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We apply network science principles to analyse the coalitions formed by European Union nations and institutions during litigation proceedings at the European Court of Justice. By constructing Friends and Foes networks, we explore their characteristics and dynamics through the application of cluster detection, motif analysis and duplex analysis. Our findings demonstrate that the Friends and Foes networks exhibit disassortative behaviour, highlighting the inclination of nodes to connect with dissimilar nodes. Furthermore, there is a correlation among centrality measures, indicating that member states and institutions with a larger number of connections play a prominent role in bridging the network. An examination of the modularity of the networks reveals that coalitions tend to align along regional and institutional lines, rather than national government divisions. Additionally, an analysis of triadic binary motifs uncovers a greater level of reciprocity within the Foes network compared to the Friends network. This article is part of the theme issue 'A complexity science approach to law and governance'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To evaluate the Mental Health Youth Ambassador Programme between 2016 and 2019 in terms of participants' improvement in attitudes towards individuals with depression or psychosis. Methods: This anti-stigma programme was provided to secondary students (form 3 and above) and comprised three levels. Level 1 involved attending lectures about mental health; level 2 and level 3 involved social contact with persons-in-recovery. Students' attitudes towards those with depression and those with psychosis were assessed at baseline and after completion of each level of programme using the Chinese version of the Social Distance Scale. Results: Only 25 students who were assessed at all four time points were included in analysis. The mean Social Distance Scale scores for attitudes towards depression and psychosis improved significantly across all time points. Specifically, significant improvement occurred after completion of level 2 and level 2 but not after completion of level 1. Conclusion: Social contact with people with mental illness (rather than attending lectures about mental health) contributed significantly to the improvement in students' attitude towards depression and psychosis. With the positive preliminary results, the Mental Health Youth Ambassador Programme should be extended to more students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Several small randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies have compared high (15-20/7.5-10/7.5-10 mg/kg/dose) versus standard dose (10/5/5 mg/kg/dose) ibuprofen for patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) closure, with limited evidence on efficacy and safety. OBJECTIVE: To systematically review and meta-analyze studies of high versus standard dose ibuprofen for the closure of PDA in preterm infants. METHODS: Databases were searched for RCTs and observational studies assessing high compared to standard dose of ibuprofen for PDA closure for preterm infants until August 2021. The primary outcome was failure of PDA closure after the first course of ibuprofen. The secondary outcomes were the failure of PDA closure after a second course of ibuprofen, rates of PDA ligation, all-cause mortality prior to hospital discharge, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, necrotizing enterocolitis, bleeding disorders, oliguria, and serum creatinine after treatment. RESULTS: There were 6 studies with 369 patients (3 RCT, N = 190; 3 observational studies, N = 179). Compared to standard dose, high dose ibuprofen did not significantly decrease the failure rate of PDA closure in preterm infants after the first course (Relative risk (RR) 0.74, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.53 –1.03, 6 studies, N = 369). High dose ibuprofen significantly decreased the rates of PDA ligation compared to standard dose (RR 0.33, 95% CI 0.16 –0.70, 5 studies, N = 309). INTERPRETATION: Based on low-grade evidence, high dose ibuprofen may more effectively reduce rates of PDA ligation compared to standard dose with no increase in adverse effects, neonatal morbidities and mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, ballistic phonon transport in atomic chain nanostructures is investigated by atomic nonequilibrium Green's functions and embedded atom method. Bond length and strength modification in atomic chain (low-dimensional structure) was taken into consideration by using bond-order-length-strength correlation premise. We especially focus on the contact interface effects on phonon transmission and thermal conductance. It is found that the contact interfaces between an atomic chain and contact reservoir, i.e., neck region or buffer layers, play an important role in phonon transport. The more buffer layers the less thermal conductance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of surface bond reconstruction (SBR) of Si contact surfaces on phonon transport in Si atomic wire is investigated. Green’s function method is applied to calculate the thermal conductance and local heat currents. Results show that the phonon transport in atomic wires is enhanced significantly by SBR at the thermal contact surface. A blue shift for phonon transmission function is induced by the SBR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phonon transport in atomic wire coupled by two semi-infinite thermal contacts is investigated by atomic nonequilibrium Green’s functions. The effect on phonon transport due to anharmonicity in atomic wire and surface bond reconstruction of thermal contact is analyzed. It is found that surface bond reconstruction affects phonon transport significantly in the presence of anharmonicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of bond order loss of surface atoms on thermal conductivity of cylindrical silicon nanowires has been examined using the isotropic elastic continuum model. A core-shell structure with a modified Young’s modulus in the surface skin of the wire has been used. Thermal conductivity is calculated from modified phonon dispersion relations based on recent developed bond-order-length-strength (BOLS) correlation. This work extends the previous linear approximation [Yeung et al. Phys. Rev. B 74, 155317 (2006)] to calculate the phonon dispersion relation of torsional mode and longitudinal mode using the nonlinear approach. A significant increase in thermal conductivity is found compared to the case without using BOLS correlation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of surface bond-order loss on the electronic thermal conductivity of metallic polycrystalline films is examined using Boltzmann transport theory. A modification of the grain boundary potential barrier has been made by adding depressed potential wells of intra-atomic trapping [C. Q. Sun, Phys. Rev. B 69, 045105 (2004)] to both sides of the grain boundaries. Electron scattering by film surfaces is also considered to follow the line of Fuchs’ convention. Results show that the thermal conductivity of the films is sensitive to the film thickness, mean grain size, and Fermi energy. In particular, thermal conductivity increases significantly with the depth of the atomic trapping due to the bond-order loss induced surface bond contraction and associated bond strength gain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the miniaturization of a solid device, quantum and interface effects become dominant not only in the static properties but also in the transport dynamics in the solid. Here we examine the dc conductance of a nanosolid by introducing the depression of the intra-atomic trapping potential in the surface skin [Sun, Phys. Rev. B 69, 045105 (2004)] as a perturbation to the conventional “quantum well” for tunneling electrons. It is derived that downshifts of the dc conductance peaks (that is, the incident energies for resonant tunneling) happens in an oscillatory way, depending on the strength of the perturbation. Besides, the downshifts of the peak positions due to the trapping potential well depression decrease as the size of the nanosolid is increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

STUDY QUESTION: Should fasting glucose (FG) or an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) be used to screen for dysglycaemia in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)? SUMMARY ANSWER: A full OGTT should be recommended as the screening method for dysglycaemia in women with PCOS, regardless of BMI or family history of diabetes mellitus (DM). STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: A cross-sectional study on 467 Chinese women diagnosed with PCOS by the Rotterdam criteria between January 2010 to December 2013. participants, setting, methods: The study was done at a university hospital in Hong Kong. All subjects underwent a 75 g OGTT after overnight fasting. We evaluated the performance of FG alone, when compared with the full OGTT, in identifying subjects with dysglycaemia (prediabetes or DM, according to the 2010 diagnostic criteria of the American Diabetes Association). MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: Of the 467 subjects, 58 (12.4%) had dysglycaemia, among which 46 (9.8%) had prediabetes and 12 (2.6%) had DM, including 4 with known DM. Of the 46 subjects with prediabetes, 25 (54.3%) had normal FG and of the 8 subjects with screened DM in this study, 1 (12.5%) had normal FG. The sensitivity of FG alone in screening for prediabetes, DM and overall dysglycaemia were 45.7, 87.5 and 48.1%, respectively, i.e. missing 54.3% of prediabetes and 12.5% of DM cases as defined by the OGTT. Among the 54 subjects with screened dysglycaemia, 20 (37.0%) had BMI<25 kg/m2 and 35 (64.8%) had no family history of DM. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: We only reported on the biochemical diagnosis of DM based on a single time point. In clinical practice, confirmatory results at another time point is required for definitive diagnosis in asymptomatic subjects. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: There is an ongoing debate as to whether FG or an OGTT should be used as a screening method for dysglycaemia in women with PCOS. Some guidelines also recommend glucose screening only in those who are overweight and/or having family history of diabetes (DM). There have been scarce data on this issue in the Chinese population, which the current study aims at addressing. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): The study was supported by a research grant from the Hong Kong Obstetrical and Gynaecological Trust Fund, as well as internal research funding of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The University of Hong Kong. All authors have no competing interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]