bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dialogue
Authors: Weigand Edda
Published: October 2021

The article unfolds dialogue as the complex whole of human action and behaviour in the theory of New Science. The actual state of research in dialogue analysis seems to be a garden of a thousand flowers where scholars can pick out the flower they like. Can this be science? New Science is introduced as science of complexity which represents a new hierarchy of integrated components derived from the complex whole. The structure of dialogue as the complex whole allows us to describe and explain all pertinent components inonetheory. The article briefly outlines the main components: action and grammar. New Science also means the end of unjustified assumptions which underlie most of the various current models of science and philosophy and calls for verification by neuro- and sociobiology.
Dynamics of flowing 2D skyrmions
Authors: Coelho Rodrigo C V , Tasinkevych Mykola , Telo da Gama Margarida M
Published: October 2021

We investigate, numerically, the effects of externally imposed material flows on the structure and temporal evolution of liquid crystal (LC) skyrmions. The dynamics of a 2D system of skyrmions is modeled using the Ericksen–Leslie theory, which is based on two coupled equations, one for material flow and the other for the director field. As the time scales of the velocity and director fields differ by several orders of magnitude for realistic values of the system parameters, we have simplified the calculations by assuming that the velocity relaxes instantaneously when compared to the relaxation of the director field. Thus, we have used a finite-differences method known as artificial compressibility with adaptive time step to solve the velocity field and a fourth-order Runge-Kutta method for the director field. We characterized the skyrmion shape or configuration as a function of the time and the average velocity of the flow field. We found that for velocities above a certain threshold, the skyrmions stretch in the direction perpendicular to the flow, by contrast to the regime of weak flows where the skyrmions stretch along the streamlines of the flow field. These two regimes are separated by an abrupt (first-order) dynamical transition, which is robust with respect to e.g., the LC elastic anisotropy. Additionally, we have found how the presence of a second skyrmion affects the evolution of the shape of the skyrmions, by comparing the evolution of pairs of skyrmions to the evolution of a single-skyrmion.
Long-time behavior of partially damped systems modeling degenerate plates with piers
Authors: Gazzola Filippo , Soufyane Abdelaziz
Published: October 2021

We consider a partially damped nonlinear beam-wave system of evolution PDE’s modeling the dynamics of a degenerate plate. The plate can move both vertically and torsionally and, consequently, the solution has two components. We show that the component from the damped beam equation always vanishes asymptotically while the component from the (undamped) wave equation does not. In case of small energies we show that the first component vanishes at exponential rate. Our results highlight that partial damping is not enough to steer the whole solution to rest and that the partially damped system can be less stable than the undamped system. Hence, the model and the behavior of the solution enter in the framework of the so-called indirect damping and destabilization paradox. These phenomena are valorized by the physical interpretation in the final section, leading to possible new explanations of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapse. Several natural problems are left open.
Consistency of optimizing finite-time Carnot engines with the low-dissipation model in the two-level atomic heat engine
Authors: Ma Yu-Han , Sun C P , Dong Hui
Published: October 2021

The efficiency at the maximum power (EMP) for finite-time Carnot engines established with the low-dissipation model, relies significantly on the assumption of the inverse proportion scaling of the irreversible entropy generation ΔS
(ir) on the operation time τ, i.e. ΔS
(ir) ∝ 1/τ. The optimal operation time of the finite-time isothermal process for EMP has to be within the valid regime of the inverse proportion scaling. Yet, such consistency was not tested due to the unknown coefficient of the 1/τ-scaling. In this paper, we reveal that the optimization of the finite-time two-level atomic Carnot engines with the low-dissipation model is consistent only in the regime of η
C ≪ 2(1 − δ)/(1 + δ), where η
C is the Carnot efficiency, and δ is the compression ratio in energy level difference of the heat engine cycle. In the large-η
C regime, the operation time for EMP obtained with the low-dissipation model is not within the valid regime of the 1/τ-scaling, and the exact EMP of the engine is found to surpass the well-known bound η
+ = η
C/(2 − η
C).
Alginate-CMC/Fe3O4-CaO nanocomposite as a catalyst for synthesis of biodiesel from waste cooking oil
Authors: Sudana I W , Helmiyati  , Yunarti R T
Published: October 2021

Biodiesel as a renewable fuel was found as an environmentally friendly alternative for fossil fuels. In this work, a green heterogeneous catalyst, a combination of Alginate and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) biopolymer and Fe3O4-CaO supported by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used as a catalyst for biodiesel production from waste cooking oil (WCO) through transesterification reaction. The maximum biodiesel yield obtained was 89.30 % with catalyst loading of 0.9 wt.% and reaction time of 2 h by using Alginate-CMC/Fe3O4-CaO nanocomposites. Properties of the obtained biodiesel (density and acid number) were close to the international standards (SNI and ASTM). These results indicate that alginate-CMC biopolymer can be utilized as a support catalyst derived from the biodegradable raw materials and is renewable and green as promising for heterogeneous catalysts in biodiesel production.
Elucidation of morphology developed of CaxCey/ZrO2 solid catalyst for the production of lactic acid from glycerol conversion
Authors: Razali N , Abdullah A Z
Published: October 2021

Monometallic and bimetallic noble metal supported catalysts have been tested for the catalytic glycerol oxidation to lactic acid. Modification of zirconia, (ZrO2) using CaO, which is an alkaline earth metal as the base source and Ce as the metal source to give, 30wt%CaxCey/ZrO2 was investigated. The catalysts were prepared using co-precipitation method at different of Cax to Cey ratios (x:y = 1.0:0.5 – 1.0:3.0) and subsequently calcined at 800 °C. Subsequently, the glycerol reaction to lactic acid was carried out at a 250 °C for 2 h in a base free condition using pure glycerol. The interaction between the metallic sites and CeO2 support showed was characterized to elucidate the developed morphology of catalyst. The textural and structural properties of the catalysts were studied using Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and Transmission electron microscope (TEM). It was found that the morphology of the catalyst well developed and contribute to the significant reaction activity through the reaction mechanism. The spent catalyst also could produce the lactic acid and the morphology is still in a good condition showing capability of cyclability.
The development of IoT Smart House Automation System controlled wirelessly via OpenHab central server
Authors: Redzwan F N M , Suhaimi A H F , Husaini A K
Published: October 2021

Smart home technology, also often referred to as home automation, provides homeowners security, comfort, convenience, and energy efficiency by allowing them to control smart devices, often by a smart home app on their smartphone or another networked device. A part of the internet of things (IoT), smart home systems and devices often operate together, sharing consumer usage data among themselves and automating actions based on the homeowners’ preferences. This smart home automation system will be a server-based system using the OpenHab central server that can connect and control the house appliances by using an application that can be installed on the smartphone. By using this smart house system, the user can control their home appliances from distance. It can reduce the cost and provide better time management of the household.
Palm Oil Fuel Ash and Mussel Shell Powder as Supplementary Cementitious Materials in Non-Load Concrete Brick
Authors: Zahid A Z M , Zin M M , Saifullizam N Z , Khalid N , Kamaruddin S F , Chik W S W
Published: October 2021

The pozzolanic properties of the industrial by-product palm oil fuel ash (POFA) has given this material a unique characteristic that can be used as a cement substitute. Meanwhile, the abundance of waste seashells which contain an enormous amount of calcium oxide (CaO) available around the world has led this material to be another potential waste material as substitutes for conventional materials in concrete. The percentage amount of POFA used as a replacement was constant at 20% from the amount of cement. On the other hand, mussel shell powder (MSP) was replaced by 2%, 4%, 6% and 8% with the decrement of 2% of OPC used for each of the design. The physical and chemical properties of the materials and the mechanical properties of concrete brick were identified for 7, 14 dan 28 days. The inclusion of POFA and MSP in the concrete brick mix in this study reduced the compressive strength of the concrete in the early days and enhanced at the late stages. Apart from that, the compressive strength of the concrete brick mixtures decreased along with the increasing percentage of MSP as the increment content of CaO from MSP reduced the hydration process. The optimum percentage of MSP replacement in this study is 4% with 20% replacement of POFA and 76% OPC. The application of these materials as supplementary cementitious materials in the construction industry, particularly in producing non-load concrete brick will simultaneously encourage reducing potential pollutions and promote sustainability.
Fire-Resistant Properties of Modified Epoxy Based Intumescent Fire-Retardant Coating: Hybridizing of Oyster Shell Powder with Glass Frit
Authors: Lee Y X , Ahmad F , Kakooei S , Azmi Y , Kabir S
Published: October 2021

Fire retardant coatings play vital role in safety of construction nowadays, to delay the fire propagation and provide more time for evacuation. The current research work aimed to study the use of modified siloxane epoxy binder to develop intumescent coating. Polyamide amine was used as a hardener. Three different sets of formulations were developed by using three different fillers, namely the oyster shell powder (OSP), glass frit (GF) and combination of both oyster shell powder and glass frit (OG). All three set of formulation also includes the basic ingredients of intumescent coating. These samples were used to study the synergistic effects of fillers on thermal performance of the coating as well tested for char expansion, heat shielding, char morphology and composition. Fire resistant testing was conducted by using a Bunsen Burner and GF samples had found to have minimum substrate temperature of 175.3°C. The char morphology was analysed via Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) which confirmed the adhesion between the matrix with fillers. Furnace test was carried out to investigate the char expansion of OSP/GF/OG with the modified siloxane epoxy composition and the maximum expansion was OSP 1% with intumescent factor of 7.78. XRD was conducted to evaluate the residual compounds in the char and FTIR was utilized to analyse the functional group where O-H, C-N, O=C=O and C=C bonds were found in the degradation compounds in the char residual of the coatings.
Constructing a Blueprint of a Kolek
Authors: Rahman N A A , Johan M A , Ismail N M K N , Ahmad S
Published: October 2021

Kolek, a Malay Traditional Boat, is slowly forgotten by the younger generation due to several reasons. In this paper, an in-depth study was conducted to construct a Kolek blueprint for preservation using the Reverse Engineering method on the existing artifact in Malay Traditional Boat Yard located at Pulau Duyung. The study was conducted through several phases namely boat measurement, digitization, and analyses. As a result, a Kolek Lines Plan was produced using Rhinoceros 5 for reference by future generations. Then analyses were carried out using PolyCAD version 10.4 to obtain hydrostatic properties of the Kolek for its stability, and resistance to determine the power requirements needed for the Kolek. The results show the blueprint of the Kolek that can be develop as well as mechanical properties of the Kolek can be obtained using modern naval architecture techniques. This blueprint can be used to build new boats by the next generation using the hybrid method which is a combination of modern and traditional methods.
The development of a preschool event management system using usability heuristic theory
Authors: Yusoff N S M , Bakar N A A A , Daud N M N
Published: October 2021

Preschool Event Management System for Genius Aulad (PEMS) is a computerized prototype system, developed to facilitate preschool event management process handling. Genius Aulad Kuala Terengganu has been selected as a case study. Adapting a more systematic data management approach is critical to elevate problems inherent from the current manual way used in managing the event management related processes. The issues that lead to the proposal of the new system are difficult to inform the upcoming events to the parents, missing confirmation messages due to unstructured conversation, paper-based registration form used cause inefficient data storage and retrieval, the payment for event program always overdue and limited type of report can be generated. The System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) using Adapted Waterfall Model serves as a development methodology. Furthermore, the Usability Heuristic for User Interface Design is adapted in developing the system interface. The PEMS is tested and evaluated in terms of functionality and usability by the developer, and five target users. The test case and scenario are used to evaluate the functionality of the system. Meanwhile, the usability metric is applied to evaluate the usability of the system. The SUS score for PEMS is 82.5, which means the users are satisfied with the overall usability of the system. All the recommendations received during the testing session can be used as a reference for future work. With the existence of PEMS it is hoped that it will bring benefits to the organization when using this system.
Application of TOPSIS Method for Decision Making in Selecting the Best New Car in Malaysia
Authors: Nor-Al-Din S M , Razali N K , Sukri N M , Rosli M A
Published: October 2021

Purchasing and selecting of vehicles especially cars in the market is a tough decision to make due to the variety of the operational and technical parameter specifications such as design, body shape, technology used, and many more. Therefore, selection procedure techniques are required in order to overcome this problem. In the decision-making model, Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) is one of the selection procedure techniques to be embraced into this study. This technique provides a base for decision-making processes where there are limited numbers of choices but each has a large number of attributes. In this project, the selected vehicles were ranked based on their segments. The best car for sedan is Proton Persona, Proton Iriz was ranked as the best hatchback, Perodua Alza is the best MPV and Perodua Aruz was ranked as the best SUV. This result was based on the main criteria which are cost and total displacement, then follow by seat capacity, boot capacity, and top speed of the vehicle.
Effects of Different Drying Methods on Antioxidant Properties of Malaysian Ginger
Authors: Mustafa I , Chin N L , Yusof Y A , Husin M F
Published: October 2021

Malaysian ginger is one the sought herbs that contains a lot of beneficial properties that could contribute to health. However, most usage of ginger from its fresh form which is prone to microorganisms’ spoilage. Therefore, effects of shade, sun, oven, vacuum oven, and freeze drying on phytochemical contents, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), phosphomolybdenum assays, 2,2’azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiozoline-6-sulfonic acid) disodium salt (ABTS·+), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH·), hydroxyl (OH·) radical and metal chelating properties of Halia Bara were studied. Dried and fresh ginger crude extracts were extracted with ethanol. The freeze-dried extract had highest level of total phenolic of about 20.07 mg GAE/g dry extract as compared to fresh ginger extract at 10.52 mg GAE/g dry extract. For antioxidant activity of FRAP and phosphomolybdenum, sun-dried extract exhibited the highest values with increase of 3.95-fold and 4.29-fold from fresh ginger extract, respectively. In scavenging ABTS·+ radical, sun-dried extract also exhibited the highest values with increase of 2.07-fold from fresh ginger extract. Sun-dried extracts also had the lowest IC50 of 14.69 μg/ml. The ascorbic acid of ginger types was below 1.5 mg AA/g extract. Sun-dried ginger extract exhibited most significant antioxidant potential and as free radical scavengers.
Convergence of equilibrium measures corresponding to finite subgraphs of infinite graphs: New examples
Authors: Gurevich B.
Published: October 2021

A problem from thermodynamic formalism for countable symbolic Markov chains is considered. It concerns asymptotic behavior of the equilibrium measures corresponding to increasing sequences of finite submatrices of an infinite nonnegative matrix 

A
A

when these sequences converge to 

A
A

. After reviewing the results obtained up to now, a solution of the problem is given for a new matrix class. The geometric language of loaded graphs is used, instead of the matrix language.
Geometric description of the Hochschild cohomology of group algebras
Authors: Mishchenko Alexander
Published: October 2021

There are two approaches to the study of the cohomology of group algebras

R
[
G
]

R[G]

, the Eilenberg–MacLane cohomology and the Hochschild cohomology. The Eilenberg–MacLane cohomology gives the classical cohomology of the classifying space

B
G

BG

(or the Eilenberg–MacLane complex

K
(
G
,
1
)

K(G,1)

). Note that the space

B
G

BG

can be interpreted as a classifying space of the groupoid of the trivial action of the group

G
G

.

The Hochschild cohomology is a more general construction, which considers the so-called bimodules of the algebra

R
[
G
]

R[G]

and their derivative functors

Ext
⁡
(
R
[
G
]
,
M
)

\operatorname {Ext}(R[G],M)

, for which no geometric interpretation has been known so far.

The key point for calculating the Hochschild cohomology

H

H
∗

(
R
[
G
]
)

HH^*(R[G])

is the new groupoid

G
r

Gr

associated with the adjoint action of the group

G
G

. For this groupoid, the classical cohomology of the corresponding classification space

B
G
r

BGr

with the finiteness condition for the supports of cochains is isomorphic to the Hochschild cohomology of the algebra

R
[
G
]

R[G]

:
<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="upper H upper H Superscript asterisk Baseline left-parenthesis upper R left-bracket upper G right-bracket right-parenthesis almost-equals upper H Subscript f Superscript asterisk Baseline left-parenthesis upper B upper G r right-parenthesis period">

H

H
∗

(
R
[
G
]
)
≈

H
f
∗

(
B
G
r
)
.

\begin{equation*} HH^*(R[G])\approx H^*_f(BGr). \end{equation*}

This result represents a fundamental contribution to understanding the geometry of the cohomological properties of group algebras, in particular, understanding the differences between the homology and cohomology of group algebras.

The paper is devoted to the motivation of the Hochschild (co)homology group of the group algebra

R
[
G
]

R[G]

and its description in terms of the classical (co)homology of the classifying space of the groupoid of the adjoint action of the original group

G
G

under a suitable finiteness assumption on the supports of the cohomology group.
Parabolic induction via the parabolic pro-𝑝 Iwahori–Hecke algebra
Authors: Heyer Claudius
Published: October 2021

Let

G

\mathbf {G}

be a connected reductive group defined over a locally compact non-archimedean field

F
F

, let

P

\mathbf {P}

be a parabolic subgroup with Levi

M

\mathbf {M}

and compatible with a pro-

p
p

Iwahori subgroup of

G
≔

G

(
F
)

G ≔\mathbf {G}(F)

. Let

R
R

be a commutative unital ring.

We introduce the parabolic pro-

p
p

Iwahori–Hecke

R
R

-algebra

H

R

(
P
)

\mathcal {H}_R(P)

of

P
≔

P

(
F
)

P ≔\mathbf {P}(F)

and construct two

R
R

-algebra morphisms
<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="normal upper Theta Subscript upper M Superscript upper P Baseline colon script upper H Subscript upper R Baseline left-parenthesis upper P right-parenthesis right-arrow script upper H Subscript upper R Baseline left-parenthesis upper M right-parenthesis">

Θ
M
P

:

H

R

(
P
)
→

H

R

(
M
)

\Theta ^P_M\colon \mathcal {H}_R(P)\to \mathcal {H}_R(M)

and
<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="normal upper Xi Subscript upper G Superscript upper P Baseline colon script upper H Subscript upper R Baseline left-parenthesis upper P right-parenthesis right-arrow script upper H Subscript upper R Baseline left-parenthesis upper G right-parenthesis">

Ξ
G
P

:

H

R

(
P
)
→

H

R

(
G
)

\Xi ^P_G\colon \mathcal {H}_R(P) \to \mathcal {H}_R(G)

into the pro-

p
p

Iwahori–Hecke

R
R

-algebra of

M
≔

M

(
F
)

M ≔\mathbf {M}(F)

and

G
G

, respectively. We prove that the resulting functor

Mod
⁡
-

H

R

(
M
)
→
Mod
⁡
-

H

R

(
G
)

\operatorname {Mod}\text {-}\mathcal {H}_R(M) \to \operatorname {Mod}\text {-}\mathcal {H}_R(G)

from the category of right

H

R

(
M
)

\mathcal {H}_R(M)

-modules to the category of right

H

R

(
G
)

\mathcal {H}_R(G)

-modules (obtained by pulling back via

Θ
M
P

\Theta ^P_M

and extension of scalars along

Ξ
G
P

\Xi ^P_G

) coincides with the parabolic induction due to Ollivier–Vignéras.

The maps

Θ
M
P

\Theta ^P_M

and

Ξ
G
P

\Xi ^P_G

factor through a common subalgebra

H

R

(
M
,
G
)

\mathcal {H}_R(M,G)

of

H

R

(
G
)

\mathcal {H}_R(G)

which is very similar to

H

R

(
M
)

\mathcal {H}_R(M)

. Studying these algebras

H

R

(
M
,
G
)

\mathcal {H}_R(M,G)

for varying

(
M
,
G
)

(M,G)

we prove a transitivity property for tensor products. As an application we give a new proof of the transitivity of parabolic induction.
GVDTI: graph convolutional and variational autoencoders with attribute-level attention for drug–protein interaction prediction
Authors: Xuan Ping , Fan Mengsi , Cui Hui , Zhang Tiangang , Nakaguchi Toshiya
Published: October 2021

Motivation

Identifying proteins that interact with drugs plays an important role in the initial period of developing drugs, which helps to reduce the development cost and time. Recent methods for predicting drug–protein interactions mainly focus on exploiting various data about drugs and proteins. These methods failed to completely learn and integrate the attribute information of a pair of drug and protein nodes and their attribute distribution.

Results

We present a new prediction method, GVDTI, to encode multiple pairwise representations, including attention-enhanced topological representation, attribute representation and attribute distribution. First, a framework based on graph convolutional autoencoder is constructed to learn attention-enhanced topological embedding that integrates the topology structure of a drug–protein network for each drug and protein nodes. The topological embeddings of each drug and each protein are then combined and fused by multi-layer convolution neural networks to obtain the pairwise topological representation, which reveals the hidden topological relationships between drug and protein nodes. The proposed attribute-wise attention mechanism learns and adjusts the importance of individual attribute in each topological embedding of drug and protein nodes. Secondly, a tri-layer heterogeneous network composed of drug, protein and disease nodes is created to associate the similarities, interactions and associations across the heterogeneous nodes. The attribute distribution of the drug–protein node pair is encoded by a variational autoencoder. The pairwise attribute representation is learned via a multi-layer convolutional neural network to deeply integrate the attributes of drug and protein nodes. Finally, the three pairwise representations are fused by convolutional and fully connected neural networks for drug–protein interaction prediction. The experimental results show that GVDTI outperformed other seven state-of-the-art methods in comparison. The improved recall rates indicate that GVDTI retrieved more actual drug–protein interactions in the top ranked candidates than conventional methods. Case studies on five drugs further confirm GVDTI’s ability in discovering the potential candidate drug-related proteins.

Contact

zhang@hlju.edu.cn Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Briefings in Bioinformatics online.
The Dangers of Using Cq to Quantify Nucleic Acid in Biological Samples: A Lesson From COVID-19
Authors: Evans Daniel , Cowen Simon , Kammel Martin , O’Sullivan Denise M , Stewart Graham , Grunert Hans-Peter , Moran-Gilad Jacob , Verwilt Jasper , In Jiwon , Vandesompele Jo , Harris Kathryn , Hong Ki Ho , Storey Nathaniel , Hingley-Wilson Suzie , Dühring Ulf , Bae Young-Kyung , Foy Carole A , Braybrook Julian , Zeichhardt Heinz , Huggett Jim F
Published: October 2021

Background

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA quantities, measured by reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), have been proposed to stratify clinical risk or determine analytical performance targets. We investigated reproducibility and how setting diagnostic cutoffs altered the clinical sensitivity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) testing.

Methods

Quantitative SARS-CoV-2 RNA distributions [quantification cycle (Cq) and copies/mL] from more than 6000 patients from 3 clinical laboratories in United Kingdom, Belgium, and the Republic of Korea were analyzed. Impact of Cq cutoffs on clinical sensitivity was assessed. The June/July 2020 INSTAND external quality assessment scheme SARS-CoV-2 materials were used to estimate laboratory reported copies/mL and to estimate the variation in copies/mL for a given Cq.

Results

When the WHO-suggested Cq cutoff of 25 was applied, the clinical sensitivity dropped to about 16%. Clinical sensitivity also dropped to about 27% when a simulated limit of detection of 106 copies/mL was applied. The interlaboratory variation for a given Cq value was >1000 fold in copies/mL (99% CI).

Conclusion

While RT-qPCR has been instrumental in the response to COVID-19, we recommend Cq (cycle threshold or crossing point) values not be used to set clinical cutoffs or diagnostic performance targets due to poor interlaboratory reproducibility; calibrated copy-based units (used elsewhere in virology) offer more reproducible alternatives. We also report a phenomenon where diagnostic performance may change relative to the effective reproduction number. Our findings indicate that the disparities between patient populations across time are an important consideration when evaluating or deploying diagnostic tests. This is especially relevant to the emergency situation of an evolving pandemic.
Radiation dose to nurses, cardiologists, and patients during coronary angiography: a comparison of femoral and radial access
Authors: Wilson-Stewart Kelly S , Fontanarosa Davide , Malacova Eva , Trapp Jamie V
Published: October 2021

Background

Exposure to radiation during fluoroscopically guided cardiac procedures is a cause for concern for both the patient and staff.

Aims

This study sought to compare the occupational and patient radiation dose during femoral and radially accessed invasive coronary angiography (CA).

Methods and results

Occupational dose (µSv) was measured at the left temple of the cardiologist (n = 17), scrub (n = 27), and circulator nurse (n = 27) during 761 femoral and 671 radially accessed diagnostic coronary angiograms and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures. Patient dose parameters of dose area product (DAP) (Gy.cm2) and air kerma (AK) (Gy) were also measured. Coronary angiography performed via the radial artery is associated with greater mean dose to the cardiologist, with the exception of procedures including only PCI. Results demonstrated that scrub nurses are exposed to higher mean doses than the cardiologist when using femoral access and similar doses during radial cases. Both AK and DAP were associated with a higher average dose for femoral PCI than radial, with DAP being significantly higher.

Conclusions

Awareness of factors that increase the dose to staff and patients is vital to inform and improve practice. This study has demonstrated that access route during diagnostic CA and PCI influences both patient and staff dose. Radiation dose to in-room staff other than the fluoroscopic operator should be a focus of future research. In addition, all staff present during X-ray guided procedures should be provided with radiation education and adopt dose minimization strategies to reduce occupational exposures.
Assessment of seismic tomographic models of the contiguous United States using intermediate-period 3-D wavefield simulation
Authors: Zhou Tong , Xi Ziyi , Chen Min , Li Jiaqi
Published: October 2021

The contiguous United States has been well instrumented with broad-band seismic stations due to the development of the EarthScope Transportable Array. Previous studies have provided various 3-D seismic wave speed models for the crust and upper mantle with improved resolution. However, discrepancies exist among these models due to differences in both data sets and tomographic methods, which introduce uncertainties on the imaged lithospheric structure beneath North America. A further model refinement using the best data coverage and advanced tomographic methods such as full-waveform inversion (FWI) is expected to provide better seismological constraints. Initial models have significant impacts on the convergence of FWIs. However, how to select an optimal initial model is not well investigated. Here, we present a data-driven initial model selection procedure for the contiguous US and surrounding regions by assessing waveform fitting and misfit functions between the observations and synthetics from candidate models. We use a data set of waveforms from 30 earthquakes recorded by 5820 stations across North America. The results suggest that the tested 3-D models capture well long-period waveforms while showing discrepancies in short periods especially on tangential components. This observation indicates that the smaller scale heterogeneities and radial anisotropy in the crust and upper mantle are not well constrained. Based on our test results, a hybrid initial model combining S40RTS or S362ANI in the mantle and US.2016 for Vsv and CRUST1.0 for Vsh in the crust is compatible for future FWIs to refine the lithospheric structure of North America.
Whither judicial dialogue after convergence? Finding transnational public law in nomos-building
Authors: Kuo Ming-Sung
Published: October 2021

One of the major themes emerging from the reinvigorated interest in legal comparativism in the burgeoning transnational legal phenomena is the transnational dialogue among judiciaries the world over, namely, the mutual referencing to judicial decisions across jurisdictional boundaries. This article aims to rethink the role of transnational judicial dialogue in the development of transnational public law by drawing upon Robert Cover’s discussion of the relationship between nomos and narratives. It is argued that the convergent legal doctrines and principles channeled through transnational judicial dialogue are “jurispathic” as they only generate “thin” transnational values with little power of persuasion. To contribute to the thriving of transnational public law, judicial dialogue should look beyond comparative constitutional jurisprudence, shifting the focus away from the convergence of constitutional doctrines to the building of a transnational nomos. By moving from the mutual learning of doctrines to the comparative articulation of nomos-making narratives—the way a specific doctrine or a legal principle is understood and gains its meaning in its legal culture—in transnational judicial dialogue, comparative constitutional law can enable a robust transnational public law enriched with meanings, which hold the key to persuasion.
Noisy bounded confidence models for opinion dynamics: the effect of boundary conditions on phase transitions
Authors: Goddard B D , Gooding B , Short H , Pavliotis G A
Published: October 2021

We study SDE and PDE models for opinion dynamics under bounded confidence, for a range of different boundary conditions, with and without the inclusion of a radical population. We perform exhaustive numerical studies with pseudo-spectral methods to determine the effects of the boundary conditions, suggesting that the no-flux case most faithfully reproduces the underlying mechanisms in the associated deterministic models of Hegselmann and Krause. We also compare the SDE and PDE models, and use tools from analysis to study phase transitions, including a systematic description of an appropriate order parameter.
International Non-State Humanitarian Actors outside of the International Legal System: Can there be any Legal Consequences for Humanitarian Actors?
Authors: McArdle Scarlett , Shucksmith-Wesley Christy
Published: October 2021

Humanitarians are saviours, people employed by organisations that were created to provide neutral and professional help in times of conflict, disaster or other emergencies. We assume that we can trust the humanitarians.1 This, at least, is the theory of humanitarianism. However, news outlets depict the actions of humanitarians somewhat differently. The accusations levied at humanitarian actors, including Oxfam and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) within the past three years, include that individuals have committed crimes against those they are meant to be helping, organisations have swept said abhorrent behaviour under the rug, and that the consequences for the individuals concerned are, at worst, being ‘let go’ or demoted. These scandals have besmirched the reputation of the humanitarian profession. In some instances, the scandals have undermined perceptions of humanitarian actors and, consequently, mired funding for the important work that they do. Although a multitude of actors’ act in the same spaces and places, including in armed conflict and disasters, only some are subject to accountability and responsibility on the international stage. Our question is what can and could be done at the international level to address the accusations and, in some cases, unlawful behaviour? This article explores avenues within and outside of the international legal system to ensure responsibility of those embroiled in illegal acts.
Standing the Test of Time: The Level Playing Field and Rebalancing Mechanism in the UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA)
Authors: Collins David
Published: October 2021

This article explores the dispute settlement elements of the UK–European Union Trade and Cooperation Agreement’s (TCA) novel Level Playing Field (LPF) rebalancing obligations, consisting of a requirement not to lower standards in areas of labour, the environment and subsidy policy such that an adverse material impact results to trade or investment flows between the parties. The test for violations of these provisions is narrowly framed, requiring strong evidence of significant harms and carefully calibrated retaliation. The system contemplates several avenues of dispute settlement including unilateral ex ante retaliation which may be levied against another sector. The article suggests that the substantive and procedural features of the TCA’s LPF mechanism affords reasonably wide opportunity for parties to practice regulatory divergence while evincing a commitment to shared values.
Risk Factors and Medical Resource Utilization of Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Human Metapneumovirus and Influenza Related Hospitalizations in Adults – A Global Study During the 2017-2019 Epidemic Seasons (Hospitalized Acute Respiratory Tract Infection [HARTI] Study)
Authors: Falsey Ann R , Walsh Edward E , House Stacey , Vandenijck Yannick , Ren Xiaohui , Keim Sofia , Kang Diye , Peeters Pascale , Witek James , Ispas Gabriela
Published: October 2021

Background

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), human metapneumovirus (hMPV) and influenza are respiratory pathogens leading to hospitalization in adults. Understanding disease burden is limited to data from single-center or one-season studies in elderly patients. The HARTI study allows comparison of risk factors for progression to severe disease and medical resources utilization (MRU) during and post-hospitalization in adults diagnosed with influenza, RSV, or hMPV.

Methods

This was a prospective global study in adults hospitalized with acute respiratory tract infection (40 centers, 12 countries). Participants with influenza, RSV, or hMPV were enrolled in a substudy and followed up to three months post-discharge.

Results

Overall, 366 influenza, 238 RSV, and 100 hMPV-infected participants enrolled in the substudy. RSV participants were older, had greater frequency of risk factors, and longer duration of symptoms prior to hospitalization than influenza participants. RSV and hMPV groups received more bronchodilators, corticosteroids, and oxygen supplementation. No significant differences in intensive care unit admissions or complications were observed. Readmission occurred in 20-33% of patients within three months post-discharge, with highest rates for RSV and hMPV. In-hospital death occurred in 2.5% RSV, 1.6% influenza, and 2% hMPV participants. In multivariate analyses, length of stay was independently associated with country, renal disease, and increased age; probability of receiving supplemental oxygen was associated with pathogen (hMPV>RSV>influenza), abnormal chest x-ray, and increased age.

Conclusions

Although influenza is more frequent, the HARTI study demonstrates greater frequency of underlying risk factors and MRU for RSV and hMPV versus influenza in hospitalized adults, indicating need for effective interventions.
Establishing Genetic Relationships between the Takidani Pluton and Two Large Silicic Eruptions in the Northern Japan Alps
Authors: Hartung Eva , Caricchi Luca , Floess David , Wallis Simon , Harayama Satoru
Published: October 2021

The Takidani pluton (1·1–1·6 Ma) represents a shallow magmatic reservoir at the base of an exhumed caldera floor. The deposits of two large caldera-forming eruptions, the Nyukawa Pyroclastic Flow Deposit (1·76 Ma; crystal-rich dacite) and the Chayano Tuff and Ebisutoge Pyroclastic Deposits (1·75 Ma; a sequence of crystal-poor rhyolite), are distributed concentrically around the pluton. We use major and trace element chemistry of whole-rock, glass and minerals to show that (1) the crystal-rich dacite (>400 km3 DRE; dense rock equivalent) is the erupted portion of a shallow mush zone constituting the Takidani pluton and (2) the crystal-poor rhyolite (>100 km3 DRE) was extracted from a deeper part of this vertically extended magmatic plumbing system. Whole-rock geochemistry indicates that the Nyukawa and Takidani compositions were produced dominantly through crystal fractionation of amphibole, pyroxene and plagioclase in the mid to lower crust and subsequently emplaced in the upper crust prior to eruption and solidification, respectively. The crystal-poor Chayano–Ebisutoge rhyolite (>100 km3 DRE) is compositionally distinct from the Nyukawa and Takidani magmas and its generation is associated with a substantial contribution of crustal melts. However, plagioclase and orthopyroxene textures and chemistry provide strong evidence that the ascending rhyolite percolated through the upper Takidani–Nyukawa mush zone prior to eruption. Overgrowth of ‘rhyolitic plagioclase’ on ‘xenocrystic dacitic plagioclase’ typical of the Takidani–Nyukawa magmas indicates that the extraction and accumulation of the rhyolitic melts could have occurred in less than 10 kyr (i.e. the time between eruptions) prior to eruption, providing maximum timescales for pre-eruption storage. Overall, our findings show a progressive growth and thermal maturation of a vertically extended magmatic plumbing system over hundreds of thousands of years and imply that large volcanic eruptions can occur in relatively short succession without dramatic changes in the plumbing system, thus complicating the identification of signs of an impending large eruption.
Candidatus Liberibacter: From Movement, Host Responses, to Symptom Development of Citrus Huanglongbing
Authors: Pandey Sheo Shankar , Hendrich Connor , Andrade Maxuel O. , Wang Nian
Published: October 2021

Candidatus Liberibacter spp. are fastidious α-proteobacteria that cause multiple diseases on plant hosts of economic importance, including the most devastating citrus disease: Huanglongbing (HLB). HLB was reported in Asia a century ago but has since spread worldwide. Understanding the pathogenesis of Candidatus Liberibacter spp. remains challenging as they are yet to be cultured in artificial media and infect the phloem, a sophisticated environment that is difficult to manipulate. Despite those challenges, tremendous progress has been made on Ca. Liberibacter pathosystems. Here, we first reviewed recent studies on genetic information of flagellar and type IV pili biosynthesis, their expression profiles, and movement of Ca. Liberibacter spp. inside the plant and insect hosts. Next, we reviewed the transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic studies of susceptible and tolerant plant genotypes to Ca. Liberibacter spp. infection and how Ca. Liberibacter spp. adapt in plants. Analyses of the interactions between plants and Ca. Liberibacter spp. imply the involvement of immune response in the Ca. Liberibacter pathosystems. Lastly, we reviewed how Ca. Liberibacter spp. movement inside and interactions with plants lead to symptom development.
Evolutionary conservatism will limit responses to climate change in the tropics
Authors: Linck Ethan B. , Freeman Benjamin G. , Cadena C. Daniel , Ghalambor Cameron K.
Published: October 2021

Rapid species turnover in tropical mountains has fascinated biologists for centuries. A popular explanation for this heightened beta diversity is that climatic stability at low latitudes promotes the evolution of narrow thermal tolerance ranges, leading to local adaptation, evolutionary divergence and parapatric speciation along elevational gradients. However, an emerging consensus from research spanning phylogenetics, biogeography and behavioural ecology is that this process rarely, if ever, occurs. Instead, closely related species typically occupy a similar elevational niche, while species with divergent elevational niches tend to be more distantly related. These results suggest populations have responded to past environmental change not by adapting and diverging in place, but instead by shifting their distributions to tightly track climate over time. We argue that tropical species are likely to respond similarly to ongoing and future climate warming, an inference supported by evidence from recent range shifts. In the absence of widespread
in situ
adaptation to new climate regimes by tropical taxa, conservation planning should prioritize protecting large swaths of habitat to facilitate movement.
Insertions and deletions in the RNA sequence–structure map
Authors: Martin Nora S. , Ahnert Sebastian E.
Published: October 2021

Genotype–phenotype maps link genetic changes to their fitness effect and are thus an essential component of evolutionary models. The map between RNA sequences and their secondary structures is a key example and has applications in functional RNA evolution. For this map, the structural effect of substitutions is well understood, but models usually assume a constant sequence length and do not consider insertions or deletions. Here, we expand the sequence–structure map to include single nucleotide insertions and deletions by using the RNAshapes concept. To quantify the structural effect of insertions and deletions, we generalize existing definitions for robustness and non-neutral mutation probabilities. We find striking similarities between substitutions, deletions and insertions: robustness to substitutions is correlated with robustness to insertions and, for most structures, to deletions. In addition, frequent structural changes after substitutions also tend to be common for insertions and deletions. This is consistent with the connection between energetically suboptimal folds and possible structural transitions. The similarities observed hold both for genotypic and phenotypic robustness and mutation probabilities, i.e. for individual sequences and for averages over sequences with the same structure. Our results could have implications for the rate of neutral and non-neutral evolution.
Mosquito-borne arboviruses in Uganda: history, transmission and burden
Authors: Mayanja Martin N. , Mwiine Frank N. , Lutwama Julius J. , Ssekagiri Alfred , Egesa Moses , Thomson Emma C. , Kohl Alain
Published: October 2021

Mosquito-transmitted arboviruses constitute a large proportion of emerging infectious diseases that are both a public health problem and a threat to animal populations. Many such viruses were identified in East Africa, a region where they remain important and from where new arboviruses may emerge. We set out to describe and review the relevant mosquito-borne viruses that have been identified specifically in Uganda. We focused on the discovery, burden, mode of transmission, animal hosts and clinical manifestation of those previously involved in disease outbreaks. A search for mosquito-borne arboviruses detected in Uganda was conducted using search terms ‘Arboviruses in Uganda’ and ‘Mosquitoes and Viruses in Uganda’ in PubMed and Google Scholar in 2020. Twenty-four mosquito-borne viruses from different animal hosts, humans and mosquitoes were documented. The majority of these were from familyPeribunyaviridae, followed byFlaviviridae,Togaviridae,Phenuiviridaeand only one each from familyRhabdoviridaeandReoviridae. Sixteen (66.7%) of the viruses were associated with febrile illnesses. Ten (41.7%) of them were first described locally in Uganda. Six of these are a public threat as they have been previously associated with disease outbreaks either within or outside Uganda. Historically, there is a high burden and endemicity of arboviruses in Uganda. Given the many diverse mosquito species known in the country, there is also a likelihood of many undescribed mosquito-borne viruses. Next generation diagnostic platforms have great potential to identify new viruses. Indeed, four novel viruses, two of which were from humans (Ntwetwe and Nyangole viruses) and two from mosquitoes (Kibale and Mburo viruses) were identified in the last decade using next generation sequencing. Given the unbiased approach of detection of viruses by this technology, its use will undoubtedly be critically important in the characterization of mosquito viromes which in turn will inform other diagnostic efforts.