bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A method for autonomous robotic manipulation through exploratory interactions with uncertain environments
Authors: Balatti Pietro , Kanoulas Dimitrios , Tsagarakis Nikos , Ajoudani Arash
Published: August 2020

Expanding robot autonomy can deliver functional flexibility and enable fast deployment of robots in challenging and unstructured environments. In this direction, significant advances have been recently made in visual-perception driven autonomy, which is mainly due to the availability of rich sensory data-sets. However, current robots’ physical interaction autonomy levels still remain at a basic level. Towards providing a systematic approach to this problem, this paper presents a new context-aware and adaptive method that allows a robotic platform to interact with unknown environments. In particular, a multi-axes self-tuning impedance controller is introduced to regulate quasi-static parameters of the robot based on previous experience in interacting with similar environments and the real-time sensory data. The proposed method is also capable of differentiating internal and external disruptions, and responding to them accordingly and appropriately. An agricultural experiment with different deformable material is presented to validate robot interaction autonomy improvements, and the capability of the proposed methodology in detecting and responding to unexpected events (e.g., faults).
Treatment Refractory Internalizing Behaviour Across Disorders: An Aetiological Model for Severe Emotion Dysregulation in Adolescence
Authors: Herpers Pierre C. M. , Neumann Josephine E. C. , Staal Wouter G.
Published: August 2020

Auto-aggressive behaviour, especially treatment refractory suicidality in adolescents with psychiatric disorders, may be challenging to clinicians. In search of therapeutic possibilities, we have integrated current opinions regarding causality and interdependency of suicidality and auto-aggressive behaviour across disorders within the HiTOP framework. We propose a developmental model regarding these unsettling behaviours in youths that may help to guide future directions for research and interventions. We argue that the interdependent development of biologic factors, attachment, moral reasoning and emotion regulation in an overprotective environment may lead to social anxiety and later during development to emotion dysregulation and severe internalizing behaviour disorders. To optimize treatment efficacy for both internalizing and externalizing behaviour, we emphasize the importance transdiagnostic interventions, such as addressing non-compliance, restoration of trust between parents and their child, and limitation of avoidance behaviour. These may be seen as higher order interventions within the HiTOP framework.
Implementing Case Management with Positive Youth Development to Empower Young Mothers in California
Authors: Asheer Subuhi , Keating Betsy , Crowley Jacqueline , Zief Susan
Published: August 2020

Objectives

With funding from the Pregnancy Assistance Fund, the Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health Division (MCAH) of California redesigned its existing Adolescent Family Life Program (AFLP) for expectant and parenting young women into a more intensive and structured intervention, AFLP with positive youth development (PYD). This paper presents key findings from a federally funded, rigorous implementation study of the two programs.

Methods

This implementation study collected data from 13 agencies from January 2016 through December 2017, including interviews with 69 case managers and 18 supervisors; focus groups with 130 program participants; surveys of 66 case managers and 1330 young women; and observations of 42 visits with program participants. The study combined qualitative and quantitative analysis methods.

Results

As designed, PYD was a much more structured and intensive program than AFLP. Case managers and supervisors saw value in the PYD model and new approach but needed more support and guidance than expected in order to deliver it with fidelity. MCAH provided additional trainings and technical assistance to address challenges. In practice, although staff noted differences in approach and content, the youth experience with the two programs was similar.

Conclusions for Practice

Integrating the PYD framework into case management systems may foster youth self-sufficiency and resiliency. However, the rigid structure of the program was often challenging to implement in practice. Organizations interested in implementing prescribed case management approaches should consider allowing opportunities for flexibility in implementation and providing more detailed preservice training to prepare staff for real-world implementation.
The Society for Prevention Research 20 Years Later: a Summary of Training Needs
Authors: Chilenski Sarah M. , Pasch Keryn E. , Knapp Ashley , Baker Elizabeth , Boyd Rhonda C. , Cioffi Camille , Cooper Brittany , Fagan Abigail , Hill Laura , Leve Leslie D. , Rulison Kelly
Published: August 2020

The Society for Prevention Research (SPR) aims to continually provide relevant professional development training opportunities to advance scientific investigation of ways to improve the health, well-being, and social and educational outcomes of individuals and communities. Our study, led by the Training Needs Assessment Task Force, designed a quantitative questionnaire informed by semistructured, qualitative interviews of 13 key prevention science informants. The questionnaire was deployed to all SPR members, of which 347 completed it. Questions about training topics were asked along 8 categories: (1) theory; (2) preventive interventions; (3) research methods, design, and evaluation; (4) teaching and mentoring; (5) practical and interpersonal skills; (6) communication; (7) project management; and (8) data analysis. Across all categories, respondents reported a high level of interest in receiving training: more than 80% were interested in training in data analytic methods; about 70% indicated interest in theory, preventive interventions, and research methods, design, and evaluation; about 65% were interested in at least 1 communication and project management topic; and 60% showed interest in at least 1 practical and interpersonal skills topic. Training-related interests varied across career level and race/ethnicity, with early-career individuals and people of color typically indicating the most interest. Participants were most likely to endorse self-initiated learning and webinars. SPR preconference training workshops were strongly endorsed for data analysis and preventive intervention topics. Recommendations from our study include a need for SPR to more strongly support self-initiated learning opportunities and continue preconference training programs, with special focuses in statistical methods and preventive interventions and regular assessment of members’ training preferences.
Venous thromboembolism in critically ill COVID-19 patients receiving prophylactic or therapeutic anticoagulation: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Hasan Syed Shahzad , Radford Sam , Kow Chia Siang , Zaidi Syed Tabish Razi
Published: August 2020

Many aspects of care such as management of hypercoagulable state in COVID-19 patients, especially those admitted to intensive care units is challenging in the rapidly evolving pandemic of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We seek to systematically review the available evidence regarding the anticoagulation approach to prevent venous thromboembolism (VTE) among COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care units. Electronic databases were searched for studies reporting venous thromboembolic events in patients admitted to the intensive care unit receiving any type of anticoagulation (prophylactic or therapeutic). The pooled prevalence (and 95% confidence interval [CI]) of VTE among patients receiving anticoagulant were calculated using the random-effects model. Subgroup pooled analyses were performed with studies reported prophylactic anticoagulation alone and with studies reported mixed prophylactic and therapeutic anticoagulation. We included twelve studies (8 Europe; 2 UK; 1 each from the US and China) in our systematic review and meta-analysis. All studies utilized LMWH or unfractionated heparin as their pharmacologic thromboprophylaxis, either prophylactic doses or therapeutic doses. Seven studies reported on the proportion of patients with the previous history of VTE (range 0–10%). The pooled prevalence of VTE among ICU patients receiving prophylactic or therapeutic anticoagulation across all studies was 31% (95% CI 20–43%). Subgroup pooled analysis limited to studies reported prophylactic anticoagulation alone and mixed (therapeutic and prophylactic anticoagulation) reported pooled prevalences of VTE of 38% (95% CI 10–70%) and 27% (95% CI 17–40%) respectively. With a high prevalence of thromboprophylaxis failure among COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care units, individualised rather than protocolised VTE thromboprophylaxis would appear prudent at interim.
Schisandra henryi C. B. Clarke in vitro cultures: a promising tool for the production of lignans and phenolic compounds
Authors: Jafernik Karolina , Szopa Agnieszka , Barnaś Magda , Dziurka Michał , Ekiert Halina
Published: August 2020

We initiated and optimized in vitro culture conditions of the endemic Chinese plant species—Schisandra henryi C. B. Clarke. Different types of in vitro solid cultures (microshoot and callus), cultivation periods (10, 20, and 30 days), and selected concentrations of BA, IBA, GA3 (0 to 3 mg/l) in the Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium were tested. The presence of dibenzocyclooctadiene lignans (schisandrin, gomisin G, schisantherin A and B, deoxyschisandrin and schisandrin C), dibenzylbutane lignans (hernicine B), aryltetralin lignans (wulignan A1 and A2, epiwulignan A1, enshicine, epienshicine and dimethylwulignan A1), and triterpenoids: kadsuric acid and schisanhenric acid was confirmed by UHPLC–MS/MS analysis. Using HPLC–DAD, the qualitative and quantitative profiles of dibenzocyclooctadiene lignans, phenolic acids and flavonoids in methanolic extracts from biomass were estimated. The maximum total amounts of these groups of metabolites were 873.71, 840.89 and 421.98 mg/100 g DW, respectively. The main compounds were: schisantherin B (max. 622.59 mg/100 g DW), schisantherin A (max. 143.74 mg/100 g DW), neochlorogenic acid (max. 472.82 mg/100 g DW), caftaric acid (max. 370.81 mg/100 g DW), trifolin (max. 138.56 mg/100 g DW) and quercitrin (max. 122.54 mg/100 g DW). The highest total amounts of secondary metabolites estimated in the extracts from in vitro cultures were, respectively, 13.0, 7.0, and 1.4 times higher than in the leaf extracts analyzed for comparison. This is the first report on the biosynthetic potential of cells from Schisandra henryi in vitro cultures.
Use of Amount-of-Substance Terminology and Equations in Field Desorption Theory
Authors: Forbes Richard G.
Published: August 2020

This note proposes that the theories of field evaporation and field desorption, as used in atom-probe microscopy and related atomic-level contexts, should be consistently formulated in terms of a set of “seven-dimensional (7-D)” formulae and equations that involve the physical quantity “amount of substance”, but make use of an atomic-level constant effectively equal to “one atom” (or, more generally, “one entity”). It is argued that the term “count” should be introduced as an alternative name (more suited to atomic-level contexts) for the quantity “amount of substance”. For field evaporation/desorption theories, relevant definitions and formulae are proposed, and compared with the “six-dimensional” system (based on the dimensionless quantity “number of atoms/entities”) sometimes used in the literature. Advantages of using a 7-D system are noted. It is argued that there is also an increasing need for a comprehensive system of official nomenclature for atomic-level constants and units, for all three of the extensive quantities “mass”, “electric charge” and “amount of substance”. It is also argued that, in the longer term, considerations of the kind being proposed here for field evaporation/desorption theories might usefully be applied more generally in atomic-level rate theory.
Environmental performance scenarios in the production of hollow glass containers for food packaging: an LCA approach
Authors: Gallucci Teodoro , Lagioia Giovanni , Piccinno Paolo , Lacalamita Amedeo , Pontrandolfo Andrea , Paiano Annarita
Published: August 2020

Purpose

The importance of glass in the production of food packaging has stimulated the assessment of its impact. This study evaluates the environmental performance of hollow glass production in a manufacturing plant operating in Apulia (Italy), compares baseline and two alternative scenarios based on the life cycle assessment (LCA) method and proposes more environmentally friendly options.

Methods

The LCA study was performed on primary data provided by a company for 2017 and secondary data retrieved from databases. The LCA was conducted according to ISO 14040:2006 and 14044:2018 with product category rule (PCR) basic module CPC 37. A midpoint approach was chosen. The software selected for the analysis was GaBi thinkstep AG version 8.7.0.18. The study was performed from cradle to grave, and the functional unit considered was 1 kg of finished hollow glass.

Results and discussion

A comparative analysis of the different scenarios was conducted considering seven environmental impact indicators. The results highlight major improvements in the environmental impact indicators: in particular, the replacement of raw materials with cullets would yield significant improvements if all of the cullets are recovered in the regional territory. These improvements, as confirmed by the results of Scenario 2, could be further increased both by the use of renewable energy such as photovoltaic (PV) energy and by technological improvements such as lightweighting.

Conclusions

Through the LCA, the authors quantified the potential environmental impact associated with the production of hollow glass, thereby identifying solutions and formulating suggestions to reduce the environmental impacts associated with food packaging. The evaluation of the different scenarios could help managers in the decision-making process, thus improving the environmental performance of both the process and final product.
Effects of Intermetallic Microstructure on Degradation of Mg-5Nd Alloy
Authors: Zhang Yaping , Huang Yuanding , Feyerabend Frank , Gavras Sarkis , Xu Yuling , Willumeit-Römer Regine , Kainer Karl Ulrich , Hort Norbert
Published: August 2020

The influence of intermetallic microstructure on the degradation of Mg-5Nd alloy with different heat treatments was investigated via immersion testing in DMEM + 10 pct FBS under cell culture conditions and subsequent microstructural characterizations. It was found that T4 heat-treated sample had the poorest corrosion resistance due to the lack of finely dispersed precipitates inside grains, continuous lamellar particles along grain boundaries and outer Ca-P layer, and to the formation of a loose corrosion product layer. In contrast, the aged samples exhibited a better corrosion resistance due to their presence and to the formation of a compact corrosion layer. Their degradation behavior largely depended on the intermetallic microstructure. Corrosion was initiated in the matrix around stable globular particles Mg41Nd5 at grain boundaries. In the sample aged at high temperature 245 °C, the coexistence of lamellar Mg41Nd5 particles and their nearby Nd-poor regions enhanced the corrosion. The corrosion first started in such regions. It was shown that those finely dispersed precipitates formed during aging had no influence on the corrosion initiation. However, they indeed affected the subsequent corrosion propagation with the immersion proceeding. They supplied barriers for corrosion propagation and hence were beneficial for improving the corrosion resistance. The continuously distributed lamellar Mg41Nd5 precipitates formed at grain boundaries during aging at 245 °C supplied an additional effective obstacle to corrosion propagation. This was especially beneficial for hindering the corrosion propagation at the later stage of corrosion.
Development of instructional design strategies for integrating an online support system for creative problem solving into a University course
Authors: Lim Cheolil , Han Hyeongjong
Published: August 2020

This study examined three cases in which an online support system was utilized to enhance creative problem solving (CPS) in a higher education setting. This study aimed to review instructional design strategies that allow the integration of an online support system into a university course. Creativity, which is defined as the ability to generate a new and useful idea, is a key competency for students to possess as it can assist them in taking effective actions in the future society. Considered to be a representative model for developing creative thinking abilities, the CPS model is known to effectively stimulate learners’ divergent and convergent thinking while supporting a systematic approach to find creative solutions and enabling meaningful learning by utilizing its supporting tools. Considering the advantages derived from using the Online Support System for CPS, three cases across diverse colleges were reviewed: the College of Education, Fine Arts, and Engineering. Through comprehensive analysis, this study proposes major design strategies to achieve the integrated application of the Online Support System to university courses that encourage problem solving abilities. The study also suggests future research directions for CPS using the Online Support System.
Pressurized hot water extraction of Scots pine sapwood: effect of wood size on obtained treatment products
Authors: Kyyrö Suvi , Altgen Michael , Rautkari Lauri
Published: August 2020

The efficiency of hot water extraction (HWE) is dependent on the size of treated wood. While previous research regarding this size-effect has focused on HWE treating sawdust and wood chips, this study investigated its effect on wood blocks with precise dimensions and a broad range of treatment conditions. Scots pine (Pinus sylvestrisL.) sapwood samples with dimensions of 10 × 10 × 20 mm3and 25 × 25 × 50 mm3(R × T × L) were HWE treated at 130–170 °C for 40–200 min using liquid-to-solid ratios of 4–20. Our results showed that wood mass loss, which was primarily caused by the decomposition of hemicelluloses, was larger when using small samples. This was mainly assigned to a higher quantity of acetone-soluble decomposition products that remained within the large samples, due to longer distances for diffusion and mass transfer from the wood blocks to the extraction liquid. In line with wood mass loss differences, the amount of dissolved compounds (i.e., carbohydrates) in the extraction liquid at different treatment severities was dependent on the wood size, while the liquid-to-solid ratio had only modest effects. However, composition changes of the extraction liquid, in particular changes in the proportion of poly- and monocarbohydrates with increasing treatment severity, were similar for both sample sizes.
COVID-19 in patients with HIV-1 infection: a single-centre experience in northern Italy
Authors: Calza Leonardo , Bon Isabella , Tadolini Marina , Borderi Marco , Colangeli Vincenzo , Badia Lorenzo , Verucchi Gabriella , Rossini Giada , Vocale Caterina , Gaibani Paolo , Viale Pierluigi , Attard Luciano
Published: August 2020

Background

Since the end of February 2020, the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak rapidly spread throughout Italy and other European countries, but limited information has been available about its characteristics in HIV-infected patients.

Methods

We have described a case series of patients with HIV infection and COVID-19 diagnosed at the S.Orsola Hospital (Bologna, Italy) during March and April, 2020.

Results

We reported a case series of 26 HIV-infected patients with COVID-19. Nineteen subjects were men, the median age was 54 years, 73% of patients had one or more comorbidities. Only 5 patients with interstitial pneumonia were hospitalized, but there were no admissions to intensive care unit and no deaths.

Conclusions

In our experience, COVID-19 associated with HIV infection had a clinical presentation comparable to the general population and was frequently associated with chronic comorbidities.
Power(ful) guidelines for experimental economists
Authors: Vasilaky Kathryn N. , Brock J. Michelle
Published: August 2020

Statistical power is an important detail to consider in the design phase of any experiment. This paper serves as a reference for experimental economists on power calculations. We synthesize many of the questions and issues frequently brought up regarding power calculations and the literature that surrounds that. We provide practical coded examples and tools available for calculating power, and suggest when and how to report power calculations in published studies.
Concealed Risks of FinTech and Goal-Oriented Responsive Regulation: China’s Background and Global Perspective
Authors: XU Donggen , XU Dawei
Published: August 2020

This article provides critical and analytical views on legal regulation to achieve a balance between FinTech innovation, risk prevention, and financial stability, by focusing on the trend of FinTech firms entering the financial-services industry and the associated regulatory and legal challenges that are already arising in China. It adopts a balanced approach as a theoretical-analysis perspective, weighing various considerations, and proposes the policy option of FinTech regulation under the principle of interest balance. The analysis aims to contribute new insights to an ongoing debate in China on the relationship between legal and regulatory reform, FinTech innovation, and risk prevention. This article argues that legal challenges, rather than technical problems, remain the key obstacles to effective FinTech regulation. Our proposed hypothesis seeks to explain how a legal regulation achieves balancing the competing interests between FinTech innovation, risk prevention, and financial stability in the booming of China’s FinTech. Finally, this article proposes the implementation of goal-oriented responsive regulation by improving the legal framework of FinTech regulatory regimes through policy option.
Reducing preventable patient transfers from long-term care facilities to emergency departments: a scoping review
Authors: Grant Kiran L. , Lee Daniel Dongjoo , Cheng Ivy , Baker G. Ross
Published: August 2020

Background

In Canada, there were over 60,000 long-term care facility patient transfers to emergency departments (EDs) in 2014, with up to a quarter of them being potentially preventable. Each preventable transfer exposes the patient to transport- and hospital-related complications, contributes to ED crowding, and adds significant costs to the health care system. There have been many proposed and studied interventions aimed at alleviating the issue, but few attempts to assess and evaluate different interventions across institutions.

Methods

A systematic search of MEDLINE, CINAHL, and EMBASE for studies describing the impact of interventions aimed at reducing preventable transfers from long-term care facilities to EDs on ED transfer rate. Two independent reviewers screened the studies for inclusion and completed a quality assessment. A tabular and narrative synthesis was then completed. This study adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines.

Results

A total of 26 studies were included (Cohen's k = 0.68). One was of low quality (Cohen's k = 0.58). Studies were summarized into five themes based on intervention type: Telemedicine, Outreach Teams, Interdisciplinary Care, Integrated Approaches, and Other. Effective interventions reported reductions in ED transfer rates post intervention ranging from 10 to 70%. Interdisciplinary health care teams staffed within long-term care facilities were the most effective interventions.

Conclusion

There are several promising interventions that have successfully reduced the number of preventable transfers from long-term care facilities to EDs in a variety of health care settings. Widespread implementation of these interventions has the potential to reduce ED crowding in Canada.
Effect of Lumbar Drainage on Cortical Excitability in Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus
Authors: Agrawal Aakash , Bhattacharya Amitabh , Kamble Nitish , Yadav Ravi , Pal Pramod Kumar
Published: August 2020

Background:

Idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) is characterized by the clinical triad of gait disturbance, urinary incontinence, and memory impairment with normal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has been used to assess the corticospinal motor pathways in patients with iNPH with conflicting results.

Methods:

Our study included 11 patients with iNPH and 13 healthy controls. All the subjects underwent TMS and resting motor threshold (RMT), central motor conduction time (CMCT), short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI), intracortical facilitation, and silent period (SP) were recorded in the upper limb. Besides, RMT and CMCT in lower limb were also recorded. Cognitive assessments were done using mini-mental status examination, Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA), and Addenbrooke’s cognitive evaluation III (ACE III). Same parameters were recorded 24 h of CSF (lumbar puncture, LP) drainage.

Results:

Mean age of the iNPH patients was 69.00 ± 6.71 years with age at onset being 66.64 ± 7.10 years. Duration of disease was 1.80 ± 1.25 years. A significant difference was noted in CMCT for the lower limb (CMCT-LL), SICI, and ipsilateral SP between pre-LP NPH and controls. Also, there was a significant difference in MoCA and ACE III between pre-LP NPH and controls. A significant reduction was observed in lower limb RMT between pre- and post-LP NPH patients. Post LP, there was a reduction in the lower limb CMCT and improvement in SICI.

Conclusion:

A significant prolongation of CMCT-LL was observed in NPH patients. Lumbar CSF drainage in them resulted in a significant reduction in lower limb RMT thereby suggesting an increase in cortical excitability.
Early experience with universal preprocedural testing for SARS-CoV-2 in a relatively low-prevalence area
Authors: Lewis Sarah S. , Smith Becky A. , Akinboyo Ibukunoluwa C. , Seidelman Jessica , Wolfe Cameron , Kirk Allan B. , Martin Gavin , Denny Thomas , Lobaugh Bruce , Rehder Catherine , Cardona Diana , Lee Mark J. , Polage Christopher R. , Datto Michael B.
Published: August 2020

We implemented universal severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) testing of patients undergoing surgical procedures as a means to conserve personal protective equipment (PPE). The rate of asymptomatic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was <0.5%, which suggests that early local public health interventions were successful. Although our protocol was resource intensive, it prevented exposures to healthcare team members.
“The Latter-Day General Grant”: Forceful Federal Power and Civil Rights
Authors: King Desmond , Lieberman Robert C.
Published: August 2020

Progress toward racial equality requires the engagement of the American state, centered in the presidency and the executive branch, and in fact is not possible without the state's direct and forceful intervention. The key to this transformation is what we call “Forceful Federalism,” a multidimensional understanding of the American state. Forceful Federalism has four essential dimensions: standard-setting, coercion, associationalism, and fiscal authority. These four processes rise and fall over time, each charting its own history and unfolding according to its own logic. These processes usually work against each other. But occasionally they align with each other so that the state can pursue and achieve even difficult and challenging policy aims in a focused way. We sketch the outlines of Forceful Federalism and demonstrate its explanatory power with a case study of Forceful Federalism in action: James Meredith's integration of the University of Mississippi in 1962. The Meredith case exemplifies the convergence of the four dimensions of Forceful Federalism and marks the first time the modern American state was thus mobilized on behalf of civil rights. The case offers suggestive evidence that Forceful Federalism was a necessary condition for the emergence of the Civil Rights State.
Deterrence with Imperfect Attribution
Authors: BALIGA SANDEEP , BUENO DE MESQUITA ETHAN , WOLITZKY ALEXANDER
Published: August 2020

Motivated by recent developments in cyberwarfare, we study deterrence in a world where attacks cannot be perfectly attributed to attackers. In the model, each of$$ n $$attackers may attack the defender. The defender observes a noisy signal that probabilistically attributes the attack. The defender may retaliate against one or more attackers and wants to retaliate against the guilty attacker only. We note an endogenous strategic complementarity among the attackers: if one attacker becomes more aggressive, that attacker becomes more “suspect” and the other attackers become less suspect, which leads the other attackers to become more aggressive as well. Despite this complementarity, there is a unique equilibrium. We identify types of improvements in attribution that strengthen deterrence—namely, improving attack detection independently of any effect on the identifiability of the attacker, reducing false alarms, or replacing misidentification with non-detection. However, we show that other improvements in attribution can backfire, weakening deterrence—these include detecting more attacks where the attacker is difficult to identify or pursuing too much certainty in attribution. Deterrence is improved if the defender can commit to a retaliatory strategy in advance, but the defender should not always commit to retaliate more after every signal.
Institutionalized Police Brutality: Torture, the Militarization of Security, and the Reform of Inquisitorial Criminal Justice in Mexico
Authors: MAGALONI BEATRIZ , RODRIGUEZ LUIS
Published: August 2020

How can societies restrain their coercive institutions and transition to a more humane criminal justice system? We argue that two main factors explain why torture can persist as a generalized practice even in democratic societies: weak procedural protections and the militarization of policing, which introduces strategies, equipment, and mentality that treats criminal suspects as though they were enemies in wartime. Using a large survey of the Mexican prison population and leveraging the date and place of arrest, this paper provides causal evidence about how these two explanatory variables shape police brutality. Our paper offers a grim picture of the survival of authoritarian policing practices in democracies. It also provides novel evidence of the extent to which the abolition of inquisitorial criminal justice institutions—a remnant of colonial legacies and a common trend in the region—has worked to restrain police brutality.
Frass produced by the primary pestRhyzopertha dominicasupports the population growth of the secondary stored product pestsOryzaephilus surinamensis,Tribolium castaneum, andT. confusum
Authors: Shah J.A. , Vendl T. , Aulicky R. , Stejskal V.
Published: August 2020

Primary pests such asRhyzoperta dominicamay increase the contents of dockage, dust, and frass in grain mass. Although it has been suggested that frass can affect the population growth of stored product pests and ecological interactions among primary and secondary pests in stored grain, this has not been validated experimentally. Therefore, this work experimentally tested the hypothesis thatR. dominicawheat frass may support population increases in secondary pests such asTribolium confusum,T. castaneum,andOryzaephilus surinamensisfor the first time. The effect of frass on secondary pest performance was compared with the effects of various physical qualities of wheat grain (i.e., intact grain kernels, grain fragments, flour, grain + frass) and an artificially enriched control diet (milled wheat kernels, oat flakes, and yeast). The results showed that the clean intact grain kernels did not support the population growth of any tested species, and the nutrient-rich control diet provided the best support. Frass was a significantly better food medium forO. surinamensisandT. castaneumthan flour or cracked grain, whileT. confusumperformed equally well on flour and frass. Our results showed that in terms of food quality and suitability for the tested species, frass occupied an intermediate position between the optimized breeding diet and simple uniform cereal diets such as cracked grain or flour. The results suggest that (i) the wheat frass of primary pestR. dominicais a riskier food source for the development of the tested secondary pests than intact or cracked wheat grain or flour; (ii) frass has the potential to positively influence interspecific interactions betweenR. dominicaand the tested secondary pests; and (iii) wheat grain should be cleaned if increases inR. dominicapopulations and/or accumulated frass are detected.
Constructional and functional anatomy of Ediacaran rangeomorphs
Authors: Butterfield Nicholas J
Published: August 2020

Ediacaran rangeomorphs were the first substantially macroscopic organisms to appear in the fossil record, but their underlying biology remains problematic. Although demonstrably heterotrophic, their current interpretation as osmotrophic consumers of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is incompatible with the inertial (high Re) and advective (high Pe) fluid dynamics accompanying macroscopic length scales. The key to resolving rangeomorph feeding and physiology lies in their underlying construction. Taphonomic analysis of three-dimensionally preserved Charnia from the White Sea identifies the presence of large, originally water-filled compartments that served both as a hydrostatic exoskeleton and semi-isolated digestion chambers capable of processing recalcitrant substrates, most likely in conjunction with a resident microbiome. At the same time, the hydrodynamically exposed outer surface of macroscopic rangeomorphs would have dramatically enhanced both gas exchange and food delivery. A bag-like epithelium filled with transiently circulated seawater offers an exceptionally efficient means of constructing a simple, DOC-consuming, multicellular heterotroph. Such a body plan is broadly comparable to that of anthozoan cnidarians, minus such derived features as muscle, tentacles and a centralized mouth. Along with other early bag-like fossils, rangeomorphs can be reliably identified as total-group eumetazoans, potentially colonial stem-group cnidarians.
Unravelling the hidden biodiversity – the establishment of DNA barcodes of fish-parasitizing Acanthocephala Koehlreuther, 1771 in view of taxonomic misidentifications, intraspecific variability and possible cryptic species
Authors: Reier Susanne , Sattmann Helmut , Schwaha Thomas , Fuehrer Hans-Peter , Haring Elisabeth
Published: August 2020

Acanthocephalans are obligate parasites of vertebrates, mostly of fish. There is limited knowledge about the diversity of fish-parasitizing Acanthocephala in Austria. Seven determined species and an undetermined species are recorded for Austrian waters. Morphological identification of acanthocephalans remains challenging due to their sparse morphological characters and their high intraspecific variations. DNA barcoding is an effective tool for taxonomic assignment at the species level. In this study, we provide new DNA barcoding data for three genera of Acanthocephala (PomphorhynchusMonticelli, 1905,EchinorhynchusZoega in Müller, 1776 andAcanthocephalusKoelreuter, 1771) obtained from different fish species in Austria and provide an important contribution to acanthocephalan taxonomy and distribution in Austrian fish. Nevertheless, the taxonomic assignment of one species must remain open. We found indications for cryptic species withinEchinorhynchus cinctulusPorta, 1905. Our study underlines the difficulties in processing reliable DNA barcodes and highlights the importance of the establishment of such DNA barcodes to overcome these. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to collect and compare material across Europe allowing a comprehensive revision of the phylum in Europe.
Existence and two-scale convergence of the generalised Poisson–Nernst–Planck problem with non-linear interface conditions
Authors: KOVTUNENKO V. A. , ZUBKOVA A. V.
Published: August 2020

The paper is devoted to the existence and rigorous homogenisation of the generalised Poisson–Nernst–Planck problem describing the transport of charged species in a two-phase domain. By this, inhomogeneous conditions are supposed at the interface between the pore and solid phases. The solution of the doubly non-linear cross-diffusion model is discontinuous and allows a jump across the phase interface. To prove an averaged problem, the two-scale convergence method over periodic cells is applied and formulated simultaneously in the two phases and at the interface. In the limit, we obtain a non-linear system of equations with averaged matrices of the coefficients, which are based on cell problems due to diffusivity, permittivity and interface electric flux. The first-order corrector due to the inhomogeneous interface condition is derived as the solution to a non-local problem.
Evaluation of renal injury in children with uncorrected CHDs with significant shunt using urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin
Authors: Monday Promise , Idouriyekemwen Nosakhare J. , Sadoh Wilson E.
Published: August 2020

Background:

CHDs can be complicated by renal injury which worsens morbidity and mortality. Urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, a sensitive and specific biomarker of renal tubular injury, has not been studied in children with uncorrected CHDs. This study evaluated renal injury in children with uncorrected CHDs using this biomarker.

Methods:

The patients were children with uncorrected CHDs with significant shunt confirmed on echocardiogram with normal renal ultrasound scan, in the paediatric cardiology clinic of a tertiary hospital. The controls were age-matched healthy children recruited from general practice clinics. Information on bio-data and socio-demographics were collected and urine was obtained for measurement of urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin levels.

Results:

A total of 65 children with uncorrected CHDs aged 2 to 204 months were recruited. Thirty-one (47.7%) were males while 36 (55.4%) had acyanotic CHDs. The median urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin level of patients of 26.10 ng/ml was significantly higher than controls of 16.90 ng/ml (U = 1624.50, p = 0.023). The median urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin level of patients with cyanotic and acyanotic CHDs were 30.2 ng/ml and 22.60 ng/ml respectively; (Mann–Whitney U = 368.50, p = 0.116). The prevalence of renal injury using 95th percentile cut-off value of urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin was 16.9%. Median age of patients with renalinjury was 16 (4–44) months.

Conclusions:

Children with uncorrected CHDs have renal injury detected as early as infancy. The use of urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin in early detection of renal injury in these children may enhance early intervention and resultant prevention of morbidity and reduction in mortality.
Impact of water fortification with calcium on calcium intake in different countries: a simulation study
Authors: Cormick Gabriela , Gibbons Luz , Belizán Jose M
Published: August 2020

Objective:

To simulate the impact – effectiveness and safety – of water fortification with different concentrations of Ca using the Intake Modelling, Assessment and Planning Program.

Design:

This is a secondary analysis of national or sub-national dietary intake databases.

Setting and Participants:

Uganda, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR), Bangladesh, Zambia, Argentina, USA and Italy.

Results:

We found that for dietary databases assessed from low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), the strategy of fortifying water with 500 mg of Ca/l would decrease the prevalence of low Ca intake in all age groups. We also found that this strategy would be safe as no group would present a percentage of individuals exceeding the upper limit in >2 %, except women aged 19–31 years in Lao PDR, where 6·6 % of women in this group would exceed the upper limit of Ca intake. The same strategy would lead to some groups exceeding the upper limit in USA and Italy.

Conclusions:

We found that for most LMIC countries, water fortified with Ca could decrease the prevalence of Ca intake inadequacy without exceeding the upper levels of Ca intake.
Association between health literacy and dietary intake of sugar, fat and salt: a systematic review
Authors: Buja Alessandra , Grotto Giulia , Montecchio Laura , De Battisti Elisa , Sperotto Milena , Bertoncello Chiara , Cocchio Silvia , Baldovin Tatjana , Baldo Vincenzo
Published: August 2020

Objectives:

To collect and summarise all current data from observational studies, generating evidence of the association between health literacy (HL) and the dietary intake of sugar, salt and fat, to analyse intervention studies on the promotion of an appropriate dietary intake of the above-mentioned nutrients and to ascertain whether HL moderates the efficacy of such intervention.

Design:

A systematic literature search of analytical observational studies on the association between HL and dietary intake of sugar, salt and fat was performed in Medline and Scopus databases. Intervention studies on the promotion of healthy nutrition that concerned the intake of sugar, salt and fat were also assessed.

Results:

Of the eight observational studies included in this review, five investigated dietary intake of sugar, one focused on salt, one assessed sugar and salt and one analysed the fat intake. The results of the five studies assessing sugar were mixed: three found an association between low levels of HL and a high sugar intake, one found this association only for boys and two found no evidence of any association. The two studies assessing salt and the one assessing fat found no evidence of any association with HL. One intervention study on the sugar intake concluded that HL was not a significant moderator of the intervention’s effectiveness.

Conclusion:

No evidence of any association between HL and salt and fat intake emerged, while for sugar, the results are mixed. More work is needed to better understand the moderating effects of HL on the outcomes of health promotion interventions.
Dissection of quantitative trait loci for root characters and day length sensitivity in SynOpDH wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) bi-parental mapping population
Authors: Bektas Harun , Hohn Christopher Earl , Waines John Giles
Published: August 2020

The genetics of the root system is still not dissected for wheat and lack of knowledge prohibits the use of marker-assisted selection in breeding. To understand the genetic mechanism of root development, Synthetic W7984 × Opata M85 doubled-haploid (SynOpDH) mapping population was evaluated for root and shoot characteristics in PVC tubes until maturity. Two major quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for total root biomass were detected on homoeologous chromosomes 2A and 2D with logarithm of the odds scores between 6.25–10.9 and 11.8–20.86, and total phenotypic effects between 12.7–17.7 and 26.6–40.04% in 2013 and 2014, respectively. There was a strong correlation between days to anthesis and root and shoot biomass accumulation (0.50–0.81). The QTL for biomass traits on chromosome 2D co-locates with QTL for days to anthesis. The effect of extended vegetative growth, caused by photoperiod sensitivity (Ppd) genes, on biomass accumulation was always hypothesized, this is the first study to genetically support this theory.
A microstrip switched-band impedance transformer for frequency-dependent complex load
Authors: Chuang Ming-Lin , Wu Ming-Tien , Tsai Shu-Min
Published: August 2020

This study presents a simple switched-band impedance transformer using microstrip lines. The proposed circuit is suitable for loads with frequency-dependent complex impedances at two arbitrary operating frequencies. The transformer comprises two cascaded microstrip lines and two detachable shunt stepped-impedance stubs, which are separately connected to the main line via switching diodes such that provide good matching at one of the two operating frequencies and suppress unwanted signal at the other frequencies. The structure contains several user-set parameters such that designers can create a smaller circuit. The circuit parameters, except the user-set ones, are obtained using the derived design formula. The numerical simulations and experimental results agree well such that validate the proposed structure and the design formula.
Evaporation and Salt Accumulation Effects on Riparian Freshwater Lenses
Authors: America Ilja , Zhang Chenming , Werner Adrian D. , van der Zee Sjoerd E. A. T. M.
Published: August 2020

While previous studies conclude that riparian freshwater lenses are the result of buoyancy forces that drive river water circulation in the adjacent aquifer, only highly idealized conceptual models have been assessed. A numerical study is conducted to investigate the influence of evaporation from unsaturated bare soils, including accumulation and precipitation of salt, on riparian freshwater lenses, assuming otherwise similar conditions to those adopted in recent studies. Non‐evaporating simulations that account for the unsaturated zone are first compared to previous saturation‐only numerical and analytical results, and reasonable matches are obtained. The modeling analysis of evaporative simulations includes three different approaches to the treatment of solute in evaporated water: (a) no evaporative salt accumulation, (b) evaporative salt accumulation, and (c) as for (b) except resistance to evaporation caused by salt accumulation is considered. Significant evaporative fluxes caused gaining river conditions to change to losing conditions, leading to the cessation of buoyancy‐driven freshwater circulation and to freshwater bodies that are not lenticular. Rather, evaporation reduces regions where the water table and/or unsaturated zone are fresh relative to the freshwater lens volume. Evaporation rates depend on the hydraulic connection between the floodplain surface and water table, which is limited where the water table is deep, the soil hydraulic conductivity is low, and under higher potential evaporation rates. The results show that floodplain evaporation may control the freshwater‐saltwater distribution and lead to hypersaline groundwater under certain conditions, although earlier buoyancy‐driven conceptual models of riparian lenses appear to remain valid where the thickness of the unsaturated zone is sufficiently large.