bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Longitudinal Examination of Withholding All or Part of School Recess on Children’s Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior: Evidence from a Natural Experiment
Authors: Carriedo Alejandro , Cecchini José A.
Published: February 2022

School recess is a daily opportunity for school-age students to be physically active. However, in some territories teachers often use recess for other purposes (e.g., children’s poor classroom behavior might be punished with reduced time for recess). This study aimed to examine the impact of such practices on children’s physical activity (PA) and the relationships between PA, gender, body mass index (BMI), and academic achievement. Forty-six first-grade students from two natural classrooms wore an accelerometer over the course of 6 weeks to measure their metabolic equivalent of task (METs) and sedentary behavior during school recess. Gender, age, BMI, the classroom to which students belonged, and academic achievement were also analyzed in two Generalized Estimating Equations models. Results revealed that boys achieved more METs and spent less time participating in sedentary behavior than girls during recess. Children within a healthy weight range of BMI yielded more METs than underweight and overweight/obese children. Academic achievement was positively associated with the METS and negatively with the sedentary behavior. Finally, withholding all or part of school recess significantly reduced children’s PA and extended their sedentary behavior. The literature indicates that school recess plays an important role in promoting numerous children’s health outcomes. Therefore, students should not be excluded from participation in all or part of recess.
Effectiveness and Safety of Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy for Weight Loss in Mild Obesity: Prospective Cohort Study with 3-Year Follow-up
Authors: Elnabil-Mortada Ahmed , Elmaleh Haitham M. , Ackroyd Roger , Khaled Rabbah A.
Published: February 2022

Purpose

Patients with mild obesity especially in absence of associated medical problems (OAMP) are commonly managed by non-surgical approaches. Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) has proved itself to be effective and it is now the most performed weight loss procedure. We aimed to study the effectiveness and safety of LSG for weight loss in mild obesity.

Methods

A prospective cohort study. Group A; BMI (30–34.9 kg/m2), and group B; BMI ≥ 40 or BMI ≥ 35 with OAMP. Demographic data, perioperative complications, % excess weight loss (EWL), % total weight loss (TWL), nutritional profile, and evolution of OAMP were recorded and statistically analyzed.

Results

A total of 250 patients, with 80 patients (32%) in group A, and 170 (68%) in group B. The majority were female. The mean preoperative weight, BMI, and excess weight were 90.1 ± 9.52, 32.7 ± 1.4, and 21.5 ± 4.9 in group A, and 129.88 ± 26.12, 47.8 ± 8.2, and 62.3 ± 23.6 kg in group B respectively. The low BMI group had significantly lower OAMP, with higher pre-LSG non-surgical procedures rate. Overall post-operative morbidity rate was significantly higher in group B. %TWL was significantly lower in low BMI group. Nutritional profile was within the normal range in both groups at 3-year follow-up.

Conclusion

Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy is a safe and effective weight loss solution for mild obesity with better outcome than for higher BMI. Further studies are warranted to reconsider NIH’s statement for medicolegal aspects, and for matching the current changes in bariatric surgery practice, safety evidence, and patients’ demand.

Graphical abstract
Provision of cross-domain knowledge in mechanical joining using ontologies
Authors: Zirngibl Christoph , Kügler Patricia , Popp Julian , Bielak Christian R. , Bobbert Mathias , Drummer Dietmar , Meschut Gerson , Wartzack Sandro , Schleich Benjamin
Published: February 2022

Since the application of mechanical joining methods, such as clinching or riveting, offers a robust solution for the generation of advanced multi-material connections, the use in the field of lightweight designs (e.g. automotive industry) is steadily increasing. Therefore, not only the design of an individual joint is required but also the dimensioning of the entire joining connection is crucial. However, in comparison to thermal joining techniques, such as spot welding, the evaluation of the joints’ resistance against defined requirements (e.g. types of load, minimal amount of load cycles) mainly relies on the consideration of expert knowledge, a few design principles and a small amount of experimental data. Since this generally implies the involvement of several domains, such as the material characterization or the part design, a tremendous amount of data and knowledge is separately generated for a certain dimensioning process. Nevertheless, the lack of formalization and standardization in representing the gained knowledge leads to a difficult and inconsistent reuse, sharing or searching of already existing information. Thus, this contribution presents a specific ontology for the provision of cross-domain knowledge about mechanical joining processes and highlights two potential use cases of this ontology in the design of clinched and pin joints.
Some results on the Gaussian Markov Random Field construction problem based on the use of invariant subgraphs
Authors: Baz Juan , Díaz Irene , Montes Susana , Pérez-Fernández Raúl
Published: February 2022

The study of Gaussian Markov Random Fields has attracted the attention of a large number of scientific areas due to its increasing usage in several fields of application. Here, we consider the construction of Gaussian Markov Random Fields from a graph and a positive-definite matrix, which is closely related to the problem of finding the Maximum Likelihood Estimator of the covariance matrix of the underlying distribution. In particular, it is simultaneously required that the variances and the covariances between variables associated with adjacent nodes in the graph are fixed by the positive-definite matrix and that pairs of variables associated with non-adjacent nodes in the graph are conditionally independent given all other variables. The solution to this construction problem exists and is unique up to the choice of a vector of means. In this paper, some results focusing on a certain type of subgraphs (invariant subgraphs) and a representation of the Gaussian Markov Random Field as a Multivariate Gaussian Markov Random Field are presented. These results ease the computation of the solution to the aforementioned construction problem.
Ultrasound Perfusion Imaging for the Detection of Cerebral Hypoperfusion After Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
Authors: Fung Christian , Heiland Dieter Henrik , Reitmeir Raluca , Niesen Wolf-Dirk , Raabe Andreas , Eyding Jens , Schnell Oliver , Rölz Roland , Z´Graggen Werner J. , Beck Jürgen
Published: February 2022

Background

Delayed cerebral ischemia increases mortality and morbidity after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). Various techniques are applied to detect cerebral vasospasm and hypoperfusion. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound perfusion imaging (UPI) is able to detect cerebral hypoperfusion in acute ischemic stroke. This prospective study aimed to evaluate the use of UPI to enable detection of cerebral hypoperfusion after aSAH.

Methods

We prospectively enrolled patients with aSAH and performed UPI examinations every second day after aneurysm closure. Perfusion of the basal ganglia was outlined to normalize the perfusion records of the anterior and posterior middle cerebral artery territory. We applied various models to characterize longitudinal perfusion alterations in patients with delayed ischemic neurologic deficit (DIND) across the cohort and predict DIND by using a multilayer classification model.

Results

Between August 2013 and December 2015, we included 30 patients into this prospective study. The left–right difference of time to peak (TTP) values showed a significant increase at day 10–12. Patients with DIND demonstrated a significant, 4.86 times increase of the left–right TTP ratio compared with a mean fold change in patients without DIND of 0.9 times (p = 0.032).

Conclusions

UPI is feasible to enable detection of cerebral tissue hypoperfusion after aSAH, and the left–right difference of TTP values is the most indicative result of this finding.
Literatur in vereinfachter Sprache: Einfachheit und literarische Ästhetik
Authors: Hennig Mathilde , Jacob Joachim
Published: February 2022

Der naheliegenden Annahme, dass die Rahmenbedingungen Leichter und Einfacher Sprache erhebliche Grenzen für eine literarästhetische Gestaltung von Texten setzen, steht eine inzwischen stark verbreitete Praxis der Produktion literarischer Texte in Leichter und Einfacher Sprache (und zwar sowohl als Übersetzungen vorliegender literarischer Werke als auch als Eigenproduktionen) gegenüber. Der Artikel nimmt das zum Anlass, die Frage, inwieweit Einfachheit und Literarästhetik aufeinander beziehbar sind, aus einer linguistisch-literaturwissenschaftlich interdisziplinären Perspektive zu diskutieren. Der Artikel stellt Überlegungen zu Einfachheit und Komplexität aus literaturwissenschaftlicher und linguistischer Perspektive gegenüber und setzt sie in Beziehung zu den vorliegenden Regelwerken zu Leichter Sprache sowie Empfehlungen zum Verfassen von Literatur in Einfacher Sprache. Ausgehend von einem einfachen Grundverständnis einer Komplexität-Simplizität-Skala, das von einem Mehr vs. Weniger von Komplexitätsmerkmalen ausgeht, diskutiert der Beitrag, welche literarästhetischen Merkmale für Analysen dieser Art in Frage kommen. Ein exemplarischer Blick auf den kreativen Umgang mit Einfachheit in drei Textbeispielen rundet die Überlegungen ab.
The Architects of International Relations
Authors: Stöckmann Jan
Published: February 2022

Based on extensive archival research, this book provides a new and stimulating history of International Relations (IR) as an academic discipline. Contrary to traditional accounts, it argues that IR was not invented by Anglo-American men after the First World War. Nor was it divided into neat theoretical camps. To appreciate the twists and turns of early IR scholarship, the book follows a diverse group of men and women from across Europe and beyond who pioneered the field since 1914. Like architects, they built a set of institutions (university departments, journals, libraries, etc.) but they also designed plans for a new world order (draft treaties, petitions, political commentary, etc.). To achieve these goals, they interacted closely with the League of Nations and its bodies for intellectual cooperation, until the Second World War put an end to their endeavour. Their story raises broader questions about the status of IR well beyond the inter-war period.
What's the Point?
Authors: LaBelle Jason M. , Toft Mike , Matsuda Marie
Published: February 2022

Our professional understanding of the archaeological record is informed through academic research interest, the nature (tensions of time/money/location) of cultural resource management, and the ability of archaeologists to fully access diverse forms of data potentially available to them. Knowledge of eastern Colorado is poorly known, given that 40% of the state is publicly owned (federal and state) and most professional work occurs on land administered by federal agencies in western Colorado. Given this research disparity, we argue that professional archaeologists in eastern Colorado would certainly benefit from expanding their research networks to include the efforts of avocational archaeologists. Our article describes how artifact collectors have searched eastern Colorado for the past 100 years; although their methods differ from professional approaches, their cumulative efforts provide a nuanced read of the archaeological record. Differences relate to increased time spent on sites, access to a variety of landforms, and repeated visits over the long term. We present a case study on playa lake archaeology to emphasize these concepts and provide suggestions as to how archaeologists can create better partnerships to unlock potentially novel perspectives of the archaeological record.
Sharing Collections and Sharing Stories
Authors: Mills Nikki S.
Published: February 2022

As archaeology has evolved, partnerships between private collectors and archaeologists have ebbed and flowed. This article contributes to a growing body of work dedicated to recognizing the contributions of the collecting community, with a focus on maintaining reciprocal models for long-term collaborations. This research article argues that for these collaborative efforts to progress, archaeologists must operate through an archaeological ethnographic lens that fosters work in partnership and generative dialogues. Utilizing ethics from the Society for American Archaeology's “Statement on Responsible and Responsive Stewards of the Past” (Society for American Archaeology 2018), an undergraduate student and private collector partnered to retroactively document an artifact collection collected over 60 years in Colorado's San Luis Valley. This article is distinct, however, in that it centers the research methods, offering a pragmatic example of utilizing an archaeological ethnographic framework alongside collaborative inquiry and oral history methodologies. The partnership cultivated within the research team opened a new line of inquiry into the collector's past collaborations with professionals, revealing a variety of informative and illuminating stories. As the academic discourse widens, incorporating such stories into the canon will improve collaborations and foster networks of partners to create sustainable long-term collaborations that ultimately lead to greater understanding of and care for the material past.
The majorisation principle for convex functions
Authors: Jameson G. J. O.
Published: February 2022

Given positive numbers xj, yj such that
$\sum\limits_{i = 1}^n {{x_j}} = \sum\limits_{j = 1}^n {{y_j}} $
, it can happen that
$\sum\limits_{j = 1}^n {x_j^2} = \sum\limits_{j = 1}^n {y_j^2} $
: for example,
$({x_j}) = (7,\,3,\,2),\,({y_j}) = (6,\,5,\,1)$
. However, such cases are exceptional.
An index for betting with examples from games and sports
Authors: Abdin Talaat , Mahmoud Hosam , Modarres Arian , Wang Kai
Published: February 2022

It is tempting to accept bets when the outcome has a positive expectation favouring the bettor. We examine situations where this is not enough of a criterion as a basis for betting. The argument we present shows that the probability of winning the bets in the long run has to be qualified in a certain way beyond positive expectation. We introduce an alternative index as a criterion to recommend to bettors.
Power of a point: from Jakob Steiner to modern applications
Authors: Gîrban Alexandru , Suceavǎ Bogdan D.
Published: February 2022

"What should we use?" seems to be the question when one approaches a plane geometry problem. In many ways, Euclidean geometry is a laboratory in the realm of logic, an ideal place where one can see how alternative methods can be employed to solve problems. What detail might represent a hint? And from among many choices, what method could one consider? Does the geometric structure suggest a certain type of approach?
Hyperemesis gravidarum severity, enteral tube feeding and cardiometabolic markers in offspring cord blood
Authors: Nijsten Kelly , Koot Marjette H. , Bais Joke M. J. , Ris-Stalpers Carrie , van Eekelen Rik , Bremer Henk A. , van der Ham David P. , Heidema Wieteke M. , Huisjes Anjoke , Kleiverda Gunilla , Kruizenga Hinke , Kuppens Simone M. , van Laar Judith O. E. H. , Langenveld Josje , van der Made Flip , Papatsonis Dimitri , Pelinck Marie-José , Pernet Paula J. , van Rheenen-Flach Leonie , Rijnders Robbert J. , Scheepers Hubertina C. J. , Vogelvang Tatjana , Mol Ben W. , Grooten Iris J. , Roseboom Tessa J. , Painter Rebecca C.
Published: February 2022

This study aimed to investigate the association between hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) severity and early enteral tube feeding on cardiometabolic markers in offspring cord blood. We included women admitted for HG, who participated in the MOTHER randomised controlled trial (RCT) and observational cohort. The MOTHER RCT showed that early enteral tube feeding in addition to standard care did not affect symptoms/birth outcomes. Among RCT and cohort participants, we assessed how HG severity affected lipid, c-peptide, glucose and free thyroxine cord blood levels. HG severity measures were severity of vomiting at inclusion and 3 weeks after inclusion, pregnancy weight gain and 24-h energy intake at inclusion, readmissions and duration of hospital admissions. Cord blood measures were also compared between RCT participants allocated to enteral tube feeding and those receiving standard care. Between 2013-2016, 215 women were included: 115 RCT and 100 cohort participants. Eighty-one cord blood samples were available. Univariable not multivariable regression analysis showed that lower maternal weight gain was associated with higher cord blood glucose levels (β: –0·08, 95% CI –0·16, –0·00). Lower maternal weight gain was associated with higher Apo-B cord blood levels in multivariable regression analysis (β: –0·01, 95% CI –0·02, –0·01). No associations were found between other HG severity measures or allocation to enteral tube feeding and cord blood cardiometabolic markers. In conclusion, while lower maternal weight gain was associated with higher Apo-B cord blood levels, no other HG severity measures were linked with cord blood cardiometabolic markers, nor were these markers affected by enteral tube feeding.
Reversion of CYP450 monooxygenase-mediated acetamiprid larval resistance in dengue fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti L.
Authors: Samal Roopa Rani , Panmei Kungreilu , Lanbiliu P. , Kumar Sarita
Published: February 2022

Aedes-borne diseases are on the rampant rise despite continued application of chemical insecticide-based interventions. The appearance of high degree of insecticide resistance in Aedes species and noxious effects on environment and non-targets have raised further concerns. Among new chemical interventions, neonicotinoids are considered a safe and effective approach. The present study investigated the control potency of acetamiprid and development of resistance in Aedes aegypti larvae; and the involvement of CYP450 monooxygenases in inducing resistance. The early fourth instars of Ae. aegypti parent susceptible strain (PS) were selected with acetamiprid for 15 generations (ACSF strain) increasing the resistance to 19.74-fold in ACSF-10 and 36.71-fold in ACSF-15. The ACSF-10 larvae were assayed with acetamiprid combined with piperonyl butoxide (PBO) in three different ratios (1:1, 1:5 and 1:10) and selected for next five generations with 1:10 combination. Selection with synergized acetamiprid (APSF strains) reversed as well as reduced the rate of resistance development resulting in only 1.35-fold resistance in APSF-15. The APSF strains showed %monooxygenase dependency ranging from 86.71 to 96.72%. The estimation of the monooxygenases levels in parent and selected larvae showed increased monooxygenase level in the ACSF strains by 2.42–2.87-fold. The APSF-15 strains exhibited 57.95% lower enzyme production than ACSF-15 strain. The reduction and reversion of resistance by using PBO and the elevated levels of monooxygenases in ACSF and reduction in APSF strains recommend the involvement of CYP450-mediated mechanism in the development of acetamiprid resistance in Ae. aegypti. These studies could help in devising resistance management strategies in order to preserve the efficiency of pre-existing insecticides.
Thiamine (vitamin B1) as an insect repellent: a scoping review
Authors: Shelomi Matan
Published: February 2022

While the desire for systemic repellents is high, ineffective repellents put one at risk of insect-vectored pathogens. Vitamin B1, or thiamine, has been touted as a systemic insect repellent since 1943, and denounced as an ineffective placebo for just as long. This paper presents a scoping review of 104 relevant case reports, research studies, and review articles to trace the evolution of this idea and identify an evidence-based, scientific consensus. Reports of thiamine's systemic repellency are primarily anecdotal and based on uncontrolled trials and/or used bite symptoms as a proxy for reduced biting. Controlled experiments on insect landing and feeding found no evidence of repellency. Of the 49 relevant review papers, 16 insect bite prevention guidelines, and 4 government documents, none after the 1990s claimed thiamine is a repellent. The findings of this review are that thiamine cannot repel arthropods in any dosage or route of administration. Due to limited available evidence, the possibility that thiamine reduces the subjective symptoms of insect bites cannot currently be ruled out. Unfortunately, many medical professionals and travelers today still believe thiamine may be effective despite the evidence stating otherwise. Continued promotion of debunked repellents on the commercial market poses a serious risk in countries with the endemic, mosquito-vectored disease.
Molecular phylogeny and new insight into the stomatal complexity ofFictor platypapillatasp. n. (Diplogastridae: Nematoda) associated withOniticellus cinctus(Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)
Authors: Mahboob M. , Tahseen Q.
Published: February 2022

The new speciesFictor platypapillatawas isolated from dung beetleOniticellus cinctus(Scarabaeidae), collected from the district Balrampur, Uttar Pradesh, India.Fictor platypapillatasp. n. is described based on morphology, morphometric and molecular characterization, supplemented with scanning electron microscopy observations. The new species is characterized by two female morphs based on stomatal dimorphism:αmorph with left subventral wall having 14 denticles, six low conical and eight elongated finger-like, slender denticles separated by a deep groove; inner wall of gymnostom with linearly arranged warts;βmorph with inner wall of gymnostom lacking warts; dorsal and right subventral stegostomal walls having large, slender teeth with hook-shaped apical end. Genital sensilla eight pairs withv5 pair flattened, button-shaped, located ventrally. The phylogenetic analyses revealed significant congruence, especially in the position of the subordinate taxa of genusFictorthat shows polyphyly by both Bayesian inference and minimum evolution methods. The taxonomy of the genus is updated with a valid species list along with their geographical mapping.
Who excludes? Young People’s Experience of Social Exclusion
Authors: REDMOND GERRY , MAIN GILL , O’DONNELL ALEXANDER W. , SKATTEBOL JENNIFER , WOODMAN RICHARD , MOONEY ANNA , WANG JOANNA , TURKMANI SABERA , THOMSON CATHERINE , BROOKS FIONA
Published: February 2022

Existing policy research has not comprehensively examined the processes by which young people experience social exclusion: that is, the relationships among different risk factors for exclusion, their actual experiences of exclusion, and outcomes that matter for their life chances. Drawing on data from a survey of Australian 13-14 year olds (N=3,535), this paper adapts the Bristol Social Exclusion Matrix to examine pathways from young people’s personal and family resources, their experience of participation (school engagement; bullying victimization; teacher support), and their life satisfaction – a predictive indicator of wellbeing and mental health in adulthood. The effects of other characteristics or risk factors for young people’s social exclusion (living with disability, being a young carer, identifying as Indigenous, and speaking a language other than English at home), are also examined. This paper shows that experience of exclusion mediates the relationship between young people’s personal and family resources and life satisfaction. Controlling for characteristics or risk factors does not change this relationship, suggesting that processes of social exclusion, enacted in interpersonal encounters, are driven by overarching structural factors. These findings are relevant for policy in Australia, and in other countries with similar policy regimes.
Overcoming the regeneration barriers of tropical dry forest: effects of water stress and herbivory on seedling performance and allocation of key tree species for restoration
Authors: Cárdenas Carlos Daniel , Varón-García Daniela , Suárez-Rodríguez Freddy , Pizano Camila
Published: February 2022

Tropical dry forests (TDF) are one of the most threatened and poorly protected ecosystems in the Americas. Although there are international efforts for the restoration of TDF, how stress factors such as herbivory or water limitation due to changes in precipitation, impact the regeneration dynamics of these forests is poorly understood. Specifically, how seedlings of key tree species for TDF restoration cope with current abiotic pressures such as the intensification of climatic events, and biotic factors like herbivory, is not yet fully understood. Here, we compared seedling performance, and allocation of biomass, and water to roots vs. shoots for three legume, and one non-legume TDF tree species, as a response to water limitation and herbivory in an 8-month greenhouse experiment. Contrary to our expectations, we found that the non-legume species,G. ulmifolia, had the best performance compared to legumes, while N-fixing and non-fixing legumes showed similar performance. Based on our findings, we suggest the use ofG. ulmifoliain TDF restoration projects due to its high performance despite abiotic and biotic stress factors, its allocation of biomass and water to belowground structures. We also recommend the use of N-fixing legume species owing to their ability to fix nitrogen, which guarantees an N input to the soil, important in the first stages of succession. However, the legume species used in this experiment do not appear to resist the abiotic and biotic stressors studied. Thus, more studies exploring the response of dry forest plant species to stress factors are key for informing and assuring more effective TDF restoration efforts.
Neolithization and Population Replacement in Britain: An Alternative View
Authors: Thomas Julian
Published: February 2022

Investigation of British Mesolithic and Neolithic genomes suggests discontinuity between the two and has been interpreted as indicating a significant migration of continental farmers, displacing the indigenous population. These incomers had already acquired some hunter-gatherer genetic heritage before their arrival, and this increased little in Britain. However, the proportion of hunter-gatherer genetic ancestry in British Neolithic genomes is generally greater than for most contemporary examples on the continent, particularly in emerging evidence from northern France, while the ultimate origin of British Neolithic populations in Iberia is open to question. Both the date calculated for the arrival of new people in Britain and their westerly origin are at odds with other aspects of the existing evidence. Here, a two-phase model of Neolithization is proposed. The first appearance of Neolithic things and practices significantly predated a more substantial transfer of population, creating the conditions under which new communities could be brought into being. The rather later establishment of a major migration stream coincided with an acceleration in the spread of Neolithic artefacts and activities, as well as an enrichment of the Neolithic material assemblage.
Strengthening the semantic verb network in multilingual people with aphasia: within- and cross-language treatment effects*
Authors: Lerman Aviva , Goral Mira , Edmonds Lisa A. , Obler Loraine K.
Published: February 2022

In multilingual people, semantic knowledge is predominantly shared across languages. Providing semantic-focused treatment to people with aphasia has been posited to strengthen connectivity within association cortices that subserve semantic knowledge. In multilingual people, such treatment should result in within- and cross-language generalisation to all languages, although not equally. We investigated treatment effects in two multilingual participants with aphasia who received verb-based semantic treatment in two pre-stroke highly proficient languages. We compared within- and cross-language generalisation patterns across languages, finding within- and cross-language generalisation after treatment in the less-impaired, pre-morbidly more-proficient first-acquired language (L1). This observation supports the theory that connectivity is greater between the lexicon of a pre-morbidly more-proficient L1 and the shared semantic system than the lexicon of a pre-morbidly less-proficient later-acquired language. Our findings of within- and cross-language generalisation patterns could also be explained by both the Competing Mechanisms Theory and the theory of lingering suppression.
More than Money? Job Quality and Food Insecurity among Employed Lone Mother Households in the United States
Authors: Sheely Amanda
Published: February 2022

This article examines the relationship between food insecurity and the uncertainty and inadequate financial resources associated with low quality work among lone mother households in the United States. Food insecurity has increased since the start of the Great Recession and is particularly high among lone mother households. Using data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation, I find that mothers who have been employed part-time involuntarily and experienced job loss have an increased likelihood of experiencing food insecurity. This relationship holds even after controlling for multiple measures of household income, suggesting the relationship between low quality work and food insecurity is not solely determined by low financial resources. Results suggest that, to reduce food insecurity among lone mother families, policymakers must address both the low wages and uncertainty associated with low quality employment.
Signal fusion research in passive radar based on polarization diversity technology
Authors: Yi Yucheng , Zhu Lu , Cao Xiaomao
Published: February 2022

Polarization diversity technology is an effective method to improve the detection performance of passive radar systems, but the related papers mainly conduct research on the polarization diversity in interference suppression, and there are few studies focusing on the polarization characteristics of the target itself. The work in this paper is divided into two parts. The first part is going to investigate the potential benefits of signal fusion in target polarization-scattering characteristic. The analysis results show that the cross-polarized component of the target scattered echo is not always weaker than the co-polarized component, and the polarization amplitude ratio value is mostly concentrated near 1. This indicates that polarization signal fusion will likely improve target detection performance. The other part introduces a polarization signal fusion method based on the non-coherent integration (P-NCI), but this method is susceptible to the influence of the difference in the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the signal of each polarization channel, resulting in a reduction in the SNR of the fusion signal. The polarization signal fusion method based on adaptive weighting (AW-PSF) can effectively improve the robustness of signal fusion. The experimental results show that AW-PSF has better detection performance compared with single-polarization channel and P-NCI.
Natural Seeder‐Feeder Process Originating From Mixed‐Phase Clouds Observed With Polarization Lidar and Radiosonde at a Mid‐Latitude Plain Site
Authors: He Yun , Yi Fan , Liu Fuchao , Yin Zhenping , Yi Yang , Zhou Jun , Yu Changming , Zhang Yunpeng
Published: February 2022

Natural seeder‐feeder processes play an essential role in the formation and enhancement of precipitation. However, the cloud‐seeding process from mixed‐phase clouds is still not well understood due to the lack of sufficient observations. Natural seeder‐feeder processes from mixed‐phase clouds (seeder clouds) to lower‐lying liquid clouds (feeder clouds) were observed on 19 occasions using ground‐based polarization lidar and radiosonde measurements from June 2018 to June 2020 at a mid‐latitude plain observatory in Wuhan (30.5°N, 114.4°E), China. Ice crystals originating from seeder clouds fell into feeder clouds located 0.2–2.2 km below. During the sedimentation between seeder and feeder clouds, ice crystals partly underwent sublimation when passing through the in‐between dry air layers. The feeder clouds inhibited those ice crystals from complete sublimation and grew them larger by riming or vapor deposition from a favorable liquid water supply. Subsequently, ice crystals were observed afresh falling from feeder clouds, forming ice virgae descending toward the surface. Owing to cloud seeding, feeder clouds with cloud‐top temperatures (CTTs) as warm as −0.2°C to −14.5°C could produce ice virgae, although these CTTs are generally considered somewhat insufficient to initiate primary ice nucleation. The observed optically thin feeder clouds prolonged the survival time/distance of falling ice crystals, indicating that denser feeder clouds may induce enhanced precipitation.
The Young Earth Under the Cool Sun
Authors: Cartier Kimberly
Published: February 2022

How did our planet avoid being frozen solid during the early days of our solar system?
Extrapolating neurogenesis of mesenchymal stem/stromal cells on electroactive and electroconductive scaffolds to dental and oral-derived stem cells
Authors: Heng Boon Chin , Bai Yunyang , Li Xiaochan , Zhang Xuehui , Deng Xuliang
Published: February 2022

The high neurogenic potential of dental and oral-derived stem cells due to their embryonic neural crest origin, coupled with their ready accessibility and easy isolation from clinical waste, make these ideal cell sources for neuroregeneration therapy. Nevertheless, these cells also have high propensity to differentiate into the osteo-odontogenic lineage. One strategy to enhance neurogenesis of these cells may be to recapitulate the natural physiological electrical microenvironment of neural tissues via electroactive or electroconductive tissue engineering scaffolds. Nevertheless, to date, there had been hardly any such studies on these cells. Most relevant scientific information comes from neurogenesis of other mesenchymal stem/stromal cell lineages (particularly bone marrow and adipose tissue) cultured on electroactive and electroconductive scaffolds, which will therefore be the focus of this review. Although there are larger number of similar studies on neural cell lines (i.e. PC12), neural stem/progenitor cells, and pluripotent stem cells, the scientific data from such studies are much less relevant and less translatable to dental and oral-derived stem cells, which are of the mesenchymal lineage. Much extrapolation work is needed to validate that electroactive and electroconductive scaffolds can indeed promote neurogenesis of dental and oral-derived stem cells, which would thus facilitate clinical applications in neuroregeneration therapy.
Oncological transformation in vitro of hepatic progenitor cell lines isolated from adult mice
Authors: Olivera-Salazar Rocío , García-Arranz Mariano , Sánchez Aránzazu , Olmedillas-López Susana , Vega-Clemente Luz , Serrano Luis Javier , Herrera Blanca , García-Olmo Damián
Published: February 2022

Colorectal cancer cells can transfer the oncogene KRAS to distant cells, predisposing them to malignant transformation (Genometastasis Theory). This process could contribute to liver metastasis; besides, hepatic progenitor cells (HPCs) have been found to be involved in liver malignant neoplasms. The objective of this study is to determine if mouse HPCs—Oval cells (OCs)—are susceptible to incorporate Kras GAT (G12D) mutation from mouse colorectal cancer cell line CT26.WT and if OCs with the incorporated mutation behave like malignant cells. To achieve this, three lines of OCs in different conditions were exposed to CT26.WT cells through transwell co-culture for a week. The presence of KrasG12D and capacity to form tumors were analyzed in treated samples by droplet digital PCR and colony-forming assays, respectively. The results showed that the KrasG12D mutation was detected in hepatic culture conditions of undifferentiated OCs and these cells were capable of forming tumors in vitro. Therefore, OCs are susceptible to malignant transformation by horizontal transfer of DNA with KrasG12D mutation in an undifferentiated condition associated with the liver microenvironment. This study contributes to a new step in the understanding of the colorectal metastatic process.
Chondroitin and glucosamine sulphate reduced proinflammatory molecules in the DRG and improved axonal function of injured sciatic nerve of rats
Authors: Olaseinde Olutayo Folajimi , Owoyele Bamidele Victor
Published: February 2022

Neuropathic pain (NP) is an abnormality resulting from lesion or damage to parts of the somatosensory nervous system. It is linked to defective quality of life and often poorly managed. Due to the limited number of approved drugs, limited efficacy and side effects associated with the approved drugs, drugs or drug combinations with great efficacy and very minimal or no side effects will be of great advantage in managing NP. This study aimed at investigating the synergistic antinociceptive effects of the combination of glucosamine sulphate (GS) (240 mg/kg) and chondroitin sulphate (CS) (900 mg/kg) in chronic constriction injury (CCI)-induced neuropathy in rats. Forty-two Wistar rats were randomly distributed into seven groups (n = 6). Sciatic nerve was ligated with four loose ligatures to induce NP. Effects of drugs were examined on stimulus and non-stimulus evoked potentials, expression of dorsal root ganglia (DRG) pain modulators and structural architecture of DRG. Oral administration of GS and CS for 21 days reduced hyperalgesia, allodynia, sciatic nerve functional aberration and DRG pain modulators. Histopathology and immunohistochemistry revealed restoration of structural integrity of DRG. Our result showed that the combination of GS and CS produced antinociceptive effects by attenuating hyperalgesia, allodynia and downregulation of NP mediators. GS and CS additionally produced synergistic analgesic effect over its individual components.
Structural control of a novel hierarchical porous carbon material and its adsorption properties
Authors: Cai Li-Feng , Zhan Jie-Ming , Liang Jie , Yang Lei , Yin Jie
Published: February 2022

Novel hierarchical porous carbon materials (HPCs) were fabricated via a reactive template-induced in situ hypercrosslinking procedure. The effects of carbonization conditions on the microstructure and morphology of HPCs were investigated, and the adsorption of methylene blue (MB) on HPCs was explored. The as-prepared HPCs has a hierarchical micro-, meso- and macropore structure, which results from the overlap of hollow nanospheres possessing microporous shells and macroporous cavities. The carbonization temperature, carbonization time and carbonization heating rate played important roles in tailoring the nanostructures of HPCs. The BET specific surface area and micropore specific surface area can reach 2388 m2 g−1 and 1892 m2 g−1, respectively. Benefitting from the well-developed pore structure, the MB removal efficiency can exceed 99% under optimized conditions. The adsorption kinetics and thermodynamics can be well described by a pseudo-second-order model and Langmuir model, respectively. Furthermore, such adsorption was characterized by a spontaneous endothermic process.
Novel fNIRS study on homogeneous symmetric feature-based transfer learning for brain–computer interface
Authors: Khalil Khurram , Asgher Umer , Ayaz Yasar
Published: February 2022

The brain–computer interface (BCI) provides an alternate means of communication between the brain and external devices by recognizing the brain activities and translating them into external commands. The functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) is becoming popular as a non-invasive modality for brain activity detection. The recent trends show that deep learning has significantly enhanced the performance of the BCI systems. But the inherent bottleneck for deep learning (in the domain of BCI) is the requirement of the vast amount of training data, lengthy recalibrating time, and expensive computational resources for training deep networks. Building a high-quality, large-scale annotated dataset for deep learning-based BCI systems is exceptionally tedious, complex, and expensive. This study investigates the novel application of transfer learning for fNIRS-based BCI to solve three objective functions (concerns), i.e., the problem of insufficient training data, reduced training time, and increased accuracy. We applied symmetric homogeneous feature-based transfer learning on convolutional neural network (CNN) designed explicitly for fNIRS data collected from twenty-six (26) participants performing the n-back task. The results suggested that the proposed method achieves the maximum saturated accuracy sooner and outperformed the traditional CNN model on averaged accuracy by 25.58% in the exact duration of training time, reducing the training time, recalibrating time, and computational resources.
High-temperature analysis of optical coupling using AlGaAs/GaAs LEDs for high-density integrated power modules
Authors: Madhusoodhanan Syam , Sabbar Abbas , Tran Huong , Lai Pengyu , Gonzalez David , Mantooth Alan , Yu Shui-Qing , Chen Zhong
Published: February 2022

A low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC)-based optocoupler design is demonstrated as a possible solution for optical isolation in high-density integrated power modules. The design and fabrication of LTCC based package are discussed. Commercially available aluminum gallium arsenide/gallium arsenide (AlGaAs/GaAs) double heterostructure is used both as emitter and photodetector in the proposed optocoupler. A detailed study on the electroluminescence and spectral response of the AlGaAs/GaAs structure is conducted at elevated temperatures. The material figure of merit parameter, D*, is calculated in the temperature range 77–800 K. The fabricated optocoupler is tested at elevated temperatures, and the results are presented.
A reassessment of Jackson’s checklist and identification of two Down syndrome sub-phenotypes
Authors: Locatelli Chiara , Onnivello Sara , Gori Caterina , Ramacieri Giuseppe , Pulina Francesca , Marcolin Chiara , Vianello Renzo , Vione Beatrice , Caracausi Maria , Pelleri Maria Chiara , Vitale Lorenza , Pirazzoli Gian Luca , Cocchi Guido , Corvaglia Luigi , Strippoli Pierluigi , Antonaros Francesca , Piovesan Allison , Lanfranchi Silvia
Published: February 2022

Down syndrome (DS) is characterised by several clinical features including intellectual disability (ID) and craniofacial dysmorphisms. In 1976, Jackson and coll. identified a checklist of signs for clinical diagnosis of DS; the utility of these checklists in improving the accuracy of clinical diagnosis has been recently reaffirmed, but they have rarely been revised. The purpose of this work is to reassess the characteristic phenotypic signs and their frequencies in 233 DS subjects, following Jackson's checklist. 63.77% of the subjects showed more than 12 signs while none showed less than 5, confirming the effectiveness of Jackson's checklist for the clinical diagnosis of DS. An association between three phenotypic signs emerged, allowing us to distinguish two sub-phenotypes: Brachycephaly, short and broad Hands, short Neck (BHN), which is more frequent, and "non-BHN". The strong association of these signs might be interpreted in the context of the growth defects observed in DS children suggesting decreased cell proliferation. Lastly, cognitive assessments were investigated for 114 subjects. The lack of association between the presence of a physical sign or the number of signs present in a subject and cognitive skills disproves the stereotype that physical characteristics are predictive of degree of ID.
Cross-institutional outcome prediction for head and neck cancer patients using self-attention neural networks
Authors: Le William Trung , Vorontsov Eugene , Romero Francisco Perdigón , Seddik Lotfi , Elsharief Mohamed Mortada , Nguyen-Tan Phuc Felix , Roberge David , Bahig Houda , Kadoury Samuel
Published: February 2022

In radiation oncology, predicting patient risk stratification allows specialization of therapy intensification as well as selecting between systemic and regional treatments, all of which helps to improve patient outcome and quality of life. Deep learning offers an advantage over traditional radiomics for medical image processing by learning salient features from training data originating from multiple datasets. However, while their large capacity allows to combine high-level medical imaging data for outcome prediction, they lack generalization to be used across institutions. In this work, a pseudo-volumetric convolutional neural network with a deep preprocessor module and self-attention (PreSANet) is proposed for the prediction of distant metastasis, locoregional recurrence, and overall survival occurrence probabilities within the 10 year follow-up time frame for head and neck cancer patients with squamous cell carcinoma. The model is capable of processing multi-modal inputs of variable scan length, as well as integrating patient data in the prediction model. These proposed architectural features and additional modalities all serve to extract additional information from the available data when availability to additional samples is limited. This model was trained on the public Cancer Imaging Archive Head–Neck-PET–CT dataset consisting of 298 patients undergoing curative radio/chemo-radiotherapy and acquired from 4 different institutions. The model was further validated on an internal retrospective dataset with 371 patients acquired from one of the institutions in the training dataset. An extensive set of ablation experiments were performed to test the utility of the proposed model characteristics, achieving an AUROC of$$80\%$$80%,$$80\%$$80%and$$82\%$$82%for DM, LR and OS respectively on the public TCIA Head–Neck-PET–CT dataset. External validation was performed on a retrospective dataset with 371 patients, achieving$$69\%$$69%AUROC in all outcomes. To test for model generalization across sites, a validation scheme consisting of single site-holdout and cross-validation combining both datasets was used. The mean accuracy across 4 institutions obtained was$$72\%$$72%,$$70\%$$70%and$$71\%$$71%for DM, LR and OS respectively. The proposed model demonstrates an effective method for tumor outcome prediction for multi-site, multi-modal combining both volumetric data and structured patient clinical data.
A new approach for explosion accident prevention in chemical research laboratories at universities
Authors: Fukuoka Koji , Furusho Masao
Published: February 2022

Over the years, many accidents have occurred during chemical experiments in laboratories around the world. However, the methods of investigating and analysing accidents that have occurred at universities have not been consolidated, and the lessons learned from these accidents have not been shared. In this study, accident investigation reports of explosions in chemistry laboratories at two universities were analysed with an analysis tool based on the software/hardware/environment/liveware (SHEL) model. As a result, university accidents were classified as epidemiological models, and it became clear that the contributing factors to the accidents, which were investigated and analysed using the SHEL model, can be used as learning experiences and therefore applied for the prevention of accidents at other universities. Universities around the world need to come together to formulate research and analysis methods, rules for creating accident reports, etc. and provide a place for sharing information that will enable them to make use of the lessons learned from all kinds of accidents.