bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Predicting the upper stem diameters and volume of a tropical dominant tree species
Authors: Ulak Sunita , Ghimire Keshav , Gautam Rabindra , Bhandari Shes Kanta , Poudel Krishna Prasad , Timilsina Yajna Prasad , Pradhan Dhirendra , Subedi Thakur
Published: February 2022

Predicting upper stem diameters and individual tree volumes is important for product quantification and can provide important information for the sustainable management of forests of important commercial tree species (Shorea robusta) in Nepal. The aim of this study was to develop a taper equation for S. robusta. Fifty-four trees were selected and felled in the southern low land of Nepal. A mixed effect modelling approach was used to evaluate 17 different taper functions. ‘Leave-one-out cross-validation’ was used to validate the fitted taper functions. The variable exponent taper function best fitted our data and described more than 99% of the variation in upper stem diameters. Results also showed significant effects of stand density on tree taper. Individual tree volume prediction using the local volume model developed in this study was more accurate compared to the volume predicted through the taper function and existing volume model. The taper function developed in this study provides the benefit of predicting upper stem diameter and can be used for predicting volume to any merchantable height of individual trees. It will have implications in estimates of volume, biomass, and carbon and thus may be a potential supporting tool in carbon trade and revenue generation.
A review on predictive tortuosity models for composite films in gas barrier applications
Authors: Idris Alamin , Muntean Adrian , Mesic Beko
Published: February 2022

Different types of impermeable fillers are usually incorporated into polymeric coating film to enhance the gas barrier properties. For instance, impermeable fillers are commonly used in barrier coating due to their larger surface, which in turn serve as barrier inclusions restricting the penetrant gas to diffuse through a longer tortuous pathway. Modeling gas transport in barrier coating can help determine the shelf-life of packaged food and reduce product development resources and time. In this paper, related tortuosity-based models corresponding to different filler geometries are outlined. This review emphasizes the emerging trends in modeling the tortuous pathway and the respective relative permeability model to predict the gas barrier performance in composite films used for barrier coating applications. We review models incorporating a range of factors, including different shapes, geometries, angular orientations, alignments, randomness in distribution, stacking, interspacing, and the polydispersity of fillers. The approaches employed to develop the tortuosity-based phenomenological models starting with simplified filler geometry and orientations to more complex morphological features of the composite films are elaborated.
Modification of oncoplastic breast surgery with immediate volume replacement using a thoracodorsal adipofascial flap
Authors: Hirata Munetsugu , Toda Hiroko , Higo Naotomo , Shinden Yoshiaki , Ohtsuka Takao , Kijima Yuko
Published: February 2022

Background

The treatment of early breast cancer using breast conservation therapy (BCT) commonly ensures local control and acceptable cosmetic results. We report a useful technique including the use of a thoracodorsal adipofascial cutaneous flap for reconstructing defects in the outer quadrant area after partial mastectomy, which achieved excellent results.

Methods

During the past 15 years, some modifications have been added to the original method at a rate of one modification every 2–5 years. We classified these modifications into the original method and four modified methods. Modification I: addition of a crescent-shaped dermis on the distant edge of the thoracodorsal adipofascial flap (TDAFF), Modification II: addition of a crescent-shaped dermis on the proximal edge of the TDAFF, Modification III: addition of inframammary formation plus Modification II, and Modification IV: change of a crescent-shaped dermis to a Benz-shaped (shaped like the Mercedes Benz logo) one plus Modification III. We compared the plastic period, postoperative complications, oncological results, and cosmetic results among the original and four modified groups.

Results

The patient number was 26, 9, 15, 23, and 10 in the original and Modification I, II, III, and IV groups, respectively. The median observation period was 115, 92, 67, 51, and 32 months, respectively. Postoperative complications were seen in 5 (19%), 0, 2 (13%), 1 (5%), and 0 patients, respectively. Local recurrence was seen in 3 (12%), 0, 0, 0, and 0 patients, respectively. Distant recurrence was seen in 1 (4%), 1 (11%), 3 (20%), 0, and 0 patients, respectively. Cosmetic results evaluated as good–excellent were seen in 19 (73%), 5 (56%), 11 (73%), 19 (83%), and 10 (100%) patients, respectively.

Conclusions

Oncoplastic surgery using an immediate volume replacement technique with a thoracodorsal adipofascial flap was improved by adding some modifications.
History and Identity
Authors: Berger Stefan
Published: February 2022

This introduction to contemporary historical theory and practice shows how issues of identity have shaped how we write history. Stefan Berger charts how a new self-reflexivity about what is involved in the process of writing history entered the historical profession and the part that historians have played in debates about the past and its meaningfulness for the present. He introduces key trends in the theory of history such as postmodernism, poststructuralism, constructivism, narrativism and the linguistic turn and reveals, in turn, the ways in which they have transformed how historians have written history over the last four decades. The book ranges widely from more traditional forms of history writing, such as political, social, economic, labour and cultural history, to the emergence of more recent fields, including gender history, historical anthropology, the history of memory, visual history, the history of material culture, and comparative, transnational and global history.
Defoe's Tour and Early Modern Britain
Authors: Rogers Pat
Published: February 2022

Authoritative yet accessible, this is the first-ever comprehensive account of a true landmark in eighteenth-century travel writing. Daniel Defoe's Tour thro' the Whole Island of Great Britain is constantly cited even now by students in practically every branch of history, and there are few topics essential to our understanding of the nation in the early modern period that do not show up in its pages. Historians since the late nineteenth century have looked to the Tour as one of the richest and most insightful works describing Britain in the lead-up to the Industrial Revolution, and critics and biographers of Defoe have regularly named it as among his most characteristic and central works. Indispensable for virtually any interdisciplinary approach to the nation in this period, this new study provides wide-reaching, up-to-date analysis of the content of the Tour, and of its methods, sources, form, and vast historical significance.
Performance and accuracy assessments of an incompressible fluid solver coupled with a deep convolutional neural network
Authors: Ajuria Illarramendi Ekhi , Bauerheim Michaël , Cuenot Bénédicte
Published: February 2022

The resolution of the Poisson equation is usually one of the most computationally intensive steps for incompressible fluid solvers. Lately, DeepLearning, and especially convolutional neural networks (CNNs), has been introduced to solve this equation, leading to significant inference time reduction at the cost of a lack of guarantee on the accuracy of the solution.This drawback might lead to inaccuracies, potentially unstable simulations and prevent performing fair assessments of the CNN speedup for different network architectures. To circumvent this issue, a hybrid strategy is developed, which couples a CNN with a traditional iterative solver to ensure a user-defined accuracy level. The CNN hybrid method is tested on two flow cases: (a) the flow around a 2D cylinder and (b) the variable-density plumes with and without obstacles (both 2D and 3D), demonstrating remarkable generalization capabilities, ensuring both the accuracy and stability of the simulations. The error distribution of the predictions using several network architectures is further investigated in the plume test case. The introduced hybrid strategy allows a systematic evaluation of the CNN performance at the same accuracy level for various network architectures. In particular, the importance of incorporating multiple scales in the network architecture is demonstrated, since improving both the accuracy and the inference performance compared with feedforward CNN architectures. Thus, in addition to the pure networks’ performance evaluation, this study has also led to numerous guidelines and results on how to build neural networks and computational strategies to predict unsteady flows with both accuracy and stability requirements.
Sam's Cottonfield Blues
Authors: Span Christopher M.
Published: February 2022

This History of Education Society Presidential Address primarily utilizes evocative autoethnography and narrative inquiry to convey its main points. It is written in the storytelling tradition of the African American past and analyzes the lives of three generations of Black Mississippians as they navigated life in Jim Crow Mississippi. It highlights the impact and legacy the cotton economy had on the life opportunities of these Black Mississippians, and how the cumulative stories they shared within the family directly shaped the educational pursuits and outcomes of a present-day descendant.
Mercer's Belles and Sarmiento's Teachers: Female Pedagogues within Two Transcontinental Emigration Projects of the Nineteenth Century
Authors: Fernandez Greene Vanessa
Published: February 2022

Situating the endeavors of Asa Shinn Mercer and Domingo Faustino Sarmiento within the broader settler colonial histories of the US and Argentina, this study provides two cases in which men representing prominent settler groups in the Americas attempted to regulate via internal educational colonialism populations they considered divergent from the nations’ ideals. Both projects recruited women to serve as civilizing agents who would help align disparate groups with the desired standards of citizenship. The female participants, however, did not blindly conform to their leaders’ expectations of behavior, instead asserting their own will at key points during the projects’ execution. Examining the groups’ dynamics in tandem provides new examples of the gendered processes at play within the settler colonialist structures of two nineteenth-century American countries.
What's the Plan? Deciphering the Shifts and Ambiguities in Recent Papal Teachings on Creation's Eschatological Destiny and Its Temporal Care
Authors: Steck Christopher
Published: February 2022

Ethical deliberations about care for creation require more theological clarity about God's eschatological plan for creation than presently found in church teaching. Nonetheless, we can identify in the writings of recent popes a trajectory toward what I describe as a “covenantal communion” approach. This approach holds that God's eschatological plan is to draw all creatures together in Christ and attributes to creation its own form of agential density through which it becomes, with humanity, a genuine participant in the divine economy. I set this view in contrast to two other approaches: creation as “microcosmic referent” and “humanized abode.” Though versions of these latter two appear in Vatican II documents and in the writings of John Paul II and Benedict XVI, their claims have been moderated in Francis’ move toward a covenantal communion approach. Further developing this approach will help clarify the goods and values at stake in our environmental choices.
Mushroom intake and cognitive performance among US older adults: the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2011–2014
Authors: Ba Djibril M. , Gao Xiang , Al-Shaar Laila , Muscat Joshua , Chinchilli Vernon M. , Ssentongo Paddy , Beelman Robert B. , Richie John
Published: February 2022

Emerging evidence has suggested that mushrooms, which are a rich source of the potent antioxidants ergothioneine and glutathione as well as vitamin D, may have neuroprotective properties. This study investigated the association between mushroom consumption and cognitive performance in a nationally representative sample of US older adults. We analysed data from older adults aged ≥ 60 years from the 2011–2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Mushroom intake was measured using up to two 24-h dietary recalls and was categorised into three groups (lowest, middle and highest). Cognitive function tests included the Animal Fluency (AF) Test; Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease Delayed Recall (CERAD-DR) and Word Learning (CERAD-WL); and Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST). Multivariable linear regression models were developed, adjusting for socio-demographics, major lifestyle factors, self-reported chronic diseases and dietary factors, including the Healthy Eating Index-2015 score and total energy. The study included 2840 participants. Compared with the lowest category of mushroom intake, participants in the highest category (median intake = 13·4 g /4184 KJ (1000 kcal)/d) had higher scores for DSST (β = 3·87; 95 % CI 0·30, 7·45; P for trend = 0·03) and CERAD-WL (β = 1·05; 95 % CI 0·0003, 2·10; P for trend = 0·04). Similar non-significant trends were observed for AF (β = 0·24; 95 % CI −2·26, 2·73; P for trend = 0·92) but not for the CERAD-DR. Greater mushroom intake was associated with certain cognitive performance tests, suggesting regular mushroom consumption may reduce the risk of cognitive decline.
Between Compliance and Resistance: Lutherans and the Dutch Reformed Church at the Cape of Good Hope, 1652–1820
Authors: WITMER OLGA
Published: February 2022

The Reformed Church was the official denomination at the Dutch Cape of Good Hope. Lutheran immigrants constituted the second largest Protestant group, and received recognition in 1780. This article argues that Cape Lutherans had an ambiguous relationship with their Church. They oscillated between the two denominations, guided by personal preferences, but also due to restrictions imposed on Lutherans by the Reformed authorities. The prolonged inability to secure recognition prompted the Cape Lutherans to seek support among coreligionists in the German lands, India and elsewhere in the Dutch Empire. This network challenged, but did not overcome, their restricted social and religious position in Cape society.
Analysis of consumer comments into PBAC decision-making (2014–9)
Authors: Tjeuw Emily , Wonder Michael J.
Published: February 2022

Objectives

The Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) is an independent expert body that recommends new technologies for listing on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Its decision-making process is evidence-based and considers a technology's clinical effectiveness, safety, and cost-effectiveness compared with other technologies. Since 2014, the PBAC has formally taken into account input from those impacted by the technology via an online consumer comments portal and has also reported on received comments in the Public Summary Documents (PSDs). Comments are welcomed from those whose health the technology is trying to improve, as well as carers, clinicians, and organizations. Our objective was to analyze and review consumer comments in the PBAC's decision-making process.

Methods

We extracted information about consumer comments from the PBAC PSDs from 2014–9. We conducted simple descriptive analyses.

Results

Our findings reveal that two thirds of all submissions did not receive a single consumer comment. Of the remaining third, eight submissions (less than 1 percent) had a substantial number of consumer comments (>500). For these technologies, multiple submissions were required before a recommendation was issued. Submissions spanned multiple therapeutic areas, the therapeutic areas with the most consumer comments were genetic disease, pediatrics, and oncology.

Conclusions

In the light of our review, we have identified limitations to the current consumer comments process, and after an examination of the processes of other comparable health technology assessment agencies, we have identified a number of improvements that could be made to the PBAC's process to increase consumer engagement.
The Requerimiento in the Old World: Making Demands and Keeping Records in the Legal Culture of Late Medieval Castile
Authors: Israeli Yanay
Published: February 2022

This article analyses the place of the legal procedure known as requerimiento (requirement) in the social life of late medieval Castile. Drawing on archival sources from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, it examines how Castilians deployed the requerimiento and what meanings and functions this procedure assumed, particularly in processes of conflict-management. While much has been written about the requerimiento as a ritual of conquest in Spanish America, the place of this procedure in the legal culture of late medieval Castile has received little scholarly attention. By examining how the requerimiento operated within the world of civic disputes in Castilian villages and towns, this study brings to light a rather unknown background for the more familiar requerimiento, the colonial ritual of the sixteenth century.
Towards improving coherence and diversity of slogan generation
Authors: Jin Yiping , Bhatia Akshay , Wanvarie Dittaya , Le Phu T. V.
Published: February 2022

Previouswork in slogan generation focused on utilising slogan skeletons mined from existing slogans. While some generated slogans can be catchy, they are often not coherent with the company’s focus or style across their marketing communications because the skeletons are mined from other companies’ slogans. We propose a sequence-to-sequence (seq2seq) Transformer model to generate slogans from a brief company description. A naïve seq2seq model fine-tuned for slogan generation is prone to introducing false information. We use company name delexicalisation and entity masking to alleviate this problem and improve the generated slogans’ quality and truthfulness. Furthermore, we apply conditional training based on the first words’ part-of-speech tag to generate syntactically diverse slogans. Our best model achieved a ROUGE-1/-2/-L
$\mathrm{F}_1$
score of 35.58/18.47/33.32. Besides, automatic and human evaluations indicate that our method generates significantly more factual, diverse and catchy slogans than strong long short-term memory and Transformer seq2seq baselines.
Bringing the Environment Back In: Overcoming the Tragedy of the Diffusion of the Commons Metaphor
Authors: Cashore Benjamin , Bernstein Steven
Published: February 2022

Contrary to calls for increased relevance, the discipline of political science has had lasting impacts in shaping environmental policy analysis. The ideas and approach advocated by former APSA president Elinor Ostrom, most comprehensively articulated inGoverning the Commons, have diffused to shape or reinforce generations of sustainability scholarship. We identify four “ideal type” problem conceptions that are distinguished based on their consistency or inconsistency with Ostrom’s inductive approach to problem structure and economic welfare emphasis, and four corresponding schools that reinforce each: commons (Type 1), economic optimization (Type 2), compromise (Type 3), and prioritization (Type 4). Whereas the prioritization school seeks to understand and identify lessons for minimizing the impact of human activity on the natural environment, the diffusion of the commons’ metaphor has led political scientists to champion frameworks that bias Type 3, 2, and 1 orientations. The latter all rest on moral underpinnings that promote human material interests as their goal, rather than recognizing them as also a primary cause of environmental degradation. A fundamental conceptual reorientation is required if social scientists in general, and political scientists in particular, are to generate an understanding of and identify tools for ameliorating rather than exacerbating today’s Type 4 climate change and species extinction crises.
Surface and Intermediate Water Changes Triggering the Future Collapse of Deep Water Formation in the North Western Mediterranean
Authors: Parras‐Berrocal Iván M. , Vázquez Rubén , Cabos William , Sein Dimitry V. , Álvarez Oscar , Bruno Miguel , Izquierdo Alfredo
Published: February 2022

Deep water formation (DWF) in the North Western Mediterranean (NWMed) is a key feature of Mediterranean overturning circulation. DWF changes under global warming may have an impact on the Mediterranean biogeochemistry and marine ecosystem. Here we analyze the deep convection in the Gulf of Lions (GoL) in a changing climate using a regional climate system model with a horizontal resolution high enough to represent DWF. We find that under the RCP8.5 scenario the NWMed DWF collapses by 2040–2050, leading to a 92% shoaling in the winter mixed layer by the end of the century. The collapse is related to a strengthening of the vertical stratification in the GoL caused by changes in properties of Modified Atlantic Water and Levantine Intermediate Water, being their relative contribution to the increase of the stratification 57.8% and 42.2%, respectively. The stratification changes also alter the Mediterranean overturning circulation and the exchange with the Atlantic.
Thirty Years of GOSHIP and WOCE Data: Atlantic Overturning of Mass, Heat, and Freshwater Transport
Authors: Caínzos V. , Hernández‐Guerra A. , McCarthy G. D. , McDonagh E. L. , Cubas Armas M. , Pérez‐Hernández M. D.
Published: February 2022

The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) plays a vital role in global climate, redistributing heat, and freshwater. It is predicted to decline due to anthropogenic climate change, with major implications for global climate. Accurately assessing AMOC strength with in situ observations has inspired a number of dedicated observing systems in the Atlantic since the 2000s. However, no consensus has been reached on whether the slowdown of the AMOC and its associated heat and freshwater transports is occurring. These dedicated systems are too recent to detect long‐term trends. We have analyzed hydrographic data from zonal sections across the Atlantic for 30 years that predate and overlap the era of AMOC observations. Our results show no changes in the AMOC for all sections analyzed over the whole Atlantic for the last 30 years. We also find an increased export of freshwater from the South Atlantic associated with an increase in upper salinity.
Source‐To‐Sink Aeolian Fluxes From Arid Landscape Dynamics in the Lut Desert
Authors: Chanteloube Colin , Barrier Laurie , Derakhshani Reza , Gadal Cyril , Braucher Régis , Payet Vincent , Léanni Laëtitia , Narteau Clément
Published: February 2022

We analyze major landforms of the Lut Desert in Iran to provide a comprehensive source‐to‐sink picture of aeolian systems on time scales from decades to millions of years. We map the modern sandflows, along which we evaluate the volume and chronology associated with the excavation of mega‐yardangs upwind and the formation of giant dunes downwind. Sediment discharges deduced from long‐term erosion and deposition are of the same order of magnitude (105–106 m3 yr−1) as short‐term and medium‐term sand discharges derived from wind data and dune morphodynamics. At the scale of the internal aeolian sediment‐routing system of the Lut, we establish an overall sediment budget constrained by the joint development of the erosional and depositional landforms. Our findings thus quantify the geomorphic controls of aeolian processes on arid landscapes at multiple length and time scales, while providing information on mass exchanges between continents and atmosphere.
The Interannual Variability of Eddy Kinetic Energy in the Kuroshio Large Meander Region and Its Relationship to the Kuroshio Latitudinal Position at 140°E
Authors: Wang Qiang , Tang Youmin
Published: February 2022

In this study, the variability of eddy kinetic energy (EKE) in the Kuroshio large meander (LM) region is investigated using both satellite sea surface height observation and high‐resolution ocean reanalysis data. The results show that the EKE has a remarkable interannual variability and it is negatively leading correlated with the change in the Kuroshio latitudinal position at 140°E. The mechanism analysis suggests that the baroclinic instability and advection processes are responsible for the EKE interannual variability and its effect on the Kuroshio latitudinal position at 140°E. Specifically, before the high EKE level occurs, a cyclonic eddy generates at the east of Kii Peninsula in the background field. The rapid development of this eddy and its eastward movement to the LM region induce the isopycnal inclinations there and the associated horizontal density gradient, which leads to the strong baroclinic instability and promotes the evolution of the eddy field and the formation of the high EKE level. The developed strong eddies, especially the cyclonic eddies, move downstream to 140°E, which pushes the Kuroshio off the shore and causes the southerly Kuroshio latitudinal position at 140°E. On the contrary, when the cyclonic eddies do not appear in the LM region, the isopycnals are relatively flat, which is not conducive to the generation of baroclinic instability. Consequently, the EKE level is low and only weak eddies are advected to 140°E, which does not substantially shift the Kuroshio southward and thus results in the northerly Kuroshio position.
Observations Indicate That Clouds Amplify Mechanisms of Southern Ocean Heat Uptake
Authors: Morrison Ariel L. , Singh Hansi A. , Rasch Philip J.
Published: February 2022

The Southern Ocean has absorbed most of the excess heat associated with anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Since Southern Ocean observations are sparse in certain regions and seasons, much of our knowledge of ocean heat uptake is based on climate model simulations. However, climate models still inadequately represent some properties of Southern Ocean clouds, and they have not identified the mechanisms by which clouds may affect Southern Ocean heat uptake (SOHU). Here, we use the ERA5 and JRA‐55 reanalyses to assess the influence of clouds and other atmospheric processes on SOHU from 1979 to 2020. We find that years with the highest SOHU between 45° and 65°S are dominated by ocean heat uptake anomalies during winter and spring, but not during summer or fall. Winter and spring cloud cover are up to 7% higher when SOHU is up to 5.5 W/m2 higher than the climatological seasonal mean, with the largest increases in the South Pacific Ocean. Clouds also contain more liquid water. These changes in cloud properties increase downwelling longwave radiation, amplifying ocean heat uptake. Cloud changes are also concomitant with a more stable lower atmosphere, which suppresses turbulent heat fluxes out of the surface. Overall, we find that SOHU is likely not mediated by enhanced surface shortwave absorption over the observational time period. A better understanding of how atmospheric processes impact ocean heat uptake may help improve our understanding of ocean heat uptake mechanisms in the current generation of climate models.
Effects of Aerosol–Induced Snow Albedo Feedback on the Seasonal Snowmelt Over the Himalayan Region
Authors: Usha K. H. , Nair Vijayakumar S. , Babu S. Suresh
Published: February 2022

Aerosol‐induced snow darkening and its feedback on seasonal snow cover, snowmelt, and runoff were investigated using the Regional Climate Model (RegCM4.6) coupled with SNow, Ice, and Aerosol Radiation (SNICAR) and aerosol modules over the Himalayas during the melting season (March‐September). The snow albedo reduction due to the deposition of absorbing aerosols increases the 2 m air temperature (1.47°C) and thus decreases the snow cover (10.6%) over the Himalayas during spring. This aerosol‐induced excess warming accelerates the seasonal snowmelt (1.2 mm day−1), which reduces the number of snow‐covered periods by more than 20 days throughout the Himalayas. The accumulated total snowmelt also increased by 41.3% over the Himalayas during the melting season. The early snowmelt and increase in runoff due to aerosol forcing have significant implications on rivers originating from the western Himalayas (Indus Basin). The change in snowmelt distribution and doubling of snowmelt extremes due to aerosol‐induced snow darkening could also translate to an increase in flood risks across the Himalayan river basins. Therefore, the present study highlights the importance of aerosol‐induced snow albedo forcing and its feedback on snowmelt and runoff over the Himalayan region, which has further implications on water availability over the South Asian region.
Spontaneous and TMS-related EEG changes as new biomarkers to measure anti-epileptic drug effects
Authors: Biondi Andrea , Rocchi L. , Santoro V. , Rossini P. G. , Beatch G. N. , Richardson M. P. , Premoli I.
Published: February 2022

Robust biomarkers for anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) activity in the human brain are essential to increase the probability of successful drug development. The frequency analysis of electroencephalographic (EEG) activity, either spontaneous or evoked by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS-EEG) can provide cortical readouts for AEDs. However, a systematic evaluation of the effect of AEDs on spontaneous oscillations and TMS-related spectral perturbation (TRSP) has not yet been provided. We studied the effects of Lamotrigine, Levetiracetam, and of a novel potassium channel opener (XEN1101) in two groups of healthy volunteers. Levetiracetam suppressed TRSP theta, alpha and beta power, whereas Lamotrigine decreased delta and theta but increased the alpha power. Finally, XEN1101 decreased TRSP delta, theta, alpha and beta power. Resting-state EEG showed a decrease of theta band power after Lamotrigine intake. Levetiracetam increased theta, beta and gamma power, while XEN1101 produced an increase of delta, theta, beta and gamma power. Spontaneous and TMS-related cortical oscillations represent a powerful tool to characterize the effect of AEDs on in vivo brain activity. Spectral fingerprints of specific AEDs should be further investigated to provide robust and objective biomarkers of biological effect in human clinical trials.
A systematic review and meta-analysis on the prevalence of non-malignant, organic gastrointestinal disorders misdiagnosed as irritable bowel syndrome
Authors: Poon Dennis , Law Graham R. , Major Giles , Andreyev H. Jervoise N.
Published: February 2022

Treatable gastrointestinal disorders in patients with symptoms typical for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) may be overlooked. The prevalence of five gastrointestinal conditions—bile acid diarrhoea (BAD), carbohydrate malabsorption (CM), microscopic colitis (MC), pancreatic exocrine insufficiency (PEI) and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) was systematically assessed from studies including consecutive patients meeting diagnostic criteria for IBS. 4 databases were searched from 1978 to 2020. Studies were included if they evaluated the prevalence of these conditions in secondary healthcare setting. Estimated pooled rates were calculated and statistical heterogeneity between studies was evaluated using Q and I2 statistics. Seven studies (n = 597) estimated the pooled prevalence for BAD as 41% (95% CI 29–54). 17 studies (n = 5068) estimated that of MC as 3% (95% CI 2–4%). Two studies (n = 478) suggested a rate of 4.6% (range: 1.8–6.1%) for PEI. Using breath testing, 26 studies (n = 6700) and 13 studies (n = 3415) estimated the prevalence of lactose and fructose malabsorption as 54% (95% CI 44–64%) and 43% (95% CI 23–62%); 36 studies (n = 4630) and 22 studies (n = 2149) estimated that of SIBO as 49% (95% CI 40–57%) with lactulose and 19% (95% CI 13–27%) with glucose. Rates of all conditions were significantly higher than in healthy controls. A significant proportion of patients presenting to secondary care with IBS have an organic condition which may account for their symptoms. Failure to exclude such conditions will deny patients effective treatment.
Dual detection high-speed capillary electrophoresis for simultaneous serum protein analysis and immunoassays
Authors: Opallage Prabhavie M. , De Silva Miyuru , Dunn Robert C.
Published: February 2022

Serum protein electrophoresis (SPE) separates serum proteins into bands whose shape and amplitude can alert clinicians to a range of disorders. This is followed by more specific immunoassays to quantify important antigens and confirm a diagnosis. Here we develop a high-speed capillary electrophoresis (HSCE) platform capable of simultaneous SPE and immunoassay measurements. A single laser excitation source is focused into the detection zone of the capillary to measure both refractive index (SPE) and fluorescence signals (immunoassays). The refractive index signal measures characteristic SPE profiles for human serum separated in 100 mM boric acid (pH 10), 100 mM arginine (pH 11), and 20 mM CHES (pH 10). For the immunoassay, the fluorescence electropherograms reveal that CHES provides the optimal buffer for measuring the immunocomplex and separating it from the free antigen. Immunoassays in CHES yield a LOD of 23 nM and a LOQ of 70 nM for the detection of fluorescein. The high pH reduces protein adsorption but reduces antibody affinity. Preliminary studies carried out in 50 mM barbital at pH 8 show improved stability of the immunocomplex and better separation for immunoassay quantification. Further optimization will open new capabilities for measuring orthogonal diagnostic signals in seconds with HSCE.
Treatment outcomes of Mycobacterium avium complex pulmonary disease according to disease severity
Authors: Kim Bo-Guen , Jhun Byung Woo , Kim Hojoong , Kwon O Jung
Published: February 2022

Mycobacterium avium complex pulmonary disease (MAC-PD) requires long-term treatment. We analyzed the outcomes of 992 MAC-PD patients according to disease severity and compared the outcomes of intermittent and daily therapy for mild disease. Patients were divided into groups according to severity using the body mass index, age, cavity, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and sex (BACES) system, and culture conversion rates were evaluated. We also evaluated the effects of intermittent treatment on the culture conversion rates in mild disease group. Using the BACES, 992 patients were divided into mild (n = 331), moderate (n = 503), and severe (n = 158) disease groups, and culture conversion at the end of treatment was achieved in 85% (282/331), 80% (403/503), and 61% (97/158), respectively. Differences in culture conversion among the severity groups were significant (p < 0.001). In patients with mild disease, culture conversion rates were similar between intermittent (84%, 166/198) and daily (87%, 116/133) treatment (p = 0.396), and intermittent antibiotic therapy did not negatively impact culture conversion (adjusted hazard ratio 1.08; confidence interval 0.83–1.41; p = 0.578). MAC-PD patients with mild disease had higher culture conversion rates. Daily and intermittent therapy yielded similar culture conversion rates for mild disease. Treatment strategies with lower pill burden may be applicable in mild MAC-PD.
Size-fractionation of trace elements in dusty snow from open pit bitumen mines and upgraders: collection, handling, preparation and analysis of samples from the Athabasca bituminous sands region of Alberta, Canada
Authors: Javed Muhammad Babar , Cuss Chad W. , Zheng James , Grant-Weaver Iain , Noernberg Tommy , Shotyk William
Published: February 2022

A robust sample handling, processing and analytical method was developed for reliable determination of 40 TEs in dusty snow. The “dissolved” TEs in snow from the ABS region were extremely low, and TEs were almost exclusively found in the particulate fraction.
Systematic photophysical, thermal and electrochemical analysis of a series of phenothiazine cored conjugated aromatic unit appended D–π–A based high-solid state luminescent materials: their applications in reversible mechanofluorochromic and volatile acid sensing
Authors: Sarkar Bhaswati , Prasad Edamana , Gardas Ramesh L.
Published: February 2022

The advancement of unique, organic materials possessing exclusive solid-state photoluminescence properties is in high demand due to their noteworthy contribution to materials chemistry and technology.
3D multiscale analysis of the hierarchical porosity in Coscinodiscus sp. diatoms using a combination of tomographic techniques
Authors: Darouich Othmane , Baaziz Walid , Ihiawakrim Dris , Hirlimann Charles , Spehner Danièle , Schultz Patrick , Poncet Hedwige , Rouchon Virgile , Labidi Sana , Petit Corinne , Levitz Pierre , Ersen Ovidiu
Published: February 2022

A multiscale 3D approach combining three advanced volumetric imaging techniques was employed for obtaining direct information on the hierarchical porosity in Coscinodiscus sp. diatoms having an internal organization ranging from micrometer to nanometer.
Predictive high-throughput screening of PEGylated lipids in oligonucleotide-loaded lipid nanoparticles for neuronal gene silencing
Authors: Sarode Apoorva , Fan Yuchen , Byrnes Amy E. , Hammel Michal , Hura Greg L. , Fu Yige , Kou Ponien , Hu Chloe , Hinz Flora I. , Roberts Jasmine , Koenig Stefan G. , Nagapudi Karthik , Hoogenraad Casper C. , Chen Tao , Leung Dennis , Yen Chun-Wan
Published: February 2022

Development of a high throughput screening workflow to characterize the impact of unique PEG-lipid parameters on oligonucleotide-loaded lipid nanoparticle structure and function.
Yolk–shell smart Pickering nanoreactors for base-free one-pot cascade Knoevenagel-hydrogenation with high catalytic efficiency in water
Authors: Yu Honghao , Wang Runwei , Zhang Zongtao , Qiu Shilun
Published: February 2022

The cascade Knoevenagel-hydrogenation reaction catalyzed by our smart Pickering nanoreactors can be carried out by a real one-pot method.
Horizon scan of rapidly advancing coral restoration approaches for 21st century reef management
Authors: Suggett David J. , van Oppen Madeleine J.H.
Published: February 2022

Coral reef restoration activity is accelerating worldwide in efforts to offset the rate of reef health declines. Many advances have already been made in restoration practices centred on coral biology (coral restoration), and particularly those that look to employ the high adaptive state and capacity of corals in order to ensure that efforts rebuilding coral biomass also equip reefs with enhanced resilience to future stress. We horizon scan the state-of-play for the many coral restoration innovations already underway across the complex life cycle for corals that spans both asexual and sexual reproduction — assisted evolution (manipulations targeted to the coral host and host-associated microbes), biobanking, as well as scalable coral propagation and planting — and how these innovations are in different stages of maturity to support new 21st century reef management frameworks. Realising the potential for coral restoration tools as management aids undoubtedly rests on validating different approaches as their application continues to scale. Whilst the ecosystem service responses to increased scaling still largely remain to be seen, coral restoration has already delivered immense new understanding of coral and coral-associated microbial biology that has long lagged behind advances in other reef sciences.
Can the one-zone hadronuclear model explain the hard-TeV spectrum of BL Lac objects?
Authors: Li Wei-Jian , Xue Rui , Long Guang-Bo , Wang Ze-Rui , Nagataki Shigehiro , Yan Da-Hai , Wang Jian-Cheng
Published: February 2022

Context. The intrinsic TeV emission of some BL Lacs is characterized by a hard spectrum (the hard-TeV spectrum) after correcting for the extragalactic background light. The hard-TeV spectra pose a challenge to conventional one-zone models, including the leptonic model, the photohadronic model, the proton synchrotron model, and others.

Aims. In this work, we aim to investigate whether or not the one-zone hadronuclear (pp) model can be used to interpret the hard-TeV spectra of BL Lacs without introducing extreme parameters.

Methods. We provide analytical calculations that can be used to study whether or not there is a parameter space, and whether or not the charge neutrality condition of the jet can be satisfied when interpreting the hard-TeV spectra of BL Lacs without introducing a super-Eddington jet power.

Results. We find that in a sample of hard-TeV BL Lacs previously collected, only the hard-TeV spectrum of 1ES 0229+200 can be explained by γ-rays from π0 decay produced in the pp interactions, but at the cost of setting a small radius of the radiation region than the Schwarzschild radius of the central black hole. Combining our findings with those of previous studies of other one-zone models, we suggest that the hard-TeV spectra of BL Lacs cannot be explained by a one-zone model without introducing extreme parameters, and should originate from the multiple radiation regions.
Analytical techniques for polarimetric imaging of accretion flows in the Schwarzschild metric
Authors: Loktev Vladislav , Veledina Alexandra , Poutanen Juri
Published: February 2022

Emission from an accretion disk around compact objects, such as neutron stars and black holes, is expected to be significantly polarized. The polarization can be used to put constraints on the geometrical and physical parameters of the compact sources – their radii, masses, and spins – as well as to determine the orbital parameters. The radiation escaping from the innermost parts of the disk is strongly affected by the gravitational field of the compact object and the relativistic velocities of the matter. The straightforward calculation of the observed polarization signatures involves a computationally expensive ray-tracing technique. At the same time, having fast computational routines for direct data fitting is becoming increasingly important in light of the currently observed images of the accretion flow around the supermassive black hole in M 87 by the Event Horizon Telescope and infrared polarization signatures coming from Sgr A*, as well as the upcoming X-ray polarization measurements by the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer and enhanced X-ray Timing and Polarimetry mission. In this work, we obtain an exact analytical expression for the rotation angle of the polarization plane in the Schwarzschild metric accounting for the effects of light bending and relativistic aberration. We show that the calculation of the observed flux, polarization degree, and polarization angle as a function of energy can be performed analytically with a high level of accuracy using an approximate light-bending formula, eliminating the need for the precomputed tabular models in fitting routines.
Experimental research of apparatuses for peanuts and cocoa beans roasting with rotating-pulsed fluidized bed
Authors: Djourkov Georgi , Hadjikinov Dimitar
Published: February 2022

The physical parameters of two products widely used in the confectionery industry – peanuts and cocoa beans – have been studied. The hydrodynamic characteristics of these products, influencing the fluidized bed roasting regime, have been determined. The hydrodynamics of a rotating-pulsed fluidization of the cited materials has been examined. Dependences are derived for calculating the bed pressure drops and the initial fluidization velocity of the particles during rotating-pulsed creation of fluidization.
Effect of maturity on the phytonutrient composition of Cape gooseberry seeds (Physalis peruviana L.)
Authors: Popova Venelina , Ivanova Tanya , Petkova Zhana , Stoyanova Magdalena , Stoyanova Albena , Mazova Nadezhda , Panayotov Nikolay
Published: February 2022

The seeds of Cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana L.) remain as a by-product from juice production, but they can also be a potential resource of valuable nutrients. The objective of this study was to analyze the phytonutrient composition of the seeds isolated from fruit at two maturity stages unsuitable for regular realization (unripe and under-ripe), with the aim of identifying the possibility for utilization of such non-standard or discarded agricultural production. The results showed about 3-time lower oil content in the unripe seeds than in the under-ripe seeds (6.60% vs. 21.75%), but no significant differences in the content of protein (18.44% and 17.83%) and cellulose (26.63% and 26.14%). The total tocopherol content slightly decreased with the progress of fruit maturity (from 8354 mg/kg to 7118 mg/kg). Significant changes in the amino acid composition were found only with regard to aspartic acid, glutamic acid, tyrosine and methionine. The content of macro and micro minerals was lower in the under-ripe seeds (about 1.5-2-time). The results from this baseline study suggested that the seeds from both unripe and under-ripe fruit could also be considered for nutritive purposes (animal feed, food products).
Effect of the antioxidant type phytonutrients diet supplementation on lamb quality
Authors: Vlahova‐Vangelova Desislava , Kolev Nikolay , Balev Dessislav , Stancheva Nevyana , Nakev Jivko , Dragoev Stefan
Published: February 2022

The aim of the study was to estimate the effect of Siberian larch dihydroquercetin and dry distilled rose petals supplementation of lambs’ diet on the quality of meat obtained from Bulgarian dairy synthetic population sheep. The experiments were performed with 30 clinically healthy male lambs aged 65 days with equal live weight. There were studied one control group (C) fed for 50 days with ground alfalfa + granulated compound feed and two experimental groups (D) and (R) fed on the same diet supplemented either with 7.5 mg dihydroquercetin/kg/day or with 545 mg DDRP/kg/day respectively. The DDRP diet supplementation increases the sensory scores, carotenoids and essential amino acids of muscles (P ≤ 0.05) but does not affect the content of tocopherols. No significant differences (P > 0.05) were found comparing the proximate composition of the group C, R and D. Compared to control group C the supplementation of lambs’ diet with dihydroquercetin and DDRP contributes to a certain increase in the sterols in muscle and adipose tissues but not in liver tissue (P ≤ 0.05). A reduction of WHC of m. Longissimus dorsi and microbial deterioration in both muscles and perirenal fatty tissue was found in experimental groups D and R.
In vitro examination of the antimicrobial activity of a potentially probiotic Lactobacillus acidophilus strain against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella sp.
Authors: Denkova Zapryana , Yanakieva Velichka , Goranov Bogdan , Tomova Teodora , Denkova-Kostova Rositsa , Oulahal Nadia , Kostov Georgi , Degraeve Pascal
Published: February 2022

An interesting property for many probiotic strains is to exhibit antimicrobial activity against pathogenic microorganisms. Therefore, the antimicrobial activity of the potentially probiotic strain Lactobacillus acidophilus L12 against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella sp. was examined in vitro through co-culturing of Lactobacillus acidophilus L12 with each of the pathogenic strains for 72 h. When cultured individually, all strains reached a final population always exceeding 1012 cfu/mL. When co-cultured with each of the pathogenic strains Lactobacillus acidophilus L12 population always exceeded 1012 cfu/mL, while the bacterial population of the pathogenic strains was reduced in a strain-specific manner. Lactobacillus acidophilus L12 demonstrated the highest inhibitory activity against the two Staphylococcus aureus strains, followed by the two E. coli strains, and the two Salmonella sp. strains tested. The kinetics of the co-culturing process of Lactobacillus acidophilus L12 with each of the test pathogenic strains was modelled using the logistic curve model. The obtained results show the strong antagonistic activity of the potentially probiotic strain Lactobacillus acidophilus L12, thus making it a promising candidate for inclusion in the composition of probiotic preparations and functional probiotic foods.