bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
(Calcium‐Phosphate)/Carrageenan Gardens Grown from the Gel/Liquid Interface
Authors: Fogde Anna , Qudsia Syeda , Le Trung‐Anh , Sandberg Thomas , Huynh Tan‐Phat
Published: February 2021

In this study, a gel/liquid interface is utilized for growing a new (calcium‐phosphate)/carrageenan garden. The hydrogels are made from carrageenan loaded with either sodium phosphate or calcium chloride, while the interfaced solution contains a source of the salt not used in the hydrogels (i. e. the sodium‐phosphate hydrogel with the calcium‐chloride solution and vice versa). The physical and chemical properties of tubes grown from both systems of the same amount of carrageenan have been reported. Interestingly, when varying the amounts of carrageenan (and thus controlling the stiffness of the phosphate‐hydrogel system), it is possible to control the thickness and height of the tubes.
Learning Words That Matter: Selecting Vocabulary Words for Young Children
Authors: Hadley Elizabeth Burke , Mendez Karyn Zalman
Published: February 2021

Vocabulary learning is an essential component of early literacy instruction. However, choosing appropriate words for instruction can be a challenge, with many resources encouraging the instruction of words that are either too easy or too obscure. This article, based on a systematic review of vocabulary interventions, presents research‐based principles for choosing words to teach. The principles include teaching a variety of words rather than relying too heavily on concrete nouns, choosing "just right" words that are neither too easy nor too hard, teaching words that are useful for accessing complex text and communicating with others, and teaching words that consider the context and the needs of learners.
Reconsideration of the Antiquity of the Middle Palaeolithic Footprints from Theopetra Cave (Thessaly, Greece)
Authors: Kyparissi-Apostolika Nina , Manolis Sotiris K.
Published: February 2021

During the 1996 field season, four footprints were found in undisturbed deposits at the borders of squares Θ10-I10 at a depth of 3.5 m at the Theopetra Cave excavation site. The footprints lie adjacent to an ash horizon that has been dated to ca ~135 ka. Two footprints in the trail are complete and measure 150.4 mm and 138.96 mm in length. Based on modern European standards, these lengths would be consistent with young children aged between 2 and 4 years old and 90–100 cm in stature. The two complete footprints, which follow each other in the trail, appear both to have been left feet. The partial print, which immediately precedes the two complete prints in the series, also appears to have been by a left foot. This suggests that what initially seems to be a single trail is actually a composite of two or more trails of prints. This hypothesis is supported by the different characteristics of the two complete prints. One is consistent with a bare foot and clearly shows the impressions of the toes, ball, arch and heel. The other is characterized by a simpler contour and is more sharply defined and indicates that the individual was wearing some kind of foot covering. An important question is what kind of hominid made the footprints? These footprints may have been made by Neanderthals or early Homo sapiens, based on thermoluminescence dating results.
Machine-Learning Defined Networking: Towards Intelligent Networks
Authors: Troia Sebastian
Published: February 2021

With the advent of 5G technology and an ever-increasing traffic demand, today Communication Service Providers (CSPs) experience a progressive congestion of their networks. The operational complexity, the use of manual configuration, the static nature of current technologies together with fast-changing traffic profiles lead to: inefficient network utilization, over-provisioning of resources and very high Capital Expenditures (CapEx) and Operational Expenses (OpEx). This situation is forcing the CSPs to change their underlying network technologies, and have started to look at new technological solutions that increase the level of programmability, control, and flexibility of configuration, while reducing the overall costs related to network operations. Software Define Networking (SDN), Network Function Virtualization (NFV) and Machine Learning (ML) are accepted as effective solutions to reduce CapEx and OpEx and to boost network innovation. This chapter summarizes the content of my Ph.D. thesis, by presenting new ML-based approaches in order to efficiently optimize resources in 5G metro-core SDN/NFV networks. The main goal is to provide the modern CSP with intelligent and dynamic network optimization tools in order to address the requirements of increasing traffic demand and 5G technology.
One Step in-Memory Solution of Inverse Algebraic Problems
Authors: Pedretti Giacomo
Published: February 2021

Machine learning requires to process large amount of irregular data and extract meaningful information. Von-Neumann architecture is being challenged by such computation, in fact a physical separation between memory and processing unit limits the maximum speed in analyzing lots of data and the majority of time and energy are spent to make information travel from memory to the processor and back. In-memory computing executes operations directly within the memory without any information travelling. In particular, thanks to emerging memory technologies such as memristors, it is possible to program arbitrary real numbers directly in a single memory device in an analog fashion and at the array level, execute algebraic operation in-memory and in one step. In this chapter the latest results in accelerating inverse operation, such as the solution of linear systems, in-memory and in a single computational cycle will be presented.
Statistics and Numerical Methods
Authors: Frühwirth Rudolf , Strandlie Are
Published: February 2021

The chapter gives an outline of some statistical and numerical methods that will be applied in later chapters. The first section deals with the minimization of functions. Several gradient-based methods and a popular non-gradient method are discussed. The following section discusses statistical models and the estimation of model parameters. The basics of linear and nonlinear regression models and state space models are presented, including least-squares estimation and the (extended) Kalman filter. The final section gives a brief overview of clustering and different types of clustering algorithms.
Track Finding
Authors: Frühwirth Rudolf , Strandlie Are
Published: February 2021

There is no systematic theory of track finding yet. Therefore, the first section of this chapter presents a list of basic techniques which have been successfully used, stand-alone or in combination, in past and present experiments. Among them are the conformal transformation, the Hough and the Legendre transform, cellular automata and neural networks, pattern matching, and track following by the combinatorial Kalman filter. The following section gives a brief excursion into online or real-time track finding in the collider experiments CDF, ATLAS, and CMS. As track finding in most cases delivers some candidates that do not correspond to actual particle tracks, the concluding section discusses methods for an efficient selection of valid candidates.
Vertex Fitting
Authors: Frühwirth Rudolf , Strandlie Are
Published: February 2021

The methods used for vertex fitting are closely related to the ones used in track fitting. The chapter describes least-squares estimators as well as robust and adaptive estimators. Furthermore, it is shown how the vertex fit can be extended to a kinematic fit by imposing additional constraints on the tracks participating in the fit.
Aims of Citizenship Education Across Nordic Countries: Comparing School Principals’ Priorities in Citizenship Education 2009–2016
Authors: Seland Idunn , Huang Lihong , Arensmeier Cecilia , Bruun Jens , Löfström Jan
Published: February 2021

The Nordic welfare state has been associated with certain ideas of citizenship, the highlights of which are equal rights, social mobility, democracy, and participation. To better understand how these ideas are interpreted in the educational system, this chapter compares school principals’ prioritization of the aims of civic and citizenship education in four Nordic countries as they are expressed in IEA’s International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS). We discuss our findings in relation to the Nordic model of education, meaning the governance of education epitomizing the Nordic welfare state. When comparing data from the survey of school principals in ICCS 2009 with ICCS 2016, we find a consistent prioritization of promoting students’ critical thinking, while items concerning democratic participation are the lowest priority. While these results are similar to the international sample, the Nordic principals’ support for promoting critical thinking is consistently stronger. In the Nordic welfare state, a shift toward neoliberal policies is seen as an adaption to economic challenges with an emphasis on development of human capital through knowledge, skills, and abilities. However, as critical thinking represents such abilities, this may also be seen as a prerequisite for social critique and political mobilization. We review these possibilities as representations of a break in or a continuation of the traditional ideas of citizenship associated with the Nordic welfare state. We conclude that, for Nordic principals, critical thinking may align with the recent international emphasis on competence while also relating to the concept of Bildung, an 18th-century emancipation ideal with deep roots in the Nordic model of education.
Developing Digital Citizenship and Civic Engagement Through Social Media Use in Nordic Schools
Authors: Christensen Ingrid R. , Biseth Heidi , Huang Lihong
Published: February 2021

In this chapter, we explore the factors involved in developing digital citizenship through social media use in schools for 14-year-old students in four Nordic countries. The call for digital citizenship and digital citizenship education stems from the new and multiple ways in which young people are engaging in and communicating about civic issues through the use of social media. Schools could be considered to play a core part in developing students’ digital civic engagement, yet the field of digital citizenship education and the factors that enable engagement in schools are underexplored. To address this issue, in this chapter we have completed a mixed methods study analyzing the national curricula in the four Nordic countries and complementing this with an analysis of data from school leaders, teachers, and 14-year-old students participating in the IEA International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) 2016. The findings of the analysis show that digital citizenship and citizenship in general are prevailing ideals in the national curricula and that schools are well-equipped technologically. Yet, both teachers and students are ambivalent in their use of social media for developing digital citizenship. Thus, we argue that digital citizenship in education is a manifold and emerging phenomenon and that students might be important guides for its further development in schools.
The Young Environmental Citizens in Nordic Countries: Their Concerns, Values, Engagement, and Intended Future Actions
Authors: Huang Lihong , Cheah Saiki Lucy
Published: February 2021

This chapter presents an analysis of students’ concerns, values, engagement, and intended future participation on environmental issues in relation to their home socioeconomic background, gender, and migrant status. Analyzing IEA International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) 2016 data of Nordic countries, we first present descriptions of student responses to all questions related to environmental issues and compare Nordic results with European and international averages. Then, we construct a composite score of student environmental citizenship for investigating its relationship with student background factors such as gender, migrant status, and home socioeconomic status through comparing means between student groups with different background characteristics. Lastly, we apply factorial ANOVA analysis method to examine the effect sizes of student background factors and the interactions between them on youth environmental citizenship in the four countries. The results show that there are both similarities and small variations in elements of student environmental citizenship among the Nordic countries and in comparison with their European and international peers. Nordic students stand out as the concerned environmental citizens while they are somehow lower than their European and international peers in engagement, values, and intended participation of environmental citizenship. We find that student environmental citizenship is socially divided in all Nordic countries as it differs significantly between students from different socioeconomic strata and genders. Although not all differences of student environmental citizenship by migrant status are statistically significant among the Nordic countries, we find some significant influence of migrant status interaction with socioeconomic statuses and genders.
Civic and Citizenship Education: From Big Data to Transformative Education
Authors: Biseth Heidi , Hoskins Bryony , Huang Lihong
Published: February 2021

This chapter brings the results from the chapters in this book together to explore how civic and citizenship education can be or is relevant in a context beyond school. We have demonstrated that IEA’s International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) provides results based on conventional understandings of democracy but also includes elements allowing us to address issues supporting the need for profound changes in education and, hence, relevant for both policymakers and practitioners working to make education relevant to the world the students are entering. To enable and support our young citizens in their civic actions in a rapidly changing world, we need transformative civic education. A Nordic lens on civic and citizenship education allows questions relevant for an advanced technological future and promoting civic engagement through education for environmental sustainability. How to measure and to teach civic and citizenship education is relevant to the extent that it is addressing the reality in which we live, the societal and environmental challenges we face.
Arbeit 4.0 in der Produktentstehung mit IviPep
Authors: Foullois Marc , Kato-Beiderwieden Anna-Lena , Mlekus Lisa , Maier Günter W. , Jenderny Sascha , Röcker Carsten , Dietz Oliver , Pretzlaff Matthias , Huxdorf Oliver , von Dungern Friedrich , Bräutigam Dieter , Seifert Lars , Dumitrescu Roman
Published: February 2021

Technologien der Digitalisierung haben großes Potenzial, die Art und Weise, wie wir wirtschaften und arbeiten, grundlegend zu verändern. Vor allem in der Produktentstehung verspricht die Digitalisierung ein hohes Nutzenpotenzial. Das Projekt „Instrumentarium zur Gestaltung individualisierter virtueller Produktentstehungsprozesse in der Industrie 4.0“ (IviPep) hat das Ziel der menschengerechten Gestaltung der digitalen Arbeitswelt bei gleichzeitiger Effizienzsteigerung der Produktentstehung. In dem vorliegenden Beitrag werden ausgehend von der Zielsetzung die Ergebnisse des Forschungsvorhabens beschrieben. Hierzu werden sowohl die elementaren Forschungsergebnisse, als auch die Anwendungsbeispiele der Partnerunternehmen vorgestellt. Abschließend wird das Instrumentarium beschrieben. Das Verbundprojekt wurde im Rahmen des Programms „Zukunft der Arbeit“ vom Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) und dem Europäischen Sozialfonds (ESF) gefördert (Förderkennzeichen 01FI16133).
Hierda – Humanisierung digitaler Arbeit durch Cowork-Spaces
Authors: Bouncken Ricarda B.
Published: February 2021

Das Verbundprojekt Humanisierung digitaler Arbeit durch Cowork-Spaces (Hierda) beschäftigt sich mit neuen Formen der Arbeit, konkret dem Coworking. Ziel des Projektes war zunächst die Analyse von Formen der Coworking-Spaces. Anschließend wurden Instrumente entwickelt, mit denen Treiber und Barrieren in Coworking-Spaces gestärkt respektive entfernt werden können. Dabei steht die Humanisierung der digitalen Arbeit im Vordergrund. Für dieses Ziel arbeiten Partner aus Wissenschaft und Praxis Hand in Hand zusammen. Anschließend erfolgt die Implementierung der Instrumente zunächst bei den Projekt- und Umsetzungspartnern, später bei Coworking-Spaces und Unternehmen in ganz Deutschland. Durch eine begleitende Evaluation der Instrumente werden am Ende Best Practices abgeleitet.
Digitalisierung und Logistik
Authors: Schmitz Alexandra , Wei Fuyin , Uske Hans , Noche Bernd
Published: February 2021

Das BMBF-geförderte Verbundprojekt „Gesundheitsförderliche Arbeitsgestaltung für digitalisierte Dispositions- und Dokumentationsaufgaben in der Logistik“ (Pro-DigiLog) betrachtete die Digitalisierung der Arbeit in der Logistikbranche und deren Auswirkungen auf die Beschäftigten und Unternehmen.

Im Kapitel fassen die Autoren die Ergebnisse des Forschungsprojektes zusammen, indem sowohl eine ingenieurwissenschaftliche Entwicklung im Rahmen des Projekts beschrieben wird als auch eine aus dem Projekt resultierende Diskussion. Dabei werden die Besonderheiten der Logistik und die Bedeutung der Digitalisierung dargestellt. Mit der beispielhaften Beschreibung eines Dokumentationsprozesses in einem Pilotunternehmen wird ein Verfahren aufgezeigt, wie sich Dokumentationsprozesse in der Logistik kostengünstig digitalisieren lassen. Ferner wird mithilfe von sieben Thesen zur Digitalisierung in der Logistik und den Möglichkeiten gesundheitsförderlicher Arbeitsgestaltung ein Resümee gezogen.
Alles agil, alles gut?
Authors: Neumer Judith , Nicklich Manuel , Tihlarik Amelie , Wille Christian , Pfeiffer Sabine
Published: February 2021

Agile Projektarbeit zieht in immer mehr Branchen Interesse auf sich. Gemeint sind damit unterschiedliche Ansätze (z. B. Scrum), die auf selbstorganisiertes Arbeiten im Team setzen und Nähe zum Kunden versprechen. Agiles Arbeiten birgt für Beschäftigte neben mehr Handlungsspielräumen auch Risiken wie psychische Belastungen. Das Projekt diGAP erforschte, wie Gute agile Projektarbeit unter Bedingungen der Digitalisierung ermöglicht und praxistauglich unterstützt werden kann. Gestützt auf Befragungen, Interviews und Beobachtungen sowie Workshops mit Beschäftigten wurden entscheidende Aspekte agiler Projektarbeit herausgearbeitet. Auf Basis dieser Ergebnisse wurden Gestaltungsfelder, Maßnahmen und Modelle für Gute agile Arbeit entwickelt.
On the Lagrangian formulation of the double copy to cubic order
Authors: Ferrero Pietro , Francia Dario
Published: February 2021

Abstract

We investigate the Lagrangian formulation of the double-copy correspondence between gauge theories and gravity, up to the cubic order. Building on the definition of the double-copy field as a convolution of two vectors, we obtain free gravitational Lagrangians as products of two Yang-Mills Lagrangians, in a form amenable to be easily extended to the massive case. We discuss the origin of these results from tensionless strings and show the existence of gauge fixings that mix the two spin-one sectors and lead to an alternative, especially simple, version of the free Lagrangian. We then construct cubic vertices for the full double-copy multiplet, comprising a graviton, a two-form and a scalar particle, by means of the Noether procedure. Both at the free and at the cubic level the result gets uniquely fixed only upon imposing, on top of gauge invariance, a left-right Lorentz symmetry ruling contraction of indices among double-copy fields. Whereas the outcome nicely matches the cubic interactions of $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
= 0 supergravity, including the gauge-invariant coupling between the scalar particle and the two-form, such a twofold Lorentz symmetry seems to conflict with the perturbative reconstruction of spacetime geometry.
Integrable lattice models and holography
Authors: Ashwinkumar Meer
Published: February 2021

Abstract

We study four-dimensional Chern-Simons theory onD ×ℂ (whereDis a disk), which is understood to describe rational solutions of the Yang-Baxter equation from the work of Costello, Witten and Yamazaki. We find that the theory is dual to a boundary theory, that is a three-dimensional analogue of the two-dimensional chiral WZW model. This boundary theory gives rise to a current algebra that turns out to be an “analytically-continued” toroidal Lie algebra. In addition, we show how certain bulk correlation functions of two and three Wilson lines can be captured by boundary correlation functions of local operators in the three-dimensional WZW model. In particular, we reproduce the leading and subleading nontrivial contributions to the rationalR-matrix purely from the boundary theory.
Single-energy CT predicts uric acid stones with accuracy comparable to dual-energy CT—prospective validation of a quantitative method
Authors: Jendeberg Johan , Thunberg Per , Popiolek Marcin , Lidén Mats
Published: February 2021

Objectives

To prospectively validate three quantitative single-energy CT (SE-CT) methods for classifying uric acid (UA) and non-uric acid (non-UA) stones.

Methods

Between September 2018 and September 2019, 116 study participants were prospectively included in the study if they had at least one 3–20-mm urinary stone on an initial urinary tract SE-CT scan. An additional dual-energy CT (DE-CT) scan was performed, limited to the stone of interest. Additionally, to include a sufficient number of UA stones, eight participants with confirmed UA stone on DE-CT were retrospectively included. The SE-CT stone features used in the prediction models were (1) maximum attenuation (maxHU) and (2) the peak point Laplacian (ppLapl) calculated at the position in the stone with maxHU. Two prediction models were previously published methods (ppLapl-maxHU and maxHU) and the third was derived from the previous results based on the k-nearest neighbors (kNN) algorithm (kNN-ppLapl-maxHU). The three methods were evaluated on this new independent stone dataset. The reference standard was the CT vendor’s DE-CT application for kidney stones.

Results

Altogether 124 participants (59 ± 14 years, 91 men) with 106 non-UA and 37 UA stones were evaluated. For classification of UA and non-UA stones, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were 100% (37/37), 97% (103/106), and 98% (140/143), respectively, for kNN-ppLapl-maxHU; 95% (35/37), 98% (104/106), and 97% (139/143) for ppLapl-maxHU; and 92% (34/37), 94% (100/106), and 94% (134/143) for maxHU.

Conclusion

A quantitative SE-CT method (kNN-ppLapl-maxHU) can classify UA stones with accuracy comparable to DE-CT.

Key Points

• Single-energy CT is the first-line diagnostic tool for suspected renal colic.

• A single-energy CT method based on the internal urinary stone attenuation distribution can classify urinary stones into uric acid and non-uric acid stones with high accuracy.

• This immensely increases the availability of in vivo stone analysis.
Latent trait modeling of tau neuropathology in progressive supranuclear palsy
Authors: Kouri Naomi , Murray Melissa E. , Reddy Joseph S. , Serie Daniel J. , Soto-Beasley Alexandra , Allen Mariet , Carrasquillo Minerva M. , Wang Xue , Castanedes Monica Casey , Baker Matthew C. , Rademakers Rosa , Uitti Ryan J. , Graff-Radford Neill R. , Wszolek Zbigniew K. , Schellenberg Gerard D. , Crook Julia E. , Ertekin-Taner Nilüfer , Ross Owen A. , Dickson Dennis W.
Published: February 2021

Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is the second most common neurodegenerative Parkinsonian disorder after Parkinson’s disease, and is characterized as a primary tauopathy. Leveraging the considerable clinical and neuropathologic heterogeneity associated with PSP, we measured tau neuropathology as quantitative traits to perform a genome-wide association study (GWAS) within PSP to identify genes and biological pathways that underlie the PSP disease process. In 882 PSP cases, semi-quantitative scores for phosphorylated tau-immunoreactive coiled bodies (CBs), neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), tufted astrocytes (TAs), and tau threads were documented from 18 brain regions, and converted to latent trait (LT) variables using the R ltm package. LT analysis utilizes a multivariate regression model that links categorical responses to unobserved covariates allowing for a reduction of dimensionality, generating a single, continuous variable to account for the multiple lesions and brain regions assessed. We first tested for association with PSP LTs and the top PSP GWAS susceptibility loci. Significant SNP/LT associations were identified at rs242557 (MAPT H1c sub-haplotype) with hindbrain CBs and rs1768208 (MOBP) with forebrain tau threads. Digital microscopy was employed to quantify phosphorylated tau burden in midbrain tectum and red nucleus in 795 PSP cases and tau burdens were used as quantitative phenotypes in GWAS. Top associations were identified at rs1768208 with midbrain tectum and red nucleus tau burden. Additionally, we performed a PSP LT GWAS on an initial cohort, a follow-up SNP panel (37 SNPs, P < 10–5) in an extended cohort, and a combined analysis. Top SNP/LT associations were identified at SNPs in or near SPTBN5/EHD4, SEC13/ATP2B2, EPHB1/PPP2R3A, TBC1D8, IFNGR1/OLIG3, ST6GAL1, HK1, CALB1, and SGCZ. Finally, testing for SNP/transcript associations using whole transcriptome and whole genome data identified significant expression quantitative trait loci at rs3088159/SPTBN5/EHD4 and rs154239/GHRL. Modeling tau neuropathology heterogeneity using LTs as quantitative phenotypes in a GWAS may provide substantial insight into biological pathways involved in PSP by affecting regional tau burden.
A comparison of foam rolling and vibration foam rolling on the quadriceps muscle function and mechanical properties
Authors: Reiner Marina Maren , Glashüttner Christoph , Bernsteiner Daniel , Tilp Markus , Guilhem Gael , Morales-Artacho Antonio , Konrad Andreas
Published: February 2021

Purpose

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of using a vibration foam roll (VFR) or a non-vibration foam roll (NVFR) on maximum voluntary isometric contraction peak torque (MVIC), range of motion (ROM), passive resistive torque (PRT), and shear modulus.

Methods

Twenty-one male volunteers visited the laboratory on two separate days and were randomly assigned to either a VFR group or a NVFR group. Both interventions were performed for 3 × 1 min each. Before and after each intervention, passive resistive torque and maximum voluntary isometric contraction peak torque of the leg extensors were assessed with a dynamometer. Hip extension ROM was assessed using a modified Thomas test with 3D-motion caption. Muscle shear modulus of the vastus lateralis (VL), vastus medialis (VM), and rectus femoris (RF) was assessed with shear wave elastography (SWE).

Results

In both groups (VFR, NVFR) we observed an increase in MVIC peak torque (+ 14.2 Nm, + 8.6 Nm) and a decrease in shear modulus of the RF (− 7.2 kPa, − 4.7 kPa). However, an increase in hip extension ROM (3.3°) was only observed in the VFR group. There was no change in PRT and shear modulus of the VL and VM, in both the VFR group and the NVFR group. Our findings demonstrate a muscle-specific acute decrease in passive RF stiffness after VFR and NVFR, with an effect on joint flexibility found only after VFR.

Conclusion

The findings of this study suggest that VFR might be a more efficient approach to maximize performance in sports with flexibility demands.
Theoretical Investigation of the Size Effect on the Oxygen Adsorption Energy of Coinage Metal Nanoparticles
Authors: Hakimioun Amir H. , Dietze Elisabeth M. , Vandegehuchte Bart D. , Curulla-Ferre Daniel , Joos Lennart , Plessow Philipp N. , Studt Felix
Published: February 2021

This study evaluates the finite size effect on the oxygen adsorption energy of coinage metal (Cu, Ag and Au) cuboctahedral nanoparticles in the size range of 13 to 1415 atoms (0.7–3.5 nm in diameter). Trends in particle size effects are well described with single point calculations, in which the metal atoms are frozen in their bulk position and the oxygen atom is added in a location determined from periodic surface calculations. This is shown explicitly for Cu nanoparticles, for which full geometry optimization only leads to a constant offset between relaxed and unrelaxed adsorption energies that is independent of particle size. With increasing cluster size, the adsorption energy converges systematically to the limit of the (211) extended surface. The 55-atomic cluster is an outlier for all of the coinage metals and all three materials show similar behavior with respect to particle size.

Graphic Abstract
Influence of dual antiplatelet therapy duration on neointimal condition after second-generation drug-eluting stent implantation
Authors: Goryo Yutaka , Kume Teruyoshi , Okamoto Hiroshi , Kawamura Ai , Fukuhara Kenzo , Tamada Tomoko , Koyama Terumasa , Imai Koichiro , Yamada Ryotaro , Neishi Yoji , Uemura Shiro
Published: February 2021

Guidelines recommend shorter duration (1–12 months) for dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) in the second-generation drug-eluting stent (DES) era. However, whether shorter DAPT duration affects stent strut conditions and neointimal characteristics at mid-term follow-up remains uncertain. Therefore, we studied the relation between DAPT duration and vascular healing response as assessed by optical coherence tomography (OCT). This study was retrospective observational study. Participants comprised 64 patients who underwent serial OCT at both 9 and 18 months after DES implantation. All patients received DAPT until the 9-month follow-up then were divided into two groups: 49 patients who continued DAPT (longer DAPT group); and 15 patients who stopped taking the P2Y12 inhibitor and were treated with aspirin alone (shorter DAPT group) at the 18-month follow-up. Using OCT, we evaluated and compared stent strut conditions and neointimal characteristics between groups at both 9 and 18 months after stent implantation. Baseline clinical and procedural parameters were mostly similar between groups. At the 18-month follow-up, no in-stent thrombus assessed by OCT was observed in either group. No significant differences in OCT characteristics or measurements of neointima were seen between groups at 9- or 18-month follow-ups. Neointimal volume increased from 9 to 18 months in both groups, with a similar degree of neointimal proliferation in both groups (shorter DAPT group, 0.23 ± 0.29 mm3/mm; longer DAPT group, 0.19 ± 0.27 mm3/mm; P = 0.56). In conclusion, interrupting DAPT 9 months after second-generation DES implantation did not affect the development of in-stent thrombus, neointimal proliferation or stent strut coverage at 18-month follow-up compared with continuing DAPT.
Dimensions of rivalry: China, the United States, and Europe
Authors: Perthes Volker
Published: February 2021

The U.S.–China rivalry has become a guiding paradigm of international relation that can only be understood in its multidimensionality. Europe is not an equidistant observer of this conflict: European views of China have become much more critical, particularly with regard to human rights, China’s increasingly assertive regional posture and its perceived attempts to export its authoritarian political model. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased rather than mitigated mistrust. For Europe, the idea of “decoupling” from China is not an option. Rather Europe is developing its own instruments for a more coordinated China policy. It will likely continue to see China both as a competitor and as a multilateral partner and at the same time seek close coordination with the Biden administration on most international issues, including relations with China.
A systematic approach to transplanting non-resident, non-citizens in an established US pediatric lung transplant program
Authors: Alhaider S. , Maddox J.M. , Heinle J.S. , Shebaro I. , Mallory G.B.
Published: February 2021

Introduction:

The Texas Children's Hospital Lung Transplant Program undertook consideration of its first non-resident, non-citizen for lung transplantation in 2011.

Methods:

Four referrals from the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia were received, and two patients were evaluated from 2011 to 2013.

Results:

After a suitable candidate and family was identified, the program adopted a systematic approach to ensure that all the necessary elements of pre-transplant care, informed consent, and post-transplant care could be effectively delivered.

Conclusion:

The use of hospital translation services and the development of a strong professional relationship with a well-trained pediatric respirologist in Saudi Arabia combined with an excellent early post-transplant clinical course provide lessons that may be of help to other transplant programs considering international patients as candidates for solid organ transplantation.
Professional and personal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on non-COVID-19-related clinical research
Authors: Melvin Ann J. , Tandon Pooja , Rowe Carly , Clohessy Denae , Palermo Tonya M.
Published: February 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to major disruptions in the clinical research enterprise. Investigators and staff at the University of Washington and Seattle Children’s Research Institute (SCRI) were surveyed to determine the impact of the pandemic restrictions on their non-COVID-19 clinical research studies. Enrollment and study visits were stopped for over half of the interventional trials. There were both positive and negative impacts of the work restrictions on the professional and personal lives of faculty and staff. Academic and research institutions should consider how best to support investigators and their teams during this pandemic.
“Where Is Bhutan?” The Production of Bhutan's Asymmetrical Inbetweenness in Geopolitics
Authors: Kaul Nitasha
Published: February 2021

In this article, I interrogate the exhaustive “inbetweenness” through which Bhutan is understood and located on a map (“inbetween India and China”). I argue that this understanding naturalizes a contemporary geopolitics with little depth about how this inbetweenness has shifted over the centuries, thereby constructing a timeless, obscure, and remote Bhutan that is “naturally” oriented southward. I trace how the construction of Bhutan's asymmetrical inbetweenness is nested in the larger story of the formation and consolidation of imperial British India and its dissolution, and the emergence of post-colonial India as a successor state. I identify and analyze the key economic dynamics of three phases marked by commercial, production, and security interests, through which this asymmetrical inbetweenness was consolidated. Bringing together sources from different disciplines and archival work, this account also challenges some of the dominant historical scholarship on Bhutan in each phase. I conclude by emphasizing that critical work at the intersection of geographical/political/historical contingencies is important to the subalternizing of geopolitics, which recognizes the myriad ways in which dominant powers have shaped both the geopolitical environment as well as knowledge-making that has constrained small states.
The Erotic Family: Structures and Narratives of Milk Kinship in Premodern Japanese Tales
Authors: Schmidt-Hori Sachi
Published: February 2021

This essay proposes that “milk kinship,” which upper-class individuals in premodern Japan formed with their milk kin—a menoto(wet nurse) anda menotogo(foster sibling)—occupies the core of an institutionalized erotic fosterage. In this “menotosystem,” the surrogate mother's lactating body and erotic-affective labor became the connective tissue to bind two interclass families, creating a symbiosis that fortified the existing sociopolitical power structures. Around the tenth century, many vernacular tales started to featuremenotocharacters. While a typicalmenotois the protagonist's homely, asexual, motherly confidante, her derivative construct—themenotogoof the protagonist—is often cast in an erotic light. In the four texts examined in this essay,menotogovalorize their erotic agencies to benefit their charges through sexual-affective labor or through an indirect method. The latter entails the formation of a “love square” in which twomenotogobecome lovers and then help their respective charges do the same.
Factors associated with the number and timing of antenatal care visits among married women in Cameroon: evidence from the 2018 Cameroon Demographic and Health Survey
Authors: Ahinkorah Bright Opoku , Seidu Abdul-Aziz , Budu Eugene , Mohammed Aliu , Adu Collins , Agbaglo Ebenezer , Ameyaw Edward Kwabena , Yaya Sanni
Published: February 2021

Utilization of antenatal care (ANC) services, as part of reproductive health care, presents a lifesaving chance for health promotion and the early diagnosis and treatment of illnesses throughout pregnancy. This study examines the factors associated with the number and timing of ANC visits among married women in Cameroon using data from the 2018 Cameroon Demographic and Health Survey. The outcome variables were number of ANC visits, categorized as <8 visits or ≥8 visits, and the timing of first ANC visit, categorized as ≤3 months (early) or >3 months (late) (as per the new 2016 WHO recommendations). Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression were used to analyse the data. Crude odds ratios (cOR) and adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and p-values with significance at <0.05 were used to interpret the results. The proportions of women who had ≥8 ANC visits and first ANC visit at ≤3 months gestation were 6.3% and 35.6% respectively. Women aged 35–39 at childbirth (aOR=3.99, 95% CI=1.30–12.23), middle wealth quintile women (aOR=3.22, 95% CI=1.01–10.27), women whose husbands had secondary (aOR=7.00, 95% CI=2.26–21.71) or higher (aOR=16.93, 95% CI=4.91–58.34) education were more likely to have ≥8 ANC visits. Early timing of first ANC visit was low among women with birth order 3–4 (aOR=0.63, 95% CI=0.46–0.85). Conversely, the likelihood of having early ANC visits was high among women whose pregnancies were intended (aOR=1.32, 95% CI=1.01–1.74), the richest women (aOR=3.89, 95% CI=2.30–6.57) and women whose husbands had secondary (aOR=2.41, 95% CI=1.70–3.64) or higher (aOR=3.12, 95% CI=2.40–7.46) education. The study highlights that age at childbirth, wealth, husband’s educational attainment, birth order and pregnancy intention could influence the utilization of ANC services among married women in Cameroon. Hence, to improve attendance and early initiation of ANC, interventions should be targeted at empowering women financially and removing all financial barriers associated with accessing ANC, improving ANC education among women and encouraging male involvement in ANC education.
Ready,Set, Verify! Applyinghs-to-coqto real-world Haskell code
Authors: BREITNER JOACHIM , SPECTOR-ZABUSKY ANTAL , LI YAO , RIZKALLAH CHRISTINE , WIEGLEY JOHN , COHEN JOSHUA , WEIRICH STEPHANIE
Published: February 2021

Good tools can bring mechanical verification to programs written in mainstream functional languages. We usehs-to-coqto translate significant portions of Haskell’scontainerslibrary into Coq, and verify it against specifications that we derive from a variety of sources including type class laws, the library’s test suite, and interfaces from Coq’s standard library. Our work shows that it is feasible to verify mature, widely used, highly optimized, and unmodified Haskell code. We also learn more about the theory of weight-balanced trees, extendhs-to-coqto handle partiality, and – since we found no bugs – attest to the superb quality of well-tested functional code.
Familial atrial rapid fibrillation associated with double mutations of SCN5A and KCNQ1
Authors: Kanai Miwa , Toyohara Keiko , Shoda Morio
Published: February 2021

Familial atrial fibrillation is inherited and sporadically occurs in the paediatric population. Generally, fibrillated wavelets are reported at a frequency of approximately 6 Hz. Herein, we report a familial case presenting rapidly fibrillated wavelets at frequencies of approximately 12 to 30 Hz associated with KCNQ1 and SCN5A mutations.
The Development of Consensus-Based Descriptors for Low-Acuity Emergency Medical Services Cases for the South African Setting
Authors: Binks Faisal , Wallis Lee Alan , Stassen Willem
Published: February 2021

Introduction:

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) are designed to respond to and manage patients experiencing life-threatening emergencies; however, not all emergency calls are necessarily emergent and of high acuity. Emergency responses to low-acuity patients affect not only EMS, but other areas of the health care system. However, definitions of low-acuity calls are vague and subjective; therefore, it was necessary to provide a clear description of the low-acuity patient in EMS.

Aim:

The goal of this study was to develop descriptors for “low-acuity EMS patients” through expert consensus within the EMS environment.

Methods:

A Modified Delphi survey was used to develop call-out categories and descriptors of low acuity through expert opinion of practitioners within EMS. Purposive, snowball sampling was used to recruit 60 participants, of which 29 completed all three rounds. An online survey tool was used and offered both binary and free-text options to participants. Consensus of 75% was accepted on the binary options while free text offered further proposals for consideration during the survey.

Results:

On completion of round two, consensus was obtained on 45% (70/155) of the descriptors, and a further 30% (46/155) consensus was obtained in round three. Experts felt that respiratory distress, unconsciousness, chest pain, and severe hemorrhage cannot be considered low acuity. For other emergency response categories, specific descriptors were offered to denote a case as low acuity.

Conclusion:

Descriptors of low acuity in EMS are provided in both medical and trauma cases. These descriptors may not only assist in the reduction of unnecessary response and transport of patients, but also assist in identifying the most appropriate response of EMS resources to call-outs. Further development and validation are required of these descriptors in order to improve accuracy and effectiveness within the EMS dispatch environment.
Do Clothing Labels Play a Role for Weight Estimation in Pediatric Emergencies? A Prospective, Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Karaca Adeviyye , Akyol Kamil Can , Keşaplı Mustafa , Güngör Faruk , Cengiz Çakır Umut , Janitzky Angelika , Güven Ramazan
Published: February 2021

Introduction:

The aim of this study was to investigate the usability of the age value listed on the labels on children’s clothes in the age-based weight estimation method recommended by the Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) guidelines.

Material-Method:

This prospective, cross-sectional study was organized in Antalya Training and Research Hospital Emergency Department. Children aged between 1-12 years were included in the study. The weight measurements of the children were obtained based on the age-related criteria on the labels of their clothes. The estimated values were compared with the real values of the cases measured on the scale.

Results:

One-thousand ninety-four cases were included, the mean age of cases in age-based measurements was 6.25 years, which was 6.5 years in label-based measurements. Average weights measured 25.75kg according to age-based measurements, 26.5kg according to label-based measurements, and 26.0kg on the scales, and showed no statistical difference (P <.0001). It was estimated that 741 (67.7%) of age-based measurements and 775 (70.8%) of label-based measurements were within (±)10% values within the normal measurement limits and no significant difference was measured.

Conclusion:

In the emergency department and prehospital setting, children with an unknown age and that need resuscitation and interventional procedures for stabilization, and have no time for weight estimation, checking the age on clothing label (ACL) instead of the actual age (AA) can be safely used for the age-dependent weight calculation formula recommended by the PALS guide.
Standing Out and Blending In: Contact-Based Research, Ethics, and Positionality
Authors: Holmes Carolyn E.
Published: February 2021

This article explores the ethical difficulties that arise because of the interaction between fieldwork practitioners and their sites, in terms of the positionality of the researcher. What are the ethics of blending in or of standing out? This question stems from my experience of 12 months of fieldwork in South Africa in two distinct locales and among two different populations, one in which I could “pass” and another in which I was marked as various degrees of “outsider.” Drawing on this fieldwork, as well as an overview of the literature in political science on positionality, I argue that our discipline—because of the way it shapes interactions and research outcomes—must take positionality seriously in ethical training and practice.
Branching Condition of the Color-Word Interference Test Enhances Prediction of Meta-Tasking in Community-Dwelling Older Adults
Authors: Kurniadi Natalie E. , Suchy Yana , Niermeyer Madison Amelia
Published: February 2021

Objectives:

Meta-tasking (MT) is an aspect of executive functioning (EF) that involves the ability to branch (i.e., to apply “if-then” rules) and to effectively interleave sub-goals of one task with sub-goals of another task. As such, MT is crucial for successful planning, coordination, and execution of multiple complex tasks in daily life. Traditional tests of EF fail to adequately measure MT. This study examined whether Condition 4 of the Color-Word Interference Test (CWIT-4; the inhibition/switching condition that requires branching) predicted MT beyond Condition 3 (CWIT-3; inhibition-only condition) and beyond other subtests from the Delis–Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS) that have a switching condition.

Method:

Ninety-eight non-Hispanic white community-dwelling older adults completed the first four subtests of the D-KEFS and an ecologically valid measure of MT.

Results:

Time to completion and total errors on CWIT-4 accounted for variance in MT above and beyond CWIT-3 and beyond the switching conditions of other D-KEFS subtests. Results remained virtually unchanged when controlling for demographics and general cognitive status.

Conclusions:

Among older adults, CWIT-4 is more strongly associated with MT than other D-KFES tasks. Future research should examine whether CWIT-4 relates to lapses in instrumental activities of daily living among older adults above and beyond other EF tests.
Agricultural households’ adaptation to weather shocks in Sub-Saharan Africa: implications for land-use change and deforestation
Authors: Girard Julia , Delacote Philippe , Leblois Antoine
Published: February 2021

Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa is regularly threatened by the occurrence of weather shocks. We wonder whether the way farmers respond to shocks can affect land use and induce deforestation. Reviewing the existing literature, we found that this question has only been marginally studied. Drawing from the adaptation and land-use change literatures, we then expose the mechanisms through which weather shocks can push farmers to induce land-use change, or conversely to foster conservation. As farmers cope with shocks, their responses can cause degradations in ecosystems which could, in the long term, encourage deforestation and land-use change. To prepare for the next growing season, or adapt to climate variability and risk in the longer term, farmers also make structural adjustments in their farm and land-use decisions, which may lead to changes in land holding. They also resort to adaptation strategies that can indirectly affect land-use decisions by affecting households’ resources (labor, income).