bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Observer design for rectangular descriptor systems with incremental quadratic constraints and nonlinear outputs—Application to secure communications
Authors: Moysis Lazaros , Gupta Mahendra Kumar , Mishra Vikas , Marwan Muhammad , Volos Christos
Published: September 2020

This work considers the problem of observer design for rectangular descriptor systems with nonlinearities satisfying incremental quadratic constraints. The observer design is feasible under the satisfaction of a linear matrix inequality and some algebraic relations in the system matrices. The special case of nonlinearities in the output is also considered. Finally, the developed approach is applied to the problem of secure communications and illustrated through numerical examples.
Platform pricing redux
Authors: Arce Daniel G.
Published: September 2020

Platforms such as Airbnb, Amazon, Apple iOS, eBay, Microsoft Windows, and Uber are ubiquitous. The two‐sided nature of platform markets, however, requires a reconsideration of the conditions for profit maximization and understanding of how platforms operate. Profit‐maximization in two‐sided markets is characterized as an intuitive extension of the inverse elasticity pricing rule (Lerner index). This is further expressed in terms of the participants' primitives: users' reservation values and the platform's marginal cost. Differences between one‐ and two‐sided markets are demonstrated and discussed.
Effect of Surfactants on Liquid–Solid Heat Transfer on High‐Temperature Wall
Authors: Tian Xiuhua , Fu Tianliang , Wang Zhaodong , Wang Guodong
Published: September 2020

During the quenching of high‐temperature steel plate, Leidenfrost phenomenon takes place, which prevents the coolant from extracting heat from high‐temperature wall. Adding surfactant to the basic fluid can reduce the surface tension, increase the solid–liquid contact area, and ultimately increase the cooling speed. Herein, aqueous solutions of 240 ppm cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB), 600 ppm sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and 56 ppm polyoxyethy‐lene (20) sorbaitan monolaurate (Tween‐20) are used as coolants. Using a 50 mm thick high‐temperature AISI304 stainless steel plate, free surface jet experiments are designed and completed to study the influence of different coolants on the surface heat transfer and internal thermal conductivity. The experimental results show that surfactants can reduce the surface tension, which enhance the wettability of the fluid on the surface, whereas the time it takes for the fluid to completely wet the experimental region is shortened by up to 13.87%. The foaming can increase the width of wetting front and hinder the expansion speed of the wetted region. When aqueous Tween‐20 with low surface tension and low foaming is used as the coolant, the maximum heat flux increases by 12.11%, 7.03%, 9.33%, 7.70%, and 4.41% compared with that of pure water.
Characterization of Proton Dynamics for the Understanding of Conduction Mechanism in Proton Conductive Metal‐Organic Frameworks
Authors: Kolokolov Daniil I. , Lim Dae‐Woon , Kitagawa Hiroshi
Published: September 2020

Proton conductivity has been traditionally investigated with various materials such as organic polymers, metal oxides, and other inorganic and organic compounds because of their potential application in the electrochemical devices. In particular, during the last decade, crystalline porous coordination polymers (PCPs) or metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) have received considerable attention in recent years, as solid‐state proton conductors (SSPCs). To date, proton‐conductive MOFs have achieved high performance in proton conductivity (>10−2 S cm−1) with rational design strategies. In addition, there are dedicated efforts to define the conduction pathway and mechanism using various experimental tools. In this review, we focus on the characterization of proton conductivity and molecular dynamics in hydrated MOFs, with selected examples to provide an understanding of the overall conduction mechanism.
Performance effects of interaction between multicultural managers and multicultural team members: Evidence from elite football competitions
Authors: Szymanski Mike , Kalra Komal
Published: September 2020

Multicultural employees are an important organizational demographic and a subject of increasing interest in the literature on international management; however, few studies assess how multiculturals affect team performance. We first collect individual performance data for 442 individuals from 20 teams led by monocultural and multicultural managers. We then collect team‐level performance data for 269 teams with varying proportions of multicultural individuals. The results confirm that multicultural individuals performed better in teams with multicultural managers and that teams led by multicultural managers outperformed teams with the same percentage of multicultural individuals led by monocultural managers.
Inner speech
Authors: Langland‐Hassan Peter
Published: September 2020

Inner speech travels under many aliases: the inner voice, verbal thought, thinking in words, internal verbalization, “talking in your head,” the “little voice in the head,” and so on. It is both a familiar element of first‐person experience and a psychological phenomenon whose complex cognitive components and distributed neural bases are increasingly well understood. There is evidence that inner speech plays a variety of cognitive roles, from enabling abstract thought, to supporting metacognition, memory, and executive function. One active area of controversy concerns the relation of inner speech to auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) in schizophrenia, with a common proposal being that sufferers of AVH misidentify their own inner speech as being generated by someone else. Recently, researchers have used artificial intelligence to translate the neural and neuromuscular signatures of inner speech into corresponding outer speech signals, laying the groundwork for a variety of new applications and interventions.

This article is categorized under:

Philosophy > Foundations of Cognitive Science

Linguistics > Language in Mind and Brain

Philosophy > Consciousness

Philosophy > Psychological Capacities
Empirical comparison of DSLRs and smartphone cameras for latent prints photography
Authors: Pitts Robert , Wei Mingkui , Yu Jorn , Rairden Alicia
Published: September 2020

Law enforcement agencies take extreme caution when it comes to the selection of the image acquisition devices for evidence photography. For example, there was a large gap between when the digital camera was invented and when it became popularly used, and when it was adopted by law enforcement agencies to capture images for the documentation of crime scenes and physical evidence. Similarly, although smartphones are commonly used for taking photos and are gradually replacing digital cameras to become the mostly used photography devices, using smartphones for evidence photography is still uncommon among law enforcement agencies. In this article, we discuss a particular use scenario of smartphone photography, that is, using a smartphone to capture images of latent fingerprints. To collect experimental data, images of fingerprints were taken by a standard digital SLR camera and a smartphone camera. The numerical values representing the fingerprint qualities of these two sets of images were then generated by a Biometric SDK software. From the comparison of the quantitative image quality results, we concluded that no statistically significant difference was found between the two image acquisition devices. Our experimental data shed light on the perspective of adopting smartphones as competent devices for the purpose of latent fingerprint photography at a crime scene.

This article is categorized under:

Digital and Multimedia Science > Mobile Forensics

Forensic Chemistry and Trace Evidence > Fingermarks and Other Marks

Digital and Multimedia Science > Forensic Visualization

Crime Scene Investigation > Crime Scene Examination
Recent advances in development of dendritic polymer‐based nanomedicines for cancer diagnosis
Authors: Li Haonan , Sun Jiayu , Zhu Hongyan , Wu Haoxing , Zhang Hu , Gu Zhongwei , Luo Kui
Published: September 2020

Dendritic polymers have highly branched three‐dimensional architectures, the fourth type apart from linear, cross‐linked, and branched one. They possess not only a large number of terminal functional units and interior cavities, but also a low viscosity with weak or no entanglement. These features endow them with great potential in various biomedicine applications, including drug delivery, gene therapy, tissue engineering, immunoassay and bioimaging. Most review articles related to bio‐related applications of dendritic polymers focus on their drug or gene delivery, while very few of them are devoted to their function as cancer diagnosis agents, which are essential for cancer treatment. In this review, we will provide comprehensive insights into various dendritic polymer‐based cancer diagnosis agents. Their classification and preparation are presented for readers to have a precise understanding of dendritic polymers. On account of physical/chemical properties of dendritic polymers and biological properties of cancer, we will suggest a few design strategies for constructing dendritic polymer‐based diagnosis agents, such as active or passive targeting strategies, imaging reporters‐incorporating strategies, and/or internal stimuli‐responsive degradable/enhanced imaging strategies. Their recent applications in in vitro diagnosis of cancer cells or exosomes and in vivo diagnosis of primary and metastasis tumor sites with the aid of single/multiple imaging modalities will be discussed in great detail.

This article is categorized under:

Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Oncologic Disease

Diagnostic Tools > in vivo Nanodiagnostics and Imaging

Diagnostic Tools > in vitro Nanoparticle‐Based Sensing
A New 2D Fluorescent Polyoxometalate Built up of Circular {P5W30} Clusters and Tb3+ Cations
Authors: Wu Han‐Qing , Li Yan‐Ying
Published: September 2020

A new all inorganic polyoxometalate (POM), which is composed of the [Na(H2O)P5W30O110]14– ({P5W30}) clusters and Tb3+ cations, Na2[Tb4(H2O)28{Na(H2O)P5W30O110}]·16H2O (1), was obtained by using hydrothermal method. Its structure was further characterized by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction, elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy, TG, and PXRD. Compound 1 displays a 2D layered structure formed by {P5W30} clusters and [Tb(H2O)7]3+ linkers. It noteworthy that, eight coordinated sites provided by {P5W30} was very rare. Furthermore, the luminescent property of compound 1 was reported.
Transition Metal Ion‐Directed Coordination Polymers with Mixed Ligands: Synthesis, Structure, and Photocatalytic Activity for Hydrogen Production and Rhodamine B Degradation
Authors: Zhao Yan , Liu Zhong‐Yi , Wang Xiu‐Guang , Zhao Xiao‐Jun , Yang En‐Cui
Published: September 2020

Three mixed‐ligand transition metal coordination polymers with the formula of {[CuI2CuII(tpt)2(L)]·15H2O}n (1) and {[M2(H2O)5(tpt)(L)]·6H2O}n [M = Ni for 2 and Co for 3; tpt = 2,4,6‐tris(4‐pyridyl)‐1,3,5‐triazine and L = 3,3'‐disulfonyl‐4,4'‐biphenyldicarboxylate] were hydrothermally synthesized by varying the cheap paramagnetic metal ions and used as photocatalysts for hydrogen evolution from water splitting and rhodamine B (RhB) degradation. Single‐crystal structural determinations reveal that 1 is a robust pillared‐layer framework with unusual 72‐membered {Cu6(tpt)6} macrocycle‐based layers supported by tetratopic L4– connectors. Both 2 and 3 are isostructural (4 4) sheets with octahedral NiII and CoII ions extended by ditopic L4– and tpt linkages, in which the third pyridyl group of tpt is capped by pentahydrated metal ions. Due to the narrowed bandgap and good charge transport of the mixed‐valence CuI/II centers, 1 exhibits improved dual‐functional catalytic activities than 2 and 3 with the visible‐light‐driven hydrogen evolution rate and RhB degradation efficiency up to 588 μmol·g–1·h–1 and 72 % after 180‐minute irradiation. These interesting results indicate the importance of the metal ions and the dimensionality of the coordination polymers on the activity of the non‐Pt coordination polymer photocatalytic systems.
Global Radioxenon Emission Inventory from Nuclear Power Plants for the Calendar Year 2014
Authors: Kalinowski Martin B. , Tatlisu Halit
Published: September 2020

For the purpose of monitoring for compliance with the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), the International Monitoring System (IMS) is being established that includes 40 sensor systems for atmospheric xenon radioactivity. Its purpose is to monitor the atmosphere for signatures that may indicate a nuclear explosion. Normal operational releases of radioxenon from nuclear facilities can regularly be observed by these very high-sensitive noble gas systems. Existing best estimates of releases for a generic year are unlikely to apply for any specific year at the level of individual facilities because their releases are highly variable and can change by several orders of magnitude from year to year. In this paper, best knowledge of the radioxenon emission inventory from nuclear power plants (NPPs) is collected for the calendar year 2014. The distribution function for each CTBT relevant radioxenon isotope is derived from all releases from NPPs as reported for 2014. The data of this paper can be used for developing and validating methods based on atmospheric transport modelling that are designed to enhance understanding of the impact of known sources on the IMS background observations.
Prevalence and outcome of contrast-induced nephropathy in major trauma patients
Authors: Kelemen Julian Alexander , Kaserer Alexander , Jensen Kai Oliver , Stein Philipp , Seifert Burkhardt , Simmen Hans-Peter , Spahn Donat R. , Pape Hans-Christoph , Neuhaus Valentin
Published: September 2020

Background

Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) has been well investigated in patients undergoing coronary angiography, but not in trauma patients. The main aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and to investigate independent risk factors for the development of CIN.

Methods

Between 2008 and 2014, all pre-hospital intubated major trauma patients with documented serum creatinine levels (SCr) undergoing a contrast-enhanced whole-body CT at admission were retrospectively analyzed. CIN was defined as a relative increase in SCr > 25% over the baseline value or an absolute SCr increase of > 44 µmol/l within 72 h. Univariate and multivariable regression analyses were performed to identify significant risk factors. Apvalue of < 0.01 was considered statistically significant and apvalue of 0.01–0.049 suggested evidence.

Results

Of 284 analyzed patients, 41 (14%) met the criteria for CIN. There is suggestive evidence that age and lactate level influenced the development of CIN. Six patients (15%) had hemodialysis in the CIN-group and eight (3.3%) in the group without CIN. Complication and mortality rate was higher in patients with CIN (71% vs. 56% and 32% vs. 23%, respectively). CIN was not an independent risk factor for complications or mortality while controlling for age, gender, injury severity score, and lactate level. The length of stay was not affected by CIN.

Conclusion

CIN occurs frequently in trauma patients, but is not an independent risk factor for complications or mortality. Therefore, contrast enhanced whole-body CT can safely be performed in trauma patients.
Deformation behavior of steel-to-aluminum tailor blanks made by laser/MIG hybrid and cold metal transfer brazing methods
Authors: Shaker M. A. , Jain M. K. , Chen J. Z.
Published: September 2020

In this paper, dual phase steel (DP780) and AA2024-T3 aluminum sheets were successfully butt-welded together utilizing laser/MIG hybrid and cold metal transfer (CMT) brazing methods. A comparative study was conducted between the brazed joints produced by both methods in terms of wetting length, intermetallic compounds (IMCs) layer thickness, fracture position, and fracture mode. The results of testing showed that the produced joints from each method introduced significantly different deformation behavior. In addition, better wetting length and lower IMCs layer thickness are not the only factors that improve the mechanical behavior of brazed joints. The susceptibility of the aluminum base metal and time of exposure to the heat sources during joining process are also important.
A transformation-based discretization method for solving general semi-infinite optimization problems
Authors: Schwientek Jan , Seidel Tobias , Küfer Karl-Heinz
Published: September 2020

Discretization methods are commonly used for solving standard semi-infinite optimization (SIP) problems. The transfer of these methods to the case of general semi-infinite optimization (GSIP) problems is difficult due to the $$\mathbf {x}$$
x
-dependence of the infinite index set. On the other hand, under suitable conditions, a GSIP problem can be transformed into a SIP problem. In this paper we assume that such a transformation exists globally. However, this approach may destroy convexity in the lower level, which is very important for numerical methods. We present in this paper a solution approach for GSIP problems, which cleverly combines the above mentioned two techniques. It is shown that the convergence results for discretization methods in the case of SIP problems can be transferred to our transformation-based discretization method under suitable assumptions on the transformation. Finally, we illustrate the operation of our approach as well as its performance on several examples, including a problem of volume-maximal inscription of multiple variable bodies into a larger fixed body, which has never before been considered as a GSIP test problem.
Development of a new empirical formula for prediction of triple point path
Authors: Xiao W. , Andrae M. , Gebbeken N.
Published: September 2020

This paper develops a new empirical formula for the prediction of the triple point path in irregular shock reflection cases. Numerical simulations using a two-dimensional axisymmetric multi-material arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian formulation are employed to obtain the data of fluid density. Using the data of fluid density and nodal coordinates, the gradients of fluid density are determined and then used to generate numerical schlieren images. Based on these images, the triple point paths are derived and compared with the models of the Unified Facilities Criteria (UFC) and Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) as well as two models from the open literature. It is found that the numerically derived triple point paths are in good agreement with those predicted by a recently published model in the open literature for the typical ground range of shock wave propagation of up to 6 m. Considering the whole distance range, it is found that the agreement of different models of the triple point path with the numerical ones depends on the considered blast scenario, i.e., the scaled charge height. For small-scaled charge heights, the model of the UFC and the recently published model in the open literature are in better agreement with the numerical results than the other two models, whereas the NRDC model has the best agreement with the numerical results for large-scaled charge heights. Based on the numerical results, a new empirical formula is proposed for the prediction of the triple point path, which is valid for a wide range of the scaled charge heights from 0.5 to 3.5 m/kg1/3 and scaled ground distances up to 15 m/kg1/3.
Entropy Accumulation
Authors: Dupuis Frédéric , Fawzi Omar , Renner Renato
Published: September 2020

We ask the question whether entropy accumulates, in the sense that the operationally relevant total uncertainty about an n-partite system $$A = (A_1, \ldots A_n)$$

A
=
(

A
1

,
…

A
n

)

corresponds to the sum of the entropies of its parts $$A_i$$

A
i

. The Asymptotic Equipartition Property implies that this is indeed the case to first order in n—under the assumption that the parts $$A_i$$

A
i

are identical and independent of each other. Here we show that entropy accumulation occurs more generally, i.e., without an independence assumption, provided one quantifies the uncertainty about the individual systems $$A_i$$

A
i

by the von Neumann entropy of suitably chosen conditional states. The analysis of a large system can hence be reduced to the study of its parts. This is relevant for applications. In device-independent cryptography, for instance, the approach yields essentially optimal security bounds valid for general attacks, as shown by Arnon-Friedman et al. (SIAM J Comput 48(1):181–225, 2019).
Leaching effect of water on photodegraded hardwood species monitored by IR spectroscopy
Authors: Varga Denes , Tolvaj Laszlo , Molnar Zsolt , Pasztory Zoltan
Published: September 2020

Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.), beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), aspen (Populus tremula L.) and sessile oak (Quercus petraea Liebl.) hardwood samples were irradiated by a strong ultraviolet (UV) emitter mercury lamp at 50 °C. Other series of specimens were exposed to a combined treatment of UV irradiation and water leaching. Ratio of UV radiation and water leaching time was 2:1. While the total duration of UV radiation was 20 days for both test series that of water leaching was 10 days. IR measurement was taken after both UV radiation and water leaching to monitor both effects separately. Lignin degradation proved to be more intensive in leached samples than in purely UV-irradiated samples. Guaiacyl and syringyl lignin showed similar degradation properties. Unconjugated carbonyl groups generated by the photodegradation were the most sensitive chemical components to leaching. Photodegradation generated two absorption bands of unconjugated carbonyl groups at around 1710 and 1760 cm−1 wavenumbers. The band at 1760 cm−1 was much more sensitive to water leaching than the band at 1710 cm−1. Three to ten days of water leaching was enough to remove all unconjugated carbonyls generated by the photodegradation, depending on the species. Sessile oak was the most sensitive species to water leaching, whereas black locust proved to be the most stable against both photodegradation and water leaching. Water was able to leach out unconjugated carbonyl groups (absorbing at 1745 cm−1) originally present in all investigated wood species.
Analyzing Promising Researchers Using Network Centralities of Co-authorship Networks from Academic Literature
Authors: Fujita Masanori , Inoue Hiroto , Terano Takao
Published: September 2020

We propose a new way of using the betweenness centrality measure with co-author networks from an academic literature database to evaluate young researchers. It is difficult to discover and evaluate promising young researchers with indexes based on the number of cited papers, such as the h-index to which published papers introduce a lag and whose impact only becomes apparent after they have been cited by other papers. We validated the effectiveness of the measure as an index for evaluating young researchers. Our investigation of 1.92 million publications in the biological sciences shows that Research Fellows with the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) have higher rankings and progress more quickly than other researchers. In addition, differences between JSPS Research Fellows and other researchers were observed at earlier stages using the proposed method than with the h-index and with centralities from literature published in the past 4 years. We expect that the proposed use of the betweenness centrality measure can be applied effectively to extract promising young researchers.
Virtual reality improves the accuracy of simulated preoperative planning in temporal bones: a feasibility and validation study
Authors: Timonen Tomi , Iso-Mustajärvi Matti , Linder Pia , Lehtimäki Antti , Löppönen Heikki , Elomaa Antti-Pekka , Dietz Aarno
Published: September 2020

Purpose

Consumer-grade virtual reality (VR) has recently enabled various medical applications, but more evidence supporting their validity is needed. We investigated the accuracy of simulated surgical planning in a VR environment (VR) with temporal bones and compared it to conventional cross-sectional image viewing in picture archiving and communication system (PACS) interface.

Methods

Five experienced otologic surgeons measured significant anatomic structures and fiducials on five fresh-frozen cadaveric temporal bones in VR and cross-sectional viewing. Primary image data were acquired by computed tomography. In total, 275 anatomical landmark measurements and 250 measurements of the distance between fiducials were obtained with both methods. Distance measurements between the fiducials were confirmed by physical measurement obtained by Vernier caliper. The experts evaluated the subjective validity of both methods on a 5-point Likert scale qualitative survey.

Results

A strong correlation based on intraclass coefficient was found between the methods on both the anatomical (r > 0.900) and fiducial measurements (r > 0.916). Two-tailed paired t-test and Bland–Altman plots demonstrated high equivalences between the VR and cross-sectional viewing with mean differences of 1.9% (p = 0.396) and 0.472 mm (p = 0.065) for anatomical and fiducial measurements, respectively. Gross measurement errors due to the misidentification of fiducials occurred more frequently in the cross-sectional viewing. The mean face and content validity rating for VR were significantly better compared to cross-sectional viewing (total mean score 4.11 vs 3.39, p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Our study supports good accuracy and reliability of VR environment for simulated surgical planning in temporal bones compared to conventional cross-sectional visualization.
Normative tonsillectomy outcome inventory 14 values as a decision-making tool for tonsillectomy
Authors: Plath Michaela , Sand Matthias , Federspil Philippe A. , Plinkert Peter K. , Baumann Ingo , Zaoui Karim
Published: September 2020

Purpose

The study aimed to determine normative values for the Tonsillectomy Outcome Inventory 14 (TOI-14) in a healthy middle-European cohort. We also compared these generated values with TOI-14 scores from a patient population with recurrent tonsillitis (RT) and explored the factorial structure of the TOI-14.

Methods

We systematically studied the responses of healthy individuals (reference cohort) and patients with RT (clinical cohort) to the TOI-14 survey. The reference cohort contained 1000 participants, who were recruited using the Respondi panel for market and social science research. This subsample was quoted to the population distribution of the German Microcensus and selected from a non-probability panel. Tonsillitis patients were assessed before and 6 and 12 months after tonsillectomy.

Data were analysed using principal component and exploratory factor analyses.

Results

The PCA revealed three TOI-14 domains (physiological, psychological and socio-economic), which explained 73% of the total variance. The reference cohort perceived a good quality of life (QOL) with a TOI-14 total score of 11.8 (physiological: 8.0, psychological: 5.8, and socio-economic subscale score: 13.9). TOI-14 scores were higher in the patient cohort, indicating that the TOI-14 discriminates between patients with RT and healthy individuals with no RT. Age and female gender significantly influenced the total TOI-14 score, especially in the psychological (age) and socio-economic (gender) subscales.

Conclusion

We have developed a set of normative values that, together with the TOI-14, can determine the disease burden indicating tonsillectomy.
Neuroanatomical changes associated with age-related hearing loss and listening effort
Authors: Rosemann Stephanie , Thiel Christiane M.
Published: September 2020

Age-related hearing loss is associated with a decrease in hearing abilities for high frequencies and therefore leads to impairments in understanding speech—in particular, under adverse listening conditions. Growing evidence suggests that age-related hearing loss is related to various neural changes, for instance, affecting auditory and frontal brain regions. How the decreased auditory input and the increased listening effort in daily life are associated with structural changes is less clear, since previous evidence is scarce and mostly involved low sample sizes. Hence, the aim of the current study was to investigate the impact of age-related untreated hearing loss and subjectively rated daily life listening effort on grey matter and white matter changes in a large sample of participants (n = 71). For that aim, we conducted anatomical MRI and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in elderly hard-of-hearing and age-matched normal-hearing participants. Our results showed significantly lower grey matter volume in the middle frontal cortex in hard-of-hearing compared to normal-hearing participants. Further, higher listening effort was associated with lower grey matter volume and cortical thickness in the orbitofrontal cortex and lower grey matter volume in the inferior frontal cortex. No significant relations between hearing abilities or listening effort were obtained for white matter integrity in tracts connecting auditory and prefrontal as well as visual areas. These findings provide evidence that hearing impairment as well as daily life listening effort seems to be associated with grey matter loss in prefrontal brain regions. We further conclude that alterations in cortical thickness seem to be linked to the increased listening effort rather than the hearing loss itself.
Endoparasites infecting exotic captive amphibian pet and zoo animals (Anura, Caudata) in Germany
Authors: Hallinger Malek J. , Taubert Anja , Hermosilla Carlos
Published: September 2020

Alongside exotic reptiles, amphibians, such as toads, frogs, salamanders, and newts, are nowadays considered popular pets worldwide. As reported for other exotic pet animals, amphibians are known to harbor numerous gastrointestinal parasites. Nonetheless, very little data are available on captive amphibian parasitic diseases. In this study, we applied direct saline fecal smears (DSFS) to examine in total 161 stool samples from 41 different amphibian species belonging to the orders Anura and Caudata. In addition, carbolfuchsin-smear (CFS) staining (n = 74 samples) was used to detect amphibianCryptosporidiumoocysts. Also, complete dissections of deceased amphibians (n = 107) were performed to specify parasite infections and to address parasite-associated pathogenicity. Overall, examined amphibian fecal samples contained 12 different parasite taxa. The order Rhabditida with the speciesRhabdiasspp. andStrongyloidesspp. were the most prevalent nematode species (19.3%), followed by flagellated protozoans (8.7%),Amphibiocapillariaspp./Neocapillariaspp. (7.5%),Oswaldocruziaspp. (4.3%),Blastocystisspp. (3.1%),Cosmocercaspp. (3.1%), oxyurids (Pharyngonoidae) (3.1%), spirurids (1.2%), un-sporulated coccidian oocysts (0.6%),Tritrichomonasspp. (0.6%),Karotomorphaspp. (0.6%), andCryptosporidiumspp. (0.6%). One CFS-stained fecal sample (1.4%) was positive forCryptosporidiumoocysts. Within dissected amphibians, 31 (48.4%) of the anurans and 11 (26.2%) of the salamanders were infected with gastrointestinal parasites. One cutaneousPseudocapillaroides xenopiinfection was diagnosed in an adult African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis). Etiologically, 17 (15.9%) of them died due to severe parasitic and/or bacterial infections (e.g.,Chryseobacterium indologenes,Citrobacter freudii,Sphingobacterium multivorum,Klebsiella pneumoniae). High prevalence and pathological findings of several clinical amphibian parasitoses call for more detailed investigation on gastrointestinal parasite-derived molecular mechanisms associated with detrimental lesions or even death.
Modeling and design of tuned mass dampers using sliding variable friction pendulum bearings
Authors: Matta Emiliano , Greco Rita
Published: September 2020

An effective vibration control device, the pendulum tuned mass damper (P-TMD), can be easily realized as a mass supported on rolling or sliding pendulum bearings. While the bearings’ concavity provides the desired gravitational restoring force, the necessary dissipative force can be obtained either from additional dampers installed in parallel with the bearings or from the same friction resistance developing within each bearing between the roller/slider and the rolling/sliding surface. The latter solution may prove cheaper and more compact but implies that the P-TMD effectiveness will be amplitude dependent if the friction coefficient is kept uniform along the rolling/sliding surface, as in conventional friction bearings. In this case, the friction P-TMD will be as efficient as a viscous P-TMD only at a given vibration level, with large performance reductions at other levels. To avoid this inconvenience, this paper proposes a new type of sliding variable friction pendulum (VFP) TMD, called the VFP-TMD, in which the sliding surface is divided into two concentric regions: a circular inner region, having the lowest possible friction coefficient and the same dimensions of the slider, and an annular outer region, having a friction coefficient set to an optimal value. A similar arrangement has been recently proposed to realize adaptive seismic isolation devices, but no specific application to TMDs is reported. To assess the VFP-TMD performance, first its analytical model is derived, rigorously accounting for geometric nonlinearities as well as for the variable (in time and space) pressure distribution along the contact area, and then, an optimal design methodology is presented. Finally, numerical simulations show the influence of the main design parameters on the device behavior and demonstrate that the VFP-TMD can achieve nearly the same effectiveness of viscous P-TMDs, while considerably outperforming conventional uniform-friction P-TMDs. The proposed analytical model can be used to enhance or validate existing models of VFP isolators that assume a constant and uniform contact pressure distribution.
The Molten Globule State of Maltose-Binding Protein: Structural and Thermodynamic Characterization by EPR Spectroscopy and Isothermal Titration Calorimetry
Authors: Nickolaus Chen , Vargas Carolyn , Reichenwallner Jörg , Chakour Mohammed , Selmke Benjamin , Chakraborty Rusha , Varadarajan Raghavan , Keller Sandro , Trommer Wolfgang E.
Published: September 2020

Employing site-directed spin labeling (SDSL), the structure of maltose-binding protein (MBP) had previously been studied in the native state by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. Several spin-labeled double cysteine mutants were distributed all over the structure of this cysteine-free protein and revealed distance information between the nitroxide residues from double electron–electron resonance (DEER). The results were in good agreement with the known X-ray structure. We have now extended these studies to the molten globule (MG) state, a folding intermediate, which can be stabilized around pH 3 and that is characterized by secondary but hardly any tertiary structure. Instead of clearly defined distance features as found in the native state, several additional characteristics indicate that the MG structure of MBP contains different polypeptide chain and domain orientations. MBP is also known to bind its substrate maltose even in MG state although with lower affinity. Additionally, we have now created new mutants allowing for spin labeling at or near the active site. Our data confirm an already preformed ligand site structure in the MG explaining its substrate binding capability and thus most probably serving as a nucleation center for the final native structure.
Challenges for the estimation of uncertainty of measurements made in situ
Authors: Ramsey Michael H.
Published: September 2020

In situ measurements are made without the removal of a physical sample and have many advantages over traditional ex situ measurements, made on a removed sample usually in a remote laboratory. The quality of ex situ measurements is usually expressed primarily in terms of their measurement uncertainty, including that arising during the sampling process. However, estimates of uncertainty for in situ measurement values have not usually included this uncertainty from sampling (UfS). It is argued that the making of an in situ measurement inevitably includes the taking of an ‘undisturbed sample’ that generates UfS, which should be included in the estimate of measurement uncertainty. Because undisturbed samples are not prepared or mixed, as is usual for removed samples, the heterogeneity of the analyte concentration in the sampling target is the primary source of UfS. Existing methods for estimating UfS for ex situ measurements can broadly be applied to in situ measurements. However, four extra challenges that limit the design and uptake of uncertainty estimation for in situ methods are identified, and possible solutions and actions required are discussed. Examples of in situ measurements considered include Pb in top soil by hand-held PXRF, 137Cs at a nuclear site by portable gamma-ray spectrometry, and bilirubin in new-born infants by hand-held reflectance photometry.
Long-term outcomes of internet-delivered cognitive behaviour therapy for paediatric anxiety disorders: towards a stepped care model of health care delivery
Authors: Jolstedt Maral , Vigerland Sarah , Mataix-Cols David , Ljótsson Brjánn , Wahlund Tove , Nord Martina , Högström Jens , Öst Lars-Göran , Serlachius Eva
Published: September 2020

Internet-delivered cognitive behaviour therapy (ICBT) is emerging as a powerful tool to fill the gap between demand and availability of evidence-based treatment for paediatric anxiety disorders. However, it is still unclear how to best implement it in routine clinical care. 123 children (8–12 years) with anxiety disorders underwent a 12-week ICBT programme with limited therapist support. Participants were assessed 3- and 12-month post-ICBT (3MFU and 12MFU, respectively). Non-remitters who still fulfilled diagnostic criteria for their principal anxiety disorder at 3MFU were offered additional manualised “face-to-face” (F2F) CBT. The aim of the study was to emulate a stepped-care model of health care delivery, where the long-term treatment gains of ICBT as well as the potential benefit of proving addition treatment to non-remitters of ICBT were evaluated. Remitters of ICBT (n = 73) continued to improve throughout the study period (pre-ICBT to 12MFU; Cohen’s d = 2.42). At 12MFU, 89% (n = 65) were free from their principal anxiety disorder. Of all the participants classed as non-remitters at 3MFU (n = 37), 48.6% (n = 18) accepted the offer to receive additional F2F CBT. These participants also improved with a large effect from pre-ICBT to 12MFU (Cohen’s d = 2.27), with the largest effect occurring during F2F CBT. At 12MFU, 83% (n = 15) were free from their principal anxiety disorders. The majority of non-remitters declining additional F2F CBT (63.2%; n = 12) did so due to already receiving treatment at their local CAMHS, prior to 3MFU. The effects of ICBT for anxiety disorders are durable at least up to 1 year after the end of treatment. Patients who fail to fully benefit from ICBT improved further with additional F2F sessions at our clinic, suggesting that it may be feasible to implement ICBT within a stepped-care model of health care delivery.
No gain in pain: psychological well-being, participation, and wages in the BHPS
Authors: Lagomarsino Elena , Spiganti Alessandro
Published: September 2020

Accounting for endogeneity, unobserved heterogeneity, and sample selection in an unified framework, we investigate the effect of psychological well-being on wages and labour market participation using a panel from the British Household Panel Survey. We find the effect of psychological well-being on labour market outcomes to differ across gender. In particular, psychological distress significantly reduces participation across genders, but, conditional on participation, has a significant negative effect on hourly wages only in the female sample.
Hyperparameter optimization for recommender systems through Bayesian optimization
Authors: Galuzzi B. G. , Giordani I. , Candelieri A. , Perego R. , Archetti F.
Published: September 2020

Recommender systems represent one of the most successful applications of machine learning in B2C online services, to help the users in their choices in many web services. Recommender system aims to predict the user preferences from a huge amount of data, basically the past behaviour of the user, using an efficient prediction algorithm. One of the most used is the matrix-factorization algorithm. Like many machine learning algorithms, its effectiveness goes through the tuning of its hyper-parameters, and the associated optimization problem also called hyper-parameter optimization. This represents a noisy time-consuming black-box optimization problem. The related objective function maps any possible hyper-parameter configuration to a numeric score quantifying the algorithm performance. In this work, we show how Bayesian optimization can help the tuning of three hyper-parameters: the number of latent factors, the regularization parameter, and the learning rate. Numerical results are obtained on a benchmark problem and show that Bayesian optimization obtains a better result than the default setting of the hyper-parameters and the random search.
Local SAR compression with overestimation control to reduce maximum relative SAR overestimation and improve multi-channel RF array performance
Authors: Orzada Stephan , Fiedler Thomas M. , Bitz Andreas K. , Ladd Mark E. , Quick Harald H.
Published: September 2020

Objective

In local SAR compression algorithms, the overestimation is generally not linearly dependent on actual local SAR. This can lead to large relative overestimation at low actual SAR values, unnecessarily constraining transmit array performance.

Method

Two strategies are proposed to reduce maximum relative overestimation for a given number of VOPs. The first strategy uses an overestimation matrix that roughly approximates actual local SAR; the second strategy uses a small set of pre-calculated VOPs as the overestimation term for the compression.

Result

Comparison with a previous method shows that for a given maximum relative overestimation the number of VOPs can be reduced by around 20% at the cost of a higher absolute overestimation at high actual local SAR values.

Conclusion

The proposed strategies outperform a previously published strategy and can improve the SAR compression where maximum relative overestimation constrains the performance of parallel transmission.
Using harvester data from on-board computers: a review of key findings, opportunities and challenges
Authors: Kemmerer Julia , Labelle Eric R.
Published: September 2020

Single-grip harvesters are equipped with an on-board computer that can normally collect standardized data. In times of increased mechanization, digitalization and climate change, use of this extensive data could provide a solution for better managing calamities-outbreaks and gaining competitiveness. Because it remains unclear in which way harvester data can contribute to this and optimization of the forest supply chain, the focus of this review was to provide a synopsis of how harvester data can be used and present the main challenges and opportunities associated with their use. The systematic literature review was performed with Scopus and Web of Science in the period from 1993 to 2019. Harvester data in form of length and diameter measurements, time, position and fuel data were used in the fields of bucking, time study, inventory and forest operation management. Specifically, harvester data can be used for predicting stand, tree and stem parameters or improving and evaluating the bucking. Another field of application is to evaluate their performance and precision in comparison to other time study methods. Harvester data has a broad range of application, which offers great possibilities for research and practice. Despite these advantages, a lack of precision for certain data types (length and diameter), particularly for trees exhibiting complex architecture where the contact of the measuring wheel on the harvesting head to the wooden body cannot be maintained, and position data, due to signal deflection, should be kept in mind.
Employing Evidence-Based Practices for Children with Autism in Elementary Schools
Authors: Sam Ann M. , Odom Samuel L. , Tomaszewski Brianne , Perkins Yolanda , Cox Ann W.
Published: September 2020

The purpose of this study was to test the efficacy of a comprehensive program model originally developed by the National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorder (NPDC). Sixty elementary schools with 486 participants were randomly assigned to an NPDC and services as usual condition (SAU). Significantly greater changes in program quality occurred in the inclusive NPDC programs as compared with the SAU schools. Teachers in NPDC schools reported using more evidence-based practices (EBPs) and implemented EBPs with significantly greater fidelity than teachers in SAU schools. Autistic students in NPDC schools had significantly higher total attainment of educational goals than students in SAU schools, and the two groups made equivalent progress on standardized assessment outcomes across the school year.
Preparation of Titanium Oxide-Based Nanoparticles Modified with D-(+)-Mannose and Investigation of their Properties As A Potential Drug Carrier
Authors: Pulit-Prociak Jolanta , Staroń Anita , Długosz Olga , Kluz Klaudia , Banach Marcin
Published: September 2020

Titanium oxide nanoparticles modified with D-(+)-mannose were obtained. In the process of their formation, they were conjugated with an active substance (tadalafil). The physicochemical properties of the obtained products were assessed, and the size and electrokinetic potential were determined using a dynamic light scattering technique. X-ray diffractometry was applied in order to define the crystalline properties, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy was used to confirm the formation of the desired products. It was possible to obtain TiO2 coated with D-(+)-mannose. The average size of nanoparticles was between 230 and 268 nm. The release of the active substance from the product over a time period of three hours was assessed against the reference material, which was not modified by D-(+)-mannose. The results indicate that covering titanium oxide nanoparticles with the modifying substance favours a slower rate of release for the active substance, which is the desired effect from a pharmacological point of view. The releasing of active substance from modified products was even 68% slower than that from the reference product. These modified titanium oxides are promising materials that may have found an application as drug carriers.

Graphic Abstract
Cooperative multiobjective optimization with bounds on objective functions
Authors: Kaliszewski I. , Miroforidis J.
Published: September 2020

When solving large-scale multiobjective optimization problems, solvers can get stuck because of memory and/or time limitations. In such cases, one is left with no information on the distance to the best feasible solution, found before the optimization process has stopped, to the true Pareto optimal solution. In this work, we show how to provide such information. To this aim we make use of the concept of lower shells and upper shells, developed in our earlier works. No specific assumptions about the problems to be solved are made. We illustrate the proposed approach on biobjective multidimensional knapsack problems derived from single-objective multidimensional knapsack problems in the Beasley OR Library. We address cases when a top-class commercial mixed-integer linear solver fails to provide Pareto optimal solutions attempted to be derived by scalarization.