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Research exploring the advantages and limitations of different laboratory modes on student learning is critical so that engineering instructors can design hybrid/blended laboratories to maximise student learning. However, limited research explores the impact of take-home laboratories on student learning. This article documents the impact that the "HELP" take-home laboratory had on student perceptions of conceptual and professional learning across four European universities within the discipline of electronic engineering. Impact was evaluated through a student questionnaire that included Likert-scale and open-ended questions and was completed by 74 participants. The research extends what is known by revealing how take-home laboratories supported student understanding. Participants report that having flexible access and more time to build and test real circuits enhanced their understanding. Participants also reported that take-home laboratories supported the development of specific professional skills. Based on the student perspective, an implication of this research is that take-home laboratories can legitimately complement other laboratory modalities.

This study aims to examine the association between family financial stress and bullying victimization by incorporating peer and teacher-student relationships into a moderated mediation model. Based on a sample of 40,772 children from the International Survey of Children's Well-Being, results posit that the link between family financial stress and bullying victimization is mediated by peer relationship, and this mediation is further moderated by teacher-student relationship. Specifically, the direct effect of family financial stress on bullying victimization decreases as the quality of teacher-student relationship increases. Moreover, the effect of peer relationship on bullying victimization is also moderated by teacher-student relationship, with the effect being weaker for children reporting high levels of teacher-student relationship. This study contributes to current understanding of the mediation and moderation through which family economic conditions are linked with bullying victimization. Implications for practice and directions for future research are also discussed.

With the ubiquitous presence of media devices, media multitasking has become prevalent in an educational context. Several authors have synthesized the literature on this topic, but no systematic review has been carried out so far. The present study fills this gap by examining the academic papers in the past decade to delineate the research trends, gaps, and directions for future research. Following the Standard Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA), we analyzed 88 papers from various aspects including study focus, contexts, participants, and methods. Findings point to the necessity to focus on the reasons behind multitasking, include more K-12 learners, and adopt qualitative methodology. To support future work on the predictors of media multitasking, we propose a conceptual framework that includes nine variables in technology, personal, and environment domains.

Objective: To explore the clinical epidemiological characteristics of oral lichen planus (OLP) and risk factors for erosive/ulcerative OLP. Materials and Methods: Patients diagnosed with OLP from 11 different hospitals were included in the study. Descriptive statistical methods were used to explore the clinical epidemiological characteristics and logistic regression, sensitivity analysis, and subgroup analysis were utilized to explore the risk factors for erosive/ulcerative OLP. Results: The average age of patients was 49.2 ± 13.3 years, and 61.4% of the patients were women. The ratios of patients with reticular, hyperemic/erythematous, and erosive/ulcerative lesions were 47.9%, 27.8%, and 24.2%, respectively. Analysis of risk factors for erosive/ulcerative OLP identified the following variables: age, course of disease of 12 months or more, II°–III° dental calculus, hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease, as well as regions of habitation. Subgroup analysis showed significant differences in risk factors for erosive/ulcerative OLP in patients with and without risk behaviors. Conclusion: The clinical epidemiological characteristics of patients with OLP in the Chinese population in this study are basically consistent with existing reports in developed countries. And we identified clinical characteristics associated with erosive/ulcerative OLP through clinical epidemiological analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pterocarya (Juglandaceae) is disjunctly distributed in East Asia and the Caucasus region today, but its fossils are widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere. We first inferred phylogeny with time estimation of Pterocarya under node‐dating (ND) based on plastomes of all eight extant species and tip‐dating (TD) based on plastomes and 69 morphological characters of 19 extant and extinct species, respectively. We compared the biogeographical reconstructions on the timetrees from ND and TD, respectively, and then compiled 83 fossil records and 599 current occurrences for predicting the potential distributions for the past and the future. The most recent comment ancestor of Pterocarya is inferred in East Asia at 40.46 Ma (95% highest posterior density [HPD]: 28.04–54.86) under TD and 26.81 Ma (95% HPD: 23.03–33.12) under ND. The current distribution was attributed to one dispersal and one vicariant event without fossils, but as many as six dispersal, six vicariant, and 11 local extinction events when considering fossils. Pterocarya migrated between East Asia and North America via the Bering Land Bridge during the early Oligocene and the early Miocene periods. With the closure of Turgai Strait, Pterocarya dispersed between East Asia and Europe through the Miocene. The potential distribution analyses indicated that Pterocarya preferred warm temperate regions across the Northern Hemisphere since the Oligocene, but the drastic temperature decline caused its extinction in high latitudes. Except for Pterocarya fraxinifolia and Pterocarya stenoptera, suitable habitats for this genus are predicted to contract by 2070 due to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Eocene-Oligocene transition (EOT) marked a rapid global cooling event, often considered as the beginning of the modern icehouse world. Influenced by various factors, including tectonic activity and paleogeographic settings, the terrestrial records indicate a diverse response of fauna and vegetation to this global event. We examined nine macrofossil assemblages from seven fossil localities on the southeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau and from the mid-latitudinal Europe ranging from the latest Bartonian and Priabonian (37.71–33.9 Ma) to the Rupelian (33.9–27.82 Ma). Our aims were to trace and compare the vegetation history of both regions in the late Eocene and early Oligocene. The results show that both regions experienced changes in vegetation composition in response to climate change, characterized by a decrease in the percentages of broad-leaved evergreen elements and distinctive changes in general vegetation types. A general change in the overall vegetation type from subtropical broad-leaved evergreen forests in the late Eocene to temperate broad-leaved mixed deciduous evergreen forests, or mixed mesophytic forests, in the early Oligocene is recognized in both regions. The results indicate a clear change in leaf architecture, leaf margin states, and secondary venation types in the mid-latitudinal Europe, while the results from the south-eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau show a distinct reduction in leaf size. Our data suggest that both global and regional factors played key roles in shaping the vegetation in the two regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 1980, both the intensity and duration of summer heatwaves in the middle and high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere have significantly increased, leading this region to become a critical area for a significant increase in the frequency of intense and long-lived extreme heatwaves. We found that stronger and more persistent high-pressure systems and lower soil moisture before the events were the main drivers of intense and long-lived extreme heatwaves in western Europe and the middle and high latitudes of North America. However, in eastern Europe and Siberia, lower cloud cover before events is also a main driver of this type of extreme heatwave, in addition to the above drivers. These factors are coupled with each other and can change heatwave intensity and duration by influencing surface radiation processes during events. Using the self-organizing map classification method, we found that 6 weather patterns with increased frequency, intensity, and duration were the main dynamic reasons leading to the increase in intense and long-lived extreme heatwaves after 1980. In addition, the decrease in summer average soil moisture in most areas of the mid-high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere and the decrease in average cloud cover in eastern Europe and Siberia are found to be the main thermodynamic reasons leading to the increase in these extreme heatwaves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The European native spider mite Tetranychus ludeni Zacher (Acari: Tetranychidae) is an invasive species which attacks many economically important crops. Investigations into how different factors affect its dispersal probability and distance help better understand its population management and enable researchers to perform invasion evaluations. Here, we tested the effect of age and density on dispersal probability and distance. We show that older females that are capable of producing more eggs within 24 h were more likely to disperse and moved longer distances than younger ones with fewer eggs. Older females spread most of their eggs out of their natal habitats and over longer distances, which reduced competition and increased offspring fitness. Our results also indicate that females exhibited significantly increased dispersal probability and distance with an increase in population density to avoid crowding. The synchronization of dispersal and reproduction, along with the positive density-dependent dispersal strategy, may facilitate the habitat colonization and invasion speed of T. ludeni. The dispersal strategies of a species can affect its invasion success. Investigations into the dispersal strategies of invasive species in relation to different factors help improve our understanding of invasion mechanisms and provide knowledge for population management and invasion evaluation. Tetranychus ludeni Zacher (Acari: Tetranychidae) is an invasive species which is native to Europe but is now cosmopolitan. Here, we examined the effects of age and density on dispersal in mated females. Our results show that older females that are capable of producing more eggs within 24 h were more likely to disperse and moved longer distances than younger ones with fewer eggs. Older females spread most of their eggs out of their natal habitats and over longer distances, which reduced competition and increased offspring fitness. Females exhibited significantly increased dispersal probability and distances with an increase in population density to avoid crowding. The synchronization of dispersal and reproduction, along with the positive density-dependent dispersal strategy, may facilitate the habitat colonization and invasion speed of T. ludeni. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose a global ionospheric total electron content (TEC) maps (GIM) prediction model based on deep learning methods that is both straightforward and practical, meeting the requirements of various applications. The proposed model utilizes an encoder-decoder structure with a Convolution Long Short-Term Memory (ConvLSTM) network and has a spatial resolution of 5° longitude and 2.5° latitude, with a time resolution of 1 h. We utilized the Center for Orbit Determination in Europe (CODE) GIM dataset for 18 years from 2002 to 2019, without requiring any other external input parameters, to train the ConvLSTM models for forecasting GIM 1, 2, and 3 days in advance. Using the CODE GIM data from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2023 as the test dataset, the performance evaluation results show that the average root mean square errors (RMSE) for 1, 2 and 3 days of forecasts are 2.81 TECU, 3.16 TECU, and 3.41 TECU, respectively. These results show improved performance compared to the IRI-Plas model and CODE's 1-day forecast product c1pg, and comparable to CODE's 2-day forecast c2pg. The model's predictions get worse as the intensity of the storm increases, and the prediction error of the model increases with the lead time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil bulk density (BD) serves as a fundamental indicator of soil health and quality, exerting a significant influence on critical factors such as plant growth, nutrient availability, and water retention. Due to its limited availability in soil databases, the application of pedotransfer functions (PTFs) has emerged as a potent tool for predicting BD using other easily measurable soil properties, while the impact of these PTFs' performance on soil organic carbon (SOC) stock calculation has been rarely explored. In this study, we proposed an innovative local modeling approach for predicting BD of fine earth (BDfine) across Europe using the recently released BDfine data from the LUCAS Soil (Land Use and Coverage Area Frame Survey Soil) 2018 (0–20 cm) and relevant predictors. Our approach involved a combination of neighbor sample search, forward recursive feature selection (FRFS), and random forest (RF) models (local- RFFRFS). The results showed that local- RFFRFS had a good performance in predicting BDfine (R2 of 0.58, root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.19 gcm-3 , relative error (RE) of 16.27 %), surpassing the earlier-published PTFs (R2 of 0.40–0.45, RMSE of 0.22 gcm-3 , RE of 19.11 %–21.18 %) and global PTFs using RF models with and without FRFS (R2 of 0.56–0.57, RMSE of 0.19 gcm-3 , RE of 16.47 %–16.74 %). Interestingly, we found that the best earlier-published PTF (R2 = 0.84, RMSE = 1.39 kgm-2 , RE of 17.57 %) performed close to the local- RFFRFS (R2 = 0.85, RMSE = 1.32 kgm-2 , RE of 15.01 %) in SOC stock calculation using BDfine predictions. However, the local- RFFRFS still performed better (ΔR2 > 0.2) for soil samples with low SOC stocks (< 3 kgm-2). Therefore, we suggest that the local- RFFRFS is a promising method for BDfine prediction, while earlier-published PTFs would be more efficient when BDfine is subsequently utilized for calculating SOC stock. Finally, we produced two topsoil BDfine and SOC stock datasets (18 945 and 15 389 soil samples) at 0–20 cm for LUCAS Soil 2018 using the best earlier-published PTF and local- RFFRFS , respectively. This dataset is archived on the Zenodo platform at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10211884 (S. Chen et al., 2023). The outcomes of this study present a meaningful advancement in enhancing the predictive accuracy of BDfine , and the resultant BDfine and SOC stock datasets for topsoil across the Europe enable more precise soil hydrological and biological modeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence from Europe shows that perioperative chemotherapy may be beneficial for the treatment of locally advanced gastric cancer, but reliable and robust data is lacking. To rectify this, the phase 3 RESONANCE trial investigated the efficacy and safety of S-1 plus oxaliplatin (SOX) as a perioperative chemotherapy regimen for gastric cancer. This randomized, open-label trial enrolled patients from 19 medical centers with stage II/III resectable gastric cancer who were centrally randomly assigned to either perioperative chemotherapy (PC) arm or adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) arm. Patients in the PC arm received two to four cycles of SOX followed by surgery and four to six cycles of SOX. Patients in the AC arm received upfront surgery and eight cycles of SOX. 386 patients in each group were enrolled and 756 (382 in PC and 374 in AC) were included in the mITT population. The three-year DFS rate was 61.7% in the PC arm and 53.8% in the AC arm (log-rank p = 0.019). The R0 resection rate in the PC arm was significantly higher than that in the AC arm (94.9% vs. 83.7%, p < 0.0001). There was no difference between two arms in surgical outcomes or postoperative complications. Safety-related data were like the known safety profile. In conclusion, from a clinical perspective, this trial indicated a trend towards higher three-year disease-free survival rate with perioperative SOX in stage II/III resectable gastric cancer with well-tolerated toxicity compared to adjuvant SOX, which might provide a theoretical basis for applying perioperative SOX in advanced gastric cancer patients. (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01583361) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conditions in the combustion zones, i.e., the raceways, are crucial for the operation of the blast furnace. In recent years, advancements in tuyere cameras and image processing and interpretation techniques have provided a better means by which to obtain information from this region of the furnace. In this study, a comprehensive approach is proposed to visually monitor the status of the pulverized coal cloud at the tuyeres based on a carefully designed processing strategy. Firstly, tuyere images are preprocessed to remove noise and enhance image quality, applying the adaptive Otsu algorithm to detect the edges of the coal cloud, enabling precise delineation of the pulverized coal region. Next, a Swin–Unet model, which combines the strengths of Swin Transformer and U-Net architecture, is employed for accurate segmentation of the coal cloud area. The extracted pulverized coal cloud features are analyzed using RGB super-pixel weighting, which takes into account the variations in color within the cloud region. It is demonstrated that the pulverized coal injection rate shows a correlation with the state of the cloud detected based on the images. The effectiveness of this visual monitoring method is validated using real-world data obtained from a blast furnace of SSAB Europe. The experimental results align with earlier research findings and practical operational experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate older adults' psychological reactions when facing changes in daily life caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and anti-epidemic measures. Specifically, this study investigated the impacts of communication types (i.e., electronic and face-to-face communication) and frequency during the pandemic and the kinds of proactive coping actions taken by older adults on their anxiety. A total of 43,019 respondents were included in this study by merging two longitudinal databases. One is the seventh wave of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) conducted in 2017, and the other is the COVID-19 Survey of SHARE, which was conducted between June and August 2020. This study found that one third of older adults reported anxiety symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic and one fifth reported increased anxiety than before the pandemic. Anxiety symptoms seem somewhat prevalent among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, the more kinds of proactive coping actions taken by older adults, the more likely they felt anxious. As the pandemic continues and develops, taking proactive coping actions might no longer alleviate anxiety in older adults, showing a diminishing utility. In addition, face to face communication was found to decrease the likelihood of anxiety symptoms in older adults, whereas the opposite impact of electronic communication was found. For older adults, contacting others by electronic means may increase their anxiety feeling during the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil bulk density (BD) serves as a fundamental indicator of soil health and quality, exerting a significant influence on critical factors such as plant growth, nutrient availability, and water retention. Due to its limited availability in soil databases, the application of pedotransfer functions (PTFs) has emerged as a potent tool for predicting BD using other easily measurable soil properties, while the impact of these PTFs' accuracy on soil organic carbon (SOC) stock calculation has been rarely explored. In this study, we proposed an innovative local modelling approach for predicting BD across Europe using the recently released BD data from the LUCAS Soil 2018 (0-20 cm). Our approach involved a combination of neighbour sample search, Forward Recursive Feature Selection (FRFS) and Random Forest (RF) model (local-RFFRFS). The results showed that local-RFFRFS had a good performance in predicting BD (R² of 0.58, RMSE of 0.19 g cm-3), surpassing the traditional PTFs (R² of 0.40-0.45, RMSE of 0.22 g cm-3) and global PTFs using RF with and without FRFS (R² of 0.56-0.57, RMSE of 0.19 g cm-3). Interestingly, we found the best traditional PTF (R²=0.84, RMSE=1.39 kg m-2) performed close to the local-RFFRFS (R²=0.85, RMSE=1.32 kg m-2) in SOC stock calculation using BD predictions. However, the local-RFFRFS still performed better (ΔR²>0.2 and ΔRMSE>0.1 g cm-3) for soil samples with low SOC stock (<3 kg m-2). Therefore, we suggest that the local-RFFRFS is a promising method for BD prediction while traditional PTFs would be more efficient when BD is subsequently utilized for calculating SOC stock. Finally, we produced two BD and SOC stocks datasets (18,945 and 15,389 soil samples) for LUCAS Soil 2018 using the best traditional PTF and local-RFFRFS, respectively. This dataset is archived from the Zenodo platform at https://zenodo.org/records/10211884 (Chen et al., 2023). The outcomes of this study present a meaningful advancement in enhancing the predictive accuracy of BD, and the resultant BD and SOC stock datasets across the Europe enable more precise soil hydrological and biological modelling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background As one of the most prevalent chronic non-communicable diseases affecting aging males, the burden of benign prostatic hyperplasia is growing over the world. Our study aims at investigating the potential relationships between various blood biomarkers and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in middle-aged and older men in European and East Asian population cohorts. Methods We included 229 022 male adults from the UK Biobank (UKB) and 20284 male adults from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) in this study. Forty-four blood biomarkers in UKB cohort and 16 blood biomarkers in the CHARLS cohort were analysed to examine their association with benign prostatic hyperplasia. Cox, logistic analyses and restricted cubic spline models were used to investigate linear and nonlinear longitudinal associations. Results In our research, elevated high-density lipoprotein cholesterol showed significant associations with a decreased risk of benign prostatic hyperplasia, and these associations remained significant after accounting for potential covariates both in UKB cohort (hazard ratio (HR)=0.83; 95% CI = 0.79–0.88, P < 0.001) and CHARLS cohort (odds ratio (OR) = 0.992; 95% CI=0.985–0.999, P=0.033). Apolipoprotein A was also found to be inversely associated with BPH (HR=0.76; 95% CI=0.70–0.81, P<0.001). L-shaped relationships were discovered between level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and apolipoprotein A with incidence of benign prostatic hyperplasia. Conclusions This large prospective biomarker-based study highlights that high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and apolipoprotein A are significant protective factors against the development of BPH, with L-shaped associations suggesting an optimal protective range. In contrast, biomarkers related to glucose metabolism, inflammation, and hormone levels were not found to significantly influence BPH progression. Our findings support the potential involvement of lipid biomarkers in the early stages of BPH development, suggesting that future strategies should prioritise lipid-related pathways in the prevention and management of BPH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a prevalent neuro-sensory disorder that impairs quality of life. In this systematic review and modelling study, we estimated the global and regional prevalence of RLS and its associated factors. Methods We searched PubMed, Embase, and Medline for population-based studies on RLS prevalence published up to 12 November 2023. The included studies reported prevalence using the International Restless Leg Syndrome Study Group’s (IRLSSG) minimal diagnostic criteria without limitations on frequency, duration, or severity. We applied a multilevel multivariable mixed-effects meta-regression to generate the age-specific and sex-specific prevalence of RLS for high socio-demographic index (H-SDI) and low and middle socio-demographic index (LM-SDI) regions. We pooled odds ratios (ORs) for RLS associated factors using random-effects models. Finally, we derived the regional prevalence and cases of RLS based on an associated factor-based model. Results From 52 articles across 23 countries, the global RLS prevalence in 2019 was estimated to be 7.12% (95% confidence interval (CI)=5.15–9.76) among adults 20–79 years of age, equating to 356.07 million (95% CI=257.61–488.09) affected individuals. Prevalence was similar in H-SDI (7.29%; 95% CI=5.04–10.41) and LM-SDI (7.10%; 95% CI=5.16–9.70) regions, with the majority of cases in LM-SDI countries (323.06 million; 90.73%). Europe had the highest (7.60%; 95% CI=5.44–10.52) and Africa the lowest regional prevalence (6.48%; 95% CI=4.70–8.87). The Western Pacific Region, meanwhile, had the most cases (111.91 million; 95% CI=80.93–153.42). Factors positively associated with RLS included advanced age (OR=1.13; 95% CI=1.04–1.24), smoking (OR=1.46; 95% CI=1.29–1.64), depression (OR=1.71; 95% CI=1.26–2.32), and diabetes (OR=1.54; 95% CI=1.19–1.97). Conclusions A considerable global burden of RLS exists. Effective strategies are needed to increase awareness and optimise resource allocation to address this often-overlooked condition. High-quality epidemiological investigations employing standardised and rigorous criteria for RLS are essential for addressing RLS burden more effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The relationship between different autoimmune diseases and bone mineral density (BMD) and fractures has been reported in epidemiological studies. This study aimed to explore the causal relationship between autoimmune diseases and BMD, falls, and fractures using Mendelian randomization (MR). Methods: The instrumental variables were selected from the aggregated statistical data of these diseases from the largest genome-wide association study in Europe. Specifically, 12 common autoimmune diseases were selected as exposure. Outcome variables included BMD, falls, and fractures. Multiple analysis methods were utilized to comprehensively evaluate the causal relationship between autoimmune diseases and BMD, falls, and fractures. Additionally, sensitivity analyses, including Cochran's Q test, MR-Egger intercept test, and one analysis, were conducted to verify the result's reliability. Results: Strong evidence was provided in the results of the negatively association of ulcerative colitis (UC) with forearm BMD. UC also had a negatively association with the total body BMD, while inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) depicted a negatively association with the total body BMD at the age of 45-60 years. Horizontal pleiotropy or heterogeneity was not detected through sensitivity analysis, indicating that the causal estimation was reliable. Conclusion: This study shows a negative causal relationship between UC and forearm and total body BMD, and between IBD and total body BMD at the age of 45--60 years. These results should be considered in future research and when public health measures and osteoporosis prevention strategies are formulated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Domesticated grapevines spread to Europe around 3,000 years ago. Previous studies have revealed genomic signals of introgression from wild to cultivated grapes in Europe, but the time, mode, genomic pattern, and biological effects of these introgression events have not been investigated. Here, we studied resequencing data from 345 samples spanning the distributional range of wild (Vitis vinifera ssp. sylvestris) and cultivated (V. vinifera ssp. vinifera) grapes. Based on machine learning-based population genetic analyses, we detected evidence for a single domestication of grapevine, followed by continuous gene flow between European wild grapes (EU) and cultivated grapes over the past ~2,000 y, especially from EU to wine grapes. We also inferred that soft-selective sweeps were the dominant signals of artificial selection. Gene pathways associated with the synthesis of aromatic compounds were enriched in regions that were both selected and introgressed, suggesting EU wild grapes were an important resource for improving the flavor of cultivated grapes. Despite the potential benefits of introgression in grape improvement, the introgressed fragments introduced a higher deleterious burden, with most deleterious SNPs and structural variants hidden in a heterozygous state. Cultivated wine grapes have benefited from adaptive introgression with wild grapes, but introgression has also increased the genetic load. In general, our study of beneficial and harmful effects of introgression is critical for genomic breeding of grapevine to take advantage of wild resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European land carbon uptake has been heavily impacted by several recent severe droughts, yet quantitative estimates of carbon uptake anomalies are uncertain. Atmospheric CO2 inverse models (AIMs) provide observation‐based estimates of the large‐scale carbon flux dynamics, but how well they capture drought impacts on the terrestrial carbon uptake is poorly known. Here we assessed the capacity of state‐of‐the‐art AIMs in monitoring drought impacts on the European carbon uptake over 2001–2015 using observations of environmental variability and vegetation function and made comparisons with bottom‐up estimates of carbon uptake anomalies. We found that global inversions with only limited surface CO2 observations give divergent estimates of drought impacts. Regional inversions assimilating denser CO2 observations over Europe demonstrated some improved consistency, with all inversions capturing a reduction in carbon uptake during the 2012 drought. However, they failed to capture the reduction caused by the 2015 drought. Finally, we found that a set of inversions that assimilated satellite XCO2 or assimilated environmental variables plus surface CO2 observations better captured carbon uptake anomalies induced by both the 2012 and 2015 droughts. In addition, the recent Orbiting Carbon Observatory—2 XCO2 inversions showed good potential in capturing drought impacts, with better performances for larger‐scale droughts like the 2018 drought. These results suggest that surface CO2 observations may still be too sparse to fully capture the impact of drought on the carbon cycle at subcontinental scales over Europe, and satellite XCO2 and ancillary environmental data can be used to improve observational constraints in atmospheric inversion systems. Plain Language Summary: Atmospheric CO2 inverse models (AIMs) are useful tools for quantifying the response of large‐scale carbon uptake to climate extremes, but their capacity for monitoring drought impacts, particularly at regional scales, is not fully explored. In this study, we assessed the capacity of state‐of‐the‐art AIMs for monitoring drought impacts on the European land carbon uptake over 2001–2015 using a large array of observational and model data sets. We found: (a) global inversions with only limited surface CO2 observations face a great challenge in monitoring drought impacts on the European carbon uptake; (b) Regional inversions assimilated denser CO2 observations over Europe, for the EUROCOM project, demonstrated some improved consistency but are still deficient, showing divergent estimates in interannual variability of carbon uptake for most years; and (c) A set of inversion systems that assimilated satellite XCO2 or assimilated environmental variables plus surface CO2 observations better captured annual and seasonal anomalies caused by droughts. Our study demonstrates that surface CO2 observations may still be too sparse to fully capture the impact of drought on the carbon cycle at subcontinental scales over Europe, whereby satellite XCO2 and ancillary environmental data can offer observational constraints for improving the estimates. Key Points: Global inversions with only limited surface CO2 observations give divergent estimates of drought impacts on the European carbon uptakeRegional inversions assimilating denser CO2 observations over Europe demonstrate some improved consistency but are still deficientThe inversions assimilating satellite XCO2 or environmental variables in addition to surface CO2 largely improve the estimates [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterobasidion annosum is one of the most aggressive pathogens of Pinus forests in Europe, causing considerable economic losses. To detect H. annosum for disease diagnosis and control, we developed a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) reaction with a primer set designed from the glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) DNA sequences of H. annosum. In our study, this LAMP assay was found to be capable of efficiently amplifying the target gene within 60 min at 63°C. In specificity tests, H. annosum was positively detected, and other species were negative. The detection limit of this assay was found to be 100 pg·mL-1, and the assay was also successfully tested for use with basidiospore suspensions and wood samples. This study provides a rapid method for diagnosing root and butt rot caused by H. annosum, which will be of use in port surveillance of logs imported from Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land surface models (LSMs) use the atmospheric grid as their basic spatial decomposition because their main objective is to provide the lower boundary conditions to the atmosphere. Lateral water flows at the surface on the other hand require a much higher spatial discretization as they are closely linked to topographic details. We propose here a methodology to automatically tile the atmospheric grid into hydrological coherent units which are connected through a graph. As water is transported on sub-grids of the LSM, land variables can easily be transferred to the routing network and advected if needed. This is demonstrated here for temperature. The quality of the river networks generated, as represented by the connected hydrological transfer units, are compared to the original data in order to quantify the degradation introduced by the discretization method. The conditions the sub-grid elements impose on the time step of the water transport scheme are evaluated, and a methodology is proposed to find an optimal value. Finally the scheme is applied in an off-line version of the ORCHIDEE (Organising Carbon and Hydrology In Dynamic Ecosystems) LSM over Europe to show that realistic river discharge and temperatures are predicted over the major catchments of the region. The simulated solutions are largely independent of the atmospheric grid used thanks to the proposed sub-grid approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil pH affects food production, pollution control and ecosystem services. Mapping soil pH levels, therefore, provides policymakers with crucial information for developing sustainable soil use and management policies. In this study, we used the LUCAS 2015 TOPSOIL data to map soil pH at a European level. We used random forest kriging (RFK) to build a predictive model of spatial variability of soil pH, as well as random forest (RF) without co‐kriging and boosted regression trees (BRT) modelling techniques. Model accuracy was evaluated using a ten‐fold cross‐validation procedure. While we found that all methods accurately predicted soil pH, the accuracy of the RFK method was best with regression performance metrics of: R2 = 0.81 for pH (H2O) and pH (CaCl2); RMSE = 0.59 for pH (H2O) and RMSE = 0.61 in pH (CaCl2); MAE = 0.41 for pH (H2O) and MAE = 0.43 in pH (CaCl2). Dominant explanatory variables in the RF and BRT modelling were topography and remote sensing variables, respectively. The generated maps broadly depicted similar spatial patterns of soil pH, with an increasing gradient of soil pH from north to south Europe, with the highest values mainly concentrated along the Mediterranean coast. The mapping could provide spatial reference for soil pH assessment and dynamic monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Observational studies suggest inverse associations between serum vitamin levels and the risk of heart failure (HF). However, the causal effects of vitamins on HF have not been fully elucidated. Here, we conducted a Mendelian randomization (MR) study to investigate the causal associations between genetically determined vitamin levels and HF. METHODS Genetic instrumental variables for circulating vitamin levels, including vitamins A, B, C, D, and E, which were as- sessed as either absolute or metabolite levels were obtained from public genome-wide association studies. Summary statistics for single-nucleotide-polymorphisms and HF associations were retrieved from the HERMES Consortium (47,309 cases and 930,014 controls) and FinnGen Study (30,098 cases and 229,612 controls). Two-sample MR analyses were implemented to assess the causality between vitamin levels and HF per outcome database, and the results were subsequently combined by meta-analysis. RESULTS Our MR study did not find significant associations between genetically determined circulating vitamin levels and HF risk. For absolute vitamin levels, the odds ratio for HF ranged from 0.97 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.85-1.09, P = 0.41) for vitamin C to 1.05 (95% CI: 0.61-1.82, P = 0.85) for vitamin A. For vitamin metabolites, the odds ratio ranged between 0.94 (95% CI: 0.75-1.19, P = 0.62) for α-tocopherol and 1.11 (95% CI: 0.98-1.26, P = 0.09) for γ-tocopherol. CONCLUSION Evidence from our study does not support the causal effects of circulating vitamin levels on HF. Therefore, there may be no direct beneficial effects of vitamin intake on the prevention of primary HF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Slowly digestible starch (SDS) has been shown to digest slowly throughout the entire small intestine, generating slow and prolonged release of glucose, according to the in vitro Englyst assay. The aim of this work was to conduct a meta-analysis of up-to-date evidence to evaluate the association between SDS consumption and a reduction in the postprandial glycemic response, including extended glycemic index (EGI) or glycemic profile (GP) parameters, during in vivo digestion. We searched the Web of Science, PubMed, Europe PMC, Cochrane Library, and Embase to identify related articles published up to September 2022. Human trials investigating the effect of the SDS amount on the postprandial glucose profile were estimated at the standard mean difference (SMD), with a 95% confidence interval (CI), using random effect models. The review followed the systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The meta-analysis included a total of 65 participants. The results revealed that the EGI experienced a greater increase (SMD = 24.61, I2 = 79.2%, p < 0.01) after SDS intake, while the GP exhibited similar trends (SMD = 29.18, I2 = 73.3%, p < 0.01). High heterogeneity vanished in the subgroup and sensitivity analysis (EGI: I2 = 14.6%, p = 0.31; GP: I2 = 0.0%, p = 0.97). There was no evidence of publication bias for EGI (p = 0.41) or GP (p = 0.99).The present meta-analysis provides evidence that SDS intake is positively correlated with EGI and GP levels. The quantitative relationship of the reduction in the postprandial glycemic response and SDS consumption was used to quantify the slow digestion property on an extended time scale, and supplement the in vitro concept of SDS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate the underexplored prevalence of placebo-reported immune-related adverse events (irAEs) in immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) trials. We searched public databases for randomized clinical trials (RCTs) involving ICI versus placebo treatments in patients with malignancies. Study characteristics and irAEs occurrences were extracted for meta-analyses using a random-effects model. Proportions of patients reported to experience any grade and grade 3 to 5 placebo irAEs; the risk ratio (RR) of reporting 'false' irAEs in the experiment arm (defined as 'false-irAE ratio', calculated by dividing the proportion of patients documented with irAEs in the placebo arm by that in the experimental arm). 47 RCTs with 30,119 patients were analyzed. The pooled proportion of patients reported to experience any grade and grade 3 to 5 irAEs among placebo participants was 22.85 % (17.33 %−29.50 %) and 3.40 % (2.35 %−4.63 %), respectively. The pooled proportion of placebo-treated patients who experienced serious irAEs was 0.67 % (0.03 %−1.91 %). Treatment discontinuation and death due to placebo irAEs occurred in 0.69 % (<0.01 %−1.30 %) and 0.12 % (<0.01 %−0.40 %) of patients, respectively. The false-irAE ratio for any grade and grade 3 to 5 irAEs were 0.49 and 0.28. The false-irAE ratio was significantly higher in RCTs with control arms of placebo plus non-immunotherapy than in those with placebo alone (any grade: 0.57 vs. 0.32, P < 0.001; grade 3 to 5: 0.36 vs. 0.12, P = 0.009). Our analyses of placebo-treated participants in ICI RCTs document the common occurrence of placebo irAEs. These findings are important for interpreting irAE profiles, avoiding inappropriate therapeutic interventions. [Display omitted] • The study firstly assessed the incidence of placebo-reported irAE in RCT trials. • Pooled incidence of any grade irAEs among placebo recipients was 22.85 %. • False-irAE ratio is 0.49 for any grade and 0.28 for grade 3 to 5 irAEs. • Findings will shed light into better interpretation of irAE profiles in RCT trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, we have evaluated the general genomic structure and diversity and studied the divergence resulting from selection and historical admixture events for a collection of worldwide chicken breeds. In total, 636 genomes (43 populations) were sequenced from chickens of American, Chinese, Indonesian, and European origin. Evaluated populations included wild junglefowl, rural indigenous chickens, breeds that have been widely used to improve modern western poultry populations and current commercial stocks bred for efficient meat and egg production. In‐depth characterizations of the genome structure and genomic relationships among these populations were performed, and population admixture events were investigated. In addition, the genomic architectures of several domestication traits and central documented events in the recent breeding history were explored. Our results provide detailed insights into the contributions from population admixture events described in the historical literature to the genomic variation in the domestic chicken. In particular, we find that the genomes of modern chicken stocks used for meat production both in eastern (Asia) and western (Europe/US) agriculture are dominated by contributions from heavy Asian breeds. Further, by exploring the link between genomic selective divergence and pigmentation, connections to functional genes feather coloring were confirmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With populations rapidly aging, the development over time in the cognitive function among the elderly approaching or reaching retirement is important for successful aging at work and planning pension policies. However, few studies in this field focus on this age group. This study characterizes time trends in cognitive function among 55-69-year-old Europeans from 2006 to 2015, and compares these trends by region, gender, and education. This study analyzes 40,689 subjects in Waves 2, 4, 5 and 6 of the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) covering ten countries. Cognitive function was measured by Recall and Verbal Fluency. Educational levels were classified by quartiles. A Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) model was used to explore the association between cognitive function and development over time after controlling for confounders. Further stratification analysis using GEE models was conducted, stratified by region, gender and education. Cognitive function improved significantly in southern and central Europe over the observed timeframe, whereas it did not in northern Europe. Those with relative low levels of formal education displayed the most rapid increases in cognitive function in southern and central Europe. Among those with lower education in southern Europe, males' cognitive function improved more quickly than females'. The improvement of cognitive function at ages 55-69 in southern and central Europe may contribute to continuing engagement with productive activities in old age. Educational interventions for people with lower levels of education may be most effective in achieving such engagement. This paper extends the literature on the development over time in the cognitive function among the elderly close to retirement age in Europe by analysing southern, central and northern Europe, as well as differences by region, gender and education. The results may provide evidence for planning pension policies and educational interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The air-dried aerial part of Epilobium angustifolium is a very popular recreational tea in the Eastern edge of Europe. Studies have found that the extract of E. angustifolium has strong anti-inflammatory effects, and the oenothein B contained therein is speculated the main anti-inflammatory component. In this study, a fraction without oenothein B from the ethanol extract of E. angustifolium exhibited a much stronger anti-inflammatory activity than that of the oenothein B. Guided by rapid characterization of the chemical compositions based on UPLC–Orbitrap–MS/MS, a total of 39 compounds, including 20 flavonoids and 19 other phenolic acids were identified in the active fraction, based on the accurate mass within 3 ppm error. Further investigation resulted in the isolation and identification of 10 compounds, one of which was a new compound, and four known compounds were identified in E. angustifolium for the first time. All isolated compounds exhibited significant inhibitory activity on nitric oxide (NO) production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated RAW 264.7 cells. This study indicated that the anti-inflammatory active ingredients in E. angustifolium were mainly concentrated in the 30% ethanol eluted fraction obtained over macroporous adsorption resin. In addition to the oenothein B, there are a large number of other more effective anti-inflammatory components in E. angustifolium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A shift to higher temperatures has left the Mediterranean Europe and Northern Africa (MENA) region more vulnerable to drought and land degradation. We used MODIS LAI (leaf area index) and GPP (gross primary production) deficits, the differences between actual and historical-maximum values, to describe vegetation structural and functional changes and consequential landcover change in response to changing climate conditions during 2001–2019 in the area (20° W–45° E, 20° N–45° N). We found that 1) the vegetation responses varied significantly among eight landcover types with the decreasing importance: forests, savannas, a mosaic of cropland and natural vegetation (CNV), croplands, permanent wetlands, urban land, grasslands, and shrublands, each with distinctive yet overlapping signatures over the ranges of the climate conditions considered. 2) Forests, occupying the coolest and wettest niche, showed the strongest response to severe drought with a lag of 1–3 years and a legacy effect for 10 years. Shrubs, occupying the hottest and driest niche, were the most resilient under a hotter and drier climate. 3) The total areas of savannas and CNV increased by 394,994 and 404,592 km2, respectively, while that of forests decreased by 33,091 km2. Shrublands extended by 287,134 km2 while grasslands and croplands retreated by 490,644 and 225,263 km2. The area of wetlands increased by 49,192 km2, and that of urban land increased by 39,570 km2. A total of 57,649 km2 of barren land became vegetated over the years. Along with higher temperature and more extended period of drought, MENA has evolved towards a shrubbier landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Life history strategies of a species may affect its invasion success. Here, we used a haplodiploid pest, Tetranychus ludeni Zacher (Acari: Tetranychidae), which is native to Europe but now cosmopolitan, to investigate its life history strategies in relation to its dispersal tendency and distance. We tested whether and how dispersal influenced survival, lifetime fecundity, age-specific reproduction, and life table parameters of mated females. We show that mated females did not trade off their survival and lifetime reproductive output with dispersal but adjusted their resource allocations during different reproductive stages depending on whether and how far they dispersed. Long-distance dispersers invested more in dispersal in their early life while resident mites and short-distance dispersers invested more in reproduction during their early life. These resource allocation strategies may allow long-distance dispersers to explore the novel environment more effectively without compromising lifetime reproductive fitness, contributing to the invasion success of T. ludeni. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To optimize the scheduling scheme of tramp vessels between Asia and Europe, considering the opening of the Arctic route, a vessel scheduling management optimization model is developed from the perspective of shipping companies. Based on meeting the shippers' requirements for transportation between Asian and European ports, minimizing the total cost of multi-period operation of tramp vessels, the specific transport scheduling scheme for ships is obtained. We found that shipping companies building their Vessels with Ice-breaking Ability (VIA) can reduce the total cost of ships operating Asia-Europe routes throughout the year. Furthermore, in the event of a half increase in fuel prices, opting for Arctic routes during the winter season proves to be more cost-effective for shipping companies. • This paper studies the tramp vessel scheduling of the NSR/SCR. • Building vessels with or without ice-breaking ability is considered. • A nonlinear integer programming model is proposed. • A linearization method is developed. • A case study is conducted to analyze the studied problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• •The incidence of follicular lymphoma is significantly higher in European populations compared to non-European populations. • •We do not know whether these differences are caused by metabolic phenotypes linked to anthropometric indicators. • •Given the reliability of Mendelian randomization, our study aims to employ this methodology to investigate genetic associations and potential mediators between anthropometric indicators and Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. • •Our findings indicate a causal association between higher fat-free mass and standing height in Europeans and an elevated risk of follicular lymphoma. These associations are mediated by elevated basal metabolic rates, which could potentially contribute to the higher incidence of follicular lymphoma observed in this population. Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma incidence rates vary between European and Asian populations. The reasons remain unclear. This two-sample two-step Mendelian randomisation (MR) study aimed to investigate the causal relationship between anthropometric indicators (AIs) and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and follicular lymphoma (FL) and the possible mediating role of basal metabolic rate (BMR) in Europe. We used the following AIs as exposures: body mass index (BMI), whole-body fat mass (WBFM), whole-body fat-free mass (WBFFM), waist circumference(WC), hip circumference(HC), standing height (SH), and weight(Wt). DLBCL and FL represented the outcomes, and BMR was a mediator. A two-sample MR analysis was performed to examine the association between AIs and DLBCL and FL onset. We performed reverse-MR analysis to determine whether DLBCL and FL interfered with the AIs. A two-step MR analysis was performed to determine whether BMR mediated the causality. WBFFM and SH had causal relationships with FL. A causal association between AIs and DLBCL was not observed. Reverse-MR analysis indicated the causal relationships were not bidirectional. Two-step MR suggested BMR may mediate the causal effect of WBFFM and SH on FL. We observed a causal relationship between WBFFM and SH and the onset of FL in Europeans, Which may explain the high incidence of follicular lymphoma in Europeans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Review of provisions for seismic qualification of BRBs prescribed in various codes. • BRB core strain (JP) is a more practical way to specify the deformation amplitudes. • The AISC (US) loading protocol specifies the largest target deformation amplitude. • Requirement of minimum cumulative inelastic deformation in JP code is the most severe. • EN 15129 (EU) loading protocol imposed the largest cumulative inelastic demands. • Two new loading protocols for qualification of BRBs with enhanced requirements. The paper presents a research on testing protocols for seismic performance assessment and qualification of buckling-restrained braces (BRBs). The purpose of the study was to propose new loading protocols that consider the most demanding performance requirements available worldwide. In this study, the loading protocols for qualification testing of BRBs prescribed in the codes of four countries/regions, United States, Europe, China, and Japan, plus a non-official Canadian loading protocol, were consulted. The review focused on the background and characteristics, such as the maximum deformation amplitude, deformation range, and number of cycles, of each loading sequence. Then, a database composed of 35 BRB specimens, selected from 16 past experimental studies, was compiled to perform a series of simulations of quasi-static cyclic tests of BRBs under the five different loading histories. The OpenSees platform was used to carry out the modeling, calibration, and analyses. The demands imposed to BRBs were evaluated in terms of cumulative inelastic deformation and cumulative dissipated energy. In addition, the cumulative distribution of the hysteretic energy was defined as a parameter for the assessment of the amplitude-growth rule of the loading protocols. Based on the code review and analyses results, a series of criteria were established and two new loading protocols, GLP-1 and GLP-2, were proposed. Results demonstrated that both proposed loading histories impose superior cumulative inelastic demands and showed a good agreement with the reference cumulative distribution of the hysteretic energy. Thus, they are recommended as loading protocols for BRB qualification testing with global applicability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Compares the innovation strategies of Chinese and European wind turbine firms based on patent-analysis. • European firms are stronger in most of strategic dimensions, while Chinese firms present strong learning capacity. • Chinese firms have limited opportunity to surpass European counterparts in the near future. Abstract Based on a patent-analysis method, this paper compares the firm-level technology pathways of wind turbine firms from China and Europe, and examines the firms' unique innovation strategies that may lead to these pathways being modified to capitalize on any opportunities that arise. This paper finds that Chinese firms have different firm-level pathways compared to their European counterparts, whereby they are influenced by different innovation strategies that involve technological foci, learning, and R&D collaboration, as well as globalization strategies. We find that European firms are stronger in most of these strategic dimensions, while Chinese firms demonstrate a strong learning capacity and customized innovations. We propose that there might be a limited divergence of the sector-level technological trajectories between China and Europe. In addition, we suggest that there is limited opportunity for Chinese firms to leapfrog with regard to the existing technology trajectories and surpass their European counterparts in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Tofacitinib is an oral JAK inhibitor for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis, and ulcerative colitis, and has been previously investigated for psoriasis (PsO). This meta‐analysis of genome‐wide association studies (GWAS) was performed to identify genetic factors associated with increased risk/faster onset of herpes zoster (HZ) in subjects with RA or PsO receiving tofacitinib treatment, and to determine potential mechanisms that could be attributed to the varying rates of HZ across ethnicities. Methods: In an ethnicity/indication‐specific, trans‐ethnic, trans‐population meta‐analysis of GWAS in subjects with RA or PsO from phase II, phase III, and long‐term extension studies of tofacitinib, 8 million genetic variants were evaluated for their potential association with time to an HZ event and incidence of an HZ event (case versus control) with tofacitinib treatment, using Cox proportional hazard and logistic regression analyses, respectively. Results: In total, 5,246 subjects were included (3,168 with RA and 2,078 with PsO). After adjustment for age, baseline absolute lymphocyte count, genetically defined ethnicity, and concomitant methotrexate use (in RA subjects only), 4 loci were significantly associated with faster onset of HZ in European subjects (P < 5 × 10−8), including a single‐nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) near CD83 (frequency of risk allele ~2% in European subjects versus ~0.1% in East Asian subjects). In the trans‐ethnic, trans‐population meta‐analysis, the CD83 SNP remained significant. Four additional significant loci were identified in the meta‐analysis, among which a SNP near IL17RB was associated with faster onset of HZ (meta‐analysis hazard ratio 3.6 [95% confidence interval 2.40–5.44], P = 7.6 × 10−10; frequency of risk allele ~12% in East Asian subjects versus <0.2% in European subjects). Conclusion: Genetic analysis of tofacitinib‐treated subjects with RA or PsO identified multiple loci associated with increased HZ risk. Prevalent variants near the immune‐relevant genes CD83 and IL17RB in European and East Asian populations, respectively, may contribute to risk of HZ in tofacitinib‐treated subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In this meta-analysis, we analyzed 9 cross-sectional studies for an association between type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and bone mineral density (BMD) in children. We found that BMD Z-scores were significantly reduced in children with T1DM. Introduction: Recent cross-sectional studies have examined how T1DM influences bone health in children and adolescents, but the relationship between T1DM and BMD remains unclear due to conflicting reports. Methods: In this meta-analysis, we systematically searched PubMed, Cochrane library, and Web of Science databases (for publications through March 12, 2020), and calculated weight mean difference (WMD) along with 95% confidence intervals (CI) using a random-effects model. Heterogeneity was evaluated using the I2 method. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used to assess the quality of the included studies. Results: Data were analyzed from 9 eligible studies, including a total of 1522 children and adolescents. These data were tested for an association between T1DM and BMD. This analysis found a significant decrease in BMD Z-score in the whole body (pooled WMD, − 0.47, 95% CI, − 0.92 to − 0.02, I2 = 80.2%) and lumbar spine (pooled WMD, − 0.41, 95% CI, − 0.69 to − 0.12, I2 = 80.3%) in children and adolescents with T1DM, which was consistent in published studies from Asia and South America, but inconsistent in the North America and Europe. Importantly, the differences in BMD Z-scores were independent of age, level of glucose control (HbA1c), and prepubertal stage. Sensitivity analyses did not modify these findings. Funnel plot and the Egger test did not reveal significant publication bias. Conclusion: This meta-analysis suggests that T1DM may play a role in decreasing BMD Z-scores in the whole body and lumbar spine in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hadron therapy with protons and carbon ions is widely attracting interest as a potential competitor of conventional photon radiotherapy. Exquisite dose distribution of charged particles allows for a higher local control of the tumor and lower probability of damage to nearby healthy tissues. Heavy ions have presumed biological advantages rising from their high-linear energy transfer (LET) characteristics, including greater cell-killing effectiveness and reduced heterogeneity dependence of radiation response. Although these advantages are clear and supported by data, only 18.0% of proton and carbon ion radiotherapy (CIRT) facilities in Europe are treating breast cancers. This review summarizes the physical and radiobiological properties of charged particles, clinical use of particle beam for breast cancer, and suggested approaches to overcome technical and financial challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) ionospheric tomography is a typical ill-posed problem. Joint inversion with external observation data is one of the effective ways to mitigate the problem. In this article, by fusing 3-D multisource ionospheric data, and improving the stochastic model, an improved GNSS tomographic algorithm MFCIT [computerized ionospheric tomography (CIT) using mapping function] is presented. The accuracy of the algorithm is validated by selected data under different geomagnetic and solar conditions acquired in Europe. The results show that the estimated, statistically significant uncertainty for each of the layers is about 0.50–3.0TECU, with the largest absolute error within 6.0TECU. The advantage of the MFCIT is that it is based on the Kalman filter, which enables efficient near real-time 3-D monitoring of ionosphere. The temporal resolution can reach ~1 min level. Here, we apply the ionospheric tomography inversion to the magnetic storm on January 7, 2015, in the European region, and quantified the evolution of the storm. The results show that the difference of the core region between the MFCIT and CODE GIM is less than 1TECU. More importantly, during the initial phase of the storm, when the ionospheric disturbance is not evident in the single layer CODE GIM model, the MFCIT shows obvious positive disturbances in the upper ionosphere, although there is no disturbance in the F2 layer. The MFCIT further tracks the evolution of the magnetic storm that the ionospheric disturbance expands from the upper to the lower ionosphere layers, and at UT12:00, the disturbance continues to spread to the F2 layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the Northeast Passage (NEP) has been widely discussed in the shipping industries since it can potentially bring economic benefit thanks to its relatively short sailing distance vis-a-vis the conventional Asia-Europe route via the Suez Canal. Concomitantly, due to the recent advocacy of green shipping, how to deploy effectively a shipping fleet so as to reduce the environmental cost has become an increasingly crucial issue in the shipping industries. However, it has not been investigated how the optimal shipping allocation between the conventional Asia-Europe route and NEP, based on both economic and environmental considerations, will be influenced by different aspects of shipping costs respectively, which will further affect the ocean carriers' decision and adoption attitude toward the NEP. In this paper, a quantitative assessment model considering the shipment operating cost as well as the external cost of various pollutant emissions is presented to analyze the multi-port multi-trip liner service in an Asia-Europe container shipping network. Based on the shipping network with cargo demand of an Asian shipping company and empirical data from the existing literature, our study demonstrates how the optimal shipping allocation varies between scenarios by performing sensitivity analyses. Our findings indicate that the icebreaker fee, as well as Suez Canal toll, plays a more decisive role than the fuel price in affecting the adoption of the NEP. The relevant policy and managerial implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With significant surge of international trade in recent decades, increasingly more arthropod species have become established outside their natural range of distribution, causing enormous damage in their novel habitats. However, whether a species can colonize its new environment depends on its ability to overcome various barriers which may result in establishment failure, such as inbreeding depression and difficulty to find mates. Here, we used a haplodiploid pest, Tetranychus ludeni Zacher (Acari: Tetranychidae), which is native to Europe but now cosmopolitan, to investigate whether its reproductive strategies have facilitated its invasion success, providing knowledge to develop programs for prediction and management of biological invasions. We show that inbreeding had no negative influence on female reproductive outputs and longevity over 11 successive generations, allowing mother-son and brother-sister mating to occur at the invasion front without adverse consequences in fitness. Virgin females produced maximum number of sons in their early life to ensure subsequent mother-son mating but later saved resources to prolong longevity for potential future mating. Females maximized their resource allocation to egg production immediately after mating to secure production of maximum number of both daughters and sons as early as possible. Furthermore, mated females with mating delay increased proportion of daughters in offspring produced to compensate the loss of production of daughters during their virgin life. We suggest that the lack of inbreeding depression in successive generations and the ability to adjust resource allocations depending whether and when mating occurs may be the key features that have facilitated its invasion success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social gradients in health have been a focus of research for decades. Two important lines of social gradient research have examined (1) international variation in their magnitude and (2) their life course / developmental antecedents. The present study brings these two strands together to explore the developmental origins of educational gradients in health. We leverage data spanning 14 high-income contexts from the Health and Retirement Study and its sisters in Europe. We find that early-life health and socio-economic status consistently attenuate educational gradients in multimorbidity and functional limitation. However, the relative contribution of early-life factors to gradients varies substantially across contexts. The results suggest that research on social gradients, and population health broadly, would benefit from the unique insights available from a conceptual and empirical approach that integrates comparative and life course perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate warming has substantially advanced spring leaf flushing, but winter chilling and photoperiod co‐determine the leaf flushing process in ways that vary among species. As a result, the interspecific differences in spring phenology (IDSP) are expected to change with climate warming, which may, in turn, induce negative or positive ecological consequences. However, the temporal change of IDSP at large spatiotemporal scales remains unclear. In this study, we analyzed long‐term in‐situ observations (1951–2016) of six, coexisting temperate tree species from 305 sites across Central Europe and found that phenological ranking did not change when comparing the rapidly warming period 1984–2016 to the marginally warming period 1951–1983. However, the advance of leaf flushing was significantly larger in early‐flushing species EFS (6.7 ± 0.3 days) than in late‐flushing species LFS (5.9 ± 0.2 days) between the two periods, indicating extended IDSP. This IDSP extension could not be explained by differences in temperature sensitivity between EFS and LFS; however, climatic warming‐induced heat accumulation effects on leaf flushing, which were linked to a greater heat requirement and higher photoperiod sensitivity in LFS, drove the shifts in IDSP. Continued climate warming is expected to further extend IDSP across temperate trees, with associated implications for ecosystem function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is important to improve the understanding of the interactions between the trees and pathogens and integrate this knowledge about disease resistance into tree breeding programs. The conifer Norway spruce (Picea abies) is an important species for the forest industry in Europe. Its major pathogen is Heterobasidion parviporum, causing stem and root rot. In this study, we identified 11 Norway spruce QTLs (Quantitative trait loci) that correlate with variation in resistance to H. parviporum in a population of 466 trees by association genetics. Individual QTLs explained between 2.1 and 5.2% of the phenotypic variance. The expression of candidate genes associated with the QTLs was analysed in silico and in response to H. parviporum hypothesizing that (a) candidate genes linked to control of fungal sapwood growth are more commonly expressed in sapwood, and; (b) candidate genes associated with induced defences are respond to H. parviporum inoculation. The Norway spruce laccase PaLAC5 associated with control of lesion length development is likely to be involved in the induced defences. Expression analyses showed that PaLAC5 responds specifically and strongly in close proximity to the H. parviporum inoculation. Thus, PaLAC5 may be associated with the lignosuberized boundary zone formation in bark adjacent to the inoculation site. Heterobasidion parviporum is a major pathogen of Norway spruce in Europe. This study identified 11 Norway spruce QTLs for resistance to H. parviporum. One of the QTLs comprise the laccase PaLAC5 and expression analyses suggest that PaLAC5 may be associated with the lignosuberized boundary zone formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Besnoitia besnoiti is an obligate intracellular apicomplexan protozoan parasite, which causes bovine besnoitiosis. Recently increased emergence within Europe was responsible for significant economic losses in the cattle industry due to the significant reduction of productivity. However, still limited knowledge exists on interactions between B. besnoiti and host innate immune system. Here, B. besnoiti bradyzoites were successfully isolated from tissue cysts located in skin biopsies of a naturally infected animal, and we aimed to investigate for the first time reactions of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) exposed to these vital bradyzoites. Freshly isolated bovine PMN were confronted to B. besnoiti bradyzoites. Scanning electron microscopy (s.e.m.)- and immunofluorescence microscopy-analyses demonstrated fine extracellular networks released by exposed bovine PMN resembling suicidal NETosis. Classical NETosis components were confirmed via co-localization of extracellular DNA decorated with histone 3 (H3) and neutrophil elastase (NE). Live cell imaging by 3D holotomographic microscopy (Nanolive®) unveiled rapid vital NETosis against this parasite. A significant increase of autophagosomes visualized by specific-LC3B antibodies and confocal microscopy was observed in B. besnoiti -stimulated bovine PMN when compared to non-stimulated group. As such, a significant positive correlation (r = 0.37; P = 0.042) was found between B. besnoiti -triggered suicidal NETosis and autophagy. These findings suggest that vital- as well as suicidal-NETosis might play a role in early innate host defence mechanisms against released B. besnoiti bradyzoites from tissue cysts, and possibly hampering further parasitic replication. Our data generate first hints on autophagy being associated with B. besnoiti bradyzoite-induced suicidal NETosis and highlighting for first time occurrence of parasite-mediated vital NETosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Ceftazidime–avibactam is a novel β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combination recently approved in Europe and the USA for the treatment of adults with hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), among other indications. In the phase III REPROVE trial (NCT01808092), ceftazidime–avibactam demonstrated non-inferiority to meropenem for the treatment of patients with nosocomial pneumonia (NP), including VAP. As ceftazidime–avibactam was not studied in patients with NP prior to REPROVE, selecting an appropriate dosage regimen in the "perfect storm" of NP required careful consideration of potential determinants and confounders of response specific to the NP patient population. Methods: This review describes the series of preclinical studies and pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) analyses that supported ceftazidime–avibactam dosage selection for patients with NP/VAP (2000/500 mg by 2-h intravenous infusion every 8 h, adjusted for renal function). In parallel, important considerations for antibiotic dosage selection in patients with NP are highlighted, including adequate drug penetration into the lungs, the suitability of murine-derived plasma PK/PD targets, evaluation of MIC distributions against clinical bacterial isolates from patients with NP, and consideration of PK in patients with NP, who are often critically ill. These analyses also supported the European approval of ceftazidime–avibactam for adults with HAP, including VAP, before the completion of REPROVE. Conclusions: This work serves as a successful practical example of dosage design for a new antibacterial drug therapy in the indication of NP, including VAP, where previous drug therapies have failed, possibly as a result of evaluation of too few variables, thereby limiting the accuracy of pharmacodynamic predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines where European professional teams recruit new players in order to shed light on the functioning of global value added chains in world football. Most studies either point to the increasing internationalization of football's labor force to argue that European clubs recruit from peripheral but culturally or historically related countries or turn to the experiences of players with domestic transfers to suggest that most teams recruit within their country. This study directly examines the recruitment activities of teams active in the highest two leagues of Europe's top seven countries between the 2003/2004 season and the 2011/2012 season. Results indicate that even though Europe's football labor force looks internationalized at first sight, many international players hold dual nationality and might be more aptly characterized as domestic players who are members of the large immigrant communities who came to Europe after the de-colonization of former colonies or as part of the stream of labor migrants in the 1960s and 1970s. Moreover, for most teams, domestic mobility forms the backbone of their recruitment activities, but some teams, especially in Portugal, buy football talent from teams in the global South and sell their best players to larger European teams. These results urge researchers to reconsider teams as more myopic and geographically bounded actors in global value added chains, incorporate domestic mobility into global value added chains, reconsider what counts as the core and the (semi-)periphery connected through the chains, and be wary of approaches taking countries or even leagues as the basic unit of analysis in global value added chains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Around 70 Mha of land cover changes (LCCs) occurred in Europe from 1992 to 2015. Despite LCCs being an important driver of regional climate variations, their temperature effects at a continental scale have not yet been assessed. Here, we integrate maps of historical LCCs with a regional climate model to investigate air temperature and humidity effects. We find an average temperature change of −0.12 ± 0.20 °C, with widespread cooling (up to −1.0 °C) in western and central Europe in summer and spring. At continental scale, the mean cooling is mainly correlated with agriculture abandonment (cropland-to-forest transitions), but a new approach based on ridge-regression decomposing the temperature change to the individual land transitions shows opposite responses to cropland losses and gains between western and eastern Europe. Effects of historical LCCs on European climate are non-negligible and region-specific, and ignoring land-climate biophysical interactions may lead to sub-optimal climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies. Land cover change contributes to regional climate trends. Here, the authors use high-resolution land cover maps and state-of-the-art climate modelling to assess land cover change effects across Europe over 1992-2015, showing widespread cooling after agricultural abandonment but also different, region-specific effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple paternity (MP) increases offspring's genetic variability, which could be linked to invasive species' evolvability in novel distribution ranges. Shifts in MP can be adaptive, with greater MP in harsher/colder environments or towards the end of the reproductive season, but climate could also affect MP indirectly via its effect on reproductive life histories. We tested these hypotheses by genotyping N = 2,903 offspring from N = 306 broods of two closely related livebearing fishes, Gambusia holbrooki and Gambusia affinis. We sampled pregnant females across latitudinal gradients in their invasive ranges in Europe and China, and found more sires per brood and a greater reproductive skew towards northern sampling sites. Moreover, examining monthly sampling from two G. affinis populations, we found MP rates to vary across the reproductive season in a northern Chinese, but not in a southern Chinese population. While our results confirm an increase of MP in harsher/more unpredictable environments, path analysis indicated that, in both cases, the effects of climate are likely to be indirect, mediated by altered life histories. In both species, which rank amongst the 100 most invasive species worldwide, higher MP at the northern edge of their distribution probably increases their invasive potential and favours range expansions, especially in light of the predicted temperature increases due to global climate changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]