bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Local resident perceptions of water reuse in Northern Utah
Authors: Flint Courtney G. , Koci Kristen R.
Published: June 2020

The reuse of municipal wastewater is increasingly implemented in cities to mitigate intensifying water supply problems. Public acceptance of water reuse is integral to successful implementation. This study uses survey research to explore local perspectives and uses of secondary (nonpotable) water for irrigation in two northern Utah cities—one that has implemented water reuse and one that has not. Findings revealed few differences between cities, suggesting that experience with water reuse may not influence acceptance or risk perception levels as long as it is limited to certain less direct purposes. In line with previous research, general support was found for water reuse for irrigation with relatively low health risk perceptions. Water reuse support was higher (and health risk perceptions lower) for those agreeing with the environmental and economic responsibility of water reuse. Having heard of water reuse was not related to health risk perceptions in either city. However, in the city with water reuse, those more familiar with the system had lower health risk perceptions and higher levels support for reuse for irrigation. Results suggest public acceptance of water reuse may not always be a barrier to local implementation, though continued communication about water reuse systems is important.

Practitioner points

Risk perception of water reuse for irrigation was relatively low, particularly for more indirect uses such as irrigation.

Public perspectives on water reuse for irrigation did not differ significantly between a community with water reuse for irrigation and one without.

Environmental and economic motivations for water reuse offset risk perceptions, suggesting that public opposition to water reuse may not be a barrier in contexts in which water is understood to be a scarce resource.

Awareness of local water reuse was not high and influenced risk perception, suggesting the need for ongoing communication.
Saturated NHC Derived Dichalcogen Dications
Authors: Rottschäfer Dennis , Fuhs Désirée E. , Neumann Beate , Stammler Hans‐Georg , Ghadwal Rajendra S.
Published: June 2020

Herein, the synthesis and characterization of dicationic dichalcogenide compounds [(SIPr)E]2(OTf)2 (3a‐E) (E = S, Se, Te) based on a saturated N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC), SIPr [SIPr = C{N(Dipp)CH2}2, Dipp = 2,6‐iPr2C6H3] are reported. Treatment of SIPr (1a) with elemental chalcogens affords the heavier ketone derivatives (SIPr)E (2a‐E), which readily undergo oxidative E–E coupling reactions with triflic anhydride to yield the corresponding products 3a‐E. Compounds 3a‐E are air‐stable crystalline solids and were characterized by NMR and UV/Vis spectroscopy as well as by X‐ray diffraction methods.
Estimation of Lesser Antilles Vertical Velocity Fields Using a GNSS-PPP Software Comparison
Authors: Sakic Pierre , Männel Benjamin , Bradke Markus , Ballu Valérie , Chabalier Jean-Bernard de , Lemarchand Arnaud
Published: June 2020

Vertical land motion in insular areas is a crucial parameter to estimate the relative sea-level variations which impact coastal populations and activities. In subduction zones, it is also a relevant proxy to estimate the locking state of the plate interface. This motion can be measured using Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), such as the Global Positioning System (GPS). However, the influence of the processing software and the geodetic products (orbits and clock offsets) used for the solution remains barely considered for geophysics studies.

In this study, we process GNSS observations of Guadeloupe and Martinique network (Lesser Antilles). It consists of 40 stations over a period of 18 years for the oldest site. We provide an updated vertical velocity field determined with two different geodetic software, namely EPOS (Gendt et al, GFZ analysis center of IGS–Annual Report. IGS 1996 Annual Report, pp 169–181, 1998) and GINS (Marty et al, GINS: the CNES/GRGS GNSS scientific software. In: 3rd International colloquium scientific and fundamental aspects of the Galileo programme, ESA proceedings WPP326, vol 31, pp 8–10, 2011) using their Precise Point Positioning modes. We used the same input models and orbit and clock offset products to maintain a maximum of consistency, and then compared the obtained results to get an estimation of the time series accuracy and the software influence on the solutions. General consistency between the solutions is noted, but significant velocity differences exist (at the mm/yr level) for some stations.
Ecological Functioning of the Seine River: From Long-Term Modelling Approaches to High-Frequency Data Analysis
Authors: Garnier J. , Marescaux A. , Guillon S. , Vilmin L. , Rocher V. , Billen G. , Thieu V. , Silvestre M. , Passy P. , Raimonet M. , Groleau A. , Théry S. , Tallec G. , Flipo N.
Published: June 2020

At the start of the PIREN-Seine program, organic pollution by the effluent of the Parisian conurbation was responsible for episodic anoxia in the lower Seine River, while nutrients from both point and diffuse sources are used to cause eutrophication, a nuisance for drinking water production from surface water and biodiversity. The implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive led to a drastic decrease of organic carbon, phosphorus and ammonium concentrations in surface waters starting in the early 2000s and to a reduction of the frequency and the amplitude of phytoplankton blooms. However, nitrate contamination from fertiliser-intensive agriculture continued to increase or at best levelled off, threatening groundwater resources and causing unbalanced nutrient ratios at the coastal zone where eutrophication still results in harmful algal blooms. High-frequency O2 data combined with models, which have been developed for 30 years, can help discriminate the contribution of auto- vs. heterotrophic metabolism in the CO2 supersaturation observed in the Seine River. Despite the impressive improvement in water quality of the Seine River, episodic crises such as summer low-flow conditions still threaten the good ecological status of both river and coastal waters. Modelling scenarios, including further wastewater treatments and structural changes in agriculture and future changes in hydrology under climate changes, provide the basis for a future vision of the ecological functioning of the Seine River network.
Experience Gained from Ecotoxicological Studies in the Seine River and Its Drainage Basin Over the Last Decade: Applicative Examples and Research Perspectives
Authors: Bonnard M. , Barjhoux I. , Dedourge-Geffard O. , Goutte A. , Oziol L. , Palos-Ladeiro M. , Geffard A.
Published: June 2020

The Seine River and its drainage basin are recognised as one of the most urbanised water systems in France. This chapter gathers typical applications of complementary ecotoxicological tools that were used in PIREN-Seine programmes for a decade to reflect the Seine River contamination as well as its biological repercussions on organisms. Ecotoxicological studies focused on both (1) specific bioassays and (2) (sub)-individual biological responses (i.e. biomarkers) measured in diverse taxa (i.e. crustaceans, mussels and fishes) representative of the trophic network. Experience gained from these studies made it possible to establish reference and threshold values for numerous biological endpoints. They now can be combined with chemical measurements within integrated models (i.e. the Weight of Evidence [WOE] approach) generating a global index of waterbody pollution. These biological endpoints today appear sufficiently relevant and mature to be proposed to water stakeholders as efficient tools to support environmental management strategies.
When a Cause Cannot Be Found
Authors: Anjum Rani Lill , Rocca Elena
Published: June 2020

This chapter offers a philosophical diagnosis of the challenges that medicine is facing, regarding medically unexplained symptoms and complex illnesses. We propose that a crucial problem comes from applying a Humean regularity theory of causality, in which a cause is understood as something that always provokes the same effect under ideal conditions, to the clinical reality, where no ideal condition, or average patient, can ever be found. A dispositionalist understanding of causality proposes instead to start from the particular and unique situation of the single case in order to understand causality. The medical evidence, including causally relevant evidence, must then be generated starting from the single patient. This includes not only the patient’s medical data, but also the patient’s condition, narrative and perspective. This is fundamental in order to generate causal hypotheses about the complex situation and all the dispositions that influence the medical condition. Ultimately, evidence from the clinical encounter could assist the design of experiments both in the lab and in the clinics. The best approach to causality, we argue, is to use a plurality of methodologies. We also explain how, when starting from a dispositional theory of causality, heterogeneity, unexpected results and outlier cases actually represent an epistemological advantage, instead of an obstacle, for the causal enquiry.
Gender Differences in Parental Well-being After Separation: Does Shared Parenting Matter?
Authors: Köppen Katja , Kreyenfeld Michaela , Trappe Heike
Published: June 2020

A large body of literature has examined how separation and divorce influence social and economic well-being. One consistent finding of the literature is that women and men are affected differently by divorce and separation. Women, and particularly mothers, are likely to suffer from a loss of income. Fathers frequently suffer from having reduced contact with their children, who usually continue to live with their mother after a union dissolution. This chapter uses 10 years of data from the German Family Panel (pairfam) to examine more closely the gender differences in life satisfaction after separation. In line with previous research, we show that following a separation, satisfaction with family life declines more among fathers than among mothers, and that mothers tend to experience a greater decline in their satisfaction with their financial situation than fathers. We also examine the role of shared parenting (Wechselmodell) in parents’ life satisfaction. Our findings indicate that shared parenting is positively associated with well-being, but also that the association is not stable to the inclusion of socio-economic characteristics that explain the selection into shared parenting. The results are discussed in the context of the current German policy debate on shared parenting.
The Politics of Metrics in Education: A Contribution to the History of the Present
Authors: Normand Romuald
Published: June 2020

Policy instruments are linked to the development of new modes of governance. They provide cognitive and normative frameworks for policy-makers to advocate changes, to implement new programmes, and to create new types of public interventions (Lascoumes and Le Galès 2007). They contribute to the transformation of the State through the invention of new tools and devices, particularly metrics, which give legitimation to political aims, values, and ideologies. It corresponds to New Public Management which pretends reinventing tools of government and overcoming bureaucracy sometimes by reusing recipes from the past (Hood 1986). The instruments participate also in a kind of depoliticization and re-politicization of decision-making whereas policy-makers face many contestations and oppositions from different interest groups. As Michel Foucault demonstrated, these technical procedures of power and instrumentation are central to the art of governing and the development of a rationalizing State (Foucault 1977). Governmentality is not only based on measuring devices but also on intellectual and scientific technics, ways of thinking, epistemologies which become operational through metrics (Miller and Rose 2008). New relationships are established between science, expertise and politics that impact on the ownership, selectivity and choices of tools and instruments.
RNN Based Trajectory Control for Manipulators with Uncertain Kinematic Parameters
Authors: Zhou Xuefeng , Xu Zhihao , Li Shuai , Wu Hongmin , Cheng Taobo , Lv Xiaojing
Published: June 2020

Among tracking control of redundant manipulators, potential limitations such as model uncertainties and physical limitations may exist. Conventional solutions may fail when model parameters differ from nominal ones. In this chapter, a novel kinematic controller with the capability of self-adaptation is proposed to address this challenging issue. Based on the coordinate feedback, a Jacobian adaption strategy is firstly built by updating kinematic parameters online. Using Karush–Kuhn–Tucker conditions, the redundancy solution problem is then turned into a quadratic optimization one, and a recurrent neural network based controller is designed to derive the optimal solution recurrently. Theoretical analysis demonstrates the global convergence of the tracking error. Compared with existing methods, kinematic model uncertainty of the robot is allowed in this chapter, and the pseudo-inverse of Jacobian matrix is avoided, with the consideration of physical limitation in a joint framework. Numerical experiments based on Kinova JACO$$_2$$2 show the effectiveness of the proposed controller.
String scale interacting dark matter from π1
Authors: Mütter Andreas , Vaudrevange Patrick K. S.
Published: June 2020

Abstract

We show that in a wide class of string derived models of particle physics, heavy string modes with masses around the GUT scale can serve as a viable dark matter candidate. These heavy string modes wind around specific cycles in the extra-dimensional space, closely related to the fundamental group π
1. As a consequence of a non-trivial π
1, there is an exact discrete symmetry that stabilizes such winding strings. The dark matter candidate couples to the Standard Model via gravity and via the exchange of heavy string states. We find that, for reasonable values of the string coupling, our dark matter candidate can be produced in sizable amounts via freeze-in. Our scheme applies to many string constructions, including Calabi-Yau compactifications, and can be tested against constraints from the CMB.
Thermalization in the D1D5 CFT
Authors: Hampton Shaun , Mathur Samir D.
Published: June 2020

Abstract

It is generally agreed that black hole formation in gravity corresponds to thermalization in the dual CFT. It is sometimes argued that if the CFT evolution shows evidence of large redshift in gravity, then we have seen black hole formation in the CFT. We argue that this is not the case: a clock falling towards the horizon increases its redshift but remains intact as a clock; thus it is not ‘thermalized’. Instead, thermalization should correspond to a new phase after the phase of large redshift, where the infalling object turns into fuzzballs on reaching within planck distance of the horizon. We compute simple examples of the scattering vertex in the D1D5 CFT which, after many iterations, would lead to thermalization. An initial state made of two left-moving and two right-moving excitations corresponds, in gravity, to two gravitons heading towards each other. The thermalization vertex in the CFT breaks these excitations into multiple excitations on the left and right sides; we compute the amplitudes for several of these processes. We find secular terms that grow as t
2 instead of oscillating with t; we conjecture that this may be a feature of processes leading to thermalization.
Melting holographic mesons by cooling a magnetized quark gluon plasma
Authors: Ávila Daniel , Patiño Leonardo
Published: June 2020

Abstract

We extend our analysis of holographic meson dissociation in the presence of an intense magnetic field. In addition to the previously known critical temperature above which the mesons melt, we found that for certain magnetic field intensities there exists a second lower critical temperature, below which stable mesons cease to exist. While we showed before that there is a range of high temperatures for which mesons can be melted by changing the magnetic field intensity, here we show that, as a consequence of the second critical point, there is also a range of low temperatures for which this phenomenom, which we term Magnetic Meson Melting (MMM), can be triggered. Additionaly, we also show that the magnetic field decreases the mass gap of the meson spectrum along with their masses. We are able to observe this by constructing a configuration that makes it possible to apply gauge/gravity methods to study fundamental degrees of freedom in a quark-gluon plasma subject to a magnetic field as intense as that expected in high energy collisions. This is achieved by the confection of a ten-dimensional background that is dual to the magnetized plasma and nonetheless permits the embedding of D7-branes in it. The main difference with previous approaches, which in consequence gives the novel results, is that the magnetic field retroacts in the geometry itself, as opposed to be confined to the world volume of the probe D7-branes.
Consistent interactions of Curtright fields
Authors: Brandt Friedemann
Published: June 2020

Abstract

Consistent self-interactions of Curtright fields (Lorentz tensors with (2, 1) Young diagram index symmetry) are constructed in dimensions 5 and 7. Most of them modify the gauge transformations of the free theory but the commutator algebra of the deformed gauge transformations remains Abelian in all cases. All of these interactions contain terms cubic in the Curtright fields with four or five derivatives, which are reminiscent of Yang-Mills, Chapline-Manton, Freedman-Townsend and Chern-Simons interactions, respectively.
Extraction of the strong coupling αs(mZ) from a combined NNLO analysis of inclusive electroweak boson cross sections at hadron colliders
Authors: d’Enterria David , Poldaru Andres
Published: June 2020

Abstract

The inclusive cross sections of W+, W
−
, and Z boson production from 34 different measurements performed in proton-(anti)proton collisions at center-of-mass energies

$$ \sqrt{s} $$

s

= 1.8–13 TeV, are compared to perturbative QCD calculations at next-to-next-to-leading-order (NNLO) accuracy with four sets of parton distributions functions (CT14, HERAPDF2.0, MMHT14, and NNPDF3.0 PDFs) and varying values of the strong coupling constant at the Z mass pole, α
s(m
Z). The data-theory agreement is good within the experimental and theoretical uncertainties, with the CT14 and MMHT14 parton densities providing the most overall consistent description of all cross section data. A value of α
s(m
Z) =

$$ {0.1188}_{-0.0013}^{+0.0019} $$

0.1188

−
0.0013

+
0.0019

is extracted from a combined fit of the 28 experimental LHC measurements to the corresponding NNLO theoretical predictions obtained with the MMHT14 PDF set, which provides the most robust and stable QCD coupling extraction of this analysis.
Effect of hypofractionation on the incidental axilla dose during tangential field radiotherapy in breast cancer
Authors: Borm Kai J. , Oechsner Markus , Düsberg Mathias , Buschner Gabriel , Wolfgang Weber , Combs Stephanie E. , Duma Marciana N.
Published: June 2020

Objective

Tangential field irradiation in breast cancer potentially treats residual tumor cells in the axilla after sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB). In recent years, hypofractionated radiotherapy has gained importance and currently represents the recommended standard in adjuvant breast cancer treatment for many patients. So far, the impact of hypofractionation on the effect of incidental lymph node irradiation has not be addressed.

Materials and methods

Biological effective dose (BED) and tumor control probability (TCP) were estimated for four different hypofractionated radiation schemes (42.50 Gy in 16 fractions [Fx]; 40.05 Gy in 15 Fx; 27 Gy in 5 Fx; and 26 in 5 Fx) and compared to conventional fractionation (50 Gy in 25 Fx). For calculation of BED and TCP, a previously published radiobiological model with an α/β ratio of 4 Gy was used. The theoretical BED and TCP for incidental irradiation between 0 and 100% of the prescribed dose were evaluated. Subsequently, we assessed BED and TCP in 431 axillary lymph node metastases.

Results

The extent of incidental lymph node irradiation and the fractionation scheme have a direct impact on BED and TCP. The estimated mean TCP in the axillary nodes ranged from 1.5 ± 6.4% to 57.5 ± 22.9%, depending on the patient’s anatomy and the fractionation scheme. Hypofractionation led to a significant reduction of mean TCP of lymph node metastases for all schedules.

Conclusion

Our data indicate that hypofractionation might affect the effectiveness of incidental radiotherapy in the axilla. This is particularly relevant for patients with positive sentinel lymph nodes who receive SLNB only.
QTL mapping for field resistance to wheat blast in the Caninde#1/Alondra population
Authors: He Xinyao , Kabir Muhammad Rezaul , Roy Krishna K. , Anwar Md. Babul , Xu Kaijie , Marza Felix , Odilbekov Firuz , Chawade Aakash , Duveiller Etienne , Huttner Eric , Singh Pawan K.
Published: June 2020

Key message

Wheat blast resistance in Caninde#1 is controlled by a major QTL on 2NS/2AS translocation and multiple minor QTL in an additive mode.

Wheat blast (WB) is a devastating disease in South America, and it recently also emerged in Bangladesh. Host resistance to WB has relied heavily on the 2NS/2AS translocation, but the responsible QTL has not been mapped and its phenotypic effects in different environments have not been reported. In the current study, a recombinant inbred line population with 298 progenies was generated, with the female and male parents being Caninde#1 (with 2NS) and Alondra (without 2NS), respectively. Phenotyping was carried out in two locations in Bolivia, namely Quirusillas and Okinawa, and one location in Bangladesh, Jashore, with two sowing dates in each of the two cropping seasons in each location, during the years 2017–2019. Genotyping was performed with the DArTseq® technology along with five previously reported STS markers in the 2NS region. QTL mapping identified a major and consistent QTL on 2NS/2AS region, explaining between 22.4 and 50.1% of the phenotypic variation in different environments. Additional QTL were detected on chromosomes 1AS, 2BL, 3AL, 4BS, 4DL and 7BS, all additive to the 2NS QTL and showing phenotypic effects less than 10%. Two codominant STS markers, WGGB156 and WGGB159, were linked proximally to the 2NS/2AS QTL with a genetic distance of 0.9 cM, being potentially useful in marker-assisted selection.
Glossary of terms for musculoskeletal radiology
Authors: Palmer William , Bancroft Laura , Bonar Fiona , Choi Jung-Ah , Cotten Anne , Griffith James F. , Robinson Philip , Pfirrmann Christian W.A.
Published: June 2020

Members of the International Skeletal Society compiled a glossary of terms for musculoskeletal radiology. The authors also represent national radiology or pathology societies in Asia, Australia, Europe, and the USA. We provide brief descriptions of musculoskeletal structures, disease processes, and syndromes and address their imaging features. Given the abundance of musculoskeletal disorders and derangements, we chose to omit most terms relating to neoplasm, spine, intervention, and pediatrics. Consensus agreement was obtained from 19 musculoskeletal radiology societies worldwide.
A multifractal boundary spectrum for $${{\,\mathrm{SLE}\,}}_\kappa (\rho )$$
Authors: Schoug Lukas
Published: June 2020

We study $${{\,\mathrm{SLE}\,}}_\kappa (\rho )$$

SLE

κ

(
ρ
)

curves, with $$\kappa $$
κ
and $$\rho $$
ρ
chosen so that the curves hit the boundary. More precisely, we study the sets on which the curves collide with the boundary at a prescribed “angle” and determine the almost sure Hausdorff dimensions of these sets. This is done by studying the moments of the spatial derivatives of the conformal maps $$g_t$$

g
t

, by employing the Girsanov theorem and using imaginary geometry techniques to derive a correlation estimate.
Co-Working-Spaces als Treffpunkte – Impulse für die Quartiersentwicklung? Das Beispiel Heidelberg
Authors: Growe Anna , Henn Sebastian , Scheffer Christine
Published: June 2020

Co-Working-Spaces fungieren mittlerweile in vielen Städten als neue Arbeitsorte für Wissens- und Kreativarbeit. Dieser Beitrag setzt sich am Beispiel Heidelberg mit möglichen Wechselwirkungen von Co-Working-Spaces und dem Quartier auseinander und unterscheidet dazu zwei Typen von Co-Working-Spaces: Solche, die durch Offenheit und Zugänglichkeit als Third Spaces und somit als Treffpunkt im Quartier wirken, sowie jene, die sich – einer High-Investment-Logik folgend – primär an den geschlossenen NutzerInnenkreis der Co-Working-Spaces selbst richten und somit keine Treffpunktfunktion für das Quartier haben. Aus Sicht der Quartiersentwicklung können beide Typen die lokale Ökonomie stärken, da sie neue Angebote für die Wissens- und Kreativarbeit bereitstellen und ihre NutzerInnen zusätzliche Nachfrage im Quartier generieren. Co-Working-Spaces, die als Third Spaces fungieren, können darüber hinaus Anknüpfungspunkte für die Quartiersentwicklung bieten, da ihre BetreiberInnen ein gesteigertes Interesse an einem engen Austausch mit der lokalen Ökonomie und an der Entwicklung ihrer unmittelbaren Umgebung haben.
Market makers activity: behavioural and agent based approach
Authors: Czupryna Marcin
Published: June 2020

The goal of this paper is to verify how behavioural and social features influence the decisions of market makers and to identify the impact that such decisions have on the trade volume, price levels and bid-ask spreads observed in the market. Many classical microstructural models explain the rational behaviour of market makers. We can distinguish two main groups of such models: information-based models and inventory-based ones. On the one hand, information-based models emphasise the role of the informational asymmetry between market makers and informed traders. On the other hand, inventory-based models relate the behaviour of market makers to the current status of inventories. In particular, the objective of the market maker is to either avoid bankruptcy or merely maintain an inventory balance. It is known, however, that it is not just rational factors which may influence economic behaviour. In particular, based on the literature, we stipulate that such personal traits as risk attitude, impulsivity, social behaviour and sense of fairness may influence market makers’ behaviour. To verify this, we conducted a series of experiments with the goal of analysing the relation between these factors and market maker behaviour. Participants in these experiments played the role of a market maker in the simulated options market. Experimental data enabled us to analyse how the behavioural traits influence individual decisions. However, due to missing interactions among market makers during the experiment, the data did not enable us to analyse how these traits influence the aggregated observed markets parameters, such as trading volume and mean spread in a competitive market. Therefore, we propose a formal agent-based model that makes it possible to investigate how behavioural factors influence market variables such as price and volume by means of the simulation.
Is it possible to store spotted wolffish (Anarhichas minor) sperm by refrigeration?
Authors: González-López W.A. , Patel D.M. , Duncan N. , Beirão J.
Published: June 2020

Spotted wolffishAnarhichas minorreproduction in captivity is dependent on in vitro fertilization. However, it is often challenging to acquire sufficient fresh sperm to fertilize the eggs that are obtained. In this study, we evaluate the possibility to store spotted wolffish sperm by refrigeration. Spotted wolffish sperm has the particularity that is already motile on stripping, and currently it is not possible to immobilize and reactivate. Thus, sperm refrigeration protocols should focus in extending this motility period that usually lasts up to 2 days. In a first experiment, we evaluated the possibility that the motility period of the sperm was limited by contamination with urine. The urea concentration in the sperm obtained both by stripping (17.10 ± 1.98 mg/dL) and directly from the testis (12.59 ± 2.37 mg/dL) was similar (p > 0.05), which indicate that the sperm collection method used avoid contamination with urine. Afterwards, we tested the possibility that the sperm motility period was limited by energy stores. The ATP concentration (initial value 5.65 ± 0.86 nmol/109cells) remained stable (p = 0.099) during 30 h after sperm collection, and similar values (p = 0.329) were recorded at end of sperm storage in both diluted (3.88 ± 1.35 nmol/109cells) and undiluted samples (4.76 ± 1.08 nmol/109). This indicates that the low intracellular ATP consumption, derived from the slow sperm motility, can probably be compensated rapidly enough by mitochondrial synthesis of ATP in the spotted wolffish sperm. In both experiments, diluted sperm kept higher percentage of motile cells during the storage time.
A model-based analysis identifies differences in phenotypic resistance between in vitro and in vivo: implications for translational medicine within tuberculosis
Authors: Clewe Oskar , Faraj Alan , Hu Yanmin , Coates Anthony R. M. , Simonsson Ulrika S. H.
Published: June 2020

Proper characterization of drug effects on Mycobacterium tuberculosis relies on the characterization of phenotypically resistant bacteria to correctly establish exposure–response relationships. The aim of this work was to evaluate the potential difference in phenotypic resistance in in vitro compared to murine in vivo models using CFU data alone or CFU together with most probable number (MPN) data following resuscitation with culture supernatant. Predictions of in vitro and in vivo phenotypic resistance i.e. persisters, using the Multistate Tuberculosis Pharmacometric (MTP) model framework was evaluated based on bacterial cultures grown with and without drug exposure using CFU alone or CFU plus MPN data. Phenotypic resistance and total bacterial number in in vitro natural growth observations, i.e. without drug, was well predicted by the MTP model using only CFU data. Capturing the murine in vivo total bacterial number and persisters during natural growth did however require re-estimation of model parameter using both the CFU and MPN observations implying that the ratio of persisters to total bacterial burden is different in vitro compared to murine in vivo. The evaluation of the in vitro rifampicin drug effect revealed that higher resolution in the persister drug effect was seen using CFU and MPN compared to CFU alone although drug effects on the other bacterial populations were well predicted using only CFU data. The ratio of persistent bacteria to total bacteria was predicted to be different between in vitro and murine in vivo. This difference could have implications for subsequent translational efforts in tuberculosis drug development.
Benchmarking the quantum approximate optimization algorithm
Authors: Willsch Madita , Willsch Dennis , Jin Fengping , De Raedt Hans , Michielsen Kristel
Published: June 2020

The performance of the quantum approximate optimization algorithm is evaluated by using three different measures: the probability of finding the ground state, the energy expectation value, and a ratio closely related to the approximation ratio. The set of problem instances studied consists of weighted MaxCut problems and 2-satisfiability problems. The Ising model representations of the latter possess unique ground states and highly degenerate first excited states. The quantum approximate optimization algorithm is executed on quantum computer simulators and on the IBM Q Experience. Additionally, data obtained from the D-Wave 2000Q quantum annealer are used for comparison, and it is found that the D-Wave machine outperforms the quantum approximate optimization algorithm executed on a simulator. The overall performance of the quantum approximate optimization algorithm is found to strongly depend on the problem instance.
Determination and Comparison of the Lipid Profile and Sodium Content of Gluten-Free and Gluten-Containing Breads from the Spanish Market
Authors: Tres Alba , Tarnovska Natalia , Varona Elisa , Quintanilla-Casas Beatriz , Vichi Stefania , Gibert Anna , Vilchez Elisenda , Guardiola Francesc
Published: June 2020

The objective is to verify if gluten-free (GF) and gluten-containing (G) breads differ in their sodium content and lipid profile. Samples of GF (n = 20) and G (n = 14) sliced white sandwich bread of commercial brands most frequently consumed in Spain were collected. The fatty acid (FA) composition and the contents of sodium, fat, cholesterol and phytosterols were determined. Sodium, fat and cholesterol contents were significantly higher in GF bread. The FA composition also differed, while G breads declared in most instances the use of sunflower oil as fat ingredient and presented a higher polyunsaturated FA percentage; GF breads declared a wide variety of fats and oils as ingredients (coconut, palm, olive, sunflower, etc.) which was reflected in their FA profile. Cholesterol content was higher in GF bread because five samples declared the use of whole egg, while G samples did not include any egg product in their formulas. Phytosterol content was higher in G bread but its variability was greater in GF bread. In conclusion, nutritional quality of GF bread varied depending on the ingredients used and might be lower than that of G bread. However, these differences in composition could be reduced or eliminated through changes in the formulation of GF bread. Moreover, the comparison of the results obtained in our laboratory for fat and salt content with the declared contents on the labels showed a much higher deviation for GF samples and it can be concluded that the quality of the nutritional information declared was lower in GF samples.
Corruption and Life Satisfaction in Transition: Is Corruption a Social Norm in Eastern Europe?
Authors: Amini Chiara , Douarin Elodie
Published: June 2020

To explain a so-called “happiness gap” between citizens of Eastern Europe and comparable individuals from other regions, researchers have pointed at low governance quality, and corruption in particular, as a possible cause. However, this explanation seems incompatible with the “broken windows” paradigm, which posit that in high-corruption environment, victims of corruption tend to report a lower psychological cost of victimisation. Our paper contributes to the literature by explicitly tackling this potential contradiction. Our results nuance our understanding of the role of corruption on people’s life satisfaction in Eastern Europe by investigating the extent to which the subjective cost of corruption depends on its pervasiveness. We demonstrate: (1) large individual cost associated with different measures of corruption, (2) a small reduction in these costs for some measures of corruption as it becomes more pervasive and (3) large inequalities in the cost of corruption depending on education and income. Overall, we conclude that, for the population as a whole, there is limited evidence of corruption being a social norm in Eastern Europe, in the sense that pervasiveness does not reduce individual cost.
Recalculation of the Wolf Series from 1877 to 1893
Authors: Friedli Thomas K.
Published: June 2020

Homogeneity is considered as the most important property of the Wolf series of sunspot relative numbers, or Wolf numbers, since without a stable scale no valid conclusions about variations in the long-term progress of solar activity can be drawn. However, the homogeneity testing of the Wolf series is a difficult task, since the raw data entering the series and the methods of data-reduction and interpolation used to compile the series are largely unknown. In this article we reconstruct the data-reduction algorithms based on hitherto unpublished original sources from the archives of the former Swiss Federal Observatory in Zürich and discuss their impact on the homogeneity of the Wolf series. Based on Alfred Wolfer as reference, we recalculate the progress of the Wolf series from 1877 to 1893, correcting for the widely disregarded diminishing of Wolf’s eyesight, for the change of Wolf’s main instrument from the 40/700 mm Parisian refractor to the 42/800 mm Fraunhofer refractor, and for the inhomogeneities in the data-reduction procedure during the same time period. The maxima of Cycle 12 in 1884 and of Cycle 13 in 1893 are roughly 10% higher in the recalculated and corrected Wolf series than in the original Wolf series as provided by WDC-SILSO version 1.0. From 1877 to 1883 the smoothed monthly means of the recalculated and corrected Wolf series are up to a factor of 0.76 lower than the original values.
An information theoretic approach to post randomization methods under differential privacy
Authors: Ayed Fadhel , Battiston Marco , Camerlenghi Federico
Published: June 2020

Post randomization methods are among the most popular disclosure limitation techniques for both categorical and continuous data. In the categorical case, given a stochastic matrixMand a specified variable, an individual belonging to categoryiis changed to categoryjwith probability$$M_{i,j}$$Mi,j. Every approach to choose the randomization matrixMhas to balance between two desiderata: (1) preserving as much statistical information from the raw data as possible; (2) guaranteeing the privacy of individuals in the dataset. This trade-off has generally been shown to be very challenging to solve. In this work, we use recent tools from the computer science literature and propose to chooseMas the solution of a constrained maximization problems. Specifically,Mis chosen as the solution of a constrained maximization problem, where we maximize the mutual information between raw and transformed data, given the constraint that the transformation satisfies the notion of differential privacy. For the general categorical model, it is shown how this maximization problem reduces to a convex linear programming and can be therefore solved with known optimization algorithms.
New inertial relaxed method for solving split feasibilities
Authors: Shehu Yekini , Gibali Aviv
Published: June 2020

In this paper, we introduce a relaxed CQ method with alternated inertial step for solving split feasibility problems. We give convergence of the sequence generated by our method under some suitable assumptions. Some numerical implementations from sparse signal and image deblurring are reported to show the efficiency of our method.
Effects of Bitter Melon and a Chromium Propionate Complex on Symptoms of Insulin Resistance and Type 2 Diabetes in Rat Models
Authors: White Pandora E. , Król Ewelina , Szwengiel Artur , Tubacka Małgorzata , Szczepankiewicz Dawid , Staniek Halina , Vincent John B. , Krejpcio Zbigniew
Published: June 2020

Trivalent chromium (Cr) and bitter melon (Momordica charantia L., BM) have been shown to independently interact with the insulin signaling pathway leading to improvements in the symptoms of insulin resistance and diabetes in some animal models and human subjects. The aim of this study was to examine whether the combination of the two nutritional supplements could potentially have additive effects on treating these conditions in high-fat-fed streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. The experiment was conducted with 110 male Wistar rats divided into eleven groups and fed either a control or high-fat diet for 7 weeks. Half of the rats on the high-fat diet were injected with STZ (30 mg/kg body mass) to induce diabetes. The high-fat (HF) diets were then supplemented with a combination of Cr (as chromium(III) propionate complex, Cr3: either 10 or 50 mg Cr/kg diet) and bitter melon (lyophilized whole fruit: either 10 or 50 g/kg diet) for 6 weeks. After termination of the experiment, blood and internal organs were harvested for blood biochemical, hematological, and mineral (Cr) analyses using appropriate analytical methods. It was found that neither Cr(III) nor BM was able to significantly affect blood indices in HF and diabetic rats, but BM tended to improve body mass gain, blood glucose, and LDL cholesterol values, but decreased Cr content in the liver and kidneys of the Cr-co-supplemented type 2 diabetic model of rats. Supplementary Cr(III) had no appreciable effect on glucose and lipid metabolism in high-fat-fed STZ-induced diabetic rats. Supplementary BM fruit powder had some observable effects on body mass of high-fat-fed rats; these effects seem to be dampened when BM was co-administered with Cr. Cr(III) and BM appear to act as nutritional antagonists when both administered in food, probably due to binding of Cr by the polyphenol-type compounds present in the plant material.
Novel Biallelic NSUN3 Variants Cause Early-Onset Mitochondrial Encephalomyopathy and Seizures
Authors: Paramasivam Arumugam , Meena Angamuthu K. , Venkatapathi Challa , Pitceathly Robert D.S. , Thangaraj Kumarasamy
Published: June 2020

Epitranscriptomic systems enable post-transcriptional modifications of cellular RNA that are essential for regulating gene expression. Of the ~ 170 known RNA chemical modifications, methylation is among the most common. Loss of function mutations inNSUN3, encoding the 5-methylcytosine (m5C) methyltransferase NSun3, have been linked to multisystem mitochondrial disease associated with combined oxidative phosphorylation deficiency. Here, we report a patient with early-onset mitochondrial encephalomyopathy and seizures in whom the novel biallelicNSUN3missense variants c.421G>C (p.A141P) and c.454T>A (p.C152S) were detected. Segregation studies and in silico functional analysis confirmed the likely pathogenic effects of both variants. These findings expand the molecular and phenotypic spectrum ofNSUN3-related mitochondrial disease.
Selection of Conditions of Ultrasound-Assisted, Three-Step Extraction of Ellagitannins from Selected Berry Fruit of the Rosaceae Family Using the Response Surface Methodology
Authors: Agnieszka Milczarek , Michał Sójka , Robert Klewicki
Published: June 2020

The study examined the influence of the method of grinding the fruit—homogenisation and grinding using a cryogenic mill—on the extraction efficiency of the ellagitannins (ETs). Two methods of extraction support were compared: sonication and shaking. In the second stage, selection of the extraction with the best conditions was carried out using the response surface methodology (RSM). Ellagitannins were extracted in different variants of acetone concentration (40, 60, and 80%), duration of sonication (5, 10, and 15 min), and temperature (20, 35, and 50 °C). The extracts obtained were subjected to quantitative analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography with a diode-array detector (HPLC–DAD) and identification using a mass spectrometer. Grinding is an important stage in the extraction of ellagitannins from berries. Extracts from fruit shredded with a cryogenic mill were characterised by an average of 20% lower content of ellagitannins than extracts from homogenised fruit. Studies using RSM showed that the most important factor affecting the amount of extracted ellagitannins from all tested fruits is the concentration of acetone. The highest ETs concentration was obtained using 80% acetone solution (in the tested range 40–80%). In the case of raspberries, strawberries, and wild strawberries, under the conditions used, the temperature and duration of sonication did not significantly affect the extraction efficiency. An interaction between extraction time and solvent concentration was observed for blackberries, indicating optimal conditions for this fruit as 15 min and an acetone concentration of 80%, respectively.
Reduction Scrotoplasty in 100 kg Scrotums
Authors: Schiltz Daniel , Koch Christoph , Schingale Franz-Josef , Prantl Lukas , Taeger Christian D.
Published: June 2020

Scrotal elephantiasis is a rare form of lymphedema of the scrotum. Its pathophysiology is diverse and often not clear, as there are only a few diagnostic tools available. Primary therapy consists, as usual for lymphedema, of conservative measures. However, due to anatomical and physiological findings, conservative therapy options are not always applicable. Although the only possible therapy in severe cases is the surgical resection, there is a lack in the literature regarding a standardized surgical approach. Surgical treatment of massive scrotal elephantiasis was performed in two patients according to a standardized strategy. After computed tomography and planning the operation, the penis and testicles were first exposed. Then, the reduction of the scrotum was performed, by holding the lateral flaps to the contralateral side and setting the cutoff line to the center. The cranial flap was decreased as in a modified abdominoplasty. After surgical treatment following the standardized approach, both patients showed functionally and esthetically positive results. Scrotal elephantiasis has a huge impact on life quality of the affected patients. With the described combination of intense conservative therapy and a standardized surgical procedure, these challenging patients can be helped.
Residual relief modelling: digital elevation enhancement for shipwreck site characterisation
Authors: Majcher Jan , Plets Ruth , Quinn Rory
Published: June 2020

Scour processes play a critical role in the preservation status of submerged historic shipwrecks. Erosion of sediment leads to enhanced exposure of archaeological sites to physical, chemical and biological processes. Current methods for identifying erosional and depositional features at wreck sites are based primarily on visual interpretation of data, which is labour-intensive and entirely subjective. The increasing availability of high-resolution multibeam echosounder–derived digital elevation models (DEMs) of historic wreck sites allows for an entirely new level of detailed interrogation and analyses of the geomorphological features associated with these. In this study, we present a residual relief modelling method for the semi-automated extraction of such depositional and erosional features at wreck sites. Relief modelling is supplemented with a breakpoint classification approach, with final separation supported by DEM visualisation enhancement techniques. We applied the method to three World War I shipwreck sites and evaluated it against traditional manual vectorisation techniques. The results suggest that the semi-automated modelling method is robust, time-effective and capable of quantifying the products of scour processes with increased objectivity. Our method holds great potential for the objective characterisation of erosional and depositional patterns and processes at wreck sites, which have important implications for site formation studies and in situ preservation of underwater cultural heritage.