bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Darwinian Selection Discriminates Young Athletes: the Relative Age Effect in Relation to Sporting Performance
Authors: Jakobsson Johan , Julin A. Lennart , Persson Glenn , Malm Christer
Published: March 2021

Background

The relative age effect (RAE) is a worldwide phenomenon, allowing sport participation and elite selection to be based on birthdate distribution. Negative consequences include both a narrow, non-optimal elite selection and negative health effects on entire populations. This study investigated the RAE and athletic performance in multiple individual sports in Sweden.

Methods

Birthdates of athletes born between the years 1922 and 2015 were collected across 4-month periods (tertiles: T1, T2, T3) from cross-country skiing (N = 136,387), orienteering (N = 41,164), athletics (N = 14,503), alpine skiing (N = 508), E-sports (N = 47,030), and chess (N = 4889). In total, data from 244,560 athletes (women: N = 79,807, men: N = 164,753) was compared to the complete parent population of 5,390,954 births in Sweden during the same years. Chi-squared statistics compared parent and cohort distributions stratified by sport, sex, and age.

Results

A significantly skewed distribution of birthdates was present in all sports, both sexes, and most age groups. The largest RAEs are seen in children where T1 often constitutes 40–50% and T3, 20–25% of the population. In E-sports, an inversed RAE was seen in adults. In most investigated sports, birthdate distribution was correlated to performance in children but not in adults.

Conclusions

Skewed birthdate distributions were consistently prevalent in all investigated individual sports in Sweden, both physically demanding and cognitive/skill-based. As sport participation is related to total level of physical activity, both present and future, failing to address the RAE issue at an early age will result not only in a narrow and arbitrary selection for adult elite athletes but also in a negative impact on public health.
Current and prospective control strategies of influenza A virus in swine
Authors: Salvesen Hamish A. , Whitelaw C. Bruce A.
Published: March 2021

Background

Influenza A Viruses (IAV) are endemic pathogens of significant concern in humans and multiple keystone livestock species. Widespread morbidity in swine herds negatively impacts animal welfare standards and economic performance whilst human IAV pandemics have emerged from pigs on multiple occasions. To combat the rising prevalence of swine IAV there must be effective control strategies available.

Main body

The most basic form of IAV control on swine farms is through good animal husbandry practices and high animal welfare standards. To control inter-herd transmission, biosecurity considerations such as quarantining of pigs and implementing robust health and safety systems for workers help to reduce the likelihood of swine IAV becoming endemic. Closely complementing the physical on-farm practices are IAV surveillance programs. Epidemiological data is critical in understanding regional distribution and variation to assist in determining an appropriate response to outbreaks and understanding the nature of historical swine IAV epidemics and zoonoses.

Medical intervention in pigs is restricted to vaccination, a measure fraught with the intrinsic difficulties of mounting an immune response against a highly mutable virus. It is the best available tool for controlling IAV in swine but is far from being a perfect solution due to its unreliable efficacy and association with an enhanced respiratory disease. Because IAV generally has low mortality rates there is a reticence in the uptake of vaccination.

Novel genetic technologies could be a complementary strategy for IAV control in pigs that confers broad-acting resistance. Transgenic pigs with IAV resistance are useful as models, however the complexity of these reaching the consumer market limits them to research models. More promising are gene-editing approaches to prevent viral exploitation of host proteins and modern vaccine technologies that surpass those currently available.

Conclusion

Using the suite of IAV control measures that are available for pigs effectively we can improve the economic productivity of pig farming whilst improving on-farm animal welfare standards and avoid facing the extensive social and financial costs of a pandemic. Fighting ‘Flu in pigs will help mitigate the very real threat of a human pandemic emerging, increase security of the global food system and lead to healthier pigs.
Ameliorative potentials of Persea americana leaf extract on toxicants - induced oxidative assault in multiple organs of wistar albino rat
Authors: Ogunmoyole Temidayo , Dada Iretiogo , Adebamigbe Oluwatosin Adebukola
Published: March 2021

Background

Persea americana (PA) is a popular medicinal plant in folkloric medicines. The present study therefore investigates the ameliorative potentials of its leaves extract on carbon tetrachloride and rifampicin-induced toxicity in the liver, kidney and heart of albino rat. This was aimed at assessing the potentials of the plant in the management of liver, kidney and heart diseases.

Methodology

Forty (40) rats were randomly divided into eight (8) groups of five animals each. Groups I and II were administered with only distilled water and carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) respectively. Groups III and IV animals received 3.0 ml/kg bw of CCl4 and were treated with the extract at 50 mg/kg bw and 100 mg/kg respectively, while group V received 100 mg/kg bw. of silymarin orally for 14 days. Groups VI animals were administered with rifampicin (250 mg/kg bw.) only, while groups VII and VIII animals received rifampicin and were treated with 50 mg and 100 mg/kg bw of the extract respectively. Activities of creatine kinase, aspartate amino transferase, alanine amino transferase, alkaline phosphatase, superoxide dismutase, catalase as well as levels of urea, uric acid, bilirubin and malonidialdehyde (MDA) were assayed. Lipid profiles and histopathological examination of liver and kidney slices were also performed.

Result

Treatment with P. americana significantly (p < 0.05) restored all deranged biochemical parameters (creatine kinase, aspartate amino transferase, alanine amino transferase, alkaline phosphatase, urea, uric acid, bilirubin, MDA, lipid profile as well as superoxide dismutase and catalase) in a dose-dependent manner. Normal hepatic and renal histoarchitecture were also restored following treatment with P. americana.

Conclusion

Amelioration of distorted cardiac, hepatic and renal histoarchitecture as well as restoration of lipid profile, biomarkers of liver and kidney injury and antioxidant enzymes (catalase and superoxide dismutase) affirm the potential usefulness of P. americana in the management of liver, kidney and heart diseases.
Updated Integrated Analysis of the Efficacy and Safety of Entrectinib in Locally Advanced or MetastaticROS1Fusion–Positive Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Dziadziuszko Rafal , Krebs Matthew G. , De Braud Filippo , Siena Salvatore , Drilon Alexander , Doebele Robert C. , Patel Manish R. , Cho Byoung Chul , Liu Stephen V. , Ahn Myung-Ju , Chiu Chao-Hua , Farago Anna F. , Lin Chia-Chi , Karapetis Christos S. , Li Yu-Chung , Day Bann-mo , Chen David , Wilson Timothy R. , Barlesi Fabrice
Published: March 2021

PURPOSE

Genetic rearrangements of the tyrosine receptor kinase ROS proto-oncogene 1 ( ROS1) are oncogenic drivers in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We report the results of an updated integrated analysis of three phase I or II clinical trials (ALKA-372-001, STARTRK-1, and STARTRK-2) of the ROS1 tyrosine kinase inhibitor, entrectinib, in ROS1 fusion–positive NSCLC.

METHODS

The efficacy-evaluable population included adults with locally advanced or metastatic ROS1 fusion–positive NSCLC with or without CNS metastases who received entrectinib ≥ 600 mg orally once per day. Co-primary end points were objective response rate (ORR) assessed by blinded independent central review and duration of response (DoR). Secondary end points included progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), intracranial ORR, intracranial DoR, intracranial PFS, and safety.

RESULTS

In total, 161 patients with a follow-up of ≥ 6 months were evaluable. The median treatment duration was 10.7 months (IQR, 6.4-17.7). The ORR was 67.1% (n = 108, 95% CI, 59.3 to 74.3), and responses were durable (12-month DoR rate, 63%, median DoR 15.7 months). The 12-month PFS rate was 55% (median PFS 15.7 months), and the 12-month OS rate was 81% (median OS not estimable). In 24 patients with measurable baseline CNS metastases by blinded independent central review, the intracranial ORR was 79.2% (n = 19; 95% CI, 57.9 to 92.9), the median intracranial PFS was 12.0 months (95% CI, 6.2 to 19.3), and the median intracranial DoR was 12.9 months (12-month rate, 55%). The safety profile in this updated analysis was similar to that reported in the primary analysis, and no new safety signals were found.

CONCLUSION

Entrectinib continued to demonstrate a high level of clinical benefit for patients with ROS1 fusion–positive NSCLC, including patients with CNS metastases.
Magnetically stable zero-bias anomaly in Andreev contact to the magnetic Weyl semimetal Co3Sn2S2
Authors: Shvetsov O. O. , Barash Yu. S. , Egorov S. V. , Timonina A. V. , Kolesnikov N. N. , Deviatov E. V.
Published: March 2021

Being encouraged by the interplay between topology, superconductivity and magnetism, we experimentally investigate charge transport through the interface between the Nb superconductor and the time-reversal symmetry breaking Weyl semimetal Co3Sn2S2. In addition to the proximity-induced superconducting gap, we observe prominent subgap zero-bias anomaly. The anomaly demonstrates an unusual robustness to external magnetic fields: its width is absolutely stable up to the critical field of Nb, while its amplitude exhibits a weak non-monotonous variation. As the promising scenario of emergence of the zero-bias anomaly in transport characteristics, we consider the proximity-induced zero-energy Andreev bound states interfaced with the half-metallic Co3Sn2S2 and influenced by the strong spin-orbit coupling and large Zeeman splitting.
Thermoelectric properties of half Heusler topological semi-metal LiAuTe
Authors: Yadav Anita , Kumar Shailesh , Muruganathan Manoharan , Kumar Rakesh
Published: March 2021

In this article, we report theoretical investigations of topological and thermoelectric properties of the non-centrosymmetric compound LiAuTe which forms into a dynamically stable FCC structure of space group

. While HSE calculations reveal the compound as a topological semi-metal with a band inversion at the Γ-point, a high value of

as per its band structure calculations indicates its arising thermoelectric properties. From further investigations of thermoelectricity, the Seeback coefficient and power factor are

and

, respectively, which are comparable to those of well-known thermoelectric materials like HgTe, SnTe, etc. The theoretical investigations show that LiAuTe carries huge potentials for applications in spintronics as well as thermoelectricity, therefore needs to be synthesized and investigated experimentally.
Segregated Neighborhoods, Segregated Schools: Do Charters Break a Stubborn Link?
Authors: Rich Peter , Candipan Jennifer , Owens Ann
Published: March 2021

Residential and school segregation have historically mirrored each other, with school segregation seen as simply reflecting residential patterns given neighborhood-based school assignment policy. We argue that the relationship is circular, such that school options also influence residential outcomes. We hypothesize that the expansion of charter schools could simultaneously lead to an increase in school segregation and a decrease in residential segregation. We examine what happens when neighborhood and school options are decoupled via public school choice in the form of charter schools using data from the census and the Common Core of Data on a national sample of more than 1,500 metropolitan districts. We find that Black-White school segregation increased and residential segregation declined in response to increases in the charter enrollment share from 2000 to 2010. In districts with charter schools, the average increase in the charter enrollment share corresponded to a 12% increase in school segregation and 2% decline in residential segregation. We find no relationship between charter school expansion and school segregation between White and Hispanic students, perhaps because Hispanic students attend more racially diverse charters than White or Black students. White-Hispanic residential segregation declined as charter enrollment increased. Our results demonstrate that educational policy is consequential for both school and neighborhood population processes. When these two contexts are decoupled via public school choice, school and neighborhood segregation patterns move in opposite directions, rather than mirroring each other. Our findings also provide a cautionary lesson for unfettered expansion of choice without integration imperatives.
PDZD8-mediated lipid transfer at contacts between the ER and late endosomes/lysosomes is required for neurite outgrowth
Authors: Gao Yuan , Xiong Juan , Chu Qing-Zhu , Ji Wei-Ke
Published: March 2021

Membrane contact sites (MCSs) between the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and late endosomes/lysosomes (LE/lys) are emerging as critical hubs for diverse cellular events, and changes in their extents are linked to severe neurological diseases. While recent studies show that the synaptotagmin-like mitochondrial-lipid-binding (SMP) domain-containing protein PDZD8 may mediate the formation of ER–LE/lys MCSs, the cellular functions of PDZD8 remain largely elusive. Here, we attempt to investigate the lipid transfer activities of PDZD8 and the extent to which its cellular functions depend on its lipid transfer activities. In accordance with recent studies, we demonstrate that PDZD8 is a protrudin (ZFYVE27)-interacting protein and that PDZD8 acts as a tether at ER–LE/lys MCSs. Furthermore, we discover that the SMP domain of PDZD8 binds glycerophospholipids and ceramides both in vivo and in vitro, and that the SMP domain can transport lipids between membranes in vitro. Functionally, PDZD8 is required for LE/lys positioning and neurite outgrowth, which is dependent on the lipid transfer activity of the SMP domain.

This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
Intersection of motor volumes predicts the outcome of ambush predation of larval zebrafish
Authors: Bhattacharyya Kiran , McLean David L. , MacIver Malcolm A.
Published: March 2021

Escape maneuvers are key determinants of animal survival and are under intense selection pressure. A number of escape maneuver parameters contribute to survival, including response latency, escape speed and direction. However, the relative importance of these parameters is context dependent, suggesting that interactions between parameters and predatory context determine the likelihood of escape success. To better understand how escape maneuver parameters interact and contribute to survival, we analyzed the responses of larval zebrafish (Danio rerio) to the attacks of dragonfly nymphs (Sympetrum vicinum). We found that no single parameter explains the outcome. Instead, the relative intersection of the swept volume of the nymph's grasping organs with the volume containing all possible escape trajectories of the fish is the strongest predictor of escape success. In cases where the prey's motor volume exceeds that of the predator, the prey survives. By analyzing the intersection of these volumes, we compute the survival benefit of recruiting the Mauthner cell, a neuron in anamniotes devoted to producing escapes. We discuss how the intersection of motor volume approach provides a framework that unifies the influence of many escape maneuver parameters on the likelihood of survival.
The Short-Run Effects of the General Data Protection Regulation on Technology Venture Investment
Authors: Jia Jian , Jin Ginger Zhe , Wagman Liad
Published: March 2021

Jia et al. study the effects of the General Data Protection Regulation on technology venture investment in the European Union.
Time-Consistent Conditional Expectation Under Probability Distortion
Authors: Ma Jin , Wong Ting-Kam Leonard , Zhang Jianfeng
Published: March 2021

We introduce a new notion of conditional nonlinear expectation under probability distortion. Such a distorted nonlinear expectation is not subadditive in general, so it is beyond the scope of Peng’s framework of nonlinear expectations. A more fundamental problem when extending the distorted expectation to a dynamic setting is time inconsistency, that is, the usual “tower property” fails. By localizing the probability distortion and restricting to a smaller class of random variables, we introduce a so-called distorted probability and construct a conditional expectation in such a way that it coincides with the original nonlinear expectation at time zero, but has a time-consistent dynamics in the sense that the tower property remains valid. Furthermore, we show that in the continuous time model this conditional expectation corresponds to a parabolic differential equation whose coefficient involves the law of the underlying diffusion. This work is the first step toward a new understanding of nonlinear expectations under probability distortion and will potentially be a helpful tool for solving time-inconsistent stochastic optimization problems.
The significance of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis for postoperative complications of thyroid surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Gan X , Feng J , Deng X , Shen F , Lu J , Liu Q , Cai W , Chen Z , Guo M , Xu B
Published: March 2021

Introduction

Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) is one of the most common immune-mediated diseases. It makes thyroid surgery more complicated and difficult because there may be adhesions between the thyroid gland and surrounding structures. However, it is still controversial whether HT patients carry a high risk for postoperative complications of thyroid surgery. The purpose of this study was to investigate the significance of HT for the postoperative complications of thyroid surgery.

Methods

A search for studies assessing the postoperative complication risks of HT patients compared with that of patients with benign nodules (BNs) was performed in PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science. Nine studies (20,118 cases, 1,582 cases of HT and 18,536 cases of BN) were identified, and the data from the relevant outcomes were extracted and analysed.

Results

There were no significant differences between the HT group and BN group in recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy (RLNP) and permanent hypoparathyroidism (PHP). The rate of transient hypocalcaemia (THC) was significantly higher in the HT group (16.85%) than in the BN group (13.20%).

Conclusions

The meta-analysis showed that HT only increased the risk of the postoperative complication THC compared to BN. Understanding the significance of HT in postoperative hypoparathyroidism after thyroid surgery would help clinicians perform sufficient preoperative (and postoperative) assessments and to optimise surgical planning.
Novel skin graft donor site for the scalp transposition flap
Authors: Sawyer O , Zakaraite J
Published: March 2021

Transposition scalp flaps are a versatile solution for soft-tissue cover in a multitude of scalp defects. They are frequently used to reconstruct larger skin cancers that involve the outer table of the cranium in addition to covering neurosurgical bony defects and hardware. The transposition flap requires the donor site to be grafted using a split-thickness graft, which results in a secondary wound elsewhere on the body, commonly the lateral thigh. Although quite routine in such surgery, this procedure does require another body area to be prepared and draped. We sought to streamline this procedure with an adjustment to the location of the donor site. In harvesting the graft from the skin of the flap itself, we localised all surgery to one area, which has a number of logistical and patient-care advantages. Our experience has shown significant benefits from this technique and this is now our chosen and recommended donor site for these reconstructions.
Profunda femoris pseudoaneurysm rupture post dynamic hip screw fixation after physiotherapy
Authors: Hamdulay KA , Beresford TP
Published: March 2021

This case discusses an elderly female who presented acutely with compromised profunda femoris pseudoaneurysm and massive haematoma five weeks after dynamic hip screw insertion for a left neck of femur fracture. The only precipitating factor leading to this presentation was ongoing physiotherapy. She was referred from a rehabilitation hospital to the nearest vascular surgical unit for acute and definitive surgical intervention. Post-operatively, she fared incredibly well, regaining her baseline level of functioning. History taking is complex in a patient with dementia. Clinical examination should follow with a focused approach to the site of recent operation and also where complications are likely to manifest when an alteration from baseline cognitive function is noted. This is of course in addition to the complete work up required from a holistic perspective with any acute deterioration. Imaging should be arranged and prompt referral made if a treatable acute cause is identified. It is imperative to involve family and/or next of kin if possible, but this should not impede prompt decision-making in the patient’s best interests by the clinical team if delays are likely to occur.
Training in cardiothoracic surgery: how far is the other side of the table?
Authors: Jahangiri M , Hyde J , Sadler P , Tsui S
Published: March 2021

This article discusses the history and process of national selection of trainees, future workforce planning and projections in cardiothoracic surgery. In addition (and perhaps most importantly), it describes the challenges of the new, shorter, seven-year specialty training curriculum.
Quantum routings for single photons with different frequencies
Authors: Li Xingmin , Xin Jun , Li Guolong , Lu Xiao-Ming , Wei L. F.
Published: March 2021

Controllable single-photon routing takes the central roles in optical quantum networks for quantum information processing. Given that most of the schemes previously proposed are specifically designed for the photons with selected frequencies, here we investigate how to implement the routings of single photons with different frequencies. We show that the routing capabilities of the photons with different frequencies are manipulatable by properly designing the configuration of the scatters such as the cavity with embedded atoms and the channel boundaries. This is particularly important to implement the bandwidth routings of photons in future.
Rapid fabrication technique for aluminum optics by inducing a MRF contamination layer modification with Ar+ ion beam sputtering
Authors: Du Chunyang , Dai Yifan , Guan Chaoliang , Hu Hao
Published: March 2021

Aluminum optics are widely used in modern optical systems because of high specific stiffness and high reflectance. Magnetorheological finishing (MRF) provides a highly deterministic technology for high precision aluminum optics fabrication. However, the contamination layer will generate on the surface and bring difficulties for the subsequent processes, which highly limit the fabrication efficiency and precision. In this study, characteristics of the contamination layer and its formation process are firstly revealed through experimental and theoretical methods. Impurities such as abrasives are embedded into the aluminum substrate causing increasing surface hardness. The influence of the contaminant layer on machining accuracy and machining efficiency is analyzed in this study. Based on the analysis, ion beam sputtering (IBS) is induced as a contamination layer modification method. Impurities will be preferential sputtered during the process. Surface hardness and brightness will restore to the state before MRF. Moreover, the thickness of the contamination layer reduces dynamically during IBS because of the bombardment-induced Gibbsian segregation and sputter yield amplification mechanism. Consequently, we proposed a combined technique that includes MRF, IBS and smoothing polishing. Comparative experiments are performed on an elliptical shape plane surface. The results indicate that the efficiency has been increased sevenfold and surface precision is also highly improved. Our research will promote the application of aluminum optics to the visible and even ultraviolet band.
Multi-band terahertz linear polarization converter based on carbon nanotube integrated metamaterial
Authors: Xu Shi-Tong , Fan Fei , Ji Yun-Yun , Chang Sheng-Jiang
Published: March 2021

Herein, we fabricated and investigated the carbon nanotube (CNT) integrated metamaterial for orthogonal polarization control in the THz regime, which is composed of a sandwiched CNT layer with the adjacent metal gratings in the sub-wavelength integration. Under the mechanism of multilayer polarization selection and multiple reflections in CNT constructed micro-cavity, the perfect orthogonal polarization conversion is achieved and the transmittance spectrum presents multi-band peaks and valleys, which coincide with the theoretical Fabry-Perot resonance. Besides, by controlling the layer number and orientations of the middle CNT, the active modulation of the amplitude and phase in compound metamaterials are realized. Based on the simulation of CNT in the grating model, it obtains a good agreement with the experimental results, and the simulated electric field distribution also confirmed the inner polarization conversion mechanism. This work combines nanomaterials with optical microstructures and successfully applies them to the THz polarization control, which will bring new ideas for design novel THz devices.
Inverse design of broadband and lossless topological photonic crystal waveguide modes
Authors: Nussbaum Eric , Sauer Erik , Hughes Stephen
Published: March 2021

Topological photonic crystal waveguides can create edge states that may be more robust against fabrication disorder and can yield propagation modes below the light line. We present a fully three-dimensional method to modify state-of-the-art designs to achieve a significant bandwidth improvement for lossless propagation. Starting from an initial design with a normalized bandwidth of 7.5% (13.4 THz), the modification gives more than 100% bandwidth improvement to 16.2% (28.0 THz). This new design is obtained using an automatic differentiation enabled inverse design and a guided mode expansion technique to efficiently calculate the band structure and edge state modes.
Analog-digital hybrid chaos-based long-haul coherent optical secure communication
Authors: Fu Yudi , Cheng Mengfan , Shao Weidong , Luo Hanwen , Li Di , Deng Lei , Yang Qi , Liu Deming
Published: March 2021

We propose and numerically investigate a chaotic optical coherent secure communication scheme, which supports long-haul secure transmission for signals in advanced modulation formats. A hybrid optical chaos system is designed with coordination of digital and analog signals. The hybrid entropy source provides a broadband analog optical chaos signal, which could serve as the carrier to load quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) data. Simultaneously, a digital binary signal generated from the entropy source is transmitted to establish long-haul chaotic synchronization. Coherent detection is utilized at the receiver, and a digital signal processing (DSP) algorithm is adopted to reduce transmission distortion. A 5 Gbaud 16QAM signal is encrypted by a phase chaos carrier with the effective bandwidth of 5.8 GHz. A bit error rate (BER) below forward error correction (FEC) can be achieved after transmitting over 1600 km based on digital-signal-induced chaos synchronization technology. Optimal launch power is investigated to minimize nonlinear effects of transmission links. System security is guaranteed by the high dynamical complexity of the chaotic source and the sensitive time delay as the secret key.
Double-layer metalens with a reduced meta-atom aspect ratio
Authors: Yao Zan , Chen Wenjie , Chen Yuhang
Published: March 2021

A dielectric metalens usually has a rather high meta-atom aspect ratio, causing difficulty in fabrication. In this Letter, we develop a kind of metalens constituting two different materials, which can lead to a much lower meta-atom aspect ratio for a full

0
−
2

π

phase modulation. The designed metalens is composed of double-layer circular nanopillars, and the pillars are constructed by a polycrystalline silicon layer and a titanium dioxide (

T
i
O

2

) layer. The experimental results demonstrate that the required aspect ratio can be much smaller than that of a single material, and the metalens can realize a focusing spot close to the diffraction limit. Numerical simulations show that the double-layer metalens is also achromatic due to the different dispersion characteristics of the two materials as compared with its

T
i
O

2

only counterpart. Furthermore, it is polarization-independent with a focusing efficiency exceeding 22%.
Accurate inverse design of Fabry–Perot-cavity-based color filters far beyond sRGB via a bidirectional artificial neural network
Authors: Dai Peng , Wang Yasi , Hu Yueqiang , de Groot C. H. , Muskens Otto , Duan Huigao , Huang Ruomeng
Published: March 2021

Structural color based on Fabry–Perot (F-P) cavity enables a wide color gamut with high resolution at submicroscopic scale by varying its geometrical parameters. The ability to design such parameters that can accurately display the desired color is therefore crucial to the manufacturing of F-P cavities for practical applications. This work reports the first inverse design of F-P cavity structure using deep learning through a bidirectional artificial neural network. It enables the production of a significantly wider coverage of color space that is over 215% of sRGB with extremely high accuracy, represented by an average

Δ

E

2000

value below 1.2. The superior performance of this structural color-based neural network is directly ascribed to the definition of loss function in the uniform CIE 1976-Lab color space. Over 100,000 times improvement in the design efficiency has been demonstrated by comparing the neural network to the metaheuristic optimization technique using an evolutionary algorithm when designing the famous painting of “Haystacks, end of Summer” by Claude Monet. Our results demonstrate that, with the correct selection of loss function, deep learning can be very powerful to achieve extremely accurate design of nanostructured color filters with very high efficiency.
Reference intervals of common clinical biochemistry analytes in young Nigerian adults
Authors: Ayemoba Ojor , Okeji Nathan , Hussain Nurudeen , Umar Tahir , Ajemba-Life Anthony , Kene Terfa , Edom Uchechukwu , Ogueri Ikechukwu , Nwagbara Goodluck , Ochai Inalegwu , Adekanye Usman , Onoh Ikenna
Published: March 2021

Background

Reference intervals are assessment tools for interpretation of clinical test results. These intervals describe the dispersion of test parameter values of apparently healthy persons in defined populations as health status indicators. Using reference intervals obtained and validated in populations outside the geographical region of derivation for medical decision-making may impact negatively on clinical interpretation and patient management. Many countries have established their reference values, current studies on these data for Nigeria are however scarce. Determination of clinical biochemistry reference intervals for young Nigerian adults which is of particular importance in routine clinical management and conduct of clinical trials in response to existing and emerging diseases will add significantly to the existing body of knowledge.

Objective

The objective was to establish reference intervals for 24biochemistry analytes among Nigerians aged 18 to 26 years.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional study among 7,797 consenting male and female military applicants aged 18 to 26 years from 37 States of Nigeria. It was a total study among volunteers for military service. Blood samples were collected and subjected to serological testing for HIV-1 and 2, hepatitis-B, malaria, pregnancy and haematuria to restrict our study population to apparently healthy participants. Biochemical assays were performed on 6,169 participant samples that met the inclusion criteria. Generated data was entered into MS Excel® and exported into SPSS® software version 16 for analysis. Statistical tools used were frequencies, median, mid 95th percentile range with 2.5th and 97.5th percentiles as limits. Reference intervals were estimated using nonparametric methods. No intergender statistical comparison was made.

Results

Complete records were obtained for 6,169 eligible participants. Median values and associated reference intervals were similar in both genders.

Conclusion

The findings from this study will help in clinical decision-making and play a significant role in supporting the current global rapid expansion of clinical trials in response to the urgent need for preventive and therapeutic solutions to existing and emerging diseases.
A message-passing multi-task architecture for the implicit event and polarity detection
Authors: Xiang Chunli , Zhang Junchi , Ji Donghong
Published: March 2021

Implicit sentiment analysis is a challenging task because the sentiment of a text is expressed in a connotative manner. To tackle this problem, we propose to use textual events as a knowledge source to enrich network representations. To consider task interactions, we present a novel lightweight joint learning paradigm that can pass task-related messages between tasks during training iterations. This is distinct from previous methods that involve multi-task learning by simple parameter sharing. Besides, a human-annotated corpus with implicit sentiment labels and event labels is scarce, which hinders practical applications of deep neural models. Therefore, we further investigate a back-translation approach to expand training instances. Experiment results on a public benchmark demonstrate the effectiveness of both the proposed multi-task architecture and data augmentation strategy.
Serum β2-microglobulin levels in Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19): Another prognosticator of disease severity?
Authors: Conca Walter , Alabdely Mayyadah , Albaiz Faisal , Foster Michael Warren , Alamri Maha , Alkaff Morad , Al-Mohanna Futwan , Nagelkerke Nicolaas , Almaghrabi Reem Saad
Published: March 2021

β2-microglobulin (β2-m), a 11.8 kDa protein, pairs non-covalently with the α3 domain of the major histocompatibility class (MHC) Iα-chain and is essential for the conformation of the MHC class I protein complex. Shedβ2-m is measurable in circulation, and various disorders are accompanied by increases inβ2-m levels, including several viral infections. Therefore, we explored whetherβ2-m levels could also be elevated in Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) and whether they predict disease severity. Serumβ2-m levels were measured in a cohort of 34 patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 on admission to a tertiary care hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as well as in an approximately age-sex matched group of 34 uninfected controls. Meanβ2-m level was 3.25±1.68 mg/l (reference range 0.8–2.2 mg/l) in patients (mean age 48.2±21.6) and 1.98±0.61 mg/l in controls (mean age 48.2±21.6). 17 patients (mean age 36.9± 18.0) with meanβ2-m levels of 2.27±0.64 mg/l had mild disease by WHO severity categorization, 12 patients (mean age 53.3±18.1) with meanβ2-m levels of 3.57±1.39 mg/l had moderate disease, and five patients (of whom 2 died; mean age 74.4±13.8) with meanβ2-m levels of 5.85±1.85 mg/l had severe disease (P< = 0.001, by ANOVA test for linear trend). In multivariate ordinal regressionβ2-m levels were the only significant predictor of disease severity. Our findings suggest that higherβ2-m levels could be an early indicator of severity of disease and predict outcome of Covid-19. As the main limitations of the study are a single-center study, sample size and ethnicity, these results need confirmation in larger cohorts outside the Arabian Peninsula in order to delineate the value ofβ2-m measurements. The role ofβ2-m in the etiology and pathogenesis of severe Covid-19 remains to be elucidated.
What killed Indymedia? Lessons from the IMC experience of Australia
Authors: Baú Valentina
Published: March 2021

This article presents the reflections of the former activists who started and led the initial years of the ‘anti-capitalist’ struggle of Indymedia, as an alternative media platform in Australia. Through the interview analysis, the challenges experienced by the collective have been clustered into four themes: decentralization of the network; open publishing; social and political context; and the rise of commercial social media. The inquisitive process presented provides an understanding on the downturn of Indymedia and what this has left to contemporary online networks. In the end, additional reflections are offered that not only provide significant insights into both the rise and fall of the Indymedia network in Australia, but are also crucial for considering the opportunities and threats for online activist movements in the new social media landscape.
Addressing platform capitalism: The legacy of Indymedia and online participatory democracy
Authors: Grenfell Raymond
Published: March 2021

The rise of platform capitalism has meant great challenges for activists and social movements. The very idea of the internet as a tool for democratization, as embodied by the radical participatory network Indymedia, is being brought into question. As we adjust to the changing social and technological realities amid the COVID-19 pandemic, there are increasingly concerns over the influence and power of the tech oligopolies of platform capitalism. This article reviews literature on and around platform capitalism, and examines emerging issues in relation to the author’s experience as an Indymedia activist. Critically reflecting on these experiences and interviews in 2020 with other Indymedia activists, this article describes the rise and decline of this radical, participatory media network in Australia. In doing so the article examines the legacy of Indymedia and what lessons may be learnt for present and future activists seeking radical change.
Making Waves behind Bars: The Prison Radio Association, Charlotte Bedford (2018)
Authors: Jallov Birgitte
Published: March 2021

Review of: Making Waves behind Bars: The Prison Radio Association, Charlotte Bedford (2018)

Bristol: Bristol University Press, University of Bristol, 195 pp.,

ISBN 978-1-52920-336-3, h/bk, £36.00

ISBN 978-1-52920-343-1, ePUB, £7.19

ISBN 978-1-52920-336-3, Kindle, £8.50
Media Cultures in Latin America: Key Concepts and New Debates, A. C. Pertierra and J. F. Salazar (eds) (2020)
Authors: Casanova Jair Vega
Published: March 2021

Review of: Media Cultures in Latin America: Key Concepts and New Debates, A. C. Pertierra and J. F. Salazar (eds) (2020)

New York: Routledge, 208 pp.,

ISBN 978-1-138-35395-4, h/bk, US$112.00

ISBN 978-0-429-42512-7, e-book, US$34.27
Peligrosidad de inundaciones en Extremadura y daños asociados
Authors: López Rodríguez Enrique , Leco Berrocal Felipe , Mateos Rodríguez Ana Beatriz
Published: March 2021

Las inundaciones son uno de los riesgos naturales que producen mayores impactos a nivel humano, económico y ambiental, sólo en Europa causaron la pérdida de más de 8.000 vidas en el último siglo. En España los costes económicos asociados a las inundaciones en los últimos 40 años se estiman en más de 5.500.000.000 euros. El objetivo principal de este trabajo se centra en profundizar en el conocimiento de las inundaciones en Extremadura, tanto desde la óptica de la repercusión espacial de las áreas afectadas como de los impactos asociados a las mismas. El estudio se ha llevado a cabo desde una metodología cualitativa y descriptiva-analítica, utilizando Sistemas de Información Geográfica (SIG) para cartografiar, cuantificar y analizar las variables relacionadas con las inundaciones y con la gestión del riesgo.Los resultados señalan que en Extremadura la superficie considerada de “alto riesgo” afecta a 30.000 ha y cerca de 19.000 ha se encuentran en situación de “riesgo frecuente”, en tanto que el análisis socioeconómico del riesgo muestra que las áreas de regadío concentran la mayor superficie categorizada de “alto riesgo”. Se concluye, igualmente, que la cuenca extremeña del Guadiana presenta un mayor riesgo de inundaciones (70%) que la cuenca del Tajo (30%).
E-learning Platforms and E-learning Students: Building the Bridge to Success
Authors: Rodrigues Manuel , Gonçalves Sérgio , Fdez-Riverola Florentino
Published: March 2021

E-learning platforms are becoming more and more common in education and with organisations. They are seen as a complementary tool to support learning or, as in many cases, as the primary tool to do it (possibly the only one). In traditional learning, teachers can easily get an insight into how their students work and learn, and how they interact in the classroom. However, in online learning, it is more difficult for teachers to see how individual students behave. Affective states and learning styles are determinant in students’ performance. Together with stress, these are crucial factor to success. It is believed that the sole use of an E-learning platform can in itself be a cause of stress for students. Estimating, in a non-invasive way, such parameters, and taking measures to deal with them, are then the goal of this paper. We do not consider the use of dedicated sensors (invasive) such as special gloves or wrist bracelets since we intend not to be dependent on specific hardware and also because we believe that such specific hardware can induce for itself some alteration in the parameters being analysed. Our work focuses on the development of a new module (Dynamic Recognition Module) to incorporate in Moodle E-learning platform, to accommodate individualized support to E-learning students.
Bio-inspired Self-Adaptive Agents in Distributed Systems
Authors: Satoh Ichiro
Published: March 2021

This paper proposes a bio-inspired middleware for selfadaptive software agents on distributed systems. It is unique to other existing approaches for software adaptation because it introduces the notions of differentiation, dedifferentiation, and cellular division in cellular slime molds, e.g., dictyostelium discoideum, into real distributed systems. When an agent delegates a function to another agent coordinating with it, if the former has the function, this function becomes lessdeveloped and the latter’s function becomes welldeveloped.
AMADEUS: an adaptive multi-agent system to learn a user’s recurring actions in ambient systems
Authors: Guivarch Valérian , Camps Valérie , Péninou André
Published: March 2021

Ambient systems are characterized by their dynamics and their huge complexity.An important issue in this field is their capability to provide a relevant behaviour in order to satisfy users involved. Multi-agent systems, because of their ability to deal with dynamic, distributed and not deterministic environments, seem to be very promising to solve adaptation problems in ambient systems. The objective of our study is to propose Amadeus, a system able to learn the user’s behaviour in order to perform his recurrent actions on his behalf, independently of the ambient system in which it is applied. The originality of our contribution is to be generic and to promote a process able to learn at runtime without any prior learning phase and able to filter useful data for characterizing users' context.
An Architecture for Agent’s Risk Perception
Authors: Trindade Nuno , Antunes Luis
Published: March 2021

One of the critical issues in agent’s risk decisions is perception, specially because it assumes a key role on the decision process. This subject has not received enough attention in agent’s modelling literature. Until now, the main focus has been on the decision making process of agent’s and consecutive interpretation of their behaviours. In this sense, risk literature needs to focus on perception. It is through this cognitive process that all relation between individuals and the risk event will be recognized. In this sense, agent’s make decisions about a specific type of risk by taking into account their own perception. To help understanding how perception works, it became necessary to design the mechanisms and consequent context dimensions involved on it. Following this objective, we defined an architecture explaining this cognitive process. An architecture for agents’ risk perception complemented by the associated factors of context dimensions, in order to understand this subjective process, that happen in our minds  .
Multi agent gathering waste system
Authors: Lozano Murciego Álvaro , Villarrubia González Gabriel , López Barriuso Alberto , Hernández De La Iglesia Daniel , Revuelta Herrero Jorge
Published: March 2021

Along this paper, we present a new multi agent-based system to gather waste on cities and villages. We have developed a low cost wireless sensor prototype to measure the volume level of the containers. Furthermore a route system is developed to optimize the routes of the trucks and a mobile application has been developed to help drivers in their working days. In order to evaluate and validate the proposed system a practical case study in a real city environment is modeled using open data available and with the purpose of identifying limitations of the system.
Estudo da Personalidade de Dependentes Químicos a Partir do Modelo dos Cinco Grandes Fatores / Study of the Personality of Partial Chemical Dependents of the Five Big Factors Model
Authors: Oliveira Aislan José , Budel Eliziane Do Rocio , Ferro Luiz Roberto Marquezi , Almeida Marco Aurélio Aurélio Ramos de , Rivas Márcia Guimarães , Rezende Manuel Morgado
Published: March 2021

RESUMO Diversas variáveis estão implicadas no entendimento do fenômeno da dependência de substâncias psicoativas, dentre elas a personalidade. O presente estudo teve como objetivo comparar os resultados de traços de personalidade em uma amostra de vinte indivíduos do sexo masculino divididos em dois grupos compostos por dez participantes com diagnostico de dependência de substâncias psicoativas e dez participantes não dependentes a partir do modelo dos Cinco Grandes Fatores e os dados foram coletados por meio do instrumento NEO-FFI-R. Os resultados apontaram que o grupo de dependentes apresentaram escores mais altos para o fator neuroticismo quando comparados ao grupo de não dependentes e menores escores para fatores, abertura à experiência, amabilidade e conscienciosidade. Neste sentido o presente estudo visa contribuir como base para pesquisas futuras para ampliação do entendimento do papel dos fatores de personalidade na dinâmica do fenômeno de uso de substâncias psicoativas.
Sinal, classificador e ação construída em Libras: Um estudo sobre consciência linguística /Sign, Classifier and Constructed Action: A Study about Libras's Linguistic Awareness
Authors: LESSA-DE-OLIVEIRA Adriana Stella Cardoso , GURUNGA Carine Matos , OLIVEIRA-SAMPAIO Thamires
Published: March 2021

Resumo: A partir de resultados de dois trabalhos de pesquisas, que investigaram objetos inter-relacionados sobre a Libras, acerca da natureza gramatical dos elementos linguísticos: sinal, classificador e ações construídas (OLIVEIRA-SAMPAIO, 2020) e sobre consciência sintática em Libras (GURUNGA, 2020), discutimos sobre consciência linguística em falantes dessa língua, surdos e ouvintes, quanto à percepção de sinais em frases nas quais podem haver também classificadores e ações construídas. Tanto essas pesquisas quanto a discussão aqui realizada baseiam-se na Teoria Gerativa (CHOMSKY; 1995), no que diz respeito à verificação de aspectos sintáticos, e no modelo fonológico de línguas de sinais proposto por Lessa-de-Oliveira (2012; 2019), na verificação de aspectos relativos à estrutura fonológica da Libras. Como conclusão, verificamos que classificadores e ações construídas podem ser confundidos com sinais, devido a certas características articulatórias e semânticas, o que é indicativo de um grau de consciência linguística médio ou baixo.