bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Matthew effects in science and the serial diffusion of ideas: Testing old ideas with new methods
Authors: Farys Rudolf , Wolbring Tobias 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThe Matthew effect has become a standard concept in science studies and beyond to describe processes of cumulative advantage. Despite its wide success, a rigorous quantitative analysis for Merton’s original case for Matthew effects—the Nobel Prize—is still missing. This paper aims to fill this gap by exploring the causal effect of the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel (hereafter the Nobel Prize in Economics). Furthermore, we test another of Merton’s ideas: successful papers can draw attention to cited references, leading to a serial diffusion of ideas. Based on the complete Web of Science 1900–2011, we estimate the causal effects of Nobel Prizes compared to a synthetic control group which we constructed by combining different matching techniques. We find clear evidence for a Matthew effect upon citation impacts, especially for papers published within 5 years before the award. Further, scholars from the focal field of the award are particularly receptive to the award signal. In contrast to that, we find no evidence that the Nobel Prize causes a serial diffusion of ideas. Papers cited by future Nobel laureates do not gain in citation impact after the award.
First record of female pleasing lacewings of Berothellinae (Neuroptera: Dilaridae) with a description of two new species of Berothella Banks from China
Authors: Zheng Yuchen , Liu Xingyue 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Pleasing lacewings (Neuroptera: Dilaridae) are a group of Neuroptera well known for the sexually dimorphic antennae (unipectinate in male, filiform in female). However, in the dilarid genus, Berothella Banks, 1934, the male antennae are not pectinate but thickly filiform. The genus is the sole representative of the recently established subfamily Berothellinae Liu, U. Aspöck & H. Aspöck, 2017, and includes three species from the Oriental region. So far each of the three species is known by a single male specimen. Here we describe two new species of Berothella, i.e., B. falcata sp. n. and B. wenii sp. n. from China based on morphological characters and molecular evidence. Moreover, we report on the first female of Berothellinae based on specimens of the newly discovered species. The female genital characters of Berothellinae are compared in detail with those of the other dilarid subfamilies. The distribution data of Berothellinae is updated.
‘Onesimus to Philemon’: Runaway Slaves and Religious Conversion in Colonial ‘Kerala’, India, 1816–1855
Authors: Paul Vinil Baby 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Several theories emerged, based on the Christian conversion of lower caste communities in colonial India. The social and economic aspects predominate the study of religious conversion among the lower castes in Kerala. Most of these studies only explored the lower caste conversion after the legal abolition of slavery in Kerala (1855). The existing literature followed the mass movement phenomena. These studies ignore the slave lifeworld and conversion history before the abolition period, and they argued, through religious conversion, the former slave castes began breaking social and caste hierarchy with the help of Protestant Christianity. The dominant Dalit Christian historiography does not open the complexity of slave Christian past. Against this background, this paper explores the history of slave caste conversion before the abolition period. From the colonial period, the missionary writings bear out that the slaves were hostile to and suspicious of new religions. They accepted Christianity only cautiously. It was a conscious choice, even as many Dalits refused Christian teachings.
Aridity Changes and Related Climatic Drivers in the Drylands of China during 1960–2019
Authors: Xu Jinqin , Zeng Yan , Qiu Xinfa , He Yongjian , Shi Guoping , Zhu Xiaochen 
Published: March 2021

AbstractDrylands cover about one-half of the land surface in China and are highly sensitive to climate change. Understanding climate change and its impact drivers on dryland is essential for supporting dryland planning and sustainable development. Using meteorological observations for 1960–2019, the aridity changes in drylands of China were evaluated using aridity index (AI), and the impact of various climatic factors [i.e., precipitation P; sunshine duration (SSD); relative humidity (RH); maximum temperature (Tmax); minimum temperature (Tmin); wind speed (WS)] on the aridity changes was decomposed and quantified. Results of trend analysis based on Sen’s slope estimator and Mann–Kendall test indicated that the aridity trends were very weak when averaged over the whole drylands in China during 1960–2019 but exhibited a significant wetting trend in hyperarid and arid regions of drylands. The AI was most sensitive to changes in water factors (i.e., P and RH), followed by SSD, Tmax, and WS, but the sensitivity of AI to Tmin was very small and negligible. Interestingly, the dominant climatic driver to AI change varied in the four dryland subtypes. The significantly increased P dominated the increase in AI in the hyperarid and arid regions. The significantly reduced WS and the significantly increased Tmax contributed more to AI changes than the P in the semiarid and dry subhumid regions of drylands. Previous studies emphasized the impact of precipitation and temperature on the global or regional dry–wet changes; however, the findings of this study suggest that, beyond precipitation and temperature, the impact of wind speed on aridity changes of drylands in China should be given equal attention.
Implementation of Snowpack Treatment in the CPC Water Balance Model and Its Impact on Drought Assessment
Authors: Arevalo Jorge , Welty Josh , Fan Yun , Zeng Xubin 
Published: March 2021

AbstractDroughts are a worldwide concern, thus assessment efforts are conducted by many centers around the world, mainly through simple drought indices which usually neglect important hydrometeorological processes or require variables available only from complex Land Surface Models (LSMs). The U.S. Climate Prediction Center (CPC) uses the Leaky Bucket (LB) water-balance model to post-process temperature and precipitation, providing soil moisture (SM) anomalies to assess drought conditions. However, despite its crucial role in the water cycle, snowpack has been neglected by LB and most drought indices.Taking advantage of the high-quality snow water equivalent (SWE) data from the University of Arizona (UA), a single-layer snow scheme, forced by daily temperature and precipitation only, is developed for LB implementation and tested with two independent forcing datasets. Compared against the UA and SNOTEL SWE data over CONUS, LB outperforms a sophisticated LSM (Noah/NLDAS-2), with the median LB vs SNOTEL correlation (RMSE) about 40% (26%) higher (lower) than that from Noah/NLDAS-2, with only slight differences due to different forcing datasets.The changes in the temporal variability of SM due to the snowpack treatment lead to improved temporal and spatial distribution of drought conditions in the LB simulations compared to the reference U.S. Drought Monitor maps, highlighting the importance of snowpack inclusion in drought assessment. The simplicity but reasonable reliability of the LB with snowpack treatment makes it suitable for drought monitoring and forecasting in both snow-covered and snow-free areas, while only requiring precipitation and temperature data (markedly less than other water-balance-based indices).
Aerosol and Droplet Risk of Common Otolaryngology Clinic Procedures
Authors: Boorgu Devi Sai Sri Kavya , Dharmarajan Harish , Sim Edward S. , Goyal Lindsey , Freiser Monika E. , Weinstock Michael , Whelan Rachel , Corcoran Timothy E. , Jabbour Noel , Wang Eric , Chi David H. 
Published: March 2021

Objectives: Define aerosol and droplet risks associated with routine otolaryngology clinic procedures during the COVID-19 era. Methods: Clinical procedures were simulated in cadaveric heads whose oral and nasal cavities were coated with fluorescent tracer (vitamin B2) and breathing was manually simulated through retrograde intubation. A cascade impactor placed adjacent to the nares collected generated particles with aerodynamic diameters ≤14.1 µm. The 3D printed models and syringes were used to simulate middle and external ear suctioning as well as open suctioning, respectively. Provider’s personal protective equipment (PPE) and procedural field contamination were also recorded for all trials using vitamin B2 fluorescent tracer. Results: The positive controls of nebulized vitamin B2 produced aerosol particles ≤3.30 µm and endonasal drilling of a 3D model generated particles ≤14.1 µm. As compared with positive controls, aerosols and small droplets with aerodynamic diameter ≤14.1 µm were not detected during rigid nasal endoscopy, flexible fiberoptic laryngoscopy, and rigid nasal suction of cadavers with simulated breathing. There was minimal to no field contamination in all 3 scenarios. Middle and external ear suctioning and open container suctioning did not result in any detectable droplet contamination. The clinic suction unit contained all fluorescent material without surrounding environmental contamination. Conclusion: While patients’ coughing and sneezing may create a baseline risk for providers, this study demonstrates that nasal endoscopy, flexible laryngoscopy, and suctioning inherently do not pose an additional risk in terms of aerosol and small droplet generation. An overarching generalization cannot be made about endoscopy or suctioning being an aerosol generating procedure. Level of Evidence: 3
The Effect of the Mother’s Participation in Therapy on Children with Vocal Fold Nodules
Authors: Sonbay Yılmaz Nevreste Didem , Afyoncu Cansu , Ensari Nuray , Yıldız Muhammet , Gür Özer Erdem 
Published: March 2021

Objectives: Vocal fold nodules (VFN) are a bilateral epithelial thickening of the membranous vocal folds. In this study, children with VFN and their mothers took part in voice therapy. We then compared acoustic analyzes and subjective evaluations to those in previous literature to determine whether voice therapy is more effective for children with VFN when their mothers also take part in therapy. Methods: Children aged eight to 12 years who were diagnosed with bilateral VFN between January 2018 and January 2020 were included in this study. Participating children diagnosed with bilateral VFN were divided into two groups based on the wishes and cooperation of their families. Group 1 consisted of 16 patients; Group 2 included 17 patients. The children in Group 1 received voice therapy alone; children in Group 2 took part in therapy with their mothers. For all participants, the average fundemental frequency (F0), jitter percentages, shimmer percentages, maximum phonation time (MPT) and s/z ratios were measured. Pediatric voice handicap index (p-VHI) values were calculated as well. Results: The two groups’ measures pre-treatment and post-treatment were compared. Except for p-VHI, no significant difference was observed between the two groups. However, p-VHI post-treatment was significantly lower in Group 2 than in Group 1. Conclusions: Involving the families and even teachers of children with VFN in voice therapy can increase the effectiveness of therapy. The family’s involvement increases the child’s motivation in therapy. The mother’s presence during therapy, supporting the child or even doing the work with the child, can be a very important source of motivation for the child, who may already be tired from school and other activities. Thus, the mother’s involvement increases the child’s compliance with and interest in therapy.
Reference values for C-reactive protein and procalcitonin at term pregnancy and in the early postnatal period
Authors: Joyce Caroline M , Deasy Shane , Abu Hala , Lim Yoke Yin , O’Shea Paula M , O’Donoghue Keelin 
Published: March 2021

Background Early recognition of sepsis and prompt treatment improves patient outcome. C-reactive protein is a sensitive marker for tissue damage and inflammation, but procalcitonin has greater specificity for bacterial infection. Limited research exists regarding the use of C-reactive protein and procalcitonin at term pregnancy and the immediate postpartum period. Aim This study sought to define reference values for C-reactive protein and procalcitonin at term and the early postnatal period. Methods A prospective cross-sectional study was performed in a university teaching hospital. Venous blood was collected from healthy women ( n = 196), aged between 19 and 45 years with an uncomplicated singleton pregnancy, at term (37–40 weeks’ gestation) and on day 1 and day 3 postpartum for the measurement of C-reactive protein and procalcitonin. Results The reference population comprised of 189 participants: term pregnancy ( n = 51), postpartum day 1 vaginal delivery ( n = 70) and caesarean section ( n = 38) and day 3 (caesarean section, n = 30). The maximum procalcitonin value at term pregnancy was 0.1 μg/L. On day 1 postpartum, 90% and 86.8% of procalcitonin results for vaginal delivery and caesarean section, respectively, were below the decision-threshold of 0.25 μg/L. The specificity of procalcitonin to rule out infection in the reference population was 91.5%. Conclusions Reference values for procalcitonin were established in a well-characterized population of healthy pregnant women at term and immediately postpartum. The variability of C-reactive protein limits its clinical utility in the assessment of systemic sepsis. Application of the procalcitonin cut-off of 0.25 μg/L in this population will be a valuable adjunct to clinicians ruling out infection in pregnancy and postpartum.
Clinical laboratory medicine measurements correlation analysis under uncertainty
Authors: Aslam Muhammad 
Published: March 2021

Background The Spearman rank correlation test under classical statistics cannot be applied when the paired data is in interval or indeterminacy is presented in the paired data. Methods In this paper, the Spearman rank correlation test under neutrosophic statistics will be introduced. The proposed Spearman rank correlation test will be a generalization of the existing Spearman rank correlation test. Results The proposed test is supposed to be more informative, flexible, and adequate to apply for the analysis of the measurement data. The application of the proposed test is given using the measurement of luteotropichormone data obtained from the clinical laboratory. Based on the information, the probability of accepting the null hypothesis [Formula: see text] is 0.95, the chance of committing a type-I error is 0.05 and the chance of indeterminacy about the acceptance of [Formula: see text] is 69%. Conclusions From the analysis, it is noted that the proposed test is more efficient in terms of the measure of indeterminacy as compared with the existing test. From the study, it is concluded that the proposed test is more informative, applicable and useable under an indeterminate environment as compared with the existing test under classical statistics. Therefore, it is recommended to apply the proposed test in clinical laboratories for testing the correlation between instruments.
Assessment of humoral responses in COVID-19 using various quantitative antibody tests
Authors: Wakui Masatoshi , Uwamino Yoshifumi , Kurafuji Toshinobu , Noguchi Masayo , Ohno Akemi , Yokota Hiromitsu , Kikuchi Haruhito , Hasegawa Naoki , Saya Hideyuki , Murata Mitsuru 
Published: March 2021

Background Quantitative antibody tests are expected to be useful in diagnostics of COVID-19 and investigation of herd immunity against SARS-CoV-2. To make it proper to perform them, understanding of the immunological aspects is critically important. The present study aimed to assess humoral responses in COVID-19 using various quantitative antibody tests. Methods Four quantitative antibody tests that are different in targeted antigens, detectable immunoglobulin classes and avidity were used. Diagnosis was confirmed by RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2 detection. Antibody titres of 117 samples collected from 24 COVID-19 patients and 23 non-COVID-19 patients were measured to evaluate correlations between different tests. For 24 COVID-19 patients, antibody titres measured at various time points after the onset or the RT-PCR diagnosis were subjected to assessment of humoral responses. Results Correlations between tests were observed to some degree, although there were discrepancies putatively due to differences in measurement principle. Seronegative COVID-19 was diagnosed for some patients, in whom antibody titres were less than the cut-off value in each test throughout the time courses. IgG seroconversion without prior IgM seroconversion most frequently occurred, while predominance of IgM responses over IgG responses was observed in some severe cases. Viral burdens estimated according to threshold cycle values at the RT-PCR seemed to impact antibody responses. Conclusions The results provide insights into the nature of humoral responses to SARS-CoV-2 and diagnostic performance of antibody tests.
Relationship between perceived social support and self stigma in caregivers of patients with schizophrenia
Authors: Karaçar Yeliz , Bademli Kerime 
Published: March 2021

Background: The study was conducted to determine the relationship between self-stigmatization and perceived social support in caregivers of schizophrenia with patient. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used. The study sample consisted of 84 participants who cared for schizophrenic patients registered in a community mental health center. In the data collection, the ‘Self-stigmatizing Scale for Families’ and ‘Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Scale’ were used. The data were analyzed via frequency, mean, standard deviation, Cronbach’s alpha analysis, linear regression, Pearson correlation analysis, independent samples t-test, and ANOVA test. Results: Self-stigmatization (32.48 ± 15.15) and perceived social support (44.36 ± 22.88) were found to be moderate in caregivers. Self-stigmatization was found to be higher in caregivers who do not work; have a spouse, mother, or father; have a disease; do not receive support from their family and have not received any education about schizophrenia ( p < .05). It was determined that, with increasing age, perceived social support decreases, and the perception of social support increases in caregivers who are high school graduates, working, having children, have no illness, and are educated about schizophrenia ( p < .05). It was determined that, as the level of perceived social support increases in caregivers, self-stigmatization decreases ( p < .05). Conclusion: It was determined that, as the perceived social support increases in caregivers, self-stigmatization decreases. We recommend providing informative support about schizophrenia, to increase hope and social-skill training, and to implement interventions that include caregivers in the fight against stigma.
Borehole wall tensile caving instability in the horizontal well of deep brittle shale
Authors: Fan Yu , Cui Shuai , Liu Houbin , Wu Pengcheng , Wang Xudong , Zhong Chengxu , Meng Yingfeng 
Published: March 2021

Introduction: With the increasing drilling depth of shale formation, downhole collapse is a frequent occurrence, which often manifests as borehole wall caving. Methods: We used the deep shale of the Longmaxi Formation to conduct the mechanical loading and unloading experiments under different downhole working conditions and a theoretical evaluation method of borehole wall caving and instability was proposed. Results and discussion: As the confining pressure and axial load increased, the acoustic velocity increased. When a certain value was reached, the acoustic velocity of the rock mass had minimal changes. As the confining pressure continued to unload and decrease, the acoustic velocity decreased. At the moment of core failure, the acoustic velocity suddenly dropped. When the axial force of loading was constant, the unloading speed of confining pressure increased, and shale could easily be destroyed. The pressure at the well bottom changed rapidly, the likelihood of borehole wall failure increased. Conclusion: The deep shale has high brittleness. Under the bottom-hole pressure, the borehole wall rock was prone to brittle fracture failure along the parallel bedding surface. Under different working conditions, obvious changes could be observed in the pressure of the effective fluid column at the well bottom. The pressure changed rapidly, which, in turn, caused the rock at the well bottom to break down, thereby resulting in borehole wall caving. After tripping out and turning the pump off, the shale tensile stress in the upper and lower sidewalls of the horizontal well section was responsible for tensile caving.
Impact of Oral Steroids on Tonsillectomy Postoperative Complications and Pain
Authors: Kubala Michael E. , Turner Merit , Gardner James Reed , Williamson Adrian , Richter Gresham T. 
Published: March 2021

Objectives: To analyze the impact of steroids on postoperative tonsillectomy recovery and implement findings for improvement in postoperative management. Methods: Institutional review board approved prospective study with retrospective analysis of private practice setting tonsillectomy patients (November 2015 to January 2017). A questionnaire was provided postoperatively to patients undergoing tonsillectomy with or without adenoidectomy. The study population was separated into 2 groups: patients who received steroids (3 days of either dexamethasone or prednisolone), postoperative steroid (POS), versus patients who did not receive steroids (PONS). Results: The questionnaire had a return rate of 27.3% (254/931). Nine of the 254 responses were disqualified for lack of information; therefore, the total number of responses was 245. Of these, 115 were POS and 130 were PONS. The groups were similar in mean age (POS: 13.2 ± 10.4 years, PONS: 14.7 ± 12.1 years, P = .32) and sex (POS: Male 40.0%, PONS: Male 40.0%, P = .97). There was an overall decrease of pain and nausea/vomiting (N/V) in the steroid group ( P = .0007). There was reduction in pain ( P < .05) from postoperative day (POD) 2, 3, 4, and 6 in the POS group. Otherwise, there was no significant reduction in pain from POD 7 to 14, day-by-day rate of N/V, bleeding, or rate of emergency department (ED) or clinic visit ( P > .05). Conclusion: Postoperative steroid reduced overall pain and N/V, as well as daily pain on POD 2, 3, 4, and 6. Pain from POD 7 to 14, rate of ED or clinic visit, or daily N/V and bleeding rate were not significantly different between cohorts.