekeeping). These implications would mainly depend on the question of attribution: if one where to assume that acts undertaken within the framework of military operations led by the EU were to be, at least also, attributable to the troop-contributing member states, the respective troop-contributing state would be entitled to enjoy state immunity exactly to the same degree as in any kind of unilateral military operations. Additionally, some possible perspectives beyond Sentenza 238/2014 are examined, in particular concerning the redress awarded by domestic courts ‘as long as’ neither the German nor the international system grant equivalent protection to the victims of serious violations of international humanitarian law committed during World War II. In the author’s opinion, strengthening the jurisdiction of international courts and tribunals, bringing interstate cases for damages before the International Court of Justice, as well as providing for claims commissions where individual compensation might be sought for violations of international humanitarian law would be more useful and appropriate mechanisms than denying state immunity.
A Dangerous Last Line of Defence: Or, A Roman Court Goes Lutheran
Authors: Tams Christian J.
Published: April 2021

The chapter addresses questions of international law implicated bySentenza238/2014. It begins by revisiting the longstanding debate about state immunity and its limits, arguing that notwithstanding decades of discussion, a ‘grave breaches’ exception has never had more than marginal support in positive international law. Against that background, it comes as no surprise that the Italian Constitutional Court (ItCC), in Judgment 238/2014, did not assert the existence of a grave breaches exception as a matter of international law. Instead, the ItCC relied on what might be termed a ‘foreign relations law’ approach, holding that Italian constitutional law required it not to give domestic effect to the international law of state immunity. This ‘foreign relations law’ approach offers a last line of defence for those seeking to limit the reach of rules of state immunity. As is set out in this chapter, it is an effective line of defence because international law does not ‘by itself, possess the force to amend or repeal internationally unlawful domestic (…) acts’ (Antonio Cassese). At the same time it is a dangerous line, as it risks weakening international law generally and not just in the area of immunity. This chapter suggests that, when read as a foreign relations law decision,Sentenza238/2014 is not as such unusual: it is one of many decisions accepting some form of ‘constitutional override’ that limits the effects of international law within domestic legal orders. However,Sentenza238/2014 stands out because—unlike other decisions—it seems to refuse international law any place in the construction of constitutional law: in the ItCC’s ‘separatist treatment’ (Kolb) international law is denied a directive function (‘Orientierungswirkung’); it is not factored into the equation. Seen in that light,Sentenza238/2014 (counter-intuitively, for a ‘Roman’ decision) has a ‘Lutheran’ quality; it is informed by a stubborn ‘here I stand, I can do no other’ aspect, which limits the potential for a constructive dialogue between domestic and international judiciaries.
Deadlocked in Dualism: Negotiating for a Final Settlement
Authors: von Arnauld Andreas
Published: April 2021

While on the international plane Germany has as strong a position as one could wish for, a second appeal to the ICJ does not seem advisable. Though not formally estopped from challenging Sentenza 238/2014, Germany would at least face a principled contradiction (Wertungswiderspruch). Like Italy, Germany takes the position that international obligations must be disregarded should they be found incompatible with fundamental rights enshrined in the national constitution. Concerning the underlying conflict, another formally strong German position proves to have inherent shortcomings. To argue that, as far as Italian citizens are concerned, all matters of compensation had been dealt with comprehensively in the German–Italian lump sum agreement of 1961 carries some conviction. However, the limitations of that agreement, the erosion of the individual’s strict mediatisation in international law, and recent German compensation schemes for other victims of World War II (WWII) have fuelled a growing discontent with this final settlement. Having been doubly denied recognition as victims by the injustices of non-retroactivity and of differentiation, the Italian WWII victims ‘in oblivion’ have pursued compensation claims for over a decade now. It would go too far to argue an individual claim for financial compensation under international law for historic wrongs. The principle of intertemporal law, however, has its merits as well as its defects. This chapter argues in favour of mildly piercing the veil of intertemporality by reliance on fundamental ethical principles as part of the law in force already at the time of the original violation. A breach in this kind of obligation should give rise to an obligatio de negotiando under the principle of just satisfaction. Such a legal construction takes up the idea that in most of the recent cases of ‘history taken to court’, compensation is but a secondary aim, the primary aim being to ‘tell one’s own story’ as a counter-narrative to hegemonic discourse. By entering into negotiations with the victims ‘in oblivion’, Germany—and Italy—could and should attempt to finally solve what has been and remains a fundamentally unjust situation.
Field theories with higher-group symmetry from composite currents
Authors: Brauner Tomáš
Published: April 2021

Abstract

Higher-form symmetries are associated with transformations that only act on extended objects, not on point particles. Typically, higher-form symmetries live alongside ordinary, point-particle (0-form), symmetries and they can be jointly described in terms of a direct product symmetry group. However, when the actions of 0-form and higher-form symmetries become entangled, a more general mathematical structure is required, related to higher categorical groups. Systems with continuous higher-group symmetry were previously constructed in a top-down manner, descending from quantum field theories with a specific mixed ’t Hooft anomaly. I show that higher-group symmetry also naturally emerges from a bottom-up, low-energy perspective, when the physical system at hand contains at least two different given, spontaneously broken symmetries. This leads generically to a hierarchy of emergent higher-form symmetries, corresponding to the Grassmann algebra of topological currents of the theory, with an underlying higher-group structure. Examples of physical systems featuring such higher-group symmetry include superfluid mixtures and variants of axion electrodynamics.
Leading order corrections to the quantum extremal surface prescription
Authors: Akers Chris , Penington Geoff
Published: April 2021

Abstract

We show that a naïve application of the quantum extremal surface (QES) prescription can lead to paradoxical results and must be corrected at leading order. The corrections arise when there is a second QES (with strictly larger generalized entropy at leading order than the minimal QES), together with a large amount of highly incompressible bulk entropy between the two surfaces. We trace the source of the corrections to a failure of the assumptions used in the replica trick derivation of the QES prescription, and show that a more careful derivation correctly computes the corrections. Using tools from one-shot quantum Shannon theory (smooth min- and max-entropies), we generalize these results to a set of refined conditions that determine whether the QES prescription holds. We find similar refinements to the conditions needed for entanglement wedge reconstruction (EWR), and show how EWR can be reinterpreted as the task of one-shot quantum state merging (using zero-bits rather than classical bits), a task gravity is able to achieve optimally efficiently.
Constraining the weights of Stokes polytopes using BCFW recursions for ϕ4
Authors: Srivastava Ishan
Published: April 2021

Abstract

The relationship between certain geometric objects called polytopes and scattering amplitudes has revealed deep structures in QFTs. It has been developed in great depth at the tree- and loop-level amplitudes in $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
= 4 SYM theory and has been extended to the scalar ϕ3 and ϕ4 theories at tree-level. In this paper, we use the generalized BCFW recursion relations for massless planar ϕ4 theory to constrain the weights of a class of geometric objects called Stokes polytopes, which manifest in the geometric formulation of ϕ4 amplitudes. We see that the weights of the Stokes polytopes are intricately tied to the boundary terms in ϕ4 theories. We compute the weights of N = 1, 2, and 3 dimensional Stokes polytopes corresponding to six-, eight- and ten-point amplitudes respectively. We generalize our results to higher-point amplitudes and show that the generalized BCFW recursions uniquely fix the weights for an n-point amplitude.
Bounds on multiscalar CFTs in the ε expansion
Authors: Hogervorst Matthijs , Toldo Chiara
Published: April 2021

Abstract

We study fixed points with N scalar fields in 4 − ε dimensions to leading order in ε using a bottom-up approach. We do so by analyzing O(N) invariants of the quartic coupling λijkl that describes such CFTs. In particular, we show that λiijj and $$ {\lambda}_{ijkl}^2 $$

λ
ijkl
2

are restricted to a specific domain, refining a result by Rychkov and Stergiou. We also study averages of one-loop anomalous dimensions of composite operators without gradients. In many cases, we are able to show that the O(N) fixed point maximizes such averages. In the final part of this work, we generalize our results to theories with N complex scalars and to bosonic QED. In particular we show that to leading order in ε, there are no bosonic QED fixed points with N < 183 flavors.
A Large Deviation Principle in Many-Body Quantum Dynamics
Authors: Kirkpatrick Kay , Rademacher Simone , Schlein Benjamin
Published: April 2021

We consider the many-body quantum evolution of a factorized initial data, in the mean-field regime. We show that fluctuations around the limiting Hartree dynamics satisfy large deviation estimates that are consistent with central limit theorems that have been established in the last years.
Projecting results of zoned multi-environment trials to new locations using environmental covariates with random coefficient models: accuracy and precision
Authors: Buntaran Harimurti , Forkman Johannes , Piepho Hans-Peter
Published: April 2021

Key message

We propose the utilisation of environmental covariates in random coefficient models to predict the genotype performances in new locations.

Multi-environment trials (MET) are conducted to assess the performance of a set of genotypes in a target population of environments. From a grower’s perspective, MET results must provide high accuracy and precision for predictions of genotype performance in new locations, i.e. the grower’s locations, which hardly ever coincide with the locations at which the trials were conducted. Linear mixed modelling can provide predictions for new locations. Moreover, the precision of the predictions is of primary concern and should be assessed. Besides, the precision can be improved when auxiliary information is available to characterize the targeted locations. Thus, in this study, we demonstrate the benefit of using environmental information (covariates) for predicting genotype performance in some new locations for Swedish winter wheat official trials. Swedish MET locations can be stratified into zones, allowing borrowing information between zones when best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP) is used. To account for correlations between zones, as well as for intercepts and slopes for the regression on covariates, we fitted random coefficient (RC) models. The results showed that the RC model with appropriate covariate scaling and model for covariate terms improved the precision of predictions of genotypic performance for new locations. The prediction accuracy of the RC model was competitive compared to the model without covariates. The RC model reduced the standard errors of predictions for individual genotypes and standard errors of predictions of genotype differences in new locations by 30–38% and 12–40%, respectively.
Erschwerte Diagnosestellung eines Osteoidosteoms der Großzehe
Authors: Thiemann Ruth , Seide Hans-Werner , Luitjens Klaus-Dieter , Beil Frank Timo , Rolvien Tim , Krüger Lara
Published: April 2021

Hintergrund

Osteoidosteome zählen zu den benignen ossären Neoplasien und können am gesamten Skelett auftreten. Die verlängerte Diagnosestellung eines Osteoidosteoms der Großzehe veranlasste uns, einen Fallbericht mit Review der Literatur zu verfassen, um mögliche Fehlerquellen zu identifizieren und einen Beitrag zur zügigeren Diagnosefindung und Therapie zu leisten.

Literatur

In der deutschen Literatur sind aktuell nur zwei Fallberichte zu Osteoidosteomen der Zehen bekannt. International wurde allerdings eine Vielzahl an Fällen beschrieben, die in der Zusammenschau ein homogenes Bild ergeben. Eine sehr deutliche Häufung von Osteoidosteomen am Endglied der Großzehe lassen eine posttraumatische Ätiologie möglich erscheinen. Der typische NSAR-sensible Nachtschmerz ist klinisch eindeutig und sollte an jeder Lokalität des Körpers an ein Osteoidosteom denken lassen. Auffällig ist das an den Zehen einzigartige Symptom der Makrodaktylie, was ein dankbarer Hinweis zur Diagnosefindung sein kann. Die mittlere Zeit vom Symptombeginn bis zur korrekten Diagnosestellung betrug 12 Monate. Häufig wurden Fehldiagnosen und Fehltherapien unter einer anderen Verdachtsdiagnose beschrieben. Eine mögliche Ursache ist die häufig atypische und uneindeutige Bildgebung. Die operative Therapie stellt bei Osteoidosteomen der Zehen die Methode der Wahl dar und sollte stets durch eine histopathologische Untersuchung ergänzt werden.
Timing of social distancing policies and COVID-19 mortality: county-level evidence from the U.S.
Authors: Amuedo-Dorantes Catalina , Kaushal Neeraj , Muchow Ashley N.
Published: April 2021

Using county-level data on COVID-19 mortality and infections, along with county-level information on the adoption of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), we examine how the speed of NPI adoption affected COVID-19 mortality in the United States. Our estimates suggest that adopting safer-at-home orders or non-essential business closures 1 day before infections double can curtail the COVID-19 death rate by 1.9%. This finding proves robust to alternative measures of NPI adoption speed, model specifications that control for testing, other NPIs, and mobility and across various samples (national, the Northeast, excluding New York, and excluding the Northeast). We also find that the adoption speed of NPIs is associated with lower infections and is unrelated to non-COVID deaths, suggesting these measures slowed contagion. Finally, NPI adoption speed appears to have been less effective in Republican counties, suggesting that political ideology might have compromised their efficacy.
Contrast-enhanced ultrasound of the small organs in children
Authors: Piskunowicz Maciej , Back Susan J. , Darge Kassa , Humphries Paul D. , Jüngert Jörg , Ključevšek Damjana , Lorenz Norbert , Mentzel Hans-Joachim , Squires Judy H. , Huang Dean Y.
Published: April 2021

In pediatric and adult populations, intravenous contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) remains off-label for imaging of organs other than the liver and heart. This limited scope inhibits potential benefits of the new modality from a more widespread utilization. Yet, CEUS is potentially useful for imaging small organs such as the thyroid gland, lymph nodes, testes, ovaries and uterus, with all having locations and vasculature favorable for this type of examination. In the adult population, the utility of CEUS has been demonstrated in a growing number of studies for the evaluation of these small organs. The aim of this article is to present a review of pediatric CEUS of the thyroid gland, lymph nodes, testes, ovaries and uterus as well as to draw from the adult literature indications for possible applications in children.
The application of an allogeneic bone screw for osteosynthesis in hand and foot surgery: a case series
Authors: Pastl Klaus , Schimetta Wolfgang
Published: April 2021

Introduction

The allogeneic bone screw transplant is a new osteosynthesis device making the use of foreign fixation material obsolete for various kinds of indications. Moreover, it is integrated into the recipient bone by natural bone remodeling without harming the surrounding tissue. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy and safety of the transplant for osteotomy and arthrodesis in hand and foot surgery and to evaluate the clinical importance of the device.

Materials and methods

A single-surgeon case series of 32 patients who had undergone hand or foot surgery with the application of an allogeneic bone screw with an average follow-up time of 1 year is reported. Clinical data were reviewed to evaluate the pain levels and satisfaction of the patients and the frequency and type of complications occurring during the healing process. Routine radiography and computed tomography were reviewed to determine the fusion rate, the ingrowth behavior of the transplant and the possible occurrence of transplant failure.

Results

High patient satisfaction was paired with low postoperative pain levels and a low complication rate. 97% of the patients were free of pain at the timepoint of the second follow-up examination, the mean time of recovery of full mobility was 50.1 ± 26.1 days after surgery. Wound healing disturbance occurred only in two cases. Bony consolidation of the osteotomy or arthrodesis gap as well as osseointegration of the transplant was seen in all cases. No transplant failure or transplant loosening occurred.

Conclusions

The application of the allogeneic bone screw resulted in a 100% fusion rate while the patient burden was low. The transplant is safe and suited for various kinds of osteosynthesis in hand and foot surgery.
Evaluation of hearing preservation in adults with a slim perimodiolar electrode
Authors: Ludwig Sonja , Riemann Niklas , Hans Stefan , Christov Florian , Ludwig Johannes Maximilian , Saxe Judith , Arweiler-Harbeck Diana
Published: April 2021

Purpose

Numerous endeavors have been undertaken to preserve hearing in cochlear implant (CI) patients. Particularly, optimization of electrode array design aims at preservation of residual hearing (RH). This study examines whether a slim perimodiolar (PM) electrode array could bear the capability to preserve hearing.

Methods

A total of 47 patients underwent cochlear implantation receiving the PM electrode. (i) Patients with pure tone audiogram (PTA) thresholds better than 85 dB and/or hearing loss for Freiburg speech test numbers less than 60 dB and more than 50% maximum monosyllabic understanding were assigned to the RH group (n = 17), while all others belonged to the noRH group (n = 30). (ii) Another group implanted with a slim straight, lateral wall (LW) electrode was recruited for comparison.

Results

We compared 17 RH–30 noRH patients all receiving the PM electrode. RH in PM recipients decreased faster than in LW recipients. No significant differences were observed between both (RH v/s noRH) groups in NRT thresholds, Freiburg speech test and A§E® phonemes. Analogous satisfaction levels were indicated through the questionnaires in terms of sound quality, hearing in silence, noise and directional hearing in both groups.

Conclusions

The results suggest that hearing preservation is influenced not only by electrode shape but various factors. This study opens an avenue for further investigations to elucidate and enumerate the causes for progressive hearing loss.
Viral lower respiratory tract infections—strict admission guidelines for young children can safely reduce admissions
Authors: Havdal Lise Beier , Nakstad Britt , Fjærli Hans Olav , Ness Christian , Inchley Christopher
Published: April 2021

Viral lower respiratory tract infection (VLRTI) is the most common cause of hospital admission among small children in high-income countries. Guidelines to identify children in need of admission are lacking in the literature. In December 2012, our hospital introduced strict guidelines for admission. This study aims to retrospectively evaluate the safety and efficacy of the guidelines. We performed a single-center retrospective administrative database search and medical record review. ICD-10 codes identified children < 24 months assessed at the emergency department for VLRTI for a 10-year period. To identify adverse events related to admission guidelines implementation, we reviewed patient records for all those discharged on primary contact followed by readmission within 14 days. During the study period, 3227 children younger than 24 months old were assessed in the ED for VLRTI. The proportion of severe adverse events among children who were discharged on their initial emergency department contact was low both before (0.3%) and after the intervention (0.5%) (p=1.0). Admission rates before vs. after the intervention were for previously healthy children > 90 days 65.3% vs. 53.3% (p<0.001); for healthy children ≤ 90 days 85% vs. 68% (p<0.001); and for high-risk comorbidities 74% vs. 71% (p=0.5).

Conclusion: After implementation of admission guidelines for VLRTI, there were few adverse events and a significant reduction in admissions to the hospital from the emergency department. Our admission guidelines may be a safe and helpful tool in the assessment of children with VLRTI.

What is Known:• Viral lower respiratory tract infection, including bronchiolitis, is the most common cause of hospitalization for young children in the developed world. Treatment is mainly supportive, and hospitalization should be limited to the cases in need of therapeutic intervention.• Many countries have guidelines for the management of the disease, but the decision on whom to admit for inpatient treatment is often subjective and may vary even between physicians in the same hospital.

What is New:• Implementation of admission criteria for viral lower respiratory tract infection may reduce the rate of hospital admissions without increasing adverse events.
Do uterine PTGS2, PGFS, and PTGFR expression play a role in canine uterine inertia?
Authors: Rempel Lea Magdalena , Lillevang Karina Tietgen Andresen , Straten Ann-Kirstine thor , Friðriksdóttir Sólrún Barbara , Körber Hanna , Wehrend Axel , Kowalewski Mariusz P. , Reichler Iris Margaret , Balogh Orsolya , Goericke-Pesch Sandra
Published: April 2021

The aetiology of primary uterine inertia (PUI), which is the most common cause of canine dystocia, is still not elucidated. Prostaglandins (PGs) play a crucial role in parturition. We hypothesized that the expression of prostaglandin endoperoxidase synthase 2 (PTGS2), PGF2α synthase (PGFS), and corresponding receptor (PTGFR) is altered in PUI. We investigated PTGS2, PGFS, and PTGFR mRNA expression, and PTGS2 and PGFS protein expression in interplacental (IP) and uteroplacental sites (UP) in bitches with PUI, obstructive dystocia (OD), and prepartum (PC). PTGS2, PGFS, and PTGFR mRNA expression did not differ significantly between PUI and OD (IP/UP). PTGFR ratio in UP was higher in PC than in OD (p = 0.014). PTGS2 immunopositivity was noted in foetal trophoblasts, luminal and superficial glandular epithelial cells, smooth muscle cells of both myometrial layers, and weakly and sporadically in deep uterine glands. PGFS was localized in luminal epithelial cells and in the epithelium of superficial uterine glands. PTGS2 and PGFS staining was similar between PUI and OD, while PGFS protein expression differed between OD and PC (p = 0.0215). For PTGS2, the longitudinal myometrial layer of IP stained significantly stronger than the circular layer, independent of groups. These results do not support a role for PTGS2, PGFS, and PTGFR in PUI. Reduced PGFS expression in IP during parturition compared with PC and the overall lack of placental PGFS expression confirm that PGFS is not the main source of prepartal PGF2alpha increase. The difference in PTGS2 expression between IP myometrial layers warrants further investigation into its physiological relevance.
Assessing the biological reactivity of organic compounds on volcanic ash: implications for human health hazard
Authors: Tomašek Ines , Damby David E. , Andronico Daniele , Baxter Peter J. , Boonen Imke , Claeys Philippe , Denison Michael S. , Horwell Claire J. , Kervyn Matthieu , Kueppers Ulrich , Romanias Manolis N. , Elskens Marc
Published: April 2021

Exposure to volcanic ash is a long-standing health concern for people living near active volcanoes and in distal urban areas. During transport and deposition, ash is subjected to various physicochemical processes that may change its surface composition and, consequently, bioreactivity. One such process is the interaction with anthropogenic pollutants; however, the potential for adsorbed, deleterious organic compounds to directly impact human health is unknown. We use an in vitro bioanalytical approach to screen for the presence of organic compounds of toxicological concern on ash surfaces and assess their biological potency. These compounds include polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dlPCBs). Analysis of ash collected in or near urbanised areas at five active volcanoes across the world (Etna, Italy; Fuego, Guatemala; Kelud, Indonesia; Sakurajima, Japan; Tungurahua, Ecuador) using the bioassay inferred the presence of such compounds on all samples. A relatively low response to PCDD/Fs and the absence of a dlPCBs response in the bioassay suggest that the measured activity is dominated by PAHs and PAH-like compounds. This study is the first to demonstrate a biological potency of organic pollutants associated with volcanic ash particles. According to our estimations, they are present in quantities below recommended exposure limits and likely pose a low direct concern for human health.
Transplantation outcomes in patients with primary hyperoxaluria: a systematic review
Authors: Metry Elisabeth L. , van Dijk Liza M. M. , Peters-Sengers Hessel , Oosterveld Michiel J.S. , Groothoff Jaap W. , Ploeg Rutger J. , Stel Vianda S. , Garrelfs Sander F.
Published: April 2021

Background

Primary hyperoxaluria type 1 (PH1) is characterized by hepatic overproduction of oxalate and often results in kidney failure. Liver-kidney transplantation is recommended, either combined (CLKT) or sequentially performed (SLKT). The merits of SLKT and the place of an isolated kidney transplant (KT) in selected patients are unsettled. We systematically reviewed the literature focusing on patient and graft survival rates in relation to the chosen transplant strategy.

Methods

We searched MEDLINE and Embase using a broad search string, consisting of the terms ‘transplantation’ and ‘hyperoxaluria’. Studies reporting on at least four transplanted patients were selected for quality assessment and data extraction.

Results

We found 51 observational studies from 1975 to 2020, covering 756 CLKT, 405 KT and 89 SLKT, and 51 pre-emptive liver transplantations (PLT). Meta-analysis was impossible due to reported survival probabilities with varying follow-up. Two individual high-quality studies showed an evident kidney graft survival advantage for CLKT versus KT (87% vs. 14% at 15 years, p<0.05) with adjusted HR for graft failure of 0.14 (95% confidence interval: 0.05–0.41), while patient survival was similar. Three other high-quality studies reported 5-year kidney graft survival rates of 48–89% for CLKT and 14–45% for KT. PLT and SLKT yielded 1-year patient and graft survival rates up to 100% in small cohorts.

Conclusions

Our study suggests that CLKT leads to superior kidney graft survival compared to KT. However, evidence for merits of SLKT or for KT in pyridoxine-responsive patients was scarce, which warrants further studies, ideally using data from a large international registry.
The contribution of the English NHS Diabetic Eye Screening Programme to reductions in diabetes-related blindness, comparisons within Europe, and future challenges
Authors: Scanlon Peter. H.
Published: April 2021

The aim of the English NHS Diabetic Eye Screening Programme (DESP) is to reduce the risk of sight loss amongst people with diabetes by the prompt identification and effective treatment if necessary of sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy, at the appropriate stage during the disease process, with a long-term aim of preventing blindness in people with diabetes.

For the year 2009–2010, diabetic retinopathy (DR) was no longer the leading cause of blindness in the working age group. There have been further reductions in DR certifications for WHO severe vision impairment and blindness from 1,334 (5.5% of all certifications) in 2009/2010 to 840 (3.5% of all certifications) in 2018/2019. NHS DESP is a major contributor to this further reduction, but one must also take into account improvements in glycaemic and blood pressure control, timely laser treatment and vitrectomy surgery, improved monitoring techniques for glycaemic control, and vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitor injections for control of diabetic macular oedema. The latter have had a particular impact since first introduced in the UK in 2013.

Current plans for NHS DESP include extension of screening intervals in low-risk groups and the introduction of optical coherence tomography as a second line of screening for those with screen positive maculopathy with two dimensional markers. Future challenges include the introduction of automated analysis for grading and new camera technologies.
Association of parental-reported vitamin D supplementation with dental caries of 3-year-old children in Poland: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Olczak-Kowalczyk Dorota , Kaczmarek Urszula , Gozdowski Dariusz , Turska-Szybka Anna
Published: April 2021

Objective

The study aimed to assess the association between parental-reported vitamin D supplementation and caries in a national sample of 3-year-olds in Poland.

Materials and methods

A total of 1900 children, representing all provinces of Poland, were invited. The questionnaires concerned vitamin D supplementation, socio-demographics, and oral health behaviours. Based on dental examination, caries scores (dmft/dmfs), prevalence of early childhood caries (ECC) and severe ECC (S-ECC) were calculated. The Spearman’s correlation, linear regression and logistic regression were used to assess the association between various factors and caries (p < 0.05).

Results

A total of 1638 children were tested. Of this number, 99.1% infants were supplemented with vitamin D. Supplementation had been continued seasonally in 55.2% children. ECC/S-ECC prevalence were significantly lower in children receiving vitamin D (ECC 38.3% vs. 44.7%, OR = 0.77; S-ECC 20.5% vs. 27.1%, OR = 0.69; p < 0.05). Mean dmft/dmfs were lower in those with supplementation (1.54 ± 2.72 vs. 2.24 ± 3.55; 2.40 ± 5.56 vs. 3.72 ± 7.56, respectively; p < 0.001). After controlling for confounding factors, supplementation was not significantly associated with caries; only dt/ds were still associated. Maternal education, sweetened beverages before bedtime, bottle use were significantly associated with S-ECC.

Conclusions

Lower caries prevalence was observed in those with vitamin D supplementation. The association between parental-reported vitamin D and ECC/S-ECC was not significant in Polish children. Decayed teeth and supplementation were still associated. Dietary habits can modify the association with caries.

Clinical relevance

There may be an association between vitamin D supplementation and lower caries in children. Parents should supplement their children during periods of significant growth and development.
Effectiveness of nivolumab affected by prior cetuximab use and neck dissection in Japanese patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer: results from a retrospective observational study in a real-world setting
Authors: Kariya Shin , Shimizu Yasushi , Hanai Nobuhiro , Yasumatsu Ryuji , Yokota Tomoya , Fujii Takashi , Tsukahara Kiyoaki , Yoshida Masafumi , Hanyu Kenji , Ueda Tsutomu , Hirakawa Hitoshi , Takahashi Shunji , Ono Takeharu , Sano Daisuke , Yamauchi Moriyasu , Watanabe Akihito , Omori Koichi , Yamazaki Tomoko , Monden Nobuya , Kudo Naomi , Arai Makoto , Yonekura Shuji , Asakage Takahiro , Fujiwara Akinori , Yamada Takayuki , Homma Akihiro
Published: April 2021

Background

To examine the effect of prior use of cetuximab and neck dissection on the effectiveness of nivolumab, we conducted a large-scale subgroup analysis in Japanese patients with recurrent/metastatic head and neck cancer.

Methods

Data on the effectiveness of nivolumab were extracted from patient medical records. All patients were analyzed for effectiveness by prior cetuximab use. In the analyses for prior neck dissection, only patients with locally advanced disease were included.

Results

Of 256 patients analyzed, 155 had received prior cetuximab. Nineteen of 50 patients with local recurrence underwent neck dissection. The objective response rate was 14.7 vs 17.2% (p = 0.6116), median progression-free survival was 2.0 vs 3.1 months (p = 0.0261), and median overall survival was 8.4 vs 12 months (p = 0.0548) with vs without prior cetuximab use, respectively. The objective response rate was 23.1 vs 25.9% (p = 0.8455), median progression-free survival was 1.8 vs 3.0 months (p = 0.6650), and median overall survival was 9.1 vs 9.9 months (p = 0.5289) with vs without neck dissection, respectively.

Conclusions

These findings support the use of nivolumab for patients with recurrent/metastatic head and neck cancer regardless of prior cetuximab use or neck dissection history.

Trial registration number

UMIN-CTR (UMIN000032600), Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03569436)
Verbena officinalis Verbenaceae (Lamiales): a new plant model system for phyllotaxis research
Authors: Zagórska-Marek Beata , Turzańska Magdalena , Chmiel Klaudia
Published: April 2021

Phyllotactic diversity and developmental transitions between phyllotactic patterns are not fully understood. The plants studied so far, such as Magnolia, Torreya or Abies, are not suitable for experimental work, and the most popular model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, does not show sufficient phyllotactic variability. It has been found that in common verbena (Verbena officinalis L.), a perennial, cosmopolitan plant, phyllotaxis differs not only between growth phases in primary transitions but also along the indeterminate inflorescence axis in a series of multiple secondary transitions. The latter are no longer associated with the change in lateral organ identity, and the sequence of phyllotactic patterns is puzzling from a theoretical point of view. Data from the experiments in silico, confronted with empirical observations, suggest that secondary transitions might be triggered by the cumulative effect of fluctuations in the continuously decreasing bract primordia size. The most important finding is that the changes in the primary vascular system, associated with phyllotactic transitions, precede those taking place at the apical meristem. This raises the question of the role of the vascular system in determining primordia initiation sites, and possibly challenges the autonomy of the apex. The results of this study highlight the complex relationships between various systems that have to coordinate their growth and differentiation in the developing plant shoot. Common verbena emerges from this research as a plant that may become a new model suitable for further studies on the causes of phyllotactic transitions.
Evaluation of field calibration methods and performance of AQMesh, a low-cost air quality monitor
Authors: Wahlborg Dan , Björling Mikael , Mattsson Magnus
Published: April 2021

Field calibrations of NO2, NO, and PM10 from AQMesh Air Quality Monitors (AQMs) were conducted during a summer and an autumn period in a busy street in a midsize Swedish city. All the three linear calibration procedures studied (postscaled, bisquare, and orthogonal data) significantly reduced the ranges and magnitudes of the performance indicators to yield more reliable results than the raw data. The improvements were sufficient to satisfy the European Union (EU) Data Quality Objective (DQO) for indicative measurements as compared to reference data only for NO2 (above 50 µg m−3) and NO (above 30 µg m−3) during the autumn calibration period. The relatively simple bisquare procedure had the best performance overall. The bisquare procedure improved the root mean square error by the same amount as other studies using complex multivariate calibration methods. Low concentrations of pollutants were measured, far below the EU Environmental Quality Standard thresholds and even satisfying the future goals for the Environmental Quality Objectives. Cleaning the raw data by removing data points in the reference data that were below the reference station limit of detections (and the synchronous data points in the AQM prescaled data) was found to improve the performances of the calibration procedures appreciably. Many NO2 and almost all PM10 data points in this study fell below the AQM limit of detection. These low concentrations will probably be a common problem in many field studies, at least in areas with relatively low air pollution. However, the relative errors were sufficiently low for these data points that they could be interpreted as accurately representing low concentrations and did not need to be removed from the datasets. For the NO2 measurements, a slight periodic error correlated with sunlight and increased ambient temperature was noted. NO measurements correlated strongly with increased traffic.
Correction to: Latent Membrane Protein 1 Promotes Tumorigenesis Through Upregulation of PGC1β Signaling Pathway
Authors: Feng Jia , Chen Qi , Zhang Ping , Huang Xiaodong , Xie Weiguo , Zhang Hongyu , Yao Paul
Published: April 2021

A Correction to this paper has been published: 10.1007/s12015-021-10160-8
Investigation of groundwater potential using integrated geophysical methods in Moloko-Asipa, Ogun State, Nigeria
Authors: Alabi A. A. , Ganiyu S. A. , Idowu O. A. , Ogabi A. F. , Popoola O. I.
Published: April 2021

Water is essential for livelihood, development, and industrial growth. Its exploration in sufficient quantity is required where it does not freely occur on the surface. This research was aimed to delineate aquifer regions and provide information on the subsurface lithology of Moloko-Asipa Southwestern Nigeria. A combination of eight traverses investigated with very low frequency electromagnetic (VLF-EM) method at 5 m constant sampling interval and ten vertical electrical sounding (VES) were carried out in the survey. Measurements from the VLF-EM survey were processed with Karous and Hjelt filtering to give the resistivity contrast across the selected profiles. The VES data processing involved an automatic approximation of the initial resistivity and thickness of the geoelectric layers with IPI2Win and further filtering by WinResist iteration. Estimation of Dar-Zarrouk parameters was also employed to investigate the aquifer protective capacity of the area. The processed VLF-EM results showed the geology of the area to an average depth of 25 m. The geoelectric section of the VES data revealed minimum of 3 layers from sandy top soil to weathered layer and fresh basement with an average resistivity values of 1,816, 926 and 17,503 Ωm, respectively. The integration of VLF-EM and VES in the investigation revealed that the potential for groundwater exploration in the study area is poor due to the thin nature of the weathered layer and its shallow depth to basement. The aquifer protective capacity of the area was likewise inferred to be poor.
Hydrochemical evaluation of river Ajali water for irrigational application in agricultural farmland
Authors: Abugu Hillary Onyeka , Egwuonwu Pamela Favour , Ihedioha Janefrances Ngozi , Ekere Nwachukwu Romanus
Published: April 2021

A major population of Udi and Ezeagu communities residing along river Ajali is peasant farmers who engage in the cultivation of vegetables along the river banks during the dry seasons. The existence of beverage industries around the 9th Mile Corner Ngwo of Enugu State has caused both communities to suffer from a shortage of quality drinking water, due to the constant discharge of wastewater by these industries into the Ajali River, which flows through these communities. Ajali River water near some beverage industries was then assessed for irrigation application. Water samples were collected from different locations along the river. Physicochemical and ionic parameters were analyzed using standard methods. Irrigation water criteria were applied, and the result showed that the major cation and anions were Mg2+, Ca2+, Na+, K+and HCO3−, SO42−,$${\text{PO}}_{4}^{3- }$$PO43-, NO3−, Cl−, CO3− .Na+was dominant with 43% average contribution of all the cations, while the least was Mg2+with 4% average contribution; HCO3−was the dominant anion with 31% contribution while$${\text{PO}}_{4}^{3- }$$PO43-was the least with 2% average contribution. The trend of the cations was Na+ > K+ > Ca2+ > Mg2+while the anions were HCO3− > SO42− > Cl− > NO3− > CO3− > PO43−. The cation concentrations were within FAO irrigation water specifications. However, some samples recorded higher values of carbonate above FAO limit (0–3 mg/L). All the irrigation assessment criteria suggested that Ajali River water is suitable for irrigation purposes.
Species Transformation Through Reconstruction: Reconstruction Through Active Reaction of Organisms
Authors: Böker Hans
Published: April 2021

Comparative biological morphology, incorporating the study of active reaction, is contrasted with genetics as the study of passive mutation. Geneticists investigate anatomical characters, never anatomical constructions, which are capable of reorganization when the biological-morphological equilibrium of the organism has been disturbed. The anatomy of Opisthocomus cristatus and Stringops habroptilus demonstrate that three successive disturbances in the bio-morphological equilibrium are reacted to purposively by anatomical reconstruction. These reactions are no accidental mutations, but are anatomical reactions, related to, and affecting, the organism as a whole. In sharp contrast to such anatomical reaction, resulting, during phylogeny, in reorganization, are the “technics” [i.e., mechanistic bases] of individual development. The hereditary process is, like every physiological or embryological process, a fixed mechanism, which remains constant until an active reaction leads to reconstruction and at the same time an appropriate change of the mechanisms. The remolding of species is therefore no passive, “technical” process, but a creative act of the organisms themselves. [Original English abstract; not translated.]