bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Risk stratification in heart failure decompensation in the community: HEFESTOS score
Authors: Verdu‐Rotellar José‐María , Abellana Rosa , Vaillant‐Roussel Helene , Gril Jevsek Lea , Assenova Radost , Kasuba Lazic Djurdjica , Torsza Peter , Glynn Liam George , Lingner Heidrun , Demurtas Jacopo , Thulesius Hans , Muñoz Miguel Angel ,   HEFESTOS group
Published: November 2021

Aims

Because evidence regarding risk stratification predicting prognosis of patients with heart failure (HF) decompensation attended in primary care is lacking, we developed and externally validated a model to forecast death/hospitalization during the first 30 days after an episode of decompensation. The predictive model is based on variables easily obtained in primary care settings.

Methods and results

HEFESTOS is a multinational study consisting of a derivation cohort of HF patients recruited in 14 primary healthcare centres in Barcelona and a validation cohort from primary healthcare in 9 other European countries. The derivation and validation cohorts included 561 and 250 patients, respectively. Percentages of women in the derivation and validation cohorts were 56.3% and 47.6% (P = 0.026), respectively. Mean age was 82.2 years (SD 8.03) in the derivation cohort, and 79.3 years (SD 10.3) in the validation one (P = 0.001). HF with preserved ejection fraction represented 72.1% in the derivation cohort and 58.8% in the validation one (P = 0.004). Mortality/hospitalization during the first 30 days after a decompensation episode was 30.5% and 26% (P = 0.225) for the derivation and validation cohorts, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression models were performed to develop a score of risk. The identified predictors were worsening of dyspnoea [odds ratio (OR): 2.5; P = 0.001], orthopnoea (OR: 2.16; P = 0.01), paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnoea (OR: 2.25; P = 0.01), crackles (OR: 2.35; P = 0.01), New York Heart Association functional class III/IV (OR: 2.11; P = 0.001), oxygen saturation ≤ 90% (OR: 4.98; P < 0.001), heart rate > 100 b.p.m. (OR: 2.72; P = 0.002), and previous hospitalization due to HF (OR: 2.45; P < 0.001). The model showed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.807, 95% confidence interval (CI): [0.770; 0.845] in the derivation cohort and AUC 0.73, 95% CI: [0.660; 0.808] in the validation one. No significant differences between both cohorts were observed (P = 0.08). Regarding probability of hospitalization/death, three risk groups were defined: low <5%, medium 5–20%, and high >20%. Outcome incidence was 2.7% for the low‐risk group, 12.8% for medium risk, and 46.2% for high risk in the derivation cohort, and 9.1%, 12.9%, and 39.6% in the validation one.

Conclusions

The HEFESTOS score, based on variables easily accessible in a community setting and validated in an external European cohort, properly predicted the risk of death/hospitalization during the first 30 days after an HF decompensation episode.
How the perceived cost of prosocial action inspires observers to contribute
Authors: Wu Xiaoyue , Wang Xiang , Xu Qian , Jin Liyin
Published: November 2021

Conventional wisdom suggests that people are less likely to help when doing so involves a high cost. However, through five experiments, this work demonstrates that when a donor's prosocial action is perceived as costlier, observers are more likely to follow the donor and engage in the same prosocial behaviour (Study 1a, N = 154; Study 1b, N = 127). The effect cannot be attributed to observers’ original preferences for costly prosocial action itself (Study 2; N = 401). Rather, it occurs because when the prosocial action is costlier, observers are more likely to perceive the donor as more intrinsically motived, which, in turn, enhances the desirability of the prosocial action, leading to a higher likelihood that the observers would engage in the same action (Study 3; N = 250). We further show that this effect is attenuated when the donor clearly demonstrates her/his extrinsic motivation (Study 4; N = 149).
Depressive and subthreshold depressive symptomatology among older adults in a socioeconomically deprived area in Brazil
Authors: Nakamura Carina Akemi , Scazufca Marcia , Peters Tim J. , Fajersztajn Lais , Van de Ven Pepijn , Hollingworth William , Araya Ricardo , Moreno‐Agostino Darío
Published: November 2021

Depressive and subthreshold depressive symptomatology are common but often neglected in older adults.

Objective

This study aimed to assess rates of depressive and subthreshold depressive symptomatology, and the characteristics associated, among older adults living in a socioeconomically deprived area of Brazil.

Methods

This study is part of the PROACTIVE cluster randomised controlled trial. 3356 adults aged 60+ years and registered in 20 primary health clinics were screened for depressive symptomatology with the Patient Health Questionnaire‐9 (PHQ‐9). Depressive status was classified according to the total PHQ‐9 score and the presence of core depressive symptoms (depressed mood and anhedonia) as follows: no depressive symptomatology (PHQ‐9 score 0–4, or 5–9 but with no core depressive symptom); subthreshold depressive symptomatology (PHQ‐9 score 5–9 and at least one core depressive symptom); and depressive symptomatology (PHQ‐9 score ≥ 10). Sociodemographic information and self‐reported chronic conditions were collected. Relative risk ratios and 95% CIs were obtained using a multinomial regression model.

Results

Depressive and subthreshold depressive symptomatology were present in 30% and 14% of the screened sample. Depressive symptomatology was associated with female gender, low socioeconomic conditions and presence of chronic conditions, whereas subthreshold depressive symptomatology was only associated with female gender and having hypertension.

Conclusions

Depressive and subthreshold depressive symptomatology is highly prevalent in this population registered with primary care clinics. Strategies managed by primary care non‐mental health specialists can be a first step for improving this alarming and neglected situation among older adults.
Dysmetabolism, Diabetes and Clinical Outcomes in Patients Cured of Chronic Hepatitis C: A Real‐Life Cohort Study
Authors: Valenti Luca , Pelusi Serena , Aghemo Alessio , Gritti Sara , Pasulo Luisa , Bianco Cristiana , Iegri Claudia , Cologni Giuliana , Degasperi Elisabetta , D’Ambrosio Roberta , del Poggio Paolo , Soria Alessandro , Puoti Massimo , Carderi Isabella , Pigozzi Marie Graciella , Carriero Canio , Spinetti Angiola , Zuccaro Valentina , Memoli Massimo , Giorgini Alessia , Viganò Mauro , Rumi Maria Grazia , Re Tiziana , Spinelli Ombretta , Colombo Maria Chiara , Quirino Tiziana , Menzaghi Barbara , Lorini Gianpaolo , Pan Angelo , D’Arminio Monforte Antonella , Buscarini Elisabetta , Autolitano Aldo , Bonfanti Paolo , Terreni Natalia , Aimo Gianpiero , Mendeni Monia , Prati Daniele , Lampertico Pietro , Colombo Massimo , Fagiuoli Stefano ,   for the NAVIGATORE‐Lombardia Network
Published: November 2021

The aim of this study was to examine the impact of features of dysmetabolism on liver disease severity, evolution, and clinical outcomes in a real‐life cohort of patients treated with direct acting antivirals for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. To this end, we considered 7,007 patients treated between 2014 and 2018, 65.3% with advanced fibrosis, of whom 97.7% achieved viral eradication (NAVIGATORE‐Lombardia registry). In a subset (n = 748), liver stiffness measurement (LSM) was available at baseline and follow‐up. Higher body mass index (BMI; odds ratio [OR] 1.06 per kg/m2, 1.03‐1.09) and diabetes (OR 2.01 [1.65‐2.46]) were independently associated with advanced fibrosis at baseline, whereas statin use was protective (OR 0.46 [0.35‐0.60]; P < 0.0001 for all). The impact of BMI was greater in those without diabetes (P = 0.003). Diabetes was independently associated with less pronounced LSM improvement after viral eradication (P = 0.001) and in patients with advanced fibrosis was an independent predictor of the most frequent clinical events, namely de novo hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC; hazard ratio [HR] 2.09 [1.20‐3.63]; P = 0.009) and cardiovascular events (HR 2.73 [1.16‐6.43]; P = 0.021). Metformin showed a protective association against HCC (HR 0.32 [0.11‐0.96]; P = 0.043), which was confirmed after adjustment for propensity score (P = 0.038). Diabetes diagnosis further refined HCC prediction in patients with compensated advanced chronic liver disease at high baseline risk (P = 0.024). Conclusion: Metabolic comorbidities were associated with advanced liver fibrosis at baseline, whereas statins were protective. In patients with advanced fibrosis, diabetes increased the risk of de novo HCC and of cardiovascular events. Optimization of metabolic comorbidities treatment by a multi‐disciplinary management approach may improve cardiovascular and possibly liver‐related outcomes.
Quality assurance and quality improvement to enhance yield in the process of dental education
Authors: Chambers David W.
Published: November 2021

Issue

The second paper in this three‐part perspective on improving dental education through focus on outcomes explores the two common ways of controlling variance in processes such as dental education.

Approach

Quality assurance is based on the view that variance is a characteristic of the material or product produced by the process. In the case of dental education this means students. The reputation of educational programs depends to some extent on identifying and correcting or putting aside output that do match standards. This is an expensive process that does not improve educational programs. Quality improvement, by contrast, is grounded in the assumption that there is unwanted variation in the process itself.

Impact

Reducing system variation through judicious adjustment at each cycle of the process raises yield, reduces the proportion of defects, and reduces program cost. Examples are given where good decisions in the reflection stage of the GEAR cycle make goals more realistic, improve experiences, and promote more effective assessment.
Human macrophage polarization shapesB. pertussisintracellular persistence
Authors: Valdez Hugo A , Marin Franco Jose L , Gorgojo Juan P , Alvarez Hayes Jimena , Balboa Luciana , Fernandez Lahore Marcelo , Sasiain María C , Rodriguez Maria Eugenia
Published: November 2021

We previously demonstrated that Bordetella pertussis, the etiologic agent of whooping cough, is able to survive inside human macrophages. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of macrophage polarization in the development of B. pertussis intracellular infections. To this end, primary human monocytes were differentiated into M1, M2a, or M2c macrophages and further infected with B. pertussis. Infected M1 macrophages showed a proinflammatory response evidenced by the production of TNF-α, IL-12p70, and IL-6. Conversely, infection of M2a and M2c macrophages did not induce TNF-α, IL-12p70, nor IL-6 at any time postinfection but showed a significant increase of M2 markers, such as CD206, CD163, and CD209. Interestingly, anti-inflammatory cytokines, like IL-10 and TGF-β, were induced after infection in the 3 macrophage phenotypes. B. pertussis phagocytosis by M1 macrophages was lower than by M2 phenotypes, which may be ascribed to differences in the expression level of B. pertussis docking molecules on the surface of the different phenotypes. Intracellular bactericidal activity was found to be significantly higher in M1 than in M2a or M2c cells, but live bacteria were still detected within the 3 phenotypes at the late time points after infection. In summary, this study shows that intracellular B. pertussis is able to survive regardless of the macrophage activation program, but its intracellular survival proved higher in M2 compared with the M1 macrophages, being M2c the best candidate to develop into a niche of persistence for B. pertussis.
Electropolymerization of Thiophene‐Based Monomers with Different Spatial Structures: The Impact of Monomer Structure on Electrochromic Properties
Authors: Zhang Yuhang , Li Rui , Chang Lijing , Ma Yang , Hou Yanjun , Niu Haijun
Published: November 2021

The development prospect of conductive electrochromic (EC) polymers requires the design of polymers with high performance and good stability. Here, a new scheme is designed to enhance EC properties by adjusting the monomer molecular structure. Four monomers with different structures based on thiophene and 3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) are designed and synthesized. The corresponding polymer films (P1, P2, P3, and P4) are prepared by electrochemical polymerization at low applied potential. The spatial structure–performance relationship of precursors with different structures and polymers is systematically discussed. In the electropolymerization experiments, it is noted that P3 has no EC property. This may be connected to the spatial structure of P3 polymerization which is not suitable for charge transporting. By contrast, the other three polymers exhibit excellent electrochemical properties. The diffusion rate higher of P1 has also been corroborated by using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) spectrum. The P1 film has the best stability and fastest colorized time among the samples; such superior electrochemical property may be associated with the closely stacked formed by the unique sheet‐like spatial structure. The design of the space structure has a significant impact on the optical and electrical properties of the polymer film.
Evaluation of the Chemical, Morphological and Dielectric Properties of Supramolecular Networks Consisting of Polyethylene Glycol Polyrotaxanes and Polystyrene/Semi‐Rotaxane with Hydroxypropyl‐β‐Cyclodextrins
Authors: Resmerita Ana‐Maria , Asandulesa Mihai , Farcas Aurica
Published: November 2021

In the present study, the effect of 5, 10, and 15 wt% of polystyrene/ hydroxypropyl‐β‐cyclodextrins (PS/HPβCD) semi‐rotaxane (SR) incorporation in the polyethylene glycol/hydroxypropyl‐β‐cyclodextrins polyrotaxane (PEG/HPβCD) matrix is investigated. The changes of physico‐chemical, morphological, and dielectric properties of the composite materials were evaluated and compared to those of the pure crosslinked film. Scanning electron microscopy attests formation of porous film, whose average size diameters increase with the concentration of PS/HPβCD SR in the composite materials. The type V sorption/desorption isotherms confirm the microporous morphology of the films surfaces. Additionally, the lower water sorption capacity certifies the hydrophobic character of surfaces that is also validated by contact angle measurements. The synthesis of such composite materials is further proved by their increased thermal stability compared to the pure crosslinked film. Analyzing the effect of PS/HPβCD SR concentration to the properties of the composite materials observes that the 5 wt% generates the film with improved physical, morphological, and dielectric properties.
Numerical scheme solving the temperature of the interface between gas and heterogeneous solid with phase change
Authors: Cang Yu , Hu Yue , Wang Lipo , Shen Yongxing
Published: November 2021

To solve the temperature at the fluid‐solid interface in conjugate heat transfer simulations, a partitioned yet non‐iterative scheme with desirable accuracy has been developed. It takes into account the involved complex effects, for example, heterogeneous solid structure, moving interface, and phase change. The fluid and solid phases are discretized by standard Cartesian and unstructured tetrahedron meshes, respectively. At each time step the moving fluid‐solid interface is tracked with the level‐set function. The non‐iterative solution is achieved by formulating a linear system formed from the discretized interface elements, each of which, either triangular or quadrilateral, is assigned with a respective control volume constructed from adjacent grid points in both fluid and solid phases. The temperature gradient operator is treated by the node‐based Green‐Gauss formula for better robustness if the interface geometry (or mesh) is highly skewed. Numerical results demonstrate the second‐order accuracy with satisfactory robustness even on highly skewed interfaces.
Awareness and attitudes towards sustainability and climate change amongst students and educators in nursing: A systematic integrative review protocol
Authors: Aronsson Jennie , Nichols Andy , Warwick Paul , Elf Marie
Published: November 2021

Aim

This review identifies and synthesizes literature related to the awareness of and attitudes towards sustainability and climate change from the perspective of nursing students and educators.

Design

A systematic integrative review.

Methods

The review will follow the five stages outlined by Whittemore and Knafl: problem identification, literature search, data evaluation, data analysis and presentation. The data analysis will be based on inductive content analysis developed by Elo and Kyngäs. Principles of the Cochrane Collaboration and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses (PRISMA) will also inform the review process.

Results

This review will offer insights about sustainability and climate change in relation to an important target population: the future nursing workforce and those educating its members. Findings might inform curriculum development, potentially contributing to a nursing profession that looks after the health of the planet and the health of the population inhabiting it.
Transcriptional and epigenetic control of adipocyte remodeling during obesity
Authors: Barilla Serena , Treuter Eckardt , Venteclef Nicolas
Published: November 2021

The rising prevalence of obesity over the past decades coincides with the rising awareness that a detailed understanding of both adipose tissue biology and obesity‐associated remodeling is crucial for developing therapeutic and preventive strategies. Substantial progress has been made in identifying the signaling pathways and transcriptional networks that orchestrate alterations of adipocyte gene expression linked to diverse phenotypes. Owing to recent advances in epigenomics, we also gained a better appreciation for the fact that different environmental cues can epigenetically reprogram adipocyte fate and function, mainly by altering DNA methylation and histone modification patterns. Intriguingly, it appears that transcription factors and chromatin‐modifying coregulator complexes are the key regulatory components that coordinate both signaling‐induced transcriptional and epigenetic alterations in adipocytes. In this review, we summarize and discuss current molecular insights into how these alterations and the involved regulatory components trigger adipogenesis and adipose tissue remodeling in response to energy surplus.
Postchemotherapy tumor volume as a prognostic indicator in Wilms tumor: A single‐center experience from South India
Authors: Joseph Leenu Lizbeth , Boddu Deepthi , Srinivasan Hema Nalapullu , Regi Soumya Susan , Antonisamy Belavendra , John Rikki , Mathew Leni Grace , Totadri Sidharth
Published: November 2021

Background

Optimal risk stratification is the key to minimizing relapse and toxicity in children with Wilms tumor (WT). The study evaluated poor tumor volume response to chemotherapy as a risk factor that predicts relapse.

Procedure

Children with WT who were treated between 2005 and 2020 at the center were analyzed. Tumor volumes at the time of diagnosis and after preoperative chemotherapy were calculated from cross‐sectional imaging. The International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP)‐WT‐2001 protocol was used for treatment. The area under a receiver operating characteristic curve was estimated to ascertain the ability of tumor volume to predict relapse.

Results

Ninety‐five patients with a median age of 40 months were included. A postchemotherapy tumor volume cutoff of 270 ml was ascertained to have the best predictive value for relapse. Patients with a tumor volume of <270 ml following preoperative chemotherapy had a better 3‐year event‐free survival (EFS) than those with a tumor volume of ≥270 ml (89.8% ± 4.0% vs. 57.4% ± 12.5%, p = .001). The data demonstrated that a tumor volume of ≥270 ml after chemotherapy was associated with an increased risk of relapse (hazard ratio [HR]: 5.3, p = .006). The EFS in patients with an epithelial or stromal type of histopathology was not affected by the tumor volume response (p = .437). Conversely, patients with other types of intermediate‐risk histopathology who had a poor tumor volume response had an inferior survival (3‐year EFS 51.4% ± 18.7%, p = .001).

Conclusion

A postchemotherapy tumor volume cutoff of ≥270 ml emerged as a strong predictor of relapse in a low‐ and middle‐income country (LMIC) center study of WT treated with the SIOP protocol.
Functional Colloidal Assemblies Based on Superwettable Substrates
Authors: Cui Liying , Zhang Xue , Wang Jingxia , Jiang Lei
Published: November 2021

Colloidal assembly, which finds numerous applications in functional optics, sensing materials, and other fields, is significantly affected by substrate wettability. In particular, the pinning or sliding of the three‐phase contact line (TCL) strongly influences the assembly process and the resultant functional structures. The present review focuses on this influence and provides a reference for effective colloidal assembly guidance to facilitate the related practical applications, covering the continuous and high‐quality colloidal crystals (CCs) fabricated using superhydrophilic substrates, coffee‐ring‐like assemblies produced using hydrophilic substrates, crack‐free and ultranarrow stopband CCs produced using low‐adhesive superhydrophobic substrates, dome‐like aggregates with excellent wide‐view properties obtained using hydrophobic substrates, and multi‐functional patterns assembled using substrates with hydrophilic‐hydrophobic patterns.
Chemical methods for studying the crosstalk between histone H2B ubiquitylation and H3 methylation
Authors: Ai Huasong , Peng Shuai , Li Jia‐Bin
Published: November 2021

The reversible and dynamic post‐translational modifications (PTMs) of histones in eukaryotic chromatin are intimately connected to cell development and gene function, and abnormal regulation of PTMs can result in cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. Specific combinations of these modifications are mediated by a series of chromatin proteins that write, erase, and read the “histone codes,” but mechanistic studies of the precise biochemical and structural relationships between different sets of modifications and their effects on chromatin function constitute a unique challenge to canonical biochemical approaches. In the past decade, the development and application of chemical methods for investigating histone PTM crosstalks has received considerable attention in the field of chemical biology. In this review, taking the functional crosstalk between H2B ubiquitylation at Lys120 (H2BK120ub) and H3 methylation at Lys79 (H3K79me) as a typical example, we survey recent developments of different chemical methods, in particular, protein synthetic chemistry and protein‐based chemical probes, for studying the mechanism of the functional crosstalks of histone PTMs.
Concluding Thoughts on Life Skills Education for Youth
Authors: Schmidt Dana
Published: November 2021

This chapter summarizes the answer to the motivating question for this book: “Which life skills are important, for whom, and how can they be taught?” Drawing on research reflected in the preceding chapters, I highlight three broad themes. First, that teaching life skills helps marginalized adolescents in particular – but should not put the onus of overcoming marginalization squarely on their shoulders. Second, that consensus seems to be emerging that a cluster of social and emotional skills and cognitive abilities like critical thinking are particularly important for success. Third, that the way in which life skills are taught matters as much as which skills are taught. I also reflect on three big barriers that we need to address if we really want to advance the agenda of life skills. First, governments may not embrace the transformative change we want to see. Second, life skills programs are complex to implement and to measure. Lastly, we cannot ignore the risk of unintended consequences on the path to developing life skills. I suggest that each of these challenges is worth contending with to give youth of today a fighting chance to deal with the expected and as-yet unimagined challenges of tomorrow.
Career Life Skills for 10th Grade Boys in Delhi, India: Mapping Information Literacies for Sustainable Development
Authors: Arur Aditi , Sharma Mansi
Published: November 2021

The pressure is high on career educators to develop information literacies as a life skill for themselves as well as for youth, particularly those from disadvantaged communities, and to document and process career information in a rapidly changing world of work that is relevant to their sociocultural and environmental contexts. We employ a critical or transformative approach to information literacies to explore young people’s socially situated practices of collecting, validating, and processing career information as well as how they might “democratically transform structures of authority over information exchanges, and then maintain scrutiny over this authority” (Whitworth A, Radical information literacy: reclaiming the political heart of the IL movement. Elsevier, 2014, p. 2). We draw from qualitative interviews with ten boys studying in 10th grade at a government school in Delhi, India, and videos produced by them to map their career information landscapes. Using an education for sustainable development lens, “bumps” were made visible in their information landscapes, that is, the tensions that emerge between multiple informational actors for reimagining sustainable futures. We suggest that these tensions can serve as cultural resources that students can democratically engage with in developing crucial career and life skills for their futures.
Digital Humanism and the Limits of Artificial Intelligence
Authors: Nida-Rümelin Julian
Published: November 2021

This chapter is programmatic in style and content. It describes some patterns and one central argument of that, what I take as the view of digital humanism and which we exposed in our book (Nida-Rümelin and Weidenfeld 2018). The central argument regards the critique of strong and weak AI. This chapter does not discuss the logical and metaphysical aspects of digital humanism that I take to be part of the broader context of the theory of reason (Nida-Rümelin 2020, Chaps. VI and VII).
Cultural Influences on Artificial Intelligence: Along the New Silk Road
Authors: Hardman Lynda
Published: November 2021

Applications of AI, in particular data-driven decision-making, concern citizens, governments, and corporations. China was one of the first countries to have identified AI as a key technology in which to invest heavily and develop a national strategy. This in turn has led to many other countries and the European Union (EU) to develop their own strategies. The societal investments and applications of AI are so far-reaching that looking only at the resulting technological innovations is insufficient. Instead, we need to be aware of the societal implications of AI applications—of which there are many—as well as the geopolitical role of business and academic players.
Contact Tracing Apps: A Lesson in Societal Aspects of Technological Development
Authors: Hötzendorfer Walter
Published: November 2021

Overall, there might be more important aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the global fight against it than contact tracing apps. But the case of the contact tracing apps tells us an interesting story in the context of Digital Humanism. It shows us that the principle of privacy by design has reached practice and what it can mean and achieve. Unfortunately, it is also a lesson about the societal limitations of privacy by design in practice. It is a good thing that people are skeptical and ask questions about privacy and data protection. However, it is necessary to differentiate and try to make educated decisions or trust experts and civil society.
The Need for Respectful Technologies: Going Beyond Privacy
Authors: Redmiles Elissa M.
Published: November 2021

Digital technologies, the data they collect, and the ways in which that data is used increasingly effect our psychological, social, economic, medical, and safety-related well-being. While technology can be used to improve our well-being on all of these axes, it can also perpetrate harm. Prior research has focused near exclusively on privacy as a primary harm. Yet, privacy is only one of the many considerations that users have when adopting a technology. In this chapter, I use the case study of COVID-19 apps to argue that this reductionist view on technology harm has prevented effective adoption of beneficial technology. Further, a privacy-only focus risks perpetuating and magnifying existing technology-related inequities. To realize the potential of well-being technology, we need to create technologies that are respectful not only of user privacy but of users’ expectations for their technology use and the context in which that use takes place.
Should We Rethink How We Do Research?
Authors: Ghezzi Carlo
Published: November 2021

Advances in digital technologies move incredibly fast from the research stage to practical use, and they generate radical changes in the world, affecting humans in all aspects of their life. The chapter illustrates how this can have profound implications on the way technological research is developed. It also discusses the need for researchers to engage more actively in public debates with society.
Democratic Discourse in the Digital Public Sphere: Re-imagining Copyright Enforcement on Online Social Media Platforms
Authors: Mendis Sunimal
Published: November 2021

Within the current European Union (EU) online copyright enforcement regime—of which Article 17 of the Copyright in the Digital Single Market Directive [2019] constitutes the seminal legal provision—the role of online content-sharing service providers (OCSSPs) is limited to ensuring that copyright owners obtain fair remuneration for content shared over their platforms (role of “content distributors”) and preventing unauthorized uses of copyright-protected content (“Internet police”). Neither role allows for a recognition of OCSSPs’ role as facilitators of democratic discourse and the duty incumbent on them to ensure that users’ freedom to engage in democratic discourse are preserved. This chapter proposes a re-imagining of the EU legal framework on online copyright enforcement—using the social planning theory of copyright law as a normative framework—to increase its fitness for preserving and promoting copyright law’s democracy-enhancing function.
Oscillating scalar dissipating in a medium
Authors: Ai Wen-Yuan , Drewes Marco , Glavan Dražen , Hajer Jan
Published: November 2021

Abstract

We study how oscillations of a scalar field condensate are damped due to dissipative effects in a thermal medium. Our starting point is a non-linear and non-local condensate equation of motion descending from a 2PI-resummed effective action derived in the Schwinger-Keldysh formalism appropriate for non-equilibrium quantum field theory. We solve this non-local equation by means of multiple-scale perturbation theory appropriate for time-dependent systems, obtaining approximate analytic solutions valid for very long times. The non-linear effects lead to power-law damping of oscillations, that at late times transition to exponentially damped ones characteristic for linear systems. These solutions describe the evolution very well, as we demonstrate numerically in a number of examples. We then approximate the non-local equation of motion by a Markovianised one, resolving the ambiguities appearing in the process, and solve it utilizing the same methods to find the very same leading approximate solution. This comparison justifies the use of Markovian equations at leading order. The standard time-dependent perturbation theory in comparison is not capable of describing the non-linear condensate evolution beyond the early time regime of negligible damping. The macroscopic evolution of the condensate is interpreted in terms of microphysical particle processes. Our results have implications for the quantitative description of the decay of cosmological scalar fields in the early Universe, and may also be applied to other physical systems.
Accumulation dynamics of ARGONAUTE proteins during meiosis in Arabidopsis
Authors: Oliver Cecilia , Martinez German
Published: November 2021

Meiosis is a specialized cell division that is key for reproduction and genetic diversity in sexually reproducing plants. Recently, different RNA silencing pathways have been proposed to carry a specific activity during meiosis, but the pathways involved during this process remain unclear. Here, we explored the subcellular localization of different ARGONAUTE (AGO) proteins, the main effectors of RNA silencing, during male meiosis inArabidopsis thalianausing immunolocalizations with commercially available antibodies. We detected the presence of AGO proteins associated with posttranscriptional gene silencing (AGO1, 2, and 5) in the cytoplasm and the nucleus, while AGOs associated with transcriptional gene silencing (AGO4 and 9) localized exclusively in the nucleus. These results indicate that the localization of different AGOs correlates with their predicted roles at the transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels and provide an overview of their timing and potential role during meiosis.
Power spectral density analysis for nonlinear systems based on Volterra series
Authors: Wu Penghui , Zhao Yan , Xu Xianghong
Published: November 2021

A consequence of nonlinearities is a multi-harmonic response via a mono-harmonic excitation. A similar phenomenon also exists in random vibration. The power spectral density (PSD) analysis of random vibration for nonlinear systems is studied in this paper. The analytical formulation of output PSD subject to the zero-mean Gaussian random load is deduced by using the Volterra series expansion and the conception of generalized frequency response function (GFRF). For a class of nonlinear systems, the growing exponential method is used to determine the first 3rd-order GFRFs. The proposed approach is used to achieve the nonlinear system’s output PSD under a narrow-band stationary random input. The relationship between the peak of PSD and the parameters of the nonlinear system is discussed. By using the proposed method, the nonlinear characteristics of multi-band output via single-band input can be well predicted. The results reveal that changing nonlinear system parameters gives a one-of-a-kind change of the system’s output PSD. This paper provides a method for the research of random vibration prediction and control in real-world nonlinear systems.
A farewell to the lone hero researcher: team research and writing
Authors: Sandberg Sveinung , Ibarra Rojas Lucero
Published: November 2021

Criminology have long celebrated the lone hero researcher. Doing and writing up research in solitude has been the key to academic success and institutional promotions. However, the social sciences in general have increasingly moved towards more collaborative ways of doing research, and co-authorship has become more common. In this study, we summarize and discuss the pros and cons of working in teams when doing qualitative research. Drawing upon our own experiences from Mexico and Norway, we argue for a radical approach to team research and co-authorship, which we describe as team writing. Most importantly, we suggest opening up to include stakeholders and community partners, thus challenging the borders between researchers and those researched. This is arguably particularly important for research done in the academic, geographical and topical periphery of criminology. Team research and writing answers some of the critique of power inequality, representativity and lack of diversity in contemporary academic research. We also believe that team research, and writing, can make criminological research more multifaceted, reflexive, and thus better.
Structure of genetic diversity and genome-wide association studies of bean fly (Ophiomyia spencerella) resistance in common bean
Authors: Ojwang Pascal P. Okwiri , Eldridge Tilly , Corredor-Moreno Pilar , Njung’e Vincent
Published: November 2021

Eastern Africa is a significant region of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) production and genetic diversity. Insect pests are a major biotic constraint in subsistence crop production systems. Bean fly (Ophiomyia spencerella) is a serious pest of beans in eastern Africa highlands. Breeding efforts focus on combining adaptability traits with user preferred seed types. However, lack of information on molecular markers linked to genes modulating bean fly resistance has slowed breeding progress. The objectives were to: (i) characterize genetic diversity and uncover putative bean fly resistant genotypes within diverse seed types and market classes and (ii) identify genomic regions controlling bean fly resistance using genome-wide association analysis (GWAS). A set of 276 diverse genotypes comprising local landraces and varieties from Kenya alongside introductions from International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), were assembled. The germplasm represented varied bean production ecologies and seed types. Genetic diversity conforming to Andean and Mesoamerican genepools was established. Out of 276 genotypes evaluated, 150 were Andean, 74 were Mesoamerican and 52 were admixed. Twenty-two genotypes were resistant to bean fly. Association mapping results for stem damage score and plant mortality identified six significant single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on chromosomes Pv01 and Pv09. The most significant SNP marker was 12 kilobases downstream of Phvul.001G074900 gene with LOD score > 4.0 hence in linkage disequilibrium with the postulated gene. The identified candidate gene is pleiotropic and modulates both flowering time and plant responses to stress. These findings are a key step towards marker-enabled breeding in common bean for sub-Saharan Africa.
De/colonizing OpenStreetMap? Local mappers, humanitarian and commercial actors and the changing modes of collaborative mapping
Authors: Schröder-Bergen Susanne , Glasze Georg , Michel Boris , Dammann Finn
Published: November 2021

In its early days, the geodata and mapping project OpenStreetMap (OSM) was widely celebrated for opening up and “democratizing” the production of geographic knowledge. However, critical research highlights that the new socio-technical practices of collaborative mapping often also produce or reproduce patterns of exclusion, not least in the area of relative data density between the Global South and North. These findings notwithstanding, we consider it important to acknowledge the increasing number of contributions of geodata from regions outside the old European core of OSM. This expansion of geodata production in OSM is related to a diversification of OSM actors and socio-technical practices. While OSM has often been described as a crowd-based project bringing together thousands of individual craft mappers, our analysis of OSM metadata indicates new institutional actors are gaining relevance. These developments have not only resulted in new collaborations but also conflicts between local mapping communities and institutional actors. We interpret these processes in two ways. First, the expansion of mapping activities can be viewed as adecolonizingprocess, whereby quantitative differences in data density between the Global North and South are partly reduced and new groups of local mappers are empowered to produce geographic knowledge. Second, these new developments can also be understood ascolonizingprocesses. The engagement of large commercial actors in OSM raises concerns that the project (and its local mappers) could be used as a new means of data extraction and that in particular new and diverse voices in the OSM community are marginalized by a fixation on economically exploitable, modernistic and universalistic epistemologies. However, this supposedly clear distinction should not obscure the fact that colonizing and decolonizing processes intertwine in complex ways.
The forgotten agriculture-nutrition link: farm technologies and human energy requirements
Authors: Daum Thomas , Birner Regina
Published: November 2021

In the quest to reduce global under- and malnutrition, which are particularly high among smallholder farmers, agriculture-nutrition linkages are receiving increasing attention. Researchers have analyzed the link between the quantity and diversity of food that farmers produce and nutritional outcomes but paid limited attention to a third agriculture-nutrition link: the link between how food is produced and nutritional outcomes. This neglect persists despite the majority of smallholder farmers relying on hand tools for farming, which implies heavy physical work and, thus, high energy requirements. To address this research gap, this study compares the energy requirements of farm households in rural Zambia that are characterized by three different levels of mechanization: hand tools, animal drought power, and tractors. 1638 days of detailed time-use and nutrition data were collected from 186 male and female adults and boys and girls during different seasons (land preparation, weeding, and harvesting/processing) using an innovative picture-based smartphone app called “Timetracker”. This data served to calculate different proxies for physical activity and energy requirements using “Ainsworth’s Compendium of Physical Activities”. The results suggest that detailed time-use data offers great potentials to study physical activity and energy requirements. The findings show strong linkages between farm technologies, physical activity levels, and energy requirements, suggesting that this agriculture-nutrition link deserves more scientific and political attention to reduce under- and malnutrition among smallholder farmers.
GNOME: A Dynamic Dispatch and Investment Optimisation Model of the European Natural Gas Network and Its Suppliers
Authors: Lochran Stevie
Published: November 2021

Abstract

As indigenous production declines, the European gas market is becoming increasingly dependent on imports. This poses energy security questions for a number of countries, particularly in the north-east of Europe. A suite of mathematical models of the European natural gas network has been borne from these concerns and has traditionally been used to assess supply disruption scenarios. The literature reveals that most existing European gas network models are insufficiently specified to analyse changes in supply and demand dynamics, appraise proposed infrastructure investments, and assess the impacts of supply disruption scenarios over a range of time horizons. Furthermore, those that are suited to these applications are typically proprietary and therefore publicly unavailable. This offers an opportunity to present a new model. The Gas Network Optimisation Model for Europe (GNOME) is a dynamic, highly granular mixed-integer linear optimisation model of the European natural gas network and its exogenous suppliers. GNOME represents demand and supply for all EU-27 Member States except Cyprus, Luxembourg, and Malta. The UK, Norway, Switzerland, Belarus, Ukraine, and Turkey are also included. Russia, the Southern Corridor suppliers, Qatar, North Africa, Nigeria, and the Americas are modelled as supply-only regions. GNOME satisfies gas demand in each country by generating a cost-minimal mix of indigenous gas production, pipeline flows, LNG imports, and storage use. If demand cannot be met using existing infrastructure, GNOME will generate a cost-optimal investment strategy of pipeline, LNG regasification, and gas storage capacity additions. The model solves on a monthly basis, from 2025 to 2040, in 5-year steps. The capabilities of GNOME are demonstrated by tasking it to analyse the impacts of a failure to complete the upcoming Nord Stream 2 pipeline between Russia and Germany. The complete formulation of GNOME including input files, equations, and source code is provided.
Bottom-Up Approach to Establish Coordination Mechanisms for Disaster Preparedness Among Largely Private Health-Care Providers in Central Tokyo
Authors:   Minato Disaster Medical Care System Study Group
Published: November 2021

In Japan, despite its private-dominant and disjointed health-care system, national initiatives to coordinate various types of health-care facilities are lacking. Municipal governments manage this task with limited resources. This study describes a successful example of a bottom-up approach to create city-wide collaboration for disaster preparedness. In Minato City, located in central Tokyo, a group of physicians created a project involving a city-wide disaster medical care drill. The city Public Health Center, in charge of health-care systems including disaster medicine, helped the group to increase proponents of the project. The city-wide disaster drill started in November 2017; thereafter, the drills were held every year. Participation in drills by various health-care personnel helped establish a city-wide system for disaster medical care, coordination mechanisms among stakeholders, increased motivation among health-care personnel, and development of in-hospital systems. This approach is flexible and applicable to various forms of health-care systems in other areas.
Assessment of turbulence models using DNS data of compressible plane free shear layer flow
Authors: Li D. , Komperda J. , Peyvan A. , Ghiasi Z. , Mashayek F.
Published: November 2021

The present paper uses the detailed flow data produced by direct numerical simulation (DNS) of a three-dimensional, spatially developing plane free shear layer to assess several commonly used turbulence models in compressible flows. The free shear layer is generated by two parallel streams separated by a splitter plate, with a naturally developing inflow condition. The DNS is conducted using a high-order discontinuous spectral element method (DSEM) for various convective Mach numbers. The DNS results are employed to provide insights into turbulence modelling. The analyses show that with the knowledge of the Reynolds velocity fluctuations and averages, the considered strong Reynolds analogy models can accurately predict temperature fluctuations and Favre velocity averages, while the extended strong Reynolds analogy models can correctly estimate the Favre velocity fluctuations and the Favre shear stress. The pressure–dilatation correlation and dilatational dissipation models overestimate the corresponding DNS results, especially with high compressibility. The pressure–strain correlation models perform excellently for most pressure–strain correlation components, while the compressibility modification model gives poor predictions. The results of an a priori test for subgrid-scale (SGS) models are also reported. The scale similarity and gradient models, which are non-eddy viscosity models, can accurately reproduce SGS stresses in terms of structure and magnitude. The dynamic Smagorinsky model, an eddy viscosity model but based on the scale similarity concept, shows acceptable correlation coefficients between the DNS and modelled SGS stresses. Finally, the Smagorinsky model, a purely dissipative model, yields low correlation coefficients and unacceptable accumulated errors.