bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
From the Bottlecap to the Bottleneck: Frequent Esophageal Impaction of Bottlecaps Among Young Males in a Small University Town
Authors: Bertlich Mattis , Ihler Friedrich , Sommerlath Sohns Jan M. , Canis Martin , Weiss Bernhard G.
Published: February 2021

There have been few reports of ingestion of bottlecaps worldwide. However, all of these seemed to be unlikely accidental ingestions with a comic side effect. In contrast to this, the authors of this study found an accumulation of bottlecap ingestions in a small university town. Hence, we conducted a study to investigate the nature of these ingestions. We conducted a retrospective cohort study in a tertiary referral center in a small German university town (Göttingen). All patients that were admitted for esophageal foreign bodies were screened for accidental ingestion of bottlecaps and included in the study at hand. Overall, there were 14 cases of bottlecap ingestion within 12 years. Patients were exclusively male, average age was 23.0 ± 4.2 years, ranging from 18.3 to 35.6 years. In 13 out of 14 cases, association to a fraternity was found. Young men, particularly those belonging to a fraternity, should be beware of bottlecap ingestion when consuming beer in risky rituals in small university towns. Alternatively, competitive beer drinking may generally be avoided.
Composite dynamic movement primitives based on neural networks for human–robot skill transfer
Authors: Si Weiyong , Wang Ning , Yang Chenguang
Published: February 2021

In this paper, composite dynamic movement primitives (DMPs) based on radial basis function neural networks (RBFNNs) are investigated for robots’ skill learning from human demonstrations. The composite DMPs could encode the position and orientation manipulation skills simultaneously for human-to-robot skills transfer. As the robot manipulator is expected to perform tasks in unstructured and uncertain environments, it requires the manipulator to own the adaptive ability to adjust its behaviours to new situations and environments. Since the DMPs can adapt to uncertainties and perturbation, and spatial and temporal scaling, it has been successfully employed for various tasks, such as trajectory planning and obstacle avoidance. However, the existing skill model mainly focuses on position or orientation modelling separately; it is a common constraint in terms of position and orientation simultaneously in practice. Besides, the generalisation of the skill learning model based on DMPs is still hard to deal with dynamic tasks, e.g., reaching a moving target and obstacle avoidance. In this paper, we proposed a composite DMPs-based framework representing position and orientation simultaneously for robot skill acquisition and the neural networks technique is used to train the skill model. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is validated by simulation and experiments.
Pair correlations of Halton and Niederreiter Sequences are not Poissonian
Authors: Hofer Roswitha , Kaltenböck Lisa
Published: February 2021

Niederreiter and Halton sequences are two prominent classes of higher-dimensional sequences which are widely used in practice for numerical integration methods because of their excellent distribution qualities. In this paper we show that these sequences—even though they are uniformly distributed—fail to satisfy the stronger property of Poissonian pair correlations. This extends already established results for one-dimensional sequences and confirms a conjecture of Larcher and Stockinger who hypothesized that the Halton sequences are not Poissonian. The proofs rely on a general tool which identifies a specific regularity of a sequence to be sufficient for not having Poissonian pair correlations.
Low-aspect ratio appendages for wind-assisted ships
Authors: van der Kolk N. J. , Akkerman I. , Keuning J. A. , Huijsmans R. H. M.
Published: February 2021

Wind propulsion for commercial ships has been identified as a key component in the energy transition for the maritime industry. The sailing hybrid ship will operate with leeway (drift) angles to produce a lateral force known as sideforce, for steady operation under sail. In this paper, experimental results for the sailing performance of ships fitted with bilge keel appendages are presented. Systematic variations in appendage height, length, and position were tested, including several special cases (multiple bilge keels). The appendage typology is shown to mitigate the strong ‘destabilizing’ yaw moment that is characteristic of wind-assisted commercial vessels and to promote the non-linear sideforce component. The working principal for bilge keels—promotion of flow separation—can be employed to specify the separation location for components of the vessel vortex wake to improve the sailing performance of the ship.
Self-projection in middle childhood: a study on the relationship between theory of mind and episodic future thinking
Authors: Adornetti Ines , Chiera Alessandra , Altavilla Daniela , Deriu Valentina , Marini Andrea , Valeri Giovanni , Magni Rita , Ferretti Francesco
Published: February 2021

Growing evidence suggests that theory of mind (ToM) and episodic future thinking (EFT) are closely related at both brain and functional level. This study explored the relationship between ToM and EFT in 96 Italian-speaking children with typical development aged between 8 and 10.11 using a behavioral design. ToM was assessed through an emotional facial expression recognition task. EFT was assessed with a task where participants were required to project themselves forward in time by anticipating future states of the self; this resulted in two scores: a nonverbal measure and a verbal explanation measure. Results showed that the participants’ performance on the task assessing ToM correlated with and predicted the nonverbal measure of the EFT task. These findings are discussed in the light of theories suggesting that each of these abilities is governed by a common system devoted to self-projection.
Weak relationships of continuous forest management intensity and remotely sensed stand structural complexity in temperate mountain forests
Authors: Asbeck Thomas , Frey Julian
Published: February 2021

Understanding the relationship of stand structural complexity and forest management is relevant to create desired stand structures by adapting management strategies under changing disturbance scenarios and climatic conditions. To overcome difficulties in differentiating between strict categories of silvicultural practices and to describe the impact of forest management more appropriate, we used a continuous indicator of forest management intensity (ForMI). The ForMI consists of three components including volumes of natural deadwood, non-native tree species and harvested trees. There are a great number of approaches to quantify stand structure; here we used the recently established stand structural complexity index (SSCI) which represents a density-dependent as well as vertical measure of complexity based on the distribution of points in 3D space inventoried by terrestrial laser scanning. The data collection took place in 135 one-hectare plots managed under close-to-nature forest management (CTNFM) located in the Black Forest, Germany. We build generalized additive models to test the relationship of the SSCI with the ForMI. The model results did not prove a significant relationship between the SSCI and the ForMI, but components of the ForMI showed significant relationships to the SSCI. Our results indicate that the relationship between stand structural complexity and forest management intensity is, while plausible, not trivial to demonstrate. We conclude that forest managers have a relatively wide range of choices in CTNFM to adapt forests within a similar range of management intensity as presented here to future challenges, since management intensity does not change the forest structure drastically.
Nitrous oxide emissions with enhanced efficiency and conventional urea fertilizers in winter wheat
Authors: An Haibo , Owens Jen , Beres Brian , Li Yuejin , Hao Xiying
Published: February 2021

Optimizing nitrogen fertilizer management can reduce nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. This study tested if split applying enhanced efficiency fertilizers (EEFs) resulted in lower N2O emissions than applying equivalent rates of urea at planting. In semiarid southern Alberta, field trials were conducted during three years (planting to harvest) in rainfed winter wheat crops. Annual fertilizer rates ranged from 146 to 176 kg N ha−1. Fertilizer types were urea, and three EEFs (polymer-coated urea, urea with urease and nitrification inhibitors, and urea with a nitrification inhibitor). Each fertilizer type was applied three ways: 100% banded at planting, split applied 30% banded at planting and 70% broadcast in late fall, and split applied 30% banded at planting and 70% broadcast at Feekes growth stage 4 (GS4, post-tiller formation, wheat entering the greening up phase in the early spring). Nitrous oxide was measured using static chambers between sub-weekly and monthly from planting to harvest. Over three years, cumulative N2O emissions ranged from 0.16 to 1.32 kg N ha−1. This was equivalent to emissions factors between 0.009 and 0.688%. Cumulative N2O emissions and emissions factors did not differ between fertilizer types, but they were lower when fertilizer was split applied at GS4 compared to in late fall (P ≤ 0.10). Our study suggests that EEFs do not reduce N2O emissions from rainfed winter wheat crops, but a well-timed split application with a majority of fertilizer applied after winter can minimize N2O emissions.
Students’ attitudes toward technology: exploring the relationship among affective, cognitive and behavioral components of the attitude construct
Authors: Svenningsson Johan , Höst Gunnar , Hultén Magnus , Hallström Jonas
Published: February 2021

When studying attitudes toward technology education, the affective attitudinal component has primarily been the focus. This study focuses on how the affective, cognitive and behavioral attitudinal components of technology education can be incorporated using a two-step survey: the traditional PATT-questionnaire (PATT-SQSE) and the recently developed Mitcham Score questionnaire. The aim of this study is to explore the relationship among the cognitive, affective and potential behavioural components of students’ attitudes toward technology in a Swedish context, using the PATT-SQ-SE instrument including the Mitcham score open items. Results of the analyses show that relationships among the attitudinal components are observable. The results also imply that relationships among the attitudinal components are different for girls than boys. A key factor for the participating students’ attitudinal relations was interest (affective component) in technology education. An individual interest in technology education was related to both the cognitive component and behavioral intention. Another key relationship, for girls, was that the cognitive component had a strong relationship with behavioral intention, which was not the case for boys. Based on the observed relations between the cognitive, affective and behavioural components we have identified two key implications for educational practice: Girls should learn a broader conception of technology in technology education, if we want them to pursue technology-related careers to a higher degree; Students’ interest in technology should be stimulated through engaging tasks in technology education.
Dysfunctions in Infants’ Statistical Learning are Related to Parental Autistic Traits
Authors: Roberta Bettoni , Riva Valentina , Cantiani Chiara , Riboldi Elena Maria , Molteni Massimo , Macchi Cassia Viola , Bulf Hermann
Published: February 2021

Statistical learning refers to the ability to extract the statistical relations embedded in a sequence, and it plays a crucial role in the development of communicative and social skills that are impacted in the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Here, we investigated the relationship between infants’ SL ability and autistic traits in their parents. Using a visual habituation task, we tested infant offspring of adults (non-diagnosed) who show high (HAT infants) versus low (LAT infants) autistic traits. Results demonstrated that LAT infants learned the statistical structure embedded in a visual sequence, while HAT infants failed. Moreover, infants’ SL ability was related to autistic traits in their parents, further suggesting that early dysfunctions in SL might contribute to variabilities in ASD symptoms.
An empirical analysis of price differences for male and female artists in the global art market
Authors: Bocart Fabian Y. R. P. , Gertsberg Marina , Pownall Rachel A. J.
Published: February 2021

We study prices paid at auction for artworks created by male and female artists, based on birth-identified sex, and how these prices have evolved over time. Artworks produced by female artists comprise less than 4% of art auction sales; after controlling for artwork characteristics, we find that artworks by female artists are 4.4% more expensive than artworks by male artists. In the top echelon of the art market—for sales above $1 million—artworks by male artists sell for 18.4% more than by female artists. The top 40 artists represent 40% of total market share; no female artist makes the top 40 ranking of artists in terms of total sales value at auction in the period under study, 2000–2017. However, for contemporary artists, our empirical results show that works by male artists sell for 8.3% more than their female counterparts. Overall, this study highlights significant price differences across birth-identified sex in the secondary market for fine art.
Leptin activates Akt in oesophageal cancer cells via multiple atorvastatin-sensitive small GTPases
Authors: Beales Ian L. P. , Ogunwobi Olorunseun O.
Published: February 2021

Obesity is a risk factor for Barrett’s oesophagus and oesophageal adenocarcinoma. Adipose tissue secretes the hormone leptin. Leptin is a growth factor for several cell types, including Barrett’s cells and oesophageal adenocarcinoma cells. Statins are associated with reduced rates of Barrett’s oesophagus and oesophageal cancer and exhibit anti-cancer effects in vitro. The mechanisms of these effects are not fully established. We have examined the effects of leptin and the lipid-soluble statin, atorvastatin, on signalling via monomeric GTP-binding proteins and Akt. Proliferation and apoptosis were assessed in OE33 cells. Akt activity was quantified by cell-based ELISA and in vitro kinase assay. Specific small-molecule inhibitors and a dominant-negative construct were used to reduce Akt activity. Small GTPases were inhibited using transfection of dominant-negative plasmids, prenylation inhibitors and pretreatment with atorvastatin. Leptin stimulated Akt activity and cell proliferation and inhibited camptothecin-induced apoptosis in an Akt-sensitive manner. Leptin induced phosphorylation of Bad and FOXO1 in an Akt-sensitive manner. Leptin activated Ras, Rac, RhoA and cdc42. Transfection of dominant-negative plasmids confirmed that leptin-induced Akt activation required Ras, RhoA cdc42 but not Rac. Atorvastatin inhibited leptin-induced activation of Ras, RhoA, cdc42 and Akt. Co-treatment with mevalonate prevented these effects of atorvastatin. The protein kinase Akt is essential to the growth-promoting and anti-apoptotic effects of leptin in oesophageal adenocarcinoma cells. Akt is activated via Ras-, Rho- and cdc42-dependant pathways. Atorvastatin reduces leptin-induced Akt activation by inhibiting prenylation of small GTPases. This may explain the reduced incidence of oesophageal adenocarcinoma in statin-users.
Environmental forcings and micro-seismic monitoring in a rock wall prone to fall during the 2018 Buran winter storm
Authors: D’Angiò D. , Fantini A. , Fiorucci M. , Iannucci R. , Lenti L. , Marmoni G. M. , Martino S.
Published: February 2021

This study reports a comparative analysis of the environmental conditions and micro-seismicity recorded on a rock wall resulting from an intense meteorological event. The findings are focused on a quarry wall located in the Acuto Field Laboratory (Central Italy), where multi-parametric environmental monitoring is operating and an Artificial intelligence Camera Prototype has been placed to detect rock falls reaching a railway target. Six accelerometers were installed to detect micro-seismic events caused by the expected strong thermal transient caused by the Buran storm on February 2018. Within a few hours, a steep decrease in the average air and rock mass temperature down to 8 °C was recorded, and −4 °C and −8 °C were reached for the rock and air temperatures, respectively. A total of 103 micro-seismic events were analysed with respect to both rainfall and thermal forcing: while no correlation with rainfall was reported, the steep thermal transient was responsible for the strain effect that occurred during the heating phase of the rock mass following the Buran storm. An elastic deformation event with a maximum daily amplitude of 165 μ strain was recorded by the strain gages installed on the mm-joints due to the rock heating and cooling caused by the variation in temperature. The collected evidences show the relevance of short thermal transients in modifying stress conditions within rock masses and their relationship to a peculiar micro-seismic response. The main outcomes established the key role played by integrated monitoring systems to better understand the relationship between vibrational behaviour and environmental forcings in terms of understanding the precursors to rock failure.
Reducing corticosteroid phobia in pharmacy staff and parents of children with atopic dermatitis
Authors: Koster Ellen S. , Philbert Daphne , Zheng Xiang , Moradi Nila , de Vries Tjalling W. , Bouvy Marcel L.
Published: February 2021

BackgroundBesides physicians, pharmacy staff has an important role to inform patients on appropriate medication use. However, they might also experience corticophobia themselves, affecting patient counseling and subsequently patient’s disease management.ObjectiveImplementation of an intervention for pharmacy staff to improve knowledge and stimulate positive perceptions towards TCS use, in order to reduce corticophobia in pharmacy staff and parents of young AD patients.SettingNine community pharmacies in the Netherlands.MethodWe developed an intervention consisting of education of pharmacy staff followed by counseling of parents. The intervention was implemented in pharmacies and intervention effectiveness was studied using a pre-post design with an intervention period of 3 months. At baseline and follow-up (3 months), pharmacy staff and parents completed a questionnaire.Main outcome measureCorticophobia, both beliefs and worries, measured with the TOPICOP questionnaire. Higher scores indicate a more negative attitude.ResultBaseline and follow-up data were available for 19 pharmacy staff members and 48 parents who attended a counseling session in the pharmacy. In both groups there was as decrease in negative beliefs and worries towards TCS (p < 0.05). Mean total TOPICOP scores decreased from 42 to 35% and from 33 to 25% for parents and pharmacy staff respectively.ConclusionOur results show the prevalence of corticophobia among parents. Education of pharmacy staff and targeted patient counseling seems to be effective in reducing corticophobia.
The longitudinal validity of proxy-reported CHU9D
Authors: Wolf Rasmus Trap , Ratcliffe Julie , Chen Gang , Jeppesen Pia
Published: February 2021

Objectives

The Child Health Utility 9D (CHU9D) currently represents the only preference-based health-related quality-of-life instrument designed exclusively from its inception for application with children. The objective of this study was to examine the construct validity and responsiveness of the proxy-reported (parent) CHU9D in a mental health setting using utility weights derived from an adult and adolescent population, respectively.

Methods

The discriminant validity and convergent validity were examined using the mental health-specific ‘The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire’ (SDQ) and the generic KIDSCREEN-27. Responsiveness was assessed by examining the floor-ceiling effects, the magnitude of change over time, and the ability to differentiate between improvement and no improvement.

Results

The study included 396 children with mental health problems. CHU9D showed good construct validity, with correlation coefficients ranging between 0.329 and 0.571 for SDQ Impact score and KIDSCREEN-27 Psychological Well-being. CHU9D was able to distinguish between groups of children with different levels of mental health problems (p < 0.001). The absolute magnitudes of the group mean differences were larger using adolescent weights. No evidence of a floor/ceiling effect was found at the baseline. A standardized response mean of 0.634–0.654 was found for the children who experienced clinically significant improvements. CHU9D was able to discriminate between children who experienced positive and no health improvements (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

This study provides the first evidence on responsiveness for CHU9D in a mental health context. The findings demonstrate that CHU9D is an appropriate HRQOL measure for use in mental health trials. Furthermore, the results show that the preference weights generated from an adolescent population resulted in the larger mean differences between groups.
Reading comprehension on word- and sentence-level can be predicted by orthographic knowledge for German children with poor reading proficiency
Authors: Zarić Jelena , Nagler Telse
Published: February 2021

Previous studies mostly examined the role of orthographic knowledge in basic reading processing (i.e., word-reading), however, regarding higher reading processing (i.e., sentence- and text-comprehension), mixed results were reported. In addition, previous research in transparent languages, such as German, focused mostly on typically skilled readers. The aim of this study was to examine the role of orthographic knowledge in basic reading processing (word-reading) as well as in higher reading processing (sentence- and text-comprehension), in addition to phonological awareness and naming speed in a sample of German elementary school poor readers. For this purpose, data from 103 German third-graders with poor reading proficiency were analyzed via multiple linear regression analysis. Analyses revealed that orthographic knowledge contributes to reading at word- and sentence-level, but not at text-level in German third-graders with poor reading proficiency, over and above phonological awareness and naming speed. These findings support that orthographic knowledge should be considered as a relevant reading related predictor. Therefore, it would be reasonable to include the assessment of orthographic knowledge skills in diagnostic procedures to identify children at risk to develop reading difficulties, besides phonological awareness and naming speed.
Of pride and prejudice: agent learning under sticky and persistent stereotype
Authors: Blind Georg D. , Lottanti von Mandach Stefania
Published: February 2021

Stereotypes matter for economic interaction if counterparty utility is informed by factors other than price. Stereotyped agents may engage in efforts to counter stereotype by adapting to in-group standards. We present a model informing the optimal extent of these efforts depending on an agent’s (a) share of total transactions between out- and in-group agents; and (b) share of repeated transaction pairings with in-group counterparties. Low values of (a) suppress the effect of adaptation efforts on the stereotype itself (persistence). In turn, low values of (b) mean that out-group agents cannot dissociate from stereotype (stickiness). Significantly, the model implies that the optimum level of effort may require adaptationbeyondin-group standards, and that such over-adaptation attains maximum likelihood in cases where stereotype is sticky and persistent at the same time. We test our model with data on private equity buyout investments conducted in Japan between 1998 and 2015 by domestic Japanese and Anglo-Saxon funds. We document that the latter not only adapt, but eventually over-adapt. In addition, we show that their efforts are effective in reducing a premium initially asked by domestic counterparties.
Exosomes Derived from Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells Enhance Insulin Sensitivity in Insulin Resistant Human Adipocytes
Authors: Chen Mei-ting , Zhao Yi-ting , Zhou Li-yuan , Li Ming , Zhang Qian , Han Qin , Xiao Xin-hua
Published: February 2021

Insulin resistance is an essential characteristic of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), which can be induced by glucotoxicity and adipose chronic inflammation. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and their exosomes were reported to ameliorate T2DM and its complications by their immunoregulatory and healing abilities. Exosomes derived from MSCs contain abundant molecules to mediate crosstalk between cells and mimic biological function of MSCs. But the role of exosomes derived from human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) in insulin resistance of human adipocytes is unclear. In this study, exosomes were harvested from the conditioned medium of hUC-MSCs and added to insulin-resistant adipocytes. Insulin-stimulated glucose uptake was measured by glucose oxidase/peroxidase assay. The signal pathway involved in exosome-treated adipocytes was detected by RT-PCR and Western blotting. The biological characteristics and function were compared between hUC-MSCs and human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hAMSCs). The results showed that hAMSCs had better adipogenic ability than hUC-MSCs. After induction of mature adipocytes by adipogenesis of hAMSC, the model of insulin-resistant adipocytes was successfully established by TNF-α and high glucose intervention. After exosome treatment, the insulin-stimulated glucose uptake was significantly increased. In addition, the effect of exosomes could be stabilized for at least 48 h. Furthermore, the level of leptin was significantly decreased, and the mRNA expression of sirtuin-1 and insulin receptor substrate-1 was significantly upregulated after exosome treatment. In conclusion, exosomes significantly improve insulin sensitivity in insulin-resistant human adipocytes, and the mechanism involves the regulation of adipokines.
Knockdown of Microtubule Associated Serine/threonine Kinase Like Expression Inhibits Gastric Cancer Cell Growth and Induces Apoptosis by Activation of ERK1/2 and Inactivation of NF-κB Signaling
Authors: An Cai-xia , Xie Shou-pin , Li Hai-long , Hu Yong-hua , Niu Rong , Zhang Lin-jie , Jiang Yan , Li Qiang , Zhou Yong-ning
Published: February 2021

Microtubule-associated serine/threonine kinase (MASTL) functions to regulate chromosome condensation and mitotic progression. Therefore, aberrant MASTL expression is commonly implicated in various human cancers. This study analyzed MASTL expression in gastric cancervs.adjacent normal tissue for elucidating the association with clinicopathological data from patients. This work was then extended to investigate the effects of MASTL knockdown on tumor cellsin vitro.The level of MASTL expression in gastric cancer tissue was assessed from the UALCAN, GEPIA, and Oncomine online databases. Lentivirus carrying MASTL or negative control shRNA was infected into gastric cancer cells. RT-qPCR, Western blotting, cell viability, cell counting, flow cytometric apoptosis and cell cycle, and colony formation assays were performed. MASTL was upregulated in gastric cancer tissue compared to the adjacent normal tissue, and the MASTL expression was associated with advanced tumor stage,Helicobacter pyloriinfection and histological subtypes. On the other hand, knockdown of MASTL expression significantly reduced tumor cell viability and proliferation, and arrested cell cycle at G2/M stage but promoted tumor cells to undergo apoptosis. At protein level, knockdown of MASTL expression enhanced levels of cleaved PARP1, cleaved caspase-3, Bax and p-ERK1/2 expression, but downregulated expression levels of BCL-2 and p-NF-κB-p65 protein in AGS and MGC-803 cells. MASTL overexpression in gastric cancer tissue may be associated with gastric cancer development and progression, whereas knockdown of MASTL expression reduces tumor cell proliferation and induces apoptosis. Further study will evaluate MASTL as a potential target of gastric cancer therapeutic strategy.
Intrinsically conducting polymers and their combinations with redox-active molecules for rechargeable battery electrodes: an update
Authors: Kondratiev Veniamin V. , Holze Rudolf
Published: February 2021

Intrinsically conducting polymers and their copolymers and composites with redox-active organic molecules prepared by chemical as well as electrochemical polymerization may yield active masses without additional binder and conducting agents for secondary battery electrodes possibly utilizing the advantageous properties of both constituents are discussed. Beyond these possibilities these polymers have found many applications and functions for various further purposes in secondary batteries, as binders, as protective coatings limiting active material corrosion, unwanted dissolution of active mass ingredients or migration of electrode reaction participants. Selected highlights from this rapidly developing and very diverse field are presented. Possible developments and future directions are outlined.
Mechanics of side-slipping in alpine skiing: theory of machining snow and ice
Authors: Komissarov Serguei S.
Published: February 2021

Side-slipping (or skidding) is a feature of several manoeuvres in alpine skiing, including a few types of skiing turns. On hard snow, side-slipping involves removal of a thin top layer of snow, that makes it similar to machining of materials in manufacturing. In this paper, we briefly review the theory of machining and then propose an approximate model that can be used to describe side-slipping in skiing. We test this model against published results of laboratory experiments in machining of ice and snow and find agreement.
Tactile Interaction with a Humanoid Robot: Effects on Physiology and Subjective Impressions
Authors: Zhou Yuefang , Kornher Tristan , Mohnke Janett , Fischer Martin H.
Published: February 2021

This study investigated how touching and being touched by a humanoid robot affects human physiology, impressions of the interaction, and attitudes towards humanoid robots. 21 healthy adult participants completed a 3 (touch style: touching, being touched, pointing) × 2 (body part: hand vs buttock) within-subject design using a Pepper robot. Skin conductance response (SCR) was measured during each interaction. Perceived impressions of the interaction (i.e., friendliness, comfort, arousal) were measured per questionnaire after each interaction. Participants’ demographics and their attitude towards robots were also considered. We found shorter SCR rise times in the being touched compared to the touching condition, possibly reflecting psychological alertness to the unpredictability of robot-initiated contacts. The hand condition had shorter rise times than the buttock condition. Most participants evaluated the hand condition as most friendly and comfortable and the robot-initiated interactions as most arousing. Interacting with Pepper improved attitudes towards robots. Our findings require future studies with larger samples and improved procedures. They have implications for robot design in all domains involving tactile interactions, such as caring and intimacy.
Dental trauma characteristics in the primary dentition in Greifswald, Germany: a comparison before and after German unification
Authors: Eissa M. A. , Mustafa Ali M. , Splieth C. H.
Published: February 2021

Background

The data on the distribution and pattern of dental trauma in the primary dentition are very rare.

Aim

To investigate primary dental trauma patterns in relation to gender, age, time and cause for a recent paediatric cohort and to compare this with a historic one before German unification.

Methods

This retrospective study compared the patterns of dental trauma injuries at the trauma centre at Greifswald University/Germany for a recent paediatric cohort (2014–16, 103 children) with a historic one (1974–1989,n = 120). The data contained details on etiology, injury types and treatment delivered for 450 injured teeth (247 historic, 203 recent).

Results

In both cohorts, the occurrence was more common in males than females (63%/55%, resp.) with an age peak from 2 to 6 years. Maxillary incisors were most affected (89.6%/88.6%, resp.) and periodontal ligament injuries dominated (77.8%/90.3%, resp.).

Almost half of the injuries occurred at home (46.6%), mostly due to falling (48.5%) or during playing (37.8%) in the recent paediatric cohort which provided better forensic data due to insurance issues and potential concern about child abuse. Advice and follow up was the most common approach in the recent paediatric cohort (76%).

Conclusion

Even after 30 years and a change in the health care system due to German unification, the patterns of dental traumatic injuries in the primary dentition were similar.
Relationship between betacoronaviruses and the endocrine system: a new key to understand the COVID-19 pandemic—A comprehensive review
Authors: Piticchio T. , Le Moli R. , Tumino D. , Frasca F.
Published: February 2021

Background

A new harmful respiratory disease, called COVID-19 emerged in China in December 2019 due to the infection of a novel coronavirus, called SARS-Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which belongs to the betacoronavirus genus, including SARS-CoV-1 and MERS-CoV. SARS-CoV-2 shares almost 80% of the genome with SARS-CoV-1 and 50% with MERS-CoV. Moreover, SARS-CoV-2 proteins share a high degree of homology (approximately 95%) with SARS-CoV-1 proteins. Hence, the mechanisms of SARS-Cov-1 and SARS-Cov-2 infection are similar and occur via binding to ACE2 protein, which is widely distributed in the human body, with a predominant expression in endocrine tissues including testis, thyroid, adrenal and pituitary.

Purpose

On the basis of expression pattern of the ACE2 protein among different tissues, similarity between SARS-Cov-1 and SARS-Cov-2 and the pathophysiology of COVID-19 disease, we aimed at discussing, after almost one-year pandemic, about the relationships between COVID-19 infection and the endocrine system. First, we discussed the potential effect of hormones on the susceptibility to COVID-19 infection; second, we examined the evidences regarding the effect of COVID-19 on the endocrine system. When data were available, a comparative discussion between SARS and COVID-19 effects was also performed.

Methods

A comprehensive literature search within Pubmed was performed. This review has been conducted according to the PRISMA statements.

Results

Among 450, 100 articles were selected. Tissue and vascular damages have been shown on thyroid, adrenal, testis and pituitary glands, with multiple alterations of endocrine function.

Conclusion

Hormones may affect patient susceptibility to COVID-19 infection but evidences regarding therapeutic implication of these findings are still missing. SARS and COVID-19 may affect endocrine glands and their dense vascularization, impairing endocrine system function. A possible damage of endocrine system in COVID-19 patients should be investigated in both COVID-19 acute phase and recovery to identify both early and late endocrine complications that may be important for patient’s prognosis and well-being after COVID-19 infection.
Correction to: Analyzing ipsative data in psychological research
Authors: Chan Wai
Published: February 2021

The article Some Mathematical Concepts of the Analytic Hierarchy Process, written by Thomas L. Saaty, was originally published Online First without Open Access.
Impact of Cybersex and Intensive Internet Use on the Well-Being of Generation Z: An Analysis Based on the EPOCH Model
Authors: Ranieri Jessica , Guerra Federica , Martelli Alessandra , Fanelli Valerio , Di Giacomo Dina
Published: February 2021

This study aimed to assess the impact of Internet use on the well-being and health behaviours of Generation Z members by evaluating the associations between the Internet habits (i.e. intensive Internet use and cybersex use), aspects of psychological well-being, and negative emotions of Italian Generation Z members. Study participants comprised 113 Italian youth who were divided into two groups: a cybersex user group (n = 48) and an intensive Internet user group (n = 65). The psychological battery applied was composed of the EPOCH Measure of Adolescent Well-Being and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale test. This initial investigation suggests that there are no significant differences in positive psychological patterns between intensive Internet users and cybersex users. However, this study demonstrated gender differences in their levels of engagement. Overall, women appeared to be more focused on life activities, and men were more active and performance oriented. Despite this, intensive Internet use and cybersex use were not found to be related to emotional fragility. Our findings suggest that cybersex use and intensive Internet use may not necessarily be related to mental health risks; on the contrary, these might even be related to positive psychological patterns.
The sarcopenia and physical frailty in older people: multi-component treatment strategies (SPRINTT) project: description and feasibility of a nutrition intervention in community-dwelling older Europeans
Authors:   SPRINTT consortium, Jyväkorpi S. K. , Ramel A. , Strandberg T. E. , Piotrowicz K. , Błaszczyk-Bębenek E. , Urtamo A. , Rempe H. M. , Geirsdóttir Ó. , Vágnerová T. , Billot M. , Larreur A. , Savera G. , Soriano G. , Picauron C. , Tagliaferri S. , Sanchez-Puelles C. , Cadenas V. Sánchez , Perl A. , Tirrel L. , Öhman H. , Weling-Scheepers C. , Ambrosi S. , Costantini A. , Pavelková K. , Klimkova M. , Freiberger E. , Jonsson P. V. , Marzetti E. , Pitkälä K. H. , Landi F. , Calvani R.
Published: February 2021

Background

The “Sarcopenia and Physical Frailty in Older People: Multicomponent Treatment Strategies” (SPRINTT) project sponsored a multi-center randomized controlled trial (RCT) with the objective to determine the effect of physical activity and nutrition intervention for prevention of mobility disability in community-dwelling frail older Europeans. We describe here the design and feasibility of the SPRINTT nutrition intervention, including techniques used by nutrition interventionists to identify those at risk of malnutrition and to carry out the nutrition intervention.

Methods

SPRINTT RCT recruited older adults (≥ 70 years) from 11 European countries. Eligible participants (n = 1517) had functional limitations measured with Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB score 3–9) and low muscle mass as determined by DXA scans, but were able to walk 400 m without assistance within 15 min. Participants were followed up for up to 3 years. The nutrition intervention was carried out mainly by individual nutrition counseling. Nutrition goals included achieving a daily protein intake of 1.0–1.2 g/kg body weight, energy intake of 25–30 kcal/kg of body weight/day, and serum vitamin D concentration ≥ 75 mmol/L. Survey on the method strategies and feasibility of the nutrition intervention was sent to all nutrition interventionists of the 16 SPRINTT study sites.

Results

Nutrition interventionists from all study sites responded to the survey. All responders found that the SPRINTT nutrition intervention was feasible for the target population, and it was well received by the majority. The identification of participants at nutritional risk was accomplished by combining information from interviews, questionnaires, clinical and laboratory data. Although the nutrition intervention was mainly carried out using individual nutritional counselling, other assisting methods were used as appropriate.

Conclusion

The SPRINTT nutrition intervention was feasible and able to adapt flexibly to varying needs of this heterogeneous population. The procedures adopted to identify older adults at risk of malnutrition and to design the appropriate intervention may serve as a model to deliver nutrition intervention for community-dwelling older people with mobility limitations.
Nanomedicine for COVID-19: the role of nanotechnology in the treatment and diagnosis of COVID-19
Authors: Vahedifard Farzan , Chakravarthy Krishnan
Published: February 2021

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused the recent outbreak of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19). Although nearly two decades have passed since the emergence of pandemics such as SARS-CoV and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), no effective drug against the CoV family has yet been approved, so there is a need to find newer therapeutic targets. Currently, simultaneous research across the globe is being performed to discover efficient vaccines or drugs, including both conventional therapies used to treat previous similar diseases and emerging therapies like nanomedicine. Nanomedicine has already proven its value through its application drug delivery and nanosensors in other diseases. Nanomedicine and its components can play an important role in various stages of prevention, diagnosis, treatment, vaccination, and research related to COVID-19. Nano-based antimicrobial technology can be integrated into personal equipment for the greater safety of healthcare workers and people. Various nanomaterials such as quantum dots can be used as biosensors to diagnose COVID-19. Nanotechnology offers benefits from the use of nanosystems, such as liposomes, polymeric and lipid nanoparticles, metallic nanoparticles, and micelles, for drug encapsulation, and facilitates the improvement of pharmacological drug properties. Antiviral functions for nanoparticles can target the binding, entry, replication, and budding of COVID-19. The toxicity-related inorganic nanoparticles are one of the limiting factors of its use that should be further investigated and modified. In this review, we are going to discuss nanomedicine options for COVID-19 management, similar applications for related viral diseases, and their gap of knowledge.
Efficient Encoding of the Weighted MAX $$k$$-CUT on a Quantum Computer Using QAOA
Authors: Fuchs Franz G. , Kolden Herman Øie , Aase Niels Henrik , Sartor Giorgio
Published: February 2021

The weighted MAX$$k$$k-CUT problem consists of finding ak-partition of a given weighted undirected graphG(V, E), such that the sum of the weights of the crossing edges is maximized. The problem is of particular interest as it has a multitude of practical applications. We present a formulation of the weighted MAX$$k$$k-CUT suitable for running the quantum approximate optimization algorithm (QAOA) on noisy intermediate scale quantum (NISQ) devices to get approximate solutions. The new formulation uses a binary encoding that requires only$$|V|\log _2k$$|V|log2kqubits. The contributions of this paper are as follows: (i) a novel decomposition of the phase-separation operator based on the binary encoding into basis gates is provided for the MAX$$k$$k-CUT problem for$$k>2$$k>2. (ii) Numerical simulations on a suite of test cases comparing different encodings are performed. (iii) An analysis of the resources (number of qubits, CX gates) of the different encodings is presented. (iv) Formulations and simulations are extended to the case of weighted graphs. For smallkand with further improvements whenkis not a power of two, our algorithm is a possible candidate to show quantum advantage on NISQ devices.
Challenges of Hate Speech Detection in Social Media
Authors: Kovács György , Alonso Pedro , Saini Rajkumar
Published: February 2021

The detection of hate speech in social media is a crucial task. The uncontrolled spread of hate has the potential to gravely damage our society, and severely harm marginalized people or groups. A major arena for spreading hate speech online is social media. This significantly contributes to the difficulty of automatic detection, as social media posts include paralinguistic signals (e.g. emoticons, and hashtags), and their linguistic content contains plenty of poorly written text. Another difficulty is presented by the context-dependent nature of the task, and the lack of consensus on what constitutes as hate speech, which makes the task difficult even for humans. This makes the task of creating large labeled corpora difficult, and resource consuming. The problem posed by ungrammatical text has been largely mitigated by the recent emergence of deep neural network (DNN) architectures that have the capacity to efficiently learn various features. For this reason, we proposed a deep natural language processing (NLP) model—combining convolutional and recurrent layers—for the automatic detection of hate speech in social media data. We have applied our model on the HASOC2019 corpus, and attained a macro F1 score of 0.63 in hate speech detection on the test set of HASOC. The capacity of DNNs for efficient learning, however, also means an increased risk of overfitting. Particularly, with limited training data available (as was the case for HASOC). For this reason, we investigated different methods for expanding resources used. We have explored various opportunities, such as leveraging unlabeled data, similarly labeled corpora, as well as the use of novel models. Our results showed that by doing so, it was possible to significantly increase the classification score attained.
State anxiety influences P300 and P600 event-related potentials over parietal regions in the hollow-mask illusion experiment
Authors: Ioakeimidis Vasileios , Khachatoorian Nareg , Haenschel Corinna , Papathomas Thomas A. , Farkas Attila , Kyriakopoulos Marinos , Dima Danai
Published: February 2021

The hollow-mask illusion is an optical illusion where a concave face is perceived as convex. It has been demonstrated that individuals with schizophrenia and anxiety are less susceptible to the illusion than controls. Previous research has shown that the P300 and P600 event-related potentials (ERPs) are affected in individuals with schizophrenia. Here, we examined whether individual differences in neuroticism and anxiety scores, traits that have been suggested to be risk factors for schizophrenia and anxiety disorders, affect ERPs of healthy participants while they view concave faces. Our results confirm that the participants were susceptible to the illusion, misperceiving concave faces as convex. We additionally demonstrate significant interactions of the concave condition with state anxiety in central and parietal electrodes for P300 and parietal areas for P600, but not with neuroticism and trait anxiety. The state anxiety interactions were driven by low-state anxiety participants showing lower amplitudes for concave faces compared to convex. The P300 and P600 amplitudes were smaller when a concave face activated a convex face memory representation, since the stimulus did not match the active representation. The opposite pattern was evident in high-state anxiety participants in regard to state anxiety interaction and the hollow-mask illusion, demonstrating larger P300 and P600 amplitudes to concave faces suggesting impaired late information processing in this group. This could be explained by impaired allocation of attentional resources in high-state anxiety leading to hyperarousal to concave faces that are unexpected mismatches to standard memory representations, as opposed to expected convex faces.