bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Biomaterials for dental composite applications: A comprehensive review of physical, chemical, mechanical, thermal, tribological, and biological properties
Authors: Yadav Ramkumar , Meena Anoj , Patnaik Amar
Published: February 2022

Biomaterials have been widely used in dental composite materials or implants and their physical, mechanical, wear, and biocompatibility characteristics must be evaluated for clinical application. Extensive research has been committed to establishing various scientific methods for customizing the microstructure of dental biomaterials. As the ultimate goal of the selected implant material is the patient's safety and functionality, the current literature survey inspects and brings onward the vital features associated with the mechanical, biological, and microstructural properties of biomaterials used in dental composites or implants. The review study focuses on the successful use of diverse materials as an additive in bioceramics/fibers and the processing processes used to improve characteristics, allowing the material to be utilized in dental materials or implants. The influence of various fillers on the physical, chemical, mechanical, thermal, wear, and biological characteristics of fabricated dental restorative composite materials have been elaborately discussed. Furthermore, the design of experiment prospects is proposed to encourage new advancements in biomaterials research.
Annealing‐induced high impact toughness of immiscible isotactic polypropylene/poly(acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene) blend
Authors: Liu Jingru , Jiang Dexing , Li Zihan
Published: February 2022

In present work, acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene graft copolymer (ABS) with dual roles of macromolecular β nucleating agent and organic rigid particles was introduced into isotactic polypropylene (iPP) via melt blending, and the iPP/ABS blend samples were further annealed at moderate temperature (120–140°C) for 3 h. The corresponding microstructural evolution of pure iPP and ABS‐toughened iPP upon annealing was analyzed with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in detail. The results showed that the introduction of ABS and further annealing treatment have synergistic toughening effect on iPP. For the iPP with the addition of 4 wt% ABS, the impact strength is increased by 77%. After annealing at 130°C for 3 h, the impact strength of iPP alone is 72% higher than that of its unannealed counterpart, while this value is increased remarkably by 258% for the iPP/ABS blend. The remarkably elevated impact toughness of iPP blended with ABS upon annealing could be ascribed to favorable heterogeneous nucleation effect of ABS, promoted mobility of chain segments in the amorphous region of iPP, and enhanced interfacial interaction between the iPP and ABS upon annealing.
Experimental and numerical study of transverse shear modulus for bioinspired glass fiber‐reinforced polymer sandwich core
Authors: Gunasegeran Muthukumaran , Sudhagar P. Edwin
Published: February 2022

Sandwich panels with cellular material cores are widely used in the aerospace, automotive, and marine industries. Although honeycombs with hexagonal cells are the most frequent shapes for cores, new possibilities in lightweight structures have lately emerged. The present work evaluates the transverse shear modulus of the glass‐reinforced polymer honeycomb core (GFRP ‐ HC) and glass‐reinforced polymer corrugated bioinspired model (GFRP ‐ CBIM) core. The experimental results from the alternative dynamic technique agreed well with the numerical simulation. In the GFRP sandwich beam with corrugated HC and CBIM's core, numerical free vibration analysis was performed. The CBIM core has a higher natural frequency than the HC core, according to the numerical data. Further, numerical analysis has been performed on the bioinspired cores by varying the side length and edge radius. Modified bioinspired model ‐ 03 core design (MBIM03) appears to be a good option for regular honeycombs used in sandwich composite panels for industrial applications that demand low weight, high rigidity, and a large amount of energy‐absorbing capacity.
Investigation of physical, flexural, and dynamic mechanical properties of alumina and graphene nanoplatelets filled epoxy nanocomposites
Authors: A Kesavulu , Mohanty Akash
Published: February 2022

In this research, the different weight percentages of alumina and graphene nanoplatelets were homogeneously dispersed in the epoxy resin by a sonication and ball milling mixing process. The effect alumina and graphene nanoplatelets filled epoxy nanocomposites of physical, flexural, and dynamic mechanical properties were investigated. The epoxy nanocomposites showed a significant enhancement of 43.5% flexural strength and 29.5% flexural modulus for the combined filler loading of 2 wt% of alumina and 0.5 wt% of graphene nanoplatelets sample (EA2G0.5) than the neat epoxy. The EA2G0.5 epoxy nanocomposites sample showed an enhancement of 68.1% for the storage modulus. The loss modulus peak shifts toward the right side than the neat epoxy, which is showing better thermal stability of the composite. The differential scanning calorimetry technique was used to study the curing characteristics of the epoxy and epoxy nanocomposites. The scanning electron microscopy images of a fractured surface of the neat epoxy and alumina and graphene nanoplatelets filled epoxy nanocomposites showed the dispersion of the fillers, which is the sole cause of the enhancement of flexural properties. In general, these developed nanocomposites are suitable to be used as parent material in electrical and electronic packaging applications.
The impact of HBB‐related hemoglobinopathies carrier status on fetal fraction in noninvasive prenatal screening
Authors: Putra Manesha , Kaseniit Kristjan Eerik , Hicks Melissa A. , Muzzey Dale , Hackney David
Published: February 2022

Objective

We evaluated whether there is an association between β‐globin (HBB) pathogenic variants and fetal fraction (FF), and whether the association has a clinically relevant impact on non‐invasive prenatal screening (NIPS).

Method

A whole‐genome sequencing NIPS laboratory database was retrospectively queried for women who underwent NIPS and carrier screening of both HBB and the α‐globin genes (HBA1/HBA2). Women affected with either condition were excluded from the study, yielding a cohort size of 15,853. A “corrected FF” was obtained via multivariable linear regression adjusted for the systematic impacts of maternal age, gestational age and BMI. Corrected FF distributions of HBB and HBA1/HBA2 carriers were each compared to non‐carriers using the Kolmogorov‐Smirnov test.

Results

In this cohort, 291 women were carriers for HBB alone, and 1016 were carriers for HBA1/HBA2 alone. The HBB carriers had a lower corrected FF when compared to non‐carriers (p < 0.0001). There was no difference in corrected FF among carriers and non‐carriers of HBA1/HBA2.

Conclusion

Carriers of pathogenic variants in the HBB gene, but not the HBA1/HBA2 genes, are more likely to have lower FF when compared to women with structurally normal hemoglobin. This decrease in FF could result in an elevated test‐failure rate if FF thresholds were used.
The longitudinal course of emotional and cognitive factors of fear of cancer recurrence in breast cancer patients and their partners
Authors: Otto Amy K. , Soriano Emily C. , LoSavio Stefanie T. , Siegel Scott D. , Perndorfer Christine , Fenech Alyssa L. , Laurenceau Jean‐Philippe
Published: February 2022

Objective

Although fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) has been conceptualized as a multidimensional construct with emotional and cognitive components, little work has distinguished or assessed both components. Further, most existing research has not included intimate partners of cancer patients, although they also experience FCR. This study aimed to (1) determine whether FCR is better conceptualized as a singular or multidimensional construct at the within‐person level over time and (2) model the corresponding trajectories in patients and their partners.

Methods

Female early stage breast cancer patients and their partners (N = 78 couples) completed up to five assessments over the first year post‐diagnosis tapping both emotional and cognitive elements of FCR. Multilevel confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate FCR's factor structure, and multivariate latent growth curve modeling was used to estimate trajectories of emotional and cognitive FCR.

Results

FCR was best conceptualized as two distinct but related emotional and cognitive factors. In patients and partners, emotional FCR decreased over the first year post‐diagnosis on average, while cognitive FCR did not change over time.

Conclusions

Findings support the conceptualization of FCR as a multidimensional construct and underscore the potential importance of distinguishing emotional and cognitive components of FCR in future research.
Treatment‐emergent central sleep apnoea managed by CPAP with adjunctive acetazolamide: A case report
Authors: Kwok Chin Tong , Wong Kam Cheung , Kwok Chun Lee , Lee Sing Hang , Yee Kwok Sang
Published: February 2022

Treatment‐emergent central sleep apnoea (TECSA) refers to the emergence of central apnoea during treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), most commonly continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). It has been reported in 8% of OSA patients treated with CPAP and spontaneous resolution rate varies between 60% and 80%. Management options include watchful waiting with continuation of CPAP, bi‐level positive pressure ventilation, adaptive servo‐ventilation and CPAP with supplemental oxygen. Acetazolamide has been shown to be effective in other forms of central sleep apnoea; its use as adjunct to CPAP in TECSA is sparsely reported. We report a 74‐year‐old man with severe OSA who developed moderate central apnoea upon CPAP initiation. Subsequent addition of acetazolamide led to gratifying resolution of the TECSA. In TECSA patients with significant symptoms and high central apnoea index, treatment with acetazolamide as adjunct to CPAP may be considered, particularly in patients in whom CPAP adherence is imperative.
Learning how to learn—Implementing self‐regulated learning evidence into practice in higher education: Illustrations from diverse disciplines
Authors: MacMahon Stephanie J. , Carroll Annemaree , Osika Alexandra , Howell Angelique
Published: February 2022

The benefits of drawing upon evidence‐based practices in teaching and learning—such as self‐regulated learning (SRL)—are well documented. However, effectively translating and implementing this evidence into diverse higher education (HE) teaching and learning contexts is challenging and complex, and as yet not well understood. Translational approaches that utilise knowledge brokers as mediators between the research and its application into practice have shown promise in transforming evidence‐based principles of learning into contextually relevant, meaningful and useful application. This paper describes an exploratory qualitative case study into how five academics implemented evidence‐based practices into their teaching and learning programmes, drawing upon a shared Higher Education Learning Framework (HELF) and with support from knowledge brokers. Using a Community of Practice (CoP) framework and a case study methodology, the study aimed to better understand the barriers and enablers to effective implementation of evidence‐based practices in SRL across diverse teaching contexts. This study has suggested that to effectively implement evidence into HE teaching, learning and assessment practices requires a community and systems‐based approach, with members of the HE learning community—students, academics, tutors, leaders, learning designers, knowledge brokers, alumni—all having a role to play. Systemic barriers (e.g., values of research over teaching in HE, systemic devaluing of teaching in education sector, fiscal, curriculum restrictions, more rewards and incentives for research than teaching excellence) are harder to overcome and may need to be addressed through a different approach.
Usefulness of combined NGS and QF‐PCR analysis for product of conception karyotyping
Authors: Kato Takema , Miyai Shunsuke , Suzuki Hideki , Murase Yuuri , Ota Shiyo , Yamauchi Hiroko , Ammae Michiko , Nakano Tatsuya , Nakaoka Yoshiharu , Inoue Tomoko , Morimoto Yoshiharu , Fukuda Aisaku , Utsunomiya Takafumi , Nishizawa Haruki , Kurahashi Hiroki
Published: February 2022

Purpose

Since chromosomal abnormalities can be detected in more than half of miscarriages, cytogenetic testing of the product of conception (POC) can provide important information when preparing for a subsequent pregnancy. Conventional karyotyping is the common diagnostic method for a POC but can be problematic due to the need for cell culture.

Methods

We here conducted shallow whole‐genome sequencing (sWGS) using next‐generation sequencing (NGS) for alternative POC cytogenomic analysis. Since female euploidy samples can include 69,XXX triploidy, additional QF‐PCR was performed in these cases.

Results

We here analyzed POC samples from miscarriages in 300 assisted reproductive technology (ART) pregnancies and detected chromosomal abnormalities in 201 instances (67.0%). Autosomal aneuploidy (151 cases, 50.3%) was the most frequent abnormality, consistent with prior conventional karyotyping data. Mosaic aneuploidy was detected in seven cases (2.0%). Notably, the frequency of triploidy was 2.3%, 10‐fold lower than the reported frequency in non‐ART pregnancies. Structural rearrangements were identified in nine samples (3%), but there was no case of segmental mosaicism.

Conclusions

These data suggest that NGS‐based sWGS, with the aid of QF‐PCR, is a viable alternative karyotyping procedure that does not require cell culture. This method could also assist with genetic counseling for couples who undergoes embryo selection based on PGT‐A data.
soilphysics: A suite of tools to fit and compare water retention curves
Authors: de Lima Renato P. , da Silva Anderson R.
Published: February 2022

Water content plays a central role in soil physical dynamic processes. The relationship between water content and matric potential is key to understand many of these processes. However, there is not one but at least half a dozen parametric models that can properly describe that relationship, which might have different levels of complexity, varying from soil to soil. Thus, fitting some of those models is not always a trivial task. Moreover, few computational resources are currently available to do this; or else, they can be of complex use as the models get more complex. Here, we present a suite of functionalities of the R package soilphysics that can be used to fit and statistically compare five water retention curve models, based on uni‐ or bimodal pore size distribution, using different approaches, from command line to interactive and automatized tools in user‐friendly interfaces. The interactive approaches can also serve as didactic mechanisms, as they can help the user to understand how the water retention curve model fits the experimental data. soilphysics is freely available from the Comprehensive R Archive Network (CRAN; https://CRAN.R‐project.org/package=soilphysics). The functionalities presented here are available from versions 4.1 or later; some tools can also run online.
Controlled Formation of Dimers and Spatially Isolated Atoms in Bimetallic Au‐Ru Catalysts via Carbon‐Host Functionalization
Authors: Giulimondi Vera , Kaiser Selina K. , Martín Antonio J. , Büchele Simon , Krumeich Frank , Clark Adam H. , Pérez‐Ramírez Javier
Published: February 2022

The introduction of a foreign metal atom in the coordination environment of single‐atom catalysts constitutes an exciting frontier of active‐site engineering, generating bimetallic low‐nuclearity catalysts often exhibiting unique catalytic synergies. To date, the exploration of their full scope is thwarted by (i) the lack of synthetic techniques with control over intermetallic coordination, and (ii) the challenging characterization of these materials. Herein, carbon‐host functionalization is presented as a strategy to selectively generate Au‐Ru dimers and isolated sites by simple incipient wetness impregnation, as corroborated by careful X‐ray absorption spectroscopy analysis. The distinct catalytic fingerprints are unveiled via the hydrogen evolution reaction, employed as a probe for proton adsorption properties. Intriguingly, the virtually inactive Au atoms enhance the reaction kinetics of their Ru counterparts already when spatially isolated, by shifting the proton adsorption free energy closer to neutrality. Remarkably, the effect is magnified by a factor of 2 in dimers. These results exemplify the relevance of controlling intermetallic coordination for the rational design of bimetallic low‐nuclearity catalysts.
Supporting maintenance and testing for AI functions of mobile apps based on user reviews: An empirical study on plant identification apps
Authors: Tao Chuanqi , Guo Hongjing , Zhang Jingxuan , Huang Zhiqiu
Published: February 2022

Despite the tremendous development of artificial intelligence (AI)‐based mobile apps, they suffer from quality issues. Data‐driven AI software poses challenges for maintenance and quality assurance. Metamorphic testing has been successfully adopted to AI software. However, most previous studies require testers to manually identify metamorphic relations in an ad hoc and arbitrary manner, thereby encountering difficulties in reflecting real‐world usage scenarios. Previous work showed that information available in user reviews is effective for maintenance and testing tasks. Yet, there is a lack of studies leveraging reviews to facilitate AI function maintenance and testing activities. This paper proposes METUR, a novel approach to supporting maintenance and testing for AI functions based on reviews. Firstly, METUR automatically classifies reviews that can be exploited for supporting AI function maintenance and evolution activities. Then, it identifies test contexts from reviews in the usage scenario category. METUR instantiates the metamorphic relation pattern for deriving concrete metamorphic relations based on test contexts. The follow‐up test dataset is constructed for conducting metamorphic testing. Empirical studies on plant identification apps indicate that METUR effectively categorizes reviews that are related to AI functions. METUR is feasible and effective in detecting inconsistent behaviors by using the metamorphic relations constructed based on reviews.
Mining the online infosphere: A survey
Authors: Adak Sayantan , Chakraborty Souvic , Das Paramita , Das Mithun , Dash Abhisek , Hazra Rima , Mathew Binny , Saha Punyajoy , Sarkar Soumya , Mukherjee Animesh
Published: February 2022

The evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI)‐based systems and applications have pervaded everyday life to make decisions that have a momentous impact on individuals and society. With the staggering growth of online data, often termed as the online infosphere, it has become paramount to monitor the infosphere to ensure social good as AI‐based decisions are severely dependent. This survey aims to provide a comprehensive review of some of the most important research areas related to the infosphere, focusing on the technical challenges and potential solutions. The survey also outlines some of the important future directions. We begin by focussing on the collaborative systems that have emerged within the infosphere with a special thrust on Wikipedia. In the follow‐up, we demonstrate how the infosphere has been instrumental in the growth of scientific citations and collaborations, thus fuelling interdisciplinary research. Finally, we illustrate the issues related to the governance of the infosphere, such as the tackling of the (a) rising hateful and abusive behavior and (b) bias and discrimination in different online platforms and news reporting.

This article is categorized under:

Application Areas > Internet
Static Worst-Case Analyses and Their Validation Techniques for Safety-Critical Systems
Authors: Wägemann Peter
Published: February 2022

The reliable operation of systems with both timing and energy requirements is a fundamental challenge in the area of safety-critical embedded systems. In order to provide guarantees for the execution of tasks within given resource budgets, these systems demand bounds of the worst-case execution time (WCET) and the worst-case energy consumption (WCEC). While static WCET analysis techniques are well established in the software development process of real-time systems nowadays, these program analysis techniques are not directly applicable to the fundamentally different behavior of energy consumption and the determination of the WCEC. Besides the missing approaches for WCEC bounds, the domain of worst-case analyses generally faces the problem that the accuracy and validity of reported analysis bounds are unknown: Since the actual worst-case resource consumption of existing benchmark programs cannot be automatically determined, a comprehensive validation of these program analysis tools is not possible.

This summary of my dissertation addresses these problems by first describing a novel program analysis approach for WCEC bounds, which accounts for temporarily power-consuming devices, scheduling with fixed real-time priorities, synchronous task activations, and asynchronous interrupt service routines. Regarding the fundamental problem of validating worst-case tools, this dissertation presents a technique for automatically generating benchmark programs. The generator combines program patterns so that the worst-case resource consumption is available along with the generated benchmark. Knowledge about the actual worst-case resource demand then serves as the baseline for evaluating and validating program analysis tools. The fact the benchmark generator helped to reveal previously undiscovered software bugs in a widespread WCET tool for safety-critical systems underlines the relevance of such a structured testing technique.
A Quest for Equity: Labour Standards on the Transnational Move
Authors: Mückenberger Ulrich
Published: February 2022

Through the presentation and discussion of some data from the current legal–empirical research of our Collaborative Research Center (CRC) research project “Worlds of Labour”, it is shown that we are in the midst of a worldwide labour regulation development in transition from patriarchal to gender-egalitarian rules. Equal rights’ drivers in the gender field encompass actors representing states/international organisations (IOs) setting equalising rules and social actors raising voice for equal rights. To the latter belong, nationally and globally, workers and workers’ organisations and actors not directly involved as social partners, trying to intervene into employment affairs in order to trigger equality. Epistemic communities, transnational advocacy and norm-building networks, international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) and the like collaborate with norm-building states and IOs (“women caucuses”) propagating egalitarian rules. This multiplicity of example setters and emulators helped equality values gain momentum, worldwide.
Hypoxisch-hypoglykämischer Hirnschaden infolge einer Nebennierenrindenkrise – eine wichtige Differenzialdiagnose bei unspezifischer Symptomatik
Authors: Mayer C. , Hackenbroch C. , Mayer S. , Helm M. , Müller T.
Published: February 2022

Die akute Nebennierenrindeninsuffizienz (NNRI) ist eine seltene Erkrankung, welche aufgrund ihrer diffusen Symptomatik oft schwer zu diagnostizieren ist. Symptome wie allgemeine Schwäche, Übelkeit/Erbrechen, Müdigkeit, Hyponatriämie, Hyperkaliämie, Hypoglykämie sowie ausgeprägte Hypotonie bis zum Schock können in der Diagnosestellung einer Nebennierenrindenkrise wegweisend sein. Die Grunderkrankung der NNRI ist ebenso von nicht immer eindeutigen Symptomen geprägt und je nach primärer oder sekundärer Form unterschiedlich ausgeprägt.

Nach der Diagnosestellung sind die Patientenschulung, die richtige Dosierung der Substitutionsmedikation und die Adhärenz der Patienten entscheidend für den weiteren Verlauf, insbesondere für die Vermeidung einer Nebennierenkrise. Diese stellt eine Ursache der erhöhten Mortalität betroffener Patienten dar, was in der aktuellen Literatur häufig beschrieben ist. Jedoch zeigt sich in der Literaturrecherche, dass der Verlauf solcher Krisen bzw. die Kausalität von letalen Verläufen selten thematisiert wird, obwohl das Wissen um die Erkrankung und ein damit verbundenes, rasches Handeln v. a. für in der Notaufnahme und auf der Intensivstation tätige Ärzte von großer Bedeutung sind.

Berichtet wird über eine Patientin, die bei bekannter sekundärer NNRI das Vollbild einer Nebennierenkrise entwickelte. Trotz rascher Diagnosestellung sowie Therapieeinleitung war infolge von prolongierter Hypoxie und Hypoglykämie ein massiver Hirnschaden unabwendbar. Der Fallbericht zeigt die mögliche Symptomatik, v. a. eine massive Hypoglykämie und einen initial katecholaminrefraktären Schock. Außerdem zeigt er die Schwere des Krankheitsbildes und stellt die Bedeutung einer schnellen Therapie trotz erschwerter Diagnosestellung dar.
Pfändungsschutz für Tiere
Authors: Herberger Marie
Published: February 2022

Die aktuellen Entwicklungen durch das Gesetz zur Verbesserung des Schutzes von Gerichtsvollziehern
vor Gewalt (GvSchuG) sind Anlass, den dadurch mit Wirkung zum 1.1.2022 neu geregelten Pfändungsschutz
für Tiere darzustellen und auf seine innere Stimmigkeit hin zu untersuchen.
Entrustable professional activities versus competencies and skills: Exploring why different concepts are often conflated
Authors: ten Cate Olle , Schumacher Daniel J.
Published: February 2022

Despite explanations in the literature, a returning question in the use of entrustable professional activities (EPAs) is how to distinguish them from competencies and skills. In this article, we attempt to analyze the causes of the frequent confusion and conflation of EPAs with competencies and skills, and argue why the distinction is important for education, qualification and patient safety. ‘Tracheotomy’, ‘lumbar puncture’, ‘interprofessional collaboration’ for example are colloquially called ‘skills’, but its is a person’s ability to perform these activities that is the actual skill; the EPA is simply the activity itself. We identify two possible causes for the confusion. One is a tendency to frame all educational objectives as EPAs. Many objectives of medical training can be conceptualized as EPAs, if ‘the ability to do X’ is the corresponding competency; but that does not work for all. We offer ways to deal with objectives of training that are not usefully conceptualized as EPAs. A more fundamental cause relates to entrustment decisions. The permission to contribute to health care reflects entrustment. Entrustment decisions are the links or pivots between a person’s readiness for the task and the actual task execution. However, if entrustment decisions do not lead to increased autonomy in the practice of health care, but only serve to decide upon the advancement to a next stage of training, EPAs can become the tick boxes learners feel they need to collect to ‘pass’. Gradually, then, EPAs can loose their original meaning of units of practice for which one becomes qualified.
Diets for Tamarixia triozae adults before releasing in augmentative biological control
Authors: Chen Chen , He Xiong Z. , Zhou Peng , Wang Qiao
Published: February 2022

The effectiveness of augmentative biological control using parasitoids often depends on their physiological state and the pest population density at the time of release. Tamarixia triozae (Burks) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) is a primary host-feeding parasitoid of a serious invasive pest Bactericera cockerelli (Šulc) (Hemiptera: Triozidae). Here we investigated the effects of adult diets (honey, water, yeast, and hosts) and timing of their provision on T. triozae fitness and oviposition patterns, providing knowledge for enhancement of its biological control potential. Adults fed with honey for four days with no access to hosts or with water or yeast for one day followed by host feeding for three days had similar longevity and lifetime pest killing ability. Adults fed with only water for one day before release had significantly greater intrinsic rate of increase, shorter doubling time, and higher daily fecundity peak. Adults fed with honey or yeast for one day followed by host feeding for three days significantly flattened their daily oviposition curves. These findings have several implications for augmentative biological control using T. triozae. First, honey diet may allow at least four days for successful shipment of host-deprived adults without compromising biological control effectiveness. Second, the release of host-deprived adults with one-day water feeding may achieve rapid pest suppression when the pest population density is high. Finally, releasing host-deprived adults with one-day honey or yeast feeding followed by three-day host feeding can increase their establishment success and reduce the risk of massive removal of hosts when the pest population density is low.
Super-resolution microscopy reveals stochastic initiation of replication in Drosophila polytene chromosomes
Authors: Kolesnikova Tatyana D. , Pokholkova Galina V. , Dovgan Viktoria V. , Zhimulev Igor F. , Schubert Veit
Published: February 2022

Studying the probability distribution of replication initiation along a chromosome is a huge challenge. Drosophila polytene chromosomes in combination with super-resolution microscopy provide a unique opportunity for analyzing the probabilistic nature of replication initiation at the ultrastructural level. Here, we developed a method for synchronizing S-phase induction among salivary gland cells. An analysis of the replication label distribution in the first minutes of S phase and in the following hours after the induction revealed the dynamics of replication initiation. Spatial super-resolution structured illumination microscopy allowed identifying multiple discrete replication signals and to investigate the behavior of replication signals in the first minutes of the S phase at the ultrastructural level. We identified replication initiation zones where initiation occurs stochastically. These zones differ significantly in the probability of replication initiation per time unit. There are zones in which initiation occurs on most strands of the polytene chromosome in a few minutes. In other zones, the initiation on all strands takes several hours. Compact bands are free of replication initiation events, and the replication runs from outer edges to the middle, where band shapes may alter.
Explanatory pragmatism: a context-sensitive framework for explainable medical AI
Authors: Nyrup Rune , Robinson Diana
Published: February 2022

Explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) is an emerging, multidisciplinary field of research that seeks to develop methods and tools for making AI systems more explainable or interpretable. XAI researchers increasingly recognise explainability as a context-, audience- and purpose-sensitive phenomenon, rather than a single well-defined property that can be directly measured and optimised. However, since there is currently no overarching definition of explainability, this poses a risk of miscommunication between the many different researchers within this multidisciplinary space. This is the problem we seek to address in this paper. We outline a framework, called Explanatory Pragmatism, which we argue has two attractive features. First, it allows us to conceptualise explainability in explicitly context-, audience- and purpose-relative terms, while retaining a unified underlying definition of explainability. Second, it makes visible any normative disagreements that may underpin conflicting claims about explainability regarding the purposes for which explanations are sought. Third, it allows us to distinguish several dimensions of AI explainability. We illustrate this framework by applying it to a case study involving a machine learning model for predicting whether patients suffering disorders of consciousness were likely to recover consciousness.
A note on semiorthogonal decompositions for Fano fibrations
Authors: Núñez Pedro
Published: February 2022

Fano fibrations arise naturally in the birational classification of algebraic varieties. We show that these morphisms always induce a semiorthogonal decomposition on the derived category of the fibred space, extending classic results such as Orlov’s projective bundle formula to the non-flat and singular case.
Data-Driven Modeling of Linear Dynamical Systems with Quadratic Output in the AAA Framework
Authors: Gosea Ion Victor , Gugercin Serkan
Published: February 2022

We extend the Adaptive Antoulas-Anderson () algorithm to develop a data-driven modeling framework for linear systems with quadratic output (). Such systems are characterized by two transfer functions: one corresponding to the linear part of the output and another one to the quadratic part. We first establish the joint barycentric representations and the interpolation theory for the two transfer functions of systems. This analysis leads to the proposed algorithm. We show that by interpolating the transfer function values on a subset of samples together with imposing a least-squares minimization on the rest, we construct reliable data-driven models. Two numerical test cases illustrate the efficiency of the proposed method.
Chronic-pharma: New Platform for Chronic Patients Pharmacotherapy Optimization
Authors: Villalba-Moreno Angela María , Galván-Banqueri Mercedes , Rodríguez-Pérez Aitana , Toscano-Guzmán María Dolores , López-Hermoso Clara , Sánchez-Fidalgo Susana , Santos-Ramos Bernardo , Alfaro-Lara Eva Rocío
Published: February 2022

We describe the technological development of a web platform named CHRONIC-PHARMA that integrates three prescription support tools for patients with chronic diseases: Anticholinergic Burden Calculator (ABC), LESS-CHRON criteria and TRIGGER-CHRON. They focus on the optimization and evaluation of pharmacotherapy in patients with chronic diseases, resulting in a useful, single platform that can facilitate the review of pharmacotherapy and improve the safety of chronically ill patients. This is achieved by estimating and reducing the anticholinergic risk (ABC), detecting opportunities for deprescribing drugs and monitoring its success (LESS-CHRON criteria), as well as calculating the risk of adverse drug events (TRIGGER-CHRON). The platform is freely accessible online (https://chronic-pharma.com/) as well as through a mobile application, and therefore easily accessible among the healthcare community.
Naturally occurring plant-based anticancerous candidates as prospective ABCG2 inhibitors: an in silico drug discovery study
Authors: Ibrahim Mahmoud A. A. , Abdelrahman Alaa H. M. , Badr Esraa A. A. , Almansour Nahlah Makki , Alzahrani Othman R. , Ahmed Muhammad Naeem , Soliman Mahmoud E. S. , Naeem Mohamed Ahmed , Shawky Ahmed M. , Sidhom Peter A. , Mekhemer Gamal A. H. , Atia Mohamed A. M.
Published: February 2022

ATP-binding cassette transporter G2 (ABCG2) is an efflux transporter related to the clinical multidrug resistance (MDR) phenomenon. Identifying ABCG2 inhibitors could help discover extraordinary curative strategies for carcinoma remediation. Hitherto, there is no medication drug inhibiting ABCG2 transporter, notwithstanding that a considerable number of drugs have been submitted to clinical-trial and investigational phases. In the search for unprecedented chemical compounds that could inhibit the ABCG2 transporter, an in silico screening was conducted on the Naturally Occurring Plant-based Anticancer Compound-Activity-Target (NPACT) database containing 1574 compounds. Inhibitor-ABCG2 binding affinities were estimated based on molecular docking and molecular minimization (MM) calculations and compared to a co-crystallized inhibitor (BWQ) acting as a reference inhibitor. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations pursued by molecular mechanics-generalized Born surface area (MM-GBSA) binding energy estimations were further executed for compounds with MM-GBSA//MM binding energies lower than BWQ (calc. − 60.5 kcal/mol). NPACT00968 and NPACT01545 demonstrated auspicious inhibitory activities according to binding affinities (ΔGbinding) over the 100 ns MD simulations that were nearly one and a half folds compared to BWQ (− 100.4, − 94.7, and − 62.9 kcal/mol, respectively). Throughout the 100 ns MD simulations, structural and energetical analyses unveiled outstanding stability of the ABCG2 transporter when bound with NPACT00968 and NPACT01545. In silico calculations hold a promise for those two inhibitors as drug candidates of ABCG2 transporter and emphasize that further in vitro and in vivo experiments are guaranteed.

Graphical abstract
Cross-Instrument Comparison of MapCam and OVIRS on OSIRIS-REx
Authors: Golish D. R. , Simon A. A. , Reuter D. C. , Ferrone S. , Clark B. E. , Li J.-Y. , DellaGiustina D. N. , Drouet d’Aubigny C. , Rizk B. , Lauretta D. S.
Published: February 2022

Two of the instruments onboard the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, the MapCam color imager and the OVIRS visible and infrared spectrometer, observed the surface of asteroid (101955) Bennu in partially overlapping wavelengths. Significant scientific advances have been enabled by using data from these two instruments in tandem, but a robust statistical understanding of their relationship is needed for future analyses to cross-compare their data as accurately and sensitively as possible. Here we present a cross-instrument comparison of data acquired by MapCam and OVIRS, including methods and results for all global and site-specific observation campaigns in which both instruments were active. In our analysis, we consider both the absolute radiometric offset and the relative (normalized) variation between the two instruments; we find that both depend strongly on the photometric and instrumental conditions during the observation. The two instruments have a large absolute offset (>15%) due to their independent radiometric calibrations. However, they are very consistent (relative offset as low as 1%) when each instrument’s response is normalized at a single wavelength, particularly at low phase angles where shadows on Bennu’s rough surface are minimized. We recommend using the global datasets acquired at 12:30 pm local solar time for cross-comparisons; data acquired at higher phase angles have larger uncertainties.
Using a Multi-GPU node to accelerate the training of Pix2Pix neural networks
Authors: Lupión M. , Sanjuan J. F. , Ortigosa P. M.
Published: February 2022

Generative adversarial networks are gaining importance in problems such as image conversion, cross-domain translation and fast styling. However, the training of these networks remains unclear because it often results in unexpected behavior caused by non-convergence, model collapse or overly long training, causing the training task to have to be supervised by the user and vary with each dataset. To increase the speed of training in Pix2Pix (image-to-image translation) networks, this work incorporates multi-GPU training using mixed precision, along with optimizations in the GPU image input process. In addition, in order to make the training unsupervised and to terminate it when the best transformations are performed, an early stopping method using the peak signal noise ratio (PSNR) metric is proposed.
Queue congestion prediction for large-scale high performance computing systems using a hidden Markov model
Authors: Park Ju-Won , Kwon Min-Woo , Hong Taeyoung
Published: February 2022

To share limited, large-capacity resources, the high-performance computing field provides services by allocating available resources to jobs through batch job schedulers. Therefore, it is natural that a queue waiting time occurs until the resources are available if resources are not sufficient. The prediction of queue waiting time is very useful to improve overall resource utilization. However, the queue waiting time is very difficult to predict because it is significantly affected by the many factors such as applied scheduling algorithm and characteristics of the executed job. In this study, a method of predicting queue waiting time using only the historical log data created by the batch job scheduler is examined. Specifically, a method of predicting queue waiting time based on a hidden Markov model is proposed. It has the following three stages. First, outliers are removed by applying the outlier detection algorithm using a statistics-based parametric method. Second, the parameters of the hidden state are estimated using the observed queue waiting time sequence based on the historical job log. Third, the queue waiting interval at time$$t+1$$t+1is provided using the estimated parameters at timet. Comparing the prediction accuracy with those of the other prediction methods, experimental results show that the proposed algorithm improves the prediction accuracy by up to 60%.
Power Muirhead mean in spherical normal fuzzy environment and its applications to multi-attribute decision-making
Authors: Temel Tansu , Aydemir Salih Berkan , Hoşcan Yaşar
Published: February 2022

This study aims to propose the power Muirhead mean (PMM) operator in the spherical normal fuzzy sets (SNoFS) environment to solve multiple attribute decision-making problems. Spherical normal fuzzy sets better characterize real-world problems. On the other hand, the Muirhead mean (MM) considers the relationship between any number of criteria of the operator. Power aggregation (PA) reduces the negative impact of excessively high or excessively low values on aggregation results. This article proposes two new aggregation methods: spherical normal fuzzy power Muirhead mean (SNoFPMM) and spherical normal fuzzy weighted power Muirhead mean (SNoFWPMM). Also, these operators produce effective results in terms of their suitability to real-world problems and the relationship between their criteria. The proposed operators are applied to solve the problems in choosing the ideal mask for the COVID-19 outbreak and investment company selection. However, uncertainty about the effects of COVID-19 complicates the decision-making process. Spherical normal fuzzy sets can handle both real-world problems and situations involving uncertainty. Our approach has been compared with other methods in the literature. The superior aspects and applicability of our strategy are also mentioned.
Nerve optic segmentation in CT images using a deep learning model and a texture descriptor
Authors: Ranjbarzadeh Ramin , Dorosti Shadi , Jafarzadeh Ghoushchi Saeid , Safavi Sadaf , Razmjooy Navid , Tataei Sarshar Nazanin , Anari Shokofeh , Bendechache Malika
Published: February 2022

The increased intracranial pressure (ICP) can be described as an increase in pressure around the brain and can lead to serious health problems. The assessment of ultrasound images is commonly conducted by skilled experts which is a time-consuming approach, but advanced computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) systems can assist the physician to decrease the time of ICP diagnosis. The accurate detection of the nerve optic regions, with drawing a precise slope line behind the eyeball and calculating the diameter of nerve optic, are the main aims of this research. First, the Fuzzy C-mean (FCM) clustering is employed for segmenting the input CT screening images into the different parts. Second, a histogram equalization approach is used for region-based image quality enhancement. Then, the Local Directional Number method (LDN) is used for representing some key information in a new image. Finally, a cascade Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) is employed for nerve optic segmentation by two distinct input images. Comprehensive experiments on the CT screening dataset [The Cancer Imaging Archive (TCIA)] consisting of 1600 images show the competitive results of inaccurate extraction of the brain features. Also, the indexes such as Dice, Specificity, and Precision for the proposed approach are reported 87.7%, 91.3%, and 90.1%, respectively. The final classification results show that the proposed approach effectively and accurately detects the nerve optic and its diameter in comparison with the other methods. Therefore, this method can be used for early diagnose of ICP and preventing the occurrence of serious health problems in patients.
Dynamic effects of network exposure on equity markets
Authors: Dungey Mardi , Kangogo Moses , Volkov Vladimir
Published: February 2022

We investigate the contribution of network exposure to both shock transmission and absorption. Our data sample comprises 45 economies for the period 1998–2018 to which we apply spatial econometric estimation technique. Our empirical findings show that both network intensity and interconnectedness in the financial system have impact on increasing network exposure. We also demonstrate how to estimate network intensity in the financial system. Our results indicate that an increased network intensity parameter is associated to period when the financial system is under stress. The results show high exposure of the financial system to vulnerabilities. The results suggest the changing market conditions increase the exposures to the financial system. Thus, effective ways to monitor the financial system should be implemented by the policy makers to reduce the chances of financial instabilities.
High-Temperature Behavior of Spent Li-Ion Battery Black Mass in Inert Atmosphere
Authors: Babanejad Safoura , Ahmed Hesham , Andersson Charlotte , Samuelsson Caisa , Lennartsson Andreas , Hall Björn , Arnerlöf Linn
Published: February 2022

The increased demand for Li-ion batteries has prompted the scientific community to improve recycling routes in order to reuse the valuable materials in batteries. After their end-of-life, the batteries are collected, discharged, and mechanically disintegrated, generating plastic and metallic streams that are recycled directly; this leaves behind a small particle size fraction known as black mass (BM). BM is composed mainly of graphite and Li-metal complex oxides. Pyrometallurgy is a route known for recycling of BM, in which identifying the BM’s behavior at high temperatures is essential. In this study, two types of BM are characterized in two fractions of 150–700 µm and smaller than 150 µm. The thermal behavior of the BM is studied with thermal analysis techniques. The analyses demonstrate that the mineralogical and morphological properties of the two fractions do not significantly differ, while the amounts of C and organic materials might vary. When the BM was thermally treated, the binders decomposed until a temperature of 500 ℃ was reached, where the volatilization of hydrocarbons was observed, although F mostly persisted in the BM. The Li-metal oxide was partially reduced to lower oxides and Li carbonate at ⁓ 600 ℃, and the main mass loss was caused by carbothermic reduction immediately thereafter. As the products of this process, metallic Co and Ni phases were formed, and part of the graphite remained unreacted. Regarding the Li behavior, it was observed that in the presence of Al, AlLiO2 is the most likely composition to form, and it changes to LiF by increasing the F concentration in the composition.

Graphical Abstract