Results Of Analyses Research Articles

Performance evaluation and clinical application of the UA-5600 automatic dry chemistry urine analyzer in renal diseases.

Urine testing as a routine screening programme, abnormal test results can be suggestive to clinicians but can sometimes be overlooked, and the establishment of a diagnostic model can better assist clinicians in identifying potential problems. BLD (blood), LEU (leukocyte), PRO (protein) and GLU (glucose) are the four most important parameters in urine testing, and the accuracy of their results is a key concern for clinicians, so it is essential to verify the accuracy of their results. In this study, we evaluated the analytical and clinical performance of Mindray's automatic urine dry chemistry analyzer, the UA-5600 (Hereinafter referred to as the (UA-5600), and the test strips configured with the instrument, and developed a machine-learning (ML) model for kidney disease screening from the results of 11 parameters output from the UA-5600 with the aim of detecting abnormal urine test results. Urine samples from outpatients and inpatients at The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University were collected from August to September 2022 to evaluate the performance of the Mindray UA-5600 dry chemistry analyzer and test strips. The evaluation of the UA-5600 and its test strips focused on the agreement of the urine BLD and LEU readings with the RBC (red blood cell) and WBC (white blood cell) counts obtained by the Mindray EH-2090 urine formed element analyzer. We also compared the PRO and GLU readings with the results of the Mindray BS-2800M biochemistry analyzer. Urine samples from outpatients and inpatients were retrospectively analysed and grouped according to LIS diagnosis. Additionally, eight ML models for kidney disease screening were developed using 11 parameters measured by the UA-5600. And the model was validated by the validation set. The UA-5600 had an 89.55% concordance rate for BLD and a 91.04% concordance rate for LEU compared to the EH-2090 analyzer. When benchmarked against the BS-2800M, the concordance rates for PRO and GLU were 94.14% and 95.20%, respectively. A total of 1,691 samples were used for the construction of the ML models, of which 346 patients (135 males and 211 females, age range: 18 to 98 years) diagnosed with renal disease, and 1,345 patients (397 males and 948 females, age range: 18 to 92 years) with non-renal disease diagnosed with other conditions. Notably, the Naïve Bayes (NB) model, which was built from the UA-5600 parameters, demonstrated superior predictive capabilities for renal disease, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.9470, a sensitivity of 0.7767, and a specificity of 0.9457. The Mindray UA-5600 demonstrates robust detection abilities for both BLD and LEU, and its results for PRO and GLU align closely with those obtained from the chemistry analyzer. The NB model has a good screening ability and shows promise as an effective screening tool.

Performance evaluation and clinical application of the UA-5600 automatic dry chemistry urine analyzer in renal diseases.

Urine testing as a routine screening programme, abnormal test results can be suggestive to clinicians but can sometimes be overlooked, and the establishment of a diagnostic model can better assist clinicians in identifying potential problems. BLD (blood), LEU (leukocyte), PRO (protein) and GLU (glucose) are the four most important parameters in urine testing, and the accuracy of their results is a key concern for clinicians, so it is essential to verify the accuracy of their results. In this study, we evaluated the analytical and clinical performance of Mindray's automatic urine dry chemistry analyzer, the UA-5600 (Hereinafter referred to as the (UA-5600), and the test strips configured with the instrument, and developed a machine-learning (ML) model for kidney disease screening from the results of 11 parameters output from the UA-5600 with the aim of detecting abnormal urine test results. Urine samples from outpatients and inpatients at The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University were collected from August to September 2022 to evaluate the performance of the Mindray UA-5600 dry chemistry analyzer and test strips. The evaluation of the UA-5600 and its test strips focused on the agreement of the urine BLD and LEU readings with the RBC (red blood cell) and WBC (white blood cell) counts obtained by the Mindray EH-2090 urine formed element analyzer. We also compared the PRO and GLU readings with the results of the Mindray BS-2800M biochemistry analyzer. Urine samples from outpatients and inpatients were retrospectively analysed and grouped according to LIS diagnosis. Additionally, eight ML models for kidney disease screening were developed using 11 parameters measured by the UA-5600. And the model was validated by the validation set. The UA-5600 had an 89.55% concordance rate for BLD and a 91.04% concordance rate for LEU compared to the EH-2090 analyzer. When benchmarked against the BS-2800M, the concordance rates for PRO and GLU were 94.14% and 95.20%, respectively. A total of 1,691 samples were used for the construction of the ML models, of which 346 patients (135 males and 211 females, age range: 18 to 98 years) diagnosed with renal disease, and 1,345 patients (397 males and 948 females, age range: 18 to 92 years) with non-renal disease diagnosed with other conditions. Notably, the Naïve Bayes (NB) model, which was built from the UA-5600 parameters, demonstrated superior predictive capabilities for renal disease, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.9470, a sensitivity of 0.7767, and a specificity of 0.9457. The Mindray UA-5600 demonstrates robust detection abilities for both BLD and LEU, and its results for PRO and GLU align closely with those obtained from the chemistry analyzer. The NB model has a good screening ability and shows promise as an effective screening tool.

Synthesis and Selective Anticancer Activity Evaluation of 2-phenylacrylonitrile Derivatives as Tubulin Inhibitors.

This study aimed at synthesizing 13 series of novel derivatives with 2-phenylacrylonitrile, evaluating antitumor activity both in vivo and in vitro, and obtaining novel tubulin inhibitors. The 13 series of 2-phenylacrylonitrile derivatives were synthesized by Knoevenagel condensation and the anti-proliferative activities were determined by MTT assay. The cell cycle and apoptosis were analyzed by flow cytometer. Quantitative cell migration was performed using 24-well Boyden chambers. The proteins were detected by western blotting. in vitro kinetics of microtubule assembly was measured using ELISA kit for Human β-tubulin (TUBB). Molecular docking was done by Discovery Studio (DS) 2017 Client online tool. Among the derivatives, compound 1g2a possessed strong inhibitory activity against HCT116 (IC50 = 5.9 nM) and BEL-7402 (IC50 = 7.8 nM) cells. Compound 1g2a exhibited better selective antiproliferative activities and specificities than all the positive control drugs, including taxol. Compound 1g2a inhibited proliferation of HCT116 and BEL-7402 cells by arresting them in the G2/M phase of the cell cycle, inhibited the migration of HCT116 and BEL-7402 cells and the formation of cell colonies. Compound 1g2a showed excellent tubulin polymerization inhibitory activity on HCT116 and BEL-7402 cells. The results of molecular docking analyses showed that 1g2a may inhibit tubulin to exert anticancer effects. Compound 1g2a shows outstanding antitumor activity both in vivo and in vitro and has the potential to be further developed into a highly effective antitumor agent with little toxicity to normal tissues.

Comparing linear regression and quantile regression to analyze the associated factors of length of hospitalization in patients with gastrointestinal tract cancers

Objectives: The aim of this study is to compare linear regression and quantile regression to analyze the predictors of duration of staying in hospital for patients with GI cancers. Methods: This study was designed as a retrospective cross-sectional survey included all consecutive GI cancer patients admitted over one year period in a random selected hospital group located in Tehran metropolitan in 2006. Residence, age, sex and type of cancer were analyzed respectively using linear and quantile regression. Results: A total of 2,674 GI tract cancer patients were included in the study. There were 1,616 men (60.43%) and 1,058 women (39.57%). Results of the linear regression analyses showed that only type of cancer was significant. The diagnostic criteria showed that only 7% of variation has been predicted by linear regression. In spite of linear regression sex and type of hospital were significance in quantile regression analysis. Conclusions: The results have demonstrated that if the duration data showed major skewness, using quantileregression leads to better interpretation and richer inference.

Self-Reporting Microsensors Inspired by Noctiluca Scintillans for Small-Defect Positioning and Electrical-Stress Visualization in Polymers.

Small defects induce concentrated electrical stress in dielectric polymers, leading to premature failure of materials. Existing sensing methods fail to effectively visualize these defects owing to the invisible-energy state of the electric field. Thus, it is necessary to establish a nondestructive method for the real-time detection of small defects in dielectric polymers. In this study, a self-reporting microsensor (SRM) inspired by Noctiluca scintillans is designed to endow materials with the ability of self-detection for defects and electrical stress. The SRM leverages the energy of a nearby electric field to emit measurable fluorescence, enabling defect localization and diagnosis as well as electrical-stress visualization. A controllable dielectric microsphere is constructed to achieve an adjustable electroluminescence threshold for the SRM, thereby increasing its detection accuracy while decreasing the electroluminescence threshold. The potential degradation in the polymer performance owing to SRM implantation is addressed by assembling long molecular chains on the SRM surface to spontaneously generate an interpenetrating network. Results of finite element analyses and experiments demonstrate that the SRM can effectively realize nondestructive visualization and positioning of small defects and concentrated electrical stress in polymers, positioning it as a promising sensing method for monitoring the electric field and charge distribution in materials.

Psychometric evaluation of the Arabic language version of the Birchwood Insight Scale in patients with schizophrenia

BackgroundClinical insight (i.e., impaired insight into illness) is increasingly recognized by the scientific community as a significant contributor to an array of psychological and clinical outcomes in schizophrenia. Therefore, its assessment using a reliable, rapid, easy and economic tool is important for clinical practice. This study proposes to investigate the psychometric properties of an Arabic translation of the Birchwood Insight Scale (BIS) in Arabic-speaking chronic patients with schizophrenia. Our objectives were to identify the most adequate factor structure of the BIS among the several measurement models previously proposed in the literature, verify the reliability and measurement invariance of the BIS across sex groups, and explore the concurrent validity of the BIS through examining its patterns of correlations with psychotic symptoms.MethodOne hundred seventeen Arabic-speaking chronic, remitted patients with schizophrenia took part in this study. An Arabic translated version of the BIS and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) were administered to participants.ResultsConfirmatory factor analyses (CFA) showed that, after omitting two items with low loadings (items 1 and 2), the unidimensional factor model of the BIS showed good fit indices and a reliability of α = 0.68 and ω = 0.68. However, analyses failed to show good fit for the full-length one-, two-, and three-factor models of the BIS in its Arabic version. Measurement invariance of the Arabic 6-item one-factor BIS was established between males and females at the configural, metric and scalar levels; no statistically significant difference between males and females was found in terms of BIS scores. Finally, BIS scores correlated significantly with the PANSS scores in our sample, thus demonstrating adequate concurrent validity.ConclusionThis study offers valuable additional psychometric information about the BIS based on results of CFA and other analyses in schizophrenia from a non-Western cultural environment. We believe that making the BIS available in Arabic might benefit clinicians working with Arabic-speaking patients with schizophrenia, open new avenues of research and gain a better knowledge into the nature of clinical insight and its relevance to psychopathology.

Structure and function of engineered stromal cell-derived factor-1α.

To design biologically active, collagen-based scaffolds for bone tissue engineering, we have synthesized chimeric proteins consisting of stromal cell-derived factor-1α (SDF) and the von Willebrand factor A3 collagen-binding domain (CBD). The chimeric proteins were used to evaluate the effect of domain linkage and its order on the structure and function of the SDF and CBD. The structure of the chimeric proteins was analyzed by circular dichroism spectroscopy, while functional analysis was performed by a cell migration assay for the SDF domain and a collagen-binding assay for the CBD domain. Furthermore, computational structural prediction was conducted for the chimeric proteins to examine the consistency with the results of structural and functional analyses. Our structural and functional analyses as well as structural prediction revealed that linking two domains can affect their functions. However, their order had minor effects on the three-dimensional structure of CBD and SDF in the chimeric proteins.

Integrated stratigraphical, hydrogeochemical, and geophysical studies to characterize the shallow groundwater aquifers in Wadi Araba area, western Gulf of Suez, Egypt

The construction of the New Galala City besides great mining (e.g., konoozmisr) and Seawater Reverse Osmosis Desalination Plant projects in the semiarid Gulf of Suez region of Egypt increases the demand for groundwater resources. So, the current research provides integrated stratigraphical, hydrogeochemical, and geophysical studies to investigate the shallow groundwater aquifers in Wadi Araba area on the western side of the Gulf of Suez. The stratigraphic column starts with pre-Cambrian basement rocks which are non-conformably overlain by sedimentary succession of Phanerozoic Erathem. A detailed land magnetic profile has been conducted and processed to estimate the aquifer’s geometrical parameters. This includes the subsurface spatial extension and thickness to delineate the prevailed subsurface structures in the study area. Lithostratigraphically, these aquifers are represented by the Paleozoic- lower Cretaceous siliciclastic-dominated sediments of the Nubia Group and fractured carbonate-dominated facies of the upper Cretaceous Galala Formation. Lithological characters, sedimentary facies (fluvial to shallow and open marine), microfacies types, and diagenesis processes (e.g., compaction, cementation, dissolution, and fracturing) are the main factors that affect the quality of the shallow aquifers in the study area. The main microfacies of the studied aquifers are quartz arenite, subarkose, sublitharenite, mudstone/wackestone, and packstone/grainstone. These facies are characterized by different primary and secondary porosities. According to the water sampling standard methods, nineteen groundwater samples were collected from the available hand-dug wells and springs from the Nubian sandstone aquifer and the Upper Cretaceous aquifer, respectively. Inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP–MS), titration, spectrophotometer and a flame photometer were used to obtain a complete chemical analysis. The results of hydrochemical analyses indicated that total dissolved solids (TDS) and concentrations of major ions as well in the lower Cretaceous aquifer increase toward the Gulf of Suez and in general higher than that of springs of the Upper Cretaceous Aquifer. The predominant factors influencing groundwater chemistry include seawater intrusion, evaporation, mineral alteration, dissolution of fossils, and ion exchange. Groundwater in the study area is unsuitable for drinking except in one sample and moderately suitable for irrigation with caution for higher salinity in samples located near the Gulf of Suez.

Diabetes mellitus and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: a Mendelian randomization study

BackgroundThe question as to whether or not diabetes mellitus increases the risk of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) remains controversial. This study aimed to investigate the causal association between type 1 diabetes (T1D), type 2 diabetes (T2D), and IPF using Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis.MethodsWe used two-sample univariate and multivariate MR (MVMR) analyses to investigate the causal relationship between T1D or T2D and IPF. We obtained genome-wide association study (GWAS) data for T1D and T2D from the European Bioinformatics Institute, comprising 29,652 T1D samples and 101,101 T1D single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 655,666 T2D samples and 5,030,727 T2D SNPs. We also used IPF GWAS data from the FinnGen Biobank comprising 198,014 IPF samples and 16,380,413 IPF SNPs. All cases and controls in these datasets were derived exclusively from European populations. In the univariate MR analysis, we employed inverse variance-weighted (IVW), weighted median (WM), and MR-Egger regression methods. For the MVMR analysis, we used the multivariate IVW method primarily, and supplemented it with multivariate MR-Egger and multivariate MR- least absolute shrinkage and selection operator methods. Heterogeneity tests were conducted using the MR-IVW and MR-Egger regression methods, whereas pleiotropic effects were assessed using the MR-Egger intercept. The results of MR and sensitivity analyses were visualized using forest, scatter, leave-one-out, and funnel plots.ResultsUnivariate MR revealed a significant causal relationship between T1D and IPF (OR = 1.118, 95% CI = 1.021–1.225, P = 0.016); however, no significant causal relationship was found between T2D and IPF (OR = 0.911, 95% CI = 0.796–1.043, P = 0.178). MVMR analysis further confirmed a causal association between T1D and IPF (OR = 1.133, 95% CI = 1.011–1.270, P = 0.032), but no causal relationship between T2D and IPF (OR = 1.009, 95% CI = 0.790–1.288, P = 0.950). Sensitivity analysis results validated the stability and reliability of our findings.ConclusionUnivariate and multivariate analyses demonstrated a causal relationship between T1D and IPF, whereas no evidence was found to support a causal relationship between T2D and IPF. Therefore, in clinical practice, patients with T1D should undergo lung imaging for early detection of IPF.

“There’s no one as honest as those in pain”: The language of Tom Petty’s song lyrics

Tom Petty’s songs are among the most recognized and influential in rock music. One aspect of Petty’s songs that contributes to his popularity is his use of language in his lyrics. The current study performed two sets of analyses: (a) to examine linguistic features of Petty’s song lyrics over the course of his songwriting career; and (b) to investigate similarities and differences between Petty’s lyrics and the earlier and contemporaneous lyrics of an artist widely assumed to have influenced him, Bob Dylan. Results of analyses using a standard textual program, Linguistic Inquiry Word Count (LIWC), showed that Petty reduced his references to social relations and reduced his focus on future time orientations over his songwriting career. There were also rises and declines in expressions of authenticity as well as increases in analytical thinking. In analyses comparing Petty to Dylan using a time-lagged approach, Petty’s songs remained shorter in number of words than Dylan’s songs and there was an increase in indicators of analytical thinking in Petty’s later work reaching levels that are characteristic of Dylan’s songs. Further research is needed to trace the influences on prolific songwriting and other aspects of music beyond lyrical expression.

Fatigue behaviour of root crack in stiffener-to-deck plate weld at crossbeam of orthotropic bridge decks

Steel Orthotropic Bridge Decks (OBDs) are widely used in long-span and movable bridges. Fatigue resistance analysis plays an important role in the design or assessment of OBDs. One possible fatigue failure is the crack initiating from the weld root of stiffener-to-deck plate connections at crossbeams. A full-scale experimental investigation in this study using a 20 mm thick deck plate with a dimension of 9.4 m × 5.1 m, including three crossbeams, represents the modern designed OBDs. The experiments show an arrest of crack propagation with a final crack depth of approximately 75% of the deck plate thickness. On the contrary, through thickness cracks develop in deck plates of 10 or 12 mm. Hot spot stress based fatigue detail categories (DC) using various failure criteria derived from the tests. Analysis with the effective notch stress shows that the DC has low sensitivity to the amount of weld penetration. The results of analyses with the eXtended Finite Element Method (XFEM), employed to analyse the fatigue crack propagation path and crack arrest, are in line with the experimental study.

Association between postpartum depression and postpartum hemorrhage: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a growing mental health concern worldwide and has detrimental effects on the social and cognitive health of both mothers and infants. This review was performed to assess the risk of PPD in women with postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) and to identify potential moderators. The review protocol was registered in the PROSPERO database on June 17, 2023 (registration number: CRD42023432955). Two researchers independently performed a literature search of the PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases for articles published before May 25, 2023, with no filters and no language or location restrictions. Study quality was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. The primary outcome was the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of PPD in women with vs. without PPH. We performed sensitivity analyses and meta-regression analyses to resolve heterogeneity. Meta-regression analyses included the effects of age, maternal smoking, marital status, preterm labor, maternal education level, preeclampsia, anemia during pregnancy, and cesarean section. In total, seven studies involving 540 558 participants met the eligibility criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. Women with PPH were at increased risk of PPD compared with women without PPH (OR 1.10; 95% CI 1.03-1.16), and heterogeneity was low (I2 = 23%; τ2 = 0.0007; p = 0.25). Moreover, the results of the sensitivity analyses showed that the I2 value decreased from 23% to 0% after excluding one particular study, which may have been a source of heterogeneity. In the meta-regression analyses, the OR of PPD was greatly affected by maternal smoking (OR -0.26; 95% CI -0.30 to -0.22; p < 0.001). However, we did not observe any effects for maternal age, marital status, preterm labor, maternal education level, preeclampsia, anemia during pregnancy, or cesarean section. Women with PPH must be closely monitored because they have a higher risk of PPD than women without PPH. Early recognition and management of these patients will improve treatment outcomes, maternal health, and newborn development.

Promotion of particle agglomeration by different vortex generator angles based on PIV-PDPA experiment

Turbulent agglomeration is a promising pretreatment technology aimed at enhancing fine particles removal efficiency. Recent studies suggested that V-structure vortex generators are effective in improving turbulence to promote particle collisions and size increase. However, the experimental studies on flow fields and particles induced by V-structure vortex generators with different angles are still insufficient. To this end, this study investigated the effect of the angle of V-structure vortex generators on particle agglomeration based on the experimental approach. More specifically, the flow field dynamics were obtained directly from a Particle Image Velocimetry, while the particle behavior and size variation were investigated by a Phase Doppler Particle Analyzer. The results of the Phase Doppler Particle Analyzer showed that the addition of the vortex generator and its angle increase led to an increase in average size as well as cross-particle size, while a decrease in number concentration of smaller particles, which confirmed the collisions between smaller particles. Through Particle Image Velocimetry experiments, it was found that a wider range of recirculation regions and counter-rotating eddies were generated. Furthermore, by analyzing particle distribution and tracking single particle trajectory through numerical simulation, two kinds of agglomeration mechanisms were proposed. One being the trajectory crossover of smaller particles triggered by recirculating vortex, and the other is the preferential concentration of larger particles. The results of this study can provide a theoretical basis for the design of V-structure vortex generators and particle agglomeration techniques.

Fear of Missing out on Financial Gains: Associations Between Fear of Missing Out, Problem Gambling, and Speculative Trading in College Students

In recent years a fear of missing out (FOMO) on short-term monetary gains through speculative trading has been highlighted as a driving force of financial behaviors. Additionally, increasing evidence has likened speculative trading to gambling. The current study sought to determine whether financial FOMO is linked to stock market and cryptocurrency trading activities and problem gambling severity in both traditional gambling and financial trading domains, among a sample of 258 college students. Results of binomial regression and hurdle model analyses found that financial FOMO was linked to participation in stock market and cryptocurrency trading. Financial FOMO was also associated with problem gambling severity in traditional gambling and the presence of gambling problems in the stock market trading domain. Our results suggest that financial FOMO may be a salient risk factor of problem gambling in traditional gambling domains and, to a smaller degree, in the speculative trading domain among young adults.

Development and Validation of the Adolescent and Children Risk of Abuse and Maltreatment Unaccompanied Scale (ACRAM-US)

AbstractIndependent migration of children and adolescents is becoming a political and social issue in recent years. Literature documents that the migration process of young people without an adult referent entail serious psychological problems. Moreover, the lack of coherence in the assessment and care processes aggravates the damage suffered by minors, which requires a greater investment of institutional resources. The aim of this research is to describe the development and provide psychometric properties of Adolescent and Children Risk of Abuse and Maltreatment Unaccompanied Scale (ACRAM-US), a 9-items scale for the assessment of risks factors of child abuse and neglect in the specific population of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and adolescents. Structural validity, reliability and convergent-related validity were studied for this measure in a sample of 128 unaccompanied children and adolescents. The sample included cases of 14 different nationalities. Children’s mean age was 16.94 (SD = 1.84), and 96.9% were male and 3.1% were female. Cases were informed by child welfare workers from different protective services in the XXXX Community (XXXX). The results of Exploratory Factor Analyses (EFA) indicate performance better solution with 2-dimensions which was also in line with theoretical formulation (χ2 = 31.55, df = 19, p = .035, CFI = 0.991, SRMR = 0.081, RMSEA = 0.072, [90% CI: 0.019 − 0.115]). Results of convergent validity showed significant correlation with the Children Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF). Therefore, this study provides data of the first scale that assess risks factors of maltreatment for the unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and adolescents.

Structure and provenance of the Cretaceous Pingshanhu Basin in the Hexi Corridor: Implications for Mesozoic tectonics in the northern Tibetan Plateau

Abstract The construction of Earth’s largest highland, the Tibetan Plateau, is generally considered to have been generated by the Cenozoic India-Asia collision. However, the extent to which high topography existed prior to the Cenozoic remains unclear. The Hexi Corridor foreland basin of the northern Tibetan Plateau is an ideal region in which to investigate this history, given its widespread exposure of Early Cretaceous sedimentary sequences. In this study, we examined the Early Cretaceous strata in the northern Hexi Corridor to understand the relationships between pre-Cenozoic sedimentation and tectonic deformation and constrain the late Mesozoic tectonic setting of the adjacent Qilian Shan and Alxa blocks bordering the northern Tibetan Plateau. Results of sandstone petrology analyses, paleocurrent observations, and U-Pb geochronology suggest that the oldest Early Cretaceous sediments deposited in the northern Hexi Corridor were sourced from the southern Alxa block during the earliest Cretaceous. By the late Early Cretaceous, Hexi Corridor sediments were sourced from both the southern Alxa block to the north and the Qilian Shan to the south. Sandstone petrologic results indicate that the northern Hexi Corridor experienced a tectonic transition from contraction to extension during the Early Cretaceous. These findings suggest that the northern Tibetan Plateau region was partially uplifted to a high elevation during the late Mesozoic before the India-Asia collision.

More Options, but Less Willing to Cast a Valid Vote: Evidence From Electoral Reform in Chile

How do large-magnitude proportional systems affect invalid voting? We evaluate a Chilean electoral system reform that introduced proportionality. Voting is voluntary, and legislative and presidential elections are held concurrently. We compare the invalid votes between different types of elections before and after the reform using various difference-in-differences strategies. We find that invalid voting increased in legislative compared to presidential elections (pre-trends were parallel). The increase in invalid voting is greater in post-reform districts with higher magnitude and is not due to pre-reform district characteristics. The results of heterogeneity analyses and a survey experiment suggest the mechanism behind these findings is the cognitive burden associated with a longer ballot. This research highlights an understudied aspect of electoral systems: higher district magnitudes may be demobilizing in terms of valid voting for citizens who are more vulnerable to cognitive burden, even among those motivated enough to vote in the first-order election.

The extended project qualification in England: does it provide good preparation for higher education?

ABSTRACT The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) is taken by students in England aged 16–18, usually alongside A levels. It consists of an in-depth project in an area of students’ choosing. Students are required to plan the project, research and analyse sources of information, write up their analysis, draw conclusions and produce an evaluation of the processes involved. As such, it is promoted by exam boards as providing the skills required for university study or for work. Universities also seem to value the qualification, with many reducing their offers to students who have achieved a high grade in the EPQ. The main aim of this research was to use national data from England to investigate whether students taking the EPQ were better prepared for higher education (HE) than students not taking it. The results of logistic regression analyses showed that students taking EPQ were more likely to progress to HE, were less likely to drop out, and were more likely to achieve a good degree, than non-EPQ students. This was after controlling for a large number of covariates, including attainment. This provides further evidence that the skills learnt in undertaking an EPQ can be useful for preparing students for HE study.

Municipal Defensive Walls in Western Poland: The Example of Żagań

ABSTRACT Many relics of municipal fortifications are preserved in multiple cities in the Silesian — Lusatian region. Research works are mainly focused on area such a history, architecture or technical state, without correlation between these areas. The correct approach is to identify walls, or sections of them, as part of parallel, interdisciplinary research that covers the history and chronology of transformations, expansion phases, and their state of preservation which was also the primary and main goal of the research in case of Żagań municipal defensive walls. Thanks to architectural and archaeological analysis, it was possible to determine the chronology of the transformations and layers of the walls. Combining the results of the chronological analyses (C-14, dendrochronology) of wood samples from putlog holes with the results of architectural research allows hypotheses regarding the chronology of constructing objects to be confirmed or excluded. During the study it was found, that it is recommended to correlate the results of archaeological research conducted within the area of excavations next to the foundations of city walls with the results of the structural analyses of soil and water conditions. It is then possible to conduct a comparative analysis of the identified soil and anthropogenic layers. The correlation of architectural research in the field of the chronology of the construction of city walls with the results of the analyses of the cross-sectional deformation of their structure (based on 3D laser scanning) enables answers about the causes of the walls’ inclination to be obtained. The proposed algorithm for interdisciplinary cooperation in research of historical municipal walls is presented.

Systematic revision of the Calotes jerdoni complex (Reptilia: Squamata: Agamidae) in the Pan-Himalaya

Abstract Owing to the harsh terrain, few biodiversity surveys have been carried out in the Pan-Himalaya Region. Among the understudied taxa from this region, Jerdon’s forest lizard, Calotes jerdoni, is believed to have a wide distribution, from northeast India to southwestern China. However, given the heterogeneous environment across its range and the lack of studies on this species, its taxonomy remains questionable. Using integrative taxonomic methods, we combined both morphological and genetic data from the type and topotypic specimens and examined the current taxonomic hypothesis of C. jerdoni across its range. Molecular data reveal that C. jerdoni as currently recognized, contains three deeply diverged lineages: one from the type locality in Northeast India, one from Western Myanmar, and another one from Southwestern China. The uncorrected genetic distances of mitochondrial coding gene ND2 among these three clades ranged over 10%. The Chinese population is sister to C. medogensis and paraphyletic to the remaining two clades of C. jerdoni. Morphological analyses confirm the results of the molecular analyses, where the Myanmar and Chinese populations can be diagnosed statistically in both univariate and multivariate space from the true C. jerdoni, as well as by a suite of reliable categorical morphological characters, including the size and shape of gular scales and ventral scales. To resolve the current taxonomic confusion, we resurrect the junior synonym, C. yunnanensis, for the Chinese population and expand its distribution to Myanmar, redescribe the elusive C. maria and C. medogensis based on its type material, and describe the remaining western Myanmar population as a new species. We further discuss the possibility of additional cryptic species within the complex in the Pan-Himalaya Region and provide a diagnostic key to all recognized members of the C. jerdoni complex.