bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A novel formulation for the weak quadrature element method for solving vibration of strain gradient graded nonlinear nanobeams
Authors: Trabelssi M. , El-Borgi S. 
Published: September 2022

AbstractA novel formulation of the weak form quadrature element method, referred to as the locally adaptive weak quadrature element method, is proposed to develop elements for nonlinear graded strain gradient Timoshenko and Euler–Bernoulli nanobeams. The equations of motion are obtained based on Hamilton principle while accounting for the position of the physical neutral axis. The proposed elements use Gauss quadrature points to ensure full integration of the variational statement. The proposed formulation develops matrices based on the differential quadrature method which employs Lagrange-based polynomials. These matrices can be modified to accommodate any number of extra derivative degrees of freedom including third-order beams and higher-order strain gradient beams without requiring an entirely new formulation. The performance of the proposed method is evaluated based on the free vibration response of the linear and nonlinear strain gradient Timoshenko and Euler–Bernoulli nanobeams. Both linear and nonlinear frequencies are evaluated for a large number of configurations and boundary conditions. It is shown that the proposed formulation results in good accuracy and an improved convergence speed as compared to the locally adaptive quadrature element method and other weak quadrature element methods available in the literature.
The impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on cause-specific mortality patterns: a systematic literature review
Authors: Sanmarchi Francesco , Esposito Francesco , Adorno Emanuele , De Dominicis Francesco , Fantini Maria Pia , Golinelli Davide 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
Background
Understanding the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on cause-specific mortality should be a priority, as this metric allows for a detailed analysis of the true burden of the pandemic. The aim of this systematic literature review is to estimate the impact of the pandemic on different causes of death, providing a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the phenomenon.

Methods
We searched MEDLINE, Scopus, and ProQuest for studies that reported cause-specific mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic, extracting relevant data.

Results
A total of 2413 articles were retrieved, and after screening 22 were selected for data extraction. Cause-specific mortality results were reported using different units of measurement. The most frequently analyzed cause of death was cardiovascular diseases (n = 16), followed by cancer (n = 14) and diabetes (n = 11). We reported heterogeneous patterns of cause-specific mortality, except for suicide and road accident.

Conclusions
Evidence on non-COVID-19 cause-specific deaths is not exhaustive. Reliable scientific evidence is needed by policymakers to make the best decisions in an unprecedented and extremely uncertain historical period. We advocate for the urgent need to find an international consensus to define reliable methodological approaches to establish the true burden of the COVID-19 pandemic on non-COVID-19 mortality.
How do foreign direct investment flows affect carbon emissions in BRICS countries? Revisiting the pollution haven hypothesis using bilateral FDI flows from OECD to BRICS countries
Authors: Apergis Nicholas , Pinar Mehmet , Unlu Emre 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
Foreign direct investment (FDI) flows from developed to developing countries may increase carbon emissions in developing countries as developing countries are seen as pollution havens due to their lenient environmental regulations. On the other hand, FDI flows from the developed world may improve management practices and advanced technologies in developing countries, and an increase in FDI flows reduces carbon emissions. Most of the existing studies examine the relationship between FDI flows and carbon emissions by using aggregate FDI flows; however, this paper contributes to the literature by analyzing the impact of FDI flows on carbon emissions in Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) between 1993 and 2012 using bilateral FDI flows from eleven OECD countries. According to our empirical results, from which OECD country FDI flows to BRICS countries matters for carbon emissions in BRICS countries. Our results confirm that FDI flows to BRICS countries from Denmark and the UK increase carbon emissions in BRICS countries, confirming the pollution haven hypothesis. On the other hand, FDI that flows from France, Germany, and Italy reduced carbon emissions in the BRICS countries, confirming the pollution halo effect. FDI flows from Austria, Finland, Japan, Netherlands, Portugal, and Switzerland have no significant impact on carbon emissions in BRICS countries. The BRICS countries should promote clean FDI flows by reducing environmental damages, and investing countries should be rated based on their environmental damage in the host countries.
Changing Urban Environments and the Impact on Coastal Cultural Heritage at Marsa Matruh, Egypt
Authors: Ray Nick , Nikolaus Julia 
Published: September 2022

AbstractThis paper examines the impact of urban expansion on coastal heritage in and around the port-city of Marsa Matruh on the northwest coast of Egypt. The city is located along a series of lagoons that have offered safe harbor for ships since antiquity. Over the last 80 years Marsa Matruh has developed from a small settlement of a few houses into a large port city that sprawls along the lagoons and further inland. The continuous growth has damaged or destroyed many of the remains of previous human occupation, including ancient harbor facilities. Evidence suggests that people have lived around these lagoons since at least the Bronze Age and a port town developed in the classical period on this important crossroad for transport and trade. Based on previous publications, historical aerial photographs and satellite imagery, this illustrates the range of heritage that once was present, from the ancient settlement, harbor, and rock cut tombs to remains from the two World Wars. It demonstrates how urban expansion has affected those sites and discusses the threats to coastal heritage to the west of Marsa Matruh, where new construction projects have recently emerged.
The feasibility of pelvic floor training to treat urinary incontinence in women with breast cancer: a telehealth intervention trial
Authors: Colombage Udari N. , Soh Sze-Ee , Lin Kuan-Yin , Kruger Jennifer , Frawley Helena C. 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
Purpose
To investigate the feasibility of recruiting into a pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) program delivered via telehealth to treat urinary incontinence (UI) in women with breast cancer on aromatase inhibitors.

Methods
We conducted a pre-post single cohort clinical trial with 54 women with breast cancer. Participants underwent a 12-week PFMT program using an intra-vaginal pressure biofeedback device: femfit®. The intervention included eight supervised individual PFMT sessions over Zoom™ and a 12-week home exercise program. The primary outcome of this study was feasibility, specifically consent rate. Secondary outcomes which included prevalence and burden of UI measured using the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire–Urinary Incontinence Short Form (ICIQ-UI SF), and pelvic floor muscle (PFM) strength measured as intravaginal squeeze pressure were compared using McNemar’s and paired t tests.

Results
The mean age of participants was 50 years (SD ± 7.3). All women who were eligible to participate in this study consented (n = 55/55, 100%). All participants reported that the program was beneficial and tailored to their needs. The results showed a statistically significant decline in the prevalence (percentage difference 42%, 95% CI 28, 57%) and burden (ICIQ-UI SF score mean change 9.4, 95% CI 8.5, 10.4) of UI post intervention. A significant increase in PFM strength was observed post-intervention (mean change 4.8 mmHg, 95% CI 3.9, 5.5).

Conclusion
This study indicated that PFMT delivered via telehealth may be feasible and potentially beneficial in treating stress UI in women with breast cancer. Further studies such as randomized controlled trials are required to confirm these results.
Supporting students with complex needs living in rural and regional New South Wales: is wraparound the answer?
Authors: Cumming Therese M. , Strnadová Iva , Gilanyi Lisa , Lee Hee Min 
Published: September 2022

AbstractHistorically, students attending school in rural and regional New South Wales have experienced poorer outcomes than their peers attending metropolitan schools. The lack of coordinated support services for students with complex support needs compounds this issue. Wraparound models of support have been successful in improving outcomes for students with complex support needs, and the New South Wales government has prioritised the establishment of strong relationships between schools and communities to overcome the limitations of geographic isolation. The aim of the current study was to explore wraparound support for students with complex support needs attending schools in rural and regional New South Wales. A qualitative research approach was employed, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with key stakeholders to gain an in-depth understanding of current successes, barriers, and needs. The findings indicated that wraparound was most effective in rural and remote schools when school staff implemented bespoke approaches to wraparound, such as restorative practices. Resourcing was a barrier found to be central to all schools. Recommendations are provided to enhance the capacity of rural and regional NSW schools to provide wraparound support for students with complex support needs.
Governing through Controversy: The Challenge of New Toxicological Methodologies
Authors: Ellis Jaye 
Published: September 2022

AbstractBuilding institutional and procedural bridges between science and policy is a vital role for law. Fundamental to the success of this work is the development of more sophisticated, nuanced understandings of scientific knowledge production than those which are current in legal and policy spheres. In this paper, I consider scientific controversies that have emerged in the field of human and environmental health impacts of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), notably around methodological approaches to identifying such chemicals and analysing the risks they pose. Building on literatures in the philosophy and sociology of science, I identify bases on which bridge-building between science and policy could proceed and discuss the role that legal normativity can play in those processes.
Application of multivariate joint modeling of longitudinal biomarkers and time-to-event data to a rare kidney stone cohort
Authors: Vaughan Lisa E. , Lieske John C. , Milliner Dawn S. , Schulte Phillip J. 
Published: September 2022

AbstractBackground:Time-dependent Cox proportional hazards regression is a popular statistical method used in kidney disease research to evaluate associations between biomarkers collected serially over time with progression to kidney failure. Typically, biomarkers of interest are considered time-dependent covariates being updated at each new measurement using last observation carried forward (LOCF). Recently, joint modeling has emerged as a flexible alternative for multivariate longitudinal and time-to-event data. This study describes and demonstrates multivariate joint modeling using as an example the association of serial biomarkers (plasma oxalate [POX] and urinary oxalate [UOX]) and kidney function among patients with primary hyperoxaluria in the Rare Kidney Stone Consortium Registry.Methods:Time-to-kidney failure was regressed on serially measured biomarkers in two ways: time-dependent LOCF Cox proportional hazards regression and multivariate joint models.Results:In time-dependent LOCF Cox regression, higher POX was associated with increased risk of kidney failure (HR = 2.20 per doubling, 95% CI = [1.38-3.51], p < 0.001) whereas UOX was not (HR = 1.08 per doubling, [0.66–1.77], p = 0.77). In multivariate joint models, estimates suggest higher UOX may be associated with lower risk of kidney failure (HR = 0.42 per doubling [0.15–1.04], p = 0.066), though not statistically significant, since impaired urinary excretion of oxalate may reflect worsening kidney function.Conclusions:Multivariate joint modeling is more flexible than LOCF and may better reflect biological plausibility since biomarkers are not steady-state values between measurements. While LOCF is preferred to naïve methods not accounting for changes in biomarkers over time, results may not accurately reflect flexible relationships that can be captured with multivariate joint modeling.
Evolution and dysfunction of human cognitive and social traits: A transcriptional regulation perspective
Authors: Zug Roman , Uller Tobias 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
Evolutionary changes in brain and craniofacial development have endowed humans with unique cognitive and social skills, but also predisposed us to debilitating disorders in which these traits are disrupted. What are the developmental genetic underpinnings that connect the adaptive evolution of our cognition and sociality with the persistence of mental disorders with severe negative fitness effects? We argue that loss of function of genes involved in transcriptional regulation represents a crucial link between the evolution and dysfunction of human cognitive and social traits. The argument is based on the haploinsufficiency of many transcriptional regulator genes, which makes them particularly sensitive to loss-of-function mutations. We discuss how human brain and craniofacial traits evolved through partial loss of function (i.e. reduced expression) of these genes, a perspective compatible with the idea of human self-domestication. Moreover, we explain why selection against loss-of-function variants supports the view that mutation-selection-drift, rather than balancing selection, underlies the persistence of psychiatric disorders. Finally, we discuss testable predictions.
History of Pre-Modern Chinese Studies in Germany
Authors: van Ess Hans 
Published: September 2022

AbstractResearch into traditional China at German universities began in the early nineteenth century. It took several decades, however—until after the unification of Germany in 1871—positions at the universities of first Leipzig and then Berlin and Hamburg to be established in order to professionalize traditional China studies. The third and fourth decades of the twentieth century saw a rapid expansion, but Nazi rule between 1933–1945 led to massive emigration of German sinologists. This article looks into the details of this development and the disastrous consequences it had for German sinology. It then proceeds to the new beginnings made after World War II when some emigrants returned to Germany from China. East Germany lost many sinologists, who left the GDR when the Berlin wall was built. The article finishes with the challenges that a politically important China presents to traditional sinology.
MethylScore, a pipeline for accurate and context-aware identification of differentially methylated regions from population-scale plant whole-genome bisulfite sequencing data
Authors: Hüther Patrick , Hagmann Jörg , Nunn Adam , Kakoulidou Ioanna , Pisupati Rahul , Langenberger David , Weigel Detlef , Johannes Frank , Schultheiss Sebastian J. , Becker Claude 
Published: September 2022

AbstractWhole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) is the standard method for profiling DNA methylation at single-nucleotide resolution. Different tools have been developed to extract differentially methylated regions (DMRs), often built upon assumptions from mammalian data. Here, we present MethylScore, a pipeline to analyse WGBS data and to account for the substantially more complex and variable nature of plant DNA methylation. MethylScore uses an unsupervised machine learning approach to segment the genome by classification into states of high and low methylation. It processes data from genomic alignments to DMR output and is designed to be usable by novice and expert users alike. We show how MethylScore can identify DMRs from hundreds of samples and how its data-driven approach can stratify associated samples without prior information. We identify DMRs in theA. thaliana1,001 Genomes dataset to unveil known and unknown genotype–epigenotype associations .
Application of naphthalene acetic acid and gibberellic acid favours fruit induction and development in oil palm hybrid (Elaeis oleiferaxElaeis guineensis)
Authors: Cayón Salinas Daniel Gerardo , Ligarreto Moreno Gustavo Adolfo , Magnitskiy Stanislav , Rosero Gustavo , Leguizamón Omaira 
Published: September 2022

SummaryThe OxG hybrid bunches contain more parthenocarpic fruits (PF) than normal fruits (NF) and present problems of development and ripening due to either an asynchronous opening of flowers or insufficient pollination. The objective of this study was to compare the effect of α-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) and gibberellic acid (GA3) in the induction and development of PF and NF, the fatty acid profile (FAP), and the oil potential in the ‘Coari x La Mé’ oil palm hybrid. NAA and GA3induced parthenocarpy in the fruits and did not alter the FAP of the mesocarp oil. The commercial dose of pollen (0.9 g talc + 0.1 g pollen) resulted in increased bunch weight (BW) (20.8 kg) and lower percentage of PF in the bunch (65.4%). The most effective hormonal doses to induce the formation of PF in the bunch were NAA 300 and 600 mg L-1. GA3alone or in mixture with NAA increased the percentage of PF but did not increase the BW, indicating that GA3had no synergistic effect on BW. The NAA applications represent alternatives to complement assisted pollination of OxG hybrids to increase bunch production and oil yield.
Do unwanted children face growth penalties in resource poor environments? Evidence from Roma Settlements in Serbia
Authors: Čvorović Jelena 
Published: September 2022

AbstractIn a high fertility context, research on the relationship between parental investment, unwanted births and child nutritional outcomes is limited. The implications may be especially relevant for children coming from the most disadvantaged backgrounds and at increased risk of nutritional deprivation. This study assessed the association between maternal investment, unwanted births disaggregated into mistimed and unwanted children, and child nutritional outcomes in a poor population of Serbian Roma. Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys rounds 5 and 6 data for Serbian Roma settlements were used to account for the association between two measures of maternal investment: weight at birth and parity, and mistimed and unwanted children, and children height-for-age z-score (HAZ), weight-for-age z score (WAZ) and weight-for- height z-score (WHZ). The sample included 130 children aged 0-24 months. The child variables were age, gender, and birth order, while maternal independent variables included age, literacy and access to improved toilet facility as proxies for socioeconomic status. Children born with low birth weight (lower maternal investment in utero) face a significant deficit in terms of their nutritional outcomes, measured by HAZ and WAZ. The effect was aggravated for height if the child was unwanted while there was a positive relationship between access to improved toilet facility and WHZ. Unwanted children were of higher birth order, with older, higher parity mothers than mistimed children. Many of the Roma children may be at risk of undernutrition, however, Roma children who received lower maternal investment in utero, unwanted and living in poorest households may face additional risk.
Secondary post-tonsillectomy haemorrhage: is there evidence of diurnal and monthly variation in haemorrhage rates?
Authors: Lancer H R , Beech T , Weller M 
Published: September 2022

AbstractBackgroundAnecdotally, secondary post-tonsillectomy haemorrhage tends to occur out-of-hours. This study sought to establish whether there is a link between haemorrhage and time of day, and examined correlations with month and with monthly temperature.MethodsData were obtained for patients in our hospital undergoing surgical arrest of secondary post-tonsillectomy haemorrhage between January 2002 and December 2020. Haemorrhage timing was categorised into daytime (07:00–18:00), evening (18:00–22:00) and overnight (22:00–07:00). The chi-square test was used to assess diurnal and monthly variation in haemorrhage rates (p < 0.05). Pearson's correlation test was used to analyse monthly haemorrhage rates and average monthly temperature.ResultsFifty per cent of patients suffered post-tonsillectomy haemorrhage overnight and 28.1 per cent haemorrhaged in the evening, representing a significant difference (p = 0.018). The highest rate of haemorrhage was in July (2.96 per cent), which was statistically significant (p = 0.0024). There was a positive correlation between average monthly temperature and haemorrhage rate (Pearson's correlation = 0.478, p = 0.116004), although this was not significant.ConclusionMost post-tonsillectomy haemorrhages occur out-of-hours (78.1 per cent), which could be conveyed during the consent process. The haemorrhage rate is lower in winter, which may influence planned operating theatre scheduling.
Assessment of YouTube as an educational tool in teaching flexible nasendoscopy and peritonsillar abscess drainage
Authors: Devakumar H , Tailor B V , Myuran T , Ioannidis D 
Published: September 2022

AbstractBackgroundPartly as a result of coronavirus disease 2019, YouTube has become a more frequent educational source for otolaryngology trainees. This study sought to assess the quality of flexible nasendoscopy and peritonsillar abscess drainage videos.MethodYouTube was systematically searched using 13 terms related to flexible nasendoscopy and peritonsillar abscess drainage. Two independent reviewers assessed the quality of each video using the Laparoscopic Video Educational Guidelines.ResultsTwenty-seven videos were deemed suitable. The mean total Laparoscopic Video Educational Guidelines scores for videos on flexible nasendoscopy (18 videos) and peritonsillar abscess drainage (9 videos) were 10.3 (standard deviation = 3.1) and 11.7 (standard deviation = 4.6), respectively. Most of the videos were deemed of medium quality. The Laparoscopic Video Educational Guidelines score correlated positively with flexible nasendoscopy video length and how recently a peritonsillar abscess drainage video had been uploaded.ConclusionThe limited high-quality videos on YouTube are difficult to identify from the search metrics available. Trainees and ENT induction programmes would benefit greatly from an online platform that contains a catalogue of high-quality surgical videos.