bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A novel mixing method for powder metallurgy copper‐carbon nanotube composites
Authors: Özgün Ö. , Bulut C.
Published: July 2020

In this study, copper matrix composite materials with different ratios of carbon nanotubes were produced. The biggest problem faced in the production of carbon nanotube‐reinforced composites is that carbon nanotubes do not distribute homogeneously in the matrix. A novel mixing technique was applied to overcome this problem. Hot pressing was used in sample production. A second high‐pressure densification process was applied following the hot pressing process for enhancing the properties. The properties of both the hot‐pressed specimens and the specimens to which a second high‐pressure densification process was applied were characterized with the density measurements, microstructure examinations, and mechanical tests. The microstructure examinations showed that carbon nanotubes could be distributed homogeneously in the copper matrix with the mixing process applied. It was found out that the high‐pressure densification process applied following the hot‐pressing process increased the relative density and thus, all mechanical properties.
Fluid flow behavior and solidification process of welding pool under rapid cooling condition based on cellular automata‐lattice Boltzmann method (CA‐LBM) couple model
Authors: Shi F. , Zheng Z.T. , He M. , Lei Y.F. , Guo D.H. , Yu J.L.
Published: July 2020

Based on the basic principle of lattice Boltzmann method (LBM), this paper first establishes a numerical model for simulating the evolution process of flow field, temperature field and concentration field. Then the cellular automata‐lattice Boltzmann method (CA‐LBM) coupling model is established to simulate the solidification process of welding pool. Finally, the solidification process of the welding pool under different rapid cooling powers is analyzed. It is found that the solidification process of the welding pool is significantly correlated with the magnitude of the rapid cooling power. As the rapid cooling power increases, the maximum temperature, the temperature interval and the size of the welding pool decrease, which lead to the Marangoni convection effect in the welding pool increases obviously and the unevenness of the concentration field is reduced. Meanwhile, due to the increase in the degree of supercooling, the nucleation rate increases. Finally, under the combined action, the microstructure of the weld is refined. The results of the coupling model accurately reflect the complex changes of the physical fields in the solidification process of welding pool under different cooling power. It lays a foundation for solving practical engineering problems in large calculation area.
Full‐count PET recovery from low‐count image using a dilated convolutional neural network
Authors: Spuhler Karl , Serrano‐Sosa Mario , Cattell Renee , DeLorenzo Christine , Huang Chuan
Published: July 2020

Purpose

Positron emission tomography (PET) is an essential technique in many clinical applications that allows for quantitative imaging at the molecular level. This study aims to develop a denoising method using a novel dilated convolutional neural network (CNN) to recover full‐count images from low‐count images.

Methods

We adopted similar hierarchical structures as the conventional U‐Net and incorporated dilated kernels in each convolution to allow the network to observe larger, more robust features within the image without the requirement of downsampling and upsampling internal representations. Our dNet was trained alongside a U‐Net for comparison. Both models were evaluated using a leave‐one‐out cross‐validation procedure on a dataset of 35 subjects (~3500 slabs), which were obtained from an ongoing 18F‐Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) study. Low‐count PET data (10% count) were generated by randomly selecting one‐tenth of all events in the associated listmode file. Analysis was done on the static image from the last 10 minutes of emission data. Both low‐count PET and full‐count PET were reconstructed using ordered subset expectation maximization (OSEM). Objective image quality metrics, including mean absolute percent error (MAPE), peak signal‐to‐noise ratio (PSNR), and structural similarity index metric (SSIM), were used to analyze the deep learning methods. Both deep learning methods were further compared to a traditional Gaussian filtering method. Further, region of interest (ROI) quantitative analysis was also used to compare U‐Net and dNet architectures.

Results

Both the U‐Net and our proposed network were successfully trained to synthesize full‐count PET images from the generated low‐count PET images. Compared to low‐count PET and Gaussian filtering, both deep learning methods improved MAPE, PSNR, and SSIM. Our dNet also systematically outperformed U‐Net on all three metrics (MAPE: 4.99 ± 0.68 vs 5.31 ± 0.76, P < 0.01; PSNR: 31.55 ± 1.31 dB vs 31.05 ± 1.39, P < 0.01; SSIM: 0.9513 ± 0.0154 vs 0.9447 ± 0.0178, P < 0.01). ROI quantification showed greater quantitative improvements using dNet over U‐Net.

Conclusion

This study proposed a novel approach of using dilated convolutions for recovering full‐count PET images from low‐count PET images.
Do you need to reformulate your lead‐gen strategy?
Authors: Talarico Donna
Published: July 2020

A few years ago at the Higher Education Web Professionals annual conference, I heard a lightning talk about web forms from Mark H. Anbinder of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. The previous year he'd given a poster presentation on the same topic, which demonstrates his continued advocacy (and passion) for creating not only accessible but also inclusive web forms.
Energy consumption, institutional quality and tourist arrival in Pakistan: Is the nexus (a)symmetric amidst structural breaks?
Authors: Meo Muhammad , Nathaniel Solomon , Shaikh Ghulam , Kumar Anoop
Published: July 2020

Energy consumption is a prerequisite for economic growth especially in developing countries, and its demand is expected to increases as population increases. The quality of institutions is also germane for tourism development, as weak institutions may discourage the arrival of tourists into a country. This study examines the asymmetric impact of energy consumption (EC) and institutional quality (IQ) on tourist arrival (TA) in Pakistan for the period 1984–2017 by employing the non‐linear autoregressive distributive lag model. The bounds test result reveals a long‐run relationship among the variables used in the model. The findings of the study suggest an asymmetric relationship among EC, IQ and TA. The results imply that an improvement in IQ will increase TA. From the results, it can be said that reducing environmental pollution by switching into clean sources of energy may have an indirect positive effect on the tourism industry. Therefore, policies for enhancing TA, quality institutions and curtailing environmental degradation were suggested.
Single cell transcriptomes of normal endometrial derived organoids uncover novel cell type markers and cryptic differentiation of primary tumours
Authors: Cochrane Dawn R , Campbell Kieran R , Greening Kendall , Ho Germain C , Hopkins James , Bui Minh , Douglas J Maxwell , Sharlandjieva Vassilena , Munzur Aslı D , Lai Daniel , DeGrood Maya , Gibbard Evan W , Leung Samuel , Boyd Niki , Cheng Angela S , Chow Christine , Lim Jamie LP , Farnell David A , Kommoss Stefan , Kommoss Friedrich , Roth Andrew , Hoang Lien , McAlpine Jessica N , Shah Sohrab P , Huntsman David G
Published: July 2020

Endometrial carcinoma, the most common gynaecological cancer, develops from endometrial epithelium which is composed of secretory and ciliated cells. Pathologic classification is unreliable and there is a need for prognostic tools. We used single cell sequencing to study organoid model systems derived from normal endometrial endometrium to discover novel markers specific for endometrial ciliated or secretory cells. A marker of secretory cells (MPST) and several markers of ciliated cells (FAM92B, WDR16, and DYDC2) were validated by immunohistochemistry on organoids and tissue sections. We performed single cell sequencing on endometrial and ovarian tumours and found both secretory‐like and ciliated‐like tumour cells. We found that ciliated cell markers (DYDC2, CTH, FOXJ1, and p73) and the secretory cell marker MPST were expressed in endometrial tumours and positively correlated with disease‐specific and overall survival of endometrial cancer patients. These findings suggest that expression of differentiation markers in tumours correlates with less aggressive disease, as would be expected for tumours that retain differentiation capacity, albeit cryptic in the case of ciliated cells. These markers could be used to improve the risk stratification of endometrial cancer patients, thereby improving their management. We further assessed whether consideration of MPST expression could refine the ProMiSE molecular classification system for endometrial tumours. We found that higher expression levels of MPST could be used to refine stratification of three of the four ProMiSE molecular subgroups, and that any level of MPST expression was able to significantly refine risk stratification of the copy number high subgroup which has the worst prognosis. Taken together, this shows that single cell sequencing of putative cells of origin has the potential to uncover novel biomarkers that could be used to guide management of cancers. © 2020 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The use of interval‐compressed chemotherapy with the addition of vincristine, irinotecan, and temozolomide for pediatric patients with newly diagnosed desmoplastic small round cell tumor
Authors: Liu Kevin X. , Collins Natalie B. , Greenzang Katie A. , Furutani Elissa , Campbell Kevin , Groves Andrew , Mullen Elizabeth A. , Shusterman Suzanne , Spidle Jennifer , Marcus Karen J. , Weil Brent R. , Weldon Christopher B. , Frazier A. Lindsay , Janeway Katherine A. , O'Neill Allison F. , Mack Jennifer W. , DuBois Steven G. , Shulman David S.
Published: July 2020

Background

Desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT) is a rare aggressive sarcoma that affects children and young adults, and portends poor outcomes despite intensive multimodal treatment approaches. We report toxicity, response, and outcomes of patients with DSRCT treated with the addition of vincristine, irinotecan, and temozolomide (VIT) to interval‐compressed chemotherapy as per Children's Oncology Group ARST08P1.

Methods

All newly diagnosed pediatric patients with DSRCT treated at Dana‐Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Children's Hospital between 2014 and 2019 as per ARST08P1, Arm P2 with replacement of VAC cycles with VIT, were identified. Medical records were reviewed for clinical and disease characteristics, and treatment response and outcomes.

Results

Six patients were treated as per the above regimen. Median age at diagnosis was 15.1 years (range 3.2‐16.4) and five patients were male. Five patients had abdominal primary tumors, of which one had exclusively intraabdominal and four had extraabdominal metastases. Two initial cycles of VIT were well tolerated with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation as the most common adverse events. Overall response rate defined as partial or complete response after two initial cycles of VIT was 50%. For local control, all patients had surgical resection followed by radiotherapy, and two patients received hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy at the time of surgery. Of the four patients who have completed therapy to date, three remain disease‐free with median follow‐up time of 46.7 months.

Conclusions

The addition of VIT to interval‐compressed chemotherapy is tolerable and active in DSRCT, with activity warranting additional investigation.
Influence of partial substitution of carbon black with silica on mechanical, thermal, and aging properties of super specialty elastomer based composites
Authors: Khanra Sipra , Kumar Abhay , Ghorai Sanjoy Kumar , Ganguly Debabrata , Chattopadhyay Santanu
Published: July 2020

The reduction of the carbon black quantity in elastomeric composites is a massive requirement from environmental perspective and a huge challenge for industrial implementation. The present work consists of the replacement of half amount of carbon black with silica without compromising the basic properties along with ushering of superior characteristics of fluoroelastomer and silicone rubber blends. The comparative study of carbon black‐silica hybrid filler (1:1 ratio) with carbon black and silica at different loadings shows much superior aging behavior and thermal stability compared with the other composites with unforeseen increment of tensile strength (56%). The fundamentals of rubber‐filler interaction and reinforcement phenomenon of the hybrid filler composites have been determined by the correlation of the experimental findings with different models like Nicolais‐Narkis, Nielsen, Guth, and Kerner model. Furthermore, enhanced compatibility between the two rubber phases has been observed in terms of Tg shifting (3.8°C) and reduced FKM domain size (from 450 to 300 nm) in the silicone rubber matrix for hybrid filler composites. Morphological studies reflect the selected homogeneous dispersion of the carbon black in fluoroelastomer domain and silica in silicone rubber phase. These super specialty elastomeric composites can be used as oil and fuel resistant gaskets and O‐rings for wide temperature range.
TcCO2 changes correlate with partial obstruction in children suspected of sleep disordered breathing
Authors: D'Souza Bebe , Norman Mark , Sullivan Colin E. , Waters Karen A.
Published: July 2020

Introduction

Pediatric sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is characterized by long periods of partial upper airway obstruction (UAO) with low apnea‐hypopnea indices (AHI). By measuring snoring and stertor, Sonomat studies allow quantification of these periods of partial UAO.

Aim

To determine whether transcutaneous CO2 (TcCO2) levels correlate with increasing levels of partial UAO and to examine patterns of ΔTcCo2 in the transitions from (a) wakefulness to sleep and (b) non‐rapid eye movement (NREM) to rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.

Methods

This was a retrospective review of sleep studies in seven asymptomatic controls aged 7 to 12 years and 62 symptomatic children with suspected SDB and no comorbidities, aged 2 to 13 years. Both groups underwent overnight polysomnography, including continuous TcCO2, at one of two pediatric hospitals in Sydney. Changes in carbon dioxide levels between wake to NREM (sleep onset) and NREM to REM sleep were evaluated using an all‐night TcCO2 trace time‐linked to a hypnogram. Paired Sonomat recordings were used to quantify periods of UAO in the symptomatic group.

Results

The ΔTcCO2 at sleep onset was greater in SDB children than controls and ΔTcCO2 with sleep onset correlated with the duration of partial obstruction (r = .60; P < .0001). Children with an increase in TcCO2 from NREM to REM had a higher number of snoring and stertor events compared to those in whom TcCO2 decreased from NREM to REM (91 vs 30 events/h; P = < .0001).

Conclusions

In children without comorbidities, the measurement of TcCO2 during sleep correlates with indicators of partial obstruction.
Neuropathogenic human coronaviruses: A review
Authors: Abdelaziz Osama S. , Waffa Zuraiha
Published: July 2020

Human Coronaviruses (HCoVs) have long been known as respiratory viruses. However, there are reports of neurological findings in HCoV infections, particularly in patients infected with the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) amid Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic. Therefore, it is essential to interpret the interaction of HCoVs and the nervous system and apply this understanding to the COVID‐19 pandemic. This review of the literature analyses how HCoVs, in general, and SARS‐CoV‐2, in particular, affect the nervous system, highlights the various underlying mechanisms, addresses the associated neurological and psychiatric manifestations, and identifies the neurological risk factors involved. This review of literature shows the magnitude of neurological conditions associated with HCoV infections, including SARS‐CoV‐2. This review emphasises, that, during HCoV outbreaks, such as COVID‐19, a focus on early detection of neurotropism, alertness for the resulting neurological complications, and the recognition of neurological risk factors are crucial to reduce the workload on hospitals, particularly intensive‐care units and neurological departments.
A comparison of approaches for prioritizing removal and repair of barriers to stream connectivity
Authors: McKay S. Kyle , Martin Erik H. , McIntyre Peter B. , Milt Austin W. , Moody Allison T. , Neeson Thomas M.
Published: July 2020

Dams, road crossings, and water withdrawals extensively fragment rivers, and watersheds often contain hundreds or thousands of barriers, some of which no longer meet societal purposes. Accordingly, both conservationists and infrastructure managers are faced with the challenge of prioritizing barriers for repair, replacement, or removal. Candidate projects have been prioritized with dozens of methods, which span a wide range of spatial scales, data and analytical requirements, mathematical complexity, and capacity to reconcile multiple perspectives and objectives. We briefly review barrier prioritization methods from the perspective of a policy maker or manager who must balance realities of stochastic opportunities, conflicting priorities, and risk of infrastructure failure. After outlining common motivations for barrier prioritization, we present a menu of techniques ranging from large‐scale, quantitative assessments to reactive, local response to failures. By clarifying the appropriate domain for each approach, this review informs the selection of prioritization methods for restoring riverine connectivity.
Rational Design of a Novel Catalyst Cu‐SAPO‐42 for NH3‐SCR Reaction
Authors: Yan Nana , Ma Chao , Cao Yi , Liu Xiaona , Cao Lei , Guo Peng , Tian Peng , Liu Zhongmin
Published: July 2020

Cu‐exchanged LTA‐type aluminosilicate catalyst has been considered as an efficient catalyst for the selective catalytic reduction of NOx with ammonia (NH3‐SCR). However, expensive organic structure‐directing agents (OSDAs) and the corrosive fluoride medium are inevitably used to synthesize LTA‐type molecular sieve (high‐silica LTA‐type aluminosilicate and its analogue LTA‐type silicoaluminophosphate SAPO‐42). Herein, a series of cheap and commercialized OSDAs, which are successfully applied for the targeted synthesis of SAPO‐42 in the fluoride‐free system, are identified by a novel RSS (refine, summarize, and search) approach. Furthermore, Cu‐SAPO‐42 catalysts are utilized for NH3‐SCR. Among these catalysts, Cu‐SAPO‐42 prepared with 2‐(butylamino)ethanol (BAEA) as OSDA demonstrates the excellent activity even after hydrothermal aging at 800 °C for 16 h, which shows much better hydrothermal stability than the commercialized Cu‐SAPO‐34 catalyst with comparable Si and Cu contents. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy and Rietveld refinement are performed to identify the locations of active Cu2+ ions. It turns out that the active Cu2+ ions are distributed near the center of single 6‐rings of the lta cage.
3D 1T‐MoS2/CoS2 Heterostructure via Interface Engineering for Ultrafast Hydrogen Evolution Reaction
Authors: Feng Yangyang , Zhang Ting , Zhang Jiahui , Fan Hao , He Cheng , Song Jiangxuan
Published: July 2020

Metallic phase (1T) MoS2 has been regarded as an appealing material for hydrogen evolution reaction. In this work, a novel interface‐induced strategy is reported to achieve stable and high‐percentage 1T MoS2 through highly active 1T‐MoS2/CoS2 hetero‐nanostructure. Herein, a large number of heterointerfaces can be obtained by interlinked 1T‐MoS2 and CoS2 nanosheets in situ grown from the molybdate cobalt oxide nanorod under moderate conditions. Owing to the strong interaction between MoS2 and CoS2, high‐percentage of metallic‐phase (1T) MoS2 of 76.6% can be achieved, leading to high electroconductivity and abundant active sites compared to 2H MoS2. Furthermore, the interlinked MoS2 and CoS2 nanosheets can effectively disperse the nanosheets so as to enlarge the exposed active surface area. The near zero free energy of hydrogen adsorption at the heterointerface can also be achieved, indicating the fast kinetics and excellent catalytic activity induced by heterojunction. Therefore, when applied in hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), 1T‐MoS2/CoS2 heterostructure delivers low overpotential of 71 and 26 mV at the current density of 10 mA cm−2 with low Tafel slops of 60 and 43 mV dec−1, respectively in alkaline and acidic conditions.
Machine learning‐based cognitive impairment classification with optimal combination of neuropsychological tests
Authors: Gupta Abhay , Kahali Bratati
Published: July 2020

Introduction

An extensive battery of neuropsychological tests is currently used to classify individuals as healthy (HV), mild cognitively impaired (MCI), and with Alzheimer's disease (AD). We used machine learning models for effective cognitive impairment classification and optimized the number of tests for expeditious and inexpensive implementation.

Methods

Using random forests (RF) and support vector machine, we classified cognitive impairment in multi‐class data sets from Rush Religious Orders Study Memory and Aging Project, and National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center. We applied Fisher's linear discrimination and assessed importance of each test iteratively for feature selection.

Results

RF has best accuracy with increased sensitivity, specificity in this first ever multi‐class classification of HV, MCI, and AD. Moreover, a subset of six to eight tests shows equivalent classification accuracy as an entire battery of tests.

Discussions

Fully automated feature selection approach reveals six to eight tests comprising episodic, semantic memory, perceptual orientation, and executive functioning can accurately classify the cognitive status, ensuring minimal subject burden.
Barriers to Climate Change Adaptation Among Pastoralists: Rwenzori Region, Western Uganda
Authors: Nkuba Michael Robert , Chanda Raban , Mmopelwa Gagoitseope , Adedoyin Akintayo , Mangheni Margaret Najjingo , Lesolle David , Kato Edward
Published: July 2020

This chapter discusses the barriers to climate change adaptation among pastoralists in the Rwenzori region in Western Uganda. Despite the implementation of adaptation programs by public and private agencies, pastoralists still have impediments to adapting to climate change. Data was collected using a household survey involving 269 pastoralists. The results revealed that the main barriers were poor access to climate change information, poor access to extension services, high cost of adaptation measures, poor access to credit, and insecure land tenure. There is need to improve capacity building of extension workers and other stakeholders in the dissemination of climate change information. Land tenure and land rights issues should be given high consideration in climate change adaptation policies and programs. Climate finance programs should be made more effective in addressing the high cost of adaptation.
Hope in Ancient Greek Philosophy
Authors: Gravlee G. Scott
Published: July 2020

This chapter aims to illuminate ways in which hope was significant in the philosophy of classical Greece. Although ancient Greek philosophies contain few dedicated and systematic expositions on the nature of hope, they nevertheless include important remarks relating hope to the good life, to reason and deliberation, and to psychological phenomena such as memory, imagination, fear, motivation, and pleasure. After an introductory discussion of Hesiod and Heraclitus, the chapter focuses on Plato and Aristotle. Consideration is given both to Plato’s direct comments on hope and to the narrative contexts of his dialogues, with analysis of Plato’s positive and negative representations of hope, hope’s relationship to reason, and Plato’s more psychological approach in the Philebus, where hope finds a place among memory, recollection, pleasure, and pain. The chapter then reviews Aristotle’s discussions of confidence, hope, and courage, observing that although Aristotle does not mention hope as a virtue, he does note its importance to human agency and deliberation and as a foundation for the further development of virtue. The chapter concludes that discussions surrounding hope in ancient Greek philosophy are rich and challenging and can serve as a lively stimulus to further exploration of the concept of hope.
Enlightenment Views of Hope
Authors: Blöser Claudia
Published: July 2020

This chapter discusses accounts of hope found in the works of important Enlightenment thinkers: René Descartes, Thomas Hobbes, Baruch de Spinoza, David Hume, and Immanuel Kant. The paper’s guiding questions are: Where are discussions of hope located within these thinkers’ works? Do the authors provide an account of what hope is? Do they ascribe a certain function to hope? Most authors of the Enlightenment, with the exception of Kant, write about hope in the context of a general account of the passions. Their characterization of hope closely resembles the “standard definition” of hope in contemporary debates. According to this definition, hope consists of a desire and a belief in the possibility, but not the certainty, of the desired outcome. It turns out, however, that Descartes, Hobbes, and Hume advocate a stronger evidential condition for hope than is common today: According to their view, we do not hope for what we take to be merely possible, no matter how unlikely it is; we hope for what we take to be more likely. Kant’s account differs from the other ones in important respects: He does not treat hope as an affect and he does not require a probability estimate, but grounds hope in faith.
Analysis of EQ-5D Profiles
Authors: Devlin Nancy , Parkin David , Janssen Bas
Published: July 2020

Profile data form the cornerstone of analyses of EQ-5D data and, in many cases, are likely to be the primary focus of interest. In this chapter, we provide an overview of methods that can be used to describe the profile data from respondents at a given point in time, and to describe the changes in profiles between different points in time.
Analysis of EQ VAS Data
Authors: Devlin Nancy , Parkin David , Janssen Bas
Published: July 2020

It is important when analysing EQ VAS data to understand the nature of this element of the EQ-5D questionnaire and the measurement properties that it has. (For a more detailed discussion, see Feng et al. 2014.) The EQ VAS has a unique design that does not conform to conventional Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) formats, and the widely-observed properties that VAS data have therefore do not automatically apply to EQ VAS data. It has some features that conventionally belong to a ‘rating scale’ but again, because it has an unconventional design, the properties that rating scale data have may also not apply.
Advanced Topics
Authors: Devlin Nancy , Parkin David , Janssen Bas
Published: July 2020

In the analyses described in Chapters 3 and 4, the objects of interest are EQ-5D values or EQ VAS scores measured at one or more points in time for one person or a group of people.
Space Lower Bounds for the Signal Detection Problem
Authors: Ellen Faith , Gelashvili Rati , Woelfel Philipp , Zhu Leqi
Published: July 2020

Many shared memory algorithms have to deal with the problem of determining whether the value of a shared object has changed in between two successive accesses of that object by a process when the responses from both are the same. Motivated by this problem, we define the signal detection problem, which can be studied on a purely combinatorial level. Consider a system with n + 1 processes consisting of n readers and one signaller. The processes communicate through a shared blackboard that can store a value from a domain of size m. Processes are scheduled by an adversary. When scheduled, a process reads the blackboard, modifies its contents arbitrarily, and, provided it is a reader, returns a Boolean value. A reader must return true if the signaller has taken a step since the reader’s preceding step; otherwise it must return false. Intuitively, in a system with n processes, signal detection should require at least n bits of shared information, i.e., m ≥ 2n. But a proof of this conjecture remains elusive. For the general case, we prove a lower bound of m ≥ n2. For restricted versions of the problem, where the processes are oblivious or where the signaller must write a fixed sequence of values, we prove a tight lower bound of m ≥ 2n. We also consider a version of the problem where each reader takes at most two steps. In this case, we prove that m = n + 1 blackboard values are necessary and sufficient.
Development of a nomogram predicting metastatic disease and the assessment of NCCN, AUA and EAU guideline recommendations for bone imaging in prostate cancer patients
Authors: Ma Ming-Wei , Gao Xian-Shu , Lyu Feng , Gu Xiao-Bin , Yin Huan , Li Hong-Zhen , Li Xiao-Ying , Qi Xin , Bai Yun , Chen Jia-Yan
Published: July 2020

Purpose

We identified the risk predictors related to prostate cancer (PCa) metastasis using contemporary data in a community setting. Then, we assessed the performance of indications for bone imaging recommended from the NCCN, AUA and EAU guidelines.

Methods

Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database (2010–2015), we collected clinicopathological information from PCa patients. The associated risk factors found by multivariate analyses were used to establish forest plots and nomograms for distant metastasis (DM) and bone(s)-only metastasis (BM). We next evaluated the NCCN, AUA and EAU guidelines indications for the discovery of certain subgroups of patients who should receive bone imaging.

Results

A total of 120,136 patients were eligible for analysis, of which 96.7% had no metastasis. The odds ratios of positive DM and BM results were 13.90 times and 15.87 times higher in patients with a histologic grade group (GG) 5 than in the reference group. The concordance index of the nomograms based on race, age, T/N stage, PSA, GG, percentage of positive scores for predicting DM and BM was 0.942 and 0.928, respectively. Performance of the NCCN, AUA and EAU guidelines was high and relatively similar in terms of sensitivity (93.2–96.9%) and negative predictive value (99.8–99.9%). NCCN guidelines had the highest accuracy, specificity and positive likelihood ratio, while negative likelihood ratio was lowest in AUA guideline.

Conclusion

Histologic GG 5 was the foremost factor for DM and BM. NCCN-based recommendations may be more rational in clinical practice. Nomograms predicting metastasis demonstrate high accuracy.
Time-resolved temperature profile measurements in the exhaust of a single sector gas turbine combustor at realistic operating conditions
Authors: Greifenstein M. , Heinze J. , Willert C. , Voigt L. , Zedda M. , Richter C. , Dreizler A.
Published: July 2020

Records of the time-varying temperature profile at flight relevant operating conditions are acquired at the exit of a combustion chamber fitted with a staged, lean-burn fuel injector using high-speed laser induced fluorescence (LIF) at a sample rate of 10 kHz. Temperatures are estimated from the concentration dependent fluorescence of the hydroxyl (OH) radical under the assumption of local equilibrium. Beyond the time-series analysis, the acquired data is correlated with simultaneously acquired OH chemiluminescence sampled in the primary zone near the fuel injector. These analyses reveal a strong influence from the precessing vortex core, originating in the primary zone, on oscillations in the temperature profiles measured at the exit of the combustor.

Graphic abstract
Systematic review of pineal cysts surgery in pediatric patients
Authors: Choque-Velasquez Joham , Colasanti Roberto , Baluszek Szymon , Resendiz-Nieves Julio , Muhammad Sajjad , Ludtka Christopher , Hernesniemi Juha
Published: July 2020

Introduction

We present a consecutive case series and a systematic review of surgically treated pediatric PCs. We hypothesized that the symptomatic PC is a progressive disease with hydrocephalus at its last stage. We also propose that PC microsurgery is associated with better postoperative outcomes compared to other treatments.

Methods

The systematic review was conducted in PubMed and Scopus. No clinical study on pediatric PC patients was available. We performed a comprehensive evaluation of the available individual patient data of 43 (22 case reports and 21 observational series) articles.

Results

The review included 109 patients (72% females). Ten-year-old or younger patients harbored smaller PC sizes compared to older patients (p< 0.01). The pediatric PCs operated on appeared to represent a progressive disease, which started with unspecific symptoms with a mean cyst diameter of 14.5 mm, and progressed to visual impairment with a mean cyst diameter of 17.8 mm, and hydrocephalus with a mean cyst diameter of 23.5 mm in the final stages of disease (p< 0.001). Additionally, 96% of patients saw an improvement in their symptoms or became asymptomatic after surgery. PC microsurgery linked with superior gross total resection compared to endoscopic and stereotactic procedures (p< 0.001).

Conclusions

Surgically treated pediatric PCs appear to behave as a progressive disease, which starts with cyst diameters of approximately 15 mm and develops with acute or progressive hydrocephalus at the final stage. PC microneurosurgery appears to be associated with a more complete surgical resection compared to other procedures.
A systematic review of neurological symptoms and complications of COVID-19
Authors: Chen Xiangliang , Laurent Sarah , Onur Oezguer A. , Kleineberg Nina N. , Fink Gereon R. , Schweitzer Finja , Warnke Clemens
Published: July 2020

Objective

To study the frequency of neurological symptoms and complications in COVID-19 patients in a systematic review of the literature.

Methods

Relevant studies were identified through electronic explorations of PubMed, medRxiv, and bioRxiv. Besides, three Chinese databases were searched. A snowballing method searching the bibliographies of the retrieved references was applied to identify potentially relevant articles. Articles published within 1 year prior to April 20th, 2020, were screened with no language restriction imposed. Databases were searched for terms related to SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 and neurological manifestations, using a pre-established protocol registered on the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews database (ID: CRD42020187994).

Results

A total of 2441 articles were screened for relevant content, of which 92 full-text publications were included in the analyses of neurological manifestations of COVID-19. Headache, dizziness, taste and smell dysfunctions, and impaired consciousness were the most frequently described neurological symptoms, the latter more often among patients with a severe or critical disease course. To date, only smaller cohort studies or single cases have reported cerebrovascular events, seizures, meningoencephalitis, and immune-mediated neurological diseases, not suitable for quantitative analysis.

Conclusion

The most frequent neurological symptoms reported in association with COVID-19 are non-specific for the infection with SARS-CoV-2. Although SARS-CoV-2 may have the potential to gain direct access to the nervous system, so far, SARS-CoV-2 was detected in the cerebrospinal fluid in two cases only. Standardized international registries are needed to clarify the clinical relevance of the neuropathogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 and to elucidate a possible impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on common neurological disease, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease or multiple sclerosis.
Transitions in frailty state after kidney transplantation
Authors: Quint Evelien E. , Schopmeyer Lasse , Banning Louise B.D. , Moers Cyril , El Moumni Mostafa , Nieuwenhuijs-Moeke Gertrude J. , Berger Stefan P. , Bakker Stephan J.L. , Pol Robert A.
Published: July 2020

Purpose

Frailty is the body’s failure to return to homeostasis after every day or acute stressful events, causing adverse outcomes. To study its dynamics in kidney transplant recipients (KTR), we determined whether the degree of frailty and its domains are affected by kidney transplantation (KT).

Methods

Between 2015 and 2017, 176 KTR were included. Frailty scores were measured using the Groningen Frailty Indicator (GFI), assessed preoperatively and during follow-up. Transitions in frailty state and changes in the individual domains were determined.

Results

Mean age (±SD) was 51.8 (± 14.1) years, and 63.1% of KTR were male. Thirty patients were considered frail (GFI ≥ 4) at baseline. After a mean follow-up of 22.8 ± 8.3 months, 34 non-frail patients (19.3%) became frail, 125 patients (71.0%) remained the same, and 17 frail patients (9.7%) became non-frail (GFI < 4). In the domain psychosocial functioning, 28.4% of the patients had an increase in GFI score after follow-up. Patients who scored a point in the domain cognition at baseline had a greater chance of becoming frail (OR 4.38, 95% CI 0.59–32.24).

Conclusion

In conclusion, almost one-fifth of non-frail KTR transitioned to a frail state after their transplantation. These results could be used to predict the impact of KT on frailty course and help with implementing prehabilitation for patients at risk.
Preventing chylous ascites after right hemicolectomy with D3 extended mesenterectomy
Authors: Agustsdottir Elin Edda Seland , Stimec Bojan V. , Stroemmen Tine Tveit , Sheikh Ariba Ehsan , Elaiyarajah Ilackiya , Lindstroem Jonas Christoffer , Ignjatovic Dejan
Published: July 2020

Background

We aim to find the incidence of chylous ascites in patients undergoing D3 extended mesenterectomy and evaluate if a routine fat-reduced diet (FRD) has a prophylactic effect.

Methods

Data from 138 patients included in a D3 extended mesenterectomy trial were collected prospectively. Surgical drains and biochemical testing of drain fluid were used to find the incidence of chylous ascites among the first 39 patients, and a prophylactic fat-reduced diet was then implemented in the next 99 patients as a prophylactic measure.

Results

In the first 39 patients, we found that 16 (41.0%) developed chylous ascites. After the fat-reduced diet was implemented, 1 (1.0%) of 99 patients developed chylous ascites. Drain discharge was 150 vs. 80 mL daily, respectively, and a regression analysis shows the average leakage in the group with fat-reduced diet was 105 mL/day less than in the patients with no dietary restrictions (p < 0.001). There were no significant differences in the rate of other complications (Fisher exact test, one-tailed p = 0.8845), and although there was a tendency to a shorter hospital stay when given a fat-reduced diet (7.3 ± 5.4 vs. 8.9 ± 4.9 days), the difference was not significant (p = 0.19).

Conclusions

Chylous ascites is a very common postoperative occurrence after right colectomy with extended D3 mesenterectomy and may be prevented using a routine fat-reduced diet.
Seedlings from marginal and core populations of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) respond differently to imposed drought and shade
Authors: Wang Fang , Israel David , Ramírez-Valiente José-Alberto , Sánchez-Gómez David , Aranda Ismael , Aphalo Pedro J. , Robson T. Matthew
Published: July 2020

Key message

Local adaptation largely segregates between traits affecting light responses and water relations, but population-level differences in stomatal conductance when growth is unconstrained converge among populations under water stress.

Warming temperatures and altered precipitation patterns threaten plant populations worldwide. European beech (Fagus sylvatica) is a species that expresses both high phenotypic plasticity and local adaptation among populations. Beech seedlings’ susceptibility to prolonged drought may be dictated by their immediate light environment. We tested whether seedlings of four beech provenances, from contrasting edaphoclimatic environments, expressed differences in trait responses to imposed water stress under sun and shade treatments. Populations from the southern range margin were expected to display greater water-stress tolerance and core populations’ faster growth rates in the absence of abiotic limitations. Both high light and water stress induced differences in trait responses among provenances, but traits that failed to respond to our experimental treatments likewise did not segregate at the provenance level. Hence, those traits responding to light, e.g., increasing leaf flavonol index and leaf mass area, also tended to differ among provenances. Similarly, there was evidence of local adaptation among provenances in traits, like midday leaf water potential, responding to water stress. Exceptionally, there was a three way interaction water- × -light- × -provenance for stomatal conductance which converged among provenances under water stress. Leaf chlorophyll content also varied both with light and water in a provenance-specific manner. We found core provenances’ growth traits to outperform others under favourable conditions, whereas southern and high-elevation populations displayed traits adapted to tolerate high irradiance. Only stomatal conductance produced a complementary interactive response between light- × -water across provenances, whereas other traits responded less to combined water stress and high irradiance than to either treatment alone.
Health effects of electronic cigarette (e‑cigarette) use on organ systems and its implications for public health
Authors: Seiler-Ramadas Radhika , Sandner Isabell , Haider Sandra , Grabovac Igor , Dorner Thomas Ernst
Published: July 2020

Background

There has been growing concern over the use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) in recent years. Although advocated as an aid to smoking cessation, there is increasing evidence of harm not just to the respiratory system, but to all other organs in the body. To give a clearer picture on how e‑cigarettes can affect our health, we gathered an overview of the literature on the various health effects of e‑cigarettes and categorized them into how they specifically affect organ systems.

E‑cigarette exposure has produced a range of stress and inflammatory reactions in the pulmonary system, including shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing, bronchial and pulmonary irritations, and impaired pulmonary function. In the oral and gastrointestinal system, gingival inflammation, sore throat, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea have been reported. Increased tachycardia and blood pressure were reported reactions in the cardiovascular system. In the neurological system headaches, irritability, anxiety, dependence and insomnia were observed. Other effects included ocular irritation, contact dermatitis, acute renal insufficiency, toxicity and potential carcinogenicity. Nevertheless, studies have found improvements in time-based memory and nicotine withdrawal associated with the cessation of conventional cigarette smoking and switching to e‑cigarette use. Also, toxic and carcinogenic metabolites were reportedly lower in e‑cigarette smokers than in conventional cigarette smokers.

Conclusion

A growing number of studies are showing the adverse effects caused by e‑cigarettes on all human organ systems. Further research on the chemical components, the diverse flavors, and the long-term effects on active and passive users are needed to clarify the implications of e‑cigarette use on individual and public health.
Functional impairment outcomes in clinical trials of different ADHD medications: post hoc responder analyses and baseline subgroup analyses
Authors: Coghill David R. , Werner-Kiechle Tamara , Farahbakhshian Sepehr , Bliss Caleb , Robertson Brigitte , Huss Michael
Published: July 2020

Several recent phase 3 clinical trials of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medications have used the Weiss Functional Impairment Rating Scale-Parent Report (WFIRS-P). Here, we assess WFIRS-P response in individual patients in two pivotal trials of lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (LDX) and guanfacine extended release (GXR). We also analysed pooled WFIRS-P data from seven phase 3 studies of ADHD medications to shed light on factors associated with baseline functional impairment. The proportion of patients with a change in WFIRS-P score that exceeded the minimal important difference (MID) criteria for response was greater for LDX than placebo in the Family, Learning and School, and Risky Activities domains, and was greater for GXR than placebo in the Social Activities, Learning and School, and Family domains. Responders had significantly worse baseline scores in all WFIRS-P domains (all p < 0.001) than non-responders. In the pooled analyses, baseline WFIRS-P scores in all domains were significantly worse in participants with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) than in those without ODD. Having combined type or hyperactive-impulsive type ADHD, being enrolled into a study in Europe, being male and being younger also had modest negative effects on baseline WFIRS-P scores. The present analysis of WFIRS-P response shows that previously reported group-level improvements in WFIRS-P functional impairment score translated into clinically relevant improvements in many individual participants. Functional impairment is a diverse and subjective construct that is influenced by multiple factors. Optimal management of individuals with ADHD should involve monitoring improvements in functioning and quality of life, as well as symptomatic improvement.
Sobolev Spaces $W^{1,p}(\mathbb {R}^{n},\gamma )$ Weighted by the Gaussian Normal Distribution $\gamma (x):=\frac {1}{\sqrt {\pi }^{n}}\exp (-|x|^{2})$ and the Spectral Theory
Authors: Sauvigny Friedrich
Published: July 2020

In the spectral theory it does make a difference, whether we consider differential operators on bounded or unbounded domains. In order to treat eigenvalue problems on the whole Euclidean space, we construct Sobolev spaces over$\mathbb {R}^{n}$ℝn, which are weighted by theGaussian normal distribution. By the methods presented in Chapters 2, 8, and 10 of the treatiseF. Sauvigny: Partial Differential Equations 1 and 2, Springer Universitext (2012), we can prove an analogue of theSobolev embedding theoremand aRellich selection theoremfor the Sobolev spaces$W_{0}^{1,p}(\mathbb {R}^{n},\gamma )$W01,p(ℝn,γ)weighted byγ- with vanishing values towards infinity. We achieve these specific results for ourentire Sobolev spaces$W^{1,p}(\mathbb {R}^{n},\gamma )$W1,p(ℝn,γ), since we concentrate on the Gaussian normal distributionγas our weight function. Even our notion of theweighted partial derivativedepends on this weight function. Within the so-calledGauß–Rellich space$W_{0}^{1,2}(\mathbb {R}^{n},\gamma )$W01,2(ℝn,γ)we shall investigate the discrete spectrum of weighted elliptic operators over$\mathbb {R}^{n}$ℝnby spectral methods. There we rely on the treatiseF. Sauvigny: Spektraltheorie selbstadjungierter Operatoren im Hilbertraum und elliptischer Differentialoperatoren, Springer Spektrum (2019). By reflection methods, we solve eigenvalue problems for elliptic differential operators on the sectorial domain$\mathbb {R}_{+}^{n}$ℝ+nunder vanishing and mixed boundary conditions.