bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
SUMA: A Partial Materialization-Based Scalable Query Answering in OWL 2 DL
Authors: Qin Xiaoyu , Zhang Xiaowang , Yasin Muhammad Qasim , Wang Shujun , Feng Zhiyong , Xiao Guohui
Published: January 2021

Ontology-mediated querying (OMQ) provides a paradigm for query answering according to which users not only query records at the database but also query implicit information inferred from ontology. A key challenge in OMQ is that the implicit information may be infinite, which cannot be stored at the database and queried by off -the -shelf query engine. The commonly adopted technique to deal with infinite entailments is query rewriting, which, however, comes at the cost of query rewriting at runtime. In this work, the partial materialization method is proposed to ensure that the extension is always finite. The partial materialization technology does not rewrite query but instead computes partial consequences entailed by ontology before the online query. Besides, a query analysis algorithm is designed to ensure the completeness of querying rooted and Boolean conjunctive queries over partial materialization. We also soundly and incompletely expand our method to support highly expressive ontology language, OWL 2 DL. Finally, we further optimize the materialization efficiency by role rewriting algorithm and implement our approach as a prototype system SUMA by integrating off-the-shelf efficient SPARQL query engine. The experiments show that SUMA is complete on each test ontology and each test query, which is the same as Pellet and outperforms PAGOdA. Besides, SUMA is highly scalable on large datasets.
Prediction of the depth of local scouring at a bridge pier using a gene expression programming method
Authors: Hassan Waqed H. , Jalal Halah K.
Published: January 2021

Local scouring around the piers of a bridge is the one of the major reasons for bridge failure, potentially resulting in heavy losses in terms of both the economy and human life. Prediction of accurate depth of local scouring is a difficult task due to the many factors that contribute to this process, however. The main aim of this study is thus to offer a new formula for the prediction the local depth of scouring around the pier of a bridge using a modern fine computing modelling technique known as gene expression programming (GEP), with data obtained from numerical simulations used to compare GEP performance with that of a standard non-linear regression (NLR) model. The best technique for prediction of the local scouring depth is then determined based on three statistical parameters: the determination coefficient (R2), mean absolute error (MAE), and root mean squared error (RMSE). A total data set of 243 measurements, obtained by numerical simulation in Flow-3D, for intensity of flow, ratio of pier width, ratio of flow depth, pier Froude number, and pier shape factor is divided into training and validation (testing) datasets to achieve this. The results suggest that the formula from the GEP model provides better performance for predicting the local depth of scouring as compared with conventional regression with the NLR model, with R2 = 0.901, MAE = 0.111, and RMSE = 0.142. The sensitivity analysis results further suggest that the ratio of the depth of flow has the greatest impact on the prediction of local scour depth as compared to the other input parameters. The formula obtained from the GEP model gives the best predictor of depth of scouring, and, in addition, GEP offers the special feature of providing both explicit and compressed arithmetical terms to allow calculation of such depth of scouring.
Cross‐lagged panel analyses of maternal psychological control and young adolescents’ emotion regulation
Authors: Gao Dan , Bullock Amanda , Liu Junsheng
Published: January 2021

Introduction

The present study examined the longitudinal relations between maternal psychological control and emotion regulation in Chinese adolescents. Specifically, we examined how emotion regulation was reciprocally associated with multiple dimensions of psychological control, including love withdrawal, guilt induction, and shaming in the Chinese cultural context.

Methods

Participants consisted of 865 Chinese students from fourth through eighth grade (50.8% girls; Mage = 11.82 years at Wave 1, SDage = 1.28 at Wave 1, range = 10–15 years). Data were collected at two time‐periods over a one‐year period. Children reported on their emotion regulation. Mothers rated their engagement in love withdrawal, guilt induction, and shaming.

Results

Cross‐lagged panel analyses revealed an adequate model fit. Children's emotion regulation at study onset predicted decreases in all three dimensions of maternal psychological control one year later, whereas the three dimensions of maternal psychological control did not significantly predict emotion regulation one year later.

Conclusions

Findings revealed the longitudinal associations among child emotion regulation and maternal psychological control within a specific cultural context. Implications for the meaning of psychological control parenting in Chinese culture are discussed.
Sexual Health Teaching in Basic Science Courses Among Medical Students
Authors: Teixeira Santos André Urdhamuck , Fava Spessoto Luis César , Fácio Fernando Nestor
Published: January 2021

Introduction

Sexuality is a multifaceted and makes up part of the lives of all individuals.

Aim

To evaluate the teaching of sexual health to students in the basic cycle of an undergraduate course in medicine.

Methods

A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted using primary data on the teaching of sexual health in the first 4 years of the course. The students were contacted personally and given a self-administrated questionnaire on the teaching of sexual health. The questionnaire was based on studies conducted with physicians and medical students regarding their educational background in sexual health. The degree of satisfaction regarding the learning process was determined using a ten-point scale; on which, a score of 1 to 5 indicated dissatisfaction and of 6 to 10 satisfaction.

Main outcome measures

The main outcome measure was a self-administered questionnaire addressing the teaching of sexual health in the first 4 years and how this knowledge affected relationships with patients.

Results

A total of 216 students answered the questionnaire. Only 27.27% and 22% of the students in the first and second years, respectively, reported having classes related to sexual medicine, whereas 38.1% (third year) and 54.40% (fourth year) had such classes. Regarding satisfaction, the weighted mean was 4.55 and the modes were 5 and 6. In the evaluation of their expectations about learning sexual health, 46 (67.6%) reported feeling non-confident, 18 (26.5%) did not answer the question, and 4 (5.9%) reported feeling confident.

Conclusion

This study revealed a gradual progression in the offer of content related to sexual medicine to students throughout the medicine course, with weighted means of 2.6 (first year), 2.82 (second year), 3.58 (third year), and 4.55 (fourth year). However, the findings indicate that the teaching of this subject remains deficient and students feel unsatisfied and unprepared for their future practice of medicine.
Keep the dark web close and your cyber security tighter
Authors: Mador Ziv
Published: January 2021

The dark web still offers a safe haven for criminal activity – especially those sites operating outside the reach of Western law enforcement.

Much of the dark web is devoted to cybercrime, from sharing techniques and tools to selling stolen data and credentials. Having an ear to the ground in this shadowy underworld can give organisations an edge in identifying and defending against threats, from new trends to attacks specifically targeting them. But acquiring access to these secrets is no easy feat, explains Ziv Mador of Trustwave.

“The golden age of the dark web marketplace is over”. So declared Europol in September 2020, after the triumphant announcement of operation ‘DisrupTOR’, a sting that led to the arrest of 179 criminals selling drugs and weapons. 1 The operation, which saw co-ordination between Europol and law agencies across the world, is the latest strike against the virtual marketplaces that are the beating heart of the criminal underworld today.
Cyber incident response and planning: a flexible approach
Authors: Shinde Nivedita , Kulkarni Priti
Published: January 2021

The digital landscape is evolving at a rapid speed and it is causing a significant impact on global cyber security trends. In particular, cyber attacks are also changing their shape in terms of aspects such as targets and techniques. 1 Studies have shown that information theft is the fastest-rising and the most expensive type of cybercrime, increasing at an alarming rate over the past few years. Previously, cyber criminals used to target data stored in various organisational information systems – such as financial data and identity data relating to individuals. However, trends show that cyber criminals have recently shifted their focus towards industrial control systems to disrupt industrial processes and destroy related data. 2
Beyond Dutch Borders
Authors: Mügge Liza
Published: January 2021

Migrants often remain loyal to their former homelands and stay active in the politics there – despite widespread criticism of these ties in their host countries. Combining extensive fieldwork with quantitative data, Beyond Dutch Borders compares how transnational political involvement among guest workers from Turkey and postcolonial migrants from Surinam living in the Netherlands has evolved during the past fifty years. The author explores the dynamics and influence of such dual affiliations and finds that migrants' border-crossing loyalties and engagement actually heighten their political integration into their host countries.
Hizbullah's Documents
Authors: Alagha Joseph
Published: January 2021

A reliable reference work that includes accurate English translations of Hizbullah's primary documents with adequate commentaries and relevant background information that spans three decades.
Driving Europe
Authors: Schipper Frank , Lyddon Dave , Vandaele Kurt
Published: January 2021

Today we can hardly imagine life in Europe without roads and the automobiles that move people and goods around. In fact, the vast majority of movement in Europe takes place on the road. Travelers use the car to explore parts of the continent on their holidays, and goods travel large distances to reach consumers. Indeed, the twentieth century has deservedly been characteried as the century of the car. The situation looked very different around 1900. People crossing national borders by car encountered multiple hurdles on their way. Technically, they imported their vehicle into a neighboring country and had to pay astronomic import duties. Often they needed to pass a driving test in each country they visited. Early on, automobile and touring clubs sought to make life easier for traveling motorists. International negotiations tackled the problems arising from differing regulations. The resulting volume describes everything from the standardied traffic signs that saved human lives on the road to the Europabus taking tourists from Stockholm to Rome in the 1950s. Driving Europe offers a highly original portrait of a Europe built on roads in the course of the twentieth century.
Electoral Engineering in New Democracies: Strong Quotas and Weak Parties in Tunisia
Authors: Belschner Jana
Published: January 2021

Bridging the literature on gender and politics, democratization, and political parties, this article investigates the causes of parties’ varying compliance with electoral quotas. Whereas research has so far focused on parties’ willingness to comply, this article sheds light on their ability to do so. It suggests that the more quotas parties have to comply with, and the more complex the quotas’ designs, the more difficult implementation becomes for the organizationally weak parties that we often encounter in new democracies. The argument is developed and substantiated in a comparative analysis of parties’ quota compliance in the 2018 Tunisian local elections. Although the Islamist party was able to comply fully with all quotas (for women, youth and people with disabilities), small secular parties lost a number of lists and state funding due to non-compliance. While the quotas were highly effective in securing group representation, they had repercussions on party and party system consolidation.
Creating the Unbound Yugoslav Nation: The Kingdom of Yugoslavia and Emigrants from the “Unredeemed” Julian March
Authors: Zobec Miha
Published: January 2021

This article explores how the Kingdom of Yugoslavia tried to co-opt Slovenes who emigrated from the Italian Julian March/Venezia Giulia region to Argentina (a community of around 25,000 emigrants) into the frame of its unbound nation and analyzes the emigrants’ attitudes towards the Kingdom. As emigrants derived from the territory were considered by Yugoslav authorities to be “unredeemed,” the article, explores how Yugoslavia addressed its “two diasporas,” one of stranded minorities and one of emigrants. Secondly, it examines how diplomatic representatives suppressed emigrants’ opposition during times of economic crisis and dictatorial government in Yugoslavia and Argentina. Thirdly, it analyzes the rapprochement between the emigrant community and diplomatic representatives which occurred in the second half of the 1930s. It argues that because the diplomatic corps were ultimately unable to provide the emigrants socio-economic assistance or address the issue of the Julian March minority, emigrants devised alternative visions of belonging. In addition, the article suggests that many emigrants, caught between a powerless homeland and a host society unwelcoming of their particular identities, drifted into Argentine anonymity.
Four Costly Signaling Mechanisms
Authors: QUEK KAI
Published: January 2021

Two mechanisms of costly signaling are known in international relations: sinking costs and tying hands. I show that there exist four mechanisms of costly signaling that are equally general. I develop the new mechanisms of installment costs and reducible costs and contrast them with sunk costs and tied-hands costs. I then conduct experiments to test the four signaling mechanisms. I find that each mechanism can improve credibility when the costs are high, but reducible costs can improve credibility even when the costs are low.
Iodine knowledge is associated with iodine status in Portuguese pregnant women: results from the IoMum cohort study
Authors: Pinheiro Cátia , Xavier Moreira Nara , Ferreira Pedro , Matta Coelho Cláudia , Guimarães Juliana , Pereira Gonçalo , Cortez Alice , Bracchi Isabella , Pestana Diogo , Barreiros Mota Inês , Prucha Carmo , Martins Cristina , Alves Ribeiro Célia , Pinto Edgar , Almeida Agostinho , Delerue-Matos Cristina , Montenegro Nuno , Dias Cláudia Camila , Moreira-Rosário André , Azevedo Luís Filipe , Brantsæter Anne-Lise , Ramalho Carla , Cruz Fernandes Virgínia , Costa Leite João , Calhau Conceição , Keating Elisa
Published: January 2021

Lack of knowledge about iodine has been suggested as a risk factor for iodine deficiency in pregnant women, but no studies have addressed this issue in Portugal. So, the aim of this study was to investigate iodine knowledge among Portuguese pregnant women and its association with iodine status. IoMum, a prospective observational study, included 485 pregnant women recruited at Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de S. João, Porto, between the 10th and 13th gestational weeks. Partial scores for knowledge on iodine importance, on iodine food sources or on iodised salt were obtained through the application of a structured questionnaire. Then, a total iodine knowledge score was calculated and grouped into low, medium and high knowledge categories. Urinary iodine concentration (UIC) was measured in spot urine samples by inductively coupled plasma MS. Of the pregnant women, 54 % correctly recognised iodine as important to neurocognitive development, 32 % were unable to identify any iodine-rich food and 71 % presented lack of knowledge regarding iodised salt. Of the women, 61 % had a medium total score of iodine knowledge. Knowledge on iodine importance during pregnancy was positively associated with iodine supplementation and also with UIC. Nevertheless, median UIC in women who correctly recognised the importance of iodine was below the cut-off for adequacy in pregnancy (150 µg/l). In conclusion, knowledge on iodine importance is positively associated with iodine status. Despite this, recognising iodine importance during pregnancy may not be sufficient to ensure iodine adequacy. Literacy-promoting actions are urgently needed to improve iodine status in pregnancy.
Eating and drinking habits and its association with obesity in Japanese healthy adults: retrospective longitudinal big data analysis using a health check-up database
Authors: Seki Tomotsugu , Takeuchi Masato , Kawakami Koji
Published: January 2021

Few longitudinal studies have evaluated the association between eating and drinking habits and the risk of obesity. Therefore, we conducted a 5-year longitudinal big data analysis for evaluating various eating and drinking habits and the risk of obesity. We analysed individuals without obesity who received medical check-ups from 2008 to 2012 and 5 years later from the JMDC Health check-up database. The primary outcome was the incidence of obesity (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2), and the secondary outcome was the incidence of abdominal obesity (waist circumference ≥ 85 cm for men and 90 cm for women). Age- and sex-adjusted, and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted. Of 123 182 individuals without obesity at baseline, the median age was 45 (interquartile range 40, 51) years and 76 965 (62·5 %) were men. After 5 years, 7133 (5·8 %) people developed obesity and 12 725 (10·3 %) people developed abdominal obesity. Among six eating and drinking habits, skipping breakfast was associated with a higher risk of obesity (OR 1·21; 99 % CI 1·10, 1·34). In contrast, occasional (OR 0·86; 99 % CI 0·78, 0·94) or daily (OR 0·79; 99 % CI 0·68, 0·91) drinking of alcoholic beverages was associated with a lower risk of obesity. According to the 5-year longitudinal data, eating and drinking habits such as mild to moderate alcohol consumption and avoiding skipping breakfast may result in better obesity prevention. However, excess alcohol consumption would be harmful and should be avoided.
Development of a SNP-based tool for the identification and discrimination of Melolontha melolontha and Melolontha hippocastani
Authors: Pedrazzini Chiara , Strasser Hermann , Holderegger Rolf , Widmer Franco , Enkerli Jürg
Published: January 2021

The European (Melolontha melolontha L.) and Forest (M. hippocastani F.) cockchafer are widespread pests throughout Central Europe. Both species exhibit a 3–5-year life cycle and occur in temporally shifted populations, which have been monitored and documented for more than 100 years. Visual identification of adults and larvae belonging to these morphologically similar species requires expertise and, particularly in the case of larvae, is challenging and equivocal. The goal of the study was the development of an efficient and fast molecular genetic tool for the identification and discrimination of M. melolontha and M. hippocastani. We established a collection of both species from Switzerland, Austria and Northern Italy in 2016, 2017 and 2018. An approximately 1550 bp long fragment of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (CO1) mitochondrial gene was amplified and sequenced in 13 M. melolontha and 13 M. hippocastani beetles. Alignment of the new sequences with reference sequences (NCBI GenBank and BOLDSYSTEMS databases) and subsequent phylogenetic analysis revealed consistent clustering of the two species. After the identification of M. melolontha and M. hippocastani species-specific single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the CO1 alignment, we developed an effective SNP tool based on the ABI PRISM® SNaPshot™ Multiplex Kit for the rapid and accurate species discrimination of adults and larvae.
Maturity Driven Mispricing of Options
Authors: Eisdorfer Assaf , Sadka Ronnie , Zhdanov Alexei
Published: January 2021

This paper documents that short-term options achieve significantly lower returns during months with 4 versus 5 weeks between expiration dates. The average return differential ranges from 16 to 29 basis points per week for delta-hedged portfolios, and from 101 to 187 basis points per week for straddles, over 1996–2017. Evidence based on earnings announcements and institutional holdings suggests that investor inattention to exact expiration date rather than underlying risk exposures or transaction costs can explain the mispricing. Market makers seem to adjust prices accordingly, and tend to over-trade mispriced options against less sophisticated investors.
Pandemic Fiction Meets Political Science: A Simulation for Teaching Restorative Justice
Authors: Propst Lisa , Robinson Christopher C.
Published: January 2021

We team teach an interdisciplinary political science and literature course titled “Violence and Reconciliation,” with case studies on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in South Africa and on debates about whether to develop a TRC in Northern Ireland. The course culminates in a two-week simulation in which students role play the experiences, strategies, and needs of victims, perpetrators, legal teams, government officials, and NGOs in the aftermath of a horrific event that has torn a society apart. We assessed the simulation through pre- and post-simulation writing exercises as well as observations of insights revealed by students during negotiations. We believe the simulation is an effective tool for helping students move from a scholarly engagement with the processes of restorative justice to employing them in response to hatred and violence. This article describes the simulation for use or adaptation in other courses.
Social determinants of dietary patterns, food basket costs and expenditure on alcohol and tobacco amongst Greenland Inuit
Authors: Bjerregaard Peter , Larsen Christina Viskum Lytken
Published: January 2021

Objective:

Dietary transition, obesity and risky use of alcohol and tobacco are challenges to public health among indigenous peoples. The aim of the article was to explore the role of social position in dietary patterns and expenditures on food and other commodities.

Design:

Countrywide population health survey.

Setting:

Greenland.

Participants:

2436 Inuit aged 15+ years.

Results:

Less than half of the expenditures on commodities (43 %) were used to buy nutritious food, and the remaining to buy non-nutritious food (21 %), alcoholic beverages (18 %) and tobacco (18 %). Participants were classified according to five dietary patterns. The cost of a balanced diet and an unhealthy diet was similar, but the cost per 1000 kJ was higher and the energy consumption was lower for the balanced diet. Participants with low social position chose the unhealthy pattern more often than those with high social position (40 % v. 24 %; P < 0·0001), whereas those with high social position more often chose the balanced alternative. Participants with low social position spent less money on the total food basket than those with high social position but more on non-nutritious food, alcohol and tobacco.

Conclusions:

Cost seems to be less important than other mechanisms in the shaping of social dietary patterns and the use of alcohol and tobacco among the Inuit in Greenland. Rather than increasing the price of non-nutritious food or subsidising nutritious food, socially targeted interventions and public health promotion regarding food choice and prevention of excessive alcohol use and smoking are needed to change the purchase patterns.
Interactions of clomazone plus pendimethalin mixed with propanil in rice
Authors: Osterholt Matthew J. , Webster Eric P. , McKnight Benjamin M. , Blouin David C.
Published: January 2021

A study was conducted at the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center’s H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station in 2017 and 2018 to evaluate the interaction between a prepackage mixture of clomazone plus pendimethalin applied at 0, 760, 1,145, or 1,540 g ai ha−1 mixed with propanil at 0, 1,120, 2,240, or 4,485 g ai ha−1. A synergistic response occurred when barnyardgrass was treated with all rates of clomazone plus pendimethalin mixed with either rate of propanil evaluated at 56 d after treatment (DAT). Unlike barnyardgrass, an antagonistic response occurred in yellow nutsedge used as a control when treated with 760 and 1,540 g ha−1 of clomazone plus pendimethalin mixed with 1,120 or 22,40 g ha−1 of propanil at 28 DAT; however, 1,145 g ha−1 of clomazone plus pendimethalin mixed with 4,485 g ha−1 of propanil resulted in a neutral interaction. At 28 DAT, rice flatsedge treated with all herbicide mixtures resulted in neutral interactions. The synergism of clomazone plus pendimethalin applied at 1,540 g ha−1 mixed with propanil applied at 2,240 or 4,485 g ha−1 to control barnyardgrass resulted in an increased rough rice yield compared with 760 or 1,145 g ha−1 of clomazone plus pendimethalin mixed with propanil applied at 1,120 or 2,240 g ha−1. These results indicate that if barnyardgrass and rice flatsedge are present in a rice field the prepackage mixture of clomazone plus pendimethalin mixed with propanil can be an option for growers. However, if yellow nutsedge infest the area other herbicides may be needed.
Artificial Intelligence and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Authors: Malgaroli Matteo , Schultebraucks Katharina
Published: January 2021

Abstract. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating disease that can occur after experiencing a traumatic event. Despite recent progress in computational research, it has not yet been possible to identify precise and reliable risk factors that enable predictive models of individual risk for posttraumatic stress after trauma. In this overview, we discuss recent advances in the use of Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) for risk stratification and targeted treatment allocation in the context of stress pathologies and we critically review the benefits and challenges of emerging approaches. The vast heterogeneity in the manifestation and the etiology of PTSD is discussed as one major reason for the need to deploy ML-based computational models to better account for individual differences between patients. Striving for personalized medicine is one of the most important goals of current clinical research and is of great potential for the field of posttraumatic stress research. The use of ML is a promising and necessary approach for reaching more personalized treatments and to make further progress in the field of precision psychiatry.
Validation of a German Version of Kelley’s (1992) Followership Questionnaire
Authors: Ribbat Mirko , Krumm Stefan , Hüffmeier Joachim
Published: January 2021

Abstract. While most leadership research takes the perspective of leaders influencing their followers, more recent research focused on the question how followers may influence their leaders. Kelley’s (1992) followership questionnaire was the first to assess followership behavior. To provide a basis for further research on followership in German-speaking countries, we conducted two studies to establish the psychometric properties of a German version of Kelley’s questionnaire. In Study 1, we explored the factorial structure of our translation in a heterogeneous employee sample ( N = 451). In Study 2, we tested for convergent, discriminant, and criterion-related validity in another heterogeneous employee sample ( N = 413). The results indicate satisfactory psychometric properties for two followership dimensions (i.e., active engagement and independent, critical thinking). Correlations of these two followership dimensions with other constructs were mostly in line with our expectations. We discuss the usefulness of the German followership questionnaire for research and practice.
Components of Himalayan River Flows in a Changing Climate
Authors: Chandel Vikram S. , Ghosh Subimal
Published: January 2021

Assessment of the response of the Himalayan river flows to climate change is complex due to multiple contributors: rainfall, snowmelt, and glacier‐melt. The number of studies is limited in this direction due to lack of data availability as well as non‐availability of models considering all the above‐mentioned components. As for example, the state‐of‐the‐art variable infiltration capacity (VIC) model does not account for the glacier melt. Here we integrate a glacier‐melt model with VIC and validate the model output with observed streamflow in five river basins in the Himalayas, at daily scale. Our model simulates the streamflow with Nash‐Sutcliffe estimates greater than 0.65 in all basins. The sensitivity analysis shows that the contribution from snowmelt decreases substantially in all the five basins with highest decrease of 36% in Dudh Kosi (DK), in a warm and dry scenario. The glacier‐melt increases (15%–70%) in a warmer environment with its present volume, but decreases (3%–38%) substantially, when the volumes are reduced to half. However, such a decrease is found to be compensated by increased precipitation in a wetter scenario with a net increase of 3%–13%. Climate model simulations show a decrease in the spring onset times for Sutlej basin while increase for DK basin for both RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios. Sutlej and Arun basins show decreases of more than 6 days in the center of volume of streamflow, which suggests that there will be increased flows in the early part of year and reduced flows later in the year.
Reanalysis of Water Withdrawal for Irrigation, Electric Power, and Public Supply Sectors in the Conterminous United States, 1950–2016
Authors: McManamay Ryan A. , KC Binita , Allen‐Dumas Melissa R. , Kao Shih‐Chieh , Brelsford Christa M. , Ruddell Benjamin L. , Sanyal Jibonananda , Stewart Robert N. , Bhaduri Budhendra L.
Published: January 2021

Accurately measuring water use by the economy is essential for developing reliable models of water resource availability. Indeed, these models rely on retrospective analyses that provide insights into shifting human population demands and adaptions to water shortages. However, accurate, methodologically consistent, empirically authentic, and spatiotemporally comprehensive historical datasets for water withdrawals are scarce. Herein, we present a reanalysis of annual resolution (1950–2016) historical data set on irrigation, electric power, and public supply water withdrawal within the conterminous United States (US) at the county‐level, and, for power plants, at the site‐level. To estimate electric power water use, we synthesized a historically comprehensive list of generators and historic patterns in generation across fuels, prime movers, and cooling technologies. Irrigation water use estimation required building a crop‐demand model that utilized historical information on irrigated acreage for crops and golf courses, stage‐specific crop water demand, and climate information. To estimate public water supply use, we developed a random forest model constructed from information on population, infrastructure, climate, and land cover. These estimates generally agree with total county and state water use information provided by the US Geological Survey (USGS) water use circular and estimates generated from independent studies for specific years. However, we also observed discrepancies between our estimates and USGS data that appear to be caused by inconsistencies in the methods used by the USGS's primary data sources at the state level over decades of data collection, highlighting the importance of reanalysis to yield spatiotemporally consistent and intercomparable estimates of water use.
The BET family in immunity and disease
Authors: Wang Nian , Wu Runliu , Tang Daolin , Kang Rui
Published: January 2021

Innate immunity serves as the rapid and first-line defense against invading pathogens, and this process can be regulated at various levels, including epigenetic mechanisms. The bromodomain and extraterminal domain (BET) family of proteins consists of four conserved mammalian members (BRD2, BRD3, BRD4, and BRDT) that regulate the expression of many immunity-associated genes and pathways. In particular, in response to infection and sterile inflammation, abnormally expressed or dysfunctional BETs are involved in the activation of pattern recognition receptor (e.g., TLR, NLR, and CGAS) pathways, thereby linking chromatin machinery to innate immunity under disease or pathological conditions. Mechanistically, the BET family controls the transcription of a wide range of proinflammatory and immunoregulatory genes by recognizing acetylated histones (mainly H3 and H4) and recruiting transcription factors (e.g., RELA) and transcription elongation complex (e.g., P-TEFb) to the chromatin, thereby promoting the phosphorylation of RNA polymerase II and subsequent transcription initiation and elongation. This review covers the accumulating data about the roles of the BET family in innate immunity, and discusses the attractive prospect of manipulating the BET family as a new treatment for disease.
Racial variations in tooth pain and care-seeking in adolescents in Malaysia
Authors: Tay Kangjie , Beh Cassandra Li Jean , Babar Muneer Gohar , Kweh Ting Jing , Priya Ekta , Pau Allan
Published: January 2021

Objective

Tooth pain among adolescents is a common event that impacts substantially on quality of life. The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of race in the tooth pain experience and associated care-seeking.

Design

A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted on 14–18 years from four different public schools in Kuala Lumpur. Socio-demographic, pain symptoms, and social impacts data were collected as well as medication use and visiting a dentist for tooth pain.

Results

Of 1473 questionnaires distributed, 1452 (98.6%) completed questionnaires were returned, with 269 (18.5%) reported having experienced tooth pain in the past 1 month. Those who identified as Indian (26.1%) were more likely to report tooth pain compared to Chinese (16.5%) and Malay (20.9%). In regression analysis, no factors were identified as independently associated with medication use, but Chinese and Indians compared to Malays, and those expressing difficulty sleeping were more likely to report visiting a dentist for treatment.

Conclusion

Racial variations in the tooth pain experience and care-seeking have been identified. This may be related to socio-economic status, but further research is needed on the role of culture-related care-seeking and accessibility of dental services.
Rab1-AMPylation by Legionella DrrA is allosterically activated by Rab1
Authors: Du Jiqing , Wrisberg Marie-Kristin von , Gulen Burak , Stahl Matthias , Pett Christian , Hedberg Christian , Lang Kathrin , Schneider Sabine , Itzen Aymelt
Published: January 2021

Legionella pneumophila infects eukaryotic cells by forming a replicative organelle – the Legionella containing vacuole. During this process, the bacterial protein DrrA/SidM is secreted and manipulates the activity and post-translational modification (PTM) states of the vesicular trafficking regulator Rab1. As a result, Rab1 is modified with an adenosine monophosphate (AMP), and this process is referred to as AMPylation. Here, we use a chemical approach to stabilise low-affinity Rab:DrrA complexes in a site-specific manner to gain insight into the molecular basis of the interaction between the Rab protein and the AMPylation domain of DrrA. The crystal structure of the Rab:DrrA complex reveals a previously unknown non-conventional Rab-binding site (NC-RBS). Biochemical characterisation demonstrates allosteric stimulation of the AMPylation activity of DrrA via Rab binding to the NC-RBS. We speculate that allosteric control of DrrA could in principle prevent random and potentially cytotoxic AMPylation in the host, thereby perhaps ensuring efficient infection by Legionella.
Mechanistic insight into copper cation exchange in cadmium selenide semiconductor nanocrystals using X-ray absorption spectroscopy
Authors: Khammang Alex , Wright Joshua T. , Meulenberg Robert W.
Published: January 2021

In terms of producing new advances in sustainable nanomaterials, cation exchange (CE) of post-processed colloidal nanocrystals (NCs) has opened new avenues towards producing non-toxic energy materials via simple chemical techniques. The main processes governing CE can be explained by considering hard/soft acid/base theory, but the detailed mechanism of CE, however, has been debated and has been attributed to both diffusion and vacancy processes. In this work, we have performed in situ x-ray absorption spectroscopy to further understand the mechanism of the CE of copper in solution phase CdSe NCs. The x-ray data indicates clear isosbestic points, suggestive of cooperative behavior as previously observed via optical spectroscopy. Examination of the extended x-ray absorption fine structure data points to the observation of interstitial impurities during the initial stages of CE, suggesting the diffusion process is the fundamental mechanism of CE in this system.
Dissection of the Fgf8 regulatory landscape by in vivo CRISPR-editing reveals extensive intra- and inter-enhancer redundancy
Authors: Hörnblad A. , Bastide S. , Langenfeld K. , Langa F. , Spitz F.
Published: January 2021

Developmental genes are often regulated by multiple elements with overlapping activity. Yet, in most cases, the relative function of those elements and their contribution to endogenous gene expression remain poorly characterized. An example of this phenomenon is that distinct sets of enhancers have been proposed to direct Fgf8 in the limb apical ectodermal ridge and the midbrain-hindbrain boundary. Using in vivo CRISPR/Cas9 genome engineering, we functionally dissect this complex regulatory ensemble and demonstrate two distinct regulatory logics. In the apical ectodermal ridge, the control of Fgf8 expression appears distributed between different enhancers. In contrast, we find that in the midbrain-hindbrain boundary, one of the three active enhancers is essential while the other two are dispensable. We further dissect the essential midbrain-hindbrain boundary enhancer to reveal that it is also composed by a mixture of essential and dispensable modules. Cross-species transgenic analysis of this enhancer suggests that its composition may have changed in the vertebrate lineage.
An optical neural chip for implementing complex-valued neural network
Authors: Zhang H. , Gu M. , Jiang X. D. , Thompson J. , Cai H. , Paesani S. , Santagati R. , Laing A. , Zhang Y. , Yung M. H. , Shi Y. Z. , Muhammad F. K. , Lo G. Q. , Luo X. S. , Dong B. , Kwong D. L. , Kwek L. C. , Liu A. Q.
Published: January 2021

Complex-valued neural networks have many advantages over their real-valued counterparts. Conventional digital electronic computing platforms are incapable of executing truly complex-valued representations and operations. In contrast, optical computing platforms that encode information in both phase and magnitude can execute complex arithmetic by optical interference, offering significantly enhanced computational speed and energy efficiency. However, to date, most demonstrations of optical neural networks still only utilize conventional real-valued frameworks that are designed for digital computers, forfeiting many of the advantages of optical computing such as efficient complex-valued operations. In this article, we highlight an optical neural chip (ONC) that implements truly complex-valued neural networks. We benchmark the performance of our complex-valued ONC in four settings: simple Boolean tasks, species classification of an Iris dataset, classifying nonlinear datasets (Circle and Spiral), and handwriting recognition. Strong learning capabilities (i.e., high accuracy, fast convergence and the capability to construct nonlinear decision boundaries) are achieved by our complex-valued ONC compared to its real-valued counterpart.
Impact of the central frequency of environment on non-Markovian dynamics in piezoelectric optomechanical devices
Authors: Ding Quanzhen , Zhao Peng , Ma Yonghong , Chen Yusui
Published: January 2021

The piezoelectric optomechanical devices supply a promising experimental platform to realize the coherent and effective control and measurement of optical circuits working in Terahertz (THz) frequencies via superconducting electron devices typically working in Radio (MHz) frequencies. However, quantum fluctuations are unavoidable when the size of mechanical oscillators enter into the nanoscale. The consequences of the noisy environment are still challenging due to the lack of analytical tools. In this paper, a semi-classical and full-quantum model of piezoelectric optomechanical systems coupled to a noisy bosonic quantum environment are introduced and solved in terms of quantum-state diffusion (QSD) trajectories in the non-Markovian regime. We show that the noisy environment, particularly the central frequency of the environment, can enhance the entanglement generation between optical cavities and LC circuits in some parameter regimes. Moreover, we observe the critical points in the coefficient functions, which can lead the different behaviors in the system. Besides, we also witness the entanglement transfers between macroscopic objects due to the memory effect of the environment. Our work can be applied in the fields of electric/ optical switches, and long-distance distribution in a large-scale quantum network.
Electronic cigarette aerosols alter the expression of cisplatin transporters and increase drug resistance in oral cancer cells
Authors: Manyanga Jimmy , Ganapathy Vengatesh , Bouharati Célia , Mehta Toral , Sadhasivam Balaji , Acharya Pawan , Zhao Daniel , Queimado Lurdes
Published: January 2021

Tobacco smoking is the leading preventable cause of cancer. Moreover, continued smoking during cancer therapy reduces overall survival. Aware of the negative consequences of tobacco smoking and the challenges of smoking cessation, cancer patients are inquiring whether they should switch to electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes). To obtain evidence-based data to inform this decision, we examined the effects of e-cigarette aerosol exposure on cisplatin resistance in head and neck cancer cells. Our results show that cancer cells exposed to e-cigarette aerosol extracts and treated with cisplatin have a significant decrease in cell death, increase in viability, and increase in clonogenic survival when compared to non-exposed cells. Moreover, exposure to e-cigarette aerosol extracts increased the concentration of cisplatin needed to induce a 50% reduction in cell growth (IC50) in a nicotine-independent manner. Tobacco smoke extracts induced similar increases in cisplatin resistance. Changes in the expression of drug influx and efflux transporters, rather than activation of cell growth-promoting pathways or DNA damage repair, contribute to e-cigarette induced cisplatin resistance. These results suggest that like combustible tobacco, e-cigarette use might increase chemotherapy resistance, and emphasize the urgent need for rigorous evaluation of e-cigarettes health effects to ensure evidence-based public health policies.
Single versus dual elastic nails for closed reduction and antegrade intramedullary nailing of displaced fifth metacarpal neck fractures
Authors: Zeng Langqing , Zeng Lulu , Miao Xiaogang , Chen Yunfeng , Liang Weiguo , Jiang Yuwen
Published: January 2021

Closed reduction and internal fixation with antegrade intramedullary nails is a feasible and effective treatment for displaced fifth metacarpal neck fractures (FMNFs). The present study aimed to compare clinical and radiological outcomes in patients with displaced FMNFs after treatment with single or dual antegrade elastic intramedullary nails (AEIMNs). Thirty-three patients were treated with a single 2.0 mm AEIMN and 34 patients were treated with two 1.5 mm AEIMNs. Clinical and radiological outcomes included grip strength, active range of motion (ROM), active flexion and extension of the fifth metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint, dorsal angulation loss, and metacarpal shortening of the fifth metacarpal at 12 months after treatment. No significant difference was observed between the two groups with respect to grip strength, ROM or flexion of the fifth MCP joint. The average values of dorsal angulation loss, metacarpal shortening, and extension of the fifth MCP joint of the dual nails group were better than those of the single nail group (dorsal angulation loss, 2.79 ± 1.93° vs. 4.05 ± 1.59°, P = 0.009; metacarpal shortening, 1.66 ± 0.80 mm vs. 2.12 ± 0.88 mm, P = 0.028; extension of the fifth MCP joint, 7.71 ± 4.43° vs. 4.82 ± 4.09°, P = 0.012). In conclusion, dual AEIMNs fixation provided better MCP extension and radiological outcomes than single AEIMN fixation.
Non-closed acoustic cloaking devices enabled by sequential-step linear coordinate transformations
Authors: Basiri Zahra , Fakheri Mohammad Hosein , Abdolali Ali , Shen Chen
Published: January 2021

Hitherto acoustic cloaking devices, which conceal objects externally, depend on objects' characteristics. Despite previous works, we design cloaking devices placed adjacent to an arbitrary object and make it invisible without the need to make it enclosed. Applying sequential linear coordinate transformations leads to a non-closed acoustic cloak with homogeneous materials, creating an open invisible region. Firstly, we propose to design a non-closed carpet cloak to conceal objects on a reflecting plane. Numerical simulations verify the cloaking effect, which is completely independent of the geometry and material properties of the hidden object. Moreover, we extend this idea to achieve a directional acoustic cloak with homogeneous materials that can render arbitrary objects in free space invisible to incident radiation. To demonstrate the feasibility of the realization, a non-resonant meta-atom is utilized which dramatically facilitated the physical realization of our design. Due to the simple acoustic constitutive parameters of the presented structures, this work paves the way toward realization of non-closed acoustic devices, which could find applications in airborne sound manipulation and underwater demands.