bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Japan’s Practice of Modern Monetary Theory amid the Pandemic Recession
Authors: XING Yuqing
Published: December 2020

For more than two decades, Japan has been struggling with deflation. Modern monetary theory (MMT) provides an alternative policy option for the Japanese government to boost inflation and support economy growth. The recession triggered by the coronavirus pandemic has further enhanced the importance of MMT, despite criticisms by mainstream economists. In response to the impacts of the pandemic on the economy, the Abe administration rolled out a 117 trillion Japanese yen stimulus package. To date, Japanese public debt-to-GDP ratio has exceeded 230%. However, the support for the massive coronavirus stimulus—and its success in forestalling the worst possible outcome of broad shutdowns—is rooted in the MMT.
IR2V
EC
Authors: VenkataKeerthy S. , Aggarwal Rohit , Jain Shalini , Desarkar Maunendra Sankar , Upadrasta Ramakrishna , Srikant Y. N.
Published: December 2020

We propose IR2V
EC
, a Concise and Scalable encoding infrastructure to represent programs as a distributed embedding in continuous space. This distributed embedding is obtained by combining representation learning methods with flow information to capture the syntax as well as the semantics of the input programs. As our infrastructure is based on the Intermediate Representation (IR) of the source code, obtained embeddings are both language and machine independent. The entities of the IR are modeled as relationships, and their representations are learned to form a
seed embedding vocabulary
. Using this infrastructure, we propose two incremental encodings:
Symbolic
and
Flow-Aware
.
Symbolic
encodings are obtained from the
seed embedding vocabulary
, and
Flow-Aware
encodings are obtained by augmenting the
Symbolic
encodings with the flow information.

We show the effectiveness of our methodology on two optimization tasks (Heterogeneous device mapping and Thread coarsening). Our way of representing the programs enables us to use non-sequential models resulting in orders of magnitude of faster training time. Both the encodings generated by IR2V
EC
outperform the existing methods in both the tasks, even while using
simple
machine learning models. In particular, our results improve or match the state-of-the-art speedup in 11/14 benchmark-suites in the device mapping task across two platforms and 53/68 benchmarks in the thread coarsening task across four different platforms. When compared to the other methods, our embeddings are
more scalable
,
is non-data-hungry
, and
has better Out-Of-Vocabulary (OOV) characteristics
.
Electrochemical Evaluation of Cytochrome P450 27B1
Authors: Rhieu Steve
Published: December 2020

2009 F. M. Becket Summer Research Fellowship — Summary Report
Long-Term Safety and Efficacy of Percutaneous Left Atrial Appendage Closure with the LAmbre Device
Authors: Wang Guangji , Kong Bin , Liu Yu , Huang He
Published: December 2020

Background. Left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) using the LAmbre device has been associated with prevention of stroke in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF). Here, we interrogated the long-term safety and efficacy of using the LAmbre device in percutaneous LAAC. Methods. We analyzed 56 records of patients with nonvalvular AF undergoing LAAC procedures with the LAmbre device. We collected and analyzed the data to define the safety and efficacy of the LAmbre device implantation. Result. The LAAC was successfully occluded in the 56 patients. Our data showed no serious residual leak or pericardial effusion occurred during the perioperative period. At a mean follow-up of 37.8 ± 23.5 months, there were 7.1%, 3.6%, and 3.6% rates of death, stroke, and device-related thrombus, respectively. There were no cases of severe residual leak or systemic embolism. Conclusion. Taken together, we demonstrate that execution of LAAC with the LAmbre device has high procedural success and prevents AF-related stroke. However, further large-scale trials might be required to confirm our findings.
The Study of Optimization and Matching to Spring and Antiroll Bar Stiffness of Suspension for Multiresponse Target of Whole Vehicle under Sine-Swept Steering Input
Authors: Gao Jin , Wu Fuquan
Published: December 2020

This article first leads from the specific double-wishbone suspension and multilink suspension structure form. And then systematically and detailedly analyse the change of spring's stiffness, and antiroll bar's stiffness causes the change of the side slip stiffness and rotation angle of tire, which will lead to the change of tire force, and then affect the dynamic characteristics of the whole vehicle. Based on this, the vehicle dynamics model considering the suspension is established, and the transfer function of the vehicle’s response index to steering wheel angle with coupling spring stiffness and antiroll bar stiffness is derived. Based on the dynamic theory analysis of the suspension and the whole vehicle, the multibody dynamics model of the whole vehicle with front double-wishbone suspension and rear multilink suspension was established. By calculating the frequency response characteristics of the vehicle under the sine-swept input, the frequency response index at the normal steering wheel operating frequency of 0.5 Hz was obtained. In addition, these frequency response indexes at 0.5 Hz were taken as optimization objectives, and the spring stiffness and antiroll bar stiffness of the front and rear suspension were taken as optimization variables, which were optimized by the NSGA-II algorithm. The results show that at 0.5 Hz, the gain value in the frequency response index is reduced, and the delay time is not significantly different from other group schemes, but it is not the worst; the value is within an acceptable range, and the dynamic characteristics of the car in the low frequency range have been improved.
A Novel Bio-Inspired Algorithm Applied to Selective Harmonic Elimination in a Three-Phase Eleven-Level Inverter
Authors: Peña-Delgado Adrián F. , Peraza-Vázquez Hernán , Almazán-Covarrubias Juan H. , Torres Cruz Nicolas , García-Vite Pedro Martín , Morales-Cepeda Ana Beatriz , Ramirez-Arredondo Juan M.
Published: December 2020

Selective harmonics elimination (SHE) is a widely applied control strategy in multilvel inverters for harmonics reduction. SHE is designed for the elimination of low-order harmonics while keeping the fundamental component equal to any previously specified amplitude. This paper proposes a novel bio-inspired metaheuristic optimization algorithm called Black Widow Optimization Algorithm (BWOA) for solving the SHE set of equations. BWOA mimics the spiders’ different movement strategies for courtship-mating, guaranteeing the exploration and exploitation of the search space. The optimization results show the reliability of BWOA compared to the state-of-the-art metaheuristic algorithms and show competitive results as a microalgorithm, opening its future application for an on-line optimization calculation in low requirement hardware.
Is COVID-19–Induced Platelet Activation a Cause of Concern for Patients with Cancer?
Authors: Lichtenberger Lenard M. , Vijayan K. Vinod
Published: December 2020

Patients with cancer are more susceptible to be infected by SARS-CoV-2 and develop severe outcomes including ICU admittance, mechanical ventilator support, and a high rate of mortality. Like mid-to late-stage cancer, SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with platelet hyperactivity, systemic inflammation, thrombotic complications, and coagulopathy. Platelets also promote cancer cell growth, survival in circulation, and angiogenesis at sites of metastases. In this article, we will discuss the potential for platelets in the development of systemic inflammation and thrombosis in SARS-CoV-2–infected patients with cancer, with the concern that the platelet-induced pathogenic events are likely magnified in cancer patients with COVID-19.
Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Survival after Breast Cancer Diagnosis by Estrogen and Progesterone Receptor Status: A Pooled Analysis
Authors: John Esther M. , McGuire Valerie , Kurian Allison W. , Koo Jocelyn , Shariff-Marco Salma , Gomez Scarlett Lin , Cheng Iona , Keegan Theresa H.M. , Kwan Marilyn L. , Bernstein Leslie , Vigen Cheryl , Wu Anna H.
Published: December 2020

Background:

Limited studies have investigated racial/ethnic survival disparities for breast cancer defined by estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) status in a multiethnic population.

Methods:

Using multivariable Cox proportional hazards models, we assessed associations of race/ethnicity with ER/PR-specific breast cancer mortality in 10,366 California women diagnosed with breast cancer from 1993 to 2009. We evaluated joint associations of race/ethnicity, health care, sociodemographic, and lifestyle factors with mortality.

Results:

Among women with ER/PR+ breast cancer, breast cancer–specific mortality was similar among Hispanic and Asian American women, but higher among African American women [HR, 1.31; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.05–1.63] compared with non-Hispanic White (NHW) women. Breast cancer–specific mortality was modified by surgery type, hospital type, education, neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES), smoking history, and alcohol consumption. Among African American women, breast cancer–specific mortality was higher among those treated at nonaccredited hospitals (HR, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.21–2.04) and those from lower SES neighborhoods (HR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.16–1.88) compared with NHW women without these characteristics. Breast cancer–specific mortality was higher among African American women with at least some college education (HR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.11–1.82) compared with NHW women with similar education. For ER−/PR− disease, breast cancer–specific mortality did not differ by race/ethnicity and associations of race/ethnicity with breast cancer–specific mortality varied only by neighborhood SES among African American women.

Conclusions:

Racial/ethnic survival disparities are more striking for ER/PR+ than ER−/PR− breast cancer. Social determinants and lifestyle factors may explain some of the survival disparities for ER/PR+ breast cancer.

Impact:

Addressing these factors may help reduce the higher mortality of African American women with ER/PR+ breast cancer.
Interactive Text Ranking with Bayesian Optimization: A Case Study on Community QA and Summarization
Authors: Simpson Edwin , Gao Yang , Gurevych Iryna
Published: December 2020

For many NLP applications, such as question answering and summarization, the goal is to select the best solution from a large space of candidates to meet a particular user’s needs. To address the lack of user or task-specific training data, we propose an interactive text ranking approach that actively selects pairs of candidates, from which the user selects the best. Unlike previous strategies, which attempt to learn a ranking across the whole candidate space, our method uses Bayesian optimization to focus the user’s labeling effort on high quality candidates and integrate prior knowledge to cope better with small data scenarios. We apply our method to community question answering (cQA) and extractive multidocument summarization, finding that it significantly outperforms existing interactive approaches. We also show that the ranking function learned by our method is an effective reward function for reinforcement learning, which improves the state of the art for interactive summarization.
A Temple of “The Mistress of the Sea” That Was Far from the Shore (the Iseum in Beneventum)
Authors: Tomashevich Olga V.
Published: December 2020

The paper discusses the region of Campania as a zone of contact between Rome and Egypt, especially with regard to the cult of Egyptian Isis. Her cult first penetrates into port cities: Puteoli, Pompeii and, possibly at an even earlier date, Cumae. Later Rome, as the capital of the empire, affected each and every thing, including the spread of Isidic cult. The focus of our attention is the Iseum in Beneventum built by Domitian who obviously liked to present himself as a dominus et deus in a truly pharaonic spirit.
Cyprus as a Contact Zone in the 1st Millennium AD
Authors: Lund John
Published: December 2020

Using Cyprus as a case study, the present contribution applies a diachronic perspective to the notion of contact zones as a means to explore some of the implications of this concept for an island. The geographic distribution of ceramic imports to Cyprus during the 1st millennium reveals a fairly consistent pattern through time, which seems to be more or less similar to what has been suggested for earlier periods in the island’s history. This suggests that the points of contact were determined more by geographical proximity and ease of communication than by human factors. The Cypriots themselves seem to have played a less active role on the overseas markets in the 1st millennium AD than before, and it is tentatively proposed that it might have been the island’s loss of control of her mines in the Hellenistic and Roman Periods that led to a decline in the direct involvement of Cypriots in overseas trade.
Time to Get Serious about Combating Forced Labour and Human Trafficking in Fisheries
Authors: Becker-Weinberg Vasco
Published: December 2020

The connection between forced labour and human trafficking and fisheries, particularly illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing, is vile and highly profitable, and may be found in most parts of the world. A fishing vessel can be a place of abuse more extreme than any other onshore. At sea, it is out of sight for long periods of time, with little or no opportunity for fishers to escape. The working and living conditions on board are often simply described as inhumane. Combating labour exploitation in fisheries raises many complex multijurisdictional challenges, most of which, if not all, could be circumvented if States were serious about addressing this phenomenon. This article examines these challenges and the relevant international legal framework, particularly the 2007 Work in Fishing Convention and the 2014 Protocol to the Forced Labour Convention, against the background of the law of the sea and international human rights law.
Right of Entry: The Struggle over Recognition in the World of Intelligence
Authors: Amicelle Anthony
Published: December 2020

This article aims to question the birth, and subsequent search for recognition, of a new type of intelligence agency, which appeared in the early 1990s and is now institutionalised in a vast majority of states across the world: “Financial intelligence units”. It sheds light for the first time on the modalities of access of one of these agencies to the field of security. Following Pierre Bourdieu’s field theory, it thus raises the question of the “right of entry” of a new actor to a specific social universe, e.g. “the conditions and modalities for access to a particular ‘field’ at a given time in its history”. Understanding how such intelligence agencies take shape, function and interact with the security-related recipients of their intelligence is crucial for at least two reasons, regarding the policing of illicit capital and associated crimes, and the use of intelligence in contemporary strategies of social control.
Dialium heterophyllum (Fabaceae: Dialioideae), a new tree species from the Amazon

Authors: FALCÃO MARCUS JOSÉ DE AZEVEDO , MANSANO VIDAL DE FREITAS
Published: December 2020

In this work, we describe Dialium heterophyllum, a new species for the largest genus in the diverse and morphologically unique legume subfamily Dialioideae. Dialium, with 32 species, has its highest diversity in tropical Africa and Asia, with four species accepted until now in the Neotropics. The fifth species described here reinforces the idea that a large portion of the Neotropical diversity, notably in the Amazon, is still unknown. Dialium heterophyllum is restricted to the south of the Amazon Basin in Brazil and Bolivia, areas under intense anthropic pressure in recent years. Due to its floral morphology, the species appears to be closely related to the other Neotropical species of the genus, differing by its reduced leaf rachis with unifoliolate to trifoliolate leaves, generally opposed to sub-opposed leaflets, the terminal leaflet much longer than the lateral ones (when present) and than the leaf rachis. We provide illustrations, distribution maps, a conservation risk assessment and an identification key.
Interactions between Water Vapor, Potential Vorticity, and Vertical Wind Shear in Quasi-Geostrophic Motions: Implications for Rotational Tropical Motion Systems
Authors: Adames Ángel F.
Published: December 2020

A linear two-layer model is used to elucidate the role of prognostic moisture on quasigeostrophic (QG) motions in the presence of a mean thermal wind (). Solutions to the basic equations reveal two instabilities that can explain the growth of moist QG systems. The well-documented baroclinic instability is characterized by growth at the synoptic scale (horizontal scale of ~1000 km) and systems that grow from this instability tilt against the shear. Moisture–vortex instability—an instability that occurs when moisture and lower-tropospheric vorticity exhibit an in-phase component—exists only when moisture is prognostic. The instability is also strongest at the synoptic scale, but systems that grow from it exhibit a vertically stacked structure. When moisture is prognostic and is easterly, baroclinic instability exhibits a pronounced weakening while moisture vortex instability is amplified. The strengthening of moisture–vortex instability at the expense of baroclinic instability is due to the baroclinic () component of the lower-tropospheric flow. In westward-propagating systems, lower-tropospheric westerlies associated with an easterly advect anomalous moisture and the associated convection toward the low-level vortex. The advected convection causes the vertical structure of the wave to shift away from one that favors baroclinic instability to one that favors moisture–vortex instability. On the other hand, a westerly reinforces the phasing between moisture and vorticity necessary for baroclinic instability to occur. Based on these results, it is hypothesized that moisture–vortex instability is an important instability in humid regions of easterly such as the South Asian and West African monsoons.
COVID-19: Qualitative Research With Vulnerable Populations
Authors: Webber-Ritchey Kashica J. , Simonovich Shannon D. , Spurlark Roxanne S.
Published: December 2020

With COVID-19 affecting all types of research, the authors of this article contribute to the discussions on how COVID-19 affects the world of qualitative nursing research in irrefutable ways. Underrepresented and vulnerable populations are faced with higher rates and severity of COVID-19, heightening the need to better address their health needs, which require their voices to be heard. Moreover, nurses’ perspectives on practicing during COVID-19 are needed. These nurses are vulnerable and their voices must be heard. Qualitative research methodology is advantageous to bringing attention to the lived experience of others as they unfold. Thus, we offer suggestions to aid in the collection and interpretation of qualitative data among vulnerable populations. We also provide practical tips for qualitative researchers, including an exemplar of conducting qualitative research among vulnerable nurses in light of COVID-19.
Silent cerebral infarcts in patients with sickle cell disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Houwing Maite E. , Grohssteiner Rowena L. , Dremmen Marjolein H. G. , Atiq Ferdows , Bramer Wichor M. , de Pagter Anne P. J. , Zwaan C. Michel , White Tonya J. H. , Vernooij Meike W. , Cnossen Marjon H.
Published: December 2020

Background and purpose

Silent cerebral infarcts (SCIs) are the most common neurological complication in children and adults with sickle cell disease (SCD). In this systematic review, we provide an overview of studies that have detected SCIs in patients with SCD by cerebral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We focus on the frequency of SCIs, the risk factors involved in their development and their clinical consequences.

Methods

The databases of Embase, MEDLINE ALL via Ovid, Web of Science Core Collection, Cochrane Central Register of Trials via Wiley and Google Scholar were searched from inception to June 1, 2019.

Results

The search yielded 651 results of which 69 studies met the eligibility criteria. The prevalence of SCIs in patients with SCD ranges from 5.6 to 80.6% with most studies reported in the 20 to 50% range. The pooled prevalence of SCIs in HbSS and HbSβ0SCD patients is 29.5%. SCIs occur more often in patients with the HbSS and HbSβ0genotype in comparison with other SCD genotypes, as SCIs are found in 9.2% of HbSC and HbSβ+patients. Control subjects showed a mean pooled prevalence of SCIs of 9.8%. Data from included studies showed a statistically significant association between increasing mean age of the study population and mean SCI prevalence. Thirty-three studies examined the risk factors for SCIs. The majority of the risk factors show no clear association with prevalence, since more or less equal numbers of studies give evidence for and against the causal association.

Conclusions

This systematic review and meta-analysis shows SCIs are common in patients with SCD. No clear risk factors for their development were identified. Larger, prospective and controlled clinical, neuropsychological and neuroimaging studies are needed to understand how SCD and SCIs affect cognition.
Parasitic neutron beam monitoring: Proof of concept on gamma monitoring of neutron chopper phases
Authors: Issa F. , Hall-Wilton R. , Quintanilla A. , Olsson M. , Zielinski D. , Kanaki K. , Tsapatsaris N.
Published: December 2020

Neutron beam monitors are an essential diagnostic component of neutron scattering facilities. They are used to measure neutron flux, calibrating experiments performed on the instruments, allowing measurement of facility performance, understanding of the effect on the neutrons of beam-line components (such as choppers), calibration of detectors and tracking of beam stability. Ideally beam monitors should not perturb the beam. Previous work shows commercial beam monitors attenuate the beam by a few percent in the worst case due to the 1–2 mm thick aluminium entrance and exit windows and the material inside. Parasitic methods of neutron beam diagnostics, where there is no beam monitor directly in the beam, would be preferable. This paper presents the concept of a parasitic method of monitoring the beam which can be used for neutron chopper phasing. This is achieved by placing a gamma detector close to a rotating chopper and measuring a signal proportional to the flux absorbed by the chopper. Neutrons interact with the boron absorber on the chopper disc leading to gamma emission at 480 keV. Detection of these gamma rays is used to determine the chopper phasing and timing. Potentially information on the flux of the beamline can be extracted. Results from a proof of concept implementation show that diagnosis of neutron chopper phases is feasible.
Διαφοροποιημένη διδασκαλία: Από την έρευνα στην πράξη - Εισαγωγικό σημείωμα
Authors: Κακανά Δόμνα
Published: December 2020

-
Exploring the perspectives of people post-stroke, carers and healthcare professionals to inform the development of an intervention to improve cognitive impairment post-stroke
Authors: O' Donoghue Mairéad , Boland Pauline , Leahy Siobhan , Galvin Rose , Hayes Sara
Published: December 2020

Background: Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Cognitive impairment is common post-stroke and can result in negative sequalae such as a lower quality of life, increased carer burden and increased healthcare costs. Despite the prevalence and associated burden of post-stroke cognitive impairment, there is uncertainty regarding the optimum intervention to improve cognitive function post-stroke. By exploring the perspectives of people post-stroke, carers and healthcare professionals on cognitive impairment, this qualitative study aims to inform the design and development of an intervention to rehabilitate cognitive impairment post-stroke.

Methods: A qualitative descriptive approach will be applied, using semi-structured interviews with people post-stroke, carers and healthcare professionals. People post-stroke will be recruited via gatekeepers from a local stroke support group and Headway, a brain injury support service. Carers will be recruited via a gatekeeper from a local carers branch. Healthcare professionals will be recruited via gatekeepers from relevant neurological sites and via Twitter. The final number of participants recruited will be guided by information power. Data will be collectively analysed and synthesised using thematic analysis. The Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Studies (COREQ) guidelines will be used to standardize the conduct and reporting of the research.

Conclusions: It is anticipated that exploring the perspectives of people post-stroke, carers and healthcare professionals on cognitive impairment post-stroke will inform the development of an evidence-based optimal intervention to rehabilitate cognitive deficits post-stroke. This study was granted ethical approval from the Faculty of Education and Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee at the University of Limerick. Study findings will be disseminated locally through presentations at stroke support groups, as well as internationally through academic conferences and peer-reviewed journals.
ТРАНСФОРМАЦИЯ ФИНАНСОВОЙ СФЕРЫ РЕГИОНОВ РФ В УСЛОВИЯХ НАРАСТАНИЯ ВНЕШНИХ УГРОЗ
Authors: Zakharchuk Ekaterina Aleksandrovna
Published: December 2020

В последние годы угрозы социально-экономическому развитию как Российской Федерации в целом, так и отдельным регионам нарастают в значительной степени. В первую очередь это отражается на финансовой сфере, поскольку политика санкций в отношении России, в первую очередь, основана на блокировании возможностей использования различных финансовых инструментов за рубежом. Дальнейшее нарастание угроз может привести к различным формам чрезвычайных ситуаций в экономике и финансовой сфере. В то же время, малоизученным остается вопрос влияния специальных режимов на финансовую сферу отдельных регионов, которое может быть разнородным в зависимости от возможностей территорий.Цель исследования – выделить для финансовой сферы отдельных регионов возможные последствия, связанные с нарастанием внешних угроз и введения специальных режимов хозяйствования.Методы исследования: в работе использованы методы анализа и исторических аналогий, применены общенаучные методы сравнений и экстраполяции.Результаты: на основе обобщения зарубежного и российского опыта введения экономических санкций против отдельных стран, выделены наиболее вероятные виды санкционных режимов против России в финансово-экономической сфере. Также автором определен вероятный сценарий изменений в финансовой сфере в случае введения специальных режимов хозяйствования в РФ, а также возможное влияние на отдельные регионы РФ. Выделены параметры финансовых ограничений и основные характеристики функционирования денежно-кредитной системы в данные периоды времени, определены базовые условия изменений в социально-экономической сфере регионов РФ.Область применения результатов: полученные результаты могут быть использованы в работе органов государственной власти при учете последствий от введения санкций и чрезвычайных режимов в региональной привязке.
Geometric factor in seasonal variations of daily average values of the geomagnetic index Dₛₜ
Authors: Makarov Georgy
Published: December 2020

The work uses data on the geomagnetic index Dst for the period 1966–2015. Under quiet conditions, the occurrence of seasonal variations of the daily average Dst index depends on geometric factors of the interaction between the solar wind and the magnetosphere; and under disturbed conditions, on the development of a partial ring current in the magnetosphere. At large negative values of the Dst index, there is no seasonal variation in it. The imperfection of the network of Dst stations is assumed to lead to the formation of annual variation in Dst. The formation of a semiannual variation is associated with the movement of the plasma sheet relative to the plane of the geomagnetic equator during the annual rotation of Earth around the Sun. Based on the data on semiannual variations in the number of days n(Dst), the critical daily average value of the geomagnetic index Dst is determined, starting from which we can speak of disturbed days: Dst≤–24 nT.
Applying the method of maximum contributions to the magnetogram inversion technique
Authors: Penskikh Yury
Published: December 2020

Fundamentals of the spherical harmonic analysis (SHA) of the geomagnetic field were created by Gauss. They acquired the classical Chapman — Schmidt form in the first half of the XXth century. The SHA method was actively developed for domestic geomagnetology by IZMIRAN, and then, since the start of the space age, by ISTP SB RAS, where SHA became the basis for a comprehensive method of MIT (magnetogram inversion technique). SHA solves the inverse problem of potential theory and calculates sources of geomagnetic field variations (GFV) - internal and external electric currents. The SHA algorithm forms a system of linear equations (SLE), which consists of 3K equations (three components of the geomagnetic field, K is the number of ground magnetic stations). Small changes in the left and (or) right side of such SLE can lead to a significant change in unknown variables. As a result, two consecutive instants of time with almost identical GFV are approximated by significantly different SHA coefficients. This contradicts both logic and real observations of the geomagnetic field. The inherent error of magnetometers, as well as the method for determining GFV, also entails the instability of SLE solution. To solve such SLEs optimally, the method of maximum contribution (MMC) was developed at ISTP SB RAS half a century ago. This paper presents basics of the original method and proposes a number of its modifications that increase the accuracy and (or) speed of solving the SLEs. The advantage of MMC over other popular methods is shown, especially for the Southern Hemisphere of Earth.
Augmented reality display system using modulated moiré imaging technique
Authors: Lou Yimin , Hu Juanmei , Chen Aixi , Wu Fengmin
Published: December 2020

To enhance the depth rendering ability of augmented reality (AR) display systems, a modulated moiré imaging technique is used to render the true three-dimensional (3D) images for AR display systems. 3D images with continuous depth information and large depth of field are rendered and superimposed on the real scene. The proposed AR system consists of a modulated moiré imaging subsystem and an optical combiner. The modulated moiré imaging subsystem employs modulated point light sources, a display device, and a microlens array to generate 3D images. A defocussing equal period moiré imaging structure is used, which gives a chance for the point light sources to modulate the depth position of 3D images continuously. The principles of the imaging system are deduced analytically. A custom-designed transparent off-axis spherical reflective lens is used as an optical combiner to project the 3D images into the real world. An experimental AR system that provides continuous 3D images with depth information ranging from 0.5 to 2.5 m is made to verify the feasibility of the proposed technique.
Photon bunching of the nonlinear photoluminescence emitted by plasmonics metals
Authors: Malchow Konstantin , Bouhelier Alexandre
Published: December 2020

In this report, we investigate the statistical temporal distribution of nonlinear upconverted photoluminescence emitted by gold and silver nanostructures excited by focused near-infrared laser pulses. We systematically observe a clear signature of photon bunching regardless of the nano-object’s geometry, material’s crystalline arrangement, and electronic band structure. The similarity of the data obtained across very different plasmonic objects confirms that these types of nonlinear radiation share a common chaotic origin and result from a collection of emitters. The correlation of photons at a picosecond time scale released by nanoscale nonlinear sources of broadband radiation may be used in plasmonic devices to develop new data temporal and spatial processing functionalities.
Experimental demonstration of a time-domain digital-coding metasurface for a Doppler cloak
Authors: Liu Baiyang , He Yejun , Wong Sai-Wai , Li Yin
Published: December 2020

By generating an artificial Doppler shift, a Doppler cloak can compensate for the Doppler shift from a moving object. An object covered by a Doppler cloak will be detected as a static object, even if it is actually moving. Herein, we experimentally demonstrate the Doppler cloak in a radar system using a time-domain digital-coding metasurface. We theoretically illustrate an active metasurface with a modulated reflection phase that can imitate the motion of moving, thereby generating an artificial Doppler shift for a Doppler cloak. Moreover, a reflective metasurface composed of voltage-controlled varactor diodes with a 3-bit reflection phase was designed and fabricated. Finally, we experimentally demonstrate that an artificial Doppler shift for a Doppler cloak is obtained from the proposed metasurface using a discrete time-varying bias voltage. Simulation and measurement results show that the proposed time-domain digital-coding metasurface can cancel the Doppler shift and serve as a Doppler cloak. The proposed metasurface may have potential applications in a Doppler radar illusion, Doppler cancellation in vehicle-to-vehicle communications, and wireless communications.
Spatiotemporal plane wave expansion method for arbitrary space–time periodic photonic media
Authors: Park Jagang , Min Bumki
Published: December 2020

We have derived a systematic method to calculate the photonic band structures and mode field profiles of arbitrary space–time periodic media by adopting the plane wave expansion method and extending to the space–time domain. We have applied the proposed method to a photonic crystal with time periodic permittivity, i.e., the Floquet photonic crystal, and showed that the method efficiently predicts driving-induced opening of frequency and momentum gaps and breaking of mirror symmetry in the photonic band structures. This method enables systematic investigation of various optical phenomena in space–time periodic media, such as nonreciprocal propagation of light, parametric processes, and photonic Floquet topological phases.
Management of possible serious bacterial infection in young infants closer to home when referral is not feasible: Lessons from implementation research in Himachal Pradesh, India
Authors: Goyal Nidhi , Rongsen-Chandola Temsunaro , Sood Mangla , Sinha Bireshwar , Kumar Amit , Qazi Shamim Ahmad , Aboubaker Samira , Nisar Yasir Bin , Bahl Rajiv , Bhan Maharaj Kishan , Bhandari Nita
Published: December 2020

Background

Government of India and the World Health Organization have guidelines for outpatient management of young infants 0–59 days with signs of Possible Serious Bacterial Infection (PSBI), when referral is not feasible. Implementation research was conducted to identify facilitators and barriers to operationalizing these guidelines.

Methods

Himachal Pradesh government implemented the guidelines in program settings supported by Centre for Health Research and Development, Society for Applied Studies. The strategy included community sensitization, skill enhancement of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA), Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) and Medical Officers (MOs) to identify PSBI and treat when referral was not feasible. The research team collected information on facilitators and barriers. A technical support unit provided training and oversight.

Findings

Among 1997 live births from June 2017 to January 2019, we identified 160 cases of PSBI in young infants resulting in a coverage of 80%, assuming an incidence of 10%. Of these,29(18.1%) had signs of critical illness (CI), 92 (57.5%) had clinical severe infection (CSI), 5 (3.1%)had severe pneumonia (only fast breathing in young infants 0–6 days), while 34 (21%) had pneumonia (only fast breathing in young infants 7–59 days). Hospital referral was accepted by 48/160 (30%), whereas 112/160 (70%) were treated with the simplified treatment regimens at primary level facilities. Of the 29 infants with CI, 18 (62%) accepted referral; 26 (90%) recovered while 3 (10%) who had accepted referral, died. Of the 92 infants who had CSI, 86 (93%) recovered, 65 (71%) received simplified treatment and one infant who had accepted referral, died. All the five infants who had severe pneumonia, recovered; 3 (60%) had received simplified treatment. Of the 34 pneumonia cases, 33 received simplified treatment of which 5 (15%) failed treatment; two out of these 5 died. Overall, 6/160 infants died (case-fatality-rate 3.4%); 2 in the simplified treatment (case-fatality-rate 1.8%) and 4 in the hospital group (case-fatality-rate 8.3%). Delayed identification and care-seeking by families and health system weaknesses like manpower gaps and interrupted supplies were challenges in implementation.

Conclusions

Implementation of the guidelines in program settings is possible and acceptable. Scaling up would require creating community awareness, early identification and appropriate care-seeking, strengthening ASHA home-visitation program, building skills and confidence of MOs and ANMs, uninterrupted supplies and a dependable referral system.
Manufacturing of convalescent plasma of COVID-19 patients: Aspects of quality
Authors: Hähnel Viola , Peterhoff David , Bäuerlein Veronika , Brosig Andreas-Michael , Pamler Irene , Johnson Christian , Bica Adelina , Totir Monica , Ossner Thomas , Stemmer Barbara , Toelge Martina , Schütz Anja , Niller Hans-Helmut , Schmidt Barbara , Wagner Ralf , Gessner André , Burkhard Ralph , Offner Robert
Published: December 2020

The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic emerged in December 2019. Convalescent plasma represents a promising COVID-19 treatment. Here, we report on the manufacturing of a plasma-based product containing antibodies specific to SARS-CoV-2 obtained from recently recovered COVID-19 patients. Convalescent plasma donors were screened as follows: 1) previously confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection (by real-time PCR (RT-PCR)); 2) a subsequent negative PCR test followed by a 2-week waiting period; 3) an additional negative PCR test prior to plasmapheresis; and 4) confirmation of the presence of SARS-CoV-2 specific antibodies. Convalescent plasma was stored fresh (2–6°C) for up to 5 days or frozen (-30°C) for long-term storage. Donor peripheral blood and final plasma product were assayed for binding antibodies targeting the SARS-CoV-2 S-protein receptor-binding domain (RBD) and their titers measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). We performed 72 plasmaphereses resulting in 248 final products. Convalescent plasma contained an RBD-specific antibody titer (IgG) ranging from 1:100 to 1:3200 (median 1:800). The titer was congruent to the titer of the blood (n = 34) before collection (1:100–1:6400, median 1:800). Levels of IL-8 and LBP of donors were slightly increased. Therapeutic products derived from a human origin must undergo rigorous testing to ensure uniform quality and patient safety. Whilst previous publications recommended RBD-specific binding antibody titers of ≥ 1:320, we selected a minimum titer of 1:800 in order to maximize antibody delivery. Production of highly standardized convalescent plasma was safe, feasible and was readily implemented in the treatment of severely ill COVID-19 patients.
Performance measurement of ESG-themed megatrend investments in global equity markets using pure factor portfolios methodology
Authors: Naffa Helena , Fain Máté
Published: December 2020

ESG factors are becoming mainstream in portfolio investment strategies, attracting increasing fund inflows from investors who are aligning their investment values to Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) declared by the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investments. Do investors sacrifice return for pursuing ESG-aligned megatrend goals? The study analyses the risk-adjusted financial performance of ESG-themed megatrend investment strategies in global equity markets. The analysis covers nine themes for the period 2015–2019: environmental megatrends covering energy efficiency, food security, and water scarcity; social megatrends covering ageing, millennials, and urbanisation; governance megatrends covered by cybersecurity, disruptive technologies, and robotics. We construct megatrend factor portfolios based on signalling theory and formulate a novel measure for stock megatrend exposure (MTE), based on the relative fund flows into the corresponding thematic ETFs. We apply pure factor portfolios methodology based on constrained WLS cross-sectional regressions to calculate Fama-French factor returns. Time-series regression rests on the generalised method of moments estimator (GMM) that uses robust distance instruments. Our findings show that each environmental megatrend, as well as the disruptive technologies megatrend, yielded positive and significant alphas relative to the passive strategy, although this outperformance becomes statistically insignificant in the Fama-French 5-factor model context. The important result is that most of the megatrend factor portfolios yielded significant non-negative alphas; which supports our assumption that megatrend investing strategy promotes SDGs while not sacrificing returns, even when accounting for transaction costs up to 50bps/annum. Higher transaction costs, as is the case for some of these ETFs with expense ratios reaching 80-100bps, may be an indication of two things: ESG-themed megatrend investors were willing to sacrifice ca. 30-50bps of annual return to remain aligned with sustainability targets, or that expense ratio may well decline in the future.
Targeting bioenergetics is key to counteracting the drug-tolerant state of biofilm-grown bacteria
Authors: Donnert Monique , Elsheikh Sarah , Arce-Rodriguez Alejandro , Pawar Vinay , Braubach Peter , Jonigk Danny , Haverich Axel , Weiss Siegfried , Müsken Mathias , Häussler Susanne
Published: December 2020

Embedded in an extracellular matrix, biofilm-residing bacteria are protected from diverse physicochemical insults. In accordance, in the human host the general recalcitrance of biofilm-grown bacteria hinders successful eradication of chronic, biofilm-associated infections. In this study, we demonstrate that upon addition of promethazine, an FDA approved drug, antibiotic tolerance of in vitro biofilm-grown bacteria can be abolished. We show that following the addition of promethazine, diverse antibiotics are capable of efficiently killing biofilm-residing cells at minimal inhibitory concentrations. Synergistic effects could also be observed in a murine in vivo model system. PMZ was shown to increase membrane potential and interfere with bacterial respiration. Of note, antibiotic killing activity was elevated when PMZ was added to cells grown under environmental conditions that induce low intracellular proton levels. Our results imply that biofilm-grown bacteria avoid antibiotic killing and become tolerant by counteracting intracellular alkalization through the adaptation of metabolic and transport functions. Abrogation of antibiotic tolerance by interfering with the cell’s bioenergetics promises to pave the way for successful eradication of biofilm-associated infections. Repurposing promethazine as a biofilm-sensitizing drug has the potential to accelerate the introduction of new treatments for recalcitrant, biofilm-associated infections into the clinic.
Do HIV patients have mandibular osteoporotic alterations? A mandibular cortical index case-control study
Authors: Nagai Aline , Morita Lucas , Munhoz Luciana , Arita Emiko
Published: December 2020

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate mandibular osteoporotic alterations in patients with HIV infection in comparison to non-HIV-infected patients using panoramic radiographs. Material and Methods: 26 HIV-infected patients and 142 non-HIV-infected patients (control group) were included in this study. Panoramic radiographs of the participants were assessed considering mandibular cortical index (MCI). Non-parametric comparisons between groups were performed, using Mann-Whitney test, at a level significance level of p= 0.05. Results: HIV-infected patients presented lower bone mineral density (BMD) at mandible, assessed by MCI in panoramic radiographs when compared to non-HIV-infected patients. The medication intake of HIV-infected patients was highly heterogeneous and could not be associated to the low BMD presented in the mandibular cortex. Conclusions:  HIV-infected patients may present lower mandibular BMD than non-HIV-infected patients.
 
Keywords
Panoramic radiograph; osteoporosis; bone mineral density; HIV.
Comparison of total antioxidant capacity of saliva in men based on daily cigarette consumption
Authors: Pashaei Pourya , Alizadeh Zahra , Piri Hossein , Mirzadeh Monirsadat , Kazemi Fatemeh
Published: December 2020

Objective: Antioxidants play an important role in inhibiting free oxygen and nitrogen radicals and preventing their formation. There are contradictory results regarding the relationship between cigarette smoking and total antioxidant capacity of saliva. In this study, the total antioxidant capacity of saliva has been compared in normal smokers, heavy smokers and non-smokers. Material and methods: In this cross-sectional study, 28 heavy male smokers (more than one pack of cigarettes per day), 28 normal male smokers (less than one pack of cigarettes per day), and 28 male non-smokers aged 25 to 40 years old entered the study. Unstimulated saliva was collected by Spitting method. The total antioxidant capacity of saliva was measured using Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power Assay. Descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and Tukey tests were used to analyze the data. Results: The mean total antioxidant capacity of saliva in male non-smokers was 0.0598 ± 0.08 ?mol / L, in normal male smokers was 0.049 ± 0.04 ?mol / L, and in heavy male smokers was 0.0388 ± 0.035 ?mol / L, which did not show any significant difference between the groups (P > 0.05). Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that smoking does not have a significant effect on total antioxidant capacity of saliva in smokers.
KEYWORDS
Smokers; Saliva; Total antioxidant capacity.
Interlocuções da Educação Ambiental, da Abordagem Bioecológica de Desenvolvimento Humano e o conceito de resiliência profissional
Authors: Bersch Ângela Adriane Schmidt , Yunes Maria Angela Mattar , Garcia Narjara Mendes
Published: December 2020

O artigo apresenta a potência da Abordagem Bioecológica de Desenvolvimento Humano de Urie Bronfenbrenner quando vinculada aos elementos teóricos e práticos da Educação Ambiental. A proposta do olhar ecológico envolve focar os diversos contextos em que a pessoa atua de forma ativa ou passiva e permite construir perspectivas sistêmicas e holísticas das problemáticas humanas e socioambientais. Entre tais questões, esse trabalho destaca as práticas de promoção de resiliência profissional por meio de processos chave e de interconexões dos ambientes da pessoa em desenvolvimento sob a perspectiva da Educação Ambiental. O objetivo final das reflexões é colaborar para a busca de práticas profissionais, ações e soluções que transformam risco em proteção e resiliência.