bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Childhood maltreatment is associated with cortical thinning in people with eating disorders
Authors: Cascino Giammarco , Canna Antonietta , Russo Andrea Gerardo , Monaco Francesco , Esposito Fabrizio , Di Salle Francesco , Monteleone Palmiero , Monteleone Alessio Maria
Published: July 2022

Childhood maltreatment (CM) is a non-specific risk factor for eating disorders (ED) and is associated with a greater severity in their clinical presentation and poorer treatment outcome. These data suggest that maltreated people with ED may be biologically other than clinically different from non-maltreated people. The aim of the present study was to investigate cortical thickness (CT), a possible biomarker of neurodevelopment, in people with ED with or without history of CM and in healthy women. Twenty-four healthy women, 26 with anorexia nervosa and 24 with bulimia nervosa underwent a 3T MRI scan. All participants filled in the childhood trauma questionnaire. All neuroimaging data were processed by FreeSurfer. Twenty-four participants with ED were identified as maltreated and 26 participants with ED as non-maltreated. All healthy women were non-maltreated. Compared to healthy women, maltreated people with ED showed lower CT in the left rostral anterior cingulate gyrus, while compared to people with ED without history of CM showed lower CT values in the left superior frontal and in right caudal middle frontal and superior parietal gyri. No significant differences emerged in CT measures between healthy women and people with ED without history of CM. The present findings show for the first time that in adult people with ED childhood maltreatment is associated with cortical thinning in areas implicated in the modulation of brain processes that are acknowledged to play a role in the psychopathology of ED.
An update on ophthalmological perspectives in oculodermal melanocytosis (Nevus of Ota)
Authors: Abdolrahimzadeh Solmaz , Pugi Damiano Maria , Manni Priscilla , Iodice Clemente Maria , Di Tizio Federico , Persechino Flavia , Scuderi Gianluca
Published: July 2022

Purpose

To provide a review of the literature on oculodermal melanocytosis (ODM) with a focus on the diagnostic and therapeutic implications of multimodal imaging techniques in the management of ophthalmic complications.

Methods

The authors carried out a literature search on PubMed, Medline, and Scopus of English language articles published on ODM through August 2021. This review presents traditional and novel diagnostic methods in the diagnosis and follow-up of patients with particular emphasis on addressing the role of imaging in the management of the ophthalmic complications of the condition towards improving current practice patterns.

Results

ODM is a rare, prevalently unilateral, congenital condition that presents with brown or blue/gray flat asymptomatic lesions of the skin, mucosae, episclera/sclera, and uvea localized within the territory of distribution of the ophthalmic and mandibular branches of the trigeminal nerve. Glaucoma and predisposition to uveal melanoma are the main ophthalmic complications. Diagnosis and management are through comprehensive opthalmological examination and traditional imaging methods such as ultrasonography and fluorescein/indocyanine green angiography as pigmentation of the fundus can conceal subtle retinal and choroidal alterations. Anterior segment optical coherence tomography and ultrasound biomicroscopy are used to evaluate the anterior segment and the ciliary body in the presence of glaucoma or melanoma of the anterior uveal tract. Fundus autofluorescence and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) alterations are of aid in the differential diagnosis between choroidal nevi and melanoma. Enhanced depth imaging spectral domain optical coherence tomography offers outstanding in vivo evaluation of the dimensions and details of tumors or nevi and surrounding choroidal tissues and small choroidal melanomas may show distortions of the retinal and sub-retinal profile, presence of intra and sub-retinal fluid, abnormalities of the RPE, and compression of the choriocapillaris.

Conclusions

Novel multimodal imaging techniques are significant in the diagnosis and management of the ophthalmic complications of ODM. Fundus autofluorescence and enhanced depth spectral domain optical coherence tomography have adjunctive value in the detection of early-stage melanoma and differential diagnosis between nevi and melanoma. Awareness of current and emerging imaging techniques can propagate improved standardized definition and assessment of the complications of ODM.
Urban thermal comfort trends in Sri Lanka: the increasing overheating problem and its potential mitigation
Authors: Simath Shifana , Emmanuel Rohinton
Published: July 2022

Urban dwellers experience overheating due to both global and urban warming. The rapid urbanisation, especially in hot, humid cities, lead to greater exposure to heat risk, both due to increasing urban populations as well as overheating due to global/urban warming. However, a nation-wide exploration of thermal comfort trends, especially in the hot, humid tropics, remains relatively unexplored. In this paper, we explore the recent historical trends (1991–2020) in outdoor thermal comfort across the entire island of Sri Lanka and evaluate the likely effects of known urban climate mitigation strategies — shade and vegetative cover. We find that ‘very strong heat stress’ is moving towards ‘extreme heat stress’ that was barely registered in 1990s and is now common across two-thirds of the landmass of Sri Lanka in the hottest month (April). Even in the coolest month (January), ‘moderate heat stress’ unknown in the 1990s is now becoming a common trend across the most densely populated parts of the country. High shading and vegetation could reduce heat stress, even in the hottest month, but its utility will diminish as the warming continues in future. As such, policies to reduce global warming needs to be urgently pursued while simultaneously adapting to urban warming in Sri Lanka.
Nordic forest management towards climate change mitigation: time dynamic temperature change impacts of wood product systems including substitution effects
Authors: Schulte Maximilian , Jonsson Ragnar , Hammar Torun , Stendahl Johan , Hansson Per-Anders
Published: July 2022

Climate change mitigation trade-offs between increasing harvests to exploit substitution effects versus accumulating forest carbon sequestration complicate recommendations for climate beneficial forest management. Here, a time dynamic assessment ascertains climate change mitigation potential from different rotation forest management alternatives across three Swedish regions integrating the forest decision support system Heureka RegWise with a wood product model using life cycle assessment data. The objective is to increase understanding on the climate effects of varying the forest management. Across all regions, prolonging rotations by 20% leads on average to the largest additional net climate benefit until 2050 in both, saved emissions and temperature cooling, while decreasing harvests by 20% leads to the cumulatively largest net climate benefits past 2050. In contrast, increasing harvests or decreasing the rotation period accordingly provokes temporally alternating net emissions, or slight net emission, respectively, regardless of a changing market displacement factor. However, future forest calamities might compromise potential additional temperature cooling from forests, while substitution effects, despite probable prospective decreases, require additional thorough and time explicit assessments, to provide more robust policy consultation.
Inner Flame Front Structures and Burning Velocities of Premixed Turbulent Planar Ammonia/Air and Methane/Air Flames
Authors: Tamadonfar Parsa , Karimkashi Shervin , Kaario Ossi , Vuorinen Ville
Published: July 2022

Ammonia ($$\mathrm {NH_3}$$NH3) has attracted interest as a future carbon-free synthetic fuel due to its economic storage and transportation. In this study, quasi direct numerical simulations (quasi-DNS) with detailed-chemistry have been performed in 3-D to examine the flame thickness and assess the validity of Damköhler’s first hypothesis for premixed turbulent planar ammonia/air and methane/air flames under different turbulence levels. The Karlovitz number is systematically changed from 4.26 to 12.06 indicating that all the test conditions are located within the thin reaction zones combustion regime. Results indicate that the ensemble average values of the preheat zone thickness deviate slightly from the thin laminar flamelet assumption, while the reaction zone regions remain relatively intact. Following the balance equation of reaction progress variable gradient, normal strain rate and the tangential diffusion component of flame displacement speed variation in the normal direction to the flame surface are found to be responsible for thickening the flame. However, the sum of reaction and normal diffusion components of flame displacement speed variation in the normal direction to the flame surface is in charge of flame thinning for ammonia/air and methane/air flames. In addition, the validity of Damköhler’s first hypothesis is confirmed by indicating that the ratio of the turbulent burning velocity to the unstrained premixed laminar burning velocity is relatively equal to the ratio of the wrinkled to the unwrinkled flame surface area. Furthermore, the probability density functions of the density-weighted flame displacement speed show that the bulk of flame elements propagate identical to the unstrained premixed laminar flame.
Molecular characterization of an embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma occurring in a patient with Kabuki syndrome: report and literature review in the light of tumor predisposition syndromes
Authors: Aukema Sietse M. , Glaser Selina , van den Hout Mari F. C. M. , Dahlum Sonja , Blok Marinus J. , Hillmer Morten , Kolarova Julia , Sciot Raf , Schott Dina A. , Siebert Reiner , Stumpel Constance T. R. M.
Published: July 2022

Kabuki syndrome is a well-recognized syndrome characterized by facial dysmorphism and developmental delay/intellectual disability and in the majority of patients a germline variant in KMT2D is found. As somatic KMT2D variants can be found in 5–10% of tumors a tumor predisposition in Kabuki syndrome is discussed. So far less than 20 patients with Kabuki syndrome and a concomitant malignancy have been published. Here we report on a female patient with Kabuki syndrome and a c.2558_2559delCT germline variant in KMT2D who developed an embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma (ERMS) at 10 years. On tumor tissue we performed DNA-methylation profiling and exome sequencing (ES). Copy number analyses revealed aneuploidies typical for ERMS including (partial) gains of chromosomes 2, 3, 7, 8, 12, 15, and 20 and 3 focal deletions of chromosome 11p. DNA methylation profiling mapped the case to ERMS by a DNA methylation-based sarcoma classifier. Sequencing suggested gain of the wild-type KMT2D allele in the trisomy 12. Including our patient literature review identified 18 patients with Kabuki syndrome and a malignancy. Overall, the landscape of malignancies in patients with Kabuki syndrome was reminiscent of that of the pediatric population in general. Histopathological and molecular data were only infrequently reported and no report included next generation sequencing and/or DNA-methylation profiling. Although we found no strong arguments pointing towards KS as a tumor predisposition syndrome, based on the small numbers any relation cannot be fully excluded. Further planned studies including profiling of additional tumors and long term follow-up of KS-patients into adulthood could provide further insights.
Conformance-oriented Predictive Process Monitoring in BPaaS Based on Combination of Neural Networks
Authors: Wang Jiaojiao , Chang Victor , Yu Dongjin , Liu Chang , Ma Xiaoyu , Yu Dingguo
Published: July 2022

As a new cloud service for delivering complex business applications, Business Process as a Service (BPaaS) is another challenge faced by cloud service platforms recently. To effectively reduce the security risk caused by business process execution load in BPaaS, it is necessary to detect the non-compliant process executions (instances) from tenants in advance by checking and monitoring the conformance of the executing process instances in real-time. However, the vast majority of existing conformance checking techniques can only be applied to the process instances that have been executed completely offline and only focus on the conformance from the single control-flow perspective. We develop an extensible multi-perspective conformance measurement method to address these issues first and then investigate the predictive conformance monitoring approach by automatically constructing an online multi-perspective conformance prediction model based on deep learning techniques. In addition, to capture more decisive features in the model from both local information and long-distance dependency within an executed process instance, we propose an approach, called CNN-BiGRU, by combining Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) with a variant and enhancement of Recurrent Neural Network (RNN). Extensive experiments on two data sets demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed CNN-BiGRU.
Hands on programming: Teachers’ use of Metaphors in gesture and Speech make Abstract concepts tangible
Authors: Larsson Andreas , Stolpe Karin
Published: July 2022

Metaphors in gesture and speech play a pivotal role in the way that programming concepts are presented in the classroom. However, little is known about the function of teachers’ metaphors in practice. This study aims to explore teachers’ use of metaphors in gesture and speech in a lecture on programming. Based on video observations of three upper secondary teachers, we employ Metaphor Identification Procedure (MIP) and Metaphor Identification for Gesture Guidelines (MIG-G) as methodological tools for identifying metaphoric speech and gestures related to programming concepts. The results of the study reveal that the gestures of the three teachers mainly function in two ways: (1) to add spatial properties to a programming concept and (2) to provide additional imagery for a programming concept. Consequently, the gestures identified in this study reduce the communicative burden of teachers’ speech. Furthermore, the study reveals that teachers’ gestures serve as means for making abstract concepts more tangible. For example, gestures concerning the abstract term “data” can generally be related to an object that could be received or moved. Hence, despite its metaphorical origin, data could be considered a graspable aspect of programming. Furthermore, spatial gestures enable the teachers to communicate programming processes in a tangible way, for example assigning programming processes a forward direction. Theoretical implications, potential implications for teaching and future research are discussed in the paper.
Recipient perspectives on the impact of home adaptations in later life in England
Authors: Aitken Dominic , Wilson-Menzfeld Gemma , Hodgson Philip , Bailey Catherine
Published: July 2022

The ability for adults to make changes to their home environments as they age to better suit their needs is of increasing importance. It is crucial that the full gamut of impacts from adaptations is understood in order to facilitate comprehensive evaluations which can fully capture their utility. Most previous studies in the field have used a quantitative methodology. Drawing on qualitative interviews, with some informed by wearable camera data, we explore perspectives on the impact of home adaptations from recipients aged 65 and over (n = 30). These are discussed around five themes: restorative outcomes; preventative outcomes; social outcomes; impacts on others; and home perceptions. The research emphasises several under-explored outcomes from adaptations including impacts related to social participation, care provision, relocation, perceptions of the home, service awareness and other household members. We argue that any future evaluation framework needs to comprehensively capture potential outcomes based on the lived experience of recipients in order to fully appreciate both negative and positive impacts from home adaptations.
College Students’ motivational beliefs and use of goal-oriented control strategies: Integrating two theories of motivated behavior
Authors: von Keyserlingk Luise , Rubach Charlott , Lee Hye Rin , Eccles Jacquelynne S. , Heckhausen Jutta
Published: July 2022

In college, students often encounter situations in which they struggle to meet their academic goals in difficult courses. We integrate the Motivational Theory of Life-Span Development and Situated Expectancy-Value Theory to investigate how motivational beliefs and experiences in a difficult course predict the use of goal engagement oriented and goal adjustment oriented control strategies that can help students stay engaged in challenging courses. We used survey data collected in two academic quarters at a public university in the U.S. (N = 231). Students who perceived their midterm exam as more difficult than expected and students with higher course-specific subjective task values reported using more goal engagement oriented and goal adjustment oriented control strategies. Students with higher course-specific ability beliefs were less likely to use goal adjustment strategies. Results further showed that students planned to use control strategies depending on their experienced setbacks or success in exams. Findings provide important insights into how motivational orientations and course experiences relate to adaptive and goal-oriented behavior in college courses.
Genetics of Cushing’s disease: from the lab to clinical practice
Authors: Theodoropoulou Marily , Reincke Martin
Published: July 2022

Cushing’s disease is a rare, but devastating condition, caused by corticotroph tumors. It rarely manifests as syndrome and very few isolated cases present with germline mutations. Instead, the vast majority of corticotroph tumors are sporadic monoclonal neoplasms. At present, the major recurrent somatic driver mutations are found in the USP8 gene, which encodes for a deubiquitinase that rescues proteins regulating ACTH synthesis. Almost half of functional corticotroph tumors carry somatic USP8 mutations that associate with a distinct transcriptomic and clinical profile. Other genes mutated in a small fraction of corticotroph tumors include the deubiquitinase encoding gene USP48 and the glucocorticoid receptor expressing NR3C1. Recent reports on somatic TP53 and ATRX mutations in corticotroph macroadenomas and carcinomas indicate that within specific patient subpopulations they are not as rare as assumed.
Trust in the Third Space of Science Education
Authors: Toscano Maurizio , Millar Victoria
Published: July 2022

This paper investigates rationality and its relationship to trust in science in the context of three proposed spaces of science education: the formal, informal and casual. It begins with the place of science as a trusted institution and its role in formal and informal education across the world. Through educational systems, we have come to trust that students are being educated about science and its trustworthiness. However, formal and informal education spaces are not the only spaces in which individuals and society seek science understanding. While the science education literature has long concerned itself with science education in these spaces, this paper proposes a third space, the casual space. The casual space is decentralised and provides access to a range of norms and explanations about the world. We investigate how each of the formal, informal and casual spaces privileges particular forms of rationality as a means for understanding trust in science in each of these spaces. This paper considers the implications for education’s response to the challenge of equipping students to make rational judgements about science.
Trends in osteoporosis diagnosis and management in Australia
Authors: Smith Leon , Wilson Stephen
Published: July 2022

Trends in bone mineral density monitoring, and drug treatment for osteoporosis, in Australia were examined. Rates of DEXA scanning have increased in response to changes to government policy affecting reimbursement. The drug denosumab is being utilised at an increasing rate, while bisphosphonate use has declined. Osteoporosis prevalence remained stable over the same timeframe, while rate of hip fractures declined, suggesting that introduction of osteoporosis screening was associated with a reduction in adverse osteoporosis outcomes, but may also have been associated with overutilisation.

Introduction

Radiology interventions to diagnose and medications to manage osteoporosis in Australia are reimbursed under the Medicare benefits schedule (MBS) and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). Monitoring of these databases enables changes in utilisation of these practices to be monitored over time.

Methods

This study examined rates of utilisation for bone mineral density (BMD) measurement and osteoporosis pharmacotherapy subsidised under the MBS. Rates of osteoporosis and hip fracture were estimated using data reported by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and Australian Institute for Health and Welfare (AIHW).

Results

Rates of BMD measurement increased since the technology was first reimbursed, with changes to policy regarding reimbursement for screening for individuals over 70 leading to an increase in BMD measurement after 2007. Prescribing rates also increased over time, initially with the introduction of oral bisphosphonates and subsequently for denosumab, which has subsequently become the most commonly prescribed agent for osteoporosis management in Australia, while bisphosphonate use has declined. Osteoporosis prevalence in Australia has remained relatively static at 3–4% of the population since 2001 to 2017, while rates of minimal trauma hip fracture hospitalisations have declined from 195 per 100,000 to 174 per 100,000 in the same timeframe.

Conclusion

Available data indicates that osteoporosis screening rates changed over time from 2001 to 2018 and that changes to government policy had a significant effect on the rates at which screening was performed. Over the same timeframe, there was a sustained reduction in hip fracture hospitalisation rates, with no change to reported osteoporosis prevalence. This suggests that policy changes permitting unlimited access to BMD measurement were associated with a reduction in osteoporotic fractures, but may also have been associated with overutilisation. Prospective studies to assess the efficacy of specific policies to ensure screening is performed in accordance with best-practice guidelines may be desirable.
Teaching and learning discrete mathematics
Authors: Sandefur James , Lockwood Elise , Hart Eric , Greefrath Gilbert
Published: July 2022

In this paper, we provide an overall perspective on the teaching and learning of discrete mathematics. Our aim is to highlight what research has been conducted in this area and to connect it to existing research ideas for future work. We begin by characterizing discrete mathematics and its role in the school curriculum, highlighting themes, topics, and mathematical practices that distinguish discrete mathematics. We then present potential benefits of focusing on discrete mathematics topics for mathematics education; in particular, we discuss the accessibility of topics in discrete mathematics, the connection to mathematical processes and affect, and the relevance of discrete mathematics in our current society. We also emphasize discrete mathematics from an international perspective, highlighting studies from the US, Italy, France, Chile, and Germany, which are across all school levels–primary, middle, and secondary school, and with some implications for post-secondary education. We particularly discuss discrete topics including number theory, combinatorics, iteration and recursion, graph theory, and discrete games and puzzles; we describe and situate these topics within literature. We also suggest the additional topics of game theory and the mathematics of fairness that we hope to see addressed in future studies.
Unraveling the Contribution of Serotonergic Polymorphisms, Prefrontal Alpha Asymmetry, and Individual Alpha Peak Frequency to the Emotion-Related Impulsivity Endophenotype
Authors: Javelle Florian , Löw Andreas , Bloch Wilhelm , Hosang Thomas , Jacobsen Thomas , Johnson Sheri L. , Schenk Alexander , Zimmer Philipp
Published: July 2022

The unique contribution of the serotonin transporter-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR), intronic region 2 (STin2), and monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) genes to individual differences in personality traits has been widely explored, and research has shown that certain forms of these polymorphisms relate to impulsivity and impulsivity-related disorders. Humans showing these traits are also described as having an asymmetrical prefrontal cortical activity when compared to others. In this explorative study, we examine the relationship between serotonergic neurotransmission polymorphisms, cortical activity features (prefrontal alpha asymmetry, individual alpha peak frequency [iAPF]), emotion-related and non-emotion-related impulsivity in humans. 5-HTTLPR, MAO-A, and STin2 polymorphisms were assessed in blood taken from 91 participants with high emotion-related impulsivity levels. Sixty-seven participants completed resting electroencephalography and a more comprehensive impulsivity index. In univariate analyses, iAPF correlated with both forms of emotion-related impulsivity. In multiple linear regression models, 5-HTTLPR polymorphism (model 1, adj. R2 = 15.2%) and iAPF were significant interacting predictors of emotion-related impulsivity, explaining a large share of the results’ variance (model 2, adj. R2 = 21.2%). Carriers of the low transcriptional activity 5-HTTPLR and MAO-A phenotypes obtained higher emotion-related impulsivity scores than others did. No significant results were detected for non-emotion-related impulsivity or for a form of emotion-related impulsivity involving cognitive/motivational reactivity to emotion. Our findings support an endophenotypic approach to impulsivity, showing that tri-allelic 5-HTTLPR polymorphism, iAPF, and their interaction are relevant predictors of one form of emotion-related impulsivity.
Linking academic buoyancy and math achievement in secondary school students: Does academic self-efficacy play a role?
Authors: Weißenfels Marie , Hoffmann Dana , Dörrenbächer-Ulrich Laura , Perels Franziska
Published: July 2022

Academic buoyancy describes the ability to successfully overcome and recover from setbacks in an academic context (e.g., a poor grade, motivational dips, stress due to upcoming performance exams). This day-to-day form of academic resilience has recently been defined in the context of positive psychology. The present study aimed to gain insights into the mechanisms of academic buoyancy by predicting math achievement. Since there is already evidence that this relationship is rather indirect than direct, we were particularly interested in investigating a potential actor of an indirect effect, namely academic self-efficacy. For this purpose, n = 974 students at eleven secondary schools in southwestern Germany were surveyed through a questionnaire. The data were analyzed using a latent variable approach. The results of the study show that academic buoyancy is a significant predictor of math achievement and that this relation is explained through academic self-efficacy, even when controlling for gender. Implications for practice and further research are also discussed.
Model-based design of crop diversification through new field arrangements in spatially heterogeneous landscapes. A review
Authors: Hernández-Ochoa Ixchel M. , Gaiser Thomas , Kersebaum Kurt-Christian , Webber Heidi , Seidel Sabine Julia , Grahmann Kathrin , Ewert Frank
Published: July 2022

Intensive agriculture in Germany is not only highly productive but has also led to detrimental effects in the environment. Crop diversification together with new field arrangements considering soil heterogeneities can be an alternative to improve resource use efficiency (RUE), ecosystem services (ESS), and biodiversity. Agroecosystem models are tools that help us to understand and design diversified new field arrangements. The main goal of this study was to review the extent to which agroecosystem models have been used for crop diversification design at field and landscape scale by considering soil heterogeneities and to understand the model requirements for this purpose. We found several agroecosystem models available for simulating spatiotemporal crop diversification at the field scale. For spatial crop diversification, simplified modelling approaches consider crop interactions for light, water, and nutrients, but they offer restricted crop combinations. For temporal crop diversification, agroecosystem models include the major crops (e.g., cereals, legumes, and tuber crops). However, crop parameterization is limited for marginal crops and soil carbon and nitrogen (N). At the landscape scale, decision-making frameworks are commonly used to design diversified cropping systems. Within-field soil heterogeneities are rarely considered in field or landscape design studies. Combining static frameworks with dynamic agroecosystems models can be useful for the design and evaluation of trade-offs for ESS delivery and biodiversity. To enhance modeling capabilities to simulate diversified cropping systems in new field arrangements, it will be necessary to improve the representation of crop interactions, the inclusion of more crop species options, soil legacy effects, and biodiversity estimations. Newly diversified field arrangement design also requires higher data resolution, which can be generated via remote sensing and field sensors. We propose the implementation of a framework that combines static approaches and process-based models for new optimized field arrangement design and propose respective experiments for testing the combined framework.
Enhanced High-Temperature Mechanical Behavior of an in Situ TiAl Matrix Composite Reinforced With Alumina
Authors: Pilone D. , Mondal A. , Pulci G. , Paglia L. , Brotzu A. , Marra F. , Felli F.
Published: July 2022

A Ti-45Al-3Cr-2.5Nb alloy reinforced with in situ formed alumina has been produced by means of centrifugal casting by adding zirconium oxide in the crucible. The dispersion-strengthened alloy has been characterized to verify its microstructure and particle distribution. Mechanical tests carried out over the temperature range 850–950 °C highlighted that in situ formed alumina allows to increase the alloy yield stress by 21% at 850 °C and by 35% at 900 °C. Moreover, the in situ formed oxide particles produced an increase of the Young’s modulus of about 10% at 850 °C and of about 8% at 900 °C. Considering that the tested alloy has a density that is about a half of nickel superalloys, obtaining high specific mechanical properties over the temperature range 850–950 °C can boost its application in the production of turbine blades.

Graphical abstract
An open-set framework for underwater image classification using autoencoders
Authors: Akhtarshenas Azim , Toosi Ramin
Published: July 2022

In this paper, we mainly intend to address the underwater image classification problem in an open-set scenario. Image classification algorithms have been mostly provided with a small set of species, while there exist lots of species not available to the algorithms or even unknown to ourselves. Thus, we deal with an open-set problem and extremely high false alarm rate in real scenarios, especially in the case of unseen species. Motivated by these challenges, our proposed scheme aims to prevent the unseen species from going to the classifier section. To this end, we introduce a new framework based on convolutional neural networks (CNNs) that automatically identifies various species of fishes and then classifies them into certain classes using a novel technique. In the proposed method, an autoencoder is employed to distinguish between seen and unseen species. To clarify, the autoencoder is trained to reconstruct the available species with high accuracy and filter out species that are not in our training set. In the following, a classifier based on EfficientNet is trained to classify the samples that are accepted by the autoencoder (AE), i.e. the samples that have small reconstruction error. Our proposed method is evaluated in terms of precision, recall, and accuracy and compared to the state-of-the-art methods utilizing WildFish dataset. Simulation results reveal the supremacy of the proposed method.
Necroptosis-Related LncRNA Signatures for Prognostic Prediction in Uterine Corpora Endometrial Cancer
Authors: Lin Zhiheng , Fan Weisen , Sui Xiaohui , Wang Juntao , Zhao Junde
Published: July 2022

Necroptosis is one of the common modes of apoptosis, and it has an intrinsic association with cancer prognosis. However, the role of the necroptosis-related long non-coding RNA LncRNA (NRLncRNAs) in uterine corpora endometrial cancer (UCEC) has not yet been fully elucidated at present. Therefore, the present study is designed to investigate the potential prognostic value of necroptosis-related LncRNAs in UCEC. In the present study, the expression profiles and clinical data of UCEC patients were downloaded from TCGA database to identify the differentially expressed NRLncRNAs associated with overall survival. A LncRNA risk model was constructed via Cox regression analysis, and its prognostic value was evaluated. We have also further evaluated the relationships between the LncRNA features and the related cellular function, related pathways, immune status, and immune checkpoints m6A-related genes. Seven signatures, including PCAT19, CDKN2B-AS1, LINC01936, LINC02178, BMPR1B-DT, LINC00237, and TRPM2-AS, were established to assess the overall survival (OS) of the UCEC in the present study. Survival analysis and ROC curves indicated that the correlated signature has good predictable performance. The normogram could accurately predict the overall survival of the patients with an excellent clinical practical value. Enrichment analysis of gene sets indicated that risk signals were enriched in several immune-related pathways. In addition, the risk characteristics were significantly correlated with immune cells, immune function, immune cell infiltration, immune checkpoints, and some m6A-related genes. This study has identified seven necroptosis-related LncRNA signatures for the first time, providing a valuable basis for a more accurate prognostic prediction of UCEC.
Precarious ageing in a global pandemic – older adults' experiences of being at risk due to COVID-19
Authors: Gallistl Vera , Richter Lukas , Heidinger Theresa , Schütz Teresa , Rohner Rebekka , Hengl Lisa , Kolland Franz
Published: July 2022

Health authorities worldwide address older adults as a risk group for more serious illness and health complications associated with COVID-19, while social gerontologists have warned that addressing older adults as a risk group of COVID-19 bears the risk of reinforcing ageism. This paper empirically explores to what extent older adults perceive themselves as part of a COVID-19 risk group and how these perceptions influence their everyday lives and experiences of age and ageing. This paper draws upon data from a mixed-methods study on older adults' risk perceptions during COVID-19 in Lower Austria, including a representative survey on 521 adults (60+ years) and data from 20 semi-structured interviews. Approximately two-thirds of the respondents consider themselves at risk of COVID-19 and name age, in addition to pre-existing illness, as a contributing factor in this risk perception. Older adults with health constraints, and especially older men, have a higher probability of perceiving risk due to COVID-19. Additionally, older adults report that they experience being ‘suddenly seen as old’ or ‘being put into a box’ during the pandemic, which influenced their experiences and images of ageing. Our study provides insights into how perceived COVID-19 risk affects the everyday lives of older adults. Age-based categorisations of risk contribute to a shift in images of age and ageing, drawing on insecurity and risk, rather than successful and active ageing, to conceptualise later life.
Age, ethnicity, life events and wellbeing among New Zealand women
Authors: Newton Nicky J. , Howard Chloe , Houkamau Carla A. , Sibley Chris G.
Published: July 2022

By the year 2030, 19–21 per cent of the population of New Zealand (NZ) is projected to be aged 65 and over. Like many countries, life expectancy in NZ differs by gender but also ethnicity: in 2019, life expectancy for Māori (indigenous) women was 77.1 years compared with 84.4 years for non-Māori women. If Māori and NZ European women are to flourish in later life, examining the factors associated with their wellbeing is paramount. The current study draws on the Life Course Perspective to explore how wellbeing is associated with age-related life events among mid- to later-life NZ women. The women in this study (N = 19,624) are participants in the 2018 wave of the New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study, a national probabilistic 20-year longitudinal study (mean age = 55.62; Māori = 10.8%, NZ European = 89.2%). We found that stressful life events were negatively associated with life satisfaction but positively associated with meaning in life. Māori women exhibited lower levels of life satisfaction but there were no ethnic differences for meaning in life; however, Māori and NZ European women showed different patterns of significant correlates associated with meaning in life. Findings highlight the necessity of an intersectional approach to the study of mid- to later-life wellbeing and the utility of measuring wellbeing in more than one way within NZ's unique cultural-historical context.
Explicit and implicit knowledge and learning of an additional language: A research agenda
Authors: Roehr-Brackin Karen
Published: July 2022

This paper puts forward a research agenda in the area of explicit and implicit knowledge and learning of second or additional languages. Based on a brief overview of reliable findings as well as open questions in the field, three agenda items are highlighted. First, valid and reliable measures of explicit and, in particular, implicit knowledge and learning need to be identified and their suitability for participants of different ages established. Second, and closely related to the previous point, explicit and implicit knowledge and learning should be investigated across the human lifespan. Therefore, studies need to include to a greater extent hitherto under-represented groups such as children and older adults in order to pinpoint the benefits or otherwise of implicit and, in particular, explicit knowledge and learning in these age ranges. Third, researchers should aim to capture with their designs the complex and dynamic interplay of the multiple cognitive, affective, biographical and contextual factors that influence the development of explicit and implicit knowledge over time. Concrete tasks for future research are proposed under these three agenda items, with a view to assisting interested investigators in formulating research questions and specifying research designs.
Amateur Village Drama and Community in England, 1900–1950
Authors: Wallis Mick
Published: July 2022

In the interwar period, amateur drama was actively promoted as a means to create or repair, sustain and develop community consciousness in English villages. In this article, Mick Wallis maps such promotion across various fields of practice at their intersection with the village drama ‘movement’ as a field itself. These include gentry patronage, post-war and rural reconstruction, adult education, and women’s self-advancement. He also charts the emergence of interwar village drama from its precursors since 1900, and the emergence from it of the system of local government Drama Advisers that persisted until the 1990s. Time and again, drama is presented as a vital tool in the improvement of the lives of individuals, the development of national citizens, and the restoration and celebration of local communities. Finally, he suggests the important insights that this work can offer future researchers. Mick Wallis is Professor Emeritus of Performance and Culture at the University of Leeds.
Leveraging Policy Capabilities in Russia and Finland during the Pandemic
Authors: Dugarova Esuna
Published: July 2022

The current article provides comparative analysis of policy capabilities in COVID-19 response in Russia and Finland by examining key challenges and impacts of the pandemic, and effects of anti-crisis socio-economic measures. It finds that the two countries adopted diverse policy responses that prioritised different segments of society with corresponding budget allocations. Such policy choice has been underpinned by pre-existing national priorities, while largely leveraging established policy legacy, institutions, and instruments within their welfare models. Russia has focused on supporting households through pro-natalist social assistance in line with its demographic concerns and persistent poverty, whereas Finland concentrated on protecting employment via social insurance and labour market interventions amid declining working-age population and labour supply. It is further suggested that improving policy capabilities via investments in comprehensive social security, welfare systems and gender-responsive policies can contribute to better development outcomes, while addressing gender power imbalances in the post-COVID-19 era.
Eine Längsschnittstudie zur Vorhersage von ADHS-Symptomen und Schulleistungen in der 1. Klasse durch exekutive Funktionen im Vorschulalter
Authors: Koerner Julia Kerner auch , Daseking Monika , Gawrilow Caterina
Published: July 2022

Zusammenfassung. Theoretischer Hintergrund: Exekutive Funktionen (EF) stehen im Zusammenhang mit ADHS- Symptomen, Vorläuferfertigkeiten und schulischen Leistungen. Fragestellung: Durch Defizite in Inhibition, Arbeitsgedächtnis und Flexibilität im letzten Kindergartenjahr sollen ADHS-Symptome und Schulleistungen am Ende der 1. Klasse vorhergesagt werden. Methode: An einer Längsschnittstudie nahmen 55 Kinder im letzten Kindergartenjahr und am Ende der 1. Klasse teil. Ergebnisse: EF-Defizite im letzten Kindergartenjahr sagen Vorläuferfertigkeiten und ADHS-Symptome zum gleichen Zeitpunkt sowie ADHS-Symptome am Ende der 1. Klasse, nicht aber Schulleistungen vorher. Inhibitionsdefizite hatten einen höheren prädiktiven Wert für ADHS-Symptomen am Ende der 1. Klasse, als Defizite in Arbeitsgedächtnis/Flexibilität. Diskussion und Schlussfolgerung: Ein EF-Defizit Screening könnte deswegen ein wertvoller Ansatzpunkt sein, um Kinder mit einem Risiko für ADHS früh zu identifizieren.
Baroclinic Blocking
Authors: Martineau P. , Nakamura H. , Yamamoto A. , Kosaka Y.
Published: July 2022

Atmospheric blocking events, which cause abnormal weather conditions, have been studied from a viewpoint of quasi‐stationary barotropic circulation systems because of their apparent lack of vertical tilt. However, this work demonstrates that blocking events often have such structure that anomalies in geopotential height and temperature are horizontally out‐of‐phase, allowing blocking anomalies to produce fluxes of heat against the climatological‐mean gradients for amplifying and maintaining blocking‐related temperature anomalies. This process, which represents the baroclinic conversion of energy from the climatological‐mean flow to the blocking‐related anomalies, is shown to be one of the leading energy sources through an analysis of blocking energetics. In winter, the contribution of the baroclinic energy conversion, especially for North Pacific and Greenland blocks, is substantially larger than the contributions from barotropic energy conversion and feedback forcing by high‐frequency eddies. In summer, the baroclinic energy conversion and feedback from high‐frequency eddies are more comparable in magnitude.
Mechanisms of Landslide Destabilization Induced by Glacier‐Retreat on Tungnakvíslarjökull Area, Iceland
Authors: Lacroix Pascal , Belart Joaquin M. C. , Berthier Etienne , Sæmundsson Þorsteinn , Jónsdóttir Kristín
Published: July 2022

The massive worldwide deglaciation leads to more frequent slope instabilities in mountainous terrains. The physical processes leading to such destabilizations are poorly constrained due to little monitoring of dynamic parameters at the local scale. Here we study a very large slow‐moving landslide (∼0.8 km2), on the flank of Tungnakvíslarjökull glacier in Iceland. Based on a combination of remote sensing images, we monitor the landslide and glacier kinematics over 75 years, with a focus over the period 1999–2019 when rapid glacier wastage has been observed. The landslide accelerates from 2 to 45 m/yr in the 6 years following a sudden increase in glacier mass loss. This acceleration coincides with intense quake activity (Mℓ < 2.8), recorded by a regional seismic network. We show that this seismicity is caused by the landslide sliding on a rough surface. The evolution of the quake magnitudes suggests a progressive segmentation of the landslide mass during its acceleration.
Drought Legacy in Sub‐Seasonal Vegetation State and Sensitivity to Climate Over the Northern Hemisphere
Authors: Wu Minchao , Manzoni Stefano , Vico Giulia , Bastos Ana , de Vries Franciska T. , Messori Gabriele
Published: July 2022

Droughts affect ecosystems at multiple time scales, but their sub‐seasonal legacy effects on vegetation activity remain unclear. Combining the satellite‐based enhanced vegetation index MODIS EVI with a novel location‐specific definition of the growing season, we quantify drought impacts on sub‐seasonal vegetation activity and the subsequent recovery in the Northern Hemisphere. Drought legacy effects are quantified as changes in post‐drought greenness and sensitivity to climate. We find that greenness losses under severe drought are partially compensated by a ∼+5% greening within 2–6 growing‐season months following the droughts, both in woody and herbaceous vegetation but at different timings. In addition, post‐drought sensitivity of herbaceous vegetation to hydrological conditions increases noticeably at high latitudes compared with the local normal conditions, regardless of the choice of drought time scales. In general, the legacy effects on sensitivity are larger in herbaceous vegetation than in woody vegetation.
Impact of Three Solar Eclipses of 2019–2020 on the D‐Region Ionosphere Observed From a Subtropical Low‐Latitude VLF Radio Station
Authors: Das B. , Barman K. , Pal S. , Haldar P. K.
Published: July 2022

Ionospheric impact of three solar eclipses (January 2019, December 2019, and June 2020) observed by Very Low Frequency (VLF) radio signals from a single receiver at a subtropical low‐latitude station in India is presented here. Perturbations in signal amplitudes of VLF transmitters such as the VTX (18.2 kHz), NWC (19.8 kHz), JJI (22.2 kHz), and DHO (23.4 kHz) are analyzed. Both positive, negative, and also mixed‐type of amplitude deviations are observed which are explained based on the solar eclipse obscuration profiles over the entire propagation paths. The difference in observed amplitude deviations for a VLF signal during the different solar eclipses are reproduced using the Long Wave Propagation Capability code and solar obscuration profile. Particularly, the effects of two solar eclipses on the VLF signal propagation characteristics have been analyzed. The modal attenuation coefficients of the VTX signal in the earth‐ionosphere waveguide are decreased with the increase of solar obscuration. A negative linear relationship of VLF signal attenuation with solar obscuration has been found for the first time during the solar eclipse. The relations are almost similar for the two solar eclipses of December 2019 and June 2020. Further, the percentage reduction of the D‐region electron density profiles as a function of altitude and solar obscuration during the two solar eclipses is presented.