bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Measuring Fault Zone and Host Rock Hydraulic Properties Using Tidal Responses
Authors: Guo H. , Brodsky E. E. , Goebel T. H. W. , Cladouhos T. T.
Published: June 2021

Pore pressure diffusion along faults influences induced seismicity and rupture mechanics. In situ hydraulic diffusivity measurements along faults are rare and generally lower than inferred from seismicity migration. Here we use the tidal response of deep geothermal boreholes to measure fault diffusivity and permeability. Initial interpretations of the observation with a homogeneous confined aquifer model result in diffusivities of 10−3–10−1 m2/s. However, this model mixes signals from both the conduit and the host rock. We develop a model for tidal response with a fault passing through the aquifer based on the fault‐guided fracture network and solve for hydraulic properties in both the fault and the host rock. The resulting fault permeability is 2 × 10−14–7 × 10−14 m2 (90% confidence interval[CI]) and fault diffusivity is 0.08–0.33 m2/s (90% CI), which is 2 orders of magnitude higher than the host rock diffusivity in some wells, thus highlighting the role of faults as fluid conduits.
The Importance of the Representation of DMS Oxidation in Global Chemistry‐Climate Simulations
Authors: Hoffmann Erik Hans , Heinold Bernd , Kubin Anne , Tegen Ina , Herrmann Hartmut
Published: June 2021

The oxidation of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) is key for the natural sulfate aerosol formation and its climate impact. Multiphase chemistry is an important oxidation pathway but neglected in current chemistry‐climate models. Here, the DMS chemistry in the aerosol‐chemistry‐climate model ECHAM‐HAMMOZ is extended to include multiphase methane sulfonic acid (MSA) formation in deliquesced aerosol particles, parameterized by reactive uptake. First simulations agree well with observed gas‐phase MSA concentrations. The implemented formation pathways are quantified to contribute up to 60% to the sulfate aerosol burden over the Southern Ocean and Arctic/Antarctic regions. While globally the impact on the aerosol radiative forcing almost levels off, a significantly more positive solar radiative forcing of up to +0.1 W m−2 is computed in the Arctic (>60°N). The findings imply the need of both further laboratory and model studies on the atmospheric multiphase oxidation of DMS.
A Process‐Oriented Diagnostic to Assess Precipitation‐Thermodynamic Relations and Application to CMIP6 Models
Authors: Ahmed Fiaz , Neelin J. David
Published: June 2021

A process‐oriented diagnostic (POD) is introduced to measure the thermodynamic sensitivity of convection in climate models. The physical basis for this POD is the observed tropical precipitation‐buoyancy relationship. Fast timescale precipitation and thermodynamic profiles over oceans are POD inputs; these are used to evaluate model precipitation sensitivities to lower‐tropospheric measures of subsaturation (SUBSATL) and undilute conditional instability. The POD is used to diagnose 24 coupled model inter‐comparison project phase six (CMIP6) models. Half the diagnosed models exhibit SUBSATL sensitivity close to observed, while six models are excessively sensitive. Parameter perturbation experiments with the Community Atmospheric Model (CAM5) support the physical basis for the POD. Increasing entrainment increases the CAM5 precipitation SUBSATL sensitivity. Switching off the convective scheme or modifying the convective trigger to be oversensitive to moisture reproduces the excessive SUBSATL sensitivity seen among CMIP6 models. Models with excessive SUBSATL sensitivities have precipitating mean states closer to grid‐scale saturation and likely support more grid‐scale convection.
Effects of Climate Model Mean‐State Bias on Blocking Underestimation
Authors: Kleiner Ned , Chan Pak Wah , Wang Lei , Ma Ding , Kuang Zhiming
Published: June 2021

In discussions of extreme weather trends, the subject of atmospheric blocking remains an open question, in part because of the inability of climate models to accurately reproduce blocking frequency patterns for the current climate. A number of factors have been proposed to explain this failure, including specific problems with model physics and inadequate resolution. In this paper, we show that, in the case of the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Atmosphere Model (NCAR CAM), its underestimation of blocking frequency is caused by its mean state bias and that correcting that bias increases blocking frequency estimates over Europe and decreases the root‐mean‐square error versus reanalysis from 0.015 to 0.011.
Contrasting Responses of Idealised and Realistic Simulations of Shallow Cumuli to Aerosol Perturbations
Authors: Spill George , Stier Philip , Field Paul R. , Dagan Guy
Published: June 2021

Shallow clouds remain greatly significant in improving our understanding of the atmosphere. Using the Met Office Unified Model, we compare highly idealised simulations of shallow cumuli with those using more realistic domains, with open lateral boundaries and varying large‐scale forcing. We find that the realistic simulations are more capable of representing the cloud field on large spatial scales, and appear to limit the aerosol perturbations leading to impacts on the thermodynamic conditions. Aerosol perturbations lead to changes in the cloud vertical structure, and thermodynamic evolution of the idealised simulations; a central feature of behavior seen previously in idealised simulations. Modelling approaches with open boundaries and time‐varying forcing may allow for improved representation of shallow clouds in the atmosphere, and greater understanding of how they may respond to perturbations.
Impact of Microphysics on Tropical Precipitation Extremes in a Global Storm‐Resolving Model
Authors: Bao Jiawei , Windmiller Julia M.
Published: June 2021

The impact of microphysics on tropical precipitation extremes is explored with a global storm‐resolving model by modifying the terminal velocity of raindrops. Depending on the time scales, precipitation extremes respond differently. Hourly extremes are influenced dynamically through the microphysical modulation on the convective updraft speed, as a faster terminal velocity of raindrops increases the updraft speed by reducing the total condensates in the atmosphere which increases the updraft buoyancy. However, the response of daily precipitation extremes is more sensitive to the microphysical impact on convective organization. By being more organized with decreasing terminal velocity, daily precipitation extremes are enhanced due to increased precipitation efficiency and intensified updrafts. Thus, the results suggest that microphysics, despite often occurring at small spatial scales, can influence the circulation at larger scales, and the microphysical imprint across different time scales plays an important role in regulating tropical precipitation extremes.
The Characteristics of Three‐Belt Structure of Sub‐MeV Electrons in the Radiation Belts
Authors: Li Yu‐Xuan , Yue Chao , Hao Yi‐Xin , Zong Qiu‐Gang , Zhou Xu‐Zhi , Fu Sui‐Yan , Chen Xing‐Ran , Zhao Xing‐Xin
Published: June 2021

After the launch of Van Allen Probes, the three‐belt structures of ultra‐relativistic electrons are discovered. In this study, we investigate the three‐belt structures of sub‐MeV electrons, which may form under different mechanism compared with those of ultra‐relativistic electrons and are worth in‐depth analysis. Based on the differential flux data from Magnetic Electron Ion Spectrometer onboard Radiation Belt Storm Probes‐B satellite, we find 54 events, in which two comparable peaks of sub‐MeV electron fluxes and a slot appear where there should be the outer radiation belt. Through the statistical analysis, the three‐belt structures of sub‐MeV electrons are found to be closely related to symmetric H‐component (SYM‐H) and Auroral Electrojet (AE) indices. The 2‐day SYM‐H minimum and AE maximum before the event have a linear trend with the remnant belt and the “second slot” locations. The L‐values of the remnant belt and the “second slot” of different energy electrons decrease as energy increases in general and show interesting characteristics during their temporal evolution. Moreover, the lifetime of the remnant belt of different energy electrons increases as energy increases. We find similarities and differences between sub‐MeV and ultra‐relativistic electrons three‐belt events, which provides a new perspective in three‐belt structure study.
Using Fractals to Describe Ecologically Relevant Patterns in Distributions of Large Rocks in Streams
Authors: Dwyer G. K. , Cummings C. R. , Rice S. P. , Lancaster Jill , Downes Barbara J. , Slater L. , Lester Rebecca E.
Published: June 2021

Measuring the physical complexity of habitats or ecological resources is often achieved using system‐specific methods that make comparisons across ecosystems difficult. One measure that is applicable across multiple ecosystems and scales is the fractal dimension, which has the benefit of generality as well as potential scale independence. This study evaluated the use of box‐counting and entropy fractal dimensions for characterizing the complexity of emergent rock distributions in six streams across Scotland and Australia. Emergent rocks (ER) are important hydraulic features and ecological resources, including as oviposition sites for aquatic insects and cover for fish. We completed fractal analysis on counts of ER in 5‐m segments along longitudinal stretches of the six streams. All six streams exhibited fractal behavior (self‐similarity), suggesting that fractals can be used to measure the complexity of longitudinal ER distributions in a way that is scale independent. Entropy was a superior measure due to its ability to differentiate among the six streams whereas box‐counting could not. Together, field results and numerical simulations showed that fractal dimensions of emergent rock distributions were related to stream geomorphology. Well‐developed bedforms, like alternating pools and riffles had better organized emergent rocks because large bed materials were more likely to be emergent in topographic highs. Streams with coarser bed materials had more chaotic arrangements of emergent rocks because this increased the general abundance of emergent rocks, making differentiation between topographic highs and lows less distinctive. Fractal dimensions, therefore, can measure the complexity of river systems in a way that is relevant to geomorphological and ecological processes.
Assessing secondhand and thirdhand tobacco smoke exposure in Canadian infants using questionnaires, biomarkers, and machine learning
Authors: Parks Jaclyn , McLean Kathleen E. , McCandless Lawrence , de Souza Russell J. , Brook Jeffrey R. , Scott James , Turvey Stuart E. , Mandhane Piush J. , Becker Allan B. , Azad Meghan B. , Moraes Theo J. , Lefebvre Diana L. , Sears Malcolm R. , Subbarao Padmaja , Takaro Tim K.
Published: June 2021

Background

As smoking prevalence has decreased in Canada, particularly during pregnancy and around children, and technological improvements have lowered detection limits, the use of traditional tobacco smoke biomarkers in infant populations requires re-evaluation.

Objective

We evaluated concentrations of urinary nicotine biomarkers, cotinine and trans-3’-hydroxycotinine (3HC), and questionnaire responses. We used machine learning and prediction modeling to understand sources of tobacco smoke exposure for infants from the CHILD Cohort Study.

Methods

Multivariable linear regression models, chosen through a combination of conceptual and data-driven strategies including random forest regression, assessed the ability of questionnaires to predict variation in urinary cotinine and 3HC concentrations of 2017 3-month-old infants.

Results

Although only 2% of mothers reported smoking prior to and throughout their pregnancy, cotinine and 3HC were detected in 76 and 89% of the infants’ urine (n = 2017). Questionnaire-based models explained 31 and 41% of the variance in cotinine and 3HC levels, respectively. Observed concentrations suggest 0.25 and 0.50 ng/mL as cut-points in cotinine and 3HC to characterize SHS exposure. This cut-point suggests that 23.5% of infants had moderate or regular smoke exposure.

Significance

Though most people make efforts to reduce exposure to their infants, parents do not appear to consider the pervasiveness and persistence of secondhand and thirdhand smoke. More than half of the variation in urinary cotinine and 3HC in infants could not be predicted with modeling. The pervasiveness of thirdhand smoke, the potential for dermal and oral routes of nicotine exposure, along with changes in public perceptions of smoking exposure and risk warrant further exploration.
Erythropoietin monotherapy for neuroprotection after neonatal encephalopathy in low-to-middle income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Ivain Phoebe , Montaldo Paolo , Khan Aamir , Elagovan Ramyia , Burgod Constance , Morales Maria Moreno , Pant Stuti , Thayyil Sudhin
Published: June 2021

Objective

We examined whether erythropoietin monotherapy improves neurodevelopmental outcomes in near-term and term infants with neonatal encephalopathy (NE) in low-middle income countries (LMICs).

Methods

We searched Pubmed, Embase, and Web of Science databases to identify studies that used erythropoietin (1500–12,500 units/kg/dose) or a derivative to treat NE.

Results

Five studies, with a total of 348 infants in LMICs, were retrieved. However, only three of the five studies met the primary outcome of death or neuro-disability at 18 months of age or later. Erythropoietin reduced the risk of death (during the neonatal period and at follow-up) or neuro-disability at 18 months or later (p < 0.05). Death or neuro-disability occurred in 27.6% of the erythropoietin group and 49.7% of the comparison group (risk ratio 0.56 (95% CI: 0.42–0.75)).

Conclusion

The pooled data suggest that erythropoietin monotherapy may improve outcomes after NE in LMICs where therapeutic hypothermia is not available.
Dexamethasone suppresses immune evasion by inducing GR/STAT3 mediated downregulation of PD-L1 and IDO1 pathways
Authors: Xiang Zhen , Zhou Zhijun , Song Shuzheng , Li Jun , Ji Jun , Yan Ranlin , Wang Jiexuan , Cai Wei , Hu Wenjun , Zang Lu , Zhu Zhenggang , Zhang Zhen , Li Min , Yu Yingyan
Published: June 2021

T cell exhaustion plays critical roles in tumor immune evasion. Novel strategies to suppress immune evasion are in urgent need. We aimed to identify potential compounds to target T cell exhaustion and increase response to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between tumors with different immune evasion potential by comparing the transcriptome data. DEGs were then analyzed in the Connectivity Map (CMap) platform to identify potential compounds to increase response to ICIs. Gene set enrichment analysis, LDH release assay, Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), and Co-IP were performed to explore the potential mechanisms in vitro. Patients derived organoids and humanized xenograft mouse model were utilized to validate the finding ex vivo and in vivo. We identified 25 potential compounds that may play critical roles in regulating tumor immune evasion. We further pinpointed a specific compound, dexamethasone, which shows potent anti-tumor effect in multiple cancer cell lines when cocultured with T cells. Dexamethasone can suppress T cell exhaustion by decreasing the activity of two immune checkpoints simultaneously, including PD-L1 and IDO1. Functional study shows dexamethasone can increase the sensitivity of ICIs in coculture system, 3D organoid model and humanized mouse model. Mechanism study shows dexamethasone mediated transcriptional suppression of PD-L1 and IDO1 depends on the nuclear translocation of GR/STAT3 complex. These findings demonstrate dexamethasone can suppress immune evasion by inducing GR/STAT3 mediated downregulation of PD-L1 and IDO1 pathways.
Bottom-up formation of gold truncated pyramids smaller than 10 nm on SrTiO3 nanocubes: an application for plasmonic water oxidation
Authors: Kurokawa Kota , Fujishima Musashi , Naya Shin-ichi , Tada Hiroaki
Published: June 2021

Heteroepitaxial junction gives rise to Au truncated pyramids < 10 nm on SrTiO3 nanocubes in a simple deposition–precipitation process, and the hybrids exhibit high plasmonic activity for oxygen evolution reaction at wavelength ≤ 1200 nm.
Effects of GAC and UV/H2O2-GAC filtration on the bacterial community and opportunistic pathogens in simulated drinking water systems
Authors: Huo Lixin , Zhao Shehang , Shi Baoyou , He Shouyang , Wang Haibo
Published: June 2021

The effects of granular activated carbon (GAC) and UV/H2O2-GAC filtration on the bacterial community and opportunistic pathogens (OPs) in simulated drinking water systems were investigated in this study.
A study on sisal-based polyurethane foam with multi-shape memory properties
Authors: Pan Lulu , Ban Jianfeng , Xu Tiwen , Liu Ruiquan , Lu Shaorong
Published: June 2021

SMPU-PSF exhibited a high compression rate, high controllability, and good shape recovery rate.
Ruthenium-catalyzed C–H amination of aroylsilanes
Authors: Yu Feifei , Shen Wenzhou , Sun Yaling , Liao Yilei , Jin Shuqi , Lu Xiunan , He Rui , Zhong Liangjun , Zhong Guofu , Zhang Jian
Published: June 2021

Acylsilane represents one valuable synthon in synthetic chemistry. We report on ruthenium(ii)-catalyzed ortho-C–H amination of aroylsilanes to provide facile access to synthetically useful imidobenzoylsilanes and tosyl-amidobenzoylsilanes.
A distributed modelling method of the transmission tower and transient response analysis of lightning wave process
Authors: Huang Lin , Zhou Lijun , Wu Tongshuai , Hu Chen , Zhang Dong , Wang Dongyang , Chen Sixiang
Published: June 2021

Lightning transient response analysis is the key to determining the lightning resistance level of transmission lines and the performance of lightning protection measures. This paper proposes a distributed modelling method for a typical 110 kV transmission tower and further analyses the lightning transient response. The refined modelling of the nominal height part of the tower is carried out. Then the influence of the refined modelling on the refraction and reflection process of the lightning wave propagation is investigated. Based on the distributed tower model, the impact of the foot distance and the equivalent radius of the main body cylinder on the top overvoltage is studied. Field experiments indicate that the proposed distributed tower model can effectively reflect the transient lightning wave process. Moreover, it can provide technical support for the lightning resistance level of transmission lines and the lightning protection of narrow base towers.
A fast LVDC vacuum hybrid circuit breaker: Dielectric recovery and design consideration
Authors: Liu Siqi , Hu Pengfei , Jiang Daozhuo , Liang Yiqiao , Zhuang Jinwu
Published: June 2021

Aiming at the fast protection requirements of electrical ships LVDC distribution system, this paper studies a topology of unidirectional vacuum hybrid circuit breaker. The hybrid circuit breaker is an improved current injection LVDC breaker based on precharged capacitor, which improves the dielectric recovery capability of vacuum interrupter after artificial current zero by using a freewheel diode. A synthetic test platform is built to study the dielectric strength recovery characteristics of a 45 mm diameter CuCr50 butt contact vacuum interrupter (driven by Thomson coil actuator, average opening speed of about 3 m/s)under high current(about 20 kA) and small gap(about 1 mm). The experimental results indicate that the dielectric strength of the contact can recover at a very fast speed within the arc time of 100 µs; when the arc time is increased to 320 µs, the dielectric strength of the contact cannot recover for a long time. Therefore, the design principle of the circuit breaker is obtained: within the arc time of 100 µs, by increasing the arc time can increase the contact distance, so the transient interruption voltage tolerance margin of the circuit breaker can be improved. Based on the results of the test, this paper also proposes a calculation method of forced commutation circuit parameters, which is verified by the simulation. The research results show that the DC circuit breaker can realise the rapid breaking of 20 kA fault current within 2 ms, and has a good application prospect in the LVDC distribution system.
Precision enhancement of the traditional sub‐synchronous analysis by using frequency components of instantaneous magnetic flux
Authors: Yaghobi Hamid
Published: June 2021

Sub‐synchronous resonance (SSR) is a great danger to the stable and safe operation of the synchronous generator and power network. Detecting this condition in a fast and precise method is very important for power engineers. During the last decade, many methods have been proposed for SSR detection. The most famous of these methods use shaft speed analysis. On the other hand, it is noteworthy that SSR is a phenomenon that needs the use of both mechanical and electrical quantities for its analysis. Therefore, if both kinds of the signal are used, the protection system reliability can be enhanced significantly and its trip is more efficient and consistent. Subsequently, to enhance the precision and sensitivity of the SSR detection, this paper proposes the use of frequency analysis of the magnetic flux linkage of the generator as an electrical signal along with the shaft speed as a mechanical signal. The magnetic flux is a local index that is available at the relay location and does not require a communication channel to transmit. This index contains a lot of useful information about the performance of the machine. However, the main disadvantage of this index is its accessibility, which requires invasive sensors.
Energy‐efficient train operation with steep track and speed limits: A novel Pontryagin's maximum principle‐based approach for adjoint variable discontinuity cases
Authors: Ying Peiran , Zeng Xiaoqing , Song Haifeng , Shen Tuo , Yuan Tengfei
Published: June 2021

In this study, an energy‐efficient speed trajectory planner is proposed for high‐speed trains traveling on tracks with steep gradients and speed limits, especially for situations in which the speed limit has been reached, which causes adjoint variable discontinuity during calculation. New optimal switching rules at points where the speed limit is reached on steep tracks are derived by analysing the jump condition of state‐constrained Pontryagin's maximum principle. Accordingly, a novel two‐step algorithm for high‐speed trains, including an optimal‐cruise minimum‐time algorithm and search‐substitution algorithm, is designed to solve dynamic train models considering time‐energy and space‐energy conversions, respectively. Practical case studies demonstrates that the proposed method can save energy by approximately 3% and 10% in comparison to the approximate‐optimal time‐satisfied and minimum running time strategies, respectively. Moreover, the proposed method approximately consumes 0.98% and 1.62% of the computation time taken by discrete dynamic programming and reinforcement learning, respectively.
Longitudinal coupling impedance of a particle traveling in PEC rings: A regularised analysis
Authors: Assante Dario , Panariello Gaetano , Schettino Fulvio , Verolino Luigi
Published: June 2021

The analysis of a charged particle traveling through one, two, or infinite conducting rings is presented. The problem is formulated in the spectral domain as integral equations of Fredholm type, solved by Galerkin's method employing entire domain functions factorising the correct edge behaviour of the unknown induced current. As a result, high accuracy and numerical stability are achieved. Numerical results are presented, proving the effectiveness of the method, and the parameters relevant to accelerator physics are calculated.
Coupling effects in array‐fed reflector antennas with digital beamforming
Authors: Huber Sigurd , Aye Su Yee , Mouthaan Koenraad , Krieger Gerhard
Published: June 2021

Many modern microwave systems, for example, in the field of satellite communications, remote sensing for Earth observation or radio astronomy, employ reflector antennas with beam‐shaping capabilities. A generalised description of multi‐channel receiver architectures with digital beamforming, employing scattering parameter formalism is presented here. Special emphasis has been placed on noise modelling, where noise sources have been included also at the input ports of the receive amplifiers. The performance of such a system is evaluated in terms of the signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) and the signal‐to‐interference ratio at the beamformer output. The basis for this analysis is a design example of a reflector antenna fed by a linear patch array, whose S‐parameters have been computed by means of electromagnetic simulations. In this work, two scenarios are addressed. In the first case, the effect of coupling has been neglected in the derivation of the beamforming weights. The main consequence appears to be a severely impaired interference suppression performance. In the second scenario, which has not been addressed in the literature so far, noise from the input ports of the receive amplifiers couple via the antenna radiators and can result in a loss of SNR at the beamformer output if neglected in the beamforming process.
Impact of Red Cell and Platelet Distribution Width in Patients of Medical Intensive Care Unit
Authors: Dubey Ayush , Kumar Sunil , Acharya Sourya , Wanjari Anil K. , Bawankule Shilpa , Agrawal Sachin , Shukla Ashlesha
Published: June 2021

Introduction The red blood cell distribution width (RDW) is a measurement of variations in the size of red blood cells. As the width increases, the rate of mortality also increases, although the reason for it is still not known. On the other hand, platelet distribution width (PDW) is also useful in predicting morbidity and mortality in sepsis and other critically ill patients. In our study, we planned to study the impact of both RDW and PDW and evaluate their prognostic importance with outcome in patients admitted in medicine intensive care unit (MICU).

Material and Method In these cross-sectional observational studies, 1,300 patients were included who were admitted in MICU. Critically ill patients were defined on the basis of qSOFA score greater than 2. PDW and RDW were obtained from Coulter report of complete blood count. Parameters included in Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) IV scores were taken and APACHE IV score was calculated. Correlation of RDW and PDW with outcomes such as length of ICU stay, use of mechanical ventilator, and discharge/death was done.

Result The mean RDW (%) for the entire study population was 15.17 ± 3.01. The RDW (%) was significantly on the higher side in patients who succumbed to the disease as compared with the patients who were discharged. The correlation between the length of ICU stay (days) and RDW (%) was moderately positive and was significant (rho = 0.37, p ≤ 0.001). The correlation between the length of ICU stay (days) and PDW (%) was moderately positive and was significant (rho = 0.5, p ≤ 0.001).

Conclusion RDW and PDW were found as significant indicators for period of stay in ICU, requirement for mechanical ventilation, and mortality rate in patients admitted to ICUs. As these are simple, easy to conduct, universally available tests, they can be regularly incorporated in patients admitted in ICUs.
A Survival Analysis of Invasive Fungal Diseases in Children with Cancer
Authors: Marques Letícia Maria Acioli , de Araujo Orlei Ribeiro , de Sousa da Silva Adriana Maria Paixão , da Silva Dafne Cardoso Bourguignon , Carlesse Fabianne Altruda de Moraes Costa
Published: June 2021

Objective This study aimed to determine the survival in a retrospective cohort of 152 patients treated for invasive fungal diseases (IFD) (133 proven and 19 probable) in 9 years.

Methods Our study included patients aged 0 to 18 years diagnosed with cancer at our institution and with proven or probable IFD, treated from 2011 to 2019. Weibull distribution was used for hazard ratios and accelerated failure time models for the outcome “death attributed to IFD.”

Results Our median age was 97 months. The most frequent diagnosis was leukemia (39, 25.7%). A total of 37 patients received prophylaxis with fluconazole (24.3%). Among 133 fungal isolates, the most frequent were Candida species in blood 81 (53.2%). Moreover, 43 deaths were attributed to IFD (28.3%). Survival probabilities were lower for pulmonary IFD (46.9%, p = 0.0017), leukemia (62.5%, p = 0.004), and neutropenia <500 cells/mm3 (55.4%, p < 0.0001). For Candida fungemia, survival probabilities were 76.6% (p = 0.043). In Weibull models, the diagnosis of leukemia shortened survival times by a factor of 0.006, relapse of disease by 0.05, lymphoma by 0.04, pulmonary IFD by 0.04, and neutropenia by 0.015. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation did not affect the survival times as well as prophylaxis with fluconazole.

Conclusion Host factors, such as neutropenia, relapse of disease, and hematologic malignancies, are determinants in the survival times of children with IFD as well as pulmonary involvement.
Review of Development of Live Vaccines against Leishmaniasis
Authors: Feiz Haddad Mohammad Hossein , Lomei Jalal , Shokri Azar , Habibpour Habib , Rezvan Hossein , Nourian Alireza , Mahmoudi Mohammad Reza
Published: June 2021

Leishmaniasis is a serious public health problem in both tropical and temperate regions, caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania. Cutaneous leishmaniasis is the most common form of leishmaniasis worldwide. After recovery from the initial infection in most of the patients, a long-lasting natural immunity will be established. In individuals with HIV infection or in immune deficient patients, the more dangerous forms can occur. Despite many attempts, there is no efficient vaccine for leishmaniasis. The main concern for live-attenuated vaccines is the possibility of returning to the virulent form. Therefore, the safety is an important point in designing a successful vaccine. Nonvirulent parasites as vaccine candidates are achievable through gamma-irradiation, long-term culture, random mutations induced by chemical agents, and temperature-sensitive mutations. The type of change(s) in such parasites is not known well and drawbacks such as reversion to virulent forms was soon realized. Leishmania tarentolae with capacity of adaptation to mammalian system has a potential to be used as nonpathogenic vector in vaccine programs. Due to its nonpathogenic intrinsic property, it does not have the ability to replace with the pathogen form. Moreover, the main problems are associated with the production of live vaccines, including lyophilization, storage, standards, and quality control that must be considered. In this review, we focused on the importance of different approaches concerning the development of a live vaccine against leishmaniasis.
London Theatrical Culture, 1560–1590
Authors: Kesson Andy , Munro Lucy , Davies Callan
Published: June 2021

Early modern drama was a product of the new theatrical spaces that began to open from the 1560s onward, multiple venues in and just outside London that played to a significant proportion of Londoners on most afternoons. Revisiting the evidence for this historical moment offers the opportunity to look afresh at the playhouses, plays, and playmakers that drove this new theatrical culture. These three terms include the inns and indoor spaces that regularly hosted plays, alongside the now more familiar outdoor, amphitheatrical venues the Theatre and the Rose; plays onstage, plays in print, and plays that are now lost; and the writers, actors, company managers, and male and female playhouse builders and investors who made the creation and performance of those plays possible. Conventional histories of this period’s theaters have tended to concentrate on the opening of the Theatre in 1576 as the first such playhouse. Scholarship of the late 20th and early 21st centuries shows that this event was not the initiating formative act it has come to seem, and emphasizes instead the multiple decades and kinds of playing space that need to be attended to in understanding the earliest years of the playhouses. Multiple kinds of playing company, too, operated in this period, in particular companies made up of predominantly adult male performers, with boys playing female roles, and companies composed entirely of boy performers.
New Venture Legitimacy
Authors: Fisher Greg
Published: June 2021

Starting an entrepreneurial endeavor is an uncertain and ambiguous project. This uncertainty and ambiguity make it difficult for entrepreneurs to generate much needed resources and support. In order to address this difficulty, a new venture needs to establish legitimacy, which entails being perceived as desirable, proper, or appropriate within the socially constructed system of norms, values, beliefs, and definitions within which it operates. New venture legitimacy is generated from various sources and hence has three broad dimensions—a cognitive, a moral, and a pragmatic dimension. The cognitive dimension accounts for the extent to which the activities and purpose of a venture are understood by key audiences and how knowledge about that venture spreads. The moral dimension reflects the extent to which a venture is perceived to be doing the right thing. The pragmatic dimension accounts for the extent to which a new venture serves the interests of critical constituents. All three of these dimensions factor into a legitimacy assessment of a new venture. Legitimacy is important for new ventures because it helps them overcome their liabilities of newness, allowing them to mobilize resources and engage in transactions, thereby increasing their chances of survival and success.

Although legitimacy matters for almost all new ventures, it is most critical if an entrepreneur engages in activities that are new and novel, such as establishing a new industry or market or creating a new product or technology. In these circumstances, it is most important for entrepreneurs to strategically establish and manage a new venture’s legitimacy. The strategic establishment and management of new venture legitimacy may entail arranging venture elements to conform with the existing environment, selecting key environments in which to operate, manipulating elements of the external environment to align with venture activities, or creating a whole new social context to accommodate a new venture. Enacting each of these new venture legitimation strategies may necessitate employing identity, associative, and organizational mechanisms. Identity mechanisms include cultural tools and identity claims such as images, symbols, and language by entrepreneurs to enhance new venture legitimacy. Associative mechanisms reflect the formation of relationships and connections with other individuals and entities to establish new venture legitimacy. Organizational mechanisms account for manipulating the organization and structure of a new venture and the achievement of success measures by that venture to attain legitimacy. Ultimately all of this is done so that various external parties, with different logics and perspectives, will evaluate a new venture as legitimate and be prepared to provide that venture with resources and support.
From Instrumental Stakeholder Theory to Stakeholder Capitalism
Authors: Laplume André O.
Published: June 2021

Instrumental stakeholder theory posits that managing for stakeholders using justice-based approaches produces competitive advantage for firms. However, achieving the ideals of stakeholder management may be challenging, and for some firms, unrewarding. Yet, when firms fail to manage for stakeholders, they contribute to stakeholder marginalization, a condition in which stakeholders feel unfairly treated and begin to scan for alternative arrangements with other firms. Stakeholder marginalization creates opportunities for competitors, but especially for new entrants, to pursue stakeholder innovation. Stakeholder innovation involves the creation of a business model that caters to marginalized stakeholder groups in a new way, by improving perceived conditions for those stakeholders (e.g., customers, employees, suppliers, or communities). Stakeholder innovations can threaten incumbencies as their ecosystems bloom and technologies improve, and they can start to draw a greater variety of resources away from incumbent networks. Because it can help to explain and predict both incumbent and new entrant behaviors, stakeholder capitalism is a useful frame for theorizing in the disciplines of management and entrepreneurship.
Celebrity, Influencer, and Brand Endorsement: Processes and Effects
Authors: Hung Kineta
Published: June 2021

A celebrity is a well-known person who commands public recognition and fascination. Although the celebrity may have existed for hundreds of years, the emergence of influencers gives rise to a new breed of celebrities on social media, who are ordinary-people-turned-experts in an area of interest (e.g., lifestyle). Together, the traditional celebrity and influencer illustrate the industry- and socially-constructed star-making processes. On the one hand, traditional celebrities’ path to fame is supported by networked media and the entertainment system. On the other hand, influencers create contents that netizens can pick and choose to like and follow, making their path to fame a socially-constructed process. Nevertheless, the star-making industries in the 21st century are embracing big data, AI, and machine-learning algorithms to “design” and “manufacture” celebrities. In so doing, they usher in a “new” industry-constructed process that has “created” K-pop stars and virtual influencers.

Given the prevailing consumption culture, both the celebrity and influencer often engage in brand endorsement practices. The major strands of celebrity endorsement (CE) research highlight the celebrity, consumer, and endorsed brand. In addition to factors that can be traced directly to the celebrity (e.g., trustworthiness, attractiveness, images), CE research discusses how the celebrity’s match with a product or brand and how the celebrity’s relationship with consumers (both fans and the general public) offers important contingency factors that impact the effects of CE.

Meanwhile, influencer-marketers are passionate about their area of expertise. They share their personal brand usage experiences with and provide contextualized recommendations to consumers. Their relationship with consumers is characterized by trust, intimacy, and dialogue. Without the traditional celebrity’s glamour, they use “authentic” and “similar” strategies in their self-branding efforts. These practices allow them to address the consumer’s instrumental and relational needs when making purchase decisions, an act that a traditional celebrity is less effective in making happen.

Armed with big data and the like, the current star-making industries has the power and control at an unprecedented scale. The K-pop stars and virtual influencers thus created and managed have been successful. However, their path to fame raises concerns over institutional governance, regulatory control, and ethics of the celebrity and endorsement businesses as well as the means of cultural production. These issues together render celebrity studies and endorsement research a discipline both interesting and challenging to pursue.
Digital Communication Effects on Loneliness and Life Satisfaction
Authors: Masur Philipp K.
Published: June 2021

The question of whether and how digital media use and digital communication affect people’s and particularly adolescents’ well-being has been investigated for several decades. Many studies have analyzed how different forms of digital communication influence loneliness and life satisfaction, two comparatively stable cognitive indicators of subjective well-being. Despite this large body of empirical work, the findings remain ambivalent, with studies resulting in positive, negative, or nonsignificant effects. Several meta-analyses suggest that the overall effect of digital communication on life satisfaction is probably too small to suggest a detrimental effect. The net effect of digital communication on loneliness, by contrast, is positive, but likewise small. Yet the studies on which these meta-analyses are based suffer from several limitations. They often adopt a limited perspective on the phenomenon of interest as a disproportionate amount of work focuses on interpersonal differences instead of intra-individual, contextual, and situational effects, as well as their interactions. Furthermore, studies are often based on cross-sectional data, use unvalidated and imprecise measurements, and differ greatly in how they conceptualize digital communication. The diversity in studied applications and forms of digital communication also suggests that effects are most likely bidirectional. Passive digital communication (e.g., browsing and lurking) is more likely to result in negative effects on well-being. Active and purposeful digital communication (e.g., posting, liking, conversating), by contrast, is more likely to result in positive effects. Future research should therefore investigate how the various levels of digital communication (including differences in devices, applications, features, interactions, and messages) interact in shaping individuals’ well-being. Instead of expecting long-term effects on comparatively stable cognitive indicators such as life satisfaction, scholars should rather study and identify the spatial and temporal boundaries of digital communication effects on the more fluctuating affective components of well-being.
Queer Healthcare Communication
Authors: Hudak Nicole
Published: June 2021

Queer healthcare communication spans different literature and topic areas. The medicalization of queer bodies has historically and continues to influence how queer individuals interact and communicate within healthcare settings. Further, heterosexism is rampant within medical institutions that perpetuate the idea that all patients are heterosexual. Because of the influence of heterosexism, medical schools are designed to ignore queer bodies. If queer bodies are acknowledged, they are positioned as something exotic and not presented as a typical patient. Heterosexism is further communicated in patient and provider interactions by providers assuming their patients’ heterosexual identity and assuming all queer patients are promiscuous. In turn, queer patients may make decisions about their healthcare based on providers’ heterosexist attitudes. Providers who practice medicine have also demonstrated their limited knowledge about queer patients and how to care for them. The literature on discrimination of queer patients focuses more on how providers have used both verbal and non-verbal forms of communication. In looking at queer discrimination, queer invisibility demonstrates more covert functions of healthcare communication. Due to the invisibility of queer patients, disclosure becomes a site of interest for researchers. While some queer patients try to seek out queer-friendly providers, researchers have given recommendations on how healthcare providers can improve their queer competency. Finally, some notable topics within queer healthcare communication include queer pregnancy, HIV, and why transgender identity should be a separate topic as transgender people have their own healthcare needs.
Global Networking of NGOs
Authors: Yang Aimei
Published: June 2021

The typology of nongovernmental and nonprofit organizations (NGOs) classifies them according to their orientations and levels of operations. The type of ties associated with NGOs and related networks are complex and pervasive. To help readers understand the structural features of these networks, several theoretical frameworks and theories (i.e., world system theory, world polity theory, organizational ecology theory, and issue niche theory) are offered as different explanations for the antecedents and consequences of NGO networks.
Minority Stress and Relationships
Authors: Carroll Robert
Published: June 2021

Minority stress for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) and African American communities has been well documented over the past 30 years. Generally speaking, being a member of a stigmatized community can lead to alienation from social structures, norms, and institutions, all of which can have negative implications for mental health, well-being, and relationships.

When speaking about minority stress and its impact on LGBTQ+ relationships, the research is mixed. Although there are findings that show LGBTQ+ individuals face greater discrimination and more negative health impacts than heterosexual couples, other research notes the positive coping mechanisms that highlight the resilient nature of these couples. For African Americans and other racial minorities, the disparities are greater, with research showing that racial identity is linked to an increase in overall external stressors.

However, over the last few years, discrimination toward sexual and racial minorities has reached a critical tipping point. Both within the United States and worldwide, social movements are drawing attention to the historical inequalities experienced by minority groups, and demanding change. Considering minority stress research, methods, and analyses are built on the connection between an individual and their social situations, the construct is due for an evolution, one that is representative of what our world looks like today. Although conceptualizations thus far have been productive in understanding the stressors of the LGBTQ+ and African American communities, there is a need to incorporate critical concepts of intersectionality and expand understanding of what it means to be a member of a minority group.
Challenges to Press Freedom in India
Authors: Chadha Kalyani , Arya Sachin
Published: June 2021

Since the late 1990s, the news media landscape in India has experienced widespread and arguably transformative shifts that are manifest in the explosive growth of media outlets and consumption at both national and regional levels. As of 2021, the country has over 100,000 registered periodicals and newspapers, with 17,000 dailies that report a combined circulation of over 240 million copies according to government data, as well as an estimated 400 news and current affairs channels and numerous news-related websites. Yet despite the existence of a seemingly dynamic and expansive news landscape, many observers have expressed significant concerns about the independence of the Fourth Estate in the world’s largest democracy. According to the annual World Press Freedom Index, compiled by the media watchdog group Reporters without Borders, India has experienced a steady decline in press freedom since 2015, slipping from a position of 135/180 in 2015 to 140/180 in 2019, and 142 in the 2020 report. At present, India ranks behind most of its neighbors, including Afghanistan (122), Bhutan (67), Nepal (112), and Sri Lanka (127). Thus, even though the writers of India’s constitution clearly recognized the right to the freedom of the press as an essential part of the freedom of speech and expression as guaranteed in Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution, and this right has generally been upheld in court, the space for the free expression of views and critique by the press—widely recognized as crucial to democratic functioning—has been shrinking consistently in the Indian context due to a variety of threats ranging from physical violence and intimidation of journalists, and government pressure on news outlets to structural economic forces.