bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Comparison of Different Tournament Weigh-In Formats on the Short-Term Postrelease Behavior of Black Bass Assessed with Biologgers
Authors: LaRochelle Luc , Trahan Alexandria , Brownscombe Jacob W. , Danylchuk Andy J. , Cooke Steven J.
Published: February 2022

Black bass Micropterus spp. live-release tournaments are a popular activity in North America. Efforts continue to further increase survival and enhance welfare of fish released from competitive angling events. Recently, some tournaments have adopted a new weigh-in format in which black bass are weighed immediately (hanging from a scale in air) and released at the capture location. More conventional tournaments involve retaining black bass in a live well and delivering them to a central location to be weighed (wet or dry weigh-in). We used biologgers that measured swimming activity, depth selection, and water temperature selection to examine how different weigh-in formats alter postrelease behavior of Smallmouth Bass M. dolomieu and Largemouth Bass M. salmoides. All fish showed a significant decrease in swimming activity as time progressed during the 10-min monitoring period, regardless of the weigh-in format. Swimming activity remained elevated (i.e., hyperactivity) for a longer period of time for black bass that were retained in live wells compared to those that were subjected to the catch, weigh, and release weigh-in format and the control (fish that were caught and immediately released without air exposure). Swimming activity of black bass tended to decrease as they achieved greater depths with cooler water temperatures. For both species, the water temperature selected postrelease was influenced by the weigh-in format. Black bass that were dry weighed and wet weighed spent more time in warmer water temperatures than fish in the control group or fish that were caught, weighed, and released. This study suggests that to reduce behavioral alterations associated with wet or dry weigh-ins, tournament organizations need to carefully select the weigh-in location, allowing easy access to refuge (i.e., habitat complexity similar to that of the capture location) having the cooler water temperatures commonly associated with deeper water. These results also suggest that catch, weigh, and release formats could be beneficial for black bass during periods of the year with elevated water temperature.
Occurrence, Abundance, Movement, and Habitat Associations of Bonneville Cutthroat Trout in Tributaries to Bear Lake, Idaho–Utah
Authors: Heller Megan R. , Dillon Jeffrey C. , Quist Michael C.
Published: February 2022

Bonneville Cutthroat Trout (BCT) Oncorhynchus clarkii utah in Bear Lake, Idaho–Utah, is an important endemic and recreational species and plays a vital ecological role in systems throughout the basin. Although the distribution and abundance of BCT have declined due to anthropogenic disturbances, production of wild BCT in Bear Lake has increased over the past decade as a result of extensive habitat improvement in spawning tributaries. The objective of this study was to assess the occurrence, distribution, and out-migration of BCT in tributaries of Bear Lake. Surveys were conducted at 75 stream reaches across three study streams (i.e., St. Charles, Fish Haven, and Swan creeks) during 2019 and 2020. A total of 1,064 BCT was sampled from 55 of 75 total reaches (73%). Total length of BCT varied from 22 to 650 mm, and the average TL was 117 mm (SE = 2.2). Regression models were used to identify abiotic and biotic features associated with BCT distribution, abundance, and probability of out-migration. Regardless of the tributary, elevation was negatively related to BCT occurrence and relative abundance. Other habitat characteristics associated with the presence and abundance of BCT were similar to those of other Cutthroat Trout species. For example, BCT were often associated with large substrates, instream cover, canopy cover, and heterogeneity in several habitat characteristics. The probability of a BCT out-migrating was positively associated with fish length and age but negatively related to distance to Bear Lake and number of downstream irrigation diversions. Results from this study provide critical information on the ecology and early life history characteristics of BCT that can be used to guide additional conservation and management efforts (i.e., removal of nonnative fish species; continued habitat restoration efforts).
Roux‐en‐Y gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, or one‐anastomosis gastric bypass? A systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized‐controlled trials
Authors: Uhe Isabelle , Douissard Jonathan , Podetta Michele , Chevallay Mickael , Toso Christian , Jung Minoa Karin , Meyer Jeremy
Published: February 2022

Objective

This study aimed to determine which bariatric procedure allows patients to obtain the best weight‐loss outcomes and a remission of type 2 diabetes.

Methods

Databases were searched for randomized‐controlled trials comparing Roux‐en‐Y gastric bypass (RYGB) with sleeve gastrectomy (SG) or one‐anastomosis gastric bypass (OAGB). The mean difference (MD) or the relative risk was determined.

Results

Twenty‐five randomized‐controlled trials were analyzed. Excess weight loss (EWL, percentage) was greater for RYGB patients at 3 years (MD: 11.93, p < 0.00001) and 5 years (MD: 13.11, p = 0.0004). Higher excess BMI loss (percentage) was found in RYGB at 1 year (MD: 11.66, p = 0.01). Total weight loss (percentage) was greater for RYGB patients after 3 months (MD: 2.41, p = 0.02), 6 months (MD: 3.83, p < 0.00001), 1 year (MD: 6.35, p < 0.00001), and 5 years (MD: 3.90, p = 0.005). No difference in terms of remission of type 2 diabetes was seen between RYGB and SG. EWL was significantly more important after OAGB than after RYGB after 1 year (MD: −10.82, p = 0.003).

Conclusions

RYGB is more efficient than SG in the midterm. OAGB offers greater EWL than RYGB after 1 year, but further evidence is needed to confirm this result.
Gestational weight change and childhood body composition trajectories from pregnancy to early adolescence
Authors: Widen Elizabeth M. , Burns Natalie , Daniels Michael , Backlund Grant , Rickman Rachel , Foster Saralyn , Nichols Amy R. , Hoepner Lori A. , Kinsey Eliza W. , Ramirez‐Carvey Judyth , Hassoun Abeer , Perera Frederica P. , Bukowski Radek , Rundle Andrew G.
Published: February 2022

Objective

A mother–child dyad trajectory model of weight and body composition spanning from conception to adolescence was developed to understand how early life exposures shape childhood body composition.

Methods

African American (49.3%) and Dominican (50.7%) pregnant mothers (n = 337) were enrolled during pregnancy, and their children (47.5% female) were followed from ages 5 to 14. Gestational weight gain (GWG) was abstracted from medical records. Child weight, height, percentage body fat, and waist circumference were measured. GWG and child body composition trajectories were jointly modeled with a flexible latent class model with a class membership component that included prepregnancy BMI.

Results

Four prenatal and child body composition trajectory patterns were identified, and sex‐specific patterns were observed for the joint GWG–postnatal body composition trajectories with more distinct patterns among girls but not boys. Girls of mothers with high GWG across gestation had the highest BMI z score, waist circumference, and percentage body fat trajectories from ages 5 to 14; however, boys in this high GWG group did not show similar growth patterns.

Conclusions

Jointly modeled prenatal weight and child body composition trajectories showed sex‐specific patterns. Growth patterns from childhood though early adolescence appeared to be more profoundly affected by higher GWG patterns in females, suggesting sex differences in developmental programming.
Fluid–structure‐interaction simulations of forming‐air impact thermoforming
Authors: Wagner Simon , Sheikhi Rasoul , Kayatz Fabian , Münsch Manuel , Hauptmann Marek , Delgado Antonio
Published: February 2022

The authors present a thermally and dynamically coupled fluid–structure‐interaction (FSI) model of a thermoforming process variant along with simulation results. By purposeful arrangement of the inlet nozzles, the process variant under consideration seeks to improve the deformation behavior of a plastic sheet made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), ultimately leading to a more uniform wall thickness distribution. In order to capture the complex interaction between deforming sheet and turbulent flow field in the pressure box, the numerical model must realistically reproduce both fluid and solid domain and accurately handle coupling between the simulation participants. Detailed information is provided on modeling aspects of the solid and in particular of the fluid domain. Wall thickness distributions obtained from experiments for two test cases are compared to results generated using varying parametrizations of the simulation model. The results in general are in line with experimental measurements, although some peculiarities in the measured data could not be reproduced. Despite its limitations concerning accuracy and the computational cost, the holistic simulation approach using FSI appears to be a helpful tool for investigating thermoforming due to the detailed resolution of the inflation process in time and space.
Performance Investigation of a Copper Azide Micro Detonator Using Experiments and Simulations
Authors: Peng Yue , Yu Qingxia , Yin Qiang , Long Xinping
Published: February 2022

In this paper, to study the output capacity of the micro detonator in MEMS flyer initiation sequence, we studied the driving Ti flyer process of micro detonator filled with “in‐situ” synthetic copper azide micro charge by combining experimental test, thermodynamic calculation, and hydrodynamic simulation. On the one hand, the flight process of the flyer is tested by an all‐fiber photonic Doppler velocimeter (AFPDV), and a complete flyer velocity curve is obtained. On this basis, the effects of different micro charge thickness, micro charge density, and accelerating chamber length on the flight process of the flyer are studied and analyzed. Thus, valuable experimental data are provided for the research of related micro detonators. On the other hand, we study the simulation of the copper azide micro charge driving flyer process. Firstly, we use the detonation thermodynamic program to calculate and fit the detonation velocity (D), detonation CJ pressure (PCJ), and JWL equation of state (EOS) parameters of detonation products of copper azide for simulation. For the gaseous detonation product, we compared the effects of three virial EOS: VLW EOS, VHL EOS, and VPL EOS on the calculation values of detonation parameters for copper azide. For the solid detonation product, a new EOS that can accurately describe the high temperature and high‐pressure state of copper was introduced to the program. Using the detonation parameters of copper azide calculated by thermodynamics, the process of driving the Ti flyer by micro charge is simulated by the 2D ALE method and compared with the experimental data under corresponding conditions.
Aging, (un)certainty and HIV management in South Africa
Authors: Rishworth Andrea , King Brian
Published: February 2022

Research within geography and cognate disciplines demonstrates how (un)certainty informs relational, emergent and open‐ended processes of healthy aging. Although (un)certainty shapes aging health inequities and possibilities for reconfiguration, research often centres on challenges for aging individuals, eliding more dynamic, complex and contradictory factors shaping the health and wellbeing of aging individuals and societies. This paper uses qualitative research with older women in South Africa to engage contradictions in (un)certainty. We argue that while advances in HIV/AIDS testing and treatment allow individuals to grow older with greater certainty, longer lives managing HIV rework new forms of ill‐health through contested disease etiology, indeterminant multitemporal processes, and dubious livelihood prospects. (Un)certain HIV landscapes can create new forms of disadvantage and subjection, while in other instances encourage opportunities for healthier lives and pragmatic social change. The findings highlight the importance of considering (un)certain aging, health and disease realities and the structures that assuage them.
Responding to research evidence in Parliament: A case study on selective education policy
Authors: Bainbridge Alan , Troppe Tom , Bartley Joanne
Published: February 2022

This research focuses on how members of the UK Parliament engaged with evidence in relation to the policy decision leading to the Selective Schools Expansion Fund, a policy designed to enable the existing 163 English grammar schools to apply for additional funds to expand their intake. Although a small case study, the narrow focus provides a fertile setting for analysis of the relationship between research evidence, parliamentary debates and policy decisions. The article provides contextual background in relation to the dominant political parties’ (Conservative and Labour) education policy manifesto statements and a discussion on the nature and understanding of evidence. Particular attention is given to how evidence can be used to support claims and the importance of justified warrants. Using NVivo software, we identified the thematic content of 11 parliamentary debates and analysed the findings using descriptive statistics, which we tested with a playful, carnivalesque extrapolation of the data. Argumentative analysis shows that within the debates a number of rhetorical tools are used to avoid empirical evidence, including the deployment of a ‘moral sidestep’ which discourse analysis reveals in this case to be the repeated communication that grammar schools are ‘good’. In this way, Ofsted ratings are conflated with moral goodness, leading to a disproportionate diversion of school funding in their favour. This case study exposes strengths and weaknesses of parliamentary debate, which might be relevant to educational researchers who focus on evidence‐based policy and to the policy makers and other stakeholders who engage with the evidence such researchers offer.
A shared‐parameter location‐scale mixed model to link the responsivity in self‐initiated event reports and the event‐contingent Ecological Momentary Assessments
Authors: Ma Qianheng , Mermelstein Robin J. , Hedeker Donald
Published: February 2022

We address the issue of (non‐) responsivity of self‐initiated assessments in Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) or other mobile health (mHealth) studies, where subjects are instructed to self‐initiate reports when experiencing defined events, for example, smoking. Since such reports are self‐initiated, the frequency and determinants of nonresponse to these event reports is usually unknown, however it may be suspected that nonresponse of such self‐initiated reports is not random. In this case, existing methods for missing data may be insufficient in the modeling of these observed self‐initiated reports. In certain EMA studies, random prompts, distinct from the self‐initiated reports, may be converted to event reports. For example, such a conversion can occur if during a random prompt a subject is assessed about the event (eg, smoking) and it is determined that the subject is engaging in the event at the time of the prompt. Such converted prompts can provide some information about the subject's non‐responsivity of event reporting. Furthermore, such non‐responsivity can be associated with the primary longitudinal EMA outcome (eg, mood) in which case a joint modeling of the non‐responsivity and the mood outcome is possible. Here, we propose a shared‐parameter location‐scale model to link the primary outcome model for mood and a model for subjects' non‐responsivity by shared random effects which characterize a subject's mood level, mood change pattern, and mood variability. Via simulations and real data analysis, our proposed model is shown to be more informative, have better coverage of parameters, and provide better fit to the data than more conventional models.
Sample size calculation for cluster randomized trials with zero‐inflated count outcomes
Authors: Zhou Zhengyang , Li Dateng , Zhang Song
Published: February 2022

Cluster randomized trials (CRT) have been widely employed in medical and public health research. Many clinical count outcomes, such as the number of falls in nursing homes, exhibit excessive zero values. In the presence of zero inflation, traditional power analysis methods for count data based on Poisson or negative binomial distribution may be inadequate. In this study, we present a sample size method for CRTs with zero‐inflated count outcomes. It is developed based on GEE regression directly modeling the marginal mean of a zero‐inflated Poisson outcome, which avoids the challenge of testing two intervention effects under traditional modeling approaches. A closed‐form sample size formula is derived which properly accounts for zero inflation, ICCs due to clustering, unbalanced randomization, and variability in cluster size. Robust approaches, including t‐distribution‐based approximation and Jackknife re‐sampling variance estimator, are employed to enhance trial properties under small sample sizes. Extensive simulations are conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed method. An application example is presented in a real clinical trial setting.
Inferring medication adherence from time‐varying health measures
Authors: Hunter Kristen B. , Glickman Mark E. , Campos Luis F.
Published: February 2022

Medication adherence is a problem of widespread concern in clinical care. Poor adherence is a particular problem for patients with chronic diseases requiring long‐term medication because poor adherence can result in less successful treatment outcomes and even preventable deaths. Existing methods to collect information about patient adherence are resource‐intensive or do not successfully detect low‐adherers with high accuracy. Acknowledging that health measures recorded at clinic visits are more reliably recorded than a patient's adherence, we have developed an approach to infer medication adherence rates based on longitudinally recorded health measures that are likely impacted by time‐varying adherence behaviors. Our framework permits the inclusion of baseline health characteristics and socio‐demographic data. We employ a modular inferential approach. First, we fit a two‐component model on a training set of patients who have detailed adherence data obtained from electronic medication monitoring. One model component predicts adherence behaviors only from baseline health and socio‐demographic information, and the other predicts longitudinal health measures given the adherence and baseline health measures. Posterior draws of relevant model parameters are simulated from this model using Markov chain Monte Carlo methods. Second, we develop an approach to infer medication adherence from the time‐varying health measures using a sequential Monte Carlo algorithm applied to a new set of patients for whom no adherence data are available. We apply and evaluate the method on a cohort of hypertensive patients, using baseline health comorbidities, socio‐demographic measures, and blood pressure measured over time to infer patients' adherence to antihypertensive medication.
Unraveling the Kinematics of Sperm Motion by Reconstructing the Flagellar Wave Motion in 3D
Authors: Powar Sushant , Parast Farin Yazdan , Nandagiri Ashwin , Gaikwad Avinash S. , Potter David L. , O'Bryan Moira K. , Prabhakar Ranganathan , Soria Julio , Nosrati Reza
Published: February 2022

Sperm swim through the female reproductive tract by propagating a 3D flagellar wave that is self‐regulatory in nature and driven by dynein motors. Traditional microscopy methods fail to capture the full dynamics of sperm flagellar activity as they only image and analyze sperm motility in 2D. Here, an automated platform to analyze sperm swimming behavior in 3D by using thin‐lens approximation and high‐speed dark field microscopy to reconstruct the flagellar waveform in 3D is presented. It is found that head‐tethered mouse sperm exhibit a rolling beating behavior in 3D with the beating frequency of 6.2 Hz using spectral analysis. The flagellar waveform bends in 3D, particularly in the distal regions, but is only weakly nonplanar and ambidextrous in nature, with the local helicity along the flagellum fluctuating between clockwise and counterclockwise handedness. These findings suggest a nonpersistent flagellar helicity. This method provides new opportunities for the accurate measurement of the full motion of eukaryotic flagella and cilia which is essential for a biophysical understanding of their activation by dynein motors.
Does astrocyte gap junction protein expression differ during development in absence epileptic rats?
Authors: Köse Büşra , Özkan Mazhar , Sur‐Erdem İlknur , Çavdar Safiye
Published: February 2022

Intercellular communication via gap junctions (GJs) has a wide variety of complex and essential functions in the CNS. In the present developmental study, we aimed to quantify the number of astrocytic GJs protein connexin 30 (Cx30) of genetic model of absence epilepsy rats from Strasbourg (GAERS) at postnatal P10, P30, and P60 days in the epileptic focal areas involved in the cortico‐thalamic circuit. We compared the results with Wistar rats using immunohistochemistry and western blotting. The number of Cx30 immunopositive astrocytes per unit area were quantified for the somatosensory cortex (SSCx), ventrobasal (VB), and lateral geniculate (LGN) thalamic nuclei of the two strains and Cx30 western blot was applied to the tissue samples from the same regions. Both immunohistochemical and western blot results revealed the presence of Cx30 in all regions studied at P10 in both Wistar and GAERS animals. The SSCx, VB, and LGN of Wistar animals showed progressive increase in the number of Cx30 immunopositive labeled astrocytes from P10 to P30 and reached a peak at P30; then a significant decline was observed from P30 to P60 for the SSCx and VB. However, in GAERS Cx30 immunopositive labeled astrocytes showed a progressive increase from P10 to P60 for all brain regions studied. The immunohistochemical data highly corresponded with western blotting results. We conclude that the developmental disproportional expression of Cx30 in the epileptic focal areas in GAERS may be related to the onset of absence seizures or may be related to the neurogenesis of absence epilepsy.
Effect of aspect ratio subjected to wind hazard in tall buildings situated along the coastal line of India
Authors: Ghosh Tamal , Sil Arjun
Published: February 2022

The escalating growth of the tall buildings as well as the increasing number of extreme wind events in the Indian coastal region have certainly arisen the question of the safety and stability of these buildings situated in the metropolitan cities along the coastline. In such a scenario where there have been a constant focus on more researches for a unified wind code, however a comprehensive comparative study is required not only to assess and analyze the dynamic peak factors of the tall building models due to wind load, but also to enlighten the differences in the obtained results as well as their patterns respectively. The aspect ratio of buildings essentially governs the stability as well as contributes to a great extent on the dynamic responses in terms of base shear, base moment and torsional effects at the base. However, a framework based on the Indian wind database could ease the complexity of such parametric survivability studies of such structures. Distinguished variations in the dynamic responses for a series of models of tall buildings with varying aspect ratios along the height are analyzed as well as discussed in the present study, and the pattern of the deviation of the results with a parallel framework is also addressed to propose a mechanism for assessing the behaviors of tall buildings under specific wind speed predominant in the Indian coastal region that would help to ensure the safety and stability of structures subjected to wind hazards in Indian context in future.
A case of generalised cutaneous apocrine cystomatosis in a Pekingese dog
Authors: Stazi Marica , Silvestri Serenella , Mechelli Luca , Brachelente Chiara
Published: February 2022

Clinical, histological and immunohistochemical examination of a 13‐year‐old male client‐owned Pekingese dog revealed an uncommon presentation of apocrine cutaneous cystomatosis. This is a rare non‐neoplastic condition of uncertain cause, characterised by multiple cystically dilated apocrine sweat glands. We aimed to describe the features of this unusual case of generalised cutaneous apocrine cystomatosis in the dog, which can be useful to distinguish it from multifocal benign cystic apocrine tumours.
Circadian rhythms of the mRNA abundances of clock genes and glucose transporters in the jejunum of weanling‐growing pigs
Authors: Kinoshita Yuki , Takahashi Hayata , Katsumata Masaya
Published: February 2022

Background

Whether abundance of glucose transporter mRNAs in the small intestine of pigs shows circadian rhythms and its regulation by clock genes was still unknown.

Objectives

We examined whether the abundance of glucose transporters and clock genes mRNAs in the small intestine of pigs shows circadian rhythms.

Methods

Twenty barrows (4 weeks old) were reared under 12 h bright and 12 h dark lighting conditions. During the 3‐week feeding trial, pigs were allowed free access to feed. The abundances of the mRNA of glucose transporters (SGLT1 and GLUT2) and clock genes (Bmal1, Per1, Per2, and Cry2) in the intestine were measured at four time points (ZT2, ZT8, ZT14, and ZT20).

Results

In the jejunum, the abundance of SGLT1 mRNA was higher at ZT20 and ZT2 and lower at ZT8 and ZT14 (p < 0.05). The abundances of GLUT2 mRNA in the jejunum at ZTs 20 and 2 were tended to be higher than those at ZTs 8 and 14 (p = 0.05). In the jejunum, the abundance of Bmal1 mRNA was higher at ZT8 and ZT14 than at ZT20 and ZT2 (p < 0.05). Further, the abundance of Per1 mRNA at ZT2 was higher than those at the other sampling times (p < 0.05). The abundance of Per1 mRNA at ZT8 was higher than that at ZT14 (p < 0.05), while that of Per2 mRNA was higher at ZT2 than those at ZTs 20 and 14 (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

We speculate that these circadian rhythms of abundances of glucose transporter mRNAs are regulated by the clock genes expressed in the jejunum.
Loomis–Whitney inequalities in Heisenberg groups
Authors: Fässler Katrin , Pinamonti Andrea
Published: February 2022

This note concernsLoomis–Whitney inequalitiesin Heisenberg groups$$\mathbb {H}^n$$Hn:$$\begin{aligned} |K| \lesssim \prod _{j=1}^{2n}|\pi _j(K)|^{\frac{n+1}{n(2n+1)}}, \qquad K \subset \mathbb {H}^n. \end{aligned}$$|K|≲∏j=12n|πj(K)|n+1n(2n+1),K⊂Hn.Here$$\pi _{j}$$πj,$$j=1,\ldots ,2n$$j=1,…,2n, are thevertical Heisenberg projectionsto the hyperplanes$$\{x_j=0\}$${xj=0}, respectively, and$$|\cdot |$$|·|refers to a natural Haar measure on either$$\mathbb {H}^n$$Hn, or one of the hyperplanes. The Loomis–Whitney inequality in the first Heisenberg group$$\mathbb {H}^1$$H1is a direct consequence of known$$L^p$$Lpimproving properties of the standard Radon transform in$$\mathbb {R}^2$$R2. In this note, we show how the Loomis–Whitney inequalities in higher dimensional Heisenberg groups can be deduced by an elementary inductive argument from the inequality in$$\mathbb {H}^1$$H1. The same approach, combined with multilinear interpolation, also yields the following strong type bound:$$\begin{aligned} \int _{\mathbb {H}^n} \prod _{j=1}^{2n} f_j(\pi _j(p))\;dp\lesssim \prod _{j=1}^{2n} \Vert f_j\Vert _{\frac{n(2n+1)}{n+1}} \end{aligned}$$∫Hn∏j=12nfj(πj(p))dp≲∏j=12n‖fj‖n(2n+1)n+1for all nonnegative measurable functions$$f_1,\ldots ,f_{2n}$$f1,…,f2non$$\mathbb {R}^{2n}$$R2n. These inequalities and their geometric corollaries are thus ultimately based on planar geometry. Among the applications of Loomis–Whitney inequalities in$$\mathbb {H}^n$$Hn, we mention the following sharper version of the classical geometric Sobolev inequality in$$\mathbb {H}^n$$Hn:$$\begin{aligned} \Vert u\Vert _{\frac{2n+2}{2n+1}} \lesssim \prod _{j=1}^{2n}\Vert X_ju\Vert ^{\frac{1}{2n}}, \qquad u \in BV(\mathbb {H}^n), \end{aligned}$$‖u‖2n+22n+1≲∏j=12n‖Xju‖12n,u∈BV(Hn),where$$X_j$$Xj,$$j=1,\ldots ,2n$$j=1,…,2n, are the standard horizontal vector fields in$$\mathbb {H}^n$$Hn. Finally, we also establish an extension of the Loomis–Whitney inequality in$$\mathbb {H}^n$$Hn, where the Heisenberg vertical coordinate projections$$\pi _1,\ldots ,\pi _{2n}$$π1,…,π2nare replaced by more general families of mappings that allow us to apply the same inductive approach based on the$$L^{3/2}$$L3/2-$$L^3$$L3boundedness of an operator in the plane.
Systematic identification of trimethoprim metabolites in lettuce
Authors: Tadić Đorđe , Gramblicka Michal , Mistrik Robert , Bayona Josep Maria
Published: February 2022

Antibiotics are some of the most widely used drugs. Their release in the environment is of great concern since their consumption is a major factor for antibiotic resistance, one of the most important threats to human health. Their occurrence and fate in agricultural systems have been extensively investigated in recent years. Yet whilst their biotic and abiotic degradation pathways have been thoroughly researched, their biotransformation pathways in plants are less understood, such as in case of trimethoprim. Although trimethoprim has been reported in the environment, its fate in higher plants still remains unknown. A bench-scale experiment was performed and 30 trimethoprim metabolites were identified in lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), of which 5 belong to phase I and 25 to phase II. Data mining yielded a list of 1018 ions as possible metabolite candidates, which was filtered to a final list of 87 candidates. Molecular structures were assigned for 19 compounds, including 14 TMP metabolites reported for the first time. Alongside well-known biotransformation pathways in plants, additional novel pathways were suggested, namely, conjugation with sesquiterpene lactones, and abscisic acid as a part of phase II of plant metabolism. The results obtained offer insight into the variety of phase II conjugates and may serve as a guideline for studying the metabolization of other chemicals that share a similar molecular structure or functional groups with trimethoprim. Finally, the toxicity and potential contribution of the identified metabolites to the selective pressure on antibiotic resistance genes and bacterial communities via residual antimicrobial activity were evaluated.
Dynamic service area sizing in urban delivery
Authors: Ulmer Marlin W. , Erera Alan , Savelsbergh Martin
Published: February 2022

We consider an urban instant delivery environment, e.g., meal delivery, in which customers place orders over the course of a day and are promised delivery within a short period of time after an order is placed. Deliveries are made using a fleet of vehicles, each completing one or more trips during the day. To avoid missing delivery time promises as much as possible, the provider manages demand by dynamically adjusting the size of the service area, i.e., the area in which orders can be delivered. The provider seeks to maximize the number of orders served while avoiding missed delivery time promises. We present three techniques to support the dynamic adjusting of the size of the service area which can be embedded in planning and execution tools that help the provider achieve its goal. First, we learn the functional dependency between expected demand and the service area that can be supported with the fleet of vehicles. Second, we use value function approximation to improve an initial service area sizing plan for the day based on expected demand. Finally, we introduce a correction mechanism to dynamically adjust the service area sizing plan in response to observed realized demand. Extensive computational experiments demonstrate the efficacy of the techniques and show that dynamic sizing of the service area can increase the number of orders served significantly without increasing the number of missed delivery time promises.
Impact of type of minimally invasive approach on open conversions across ten common procedures in different specialties
Authors: Shah Paresh C. , de Groot Alexander , Cerfolio Robert , Huang William C. , Huang Kathy , Song Chao , Li Yanli , Kreaden Usha , Oh Daniel S.
Published: February 2022

Background

Conversion rates during minimally invasive surgery are generally examined in the limited scope of a particular procedure. However, for a hospital or payor, the cumulative impact of conversions during commonly performed procedures could have a much larger negative effect than what is appreciated by individual surgeons. The aim of this study is to assess open conversion rates during minimally invasive surgery (MIS) across common procedures using laparoscopic/thoracoscopic (LAP/VATS) and robotic-assisted (RAS) approaches.

Study design

Retrospective cohort study using the Premier Database on patients who underwent common operations (hysterectomy, lobectomy, right colectomy, benign sigmoidectomy, low anterior resection, inguinal and ventral hernia repair, and partial nephrectomy) between January 2013 and September 2015. ICD-9 and CPT codes were used to define procedures, modality, and conversion. Propensity scores were calculated using patient, hospital, and surgeon characteristics. Propensity-score matched analysis was used to compare conversions between LAP/VATS and RAS for each procedure.

Results

A total of 278,520 patients had MIS approaches of the ten operations. Conversion occurred in 5% of patients and was associated with a 1.77 day incremental increase in length of stay and $3441 incremental increase in cost. RAS was associated with a 58.5% lower rate of conversion to open surgery compared to LAP/VATS.

Conclusion

At a health system or payer level, conversion to open is detrimental not just for the patient and surgeon but also puts a significant strain on hospital resources. Use of RAS was associated with less than half of the conversion rate observed for LAP/VATS.
Causality in requirements artifacts: prevalence, detection, and impact
Authors: Frattini Julian , Fischbach Jannik , Mendez Daniel , Unterkalmsteiner Michael , Vogelsang Andreas , Wnuk Krzysztof
Published: February 2022

Causal relations in natural language (NL) requirements convey strong, semantic information. Automatically extracting such causal information enables multiple use cases, such as test case generation, but it also requires to reliably detect causal relations in the first place. Currently, this is still a cumbersome task as causality in NL requirements is still barely understood and, thus, barely detectable. In our empirically informed research, we aim at better understanding the notion of causality and supporting the automatic extraction of causal relations in NL requirements. In a first case study, we investigate 14.983 sentences from 53 requirements documents to understand the extent and form in which causality occurs. Second, we present and evaluate a tool-supported approach, called CiRA, for causality detection. We conclude with a second case study where we demonstrate the applicability of our tool and investigate the impact of causality on NL requirements. The first case study shows that causality constitutes around 28 % of all NL requirements sentences. We then demonstrate that our detection tool achieves a macro-$$\hbox {F}_{1}$$F1score of 82 % on real-world data and that it outperforms related approaches with an average gain of 11.06 % in macro-Recall and 11.43 % in macro-Precision. Finally, our second case study corroborates the positive correlations of causality with features of NL requirements. The results strengthen our confidence in the eligibility of causal relations for downstream reuse, while our tool and publicly available data constitute a first step in the ongoing endeavors of utilizing causality in RE and beyond.
Anion-type modulates the effect of salt stress on saline lake bacteria
Authors: Csitári Bianka , Bedics Anna , Felföldi Tamás , Boros Emil , Nagy Hajnalka , Máthé István , Székely Anna J.
Published: February 2022

Beside sodium chloride, inland saline aquatic systems often contain other anions than chloride such as hydrogen carbonate and sulfate. Our understanding of the biological effects of salt composition diversity is limited; therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the effect of different anions on the growth of halophilic bacteria. Accordingly, the salt composition and concentration preference of 172 strains isolated from saline and soda lakes that differed in ionic composition was tested using media containing either carbonate, chloride or sulfate as anion in concentration values ranging from 0 to 0.40 mol/L. Differences in salt-type preference among bacterial strains were observed in relationship to the salt composition of the natural habitat they were isolated from indicating specific salt-type adaptation. Sodium carbonate represented the strongest selective force, while majority of strains was well-adapted to growth even at high concentrations of sodium sulfate. Salt preference was to some extent associated with taxonomy, although variations even within the same bacterial species were also identified. Our results suggest that the extent of the effect of dissolved salts in saline lakes is not limited to their concentration but the type of anion also substantially impacts the growth and survival of individual microorganisms.
Preliminary MRI-based investigation of characteristics and prognosis of knee bone marrow edema in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis
Authors: Yang Yang , Yuan Xinyu , Wang Xinning , Tao Ran , Jiang Tao
Published: February 2022

Introduction

Bone marrow edema (BME) is one of the main imaging characteristics of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) in children and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in adult. Previous studies have shown that BME occurred in approximately 64% of adults with RA and was a key predictor of poor prognosis. But BME with JIA has not been of great concern. Therefore, we evaluated the prevalence, characteristics, and prognosis of knee joint BME in children with JIA.

Methods

In this retrospective study, we included children with JIA and knee joint involvement from January 2017 to December 2019. BME was evaluated according to the Juvenile Arthritis MRI Scoring system. Clinical characteristics were compared between the BME group and the non-BME group. The characteristics and prognosis of the BME were observed.

Results

A total of 128 children with 136 knee joint MRI data were identified, with 37 knee joints (27.2%) having BME. BME has positive correlation with synovial hypertrophy (Rs = 0.562, p = 0.019). There were significant differences in age (p = 0.010) and disease duration (p = 0.013) between the BME and non-BME groups. BME was found to be more common in older children and the patients with long duration of disease. Locations with BME were the lateral tibial plateau (17/37, 45.9%), the lateral weight-bearing femur (16/37, 43.2%), the medial tibial plateau and the medial femoral condyle (both with 15/37, 40.5%), and the medial weight-bearing femur (12/37, 32.4%). The lateral femoral condyle and both the lateral and medial sides of the patella were rarely involved. Of the 15 BME joints with the MRI follow-up data (interval 6.5 ± 3.0 months), the lesions disappeared or improved within 12 months after the treatments in 13 (86.7%) joints.

Conclusions

The prevalence of knee BME in JIA was 27.2%. There was positive correlation between BME and synovial hypertrophy. Older children and children with long disease duration had a higher risk for BME, which was commonly a late presentation and more likely involved the weight-bearing surfaces of the joint. The overall prognosis was satisfactory after the standard treatments.

Key Points• To the best of our knowledge, this paper is the first one to investigate the MRI manifestation in JIA focus on knee BME sign.
Generation of chimeric kidneys using progenitor cell replacement: Oshima Award Address 2021
Authors: Yamanaka Shuichiro
Published: February 2022

It is believed that the development of new renal replacement therapy (RRT) will increase treatment options for end-stage kidney disease and help reduce the mismatch between supply and demand. Technological advancement in the development of kidney organoids derived from pluripotent stem cells and xenotransplantation using porcine kidneys has been accelerated by a convergence of technological innovations, including the discovery of induced pluripotent stem cells and genome editing, and improvement of analysis techniques such as single-cell ribonucleic acid sequencing. Given the difficulty associated with kidney regeneration, hybrid kidneys are studied as an innovative approach that involves the use of stem cells to generate kidneys, with animal fetal kidneys used as a scaffold. Hybrid kidney technology entails the application of local chimerism for the generation of chimeric kidneys from exogenous renal progenitor cells by borrowing complex nephrogenesis programs from the developmental environment of heterologous animals. Hybrid kidneys can also utilize the urinary tract and bladder tissue of animal fetuses for urine excretion. Generating nephrons from syngeneic stem cells to increase self-cell ratio in xeno-tissues can reduce the risk of xeno-rejection. We showed that nephrons can be generated by ablation of host nephron progenitor cells (NPCs) in the nephron development region of animals and replacing them with exogenous NPCs. This progenitor cell replacement is the basis of hybrid kidney regeneration from progenitor cells using chimera technology. The goal of xeno-regenerative medicine using hybrid kidneys is to overcome serious organ shortage.
Continuous control actions learning and adaptation for robotic manipulation through reinforcement learning
Authors: Shahid Asad Ali , Piga Dario , Braghin Francesco , Roveda Loris
Published: February 2022

This paper presents a learning-based method that uses simulation data to learn an object manipulation task using two model-free reinforcement learning (RL) algorithms. The learning performance is compared across on-policy and off-policy algorithms: Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO) and Soft Actor-Critic (SAC). In order to accelerate the learning process, the fine-tuning procedure is proposed that demonstrates the continuous adaptation of on-policy RL to new environments, allowing the learned policy to adapt and execute the (partially) modified task. A dense reward function is designed for the task to enable an efficient learning of the agent. A grasping task involving a Franka Emika Panda manipulator is considered as the reference task to be learned. The learned control policy is demonstrated to be generalizable across multiple object geometries and initial robot/parts configurations. The approach is finally tested on a real Franka Emika Panda robot, showing the possibility to transfer the learned behavior from simulation. Experimental results show 100% of successful grasping tasks, making the proposed approach applicable to real applications.
Kinship Idioms and Care-Control Dynamics in Hungarian Co-ethnic Philanthropy
Authors: Zakariás Ildikó
Published: February 2022

The paper investigates processes and consequences of ‘philanthropic kinning’, that is the use of kinship and family idioms in constructing and maintaining personal relations between donors and recipients in philanthropy. Usual studies collapse the occurrence of kinship metaphors in philanthropy either as evidence of ‘prosociality’ (e.g. trust, care or love) or more frequently as evidence of ‘paternalism’ (power and domination of donors over recipients, and their objectification). This paper claims that introducing kinship and parenting studies into researching philanthropy would greatly refine our understanding of donor–recipient relations. In the framework of a qualitative case study of a philanthropic ‘godparenthood’ programme organised in Hungary supporting ethnic Hungarian communities in Romania, this paper looks at the roles, responsibilities and obligations various forms of philanthropic kinship offer for the participants; and relations of power unfolding in helping interactions. With such concerns, this paper complements earlier research on hybridisation of philanthropy, through its sectoral entanglements with kinship and family. Also, it contributes to research on inequalities in philanthropy, by showing how philanthropic kinning may recreate, modify or reshape donor–recipient power relations in diverse ways.
Political directors and corporate social responsibility: Are political ideology and regional identity relevant?
Authors: de Andres Pablo , Garcia-Rodriguez Inigo , Romero-Merino M. Elena , Santamaria-Mariscal Marcos
Published: February 2022

This study analyzes the influence of directors with political connections on corporate social responsibility (CSR). Using a sample of Spanish savings banks (cajas) during the period 2004–2013, we analyze the influence of political directors on the CSR of these entities, focusing on their ideology and regional identity. Our results indicate that the higher the proportion of directors with political ties on the board, the greater the allocation of resources to CSR activities. In addition to this positive effect of board politicization, we find that political directors’ liberal ideology positively affects CSR, both directly and in moderating the relationship between political directors and CSR. Our results also validate that political directors’ regional identity boosts the positive effect they have on CSR. Finally, we encounter various differences depending on the nature of the projects funded through CSR. Therefore, our study demonstrates the importance of delving into the characteristics of political directors to elucidate their effects on corporate policies.
Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Selenium Nanoparticles Synergize with Low Dose of Gamma Radiation to Suppress Mammary Gland Carcinogenesis via Regulation of Tumor Microenvironment
Authors: Abozaid Omayma A. R. , Rashed Laila A. , El-Sonbaty Sawsan M. , Abu-Elftouh Amira I. , Ahmed Esraa S. A.
Published: February 2022

Breast cancer is one of the most prevalent and deadliest cancers among women in the world because of its aggressive behavior and inadequate response to conventional therapies. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) combined with green nanomaterials could be an efficient tool in cell cancer therapy. This study examined the curative effects of bone marrow–derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) with selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) coated with fermented soymilk and a low dose of gamma radiation (LDR) in DMBA-induced mammary gland carcinoma in female rats. DMBA-induced mammary gland carcinoma as marked by an elevation of mRNA level of cancer promoter genes (Serpin and MIF, LOX-1, and COL1A1) and serum level of VEGF, TNF-α, TGF-β, CA15-3, and caspase-3 with the reduction in mRNA level of suppressor gene (FST and ADRP). These deleterious effects were hampered after treatment with BM-MSCs (1 × 106 cells/rat) once and daily administration of SeNPs (20 mg/kg body weight) and exposure once to (0.25 Gy) LDR. Finally, MSCs, SeNPs, and LDR notably modulated the expression of multiple tumor promoters and suppressor genes playing a role in breast cancer induction and suppression.