bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Anticipatory Governance in Biobanking: Security and Risk Management in Digital Health
Authors: Rychnovská Dagmar
Published: April 2021

Although big-data research has met with multiple controversies in diverse fields, political and security implications of big data in life sciences have received less attention. This paper explores how threats and risks are anticipated and acted on in biobanking, which builds research repositories for biomedical samples and data. Focusing on the biggest harmonisation cluster of biomedical research in Europe, BBMRI-ERIC, the paper analyses different logics of risk in the anticipatory discourse on biobanking. Based on document analysis, interviews with ELSI experts, and field research, three types of framing of risk are reconstructed: data security, privacy, and data misuse. The paper finds that these logics downplay the broader social and political context and reflects on the limits of the practices of anticipatory governance in biobanking. It argues that this regime of governance can make it difficult for biobanks to address possible future challenges, such as access to biomedical data by authorities, pressures for integrating biobank data with other type of personal data, or their use for profiling beyond medical purposes. To address potential controversies and societal implications related to the use of big data in health research and medicine, the paper suggests to expand the vocabulary and practices of anticipatory governance, in the biobanking community and beyond.
What do females really dream of? An individual-differences perspective on determining how narrative identity affects types of life projects and the ways of telling them
Authors: Kaźmierczak Izabela , Szulawski Michał , Masłowiecka Agnieszka , Zięba Mariusz
Published: April 2021

This article presents the findings of a study on life projects (LPs) created by adult females. It aims to show the specifics of future plans and of ideas on aspects of narrative identity in order to extend the existing literature. The study revealed the broad spectrum of LPs, with the most common categories related to study and work, regardless of the narrative identity incorporated into the study. However, separately taken, motives of agency and communion turned out to show some visible differences within the other types of LPs. The adoption of the identity development construct showed the specific meaning that projects had for each subgroup of narrators, who were distinguished based on the identity maturation level. In consequence, it exposed both content and formal aspects of LPs that appeared to differentiate and be characteristic for the next stages of maturity in the surveyed sample.
Somatoform complaints in middle childhood A developmental path-analysis
Authors: Vesterling Christina , Koglin Ute
Published: April 2021

Repeatedly occurring somatoform complaints often cause disruptions in children’s daily life, both in family and school settings. Associated with these complaints, there is an increased demand for medical help in the affected children. Despite the frequent occurrence of somatoform complaints in childhood, only a small number of studies have focused on this subject, and the development and maintenance of somatoform complaints have not sufficiently explained to date. Previous research suggests that many different factors are involved, including insecure attachment, a lack of emotion regulation (ER) strategies, and psychiatric behavior problems. The aim of this study is to examine possible pathways describing the interplay of aforementioned factors, in order to contribute to a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms. A nonexperimental cross-sectional study was conducted. Questionnaires were completed by 221 children (female n = 115; Mage = 9.70 years, SDage = .56) reporting on their attachment and ER strategies, and their parents reported on the behavior problems and somatoform complaints. Path analysis revealed a good model fit (Χ2 = p .798, Χ2/df = .415, NFI = .994, CFI = 1.000, RMSEA = .000). Results revealed that attachment anxiety predicted maladaptive ER strategies, and attachment avoidance predicted emotion control. In turn significant paths were found between ER strategies, behavior problems, and somatoform complaints. This study provides a first insight into the underlying mechanisms describing the occurrence of somatoform complaints. Results revealed two developmental pathways, based on attachment quality and mediated through different emotion regulation strategies.

Clinical Trial Registration: The project “Impact factors and conditions of somatoform symptoms in childhood within familial and school contexts” is listed in the German Clinical Trails Register (DRKS-ID: DRKS00012444) and the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform.
How to Think about the Debate over the Reality of Beliefs
Authors: Poslajko Krzysztof
Published: April 2021

The aim of this paper is to propose a new conceptualization of the distinction between realism and anti-realism about beliefs that is based on the division between natural and non-natural properties, as defined by Lewis. It will be argued that although the traditional form of anti-realism about beliefs, namely eliminative materialism, has failed (as it led to unacceptable consequences), there is a possibility to reformulate the division in question. The background assumption of the proposal is the framework of deflationism about truth and existence: it will be assumed that beliefs can be said to exist and their attributions can said to be true. The aim is to show that even when we buy into such assumptions we can meaningfully distinguish between the realist and anti-realist approach to belief. According to the proposal, the paradigmatic anti-realist view on beliefs should be seen as a conjunction of three claims: that belief attributions do not track objective similarities, that beliefs are not causally active, and that there is no viable way of naturalizing content. It will be shown that seeing the debate in the proposed way has important advantages as it allows the issue of belief realism to be made non-trivial and tractable, and it introduces theoretical unity into contemporary metaphysics of beliefs.
Ethics in the Software Development Process: from Codes of Conduct to Ethical Deliberation
Authors: Gogoll Jan , Zuber Niina , Kacianka Severin , Greger Timo , Pretschner Alexander , Nida-Rümelin Julian
Published: April 2021

Software systems play an ever more important role in our lives and software engineers and their companies find themselves in a position where they are held responsible for ethical issues that may arise. In this paper, we try to disentangle ethical considerations that can be performed at the level of the software engineer from those that belong in the wider domain of business ethics. The handling of ethical problems that fall into the responsibility of the engineer has traditionally been addressed by the publication of Codes of Ethics and Conduct. We argue that these Codes are barely able to provide normative orientation in software development. The main contribution of this paper is, thus, to analyze the normative features of Codes of Ethics in software engineering and to explicate how their value-based approach might prevent their usefulness from a normative perspective. Codes of Conduct cannot replace ethical deliberation because they do not and cannot offer guidance because of their underdetermined nature. This lack of orientation, we argue, triggers reactive behavior such as “cherry-picking,” “risk of indifference,” “ex-post orientation,” and the “desire to rely on gut feeling.” In the light of this, we propose to implement ethical deliberation within software development teams as a way out.
Neural network based asynchronous synchronization for fuzzy hidden Markov jump complex dynamical networks
Authors: Ma Chao , Hao Liziyi , Fu Hang
Published: April 2021

This paper investigates the drive-response synchronization problem of Takagi–Sugeno fuzzy hidden Markov jump complex dynamical networks. More precisely, a novel asynchronous synchronization control strategy is developed for coping with mismatched hidden jumping modes. Furthermore, the neural network is adopted with online learning laws for unknown function approximation. By taking advantage of Lyapunov method, sufficient conditions are established to ensure mean-square synchronization performance with disturbances. Based on the synchronization criterion, asynchronous controller gains are designed in terms of linear matrix inequalities. An illustrative example is finally given to validate the effectiveness of the proposed synchronization techniques.
Cognitive impairment reversed by cinacalcet administration in primary hyperparathyroidism
Authors: Timmons J. G. , Manners R. , Bailey M. , McDougall C.
Published: April 2021

Primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) is a common endocrine disorder. Often serum calcium is minimally elevated with few symptoms. In elderly patients with multiple co-morbidities, the decision to “watch and wait” is often most clinically appropriate as operative intervention is associated with high peri-operative risk. We present an elderly patient with mild hypercalcemia secondary to primary hyperparathyroidism. The clinical decision was initially to watch and wait. The patient subsequently developed cognitive impairment and was diagnosed with mixed Alzheimer’s disease/vascular dementia. She became dependent for all care and housebound. A therapeutic trial of cinacalcet was commenced following a further acute rise in serum calcium. Significant reversal of her functional and cognitive deficit occurred. She was no longer fully dependent. Mini mental state examination (MMSE) improved from 8/30 to 21/30. In vulnerable neural systems, even mild elevation in serum calcium may have a profound effect on cognition and function. We propose a therapeutic trial of cinacalcet in such patients.
Entropy and Diversity
Authors: Leinster Tom
Published: April 2021

The global biodiversity crisis is one of humanity's most urgent problems, but even quantifying biological diversity is a difficult mathematical and conceptual challenge. This book brings new mathematical rigour to the ongoing debate. It was born of research in category theory, is given strength by information theory, and is fed by the ancient field of functional equations. It applies the power of the axiomatic method to a biological problem of pressing concern, but it also presents new theorems that stand up as mathematics in their own right, independently of any application. The question 'what is diversity?' has surprising mathematical depth, and this book covers a wide breadth of mathematics, from functional equations to geometric measure theory, from probability theory to number theory. Despite this range, the mathematical prerequisites are few: the main narrative thread of this book requires no more than an undergraduate course in analysis.
Decomposing the Value of Food Labels on Chicken
Authors: Neuhofer Zachary T. , Lusk Jayson L.
Published: April 2021

This study explores the effects of consumers’ beliefs about labels on chicken. We elicit beliefs associated with seven different labels. By varying the presence/absence of labels in a choice experiment, we are able to determine the effects of labels on consumer choices and decompose the value of labels into beliefs and base utility. Health perceptions have the largest positive effect, and impacts of animal welfare vary by information treatment. We explore the convergent validity of our approach by comparing individual’s beliefs to responses to a best-worst scaling question, which were weakly correlated, suggesting the two approaches are measuring different constructs.
Dilute dispersion of compound particles: deformation dynamics and rheology
Authors: Singeetham Pavan Kumar , Chaithanya K. V. S. , Thampi Sumesh P.
Published: April 2021

Compound particles are a class of composite systems in which solid particles encapsulated in a fluid droplet are suspended in another fluid. They are encountered in various natural and biological processes, for e.g. nucleated cells, hydrogels, microcapsules etc. Generation and transportation of such multiphase structures in microfluidic devices is associated with several challenges because of the poor understanding of their structural stability in a background flow and the rheological characteristics of their dispersions. Hence, in this work, we analyse the flow in and around a concentric compound particle and investigate the deformation dynamics of the confining drop and its stability against breakup in imposed linear flows. In the inertia-less limit (Reynolds number,

$Re \ll 1$

) and assuming that the surface tension force dominates the viscous forces (low capillary number,

$Ca$

, limit), we obtain analytical expressions for the velocity and pressure fields up to

${O}(Ca)$

for a compound particle subjected to a linear flow using a domain perturbation technique. Simultaneously, we determine the deformed shape of the confining drop correct up to

${O}(Ca^2)$

, facilitating the following. (i) Since

${O}(Ca^2)$

calculations account for the rotation of the anisotropically deformed interface, the reorientation dynamics of the deformed compound particles is determined. (ii) Calculations involving the

${O}(Ca^2)$

shape of the confining interface are found to be important for compound particles as

${O}(Ca)$

calculations make qualitatively different predictions in generalised extensional flows. (iii) An

${O}(Ca)$

constitutive equation for the volume-averaged stress for a dilute dispersion of compound particles was developed to study both shear and extensional rheology in a unified framework. Our analysis shows that the presence of an encapsulated particle always enhances all the measured rheological quantities such as the effective shear viscosity, extensional viscosity and normal stress differences. (iv) Moreover, linear viscoelastic behaviour of a dilute dispersion of compound particles is characterised in terms of complex modulus by subjecting the dilute dispersion to a small-amplitude oscillatory shear (SAOS) flow. (v) Various expressions pertaining to a suspension of particles, drops, and particles coated with a fluid film are also derived as limiting cases of compound particles.
Operationalizing the Ethical Review of Global Health Policy and Systems Research: A Proposed Checklist
Authors: Rattani Abbas , Hyder Adnan A.
Published: April 2021

There has been growing consensus to develop relevant guidance to improve the ethical review of global health policy and systems research (HPSR) and address the current absence of formal ethics guidance.
Employer Liability for “Take-Home” COVID-19
Authors: Rothstein Mark A. , Irzyk Julia
Published: April 2021

Workplace exposure to SARS-CoV-2 has sickened workers and, subsequently, their family members. Family members might be able to recover from the employer in a negligence action using “take-home” liability theory.
Phylogeny of hymenolepidids (Cestoda: Cyclophyllidea) from mammals: sequences of 18S rRNA and COI genes confirm major clades revealed by the 28S rRNA analyses
Authors: Neov B. , Vasileva G.P. , Radoslavov G. , Hristov P. , Littlewood D.T.J. , Georgiev B.B.
Published: April 2021

The aim of the study is to test a hypothesis for the phylogenetic relationships among mammalian hymenolepidid tapeworms, based on partial (D1–D3) nuclear 28S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, by estimating new molecular phylogenies for the group based on partial mitochondrial cytochromecoxidase I (COI) and nuclear 18S rRNA genes, as well as a combined analysis using all three genes. New sequences of COI and 18S rRNA genes were obtained forCoronacanthus integrus,C.magnihamatus,C.omissus,C.vassilevi,Ditestolepis diaphana,Lineolepis scutigera,Spasskylepis ovaluteri,Staphylocystis tiara,S.furcata,S.uncinata,Vaucherilepis trichophorusandNeoskrjabinolepissp. The phylogenetic analyses confirmed the major clades identified by Haukisalmiet al. (Zoologica Scripta39: 631–641, 2010):Ditestolepisclade,Hymenolepisclade,Rodentolepisclade andArostrilepisclade. While theDitestolepisclade is associated with soricids, the structure of the other three clades suggests multiple evolutionary events of host switching between shrews and rodents. Two of the present analyses (18S rRNA and COI genes) show that the basal relationships of the four mammalian clades are branching at the same polytomy with several hymenolepidids from birds (both terrestrial and aquatic). This may indicate a rapid radiation of the group, with multiple events of colonizations of mammalian hosts by avian parasites.
The neural timecourse of American English vowel discrimination by Japanese, Russian and Spanish second-language learners of English
Authors: Shafer Valerie L. , Kresh Sarah , Ito Kikuyo , Hisagi Miwako , Vidal Nancy , Higby Eve , Castillo Daniela , Strange Winifred
Published: April 2021

This study investigated the influence of first language (L1) phoneme features and phonetic salience on discrimination of second language (L2) American English (AE) vowels. On a perceptual task, L2 adult learners of English with Spanish, Japanese or Russian as an L1 showed poorer discrimination of the spectral-only difference between /æ:/ as the oddball (deviant) among frequent /ɑ:/ stimuli compared to AE controls. The Spanish listeners showed a significant difference from the controls for the spectral-temporal contrast between /ɑ:/ and /ʌ/ for both perception and the neural Mismatch Negativity (MMN), but only for deviant /ɑ:/ versus /ʌ/ (duration decrement). For deviant /ʌ/ versus /ɑ:/, and for deviant /æ:/ versus /ʌ/ or /ɑ:/, all participants showed equivalent MMN amplitude. The asymmetrical pattern for /ɑ:/ and /ʌ/ suggested that L2 phonetic detail was maintained only for the deviant. These findings indicated that discrimination was more strongly influenced by L1 phonology than phonetic salience.
Urinary tract infections: Can we prevent uropathogenic	Escherichia coli infection with dietary	intervention?
Authors: Scribano Daniela , Sarshar Meysam , Fettucciari Luana , Ambrosi Cecilia
Published: April 2021

Abstract. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common causes of infections in women. Via the fecal-perineal-urethral route, uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) can cause ascending urinary tract infections, including cystitis and pyelonephritis. These infections re-occur within six months or they account for, at least, three episodes within a year of recurrent UTIs (rUTIs). Long term and continuous antibiotic treatment or prophylaxis should be considered as the last options in rUTIs. Conversely, updated European Association of Urology guidelines recommend non-antimicrobial approaches to prevent rUTIs. Accordingly, several studies reported the efficacy of number of natural molecules in inhibiting UPEC adhesion to bladder cells, restraining bacterial growth, as well as stimulating the host innate immune defenses, and protecting the bladder and the kidney mucosa. Therefore, we propose an “anti-UPEC” diet enriched of foods containing natural compounds that were proven effective against UPEC, such as D-mannose, cranberry extracts and medicinal plants. Being a valuable and safe clinical approach to reduce UTI recurrence and limiting the detrimental effects of long and continuous antibiotic prophylaxis, dietary interventions should be evaluated in future clinical trials.
Carbon Cycle Response to Temperature Overshoot Beyond 2°C: An Analysis of CMIP6 Models
Authors: Melnikova I. , Boucher O. , Cadule P. , Ciais P. , Gasser T. , Quilcaille Y. , Shiogama H. , Tachiiri K. , Yokohata T. , Tanaka K.
Published: April 2021

There is a substantial gap between the current emissions of greenhouse gases and levels required for achieving the 2°C and 1.5°C temperature targets of the Paris Agreement. Understanding the implications of a temperature overshoot is thus an increasingly relevant research topic. Here we explore the carbon cycle feedbacks over land and ocean in the SSP5‐3.4‐OS overshoot scenario by using an ensemble of Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 6 Earth system models. Models show that after the CO2 concentration and air temperature peaks, land and ocean are decreasing carbon sinks from the 2,040s and become sources for a limited time in the 22nd century. The decrease in the carbon uptake precedes the CO2 concentration peak. The early peak of ocean uptake stems from its dependency on the atmospheric CO2 growth rate. The early peak of the land uptake occurs due to a larger increase in ecosystem respiration than the increase in gross primary production, as well as due to a concomitant increase in land‐use change emissions primarily attributed to the wide implementation of biofuel croplands. The carbon cycle feedback parameters amplify after the CO2 concentration and temperature peaks due to inertia of the Earth system so that land and ocean absorb more carbon per unit change in the atmospheric CO2 change (stronger negative feedback) and lose more carbon per unit temperature change (stronger positive feedback) compared to if the feedbacks stayed unchanged. The increased negative CO2 feedback outperforms the increased positive climate feedback. This feature should be investigated under other scenarios.
A Comparison of Linear Conventional and Nonlinear Microbial Models for Simulating Pulse Dynamics of Soil Heterotrophic Respiration in a Semi‐Arid Grassland
Authors: Zhou Jian , Chen Shiping , Yan Liming , Wang Jing , Jiang Ming , Liang Junyi , Zhang Xuanze , Xia Jianyang
Published: April 2021

As a critical process in regulating terrestrial feedback to climate change, soil heterotrophic respiration is commonly simulated with the first‐order kinetics in current Earth system models. Compared with the first‐order kinetic models, explicit microbial models are expected to better simulate nonlinear carbon (C)‐cycle phenomena, such as the pulse dynamics of soil heterotrophic respiration driven by dry‐rewetting cycles in grasslands. However, these two types of models (i.e., linear conventional and nonlinear microbial models) have never been compared based on in situ observations of soil heterotrophic respiration in the semi‐arid grassland, which is significantly affected by the dry‐rewetting events. Here, based on the field data of soil heterotrophic respiration in a semi‐arid grassland in northern China, we first showed that the shift from a conventional linear model to a nonlinear microbial model did not substantially improve the simulation of soil heterotrophic respiration. Then, we quantified the contributions of different moisture‐response functions to the uncertainty in simulating the soil C dynamics. The results showed that the selection of moisture‐response functions combined with parameterization in the soil C models dominated the modeled uncertainties in soil heterotrophic respiration. These findings suggest that both the conventional linear model and nonlinear microbial model can simulate well the pulse dynamic of soil heterotrophic respiration in grasslands with an improved parameterization of water regulation on soil carbon decomposition. This study also calls for more observations of nonlinear C phenomena for reducing the simulation uncertainty on soil C cycling in Earth system models.
Suppressing bias stress degradation in high performance solution processed organic transistors operating in air
Authors: Iqbal Hamna F. , Ai Qianxiang , Thorley Karl J. , Chen Hu , McCulloch Iain , Risko Chad , Anthony John E. , Jurchescu Oana D.
Published: April 2021

Solution processed organic field effect transistors can become ubiquitous in flexible optoelectronics. While progress in material and device design has been astonishing, low environmental and operational stabilities remain longstanding problems obstructing their immediate deployment in real world applications. Here, we introduce a strategy to identify the most probable and severe degradation pathways in organic transistors and then implement a method to eliminate the main sources of instabilities. Real time monitoring of the energetic distribution and transformation of electronic trap states during device operation, in conjunction with simulations, revealed the nature of traps responsible for performance degradation. With this information, we designed the most efficient encapsulation strategy for each device type, which resulted in fabrication of high performance, environmentally and operationally stable small molecule and polymeric transistors with consistent mobility and unparalleled threshold voltage shifts as low as 0.1 V under the application of high bias stress in air.
Uncovering the socioeconomic facets of human mobility
Authors: Barbosa Hugo , Hazarie Surendra , Dickinson Brian , Bassolas Aleix , Frank Adam , Kautz Henry , Sadilek Adam , Ramasco José J. , Ghoshal Gourab
Published: April 2021

Given the rapid recent trend of urbanization, a better understanding of how urban infrastructure mediates socioeconomic interactions and economic systems is of vital importance. While the accessibility of location-enabled devices as well as large-scale datasets of human activities, has fueled significant advances in our understanding, there is little agreement on the linkage between socioeconomic status and its influence on movement patterns, in particular, the role of inequality. Here, we analyze a heavily aggregated and anonymized summary of global mobility and investigate the relationships between socioeconomic status and mobility across a hundred cities in the US and Brazil. We uncover two types of relationships, finding either a clear connection or little-to-no interdependencies. The former tend to be characterized by low levels of public transportation usage, inequitable access to basic amenities and services, and segregated clusters of communities in terms of income, with the latter class showing the opposite trends. Our findings provide useful lessons in designing urban habitats that serve the larger interests of all inhabitants irrespective of their economic status.
Development and validation of an early warning tool for sepsis and decompensation in children during emergency department triage
Authors: Ehwerhemuepha Louis , Heyming Theodore , Marano Rachel , Piroutek Mary Jane , Arrieta Antonio C. , Lee Kent , Hayes Jennifer , Cappon James , Hoenk Kamila , Feaster William
Published: April 2021

This study was designed to develop and validate an early warning system for sepsis based on a predictive model of critical decompensation. Data from the electronic medical records for 537,837 visits to a pediatric Emergency Department (ED) from March 2013 to December 2019 were collected. A multiclass stochastic gradient boosting model was built to identify early warning signs associated with death, severe sepsis, non-severe sepsis, and bacteremia. Model features included triage vital signs, previous diagnoses, medications, and healthcare utilizations within 6 months of the index ED visit. There were 483 patients who had severe sepsis and/or died, 1102 had non-severe sepsis, 1103 had positive bacteremia tests, and the remaining had none of the events. The most important predictors were age, heart rate, length of stay of previous hospitalizations, temperature, systolic blood pressure, and prior sepsis. The one-versus-all area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUROC) were 0.979 (0.967, 0.991), 0.990 (0.985, 0.995), 0.976 (0.972, 0.981), and 0.968 (0.962, 0.974) for death, severe sepsis, non-severe sepsis, and bacteremia without sepsis respectively. The multi-class macro average AUROC and area under the precision recall curve were 0.977 and 0.316 respectively. The study findings were used to develop an automated early warning decision tool for sepsis. Implementation of this model in pediatric EDs will allow sepsis-related critical decompensation to be predicted accurately after a few seconds of triage.
Preferred musical attribute dimensions underlie individual differences in music-induced analgesia
Authors: Basiński Krzysztof , Zdun-Ryżewska Agata , Greenberg David M. , Majkowicz Mikołaj
Published: April 2021

Music-induced analgesia (MIA) is a phenomenon that describes a situation in which listening to music influences pain perception. The heterogeneity of music used in MIA studies leads to a problem of a specific effect for an unspecified stimulus. To address this, we use a previously established model of musical preferences that categorizes the multidimensional sonic space of music into three basic dimensions: arousal, valence and depth. Participants entered an experimental pain stimulation while listening to compilations of short musical excerpts characteristic of each of the three attribute dimensions. The results showed an effect on the part of music attribute preferences on average pain, maximal pain, and pain tolerance after controlling for musical attributes and order effects. This suggests that individual preferences for music attributes play a significant role in MIA and that, in clinical contexts, music should not be chosen arbitrarily but according to individual preferences.
Analysis of peripheral inflammatory T cell subsets and their effector function in patients with Birdshot Retinochoroiditis
Authors: Trombke Janine , Loyal Lucie , Braun Julian , Pleyer Uwe , Thiel Andreas , Pohlmann Dominika
Published: April 2021

Birdshot Retinochoroiditis (BSRC) is a progressive non-infectious intraocular inflammation that affects choroid and retina. Inflammatory processes have adverse effects on vision by affecting photoreceptor-bearing cells that do not regenerate. This study aimed at characterizing inflammatory CD4+ and CD8+ T cell subsets in the peripheral blood of active and inactive BSRCs. Furthermore, we correlated phenotypical and functional immunological analyses with clinical data. We observed a slight increase of terminally differentiated effector memory CD8+ T cells expressing CD45RA (TEMRA) in blood of inactive, compared to active BSRCs. Moreover, we identified a trend for a decreased population of TH2 cells and increased TH1 frequencies in active BSRCs, a typical sign of ongoing autoimmune processes. Functional assays demonstrated severe and overall impairment of effector function of both, CD4+ and CD8+ inflammatory T cells, which might reflect T cell exhaustion. Although the eye is the main site of inflammation in BSRC, we observed altered T cell subset compositions in the peripheral blood, dependent on the disease status. Our results indicate that T cells may play a major role in BSRC pathology, although our cohort size is too limited for definitve conclusions. Future studies with larger BSRCs have to be performed.
Dissecting industrial fermentations of fine flavour cocoa through metagenomic analysis
Authors: Fernández-Niño Miguel , Rodríguez-Cubillos María Juliana , Herrera-Rocha Fabio , Anzola Juan Manuel , Cepeda-Hernández Martha Lucia , Aguirre Mejía Jenny Lorena , Chica María José , Olarte Héctor Hugo , Rodríguez-López Claudia , Calderón Dayana , Ramírez-Rojas Adan , Del Portillo Patricia , Restrepo Silvia , González Barrios Andrés Fernando
Published: April 2021

The global demand for fine-flavour cocoa has increased worldwide during the last years. Fine-flavour cocoa offers exceptional quality and unique fruity and floral flavour attributes of high demand by the world's elite chocolatiers. Several studies have highlighted the relevance of cocoa fermentation to produce such attributes. Nevertheless, little is known regarding the microbial interactions and biochemistry that lead to the production of these attributes on farms of industrial relevance, where traditional fermentation methods have been pre-standardized and scaled up. In this study, we have used metagenomic approaches to dissect on-farm industrial fermentations of fine-flavour cocoa. Our results revealed the presence of a shared core of nine dominant microorganisms (i.e. Limosilactobacillus fermentum, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Pestalotiopsis rhododendri, Acetobacter aceti group, Bacillus subtilis group, Weissella ghanensis group, Lactobacillus_uc, Malassezia restricta and Malassezia globosa) between two farms located at completely different agro-ecological zones. Moreover, a community metabolic model was reconstructed and proposed as a tool to further elucidate the interactions among microorganisms and flavour biochemistry. Our work is the first to reveal a core of microorganisms shared among industrial farms, which is an essential step to process engineering aimed to design starter cultures, reducing fermentation times, and controlling the expression of undesirable phenotypes.
Computed tomography osteoabsorptiometry-based investigation on subchondral bone plate alterations in sacroiliac joint dysfunction
Authors: Poilliot A. , Doyle T. , Kurosawa D. , Toranelli M. , Zhang M. , Zwirner J. , Müller-Gerbl M. , Hammer N.
Published: April 2021

Sacroiliac joint dysfunction (SIJD) is an underappreciated source of back pain. Mineralization patterns of the sacroiliac (SIJ) subchondral bone plate (SCB) may reflect long-term adaptations to the loading of the joint. Mineralization densitograms of 27 SIJD patients and 39 controls, were obtained using CT osteoabsorptiometry. Hounsfield unit (HU) values of the SCB mineralization of superior, anterior and inferior regions on the iliac and sacral auricular surfaces were derived and statistically compared between SIJD-affected and control cohorts. Healthy controls showed higher HU values in the iliac; 868 ± 211 (superior), 825 ± 121 (anterior), 509 ± 114 (inferior), than in the sacral side; 541 ± 136 (superior), 618 ± 159 (anterior), 447 ± 91 (inferior), of all regions (p < 0.01). This was similar in SIJD; ilium 908 ± 170 (superior), 799 ± 166 (anterior), 560 ± 135 (inferior), sacrum 518 ± 150 (superior), 667 ± 151 (anterior), 524 ± 94 (inferior). In SIJD, no significant HU differences were found when comparing inferior sacral and iliac regions. Furthermore, HU values in the inferior sacral region were significantly higher when compared to the same region of the healthy controls (524 ± 94 vs. 447 ± 91, p < 0.01). Region mineralization correlated negatively with age (p < 0.01). SIJD-affected joints reflect a high mineralization of the sacral inferior region, suggesting increased SIJD-related mechanical stresses. Age-related SCB demineralization is present in all individuals, regardless of dysfunction.
Bespoke nanostars: synthetic strategies, tactics, and uses of tailored branched gold nanoparticles
Authors: Siegel Asher L. , Baker Gary A.
Published: April 2021

Interest in branched colloidal gold nanosystems has gained increased traction due to the structures' outstanding optical and plasmonic properties, resulting in utilization in a broad range of imaging, catalytic, and therapeutic techniques.
The effect of small addition of copper on the growth process, structure, surface charge and adsorption properties of ZnO films in the pyrolysis of dithiocarbamates
Authors: Snopok B. A. , Zavyalova L. V. , Tatyanenko N. P. , Gudymenko A. I. , Svechnikov G. S. , Kladko V. P. , Belyaev A. E.
Published: April 2021

Highly textured ZnO films are fabricated, the outer polar surface of which is decorated with copper complexes. The segregation of copper on the surface during growth is attributed to the manifestation of the Jahn–Teller effect.
Chiroptical sensing of amino acids, amines, amino alcohols, alcohols and terpenes with π-extended acyclic cucurbiturils
Authors: Hassan Diandra S. , De los Santos Zeus A. , Brady Kimberly G. , Murkli Steven , Isaacs Lyle , Wolf Christian
Published: April 2021

Distinct CD signal induction enabling quantitative er sensing is observed with π-extended acyclic cucurbiturils.
Retraction: ASIC1a involves acidic microenvironment-induced activation and autophagy of pancreatic stellate cells
Authors: Wang Tao , Wang Qian-qian , Pan Gui-xia , Jia Guo-rong , Li Xiao , Wang Chao , Zhang Li-ming , Zuo Chang-jing
Published: April 2021

Retraction of ‘ASIC1a involves acidic microenvironment-induced activation and autophagy of pancreatic stellate cells’ by Tao Wang et al., RSC Adv., 2018, 8, 30950–30956, DOI: 10.1039/C8RA03679A.
Beyond generative models: superfast traversal, optimization, novelty, exploration and discovery (STONED) algorithm for molecules using SELFIES
Authors: Nigam AkshatKumar , Pollice Robert , Krenn Mario , Gomes Gabriel dos Passos , Aspuru-Guzik Alán
Published: April 2021

Interpolation and exploration within the chemical space for inverse design.
Fractal-inspired soft deployable structure: a theoretical study
Authors: Xiong Zechen , Xiao Hang , Chen Xi
Published: April 2021

A peacock feather-inspired fractal-like soft expandable design is proposed and analyzed with theoretic and FE methods, showing unique mechanical properties and great potential in metamaterials and soft robots.
Characterization of the volume fraction of soft deformable microgels by means of small-angle neutron scattering with contrast variation
Authors: Scotti Andrea
Published: April 2021

Small-angle neutron scattering with contrast variation is used to probe the real volume fraction of microgels in crowded solution. Soft microgels change their shape at constant volume while hard microgels maintain their spherical shape and deswell.
Facilitating End-of-Life Interaction Between Patients With Severe Communication Impairment and Their Families
Authors: Chandregowda Adithya , Stierwalt Julie A. G. , Clark Heather M.
Published: April 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this report is to promote conversation among medical speech-language pathologists (SLPs) about their role in facilitating family–patient interaction involving patients who acutely encounter the end-of-life (EOL) phase and have severe communication impairment.

Case Report

We provide self-reflections from our own clinical practice, pertinent literature review, and medical chart review of a relevant patient to serve as a catalyst for such discussion.

Reflections

We share a preliminary handout containing strategies that SLPs could provide family members of patients who have encountered an EOL phase and have severe communication impairment (e.g., global aphasia) and reduced alertness level.

Clinical Implications

SLPs can play an important role in facilitating EOL patient–family interaction and alleviate suffering even when patients have severe communication impairment.
A secure and sensitive wavelet transform based technique for stator fault detection in the cases of line‐connected and inverter‐fed induction machines
Authors: Nazemi Mohammad Hossein , Gallehdar Davar , Haghjoo Farhad , Cruz Sérgio
Published: April 2021

Here a new sensitive fault detection criterion is proposed, based on the stationary wavelet transform (SWT) decomposition components of the stator currents, for the online detection of stator winding turn‐to‐turn faults at an early stage of development. The energies of the desired detail components are calculated and the normalized Euclidean distance of the energy differences between the three phases is used as a new fault detection criterion. The robustness of the proposed technique against the presence of rotor turn‐to‐turn faults and loading variations is demonstrated. In addition, an adaptive threshold level as a function of the voltage unbalance factor is proposed to guarantee the robustness of the diagnostic technique against unbalanced voltage sources. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness and sensitivity of the proposed diagnostic approach for the detection of stator faults in line‐connected and inverter‐fed motors.
An improved optimisation method based on augmented constraint for electricity market clearing considering non‐increasing stepwise bidding
Authors: Cheng Li‐Min , Bao Yu‐Qing , Chen Chen
Published: April 2021

The development of optimization methods for market clearing aims to improve the rationality of bidding and maximise social welfare. Existing electricity markets only allow a non‐decreasing bidding curve for generating companies (GenCos) owing to the convex limitation of the optimization model. However, the marginal cost of GenCos is sometimes non‐increasing, such as GenCos involved in deep peak regulation, which requires the non‐increasing bidding of GenCos. Focussing on the non‐increasing stepwise bidding curves of the GenCos, an improved optimization method is proposed that imposes augmented constraints on the bidding segments so that each bid segment can be allocated in order. In this way, the proper sequence of the bid quantity of each segment can be guaranteed. The numeral testing results verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Improved crystallisation of polysilazane‐derived Si3N4/SiC nanocomposites with Fe2O3 catalyst
Authors: Zhang Wenshu , Wang Shuo , Ding Honghui , Zhai Xueying , Yang De'an
Published: April 2021

In the present study, the use of a 3 wt% Fe2O3 catalyst improved the crystallisation of polysilazane PSN2. Crystallisation peaks of higher intensity were observed for Si3N4 and SiC at 1250 °C by using a 3 wt% Fe2O3 catalyst than at 1500 °C without Fe2O3. Besides, the effects of temperature on the morphology of the samples were determined through scanning electron microscopy. Porous structures were observed at 1250 °C and these structures were transformed to flaky and near‐spherical nanoparticles as the temperatures were increased to 1350 and 1450 °C, respectively. Finally, the mechanism of Fe origination from Fe2O3 reduction, the production of a supersaturated liquid alloy, and the release and diffusion of N2 were proposed for Si3N4 formation.
Sparse quaternion‐valued minimization based technique with pre‐predictive PV control loop of distributed PV power generation system
Authors: Kumar Shailendra , Debouza Mahdi , Al‐Durra Ahmed , El‐Fouly Tarek H.M. , Moursi Mohamed Shawky El
Published: April 2021

This paper presents a sparse quaternion‐valued minimization (SQVM) based control technique of a two‐stage grid supportive photovoltaic (PV) power system with power conditioning capabilities. The grid side converter (GSC) is controlled by utilizing an SQVM control technique. The proposed algorithm enables the GSC to mitigate the load harmonics current and provides reactive power compensation at the point of common coupling (PCC). The proposed control is tuned to mitigate the DC offset error, harmonics current and to improve the frequency response of the proposed system. A DC link pre‐predictive is incorporated to improve the dynamic response by reducing the burden on the outer Proportional‐Integral (PI) voltage controller loop. Further, it is used to extract the fundamental component of load currents for generating the reference currents. An adjustable DC link voltage loop is incorporated in the proposed control technique to adapt the PCC voltage variation, which helps in minimizing the losses of the PV system. For real‐time execution of the adjustable DC link voltage concept, the DC link voltage is adapted with a variation in the PCC voltage. The operation and control of the system topology are validated experimentally under various scenarios.
Power quality improvement using three‐phase transformerless grid interfaced SECS enabling leakage current suppression
Authors: Shah Priyank , Singh Bhim
Published: April 2021

This paper presents a harmonic compensation strategy for a 3‐ϕ grid‐tied solar energy conversion system with leakage current attenuation feature. As parasitic capacitance exists between the solar photovoltaic panels with the ground, the deviation in common‐mode voltage compels the probable safety hazards such as electromagnetic interference and harmonics injection in the grid currents. Additionally, the power quality indices of the grid, are exacerbated with the coupling of the non‐linear load. Owing to these issues, a generalized integrator based approach is introduced to ensure the harmonics suppression, power factor correction, leakage current alleviation. Additionally, the grid current distortion limits are ensured within limits in order to comply with the IEEE std. 519. The presented algorithm ensures a robust operation with respect to various anomalies in the grid voltages. Simulation results show the satisfactory response of the harmonics controller even under abnormal operating scenarios including the symmetrical/unsymmetrical faults in the grid side network. In comparison with the traditional algorithms, the harmonic controller suppresses the leakage current and harmonics within restricted limits despite the abnormal conditions. Real‐time simulator results demonstrate the performance of the controller under distinct operating conditions such as load unbalancing, distorted grid voltages, etc.
A chronological review of prospects of solar photovoltaic systems in Bangladesh: Feasibility study analysis, policies, barriers, and recommendations
Authors: Podder Amit Kumer , Habibullah Md. , Roy Naruttam Kumar , Pota Hemanshu Roy
Published: April 2021

The main focus of this paper is to present the current prospects, potentials, research activities, future concerns, and applications of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in Bangladesh. Despite the existence of several articles in the literature on solar energy prospects in Bangladesh, the diffusion of several solar PV applications throughout the country, their rapid progress analysis, and existing feasibility study outcome analysis are still unrevealed. Therefore, an endeavour has been made for the first time to condense the government and non‐government contributions to disseminating solar energy throughout the country. Twenty‐one feasibility studies at different locations of Bangladesh are reviewed and analysed, in terms of financial viability, sensitivity analysis, and greenhouse gas emissions, to foresee the prospects of solar energy in Bangladesh. Sensitivity analyses are performed, with six sensitivity variables, which reveal that the total net present cost of the solar project implementation may be increased by 20% (maximum) in the lowest solar potential area than the highest one with an average payback period of 13 years. This paper also identifies the policy gaps, classifies the barriers into eight categories, and discusses the conceivable approaches to defeat those barriers, followed by recommendations in six different aspects.
Active anomaly detection for time-domain discoveries
Authors: Ishida E. E. O. , Kornilov M. V. , Malanchev K. L. , Pruzhinskaya M. V. , Volnova A. A. , Korolev V. S. , Mondon F. , Sreejith S. , Malancheva A. A. , Das S.
Published: April 2021

Aims.We present the first piece of evidence that adaptive learning techniques can boost the discovery of unusual objects within astronomical light curve data sets.

Methods.Our method follows an active learning strategy where the learning algorithm chooses objects that can potentially improve the learner if additional information about them is provided. This new information is subsequently used to update the machine learning model, allowing its accuracy to evolve with each new piece of information. For the case of anomaly detection, the algorithm aims to maximize the number of scientifically interesting anomalies presented to the expert by slightly modifying the weights of a traditional isolation forest (IF) at each iteration. In order to demonstrate the potential of such techniques, we apply the Active Anomaly Discovery algorithm to two data sets: simulated light curves from the Photometric LSST Astronomical Time-series Classification Challenge (PLAsTiCC) and real light curves from the Open Supernova Catalog. We compare the Active Anomaly Discovery results to those of a static IF. For both methods, we performed a detailed analysis for all objects with the ∼2% highest anomaly scores.

Results.We show that, in the real data scenario, Active Anomaly Discovery was able to identify ∼80% more true anomalies than the IF. This result is the first piece of evidence that active anomaly detection algorithms can play a central role in the search for new physics in the era of large-scale sky surveys.