bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Radio frequency plasma assisted surface modification of Fe3O4 nanoparticles using polyaniline/polypyrrole for bioimaging and magnetic hyperthermia applications
Authors: Mol Beena , Beeran Ansar Ereath , Jayaram Prasad S. , Prakash Prabha , Jayasree Ramapurath S. , Thomas Senoy , Chakrapani Baby , Anantharaman M. R. , Bushiri M. Junaid
Published: August 2021

Surface modification of superparamagnetic Fe3O4nanoparticles using polymers (polyaniline/polypyrrole) was done by radio frequency (r.f.) plasma polymerization technique and characterized by XRD, TEM, TG/DTA and VSM. Surface-passivated Fe3O4nanoparticles with polymers were having spherical/rod-shaped structures with superparamagnetic properties. Broad visible photoluminescence emission bands were observed at 445 and 580 nm for polyaniline-coated Fe3O4and at 488 nm for polypyrrole-coated Fe3O4. These samples exhibit good fluorescence emissions with L929 cellular assay and were non-toxic. Magnetic hyperthermia response of Fe3O4and polymer (polyaniline/polypyrrole)-coated Fe3O4was evaluated and all the samples exhibit hyperthermia activity in the range of 42–45 °C. Specific loss power (SLP) values of polyaniline and polypyrrole-coated Fe3O4nanoparticles (5 and 10 mg/ml) exhibit a controlled heat generation with an increase in the magnetic field.
Iterative stability analysis for general polynomial control systems
Authors: Xiao Bo , Lam Hak-Keung , Zhong Zhixiong
Published: August 2021

The main challenge of the stability analysis for general polynomial control systems is that non-convex terms exist in the stability conditions, which hinders solving the stability conditions numerically. Most approaches in the literature impose constraints on the Lyapunov function candidates or the non-convex related terms to circumvent this problem. Motivated by this difficulty, in this paper, we confront the non-convex problem directly and present an iterative stability analysis to address the long-standing problem in general polynomial control systems. Different from the existing methods, no constraints are imposed on the polynomial Lyapunov function candidates. Therefore, the limitations on the Lyapunov function candidate and non-convex terms are eliminated from the proposed analysis, which makes the proposed method more general than the state-of-the-art. In the proposed approach, the stability for the general polynomial model is analyzed and the original non-convex stability conditions are developed. To solve the non-convex stability conditions through the sum-of-squares programming, the iterative stability analysis is presented. The feasible solutions are verified by the original non-convex stability conditions to guarantee the asymptotic stability of the general polynomial system. The detailed simulation example is provided to verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach. The simulation results show that the proposed approach is more capable to find feasible solutions for the general polynomial control systems when compared with the existing ones.
Systematic selection of competing metabolomics methods in a metabolite-sensory relationship study
Authors: Davarzani Naser , Diez-Simon Carmen , Großmann Justus L. , Jacobs Doris M. , van Doorn Rudi , van den Berg Marco A. , Smilde Age K. , Mumm Roland , Hall Robert D. , Westerhuis Johan A.
Published: August 2021

Introduction

The relationship between the chemical composition of food products and their sensory profile is a complex association confronting many challenges. However, new untargeted methodologies are helping correlate metabolites with sensory characteristics in a simpler manner. Nevertheless, in the pilot phase of a project, where only a small set of products are used to explore the relationships, choices have to be made about the most appropriate untargeted metabolomics methodology.

Objective

To provide a framework for selecting a metabolite-sensory methodology based on: the quality of measurements, the relevance of the detected metabolites in terms of distinguishing between products or in terms of whether they can be related to the sensory attributes of the products.

Methods

In this paper we introduce a systematic approach to explore all these different aspects driving the choice for the most appropriate metabolomics method.

Results

As an example we have used a tomato soup project where the choice between two sampling methods (SPME and SBSE) had to be made. The results are not always consistently pointing to the same method as being the best. SPME was able to detect metabolites with a better precision, SBSE seemed to be able to provide a better distinction between the soups.

Conclusion

The three levels of comparison provide information on how the methods could perform in a follow up study and will help the researcher to make a final selection for the most appropriate method based on their strengths and weaknesses.
Effect of short-term exposure to fluorescent red polymer microspheres on Artemia franciscana nauplii and juveniles
Authors: Peixoto Diogo , Torreblanca Amparo , Pereira Susana , Vieira Maria Natividade , Varó Inmaculada
Published: August 2021

Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitously present in the world’s seas with unknown potential toxic effects on aquatic ecosystems. The aim of this study was to evaluate biochemical responses caused by 1–5 μm diameter plastic fluorescent red polymer microspheres (FRM), under short-term exposure of nauplii and juveniles of Artemia franciscana, using a set of biomarkers involved in important physiological processes such as biotransformation, neuronal transmission and oxidative stress. Two FRM concentrations (0.4 and 1.6 mg mL−1) present in the water at ecologically relevant concentrations were used to study their toxicity. No significant differences were found in growth, survival and feeding behaviour of nauplii, after 2 days of exposure to both FRM concentrations. However, in juveniles, survival decreased after 5 days of exposure to FRM1.6; but no significant differences were found in either growth or feeding behaviour. It was observed that nauplii and juveniles, under short-term exposure, had the ability to ingest and egest FRM particles, although their accumulation was higher in nauplii than in juveniles, maybe related with the capacity of the latter to empty their gut content faster, in the presence of food. Regarding biomarkers responses in nauplii, all enzymatic activities increased significantly, after short-term exposure to the higher FRM concentration tested (FRM1.6), which could be related with detoxifying MPs-triggered oxidative stress. In juveniles, the inhibition of ChE and the decrease in the activity of antioxidant enzymes, after 5 days of exposure to FRM1.6, might indicate a neurotoxic effect and oxidative damage induced by FRM. This study provides further evidences that accumulation of MPs in the gut by nauplii and juveniles of A. franciscana can induce negative effects on important physiological processes with influence on their health, highlighting the general concern about the negative effects of MPs pollution on aquatic species, as well as the need to understand the mechanism of MPs toxicity and its possible impacts on environmental safety.
Global Surgery Education and Training Programmes—a Scoping Review and Taxonomy
Authors: O’Flynn Eric , Danial Arbab , Gajewski Jakub
Published: August 2021

Global surgery is an emerging field of study and practice, aiming to respond to the worldwide unmet need for surgical care. As a relatively new concept, it is not clear that there is a common understanding of what constitutes “global surgery education and training”. This study examines the forms that global surgery education and training programmes and interventions take in practice, and proposes a classification scheme for such activities. A scoping review of published journal articles and internet websites was performed according to the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Review guidelines. PubMed MEDLINE, EMBASE and Google were searched for sources that described global surgery education and training programme. Only sources that explicitly referenced a named education programme, were surgical in nature, were international in nature, were self-described as “global surgery” and presented new information were included. Three hundred twenty-seven records were identified and 67 were ultimately included in the review. “Global surgery education and training” interventions described in the literature most commonly involved both a High-Income Country (HIC) institution and a Low- and Middle-Income Country (LMIC) institution. The literature suggests that significant current effort is directed towards academic global surgery programmes in HIC institutions and HIC surgical trainee placements in LMICs. Four categories and ten subcategories of global surgery education and training were identified. This paper provides a framework from which to study global surgery education and training. A clearer understanding of the forms that such interventions take may allow for more strategic decision making by actors in this field.
Hydrogeochemistry and surface water quality assessment of IB valley coalfield area, India
Authors: Sahoo Bishnu Prasad , Sahu Himanshu Bhushan , Pradhan Dhruti Sundar
Published: August 2021

Coal mining and ancillary activities have the potential to cause water pollution characterized by acid mine drainage, acid mine leachates, extreme pH conditions and heavy metal contaminations. In the present work, 33 water samples in premonsoon and 34 water samples in monsoon were collected from the surface water bodies of Ib Valley coalfield, India for hydrogeochemical analysis. In premonsoon, pH, TSS, Turbidity, DO, BOD, COD, Magnesium, Cadmium, Selenium, Nickel, Aluminum and in monsoon, pH, TSS, Turbidity, DO, BOD, COD, Iron, Cadmium, Selenium, Nickel and Aluminum were nonconforming to the permissible limit set by the Bureau of Indian Standards, World Health Organisation and Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India. The average BOD/COD ratio of less than 0.6 in both seasons indicated Ib valley coalfield water was not fairly biodegradable. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that significant seasonal variation (p < 0.05) was observed in the hydro-chemical parameters viz. TSS, turbidity, redox potential, acidity, total hardness, bicarbonate alkalinity, chloride, sulfate, nitrate, sodium, calcium, magnesium, iron, cadmium, chromium and magnesium during the entire sampling period. Whereas, no significant seasonal variation (p > 0.05) was observed in pH, EC, TDS, DO, BOD, residual chlorine, COD, oil and grease, fluoride, potassium, zinc, copper, selenium, nickel, aluminum, boron, silica, temperature, salinity, cyanide and phenol. Water Quality Index revealed that 39.39% and 35.29% samples belong to poor water quality category in premonsoon and monsoon, respectively. As per Heavy Metal Pollution Index, Degree of Contamination (Cd) and Heavy metal evaluation index, medium degree of pollution were exhibited by 51.52%, 30.30% and 45.45% samples in premonsoon and 20.59%, 35.29% and 26.47% samples in monsoon. Whereas, 5.88%, 2.94% and 5.88% samples were having high degree of pollution in monsoon and 15.15% samples caused high degree of pollution with respect to Cd in premonsoon. However, EC, Na%, PI, SAR and RSC values suggested that the water can be used for irrigation. Water type of the region had been found to be Ca–Mg–Cl–SO4 by Piper diagram.
Optimal operation of a multi-distribution natural gas pipeline grid: an ant colony approach
Authors: Arya Adarsh Kumar
Published: August 2021

The enormous cost of transporting oil and gas through pipelines and the operational benefits that the industry receives through optimization has incited analysts for decades to find optimization strategies that help pipeline managers operate pipeline grids with the least expense. The paper aims to minimize the pipeline grids' operating costs using an ant colony optimization strategy. The article constructs a multi-objective modeling framework for a natural gas pipeline grid based on data from the French gas pipeline network corporation 'Gaz De France,' using pipeline and compressor hydraulics. The gas pipeline grid comprises seven gas supply nodes and nineteen gas distribution centers. Seven compressor stations provided at various locations on the pipeline route raise the gas pressure. Two competing objectives of reducing fuel usage in compressors and increasing throughput at distribution centers are acknowledged to reduce the pipeline's operating cost. The 'multi-objective ant colony optimization (MOACO)' approach is implemented to the pipeline transportation model to reduce the natural gas pipeline grid's operating cost. The process variables include the amount of gas flowing through the pipe and the pressure at pipe nodes. This method provides the optimum solution for each fuel consumption level on each compressor, and it does so by producing a Pareto front for each of the nineteen gas distribution points. The blueprints of the methodology used and the findings collected intend to guide pipeline managers and select the best of the most preferred solutions.
Bayesian Analysis of Nonnegative Data Using Dependency-Extended Two-Part Models
Authors: Rodrigues-Motta Mariana , Forkman Johannes
Published: August 2021

This article is motivated by the challenge of analysing an agricultural field experiment with observations that are positive on a continuous scale or zero. Such data can be analysed using two-part models, where the distribution is a mixture of a positive distribution and a Bernoulli distribution. However, traditional two-part models do not include any dependencies between the two parts of the model. Since the probability of zero is anticipated to be high when the expected value of the positive part is low, and the other way around, this article introduces dependency-extended two-part models. In addition, these extensions allow for modelling the median instead of the mean, which has advantages when distributions are skewed. The motivating example is an incomplete block trial comparing ten treatments against weed. Gamma and lognormal distributions were used for the positive response, although any density on the support of real numbers can be accommodated. In a cross-validation study, the proposed new models were compared with each other and with a baseline model without dependencies. Model performance and sensitivity to choice of priors were investigated through simulation. A dependency-extended two-part model for the median of the lognormal distribution performed best with regard to mean square error in prediction. Supplementary materials accompanying this paper appear online.
Evolution of Outrigger Structural System: A State-of-the-Art Review
Authors: Kavyashree B. G. , Patil Shantharam , Rao Vidya S.
Published: August 2021

This paper presents the development of the outrigger structural system from the conventional outrigger to damped outrigger concepts. Outrigger structural system development from the conservative design as a rigid connection to a virtual connection with passive control, active control system, semi-active control system to hybrid control system is deliberated. Following brief overviews on history of outriggers, types of the outrigger, analysis of tall buildings without outriggers, formulation of equations for outrigger structure to simplify analysis are elaborated. Different approach to locate optimum positioning of outriggers in tall structure is elucidated. Analysis of outrigger to study its behavior in high-rise buildings using different methods is stated, and review on the damped outrigger system is explicated. This paper tries to highlight the advantages of outrigger structure with semi-active control and performance enhancement of the outrigger system with the effective devices, and enhanced results are also depicted. This review also paves a way for the new area of research in structural control with the incorporation of smart devices and smart technology.
One-Pot Synthesis of Sulfonated Carbon/Palygorskite Solid-Acid Catalyst for the Esterification of Oleic Acid with Methanol
Authors: Zhang Jiadong , Jiang Wenbin , Jiang Jinlong , Wu Mei , Shi Yingying , Mao Ping , Deng Qiulin
Published: August 2021

Sulfonated carbon is a ‘green,’ solid-acid catalyst. For applications purposes, its surface area needs to be improved and its preparation needs to be made environmentally friendly. The objective of the present study was to provide a green and economical method of preparing a sulfonated carbon catalyst by using palygorskite (Plg) fiber as a support for sulfonated carbon. Sulfonated carbon/palygorskite solid-acid catalyst (SC-Plg) was synthesized via one-step carbonization-sulfonation by mixing palygorskite with sucrose as the carbon source and p-toluenesulfonic acid as the sulfonating agent. The catalyst was characterized by SEM, EDX, TEM, FTIR, and nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms. The results indicated that sucrose-derived carbon was loaded uniformly on the surface of Plg fibers and formed the SC-Plg catalyst. The inexpensive Plg fibers could replace sucrose-derived carbon and increase the surface area of the resulting catalyst. The SC-Plg shows significant catalytic performance and excellent stability when used in the esterification of oleic acid with methanol. The conversion of oleic acid reached 68.09%, even after five cycles. This work paves the way for the development of highly active, carbon-based, solid-acid composite catalysts using a natural Plg nanofiber template.
Telomere shortening in patients on long‐term hemodialysis
Authors: Wang Yucheng , Chen Siyu , Feng Shi , Wang Cuili , Jiang Hong , Rong Song , Hermann Haller , Chen Jianghua , Zhang Ping
Published: August 2021

Background

Leukocyte telomere length shortening is a characteristic of premature senescence, a process that can be accelerated by oxidative stress. In general, patients with end‐stage renal disease undergoing regular hemodialysis (HD) are repeatedly exposed to oxidative stress. Patients undergoing HD tend to have cardiovascular diseases associated with oxidative stress and inflammation. Therefore, we assumed that telomere length is associated with HD vintage and the degree of vascular calcification.

Methods

A total of 144 patients undergoing regular HD before kidney transplantation and 62 patients on hemodialysis, but not undergoing kidney transplantation, were enrolled. We measured common laboratory values, such as calcium, phosphate, and hemoglobin levels, and assessed the degree of vascular calcification in the patients. The leukocyte telomere length was measured using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, and Spearman correlation was used for correlation analysis.

Results

The leukocyte telomere length was negatively associated with age (rho = −0.306, P＜0.01); it was shorter in middle‐aged patients than in young patients (13.48 ± 4.80 vs. 15.86 ± 4.51, P < 0.01). The telomere length was significantly different among patients aged 52–74 years in groups with different HD vintages. Additionally, the telomere length was positively associated with serum hemoglobin (Hb) levels in all patients (rho = 0.290, P < 0.01). There was a significant difference among patients divided into three groups according to the degree of anemia (17.09 ± 5.64 vs. 14.40 ± 4.07 vs. 13.99 ± 3.95, P < 0.01). Further, a significant difference was observed in the telomere length among patients with different degrees of vascular calcification (16.79 ± 4.91 vs. 13.61 ± 2.82 vs. 14.62 ± 3.63 vs. 10.71 ± 3.74, P < 0.01). The telomere length was shorter in the patients on hemodialysis who did not receive a kidney transplant than in the surgical patients (8.12 ± 1.83 vs. 14.33 ± 4.63, P < 0.01).

Conclusion

This study demonstrated that the telomere length was significantly correlated with HD vintage in patients of a certain age group. The telomere length was shorter in patients on hemodialysis who matched for age and dialysis vintage with kidney transplant patients. It was also associated with vascular calcification and serum Hb levels in all patients undergoing HD.
Optic neuritis concomitant with pituitary macroadenoma in a patient with active COVID-19 infection: A case report
Authors: Al-Salihi Mohammed Maan , Rahman Moshiur , Al-Jebur Maryam Sabah , Rahman Sabrina , Lozada-Martinez Ivan David , Rahman Raphia , Moscote-Salazar Luis Rafael
Published: August 2021

ABSTRACT

Introduction and importance:

Several neuro-ophthalmic manifestations have been reported with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. However, isolated optic neuritis was infrequently reported in humans with COVID-19. If it occurred, optic neuritis was usually a part of a demyelinating syndrome.

Case presentation:

In this paper, we report a case of optic neuritis concomitant with an undiagnosed pituitary macroadenoma discovered during active COVID-19 infection. The case was a 33-year-old woman with infertility who was recently found to have a pituitary macroadenoma secreting prolactin. During active COVID-19 infection, the patient developed optic neuritis that responded well to corticosteroids. Brain imaging and hormonal profile negated the presence of any demyelinating disease or pituitary apoplexy.

Clinical discussion:

A dilemma of whether optic neuritis occurring concomitantly with pituitary macroadenoma is just a coincidence, or there is an association remains unresolved. Whether COVID-19 infection might precipitate optic neuritis in patients with pituitary macroadenoma or not remains an issue to be answered by observing data from future case reports about similar findings.

Conclusion:

Optic neuritis in concomitant with pituitary macroadenoma following COVID-19 infection represents a dilemma of whether the visual symptoms are attributed to the tumor or COVID-19 infection.

Highlights
What Capitalism Needs
Authors: Campbell John L. , Hall John A.
Published: August 2021

From unemployment to Brexit to climate change, capitalism is in trouble and ill-prepared to cope with the challenges of the coming decades. How did we get here? While contemporary economists and policymakers tend to ignore the political and social dimensions of capitalism, some of the great economists of the past - Adam Smith, Friedrich List, John Maynard Keynes, Joseph Schumpeter, Karl Polanyi and Albert Hirschman - did not make the same mistake. Leveraging their insights, sociologists John L. Campbell and John A. Hall trace the historical development of capitalism as a social, political, and economic system throughout the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. They draw comparisons across eras and around the globe to show that there is no inevitable logic of capitalism. Rather, capitalism's performance depends on the strength of nation-states, the social cohesion of capitalist societies, and the stability of the international system - three things that are in short supply today.
Testing for Mississippian Period Turkey Management in the Archaeological Record of the Southeastern United States
Authors: Thornton Erin Kennedy , Peres Tanya , Chase Kelly Ledford , Kemp Brian M. , Frome Ryan , Manin Aurelie , Basnett Lauren , McGrath Krista , Speller Camilla , Reitz Elizabeth J.
Published: August 2021

People living in Mesoamerica and what is now the eastern and southwestern United States used turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) as sources of meat, eggs, bones, and feathers. Turkey husbandry and domestication are confirmed in two of these regions (Mesoamerica and the American Southwest), but human-turkey interactions in Eastern North American (eastern United States and Canada) are not fully explored. We apply stable isotope (δ13C, δ15N) and ancient mitochondrial DNA analyses to archaeofaunal samples from seven sites in the southeastern United States to test whether turkeys were managed or captively reared. These combined data do not support prolonged or intensive captive rearing of turkeys, and evidence for less intensive management is ambiguous. More research is warranted to determine whether people managed turkeys in these areas, and whether this is generalizable. Determining whether turkeys were managed or reared in the southeastern United States helps define cultural and environmental factors related to turkey management or husbandry throughout North America. This inquiry contributes to discussion of the roles of intensified human-animal interactions in animal domestication.
The modification of turbulent thermal wind balance by non-traditional effects
Authors: Crowe Matthew N.
Published: August 2021

The meridional component of the earth's rotation is often neglected in geophysical contexts. This is referred to as the ‘traditional approximation’ and is justified by the typically small vertical velocity and aspect ratio of such problems. Ocean fronts are regions of strong horizontal buoyancy gradient and are associated with strong vertical transport of tracers and nutrients. Given these comparatively large vertical velocities, non-traditional rotation may play a role in governing frontal dynamics. Here the effects of non-traditional rotation on a front in turbulent thermal wind balance are considered using an asymptotic approach. Solutions are presented for a general horizontal buoyancy profile and examined in the simple case of a straight front. Non-traditional effects are found to depend strongly on the direction of the front and may lead to the generation of jets and the modification of the frontal circulation and vertical transport.
Voices in Hostile Sources: In The Matter of Nat Turner and the Historiography of Reading Rebellion
Authors: Arnold John H.
Published: August 2021

This engagement with Christopher Tomlins’s In the Matter of Nat Turner (2020) focuses on a key methodological issue faced by the author, namely how one reads and positions the “authentic voice” of a past subaltern subject, known to us only through a hostile written source. This challenge is well-known to social historians of the European middle ages, and this essay suggests various ways in which Tomlins’s monograph contributes to existing debate, regarding both method and how one culturally situates and interprets the voice(s) thus identified, particularly with regard to the politics of apocalypticism.
Coda: Law, History, and Theory
Authors: Tomlins Christopher
Published: August 2021

In this Coda to the symposium on my book In the Matter of Nat Turner: A Speculative History, I address the relationship in the book between law, history, and theory. Writing history informed by theory has always been important to me, for historical research is at least as much an engagement in interpretation as an exercise in description.
THE BEGINNING AND EARLY YEARS OF RADIOCARBON DATING IN RUSSIA: LABORATORIES AND PERSONALITIES
Authors: Kuzmin Yaroslav V , Burova Natalia D , Zazovskaya Elya P , Zaretskaya Nataliya E , Savinetsky Arkady B , Khasanov Bulat F
Published: August 2021

We present an overview of the beginning and early years of radiocarbon dating in Russia. Achievements of several major scholars in this field from Leningrad (St. Petersburg), Moscow and Novosibirsk are briefly described. The existing and closed Russian laboratories are also mentioned.
Rethinking Women's Interests: An Inductive and Intersectional Approach to Defining Women's Policy Priorities
Authors: Yildirim Tevfik Murat
Published: August 2021

Much of the vast literature on the substantive representation of women takes as its point of departure important a priori assumptions about the nature of women as a group. Calling for a rethink of many of those assumptions, a recent body of work recommends an inductive approach to defining women's interests. In line with this view, this article draws on a recently constructed dataset that codes nearly a million Americans' policy priorities over the past 75 years to explore what constitutes women's interests and whether gender differences in priorities cut across partisan and racial divisions. The results suggest there are consistent gender gaps across a large number of policy categories, with women showing particular concern for policy areas traditionally associated with issues of ‘women's interests’. While in many policy areas women were more likely to share policy priorities with other women than with their male counterparts of the same race or partisan background, the results also document considerable heterogeneity among women in various policy areas, which has major policy implications for the representation of women's interests.
Helminth communities in amphibians from Latvia, with an emphasis on their connection to host ecology
Authors: Čeirāns A. , Gravele E. , Gavarane I. , Pupins M. , Mezaraupe L. , Rubenina I. , Kvach Y. , Skute A. , Oskyrko O. , Nekrasova O. , Marushchak O. , Kirjushina M.
Published: August 2021

Helminth infracommunities were studied at 174 sites of Latvia in seven hosts from six amphibian taxa of different taxonomical, ontogenic and ecological groups. They were described using a standard set of parasitological parameters, compared by ecological indices and linear discriminant analysis. Their species associations were identified by Kendall's rank correlation, but relationships with host size and waterbody area were analysed by zero-inflated Poisson and zero-inflated negative binomial regressions. The richest communities (25 species) were found in post-metamorphic semi-aquaticPelophylaxspp. frogs, which were dominated by trematode species of both adult and larval stages. Both larval and terrestrial hosts yielded depauperate trematode communities with accession of aquatic and soil-transmitted nematode species, respectively. Nematode loads peaked in terrestrialBufo bufo. Helminth infracommunities suggested some differences in host microhabitat or food object selection not detected by their ecology studies. Associations were present in 96% of helminth species (on average, 7.3 associations per species) and dominated positive ones. Species richness and abundances, in most cases, were positively correlated with host size, which could be explained by increasing parasite intake rates over host ontogeny (trematode adult stages) or parasite accumulation (larvalAlaria alata). Two larval diplostomid species (Strigea strigis,Tylodelphys excavata) had a negative relationship with host size, which could be caused by parasite-induced host mortality. The adult trematode abundances were higher in larger waterbodies, most likely due to their ecosystem richness, while higher larval abundances in smaller waterbodies could be caused by elevated infection rates under high host densities.
A political archaeology of Theravada Buddhism: Unearthing the emotions of changing funerary practices in northern Thailand
Authors: Bowie Katherine A.
Published: August 2021

As the central Thai government expanded into the northern region during the early decades of the twentieth century, thousands of northern monks created a movement spearheaded by the famous monk, Khruba Srivichai (1878–1939). Even after Srivichai's multiple arrests and the disrobing of some 1,000 of his disciples in 1936, tensions continued. Oral histories reveal underlying differences in religious interpretations; one was outrage at the construction of funerary chedis on temple grounds. To understand why northerners found this practice sacrilegious, this essay undertakes an ideological archaeology into the ‘space of dissension’ of differing central and northern Thai funerary practices.
Context v. algorithm: evidence that a transdiagnostic framework of contextual clinical characterization is of more clinical value than categorical diagnosis
Authors: van Os Jim , Pries Lotta-Katrin , ten Have Margreet , de Graaf Ron , van Dorsselaer Saskia , Bak Maarten , Kenis Gunter , Lin Bochao D. , Gunther Nicole , Luykx Jurjen J. , Rutten Bart P. F. , Guloksuz Sinan
Published: August 2021

Background

A transdiagnostic and contextual framework of ‘clinical characterization’, combining clinical, psychopathological, sociodemographic, etiological, and other personal contextual data, may add clinical value over and above categorical algorithm-based diagnosis.

Methods

Prediction of need for care and health care outcomes was examined prospectively as a function of the contextual clinical characterization diagnostic framework in a prospective general population cohort (n = 6646 at baseline), interviewed four times between 2007 and 2018 (NEMESIS-2). Measures of need, service use, and use of medication were predicted as a function of any of 13 DSM-IV diagnoses, both separately and in combination with clinical characterization across multiple domains: social circumstances/demographics, symptom dimensions, physical health, clinical/etiological factors, staging, and polygenic risk scores (PRS). Effect sizes were expressed as population attributable fractions.

Results

Any prediction of DSM-diagnosis in relation to need and outcome in separate models was entirely reducible to components of contextual clinical characterization in joint models, particularly the component of transdiagnostic symptom dimensions (a simple score of the number of anxiety, depression, mania, and psychosis symptoms) and staging (subthreshold, incidence, persistence), and to a lesser degree clinical factors (early adversity, family history, suicidality, slowness at interview, neuroticism, and extraversion), and sociodemographic factors. Clinical characterization components in combination predicted more than any component in isolation. PRS did not meaningfully contribute to any clinical characterization model.

Conclusion

A transdiagnostic framework of contextual clinical characterization is of more value to patients than a categorical system of algorithmic ordering of psychopathology.
The digital inclusion of older people in Spain: technological support services for seniors as predictor
Authors: Tirado-Morueta Ramón , Rodríguez-Martín Alejandro , Álvarez-Arregui Emilio , Ortíz-Sobrino Miguel Ángel , Aguaded-Gómez José Ignacio
Published: August 2021

While life expectancy increases in developed countries and there is evidence that demonstrates the potential of the internet to optimise or compensate for the losses associated with ageing, there is a high proportion of older people who continue to be disconnected from the digital world. In this scenario, the technological support offered by public institutions has the potential to be an accessible source for the digital literacy of older people. This study, using the model of digital inequality, had the aim of analysing the ability of these institutional supports to determine and predict the digital inclusion of older people. The sample was retired adults (over 54 years) residing in Spain who are users of technological support services in four organisational contexts: nursing homes, senior community centres, University Programs for Seniors and adult education programmes. Through binary logistic regression analysis, we found that the ability of the availability of literacy support to determine and predict access, autonomy, skills and use of the internet for social connectivity depends on the social and organisational context of the technology support service. These findings support empirically the situated nature of technological support for the digital inclusion of older people and provide a useful comparative vision for the design of accessible support services adapted to the needs of its users.
On the mixing time of coordinate Hit-and-Run
Authors: Narayanan Hariharan , Srivastava Piyush
Published: August 2021

We obtain a polynomial upper bound on the mixing time
$T_{CHR}(\epsilon)$
of the coordinate Hit-and-Run (CHR) random walk on an
$n-$
dimensional convex body, where
$T_{CHR}(\epsilon)$
is the number of steps needed to reach within
$\epsilon$
of the uniform distribution with respect to the total variation distance, starting from a warm start (i.e., a distribution which has a density with respect to the uniform distribution on the convex body that is bounded above by a constant). Our upper bound is polynomial in n, R and
$\frac{1}{\epsilon}$
, where we assume that the convex body contains the unit
$\Vert\cdot\Vert_\infty$
-unit ball
$B_\infty$
and is contained in its R-dilation
$R\cdot B_\infty$
. Whether CHR has a polynomial mixing time has been an open question.
Culture of preantral ovarian follicles ofBos taurus indicuswith alpha-lipoic acid
Authors: Bergamo Larissa Zamparone , Bonato Denis Vinicius , Bizarro-Silva Camila , Bonato Francieli Gesleine Capote , González Suellen Miguez , Rossaneis Ana Carolina , Verri Waldiceu A. , Morotti Fábio , Seneda Marcelo Marcondes
Published: August 2021

The aim of this study was to evaluate follicular development, morphological integrity, and antioxidant potential of preantral ovarian follicles fromBos taurus indicusfemales grownin vitrowith alpha-lipoic acid. Ovaries (n= 24) ofBos taurus indicus(n= 12) females were collected during slaughter and fragmented. A randomly obtained fragment from each pair of ovaries was fixed in Bouin (non-cultivated control; D0). These fragments were intended for classical histology (morphology and evaluation of follicular growth), and a fragment from each pair of ovaries was frozen at −80°C (non-cultivated control; D0), and assigned for analysis of oxidative stress [thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT), and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP)]. The remaining fragments were culturedin vitrofor 6 (D6) or 12 (D12) days, containing only minimum essential medium (MEM) or MEM supplemented with alpha-lipoic acid (50, 100, or 250 ng/ml), on an extracellular matrix of agarose gel, in an oven at 38.5ºC. Every 2 days, 100% of the culture medium was replaced. Supplementation with 100 ng/ml was effective for maintaining follicular integrity after 6 days of culture (primordial: 51.28%; development: 36.88%;P< 0.0001). There was no difference (P> 0.05) between treatments compared with the non-cultivated control treatment (D0), using the NBT and TBARS assays. Therefore, supplementation of thein vitroculture medium of bovine preantral ovarian follicles with a concentration of 100 ng/ml of alpha-lipoic acid at 6 days of culture was effective for maintaining follicular integrity and, after 6 days, maintaining stable levels of reactive oxygen species.
High-Income Developing Countries, FDI Outflows and the International Investment Agreement Regime
Authors: Haftel Yoram Z. , Kim Soo Yeon , Bassan-Nygate Lotem
Published: August 2021

The international investment agreement regime (IIA Regime) is composed of thousands of IIAs and a system of investor–state dispute settlement. Historically, high-income developing countries (HIDCs) were part of the global South and thus ‘hosts’ of foreign direct investment (FDI). Increasingly, however, these countries have become ‘home’ to investors who are hosted and exposed to political risk abroad. Representing both home and host country interests simultaneously, how do HIDCs balance these crosscutting pressures? We argue that as the position of an HIDC shifts from mostly a recipient towards a sender of significant amounts of FDI, it will be more willing to provide protection to foreign investors at the expense of state regulatory space in its IIAs, thereby increasing its exposure to the IIA Regime. Employing an original data set that measures this exposure for sixty-four HIDCs over six decades, we first show that the degree of HIDC exposure to the IIA Regime varies a great deal. Using a general method of moments (GMM) analysis and controlling for a host of confounding factors, we demonstrate that, indeed, higher levels of FDI outflows as a share of the national economy result in greater exposure to the IIA Regime.
The experiences of health professionals, patients, and families with truth disclosure when breaking bad news in palliative care: A qualitative meta-synthesis
Authors: Miller Elizabeth M. , Porter Joanne E. , Barbagallo Michael S.
Published: August 2021

Objective

Disclosing the truth when breaking bad news continues to be difficult for health professionals, yet it is essential for patients when making informed decisions about their treatment and end-of-life care. This literature review aimed to explore and examine how health professionals, patients, and families experience truth disclosure during the delivery of bad news in the inpatient/outpatient palliative care setting.

Methods

A systemized search for peer-reviewed, published papers between 2013 and 2020 was undertaken in September 2020 using the CINAHL, Medline, and PsycInfo databases. The keywords and MeSH terms (“truth disclosure”) AND (“palliative care or end-of-life care or terminal care or dying”) were used. The search was repeated using (“bad news”) AND (“palliative care or end-of-life care or terminal care or dying”) terms. A meta-synthesis was undertaken to synthesize the findings from the eight papers.

Results

Eight papers were included in the meta-synthesis and were represented by five Western countries. Following the synthesis process, two concepts were identified: “Enablers in breaking bad news” and “Truth avoidance/disclosure.” Several elements formed the concept of Enablers for breaking bad news, such as the therapeutic relationship, reading cues, acknowledgment, language/delivery, time/place, and qualities. A conceptual model was developed to illustrate the findings of the synthesis.

Significance of results

The conceptual model demonstrates a unique way to look at communication dynamics around truth disclosure and avoidance when breaking bad news. Informed decision-making requires an understanding of the whole truth, and therefore truth disclosure is an essential part of breaking bad news.
Divergent Responses of Summer Precipitation in China to 1.5°C Global Warming in Transient and Stabilized Scenarios
Authors: Jiang Zhihong , Hou Qiyao , Li Tim , Liang Yongxiao , Li Laurent
Published: August 2021

Responses of summer precipitation in China to global 1.5°C warming with transient and stabilized pathways are investigated through the analysis of the Common Earth System Model climate simulations. Precipitation increases more significantly in southeast China in the stabilized scenario compared with the transient one. The difference is primarily attributable to dynamic factors related to circulation changes and driven by differences of land‐ocean thermal contrast between the two scenarios. The stabilized warming favors conditions of larger ocean warming and smaller land warming, leads to enhanced meridional temperature gradient and ultimately speeds up the jet stream over East Asia. Ageostrophic wind at the entrance of the accelerated jet strengthens ascending motion and precipitation along the coast of Asia from southeast China to India. The enhanced heating over India further induces a Kelvin‐wave response with an anomalous anticyclone that contributes to the enhanced westward shifted of the western North Pacific Subtropical High. Southerly winds at the west flank of the anticyclone transport moisture northward from tropical oceans, and strengthen precipitation in southeast China.
Remote Sensing of Seasonal Climatic Constraints on Leaf Phenology Across Pantropical Evergreen Forest Biome
Authors: Li Qian , Chen Xiuzhi , Yuan Wenping , Lu Haibo , Shen Ruoque , Wu Shengbiao , Gong Fanxi , Dai Yuhang , Liu Liyang , Sun Qingling , Zhang Chaoqun , Su Yongxian
Published: August 2021

Climatic drivers for canopy leaf shedding and flush of evergreen broadleaved forest biome are still unclear at the continental scale across tropical and subtropical region. This imposes a challenge for modeling pantropical photosynthesis seasonality in Earth system models. Here, we examined three potential climatic triggers, vapor pressure deficit–a proxy of atmospheric water deficit, downward shortwave incoming solar radiation–a proxy of sunlight availability, and terrestrial water storage–a proxy of soil water availability observed by the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment, by comparing with two satellite phenological proxies–the Enhanced Vegetation Index and Continuous Solar‐induced chlorophyll fluorescence. Results show that tropical leaf phenology varies greatly from equatorial bimodal seasonality to higher‐latitude unimodal seasonality. Sunlight availability dominantly controls the whole seasonal leaf phenology across the pantropical region. Atmospheric dryness is one main type of water stress for leaf phenology during the first half year. However, soil water stress strongly inhibits the first‐half of leaf phenology in tropical Asia and the second‐half of leaf phenology in Congo, but shows rare constraint on the leaf phenology in Amazon. Ignoring these various roles of soil moisture availability and atmospheric dryness in influencing tropical leaf phenology might lead to unexpected uncertainty for predicting the water and carbon cycles of tropical forest ecosystem in Earth system models.
Duration of Individual Relativistic Electron Microbursts: A Probe Into Their Scattering Mechanism
Authors: Shumko M. , Blum L. W. , Crew A. B.
Published: August 2021

We used the Solar Anomalous and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer to identify and quantify the duration of relativistic, MeV, electron microbursts. A typical relativistic microburst has a millisecond (ms) duration, and the interquartile range of the duration distribution is 70–140 ms. We investigated trends in the microburst duration as a function of geomagnetic activity, L‐shell, and magnetic local time (MLT). The clearest trend is in MLT: the median microburst duration doubles from 75 milliseconds at midnight to 140 milliseconds noon MLT. This trend is similar to the whistler mode chorus rising tone element duration trend, suggesting a possible relationship.
The Mercury Isotopic Composition of Earth's Mantle and the Use of Mass Independently Fractionated Hg to Test for Recycled Crust
Authors: Moynier Frédéric , Jackson Matthew G. , Zhang Ke , Cai Hongming , Halldórsson Sæmundur Ari , Pik Raphael , Day James M. D. , Chen Jiubin
Published: August 2021

The element mercury (Hg) can develop large mass‐independent fractionation (MIF) (Δ199Hg) due to photo‐chemical reactions at Earth's surface. This results in globally negative Δ199Hg for terrestrial sub‐aerially‐derived materials and positive Δ199Hg for sub‐aqueously‐derived marine sediments. The mantle composition least affected by crustal recycling is estimated from high‐3He/4He lavas from Samoa and Iceland, providing an average of Δ199Hg = 0.00 ± 0.10, Δ201Hg = −0.02 ± 0.0.09, δ202Hg = −1.7 ± 1.2; 2SD, N = 11. By comparison, a HIMU‐type lava from Tubuai exhibits positive Δ199Hg, consistent with altered oceanic crust in its mantle source. A Samoan (EM2) lava has negative Δ199Hg reflecting incorporation of continental crust materials into its source. Three Pitcairn lavas exhibit positive Δ199Hg which correlate with 87Sr/86Sr, consistent with variable proportions of continental (low Δ199Hg and high 87Sr/86Sr) and oceanic (high Δ199Hg and low 87Sr/86Sr) crustal material in their mantle sources. These observations indicate that MIF signatures offer a powerful tool for examining atmosphere‐deep Earth interactions.
Decreased Stratification in the Abyssal Southwest Pacific Basin and Implications for the Energy Budget
Authors: Zhang Helen J. , Whalen Caitlin B. , Kumar Nirnimesh , Purkey Sarah G.
Published: August 2021

As the abyssal oceans warm, stratification is also expected to change in response. This change may impact mixing and vertical transport by altering the buoyancy flux, internal wave generation, and turbulent dissipation. In this study, repeated surveys of three hydrographic sections in the Southwest Pacific Basin between the 1990s and 2010s are used to estimate the change in buoyancy frequency . We find that below the °C isotherm, is on average reduced by a scaling factor of , a 12% reduction, per decade that intensifies with depth. At °C, we observe the biggest change: , or a 29% reduction per decade. Within the same period, the magnitude of vertical diffusive heat flux is also reduced by about , although this estimate is sensitive to the choice of estimated diffusivity. Finally, implications of these results for the heat budget and global ocean circulation are qualitatively discussed.