bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Robotic radical prostatectomy: analysis of midterm pathologic and oncologic outcomes: A historical series from a high-volume center
Authors: Asimakopoulos Anastasios D. , Annino Filippo , Mugnier Camille , Lopez Laurent , Hoepffner Jean Luc , Gaston Richard , Piechaud Thierry
Published: December 2020

Background

Identifying predictors of positive surgical margins (PSM) and biochemical recurrence (BCR) after radical prostatectomy (RP) may assist clinicians in formulating prognosis. Aim of the study was to report the midterm oncologic outcomes, to identify the risk factors for PSM and BCR and assess the impact of the PSM on BCR-free survival following robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALP).

Methods

From 2005 to 2010, 1679 consecutive patients underwent transperitoneal RALP. Data was retrospectively collected by an independent statistical company and analyzed in 2014. Median postoperative follow-up was 33.5 mo. BCR was defined as any detectable serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) ≥ 0.2 ng/mL in two consecutive measurements. BCR-free survival was estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method. Univariate and multivariate analysis were applied to identify risk factors for PSM and BCR.

Results

In pN0/pNx cancers, pathologic stage was pT2 in 1186 patients (71.8%), pT3 in 455 patients (27.6%), and pT4 in 11 patients (0.6%). PSM rate was 17.4% and 36.9% of pT2 and pT3 cancers, respectively. Pathologic Gleason score was < 7, = 7 and > 7 in 42.1%, 53% and 4.9% of the patients, respectively. Overall BCR-free survival was 73.1% at 5 years; the 5-year BCR-free survival was 87.9% for pT2 with negative surgical margins. PSA, Gleason score (both bioptic and pathologic), pathologic stage (pT) and surgeon's volume were significant independent predictors of PSM. PSA, pathologic Gleason score, pT and PSM were significant independent predictors of BCR-free survival. Seminal vesicle-sparing, nerve-sparing approach and the extent of nerve-sparing (intra vs interfascial dissection) did not negatively affect margin status or BCR rates.

Conclusions

PSMs are a predictor of BCR. Being the only modifiable factor influencing the PSM rate, surgical experience is confirmed as a key factor for high-quality oncologic outcomes.
Improved second-order unconditionally stable schemes of linear multi-step and equivalent single-step integration methods
Authors: Zhang Huimin , Zhang Runsen , Masarati Pierangelo
Published: December 2020

Second-order unconditionally stable schemes of linear multi-step methods, and their equivalent single-step methods, are developed in this paper. The parameters of the linear two-, three-, and four-step methods are determined for optimal accuracy, unconditional stability and tunable algorithmic dissipation. The linear three- and four-step schemes are presented for the first time. As an alternative, corresponding single-step methods, spectrally equivalent to the multi-step ones, are developed by introducing the required intermediate variables. Their formulations are equivalent to that of the corresponding multi-step methods; their use is more convenient, owing to being self-starting. Compared with existing second-order methods, the proposed ones, especially the linear four-step method and its alternative single-step one, show higher accuracy for a given degree of algorithmic dissipation. The accuracy advantage and other properties of the newly developed schemes are demonstrated by several illustrative examples.
Is MRI a viable alternative to CT/CBCT to identify the course of the inferior alveolar nerve in relation to the roots of the third molars?
Authors: Beck Florian , Austermann Stephanie , Bertl Kristina , Ulm Christian , Lettner Stefan , Toelly Andrea , Gahleitner André
Published: December 2020

Objectives

To assess the reliability of judging the spatial relation between the inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) and mandibular third molar (MTM) based on MRI or CT/CBCT images.

Methods

Altogether, CT/CBCT and MRI images of 87 MTMs were examined twice by 3 examiners with different degrees of experience. The course of the IAN in relation to the MTM, the presence/absence of a direct contact between IAN and MTM, and the presence of accessory IAN were determined.

Results

The IAN was in > 40% of the cases judged as inferior, while an interradicular position was diagnosed in < 5% of the cases. The overall agreement was good (κ = 0.72) and any disagreement between the imaging modalities was primarily among the adjacent regions, i.e., buccal/lingual/interradicular vs. inferior. CT/CBCT judgements presented a very good agreement for the inter- and intrarater comparison (κ > 0.80), while MRI judgements showed a slightly lower, but good agreement (κ = 0.74). A direct contact between IAN and MTM was diagnosed in about 65%, but in almost 20% a disagreement between the judgements based on MRI and CT/CBCT was present resulting in a moderate overall agreement (κ = 0.60). The agreement between the judgements based on MRI and CT/CBCT appeared independent of the examiner’s experience and accessory IAN were described in 10 cases in MRI compared to 3 cases in CT/CBCT images.

Conclusions

A good inter- and intrarater agreement has been observed for the assessment of the spatial relation between the IAN and MTM based on MRI images. Further, MRI images might provide advantages in the detection of accessory IAN compared to CT/CBCT.

Clinical relevance

MRI appears as viable alternative to CT/CBCT for preoperative assessment of the IAN in relation to the MTM.
Shade-Tree Rehabilitation in Vanilla Agroforests is Yield Neutral and May Translate into Landscape-Scale Canopy Cover Gains
Authors: Martin Dominic Andreas , Wurz Annemarie , Osen Kristina , Grass Ingo , Hölscher Dirk , Rabemanantsoa Thorien , Tscharntke Teja , Kreft Holger
Published: December 2020

Agroforestry can contribute to an increase in tree cover in historically forested tropical landscapes with associated gains in biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, but only if established on open land instead of underneath a forest canopy. However, declines in yields with increasing shade are common across agroforestry crops, driving shade-tree removal in forest-derived agroforests and hindering tree regrowth in open-land-derived agroforests. To understand trajectories of change in tree cover in forest- and open-land-derived agroforests, and the impacts of tree cover on vanilla yields, we studied 209 vanilla agroforests along an 88-year chronosequence in Madagascar. Additionally, we used remotely sensed canopy cover data to investigate tree cover change in the agricultural landscape. We found yields to vary widely but independently of canopy cover and land-use history (forest- vs. open-land-derived), averaging at 154.6 kg ha−1 year−1(SD = 186.9). Furthermore, we found that forest- and open-land-derived vanilla agroforests gained canopy cover over time, but that only open-land-derived agroforests gained canopy height. Canopy cover increased also at the landscape scale: areas in the agricultural landscape with medium initial canopy cover gained 6.4% canopy cover over 10 years, but canopy cover decreased in areas with high initial canopy cover. These opposing trends suggest tree cover rehabilitation across areas covered by vanilla agroforests, whereas remnant forest fragments in the agricultural landscape were transformed or degraded. Our results indicate that yield-neutral tree rehabilitation through open-land-derived agroforestry could, if coupled with effective forest protection, provide benefits for both ecosystem functions and agricultural production in a smallholder-dominated agricultural landscape.
Terrestrial and semi-aquatic scavengers on invasive Pacific pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) carcasses in a riparian ecosystem in northern Norway
Authors: Dunlop Kathy M. , Wipfli Mark , Muladal Rune , Wierzbinski Grzegorz
Published: December 2020

Pacific pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) invasions, thought to originate from populations introduced and established in Russia, occurred along the Norwegian coast in 2017 and 2019. Despite several thousand pink salmon entering and establishing in northern Norwegian rivers, current understanding of the ecological effect of the species in northern Europe is limited. Scavengers feeding on pacific salmon carcasses are important vectors for the transport of marine derived energy and nutrients to terrestrial ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest, North America, where the salmon naturally occur. However the role of terrestrial and aquatic scavengers in the consumption and removal of pink salmon beyond the salmon’s native range is unknown. This study has identified terrestrial and sub-aquatic vertebrate scavengers on pink salmon carcasses in a sub-arctic river in northern Norway. Avian scavengers filmed by a camera placed near sites baited with pink salmon carcasses included the Eurasian magpie (Pica pica), hooded crow (Corvus cornix), common raven (Corvus corax), the European herring gull (Larus argentatus), redwing (Turdus iliacus) and goosander (Mergus merganser). However, the largest carcass weight was removed by red foxes (Vulpes vulpes). Carcasses entering Vesterelv River in 2019 were estimated to provide energy and nutrients to the river ecosystem an order of magnitude lower than in the Pacific Northwest. This study provides some of the first information in northern Europe on the mechanisms and quantification of energy and nutrient transfer from the ocean to riparian environments via introduced Pacific pink salmon. Results help to begin to determine the ecological effect of pink salmon and the development of appropriate management strategies.
Metal cations promote α-dicarbonyl formation in glucose-containing peritoneal dialysis fluids
Authors: Gensberger-Reigl Sabrina , Auditore Andrea , Huppert Jochen , Pischetsrieder Monika
Published: December 2020

Heat sterilization of peritoneal dialysis fluids (PDFs) leads to the formation of glucose degradation products (GDPs), which impair long-term peritoneal dialysis. The current study investigated the effects of metal ions, which occur as trace impurities in the fluids, on the formation of six major α-dicarbonyl GDPs, namely glucosone, glyoxal, methylglyoxal, 3-deoxyglucosone, 3-deoxygalactosone, and 3,4-dideoxyglucosone-3-ene. The chelation of metal ions by 2-[bis[2-[bis(carboxymethyl)amino]ethyl]amino]acetic acid (DTPA) during sterilization significantly decreased the total GDP content (585 μM vs. 672 μM), mainly due to the decrease of the glucose-oxidation products glucosone (14 μM vs. 61 μM) and glyoxal (3 μM vs. 11 μM), but also of methylglyoxal (14 μM vs. 31 μM). The glucose-dehydration products 3-deoxyglucosone, 3-deoxygalactosone, and 3,4-dideoxyglucosone-3-ene were not significantly affected by chelation of metal ions. Additionally, PDFs were spiked with eleven different metal ions, which were detected as traces in commercial PDFs, to investigate their influence on GDP formation during heat sterilization. Iron(II), manganese(II), and chromium(III) had the highest impact increasing the formation of glucosone (1.2–1.5 fold increase) and glyoxal (1.3–1.5 fold increase). Nickel(II) and vanadium(III) further promoted the formation of glyoxal (1.3 fold increase). The increase of the pH value of the PDFs from pH 5.5 to a physiological pH of 7.5 resulted in a decreased formation of total GDPs (672 μM vs 637 μM). These results indicate that the adjustment of metal ions and the pH value may be a strategy to further decrease the content of GDPs in PDFs.
A comprehensive approach to intergovernmental grants’ tactical allocation. Theory and estimation guidelines
Authors: Fiorillo Fabio , Merkaj Elvina
Published: December 2020

Political economy literature highlights the tactical use of intergovernmental grants for electoral purposes; however, it provides different mechanisms and explanations behind these patterns. In this paper, we propose a model that includes 3 branches of the literature in order to provide a comprehensive explanation behind the tactical allocation by central governments. We identify 3 key parameters that shape the tactical allocation of grants: the electoral rule, the relative importance of the objective of the central government with respect to the local government, and the extent to which citizens attribute local expenditure to the direct action of the local government vs the central government (local political appropriability). In addition, our model also provides a guideline for designing and interpreting empirical results on the tactical allocation of grants distribution.
The Accuracy of Retrospective Recall of Childhood ADHD: Results from a Longitudinal Study
Authors: von Wirth Elena , Mandler Janet , Breuer Dieter , Döpfner Manfred
Published: December 2020

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a childhood-onset condition that may continue into adulthood. When assessing adult patients, clinicians usually rely on retrospective reports of childhood symptoms to evaluate the age-of-onset criterion. Since inaccurate symptom recall may impede the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD, knowledge about the factors influencing retrospective reports is needed. This longitudinal study investigated (a) the accuracy of retrospective symptom ratings by adult participants with a childhood diagnosis of ADHD (self-ratings) and parents or significant others (proxy ratings), and (b) the influence of current ADHD symptom severity and ADHD-associated impairments on retrospective symptom ratings. Participants (N = 55) were members of the Cologne Adaptive Multimodal Treatment (CAMT) study who had been referred and treated for ADHD in childhood and were reassessed in adulthood (average age 27 years). Participants’ retrospective self-ratings were substantially lower than, and did not correlate with, parents’ ADHD symptom ratings provided at study entry, while retrospective symptom ratings provided by proxy respondents correlated moderately with parents’ childhood ratings. In addition, participants were more likely to underreport childhood symptoms (79%) and more frequently denied the presence of three or more childhood symptoms (17%) compared to proxy respondents (65% underreporting, 10% false-negative recall). Proxy respondents’ symptom recall was best predicted by childhood ADHD, while participants’ symptom recall was best predicted by current ADHD symptom severity. ADHD-associated impairments were not correlated with symptom recall after controlling for childhood ADHD. Together, these findings suggest a recall bias in adult patients and question the validity of retrospective reports, even in clinical samples.
Better survival after transcatheter aortic valve replacement by process improvements
Authors:   NHR THI Registration Committee, van Steenbergen G. J. , van Veghel D. , Schulz D. N. , Soliman-Hamad M. , Tonino P. A. , Houterman S. , Dekker L.
Published: December 2020

Objective

The aim of this study is to assess the effects on procedural, 30-day, and 1‑year all-cause mortality by a newly introduced quality improvement strategy in patients after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).

Methods

In October 2015, a coherent set of quality improving interventions with respect to patient geriatric screening, general diagnostic examination and safety of the procedure was implemented at a single centre in the Netherlands. Patients undergoing TAVR in 2013–2018 were included for retrospective analysis. Mortality was assessed in the pre-quality improvement strategy cohort (January 2013 to October 2015; cohort A) and in the post-quality improvement strategy cohort (November 2015 to December 2018; cohort B). Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the influence of patient and procedural characteristics on the results of the quality improvement strategy in terms of procedural, 30-day, and 1‑year all-cause mortality.

Results

In total, 806 patients were analysed with 274 patients in cohort A and 532 patients in cohort B. After introduction of the quality improvement strategy, procedural (4.4% to 1.3%,p < 0.01), 30-day (8.4% to 2.7%,p < 0.01) and 1‑year (16.4% to 8.5%,p < 0.01) all-cause mortality significantly decreased. Multivariate regression analysis showed that the quality improvement strategy also significantly reduced 30-day (odds ratio [OR] 0.19, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.09–0.42) and 1‑year (OR 0.38, 95% CI 0.24–0.61) all-cause mortality if corrected for patient characteristics.

Conclusion

Structural meetings on evaluation of outcomes highlight potential areas for improvement and subsequent outcome-based quality improvement initiatives can result in lower procedural, 30-day, and 1‑year all-cause mortality.
Study on mechanism of spontaneous imbibition and pressurized imbibition in shale oil reservoirs
Authors: Yao Lanlan , Yang Zhengming , Li Haibo , Cai Bo , He Chunming , Xia Debin
Published: December 2020

Imbibition is one of the important methods of oil recovery in shale oil reservoirs. At present, more in-depth studies have been carried out on the fracture system and matrix system, and there are few studies on the effect of energy enhancement on imbibition in shale oil reservoirs. Therefore, based on the study of pressurized imbibition and spontaneous imbibition of shale oil reservoirs in Qianjiang Sag, Jianghan Basin, nuclear magnetic resonance technology was used to quantitatively characterize the production degree of shale and pore recovery contribution under different imbibition modes, and analyze the imbibition mechanism of shale oil reservoirs under the condition of energy enhancement. The experimental results showed that with the increase in shale permeability, the recovery ratio of pressurized imbibition also increased. The rate of pressurized imbibition was higher than spontaneous imbibition, and pressurized imbibition can increase the recovery ratio of fractured shale. Spontaneous imbibition can improve the ultimate recovery ratio of matrix shale. Pressurized imbibition can increase the recovery contribution of macroporous and mesoporous.
Replicating Silicon Valley? Law and Human Capital in the Making of China's Tech Startups
Authors: LIN Li-Wen
Published: December 2020

The rise of China's tech companies in the global economy raises an urgent need to understand how China incubates its tech startups. China's tech startup ecosystem presents two puzzling legal arrangements for human capital in light of Silicon Valley's experience, the co-existence of enforceable non-compete agreements and the high-velocity labour market, and the common use of stock options with a buyback norm. This article delves into the peculiarities of China's legal and political institutions to resolve these legal puzzles. This article also speaks to a global policy debate about the replicability of Silicon Valley and the necessity of such replication. The Chinese experience offers opposite examples showing the replication complexity: replication yet with deformed practices, and non-replication yet with similar outcomes. The findings suggest that there is unlikely to be a one-size-fits-all model for creating an innovation economy.
Quantifying the effects of passenger-level heterogeneity on transit journey times
Authors: Singh Ramandeep , Graham Daniel J. , Anderson Richard J.
Published: December 2020

In this paper, we apply flexible data-driven analysis methods on large-scale mass transit data to identify areas for improvement in the engineering and operation of urban rail systems. Specifically, we use data from automated fare collection (AFC) and automated vehicle location (AVL) systems to obtain a more precise characterisation of the drivers of journey time variance on the London Underground, and thus an improved understanding of delay. Total journey times are decomposed via a probabilistic assignment algorithm, and semiparametric regression is undertaken to disentangle the effects of passenger-specific travel characteristics from network-related factors. For total journey times, we find that network characteristics, primarily train speeds and headways, represent the majority of journey time variance. However, within the typically twice as onerous access and egress time components, passenger-level heterogeneity is more influential. On average, we find that intra-passenger heterogeneity represents 6% and 19% of variance in access and egress times, respectively, and that inter-passenger effects have a similar or greater degree of influence than static network characteristics. The analysis shows that while network-specific characteristics are the primary drivers of journey time variance in absolute terms, a nontrivial proportion of passenger-perceived variance would be influenced by passenger-specific characteristics. The findings have potential applications related to improving the understanding of passenger movements within stations, for example, the analysis can be used to assess the relative way-finding complexity of stations, which can in turn guide transit operators in the targeting of potential interventions.
Steady Euler flows and Beltrami fields in high dimensions
Authors: CARDONA ROBERT
Published: December 2020

Using open books, we prove the existence of a non-vanishing steady solution to the Euler equations for some metric in every homotopy class of non-vanishing vector fields of any odd-dimensional manifold. As a corollary, any such field can be realized in an invariant submanifold of a contact Reeb field on a sphere of high dimension. The solutions constructed are geodesible and hence of Beltrami type, and can be modified to obtain chaotic fluids. We characterize Beltrami fields in odd dimensions and show that there always exist volume-preserving Beltrami fields which are neither geodesible nor Euler flows for any metric. This contrasts with the three-dimensional case, where every volume-preserving Beltrami field is a steady Euler flow for some metric. Finally, we construct a non-vanishing Beltrami field (which is not necessarily volume-preserving) without periodic orbits in every manifold of odd dimension greater than three.
Localizing virtual structure sheaves for almost perfect obstruction theories
Authors: Kiem Young-Hoon , Savvas Michail
Published: December 2020

Almost perfect obstruction theories were introduced in an earlier paper by the authors as the appropriate notion in order to define virtual structure sheaves and K-theoretic invariants for many moduli stacks of interest, including K-theoretic Donaldson-Thomas invariants of sheaves and complexes on Calabi-Yau threefolds. The construction of virtual structure sheaves is based on the K-theory and Gysin maps of sheaf stacks.

In this paper, we generalize the virtual torus localization and cosection localization formulas and their combination to the setting of almost perfect obstruction theory. To this end, we further investigate the K-theory of sheaf stacks and its functoriality properties. As applications of the localization formulas, we establish a K-theoretic wall-crossing formula for simple

$\mathbb{C} ^\ast $

-wall crossings and define K-theoretic invariants refining the Jiang-Thomas virtual signed Euler characteristics.
Hospital-acquired Clostridioides difficile infection among patients at an urban safety-net hospital in Philadelphia: Demographics, neighborhood deprivation, and the transferability of national statistics
Authors: Vader Daniel T. , Weldie Chelsea , Welles Seth L. , Kutzler Michele A. , Goldstein Neal D.
Published: December 2020

Objective:

To investigate associations between healthcare-associated Clostridioides difficile infection and patient demographics at an urban safety-net hospital and compare findings with national surveillance statistics.

Methods:

Study participants were selected using a case-control design using medical records collected between August 2014 and May 2018 at Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia. Controls were frequency matched to cases by age and length of stay. Final sample included 170 cases and 324 controls. Neighborhood-level factors were measured using American Community Survey data. Multilevel models were used to examine infection by census tract, deprivation index, race/ethnicity, insurance type, referral location, antibiotic use, and proton-pump inhibitor use.

Results:

Patients on Medicare compared to private insurance had 2.04 times (95% CI, 1.31–3.20) the odds of infection after adjusting for all covariables. Prior antibiotic use (2.70; 95% CI, 1.64–4.46) was also associated with infection, but race or ethnicity and referral location were not. A smaller proportion of hospital cases occurred among white patients (25% vs 44%) and patients over the age of 65 (39% vs 56%) than expected based on national surveillance statistics.

Conclusions:

Medicare and antibiotics were associated with Clostridioides difficile infection, but evidence did not indicate association with race or ethnicity. This finding diverges from national data in that infection is higher among white people compared to nonwhite people. Furthermore, a greater proportion of hospital cases were aged <65 years than expected based on national data. National surveillance statistics on CDI may not be transportable to safety-net hospitals, which often disproportionately serve low-income, nonwhite patients.
Performance Effects of Internationalization: Contingency Theory Analysis of Russian Internationalized Firms
Authors: Dikova Desislava , Veselova Anna
Published: December 2020

The relationship between internationalization and performance has attracted researchers’ attention for more than 40 years, producing contradictory results. Research on emerging-market (EM) multinationals’ performance has not added much clarity to the issue. Although contingency theory is widely applied in management research to explain superior organizational performance as a direct result of a ‘fit’ between structure, strategy, and environment, there has been little effort in extending the notion of strategy-structure-environment fit to include internationalization. We address this limitation by offering a comprehensive analysis of Russian internationalized firms’ performance, which reflects the complexity of strategic and structural changes that Russian firms make during internationalization. We use survey data on 213 predominantly private and mature firms to examine whether the alignment of a multitude of strategic and structural choices in a specific context matters for subsequent performance. We apply a fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) and find several distinct types of ‘fit’ that positively affect Russian internationalized firms’ performance.
THE HYPERELLIPTIC THETA MAP AND OSCULATING PROJECTIONS
Authors: BOLOGNESI MICHELE , VARGAS N. F.
Published: December 2020

Let C be a hyperelliptic curve of genus
$g \geq 3$
. In this paper, we give a new geometric description of the theta map for moduli spaces of rank 2 semistable vector bundles on C with trivial determinant. In order to do this, we describe a fibration of (a birational model of) the moduli space, whose fibers are GIT quotients
$(\mathbb {P}^1)^{2g}//\text {PGL(2)}$
. Then, we identify the restriction of the theta map to these GIT quotients with some explicit degree 2 osculating projection. As a corollary of this construction, we obtain a birational inclusion of a fibration in Kummer
$(g-1)$
-varieties over
$\mathbb {P}^g$
inside the ramification locus of the theta map.
Value Shift: Immigration Attitudes and the Sociocultural Divide
Authors: Lancaster Caroline Marie
Published: December 2020

The sociocultural divide in Western Europe is increasingly focused on issues of national identity, namely immigration. It is commonly assumed that opponents of immigration also exhibit conservatism on other sociocultural issues. Yet recent research suggests that general social conservatism is declining in the region. Do immigration attitudes fit squarely into the sociocultural dimension? Using survey data from eleven West European countries, as well as a Dutch household panel from 2007–2019, this study finds that gender attitudes, a key sociocultural issue, are subject to change through both cohort and life cycle effects, while immigration attitudes are stable over the course of the panel and exhibit little variation across cohorts. Immigration attitudes also appear to be immune to period effects resulting from the 2015 refugee crisis. Further, those born during and after the ‘post-materialist revolution’ have weakened associations between these two attitudes, while older individuals' attitudes are strongly correlated. The combination of gender egalitarianism and anti-immigrant sentiment may become increasingly common as acceptance of the former spreads, while immigration remains a hotly contested issue.
ANOTHER CIVILIAN VIEW OF UNJUST ENRICHMENT'S STRUCTURAL DEBATE
Authors: Letelier Pablo
Published: December 2020

This article seeks to illustrate the kinds of difficulties that may follow from renouncing a unified approach to restitutionary claims for unjust enrichment. To do so, it draws on the experience of the French legal system, where the notion of unjustified enrichment describes a maxim inspiring various doctrines which have evolved in relative isolation from each other. Relying on this experience, the article argues that the objections recently raised by Nils Jansen against the German law of unjustified enrichment should not lead English lawyers to downplay the value of a unified approach to the subject.
THE PRINCIPLE OF LEGALITY
Authors: Varuhas Jason N.E.
Published: December 2020

This article examines the principle of legality, a principle of statutory interpretation that requires clear statutory words to oust basic common-law norms. The principle is of growing importance in the Supreme Court's public law jurisprudence, yet it has garnered little scholarly attention. This article offers a comprehensive account of the principle, unpacking its core elements and identifying key controversies. The article reveals that lying beyond this apparently straightforward principle is a complex and elaborate jurisprudence, which raises fundamental issues of principle, policy and judicial legitimacy.
Giardia intestinalis can interact, change its shape and internalize large particles and microorganisms
Authors: Benchimol Marlene
Published: December 2020

Giardia intestinalis is a parasitic protozoan that inhabits its vertebrate hosts' upper small intestine and is the most common cause of waterborne diarrhoea worldwide. Giardia trophozoites present few organelles, and among them, they possess peripheral vesicles (PVs), which are considered an endosomal–lysosomal system. All experimental procedures carried out until now indicate that Giardia ingests macromolecules by fluid-phase and receptor-mediated endocytic pathways. Still, there is no description concerning the interaction and ingestion of large materials. Here, we tested Giardia's capacity to interact with large particles; once, in vivo, it inhabits an environment with a microbiota. We tested protozoan interaction with yeasts, bacteria, latex beads, ferritin and albumin, in different times of interaction and used several microscopy techniques (light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy) to follow their fate. Giardia interacted with all of the materials we tested. Projections of the plasma membrane similar to pseudopods were seen. As albumin, small markers were found in the PVs while the larger materials were not seen there. Large vacuoles containing large latex beads were detected intracellularly. Thus, we observed that: (1) Giardia interacts with large materials; (2) Giardia can display an amoeboid shape and exhibit membrane projections when in contact with microorganisms and large inorganic materials; (3) the region of the exit of the ventral flagella is very active when in contact with large materials, although all cell surface also present activity in the interactions; (4) intracellular vacuoles, which are not the PVs, present ingested large beads.
Bipolar Spectrum disorders in Parkinson’s disease: a systematic evaluation
Authors: Bacciardi Silvia , Elefante Camilla , Brancati Giulio Emilio , Mazzucchi Sonia , Del Prete Eleonora , Frosini Daniela , Maremmani Icro , Lattanzi Lorenzo , Ceravolo Roberto , Bonuccelli Ubaldo , Perugi Giulio
Published: December 2020

Objective

Psychiatric disorders are very common in patients affected by Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, comorbidity with Bipolar Spectrum disorders is understudied. The aim of this study is to explore the clinical correlates of PD associated with Bipolar Spectrum disorders.

Methods

One hundred PD patients were screened for psychiatric comorbidities, cognitive profile, motor, and non-motor symptoms. The sample was divided into three groups: PD-patients with Bipolar Spectrum disorders (bipolar disorder type I, type II, and spontaneous or induced hypomania; N = 32), PD-patients with others psychiatric comorbidities (N = 39), PD-patients without psychiatric comorbidities (N = 29). Clinical features were compared among the groups using analysis of variance and chi-square test. A logistic regression was performed to evaluate the association between Bipolar Spectrum disorders and early onset of PD (≤50 years) controlling for lifetime antipsychotic use.

Results

In comparison with PD patients with and without other psychiatric comorbidity, subjects affected by Bipolar Spectrum disorders were younger, showed more frequently an early onset PD, reported more involuntary movements and a higher rate of impulse control disorders and compulsive behaviors. No differences were observed in indexes of exposure to dopamine agonist treatments. The early onset of PD was predicted by Bipolar Spectrum comorbidity, independently from lifetime antipsychotic use.

Conclusion

Bipolar Spectrum disorders are common in early onset PD. The presence of bipolar comorbidity could identify a particular subtype of PD, showing higher rates of neurological and psychiatric complications and deserving further investigation.
Use of selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) in the treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), comorbid psychiatric disorders and ASD-associated symptoms: a clinical review
Authors: Nanjappa Muralidhara Shankarapura , Voyiaziakis Emanuel , Pradhan Basant , Mannekote Thippaiah Srinagesh
Published: December 2020

It is challenging to treat symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), comorbid psychiatric disorders and ASD-associated symptoms. Some of the commonly used medications to treat these can, and frequently do have serious adverse side effects. Therefore, it is important to identify medications that are effective and with fewer side effects and negative outcomes. In this review, we looked at current evidence available for using the serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) class of medications in treating some of these often difficult to treat symptoms and behaviors. An extensive literature search was conducted using EBSCO.host. Our search algorithm identified 130 articles, 6 of which were deemed to meet criteria for the purpose of this review. Each of these six articles was independently reviewed and critically appraised. As a prototype of the SNRIs family, venlafaxine was found to be a useful adjuvant in children and adults with ASD for the treatment of self-injurious behaviors, aggression, and ADHD symptoms when used in doses lower than its antidepressant dosage. However, duloxetine was not found to show any added benefit in treatment of any of the comorbid symptoms and behaviors in ASD when compared to other antidepressants. On the other hand, milnacipran was reported to produce improvements in impulsivity, hyperactivity symptoms, and social functioning through reduction of inattention of ADHD when comorbid with ASD. Overall, SNRIs were shown variable effectiveness in treatment of these comorbid symptoms and behaviors in ASD.
HAUSDORFF DIMENSION FOR THE SET OF POINTS CONNECTED WITH THE GENERALIZED JARNÍK–BESICOVITCH SET
Authors: BAKHTAWAR AYREENA
Published: December 2020

In this article we aim to investigate the Hausdorff dimension of the set of points

$x \in [0,1)$
such that for any

$r\in \mathbb {N}$
,

$$ \begin{align*} a_{n+1}(x)a_{n+2}(x)\cdots a_{n+r}(x)\geq e^{\tau(x)(h(x)+\cdots+h(T^{n-1}(x)))} \end{align*} $$
holds for infinitely many

$n\in \mathbb {N}$
, where h and

$\tau $
are positive continuous functions, T is the Gauss map and

$a_{n}(x)$
denotes the nth partial quotient of x in its continued fraction expansion. By appropriate choices of

$r,\tau (x)$
and

$h(x)$
we obtain various classical results including the famous Jarník–Besicovitch theorem.
Availability as key determinant in the palliative home care setting from the patients’ and family caregivers’ perspectives: A quantitative-qualitative-content analysis approach
Authors: Dillen Kim , Joshi Melanie , Krumm Norbert , Hesse Michaela , Brunsch Holger , Schmidt Holger , Strupp Julia , Radbruch Lukas , Rolke Roman , Voltz Raymond
Published: December 2020

Objective

A sense of security is important in palliative home care. Yet, knowledge about which components contribute most to feeling secure from the patients’ and family caregivers’ perspectives, especially since the introduction of specialist palliative home care, is sparse. The goal of the current study was to determine the key components contributing to a sense of security and how they relate to each other as experienced by patients and family caregivers in specialist and generalist palliative home care.

Methods

The current sub-study, as part of a larger study, was performed in different regions in Germany. Palliative care patients and family caregivers of at least 18 years of age, being cared for at home were interviewed using semi-structured interview guides following a three-factor model and analyzed by using a combined quantitative-qualitative-content approach.

Results

One hundred and ninty-seven patients and 10 carers completed interviews between December 2017 and April 2019. The majority of patients were diagnosed with an oncological disease. Sense of security was mentioned particularly often suggesting its high relevance. We identified nine subcategories that were all mentioned more frequently by specialist than generalist palliative home care recipients in the following order of priority and relation: (i) patient-centeredness: availability, provision of information/education, professional competence, patient empowerment, and trust (ii) organizational work: comprehensive responsibility, external collaboration, and internal cooperation, and (iii) direct communication.

Significance of results

The work of specialist palliative home care services in particular was perceived as very effective and beneficial. Our findings confirm a previously developed three-factor model allowing for generalizability and revealed that availability was most important for improving the sense of security for effective palliative home care.
Association between gestational cannabis exposure and maternal, perinatal, placental, and childhood outcomes
Authors: Ayonrinde Oyekoya T. , Ayonrinde Oyedeji A. , Van Rooyen Derrick , Tait Robert , Dunn Mikaela , Mehta Shailender , White Scott , Ayonrinde Oyekunle K.
Published: December 2020

Globally, the availability and formulations for the administration of cannabis are changing with decriminalization or legalization of recreational use in some jurisdictions, and the prescription of cannabis also occurring. These changes are likely to affect the prevalence of use, including by women of childbearing age. The effects of in utero and infant alcohol and tobacco exposure are well-documented, but the outcomes of cannabis exposure are less certain. The content of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component of cannabis has progressively increased over several decades. This review explores the limited knowledge surrounding the epidemiology of gestational and postnatal cannabis exposure and implications for the mother–placenta–fetus/neonate triad. We examine cannabis’ effects from antenatal and lactation exposure on (a) pregnancy and perinatal outcomes, (b) placental health, and (c) longer term cardiometabolic and neurodevelopmental risks and outcomes. Though definitive outcomes are lacking, gestational cannabis has been associated with increased risk of other substance use during pregnancy; impaired placental blood flow; increased risk of small for gestational age births; and associated complications. Childhood and adolescent outcomes are sparsely assessed, with suggested outcomes including increased risk of depression and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Cardiometabolic implications of gestational cannabis use may include maternal fatty liver, obesity, insulin resistance, and increased risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), with potential consequences for the fetus. Clinical implications for pediatric practice were explored in a bid to understand any potential risk or impact on child health and development.
Legislative aims and the Kantian supranational court: A comment on Alec Stone Sweet and Clare Ryan, A Cosmopolitan Legal Order
Authors: SADURSKI WOJCIECH
Published: December 2020

In my short comment on the new book by Alec Stone Sweet and Clare Ryan, I claim that the European Court of Human Rights does not take the ‘legitimacy of state goals’ step in its proportionality analysis seriously enough, relegating all its hard intellectual work to the next step: necessity scrutiny. What is puzzling about Stone Sweet and Ryan’s book is that this observation about the ECtHR hardly registered in the book’s argument, even though a Kantian perspective seems to be quite hospitable to a consideration of the scarcity of goal scrutiny in ECtHR case law.
The ECtHR, transregional dialogues and global constitutionalism
Authors: SANDHOLTZ WAYNE
Published: December 2020

In A Cosmopolitan Legal Order, Stone Sweet and Ryan suggest that ‘from the standpoint of global law, we see that the [European Court of Human Rights] has taken its place in a pluralist, rights-based international order, as one trustee of this global order’. This article is a preliminary attempt to evaluate signs of movement toward global rights review. A multi-level charter of rights exists in the network of international and regional human rights treaties and in national constitutions. An incipient structure of global rights review exists in the form of the regional human rights courts, which see themselves as trustees of the larger global human rights system. Judicial dialogue among the regional courts allows for informal, decentralized coordination among them. The European Court of Human Rights serves as a point of reference for the African and Inter-American systems, though these also cite each other. Transregional judicial dialogue establishes a rudimentary, informal and decentralized mechanism of coordination among bodies that exercise a review function in the multi-level system of international human rights.
Historical Changes in Surface Soil Moisture Over the Contiguous United States: An Assessment of CMIP6
Authors: Yuan Shanshui , Quiring Steven M. , Leasor Zachary T.
Published: December 2020

The newly released simulations from the Sixth Phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6) provide an opportunity to re‐examine long‐term soil moisture trends. In this study, we assessed the historical simulation (1850–2014) of surface soil moisture from 18 general circulation models that are part of CMIP6 and compared them with model simulations from CMIP5 and NLDAS‐2, and in situ observations over CONUS. Our results show that for CONUS as a whole, there is no significant long‐term trend in soil moisture, but significant drying trends exist over medium‐term, short‐term, and near‐present periods based on the CMIP6. Our comparison of CMIP6 to NLDAS‐2 (1980–2014) and in situ observations (2004–2014) demonstrates that it more accurately captures soil moisture trends in CONUS than CMIP5. CMIP6 shows a significant wetting trend in the Northwest, Midwest, Northeast, and Southeast. There is greater agreement amongst the individual models in CMIP6 than CMIP5, but intermodel variability still exists.
A Satellite‐Based Estimate of Convective Vertical Velocity and Convective Mass Flux: Global Survey and Comparison With Radar Wind Profiler Observations
Authors: Jeyaratnam Jeyavinoth , Luo Zhengzhao Johnny , Giangrande Scott E. , Wang Dié , Masunaga Hirohiko
Published: December 2020

Convective vertical velocity (wc) and convective mass flux (Mc) lie at the heart of global climate model cumulus parameterizations, but few observations of these critical parameters are available. This paper develops and evaluates a novel, satellite‐based method for estimating profiles of wc and Mc. Comparisons with collocated ground‐based radar wind profiler (RWP) observations show that satellite‐estimated median wc is slightly greater than the RWP estimates, but they show solid agreement when compared at the 95th percentiles (intense updrafts). RWP‐derived and satellite‐estimated Mc are broadly comparable in the lower and middle troposphere, with some differences in the upper troposphere due to differences in convective core sampling. A k‐means cluster analysis of multiple years of wc data shows that convective characteristics are distinctly different among extratropical convection, tropical land convection, and tropical oceanic convection. Tropical land convection is significantly more intense and more variable than the oceanic counterpart.
The Impact of COVID‐19 on Weather Forecasts: A Balanced View
Authors: Ingleby Bruce , Candy Brett , Eyre John , Haiden Thomas , Hill Christopher , Isaksen Lars , Kleist Daryl , Smith Fiona , Steinle Peter , Taylor Stewart , Tennant Warren , Tingwell Christopher
Published: December 2020

Aircraft reports are an important source of information for numerical weather prediction (NWP). From March 2020, the COVID‐19 pandemic resulted in a large loss of aircraft data but despite this it is difficult to see any evidence of significant degradation in the forecast skill of global NWP systems. This apparent discrepancy is partly because forecast skill is very variable, showing both day‐to‐day noise and lower frequency dependence on the mean state of the atmosphere. The definitive way to cleanly assess aircraft impact is using a data denial experiment, which shows that the largest impact is in the upper troposphere. The method used by Chen (2020, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020gl088613) to estimate the impact of COVID‐19 is oversimplistic. Chen understates the huge importance of satellite data for modern weather forecasts and raises more alarm than necessary about a drop in forecast accuracy.
Aggravation of Record‐Breaking Drought over the Mid‐to‐Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River in the Post‐monsoon Season of 2019 by Anomalous Indo‐Pacific Oceanic Conditions
Authors: Xu Kang , Miao Hao‐Yu , Liu Boqi , Tam Chi‐Yung , Wang Weiqiang
Published: December 2020

The Mid‐to‐Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River (MLRYR) suffered an extreme drought in the post‐monsoon season of 2019, contemporaneous with a strong Central Pacific (CP) El Niño and a super positive Indian Ocean Dipole (pIOD) event. The present work shows that CP El Niño‐related Pacific Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies (SSTAs) weakened the western North Pacific anticyclone to prevent moisture transport to the MLRYR and explained 60% of the drought intensity. The super pIOD with an extremely cold SSTA in the tropical Southeastern Indian Ocean contributed 40% of the drought amplitude via an atmospheric teleconnection. The Indian Ocean cold SSTAs first strengthened the post‐monsoon rainfall and enhanced diabatic heating over South Asia, leading to baroclinic circulation anomalies with induced descending motion over the MLRYR. The aggravated dry conditions there ultimately broke the historical drought record for the period since 1979.