bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Clinical Frailty Scale as useful tool in patients with brain metastases
Authors: Kerschbaumer Johannes , Krigers Aleksandrs , Demetz Matthias , Pinggera Daniel , Klingenschmid Julia , Pichler Nadine , Thomé Claudius , Freyschlag Christian F.
Published: April 2022

Purpose

The Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) evaluates patients’ level of frailty on a scale from 1 to 9 and is commonly used in geriatric medicine, intensive care and orthopedics. The aim of our study was to reveal whether the CFS allows a reliable prediction of overall survival (OS) in patients after surgical treatment of brain metastases (BM) compared to the Karnofsky Performance Score (KPS).

Methods

Patients operated for BM were included. CFS and KPS were retrospectively assessed pre- and postoperatively and at follow-up 3–6 months after resection.

Results

205 patients with a follow-up of 22.8 months (95% CI 18.4–27.1) were evaluated. CFS showed a median of 3 (“managing well”; IqR 2–4) at all 3 assessment-points. Median KPS was 80 preoperatively (IqR 80–90) and 90 postoperatively (IqR 80–100) as well as at follow-up after 3–6 months. CFS correlated with KPS both preoperatively (r = − 0.92; p < 0.001), postoperatively (r = − 0.85; p < 0.001) and at follow-up (r = − 0.93; p < 0.001).

The CFS predicted the expected reduction of OS more reliably than the KPS at all 3 assessments. A one-point increase (worsening) of the preoperative CFS translated into a 30% additional hazard to decease (HR 1.30, 95% CI 1.15–1.46; p < 0.001). A one-point increase in postoperative and at follow-up CFS represents a 39% (HR 1.39, 95% CI 1.25–1.54; p < 0.001) and of 42% risk (HR 1.42, 95% CI 1.27–1.59; p < 0.001).

Conclusion

The CFS is a feasible, simple and reliable scoring system in patients undergoing resection of brain metastasis. The CFS 3–6 months after surgery specifies the expected OS more accurately than the KPS.
Non-executive employee ownership and financial reporting quality: evidence from Europe
Authors: Adwan Sami , Alhaj-Ismail Alaa , Jelic Ranko
Published: April 2022

This paper examines the association between non-executive employee shareholding and financial reporting quality. The analysis is conducted using a sample of non-financial firms listed in eleven European countries between 2006 and 2017. We find a positive association between non-executive employee ownership and financial reporting quality. Furthermore, we find this positive association to be more pronounced for firms operating in the following settings: higher labour union density, more industry peer firms and more flexible labour market regulations. Overall, these findings support the view that employee shareholding enhances the quality of financial reporting by aligning the interests of employees with those of shareholders through two channels: reduced agency problems and enhanced employee retention. Our study contributes to the research on the impact of ownership characteristics on financial reporting incentives. It underscores the role non-executive employee ownership can play in improving a firm’s corporate governance and therefore the quality of financial reporting.
Tough times for seasoned equity offerings: performance during the COVID pandemic
Authors: Zenzius Marc , Flore Christian , Schiereck Dirk
Published: April 2022

This study analyzes the wealth effects of SEO announcements in the US during the COVID-19 pandemic and its main determinants. We find significantly negative abnormal returns of − 8.6%. This provides persuasive evidence that capital markets reacted particularly negative during this period, reflecting higher degrees of uncertainty. We furthermore find that larger firms experience a better SEO performance and that COVID-19 related biotech & healthcare firms react particularly negative. This effect is more negative the lower the company valuation beforehand.
(K)eine immunisierende Wirkung? Eine binnendifferenzierte Analyse zum Zusammenhang zwischen christlicher Religiosität und der Wahl rechtspopulistischer Parteien
Authors: Steinmann Jan-Philip
Published: April 2022

Der Beitrag greift die in der bisherigen Forschung verbreitete Immunisierungshypothese auf, nach der christliche Religiosität vor der Wahl rechtspopulistischer Parteien schützt, und entwickelt eine alternative Lesart für diesen Zusammenhang. Dazu wird auf Basis der „German Longitudinal Election Study“ (GLES) von 2015 und 2017 und der „Allgemeinen Bevölkerungsumfrage der Sozialwissenschaften“ (ALLBUS) von 2018 eine Binnendifferenzierung der christlichen Wählerschaft vorgenommen. Im Mittelpunkt stehen nicht gängige Dimensionen von Religiosität, sondern der Religionsanspruch der Christen. Es wird vermutet, dass christliche Wähler mit exklusivem Religionsanspruch im Vergleich zu denjenigen mit inklusivem Religionsanspruch häufiger rechtspopulistischen Parteien ihre Stimme geben und dass dafür die ausgeprägteren rechtspopulistischen Positionen von Christen mit exklusivem Religionsanspruch verantwortlich zeichnen. Theoretisch begründet werden diese Annahmen in vier Schritten. Erstens wird eine wahrgenommene Bedrohung unter der christlichen Wählerschaft mit exklusivem Religionsanspruch diagnostiziert. Zweitens werden Mobilisierungsargumente rechtspopulistischer Parteien identifiziert, die eine Antwort auf diese Bedrohungswahrnehmung geben können. Drittens werden Wechselwirkungen zwischen religiösen und politischen Weltanschauungen erläutert, die nahelegen, dass ein exklusiver Religionsanspruch und rechtspopulistische Positionen über die Funktion der Nomisierung verbunden sind. Zuletzt kann die Übersetzung rechtspopulistischer Positionen in die Wahl rechtspopulistischer Parteien plausibilisiert werden. Empirisch lassen sich sowohl Belege für den Zusammenhang von Religionsanspruch und der Wahl rechtspopulistischer Parteien als auch die vermittelnde Wirkung rechtspopulistischer Positionen finden. Damit zeigt sich, dass Religiosität bei Vorliegen eines inklusiven Religionsanspruchs immunisierend, aber im Falle eines exklusiven Religionsanspruchs eben auch katalysierend auf die Wahl rechtspopulistischer Parteien wirken kann. Dies deutet auf eine Verschiebung relevanter Konfliktlinien in der deutschen Wählerschaft hin.
Effects of conservation measures on crop diversity and their implications for climate-resilient livelihoods: the case of Rupa Lake Watershed in Nepal
Authors: Bai Yun-li , Fu Chao , Thapa Balaram , Rana Ram Balladur , Zhang Lin-xiu
Published: April 2022

Agrobiodiversity conservation is vital for achieving sustainability, but empirical studies on the effects of different practices or measures on crop diversity are rare. This study aims to estimate the effects of raising conservation awareness (RCA), building diversity blocks (BDB), and their combination on crop diversity among 240 randomly selected households surrounding the Rupa Lake Watershed in Nepal. Based on descriptive analysis and multiple regression models, the results indicate that the two single measures had no significant effect on the numbers of crop species and varieties grown by households in 2018. However, the combination of RCA and BDB had a significantly positive effect on the number of crop varieties, especially for grain and vegetable crops. Considering that these crops are essential in the daily lives of local people, the results indicate that a strategy that combines both awareness raising and on-farm conservation measures can generate higher crop diversity and better serve the climate-resilient livelihoods of people in mountainous areas.
Erratum to: Impact of rangeland enclosure and seasonal grazing on protected and unprotected rangelands in Chakwal region, Pakistan
Authors: Islam Muhammad , Razzaq Abdul , Zubair Muhammad , Hassan Sawsan , Ahmad Sarfraz , Gul Shamim , Rischkowsky Barbara , Louhaichi Mounir
Published: April 2022

The article “Impact of rangeland enclosure and seasonal grazing on protected and unprotected rangelands in Chakwal region, Pakistan”, written by ISLAM Muhammad, RAZZAQ Abdul, ZUBAIR Muhammad, HASSAN Sawsan, AHMAD Sarfraz, GUL Shamim, RISCHKOWSKY Barbara and LOUHAICHI Mounir, was originally published electronically on the publisher’s internet portal (currently SpringerLink) on 27 December 2021 without open access. With the author’s decision to opt for open choice the copyright of the article changed in 02/2022 to © The Author(s) 2022. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

The original article has been corrected.
The Onsager Reciprocity Relations Revisited
Authors: Ågren John
Published: April 2022

The Onsager relations are discussed and it is suggested that they should be interpreted as there is a frame of reference where all the transport processes are independent. The concepts are illustrated with isobarothermal diffusion in simple metallic phases as well as complex ionic systems. A transformation from lattice-fixed frame of reference to number-fixed frame gives the Kirkendall effect as a cross effect.
Investigation of the friction conditions of self-pierce rivets by means of a compression-torsion tribometer
Authors: Rossel Moritz , Meschut Gerson
Published: April 2022

Lightweight design is an effective lever for achieving fuel consumption and emission-oriented goals. Therefore micro-alloyed steels and high-strength aluminium materials are included in the multi-material mix of the car body. In this context self-pierce riveting has become established for joining in body-in-white production. For the dimensioning of the joint, numerical simulation is increasingly being used. In order to make reliable predictions about joint quality, knowledge of the friction in the joining process is necessary and needs to be identified experimentally. In previous investigations, the process parameters in the friction test were not comparable to the joining process. Therefore, a new friction test method is presented in this paper, where the process conditions are comparable between joining and friction testing especially regarding the interface pressure. The local joining process parameters between rivet and sheet are derived numerically. In the framework of the investigations, the influences of the local joining process parameters, like interface pressure, relative velocity and temperature, on the friction are investigated and mapped close to the joining process. Additionally a comparison of different rivet coatings is carried out. The rivet contact to the sheet metal HX340LAD as well with aluminium EN AW-5182 is taken into account.
CEO narcissism, brand acquisition and disposal, and stock returns
Authors: Cao Zixia , Xu Kehan
Published: April 2022

Chief executive officer (CEO) narcissism is an ingrained personality trait referring to the degree to which an individual CEO has an inflated level of self-admiration and seeks to gain attention and social praise by pursuing vanity-driven strategic objectives. We find evidence that narcissistic CEOs are less likely to dispose of brands but more likely to acquire brands than their less narcissistic counterparts. Further, narcissistic CEOs are more likely than their counterparts to lead their companies to acquire high-awareness brands and more likely to dispose of low-awareness brands. We also propose a moderated mediation model in which CEO narcissism increases target brand asset overvaluation, and through this mediator, CEO narcissism has a negative indirect impact on the acquirer’s abnormal returns but a positive indirect impact on the seller’s abnormal returns associated with the brand transactions. Brand awareness and perceived quality weaken the relationship between target brand asset overvaluation and abnormal returns.
Assessment of the Oxidative Damage and Genotoxicity of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles and Exploring the Protective Role of Holy Basil Oil Nanoemulsions in Rats
Authors: Sallam Mohamed F. , Ahmed Helmy M. S. , El-Nekeety Aziza A. , Diab Kawthar A. , Abdel-Aziem Sekena H. , Sharaf Hafiza A. , Abdel-Wahhab Mosaad A.
Published: April 2022

This study was designed to evaluate the oxidative damage, genotoxicity, and DNA damage in the liver of rats treated with titanium nanoparticles (TiO2-NPs) with an average size of 28.0 nm and ξ-potential of − 33.97 mV, and to estimate the protective role of holy basil essential oil nanoemulsion (HBEON). Six groups of Male Sprague–Dawley rats were treated orally for 3 weeks as follows: the control group, HBEO or HBEON-treated groups (5 mg/kg b.w), TiO2-NPs-treated group (50 mg/kg b.w), and the groups treated with TiO2-NPs plus HBEO or HBEON. Samples of blood and tissues were collected for different analyses. The results revealed that 55 compounds were identified in HBEO, and linalool and methyl chavicol were the major compounds (53.9%, 12.63%, respectively). HBEON were semi-round with the average size and ζ-potential of 120 ± 4.5 nm and − 28 ± 1.3 mV, respectively. TiO2-NP administration increased the serum biochemical indices, oxidative stress markers, serum cytokines, DNA fragmentation, and DNA breakages; decreased the antioxidant enzymes; and induced histological alterations in the liver. Co-administration of TiO2-NPs plus HBEO or HBEON improved all the tested parameters and the liver histology, and HBEON was more effective than HBEO. Therefore, HEBON is a promising candidate able to protect against oxidative damage, disturbances in biochemical markers, gene expression, DNA damage, and histological changes resulting from exposure to TiO2-NPs and may be applicable in the food and pharmaceutical sectors.
Regulation Enforcement
Authors: Gmeiner Michael , Gmeiner Robert
Published: April 2022

This paper compares the effectiveness of two mechanisms of regulation enforcement: (1) the frequency of inspections and (2) penalties for violations. Threat effects of increased penalties and inspection rates, rather than corrective effects upon receiving an inspection or penalty, are the focus of analysis. Mining industry data from 2004–2009 are used to analyze the responses of mines to separate increases in inspections and citation penalties regarding regulations of safety standards. Mines did not improve safety in response to increased penalties at the ex-ante inspecting rates; however, mines significantly reduced accidents under increased inspections when implemented at those higher penalty rates. The identification strategy results in a local average treatment effect that implies increasing inspection rates from current levels would likely increase social welfare. Results are shown to be robust to bandwidth changes and model specification. The interpretation of the estimated local effect in the context of selection is analyzed. Robustness checks regarding selection exploit staffing changes and restrict to similar samples of treated and non-treated mines, justifying that results are representative.
Meta-mood knowledge moderates the relationship between neuroticism and depression but not between neuroticism and anxiety in a sample of nonclinical adolescents
Authors: Yildirim Damla , Vives Jaume , Ballespí Sergi
Published: April 2022

Research shows a strong link between neuroticism and internalizing psychopathology, such as depression and anxiety. However, it is unclear to what extent meta-mood knowledge (i.e., attention to emotion and emotional clarity) plays a role as a moderator in this relationship. To investigate this, we collected data on meta-mood knowledge, personality traits, depression, and anxiety in a sample of adolescents (N = 244; 53.7% girls) aged 12 to 18 years (M = 14.6, SD = 1.7) from Catalonia, Spain. Regarding the relationship between neuroticism and depression, results showed that emotional clarity buffered this relationship. Although attention to emotion did not, the joint moderating effect of attention to emotion and emotional clarity was significant. The results on the four different combinations of attention to emotion and emotional clarity showed that the relationship between neuroticism and depression was strongest for high attention and low clarity, less strong for low attention and low clarity, and even lower for high attention and high clarity. And importantly, these similar patterns of association disappeared at low attention and high clarity. In contrast to the relationship between neuroticism and depression, we found no statistically significant moderating effects for the relationship between neuroticism and anxiety. Based on these results, we argue the importance of examining individual differences in emotion-based cognition and understanding when the benefits of emotional clarity are associated with fewer disadvantages of excessive attention. These results provide preliminary evidence that the combination of low attention and high clarity may be an adaptive version of emotional self-awareness in relation to neuroticism and depression.
Inter-laboratory Validation of an HPLC–MS/MS Method for the Detection of Microbial Transglutaminase in Meat and Meat Products
Authors: Jira Wolfgang , Behnke Thomas , Brockmeyer Jens , Frost Kirstin , Hiller Ekkehard , Möllers Manfred , Niedzwiecka Alicia , Pöpping Bert , Uhlig Steffen , Weidner Markus , Wittke Stefan , Becker René
Published: April 2022

Microbial transglutaminase (TG) is an enzyme isolated on an industrial scale from Streptomyces mobaraensis. Technical TG, a formulated powder, is primarily used to restructure meat in the meat-processing industry, typically at a 1% concentration and is often referred to as “meat glue.” In the European Union, meat restructured with TG requires the indication “formed meat” on the label according to Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011. In order to detect food fraud like the undeclared TG usage in meat and meat products, a qualitative mass spectrometric method using specific tryptic marker peptides has been published in 2017. Here the successful inter-laboratory validation and first-time standardization of a proteomics method for food control is described, which was subsequently included into the Official Collection of Analysis Methods according to the German Food and Feed Code (§ 64 LFGB). Thirteen laboratories from governmental, academic, and private institutions participated in the study, whereas four laboratories did not meet the minimal quality criteria and therefore their results had to be excluded. Three different test materials containing between 0.2 and 2% technical TG as well as blank samples were produced and tested. The laboratories used triple-quadrupole mass spectrometers from several vendors as well as quadrupole time-of-flight instruments. The detection of TG was considered to be positive, if three mass transitions for the marker peptides VTPPAEPLDR (TG-1) and SPFYSALR (TG-2), each, showed a signal-to-noise ratio of at least 3. The level of detection LOD95% for the median laboratory with intermediate performance was 0.31%, the false-positive rate was 0% and the false-negative rate was 2.1%.
Investigating the palaeoenvironmental context of Late Pleistocene human dispersals into Southeast Asia: a review of stable isotope applications
Authors: McAllister Meghan S. , Morley Mike W. , Tyler Jonathan J. , McInerney Francesca A. , Blyth Alison J.
Published: April 2022

We review palaeoenvironmental applications of stable isotope analysis to Late Pleistocene archaeological sites across Southeast Asia (SEA), a region critical to understanding the evolution ofHomo sapiensand other co-existing Late Pleistocene (124–11.7 ka) hominins. Stable isotope techniques applied to archaeological deposits offer the potential to develop robust palaeoenvironmental reconstructions, to contextualise the occupational and non-occupational history of a site. By evaluating the published research in this field, we show that sediments, guano, tooth enamel, speleothem and biomolecular material such as leaf waxes have great potential to provide site-specific palaeoenvironmental records and local and catchment-scale landscape context to hominin dispersal in the region. However, stable isotope techniques used in these contexts are in their infancy in SEA, and the diagenetic controls associated with hot and humid environments that typify the region are not yet fully understood. Additionally, availability of sources of stable isotopes varies between sites. Nonetheless, even the limited research currently available shows that stable isotope analyses can aid in developing a better understanding of the role of the environment on the nature and timing of dispersals of our species eastwards into SEA and beyond.
Lithologic Controls on Geomorphic Evolution of the Central Western Ghats: An Example from the Aghnashini Catchment, Karnataka, India
Authors: Das Sumit , Kandekar Avinash M. , Sangode Satish J.
Published: April 2022

In spite of the prolonged exposure and denudation (for >50 Ma), the catchments of the Western Ghats escarpment depict significant relief and rugged topography along the Indian passive margin. In this study, an endeavour has been made to comprehend the function of lithology in landscape dynamics of the Aghanashini catchment through quantitative geomorphology. Longitudinal profiles of this catchment demonstrate disequilibrium through anomalous high stream gradient index and normalized steepness index (ksn) that are related to topographic breaks. Correlation between lithology types and ksn inferred predominant lithologic control on drainage disequilibrium. Transformed coordinate (χ-plot) of the longitudinal profile explained the knickpoint dynamics in an extensive manner where the outcomes suggested river capture process, formation of steep gorge, and series of hanging waterfalls due to sudden change in boundary conditions. This study indicates strong lithologic control under the influence of intense precipitation on shifting knickpoints throughout the catchment area forcing to maintain the valley relief and hillslope angles responsible for rugged and high relief topography of Aghnashini catchment of the Western Ghats.
Assessing Land Use/Land Cover Changes in Parts of Chandrapur District, Wardha Valley Coalfield, Maharashtra Using Geospatial Techniques
Authors: Khan Zadan , Akram Javed
Published: April 2022

Wardha valley coalfield of Central India is one of the major coalfields which fulfils the requirement of coal in Maharashtra and other adjoining states. Chandrapur district falls within the Wardha valley coalfield covering an area of 11,364 km2. The district has its economic and industrial importance due to availability of coal reserves, which contributes to core sector of India with both open and underground mining. An attempt has been made to assess the land use/cover changes in parts Wardha valley coalfield, Chandrapur district using multi-temporal satellite data. Survey of India toposheets (55P/8 and 56M/5) have been used for preparation of base map, whereas multi-temporal satellite data of LANDSAT 5 (TM), IRS 1D LISS III and IRS P6 LISS III corresponding to 1991, 2001 and 2011, respectively have been utilized for LU/LC mapping and change detection. Visual interpretation technique has been followed to delineate LU/LC categories supplemented with ground truth verification /field work. Satellite data interpretation led to the identification and delineation of 14 land use/cover categories, namely dense forest, degraded forest, open scrub, plantation, cultivated land, uncultivated land, waste land, mining area, overburden dumps, thermal power plant, industrial area, settlement/built-up, water body and dry river. Arc GIS has been used for digitization, editing, computation and generating vital statistics. The analysis of LU/LC statistics suggests that area has undergone significant land use/cover changes during two decades (1991-2011) due to increasing mining activity, industrialization and urbanization. There has been significant reduction in areas under dense forest (9.49 km2) and open scrub (10.83 km2). The other notable changes have been observed in uncultivated land which reduced by 1.54 km2 and waste land by 2.75 km2. On other hand, significant increase in area has been observed under plantation (5.08 km2), cultivated land (6.25 km2), mining area (2.16 km2), overburden dumps (3.37 km2) and settlement/built-up (5.22 km2). Area under degraded forest has increased by 2.32 km2, industrial area by 0.18 km2 and water body by 1.14 km2.
Mass Movement and Initiation of Landslide Dam Burst in the Eastern Ghats, India during the Titli Cyclone
Authors: Roul Amulya Ratna , Pradhan Sarada Prasad , Sahoo Kailash Chandra
Published: April 2022

The article chronicles the landslide dam burst event from the Eastern Ghats region of India during the Titli cyclone on 12th October 2018. The event has been marked as one of the most destructive event in the region due to the abrupt increase in rainfall intensity and duration. The highly weathered profile of the Eastern Ghats metamorphosed terrain favours such fatal incidents, mostly during the monsoon and cyclone season of the Indian subcontinent. Geological and geotechnical investigation of the region followed by numerical modeling has been done to study the cause and mechanism of the incident. From the initiation of landslide to the dam formation and afterwards the bursting event, the whole event has been simulated in the Optum G2-based finite element model. The steep laterite cliff of Eastern Ghats mountains is identified as the primary concern for the stability balance in the region. Real-time monitoring of natural dams is essential to minimize the amount of risk in the region from further occurrence of such landslide-related terminal hazards.
Flow Stratigraphy from Boreholes in the Lower Cretaceous Rajmahal Trap, Bengal Basin: Megacrystic Basalt Flows and Its Use as Possible Marker Horizon
Authors: Roy Abhijit , Maharana Mandakini , Anita Kumari
Published: April 2022

Flow stratigraphy has been carried out in the Rajmahal Traps from exploratory boreholes drilled for coal in the western sector of Bengal Basin. Different volcanic flows have been demarcated according to their broad megascopic characters. These flows are primarily basaltic in nature. It mainly contains plagioclase, augite along with magnetite and Ti-magnetite and shows porphyritic texture. Inter-trappean sediments are largely argillaceous in nature and restricted towards the lower part of this volcanic sequence. However, a prominent megacrystic plagioclase bearing basaltic flow zone occurs persistently in the middle part. It demarcates two separate modes of eruption in the entire volcanic sequence. Episodic volcanism during initial phase results intermittent deposition of inter-trappean sediments below this zone whereas eruption becomes fairly continuous during later stage which inhibits sedimentation above the megacrystic flow. As this megacrystic zone is very prominent and well persistent, it can be treated as marker horizon.
Designing high-yielding wheat crops under late sowing: a case study in southern China
Authors: Liu Ke , Harrison Matthew Tom , Wang Bin , Yang Rui , Yan Haoliang , Zou Juan , Liu De Li , Meinke Holger , Tian Xiaohai , Ma Shangyu , Zhang Yunbo , Man Jianguo , Wang Xiaoyan , Zhou Meixue
Published: April 2022

Cropping of rice and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in rotation contiguously in the same field is a fundamental pillar of double-cropping systems in southern China. Yields of such cropping systems are increasingly challenged as climate change (CC) drives increases in autumnal rainfall, delaying rice harvesting and subsequent sowing of wheat. Here, our purpose was to identify prospective traits of wheat crops enabling adaptation to later sowing and successively truncated growing seasons caused by CC. To identify traits that maintained or improved yields, we constructed 4,096 hypothetical genotypes underpinned by step-wise variations in parameters regulating phenology, growth and yield components. We then assimilated biophysical response surfaces through genotype (G) by environment (E) by management (M) analyses (G×E×M) using six locations spread across the breadth of southern China. We showed that later sowing reduced cumulative radiation interception, cumulative thermal time and crop capture of growing season rainfall. The culmination of these factors shortened crop duration and decreased biomass accumulation and retranslocation after anthesis, reducing grain number and penalising yields. Genotypes that had greater radiation use efficiency, longer juvenile phases and greater grain filling rates were more effective in alleviating yield losses with delayed sowing. However, not even the highest yielding genotype × management combination could entirely alleviate yield losses with delayed sowing. Our results suggest that CC and increasingly frequent extreme climatic events may reduce wheat yields in such cropping systems in the absence of other adaptation.
Flash Flood Risk Assessment and Driving Factors: A Case Study of the Yantanxi River Basin, Southeastern China
Authors: Chen Liutong , Yan Zhengtao , Li Qian , Xu Yingjun
Published: April 2022

In the context of climate change, the impact of extreme precipitation and its chain effects has intensified in the southeastern coastal region of China, posing a serious threat to the socioeconomic development in the region. This study took tropical cyclones–extreme precipitation–flash floods as an example to carry out a risk assessment of flash floods under climate change in the Yantanxi River Basin, southeastern China. To obtain the flash flood inundation characteristics through hydrologic–hydrodynamic modeling, the study combined representative concentration pathway (RCP) and shared socioeconomic pathway (SSP) scenarios to examine the change of flash flood risk and used the geographical detector to explore the driving factors behind the change. The results show that flash flood risk in the Yantanxi River Basin will significantly increase, and that socioeconomic factors and precipitation are the main driving forces. Under the RCP4.5-SSP2 and RCP8.5-SSP5 scenarios, the risk of flash floods is expected to increase by 88.79% and 95.57%, respectively. The main drivers in the case study area are GDP density (q = 0.85), process rainfall (q = 0.74), asset density (q = 0.68), and population density (q = 0.67). The study highlights the influence of socioeconomic factors on the change of flash flood disaster risk in small river basins. Our findings also provide a reference for regional planning and construction of flood control facilities in flash flood-prone areas, which may help to reduce the risk of flash floods.
Three-dimensional stochastic cubic nonlinear wave equation with almost space-time white noise
Authors: Oh Tadahiro , Wang Yuzhao , Zine Younes
Published: April 2022

We study the stochastic cubic nonlinear wave equation (SNLW) with an additive noise on the three-dimensional torus $${\mathbb {T}}^3$$

T

3

. In particular, we prove local well-posedness of the (renormalized) SNLW when the noise is almost a space-time white noise. In recent years, the paracontrolled calculus has played a crucial role in the well-posedness study of singular SNLW on $${\mathbb {T}}^3$$

T

3

by Gubinelli et al. (Paracontrolled approach to the three-dimensional stochastic nonlinear wave equation with quadratic nonlinearity, 2018, arXiv:1811.07808 [math.AP]), Oh et al. (Focusing $$\Phi ^4_3$$

Φ
3
4

-model with a Hartree-type nonlinearity, 2020. arXiv:2009.03251 [math.PR]), and Bringmann (Invariant Gibbs measures for the three-dimensional wave equation with a Hartree nonlinearity II: Dynamics, 2020, arXiv:2009.04616 [math.AP]). Our approach, however, does not rely on the paracontrolled calculus. We instead proceed with the second order expansion and study the resulting equation for the residual term, using multilinear dispersive smoothing.
From sediments to soils: changes in pore water metal bioavailability
Authors: Wijdeveld Arjan J. , Schipper Cor. A. , Heimovaara Ir. T. J.
Published: April 2022

The use of sediments as soils is an area of interest for Beneficial Use of dredged sediments. In this study the impact of the transition from sediments to soils is researched by looking at the seasonal and long year (10 year) change in pore water metal chemistry of sediments which are considered clean (class A) according to the Dutch soil directive. This study is based on a combination of geohydrological, geochemical and ecotoxicological risk models and validated against measured pore water concentrations for metals over an dry/wet period. The pore water metal concentrations are compared against standards and expressed as at Risk Characterization Ratio’s (RCR) values. The RCR values are high (> 1) during the first 3 years after the application of sediments as soil, especially at the end of the summer. The multi substances Potentially Affected Fraction (ms-PAF) shows a similar trend as the RCR values, although it takes 5 years before the combined calculated potential ecotoxicity is below the legal 40% threshold level. Translated to land use, it is advised to restrict land use for farming on soils where these clean (class A) sediments are applied for a five-year transition period.

Article Highlights

Beneficial Use of sediments should take into account the different conditions when used as soils.

Use of sediments as soils lead to a predicable seasonal and multiple year trend in metal concentrations in pore water.

The predicted results in metal pore water concentrations are translated into an advice for temporal land use.
Opportunities and Risks of UK Medical Device Reform
Authors: Han Ji Eun Diana , Ibrahim Hussein , Aiyegbusi Olalekan Lee , Liu Xiaoxuan , Marston Eliot , Denniston Alastair K. , Calvert Melanie J.
Published: April 2022

Objectives

To identify the potential opportunities and risks around future UK regulatory reform of medical devices.

Design

A mixed methods approach, comprising a rapid literature review, one-to-one, semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders, a multidisciplinary stakeholder workshop, and a post-workshop survey.

Setting

United Kingdom.

Participants

32 key stakeholders across the medical device sector were identified both from the public and private sectors.

Results

Opportunities relating to regulatory independence were identified, including the potential to create and implement a regulatory framework that ensures availability of medical devices; innovation and investment potential; and safety to the citizens of the UK. The most significant risks identified included threats to the safety of individual patients and the wider health system arising from the delay in awaiting regulatory approval due to the shortage of approved bodies; and reduced competitiveness of UK market and device manufacturers. Recommendations were identified to mitigate risks, centred on harnessing broader cross-sector collaborations, promoting patient and public partnership, and maximizing international engagement.

Conclusions

The UK’s medical device sector is at a time-critical juncture to construct a regulatory framework to navigate its exit of Europe and respond to Europe's transition to new medical device regulations whilst also addressing the ongoing demand for rapid approval for new devices in response to the global pandemic. Investment, capacity-building, and international engagement will play a central role in mitigating risks and maximizing opportunities for medical device regulation.
Implementation of Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) score for the assessment of factors influencing surgical outcome of lumbar spinal stenosis
Authors: Rahman Moshiur , Khan Robert Ahmed , Ziauddin Md , Hasan Sheikh Mahmood , Rahman Sabrina , Lozada-Martinez Ivan David , Al-Salihi Mohammed Maan , Rahman Raphia , Moscote-Salazar Luis Rafael
Published: April 2022

ABSTRACT

Introduction:

The surgical outcome of lumbar spinal stenosis is variable. Appropriate patient selection, surgical procedure, multi-level involvement, body mass index, mental stability, etc., are factors related to outcome. According to the patient's perspective, the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) gives clinicians and specialists admittance to dependable, substantial, and adaptable proportions of well-being status that evaluate physical, mental, and social prosperity.

Objective:

The purpose of this study is to identify the factors influencing the surgical success of patients with lumbar spinal stenosis.

Methods:

In this cross-sectional study, we have outlined the potential factors that have influenced the surgical outcome of lumbar spinal stenosis. A total of 146 patients were studied from 2010 to 2016.

Results:

In our study, the male and female ratio was 3:2. The mean age group was 60 years, range 50–70 years. The minimum follow-up was four years. PROMIS score was used to assess the outcome of surgery. We got the PROMIS score pre and postoperatively using online “orthotoolkit” questionnaires and calculated the patient's average scores. Decompressive laminectomy, laminotomy, unilateral approach-all procedures had similar outcomes.

Conclusion:

The outcome of surgical decompression is satisfactory, although various factors can be predictors of surgical failure. Our study suggests psychological issues, high BMI, comorbid conditions, multi-level surgeries are few that may predict poor outcomes.

Highlights
A History of Thailand
Authors: Baker Chris , Phongpaichit Pasuk
Published: April 2022

Since it was first published in 2005, A History of Thailand has been hailed as an authoritative, lively and readable account of Thailand's political, economic, social and cultural history. From the early settlements in the Chao Phraya basin to today, Baker and Phongpaichit trace how a world of mandarin nobles and unfree peasants was transformed by colonialism, the expansion of the rice frontier and the immigration of traders and labourers from southern China. This book examines how the monarchy managed the foundation of a new nation‐state at the end of the nineteenth century, and how urban nationalists, ambitious generals, communist rebels and business politicians competed to take control through the twentieth century. It tracks Thailand's economic changes, globalisation and the evolution of mass society, and draws on popular culture to dramatize social trends.
This edition contains a new chapter on Thailand's turbulent politics since 2006 and incorporates new sources and research throughout.
Conjonctures mondiales : la nouvelle fabrique de l’histoire politique européenne
Authors: Conrad Sebastian
Published: April 2022

Conjonctures mondiales : la nouvelle fabrique de l’histoire politique européenne

Au cours des dernières décennies, l’écriture de l’histoire européenne – qu’il s’agisse de l’histoire de l’Europe ou de celle des pays d’Europe – a connu des transformations fondamentales. Le tournant global, bien qu’il ait été adapté de différentes manières, a profondément affecté l’historiographie produite dans de nombreux pays européens. D’une part, des moments charnières de l’histoire européenne ont été réinterprétés comme parties prenantes de configurations plus larges et comme réponses aux défis mondiaux. D’autre part, il est désormais clair que la prétention de l’Europe à l’unité et à la cohésion a été renforcée notamment par des observateurs extérieurs. À la fin du xixe siècle, dans les sociétés d’Amérique latine, d’Afrique et d’Asie, les contemporains ont commencé à se référer à une « Europe » qui était moins un lieu spécifique qu’un produit de l’imagination, autrement dit : qui résultait moins de la géographie ou de la culture que de la géopolitique mondiale. Il ressort de tout cela une compréhension de l’histoire du continent qui ancre fermement celui-ci dans le contexte de conjonctures mondiales et de moments répétés de re-territorialisation.
Blood culture practices in patients with a central line at an academic medical center—Iowa, 2020
Authors: Kovoor Elias , Kobayashi Takaaki , Sheeler Lorinda L. , Trannel Alexandra , Etienne William , Abosi Oluchi , Holley Stephanie , Dains Angelique , Jenn Kyle E. , Meacham Holly , Hanna Beth , Marra Alexandre R. , Parsons Meredith , Ford Bradley , Wellington Melanie , Diekema Daniel J. , Salinas Jorge L.
Published: April 2022

We analyzed blood-culture practices to characterize the utilization of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) recommendations related to catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI) blood cultures. Most patients with a central line had only peripheral blood cultures. Increasing the utilization of CRBSI guidelines may improve clinical care, but may also affect other quality metrics.
Evaluation of Disability Education and Emergency Preparedness Curricula of Physician Assistant Programs
Authors: Roux Gabrielle , VanderMolen Julia K. , Christensen Paul J.
Published: April 2022

Objective:

The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate whether physician assistant (PA) programs in the Midwest integrate both disabilities and emergency preparedness education into 1 curriculum.

Methods:

A convenience sample was utilized to survey program directors and deans of PA programs. Emails were obtained from the Physician Assistant Education Association. A 26, closed-ended question Qualtrics survey was based on an original study by Tanenhaus et al.1

Results:

Out of 43 accredited physician assistant programs surveyed, 9 programs replied (21%), and 1 program did not complete the survey. Six of the 10 programs (66%) responded that their program provided lectures specific to emergency preparedness. All 9 programs responded they do not offer a graduate-level track or concentration in emergency/disaster preparedness, and they do not offer a dual degree or a multidisciplinary program that highlights emergency/disaster preparedness.

Conclusions:

This study was conducted to bring awareness to physician assistant students’ education regarding disabilities and emergency preparedness. As public health crises continue to arise, such as coronavirus disease (COVID-19), it is critical to have appropriately trained health care professionals. The study revealed that most programs lack a graduate-level track or concentrations, dual degrees, or extracurricular opportunities related to disabilities and emergency and disaster preparedness.
Modeling and simulating spatial extremes by combining extreme value theory with generative adversarial networks
Authors: Boulaguiem Younes , Zscheischler Jakob , Vignotto Edoardo , van der Wiel Karin , Engelke Sebastian
Published: April 2022

Modeling dependencies between climate extremes is important for climate risk assessment, for instance when allocating emergency management funds. In statistics, multivariate extreme value theory is often used to model spatial extremes. However, most commonly used approaches require strong assumptions and are either too simplistic or over-parameterized. From a machine learning perspective, generative adversarial networks (GANs) are a powerful tool to model dependencies in high-dimensional spaces. Yet in the standard setting, GANs do not well represent dependencies in the extremes. Here we combine GANs with extreme value theory (evtGAN) to model spatial dependencies in summer maxima of temperature and winter maxima in precipitation over a large part of western Europe. We use data from a stationary 2000-year climate model simulation to validate the approach and explore its sensitivity to small sample sizes. Our results show that evtGAN outperforms classical GANs and standard statistical approaches to model spatial extremes. Already with about 50 years of data, which corresponds to commonly available climate records, we obtain reasonably good performance. In general, dependencies between temperature extremes are better captured than dependencies between precipitation extremes due to the high spatial coherence in temperature fields. Our approach can be applied to other climate variables and can be used to emulate climate models when running very long simulations to determine dependencies in the extremes is deemed infeasible.
Forecasting commodity returns by exploiting climate model forecasts of the El Niño Southern Oscillation
Authors: Kitsios Vassili , De Mello Lurion , Matear Richard
Published: April 2022

The physical and socioeconomic environments in which we live are intrinsically linked over a wide range of time and space scales. On monthly intervals, the price of many commodities produced predominantly in tropical regions covary with the dominant mode of climate variability in this region, namely the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Here, for the spot prices returns of vegetable oils produced in Asia, we develop autoregressive (AR) models with exogenous ENSO indices, where for the first time these indices are generated by a purpose-built state-of-the-art general circulation model (GCM) climate forecasting system. The GCM is a numerical simulation which couples together the atmosphere, ocean, and sea ice, with the initial conditions tailored to maximize the climate forecast skill at multiyear timescales in the tropics. To serve as additional benchmarks, we also test commodity forecasts using: (a) no ENSO information as a lower bound; (b) perfect future ENSO knowledge as a reference upper bound; and (c) an econometric AR model of ENSO. All models adopting ENSO factors outperform those that do not, indicating the value here of incorporating climate knowledge into investment decision-making. Commodity forecasts adopting perfect ENSO factors have statistically significant skill out to 2 years. When adopting the GCM-ENSO factors, there is predictive power of the commodity beyond 1 year in the best case, which consistently outperforms commodity forecasts adopting an AR econometric model of ENSO.
Imagining Region in Late Colonial India: Jhaverchand Meghani and the Construction of Saurashtra (1921–47)
Authors: Kapadia Aparna
Published: April 2022

The making of regional and national imaginaries in colonial South Asia and indigenous elites’ role in this process are well documented. Less clearly understood are the cultural and social elements that were subordinated to the regional formations that prevailed. By focusing on the travel writings of Jhaverchand Meghani (1896–1947), a prominent intellectual and litterateur from western India, this article illustrates the internal configurations and contestations that underpinned the imaginings of regions in South Asia. Notably, Meghani saw the cultural preservation of Saurashtra as his life's mission. This article is the first to engage in a close reading of his travelogues, situating them in the wider context of emergent ideas of Gujarat in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It argues that by showcasing Saurashtra's particular folk and oral traditions, Meghani distinguished himself from the other regionalists and thus also sought to prevent Saurashtra's complete subsumption within the modern state of Gujarat.