bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Photon and leptons induced processes at the LHC
Authors: Buonocore Luca , Nason Paolo , Tramontano Francesco , Zanderighi Giulia
Published: December 2021

Abstract

We study a few basic photon- and lepton-initiated processes at the LHC which can be computed using the recently developed photon and lepton parton densities. First, we consider the production of a massive scalar particle initiated by lepton-antilepton annihilation and photon-photon fusion as representative examples of searches of exotic particles. Then we study lepton-lepton scattering, since this Standard-Model process may be observable at the LHC. We examine these processes at leading and next-to-leading order and, using the POWHEG method, we match our calculations to parton shower programs that implement the required lepton or photon initial-states. We assess the typical size of cross-sections and their uncertainties and discuss the preferred choices for the factorization scale. These processes can also be computed starting directly from the lepto-production hadronic tensor, leading to a result where some collinear-enhanced QED corrections are missing, but all strong corrections are included. Thus, we are in the unique position to perform a comparison of results obtained via the factorization approach to a calculation that does not have strong corrections. This is particularly relevant in the case of lepton-scattering, that is more abundant at lower energies where it is affected by larger strong corrections. We thus compute this process also with the hadronic-tensor method, and compare the results with those obtained with POWHEG. Finally, for some lepton-lepton scattering processes, we compare the size of the signal to the main quark-induced background, which is double Drell-Yan production, and outline a preliminary search strategy to enhance the signal to background ratio.
An implicit integration scheme with consistent tangent modulus for Leblond’s model of transformation-induced plasticity in steels
Authors: Wölfle Christoph Hubertus , Krempaszky Christian , Werner Ewald
Published: December 2021

Thermomechanical treatments involving solid-state phase transformations play an important role for the manufacturing of functional and reliable components in many engineering applications. Accordingly, numerical investigation and optimization of such processes require considering thermoelastoplasticity under the influence of ongoing transformations and in particular the impact of transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP). While a number of elaborate plasticity models have been proposed for the description of TRIP, none of them seem to have received much prevalence in applications due to their complexity or hard to determine model parameters. Instead, the overwhelming majority of applied research either relies on simplistic formulations dating back to early phenomenological approaches or neglects TRIP altogether. In this work, we therefore provide an accessible, straightforward and easy-to-implement solution scheme for the TRIP model proposed by Leblond et al. which, despite being widely recognized, is hardly ever employed in full form. Specifically, we employ implicit backward-Euler integration and an elastic–plastic operator split approach to update the stresses in order to obtain a simple and concise algorithm for which we then derive the corresponding consistent tangent modulus. Furthermore, the work contains an application of the solution scheme to a symmetrically cooled plate and an in-depth discussion of the influence of TRIP by means of this tractable numerical example. Specifically, we highlight the discrepancies arising in transient and residual stresses and strains compared to the conventional $$J_2$$

J
2

-plasticity approach where the phase transformation is accounted for merely by adapting the yield strength of the compound.
Cross ratios and cubulations of hyperbolic groups
Authors: Beyrer Jonas , Fioravanti Elia
Published: December 2021

Many geometric structures associated to surface groups can be encoded in terms of invariant cross ratios on their circle at infinity; examples include points of Teichmüller space, Hitchin representations and geodesic currents. We add to this picture by studying cocompact cubulations of arbitrary Gromov hyperbolic groups G. Under weak assumptions, we show that the space of cubulations of G naturally injects into the space of G-invariant cross ratios on the Gromov boundary $$\partial _{\infty }G$$

∂
∞

G

. A consequence of our results is that essential, hyperplane-essential, cocompact cubulations of hyperbolic groups are length-spectrum rigid, i.e. they are fully determined by their length function. This is the optimal length-spectrum rigidity result for cubulations of hyperbolic groups, as we demonstrate with some examples. In the hyperbolic setting, this constitutes a strong improvement on our previous work [4]. Along the way, we describe the relationship between the Roller boundary of a $$\mathrm{CAT(0)}$$

CAT
(
0
)

cube complex, its Gromov boundary and—in the non-hyperbolic case—the contracting boundary of Charney and Sultan. All our results hold for cube complexes with variable edge lengths.
Selective Valve Removal for Melody Valve Endocarditis: Practice Variations in a Multicenter Experience
Authors: Davtyan Arpine , Guyon Peter W. , El-Sabrout Hannah R. , Ponder Reid , Ramchandar Nanda , Weber Rachel , Zayed Wagih , Ratnayaka Kanishka , Nigro John J. , Moore John W. , Bauser-Heaton Holly , Alshawabkeh Laith , Reeves Ryan R. , Levi Daniel , Aboulhosn Jamil , Justino Henri , Bradley John , El-Said Howaida G.
Published: December 2021

Guidelines for management of Melody transcatheter pulmonary valve (TPV) infective endocarditis (IE) are lacking. We aimed to identify factors associated with surgical valve removal versus antimicrobial therapy in Melody TPV IE. Multicenter retrospective analysis of all patients receiving Melody TPV from 10/2010 to 3/2019 was performed to identify cases of IE. Surgical explants versus non-surgical cases were compared. Of the 663 Melody TPV implants, there were 66 cases of IE in 59 patients (59/663, 8.8%). 39/66 (59%) were treated with IV antimicrobials and 27/66(41%) underwent valve explantation. 26/59 patients (44%) were treated medically without explantation or recurrence with average follow-up time of 3.5 years (range:1–9). 32% of Streptococcus cases, 53% of MSSA, and all MRSA cases were explanted. 2 of the 4 deaths had MSSA. CART analysis demonstrated two important parameters associated with explantation: a peak echo gradient ≥ 47 mmHg at IE diagnosis(OR 10.6, p < 0.001) and a peak echo gradient increase of > 24 mmHg compared to baseline (OR 6.7, p = 0.01). Rates of explantation varied by institution (27 to 64%). In our multicenter experience, 44% of patients with Melody IE were successfully medically treated without valve explantation or recurrence. The degree of valve stenosis at time of IE diagnosis was strongly associated with explantation. Rates of explantation varied significantly among the institutions.
Finite-Dimensionality of Tempered Random Uniform Attractors
Authors: Cui Hongyong , Cunha Arthur C. , Langa José A.
Published: December 2021

Finite-dimensional attractors play an important role in finite-dimensional reduction of PDEs in mathematical modelization and numerical simulations. For non-autonomous random dynamical systems, Cui and Langa (J Differ Equ, 263:1225–1268, 2017) developed a random uniform attractor as a minimal compact random set which provides a certain description of the forward dynamics of the underlying system by forward attraction in probability. In this paper, we study the conditions that ensure a random uniform attractor to have finite fractal dimension. Two main criteria are given, one by a smoothing property and the other by a squeezing property of the system, and neither of the two implies the other. The upper bound of the fractal dimension consists of two parts: the fractal dimension of the symbol space plus a number arising from the smoothing/squeezing property. As an illustrative application, the random uniform attractor of a stochastic reaction–diffusion equation with scalar additive noise is studied, for which the finite-dimensionality in $$L^2$$

L
2

is established by the squeezing approach and that in $$H_0^1$$

H
0
1

by the smoothing framework. In addition, a random absorbing set that absorbs itself after a deterministic period of time is also constructed.
Cost-effectiveness of noninvasive telemedical interventional management in patients with heart failure: health economic analysis of the TIM-HF2 trial
Authors: Sydow Hanna , Prescher Sandra , Koehler Friedrich , Koehler Kerstin , Dorenkamp Marc , Spethmann Sebastian , Westerhoff Benjamin , Wagner Christoph J. , Liersch Sebastian , Rebscher Herbert , Wobbe-Ribinski Stefanie , Rindfleisch Heike , Müller-Riemenschneider Falk , Willich Stefan N. , Reinhold Thomas
Published: December 2021

Background

Noninvasive remote patient management (RPM) in patients with heart failure (HF) has been shown to reduce the days lost due to unplanned cardiovascular hospital admissions and all-cause mortality in the Telemedical Interventional Management in Heart Failure II trial (TIM-HF2). The health economic implications of these findings are the focus of the present analyses from the payer perspective.

Methods and results

A total of 1538 participants of the TIM-HF2 randomized controlled trial were assigned to the RPM and Usual Care group. Health claims data were available for 1450 patients (n = 715 RPM group, n = 735 Usual Care group), which represents 94.3% of the original TIM-HF2 patient population, were linked to primary data from the study documentation and evaluated in terms of the health care cost, total cost (accounting for intervention costs), costs per day alive and out of hospital (DAOH), and cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY). The average health care costs per patient year amounted to € 14,412 (95% CI 13,284–15,539) in the RPM group and € 17,537 (95% CI 16,179–18,894) in the UC group. RPM led to cost savings of € 3125 per patient year (p = 0.001). After including the intervention costs, a cost saving of € 1758 per patient year remained (p = 0.048).

Conclusion

The additional noninvasive telemedical interventional management in patients with HF was cost-effective compared to standard care alone, since such intervention was associated with overall cost savings and superior clinical effectiveness.

Graphical abstract
Cluster capacity functionals and isomorphism theorems for Gaussian free fields
Authors: Drewitz Alexander , Prévost Alexis , Rodriguez Pierre-François
Published: December 2021

We investigate level sets of the Gaussian free field on continuous transient metric graphs$$\widetilde{{\mathcal {G}}}$$G~and study the capacity of its level set clusters. We prove, without any further assumption on the base graph$${\mathcal {G}}$$G, that the capacity of sign clusters on$$\widetilde{{\mathcal {G}}}$$G~is finite almost surely. This leads to a new and effective criterion to determine whether the sign clusters of the free field on$$\widetilde{{\mathcal {G}}}$$G~are bounded or not. It also elucidates why the critical parameter for percolation of level sets on $$\widetilde{{\mathcal {G}}}$$G~vanishes in most instances in the massless case and establishes the continuity of this phase transition in a wide range of cases, including all vertex-transitive graphs. When the sign clusters on$$\widetilde{{\mathcal {G}}}$$G~do not percolate, we further determine by means of isomorphism theory the exact law of the capacity of compact clusters at any height. Specifically, we derive this law from an extension of Sznitman’s refinement of Lupu’s recent isomorphism theorem relating the free field and random interlacements, proved along the way, and which holds under the sole assumption that sign clusters on$$\widetilde{{\mathcal {G}}}$$G~are bounded. Finally, we show that the law of the cluster capacity functionals obtained in this way actually characterizes the isomorphism theorem, i.e. the two are equivalent.
Distinct prognostic value of different portal hypertension-associated features in patients with primary biliary cholangitis
Authors: Burghart Lukas , Halilbasic Emina , Schwabl Philipp , Simbrunner Benedikt , Stättermayer Albert Friedrich , Petrenko Oleksandr , Scheiner Bernhard , Bauer David , Pinter Matthias , Boztug Kaan , Mandorfer Mattias , Trauner Michael , Reiberger Thomas
Published: December 2021

Background

Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) may progress to cirrhosis and clinically significant portal hypertension (CSPH). This study assesses different features of CSPH and their distinct prognostic impact regarding decompensation and survival in patients with PBC.

Methods

Patients with PBC were identified during a database query of our digital patient reporting system.

Results

A total of 333 PBC patients (mean age 54.3 years, 86.8% females, median follow-up 5.8 years) were retrospectively assessed and 127 (38.1%) showed features of CSPH: 63 (18.9%) developed varices, 98 (29.4%) splenomegaly, 62 (18.6%) ascites and 20 (15.7%) experienced acute variceal bleeding. Splenomegaly, portosystemic collaterals and esophageal varices were associated with an increased 5-year (5Y) risk of decompensation (15.0%, 17.8% and 20.9%, respectively). Patients without advanced chronic liver disease (ACLD) had a similar 5Y-transplant free survival (TFS) (96.6%) compared to patients with compensated ACLD (cACLD) but without CSPH (96.9%). On the contrary, PBC patients with cACLD and CSPH (57.4%) or decompensated ACLD (dACLD) (36.4%) had significantly decreased 5Y survival rates. The combination of LSM < 15 kPa and platelets ≥ 150G/L indicated a negligible risk for decompensation (5Y 0.0%) and for mortality (5Y 0.0%). Overall, 44 (13.2%) patients died, with 18 (40.9%) deaths attributed to CSPH-related complications.

Conclusion

In PBC, features of CSPH may occur early and indicate an increased risk for subsequent decompensation and mortality. Hence, regular screening and on-time treatment for CSPH is crucial. Combining LSM and platelets serves as a valuable preliminary assessment, as LSM < 15 kPa and platelets ≥ 150G/L indicate an excellent long-term outcome.
Socio-legal systems and implementation of the Nash solution in Debreu–Hurwicz equilibrium
Authors: Haake Claus-Jochen , Trockel Walter
Published: December 2021

In this article we combine Debreu’s (Proc Natl Acad Sci 38(10):886–893, 1952) social system with Hurwicz’s (Econ Design 1(1):1–14, 1994; Am Econ Rev 98(3):577–585, 2008) ideas of embedding a “desired” game form into a “natural” game form that includes all feasible behavior, even if it is “illegal” according to the desired form. For the resulting socio-legal system we extend Debreu’s concepts of a social system and its social equilibria to a socio-legal system with its Debreu–Hurwicz equilibria. We build on a more general version of social equilibrium due to Shafer and Sonnenschein (J Math Econ 2(3):345–348, 1975) that also generalizes the dc-mechanism of Koray and Yildiz (J Econ Theory 176:479–502, 2018) which relates implementation via mechanisms with implementation via rights structures as introduced by Sertel (Designing rights: invisible hand theorems, covering and membership. Tech. rep. Mimeo, Bogazici University, 2001). In the second part we apply and illustrate these new concepts via an application in the narrow welfarist framework of two person cooperative bargaining. There we provide in a socio-legal system based on Nash’s demand game an implementation of the Nash bargaining solution in Debreu–Hurwicz equilibrium.
Policy Lessons From Medical Responses to the COVID-19 Crisis
Authors: Dosi Giovanni
Published: December 2021

This article discusses the medical/therapeutical responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and their political economy context. First, the very quick development of several vaccines highlights the richness of the basic knowledge waiting for therapeutical exploitation. Such knowledge has largely originated in public or non-profit institutions. Second, symmetrically, there is longer-term evidence that the private sector (essentially big pharma) has decreased its investment in basic research in general and has long been uninterested in vaccines in particular. Only when flooded with an enormous amount of public money did it become eager to undertake applied research, production scale-up and testing. Third, the political economy of the underlying public-private relationship reveals a profound dysfunctionality with the public being unable to determine the rates and direction of innovation, but at the same time confined to the role of payer of first and last resort, with dire consequences for both advanced, and more so developing countries. Fourth, on normative grounds, measures like ad hoc patent waivers are certainly welcome, but this will not address the fundamental challenge, involving a deep reform of the intellectual property rights regimes and their international protection.
Modern Monetary Theory: A Wrong Compass for Decision-Making
Authors: Drumetz Françoise , Pfister Christian
Published: December 2021

In the last few years, the so-called Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) has been gaining prominence in the media and the public. This article presents the MMT approach to money and monetary policy, and discusses its recommendations regarding fiscal policy and aggregate demand management, the structural policies it advocates as well as the international aspects of MMT. Overall, it appears that MMT is based on an outdated state of economic science and that its claims regarding economic policies are much exaggerated: The meaning of MMT is more that of a political manifesto than of a genuine economic theory.
Association Between Maternal HIV Stigma Among South Indian Mothers Living with HIV and the CD4 Count of Children Living with HIV
Authors: PhamDo Valerie , Nyamathi Adeline M. , Ekstrand Maria L. , Sinha Sanjeev , Yadav Kartik , Shin Sanghyuk S.
Published: December 2021

HIV stigma takes a multidimensional toll on a mother’s ability to care for herself and subsequently may impact her ability to care for her child, particularly when mother and child are seroconcordant. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted to examine the association between maternal HIV stigma and child CD4 count in rural India. We assessed 108 mother–child dyads and found that a one-unit increase in community stigma fear decreased child CD4 count by 352 cells (95% CI = − 603, − 102), highlighting the need to develop a better understanding of the consequences of HIV-related stigma on the compounded burden of care in households where mother and child both live with HIV.
Influence of Material Deprivation on Clinical Outcomes Among People Living with HIV in High-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: Papageorgiou Vasiliki , Davies Bethan , Cooper Emily , Singer Ariana , Ward Helen
Published: December 2021

Despite developments in HIV treatment and care, disparities persist with some not fully benefiting from improvements in the HIV care continuum. We conducted a systematic review to explore associations between social determinants and HIV treatment outcomes (viral suppression and treatment adherence) in high-income countries. A random effects meta-analysis was performed where there were consistent measurements of exposures. We identified 83 observational studies eligible for inclusion. Social determinants linked to material deprivation were identified as education, employment, food security, housing, income, poverty/deprivation, socioeconomic status/position, and social class; however, their measurement and definition varied across studies. Our review suggests a social gradient of health persists in the HIV care continuum; people living with HIV who reported material deprivation were less likely to be virologically suppressed or adherent to antiretrovirals. Future research should use an ecosocial approach to explore these interactions across the lifecourse to help propose a causal pathway.
Bridging theory and practice in ecosystem services mapping: a systematic review
Authors: Bitoun Rachel E. , Trégarot Ewan , Devillers Rodolphe
Published: December 2021

The mapping and assessment of Ecosystem Services (ES) aims at better connecting environmental conservation, economic development, and human well-being. However, 60 years after the development of the ES concept, a persistent gap remains between the production of scientific knowledge on ES and its use in support of policy and management. Here, we report on a systematic review of the scientific literature that helps better understand key challenges and offers potential solutions to bridge this gap. The review considered four criteria: (1) how stakeholders participate to studies; (2) how usable ES maps are for decision-making; (3) what policy recommendations were made; and (4) what research recommendations were made. The analysis of 135 papers published between 2008 and 2020 revealed diverse technical and conceptual challenges that could prevent the effective use of ES concepts and methods outside the academic realm. The main challenges identified in the literature were the uncertainty levels of ES mapping outputs, issues of spatial scales, the understanding of ES interactions, and the need for temporal analysis. Many policies rely on mapped outcomes, creating a window of opportunity for the uptake of ES mapping into policy-making. However, it remains key to involve stakeholders early in the co-design of ES studies and to better understand their preferences and motivation to adopt ES mapping in their practices. The study shows that higher levels of learnability of ES mapping practices, further popularization to foster public awareness, and increased capacity building would facilitate the ES concept uptake into decision and policy-making.
Rich diversity in cultivated Finnish potato onions (Allium cepa var. aggregatum G. Don)
Authors: Suojala-Ahlfors Terhi , Heinonen Maarit , Tanhuanpää Pirjo , Antonius Kristiina
Published: December 2021

Potato onion (Allium cepa var. aggregatum G. Don) remained the most widely grown onion type in Finland up to the 1950’s, after which the more productive cultivars of common onion replaced this vegetatively propagated onion type. The Finnish accessions have been maintained in two national plant genetic resources (PGR) collections since 1990’s but new samples have been obtained still later. In this research, we analysed the genetic diversity of potato onions and shallots, grown in home gardens and in PGR collection, and compared the uniformity of the two PGR collections. One hundred ten onion samples were analysed using eight microsatellite loci, which amplified 83 alleles in total. There was a large number of genetically different samples, forming four major groups in the dendrogram. The results show that there is still a lot of genetic diversity among the Finnish potato onions, even though they are propagated vegetatively. The rich diversity in the samples obtained from citizens reflects a valuable source of genetic resources maintained by home gardeners. The national collection has been updated on the basis of the results. To ensure the preservation of the rich onion heritage, efforts are needed to increase the availability of potato onion to home gardeners and commercial growers.
Comparison of the efficiency of the most effective heterogeneous nucleating agents for Poly(lactic acid)
Authors: Ageyeva Tatyana , Kovács József Gábor , Tábi Tamás
Published: December 2021

We selected the thirteen most effective nucleating agents for Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) from the literature, and synthesized and compounded them with two different PLA grades: 3001D (1.4% D-lactide content) and 3100HP (0.5% D-lactide content, considered PLLA). We determined the crystallinity and crystallization of PLA with different nucleating agents in identical conditions (same nucleating agent content, same cooling rate) with the help of differential scanning calorimetry. We compared the efficiency of each nucleating agent and found that for both PLA grades, Zinc PhenylPhosphonate was the most effective. However, even when nucleated PLA was injection molded into a cold mold (25 °C), it still could not fully crystallize during cooling and the heat deflection temperature did not increase significantly. The maximum achieved crystallinity, in this case, was between 32.4 and 35.7%. On the contrary, when a 90 °C “hot mold” and in-mold crystallization together were applied, the specimens achieved full crystallization during the injection molding cycle (crystallinity was between 44.5 and 50.0%), and the heat deflection temperature increased to an average of 88.8 °C. We also examined the mechanical properties of the nucleated PLA and found that the usage of nucleating agents together with a hot mold improved tensile strength, tensile modulus, and Charpy impact strength but decreased elongation at break.
Recent advances in the temporal and spatiotemporal dynamics induced by bromate–sulfite-based pH-oscillators
Authors: Szalai István , Dúzs Brigitta , Molnár István , Kurin-Csörgei Krisztina , Orbán Miklós
Published: December 2021

The bromate–sulfite reaction-based pH-oscillators represent one of the most useful subgroup among the chemical oscillators. They provide strong H+-pulses which can generate temporal oscillations in other systems coupled to them and they show wide variety of spatiotemporal dynamics when they are carried out in different gel reactors. Some examples are discussed. When pH-dependent chemical and physical processes are linked to a bromate–sulfite-based oscillator, rhythmic changes can appear in the concentration of some cations and anions, in the distribution of the species in a pH-sensitive stepwise complex formation, in the oxidation number of the central cation in a chelate complex, in the volume or the desorption-adsorption ability of a piece of gel. These reactions are quite suitable for generating spatiotemporal patterns in open reactors. Many reaction–diffusion phenomena, moving and stationary patterns, have been recently observed experimentally using different reactor configurations, which allow exploring the effect of different initial and boundary conditions. Here, we summarize the most relevant aspects of these experimental and numerical studies on bromate–sulfite reaction-based reaction–diffusion systems.
A feminist ethos for caring knowledge production in transdisciplinary sustainability science
Authors: Staffa Rachel K. , Riechers Maraja , Martín-López Berta
Published: December 2021

Transdisciplinary Sustainability Science has emerged as a viable answer to current sustainability crises with the aim to strengthen collaborative knowledge production. To expand its transformative potential, we argue that Transdisciplinary Sustainability Science needs to thoroughly engage with questions of unequal power relations and hierarchical scientific constructs. Drawing on the work of the feminist philosopher María Puig de la Bellacasa, we examine a feminist ethos of care which might provide useful guidance for sustainability researchers who are interested in generating critical-emancipatory knowledge. A feminist ethos of care is constituted by three interrelated modes of knowledge production: (1) thinking-with, (2) dissenting-within and (3) thinking-for. These modes of thinking and knowing enrich knowledge co-production in Transdisciplinary Sustainability Science by (i) embracing relational ontologies, (ii) relating to the ‘other than human’, (iii) cultivating caring academic cultures, (iv) taking care of non-academic research partners, (v) engaging with conflict and difference, (vi) interrogating positionalities and power relations through reflexivity, (vii) building upon marginalised knowledges via feminist standpoints and (viii) countering epistemic violence within and beyond academia. With our paper, we aim to make a specific feminist contribution to the field of Transdisciplinary Sustainability Science and emphasise its potentials to advance this field.
Adult Neural Stem Cell Migration Is Impaired in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Esteve Daniel , Molina-Navarro María Micaela , Giraldo Esther , Martínez-Varea Noelia , Blanco-Gandia Mari-Carmen , Rodríguez-Arias Marta , García-Verdugo José Manuel , Viña José , Lloret Ana
Published: December 2021

Neurogenesis in the adult brain takes place in two neurogenic niches: the ventricular-subventricular zone (V-SVZ) and the subgranular zone. After differentiation, neural precursor cells (neuroblasts) have to move to an adequate position, a process known as neuronal migration. Some studies show that in Alzheimer’s disease, the adult neurogenesis is impaired. Our main aim was to investigate some proteins involved both in the physiopathology of Alzheimer’s disease and in the neuronal migration process using the APP/PS1 Alzheimer’s mouse model. Progenitor migrating cells are accumulated in the V-SVZ of the APP/PS1 mice. Furthermore, we find an increase of Cdh1 levels and a decrease of Cdk5/p35 and cyclin B1, indicating that these cells have an alteration of the cell cycle, which triggers a senescence state. We find less cells in the rostral migratory stream and less mature neurons in the olfactory bulbs from APP/PS1 mice, leading to an impaired odour discriminatory ability compared with WT mice. Alzheimer’s disease mice present a deficit in cell migration from V-SVZ due to a senescent phenotype. Therefore, these results can contribute to a new approach of Alzheimer’s based on senolytic compounds or pro-neurogenic factors.
A Model for the Anomalous Velocity-Undercooling Behaviour of Levitated Al-Ni Alloys On-board the International Space Station
Authors: Mullis Andrew M.
Published: December 2021

Al-Ni alloys (for Ni < 45 at.%) show a unique property in that, over at least part of the accessible undercooling range, the recalescence velocity measured in electromagnetically levitated samples is observed to decrease as the undercooling increases. This result has been subject to careful validation, including microgravity experiments utilising the TEMPUS levitation facility on-board the International Space Station (ISS). In these experiments, anomalous growth is observed to coincide with a recalescence morphology comprising multiple circular growth fronts [Herlach et al. Phys. Rev. Mat. 3, 073,402 (2019)], termed “scales”. In this paper we present an analysis of high speed video data from the ISS experiments in which we show that such scale-like growth is consistent with a recalescence front that is initially confined to a thin layer on the surface of the sample. This then nucleates a slower, radial inward growth, which is consistent with microstructures observed in Al-Ni droplets. We show that such surface recalescence would be favoured for samples which were surface enriched in Ni, wherein the recalescence velocity (at fixed nucleation temperature) increases rapidly with Ni-concentration. Moreover, it is shown that the anomalous velocity behaviour can be matched in all compositions studied if the surface enhancement in Ni is a linear function of the nucleation temperature with a gradient of 0.03 at.% K−1. Analysis of historical results from the literature indicates that such surface Ni-enhancement may have been present, but overlooked, in other experiments on Al-rich Al-Ni droplets.
Escaping Orbits Are also Rare in the Almost Periodic Fermi–Ulam Ping-Pong
Authors: Schließauf Henrik
Published: December 2021

We study the one-dimensional Fermi–Ulam ping-pong problem with a Bohr almost periodic forcing function and show that the set of initial condition leading to escaping orbits typically has Lebesgue measure zero.
Moment tests of independent components
Authors: Amengual Dante , Fiorentini Gabriele , Sentana Enrique
Published: December 2021

We propose simple specification tests for independent component analysis and structural vector autoregressions with non-Gaussian shocks that check the normality of a single shock and the potential cross-sectional dependence among several of them. Our tests compare the integer (product) moments of the shocks in the sample with their population counterparts. Importantly, we explicitly consider the sampling variability resulting from using shocks computed with consistent parameter estimators. We study the finite sample size of our tests in several simulation exercises and discuss some bootstrap procedures. We also show that our tests have non-negligible power against a variety of empirically plausible alternatives.
Optimization of rice straw pretreatment with 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate by the response surface method
Authors: Poy Helena , Lladosa Estela , Gabaldón Carmen , Loras Sonia
Published: December 2021

Rice straw (RS) is a promising feedstock for transformation into biofuels and bioproducts due to its high sugar content and worldwide availability. However, a pretreatment step is necessary in order to disrupt the RS complex lignocellulosic matrix. The aim of this work was to study RS pretreatment with the ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([Emim][OAc]) to maximize the enzymatic hydrolysis yield. For this purpose, a response surface method (RSM) based on a central composite design (CCD) was used, with temperature (53–137 °C), time (0.3–6.2 h), and solid loading (3.3–11.7% dry weight) as process variables. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) results suggested that temperature was the most significant factor affecting the fermentable sugar yield of [Emim][OAc]-pretreated RS samples. The selected conditions for this pretreatment were 120 °C, 5 h, and 5% (w/w), obtaining 29.8 g/L of potentially fermentable sugars. In these conditions, maximum delignification was achieved (64.9%) as well as maximum reduction of the crystallinity index (62.2%), as determined by X-ray diffraction analysis. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis were used to confirm the RS amorphous structure after the pretreatment with [Emim][OAc] and showed that it had a more disordered and accessible structure.
Natural language query formalization to SPARQL for querying knowledge bases using Rasa
Authors: Mishra Divyansh Shankar , Agarwal Abhinav , Swathi B. P. , Akshay K C.
Published: December 2021

The idea of data to be semantically linked and the subsequent usage of this linked data with modern computer applications has been one of the most important aspects of Web 3.0. However, the actualization of this aspect has been challenging due to the difficulties associated with building knowledge bases and using formal languages to query them. In this regard, SPARQL, a recursive acronym for standard query language and protocol for Linked Open Data and Resource Description Framework databases, is a most popular formal querying language. Nonetheless, writing SPARQL queries is known to be difficult, even for experts. Natural language query formalization, which involves semantically parsing natural language queries to their formal language equivalents, has been an essential step in overcoming this steep learning curve. Recent work in the field has seen the usage of artificial intelligence (AI) techniques for language modelling with adequate accuracy. This paper discusses a design for creating a closed domain ontology, which is then used by an AI-powered chat-bot that incorporates natural language query formalization for querying linked data using Rasa for entity extraction after intent recognition. A precision–recall analysis is performed using in-built Rasa tools in conjunction with our own testing parameters, and it is found that our system achieves a precision of 0.78, recall of 0.79 and F1-score of 0.79, which are better than the current state of the art.
A new self-adaptive accelerated method for generalized split system of common fixed-point problem of averaged mappings
Authors: Gebrie Anteneh Getachew , Bedane Dejene Shewakena
Published: December 2021

The purpose of this paper is to propose a new inertial self-adaptive algorithm for generalized split system of common fixed point problems of finite family of averaged mappings in the framework of Hilbert spaces. The weak convergence theorem of the proposed method is given and its theoretical application for solving several generalized problems is presented. The behavior and efficiency of the proposed algorithm is illustrated by some numerical tests.
Implementation of a viscoplastic substrate creep model in the thermomechanical simulation of the WAAM process
Authors: Springer S. , Röcklinger A. , Leitner M. , Grün F. , Gruber T. , Lasnik M. , Oberwinkler B.
Published: December 2021

This research work focusses on the implementation of a viscoplastic creep model in the thermomechanical simulation of the wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) process for Ti-6Al-4 V structures. Due to the characteristic layer by layer manufacturing within the WAAM process, viscoplastic material effects occur, which can be covered by implementing a creep model in the thermomechanical simulation. Experimental creep tests with a wide temperature, load and time range were carried out to examine short-term creep behaviour in particular. A Norton-Bailey creep law is used to accurately fit the experimental data and describe the base material’s creep behaviour. Subsequently, the fitted Norton-Bailey creep law was implemented in the thermomechanical simulation of the WAAM process. Finally, to determine the effect of creep on global distortion and local residual stress state in the substrate, simulations of a simplified linear, three-layer WAAM structure, with and without applying the implemented creep law, were carried out and compared to experimental data. The thermomechanical simulation with implemented creep model reveals a significant improvement in the numerical estimation of distortion and residual stress state in the substrate. The maximum distortion is reduced by about 13% and respectively the mean absolute percentage error between simulation and experiment decreases by about 34%. Additionally, the estimation accuracy with respect to the local residual stress state in the substrate improved by about 10%.
Measuring Heterogeneity in 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography Images for Classifying Metastatic and Benign Bone Lesions in Patients with Cervical Cancer
Authors: Liu Feng-Yuan , Lin Gigin , Tseng Jing-Ren , Chao Angel , Huang Huei-Jean , Chou Hung-Hsueh , Chang Yu-Chen , Yen Tzu-Chen , Lai Chyong-Huey
Published: December 2021

Purpose

Heterogeneity assessment can be applied for medical imaging analysis. Here, we evaluated first-order and texture analysis (TA) metrics in 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) imaging for classification of metastatic and benign bone lesions in patients with cervical cancer.

Methods

The data of 18F-FDG PET studies performed on a specific PET/CT system from 2016 to 2018 in patients with cervical cancer were retrieved. The data of bone lesions extracted from studies over 2016–2017 and 2018 were used as training and validation datasets, respectively. Metastatic bone lesions were identified in each dataset, with an equal number of benign bone lesions selected. Cuboid volume of interest (VOI) consisting of 3 × 3 × 5 reconstructed voxels was applied for first-order metrics, and cubic VOI consisting of smaller voxels with trilinear interpolation of standardized uptake value (SUV) was adopted for TA metrics. First-order metrics included the maximum SUV (SUVmax) of lesions and the mean voxel SUV and its standard deviation (SUVsd), skewness, and kurtosis in VOI. In total, 4464 TA metrics based on 62 texture features were evaluated. Logistic regression was used for classification with area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) as the performance measure.

Results

From the training and validation datasets, 98 and 42 metastatic bone lesions were identified, respectively. SUVsd demonstrated higher performance than did SUVmax in both the training (AUC .798 vs .732, P = .001) and validation (AUC .786 vs .684, P < .001) datasets. Top-performing TA metrics demonstrated significantly higher performance in the training dataset, but not in the validation dataset.

Conclusion

A simple first-order measure of heterogeneity, SUVsd, was found to be superior to SUVmax for the classification of metastatic and benign bone lesions. Multiple hypothesis testing can result in false-positive findings in TA with multiple features and parameters; careful validation is required.
Detection of drought tolerance-related QTL in the Plainsman V./Cappelle Desprez doubled haploid wheat population
Authors: Nagy É. , Szabó-Hevér Á. , Lehoczki-Krsjak S. , Lantos C. , Kiss E. , Pauk J.
Published: December 2021

Drought stress is one of the major abiotic factors that significantly reduces wheat grain yield. Improving drought tolerance is a challenge that plant breeders are facing nowadays. In this study, our goal was to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) in the Plainsman V./Cappelle Desprez doubled haploid (DH) population under drought induced as decreased irrigation (ds) and well-watered (ww) conditions in glasshouse. In total, 54 QTL were detected across the three years in two water regimes linked to 10 drought tolerance-related agronomic traits. Out of the detected QTL regions several have been previously reported. The QTL on chromosome 1A (wPt-744613-wPt-8016) related to thousand grain weight was detected in both ds and ww conditions, explaining the 12.7–17.4% of the phenotypic variance. QTL for grain yield was detected on chromosomes 1A, and 6B in the ds treatment. Numerous QTL was identified under both irrigation levels.
Sexual Motivations Underlying Compulsive Sexual Behavior in Women and Men from Germany and Hungary
Authors: Koós Mónika , Fuss Johannes , Klein Verena , Demetrovics Zsolt , Bőthe Beáta
Published: December 2021

Background

There are ongoing debates about conflicting models on how to conceptualize compulsive sexual behavior. At the heart of these discussions is the question about the sexual motivations underlying compulsive sexual behavior, as different models assume different motivations.

Aim

The aim of the present study was to understand sexual motivations underlying compulsive sexual behavior and their relation to the most prominent conceptualizations of compulsive sexual behavior (eg, compulsive sexual behavior disorder [CSBD], sex addiction).

Methods

We used self-reported data from 2 large samples of Hungarian and German populations (N = 9814). The Sexual Motivation Scale (SexMS), a 24-item self-report measure based on self-determination theory, was used to assess a diverse set of sexual motivations. Compulsive sexual behavior was assessed with the 19-item Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder Scale (CSBD-19), that is based on the ICD-11 diagnostic guidelines of CSBD. We used structural equation modeling to examine the hypothesized associations between sexual motivations and compulsive sexual behavior and examined potential gender differences in these associations.

Outcomes

Compulsive sexual behavior was assessed in relation to a set of sexual motivations.

Results

Amotivation had the strongest positive association with compulsive sexual behavior, but integrated, introjected, and intrinsic motivations were also positively related to it. Importantly, these associations did not differ for women and men, and between the 2 samples.

Clinical Implications

Future research and treatment should also consider sexual motivations that are not listed among the ICD-11 guidelines for CSBD, including high levels of sexual interest, continuing the behavior despite having little satisfaction from it and coping with sex.

Strengths & Limitations

Although we used large samples of general populations in 2 Western countries, this motivational background of compulsive sexual behavior awaits replication in a clinical sample of individuals experiencing CSBD.

Conclusion

The identified sexual motivations underlying compulsive sexual behavior are relevant for assessing and treating patients as motivations may be integrated into psychotherapeutic interventions.
Pedagogical Translanguaging
Authors: Cenoz Jasone , Gorter Durk
Published: December 2021

Learning through the medium of a second or additional language is becoming very common in different parts of the world because of the increasing use of English as the language of instruction and the mobility of populations. This situation demands a specific approach that considers multilingualism as its core. Pedagogical translanguaging is a theoretical and instructional approach that aims at improving language and content competences in school contexts by using resources from the learner's whole linguistic repertoire. Pedagogical translanguaging is learner-centred and endorses the support and development of all the languages used by learners. It fosters the development of metalinguistic awareness by softening of boundaries between languages when learning languages and content. This Element looks at the way pedagogical translanguaging can be applied in language and content classes and how it can be valuable for the protection and promotion of minority languages. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.
Evaluation of Bias Correction Methods for Regional Climate Models: Downscaled Rainfall Analysis Over Diverse Agroclimatic Zones of India
Authors: Jaiswal Rohit , Mall R. K. , Singh Nidhi , Lakshmi Kumar T. V. , Niyogi Dev
Published: December 2021

Regional climate models (RCMs) are routinely applied for regional climate assessments. The RCM simulated rainfall typically overpredict the light rain/drizzle events. To correct the typical errors noted in RCM rainfall simulations, in this study, three bias‐correction methods: linear scaling (SCL), local intensity scaling (LOCI), and empirical quantile mapping (EQM), have been employed. These methods are used to correct monsoon rainfall simulations from 7 RCMs across 14 agroclimatic zones (ACZs) in India from 1970 to 2005. The corrected rainfall data were compared to the observations obtained from India Meteorological Department. The performance of the three methods was assessed using: probability distribution function, consecutive dry day index (CDD), R95 (rainfall distribution at 95th percentile), and spatial correlation. The results vary spatially across the different ACZs. Overall, SCL method is more effective followed by EQM while LOCI was relatively less effective in correcting the errors. Spatial analysis of the rainfall indicates notable improvements over the Western Himalayan Region, which has a complex topography and land use. Error metricsreveal broad improvements across different ACZs, except for Central Plateau Hill Region, East Coast Plain Hill Region, and Southern Plateau Hill Region. The SCL and EQM perform well, and the results are particularly good for simulating wet days (R95), while no distinct variation was found among correction methods to reduce dry bias (CDD). The results provide ACZ and region‐specific utilization of an effective bias correction technique for impact assessment studies in the Indian monsoon region.
New Insights into Terrestrial Ecosystems Through Reanalysis
Authors: Baatz Roland , Hendricks-Franssen Harrie-Jan , Vereecken Harry
Published: December 2021

Reanalysis data, already used to understand terrestrial processes on the physical land surface, the carbon cycle, and the hydrologic cycle, is now being applied to terrestrial ecosystems.
Sensitivity of Sea‐Surface Enthalpy and Momentum Fluxes to Sea Spray Microphysics
Authors: Sroka Sydney , Emanuel Kerry
Published: December 2021

Accurate estimates of air‐sea enthalpy and momentum fluxes are critically important for hurricane intensity predictions. However, calculating these fluxes is challenging due to the nature of the air‐sea transition region. At extreme wind speeds, a substantial amount of sea spray is lofted making it necessary to calculate the sea spray‐mediated enthalpy and momentum fluxes. These calculations rely on microphysical equations, which are sensitive to the details of the local environmental conditions. Here we use a microphysical model to show that there exists a threshold wind speed beyond which the net sea spray‐mediated enthalpy and momentum fluxes are well‐approximated by using the net sea spray mass flux alone. This result supports the hypothesis that at extreme wind speeds, the ratio of the air‐sea exchange coefficients becomes independent of wind speed, implying the air‐sea flux calculations can be substantially simplified.