bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Clinical and demographic characteristics of people who smoke versus inject crystalline methamphetamine in Australia: Findings from a pharmacotherapy trial
Authors: McKETIN Rebecca , Quinn Brendan , Higgs Peter , Berk Michael , Dean Olivia M. , Turner Alyna , Kelly Peter J. , Lubman Dan I. , Carter Gregory , Baker Amanda L. , Manning Victoria , Thomas Tamsin , Bathish Ramez , Raftery Dayle , Saunders Lucy , Wrobel Anna , Meehan Alcyone , Sinclair Barbara , Reid David , Arunogiri Shalini , Hill Harry , Cordaro Frank , Dietze Paul M.
Published: October 2020

Introduction and Aims

There has been a rapid increase in smoking crystalline methamphetamine in Australia. We compare the clinical and demographic characteristics of those who smoke versus inject the drug in a cohort of people who use methamphetamine.

Design and Methods

Participants (N = 151) were dependent on methamphetamine, aged 18–60 years, enrolled in a pharmacotherapy trial for methamphetamine dependence, and reported either injecting (n = 54) or smoking (n = 97) methamphetamine. Measures included the Timeline Followback, Severity of Dependence Scale, Amphetamine Withdrawal Questionnaire, Craving Experience Questionnaire and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (symptoms of depression, hostility, psychosis and suicidality). Simultaneous regression was used to identify independent demographic correlates of smoking methamphetamine and to compare the clinical characteristics of participants who smoked versus injected.

Results

Compared to participants who injected methamphetamine, those who smoked methamphetamine were younger and less likely to be unemployed, have a prison history or live alone. Participants who smoked methamphetamine used methamphetamine on more days in the past 4 weeks than participants who injected methamphetamine (26 vs. 19 days, P = 0.001); they did not differ significantly in their severity of methamphetamine dependence, withdrawal, craving or psychiatric symptoms (P > 0.05). After adjustment for demographic differences, participants who smoked had lower craving [b (SE) = −1.1 (0.5), P = 0.021] and were less likely to report psychotic symptoms [b (SE) = −1.8 (0.7), P = 0.013] or antidepressant use [b (SE) = −1.1 (0.5), P = 0.022].

Discussion and Conclusions

Smoking crystalline methamphetamine is associated with a younger less marginalised demographic profile than injecting methamphetamine, but a similarly severe clinical profile.
Osmotic demyelination syndrome diagnosed radiologically during Wilson’s disease investigation
Authors: Júnior S. F. A. , Ventura N. , Marchiori E.
Published: October 2020

Wilson’s disease (WD), also known as hepatolenticular degeneration, is a rare autosomal recessive disorder that results from abnormal ceruloplasmin metabolism, with copper deposition affecting multiple systems. Osmotic demyelination syndrome (ODS) refers to acute demyelination seen in the setting of osmotic changes, typically with the rapid correction of electrolyte disturbance. We present a 29‐year‐old male patient diagnosed with WD 1 year after the onset of extrapyramidal symptoms. Magnetic resonance imaging performed during hospitalization showed two patterns of pons involvement, which allowed the diagnosis of ODS in addition to WD. Classic imaging findings were observed and illustrate perfectly these two conditions.
Biometrics and quality of life of lymphoma patients: A longitudinal mixed‐model approach
Authors: Oliveira Alexandra , Silva Eliana , Aguiar Joyce , Faria Brígida Mónica , Reis Luís Paulo , Cardoso Henrique , Gonçalves Joaquim , Oliveira e Sá Jorge , Carvalho Victor , Marques Herlander
Published: October 2020

Knowledge Engineering has become essential in the fields of Medical and Health Care with emphasis for helping citizens to improve their health and quality of life. This includes individual methods and techniques in health‐related knowledge acquisition and representation and their application in the construction of intelligent systems capable of using the acquired information to improve the patients' health and/or quality of life. Haemato‐oncological diseases can provide significant disability and suffering, with severe symptoms and psychological distress. They can create difficulties in fulfilling professional, family and social roles, affecting an individual's quality of life. Health related quality of life (HRQoL) is a subjective concept but there is also an objective component related to physiological indicators. Some of these physiological indicators can be easily assessed by wearable technology such heart rate variability (HRV). This paper introduces an intelligent system to assess, in real‐time, potential HRV indices, that can predict HRQoL in lymphoma patients throughout chemotherapy treatment and to account the individuals' variability. The system is based on wearable technology and intelligent processing of the patients' biometric information to assess some quality of life related parameters. A longitudinal study was conducted among 16 lymphoma patients using this intelligent system. Mixed‐effect regression models were performed to investigate predictors for and time effects on HRQoL. There were no significant changes in all HRQoL domains over time. Some quality of life domains revealed similar time trends as HRV indices. These HRV indices also have a significant effect on the domains of quality of life.
Endocrine regulation of immunity in insects
Authors: Nunes Catarina , Sucena Élio , Koyama Takashi
Published: October 2020

Organisms have constant contact with potentially harmful agents that can compromise their fitness. However, most of the times these agents fail to cause serious disease by virtue of the rapid and efficient immune responses elicited in the host that can range from behavioural adaptations to immune system triggering. The immune system of insects does not comprise the adaptive arm, making it less complex than that of vertebrates, but key aspects of the activation and regulation of innate immunity are conserved across different phyla. This is the case for the hormonal regulation of immunity as a part of the broad organismal responses to external conditions under different internal states. In insects, depending on the physiological circumstances, distinct hormones either enhance or suppress the immune response integrating individual (and often collective) responses physiologically and behaviourally. In this review, we provide an overview of our current knowledge on the endocrine regulation of immunity in insects, its mechanisms and implications on metabolic adaptation and behaviour. We highlight the importance of this multilayered regulation of immunity in survival and reproduction (fitness) and its dependence on the hormonal integration with other mechanisms and life‐history traits.
Effect of ultrasonic treatment on peanut protein isolate‐oat dietary fibre mixture gels induced by transglutaminase
Authors: Niu Xi , Zhao Chengbin , Shi Qiankun , Wang Siqi , Zhao Yilin , Li Sheng , Yin Huanhuan , Lin Nan , Liu Jingsheng
Published: October 2020

The effects of ultrasonic treatment on the physicochemical properties of transglutaminase‐induced gels prepared by the mixture of peanut protein isolate (PPI) and oat dietary fibre (ODF) were investigated. The gel strength and water holding capacity (WHC) of PPI gels and PPI‐ODF mixture gels were enhanced after ultrasonic treatment, and ultrasonic PPI‐ODF mixture gels had higher gel strength and WHC than ultrasonic PPI gels. The ultrasonic treatment of mixture gels increased the storage modulus, loss modulus and the relative percentage of immobilised water, which formed more continuous and compact gel microstructure, especially ultrasonic treated mixture gel prepared by PPI and 9% of ODF. The decrease of α‐helix and the increase of β‐sheet and random coil were caused by ultrasonic treatment, which improved the gel strength and WHC of PPI‐ODF mixture gels. The results indicated that the ultrasonic treatment would be an effective method for improving gelation properties of PPI‐ODF mixture.
Assessing the impact of liberalisation policies on the Greek labour market: an insider–experts' view from the perspective of the varieties of liberalisation
Authors: Tourtouri Myrto , Pavlopoulos Dimitris , Papatheodorou Christos
Published: October 2020

During the recent Great Recession (2008–2018), Greece has become the prototype example of the implementation of austerity policies in Europe. Contrary to public discourse, these austerity policies were complemented by substantial labour market reforms that promoted employment and wage flexibility. This article aims to present a theory‐driven understanding of the implementation and the effects of these reforms. For this purpose, we employ a qualitative study consisting of semi‐structured interviews with 50 labour market experts—government officials and labour lawyers, academics, labour union representatives and employer association representatives. Using Thelen's framework on the Varieties of Liberalization, we conclude that, contrary to the initial aims of the reforms, Greece followed a trajectory of direct deregulation, reducing considerably the level of both coordination between employers and workers, and coverage of employment protection. The interviews show that the dismantling of collective bargaining system was the most decisive move in this path.
Ageing simulation in health and social care education: A mixed methods systematic review
Authors: Eost‐Telling Charlotte , Kingston Paul , Taylor Louise , Emmerson Louise
Published: October 2020

Aim

To identify, evaluate and summarize evidence from qualitative, quantitative and mixed method studies conducted using age suits or other age simulation equipment, with health and social care students.

Design

Convergent segregated mixed method review design as outlined by the Johanna Briggs Institute.

Data Sources

CINAHL (+ with Full Text), MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PubMed, SocINDEX, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Emerald Insight, Proquest nursing, Science Direct, Wiley Online and BioMed Central (January 2000–January 2020).

Review methods

Convergent segregated synthesis was used to synthesize evidence from the studies and the MERSQI checklist used to appraise quality.

Results

A total of 23 studies were reviewed: one randomized control, two post‐test only randomized control, three quasi‐experimental, 15 one‐group pre/post studies and two qualitative studies. Of the seventeen studies carrying out inferential statistics on attitude scores post intervention, 11 reported an improvement, three indicated no significant change and three reported worsening scores. Key themes included use of appropriate scales, type of equipment used, location and length of interactions, debriefing and contextualization of interventions in broader teaching.

Conclusion

The impact of ageing simulation interventions on health and social care student's attitudes to older people was predominantly positive. However, further high‐quality research is warranted to understand the optimal use of such interventions in the context of health care for a growing ageing population.

Impact

It is important health and social care staff have appropriate knowledge and training to enable them to provide high‐quality care to older people and challenge potential ageism in the system. This review adds to the body of work around the use of simulation and experiential learning to educate health and social care students about ageing and ageism. It also offers recommendations for using ageing simulations effectively to inform attitudes of prospective professionals who will influence future health and social care.
Host pre‐conditioning improves human adipose–derived stem cell transplantation in ageing rats after myocardial infarction: Role of NLRP3 inflammasome
Authors: Lee Tsung‐Ming , Harn Horng‐Jyh , Chiou Tzyy‐Wen , Chuang Ming‐Hsi , Chen Chun‐Hung , Chuang Chi‐Hsuan , Lin Po‐Cheng , Lin Shinn‐Zong
Published: October 2020

Functional decline of stem cell transplantation in ageing hosts is well documented. The mechanism for this is poorly understood, although it is known that advancing age does not provide an optimal milieu for exogenous stem cells to survive, engraft and differentiate. We showed that n‐butylidenephthalide improved human adipose–derived stem cell (hADSC) engraftment via attenuating the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). It remained unclear whether pre‐treated hosts with n‐butylidenephthalide can rejuvenate the ageing heart and improve hADSC engraftment by regulating the ROS/NLRP3 inflammasome‐mediated cardiac fibrosis after myocardial infarction. One hour after coronary ligation, hADSCs were transplanted into the hearts of young and ageing Wistar rats that were pre‐treated with or without n‐butylidenephthalide for 3 days. At day 3 after infarction, myocardial infarction was associated with an increase in ROS levels and NLRP3 inflammasome activity with age. hADSC transplant effectively provided a significant decrease in ROS levels, NLRP3 inflammasome activity, IL‐1β levels and cardiac fibrosis in either young or old infarcted rats. However, the beneficial effects of hADSCs were greater in young compared with old rats in terms of NLRP3 inflammasome activity. The infarcted ageing rats pre‐conditioned by n‐butylidenephthalide improved engraftment and differentiation of hADSCs and additionally attenuated cardiac fibrosis compared with hADSCs alone. The anti‐inflammation effects of n‐butylidenephthalide were reversed by SIN‐1. In conclusions, the increased NLRP3 inflammasome activity plays the pathogenesis of ageing‐related functional hADSC decline in the ageing hosts. n‐butylidenephthalide‐pre‐treated ageing hosts reversibly ameliorate the harsh microenvironments, improve stem cell engraftment and attenuate cardiac fibrosis after myocardial infarction.
Thrombospondin‐2 stimulates MMP‐9 production and promotes osteosarcoma metastasis via the PLC, PKC, c‐Src and NF‐κB activation
Authors: Liu Ju‐Fang , Chen Po‐Chun , Chang Tsung‐Ming , Hou Chun‐Han
Published: October 2020

Osteosarcoma is an extremely common primary bone malignancy that is highly metastatic, with most deaths resulting from pulmonary metastases. The extracellular matrix protein thrombospondin‐2 (TSP‐2) is key to many biological processes, such as inflammation, wound repair and tissue remodelling. However, it is unclear as to what biological role TSP‐2 plays in human metastatic osteosarcoma. The immunochemistry analysis from osteosarcoma specimens identified marked up‐regulation of TSP‐2 in late‐stage osteosarcoma. Furthermore, we found that TSP‐2 increased the levels of matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP‐9) expression and thereby increased the migratory potential of human osteosarcoma cells. Osteosarcoma cells pre‐treated with an MMP‐9 monoclonal antibody (mAb), an MMP‐9 inhibitor, or transfected with MMP‐9 small interfering RNA (siRNA) reduced the capacity of TSP‐2 to potentiate cell migration. TSP‐2 treatment activated the PLCβ, PKCα, c‐Src and nuclear kappa factor B (NF‐κB) signalling pathways, while the specific siRNA, inhibitors and mutants of these cascades reduced TSP‐2‐induced stimulation of migration activity. Knockdown of TSP‐2 expression markedly reduced cell metastasis in cellular and animal experiments. It appears that an interaction between TSP‐2 and integrin αvβ3 activates the PLCβ, PKCα and c‐Src signalling pathways and subsequently activates NF‐κB signalling, increasing MMP‐9 expression and stimulating migratory activity amongst human osteosarcoma cells.
HP tectono‐metamorphic evolution of the Internal Piedmont Zone in Susa Valley (Western Alps): New petrologic insight from garnet+chloritoid‐bearing micaschists and Fe–Ti metagabbro
Authors: Ghignone Stefano , Borghi Alessandro , Balestro Gianni , Castelli Daniele , Gattiglio Marco , Groppo Chiara
Published: October 2020

New petrologic data from meta‐ophiolites exposed in a relatively poorly known sector of the Western Alps (i.e. Susa Valley, Internal Piedmont Zone) are reported. Garnet+chloritoid‐bearing phengitic micaschist and Fe–Ti metagabbro preserving eclogite facies assemblages have been investigated in detail to constrain the HP tectono‐metamorphic evolution of meta‐ophiolites in the study area. Microstructural investigations allowed to identify different assemblages related to different tectono‐metamorphic stages, whose pressure–temperature (P–T) conditions of the HP stages were constrained using the pseudosection modelling approach combined with multi‐equilibrium thermobarometry. Four main metamorphic stages have been recognized: (a) an Alpine peak‐P stage (M1a), which reached the HP–UHP eclogite facies boundary (P = 25–29 kbar, T = 460–510°C); (b) a slightly prograde decompression stage (M1b), still under eclogite facies conditions (P = 21–25 kbar, T = 500–530°C); (c) a greenschist facies re‐equilibration stage (M2); (d) a nearly isobaric late heating stage (M3), developed at the boundary between greenschist‐ and amphibolite facies conditions. The new P–T path inferred for the HP phases recorded by the studied meta‐ophiolites is compatible with that reported from other meta‐ophiolite units in the Western Alps, that is, the Zermatt–Saas ophiolite to the north and the Monviso ophiolite to the south, confirming that subduction of the Tethys oceanic lithosphere occurred at similar P–T regimes all along its length. The comparison with the tectonic evolution of the adjacent Dora Maira continental crustal unit suggest that the early exhumation of eclogitized oceanic crust likely occurred along the plate interface in the subduction channel, without the buoyancy contribution of continental crust.
Small‐time, large‐time, and asymptotics for the Rough Heston model
Authors: Forde Martin , Gerhold Stefan , Smith Benjamin
Published: October 2020

We characterize the behavior of the Rough Heston model introduced by Jaisson and Rosenbaum (2016, Ann. Appl. Probab., 26, 2860–2882) in the small‐time, large‐time, and (i.e., ) limits. We show that the short‐maturity smile scales in qualitatively the same way as a general rough stochastic volatility model , and the rate function is equal to the Fenchel–Legendre transform of a simple transformation of the solution to the same Volterra integral equation (VIE) that appears in El Euch and Rosenbaum (2019, Math. Financ., 29, 3–38), but with the drift and mean reversion terms removed. The solution to this VIE satisfies a space–time scaling property which means we only need to solve this equation for the moment values of and so the rate function can be efficiently computed using an Adams scheme or a power series, and we compute a power series in the log‐moneyness variable for the asymptotic implied volatility which yields tractable expressions for the implied vol skew and convexity which is useful for calibration purposes. We later derive a formal saddle point approximation for call options in the Forde and Zhang (2017) large deviations regime which goes to higher order than previous works for rough models. Our higher‐order expansion captures the effect of both drift terms, and at leading order is of qualitatively the same form as the higher‐order expansion for a general model which appears in Friz et al. (2018, Math. Financ., 28, 962–988). The limiting asymptotic smile in the large‐maturity regime is obtained via a stability analysis of the fixed points of the VIE, and is the same as for the standard Heston model in Forde and Jacquier (2011, Finance Stoch., 15, 755–780). Finally, using Lévy's convergence theorem, we show that the log stock price tends weakly to a nonsymmetric random variable as (i.e., ) whose moment generating function (MGF) is also the solution to the Rough Heston VIE with , and we show that tends weakly to a nonsymmetric random variable as , which leads to a nonflat nonsymmetric asymptotic smile in the Edgeworth regime, where the log‐moneyness as , and we compute this asymptotic smile numerically. We also show that the third moment of the log stock price tends to a finite constant as (in contrast to the Rough Bergomi model discussed in Forde et al. (2020, Preprint) where the skew flattens or blows up) and the process converges on pathspace to a random tempered distribution which has the same law as the hyper‐rough Heston model, discussed in Jusselin and Rosenbaum (2020, Math. Finance, 30, 1309–1336) and Abi Jaber (2019, Ann. Appl. Probab., 29, 3155–3200).
Primary central nervous system lymphoma in a patient treated with mycophenolate mofetil for lupus nephritis
Authors: García‐Grimshaw Miguel , Jiménez‐Ruiz Amado , Vega‐Boada Felipe Arturo , Falcón‐Antonio Orlando Emmanuel , Barrera‐Vargas Ana , Valdés‐Ferrer Sergio Iván
Published: October 2020

Primary central nervous system lymphoma is a rare and aggressive form of extranodal non‐Hodgkin lymphoma, and its occurrence in pharmacologically immunosuppressed patients has increased over the years. Currently, mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is one of the recommended treatment options for the induction and maintenance of lupus nephritis. The evidence regarding the development of PCNSL in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) treated with MMF is limited to a few case reports. We present the case of a 40‐year‐old woman with a history of SLE who developed PCNSL while treated with MMF for lupus nephritis and a review of all published cases with this association.
Retrograde signalling from the mitochondria to the nucleus translates the positive effect of ethylene on dormancy breaking of Arabidopsis thaliana seeds
Authors: Jurdak Rana , Launay‐Avon Alexandra , Paysant‐Le Roux Christine , Bailly Christophe
Published: October 2020

Ethylene and reactive oxygen species (ROS) regulate seed dormancy alleviation, but the molecular basis of their action and crosstalk remains largely unknown.

Here we studied the mechanism of Arabidopsis seed dormancy release by ethylene using cell imaging, and genetic and transcriptomics approaches, in order to tackle its possible interaction with ROS homeostasis.

We found that the effect of ethylene on seed germination required ROS production by the mitochondrial electron transport chain. Seed response to ethylene involved a mitochondrial retrograde response (MRR) through nuclear ROS production and upregulation of the MRR components AOX1a and ANAC013, but also required the activation of the ethylene canonical pathway.

Together our data allowed deciphering of the mode of action of ethylene on seed germination and the associated dynamics of ROS production. Our findings highlight the occurrence of retrograde signalling in seed germination.
Findings of remote monitoring of implantable cardioverter defibrillators during the COVID‐19 pandemic
Authors: De Larochellière Hugo , Champagne Jean , Sarrazin Jean‐François , Steinberg Christian , Philippon François , Roy Karine , Molin Franck , O'Hara Gilles , Plourde Benoit , Blier Louis , Nault Isabelle
Published: October 2020

Background

Monitoring of cardiac implantable electronic devices was highly impacted by the COVID‐19 pandemic considering the high volume of in‐person visits for regular follow‐up. Recent recommendations highlight the important role of remote monitoring to prevent exposure to the virus. This study compared remote monitoring of implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) in patients whose in‐person annual visit was substituted for a remote monitoring session with patients who were already scheduled for a remote monitoring session.

Methods

This was a cross‐sectional observational study of 329 consecutive patients between 20 March and 24 April 2020. Group 1 included 131 patients whose in‐person annual visit was substituted for a remote monitoring session. Group 2 included 198 patients who underwent a remote monitoring session as scheduled in their usual device follow‐up. The time interval since the last in‐person visit was 13.3 ± 3.2 months in group 1 and 5.9 ± 1.7 months in group 2 (P < .01).

Results

In group 1, 15 patients (11.5%) experienced a clinical event compared to 15 patients (7.6%) in group 2 (P = .25). Nineteen patients (14.5%) required a physician intervention in group 1 compared to 19 patients (9.6%) in group 2 (P = .22). Two patients (1.5%) in group 1 and four patients (2.0%) in group 2 required an early in‐person follow‐up visit during the pandemic (P > .99).

Conclusion

Remote monitoring of ICDs is useful to identify clinical events and allows physicians to treat patients appropriately during the COVID‐19 pandemic regardless of the time interval since their last in‐person visit. It reduces significantly in‐person visit for regular follow‐up.
Enhancing potassium content in leaves and stems improves drought tolerance of eucalyptus clones
Authors: Santos Elcio Ferreira , Mateus Nikolas Souza , Rosário Mayk Oliveira , Garcez Tiago Barreto , Mazzafera Paulo , Lavres José
Published: October 2020

Eucalyptus are widely planted in regions with low rainfall, occasioning frequent drought stresses. To alleviate the stress‐induced effects on plants growing in these environments, soil fertilization with potassium (K) may affect drought‐adaptive plant mechanisms, notably on tropical soils with low K availability. This work aimed to evaluate the K dynamic nutrition in eucalyptus in response to soil‐K and ‐water availabilities, correlating the K‐nutritional status with the physiological responses of contrasting eucalyptus clones to drought tolerance. A complete randomized design was used to investigate the effects of three water regimes (well‐watered, moderate water deficit, and severe water deficit) and two K soil supplies (sufficient and low K) on growth and physiological responses of two elite eucalyptus clones: “VM01” (Eucalyptus urophylla × camaldulensis) and “AEC 0144” (E. urophylla). Results depicted that the K‐well‐nourished E. urophylla × camaldulensis clone under severe water deficit maintained shoot biomass accumulation by upregulating the K‐content in leaves and stems, gas exchange, water‐use efficiency (WUEI), leaf water potential (Ψw), and chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters, compared to E. urophylla clone. Meanwhile, E. urophylla with a severe water deficit showed a decreased of K content in leaves and stem, as well as a reduction in the accumulation of dry mass. Therefore, the K‐use efficiency and the apparent electron transport rate through photosystem II were positively correlated in plants grown in low K, indicating the importance of K in maintaining leaf photochemical processes. In conclusion, management strategy should seek to enhance K‐nutrition to optimize water‐use efficiencies and photosynthesis.
An Energy Closure Criterion for Model Reduction of a Kicked Euler–Bernoulli Beam
Authors: Bhattacharyya Suparno , Cusumano Joseph P.
Published: October 2020

Reduced order models (ROMs) can be simulated with lower computational cost while being more amenable to theoretical analysis. Here, we examine the performance of the proper orthogonal decomposition (POD), a data-driven model reduction technique. We show that the accuracy of ROMs obtained using POD depends on the type of data used and, more crucially, on the criterion used to select the number of proper orthogonal modes (POMs) used for the model. Simulations of a simply supported Euler–Bernoulli beam subjected to periodic impulsive loads are used to generate ROMs via POD, which are then simulated for comparison with the full system. We assess the accuracy of ROMs obtained using steady-state displacement, velocity, and strain fields, tuning the spatiotemporal localization of applied impulses to control the number of excited modes in, and hence the dimensionality of, the system’s response. We show that conventional variance-based mode selection leads to inaccurate models for sufficiently impulsive loading and that this poor performance is explained by the energy imbalance on the reduced subspace. Specifically, the subspace of POMs capturing a fixed amount (say, 99.9%) of the total variance underestimates the energy input and dissipated in the ROM, yielding inaccurate reduced-order simulations. This problem becomes more acute as the loading becomes more spatio-temporally localized (more impulsive). Thus, energy closure analysis provides an improved method for generating ROMs with energetics that properly reflect that of the full system, resulting in simulations that accurately represent the system’s true behavior.
On the Use of Solid Curtains Near Smoke Extraction Vents to Control Smoke Spread Resulting From Fire in Road Tunnels
Authors: Halawa Taher
Published: October 2020

The effectiveness of the smoke control strategy plays an important role in increasing safety levels when fire accidents occur in road tunnels. This paper introduces clarifications about how the efficiency of smoke extraction control using solid curtains can be increased by placing smoke extraction vents close to the solid curtains. The effect of adding a solid curtain with different heights and at various positions relative to a smoke extraction vent was studied in this paper. A 14.3% increase in the vent flowrate occurs at the time corresponding to the fire peak heat release rate when the distance between the solid curtain and the vent is equivalent to 90% of the tunnel height and when the solid curtain height is equal to 16% of the tunnel height. High temperature and low visibility conditions occur near the solid curtain at the smoke-trapped area when the smoke curtain height exceeds 40% of the tunnel height. Using a solid curtain positioned far away from the vent with a distance equals to 90% of the tunnel height and with a height in the range from 16% to 30% of the tunnel height achieves the best results in terms of suppression of smoke spread and attaining acceptable visibility and temperature levels at the region where the smoke is trapped by the solid curtain.
The Self-Other Divergence Effect for Doping Likelihood: Mediation by Guilt and Moderation by Moral Agency and Values
Authors: Ring Christopher , Kavussanu Maria , Walters Benjamin
Published: October 2020

Objectives: Self–other divergence refers to individuals judging themselves to be different from others. The authors investigated doping-related self-other divergence.Design: The authors used a quasi-experimental repeated-measures design to compare the effects of an independent variable (perspective: self, other) on doping likelihood and guilt. Method: Rugby players rated doping likelihood and guilt in situations describing two perspectives: self (their own behavior and feelings) and other (another player’s behavior and feelings). They also completed measures of moral agency, identity, perfectionism, and values (moral traits). Results: Doping likelihood was lower and guilt was higher for self-based ratings compared with other-based ratings. The self–other difference in doping likelihood was mediated by guilt and moderated by moral traits (larger for athletes with higher agency and values). Agency and values were more strongly related to self than other doping likelihood. Conclusions: Other-referenced measures differed from self-referenced measures of doping likelihood and guilt, indicating that it is wrong to presume equivalence of measurement.
Prediction of Unbound Ceftriaxone Concentration in Children: Simple Bioanalysis Method and Basic Mathematical Equation
Authors: Kan Min , Shi Hai-Yan , Han Bing , Wu Yue-E , Li Qian , Guo Zi-Xuan , Li Xue , Hao Guo-Xiang , Zheng Yi , Su Le-Qun , Huang Xin , Sui Zhong-Guo , Zhao Wei
Published: October 2020

The pharmacological activity of ceftriaxone depends on the unbound concentration. However, direct measurement of unbound concentrations is obstructive, and high individual variability of the unbound fraction of ceftriaxone was shown in children. We aim to evaluate and validate a method to predict unbound ceftriaxone concentrations in pediatric patients. Ninety-five pairs of concentrations (total and unbound) from 92 patients were measured by the bioanalysis method that we developed. The predictive performance of the three equations (empiricalin vivoequation, disease-adapted equation, and multiple linear regression equation) was assessed by the mean absolute prediction error (MAPE), the mean prediction error (MPE), the proportions of the prediction error within ±30% (P30) and ±50% (P50), and linear regression of predicted versus actual unbound levels (R2).
Two Signal Recognition Particle Sequences Are Present in the Amino-Terminal Domain of the C-Tailed Protein SciP
Authors: Pross Eva , Kuhn Andreas
Published: October 2020

C-tail proteins are anchored in the inner membrane with a transmembrane segment at the C terminus in an N-in/C-out topology. Due to this topology, membrane insertion occurs only posttranslationally. Nevertheless, the C-tail-anchored protein SciP is targeted cotranslationally by SRP. We report here that two amino-terminal hydrophobic stretches in SciP are individually recognized by SRP and target the nascent protein to FtsY. The presence of two signal sequences may enable a retargeting mechanism, as already observed for multispanning membrane proteins, to make the posttranslational insertion of SciP by YidC more efficient.
The Genome Segments of Bluetongue Virus Differ in Copy Number in a Host-Specific Manner
Authors: Moreau Yannis , Gil Patricia , Exbrayat Antoni , Rakotoarivony Ignace , Bréard Emmanuel , Sailleau Corinne , Viarouge Cyril , Zientara Stephan , Savini Giovanni , Goffredo Maria , Mancini Giuseppe , Loire Etienne , Gutierrez Serafìn
Published: October 2020

The variation in viral gene frequencies remains a largely unexplored aspect of within-host genetics. This phenomenon is often considered to be specific to multipartite viruses. Multipartite viruses have segmented genomes, but in contrast to segmented viruses, their segments are each encapsidated alone in a virion. A main hypothesis explaining the evolution of multipartism is that, compared to segmented viruses, it facilitates the regulation of segment abundancy, and the genes the segments carry, within a host. These differences in gene frequencies could allow for expression regulation. Here, we show that wild populations of a segmented virus, bluetongue virus (BTV), also present unequal segment frequencies. BTV cycles between ruminants and
Culicoides
biting midges. As expected from a role in expression regulation, segment frequencies tended to show specific values that differed between ruminants and midges. Our results expand previous knowledge on gene frequency variation and call for studies on its role and conservation beyond multipartite viruses.
SppI Forms a Membrane Protein Complex with SppA and Inhibits Its Protease Activity in Bacillus subtilis
Authors: Henriques Gabriela , McGovern Stephen , Neef Jolanda , Antelo-Varela Minia , Götz Friedrich , Otto Andreas , Becher Dörte , van Dijl Jan Maarten , Jules Matthieu , Delumeau Olivier
Published: October 2020

Our study presents new insights into the molecular mechanism that regulates the activity of SppA, a widely conserved bacterial membrane protease. We show that the membrane proteins SppA and SppI form a complex in the Gram-positive model bacterium
B. subtilis
and that SppI inhibits SppA protease activity
in vitro
and
in vivo
. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the C-terminal domain of SppI is involved in SppA inhibition. Since SppA, through its protease activity, contributes directly to resistance to lantibiotic peptides and cationic antibacterial peptides, we propose that the conserved SppA-SppI complex could play a major role in the evasion of bactericidal peptides, including those produced as part of human innate immune defenses.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa Volatilome Characteristics and Adaptations in Chronic Cystic Fibrosis Lung Infections
Authors: Davis Trenton J. , Karanjia Ava V. , Bhebhe Charity N. , West Sarah B. , Richardson Matthew , Bean Heather D.
Published: October 2020

Pseudomonas aeruginosais a leading cause of chronic lung infections in cystic fibrosis (CF), which are correlated with lung function decline. Significant clinical efforts are therefore aimed at detecting infections and tracking them for phenotypic changes, such as mucoidy and antibiotic resistance. Both the detection and tracking of lung infections rely on sputum cultures, but due to improvements in CF therapies, sputum production is declining, although risks for lung infections persist. Therefore, we are working toward the development of breath-based diagnostics for CF lung infections. In this study, we characterized of the volatile metabolomes of 81P. aeruginosaclinical isolates collected from 17 CF patients over a duration of at least 5 years of a chronic lung infection. We found that the volatilome ofP. aeruginosaadapts over time and is correlated with infection phenotype changes, suggesting that it may be possible to track chronic CF lung infections with a breath test.
Safety and efficacy of single cycle induction treatment with cisplatin/docetaxel/ durvalumab/tremelimumab in locally advanced HNSCC: first results of CheckRad-CD8
Authors: Hecht Markus , Gostian Antoniu Oreste , Eckstein Markus , Rutzner Sandra , von der Grün Jens , Illmer Thomas , Hautmann Matthias G , Klautke Gunther , Laban Simon , Brunner Thomas , Hinke Axel , Becker Ina , Frey Benjamin , Semrau Sabine , Geppert Carol I , Hartmann Arndt , Balermpas Panagiotis , Budach Wilfried , Gaipl Udo S , Iro Heinrich , Fietkau Rainer
Published: October 2020

Background

To determine safety and efficacy of single cycle induction treatment with cisplatin/docetaxel and durvalumab/tremelimumab in stage III-IVB head and neck cancer.

Methods

Patients received a single cycle of cisplatin 30 mg/m² on days 1–3 and docetaxel 75 mg/m² on day 1 combined with durvalumab 1500 mg fix dose on day 5 and tremelimumab 75 mg fix dose on day 5. Patients with pathologic complete response (pCR) in the rebiopsy after induction treatment or at least 20% increase of intratumoral CD8+ cell density in the rebiopsy compared with baseline entered radioimmunotherapy with concomitant durvalumab/tremelimumab. The objective of this interim analysis was to analyze safety and efficacy of the chemoimmunotherapy-induction treatment before radioimmunotherapy.

Results

A total of 57 patients were enrolled, 56 were treated. Median pretreatment intratumoral CD8+ cell density was 342 cells/mm². After induction treatment, 27 patients (48%) had a pCR in the rebiopsy and further 25 patients (45%) had a relevant increase of intratumoral CD8+ cells (median increase by a factor of 3.0). Adverse event (AE) grade 3–4 appeared in 38 patients (68%) and mainly consisted of leukopenia (43%) and infections (29%). Six patients (11%) developed grade 3–4 immune-related AE. Univariate analysis computed p16 positivity, programmed death ligand 1 immune cell area and intratumoral CD8+ cell density as predictors of pCR. On multivariable analysis, intratumoral CD8+ cell density predicted pCR independently (OR 1.0012 per cell/mm², 95% CI 1.0001 to 1.0022, p=0.016). In peripheral blood CD8+ cells, the coexpression of programmed death protein 1 significantly increased especially in patients with pCR.

Conclusions

Single cycle induction treatment with cisplatin/docetaxel and durvalumab/tremelimumab is feasible and achieves a high biopsy-proven pCR rate.
Anisotropic borehole response from pressuremeter testing in deep clay shale formations
Authors: Liu Lang , Chalaturnyk Rick , Deisman Nathan , Zambrano-Narvaez Gonzalo
Published: October 2020

This paper presents the result of five pressuremeter tests conducted in deep three clay shale formations at a thermal operation site. Pressuremeter loading was imposed parallel to the bedding plane under an approximately undrained condition. Test data are analyzed using the axisymmetric cavity expansion theory. In parallel with triaxial test results, the analyses reveal several constitutive characteristics of the Westgate clay shale, in particular, the limited nonlinearity and the stress−strain-path dependency of shear modulus. A procedure is proposed to correct the data including multi-azimuth radial displacement measurements in the caliper plane and the anisotropic response of the borehole is studied. Two aspects of azimuthal anisotropy are assessed — (i) in-plane anisotropy of borehole stiffness and (ii) the anisotropy in expansion after borehole plastic yielding. The latter provides the implication of anisotropic in situ horizontal stresses, demonstrated by both experimental and numerical evidence. The influence of the radial and azimuthal variations of the elastic stiffness around borehole on the interpreted orientation of in situ horizontal stresses is discussed. An agreement is shown between the interpreted azimuth of major or minor in situ horizontal stress and the reported crustal stress orientation for the test least affected by such stiffness variation.
Solitary states in adaptive nonlocal oscillator networks
Authors: Berner Rico , Polanska Alicja , Schöll Eckehard , Yanchuk Serhiy
Published: October 2020

In this article, we analyze a nonlocal ring network of adaptively coupled phase oscillators. We observe a variety of frequency-synchronized states such as phase-locked, multicluster and solitary states. For an important subclass of the phase-locked solutions, the rotating waves, we provide a rigorous stability analysis. This analysis shows a strong dependence of their stability on the coupling structure and the wavenumber which is a remarkable difference to an all-to-all coupled network. Despite the fact that solitary states have been observed in a plethora of dynamical systems, the mechanisms behind their emergence were largely unaddressed in the literature. Here, we show how solitary states emerge due to the adaptive feature of the network and classify several bifurcation scenarios in which these states are created and stabilized.
Fast and simple Lyapunov Exponents estimation in discontinuous systems
Authors: Balcerzak M. , Sagan T. , Dabrowski A. , Stefanski A.
Published: October 2020

Typically, to estimate the whole spectrum ofnLyapunov Exponents (LEs), it is necessary to integratenperturbations and to orthogonalize them. Recently it has been shown that complexity of calculations can be reduced for smooth systems: integration of (n-1) perturbations is sufficient. In this paper authors demonstrate how this simplified approach can be adopted to non-smooth or discontinuous systems. Apart from the reduced complexity, the assets of the presented approach are simplicity and ease of implementation. The paper starts with a short review of properties of LEs and methods of their estimation for smooth and non-smooth systems. Then, the algorithm of reduced complexity for smooth systems is shortly introduced. Its adaptation to non-smooth systems is described in details. Application of the method is presented for an impact oscillator. Implementation of the novel algorithm is comprehensively explained. Results of simulations are presented and validated. It is expected that the presented method can simplify investigations of non-smooth dynamical systems and support research in this field.
ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF POLICY ADOPTED BY CHINA FOR ITS AGING POPULATION
Authors: LI SHUANGQI , JIANG TANGYANG , SONG ZHE , HAN ZHENGLONG
Published: October 2020

With China’s rapidly aging population, this paper constructs a policy model using overlapping generation (OLG) model and the computable general equilibrium (CGE) modeling to analyze the second-child policy and delaying retirement policy. Our research findings suggest that considering the short-term effects, delaying the retirement age imposes a greater impact on the economy than the second-child policy. Its economic impact increases initially, but then decreases to a stable level showing a diminishing influence. In the long term, the second-child policy has greater ability to boost the economy than the delaying retirement age policy and its economic impact gets stronger. From an industrial output perspective, the two policies exert greater influence on agriculture, light industry, finance and service sector than on construction and heavy industries. From an industrial import and export perspective, the two policies have great influence on finance, electric power, and fossil energy more than they do on the agricultural sector. From a monetary perspective, the impacts are greater on household income followed by the government income and corporate income, respectively. The policies also make a bigger difference to fixed capital than to changes in deposits and loans.
Higgs potential from Weyl conformal gravity
Authors: Oda Ichiro
Published: October 2020

We consider Weyl’s conformal gravity coupled to a complex matter field in Weyl geometry. It is shown that a Higgs potential naturally arises from a [Formula: see text] term in moving from the Jordan frame to the Einstein frame. A massless Nambu–Goldstone boson, which stems from spontaneous symmetry breakdown of the Weyl gauge invariance, is absorbed into the Weyl gauge field, thereby the gauge field becoming massive. We present a model where the gravitational interaction generates a Higgs potential whose form is a perfect square. Finally, we show that a theory in the Jordan frame is gauge-equivalent to the corresponding theory in the Einstein frame via the BRST formalism.
Improvement of microstructure and properties of Ni–Al2O3 composite coating via jet electrodeposition
Authors: Fan Hui , Jiang Jie , Zhao Yangpei , Wang Shankui , Li Zhijing
Published: October 2020

Ni–Al2O3 composite coatings were prepared with a modified Watt’s bath by using jet electrodeposition method. As the key process parameter, current density and the addition of Al2O3 nanoparticles in electrolyte were studied about the effect on the surface morphology and co-deposition of Al2O3 nanoparticles of composite coating. The mechanical and tribological properties of the composite coating were also tested. The results show that properly increasing the current density and Al2O3 addition can increase the co-deposition of nanoparticles in the coating and promote the formation of a dense and refined coating structure. Using the optimized process parameters of current density (300 A/dm2) and Al2O3 addition (30 g/L), the co-deposition of Al2O3 in the composite coating can reach a maximum of 13.1 at.%. The hardness of the coating reaches the peak at 623 HV. The wear rate of the composite coating is also greatly reduced with optimized parameters.
Charged impurity scattering in bilayer-graphene double layers
Authors: Linh Dang Khanh , Khanh Nguyen Quoc
Published: October 2020

We consider a double-layer system made of two parallel bilayer graphene sheets separated by a dielectric medium. We calculate the finite-temperature electrical conductivity of the first layer due to charged impurities located in two layers. We study the effects of temperature, interlayer distance, dielectric constants and impurity concentration, carrier concentration on the electrical conductivity. We show the importance of charged impurities located in layer II in determining electrical conductivity of the first layer for small interlayer distance. The results in this paper give us more understanding about the long-range charged impurity scattering in bilayer graphene under the effect of the second one.
Bidirectional quantum teleportation and cyclic quantum teleportation of multi-qubit entangled states via G-state
Authors: Verma Vikram
Published: October 2020

We propose a novel scheme for faithful bidirectional quantum teleportation (BQT) in which Alice can transmit an unknown N-qubit entangled state to Bob and at the same time Bob can transmit an unknown M-qubit entangled state to Alice by using a four-qubit entangled G-state as a quantum channel. We also propose a new scheme for cyclic QT of multi-qubit entangled states by using two G-states as a quantum channel. The advantage of our schemes is that it seems to be much simpler and requires reduced number of qubits in quantum channel as compared with the other proposed schemes.