bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Formation and development of the biopreparations market
Authors: Nazranov K M , Didanova E N , Khalishkhova L Z
Published: March 2021

Within the framework of the study, the importance of organic agriculture is characterized, problems of its functioning are identified, trends in the development of the market for organic products are analyzed, and the features of the transition of agricultural producers to organic methods of management are investigated. Biological and organic biological products and fertilizers are considered as the most effective, economically profitable and environmentally friendly way of producing organic products in agriculture. The data on the development of the market for organic products and biological products in Russia and foreign countries are presented. The reasons are identified that prevent the accelerated growth of this market segment, consisting in the absence of clear requirements and a developed legal framework. At the same time, it is emphasized that the production of organic products can become one of the main sources of income for many Russian regions, subject to the formation of an appropriate legislative framework, investments, including from the state.
Research and modeling of the wear process of parts of the soil tillage working implements
Authors: Dzhabborov N I , Dobrinov A V , Jabborov P N
Published: March 2021

Increasing the wear resistance of parts of tillage working implements and increasing their resource is an urgent problem. A decrease in the resource of tillage working implements occurs due to uneven wear of their parts and soil features. Accelerated wear of working surfaces reduces the quality of soil cultivation, increases the traction resistance of tillage machinery and thereby allows to an increase in the energy intensity of soil cultivation technology.The article presents the mathematical models developed by the authors that describe the process of interaction of the soil with the surface of parts of soil-cultivating working implements during their surfacing with hard alloys. The developed mathematical models make it possible to predict the values of traction resistance, the magnitude and rate of wear of the tillage working implements. The results of experimental studies confirm the adequacy of the developed mathematical models and indicate that the deposition of hard-facing from hard alloys of certain sizes and configurations on the working surfaces of the parts of soil-cultivating working implements ensures their wear resistance when working in an abrasive soil environment. The results of experimental studies of a plowing unit consisting of tractor MTZ-920 tractor and plow PLN-3-35 for sod-medium podzol, medium loamy (light loamy) soils on moraine loam showed that the wear resistance of the deposited share is 2.54 times higher than the wear resistance of the standard ( serial) plowshares without surfacing.
Scientific and educational institutions as a basic element of the innovative environment in the agricultural sector
Authors: Marinchenko T E
Published: March 2021

The article formulates a model of the innovative development of Russia and analyzes the strategic and program documents that determine the state policy in the field of supporting innovative activities. The state and areas of development of the science and education system as the main component of the innovative environment in the agricultural sector are discussed. The country has accumulated significant scientific and technological reserves for accelerated technological development. The main problems that hinder their widespread implementation are identified. It has been proposed to create innovative departments based on educational institutions that participate in the educational and production process. The subject of the study was organizations that were able to conduct research and development in the field of agriculture. The purpose of the study was to assess and systematize the scientific potential of these organizations in the framework of achieving the goals set by the state. Abstract-logical and economic-statistical methods were used in the study.
Formation of general professional competencies among students of agricultural universities through mathematical disciplines
Authors: Kiyko P.V. , Smirnova O.B. , Shchukina N.V.
Published: March 2021

The article describes the aspects of forming general professional competences (GPC-1) through the study of mathematical disciplines; reveals the features of the methodology for the application of problems (profile content problems, case tasks, problem-situations), which are the main means of assessing the formation of the corresponding indicators of competence achievement: AI-1, AI-2, AI-3, etc. The work analyzes textbooks on mathematical disciplines for the presence of problems for objective assessment of professional competence formation level (GPC-1), the problem of the development of the criteria content and assessment tools for formation of professional competences is identified. The authors give examples of problems in the discipline of Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics, designed to form skills for identifying and defining the problem, choosing research methods, analyzing, interpreting the result and transferring fundamental knowledge to the professional activity language.
Use of intelligent technologies in agroeconomic data analysis
Authors: Parfenova V E , Amagaeva Yu G , Isayenko A N , Kolesnikova O V , Olenicheva S A
Published: March 2021

The article is devoted to the use of intelligent technologies, in particular fuzzy modeling technology, to solve the multicriteria problem of decision-making on the example of choosing the best development strategy for an agrarian enterprise. It showed the limited use of classical methods to solve this problem in terms of increased uncertainty of the enterprise’s operational environment. An alternative approach to solving the problem of multicriterial choice was proposed on the basis of the fuzzy tools usage. The fuzzy statement and solution of the investigated problem was given. Calculations on multicriterial choice of the best strategy based on data of a particular enterprise of agro-industrial complex have been made.
Features of potato tuber formation depending on the feeding area and the application of fungicides in the conditions of the Middle Urals
Authors: Yu Karpukhin M , Keita F
Published: March 2021

Potato is the most important agricultural crop in the world and in Russia. Currently, in production are used varieties of domestic and foreign selection. Along with the yield, the products obtained are of great importance, according to which the intended purpose of a particular variety is determined. The study of the quality indicators of potato tubers is an integral part of the development of varietal cultivation technology. The purpose of the research is to study the qualitative indicators of potato tubers of the Gala variety at different plant densities and the use of fungicides in the Middle Urals. The research was carried out in 2018-2019 on the experimental field of the educational and experimental farm of the Ural State Agrarian University. The object of research is a medium-early high-yielding potato variety Gala. When conducting biochemical and agrochemical studies, gravimetric, extraction, ebuliostatic, ionometric and photometric methods were used. The electrical conductivity of tubers was determined with a conduct meter in mSm, the concentration of cell juice with a refract meter in %, nitrates in tubers – with a nitrate tester in mg/kg, the acidity (pH) of tubers – with a pH meter. The research results showed that the concentration of potato tubers cell juice decreases from 7.0 to 2.65% with an increase in the feeding area from 1400 to 2800 cm2. The use of fungicides shirlan and infinito reduces the electrical conductivity. The specific weight of potato tubers increases with an increase in the feeding area from 0.92 to 1.16 grams. The nitrate content decreased with an increase in the feeding area and the use of fungicides from 340 to 326 mg/kg. During the growing period, the content of carbon dioxide (CO2) of the potato plant in the control variant was 775, and with the use of shirlan it was 1043, which is an increase of 1.5 times. The scientific novelty lies in the fact that for the first time in the conditions of the Middle Urals, an assessment of tubers was carried out according to physiological, agrophysical and agrochemical indicators with new devices during the periods of storage of tubers (April) and vegetation of potato plants, depending on the feeding area and the use of fungicides.
The problem of improving the competitiveness of enterprises in the system of socio-economic relations
Authors: Kot E , Kruzhkova T , Rushitskaya O , Ruchkin A , Kukhar V
Published: March 2021

The authors analyze the main factors influencing the development of the competitiveness of enterprises at the regional level. Taking into account the peculiarities of regional policy, geographical factors, logistics systems and other conditions, this system of factors will change, influencing the support measures necessary for the development of agriculture at the regional level. The authors systematized the factors and obstacles that have a positive and negative impact on agricultural enterprises. The analysis of internal factors influencing the competitiveness and development of the enterprise in the regional and state market is also given. The proposed systematization is universal, and the set of factors correlates with regional features. The authors note that the presented set of factors can be transformed with the development of technologies and force majeure circumstances that do not depend on the actions of enterprises and public authority.
Using social media to boost sales of organic food
Authors: Yekimov Sergey , Kucherenko Dmitriy , Bavykin Oleg , Philippov Victor
Published: March 2021

Modern high-performance agricultural technologies have a negative impact on the biochemical state of soils and on the environment as a whole. Excessive and uncontrolled use of pesticides and mineral fertilizers causes contamination of groundwater and soil. Consumers have a need to purchase environmentally friendly food products that have been produced using environmentally friendly technologies. The use of social networks in the promotion of goods and services of agricultural enterprises allows, in our opinion, to increase the competitiveness of an agricultural enterprise producing environmentally friendly food products and attract an additional number of potential consumers. For effective promotion of goods and services through the use of social networks, it is necessary to create high-quality virtual content with the use of qualified specialists. It is the high-quality content of the virtual space of the social network that will provide potential consumers with information about the services and goods offered by the enterprise and their advantage in relation to the services and goods of other manufacturers.
Simulating twistronics in acoustic metamaterials
Authors: Gardezi S Minhal , Pirie Harris , Carr Stephen , Dorrell William , Hoffman Jennifer E
Published: March 2021

Twisted van der Waals heterostructures have recently emerged as a tunable platform for studying correlated electrons. However, these materials require laborious and expensive effort for both theoretical and experimental exploration. Here we numerically simulate twistronic behavior in acoustic metamaterials composed of interconnected air cavities in two stacked steel plates. Our classical analog of twisted bilayer graphene perfectly replicates the band structures of its quantum counterpart, including mode localization at a magic angle of 1.12∘. By tuning the thickness of the interlayer membrane, we reach a regime of strong interlayer tunneling where the acoustic magic angle appears as high as 6.01∘, equivalent to applying 130 GPa to twisted bilayer graphene. In this regime, the localized modes are over five times closer together than at 1.12∘, increasing the strength of any emergent non-linear acoustic couplings.
Reasons for the stable existence of γ’ phase and strengthening mechanism of GH4720Li nickel-based superalloy
Authors: Zishuai Chen , Ruifeng Dong , Jingnan Li , Xiangtao Deng , Wei Zhang , Xiulan Ren
Published: March 2021

The characteristics of γ′ phase in forgings and heat treatment of GH4720Li superalloy were investigated under a transmission electron microscope by thermal deformation tests under gradient heating process. The experimental results show that there are Cr–Co rich region around the γ′ phase after forging and heat treatment, which guarantees the stable existence of the γ′ phase in the matrix and provides the first barrier to prevent dislocations from cutting the γ′ phase. Therefore, the stable existence of primary γ′ at relatively high temperature plays a key role in the retention of fine grains; The Cr–Co rich region around the secondary γ′ phase and the tertiary γ′ phase can effectively prevent the occurrence of Ostwald ripening, and maintain the uniform and diffuse two kinds of small size phases, so the precipitation strengthening effect is greatly affected.
TOPAS a tool to evaluate the impact of cell geometry and radionuclide on alpha particle therapy
Authors: Guerra Liberal Francisco D C , McMahon Stephen J , Prise Kevin M
Published: March 2021

Due to the increasing clinical application of alpha particles, accurate assessment of their dosimetry at the cellular scale should be strongly advocated. Although observations of the impact of cell and nuclear geometry have been previously reported, this effect has not been fully quantified. Additionally, alpha particle dosimetry presents several challenges and most conventional methodologies have poor resolution and are limited to average parameters across populations of cells. Meaningful dosimetry studies with alpha particles require detailed information on the geometry of the target at a subcellular scale. Methods. The impact of cellular geometry was evaluated for 3 different scenarios, a spherical cell with a concentric nucleus, a spherical cell with an eccentric nucleus and a model of a cell attached to a flask, consisting of a hemispherical oblate ellipsoid, all exposed to 1,700 211At radionuclide decays. We also evaluated the cross-irradiation of alpha particles as function of distance to a source cell. Finally, a nanodosimetric analysis of absorbed dose to the nucleus of a cell exposed to 1 Gy of different alpha emitting radionuclides was performed. Results. Simulated data shows the dosimetry of self-absorbed-dose strongly depends on activity localization in the source cell, but that activity localization within the source cell did not significantly affect the cross absorbed dose even when cells are in direct contact with each other. Additionally, nanodosimetric analysis failed to show any significant differences in the energy deposition profile between different alpha particle emitters. Conclusions. The collected data allows a better understanding of the dosimetry of alpha particles emitters at the sub-cellular scale. Dosimetric variations between different cellular configurations can generate complications and confounding factors for the translation of dosimetric outcomes into clinical settings, but effects of different radionuclides are generally similar.
High field conduction in mineral oil based ZnO nanofluids prior to negative streamer inception
Authors: Becerra Marley , Aljure Mauricio , Masoud Pourrahimi Amir , Roman Francisco
Published: March 2021

The electric conduction under intense electric fields (up to ∼ 109 V/m) in nanofluids using surface-modified ZnO–C18 nanoparticles dispersed in mineral oil as host, is investigated with both experiments and numerical simulations. The measurements are used to estimate unknown parameters necessary to represent the generation and loss of electrons in an electrohydrodynamic model for mineral oil with and without ZnO–C18 nanoparticles in a needle-plane configuration. The model suggests that ZnO–C18 nanoparticles induce an enhanced field emission from negative needles, explaining the significantly larger conduction currents measured in the nanofluid compared with those in the host liquid. It is also found that the scavenging of electrons by ZnO–C18 nanoparticles is a process which is negligible compared with the loss of electrons due to attachment in mineral oil. It is shown that ZnO–C18 nanoparticles hinder the streamer initiation process by reducing the effective electric field at the tip of the needle. This electric field reduction is caused by the combined effect of enhanced electron injection through ZnO–C18 nanoparticles and strong electron attachment in mineral oil. Thus, the electric field on the needle tip reaches the same threshold value when the streamer is incepted in the nanofluid as in mineral oil, although at a larger voltage. Solid evidence indicating that the additional electron scavenging and the reduced electron mobility introduced by nanoparticles has no effect in the conduction currents and in the negative streamer inception in the tested ZnO–C18 nanofluids is shown.
Fundamental Definitions
Authors: Keene Alex Ruck
Published: March 2021

The convention that was the inspiration for and forms the heart of Part II of this book, the Convention on the International Protection of Adults (‘Hague 35’), applies to ‘the protection in international situations of adults who, by reason of an impairment or insufficiency of their personal faculties, are not in a position to protect their interests.
The Civil Law and the Common Law
Authors: Lush Denzil
Published: March 2021

This chapter has two aims. The first is to provide a brief historical introduction to mental capacity law and adult guardianship law. The second is to compare and contrast how these laws operate in states within the common law tradition, which originated in England, with their operation in civil law countries, where the laws were derived from Roman law.
Hague 35
Authors: Keene Alex Ruck
Published: March 2021

Part II of this book addresses Hague 35, the first modern attempt by states to create a coherent mechanism to enable the cross-border protection of vulnerable adults. The Part is divided into the following four chapters: This chapter places Hague 35 in its context, because that context is essential to understanding both the structure and the detail of the framework that the Convention seeks to erect.
Belgium
Authors: van Overdijk Claire , Pintens Walter
Published: March 2021

Belgium is a federal state and has a civil law system. The law concerning vulnerable adults is a federal matter governed by the Belgian Civil Code (‘CC’). The competent court for adult protection matters is the justice of the peace court of the district where the adult has his or her residence, or alternatively his or her domicile, or for the person’s assets, the justice of the peace court of the district where the assets are located.
People’s Republic of China
Authors: Frimston Richard , Hao Wang , Tian Mang
Published: March 2021

China is a country with only one constitution. Only the National People’s Congress and its Standing Committee has legislative powers. The State Council has legislative powers only when delegated by the National People’s Congress. China’s provinces have no legislative powers, nor do they have separate constitutions.
Japan
Authors: Ward Adrian , Suga Fumie , Hashimoto Satoshi
Published: March 2021

Japan is a civil law country. All adult incapacity matters are dealt with by the Family Courts, in over 330 places (including branches and local offices) across Japan. There is no role for administrative bodies. Adult incapacity matters are governed by the civil code and the procedural law of family matters. There are no official translations, but see section C for links to helpful material. Japan does not have a separate Private International Law code, except for the Act on General Rules for Application of Laws.
Companies ACT 2006, Section 994 Petitions: Procedure
Authors: Joffe QC Victor , Drake David , Richardson Giles , Lightman QC Daniel , Collingwood Timothy
Published: March 2021

If a member who presents a 994 petition fails to act reasonably and proportionately prior to the commencement of the proceedings, his conduct is a matter which the court may take into account when considering the question of costs.
Definition of Development 1: Operational Development
Authors: Bowes Ashley
Published: March 2021

Section 57(1) of the 1990 Act provides that, subject to the following provisions of that section, ‘planning permission is required for the carrying out of any development of land’. This planning permission may be granted following the determination of an express application for permission made to the local planning authority for the area in which the land is situated. In other cases, however, it is not necessary for an express application to be made. This is because planning permission for the development in question may have been granted by a development order, which may be a special, local, neighbourhood, or general order (such development is generally known as ‘permitted’ development), or by some other specific statutory provision (as in the case of enterprise zones or simplified planning zones), or be deemed to have been granted under other provisions of the Act (as in the case of the display of certain advertisements), or authorized by some private Act of Parliament.
Strategic Environmental Assessment
Authors: Bowes Ashley
Published: March 2021

In addition to Council Directive 85/337/EC The Assessment of the Effect of Certain Public and Private Projects on the Environment, now implemented in the United Kingdom as far as possible within normal town and country planning procedures (see Chapter 12), a later Council Directive 2001/42 EC, on the Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes Directive, has now been similarly implemented through normal town and country planning procedures.
Development by the Crown, Statutory Undertakers, and Local Authorities; Public Works Orders
Authors: Bowes Ashley
Published: March 2021

For many years planning legislation did not bind the Crown. This resulted from the application of a fundamental principle of the constitution that the Crown was not bound by statute unless expressly stated to be so, or bound by necessary implication.
Town and Village Greens
Authors: Bowes Ashley
Published: March 2021

Land which has been registered as a village green under the Commons Registration Act 1965 or Commons Act 2006, is protected from any development or use, which would interfere with the recreational use of the land by the local inhabitants. Section 12 of the Inclosure Act 1857 provides that it is a public nuisance to do a number of things to a green, including ‘interrupting the use or enjoyment of a green as a place of exercise or recreation’. Further, s 29 of the Commons Act 1876 provides that any ‘encroachment or inclosure’ of a village green is a public nuisance as well as a civil tort. As such, to have land registered as a village green represents a tremendous blight on the commercial value of the land.
Bioconductor toolchain for reproducible bioinformatics pipelines using Rcwl and RcwlPipelines
Authors: Hu Qiang , Hutson Alan , Liu Song , Morgan Martin , Liu Qian
Published: March 2021

The Common Workflow Language (CWL) is used to provide portable and reproducible data analysis workflows across different tools and computing environments. We have developed Rcwl, an R interface to CWL, to provide easier development, use and maintenance of CWL pipelines from within R. We have also collected more than 100 pre-built tools and pipelines in RcwlPipelines, ready to be queried and used by researchers in their own analysis. A single-cell RNA sequencing preprocessing pipeline demonstrates use of the software.

Availability and implementation

Project website: https://rcwl.org (Rcwl: https://bioconductor.org/packages/Rcwl; RcwlPipelines: https://bioconductor.org/packages/RcwlPipelines).

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Generalized Read-Across prediction using genra-py
Authors: Shah Imran , Tate Tia , Patlewicz Grace
Published: March 2021

Motivation

Generalized Read-Across (GenRA) is a data-driven approach to estimate physico-chemical, biological or eco-toxicological properties of chemicals by inference from analogues. GenRA attempts to mimic a human expert’s manual read-across reasoning for filling data gaps about new chemicals from known chemicals with an interpretable and automated approach based on nearest-neighbors. A key objective of GenRA is to systematically explore different choices of input data selection and neighborhood definition to objectively evaluate predictive performance of automated read-across estimates of chemical properties.

Results

We have implemented genra-py as a python package that can be freely used for chemical safety analysis and risk assessment applications. Automated read-across prediction in genra-py conforms to the scikit-learn machine learning library's estimator design pattern, making it easy to use and integrate in computational pipelines. We demonstrate the data-driven application of genra-py to address two key human health risk assessment problems namely: hazard identification and point of departure estimation.

Availability and implementation

The package is available from github.com/i-shah/genra-py.
Hope and the Life Sentence
Authors: Seeds Christopher
Published: March 2021

Corrections officials, prison staff and many people incarcerated have long believed that hope derived from a realistic possibility of release is essential to maintain order and safety in the prison. Criminological research consistently finds, however, that people without foreseeable or realistic prospects for release nevertheless do hope. Yet while findings of hope in criminological literature are robust, they remain undeveloped. This article draws from hope studies in other disciplines to advance a model of types of hope, which is then used to analyse evidence of hope in prior criminological literature on life sentences and long prison terms. The article distinguishes hopes derived from legal opportunities and escapist fantasies from deeper hopes grounded in despair, highlighting hope as a site for further research.
How Mother–Child Interactions are Associated with a Child’s Compliance
Authors: Zhao Hui , Cheng Tong , Zhai Yu , Long Yuhang , Wang Zhengyan , Lu Chunming
Published: March 2021

While social interaction between a mother and her child has been found to play an important role in the child’s committed compliance, the underlying neurocognitive process remains unclear. To investigate this process, we simultaneously recorded and assessed brain activity in 7-year-old children and in children’s mothers or strangers during a free-play task using functional near-infrared spectroscopy-based hyperscanning. The results showed that a child’s committed compliance was positively associated with the child’s responsiveness but was negatively associated with mutual responsiveness and was not associated with the mother’s responsiveness during mother–child interactions. Moreover, interpersonal neural synchronization (INS) at the temporoparietal junction mediated the relationship between the child’s responsiveness and the child’s committed compliance during mother–child interactions when the child’s brain activity lagged behind that of the mother. However, these effects were not found during stranger–child interactions, nor were there significant effects in the mother–child pair when no real interactions occurred. Finally, we found a transfer effect of a child’s committed compliance from mother–child interactions to stranger–child interactions via the mediation of mother–child INS, but the opposite did not occur. Together, these findings suggest that a child’s responsiveness during mother–child interactions can significantly facilitate her or his committed compliance by increasing mother–child INS.
Post-Ebola Syndrome Presents With Multiple Overlapping Symptom Clusters: Evidence From an Ongoing Cohort Study in Eastern Sierra Leone
Authors: Bond Nell G , Grant Donald S , Himmelfarb Sarah T , Engel Emily J , Al-Hasan Foday , Gbakie Michael , Kamara Fatima , Kanneh Lansana , Mustapha Ibrahim , Okoli Adaora , Fischer William , Wohl David , Garry Robert F , Samuels Robert , Shaffer Jeffrey G , Schieffelin John S
Published: March 2021

Background

Following the 2013–2016 West African Ebola outbreak, distinct, persistent health complaints were recognized in Ebola virus disease (EVD) survivors. Here we provide an in-depth characterization of post-Ebola syndrome >2.5 years after resolution of disease. Additionally, we report subphenotypes of post-Ebola syndrome with overlapping symptom clusters in survivors from Eastern Sierra Leone.

Methods

Participants in Eastern Sierra Leone were identiﬁed by the Sierra Leone Association of Ebola survivors. Survivors and their contacts were administered a questionnaire assessing self-reported symptoms and a physical examination. Comparisons between survivors and contacts were conducted using conditional logistic regression. Symptom groupings were identified using hierarchical clustering approaches. Simplified presentation of incredibly complex evaluations (SPICE), correlation analysis, logistic regression, and principal component analysis (PCA) were performed to explore the relationships between symptom clusters.

Results

Three hundred seventy-five EVD survivors and 1040 contacts were enrolled into the study. At enrollment, EVD survivors reported signiﬁcantly more symptoms than their contacts in all categories (P < .001). Symptom clusters representing distinct organ systems were identified. Correlation and logistic regression analysis identified relationships between symptom clusters, including stronger relationships between clusters including musculoskeletal symptoms (r = 0.63, P < .001; and P < .001 for correlation and logistic regression, respectively). SPICE and PCA further highlighted subphenotypes with or without musculoskeletal symptoms.

Conclusions

This study presents an in-depth characterization of post-Ebola syndrome in Sierra Leonean survivors >2.5 years after disease. The interrelationship between symptom clusters indicates that post-Ebola syndrome is a heterogeneous disease. The distinct musculoskeletal and non-musculoskeletal phenotypes identified likely require targeted therapies to optimize long-term treatment for EVD survivors.
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Infection Challenge Experiments in Nonhuman Primates: An Ethical Perspective
Authors: DeGrazia David , Miller Franklin G
Published: March 2021

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has stimulated massive investment in biomedical research with the aims of understanding the disease and developing effective vaccine and therapeutic interventions. What role should animal research play in this scientific endeavor? Both the urgency to evaluate candidate interventions for human use and growing societal concern about ethical treatment of (nonhuman) animals put into question the justifiability of animal research as a precursor to clinical trials. Yet forgoing animal research in the rush to undertake human testing might expose human research participants to unacceptable risks. In this article, we apply a recently developed framework of principles for animal research ethics in exploring ethical questions raised by a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection challenge experiment involving rhesus macaques, which evaluated the protective efficacy of the mRNA-1273 vaccine that was recently approved for emergency use. Our aim is to illuminate the ethical issues while introducing, and illustrating the use of, the framework.
Acute kidney injury in COVID-19: multicentre prospective analysis of registry data
Authors: Wan Yize I , Bien Zuzanna , Apea Vanessa J , Orkin Chloe M , Dhairyawan Rageshri , Kirwan Christopher J , Pearse Rupert M , Puthucheary Zudin A , Prowle John R
Published: March 2021

Background

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common and important complication of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Further characterization is required to reduce both short- and long-term adverse outcomes.

Methods

We examined registry data including adults with confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection admitted to five London Hospitals from 1 January to 14 May 2020. Prior end-stage kidney disease was excluded. Early AKI was defined by Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes creatinine criteria within 7 days of admission. Independent associations of AKI and survival were examined in multivariable analysis. Results are given as odds ratios (ORs) or hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals.

Results

Among 1855 admissions, 455 patients (24.5%) developed early AKI: 200 (44.0%) Stage 1, 90 (19.8%) Stage 2 and 165 (36.3%) Stage 3 (74 receiving renal replacement therapy). The strongest risk factor for AKI was high C-reactive protein [OR 3.35 (2.53–4.47), P < 0.001]. Death within 30 days occurred in 242 (53.2%) with AKI compared with 255 (18.2%) without. In multivariable analysis, increasing severity of AKI was incrementally associated with higher mortality: Stage 3 [HR 3.93 (3.04–5.08), P < 0.001]. In 333 patients with AKI surviving to Day 7, 134 (40.2%) recovered, 47 (14.1%) recovered then relapsed and 152 (45.6%) had persistent AKI at Day 7; an additional 105 (8.2%) patients developed AKI after Day 7. Persistent AKI was strongly associated with adjusted mortality at 90 days [OR 7.57 (4.50–12.89), P < 0.001].

Conclusions

AKI affected one in four hospital in-patients with COVID-19 and significantly increased mortality. Timing and recovery of COVID-19 AKI is a key determinant of outcome.
Advanced Data Mining Tools and Methods for Social Computing
Authors: Mohammed Sabah , Fang Wai Chi , Hassanien Aboul Ella , Kim Tai-hoon
Published: March 2021

Social computing is a disruptive technology that is changing how we do business and building the enterprises. Mining consumer insights and consumer segmentation are the new drivers that are likely to be the cornerstone of developing new service innovations and social interactions. This special issue was designed to stimulate research on the data mining tools and methods for social computing. In this editorial, we are outlining the broad research framework on social computing, including the papers in this special issue and areas for future research.
The Changing Prognosis of Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn Disease by Decades
Authors: Korelitz Burton I , Schneider Judy
Published: March 2021

We present a bird’s eye view of the prognosis for both ulcerative colitis and Crohn disease as contained in the database of an Inflammatory Bowel Disease gastroenterologist covering the period from 1950 until the present utilizing the variables of medical therapy, surgical intervention, complications, and deaths by decades.
Randomized comparison of the clinical Outcome of single versus Multiple Arterial grafts: Quality of Life (ROMA:QOL) – Rationale and Study Protocol
Authors: Masterson Creber Ruth , Safford Monika , Ballman Karla , Myers Annie , Fremes Stephen , Gaudino Mario
Published: March 2021

Aims

The objective of the Randomized comparison of the Outcome of single vs. Multiple Arterial grafts: Quality of Life (ROMA:QOL) trial is to evaluate the impact of coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) on quality of life (QOL). The primary hypothesis of ROMA:QOL is that participants in the multiple arterial graft (MAG) will report time-varying changes in QOL that will be lower in the post-operative recovery period and higher after 12 months compared to patients in the single arterial graft (SAG). The secondary hypotheses are that both groups will have improvements in symptoms at 12 months, and that compared to the SAG group, participants in the MAG group will experience better physical functioning and physical and mental health symptoms.

Methods and Results

An estimated 2111 participants will be enrolled from the parent ROMA trial from 13 countries. Outcome assessments include the Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) (primary outcome), Short Form-12v2, EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D)-5L, PROMIS-29, and PROMIS Neuropathic Pain measured at baseline, first post-operative visit, 6, 12, 24, 36, 48, and 60 months. The analysis for the primary outcome, the change in the SAQ from baseline to 12 months, will be compared across all time-points between the two treatment arms.

Conclusion

The ROMA:QOL trial will answer whether there are differences in QOL, physical and mental health symptoms overall for CABG, by MAG and SAG intervention arms, by sex, and between patients with and without diabetes.
Pulsed field ablation selectively spares the oesophagus during pulmonary vein isolation for atrial fibrillation
Authors: Cochet Hubert , Nakatani Yosuke , Sridi-Cheniti Soumaya , Cheniti Ghassen , Ramirez F Daniel , Nakashima Takashi , Eggert Charles , Schneider Christopher , Viswanathan Raju , Derval Nicolas , Duchateau Josselin , Pambrun Thomas , Chauvel Remi , Reddy Vivek Y , Montaudon Michel , Laurent François , Sacher Frederic , Hocini Mélèze , Haïssaguerre Michel , Jais Pierre
Published: March 2021

Aims

Extra-atrial injury can cause complications after catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF). Pulsed field ablation (PFA) has generated preclinical data suggesting that it selectively targets the myocardium. We sought to characterize extra-atrial injuries after pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) between PFA and thermal ablation methods.

Methods and results

Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging was performed before, acutely (<3 h) and 3 months post-ablation in 41 paroxysmal AF patients undergoing PVI with PFA (N = 18, Farapulse) or thermal methods (N = 23, 16 radiofrequency, 7 cryoballoon). Oesophageal and aortic injuries were assessed by using late gadolinium-enhanced (LGE) imaging. Phrenic nerve injuries were assessed from diaphragmatic motion on intra-procedural fluoroscopy. Baseline CMR showed no abnormality on the oesophagus or aorta. During ablation procedures, no patient showed phrenic palsy. Acutely, thermal methods induced high rates of oesophageal lesions (43%), all observed in patients showing direct contact between the oesophagus and the ablation sites. In contrast, oesophageal lesions were observed in no patient ablated with PFA (0%, P < 0.001 vs. thermal methods), despite similar rates of direct contact between the oesophagus and the ablation sites (P = 0.41). Acute lesions were detected on CMR on the descending aorta in 10/23 (43%) after thermal ablation, and in 6/18 (33%) after PFA (P = 0.52). CMR at 3 months showed a complete resolution of oesophageal and aortic LGE in all patients. No patient showed clinical complications.

Conclusion

PFA does not induce any signs of oesophageal injury on CMR after PVI. Due to its tissue selectivity, PFA may improve safety for catheter ablation of AF.
First-line treatment of persistent and long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation with single-stage hybrid ablation: a 2-year follow-up study
Authors: Magni Federico T , Al-Jazairi Meelad I H , Mulder Bart A , Klinkenberg Theo , Van Gelder Isabelle C , Rienstra Michiel , Mariani Massimo A , Blaauw Yuri
Published: March 2021

Aims

This study evaluates the efficacy and safety of first-line single-stage hybrid ablation of (long-standing) persistent atrial fibrillation (AF), over a follow-up period of 2 years, and provides additional information on arrhythmia recurrences and electrophysiological findings at repeat ablation.

Methods and results

This is a prospective cohort study that included 49 patients (65% persistent AF; 35% long-standing persistent AF) who underwent hybrid ablation as first-line ablation treatment (no previous endocardial ablation). Patients were relatively young (57.0 ± 8.5 years) and predominantly male (89.8%). Median CHA2DS2-VASc score was 1.0 (0.5; 2.0) and mean left atrium volume index was 43.7 ± 10.9 mL/m2. Efficacy was assessed by 12-lead electrocardiography and 72-h Holter monitoring after 3, 6, 12, and 24 months. Recurrence was defined as AF/atrial flutter (AFL)/tachycardia (AT) recorded by electrocardiography or Holter monitoring lasting >30 s during 2-year follow-up. At 2-year follow-up, single and multiple procedure success rates were 67% and 82%, respectively. Two (4%) patients experienced a major complication (bleeding) requiring intervention following hybrid ablation. Among the 16 (33%) patients who experienced an AF/AFL/AT recurrence, 13 (81%) were ATs/AFLs and only 3 (19%) were AF. Repeat ablation was performed in 10 (20%) patients and resulted in sinus rhythm in 7 (70%) at 2-year follow-up.

Conclusion

First-line single-stage hybrid AF ablation is an effective treatment strategy for patients with persistent and long-standing persistent AF with an acceptable rate of major complications. Recurrences are predominantly AFL/AT that can be successfully ablated percutaneously. Hybrid ablation seems a feasible approach for first-line ablation of (long-standing) persistent AF.
Mapping and classifying large deformation from digital imagery: application to analogue models of lithosphere deformation
Authors: Broerse Taco , Krstekanić Nemanja , Kasbergen Cor , Willingshofer Ernst
Published: March 2021

Particle image velocimetry (PIV), a method based on image cross-correlation, is widely used for obtaining velocity fields from time-series of images of deforming objects. Rather than instantaneous velocities, we are interested in reconstructing cumulative deformation, and use PIV-derived incremental displacements for this purpose. Our focus is on analogue models of tectonic processes, which can accumulate large deformation. Importantly, PIV provides incremental displacements during analogue model evolution in a spatial reference (Eulerian) frame, without the need for explicit markers in a model. We integrate the displacements in a material reference (Lagrangian) frame, such that displacements can be integrated to track the spatial accumulative deformation field as a function of time. To describe cumulative, finite deformation, various strain tensors have been developed, and we discuss what strain measure best describes large shape changes, as standard infinitesimal strain tensors no longer apply for large deformation. PIV or comparable techniques have become a common method to determine strain in analogue models. However, the qualitative interpretation of observed strain has remained problematic for complex settings. Hence, PIV-derived displacements have not been fully exploited before, as methods to qualitatively characterize cumulative, large strain have been lacking. Notably, in tectonic settings, different types of deformation—extension, shortening, strike-slip—can be superimposed. We demonstrate that when shape changes are described in terms of Hencky strains, a logarithmic strain measure, finite deformation can be qualitatively described based on the relative magnitude of the two principal Hencky strains. Thereby, our method introduces a physically meaningful classification of large 2-D strains. We show that our strain type classification method allows for accurate mapping of tectonic structures in analogue models of lithospheric deformation, and complements visual inspection of fault geometries. Our method can easily discern complex strike-slip shear zones, thrust faults and extensional structures and its evolution in time. Our newly developed software to compute deformation is freely available and can be used to post-process incremental displacements from PIV or similar autocorrelation methods.
Elite attitudes and the future of global governance
Authors: Scholte Jan Aart , Verhaegen Soetkin , Tallberg Jonas
Published: March 2021

This article examines what contemporary elites think about global governance and what these attitudes might bode for the future of global institutions. Evidence comes from a unique survey conducted in 2017–19 across six elite sectors (business, civil society, government bureaucracy, media, political parties, research) in six countries (Brazil, Germany, the Philippines, Russia, South Africa, the United States) and a global group. Bearing in mind some notable variation between countries, elite types, issue-areas and institutions, three main interconnected findings emerge. First, in principle, contemporary leaders in politics and society hold considerable readiness to pursue global-scale governance. Today's elites are not generally in a nationalist-protectionist-sovereigntist mood. Second, in practice, these elites on average hold medium-level confidence towards fourteen current global governance institutions. This evidence suggests that, while there is at present no legitimacy crisis of global governance among elites (as might encourage its decline), neither is there a legitimacy boom (as could spur its expansion). Third, if we probe what elites prioritize when they evaluate global governance, the surveyed leaders generally most underline democracy in the procedures of these bodies and effectiveness in their performance. This finding suggests that, to raise elites' future confidence in global governance, the institutions would do well to become more transparent in their operations and more impactful problem-solvers in their outcomes.
The feminist critique of liberalism and the challenge of right-wing populism: A reply to Gila Stopler
Authors: Baehr Amy
Published: March 2021

In this Reply, I argue that the Okin/Rawls debate is a debate within ideal theory; so if ideal theory is the problem, Okin’s feminist critique of liberalism will not help. I argue in addition, however, that Rawlsian ideal theory is more helpful than we might think in addressing the threat of illiberal populism to really-existing constitutional democracies, and that before we despair we should up our liberal game.
A global perspective of Indigenous child health research: a systematic review of longitudinal studies
Authors: Lloyd-Johnsen Catherine , Eades Sandra , McNamara Bridgette , D’Aprano Anita , Goldfeld Sharon
Published: March 2021

Background

Rigorously designed longitudinal studies can inform how best to reduce the widening health gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous children.

Methods

A systematic review was performed to identify and present the breadth and depth of longitudinal studies reporting the health and well-being of Indigenous children (aged 0–18 years) globally. Databases were searched up to 23 June 2020. Study characteristics were mapped according to domains of the life course model of health. Risk of bias was assessed using the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Study Quality Assessment Tools. Reported level of Indigenous involvement was also appraised; PROSPERO registration CRD42018089950.

Results

From 5545 citations, 380 eligible papers were included for analysis, representing 210 individual studies. Of these, 41% were located in Australia (n = 88), 22.8% in the USA (n = 42), 11.9% in Canada (n = 25) and 10.9% in New Zealand (n = 23). Research tended to focus on either health outcomes (50.9%) or health-risk exposures (43.8%); 55% of studies were graded as ‘good’ quality; and 89% of studies made at least one reference to the involvement of Indigenous peoples over the course of their research.

Conclusions

We identified gaps in the longitudinal assessment of cultural factors influencing Indigenous child health at the macrosocial level, including connection to culture and country, intergenerational trauma, and racism or discrimination. Future longitudinal research needs to be conducted with strong Indigenous leadership and participation including holistic concepts of health. This is critical if we are to better understand the systematic factors driving health inequities experienced by Indigenous children globally.