bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ecosystem services provided by marine and freshwater phytoplankton
Authors: Naselli-Flores Luigi , Padisák Judit
Published: January 2022

Phytoplankton, the ecological group of microalgae adapted to live in apparent suspension in water masses, is much more than an ecosystem’s engineer. In this opinion paper, we use our experience as phytoplankton ecologists to list and highlight the services provided by phytoplankton, trying to demonstrate how their activity is fundamental to regulate and sustain Life on our Planet. Although the number of services produced by phytoplankton can be considered less numerous than that produced by other photosynthetic organisms, the ubiquity of this group of organisms, and their thriving across oceanic ecosystems make it one of the biological engines moving our biosphere. Supporting services provided by phytoplankton include almost half of the global primary and oxygen production. In addition, phytoplankton greatly pushes biogeochemical cycles and nutrient (re)cycling, not only in aquatic ecosystems but also in terrestrial ones. In addition, it significantly contributes to climate regulation (regulating services), supplies food, fuels, active ingredients and drugs, and genetic resources (provisioning services), has inspired artistic and craft works, mythology, and, of course, science (cultural services), and much more. Therefore, phytoplankton should be considered in all respects a true biosphere’s engineer.
Inherited IFNAR1 Deficiency in a Child with Both Critical COVID-19 Pneumonia and Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome
Authors: Abolhassani Hassan , Landegren Nils , Bastard Paul , Materna Marie , Modaresi Mohammadreza , Du Likun , Aranda-Guillén Maribel , Sardh Fabian , Zuo Fanglei , Zhang Peng , Marcotte Harold , Marr Nico , Khan Taushif , Ata Manar , Al-Ali Fatima , Pescarmona Remi , Belot Alexandre , Béziat Vivien , Zhang Qian , Casanova Jean-Laurent , Kämpe Olle , Zhang Shen-Ying , Hammarström Lennart , Pan-Hammarström Qiang
Published: January 2022

Background

Inborn errors of immunity (IEI) and autoantibodies to type I interferons (IFNs) underlie critical COVID-19 pneumonia in at least 15% of the patients, while the causes of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) remain elusive.

Objectives

To detect causal genetic variants in very rare cases with concomitant critical COVID-19 pneumonia and MIS-C.

Methods

Whole exome sequencing was performed, and the impact of candidate gene variants was investigated. Plasma levels of cytokines, specific antibodies against the virus, and autoantibodies against type I IFNs were also measured.

Results

We report a 3-year-old child who died on day 56 of SARS-CoV-2 infection with an unusual clinical presentation, combining both critical COVID-19 pneumonia and MIS-C. We identified a large, homozygous loss-of-function deletion in IFNAR1, underlying autosomal recessive IFNAR1 deficiency.

Conclusions

Our findings confirm that impaired type I IFN immunity can underlie critical COVID-19 pneumonia, while suggesting that it can also unexpectedly underlie concomitant MIS-C. Our report further raises the possibility that inherited or acquired dysregulation of type I IFN immunity might contribute to MIS-C in other patients.
Transition densities of spectrally positive Lévy processes
Authors: Leżaj Łukasz
Published: January 2022

We deduce the asymptotic behavior of transition densities for a large class of spectrally one-sided Lévy processes of unbounded variation satisfying mild condition imposed on the second derivative of the Laplace exponent or, equivalently, on the real part of the characteristic exponent. We also provide sharp two-sided estimates on the density when restricted additionally to processes without Gaussian component.
Random Assignment Versus Fixed Assignment in Multilevel Importance Splitting for Estimating Stochastic Reach Probabilities
Authors: Ma Hao , Blom Henk A. P.
Published: January 2022

This paper focuses on estimating reach probability of a closed unsafe set by a stochastic process. A well-developed approach is to make use of multi-level MC simulation, which consists of encapsulating the unsafe set by a sequence of increasing closed sets and conducting a sequence of MC simulations to estimate the reach probability of each inner set from the previous set. An essential step is to copy (split) particles that have reached the next level (inner set) prior to conducting a MC simulation to the next level. The aim of this paper is to prove that the variance of the multi-level MC estimated reach probability under fixed assignment splitting is smaller or equal than under random assignment splitting methods. The approaches are illustrated for a geometric Brownian motion example.
On the necessity of essence
Authors: Bovey Gaétan
Published: January 2022

In the present inquiry, I defend the claim that the thesis that essence is the source of all (metaphysical) necessity is compromised. I argue that, on pain of circularity, essentialists cannot successfully account for the necessity of essences. In response to the difficulties I raise, I discuss potential solutions on behalf of essentialists and explain why I find none of them compelling. My conclusion on the matter is that the best essentialists can hope for is a view where the necessity of essences is left unexplained (by essences).
Valuing Politics: Explaining Citizen’s Normative Conceptions of Citizenship
Authors: Robison Joshua
Published: January 2022

Civic duty is a critical feature of explanations of political participation, but why do individuals differ in their propensity to adopt particular civic duty norms? We argue that norms are likely to be adopted when congruent with underlying values and support this contention using evidence from the European Social Survey. We show that individuals who prioritize self-transcendence values (which capture altruistic goals) place much greater emphasis on norms positively related to participation while individuals who prioritize conservation values (which capture goals related to social stability) place muchlessemphasis on these norms. The substantive influence of personal values in explaining norm adoption is greater than that of education, age, and interpersonal trust. Our results thus provide new insights into how citizens form their normative conceptions of citizenship and also highlight the substantive role played by value orientations in conformity to social norms more generally.
Temporal binding: digging into animal minds through time perception
Authors: Tramacere Antonella , Allen Colin
Published: January 2022

Temporal binding is the phenomenon in which events related as cause and effect are perceived by humans to be closer in time than they actually are (Haggard et al. in Nat Neurosci 5(4):382–385, 2002, https://doi.org/10.1038/nn827). Despite the fact that temporal binding experiments with humans have relied on verbal instructions, we argue that they are adaptable to nonhuman animals, and that a finding of temporal binding from such experiments would provide evidence of causal reasoning that cannot be reduced to associative learning. Our argument depends on describing and theoretically motivating an intermediate level of representations between the lower levels of associations of sensory features and higher symbolic representations. This intermediate level of representations makes it possible to challenge arguments given by some comparative psychologists that animals lack higher-level abstract and explicit forms of causal reasoning because their cognitive capacities are limited to learning and reasoning at the basic level of perceptual associations. Our multi-level account connects time perception with causal reasoning and provides a philosophically defensible framework for experimental investigations that have not yet been pursued. We describe the structure of some possible experiments and consider the implications that would follow from a positive finding of temporal binding in nonhuman animals. Such a finding would provide evidence of explicit awareness of causal relationships and would warrant attribution of intermediate representations that are more abstract and sophisticated than the associations allowed by the lower level of the two-level account.
The Impact of Telemedicine on Quality of Care for Patients with Diabetes After March 2020
Authors: Quinton Jacob K. , Ong Michael K , Sarkisian Catherine , Casillas Alejandra , Vangala Sitaram , Kakani Preeti , Han Maria
Published: January 2022

Background

The impact of telemedicine on ambulatory care quality is a key question for policymakers as they navigate payment reform for remote care.

Objective

To evaluate whether utilizing telemedicine in the first 9 months of the COVID-19 pandemic impacted performance on a diabetes quality of care measure for patients at a large academic medical center. We hypothesized care quality would reduce less among telemedicine users.

Design

Quasi-experimental design using binomial logistic regression. Covariates included age, gender, race, ethnicity, type of insurance, hierarchical condition category score, primary language at the individual level, and zip code–level income.

Participants

All adult patients younger than 75 years of age diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus (N = 16,588) as of 3/19/2020 at a single academic health center.

Interventions

Completion of one or more telemedicine encounters with an institutional primary care physician or endocrinologist between 3/19/2020 and 12/19/2020.

Main Measures

The components met in a five-item composite measure of diabetes quality of care, as of patients’ last clinical encounter. Items were (1) systolic blood pressure less than 140 mmHg, (2) hemoglobin A1c less than 8.0%, (3) using a statin and (4) aspirin, and (5) tobacco non-use.

Key Results

From the pre- to post-period, the probability of meeting any given component of the composite measure for patients only utilizing in-person care was 21% lower (OR, 95% CI 0.79; 0.76, 0.81) and for the telemedicine users 2% lower (OR 0.98; 0.85, 1.13). There was an increased likelihood of meeting any given component among telemedicine users compared to in-person care alone (OR 1.25; 1.08, 1.44).

Conclusions

Patients with diabetes utilizing telemedicine performed similarly on a composite measure of diabetes care quality compared to before the pandemic. Those not utilizing telemedicine had reductions. Telemedicine use maintained quality of care for patients with diabetes during the first 9 months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thin liquid films on a rotary bell atomizer in surface-following coordinates
Authors: Doerre Mark , Akafuah Nelson K.
Published: January 2022

This article analyzes a published formulation of the Navier–Stokes equations cast into surface-following coordinates and provides some additional mathematical background to follow the article. Ubiquitous in the paint shops of automotive plants around the world, a high-speed rotary bell is succinctly described as a rapidly spinning concave axisymmetric surface with liquid paint supplied from a port coinciding with the center of rotation. The spinning surface transfers momentum to the paint film causing it to flow outward. Upon reaching the bell periphery, it is flung off, subsequently forming an atomized spray transferred to an automotive body through advection and electrostatics. Common analytical frameworks of rotating films were spherical or cylindrical coordinate systems where the wetted surface profile of the bell was constrained to follow a coordinate axis. This led to solutions for films modeled with conical, disk-like, or partial hemispherical profiles. An alternative was a more general case using a surface-following orthogonal curvilinear coordinate system along with its derived vector operators. In the unique case of a thin film, these results validated a simpler pattern found in common coordinate systems.
Sodium-Glukose-Transporter 2(SGLT2)-Hemmer bei Herzinsuffizienz
Authors: Bauersachs Johann , Böhm Michael
Published: January 2022

Hintergrund

Die European Society of Cardiology hat 2021 neue Leitlinien zur Behandlung der Herzinsuffizienz vorgelegt, die den Einsatz von Sodium-Glukose-Transporter 2(SGLT2)-Hemmern als Erstlinienbehandlung bei Herzinsuffizienz mit reduzierter Ejektionsfraktion (HFrEF) empfehlen.

Ziel der Arbeit

Es erfolgt eine Zusammenfassung der den neuen Leitlinien zugrunde liegenden Evidenz.

Material und Methoden

Eine selektive Literaturrecherche wird durchgeführt.

Ergebnisse und Diskussion

Nach positiven Ergebnissen zur Herzinsuffizienz in kardiovaskulären Sicherheitsstudien mit SGLT2-Hemmern wurden für Dapagliflozin und Empagliflozin placebokontrollierte, randomisierte Studien bei Patienten mit HFrEF mit und ohne Diabetes veröffentlicht (DAPA-HF und EMPEROR-Reduced). Der primäre, kombinierte Endpunkt beider Studien bestand aus Krankenhausaufnahmen (oder ungeplanten Vorstellungen, DAPA-HF) wegen Verschlechterung der Herzinsuffizienz und kardiovaskulärer Sterblichkeit. Beide Arzneimittel senkten das absolute Risiko für den kombinierten Endpunkt um ca. 5 %. Dieser Nutzen war unabhängig vom Vorliegen eines Diabetes, von der Nierenfunktion bei Studienbeginn, dem Geschlecht, dem Alter oder einer Adipositas. Eine Metaanalyse zeigt, dass beide Substanzen sich in der Wirksamkeit nicht unterschieden. Beide waren sicher und gut verträglich.

Schlussfolgerung

Neben Sacubitril/Valsartan, β‑Blockern und Mineralokortikoidrezeptorantagonisten gehören auch SGLT2-Hemmer zur modernen leitlinienempfohlenen Standardbehandlung einer HFrEF.
Performing low-altitude photogrammetric surveys, a comparative analysis of user-grade unmanned aircraft systems
Authors: Mugnai Francesco , Longinotti Pietro , Vezzosi Francesco , Tucci Grazia
Published: January 2022

This paper shows results of comparing performances of four unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in terms of photogrammetric survey’s quality. This study aims to investigate what is the more suitable UAS for specific applications considering the required scale factor, such as for architectural, environmental, and restoration purposes. A series of photogrammetric surveys were conducted in a hilly area of about 5 ha using Phantom 4 Adv, Mavic 2 Pro, Mavic Air 2, and Mavic Mini 2. These unmanned aircrafts are commercial user–grade systems used mainly by private professionals. Several photogrammetric reconstructions were performed by varying essential parameters, such as flight altitude and cameras of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS), applying structure-from-motion (SfM) algorithms to the images taken from the UAS. The surveys’ quality was analyzed by comparing the ground targets’ coordinates extrapolated from the point clouds to those measured on the field with indirect georeferencing through GNSS technology. Fifty targets were installed and arranged following a reasonably regular mesh. The boundary conditions were maintained the same for each flight mission, flight trajectories, and the ground control point distribution on the ground. For each survey made by each of the four UAS, altimetric and planimetric residuals were reported and compared. Average residuals from Phantom 4 Adv, about 15 mm, almost disappear compared to the other UASs; the discrepancy is one order of magnitude. With a regular grid geometry of ground targets, the Mavic Mini 2 led to an error average of about 5 cm. Remembering that the Mavic Mini 2 is an ultralight drone (does not require a pilot's license), it could significantly reduce cost compared to the other systems.
Valorization of undervalued aluminum-based waterworks sludge waste for the science of “The 5 Rs’ criteria”
Authors: Tony Maha A.
Published: January 2022

Alum sludge (AS) is an underrated by-product waste resulted from treating raw water through conventional water treatment plants. Water is attained from various reservoirs such as rivers and aquifers, and it may contain a wide variety of contaminants as drinking water processing systems produce “waste” sludge as a residual material that causes significant environmental issues. Hence, numerous efforts aimed to sustainable reuses of such sludge. This article illustrates the beneficial reuses of the aluminum-based sludge to close the loop between the sludge waste generation and the sustainable environment with providing past, current and updated knowledge with the introduced uses with their advantages and challenges. Alum sludge as a resource not as a “waste” for reuse facilities is considered a value-added alternative for management achieving the legislation requirements and proposing “end-of-waste” concept. 5Rs, including “Reduce, Reprocess, Reuse, Recycle and Recover,” are providing sustainable solution to fulfill present and future aspects for green environment and safe sludge disposal. In this regard, now, it is essential to focus and adopt the 5Rs criteria for the concept of circular economy that replaces the “end-of-life” principal with restoration.
The Influence of Boundary Habitat Continuity on Spillover from a Mediterranean Marine Protected Area
Authors: Pinillos Fernando , Riera Rodrigo
Published: January 2022

The effectiveness of marine protected areas (MPAs) to restore populations of exploited species, both within and outside of their boundaries through net movement of individuals (“spillover”), can potentially be affected by continuity of habitats across the boundaries. Sandy seabeds may reduce movement of reef-associated species across MPA boundaries, thereby increasing the ‘reserve effect’ while decreasing spillover. Underwater visual censuses were undertaken inside the Cerbère-Banyuls Marine Reserve (CBMR) (France) and adjacent non-protected areas to assess the influence of habitat on spillover. Total fish biomass and mean fish size were significantly higher within the MPA, but rapidly declined across the reserve boundary. Nevertheless, there was no indication of a sharper decline in biomass at the northern boundary where a habitat discontinuity was present relative to the southern boundary with continuous habitat. This result may reflect a number of complicating factors that make assessment of spillover potential difficult, and which may also lead to the uncertainty about which situations and how much spillover may contribute to fished populations outside reserves. In particular, the home range area of the key exploited species relative to the scale of the habitat mosaic, and potentially different levels of fishing pressure at each boundary likely contribute to variability. While the CBMR appeared particularly well-suited to investigating this question, resolving these issues and identifying general principles for where and how much spillover occurs will likely be difficult without a series of specially designed MPAs. This highlights a conundrum facing MPA establishment in the face of pressures to be successful for both biodiversity conservation and to offer fisheries benefits—the latter are clearly not ubiquitous, but a shortage of suitable MPAs that can be used as scientific tools for better understanding how and when these benefits may occur is precluded by a general lack of MPAs designed and managed for this purpose. The results of this study do, however, clearly highlight the biodiversity conservation benefits of the CBMR.
Bio- and phytoremediation: plants and microbes to the rescue of heavy metal polluted soils
Authors: Arantza Sánchez-Jiménez , Hiram Medrano-Roldán , Erika Kothe , Chávez-Avilés Mauricio Nahuam , Valiente-Banuet Juan I. , Fierros-Romero Grisel
Published: January 2022

Bio- and phytoremediation, being encouraging terms implying the use of biological systems for cleansing purposes, have risen a worthy venture toward environmental restoration in discouraging scenarios, such as the augmentation of indestructible heavy metals. Hyperaccumulating plants and heavy metal resistant microbes own mechanisms embedded in their metabolism, proteins, and genes that confer them with “super characteristics” allowing them to assimilate heavy metals in order to amend polluted soils, and when combined in a symbiotic system, these super features could complement each other and be enhanced to overpower the exposure to toxic environments. Though xenobiotic pollution has been an object of concern for decades and physicochemical procedures are commonly carried out to offset this purpose, a “live” remediation is rather chosen and looked upon for promising results. A variety of benefits have been registered from symbiotic relationships, including plants teaming up with microbes to cope down with non-biodegradable elements such as heavy metals; but a carefully maneuvered interaction might signify a greater insight toward the application of bioremediation systems. These manipulations could consist of genetic engineering and/or additional supplementation of molecules and microbes. In the present study, a contemporary connection between plants and microbes involving their controlled management is summarized in a visionary display.
The Street and the Ballot Box
Authors: Ong Lynette H.
Published: January 2022

How do discontented masses and opposition elites work together to engineer a change in electoral authoritarian regimes? Social movements and elections are often seen as operating in different terrains – outside and inside institutions, respectively. In this Element, I develop a theory to describe how a broad-based social movement that champions a grievance shared by a wide segment of the population can build alliances across society and opposition elites that, despite the rules of the game rigged against them, vote the incumbents out of power. The broad-based nature of the movement also contributes to the cohesion of the opposition alliance, and elite defection, which are often crucial for regime change. This Element examines the 2018 Malaysian election and a range of cases from other authoritarian regimes across Asia, Eastern Europe, and Africa to illustrate these arguments.
Decarbonising Economies
Authors: Bulkeley Harriet , Stripple Johannes , Nilsson Lars J. , van Veelen Bregje , Kalfagianni Agni , Bauer Fredric , Sluisveld Mariësse van
Published: January 2022

Based on an interdisciplinary investigation of future visions, scenarios, and case-studies of low carbon innovation taking place across economic domains, Decarbonising Economies analyses the ways in which questions of agency, power, geography and materiality shape the conditions of possibility for a low carbon future. It explores how and why the challenge of changing our economies are variously ascribed to a lack of finance, a lack of technology, a lack of policy and a lack of public engagement, and shows how the realities constraining change are more fundamentally tied to the inertia of our existing high carbon society and limited visions for what a future low carbon world might become. Through showcasing the first seeds of innovation seeking to enable transformative change, Decarbonising Economies will also chart a course for future research and policy action towards our climate goals. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.
The use of augmented rotor inflow to predict rotorcraft responses in hover and low-speed manoeuvres
Authors: Agarwal Dheeraj , Lu Linghai , Padfield Gareth D. , White Mark D. , Cameron Neil
Published: January 2022

The rotorcraft is a complex dynamical system that demands specialist modelling skills, and a high level of understanding of the aeromechanics arising from the main rotor wake and aerodynamic couplings. One such example is the difficulty predicting off-axis responses, particularly in hover and low-speed flight, associated with induced velocity variation through the rotor disk resulting from the rotor wake distortions. Various approaches have been developed to deal with this phenomenon but usually demand prerequisites of high levels of expertise and profound aerodynamic knowledge. This paper presents a new and practical approach to capturing this wake distortion through an augmented rotor inflow model. The proposed model is coupled with a nonlinear simulation using the FLIGHTLAB environment, and comparisons are made between the simulation results and flight test data from the National Research Council of Canada’s Advanced System Research Aircraft in hover and low speed. Results show good predictability of the proposed nonlinear model structure, demonstrated by its capability to closely match the time responses to multi-step control inputs from flight test. The results reported are part of ongoing research at Liverpool and Cranfield University into rotorcraft simulation fidelity.
Multitarget allocation strategy based on adaptive SA-PSO algorithm
Authors: Liu S. , Liu W. , Huang F. , Yin Y. , Yan B. , Zhang T.
Published: January 2022

Weapon target allocation (WTA) is an effective method to solve the battlefield fire optimisation problem, which plays an important role in intelligent automated decision-making. We researched the multitarget allocation problem to maximise the attack effectiveness when multiple interceptors cooperatively attack multiple ground targets. Firstly, an effective and reasonable fitness function is established, based on the situation between the interceptors and targets, by comprehensively considering the relative range, relative angle, speed, capture probability and radiation source matching performance and thoroughly evaluating them based on the advantage of the attack effectiveness. Secondly, the optimisation performance of the particle swarm optimisation (PSO) algorithm is adaptively improved. We propose an adaptive simulated annealing-particle swarm optimisation (SA-PSO) algorithm by introducing the simulated annealing algorithm into the adaptive PSO algorithm. The proposed algorithm can enhance the convergence speed and overcome the disadvantage of the PSO algorithm easily falling into a local extreme point. Finally, a simulation example is performed in a scenario where ten interceptors cooperate to attack eight ground targets; comparative experiments are conducted between the adaptive SA-PSO algorithm and PSO algorithm. The simulation results indicate that the proposed adaptive SA-PSO algorithm demonstrates great performance in convergence speed and global optimisation capabilities, and a maximised attack effectiveness can be guaranteed.
Chimeric antigen receptor engineered T cells and their application in the immunotherapy of solid tumours
Authors: Mao Rui , Hussein Mohamed S. , He Yukai
Published: January 2022

In this article, we reviewed the current literature studies and our understanding of the parameters that affect the chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T's) activation, effector function,in vivopersistence, and antitumour effects. These factors include T cell subsets and their differentiation stages, the components of chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) design, the expression promoters and delivery vectors, and the CAR-T production process. The CAR signalling and CAR-T activation were also studied in comparison to TCR. The last section of the review gave special consideration of CAR design for solid tumours, focusing on strategies to improve CAR-T tumour infiltration and survival in the hostile tumour microenvironment. With several hundred clinical trials undergoing worldwide, the pace of CAR-T immunotherapy moves from bench to bedside is unprecedented. We hope that the article will provide readers a clear and comprehensive view of this rapidly evolving field and will help scientists and physician to design effective CAR-Ts immunotherapy for solid tumours.
A high neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio is associated with poor nutritional status in chronic kidney disease patients
Authors: Han Qianqian , Lin Shumin , He Fengyi , Zhang Rui , Xie Xuefeng , Qing Fengchu , Huang Rong , Chen Chaogang , Yang Qiongqiong
Published: January 2022

We aimed to investigate the relationship between the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and nutritional parameters in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. In this cross-sectional study, 187 non-dialysis CKD patients were enrolled. Daily dietary energy intake (DEI) and daily dietary protein intake (DPI) were assessed by 3-d dietary records. Protein-energy wasting (PEW) was defined as Subjective Global Assessment (SGA) class B and C. Spearman correlation analysis, logistic regression analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis were performed. The median NLR was 2·51 (1·83, 3·83). Patients with CKD stage 5 had the highest NLR level. A total of 19·3 % (n 36) of patients suffered from PEW. The NLR was positively correlated with SGA and serum P, and the NLR was negatively correlated with BMI, waist and hip circumference, triceps skinfold thickness, mid-arm muscle circumference, DPI and Hb. Multivariate logistic regression analysis adjusted for DPI, DEI, serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, uric acid and Hb showed that a high NLR was an independent risk factor for PEW (OR = 1·393, 95 % CI 1·078, 1·800, P = 0·011). ROC analysis showed that an NLR ≥ 2·62 had the ability to identify PEW among CKD patients, with a sensitivity of 77·8 %, a specificity of 62·3 % and an AUC of 0·71 (95 % CI 0·63, 0·81, P < 0·001). The NLR was closely associated with nutritional status. NLR may be an indicator of PEW in CKD patients.
The changing microbiology of neck abscesses in children: implications for antibiotic therapy
Authors: Kawar L , Deshpande A , Kubba H
Published: January 2022

Objectives

To provide an update on the microbiology, sensitivity rates and antibiotic prescribing patterns for superficial neck lymph node abscesses at Scotland's largest paediatric tertiary centre. Findings were compared to historical data from our institution.

Methods

A retrospective case series was conducted of paediatric patients undergoing incision and drainage of a superficial neck lymph node abscess at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow, from 2018 to 2021.

Results

Thirty-nine abscesses were identified. Methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus was the commonest micro-organism (28 per cent), followed by Streptococcus pyogenes (13 per cent). Eighty-two per cent of patients were administered a drug regimen containing co-amoxiclav. Only three children required a change in their antibiotics.

Conclusion

There was a significant change in causative micro-organisms, including a decrease in S aureus and an increase in the Streptococcus anginosus group. Empirical use of co-amoxiclav is recommended. In abscesses showing no clinical improvement, second-line options such as clindamycin, cefotaxime and vancomycin should be considered.
Processing of novel L2 compounds across repeated exposures during reading: A growth curve analysis
Authors: Yi Wei
Published: January 2022

Using eye tracking, this study examined L2 learners’ real-time processing of novel compounds across repeated exposures during reading. Sixty-one L2 speakers of Chinese read 12 stories over two days. Unbeknown to them, 12 novel compounds were embedded, each occurring six times. Growth curve analyses showed that semantic transparency, working memory capacity, and morphological awareness had no impact on fixation durations for the novel compounds. However, participants with a larger L2 vocabulary size processed novel opaque compounds significantly faster than those with a smaller L2 vocabulary size. For both transparent and opaque compounds, first fixation durations did not change across exposures, yet similar curvilinear decreasing patterns were found in gaze duration and total reading time, with the rates of decrease moderated by L2 vocabulary size and working memory capacity, respectively. Taken together, such findings provide converging evidence supporting the incidental nature of vocabulary learning through natural reading.
Levels of communication: The talking horse experiments
Authors: Gethmann Daniel
Published: January 2022

Argument

In the early twentieth century, counting and speaking horses, like the famous Clever Hans or the “Horses of Elberfeld,” became widely debated subjects in experimental psychology. The idea was to determine whether their learning success was only a fraud, or if it might open up a new chapter in “animal psychology” - or even belong to the realm of parapsychology and telepathy. When their tricks were discovered, the teachers of the animals were marked as charlatans. Both the attempts to detect charlatans and the efforts to avoid this accusation during the talking horse experiments proceeded using the method of introducing new levels of communication into the human-animal interaction process in order to substantiate each respective standpoint. This paper argues that the scientific studies and debates on the talking horses are relevant not only from psychological, biological, and semiotic vantage points, but also from the perspective of communications theory, giving rise to the foundational issue of levels of communication.
Charlatan epistemology: As illustrated by a study of wonder-working in the late seventeenth-century Dutch Republic
Authors: Vermeir Koen
Published: January 2022

Argument

This article highlights the epistemic concerns that have permeated the historical discourse around charlatanism. In it, I study the term “charlatan” as a multivalent actor’s category without a stable referent. Instead of defining or identifying “the charlatan,” I analyze how the concept of the charlatan was used to make epistemic interventions about what constituted credible knowledge in two interconnected controversies. Focusing on these controversies allows me to thematize how the concept of “the charlatan” expanded beyond medical contexts and to bring a history of knowledge perspective to the history of medicine.

The title of the article, “Charlatan Epistemology,” indicates a historical epistemological approach to charlatanism as well as the existence of a charlatan’s embodied epistemology. On the one hand, I historicize the epistemic characteristics of charlatanism, focusing on virtues as well as vices, knowledge as well as ignorance, by addressing the historical and contextual specificities of two case studies and the larger epistemic concerns at play. On the other hand, I show how references to charlatanism implied the existence of specific embodied knowledges, special skills and techniques to manipulate either natural secrets or the human psyche, and I explore the similarities and differences between charlatan epistemology and artisanal epistemology.
A Bottom-Up Volume Reconstruction Method for Atom Probe Tomography
Authors: Ling Yu-Ting , Cools Siegfried , Bogdanowicz Janusz , Fleischmann Claudia , Beenhouwer Jan De , Sijbers Jan , Vandervorst Wilfried
Published: January 2022

This paper describes a reconstruction method for atom probe tomography based on a bottom-up approach accounting for (i) the final tip morphology (which is frequently induced by inhomogeneous evaporation probabilities across the tip surface due to laser absorption, heat diffusion effects, and inhomogeneous material properties), (ii) the limited (and changing) field of view, and (iii) the detector efficiency. The reconstruction starts from the final tip morphology and reverses the evaporation sequence through the pseudo-deposition of defined small reconstruction volumes, which are then stacked together to create the full three-dimensional (3D) tip. The subdivision in small reconstruction volumes allows the scheme to account for the changing tip shape and field of view as evaporation proceeds. Atoms within the same small reconstruction volume are reconstructed at once by placing atoms back onto their possible lattice sites through a trajectory-matching process involving simulated and experimental hit maps. As the ejected ion trajectories are simulated using detailed electrostatic modeling inside the chamber, no simplifications have been imposed on the shape of the trajectories, projection laws, or tip surface. We demonstrate the superior performance of our approach over the conventional reconstruction method (Bas) for an asymmetrical tip shape.
Systematic Review of Research and Interventions With Frequent Callers to Suicide Prevention Helplines and Crisis Centers
Authors: Mishara Brian L. , Côté Louis-Philippe , Dargis Luc
Published: January 2022

Abstract: Background: Helplines worldwide have frequent callers who may occupy a large proportion of call volume. Therapeutic gain from frequent calling has been questioned. We conducted this review to identify the characteristics of frequent callers and to compile recommendations about how best to help them. Method: Using preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) standards, we searched for all empirical research in English and French from inception to May, 2020 in PubMed, PsycInfo, and the CRISE library. Results: We identified 738 manuscripts and retained 27 for analyses. Nine provided no definition of frequent callers; nine mixed frequent callers with repeat callers (>1 calls); nine concerned frequent callers (≥8 calls/month). The limited data suggest frequent callers are similar to other callers and often experience mental health problems, loneliness, and suicide risk. From recommendations in all 27 studies, we identified 10 suggestions to better manage and help frequent callers that merit validation. Limitations: The small number of empirical investigations and the diversity of their goals and methodologies limit generalizations. Although recommendations for helping callers may have face validity, empirical data on their effectiveness are scarce. Conclusion: Rather than focusing on reducing call frequency, we should empirically evaluate the benefits of interventions for frequent callers with different calling patterns, characteristics, and reasons for calling.
Finite Element Modeling of Diffusion in Fractured Porous Media by Using Hierarchical Material Properties
Authors: Beskardes G. D. , Weiss C. J. , Kuhlman K. L. , Chang K. W.
Published: January 2022

Fractured porous media challenge modeling approaches due to high computational costs and excessive mesh refinement imposed by the extreme scale variability of fractures and the heterogeneity of the surrounding porous rock. To overcome such difficulties, we utilize the hierarchical finite element method (Hi‐FEM) that has been developed previously to simulate the electrical potential distribution in complex geologic environments. The method employs the hierarchical basis functions in classical finite element analysis to enable representation of material properties on each dimensional component of a given 3D unstructured finite element, thereby inherently allowing for interactions at the boundary between fracture and a host rock. In this study, we extend its application to transient fluid flow and heat conduction in the Laplace domain. Time‐domain flow solutions are obtained by numerical inverse Laplace transform. We evaluate the accuracy of the method using different flow models and demonstrate its robustness for large‐scale, rock mass models featuring complex fracture networks. Moreover, for the computation of nodal Darcian velocity fields in fractured porous media where the fractures are represented as 2D features, a new approach that employs the Yeh's Galerkin model for both volume and facet elements is proposed. Results show that Hi‐FEM can produce accurate flow solutions for fractured porous media without any need of coupling or transfer mechanism while still being computationally economical and numerically robust, even for large‐scale simulations.
Resident Waves in the Ionosphere Before the M6.1 Dali and M7.3 Qinghai Earthquakes of 21–22 May 2021
Authors: Chen Chieh‐Hung , Sun Yang‐Yi , Xu Rui , Lin Kai , Wang Fei , Zhang Dixin , Zhou Yulin , Gao Yongxin , Zhang Xuemin , Yu Huaizhong , Liu Jann‐Yenq
Published: January 2022

Geostationary BeiDou satellites monitor the total electron content (TEC) in the ionosphere over certain locations 24 hr per day without interruption and act as ionosphere‐based seismometers. The system detected perturbations in TEC before both the M6.1 Dali and M7.3 Qinghai earthquakes that occurred during the night of 21–22 May 2021. The TEC perturbations reside mainly over an area within a distance of ∼700 km from the epicenters of the earthquakes. The standing waves revealed the persistence of a subsurface wave source before the occurrences of the earthquakes, which differs from the co‐seismic ionospheric distributions propagating away from the epicenters. The resident waves in TEC and ground vibrations share a frequency of ∼0.004 Hz, which can be attributed to the resonant coupling between the lithosphere and ionosphere.
Frictional and Lithological Controls on Shallow Slow Slip at the Northern Hikurangi Margin
Authors: Shreedharan Srisharan , Ikari Matt , Wood Clay , Saffer Demian , Wallace Laura , Marone Chris
Published: January 2022

Slow slip events (SSEs) have been identified at subduction zones globally as an important link in the continuum between elastodynamic ruptures and stable creep. The northern Hikurangi margin is home to shallow SSEs which propagate to within 2 km of the seafloor and possibly to the trench, providing insights into the physical conditions conducive to SSE behavior. We report on a suite of friction experiments performed on protolith material entering the SSE source region at the Hikurangi margin, collected during the International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 375. We performed velocity stepping and slide‐hold‐slide experiments over a range of fault slip rates, from plate rate (5 cm/yr or 1.6 × 10−9 m/s) to ∼1 mm/s (10−3 m/s) and quantified the frictional velocity dependence and healing rates for a range of lithologies atdifferent stresses. The frictional velocity dependence (a‐b) and critical slip distance DC increase with fault slip rate in our experiments. We observe atransition from velocity weakening to strengthening at slip rates of ∼0.3 µm/s. This velocity dependence of DC could be due to a combination of dilatant strengthening and a widening of the active shear zone at higher slip rates. We document low healing rates in the clay‐rich volcaniclastic conglomerates, which lie above the incoming plate basement at least locally, and relatively higher healing rates in the chalk lithology. Finally, our experimental constraints on healing rates in different input lithologies extrapolated to timescales of 1–10 years are consistent with the geodetically inferred low stress drops and healing rates characteristic of the Hikurangi SSEs.
Prolonged and Pervasive Perturbations in the Composition of the Southern Hemisphere Midlatitude Lower Stratosphere From the Australian New Year's Fires
Authors: Santee M. L. , Lambert A. , Manney G. L. , Livesey N. J. , Froidevaux L. , Neu J. L. , Schwartz M. J. , Millán L. F. , Werner F. , Read W. G. , Park M. , Fuller R. A. , Ward B. M.
Published: January 2022

The 2019/2020 Australian New Year's wildfires injected record amounts of smoke and biomass burning products into the lower stratosphere. The Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) tracked the evolution of distinct plumes of fire–influenced air as they rapidly spiraled up to the mid–stratosphere. In the months following the fires, smoke spread throughout the Southern Hemisphere (SH) stratosphere. We contrast the evolution of the SH midlatitude lower stratosphere in 2020 with the 17–year MLS record. Long after the coherent plumes dispersed, data from MLS and other satellite instruments show unprecedented persistent and pervasive depletion in HCl (50%–60% below climatology) and enhancements in ClO and ClONO2 that were not transport related; peak anomalies occurred in mid–2020. We conclude that the observed perturbations likely arose from heterogeneous chlorine activation on widespread smoke particles. The sustained chlorine activation was far weaker than in typical winter polar vortices, inducing at most minor changes in ozone.
Modeling the Impact of a Strong X‐Class Solar Flare on the Planetary Ion Composition in Mercury's Magnetosphere
Authors: Werner A. L. E. , Leblanc F. , Chaufray J. Y. , Modolo R. , Aizawa S. , Hadid L. Z. , Baskevitch C.
Published: January 2022

We model the impact of an extreme solar flare on the Mg+, Na+, O+ and He+ ion density distribution in Mercury's magnetosphere. The Flare Irradiance Spectral Model of the solar irradiance during the X9.3‐class flare on 6 September 2017 is used as input to the time‐dependent Latmos Ionized Exosphere ion density model. We find that the time‐evolution of the planetary ion distribution differs with respect to energy, location and species. There exist two ion energy populations on the dayside that experience different dynamical evolution. The peak ion density in the nightside plasma sheet is delayed by ∼7–8 min compared to the dayside. The maximum Mg+ density occurs ∼4 min before He+ and O+ in the whole magnetosphere. The time delay between different species does not necessarily occur for solar flares that erupt near the apparent solar limb, where the optical depth is large.
Changes in Mechanisms and Characteristics of Western U.S. Floods Over the Last Sixty Years
Authors: Huang Huilin , Fischella Michael R. , Liu Yufei , Ban Zhaoxin , Fayne Jessica V. , Li Dongyue , Cavanaugh Kyle C. , Lettenmaier Dennis P.
Published: January 2022

Climate change is linked to changing precipitation, yet uncertainty remains as to whether and how hydroclimatic changes will influence flood frequency, magnitude, and timing. Part of this uncertainty is because few regional‐scale studies have analyzed changes in floods produced by different mechanisms. We identify six flood generating mechanisms (FGMs) based on prominent meteorological processes and moisture supply to the soil column in the Western U.S.; these include large‐scale frontal storms (atmospheric and non‐atmospheric rivers), monsoons, convective storms, snowmelt, and rain‐on‐snow. We assess trends in the frequency, magnitude, and timing of floods produced by different FGMs across 119 basins during 1960–2018. Overall, we find decreased frequency and magnitude of rain‐on‐snow‐driven floods, increased frequency and magnitude of convective‐storm‐driven floods, and a temporal shift to earlier in the year for snowmelt‐driven floods. The flood characteristics are generally stable for floods produced by other FGMs.
Space‐Ground Observations of Dynamics of Substorm Onset Beads
Authors: Nishimura Y. , Artemyev A. V. , Lyons L. R. , Gabrielse C. , Donovan E. F. , Angelopoulos V.
Published: January 2022

We present observations during two substorms using simultaneous Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions During Substorms satellites and all‐sky imagers to determine plasma sheet dynamics associated with substorm auroral onset beads. The multi‐satellite observations showed that the cross‐tail current decreased and the field‐aligned currents increased at the substorm auroral onset, indicating that the satellites detected an initiation of the currents being deflected to the ionosphere. For duskward‐propagating beads, the electric field was tailward, and ions were accumulated closer to the Earth than electrons. The mapped bead propagation speed was close to energetic ion drift speed. The and electron drift speeds increased duskward and reduced the cross‐tail current at the onset. For dawnward‐propagating beads, the electric field was equatorward/earthward, and electrons were inferred to accumulate earthward of ions. The mapped bead propagation speed was comparable to the dawnward and electron drift speeds. The duskward ion drift and tail current were reduced, and electrons became the dominant current carrier. We suggest that the plasma species that is responsible for the bead propagation changes with the electric field configuration and that the tail current reduction by the enhanced drift at onset destabilizes the plasma sheet. Ion and electron outflows substantially increased low‐energy plasma density and may have increased the role of drifts. The bead wavelength was comparable to ion gyroradius and thus ion kinetic effects are important for determining the wavelength. In the dawnward‐propagating event, the mode of oscillation in the plasma sheet was suggested to be the sausage‐mode flapping oscillations.