bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Detecting stratigraphical issues using direct radiocarbon dating from small‐mammal remains
Authors: Rofes Juan , Cersoy Sophie , Zazzo Antoine , Royer Aurelien , Nicod Pierre‐Yves , Laroulandie Veronique , Langlais Mathieu , Pailler Yvan , Leandri Celine , Leandri Franck , Lebon Matthieu , Tresset Anne
Published: March 2020

Frequently preserved in archaeological and palaeontological sites, the tiny size of small‐mammal remains favours percolations into underlying layers along stratigraphic sequences. This is one of the various post‐depositional processes that may affect the integrity of the original deposits and therefore the subsequent scientific interpretations. Recent developments in sample preparation offer the possibility of detecting intrusive episodes through the absolute dating of minute amounts of bone (down to 10 mg), meaning that isolated elements (such as mandibles in this case) are sufficient to obtain reliable radiocarbon dates if collagen is moderately to well preserved. The radiocarbon dates obtained here for small‐mammal bones (recovered from pre‐Bølling to recent deposits) and their comparison with previous dates obtained from other sources (large‐mammal bones, charcoal, botanical samples, etc.), with different protocols and instruments, illustrate the potential of small‐mammal dating to reveal (and eventually contribute a solution to) stratigraphical issues in different archaeological contexts.
Multimodal Imaging With Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging to Detect Extracapsular Extension in Head and Neck Cancer
Authors: Sheppard Sean C. , Giger Roland , Bojaxhiu Beat , Sachpekidis Christos , Dammann Florian , Dettmer Matthias S. , Arnold Andreas , Wartenberg Jan , Nisa Lluís
Published: March 2020

Objectives/Hypothesis

To assess the ability of specific positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features to detect extracapsular extension (ECE) in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients.

Study Design

Retrospective study in a tertiary certified university cancer institute.

Methods

We performed a review of patients with advanced HNSCC at Bern University Hospital between 2014 and 2018. Patients with pretherapeutic PET/CT and/or MRI who underwent neck dissection were included, with 212 patients fulfilling inclusion criteria. Blinded evaluation of specific PET/CT and MRI features with respect to presence of ECE was performed. Histopathological examination of neck dissection specimens was used as the gold standard to determine ECE status.

Results

Out of the 212 included patients, 184 had PET/CT, 186 MRI, and 158 both modalities. Overall clinical stage IV (odds ratio [OR]: 2.26, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.25‐11.74), ill‐defined margins in both PET/CT and MRI (OR: 3.48, 95% CI: 1.21‐9.98 and OR: 2.14, 95% CI: 0.94‐4.89, respectively), and a maximum standardized uptake value ≥ 10 (OR: 5.44, 95% CI: 1.21‐9.98) were all significant independent predictors of ECE. When combined, these four features led to a cumulative score able to predict ECE status with an accuracy of 91.43%.

Conclusions

The current findings indicate specific features in PET/CT and MRI are potential predictors of ECE status and may help in pretherapeutic stratification in HNSCC.

Level of Evidence

4 Laryngoscope, 131:E163–E169, 2021
Lablab purpureus (L) bean flour ameliorates plasma proteins and accretion of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6, ω‐3) in the plasma, liver, and brain of malnourished rats
Authors: Hossain Shahdat , Ahmed Rashed , Bhowmick Sujan , Sarkar Marzan , Nahar Taslima , Uddin Borhan , Basunia Mafroz , Al Mamun Abdullah , Hashimoto Michio , Shido Osamu
Published: March 2020

Lablab purpureus (L) bean is an undervalued or underutilized orphan crop in many tropical countries, where different forms of malnutrition are associated with stunting growth and cognitive deficiencies. We previously reported that L. purpureus contains ω‐3 α‐linolenic acid (ALA, C18:3, ω‐3), which can act as the precursor of ω‐3 docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6, ω‐3). Inadequate level of DHA impairs growth, development, and cognitive performance. Therefore, we evaluated if supplementation of L. purpureus seed flour (LPS) affects the nutritional status, in terms of body weight gain, plasma proteins, and DHA levels of malnourished model rats. Three groups of rats, namely, controls, malnourished alone (MN), and 15% LPS‐supplemented malnourished (MN + LPS) rats were fed with LPS for 12 weeks. Afterward, body weight, liver weight, brain weight, plasma proteins, micronutrients, lipid profile, and fatty acid profile of plasma, liver, and brains were determined by standard methods. The levels of liver lipid peroxide (LPO) and proinflammatory TNFα were also measured. The body weight, liver weight, serum total proteins and micronutrients (iron/potassium), and the levels of docosahexaenoic acid significantly increased in the plasma, liver, and brain of MN + LPS rats. Moreover, LPO and TNFα levels reduced significantly in MN + LPS rats. in vitro analysis revealed a significant free radical scavenging and antioxidative potential of L. purpureus seed extract. Thus, L. purpureus not only replenishes protein‐energy malnutrition, but also increases the levels of DHA, an indispensable polyunsaturated fatty acid for brain cognition. Finally, our results suggest that L. purpureus might benefit human malnutrition and related cognitive deficits.
Wideband tapered slot antenna for applications in ground penetrating radar
Authors: Raza Ali , Lin Wenbin , Chen Yanzheng , Yanting Zhang , Chattha Hassan Tariq , Sharif Abu Bakar
Published: March 2020

A planar slotted patch antenna is proposed for ground penetrating radar (GPR). The proposed antenna has a wide bandwidth ranging from 600 MHz to 4 GHz. Tapered slot feeding, curved ground plane, and slot loading are used for a wideband operation, whereas resistive loading is utilized for removal of notch band. Current loops made by slots are bifurcated with the use of 50 Ω resistors. The antenna is designed and optimized to achieve good performance, especially at lower frequencies while keeping the antenna's physical dimension relatively small. The time‐domain analysis of the antenna is performed, and the comparative graph is added after analysis to validate its performance in the impulse‐based radar. Furthermore, a sandbox test is conducted; the experimental results show the significance of the proposed antenna toward GPR application.
Systematic evaluation of velocity‐selective arterial spin labeling settings for placental perfusion measurement
Authors: Harteveld Anita A. , Hutter Jana , Franklin Suzanne L. , Jackson Laurence H. , Rutherford Mary , Hajnal Joseph V. , van Osch Matthias J. P. , Bos Clemens , De Vita Enrico
Published: March 2020

Purpose

Placental function is key for successful human pregnancies. Perfusion may be a sensitive marker for the in vivo assessment of placental function. Arterial spin labeling (ASL) MRI enables noninvasive measurement of tissue perfusion and it was recently suggested that ASL with velocity‐selective (VS) labeling could be advantageous in the placenta. We systematically evaluated essential VS‐ASL sequence parameters to determine optimal settings for efficient placental perfusion measurements.

Methods

Eleven pregnant women were scanned at 3T using VS‐ASL with 2D multislice echo planar imaging (EPI)‐readout. One reference VS‐ASL scan was acquired in all subjects; within subgroups the following parameters were systematically varied: cutoff velocity, velocity encoding direction, and inflow time. Visual evaluation and region of interest analyses were performed to compare perfusion signal differences between acquisitions.

Results

In all subjects, a perfusion pattern with clear hyperintense focal regions was observed. Perfusion signal decreased with inflow time and cutoff velocity. Subject‐specific dependence on velocity encoding direction was observed. High temporal signal‐to‐noise ratios with high contrast on the perfusion images between the hyperintense regions and placental tissue were seen at ~1.6 cm/s cutoff velocity and ~1000 ms inflow time. Evaluation of measurements at multiple inflow times revealed differences in blood flow dynamics between placental regions.

Conclusion

Placental perfusion measurements are feasible at 3T using VS‐ASL with 2D multislice EPI‐readout. A clear dependence of perfusion signal on VS labeling parameters and inflow time was demonstrated. Whereas multiple parameter combinations may advance the interpretation of placental circulation dynamics, this study provides a basis to select an effective set of parameters for the observation of placenta perfusion natural history and its potential pathological changes.
Comparison of Body Mass Index, Skinfold Thickness, and Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis With Dual‐Energy X‐Ray Absorptiometry in Hemodialysis Patients
Authors: de Abreu Aline Miroski , Wilvert Luana Cristina , Wazlawik Elisabeth
Published: March 2020

Background

Malnutrition is a consistent finding in hemodialysis (HD) patients and is associated with high mortality. The aim was to compare nutrition status indicators using dual‐energy x‐ray absorptiometry (DXA) as reference in HD patients.

Methods

Observational cross‐sectional study with 42 patients, 55.8 years (±14.6) old, 60% male, HD 2–3 times per week for ≥3 months. HD ranged from 3 months to 28 years (median, 17.3; interquartile range, 8.73–39.0). We used body mass index (BMI) and fat mass (FM) by skinfold thickness (SFT), bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), and DXA. Statistical analyses used Bland‐Altman plots, Lin's concordance correlation coefficient, the paired t‐test, and Pearson or Spearman correlation. P < .05 was significant.

Results

SFT and DXA presented the lowest prevalence of malnutrition (2.4%) and BMI the highest (28.6%). BMI, BIA FM, and SFT FM presented strong positive correlations with DXA FM (r = 0.915; r = 0.976; r = 0.910, P < .001, respectively). BIA FM and fat‐free mass (FFM) demonstrated substantial agreement with DXA values (ρ = 0.974 and 0.960, P < .001). Thus, the measurement procedures used, SFT and BIA, underestimated %FM (−4.65% and −2.13%) and overestimated FFM (3.12 kg and 1.0 kg) according to DXA. No differences were found between mean values of BIA FM and DXA (P = .178).

Conclusions

Compared with DXA, BIA was the most appropriate nutrition indicator for measuring body composition.
ClusPro in rounds 38 to 45 of CAPRI: Toward combining template‐based methods with free docking
Authors: Padhorny Dzmitry , Porter Kathryn A. , Ignatov Mikhail , Alekseenko Andrey , Beglov Dmitri , Kotelnikov Sergei , Ashizawa Ryota , Desta Israel , Alam Nawsad , Sun Zhuyezi , Brini Emiliano , Dill Ken , Schueler‐Furman Ora , Vajda Sandor , Kozakov Dima
Published: March 2020

Targets in the protein docking experiment CAPRI (Critical Assessment of Predicted Interactions) generally present new challenges and contribute to new developments in methodology. In rounds 38 to 45 of CAPRI, most targets could be effectively predicted using template‐based methods. However, the server ClusPro required structures rather than sequences as input, and hence we had to generate and dock homology models. The available templates also provided distance restraints that were directly used as input to the server. We show here that such an approach has some advantages. Free docking with template‐based restraints using ClusPro reproduced some interfaces suggested by weak or ambiguous templates while not reproducing others, resulting in correct server predicted models. More recently we developed the fully automated ClusPro TBM server that performs template‐based modeling and thus can use sequences rather than structures of component proteins as input. The performance of the server, freely available for noncommercial use at https://tbm.cluspro.org, is demonstrated by predicting the protein‐protein targets of rounds 38 to 45 of CAPRI.
Zur Bemessung von Scher‐/Lochleibungsverbindungen mit Blindnieten im Stahlbau
Authors: Kalkowsky Florian , Glienke Ralf , Blunk Christoph , Dörre Maik , Henkel Knuth‐Michael
Published: March 2020

Mit der Entwicklung von Blindnieten mit Nenndurchmessern d > 6,4 mm ist eine steigende Tendenz der Anwendung im Stahlbau zu erkennen. Gründe für die verbreiterte Anwendung lassen sich vor allem in den Vorteilen gegenüber den klassischen Fügeverfahren finden. Blindniete werden überall dort eingesetzt, wo bspw. das Schweißen oder Schrauben technologisch oder konstruktiv bedingt nicht eingesetzt werden kann oder unwirtschaftlich ist. Bislang existieren seitens der Bemessung und Ausführung von Stahlbauten gemäß DIN EN 1993‐1‐8 bzw. DIN EN 1993‐1‐9 sowie DIN EN 1090‐2 für Blindnietverbindungen keine allgemeingültigen normativen Vorgaben, sodass auf bauaufsichtliche Verwendbarkeitsnachweise (ETA, abZ/aBG, ZiE) zurückgegriffen werden muss.

In diesem Beitrag werden die Ergebnisse aus systematischen Untersuchungen zur Scher‐/Lochleibungstragfähigkeit und zur Schwingfestigkeit von Blindnieten und den damit hergestellten Verbindungen vorgestellt. Ziel der Untersuchungen war die Erweiterung der im Stahlbau bestehenden Bemessungs‐ und Ausführungsregeln nach der Normenreihe DIN EN 1993 bzw. DIN EN 1090 für Blindnietverbindungen, um zukünftig einen rein rechnerischen Nachweis gegen Querkraftbeanspruchung zu erlauben. Des Weiteren galt es, allgemeingültige Kerbfallklassen gemäß der DIN EN 1993‐1‐9 für die verschiedenen Blindniettypen und damit hergestellten Verbindungen zu definieren, um so auch den Ermüdungsnachweis nach dem Vorbild des Eurocode 3 zu ermöglichen.
Cascade decays of heavy Higgs bosons through vectorlike quarks in two Higgs doublet models
Authors: Dermisek Radovan , Lunghi Enrico , Shin Seodong
Published: March 2020

Abstract

We study cascade decays of heavy neutral Higgs bosons through vectorlike quarks. We focus on scenarios where decay modes into pairs of vectorlike quarks are not kinematically open which extends the sensitivity of the LHC to larger masses. Assuming only mixing with the third family of standard model quarks the new decay modes of heavy Higgs bosons are: H → t4t → Wbt, Ztt, htt and H → b4b → Wtb, Zbb, hbb, where t4 (b4) is the new up-type (down-type) quark mass eigenstate. In the numerical analysis we assume the CP even Higgs boson in the two Higgs doublet model type-II but the signatures are relevant for many other scenarios. We identify the region of the parameter space where these decay modes are significant or can even dominate, and thus they provide the best opportunities for the simultaneous discovery of a new Higgs boson and vectorlike quarks. We further explore the reach of the High Luminosity LHC for two representative decay modes, t4→ Zt → ℓℓt and b4→ Zb → ℓℓb, and found that cross sections at a 0.1 fb level can be probed with simple cut based analyses. We also find that the rates for Higgs cascade decays can be much larger than the rates for a single production of vectorlike quarks. Furthermore, the reach for vectorlike quarks in Higgs cascade decays and pair production extends to comparable masses.
Pulling out the island with modular flow
Authors: Chen Yiming
Published: March 2020

Abstract

Recent works have suggested that the entanglement wedge of Hawking radiation coming from an AdS black hole will include an island inside the black hole interior after the Page time. In this paper, we propose a concrete way to extract the information from the island by acting only on the radiation degrees of freedom, building on the equivalence between the boundary and bulk modular flow. We consider examples with black holes in JT gravity coupled to baths. In the case that the bulk conformal fields contain free massless fermion field, we provide explicit bulk picture of the information extraction process, where we find that one can almost pull out an operator from the island to the bath with modular flow.
Die nichtinvasive Therapie des organbegrenzten Prostatakarzinoms im Alter – Ergebnisse der HAROW-Studie
Authors: Herden Jan , Boedefeld Edith A. , Weißbach Lothar
Published: March 2020

Hintergrund

Bei Patienten höheren Alters mit einem organbegrenzten Prostatakarzinom (PCa) haben nichtinvasive Therapien wie Active Surveillance (AS), Watchful Waiting (WW) und Hormonentzugstherapie (HT) einen besonderen Stellenwert.

Ziel der Arbeit

Wir überprüfen nichtinvasive Behandlungsformen im Versorgungsalltag an einer Kohorte von Patienten ≥70 Jahren.

Material und Methoden

Die Daten stammen aus der HAROW-Studie, mit der die Behandlung des organbegrenzten PCa unter Alltagsbedingungen untersucht wurde. Einziges Eingangskriterium war ein neu diagnostiziertes, organbegrenztes PCa (≤cT2c). AS-, WW- und HT-Patienten werden im Hinblick auf die initialen Tumor- und Patientencharakteristika, Verlaufsuntersuchungen sowie Therapiewechsel untersucht.

Ergebnisse

Von 457 Patienten ≥70 Jahren wählten 210 AS, 160 HT und 87 WW. Die mittleren Beobachtungszeiten waren für AS 6,3 Jahre, WW 7,0 Jahre und HT 7,5 Jahre. AS-Patienten waren jünger (73,2 Jahre) als WW- (76,0 Jahre) und HT-Patienten (76,9 Jahre) und hatten mit 80 % einen höheren Anteil von Low-risk-Tumoren (WW 31 %, HT 19 %). AS-Patienten wechselten die Therapie häufiger (47,1 %, WW 17,2 %, HT 13,1 %), entwickelten seltener Metastasen (1,0 %, WW 4,6 % HT 6,9 %) und hatten mit 94,3 % das beste Gesamtüberleben (90,8 % WW und 81,9 % HT). Innerhalb der ersten 28,4 Monate unterschied sich die mittlere Anzahl der PSA-Bestimmungen zwischen AS und WW nicht (6,1 vs. 5,2; p = 0,09); eine Rebiopsie erhielten 37,6 % der AS-, 11,4 % der WW- und 7,0 % der HT-Patienten.

Diskussion

Die Zuordnung zu den kurativen und palliativen Strategien sollte anhand der Patienten- und Tumorcharakteristika definitionsgemäß vorgenommen werden. Für AS-Patienten bieten sich WW oder HT an, wenn wegen Alter oder Komorbiditäten nicht mehr kurativ behandelt werden sollte.
PET imaging of beta-secretase 1 in the human brain: radiation dosimetry, quantification, and test-retest examination of [18F]PF-06684511
Authors: Arakawa Ryosuke , Takano Akihiro , Stenkrona Per , Stepanov Vladimir , Nag Sangram , Jahan Mahabuba , Grybäck Per , Bolin Martin , Chen Laigao , Zhang Lei , He Ping , Villalobos Anabella , McCarthy Timothy J. , Halldin Christer , Varrone Andrea
Published: March 2020

Purpose

Beta-secretase 1 (BACE1) enzyme is implicated in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease. [18F]PF-06684511 is a positron emission tomography (PET) radioligand for imaging BACE1. Despite favorable brain kinetic properties, the effective dose (ED) of [18F]PF-06684511 estimated in non-human primates was relatively high. This study was therefore designed to evaluate the whole-body distribution, dosimetry, quantification, and test-retest reliability of imaging brain BACE1 with [18F]PF-06684511 in healthy volunteers.

Methods

Five subjects were studied for the dosimetry study. Whole-body PET was performed for 366 min with 4 PET-CT sessions. Estimates of the absorbed radiation dose were calculated using the male adult model. Eight subjects participated in the test-retest study. Brain PET measurements were conducted for 123 min with an interval of 5 to 19 days between test and retest conditions. The total distribution volume (VT) was estimated with one-tissue (1T), two-tissue (2T), compartment model (CM), and graphical analysis. Test-retest variability (TRV) and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of VT were calculated as reliability measures.

Results

In the dosimetry study, the highest uptake was found in the liver (25.2 ± 2.3 %ID at 0.5 h) and the largest dose was observed in the pancreas (92.9 ± 52.2 μSv/MBq). The calculated ED was 24.7 ± 0.8 μSv/MBq. In the test-retest study, 2TCM described the time-activity curves well. VT (2TCM) was the highest in the anterior cingulate cortex (6.28 ± 1.09 and 6.85 ± 0.81) and the lowest in the cerebellum (4.23 ± 0.88 and 4.20 ± 0.75). Mean TRV and ICC of VT (2TCM) were 16.5% (12.4–20.5%) and 0.496 (0.291–0.644).

Conclusion

The ED of [18F]PF-06684511 was similar to other 18F radioligands, allowing repeated PET measurements. 2TCM was the most appropriate quantification method. TRV of VT was similar to other radioligands without a reference region, albeit with lower ICC. These data indicated that [18F]PF-06684511 is a suitable radioligand to measure BACE1 level in the human brain.

Trial registration

EudraCT 2016-001110-19 (registered 2016-08-08)
Histology, 12p status, and IMP3 expression separate subtypes in testicular teratomas
Authors: Semjén Dávid , Bíró Krisztina , Kapitány Emese , Kálmán Endre , Tornóczky Tamás , Kajtár Béla
Published: March 2020

Introduction

Two types of testicular teratomas are distinguished by the current WHO classification. Prepubertal-type teratomas are benign, while postpubertal-type teratomas are considered malignant with metastatic potential, and are associated with germ cell neoplasia in situ. Prepubertal-type cases have been reported in the adult testis potentially causing confusion and overtreatment. Demonstration of the absence of 12p abnormalities with fluorescence in situ hybridization may facilitate diagnosis. Recently, IMP3 has emerged as a potential marker of malignancy in this context.

Aims

The aim of this study was to assess histological characteristics, IMP3 expression and the presence of 12p abnormalities of pure testicular teratomas.

Results

Thirty-seven cases were studied, 7 patients were children and 30 were adults. Six out of 7 pediatric cases showed no 12p abnormality and were IMP3 positive. Seventy-four percent and 79% of adult cases showed 12p abnormalities and IMP3 expression, respectively. Negative cases were not associated with in situ neoplasia or metastasis, they were smaller (mean, 14 vs 39 mm), showed less histological diversity (2.4 vs 4.0 types of tissues on average) compared to positive cases.

Conclusion

Our study provides further evidence that prepubertal-type (type I) teratomas may appear in adult testes, thus teratomas in adults may be either benign (type I) or malignant (type II). IMP3 expression may aid the distinction between type I and type II teratomas of the postpubertal testis even when GCNIS and 12p status cannot be assessed.
Cochleaimplantate bei Kindern
Authors: Auinger Alice B. , Gstöttner Wolfgang
Published: March 2020

In Österreich kommen 1–2 Kinder von 1000 mit einer hochgradigen Hörstörung zur Welt. Durch die Einführung des Neugeborenenhörscreenings wurde das Diagnosealter signifikant gesenkt. Eine frühzeitige Hörgeräteversorgung mit Frühförderung ist nicht nur unabdingbar für die weitere Sprachentwicklung, sondern auch für die Entwicklung der kognitiven Leistungsfähigkeit. Bei ausbleibendem Erfolg einer optimalen Hörgeräteversorgung stellt sich die Indikation zur Implantation eines Cochleaimplantats (CI), die bevorzugt im ersten Lebensjahr erfolgt, um eine normale Sprachentwicklung zu ermöglichen. Die präoperative Diagnostik umfasst schnittbildgebende Verfahren, um Fehlbildungen des Innenohrs sowie der zentralen Strukturen zu erfassen, die in vielen Fällen keine Kontraindikation für ein CI darstellen. Die Operation ist sehr sicher und seltene Komplikationen wie Wundinfektionen oder Wundheilungsstörungen sind gut therapierbar. Einen großen Stellenwert nimmt die postoperative Rehabilitation ein. Regelmäßige Einstellungen des Sprachprozessors und HNO-ärztliche Kontrollen sowie die Einbindung des sozialen Umfelds gewährleisten den Hörerfolg mit dem Implantat.
Generische Strukturierung von Sicherheitsnachweisen von Fahrcomputern für automatisierte Fahrzeugsysteme des Level 3
Authors: Schnieder L. , Hosse R. S.
Published: March 2020

Die Entwicklung sicherheitsrelevanter elektronischer Steuerungssysteme für automatisierte Fahrzeugsysteme des Level 3 ist eine komplexe und anspruchsvolle Entwurfs- und Nachweisaufgabe. Dieser Beitrag zeigt auf, dass eine erfolgreiche Entwicklung sicherheitsrelevanter elektronischer Steuerungssysteme für Kraftfahrzeuge ein gegenläufiger Prozess ist. Top-Down-Entwurfsvorgaben im Sinne einer Vorgabe konkreter Sicherheitsanforderungsstufen können zumeist erst bei der Entwicklung einer konkreten Anwendung auf Fahrzeugebene getroffen werden. Um die Innovationsdynamik in der Automobilindustrie nicht zu hemmen, sind auch „Bottom-up“ entstehende generische Produkte und Anwendungen mit wohl dokumentierten Annahmen erforderlich. Dieser Beitrag stellt Anforderungen an generische Sicherheitsnachweise auf und zeigt, wie diese über das Konzept „sicherheitsbezogener Anwendungsregeln“ miteinander bruchlos verknüpft werden können. Grundlage hierfür ist ein eindeutig definierter Anwendungskontext sowie eine verbindlich festgelegte Systemdefinition. Hierfür wird gezeigt, welchen Beitrag die Verwendung einer semi-formalen Notation für die generische Strukturierung funktionaler Sicherheitsanforderungen von Fahrcomputern für automatisierte Fahrzeugsysteme des Level 3 leisten kann.
Laying the foundation for smart contract development: an integrated engineering process model
Authors: Sillaber Christian , Waltl Bernhard , Treiblmaier Horst , Gallersdörfer Ulrich , Felderer Michael
Published: March 2020

Smart contracts are seen as the major building blocks for future autonomous blockchain- and Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT)-based applications. Engineering such contracts for trustless, append-only, and decentralized digital ledgers allows mutually distrustful parties to transform legal requirements into immutable and formalized rules. Previous experience shows this to be a challenging task due to demanding socio-technical ecosystems and the specificities of decentralized ledger technology. In this paper, we therefore develop an integrated process model for engineering DLT-based smart contracts that accounts for the specificities of DLT. This model was iteratively refined with the support of industry experts. The model explicitly accounts for the immutability of the trustless, append-only, and decentralized DLT ecosystem, and thereby overcomes certain limitations of traditional software engineering process models. More specifically, it consists of five successive and closely intertwined phases: conceptualization, implementation, approval, execution, and finalization. For each phase, the respective activities, roles, and artifacts are identified and discussed in detail. Applying such a model when engineering smart contracts will help software engineers and developers to better understand and streamline the engineering process of DLTs in general and blockchain in particular. Furthermore, this model serves as a generic framework which will support application development in all fields in which DLT can be applied.
A data-driven approach for predicting printability in metal additive manufacturing processes
Authors: Mycroft William , Katzman Mordechai , Tammas-Williams Samuel , Hernandez-Nava Everth , Panoutsos George , Todd Iain , Kadirkamanathan Visakan
Published: March 2020

Metal powder-bed fusion additive manufacturing technologies offer numerous benefits to the manufacturing industry. However, the current approach to printability analysis, determining which components are likely to build unsuccessfully, prior to manufacture, is based on ad-hoc rules and engineering experience. Consequently, to allow full exploitation of the benefits of additive manufacturing, there is a demand for a fully systematic approach to the problem. In this paper we focus on the impact of geometry in printability analysis. For the first time, we detail a machine learning framework for determining the geometric limits of printability in additive manufacturing processes. This framework consists of three main components. First, we detail how to construct strenuous test artefacts capable of pushing an additive manufacturing process to its limits. Secondly, we explain how to measure the printability of an additively manufactured test artefact. Finally, we construct a predictive model capable of estimating the printability of a given artefact before it is additively manufactured. We test all steps of our framework, and show that our predictive model approaches an estimate of the maximum performance obtainable due to inherent stochasticity in the underlying additive manufacturing process.
Quality of life and mental health in adolescent users of oral contraceptives. Results from the nationwide, representative German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS)
Authors: Lewandowski Sabina Klara , Duttge Gunnar , Meyer Thomas
Published: March 2020

Objective

Using data from the nationwide, cross-sectional KiGGS (German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents) study, we investigated whether hormonal contraception in adolescents aged 15 to 17 years was linked to health-related quality of life and mental health problems.

Methods

Study participants had undergone standardized recordings of blood pressure and measurements of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D]. Quality of life was assessed by self- and parent-rated KINDL-R questionnaires, whereas mental health problems were screened by means of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ).

Results

Self-rated quality of life was similar between users (n = 522) and non-users (n = 1173, 69.2%) of oral contraceptives (69.2 ± 11.2 vs. 69.2 ± 11.0, p = 0.943), as was the parent-rated version (72.9 ± 10.6 vs. 72.9 ± 10.5, p = 0.985). Likewise, no significant differences were observed between the two groups with respect to both self- (10.9 ± 4.4 vs. 10.8 ± 4.6, p = 0.732) and parent-rated SDQ scores (7.2 ± 4.8 vs. 7.0 ± 4.6. p = 0.390). However, serum 25(OH)D (59.5 ± 32.9 vs. 46.1 ± 28.0 nmol/L, p < 0.001) and mean arterial blood pressure (88.2 ± 7.4 vs. 86.5 ± 7.7 mmHg, p < 0.001) were significantly higher in users than in non-users. There was a trend towards a higher rate of psychotropic drug prescription in participants taking oral contraceptive pills as compared to those not receiving hormonal contraception (17.8% vs. 14.4%, p = 0.052). A series of linear regression models with either KINDL-R or SDQ as dependent variable confirmed that there were no associations between components of mental well-being and contraceptive drug use, irrespective of whether self- or parent-ratings were included in these models.

Conclusions

In a large, representative sample of German adolescents, exposure to exogenous contraceptive hormones was associated with higher arterial blood pressure and serum 25(OH)D concentration, whereas hormonal contraception was not linked to health-related quality of life or mental well-being.
Improving constant-volume simulations of undrained behaviour in DEM
Authors: Keishing Joel , Hanley Kevin J.
Published: March 2020

In order to simulate undrained conditions using the discrete element method, a constant sample volume is often assumed. There are well-recognised problems with these constant-volume triaxial simulations, particularly of dense samples, which inhibit quantitative comparison with laboratory experiments. In this paper, four possible explanations for these problems with conventional constant-volume simulations of ideal spherical particles are explored, each of which has a physical basis: particle crushing, the presence of highly compressible air within the sample, or the reduction in stiffness due to particle surface asperities or non-spherical particle shapes. These options are explored independently and in combination through implementation in the open-source LAMMPS code. In situations where a significant amount of particle crushing occurs, it is important to incorporate this in the simulations so that stresses are not over-estimated. There is experimental evidence that irregular particles have lower Young’s moduli than the Hertzian spheres often used in DEM. In the absence of particle crushing, the most effective method to achieve more realistic stress–strain responses is to reduce the particle shear modulus substantially. This approach has the added computational benefit of enabling an increase in the simulation time-step.
History, extensive characterization and challenge of anti-tetanus serum from World War I: exciting remnants and deceived hopes
Authors: Aubert Nicolas , Brachet-Botineau Marie , de Olivera Preto Giulia Emi , Benz-de Bretagne Isabelle , Watier Hervé , Brachet Guillaume
Published: March 2020

During World War I (WWI), infectious diseases including tetanus were among the most important causes of death. Even though its efficacy was somewhat controversial before the war, tetanus antiserum played a key role in reducing the mortality of this disease. A vial of tetanus antiserum dating back from WWI, left behind on the French battlefield by the US Army, was borrowed from a private collection and opened. The serum contained within was characterized by orthogonal biochemical techniques to determine if any neutralizing IgGs could remain after 100 years of storage. In vitro analysis by Size Exclusion Chromatography and Serum Protein Electrophoresis suggested the presence of residual IgG. In spite of our hopes, these IgGs were not able to protect mice against tetanus toxin challenge in a neutralizing assay. Even though our results indicate the presence of remaining IgGs inside the serum, they were functionally disabled. These results show that obscurity alone is insufficient to protect IgGs from degradation over very long periods of time at room temperature.

Highlights

Tetanus antiserum found its place in the therapeutic arsenal during World War I

A century-old vial of tetanus antiserum was opened for biochemical and in vivo characterization

Biochemical assays revealed the presence of proteins having all the characteristics of IgGs

The serum was unable to protect mice against toxinic challenge
Update on oral and oropharyngeal cancer staging – International perspectives
Authors: Kato Masanari G. , Baek Chung‐Hwan , Chaturvedi Pankaj , Gallagher Richard , Kowalski Luiz P. , Leemans C. René , Warnakulasuriya Saman , Nguyen Shaun A. , Day Terry A.
Published: March 2020

Squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity and oropharynx have been used synonymously and interchangeably in the world literature in the context of head and neck cancers. As the 21st century progresses, divergence between the two have become more evident, particularly due to evidence related to human papillomavirus‐associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. As such, the American Joint Committee on Cancer recently published the 8th edition Cancer Staging Manual, serving as a continued global resource to clinicians and researchers. Through changes in staging related to T and N clinical and pathologic classifications, the new system is expected to influence current management guidelines of these cancers that have distinct anatomic and etiopathogenic characteristics. This article aims to review such impactful changes in a time of critical transition of the staging of head and neck cancer and how these changes may affect clinicians and researchers worldwide.
One Person, One Vote: Estimating the Prevalence of Double Voting in U.S. Presidential Elections
Authors: GOEL SHARAD , MEREDITH MARC , MORSE MICHAEL , ROTHSCHILD DAVID , SHIRANI-MEHR HOUSHMAND
Published: March 2020

Beliefs about the incidence of voter fraud inform how people view the trade-off between electoral integrity and voter accessibility. To better inform such beliefs about the rate of double voting, we develop and apply a method to estimate how many people voted twice in the 2012 presidential election. We estimate that about one in 4,000 voters cast two ballots, although an audit suggests that the true rate may be lower due to small errors in electronic vote records. We corroborate our estimates and extend our analysis using data from a subset of states that share social security numbers, making it easier to quantify who may have voted twice. For this subset of states, we find that one suggested strategy to reduce double voting—removing the registration with an earlier registration date when two share the same name and birthdate—could impede approximately 300 legitimate votes for each double vote prevented.
ANCIENT SOLUTIONS OF CODIMENSION TWO SURFACES WITH CURVATURE PINCHING - RETRACTED
Authors: JI ZHENGCHAO
Published: March 2020

We prove rigidity theorems for ancient solutions of geometric flows of immersed submanifolds. Specifically, we find conditions on the second fundamental form that characterise the shrinking sphere among compact ancient solutions for the mean curvature flow in codimension two surfaces.
FROM THE OTHER SIDE: FEMINIST AESTHETICS IN AUSTRALIAN MUSICOLOGY
Authors: Goh Talisha
Published: March 2020

The rise of new musicology and feminist music criticism in the 1980s prompted a rethinking of gender in Australian art music spheres and resulted in over a decade of advocacy on behalf of women music makers. Local musicological publications began to cover feminist concerns from the late 1980s, with a focus on composing women. Catalysed by the proliferation of feminist musicology internationally in the 1990s, a series of women's music festivals were held around Australia from 1991–2001 and accompanied by conferences, symposia and special-issue publications. Aesthetic concerns were at the forefront of this debate as women musicologists and practitioners were divided on the existence of a gendered aesthetic and the implications this might have. This article examines the major feminist aesthetic contributions and debates at the time and how these considerations have impacted music-making practices, with particular reference to women composers of new music.
TEACHING TERTIARY MUSIC IN THE #METOO ERA
Authors: Devenish Louise , Sun Cecilia , Hope Cat , Tomlinson Vanessa
Published: March 2020

Over the past two decades significant changes in approaches to gender equity have taken place in the fields of contemporary music and music research. However, women in music are still disadvantaged in terms of income, inclusion and professional opportunities. In Australia a national approach to improving gender equity in music has begun to emerge as once-controversial strategies trialled by four tertiary institutions have become established practices. This article discusses successful inclusion strategies for women in music, including the commitment to gender-balanced programming across all concerts at Queensland Conservatorium of Music by 2025, the introduction of mandatory quotas in recital programmes at Monash University, mentoring programmes for women composers at Sydney Conservatorium of Music, and the development of coursework devoted to women in music at The University of Western Australia, as well as other initiatives that have emerged from them, both within and beyond the institution. Each approach is examined in the context of broader global discussions around gender and feminism. The public willingness to engage in discussions over sexual harassment, sexual assault and gender discrimination in the workplace that has resulted from the #MeToo movement is cited as key in influencing the engagement of students and professionals with these strategies and subsequent influence on performance practices, project development and presentational formats in new music.
RECLAIMING THE PERFORMER'S VOICE AND BODY IN MUSICAL ANALYSIS
Authors: Green Phoebe
Published: March 2020

The most prevalent model of musical analysis goes straight from score to sound, without reference to decisions – planned or impromptu – made by the performer as they perform the score. Since 2000 performance analysis by, among others, Nicholas Cook and John Rink, has sought to bridge this gap by analysing performances of works, yet the performer's voice is still absent. Catherine Costello Hirata and Dora Hanninen attempted to capture more experiential qualities in their approach to analysis, yet here too the performer is unable to contribute. There is growing discourse featuring performers speaking about their creative process, however this is generally not framed in a formal analytical space. This article examines the landscape of musical analysis as new models emerge for analysis of the score in its performed realm. It builds on research that presented a formal performance analysis of a score in the context of a performance, and extends the model and ideas expressed to reclaim a space for the performer's experience of a score in musical analysis.
PIXERCISE: PICCOLO PERFORMANCE PRACTICE, EXERCISE AND FEMALE BODY IMAGE
Authors: Williams Kathryn
Published: March 2020

PIXERCISE (2017–) is an open-ended collaborative work written by Kathryn Williams and Annie Hui-Hsin Hsieh. The piece involves an ongoing process of physical training, and in performance combines specially tailored physical exercises with piccolo performance. This article describes the unusual composition, preparation, and performance of this work and is concerned with exploring the shifting collaborative relationship. It also explores some of the aesthetic and social ideas that motivated the piece and have emerged through critical reflection and have been further incorporated, including the process of self-improvement and overcoming expressed as a performance artwork; entanglements between physical transformation through exercise; attitudes to female-body image and exercise; and how this piece connects with a growing tradition of experimental musical performance practice and performance art.
Klangforum Wien, Wien Modern, Wiener Konzerthaus, 13 November 2019
Authors: Heaton Roger
Published: March 2020

The thirty-second Wien Modern was an extraordinary month-long festival of concerts and events with almost 90 world and Austrian premieres. The excellent Klangforum Wien programme at the Wiener Konzerthaus, conducted by Bas Wiegers, was well attended by an enthusiastic and mostly young-ish audience, where the focus was two first performances for large ensemble: Klaus Lang's linea mundi and Mirela Ivičević's Sweet Dreams. The evening was, in fact, billed as being ‘in honour’ of Ivičević who had won the Erste Bank Composition Prize 2019 with this piece. Ivičević is a Croatian composer now living in Vienna and her work shows an involvement with big themes: politics, diversity and violence, among others. Apart from concert pieces she works with different media and takes by-products of popular trash culture often as a starting point for her work. In interviews she has talked about the ‘subversive potency of sound’, and said that her work is ‘raw, imperfect, unpolished’, which this piece, and other recent examples you can hear on YouTube, demonstrate, despite her quite rigorous musical education in Zagreb and Vienna. Sweet Dreams is a lively, noisy, busy piece about the rapid change between sleep and waking states. The large ensemble, including harmonium, electric guitar and harp, opens with monumental repeated sections, dramatic but with a sense of direction toward slow, strong, pedal entries. Rough punctuation from alto saxophone, bass clarinet and trumpet adds to the ‘rawness’ but the writing is assured with a particular, individual imagination and sense of colour that bodes well for future work.
FOR/WITH New York City, 15–16 November 2019 THE STORY OF ONE OF MY FOLLIES New York City, 16 November 2019
Authors: Power Ian
Published: March 2020

In two nights in New York, I saw three world premieres and four other recent pieces at two very different concerts. Friday, 15 November at Issue Project Room in Brooklyn was the concert FOR, the first of two nights called FOR/WITH curated by the trumpeter Nate Wooley. The venue was celebrating the life of its late founder, the artist Suzanne Fiol, and her work was displayed around the hall with an appropriate sense of reverence and intensity. Wooley featured a composer I admire, Eva-Maria Houben of the Wandelweiser collective, and an uncharacteristic solo trumpet piece that she wrote for him called chanting ballads. Like most of Houben's work it was stark, simple and repetitive, and seemed to place the performer in a battle with himself, its briefly sustained tones becoming daunting events, spaced as far apart from each other as they were. Unlike most of Houben's work, it took advantage of the trumpet's entire range of pitch and dynamic, which at first seems to be entirely out of place with the atmosphere of the work, but, as it goes on, one of course realizes that this is the point and there is so much in these bare, somewhat awkward trumpet sounds to listen for. Every extraneous sound – both from the trumpet and from the hall – becomes part of the piece. My mind moves to curation: does Houben's music demand more control over a concert? No phones maybe? I feel for the performer: while the work does what I love most about solo works, which is to take us out of the regular ‘concert’ feeling and give us the sense that we're witnessing a ritual with a strange tool, I then end up focusing on the performer's unintentional ornamentation. A few clammed notes: are they supposed to illustrate the fragility of the instrument, its tone and its user, or are they also intended as part of any tool's thorough exploration? I've played Houben: it's hard. I get it. But I do think the point is to be charitable as a listener and enjoy every sound equally, in an attempt to divorce oneself from preconceived notions of ‘successful’ playing. What at first seemed like quite an awkward undertaking became an empowering experience for me, and, one hopes, for Wooley as well.
Georgia Rodgers, Line of parts. hcmf//, 2019
Authors: De Little Alex
Published: March 2020

As I enter Georgia Rodgers’ Line of parts, I am struck by the instrument for which she has composed: three levitating circles of loudspeakers, one above the other, that form a cylinder of sound rising up above my head. They are housed inside a space-age enclosure, clad in complex geometric foam shapes; a circular array of chairs facing outwards sits in centre of this space, inviting an independent and reflective – rather than communal – listening experience. This space wraps you in it: a womb-like architecture of sonic potential.
Economics is whatever the comparative advantage of economists is: a comment on Leeson (2020)
Authors: Murphy Ryan H.
Published: March 2020

Leeson (2020) objects to the conflation of economics with applied econometrics, and argues that economics instead should be thought of as the implications of the assumption that individuals maximize, i.e. rational choice theory. But, narrowly defining economics in terms of method demands that we ignore alternative theoretical frameworks which potentially hold explanatory power about topics thought of as economics, all for the sake of a definition. I suggest that applying rational choice theory and applying econometrics became the comparative advantage for economists relative to other social scientists by accidents of history. These comparative advantages largely persist. It is reasonable to call applications of both rational choice theory and econometrics to topics outside conventional economic topics ‘economics’ simply because these applications remain the comparative advantage of economists.
Developmental Dyscalculia in Adults
Authors: Kaufmann Liane , von Aster Michael , Göbel Silke M. , Marksteiner Josef , Klein Elise
Published: March 2020

Abstract. Developmental dyscalculia (DD) is a chronic condition that poses not only a barrier to employment and socio-emotional wellbeing but that also persists into adulthood. Thus, understanding the neuro-cognitive foundations of DD is relevant for both children and adults with DD. However, so far the vast majority of scientific research endeavours has been dedicated to the study of DD in children only. Consequently, our current understanding of DD in adulthood is rather patchy. The main aim of the present review is to summarize the scientific findings on DD in adults by focusing on its cognitive manifestations and neural substrates in adults. For instance, research on DD in adulthood suggests that – beyond an outstanding deficiency in number processing – the processing of non-numerical magnitudes and domain-general skills seem to be also impaired in adults suffering from persistent DD. A secondary aim of this review is to delineate future lines of research that will provide us with a more elaborate understanding of the neurocognitive underpinnings of DD in adults (thus fostering the development of sensitive diagnostic marker tasks), and to formulate potential intervention areas targeting deficiencies frequently characterizing DD in adults.