bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Toxic elements in packed red blood cells from smoker donors: a risk for paediatric transfusion?
Authors: Boehm Renata , Cohen Carolina , Pulcinelli Rianne , Caletti Greice , Balsan Almeri , Nascimento Sabrina , Rocha Rafael , Calderon Enrique , Saint’Pierre Tatiana , Garcia Solange , Sekine Leo , Onsten Tor , Gioda Adriana , Gomez Rosane
Published: October 2019

Background and Objectives

Smokers currently have no defined restrictions for blood donation. However, cigarette smoke contains toxic substances such as carbon monoxide (CO) and trace elements that can affect the packed red blood cells (PRBCs) quality and safety of transfusion. This study evaluated the effects of smoking on the concentration of essential and trace elements and on carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) levels in PRBCs from smoker donors.

Materials and Methods

A matched case–control study was conducted to compare COHb levels, determined by the CO‐oximetry method, and levels of trace (Cd, Pb, Cr, Ni, As and Hg) and essential (Ca, Mg, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Se and Zn) elements evaluated by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, in PRBCs from smoker (n = 36) and non‐smoker (n = 36) donors at Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Results

Mean COHb level was 14 times higher in the PRBCs obtained from smoker donors (5·9 [4·0–9·1] vs. 0·4 [0·2–0·8]%). Cadmium (1·0 [1·0‐1·8] μg/l vs. undetectable) and lead (27 [21–36] vs. 19 [14–26] μg/l) levels were significantly higher in the PRBCs from smokers. Moreover, except for molybdenum, levels of all essential elements were lower in smoker PRBCs.

Conclusion

The PRBCs donated by smokers contain toxic elements that are probably not safe for transfusion in children. Our results might support changes in the current guidelines of blood banks to improve the transfusion safety through inclusion of inquiry about smoking in the clinical screening, labelling and reserve PRBCs from smoker donors for adults or less critical recipients.
Subjective Well-Being Profiles of Street-Involved Youth: a Longitudinal Analysis Based on Clusters
Authors: Lima Rebeca Fernandes Ferreira , Morais Normanda Araujo de
Published: October 2019

This study aimed to longitudinally characterize subjective well-being (SWB; life satisfaction, positive and negative affect) profiles of street-involved youth, verifying how the different groups differ in sociodemographic variables (e.g., age, gender, contact intensity with family and street), stressful events (number and impact) and health-risk behaviors (i.e., suicidality, sexual risk, drug use). Participants were 104 young people (M = 14.22 years, SD = 2.4), from three Brazilian capitals, most (82%) were boys. Cluster analysis identified three groups: average SWB (n = 56); positive SWB (n = 21); and negative SWB (n = 27). The positive SWB group is made up of younger youth with lower levels of health-risk behaviors and stronger family ties. Results corroborated prior studies identifying SWB as an important health indicator, emphasizing the importance of promoting SWB to reduce the risks that undermine development.
Work Overload and Emotional Exhaustion in University Teachers: Moderating Effects of Coping Styles
Authors: García-Arroyo José Antonio , Osca Segovia Amparo
Published: October 2019

Changes in the education system in Ecuador have increased the workload of university teachers, producing stress and burnout. This study analyses the relation between work overload, coping styles and emotional exhaustion in a sample of 202 university teachers by using a hierarchical regression model analysis. The results show that work overload and evasive coping are positively related to emotional exhaustion, while active coping is negatively related to emotional exhaustion. Evasive coping moderated the relationship between work overload and emotional exhaustion so that teachers who use more evasive coping in situations of high work overload experience less burnout than teachers who use this coping style less. Finally, we discuss the limitations of this study and its theoretical and practical contributions for university professors in Latin American contexts.
Aggression towards Referees in Amateur Football in Spain: A Loglinear Approach
Authors: Fuente Diego , Cantón Enrique , Montes Francisco , Sanruperto Abella María Ángeles
Published: October 2019

Aggressive behavior towards football referees is becoming increasingly common, and as a result we are getting used to it and coming to see it as an inevitable and intrinsic element of football matches. Spectators, players and coaches are all prone to take this view. This article studies how the types of aggression shown by these three groups towards the referee are related to one another, and how they are perceived by the referee, in amateur football. For this purpose, the phenomenon was assessed, using an ad-hoc form, both by an expert and by the referee, in 119 regional and youth football matches in the city of Valencia and surrounding municipalities. We analysed the data using a loglinear model, which enabled us to establish that from the referee’s perspective pairs of the above-mentioned groups influenced each other regardless of the attitude of the third group. On the other hand, departing from the traditional idea that aggressive behaviour by one of the groups determines the behaviour of the other two, the analysis of the expert’s opinions on the attitudes of the three groups led us to a model in which their respective actions were independent of one another.
A Comparative Research of Sexual Behaviour and Risk Perception in Two Cohorts of Spanish University Students
Authors: Pastor Yolanda , Rojas-Murcia Carolina
Published: October 2019

The aim of this research was to describe the sexual behaviour and HIV/AIDS risk perception in two cohorts of Spanish university students. A cross-sectional design of two cohorts was employed. A total of 230 university students in 2004 (Mage=19.77; SD=1.73; 72.6% females) and 264 in 2012 (Mage=19.47; SD=1.73; 73.5% females) were recruited. A self-developed questionnaire on sexual behaviour was administered. A MANOVA per cohort, gender and age was performed. The results revealed that there were no differences between the cohorts regarding sexual practices. About one-fifth of sexually active young people used condoms regularly but not always, around one-sixth sometimes or never used them, half of the respondents did not usually require their sexual partners to take an HIV test and only the ten percent had ever undergone it. Three quarters of the subjects perceived some degree of invulnerability to HIV/AIDS. Spanish females perceived themselves more invulnerable.
Implementación y evaluación de un programa de inteligencia emocional en adolescentes
Authors: Siguenza Marin Víctor , Carballido Guisado Raquel , Pérez Albéniz Alicia , Fonseca-Pedrero Eduardo
Published: October 2019

El principal objetivo de este trabajo fue implementar y evaluar un programa de inteligencia emocional en adolescentes. Se utilizaron un grupo experimental (n=60) y un grupo de comparación (n=44) que fueron evaluados en dos momentos temporales con el Trait Meta-Mood Scale-24, el Cuestionario de Capacidades y Dificultades, el Índice de Reactividad Interpersonal y la Escala de Autoestima de Rosenberg. Los resultados mostraron que, tras un periodo de tres meses de intervención, el grupo experimental no difirió entre el pretest y el posttest de forma estadísticamente significativa en las puntuaciones medias de inteligencia emocional percibida, empatía, salud mental o autoestima. La satisfacción del programa informada por los alumnos fue excelente. A pesar de los resultados obtenidos, es necesario seguir potencializando las habilidades emocionales y sociales en esta etapa del desarrollo con la finalidad de mejorar el ajuste personal y la calidad de vida, así como el desarrollo integral de los adolescentes.
Perfiles psicosociales de usuarios de entornos virtuales: motivaciones, conductas y consecuencias
Authors: Gandarillas Solinís Miguel Ángel , Montañés Serrano Manuel
Published: October 2019

Esta investigación tiene como objetivo identificar los tipos de usuarios habituales de los entornos virtuales, de acuerdo a las dimensiones motivacionales, características conductuales y sus consecuencias. Para tal fin se administró un cuestionario a 332 usuarios de plataformas virtuales. Los datos se procesaron con técnicas de análisis factorial, ANOVAs, conglomerados y regresiones múltiples, donde se identificaron cinco tipos de motivaciones del uso de las plataformas virtuales: la estimulación intelectual, el poder, instrumental, el anonimato/libertad, el afecto, y la evasión. Atendiendo a estos factores surgen cinco tipos de usuarios: el lógico, el anónimo, el honesto, el interesado, el evasivo, y el poderoso. Todo ello sugiere la posibilidad de distinguir dos dimensiones principales que explican el comportamiento virtual: la más relevante caracterizada por la búsqueda positiva de estimulación intelectual, creatividad y conocimiento, y una segunda de carácter afectivo-emocional, más relacionada con factores de vulnerabilidad y riesgo.
Teorías implícitas sobre escritura académica y su enseñanza: contrastes entre el ingreso, la transición y el egreso universitarios
Authors: Navarro Federico , Mora-Aguirre Bárbara
Published: October 2019

La educación superior incluye la enculturación de los estudiantes en las formas esperadas de comunicarse disciplinarmente, pero este proceso puede verse obstaculizado por ciertas teorías implícitas sobre la escritura (transcripción, talento, inspiración individual, habilidad básica, vocabulario y ortografía, objeto no enseñable) que difieren de su carácter de actividad retórica compleja, situada y epistémica. Esta investigación reconstruye y contrasta la presencia de estas teorías en tres etapas formativas (ingreso, transición y egreso), a partir de las respuestas de 8192 estudiantes universitarios. Los resultados, evaluados con prueba chi cuadrado de Pearson de bondad de ajuste, muestran que los estudiantes ingresan con ciertas teorías implícitas (escritura como ortografía y transcripción del pensamiento, aprendizaje mediante la práctica y a través del currículum y niveles formativos), pero no con otras (escritura como habilidad básica); además, la formación universitaria transforma parcialmente algunas (escritura como inspiración individual y transcripción del pensamiento), pero no otras (importancia relativa de la adecuación situacional y la estructura textual), e incorpora expectativas sobre tareas (posicionamiento propio en ensayos, uso de citas en explicaciones, contrastes en comparaciones). Comprender la distribución y los grados de estabilidad o transformación de teorías implícitas sobre la escritura no solo hace aportes al conocimiento científico, sino que también informa iniciativas de alfabetización académica, de escritura a través del currículum y de apoyo y orientación de los aprendizajes.
Fabrication and Experiment of an Automatic Continuum Robot System Using Image Recognition
Authors: Na Yeong-min , Lee Hyun-seok , Park Jong-kyu
Published: October 2019

This paper proposes a continuum robot that can be controlled automatically using image recognition. The proposed robot can operate in narrower spaces than the existing robots composed of links and joints. In addition, because it is automatically controlled through image recognition, the robot can be operated irrespective of the human controller's skill level. The manipulator is divided into two stages, with three wires connected to each stage to minimize the energy used to control the manipulator posture. The manipulator's posture is controlled by adjusting the length of the wire, similar to the relaxation and contraction of the muscles. Denavit–Hartenberg transformation and the Monte Carlo method were used to analyze the robot's kinematics and workspace. In a performance test, an experimental plate with nine targets was fabricated and the manipulator speed was adjusted to 5, 10, and 20 mm/s. Experimental results show that the manipulator was automatically controlled and reached all targets, with errors of 2.58, 3.28, and 9.18 mm.
Demonstrating the elliptical orbit of Mars using naked eye data
Authors: Krisciunas Kevin
Published: October 2019

The discovery of Kepler's three laws of planetary motion served as a significant motivation to Newton to find the gravitational force law and explain why motion in an inverse square law force field produces orbits (or trajectories) that are conic sections. Kepler's discovery that Mars' orbit is an ellipse is one of the most significant in the history of astronomy. It relied on Tycho Brahe's observations, which were the most accurate data ever attained at that time. In this paper, we present an analysis of positional measurements carried out during two observing periods of ∼400 days centered on the 2016 and 2018 oppositions of Mars. Our observations were made with the naked eye and a simple cross staff. If we assume an elliptical orbit of Mars and simplify matters by adopting a circular orbit for the Earth, the data of the 2016 opposition indicate that the eccentricity of Mars' orbit is 0.093 ± 0.012. This is equal to the modern accepted value, but with a larger uncertainty. By adopting a more robust model that uses an ellipse for the Earth as well, we obtain a better fit, with an RMS residual of ±7.5 arc min for the ecliptic longitudes. The data of the 2018 opposition must be fit with an ellipse for Mars and the Earth.
Diamagnetic behavior in random classical radiation
Authors: Boyer Timothy H.
Published: October 2019

Calculations for diamagnetic behavior involving Faraday induction appear in classical electromagnetism textbooks. These calculations give the charged particle motions correctly but then inaccurately introduce the statement that diamagnetism is incompatible with classical thermodynamics, and that quantum theory is required for diamagnetic behavior. Actually, if classical radiative equilibrium in classical zero-point radiation holds before the application of a magnetic field, then it will hold afterwards and will preserve the diamagnetic behavior obtained by the application of Faraday's law. Here, we consider the classical diamagnetism of a charged particle in an isotropic harmonic potential which follows from the four famous spectra of random classical radiation. The zero-point radiation spectrum fully justifies the analysis appearing in the textbooks of classical electromagnetism and in the work of Langevin. The Rayleigh-Jeans spectrum gives no diamagnetic behavior, as is consistent with the Bohr-van Leeuwen theorem. The Planck spectrum without zero-point radiation (surprisingly) gives no magnetic moment at low temperature and paramagnetic behavior at high temperature! Finally, the Planck spectrum with zero-point radiation gives diamagnetic behavior at low temperature and no magnetic moment at high temperature. This last result is in agreement with elementary quantum theory. Once again the Planck spectrum with zero-point radiation provides the best classical description.
Finite and half-infinite solenoids and the Aharonov-Bohm effect
Authors: Franklin J. , Goel Gopal
Published: October 2019

In quantum mechanics, the magnetic field has a physical effect beyond its local presence. For axially symmetric vector potentials, A=A(s,z)ϕ̂, it is the magnetic flux that plays a central role in both interference experiments (as in the Aharonov-Bohm effect) and in bound state spectra for a particle constrained to move in a circle. The flux dependence is evident in various configurations, and we have chosen two applications to highlight the non-local nature of the quantum mechanical magnetic field dependence: A finite solenoid and a Dirac string with a non-zero radius. The finite solenoid is interesting because it represents the actual experimental apparatus for measuring the Aharonov-Bohm effect. The Dirac string provides an electric charge quantization mechanism that depends on where the quantization argument is applied, yielding different fundamental charge units for different locations.
Why pushing a bell does not produce a sound
Authors: Ferrari Loris
Published: October 2019

The difference between “beating” and “pushing” results in the perception that a push just makes an object move as a whole, while a beat also produces a sound. Through a detailed analysis of the physics underlying such everyday experiences, we identify the strength, the duration, and the softness of the applied contact force as the main (measurable) characteristics that mark such a difference. The strength determines the final velocity Δv achieved by the body. The duration 2τ corresponds to the time τℓ the sound takes to cross the body. The softness γ (a positive exponent) results from the shape in time of the contact force. These three elements make up the formula for the intensity of the sound produced. The relevant role of the softness is stressed and specific values are calculated for a thin metallic bar, which is chosen as the simplest possible model system.
Comment on “Confining rigid balls by mimicking quadrupole ion trapping” [Am. J. Phys. 85, 821 (2017)]
Authors: Borisov Alexey V. , Kilin Alexander A. , Mamaev Ivan S.
Published: October 2019

This paper discusses two approaches for deriving the equations of motion for a ball that rolls without slipping on the surface of a rotating hyperbolic paraboloid. We analyze two possible methods for defining the surface on which the ball rolls, and show the relationship between the two methods. We describe how the stability of the ball's rotation at the saddle point depends on the radius of the ball, in the case where the stability analysis is made in dimensionless parameters.
Quantum matrix diagonalization visualized
Authors: Randles Kevin , Schroeder Daniel V. , Thomas Bruce R.
Published: October 2019

We show how to visualize the process of diagonalizing the Hamiltonian matrix to find the energy eigenvalues and eigenvectors of a generic one-dimensional quantum system. Starting in the familiar sine-wave basis of an embedding infinite square well, we display the Hamiltonian matrix graphically with the basis functions alongside. Each step in the diagonalization process consists of selecting a nonzero off-diagonal matrix element and then rotating the two corresponding basis vectors in their own subspace until this element is zero. We provide mathematica code to display the effects of these rotations on both the matrix and the basis functions. As an electronic supplement, we also provide a javascript web app to interactively carry out this process.
Accuracy and Reliability of Onset Detection Algorithms in Gait Initiation for Healthy Controls and Participants With Parkinson’s Disease
Authors: Chen Aisha , Selvaraj Sandhya , Krishnan Vennila , Asgari Shadnaz
Published: October 2019

Accurate and reliable detection of the onset of gait initiation is essential for the correct assessment of gait. Thus, this study was aimed at evaluation of the reliability and accuracy of 3 different center of pressure–based gait onset detection algorithms: A displacement baseline–based algorithm (method 1), a velocity baseline–based algorithm (method 2), and a velocity extrema–based algorithm (method 3). The center of pressure signal was obtained during 10 gait initiation trials from 16 healthy participants and 3 participants with Parkinson’s disease. Intrasession and absolute reliability of each algorithm was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient and the coefficient of variation of center of pressure displacement during the postural phase of gait initiation. The accuracy was evaluated using the time error of the detected onset by each algorithm relative to that of visual inspection. The authors’ results revealed that although all 3 algorithms had high to very high intrasession reliabilities in both healthy subjects and subjects with Parkinson’s disease, methods 2 and 3 showed significantly better absolute reliability than method 1 in healthy controls (P = .001). Furthermore, method 2 outperformed the other 2 algorithms in both healthy subjects and subjects with Parkinson’s disease with an overall accuracy of 0.80. Based on these results, the authors recommend using method 2 for accurate and reliable gait onset detection.
The Influence of Hip Structure on Functional Valgus Collapse During a Single-Leg Forward Landing in Females
Authors: Hogg Jennifer A. , Schmitz Randy J. , Shultz Sandra J.
Published: October 2019

Clinical femoral anteversion (Craig test) and hip range of motion (ROM) have been associated with valgus collapse, but their clinical usefulness in predicting biomechanics is unknown. Our purpose was to determine the individual and combined predictive power of femoral anteversion and passive hip ROM on 3-dimensional valgus collapse (hip internal rotation and adduction, knee rotation, and abduction) during a single-leg forward landing in females. Femoral anteversion and passive hip ROM were measured on 20 females (24.9 [4.1] y, 168.7 [8.0] cm, 63.8 [11.6] kg). Three-dimensional kinematics and kinetics were collected over 5 trials of the task. Each variable was averaged across trials. Backward, stepwise regressions determined the extent to which our independent variables were associated with valgus collapse. The combination of greater hip internal and external rotation ROM (partial r = .52 and .56) predicted greater peak knee internal rotation moment (R2 = .38, P = .02). Less hip internal rotation ROM (partial r = −.44) predicted greater peak knee abduction moments (R2 = .20, P = .05). Greater total hip ROM (internal and external rotation ROM) was not consistently associated with combined motions of valgus collapse but was indicative of isolated knee moments. Passive hip ROM is more associated with knee moments than is femoral anteversion as measured with Craig test.
Digit Force Controls and Corresponding Brain Activities in Finger Pressing Performance: A Comparison Between Older Adults and Young Individuals
Authors: Cheng Pai-Yun , Chieh Hsiao-Feng , Lin Chien-Ju , Hsu Hsiu-Yun , Chen Jia-Jin J. , Kuo Li-Chieh , Su Fong-Chin
Published: October 2019

This study aims toward an investigation and comparison of the digital force control and the brain activities of older adults and young groups during digital pressing tasks. A total of 15 young and 15 older adults were asked to perform force ramp tasks at different force levels with a custom pressing system. Near-infrared spectroscopy was used to collect the brain activities in the prefrontal cortex and primary motor area. The results showed that the force independence and hand function of the older adults were worse than that of the young adults. The cortical activations in the older adults were higher than those in the young group during the tasks. A significant hemodynamic between-group response and mild negative correlations between brain activation and force independence ability were found. Older adults showed poor force independence ability and manual dexterity and required additional brain activity to compensate for the degeneration.
Understanding the Relationship Between Pet Ownership and Physical Activity Among Older Community-Dwelling Adults—A Mixed Methods Study
Authors: Peacock Mandy , Netto Julie , Yeung Polly , McVeigh Joanne , Hill Anne-Marie
Published: October 2019

Pet ownership is associated with increased levels of physical activity (PA) in older adults. Studies have mainly focused on the association between PA and dog walking; however, broader aspects of pet ownership may influence PA. The purpose of this study was to explore the association between pet ownership and incidental and purposeful PA using a mixed methods approach. Participants’ (N = 15) PA was measured for 7 days using accelerometers and diaries. Semistructured interviews explored participants’ perspectives regarding pet-related activities. Participants’ mean (SD) daily step count was 14,204 (5,061) steps, and mean (SD) sedentary time per day was 8.76 (1.18) hr. Participants strongly concurred that their pets were an integral part of their daily lives. Incidental and purposeful PA resulted from participants undertaking pet care and socially interacting with their pets. Pets may interrupt sedentary behaviors by nudging older adults to engage in PA as part of their daily lived experience.
Predictor Selection Using Lasso to Examine the Association of Motor Proficiency, Postural Control, Visual Efficiency, and Behavior With the Academic Skills of Elementary School-Aged Children
Authors: Immekus Jason C. , Muntis Franklin , Terson de Paleville Daniela
Published: October 2019

The associations between motor proficiency, postural control, and visual efficiency with teacher and parent ratings of children’s behavior and academic skills were examined among a sample of elementary school-aged children (N = 50). Teacher and parent ratings of students’ academic skills were analyzed separately to examine the predictive nature of measures of motor proficiency. Spearman rank order correlations reported low to moderate relationships between motor proficiency, postural control, and children’s behavior (e.g., ADHD inattention) and academic skills. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (lasso) procedure is demonstrated as an approach for variable selection of measures of children’s motor proficiency, postural control, and visual efficiency to predict academic skills. For teacher and parent ratings of academic skills, ADHD symptom of inattention was the strongest model predictor, whereas directional control (postural control) was also a predictor for parent ratings. Study findings shed light on practical and methodological factors associated with motor skills in educational contexts.
A Mathematical Model to Examine Issues Associated With Using Portable Force-Measurement Technologies to Collect Infant Postural Data
Authors: Chagdes James R. , Liddy Joshua J. , Arnold Amanda J. , Claxton Laura J. , Haddad Jeffrey M.
Published: October 2019

Portable force-measurement technologies are becoming increasingly popular tools to examine the maturation of postural motor milestones, such as sitting and standing, in infants. These convenient, low-cost devices provide numerous opportunities to characterize postural development outside of the laboratory. However, it is important to understand the unique challenges and technical limitations associated with collecting center of pressure (CoP) data using portable force-measurement technologies in infant populations. This study uses a mathematical model to examine issues that emerge when using portable force-measurement technologies to collect sitting and standing postural data in infants. The results of our mathematical simulations demonstrate that the CoP errors from portable force-measurement technologies depend on the posture examined (e.g., sitting vs. standing), the anthropometrics of the person (e.g., height and weight), the frequency of body sway, and the experimental setup (e.g., an additional support surface being placed on top of the device). Recommendations are provided for developmental researchers interested in adopting these technologies in infant populations.
Cross-Validation and Comparison of Energy Expenditure Prediction Models Using Count-Based and Raw Accelerometer Data in Youth
Authors: Montoye Alexander H.K. , Clevenger Kimberly A. , Mackintosh Kelly A. , McNarry Melitta A. , Pfeiffer Karin A.
Published: October 2019

Background: Machine learning may improve energy expenditure (EE) prediction from body-worn accelerometers. However, machine learning models are rarely cross-validated in an independent sample, and the use of machine learning raises additional questions including the effect of accelerometer placement and data type (count vs. raw) for optimal EE prediction. Purpose: To assess the accuracy of artificial neural network (ANN) models for EE prediction in youth using count-based or raw data from accelerometers worn on the hip, wrist, or in combination, and compare these to count-based, EE regression equations. Methods: Data were collected in two settings; one (n = 27) to calibrate the EE prediction models, and the other (n = 34) for model cross-validation. Participants wore a portable metabolic analyzer (EE criterion) and accelerometers on the left wrist and right hip while completing 30 minutes of exergames (calibration, cross-validation) and a maximal exercise test (calibration only). Six ANNs were created from the calibration data, separately by accelerometer placement (hip, wrist, combination) and data format (count-based, raw) to predict EE (15-second epochs). Three count-based linear regression equations were also developed for comparison to the ANNs. Results: The count-based, hip ANN demonstrated lower error (RMSE: 1.2 METs) than all other ANNs (RMSE: 1.7–3.6 METs) and EE regression equations (RMSE: 1.5–3.2 METs). However, all models showed bias toward the mean. Conclusion: An ANN developed for hip-worn accelerometers had higher accuracy for EE prediction during an exergame session than wrist or combination ANNs, and ANNs developed using count-based data had higher accuracy than ANNs developed using raw data.
Electro-plasmonic nanoantenna: A nonfluorescent optical probe for ultrasensitive label-free detection of electrophysiological signals
Authors: Habib Ahsan , Zhu Xiangchao , Can Uryan I. , McLanahan Maverick L. , Zorlutuna Pinar , Yanik Ahmet A.
Published: October 2019

An ultra-bright extracellular optical field probe enabling label-free detection of electrogenic activity is introduced.
Training of quantum circuits on a hybrid quantum computer
Authors: Zhu D. , Linke N. M. , Benedetti M. , Landsman K. A. , Nguyen N. H. , Alderete C. H. , Perdomo-Ortiz A. , Korda N. , Garfoot A. , Brecque C. , Egan L. , Perdomo O. , Monroe C.
Published: October 2019

We train generative modeling circuits on a quantum hybrid computer showing an optimization strategy and a resource trade-off.
Multidimensional imaging provides evidence for down-regulation of T cell effector function by MDSC in human cancer tissue
Authors: Si Yu , Merz Simon F. , Jansen Philipp , Wang Baoxiao , Bruderek Kirsten , Altenhoff Petra , Mattheis Stefan , Lang Stephan , Gunzer Matthias , Klode Joachim , Squire Anthony , Brandau Sven
Published: October 2019

Intratumoral physical engagement of T cells with immunosuppressive neutrophils is associated with reduced effector function.
Serum biomarkers in patients suspected of transient ischaemic attack in primary care: a diagnostic accuracy study
Authors: Dolmans Louis Servaas , Rutten Frans , Bartelink Marie-Louise E L , van Dijk Ewoud J , Nederkoorn Paul J , Kappelle Jaap , Hoes Arno W
Published: October 2019

Objective

The diagnosis of transient ischaemic attack (TIA) based on symptoms and signs can be challenging and would greatly benefit from a rapid serum biomarker of brain ischaemia. We aimed to quantify the added diagnostic value of serum biomarkers in patients suspected of TIA beyond symptoms and signs.

Methods

This is a cross-sectional diagnostic accuracy study with a 6-month follow-up period. Participants were patients suspected of TIA by the general practitioner (GP) in whom a blood sample could be collected within 72 hours from symptom onset. A research nurse visited the participant for the blood sample and a standardised interview. The GP referred participants to the regional TIA service. An expert panel of three neurologists classified cases as TIA, minor stroke or any other diagnosis, based on all available diagnostic information including the GP’s and neurologist’s correspondence and the follow-up period. We used multivariable logistic regression analyses to quantify the diagnostic accuracy of clinical predictors and the improvement of accuracy by seven biomarkers (NR2, NR2 antibodies, PARK7, NDKA, UFD1, B-FABP and H-FABP).

Results

206 patients suspected of TIA participated, of whom 126 (61.2%) were diagnosed with TIA (n=104) or minor stroke (n=22) by the expert panel. The median time from symptom onset to the blood sample collection was 48.0 (IQR 28.3–56.8) hours. None of the seven biomarkers had discriminative value in the diagnosis of TIA, with C-statistics ranging from 0.45 to 0.58. The final multivariable model (C-statistic 0.83 (0.78–0.89)) consisted of eight clinical predictors of TIA/minor stroke: increasing age, a history of coronary artery disease, sudden onset of symptoms, occurrence of symptoms in full intensity, dysarthria, no history of migraine, absence of loss of consciousness and absence of headache. Addition of the individual biomarkers did not further increase the C-statistics.

Conclusions

Currently available blood biomarkers have no added diagnostic value in suspected TIA.

Trial registration number

NCT01954329
Some notes on the nature and limits of posthumous rights: a response to Persad
Authors: Aas Sean
Published: October 2019

A person’s body can, it seems, survive well after losing the capacity to support Lockean personhood. If our rights in our bodies are, basically, rights in our selves or persons, this seems to imply that we do not after all have a right to direct the disposition of our living remains via advance directive. Govind Persad argues that our rights over our bodies persist after the loss of our personhood; we have a right to insist that our bodies die after we are gone for much the same reason that we have a right to decide whether or not to donate organs, after our death. Persad’s conclusion may be right; however, his arguments regarding body rights are insufficient. Persad’s suggestion that our rights in our bodies come from a history of acting and sensing through them cannot, quite, be right, since we act and sense through tools, as well. Nor should we accept Persad’s arguments, from intuitions in cases involving posthumous pregnancy, that our posthumous body rights (however acquired) are powerful enough to allow choices that will result in the death of beings that need our living remains to survive. Problems with these intuitions point to a more general concern for this sort of case-based intuitionistic method: it presupposes that what body rights we have is a matter of ‘natural right’, accessible to all, rather than a function of how social institutions do or should resolve conflicts about the proper way of defining our authority over our bodies.
Sites in the oropharynx reached by different methods of using mouthwash: clinical implication for oropharyngeal gonorrhoea prevention
Authors: Maddaford Kate , Fairley Christopher K , Trumpour Sabrina , Chung Mark , Chow Eric P F
Published: October 2019

Objectives

Oropharyngeal gonorrhoea is increasing among men who have sex with men and is commonly found in the tonsils and at the posterior pharyngeal wall. To address this rise, investigators are currently trialling mouthwash to prevent oropharyngeal gonorrhoea. We aimed to determine which parts of the oropharynx were reached by different methods of mouthwash use (oral rinse, oral gargle and oral spray).

Methods

Twenty staff at Melbourne Sexual Health Centre participated in the study from March to May 2018. Participants were asked to use mouthwash mixed with food dye, by three application methods on three separate days: oral rinse (15 s and 60 s), oral gargle (15 s and 60 s) and oral spray (10 and 20 times). Photographs were taken after using each method. Three authors assessed the photographs of seven anatomical areas (tongue base, soft palate, uvula, anterior tonsillar pillar, posterior tonsillar pillar, tonsil, posterior pharyngeal wall) independently and scored the dye coverage from 0% to 100%. Scores were then averaged.

Results

The mean coverage at the sites ranged from 2 to 100. At the posterior pharyngeal wall, spraying 10 times had the highest mean coverage (29%) and was higher than a 15 s rinse (2%, p=0.001) or a 15 s gargle (8%, p=0.016). At the tonsils, there was no difference in mean coverage between spray and gargle at any dosage, but spraying 20 times had a higher mean coverage than a 15 s rinse (42% vs 12%, p=0.012).

Conclusion

Overall, spray is more effective at reaching the tonsils and posterior pharyngeal wall compared with rinse and gargle. If mouthwash is effective in preventing oropharyngeal gonorrhoea, application methods that have greater coverage may be more efficacious.
Isoetes laurentiana, sp. nov. (Isoetaceae) endemic to freshwater tidal marshes in eastern Quebec, Canada
Authors: Brunton D.F. , Sokoloff P.C. , Bolin J.F. , Fraser D.F.
Published: October 2019

Morphological, phytogeographic, ecological, preliminary genetic, and C-value evidence indicates that populations of Isoetes confined to freshwater tidal marsh habitats along the St. Lawrence River in Quebec, Canada, represent an undescribed endemic species, proposed here as Isoetes laurentiana sp. nov. The combination of short velum coverage (ca. 10%) over a plain (unstreaked) sporangium, broad (ca. 1.0 mm) erect leaves, small megaspores (ca. 459 μm) with more densely convoluted-reticulate, almost echinate ornamentation, and its occurrence within an exceptional habitat, readily distinguish I. laurentiana from I. tuckermanii A.Braun with which it was formerly combined. Isoetes laurentiana is one of a series of endemic taxa of the floristically extraordinary St. Lawrence River estuary. Some populations of I. laurentiana are immense; in cultivation it demonstrates the capacity for prolific production of new individuals, which is presumably necessary to sustain such local abundance. Isoetes laurentiana is of national and global phytogeographic significance, but is not considered to represent a species at risk according to standards from the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Pollen-mediated gene flow in managed fields of lowbush blueberry
Authors: Rowland Lisa J. , Ogden Elizabeth L. , Bell Daniel J. , Drummond Frank A.
Published: October 2019

Pollen-mediated gene flow was analyzed in two managed fields of lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium Ait.) in Maine. Seedlings derived from open-pollinated crosses of two mother plants, one from each of the two fields, were genotyped using simple sequence repeat markers. The mother plants, the four to five nearest neighbour plants, and a group of 22–23 plants further away from the site of fruit collection were genotyped as well. The paternity of 70 seedlings produced by the mother plants, 35 from each field, was analyzed using FAMOZ to determine if each seedling was most likely a result of a self-cross, a cross with one of the nearest neighbours, or a cross from outside the nearest neighbourhood. Approximately 91%–97% of the seedlings appeared to result from crosses with plants outside the nearest neighbourhood, whereas 0% appeared to have resulted from self-crosses. This suggests that the primary pollinators of lowbush blueberry, native bees and honey bees, routinely collect and move pollen from distances greater than the adjacent neighbours of the plants receiving the pollen.
Analysis of Geomagnetic Signals Based on Wavelet Transform and Fractal Algorithm
Authors: Lu Yong , Huang Yongming , Liu Jing , Xue Wei , Zhang Guobao
Published: October 2019

In this paper, in order to figure out the variations before an earthquake and extract abnormal signals related to it, the geomagnetic three component Z, H, F minute values of 15 geomagnetic stations within 600[Formula: see text]km of the epicentral distance before the MS 6.6 Minxian–Zhangxian earthquake in Gansu were analyzed. The following are the results. (1) After the fractal analysis was used directly, only three geomagnetic stations in 15 geomagnetic stations showed synchronous anomalous signals; (2) After the method of this paper was used, 9 of the 15 geomagnetic stations (including the three stations in the first point) extracted two synchronous anomalous signals, and six of the nine geomagnetic stations presented additional synchronous anomalous signals. (3) Of the three abnormal signals extracted, one had a medium-term effect and two had short-term effects. (4) The anomalous duration of the Z component of nine geomagnetic stations was longer than that of H and F. And as the epicentral distance increased, duration decreased. While the proposed method could not clearly indicate the exact relationship between the anomalous signals and the earthquake, it was proved that the signals extracted are effective and well-correlative to the earthquake.
Central limit theorems with a rate of convergence for time-dependent intermittent maps
Authors: Hella Olli , Leppänen Juho
Published: October 2019

We study dynamical systems arising as time-dependent compositions of Pomeau-Manneville-type intermittent maps. We establish central limit theorems for appropriately scaled and centered Birkhoff-like partial sums, with estimates on the rate of convergence. For maps chosen from a certain parameter range, but without additional assumptions on how the maps vary with time, we obtain a self-norming CLT provided that the variances of the partial sums grow sufficiently fast. When the maps are chosen randomly according to a shift-invariant probability measure, we identify conditions under which the quenched CLT holds, assuming fiberwise centering. Finally, we show a multivariate CLT for intermittent quasi-static systems. Our approach is based on Stein’s method of normal approximation.
Simplifying the detection of optical distortions by machine learning
Authors: Hu Shuwen , Hu Lejia , Zhang Biwei , Gong Wei , Si Ke
Published: October 2019

Adaptive optics has been widely used in biological science to recover high-resolution optical image deep into the tissue, where optical distortion detection with high speed and accuracy is strongly required. Here, we introduce convolutional neural networks, one of the most popular machine learning models, into Shack–Hartmann wavefront sensor (SHWS) to simplify optical distortion detection processes. Without image segmentation or centroid positioning algorithm, the trained network could estimate up to 36th Zernike mode coefficients directly from a full SHWS image within 1.227[Formula: see text]ms on a personal computer, and achieves prediction accuracy up to 97.4%. The simulation results show that the average root mean squared error in phase residuals of our method is 75.64% lower than that with the modal-based SHWS method. With the high detection accuracy and simplified detection processes, this work has the potential to be applied in wavefront sensor-based adaptive optics for in vivo deep tissue imaging.
Excellent Fenton-like catalyst application in alkaline solution
Authors: Xia Fan , Nan Zhaodong
Published: October 2019

Fenton process has been widely applied for environmental restoration. However, acidic and neutral solutions are always needed in order to obtain an excellent catalytic activity. Flower-like MoS2 was firstly used as a Fenton catalyst with higher activity in alkaline solution than that in acidic and neutral ones. The catalytic mechanism indicated that [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] radicals formation induced the excellent catalytic activity in alkaline solution. Effects of pH, catalyst dosage, H2O2 and RhB concentrations on catalytic activity were studied, and the quantitative relations were established. The experimental result demonstrated that the catalyst was stable in alkaline solution. The leaching Mo was smaller than 2[Formula: see text]mg/L.
Energy-efficient Static Task Scheduling on VFI-based NoC-HMPSoCs for Intelligent Edge Devices in Cyber-physical Systems
Authors: Tariq Umair Ullah , Ali Haider , Liu Lu , Panneerselvam John , Zhai Xiaojun
Published: October 2019

The interlinked processing units in modern Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) creates a large network of connected computing embedded systems. Network-on-Chip (NoC)-based Multiprocessor System-on-Chip (MPSoC) architecture is becoming a de facto computing platform for real-time applications due to its higher performance and Quality-of-Service (QoS). The number of processors has increased significantly on the multiprocessor systems in CPS; therefore, Voltage Frequency Island (VFI) has been recently adopted for effective energy management mechanism in the large-scale multiprocessor chip designs. In this article, we investigated energy-efficient and contention-aware static scheduling for tasks with precedence and deadline constraints on intelligent edge devices deploying heterogeneous VFI-based NoC-MPSoCs (VFI-NoC-HMPSoC) with DVFS-enabled processors. Unlike the existing population-based optimization algorithms, we proposed a novel population-based algorithm called ARSH-FATI that can dynamically switch between explorative and exploitative search modes at run-time. Our static scheduler ARHS-FATI collectively performs task mapping, scheduling, and voltage scaling. Consequently, its performance is superior to the existing state-of-the-art approach proposed for homogeneous VFI-based NoC-MPSoCs. We also developed a communication contention-aware Earliest Edge Consistent Deadline First (EECDF) scheduling algorithm and gradient descent--inspired voltage scaling algorithm called Energy Gradient Decent (EGD). We introduced a notion of Energy Gradient (EG) that guides EGD in its search for island voltage settings and minimize the total energy consumption.

We conducted the experiments on eight real benchmarks adopted from Embedded Systems Synthesis Benchmarks (E3S). Our static scheduling approach ARSH-FATI outperformed state-of-the-art technique and achieved an average energy-efficiency of ∼24% and ∼30% over CA-TMES-Search and CA-TMES-Quick, respectively.
AirContour
Authors: Yin Yafeng , Xie Lei , Gu Tao , Lu Yijia , Lu Sanglu
Published: October 2019

Recognizing in-air hand gestures will benefit a wide range of applications such as sign-language recognition, remote control with hand gestures, and “writing” in the air as a new way of text input. This article presents AirContour, which focuses on in-air writing gesture recognition with a wrist-worn device. We propose a novel
contour-based gesture model
that converts human gestures to contours in 3D space and then recognizes the contours as characters. Different from 2D contours, the 3D contours may have the problems such as contour distortion caused by different viewing angles, contour difference caused by different writing directions, and the contour distribution across different planes. To address the above problem, we introduce Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to detect the principal/writing plane in 3D space, and then tune the projected 2D contour in the principal plane through reversing, rotating, and normalizing operations, to make the 2D contour in right orientation and normalized size under a uniform view. After that, we propose both an online approach, AC-Vec, and an offline approach, AC-CNN, for character recognition. The experimental results show that AC-Vec achieves an accuracy of 91.6% and AC-CNN achieves an accuracy of 94.3% for gesture/character recognition, both outperforming the existing approaches.
Self-awareness in Software Engineering
Authors: Elhabbash Abdessalam , Salama Maria , Bahsoon Rami , Tino Peter
Published: October 2019

Background
: Self-awareness has been recently receiving attention in computing systems for enriching autonomous software systems operating in dynamic environments.

Objective
: We aim to investigate the adoption of computational self-awareness concepts in autonomic software systems and motivate future research directions on self-awareness and related problems.

Method
: We conducted a systemic literature review to compile the studies related to the adoption of self-awareness in software engineering and explore how self-awareness is engineered and incorporated in software systems. From 865 studies, 74 studies have been selected as primary studies. We have analysed the studies from multiple perspectives, such as motivation, inspiration, and engineering approaches, among others.

Results
: Results have shown that self-awareness has been used to enable self-adaptation in systems that exhibit uncertain and dynamic behaviour. Though there have been recent attempts to define and engineer self-awareness in software engineering, there is no consensus on the definition of self-awareness. Also, the distinction between self-aware and self-adaptive systems has not been systematically treated.

Conclusions
: Our survey reveals that self-awareness for software systems is still a formative field and that there is growing attention to incorporate self-awareness for better reasoning about the adaptation decision in autonomic systems. Many pending issues and open problems outline possible research directions.