bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Non-autonomous Second Order Differential Inclusions with a Stabilizing Effect
Authors: Cardinali Tiziana , De Angelis Eleonora
Published: December 2020

In this paper we prove the existence of mild solutions for a problem governed by a semilinear non-autonomous second order differential inclusion where a stabilization of the solution is expected due to the control of the reaction term. In order to obtain our existence theorem, first we study a more general problem with a differential inclusion which involves a perturbation guided by an operator $$N :I \rightarrow C(C(I;X);X)$$

N
:
I
→
C
(
C
(
I
;
X
)
;
X
)

, where X is a Banach space. Finally we show an illustrative example of application of our results to a problem involving a wave equation.
Coxeter groups and meridional rank of links
Authors: Baader Sebastian , Blair Ryan , Kjuchukova Alexandra
Published: December 2020

We prove the meridional rank conjecture for twisted links and arborescent links associated to bipartite trees with even weights. These links are substantial generalizations of pretzels and two-bridge links, respectively. Lower bounds on meridional rank are obtained via Coxeter quotients of the groups of link complements. Matching upper bounds on bridge number are found using the Wirtinger numbers of link diagrams, a combinatorial tool developed by the authors.
A quantum cluster algebra approach to representations of simply laced quantum affine algebras
Authors: Bittmann Léa
Published: December 2020

We establish a quantum cluster algebra structure on the quantum Grothendieck ring of a certain monoidal subcategory of the category of finite-dimensional representations of a simply-laced quantum affine algebra. Moreover, the (q, t)-characters of certain irreducible representations, among which fundamental representations, are obtained as quantum cluster variables. This approach gives a new algorithm to compute these (q, t)-characters. As an application, we prove that the quantum Grothendieck ring of a larger category of representations of the Borel subalgebra of the quantum affine algebra, defined in a previous work as a quantum cluster algebra, contains indeed the well-known quantum Grothendieck ring of the category of finite-dimensional representations. Finally, we display our algorithm on a concrete example.
Lipid–protein forces predict conformational changes in a mechanosensitive channel
Authors: Daday Csaba , de Groot Bert L.
Published: December 2020

The mechanosensitive TREK-2 potassium channel, a member of the K2P family, has essential physiological roles and is, therefore, a pharmaceutical target. A combination of experimental and computational studies have established that of the two known conformations, “up” and “down”, membrane tension directly favors the “up” state, which displays a higher conductance. However, these studies did not reveal the exact mechanism by which the membrane affects the channel conformation. In this work, we show that changes in protein–lipid interaction patterns suffice in predicting this conformational change, and pinpoint potentially important residues involved in this phenomenon.
Opening the black box of non-pharmacological care in systemic sclerosis: a cross-sectional online survey of Dutch health professionals
Authors:   The ARCH study group, Stöcker Juliane K. , Vonk Madelon C. , van den Hoogen Frank H. J. , Nijhuis-van der Sanden Maria W. G. , Spierings Julia , Staal J. Bart , Satink Ton , van den Ende Cornelia H. M.
Published: December 2020

The objective is to describe the spectrum of the health professional (HP) treatment approach for systemic sclerosis (SSc) from the perspective of Dutch HPs, including alignment of treatment goals set by HPs with self-reported referral reasons, coverage of patient-reported unmet care needs, and quality of communication between HPs and rheumatologists. Dutch HPs were invited through their patients with SSc to complete an anonymous online survey. The survey covered referral reasons, treatment goals, and interventions of the last patient treated, as well as the perceived quality of communication between HPs and rheumatologists. Referral reasons and treatment targets were linked to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health following the refined ICF Linking Rules. Seventy-nine HPs from 8 professions (including 58 physiotherapists, 73%) completed the survey. One hundred and thirty-three different referral reasons were reported, yielding 58 different ICF codes, with 41 (70.7%) being linked to the ICF domain “body structures and functions.” The reported interventions focused on body functions/structures (27.9%), training of daily activities (25.6%), education and advice (26.3%), and psychosocial interventions (20.2%). The quality of communication between HPs and rheumatologists was perceived as low. Our findings revealed numerous treatment options offered by Dutch HPs addressing the unmet care needs of patients with SSc. There is an overlap in the content of the various HP disciplines, and HP treatment goals are not sufficiently aligned with referrals of rheumatologists. HP treatment offer seemed inefficiently organized, possibly precluding rheumatologists from making targeted referrals. Communication between rheumatologists and HPs should be improved.
Chest CT–derived pulmonary artery enlargement at the admission predicts overall survival in COVID-19 patients: insight from 1461 consecutive patients in Italy
Authors: Esposito Antonio , Palmisano Anna , Toselli Marco , Vignale Davide , Cereda Alberto , Rancoita Paola Maria Vittoria , Leone Riccardo , Nicoletti Valeria , Gnasso Chiara , Monello Alberto , Biagi Andrea , Turchio Piergiorgio , Landoni Giovanni , Gallone Guglielmo , Monti Giacomo , Casella Gianni , Iannopollo Gianmarco , Nannini Tommaso , Patelli Gianluigi , Di Mare Luisa , Loffi Marco , Sergio Pietro , Ippolito Davide , Sironi Sandro , Pontone Gianluca , Andreini Daniele , Mancini Elisabetta Maria , Di Serio Clelia , De Cobelli Francesco , Ciceri Fabio , Zangrillo Alberto , Colombo Antonio , Tacchetti Carlo , Giannini Francesco
Published: December 2020

Objectives

Enlarged main pulmonary artery diameter (MPAD) resulted to be associated with pulmonary hypertension and mortality in a non-COVID-19 setting. The aim was to investigate and validate the association between MPAD enlargement and overall survival in COVID-19 patients.

Methods

This is a cohort study on 1469 consecutive COVID-19 patients submitted to chest CT within 72 h from admission in seven tertiary level hospitals in Northern Italy, between March 1 and April 20, 2020. Derivation cohort (n = 761) included patients from the first three participating hospitals; validation cohort (n = 633) included patients from the remaining hospitals. CT images were centrally analyzed in a core-lab blinded to clinical data. The prognostic value of MPAD on overall survival was evaluated at adjusted and multivariable Cox’s regression analysis on the derivation cohort. The final multivariable model was tested on the validation cohort.

Results

In the derivation cohort, the median age was 69 (IQR, 58–77) years and 537 (70.6%) were males. In the validation cohort, the median age was 69 (IQR, 59–77) years with 421 (66.5%) males. Enlarged MPAD (≥ 31 mm) was a predictor of mortality at adjusted (hazard ratio, HR [95%CI]: 1.741 [1.253–2.418], p < 0.001) and multivariable regression analysis (HR [95%CI]: 1.592 [1.154–2.196], p = 0.005), together with male gender, old age, high creatinine, low well-aerated lung volume, and high pneumonia extension (c-index [95%CI] = 0.826 [0.796–0.851]). Model discrimination was confirmed on the validation cohort (c-index [95%CI] = 0.789 [0.758–0.823]), also using CT measurements from a second reader (c-index [95%CI] = 0.790 [0.753;0.825]).

Conclusion

Enlarged MPAD (≥ 31 mm) at admitting chest CT is an independent predictor of mortality in COVID-19.

Key Points

•Enlargement of main pulmonary artery diameter at chest CT performed within 72 h from the admission was associated with a higher rate of in-hospital mortality in COVID-19 patients.

•Enlargement of main pulmonary artery diameter (≥ 31 mm) was an independent predictor of death in COVID-19 patients at adjusted and multivariable regression analysis.

•The combined evaluation of clinical findings, lung CT features, and main pulmonary artery diameter may be useful for risk stratification in COVID-19 patients.
An in-flight investigation of a turbulent boundary layer at Reynolds numbers up to $$\hbox {Re}_{\theta }=49,400$$
Authors: Dunker Christina
Published: December 2020

The ongoing attempts to gain access to the realm of high Reynolds number turbulence have resulted in the dedicated development of major experimental facilities and novel diagnostic methodologies as well as in the probing of atmospheric surface flows. In contrast to this, the presented study discusses the feasibility of an in-flight laboratory for Reynolds number investigations up to $$\rm {Re}_{\theta }\,\le \,49,400$$

Re
θ

≤

49
,
400

. The underpinning velocity data were obtained in flight tests by two moveable differential pressure probes and a stereo Particle Image Velocity (sPIV) system. The region of interest was located far downstream of the aircraft’s nose within the fuselage boundary layer. The pressure probes scanned the full boundary layer while the sPIV system remained fixed at certain wall-normal locations. The velocity data acquired exhibits distinct characteristics within the defect layer that deviate from Coles’ classical description of the wake. Furthermore, the streamwise turbulence intensities show a pronounced ‘outer peak’ further away from the wall at $$y^{+}=2000-5000$$

y
+

=
2000
-
5000

. The measurements were conducted under authentic flight conditions with an increased level of free-stream turbulence. These boundary conditions enabled an analysis of turbulent flows that are of relevance for various aeronautical applications. The manuscript elaborates on the main findings of this experimental study by presenting the velocity profiles captured by the moveable pressure probe system and samples of sPIV data. The capabilities and limitations of a flying laboratory for the investigation of high Reynolds number turbulence are discussed in detail.

Graphic Abstract
Can the supplementary consumption of baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) fruit pulp improve the hemoglobin levels and iron status of schoolchildren in Kenya? Findings of a randomized controlled intervention trial
Authors: Evang Esther Charlotte , Habte Tsige-Yohannes , Owino Willis Omondi , Krawinkel Michael Bernhardt
Published: December 2020

Purpose

In the rural Kenyan diet, the bioavailability of iron is low and predisposes the population to iron deficiency. Fruit pulp of the indigenous baobab tree contains significant amounts of vitamin C, which enhances non-heme iron bioavailability. We studied the impact of baobab fruit pulp (BFP) consumption on the hemoglobin (Hb) and iron status of Kenyan schoolchildren.

Methods

The single-blind randomized controlled intervention trial was implemented daily among apparently healthy schoolchildren aged 6–12 years with hemoglobin level < 12.2 g/dl. For 12 weeks, children in the intervention group (n = 29) received a drink with BFP, while the control group (n = 29) received an isoenergy drink without BFP. At baseline and endline, blood samples were taken.

Results

The development of hemoglobin, ferritin (FER) and soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) did not differ significantly between the intervention and control groups. However, in the intervention group, Hb levels improved slightly (2.2%), while they decreased slightly (1.2%) in the control group. Levels of geometric means of sTfR remained almost unchanged (0.7%) in the intervention group and slightly worsened (2.7%) in the control group. In both the groups, geometric mean of FER levels decreased, yet to a smaller extent in the intervention (17.3%) than in the control (26.0%) group.

Conclusion

Even though no significant effects of BFP could be detected in this study, the identification of products such as BFP remains pertinent to help improve non-heme iron absorption in the most vulnerable populations.
Association of low plasma antioxidant levels with all-cause mortality and coronary events in healthy middle-aged men from France and Northern Ireland in the PRIME study
Authors: McKay Gareth J. , Lyner Natalie , Linden Gerry J. , Kee Frank , Moitry Marie , Biasch Katia , Amouyel Philippe , Dallongeville Jean , Bongard Vanina , Ferrières Jean , Gey K. Fred , Patterson Chris C. , Woodside Jayne V.
Published: December 2020

Background

The main underlying risk factors associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) are modifiable and oxidative injury and systemic inflammatory damage represent key aetiological factors associated with the development and progression of CHD and premature mortality.

Objective

To examine associations of plasma antioxidant status with all-cause mortality and fatal or non-fatal cardiovascular events.

Design

The PRIME study prospectively evaluated 9709 men aged 50–59 years between 1991 and 1993 in Northern Ireland and France who were free of CHD at recruitment and followed annually for deaths and cardiovascular events for 10 years. Serum concentrations of vitamin C, retinol, two forms of vitamin E (α- and γ-tocopherol) and six carotenoids were quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography. Baseline conventional risk factors were considered, as well as socioeconomic differences and lifestyle behaviours including diet, smoking habit, physical activity, and alcohol consumption through Cox regression analyses.

Results

At 10 years, there were 538 deaths from any cause and 440 fatal or non-fatal cardiovascular events. After adjustment for country, age, systolic blood pressure, diabetes, body mass index, cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, height, total physical activity, alcohol consumption and smoking habit, higher levels of all antioxidants were associated with significantly lower risk of all-cause mortality, with the exception of γ-tocopherol. Only retinol was significantly associated with decreased risk of cardiovascular events in a fully adjusted model.

Conclusions

Low antioxidant levels contribute to the gradient of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular incidence independent of lifestyle behaviours and traditional cardiovascular and socioeconomic risk factors.
One nerve suffices: A clinically guided nerve ultrasound protocol for the differentiation of multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
Authors: Loewenbrück Kai F. , Werner Robin , Günther René , Dittrich Markus , Klingenberger Robert , Reichmann Heinz , Storch Alexander , Hermann Andreas
Published: December 2020

Objective

To investigate diagnostic accuracy of a nerve ultrasound (US) protocol that is individualized to a patient’s clinical deficits for the differentiation of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with predominant lower motoneuron disease (ALS/LMND) and multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN).

Methods

Single-center, prospective, examiner-blinded, diagnostic study in two cohorts. Cohort I (model development): Convenience sample of subjects with ALS/LMND or MMN according to revised El-Escorial or EFNS guidelines. Cohort II (model validation): Consecutively recruited treatment-naïve subjects with suspected diagnosis of ALS/LMND or MMN.

Cutoffs for 28 different US values were determined by Receiver Operating Curve (ROC) in cohort I. Area Under The Curve (AUC) of US was compared to nerve conduction studies (NCS). Diagnostic accuracy of US protocols, individualized according to clinical deficits, was compared to former rigid non-individualized protocols and to random examination site selection in cohort II.

Results

48 patients were recruited. In cohort I (28 patients), US had higher ROC AUCs than NCS, US 0.82 (0.12) (mean (standard deviation)), NCS (compound muscle action potential (CMAP) 0.60 (0.09), p < .001; two-sided t-test).

US models based on the nerve innervating the clinically most affected muscles had higher correct classification rates (CCRs, 93%) in cohort II than former rigid protocols (85% and 80%), or models with random measurement site selection (66% and 80%).

Conclusions

Clinically guided US protocols for differentiation of ALS/LMND from MMN increase diagnostic accuracy when compared to clinically unguided protocols. They also require less measurements sites to achieve this accuracy.
Portable fixed dynamometry: towards remote muscle strength measurements in patients with motor neuron disease
Authors: Bakers Jaap N. E. , van den Berg Leonard H. , Ajeks Toju G. , Holleman Maxine J. , Verhoeven Jill , Beelen Anita , Visser-Meily Johanna M. A. , van Eijk Ruben P. A.
Published: December 2020

Background

We aimed to determine (1) the test–retest reliability of a newly developed portable fixed dynamometer (PFD) as compared to the hand-held dynamometer (HHD) in patients with motor neuron disease (MND) and (2) the PFD’s ability to reduce possible examiner-induced ceiling effects.

Methods

Test–retest reliability of isometric muscle strength of the quadriceps was measured in patients with MND and non-neurological controls using the HHD and PFD. Reliability was estimated by the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and standard error of measurement (SEM) using linear mixed effects models, and the Bland–Altman method of agreement.

Results

In total, 45 patients with MND and 43 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. The ICC of the PFD was excellent and similar in both patients and controls (ICC Patients 99.5% vs. ICC Controls 98.6%) with a SEM of 6.2%. A strong examiner-induced ceiling effect in HHD was found when the participant’s strength exceeded that of examiner. Employing the PFD increased the range of muscle strength measurements across individuals nearly twofold from 414 to 783 N.

Conclusions

Portable fixed dynamometry may significantly reduce examiner-induced ceiling effects, optimize the standardization of muscle strength testing, and maximize reliability. Ultimately, PFD may improve the delivery of care due to its potential for unsupervised, home-based assessments and reduce the burden to the patient of participating in clinical trials for MND or other neuromuscular diseases.
Neuropsychological functioning of individuals at clinical evaluation of adult ADHD
Authors: Guo Nana , Fuermaier Anselm B. M. , Koerts Janneke , Mueller Bernhard W. , Diers Katerina , Mroß Aaron , Mette Christian , Tucha Lara , Tucha Oliver
Published: December 2020

Objectives

Numerous studies showed that adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) suffer from impairments in a range of cognitive functions when compared to healthy controls. However, only little is known about the neuropsychological functions when compared to various clinical control groups and whether a distinct neuropsychological profile can be identified for adult ADHD.

Method

This retrospective study examined data of 199 outpatients referred for clinical evaluation of adult ADHD, allocated either to an ADHD group (n = 78) or to one of two clinical comparison groups, depending on whether they show indications (n = 71) or no indications (n = 50) for the presence of psychiatric disorders other than ADHD. All individuals performed a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery.

Results

Data analysis revealed impairments in a range of cognitive functions in a substantial number of patients of all three groups. However, profiles of neuropsychological impairments were similar between groups. Furthermore, significant small- to medium-sized correlations between basic and higher-order cognitive functions were revealed in the ADHD group and the clinical comparison group with indications for psychiatric disorders other than ADHD.

Conclusion

Neuropsychological impairments are prominent in psychiatric outpatients seeking a clinical evaluation of adult ADHD but are not specific for ADHD. It is concluded that neuropsychological test performance may have limited incremental value to support the psychiatric differential diagnosis. Furthermore, a clinical trajectory may need to take into account that deficits in a range of higher-order cognitive functions can be substantially explained by deficits in basic cognitive functions.
Unexpected Mycoplasma hominis infection in two renal transplant recipients traced back to the same donor by whole-genome sequencing
Authors: Hinić V. , Seth-Smith H. M. B. , Damm S. , Amico P. , Khanna N. , Egli A. , Bättig V.
Published: December 2020

Mycoplasma hominis is a common colonizer of the lower genitourinary tract. Although its clinical relevance for causing urogenital infections in immunocompetent individuals is controversial, this bacterium has been involved in severe invasive infections in allograft recipients. In this report, we describe two cases of M. hominis infection in two young renal transplant recipients within the first month post-transplant. Although at first no epidemiological link between the two cases had been suspected, whole-genome sequencing (WGS) analysis showed that both isolates were identical, highly suggestive of an origin with the common organ donor.
Voluntary private health insurance, health-related behaviours and health outcomes: evidence from Russia
Authors: Aistov Andrey , Aleksandrova Ekaterina , Gerry Christopher J.
Published: December 2020

This paper contributes to the discussion around ex-post (increased utilisation of health care) and ex-ante (changes in health behaviours) moral hazard in supplemental private health insurance. Applying a range of methodologies to data from the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey—Higher School of Economics we exploit a selection mechanism in the data to compare the impact of workplace provided and individually purchased supplemental health insurance on the utilisation of health care, on a range of health behaviours and on self-assessed health. We find compelling policy-relevant evidence of ex-post moral hazard that confirms a theoretical prediction and empirical regularity found in other settings. In contrast to other empirical findings though, our data reveals evidence of ex-ante moral hazard demonstrated by clear behavioural differences between those with self-funded supplemental health insurance and those for whom the workplace finances the additional insurance. We find no evidence that either form of insurance is related to improved self-assessed health.
A note on the integrality gap of cutting and skiving stock instances
Authors: Martinovic John
Published: December 2020

In this paper, we consider the (additive integrality) gap of the cutting stock problem (CSP) and the skiving stock problem (SSP). Formally, the gap is defined as the difference between the optimal values of the ILP and its LP relaxation. For both, the CSP and the SSP, this gap is known to be bounded by 2 if, for a given instance, the bin size is an integer multiple of any item size, hereinafter referred to as the divisible case. In recent years, some improvements of this upper bound have been proposed. More precisely, the constants 3/2 and 7/5 have been obtained for the SSP and the CSP, respectively, the latter of which has never been published in English language. In this article, we introduce two reduction strategies to significantly restrict the number of representative instances which have to be dealt with. Based on these observations, we derive the new and improved upper bound 4/3 for both problems under consideration.
Integrated slice-specific dynamic shimming for whole-body diffusion-weighted MR imaging at 1.5 T
Authors: McElroy Sarah , Winfield Jessica M. , Westerland Olwen , Charles-Edwards Geoff , Bell Joanna , Neji Radhouene , Stemmer Alto , Kiefer Berthold , Streetly Matthew , Goh Vicky
Published: December 2020

Objective

To compare integrated slice-specific dynamic shim (iShim) with distortion correction post-processing to conventional 3D volume shim for the reduction of artefacts and signal loss in 1.5 T whole-body diffusion-weighted imaging (WB-DWI).

Methods

Ten volunteers underwent WB-DWI using conventional 3D volume shim and iShim. Forty-eight consecutive patients underwent WB-DWI with either volume shim (n = 24) or iShim (n = 24) only. For all subjects, displacement of the spinal cord at imaging station interfaces was measured on composed b = 900 s/mm2 images. The signal intensity ratios, computed as the average signal intensity in a region of high susceptibility gradient (sternum) divided by the average signal intensity in a region of low susceptibility gradient (vertebral body), were compared in volunteers. For patients, image quality was graded from 1 to 5 (1 = Poor, 5 = Excellent). Signal intensity discontinuity scores were recorded from 1 to 4 (1 = 2 + steps, 4 = 0 steps). A p value of < 0.05 was considered significant.

Results

Spinal cord displacement artefacts were lower with iShim (p < 0.05) at the thoracic junction in volunteers and at the cervical and thoracic junctions in patients (p < 0.05). The sternum/vertebra signal intensity ratio in healthy volunteers was higher with iShim compared with the volume shim sequence (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences between the volume shim and iShim patient groups in terms of image quality and signal intensity discontinuity scores.

Conclusion

iShim reduced the degree of spinal cord displacement artefact between imaging stations and susceptibility-gradient-induced signal loss.
Simulated basis sets for semi-LASER: the impact of including shaped RF pulses and magnetic field gradients
Authors: Jalnefjord Oscar , Pettersson Patrick , Lundholm Lukas , Ljungberg Maria
Published: December 2020

Objective

To study the need for inclusion of shaped RF pulses and magnetic field gradients in simulations of basis sets for the analysis of proton MR spectra of single voxels of the brain acquired with a semi-LASER pulse sequence.

Materials and methods

MRS basis sets where simulated at different echo times with hard RF pulses as well as with shaped RF pulses without or with magnetic field gradients included. The influence on metabolite concentration quantification was assessed using both phantom and in vivo measurements. For comparison, simulations and measurements were performed with the PRESS pulse sequence.

Results

The effect of including gradients in the simulations was smaller for semi-LASER than for PRESS, however, still noticeable. The difference was larger for strongly coupled metabolites and at longer echo times. Metabolite quantification using semi-LASER was thereby less dependent on the inclusion of gradients than PRESS, which was seen in both phantom and in vivo measurements.

Discussion

The inclusion of the shaped RF pulses and magnetic field gradients in the simulation of basis sets for semi-LASER is only important for strongly coupled metabolites. If computational time is a limiting factor, simple simulations with hard RF pulses can provide almost as accurate metabolite quantification as those that include the chemical-shift related displacement.
Cross-border buyout pricing
Authors: Hammer Benjamin , Janssen Nils , Schwetzler Bernhard
Published: December 2020

Using a dataset of 1149 global private equity transactions, we find that cross-border buyouts are associated with significantly higher valuation multiples than domestic ones. We attribute this finding to informational disadvantages of foreign acquirers. Consistent with this idea, we find that the spread in valuation multiples narrows when the target operates in a country with high accounting standards, when it was publicly listed prior to the buyout, and when information production is facilitated due to large firm size. Further results suggest that local partnering in a syndicate serves as an effective remedy to avoid adverse pricing effects. The spread in valuation multiples is also less pronounced for large buyout funds, presumably because they draw on sufficient organizational resources to cope with cross-border-related transaction costs.
Struktur? Physis? Situation? Zur Erklärung von Gewalt
Authors: Kron Thomas , Verneuer Lena M.
Published: December 2020

Die soziologische Gewaltforschung verharrt vor allem in der begrifflichen Auseinandersetzung um das Gewaltverständnis. Der vorliegende Beitrag lenkt den Blick dagegen auf die Erklärung von Gewalt und zieht das struktur-individualistische Grundmodell soziologischer Erklärung von Coleman und Esser heran, um die Diskussionslinien zu vereinen. Hierfür wird skizziert, welche Diskussionsstränge in der Gewaltforschung auszumachen sind und welche Leerstellen nach wie vor bestehen. Der Bezugsrahmen des Grundmodells wird daran anschließend unter Rückgriff auf Randall Collins’ situationale Perspektive auf Gewalt entlang der Logik der Situation, der Selektion und der Aggregation vertiefend vorgestellt. Es wird gezeigt, dass dieser Bezug ermöglicht, die scheinbar unvereinbaren Positionen innerhalb der Gewaltforschung nicht nur zu verorten, sondern explanatorisch zu integrieren.
Time efficient laser modification of steel surfaces for advanced bonding in hybrid materials
Authors: Voswinkel D. , Kloidt D. , Grydin O. , Schaper M.
Published: December 2020

Laser surface treatment of metals is one option to improve their properties for adhesive bonding. In this paper, a pulsed YVO4 Laser source with a wavelength of 1064 nm and a maximum power of 25 W was utilized to increase the surface area of the steel HCT490X in order to improve its bonding properties with a carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP). Investigated was the influence of the scanning speed of the laser source on the bonding properties. For this purpose, the steel surfaces were ablated at a scanning speed between 1500 and 4500 mm/s. Afterwards the components were bonded with the adhesive HexBond™ 677. After lap shear tests were carried out on the specimen, the surfaces were inspected using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The experiments revealed that the bonding quality can be improved with a high scanning speed, even when the surface is not completely ablated.
TLR8 in the Trigeminal Ganglion Contributes to the Maintenance of Trigeminal Neuropathic Pain in Mice
Authors: Zhao Lin-Xia , Jiang Ming , Bai Xue-Qiang , Cao De-Li , Wu Xiao-Bo , Zhang Jing , Guo Jian-Shuang , Chen Tong-Tong , Wang Juan , Wu Hao , Gao Yong-Jing , Zhang Zhi-Jun
Published: December 2020

Trigeminal neuropathic pain (TNP) is a significant health problem but the involved mechanism has not been completely elucidated. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) have recently been demonstrated to be expressed in the dorsal root ganglion and involved in chronic pain. Here, we show that TLR8 was persistently increased in the trigeminal ganglion (TG) neurons in model of TNP induced by partial infraorbital nerve ligation (pIONL). In addition, deletion or knockdown of Tlr8 in the TG attenuated pIONL-induced mechanical allodynia, reduced the activation of ERK and p38-MAPK, and decreased the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the TG. Furthermore, intra-TG injection of the TLR8 agonist VTX-2337 induced pain hypersensitivity. VTX-2337 also increased the intracellular Ca2+ concentration, induced the activation of ERK and p38, and increased the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the TG. These data indicate that TLR8 contributes to the maintenance of TNP through increasing MAPK-mediated neuroinflammation. Targeting TLR8 signaling may be effective for the treatment of TNP.
Die internationale Klimapolitik nach Paris: EU-Leadership auf dem Prüfstand
Authors: Kurze Kristina
Published: December 2020

In den ersten Jahren nach der Einigung auf das Pariser Abkommen im Dezember 2015 haben sich die politischen Konstellationen deutlich verändert, wie etwa der weitgehende Rückzug der USA aus der internationalen Klimapolitik unter Präsident Trump zeigt. Der Beitrag analysiert, ob die EU vor diesem Hintergrund eine Führungsrolle ausfüllen und effektiv zur Umsetzung des Pariser Abkommens beitragen kann. Auf Grundlage theoretischer Annahmen zu Leadership in verschiedenen Phasen internationaler Kooperation wird argumentiert, dass die EU vor allem als ambitionierter Vorreiter eine Führungsrolle einnehmen kann.
Modeling user preference dynamics with coupled tensor factorization for social media recommendation
Authors: Tahmasbi Hamidreza , Jalali Mehrdad , Shakeri Hassan
Published: December 2020

An essential problem in real-world recommender systems is that user preferences are not static and users are likely to change their preferences over time. Recent studies have shown that the modelling and capturing the dynamics of user preferences lead to significant improvements on recommendation accuracy and, consequently, user satisfaction. In this paper, we develop a framework to capture user preference dynamics in a personalized manner based on the fact that changes in user preferences can vary individually. We also consider the plausible assumption that older user activities should have less influence on a user’s current preferences. We introduce an individual time decay factor for each user according to the rate of his preference dynamics to weigh the past user preferences and decrease their importance gradually. We exploit users’ demographics as well as the extracted similarities among users over time, aiming to enhance the prior knowledge about user preference dynamics, in addition to the past weighted user preferences in a developed coupled tensor factorization technique to provide top-K recommendations. The experimental results on the two real social media datasets—Last.fm and Movielens—indicate that our proposed model is better and more robust than other competitive methods in terms of recommendation accuracy and is more capable of coping with problems such as cold-start and data sparsity.
Attention-based hierarchical recurrent neural networks for MOOC forum posts analysis
Authors: Capuano Nicola , Caballé Santi , Conesa Jordi , Greco Antonio
Published: December 2020

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) allow students and instructors to discuss through messages posted on a forum. However, the instructors should limit their interaction to the most critical tasks during MOOC delivery so, teacher-led scaffolding activities, such as forum-based support, can be very limited, even impossible in such environments. In addition, students who try to clarify the concepts through such collaborative tools could not receive useful answers, and the lack of interactivity may cause a permanent abandonment of the course. The purpose of this paper is to report the experimental findings obtained evaluating the performance of a text categorization tool capable of detecting the intent, the subject area, the domain topics, the sentiment polarity, and the level of confusion and urgency of a forum post, so that the result may be exploited by instructors to carefully plan their interventions. The proposed approach is based on the application of attention-based hierarchical recurrent neural networks, in which both a recurrent network for word encoding and an attention mechanism for word aggregation at sentence and document levels are used before classification. The integration of the developed classifier inside an existing tool for conversational agents, based on the academically productive talk framework, is also presented as well as the accuracy of the proposed method in the classification of forum posts.
Gender recognition in the wild: a robustness evaluation over corrupted images
Authors: Greco Antonio , Saggese Alessia , Vento Mario , Vigilante Vincenzo
Published: December 2020

In the era of deep learning, the methods for gender recognition from face images achieve remarkable performance over most of the standard datasets. However, the common experimental analyses do not take into account that the face images given as input to the neural networks are often affected by strong corruptions not always represented in standard datasets. In this paper, we propose an experimental framework for gender recognition “in the wild”. We produce a corrupted version of the popular LFW+ and GENDER-FERET datasets, that we call LFW+C and GENDER-FERET-C, and evaluate the accuracy of nine different network architectures in presence of specific, suitably designed, corruptions; in addition, we perform an experiment on the MIVIA-Gender dataset, recorded in real environments, to analyze the effects of mixed image corruptions happening in the wild. The experimental analysis demonstrates that the robustness of the considered methods can be further improved, since all of them are affected by a performance drop on images collected in the wild or manually corrupted. Starting from the experimental results, we are able to provide useful insights for choosing the best currently available architecture in specific real conditions. The proposed experimental framework, whose code is publicly available, is general enough to be applicable also on different datasets; thus, it can act as a forerunner for future investigations.
Characterizing Immune Responses in Whole Slide Images of Cancer With Digital Pathology and Pathomics
Authors: Gupta Rajarsi , Le Han , Van Arnam John , Belinsky David , Hasan Mahmudul , Samaras Dimitris , Kurc Tahsin , Saltz Joel H.
Published: December 2020

Purpose of Review

Our goal is to show how readily available Pathomics tissue analytics can be used to study tumor immune interactions in cancer. We provide a brief overview of how Pathomics complements traditional histopathologic examination of cancer tissue samples. We highlight a novel Pathomics application, Tumor-TILs, that quantitatively measures and generates maps of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes in breast, pancreatic, and lung cancer by leveraging deep learning computer vision applications to perform automated analyses of whole slide images.

Recent Findings

Tumor-TIL maps have been generated to analyze WSIs from thousands of cases of breast, pancreatic, and lung cancer. We report the availability of these tools in an effort to promote collaborative research and motivate future development of ensemble Pathomics applications to discover novel biomarkers and perform a wide range of correlative clinicopathologic research in cancer immunopathology and beyond.

Tumor immune interactions in cancer are a fascinating aspect of cancer pathobiology with particular significance due to the emergence of immunotherapy. We present simple yet powerful specialized Pathomics methods that serve as powerful clinical research tools and potential standalone clinical screening tests to predict clinical outcomes and treatment responses for precision medicine applications in immunotherapy.
Tele-medicine versus face-to-face consultation in Endocrine Outpatients Clinic during COVID-19 outbreak: a single-center experience during the lockdown period
Authors: Ceccato F. , Voltan G. , Sabbadin C. , Camozzi V. , Merante Boschin I. , Mian C. , Zanotto V. , Donato D. , Bordignon G. , Capizzi A. , Carretta G. , Scaroni C.
Published: December 2020

Context

The COVID-19 outbreak in Italy is the major concern of Public Health in 2020: measures of containment were progressively expanded, limiting Outpatients’ visit.

Objective

We have developed and applied an emergency plan, tailored for Outpatients with endocrine diseases.

Design

Cross-sectional study from March to May 2020.

Setting

Referral University-Hospital center.

Patients

1262 patients in 8 weeks.

Interventions

The emergency plan is based upon the endocrine triage, the stay-safe procedures and the tele-Endo. During endocrine triage every patient was contacted by phone to assess health status and define if the visit will be performed face-to-face (F2F) or by tele-Medicine (tele-Endo). In case of F2F, targeted stay-safe procedures have been adopted. Tele-Endo, performed by phone and email, is dedicated to COVID-19-infected patients, to elderly or frail people, or to those with a stable disease.

Main outcome measure

To assess efficacy of the emergency plan to continue the follow-up of Outpatients.

Results

The number of visits cancelled after endocrine triage (9%) is lower than that cancelled independently by the patients (37%, p < 0.001); the latter reduced from 47 to 19% during the weeks of lockdown (p = 0.032). 86% of patients contacted by endocrine-triage received a clinical response (F2F and tele-Endo visits). F2F visit was offered especially to young patients; tele-Endo was applied to 63% of geriatric patients (p < 0.001), visits’ outcome was similar between young and aged patients.

Conclusions

The emergency plan respects the WHO recommendations to limit viral spread and is useful to continue follow-up for outpatients with endocrine diseases.
The distribution of the tax burden and the income distribution: theory and empirical evidence
Authors: Benassi Corrado , Randon Emanuela
Published: December 2020

We compare the tax burden distribution across incomes and the income share distribution, based on a stochastic dominance approach. We find conditions to assess the progressivity of different sources of taxes, given knowledge of the income share elasticities, which measure the relative marginal change in the income share accruing to each class of income, associated to a marginal increase in income. We first consider a simple setting with only indirect taxes and then extend it to savings and direct taxation. The progressivity of a given set of taxes depends on the correlation between the relative incidence of the different sources of taxation and the income elasticity of household net expenditure. We use this approach to test empirically for the progressivity of the fiscal system.
Zwischen Wunde und twalm
Authors: von Müller Mareike
Published: December 2020

Der Begriff der Vulnerabilität ist interdisziplinär verbreitet, erfährt aber erst in jüngerer Zeit eine zunehmende historische Profilierung. Trotz eines gegenwärtig erstarkten Interesses an Vulnerabilitätskonzepten in der Literatur sind grundlegende terminologische Differenzierungen gerade in historischer Perspektive noch zu leisten. Der vorliegende Beitrag setzt bei der Unterscheidung der Begriffe ›Verletzung‹ und ›Verwundung‹ an, um mit dem axiologischen Mehrwert der Wunde gegenüber der Verletzung einen wesentlichen Aspekt von Vulnerabilität herauszuarbeiten. An Beispiel von Hartmanns Erec soll gezeigt werden, dass Differenzierungen dieser Art literarisch nicht nur antizipiert, sondern poetisch reflektiert werden. Erecs Kampfverletzung, die wiederaufgebrochene Wunde und sein twalm auf Limors adressieren unterschiedliche Modi von Verletzlichkeit und Vulnerabilität, die der Beitrag zu konturieren anstrebt. Dabei steht die produktive Dynamik, die vulnerablen Zuständen eignet, im Fokus der Diskussion. Dieses Potential möchte der Beitrag mit der Unterscheidung von narrativer, metaphorischer und strategischer Vulnerabilität näher beleuchten.
New Work: Die Effekte von Leader-Member Exchange auf psychologisches Empowerment, extraproduktives Verhalten und Fluktuationsabsicht der Mitarbeitenden
Authors: Lorra Jana , Möltner Hannah
Published: December 2020

New Work ist aktuell fraglos ein Trendthema, wobei darunter je nach Façon jedoch unterschiedlichste neue Formen der Arbeitsgestaltung verstanden werden. Trotz der Unterschiedlichkeit steht die Demokratisierung von Unternehmen und die Ermächtigung der darin arbeitenden Menschen im Fokus von New Work. Der vorliegende Beitrag stellt daher Bezüge zwischen New Work und der Literatur zum psychologischen Empowerment her. Letzteres beschreibt einen Zustand, in dem Mitarbeitende Macht und Selbstbestimmung erleben. Dafür ist die Beziehung zwischen Führung und Mitarbeitenden besonders relevant, da die neuen Arbeitsformen darauf abzielen Hierarchien abzubauen. Anhand einer quantitativen Erhebung (N = 150) an zwei Erhebungszeitpunkten wird untersucht, ob der Zusammenhang zwischen Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) und Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB) bzw. der Fluktuationsabsicht über psychologisches Empowerment mediiert wird. Die Ergebnisse des Strukturgleichungsmodells stützen die angenommen indirekten Zusammenhänge zwischen LMX und OCB als auch zwischen LMX und Fluktuationsabsicht, vermittelt jeweils durch das psychologische Empowerment. Der direkte Effekt zwischen LMX und OCB und zwischen LMX und Fluktuationsabsicht erreichte keine statistische Signifikanz. Somit mediiert psychologisches Empowerment die beiden Zusammenhänge vollständig.

Praktische Relevanz:Die Ergebnisse unterstreichen die Bedeutung von psychologischem Empowerment im Führungskontext. Somit ist die Förderung von psychologischem Empowerment für Führungskräfte ein zentraler Ansatzpunkt zur Verringerung der Fluktuationsabsicht der Mitarbeitenden und zur Aufrechterhaltung und Stärkung von OCB.
Dyke failures in the Province of Groningen (Netherlands) associated with the 1717 Christmas flood: a reconstruction based on geoscientific field data and numerical simulations
Authors: Röbke Björn R. , Oost Albert , Bungenstock Friederike , Fischer Peter , Grasmeijer Bart , Hadler Hanna , Obrocki Lea , Pagels Julia , Willershäuser Timo , Vött Andreas
Published: December 2020

The 1717 Christmas flood is one of the most catastrophic storm surges the Frisian coast (Netherlands and Germany) has ever experienced. With more than 13,700 casualties it is the last severe storm surge with a death toll of this order. At the same time, little is known about the hydrodynamic conditions and the morphological effects associated with this storm surge.

In this study, 41 potential dyke failures in the Province of Groningen (Netherlands) associated with the 1717 Christmas flood were systematically reconstructed and mapped by using historical maps and literature and by analysing the recent topography in search of typical pothole structures and sediment fans. The dimensions of the sediment fans as derived from the topography show a good accordance with the dimensions documented by vibracore profiles, direct push tests and electrical resistivity tomography data taken at three fieldwork sites. Moreover, the fan dimensions closely agree with the dimensions as simulated using a process-based morphodynamic numerical model for one of the three sites, the village of Wierhuizen. Consequently, the recent topography is still indicative for the locations and dimensions of dyke failures and sediment fans associated with the 1717 Christmas flood. Considering the large number of detected dyke failures (41) and the large dimensions of the potholes and particularly of the sediment fans up to a few hundred metres wide and up to 0.7 m thick, this study proves significant morphological effects of the 1717 Christmas flood on the mainland of the Province of Groningen.

Based on the numerical simulation approach and the comparison with field data and field observations, a maximum seaward water level of 5 m NAP for the dyke failure at Wierhuizen during the Christmas flood can be derived. A similar maximum water level is indicated for the two other fieldwork sites Vierhuizen and Kohol, which is in good agreement with the maximum storm surge level of 4.62 m NAP historically documented for the city of Emden located almost 50 km to the east of Wierhuizen.

The results of the current study demonstrate that the reconstruction of historical dyke failures based on (i) historical sources, (ii) recent lidar/high-resolution topographical data, (iii) multi-proxy sedimentary field data and (iv) hydro- and morphodynamic numerical simulations is a highly promising approach to derive hydrodynamic conditions and the morphological onshore response of the 1717 Christmas flood in the Province of Groningen. This knowledge is essential to improve our understanding of extreme storm surge dynamics, their influence on the coastal landscape and the associated hazards for the coastal population.