bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Weak Gravity Conjecture and BPS Particles
Authors: Alim Murad , Heidenreich Ben , Rudelius Tom
Published: September 2021

Motivated by the Weak Gravity Conjecture, we uncover an intricate interplay between black holes, BPS particle counting, and Calabi‐Yau geometry in five dimensions. In particular, we point out that extremal BPS black holes exist only in certain directions in the charge lattice, and we argue that these directions fill out a cone that is dual to the cone of effective divisors of the Calabi‐Yau threefold. The tower and sublattice versions of the Weak Gravity Conjecture require an infinite tower of BPS particles in these directions, and therefore imply purely geometric conjectures requiring the existence of infinite towers of holomorphic curves in every direction within the dual of the cone of effective divisors. We verify these geometric conjectures in a number of examples by computing Gopakumar‐Vafa invariants.
Identification of the metabolic signatures of prostate cancer by mass spectrometry‐based plasma and urine metabolomics analysis
Authors: Yu Chaowen , Niu Lingfang , Li Luo , Li Ting , Duan Limei , He Zhenting , Zhao Yan , Zou Lin , Wu Xiaohou , Luo Chunli
Published: September 2021

Objective

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers among men which is associated with profound metabolic changes. Systematic analysis of the metabolic alterations and identification of new biomarkers may benefit PCa diagnosis and a deep understanding of the pathological mechanism. The purpose of this study was to determine the metabolic features of PCa.

Methods

Plasma and urine metabolites from 89 prostate cancer (PCa) patients, 84 benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) patients, and 70 healthy males were analyzed using LC‐MS/MS and GC‐MS. The Orthogonalised Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (OPLS‐DA) was used to find the significantly changed metabolites. The clinical value of the candidate markers was examined by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis and compared with prostate‐specific antigen (PSA).

Results

Multivariate statistical analyses found a series of altered metabolites, which related to the urea cycle, tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA), fatty acid metabolism, and the glycine cleavage system. Plasma Glu/Gln showed the highest predictive value (AUC = 0.984) when differentiating PCa patients from healthy controls, with a higher sensitivity than PSA (96.6% vs. 94.4%). Both Glu/Gln and PSA displayed a low specificity when differentiating PCa patients from BPH patients (<53.2%), while the combination of Glu/Gln and PSA can further increase the diagnostic specificity to 66.9%.

Conclusions

The present study showed the metabolic features of PCa, provided strong evidence that the amide nitrogen and the energy metabolic pathways could be a valuable source of markers for PCa. Several candidate markers identified in this study were clinically valuable for further assessment.
The remarkable stability of fertility desires during the Colombian armed conflict 2000–2016
Authors: Svallfors Signe
Published: September 2021

Limited attention has been paid so far to the impacts of war on proximate determinants of fertility, including childbearing preferences. This study explores the relationship between exposure to local conflict violence and fertility desires in Colombia. I combined nationally representative micro‐level data on the timing, frequency and decisiveness of reproductive preferences from the Demographic and Health Surveys, with geospatial information about local violence from the Uppsala Conflict Data Program from 2000 to 2016. The results show a remarkable stability in women's childbearing desires in relation to conflict during the observation period, robust to multiple respecifications of the study sample, statistical model and conflict measurements. The study indicates that previously reported increases to fertility behaviour cannot be explained by altered preferences, suggesting a surge in unwanted pregnancies. This highlights the need for policy programs to support women in realising their fertility preferences, whatever they may be.
Clinical outcome of intrauterine infusion of platelet‐rich plasma in patients with recurrent implantation failure
Authors: Enatsu Yihsien , Enatsu Noritoshi , Kishi Kanako , Otsuki Junko , Iwasaki Toshiroh , Okamoto Eri , Kokeguchi Shoji , Shiotani Masahide
Published: September 2021

Purpose

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of intrauterine infusion of platelet‐rich plasma (PRP) before embryo transfer (ET) in recurrent implantation failure (RIF) cases.

Methods

The authors retrospectively analyzed 54 ET cycles involving frozen and thawed high‐quality blastocysts after intrauterine PRP infusion between September 2019 and November 2020. All patients had a history of at least two times of implantation failure on ET. A total of 54 patients were categorized into two groups: thin endometrium (39 patients) and unexplained implantation failure (15 patients). In the thin‐endometrium group, the endometrial thickness (EMT) was <8.0 mm at cycle days 12–14 in the prior ET cycle.

Results

Among the 54 ET cycles after PRP infusion, 31 (57.4%) were positive for human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and 27 (50%) achieved clinical pregnancy, which was significantly better than that in prior ET cycles without PRP infusion (27.2% and 9.6%, respectively). The EMT was not increased at ET date on the PRP cycle compared with that in the prior ET cycle in both patient groups. Moreover, EMT was not different between the hCG‐positive and hCG‐negative groups.

Conclusion

Although intrauterine PRP infusion had no superior effect on increasing the EMT than conventional therapeutic agents, it resulted in high pregnancy rates in patients experiencing RIF with or without thin endometrium.
Rethinking Nordic Courts: An Introduction
Authors: Nylund Anna
Published: September 2021

Europeanisation, globalisation, privatisation, diversification and digitisation are trends that all exert an influence on courts and the justice system. Still, our understanding of the interrelationship between these currents in the legal landscape and national court culture is limited, which in turn impedes our comprehension of the on-going, potentially transformational processes related to courts. Nordic courts and court proceedings are, naturally, influenced by these trends both directly and indirectly, and their reactions to the developments are contingent on the underlying legal culture.
The Public Policy-Implementing Role of Nordic Courts in Civil Dispute Resolution
Authors: Petersen Clement Salung
Published: September 2021

This chapter explores the role of Nordic courts in safeguarding certain public values and interests, whether substantial or procedural, in the three types of civil dispute resolution that can potentially lead to state enforcement, namely civil litigation, arbitration and mediation. First, it shows how Nordic courts in civil litigation may take on an’active role’ vis-à-vis the parties but that the legal contours of this role remain unclear and controversial. Secondly, it shows how current and proposed statutory frameworks governing arbitration and mediation give national courts an important role in safeguarding public values and interests which raises important questions in law concerning the role of courts as gatekeepers of access to court and state enforcement for private actors. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the need for developing a clearer and more coherent approach to defining this public policy-implementing role of courts across all three types of civil dispute resolution. It is argued that such a coherent approach is needed and that it will be valuable to analyse the public policy-implementing role of courts in a Nordic context, since the Nordic countries generally share many of these relevant public values and interests.
Nordic and European Judicial Cooperation in Criminal Matters
Authors: Helenius Dan
Published: September 2021

Judicial cooperation in criminal matters between the Nordic states has traditionally been extensive. This cooperation has included matters of extradition, legal assistance in regard to evidence, transfer of the enforcement of punishments and transfer of criminal proceedings and criminal jurisdiction. Since the late twentieth century and the early twenty-first century, the Nordic cooperation agreements have to a rather significant degree been replaced or complemented by EU legislation. Nevertheless, the Nordic agreements continue to be of relevance in many aspects, which gives rise to a rather complicated system of interwoven legal frameworks. This contribution aims to point out legal similarities and differences as well as overlaps between these frameworks, but also to elaborate on the characteristics of the Nordic cooperation as compared to the EU regulated cooperation system. It is specifically argued that the reason for the success of the Nordic cooperation is the mutual trust that the Nordic states share. However, this trust differs somewhat from the trust that is presumed to exist also between the EU Member States.
School Development Approaches Over Time: Strengths, Limitations, and the Need for a New Approach
Authors: Ylimaki Rose M. , Brunderman Lynnette A.
Published: September 2021

Across the globe, we observe policy trends towards evidence-based school development, “scientific” research, and increasingly centralized curriculum, all occurring amidst growing digitalization and demographic changes resulting in increasingly pluralistic schools and communities. As a result of these policy pressures, many universities and other educational organizations have proposed various evidence-based school development models or projects aimed at continuous improvement. In this chapter, we contest evidence produced from quasi-experimental research designs with other empirically tested evidence. We critique several established school development programs across the U.S. Finally, we propose that in order to have school capacity for continuous development, we need a school development process that is contextually-based and able to consider, reflect upon and use data from evidence-based programs and other sources as appropriate for school-identified problems, and that schools must be able to evaluate their own programs and processes in their particular contexts, with particular populations. For this, we need school development grounded in understandings of education and leadership as well as evidence. For our purposes, we define school development as a continuous growth process for school teams supporting education amidst tensions between policy expectations for use of research-driven evidence and the needs of students in increasingly diverse contexts.
The German Context: School Turnaround in Ten Schools in Difficult Circumstances: The Need for Adaptive and Contextualized Approaches to Development and Change
Authors: Skedsmo Guri , Huber Stephan
Published: September 2021

In this chapter, we report on the research findings from a school development project which took place in a large city in Germany over a period of 5 years. In 2013, the central educational authorities formed a public-private partnership with a foundation to start a development project that was inspired by school turnaround models in the US and included various interventions and efforts to support change in ten schools that were identified as ‘schools in difficult circumstances’. As such, the adapted school turnaround model serves as an example of introducing policies or models in school systems that have proven to be successful elsewhere. In this chapter, we present findings from our analysis of the changes taking place in the schools related to efforts and interventions to support the schools. Moreover, we discuss challenges regarding measurement of success according to the school turnaround logic and the need for more adaptive approaches for changing and developing schools in difficult circumstances - at least a long-term perspective on school development.
Using Data as a Source of Reflection in a Feedback Loop
Authors: Ylimaki Rose M. , Brunderman Lynnette A.
Published: September 2021

This chapter considers recent policy trends toward evidence-based practices in Arizona, the U.S., and across the globe. The rise in the use of “scientific” evidence for educational policymaking rests on two common beliefs about knowledge: (1) the belief that school knowledge is universal, and (2) the belief that empirical evidence or data is the primary indicator of knowledge and learning. Recent U.S. policies have reflected the importance of data or numeric evidence from externalized evaluations to guide school decisions. Internationally, multinational organizations, such as the World Bank, have also made evidence-based policymaking a priority both in their own work as influential research and policy organizations as well as their members. Yet there are cautions against this particular use of evidence to replace professional judgement and the wider democratic deliberation about the aims, ends and content of education. Our school development project considers evidence-based values and humanistic, democratic values at tension. School development participants applied a balanced perspective on data with numerical evidence subordinated to educational values, using all as a source of reflection and growth. The chapter, thus, defines data as information that educators, school teams, and other agency members use to inform professional judgement and influence.
Going Deeper into Curriculum and Pedagogical Activity
Authors: Ylimaki Rose M. , Brunderman Lynnette A.
Published: September 2021

This chapter takes a deeper dive into curriculum and pedagogy as these are defined and applied within education. Here terminology like pedagogy, curriculum, leadership (including leadership teams) and education itself are defined in terms of a particular ‘educational’ interest. Such an approach also features a mediation among state and national standards and the needs and interests of children. This approach sees the task of educating children as necessarily occurring in the pedagogical relation between teacher and student in classrooms and between formal leader/principal and teacher in schools and between district leader/superintendent and principals. We recognize the value of understanding the foundations of education developed in earlier times of political and cultural uncertainty. We explicitly define key terms for education, curriculum, pedagogy and leadership in school development using foundational understandings amidst the contemporary situation. Application of the concepts is explored through case studies.
The Global Trajectories of Compulsory Education: Clustering Sequences of Policy Development
Authors: Besche-Truthe Fabian
Published: September 2021

In Chap. 3, Fabian Besche-Truthe looks at the global trajectories of compulsory education. A plethora of studies exist that examine fundamental policy changes at a national level from a global perspective. In comparison, the global policy trend of expanding the duration of compulsory education has been less explored. Besche-Truthe draws on the concepts of trajectories and ‘pathways’ in order to reveal the various development paths that account for the expansion of compulsory education. A sequence analysis (SQA) lends itself as a method of inquiry because it enables the researcher to regard the whole trajectory of policy development as a single unit of analysis. The chapter yields the first exploration into different trajectories and how these trajectories can be subsumed and clustered into specific development paths.
Finding the Poster Child: Reference Patterns in OECD Country Reports
Authors: Seitzer Helen
Published: September 2021

In Chap. 6, Helen Seitzer seeks to find the origin of the OECD’s ‘model education system’ by analyzing country reports on education. Through these reports and the corresponding policy advice, the OECD is contributing considerably to the diffusion of a transnational model of education. However, critics argue that one size does not fit all, and the policy advice distributed might not benefit all countries equally; this is due to their specific local conditions as well as the ‘model education system’s’ origin. In this chapter, Seitzer explores a reference network in OECD publications to detect where the education systems most referenced are located. Furthermore, she determines if reference patterns are regionally clustered or if references transcend all geographical and cultural boundaries.
International Organizations and Education in the Islamic World
Authors: Krogmann David
Published: September 2021

In Chap. 7, David Krogmann looks at IOs and education in the Islamic World. The analysis presented here revolves around two main questions: First, which organizations with predominantly Muslim member states are active in the field of international education policy, and how, if at all, do they cooperate with each other? Second, which education leitmotifs do these organizations promote, and what kind of discourse do they construct around education policy? The analysis finds that Muslim education IOs, namely, ICESCO, ABEGS, and ALECSO, participate in a distinct discourse that revolves around the synthesis of traditional values drawn from Islamic philosophy and the demands of a modern global labor market.
Talking About Education: How Topics Vary Between International Organizations
Authors: Windzio Michael , Heiberger Raphael
Published: September 2021

In this chapter, Raphael Heiberger and Michael Windzio examine which topics are important for major education international organization (IOs). IOs in the field of education follow different ideological paradigms in the global education discourse. Yet, it is an open question as to whether different types of IOs focus on different topics and thereby support different paradigms of education. Based on more than 1000 documents with over 40 million words published by the World Bank, UNESCO, the ILO, the OECD, ISESCO, and SEAMEO, they explore education issues addressed in this sample. Using standardized methods of quantitative text analysis and topic modeling, Heiberger and Windzio reveal that major topics found in these documents do indeed differ between the different types of organizations.
Incidence and Risk Factors of Venous Thromboembolism Following Hepatectomy for Colorectal Metastases: A Population‐Based Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Hanna Nader , Brogly Susan B. , Wei Xuejiao Shelly , Booth Christopher M. , Nanji Sulaiman
Published: September 2021

Background

Incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) following hepatectomy for colorectal cancer (CRC) metastases is unclear. These patients may represent a vulnerable population due to increased tumour burden. We aim to identify the risk of VTE development in routine clinical practice among patients with resected CRC liver metastases, the associated risk factors, and its impact on survival.

Methods

We conducted a population‐based retrospective cohort study of Ontario patients undergoing hepatectomy for CRC metastases between 2002 and 2009 using linked universal healthcare databases. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate the association between patient characteristics and VTE risk at 30 and 90‐days after surgery. Cox proportional‐hazards regression was used to estimate the association between VTE and adjusted cancer specific (CSS) and overall survival (OS).

Results

1310 patients were included with a mean age of 63 ± 11. 62% were male. 51% had one metastatic deposit. Major hepatectomy occurred in 64%. VTE occurred in 4% within 90 days of liver resection. Only longer length of stay was associated with VTE development (OR 6.88 (2.57–18.43), p <0.001 for 15–21 days versus 0–7 days). 38% of VTEs were diagnosed after discharge, comprising 1.52% of the total cohort. VTE was not associated with inferior CSS or OS.

Conclusions

Risk of VTE development in this population is similar to those undergoing hepatectomy for other indications, and to the risk following other cancer site resections where post‐operative extended VTE prophylaxis is currently recommended. The number of VTEs occurring after discharge suggests there may be a role for extended VTE prophylaxis.
Significance of variation in basal metabolic rate in laboratory mice for translational experiments
Authors: Brzęk Paweł , Gębczyński Andrzej , Selewestruk Piotr , Książek Aneta , Sadowska Julita , Konarzewski Marek
Published: September 2021

The basal metabolic rate (BMR) accounts for 60–70% of the daily energy expenditure (DEE) in sedentary humans and at least 50% of the DEE in laboratory mice in the thermoneutral zone. Surprisingly, however, the significance of the variation in the BMR is largely overlooked in translational research using such indices as physical activity level (PAL), i.e., the ratio of DEE/BMR. In particular, it is unclear whether emulation of human PAL in mouse models should be carried out within or below the thermoneutral zone. It is also unclear whether physical activity within the thermoneutral zone is limited by the capacity to dissipate heat generated by exercise and obligatory metabolic processes contributing to BMR. We measured PAL and spontaneous physical activity (SPA) in laboratory mice from two lines, divergently selected towards either high or low level of BMR, and acclimated to 30 °C (i.e., the thermoneutral zone), 23 or 4 °C. The mean PAL did not differ between both lines in the mice acclimated to 30 °C but became significantly higher in the low BMR mouse line at the lower ambient temperatures. Acclimation to 30 °C reduced the mean locomotor activity but did not affect the significant difference observed between the selected lines. We conclude that carrying out experiments within the thermoneutral zone can increase the consistency of translational studies aimed at the emulation of human energetics, without affecting the variation in physical activity correlated with BMR.
Der Sterbeort älterer Menschen mit einer Demenz
Authors: Dasch Burkhard , Lenz Philipp
Published: September 2021

Hintergrund

Die Demenz wird aufgrund ihres progredienten Krankheitsverlaufes mit verkürzter Lebenserwartung und oft fehlender therapeutischer Möglichkeit einer Kuration zunehmend als terminale Erkrankung wahrgenommen. Im palliativmedizinischen Kontext gilt der präferierte Sterbeort als Qualitätsindikator für eine bedarfsgerechte Patientenversorgung. Ziel der vorliegenden Studie war es, die Verteilung des Sterbeortes für ältere Menschen mit einer demenziellen Erkrankung zu beschreiben.

Material und Methode

Datengrundlage bildeten ausgewertete Todesbescheinigungen der Jahre 2001, 2011, 2017 der bis dato umfangreichsten Sterbeortstudie in Deutschland, die in ausgewählten Regionen Westfalens durchgeführt wurde. Ärztliche Angaben zur Todesursache wurden miterfasst. So konnten Verstorbene ≥ 65 Jahre mit einer Demenzerkrankung (ICD-10: F01, F02, F03, G30) identifiziert und deren Sterbeort deskriptiv dargestellt werden.

Ergebnisse

Eine Demenzerkrankung lag bei Verstorbenen ≥ 65 Jahre (n = 31.631) in 14,9 % [95 %-KI: 14,5–15,3 %] der Fälle vor. Es ergab sich folgende Sterbeortverteilung (%, altersstandardisiert; 2001/2011/2017): häusliches Umfeld 24,0/19,7/15,8; Krankenhaus 40,4/29,0/24,3; Palliativstation 0,0/0,3/1,8; Hospiz 0,4/0,9/0,9; Pflegeheim 35,2/49,5/57,1; sonstiger Ort 0,0/0,0/0,0.

Schlussfolgerung

Ältere Menschen (≥ 65 Jahre) mit Demenz versterben mehrheitlich im Pflegeheim, gefolgt vom Krankenhaus und vom häuslichen Umfeld. Palliativstationen und Hospize spielen als Sterbeorte bei diesen Personen eine untergeordnete Rolle.
Postmortem investigation of fatalities following vaccination with COVID-19 vaccines
Authors: Schneider Julia , Sottmann Lukas , Greinacher Andreas , Hagen Maximilian , Kasper Hans-Udo , Kuhnen Cornelius , Schlepper Stefanie , Schmidt Sven , Schulz Ronald , Thiele Thomas , Thomas Christian , Schmeling Andreas
Published: September 2021

Thorough postmortem investigations of fatalities following vaccination with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines are of great social significance. From 11.03.2021 to 09.06.2021, postmortem investigations of 18 deceased persons who recently received a vaccination against COVID-19 were performed. Vaxzevria was vaccinated in nine, Comirnaty in five, Spikevax in three, and Janssen in one person. In all cases, full autopsies, histopathological examinations, and virological analyses for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 were carried out. Depending on the case, additional laboratory tests (anaphylaxis diagnostics, VITT [vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia] diagnostics, glucose metabolism diagnostics) and neuropathological examinations were conducted. In 13 deceased, the cause of death was attributed to preexisting diseases while postmortem investigations did not indicate a causal relationship to the vaccination. In one case after vaccination with Comirnaty, myocarditis was found to be the cause of death. A causal relationship to vaccination was considered possible, but could not be proven beyond doubt. VITT was found in three deceased persons following vaccination with Vaxzevria and one deceased following vaccination with Janssen. Of those four cases with VITT, only one was diagnosed before death. The synopsis of the anamnestic data, the autopsy results, laboratory diagnostic examinations, and histopathological and neuropathological examinations revealed that VITT was the very likely cause of death in only two of the four cases. In the other two cases, no neuropathological correlate of VITT explaining death was found, while possible causes of death emerged that were not necessarily attributable to VITT. The results of our study demonstrate the necessity of postmortem investigations on all fatalities following vaccination with COVID-19 vaccines. In order to identify a possible causal relationship between vaccination and death, in most cases an autopsy and histopathological examinations have to be combined with additional investigations, such as laboratory tests and neuropathological examinations.
Determinants and protective associations of the lupus low disease activity state in a prospective Chinese cohort
Authors: Hao Yanjie , Oon Shereen , Ji Lanlan , Gao Dai , Fan Yong , Geng Yan , Zhang Xiaohui , Li Guangtao , Morand Eric F. , Nikpour Mandana , Zhang ZhuoLi
Published: September 2021

Objective

To investigate the frequency and determinants of achieving the lupus low disease activity state (LLDAS), and the effect of LLDAS attainment on disease flare and damage accrual in a prospective, single-center cohort of Chinese lupus patients.

Methods

Baseline and follow-up data from consecutive patients at the Peking University First Hospital were collected from January 2017 to June 2020.

Results

A total of 185 patients were enrolled, with median (range) disease duration at enrolment of 2.3 (0.8–7.7) years, and median follow-up of 2.2 (1.0–2.9) years. By the end of the study, 139 (75.1%) patients had achieved LLDAS at least once; 82 (44.3%) patients achieved LLDAS for ≥ 50% of observations. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that 24-h urinary total protein (UTP; per g) (OR = 0.447, 95%CI [0.207–0.968], p = 0.041), serum creatinine (Scr; per 10 µmol/L) (OR = 0.72, 95%CI [0.52–0.99], p = 0.040), and C3 level (per 100 mg/L) (OR = 1.60, 95%CI [1.18–2.17], p = 0.003) at recruitment had independent negative associations with achieving LLDAS for ≥ 50% of observations. Kaplan–Meier analyses showed a significant reduction in flare rate with increased proportion of time in LLDAS. Attainment of LLDAS in at least 50% of observations was an independent protective factor for damage accrual (OR = 0.19, 95%CI [0.04–0.99], p = 0.049).

Conclusions

In this prospective Chinese cohort, LLDAS was an attainable goal in clinical practice. Nephritis-related markers (UTP and Scr) and C3 level at recruitment negatively influenced achievement of LLDAS. LLDAS achievement was significantly protective from flare and damage accrual.

Key points

• Low disease activity status (LLDAS) is an achievable target during SLE treatment in China. Urine protein, serum creatinine, and C3 level at recruitment independently affect LLDAS achievement in this group of Chinese lupus patients.

• As a treatment target, LLDAS achievement has a highly protective effect for preventing flare and damage accrual, especially in case of achieving LLDAS for ≥ 50% of observations.

• The present results further highlight the practical significance of treat-to-target principle in SLE management (T2T/SLE) and the needs for promoting the application of T2T/SLE in clinical practice as well as exploring the concrete implement strategy.
The green solvent: a critical perspective
Authors: Winterton Neil
Published: September 2021

Solvents are important in most industrial and domestic applications. The impact of solvent losses and emissions drives efforts to minimise them or to avoid them completely. Since the 1990s, this has become a major focus of green chemistry, giving rise to the idea of the ‘green’ solvent. This concept has generated a substantial chemical literature and has led to the development of so-called neoteric solvents. A critical overview of published material establishes that few new materials have yet found widespread use as solvents. The search for less-impacting solvents is inefficient if carried out without due regard, even at the research stage, to the particular circumstances under which solvents are to be used on the industrial scale. Wider sustainability questions, particularly the use of non-fossil sources of organic carbon in solvent manufacture, are more important than intrinsic ‘greenness’. While solvency is universal, a universal solvent, an alkahest, is an unattainable ideal.
Evaluating Reasoning in Natural Arguments: A Procedural Approach
Authors: Hinton Martin , Wagemans Jean H. M.
Published: September 2021

In this paper, we formulate a procedure for assessing reasoning as it is expressed in natural arguments. The procedure is a specification of one of the three aspects of argumentation assessment distinguished in the Comprehensive Assessment Procedure for Natural Argumentation (CAPNA) (Hinton, 2021) that makes use of the argument categorisation framework of the Periodic Table of Arguments (PTA) (Wagemans, 2016, 2019, 2020c). The theoretical framework and practical application of both the CAPNA and the PTA are described, as well as the evaluation procedure that combines the two. The procedure is illustrated through an evaluation of the reasoning of two example arguments from a recently published text.
Rainfall variability in southeast and west-central Africa during the Little Ice Age: do documentary and proxy records agree?
Authors: Hannaford Matthew J. , Beck Kristen K.
Published: September 2021

Understanding of long-term climatic change prior to instrumental records necessitates reconstructions from documentary and palaeoclimate archives. In southern Africa, documentary-derived chronologies of nineteenth century rainfall variability and palaeoclimate records have permitted new insights into rainfall variability over past centuries. Rarely considered, however, is the climatic information within early colonial documentary records that emerge from the late fifteenth century onwards. This paper examines evidence for (multi-)seasonal dry and wet events within these earlier written records (c. 1550–1830 CE) from southeast Africa (Mozambique) and west-central Africa (Angola) in conjunction with palaeoclimate records from multiple proxies. Specifically, it aims to understand whether these sources agree in their signals of rainfall variability over a 280-year period covering the ‘main phase’ Little Ice Age (LIA) in southern Africa. The two source types generally, but do not always, show agreement within the two regions. This appears to reflect both the nature of rainfall variability and the context behind documentary recording. Both source types indicate that southeast and west-central Africa were distinct regions of rainfall variability over seasonal and longer timescales during the LIA, with southeast Africa being generally drier and west-central Africa generally wetter. However, the documentary records reveal considerable variability within these mean state climatic conditions, with multi-year droughts a recurrent feature in both regions. An analysis of long-term rainfall links with the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in southeast Africa suggests a complex and possibly non-stationary relationship. Overall, early colonial records provide valuable information for constraining hydroclimate variability where palaeoclimate records remain sparse.
Fire Experiment Inside a Very Large and Open-Plan Compartment: x-ONE
Authors: Rackauskaite Egle , Bonner Matthew , Restuccia Francesco , Fernandez Anez Nieves , Christensen Eirik G. , Roenner Nils , Wegrzynski Wojciech , Turkowski Piotr , Tofilo Piotr , Heidari Mohammad , Kotsovinos Panagiotis , Vermesi Izabella , Richter Franz , Hu Yuqi , Jeanneret Chloe , Wadhwani Rahul , Rein Guillermo
Published: September 2021

The traditional design fires commonly considered in structural fire engineering, like the standard fire and Eurocode parametric fires, were developed several decades ago based on experimental compartments smaller than 100 m2 in floor area. These experiments led to the inherent assumption of flashover in design fires and that the temperatures and burning conditions are uniform in the whole of the compartment, regardless of its size. However, modern office buildings often have much larger open-plan floor areas (e.g. the Shard in London has a floor area of 1600 m2) where non-uniform fire conditions are likely to occur. This paper presents observations from a large-scale fire experiment x-ONE conducted inside a concrete farm building in Poland. The objective of x-ONE was to capture experimentally a natural fire inside a large and open plan compartment. With an open-plan floor area of 380 m2, x-ONE is the largest compartment fire experiment carried out to date. The fire was ignited at one end of the compartment and allowed to spread across a continuous wood crib (fuel load ~ 370 MJ/m2). A travelling fire with clear leading and trailing edges was observed spreading along 29 m of the compartment length. The flame spread rate was not constant but accelerated with time from 3 mm/s to 167 mm/s resulting in a gradually changing fire size. The fire travelled across the compartment and burned out at the far end 25 min after ignition. Flashover was not observed. The thermocouples and cameras installed along the fire path show clear near-field and far-field regions, indicating highly non-uniform spatial temperatures and burning within the compartment. The fire dynamics observed during this experiment are completely different to the fire dynamics reported in small scale compartments in previous literature and to the assumptions made in traditional design fires for structural design. This highlights the need for further research and experiments in large compartments to understand the fire dynamics and continue improving the safe design of modern buildings.
Gravity Variations and Ground Deformations Resulting from Core Dynamics
Authors: Dumberry Mathieu , Mandea Mioara
Published: September 2021

Fluid motion within the Earth’s liquid outer core leads to internal mass redistribution. This occurs through the advection of density anomalies within the volume of the liquid core and by deformation of the solid boundaries of the mantle and inner core which feature density contrasts. It also occurs through torques acting on the inner core reorienting its non-spherical shape. These in situ mass changes lead to global gravity variations, and global deformations (inducing additional gravity variations) occur in order to maintain the mechanical equilibrium of the whole Earth. Changes in Earth’s rotation vector (and thus of the global centrifugal potential) induced by core flows are an additional source of global deformations and associated gravity changes originating from core dynamics. Here, we review how each of these different core processes operates, how gravity changes and ground deformations from each could be reconstructed, as well as ways to estimate their amplitudes. Based on our current understanding of core dynamics, we show that, at spherical harmonic degree 2, core processes contribute to gravity variations and ground deformations that are approximately a factor 10 smaller than those observed and caused by dynamical processes within the fluid layers at the Earth’s surface. The larger the harmonic degree, the smaller is the contribution from the core. Extracting a signal of core origin requires the accurate removal of all contributions from surface processes, which remains a challenge.

Article Highlights

Dynamical processes in Earth's fluid core lead to global gravity variations and surface ground deformations

We review how these processes operate, how signals of core origin can be reconstructed and estimate their amplitudes

Core signals are a factor 10 smaller than the observed signals; extracting a signal of core origin remains a challenge
Stories of courage in a group of asylum seekers for an inclusive and sustainable future
Authors: Santilli Sara , Di Maggio Ilaria , Ginevra Maria Cristina , Nota Laura , Soresi Salvatore
Published: September 2021

Asylum seekers experience conditions of social disadvantage, poor labor market outcomes, and low-paid jobs. Therefore, vocational guidance and career counseling must function as a supportive social practice for asylum seekers giving voice to them and focusing on their strengths, such as courage. The present study examined the personal stories of courage of 71 asylum seekers who migrated to Italy. Results highlight situations characterized by undignified living conditions, dehumanizing transitions, and barriers imposed on future aspirations. These voices could become a significant starting point to consider asylum seekers’ future in the perspective of an inclusive and sustainable future.
Does Learning from Giving Feedback Depend on the Product Being Reviewed: Concept Maps or Answers to Test Questions?
Authors: Dmoshinskaia Natasha , Gijlers Hannie , de Jong Ton
Published: September 2021

Giving feedback to peers can be a valuable learning experience for a feedback provider. However, different types of products require different types of feedback, which, in turn, may lead to different learning outcomes. The current study investigates the effect on the learning of feedback providers of reviewing different types of products. Secondary school students (n =127) were randomly assigned to one of the two conditions: giving peer feedback on either concept maps or answers to open-ended test questions. Both types of product, created by the researchers, were comparable with regard to content: they included the same misconceptions and were both of average quality. Giving peer feedback was part of a chemistry lesson delivered in an online inquiry learning environment. Students’ post-test scores, their own learning products, and the quality of the provided feedback were analysed to check for an effect on learning. There was no difference in post-test scores between the conditions, but the quality of the provided feedback predicted post-test scores. This indicates that it is not the type of product reviewed that matters, but the effort that students put into giving feedback. Possible implications for practice and further research directions are discussed.
Sibling Bullying: A Prospective Longitudinal Study of Associations with Positive and Negative Mental Health during Adolescence
Authors: Toseeb Umar , Wolke Dieter
Published: September 2021

Sibling bullying is associated with poor mental health outcomes, but the relevance of specific bullying roles remains unclear. Data from a population-based study (n = 17,157, 48% female) focusing on early (11 years), middle (14 years), and late (17 years) adolescence were analyzed. Associations between sibling bullying roles in early adolescence and positive and negative mental health outcomes in late adolescence were investigated. Generally, bullying, irrespective of role, was associated with poorer mental health outcomes in late adolescence. As the frequency of bullying victimization increased between early and middle adolescence so did the severity of mental health outcomes in late adolescence. The developmental trajectories of externalizing problems were influenced by bullying in early adolescence. Sibling bullying, irrespective of role, is associated with poor mental health outcomes.
A hybrid landmark Aalen-Johansen estimator for transition probabilities in partially non-Markov multi-state models
Authors: Maltzahn Niklas , Hoff Rune , Aalen Odd O. , Mehlum Ingrid S. , Putter Hein , Gran Jon Michael
Published: September 2021

Multi-state models are increasingly being used to model complex epidemiological and clinical outcomes over time. It is common to assume that the models are Markov, but the assumption can often be unrealistic. The Markov assumption is seldomly checked and violations can lead to biased estimation of many parameters of interest. This is a well known problem for the standard Aalen-Johansen estimator of transition probabilities and several alternative estimators, not relying on the Markov assumption, have been suggested. A particularly simple approach known as landmarking have resulted in the Landmark-Aalen-Johansen estimator. Since landmarking is a stratification method a disadvantage of landmarking is data reduction, leading to a loss of power. This is problematic for “less traveled” transitions, and undesirable when such transitions indeed exhibit Markov behaviour. Introducing the concept of partially non-Markov multi-state models, we suggest a hybrid landmark Aalen-Johansen estimator for transition probabilities. We also show how non-Markov transitions can be identified using a testing procedure. The proposed estimator is a compromise between regular Aalen-Johansen and landmark estimation, using transition specific landmarking, and can drastically improve statistical power. We show that the proposed estimator is consistent, but that the traditional variance estimator can underestimate the variance of both the hybrid and landmark estimator. Bootstrapping is therefore recommended. The methods are compared in a simulation study and in a real data application using registry data to model individual transitions for a birth cohort of 184 951 Norwegian men between states of sick leave, disability, education, work and unemployment.
Variational principles for conformal geodesics
Authors: Dunajski Maciej , Kryński Wojciech
Published: September 2021

Conformal geodesics are solutions to a system of third-order equations, which makes a Lagrangian formulation problematic. We show how enlarging the class of allowed variations leads to a variational formulation for this system with a third-order conformally invariant Lagrangian. We also discuss the conformally invariant system of fourth-order ODEs arising from this Lagrangian and show that some of its integral curves are spirals.
Comparison of the effects of three fungicides on clubroot disease of tumorous stem mustard and soil bacterial community
Authors: Liao Jingjing , Luo Luyun , Zhang Li , Wang Lingzhi , Shi Xuedan , Yang Hao , Tan Shenghua , Tan Lei , Liu Xin , Wang Diandong , Mao Zhenchuan
Published: September 2021

Purpose

The application of fungicides is one of the main strategies to prevent clubroot disease. Currently, numerous studies focus on changes in the soil microbial community at different levels of clubroot disease severity. However, the effects of fungicides on the soil microbial community and causative pathogen, Plasmodiophora brassicae, while preventing clubroot disease remain unclear.

Methods

In this study, we evaluated the control efficacy of three fungicides (fluazinam, metalaxyl-mancozeb, and carbendazim) on clubroot disease of tumorous stem mustard in greenhouse experiment. Uninoculated and Water treatments after inoculation were performed as controls. At three (3 W) and six weeks (6 W) post-inoculation of P. brassicae, soil properties, bacterial composition (sequencing of 16S rRNA genes), and effector gene expression of the pathogen were analyzed. The correlation of these factors with disease index (DI) was explored.

Results

Fluazinam was the most effective in controlling clubroot disease of tumorous stem mustard with a controlled efficacy of 59.81%, and the abundance of P. brassicae in the soil decreased 21.29% after 3 weeks of treatment. Compared with other treatments, twelve out of twenty effector genes showed higher expression in fluazinam 3 W samples. Different fungicides had different effects on soil properties. EC (electrical conductivity), the main factor that positively associated with DI, was significantly lower in fluazinam treatment than the other two fungicide treatments. The application of fungicides, especially carbendazim, significantly reduced bacterial α-diversity and the composition of soil bacteria. Pseudomonas, Microbacterium, and Sphingobacterium (positively correlated with DI) were enriched in Water, metalaxyl-mancozeb, and carbendazim treatments, but were less abundant in fluazinam treatment. Among the three fungicide treatments, DI was significantly negatively correlated with Shannon and Chao 1 indices. Soil properties and the top bacterial genera that positively correlated with DI were influenced to a lesser degree in the fluazinam treatment.

Conclusion

Among three fungicides, fluazinam was the most effective agent with the highest control effects against clubroot disease. The strong virulence of fluazinam against P. brassicae was one of the main reasons for the prevention of clubroot disease, and in addition the alteration of rhizosphere bacterial community by fluazinam to the detriment of P. brassicae infection. Based on our results, EC could be an indicator of the severity of clubroot disease.
Looking from within: Comparing first-person approaches to studying experience
Authors: Lumma Anna-Lena , Weger Ulrich
Published: September 2021

Fostering our understanding of how humans behave, feel and think is a fundamental goal of psychological research. Widely used methods in psychological research are self-report and behavioral measures which require an experimenter to collect data from another person. By comparison, first-person measures that assess more subtle facets of subjective experiences, are less widely used. Without integrating such more subtle first-person measures, however, fundamental aspects of psychological phenomena remain inaccessible to psychological theorizing. To explore the value and potential contribution of first-person methods, the current article aims to provide an overview over already established first-person methods and compare them on relevant dimensions. Based on these results, researchers can select suitable first-person methods to study different facets of subjective experiences. Overall, the investigation of psychological phenomena from a first-person perspective can complement and enrich existing research from a third-person perspective.