bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fate and transformation of iodine species during Mn(VII)/sulfite treatment in iodide‐containing water
Authors: Shao Binbin , Zhu Yating , Chen Jie , Lin Yimin , Guan Xiaohong
Published: September 2022

During oxidative treatment of iodide (I−)‐containing waters, I− is easy to be oxidized into hypoiodous acid (HOI) by various oxidants and the further reaction of HOI with organic compounds can lead to the formation of iodinated disinfection by‐products (I‐DBPs). Oxidation of HOI to iodate (IO3−) or reduction of HOI to I− has been proposed to reduce the formation of I‐DBPs. Because the reaction of HOI with sulfite proceeds rapidly, this study examined the fate of iodine and the formation of I‐DBPs in Mn(VII)/sulfite process. Results showed that I− was oxidized to HOI but the further formation of IO3− was suppressed due to the fast reduction of HOI to I− by sulfite. The reactions of HOI with SO32− and IO− with SO32− are the major pathways with species‐specific second‐order rate constants determined to be 1.12 × 105 M−1 s−1 and 9.43 × 107 M−1 s−1, respectively. The rapid reaction of HOI with sulfite plays an essential role in minimizing the formation of iodinated products in HOI‐ and phenol‐containing solutions. The toxic risk analysis showed that the toxicity of the generated DBPs from Mn(VII)/sulfite pre‐oxidation followed by chlorination only changed slightly.

Practitioner Points

The decay of I− was negligible in Mn(VII)/sulfite process.

The rapid reaction of HOI with SO32− resulted in the negligible generation of IO3−.

Mn(VII)/sulfite process exerted slight influence on the formation of I‐DBPs.

Mn(VII)/sulfite process is promising for the pretreatment of I−‐containing water.
Indigenous Adaptation – Not Passive Victims
Authors: Nursey-Bray Melissa , Palmer Robert , Chischilly Ann Marie , Rist Phil , Yin Lun
Published: September 2022

Indigenous peoples, despite being affected by climate change, are responding in diverse ways to implement various forms of adaptation. These adaptations build on ages old cultural knowledge and a historical tradition of responding to change. In this chapter, a range of these adaptations are presented, and we argue that Indigenous adaptation requires tailored and specific actions suitable to culturally identified places and peoples, both old and new. Further, we argue that Indigenous adaptation is not just a response to climate change but is part of wider responses engineered to also address the impacts of colonisation and other threats to Indigenous sovereignty. Far from being passive victims, Indigenous peoples are active in asserting their rights to a voice about how to address climate change, and as such we argue that old ways are the founding step for the cultivation of adaptations to meet socio-ecological and cultural responsibilities in these new days.
Tribal Capacity Building and Adaptation Planning: The United States
Authors: Nursey-Bray Melissa , Palmer Robert , Chischilly Ann Marie , Rist Phil , Yin Lun
Published: September 2022

This chapter, the first of our three focus chapters offers a detailed perspective on the climate change story in the United States and what one particular institution, the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) at Northern Arizona University, has been working on to address climate-related concerns/issues. The chapter highlights not only the human face of climate change, but the ways in which previous colonial trauma exacerbates its impacts. Further, it explores how complex climate governance can be, when engaging with Indigenous needs and aspirations, not just when addressing impacts but in working out how to have a voice at the decision-making table.
Introduction
Authors: Goodpaster Kenneth E.
Published: September 2022

In this chapter, I offer a reflection on my nearly 50-year career in the field of applied ethics, suggesting that certain issues (conscience and corporations) were themes in the first twenty years. In the second 20 years, the issues still included corporations, but added is the issue of what constitutes the common good. I introduce the four insights around which the narrative is built (the moral insight, the institutional insight, the anthropological insight, and the Socratic insight). I remind the reader that these explorations of the ethics of organizations take their philosophical departure from Plato’s analogical comparison of the soul of the human person with the culture of the city-state in his dialogue, the Republic. I then provide an overview of Times of Insight: Conscience, Corporations, and the Common Good as a whole and the organization of the chapters to come, including a graphic depiction of these chapters that will be used as a unifying thread throughout. This chapter is an organic part of a larger work about the overall contribution of Kenneth Goodpaster to the field of applied ethics and is best read in the context of that larger work.
Corporations and the Institutional Insight
Authors: Goodpaster Kenneth E.
Published: September 2022

As anticipated in Chap. 2, this chapter takes on directly the issue of predicating conscience of corporations. In my work over many years, I have defended the analogical predication of moral attributes of organizational actors, referring to this practice as the Principle of Moral Projection (an inversion of Plato’s strategy in the Republic). After clarifying the meaning of analogical predication, I turn to the central theme of this chapter: the institutional insight. Drawing upon the work of Hugh Heclo, professor of government and public affairs at George Mason University, I describe institutions as vehicles for achieving a measure of permanence and continuity for what we value, despite our mortality. So if we think of business as an institution, we must attribute not only a focal purpose to individual corporations but also an institutional purpose—to carry forward the provision of goods that are truly good and services that truly serve. The institutional insight does more than “give permission” or “affirm fittingness.” It asks organizational leadership to embrace not only the presenting purposes of their organizations but also their institutional purposes (as they relate to the common good). This chapter then takes on several related themes such as: Does the attribution of moral responsibility to a corporation preclude the attribution of responsibility to certain individuals within the corporation? And if corporations can be morally responsible actors, can they also deserve moral consideration as recipients of the actions of others? This chapter is an organic part of a larger work about the overall contribution of Kenneth Goodpaster to the field of applied ethics and is best read in the context of that larger work.
Concluding Reflections: Then and Now
Authors: Goodpaster Kenneth E.
Published: September 2022

This is the concluding chapter of the book but is by no means merely a summary. I begin with a brief summary for the reader, to be sure, but then proceed to describe my “changes and discoveries” over the many years represented by this narrative. I acknowledge some of my critics with the advantage of hindsight and perspective. I also share my “discoveries”—recognitions from “below my awareness,” including linkages among the four insights that unify this book and the four avenues of ethical analysis. I then turn to a discussion of “the last eight years,” the years of my retirement as Emeritus Professor. I describe the extraordinary polarization that has developed in the United States during this period and the impact that this polarization has had on business behavior. I suggest that a number of “counterfeits of conscience” have emerged during this time, including a politicization of the corporation and explicit partisanship on the part of business leaders—almost as if “conscience” is being “outsourced” to political parties. I then turn my eyes to the future of the field of applied ethics, acknowledging the challenges but identifying several sources of hope, including wise books and new institutions dedicated to bridging, indeed healing, the divide between “red and blue” citizens. This chapter is an organic part of a larger work about the overall contribution of Kenneth Goodpaster to the field of applied ethics and is best read in the context of that larger work.
Afterword
Authors: Goodpaster Kenneth E.
Published: September 2022

Since completing these chapters and sharing them with a number of thoughtful colleagues, including Series Editor Frank den Hond, I would like to revisit briefly five convictions: the four insights and one additional concern about the future of the field of business ethics alluded to in the final chapter. Four of these convictions, in retrospect, have been the sources of energy behind much of my work in the field of business or organizational ethics, the motivators that have guided my teaching and research for over five decades. The fifth theme signals my worries but also my optimism regarding the future of the field to which I hope I have contributed. This Afterword is the book in microcosm, I suppose, even though it does not do justice to the richness of the story told in Chapters 1 through 6. It is nevertheless an organic part of a larger work about my overall contribution to the field of applied ethics and is best read in the context of that larger work.
Fertility Trends in the Developing World, 1950–2020
Authors: Bongaarts John , Hodgson Dennis
Published: September 2022

In 1950 the world’s “less developed regions,” containing 1.72 billion people (68% of the world’s population), had a total fertility rate of 6 births per woman. This chapter focuses on tracing how by 2020 that population grew into 6.5 billion people (84% of the world’s population), with a total fertility rate of just 2.6 births per woman. The mid-century political and economic situations of the developing world are briefly described. Using UN fertility data, the movement of the developing world through three phases of its fertility transition is traced, and the distinctive patterns of the populations of Asia, Latin America, and Africa are discussed. An analytical framework to understand the fertility transition is described, and its theoretical basis is summarized. Three major drivers of fertility decline are identified: socio-economic development, voluntary family planning programs, and coercive antinatalist policies. The paths by which these drivers affect desired family size as well as demand for and use of birth control are outlined.
Transitions in Individual Reproductive Behavior and Preferences
Authors: Bongaarts John , Hodgson Dennis
Published: September 2022

Population-level fertility transitions are brought about by the actions of millions of individual women to limit and space childbearing. This chapter begins with an overview of levels and trends in contraception and abortion and their impact on fertility. Over the course of the fertility transition from near seven to two children per woman the proportion of women using contraception rises from near zero to about 75%. Despite this large increase in contraceptive prevalence, it falls short of the demand for contraception throughout the transition in all populations. The gap between use and demand implies that some women who want to avoid pregnancy are not using contraception. These women are considered to have an “unmet need” for contraception. This unmet need is caused by a number of obstacles women face in trying to implement their reproductive intentions. As a result, a large proportion of pregnancies end in unplanned births and abortions, especially in the later phases of the transition.
Socio-Economic Determinants of Fertility
Authors: Bongaarts John , Hodgson Dennis
Published: September 2022

The fertility levels of developing countries correlate with many socio-economic variables including girls’ or women’s education, infant and child mortality, GDP/capita, and percent urban. To determine whether these correlations are causal or simply due to collinearity we rely on multivariate fixed effect regression analyses. The results identify women’s education as the most important determinant of fertility, which is consistent with past studies. Next, we examine the relationship between education and fertility over the course of transitions from 1960 and 2015 in individual developing countries. Instead of finding continuous relationships during the transitions, several puzzling anomalies appear. In the pre-transition phase, fertility is unresponsive to rising education resulting in delays in the onset of transition. Once a few countries in a region enter the transition, other countries follow sooner than expected and over time the onset of the transition occurs at ever lower levels of education. Moreover, once a transition is underway, fertility in many countries declines more rapidly than can plausibly be expected from rising education levels alone. To explain these anomalies, we rely on several concepts that have been neglected in conventional demographic theories: diffusion processes, social norms, and family planning programs.
Controversies Surrounding Fertility Policies
Authors: Bongaarts John , Hodgson Dennis
Published: September 2022

During the pre-transition phase from 1950 to 1970, the rapid population growth caused by high and stable fertility throughout the less developed world generated considerable concern and some controversy. Existing demographic theory could offer little evidence-based advice on fertility policy. When US based experts and advocates started a global population control movement, controversy developed over its origin, priorities and feasibility. During the transition’s rapid decline phase, from 1970 to 2000, several new controversies developed even as the pace of fertility decline increased: how effective are voluntary family programs; how much pressure should states exert over individual family size decisions; who should control the international policy agenda; and how should demographers interpret new economic and demographic trends.
Does Fertility Decline Stimulate Development?
Authors: Bongaarts John , Hodgson Dennis
Published: September 2022

As the fertility transition proceeds, women have fewer births which in turn leads to fewer young people in subsequent years. The resulting changes in the population age structure include an increase in the proportion of the population of working age. The first dividend from lower fertility refers to an acceleration of growth in GDP per capita as the proportion of the working-age population rises. The benefits can last for decades but are ultimately transitory. The second dividend follows the first and refers to a rise in savings and investment in human and physical capital which raise worker productivity. The second dividend is typically larger than the first dividend and lasts longer. The magnitude and duration of these dividends vary from country to country and depend on the magnitude and pace of fertility decline and the ability if a county to take advantage of the changes in age structure. Over the six decades from 1955 to 2015, the first and second dividend together were highest in Asia and N. Africa (where the fertility transition was completed quickly and early) and lowest in SS Africa (where the fertility transition was slower and later). Projections to 2075 expect the situation to be reversed in the future: Asia’s dividend will likely be smaller than Africa’s. Although much of the contemporary literature on population and development focuses on the demographic dividend, there are other important benefits from fertility decline: the improvement of health, the empowerment of women, the government’s increased ability to maintain public capital (e.g. schools, clinics, infrastructure), increased political stability, an improved environment, and a slower depletion of natural resources.
Conclusion
Authors: Bongaarts John , Hodgson Dennis
Published: September 2022

Answers to three important questions emerge from our examination of the developing world’s fertility transition. The questions are, first, what have we learned that might be of use to policy makers in contemporary high fertility populations? The UN projects that its 953 million population will be 1.9 billion in 2050 and 3.5 billion in 2100.
The Rise of Multimodal Tutors in Education
Authors: Di Mitri Daniele , Schneider Jan , Drachsler Hendrik
Published: September 2022

This chapter describes the insights derived by the design and development of the Multimodal Tutor, a system that uses artificial intelligence for providing digital feedback and to support psychomotor skills acquisition. In this chapter, we discuss the insights which we gained from eight studies: (1) an exploratory study combining physiological data and learning performance (Learning Pulse); (2) a literature survey on multimodal data for learning and a conceptual model (the Multimodal Learning Analytics Model); (3) an analysis of the technical challenges of Multimodal Learning Analytics (the Big Five Challenges); (4) a technological framework for using multimodal data for learning (the Multimodal Pipeline); (5) a data collection and storing system for multimodal data (the Learning Hub); (6) a data annotation tool for multimodal data (the Visual Inspection Tool); (7) a case study in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation training (CPR Tutor) consisting of a feasibility study for detecting CPR mistakes; and (8) a real-time feedback study.
Global constraints on Yukawa operators in the standard model effective theory
Authors: Brod Joachim , Cornell Jonathan M. , Skodras Dimitrios , Stamou Emmanuel
Published: September 2022

Abstract

CP-violating contributions to Higgs-fermion couplings are absent in the standard model of particle physics (SM), but are motivated by models of electroweak baryogenesis. Here, we employ the framework of the SM effective theory (SMEFT) to parameterise deviations from SM Yukawa couplings. We present the leading contributions of the relevant operators to the fermionic electric dipole moments (EDMs). We obtain constraints on the SMEFT Wilson coefficients from the combination of LHC data and experimental bounds on the electron, neutron, and mercury EDMs. We perform, for the first time, a combined fit to LHC and EDM data allowing the presence of CP-violating contributions from several fermion species simultaneously. Among other results, we find non-trivial correlations between EDM and LHC constraints even in the multi-parameter scans, for instance, when floating the CP-even and CP-odd couplings to all third-generation fermions.
Amplitude bases in generic EFTs
Authors: De Angelis Stefano
Published: September 2022

Abstract

We present for the first time an efficient algorithm to find a basis of kinematically independent structures built of (massless and massive) spinor helicity variables in four dimensions. This method provides a classification of independent contact terms for the scattering amplitudes with generic masses, spins, and multiplicity in any effective field theory (EFT). These contact terms are in one-to-one correspondence with a complete set of irrelevant operators in the EFT. As basic applications of our method, we classify the D2nF4 contact terms in SU(N) Yang-Mills theory for n ≤ 8, dimension-six operators involving five W±, Z and γ vector bosons, and spin-tidal effective interactions for spin-1 massive particles in gravitational theories.
Speed of sound in cosmological phase transitions and effect on gravitational waves
Authors: Tenkanen Tuomas V. I. , van de Vis Jorinde
Published: September 2022

Abstract

The energy budget for gravitational waves of a cosmological first order phase transitions depends on the speed of sound in the thermal plasma in both phases around the bubble wall. Working in the real-singlet augmented Standard Model, which admits a strong two-step electroweak phase transition, we compute higher order corrections to the pressure and sound speed. We compare our result to lower-order approximations to the sound speed and the energy budget and investigate the impact on the gravitational wave signal. We find that deviations in the speed of sound from $$ {c}_s^2 $$

c
s
2

= 1/3 are enhanced up to $$ \mathcal{O} $$
O
(5%) in our higher-order computation. This results in a suppression in the energy budget of up to $$ \mathcal{O} $$
O
(50%) compared to approximations assuming $$ {c}_s^2 $$

c
s
2

= 1/3. The effect is most significant for hybrid and detonation solutions. We generalise our discussion to the case of multiple inert scalars and the case of a reduced number of fermion families in order to mimic hypothetical dark sector phase transitions. In this sector with modified field content, the sound speed can receive significant suppression, with potential order-of-magnitude impact on the gravitational wave amplitude.
Heavy quarkonium dynamics at next-to-leading order in the binding energy over temperature
Authors: Brambilla Nora , Escobedo Miguel Ángel , Islam Ajaharul , Strickland Michael , Tiwari Anurag , Vairo Antonio , Vander Griend Peter
Published: September 2022

Abstract

Using the potential non-relativistic quantum chromodynamics (pNRQCD) effective field theory, we derive a Lindblad equation for the evolution of the heavy-quarkonium reduced density matrix that is accurate to next-to-leading order (NLO) in the ratio of the binding energy of the state to the temperature of the medium. The resulting NLO Lindblad equation can be used to more reliably describe heavy-quarkonium evolution in the quark-gluon plasma at low temperatures compared to the leading-order truncation. For phenomenological application, we numerically solve the resulting NLO Lindblad equation using the quantum trajectories algorithm. To achieve this, we map the solution of the three-dimensional Lindblad equation to the solution of an ensemble of one-dimensional Schrödinger evolutions with Monte-Carlo sampled quantum jumps. Averaging over the Monte-Carlo sampled quantum jumps, we obtain the solution to the NLO Lindblad equation without truncation in the angular momentum quantum number of the states considered. We also consider the evolution of the system using only the complex effective Hamiltonian without stochastic jumps and find that this provides a reliable approximation for the ground state survival probability at LO and NLO. Finally, we make comparisons with our prior leading-order pNRQCD results and experimental data available from the ATLAS, ALICE, and CMS collaborations.
Stress induces major depressive disorder by a neutral sphingomyelinase 2-mediated accumulation of ceramide-enriched exosomes in the blood plasma
Authors: Schumacher Fabian , Carpinteiro Alexander , Edwards Michael J. , Wilson Gregory C. , Keitsch Simone , Soddemann Matthias , Wilker Barbara , Kleuser Burkhard , Becker Katrin Anne , Müller Christian P. , Kornhuber Johannes , Gulbins Erich
Published: September 2022

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a very common, severe disease with a lifetime prevalence of ~ 10%. The pathogenesis of MDD is unknown and, unfortunately, therapy is often insufficient. We have previously reported that ceramide levels are increased in the blood plasma of patients with MDD and in mice with experimental MDD. Here, we demonstrate that ceramide-enriched exosomes in the blood plasma are increased in mice with stress-induced MDD. Genetic studies reveal that neutral sphingomyelinase 2 is required for the formation of ceramide-enriched exosomes in the blood plasma. Accordingly, induced deficiency of neutral sphingomyelinase 2 prevented mice from the development of stress-induced MDD. Intravenous injection of microparticles from mice with MDD or injection of ceramide-loaded exosomes induced MDD-like behavior in untreated mice, which was abrogated by ex vivo pre-incubation of purified exosomes with anti-ceramide antibodies or ceramidase. Mechanistically, injection of exosomes from mice with MDD or injection of ex vivo ceramide-loaded microparticles inhibited phospholipase D (PLD) in endothelial cells in vitro and in the hippocampus in vivo and thereby decreased phosphatidic acid in the hippocampus, which has been previously shown to mediate MDD by plasma ceramide. In summary, our data indicate that ceramide-enriched exosomes are released by neutral sphingomyelinase 2 into the blood plasma upon stress and mediate stress-induced MDD.

Key messages

Stress induces ceramide-enriched exosomes in the blood plasma.

Ceramide-enriched exosomes mediate major depressive disorder (MDD).

Deficiency of neutral sphingomyelinase 2 protects from stress-induced MDD.

Neutralization or digestion of ceramide in exosomes prevents stress-induced MDD.

Ceramide-enriched exosomes inhibit endothelial phospholipase D in the hippocampus.
Concepts of change propagation analysis in engineering design
Authors: Brahma Arindam , Wynn David C.
Published: September 2022

Interest in change propagation analysis for engineering design has increased rapidly since the topic gained prominence in the late 1990s. Although there are now many approaches and models, there is a smaller number of underlying key concepts. This article contributes a literature review and organising framework that summarises and relates these key concepts. Approaches that have been taken to address each key concept are collected and discussed. A visual analysis of the literature is presented to uncover some trends and gaps. The article thereby provides a thematic analysis of state-of-the-art in design change propagation analysis, and highlights opportunities for further work.
Particle characterization and quantification of organic and inorganic compounds from Chinese and Iranian aerosol filter samples using scanning laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry
Authors: Barth Christof , Hinz Klaus-Peter , Spengler Bernhard
Published: September 2022

Besides their influence on climate and cloud formation, many organic and inorganic substances in aerosol particles pose a risk to human health. Namely, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and heavy metals are suspected to be carcinogenic or acutely toxic. The detection and quantification of such compounds is difficult if only small amounts of particulate matter (PM) are available. In addition, filter samples are often complex and time-consuming to prepare for chromatographic measurements and elemental analysis. Here, we present a method based on high-resolution atmospheric pressure laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry imaging (AP-LDI-MSI) and statistical analysis which allows the analysis and characterization of very small sample quantities (< 30 µg) without any sample preparation. The power and simplicity of the method is demonstrated by two filter samples from heavily polluted mega cities. The samples were collected in Tehran (Iran) and Hangzhou (China) in February 2018. In the course of the measurement, more than 3200 sum formulae were assigned, which allowed a statistical evaluation of colocalized substances within the particles on the filter samples. This resulted in a classification of the different particle types on the filters. Finally, both megacities could be distinguished based on characteristic compounds. In the samples from Tehran, the number of sulphur-containing organic compounds was up to 6 times as high as the samples from Hangzhou, possibly due to the increasing efforts of the Chinese government to reduce sulphur emissions in recent years. Additionally, quantification of 13 PAH species was carried out via standard addition. Especially, the samples from Tehran showed elevated concentrations of PAHs, which in the case of higher-molecular-weight species (> m/z 228) were mostly more than twice as high as in Hangzhou. Both cities showed high levels of heavy metals and potentially harmful organic compounds, although their share of total particulate matter was significantly higher in the samples from Tehran. The pre-treatment of the samples was reduced to a minimum with this method, and only small amounts of particles were required to obtain a comprehensive picture for a specific filter sample. The described method provides faster and better control of air pollution in heavily polluted megacities.

Graphical abstract
Larvae of a marine gastropod and a marine bivalve share common gene expression signatures during metamorphic competence
Authors: Zeng Zhen , Jiang Chongyi , Tan Qianglai , Tang Bozeng , Huang Zixia
Published: September 2022

Many aquatic invertebrates undergo an indirect development, a biphasic life cycle which encompasses the transformation of free-swimming larvae into benthic juveniles via settlement and metamorphosis. During this transition, metamorphic competence is a crucial developmental stage that allows larvae to swim and feed in the planktonic realm while retaining the ability to settle and metamorphose in response to environmental cues. Although there have been substantial efforts to decipher the molecular mechanisms underlying this event in several molluscan species, the conserved biological pathways that are crucial to enable this transition across species are not well understood. Here, we performed a comparative analysis of the developmental transcriptomes between bivalve Crassostrea gigas and gastropod Rapana venosa. We particularly explored the common gene expression signatures that may underlie their larval competence. We showed that, although the developmental transcriptomes differed remarkably between C. gigas and R. venosa, they likely shared a plethora of genes (n = 690) that exhibited similar expression signatures during their larval competence. Gene Ontology enrichment and expression analyses further indicated that competent larvae of both species exhibited up-regulation of pathways associated with response to stimuli, metal ion binding and transport, and neuronal development, but showed down-regulation of pathways that were mainly involved in cilium assembly and organ development. Using oyster and whelk as models, our study suggests that regulation of these conserved pathways is crucial for their subsequent settlement and metamorphosis and may represent a universal mechanism that enables the pelagic-to-benthic transition in a broader range of marine invertebrates.
An experimental evaluation of thermoelectric generator performance under cyclic heating regimes
Authors: Williams N. P. , Power J. , Trimble D. , O’Shaughnessy S. M.
Published: September 2022

Thermal cycling is known to adversely affect the performance and lifespan of thermoelectric generators (TEGs) yet has received limited attention to date. The current study experimentally investigates the effect of thermal cycling on the performance of twelve nominally identical TEG modules. Six samples were subjected to the same thermal cycle profile with an average heating time of 154 s to examine the variation in their outputs. The maximum cycling temperature was varied between 170 °C and 190 °C for a further six samples to investigate the effect of maximum set-point temperature on performance. Degradation in performance was exhibited by all modules, with maximum power outputs between 28% and 57% of pre-cycling values and a decrease in the dimensionless figure of merit $$ZT$$

ZT

of 21% to 56% upon cessation of cycling. Sudden ‘breakdowns’ or significant reductions in output power were observed for all TEGs, accompanied by increased electrical resistance, which is indicative of internal damage to the modules arising from the formation of micro-cracks at the interface between the semiconductor thermocouples and electrically conductive material. The rate of degradation post-‘breakdown’ appeared to be influenced by the maximum set-point temperature, with more rapid decreases observed for increasing temperatures.
What view information is most important in the homeward navigation of an Australian bull ant, Myrmecia midas?
Authors: Islam Muzahid , Deeti Sudhakar , Murray Trevor , Cheng Ken
Published: September 2022

Many insects orient by comparing current panoramic views of their environment to memorised views. We tested the navigational abilities of night-active Myrmecia midas foragers while we blocked segments of their visual panorama. Foragers failed to orient homewards when the front view, lower elevations, entire terrestrial surround, or the full panorama was blocked. Initial scanning increased whenever the visual panorama was blocked but scanning only increased along the rest of the route when the front, back, higher, or lower elevations were blocked. Ants meandered more when the front, the back, or the higher elevations were obscured. When everything except the canopy was blocked, the ants were quick and direct, but moved in random directions, as if to escape. We conclude that a clear front view, or a clear lower panorama is necessary for initial homeward headings. Furthermore, the canopy is neither necessary nor sufficient for homeward initial heading, and the back and upper segments of views, while not necessary, do make finding home easier. Discrepancies between image analysis and ant behaviour when the upper and lower views were blocked suggests that ants are selective in what portions of the scene they attend to or learn.
A nomogram for predicting good response after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced rectal cancer: a retrospective, double-center, cohort study
Authors: Wang Guancong , Zheng Zhifang , Chen Jinhua , Ye Jiahong , Tang Zihan , Fang Yicong , Yao Kaiyuan , Zeng Qunzhang , Yang Yugang , Tang Haiwen , Lin Bijuan , Guo Yincong , Huang Ying
Published: September 2022

Aim

The purpose of this study was to explore the clinical factors associated with achieving good response after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) and to develop and validate a nomogram.

Methods

A total of 1724 consecutive LARC patients treated at Fujian Medical University Union Hospital from January 2010 to December 2021 were retrospectively evaluated as the training cohort; 267 consecutive LARC patients treated at Zhangzhou Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University during the same period were evaluated as the external 2 cohorts. Based on the pathological results after radical surgery, treatment response was defined as follows: good response, stage ypT0∼2N0M0 and poor response, ypT3∼4N0M0 and/or N positive. Independent influencing factors were analyzed by logistic regression, a nomogram was developed and validated, and the model was evaluated using internal and external data cohorts for validation.

Results

In the training cohort, 46.6% of patients achieved good response after nCRT combined with radical surgery. The rate of the retained anus was higher in the good response group (93.5% vs. 90.7%, P < 0.001). Cox regression analysis showed that the risk of overall survival and disease-free survival was significantly lower among good response patients than poor response patients, HR = 0.204 (95%CI: 0.146–0.287). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed an independent association with 9 clinical factors, including histopathology, and a nomogram with an excellent predictive response was developed accordingly. The C-index of the predictive accuracy of the nomogram was 0.764 (95%CI: 0.742–0.786), the internal validation of the 200 bootstrap replication mean C-index was 0.764, and the external validation cohort showed an accuracy C-index of 0.789 (95%CI: 0.734–0.844), with good accuracy of the model.

Conclusion

We identified factors associated with achieving good response in LARC after treatment with nCRT and developed a nomogram to contribute to clinical decision-making.
Ocrelizumab effect on humoral and cellular immunity in multiple sclerosis and its clinical correlates: a 3-year observational study
Authors: Capasso Nicola , Palladino Raffaele , Cerbone Vincenza , Spiezia Antonio Luca , Covelli Bianca , Fiore Antonia , Lanzillo Roberta , Carotenuto Antonio , Petracca Maria , Stanziola Lucia , Scalia Giulia , Brescia Morra Vincenzo , Moccia Marcello
Published: September 2022

Objective

We aim to evaluate 3-year effects of ocrelizumab (humanized anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS)) on lymphocytes, neutrophils and immunoglobulins: (1) when compared with pre-infusion assessment; (2) over the course of treatment; and (3) possible clinical correlates of the observed immunological modifications.

Methods

This real-world observational cohort study has been conducted on prospectively collected data from 78 MS patients (mean age 47.8 ± 10.5 years; females 48.7%) commencing on ocrelizumab from 2018, with mean follow-up of 36.5 ± 6.8 months. Clinical data and blood samples were collected every three months. Total lymphocyte count and subpopulations were assessed on peripheral blood using flow cytometry. Serum immunoglobulins were evaluated with nephelometry.

Results

When compared with pre-infusion values, we observed reduction of total, CD19 and CD20 lymphocyte counts; however, after the first infusion, their levels remained substantially stable. Over time we observed a progressive reduction of CD8 lymphocytes, while no changes were observed for CD4, CD27, CD3CD27, and CD19CD27. After the first infusion, we observed reduction in IgG, which further decreased during the follow-up. Higher probability of EDSS progression was associated with reduced modulation of CD8 lymphocytes.

Interpretation

Ocrelizumab affects both humoral and cellular immune responses. Disability progression over the follow-up was associated with lower CD8 cytotoxic T-lymphocyte reduction. Changes in humoral response are immediate and sustained, while modulation of cellular immunity occurs progressively through regular re-treatment, and is related to clinical stability.
Guanosine modulates K+ membrane currents in SH-SY5Y cells: involvement of adenosine receptors
Authors: Gambino Giuditta , Giglia Giuseppe , Gallo Daniele , Scordino Miriana , Giardina Costanza , Zuccarini Mariachiara , Di Iorio Patrizia , Giuliani Patricia , Ciruela Francisco , Ferraro Giuseppe , Mudò Giuseppa , Sardo Pierangelo , Di Liberto Valentina
Published: September 2022

Guanosine (GUO), widely considered a key signaling mediator, is implicated in the regulation of several cellular processes. While its interaction with neural membranes has been described, GUO still is an orphan neuromodulator. It has been postulated that GUO may eventually interact with potassium channels and adenosine (ADO) receptors (ARs), both particularly important for the control of cellular excitability. Accordingly, here, we investigated the effects of GUO on the bioelectric activity of human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells by whole-cell patch-clamp recordings. We first explored the contribution of voltage-dependent K+ channels and, besides this, the role of ARs in the regulation of GUO-dependent cellular electrophysiology. Our data support that GUO is able to specifically modulate K+-dependent outward currents over cell membranes. Importantly, administering ADO along with GUO potentiates its effects. Overall, these results suggested that K+ outward membrane channels may be targeted by GUO with an implication of  ADO receptors in SH-SY5Y cells, but also support the hypothesis of a functional interaction of the two ligands. The present research runs through the leitmotif of the deorphanization of GUO, adding insight on the interplay with adenosinergic signaling and suggesting GUO as a powerful modulator of SH-SY5Y excitability.
A multi-head adjacent attention-based pyramid layered model for nested named entity recognition
Authors: Cui Shengmin , Joe Inwhee
Published: September 2022

Named entity recognition (NER) is one of the widely studied natural language processing tasks in recent years. Conventional solutions treat the NER as a sequence labeling problem, but these approaches cannot handle nested NER. This is due to the fact that nested NER refers to the case where one entity contains another entity and it is not feasible to tag each token with a single tag. The pyramid model stacksLflat NER layers for prediction, which subtly enumerates all spans with length less than or equal toL. However, the original model introduces a block consisting of a convolutional layer and a bidirectional long short-term memory (Bi-LSTM) layer as the decoder, which does not consider the dependency between adjacent inputs and the Bi-LSTM cannot perform parallel computation on sequential inputs. For the purpose of improving performance and reducing the forward computation, we propose a Multi-Head Adjacent Attention-based Pyramid Layered model. In addition, when constructing a pyramid structure for span representation, the information of the intermediate words has more proportion than words on the two sides. To address this imbalance in the span representation, we fuse the output of the attention layer with the features of head and tail words when doing classification. We conducted experiments on nested NER datasets such as GENIA, SciERC, and ADE to validate the effectiveness of our proposed model.
External validation of the NeuroImaging Radiological Interpretation System and Helsinki computed tomography score for mortality prediction in patients with traumatic brain injury treated in the intensive care unit: a Finnish intensive care consortium study
Authors: Vehviläinen Juho , Skrifvars Markus , Reinikainen Matti , Bendel Stepani , Laitio Ruut , Hoppu Sanna , Ala-Kokko Tero , Siironen Jari , Raj Rahul
Published: September 2022

Background

Admission computed tomography (CT) scoring systems can be used to objectively quantify the severity of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and aid in outcome prediction. We aimed to externally validate the NeuroImaging Radiological Interpretation System (NIRIS) and the Helsinki CT score. In addition, we compared the prognostic performance of the NIRIS and the Helsinki CT score to the Marshall CT classification and to a clinical model.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective multicenter observational study using the Finnish Intensive Care Consortium database. We included adult TBI patients admitted in four university hospital ICUs during 2003–2013. We analyzed the CT scans using the NIRIS and the Helsinki CT score and compared the results to 6-month mortality as the primary outcome. In addition, we created a clinical model (age, Glasgow Coma Scale score, Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, presence of severe comorbidity) and combined clinical and CT models to see the added predictive impact of radiological data to conventional clinical information. We measured model performance using area under curve (AUC), Nagelkerke’s R2 statistics, and the integrated discrimination improvement (IDI).

Results

A total of 3031 patients were included in the analysis. The 6-month mortality was 710 patients (23.4%). Of the CT models, the Helsinki CT displayed best discrimination (AUC 0.73 vs. 0.70 for NIRIS) and explanatory variation (Nagelkerke’s R2 0.20 vs. 0.15). The clinical model displayed an AUC of 0.86 (95% CI 0.84–0.87). All CT models increased the AUC of the clinical model by + 0.01 to 0.87 (95% CI 0.85–0.88) and the IDI by 0.01–0.03.

Conclusion

In patients with TBI treated in the ICU, the Helsinki CT score outperformed the NIRIS for 6-month mortality prediction. In isolation, CT models offered only moderate accuracy for outcome prediction and clinical variables outweighing the CT-based predictors in terms of predictive performance.
On 2+1-dimensional fibre-reinforced fluid motions: a magnetohydrodynamics nexus
Authors: Demskoi Dmitry K. , Rogers Colin , Schief Wolfgang K.
Published: September 2022

An intrinsic geometric decomposition is applied to provide via a canonical third-order nonlinear equation a connection between 2+1-dimensional fibre-reinforced motions of a fluid and a magnetohydrodynamic system. A Lagrange-type parametrisation is introduced, whereby both geometric and algebraic properties of certain non-steady magnetohydrodynamic motions may be established.
A prospective, randomized assessment of a novel, local antibiotic releasing platform for the prevention of superficial and deep surgical site infections
Authors: Zmora O. , Stark Y. , Belotserkovsky O. , Reichert M. , Kozloski G. A. , Wasserberg N. , Tulchinsky H. , Segev L. , Senagore A. J. , Emanuel N.
Published: September 2022

Background

Despite significant advances in infection control guidelines and practices, surgical site infections (SSIs) remain a substantial cause of morbidity, prolonged hospitalization, and mortality among patients having both elective and emergent surgeries. D-PLEX100 is a novel, antibiotic-eluting polymer–lipid matrix that supplies a high, local concentration of doxycycline for the prevention of superficial and deep SSIs. The aim of our study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of D-PLEX in addition to standard of care (SOC) in preventing superficial and deep surgical site infections for patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery.

Methods

From October 10, 2018 to October 6, 2019, as part of a Phase 2 clinical trial, we randomly assigned 202 patients who had scheduled elective colorectal surgery to receive either standard of care SSI prophylaxis or D-PLEX100 in addition to standard of care. The primary objective was to assess the efficacy of D-PLEX100 in superficial and deep SSI reduction, as measured by the incidence of SSIs within 30 days, as adjudicated by both an individual assessor and a three-person endpoint adjudication committee, all of whom were blinded to study-group assignments. Safety was assessed by the stratification and incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events.

Results

One hundred and seventy-nine patients were evaluated in the per protocol population, 88 in the intervention arm [51 males, 37 females, median age (64.0 range: 19–92) years] and 91 in the control arm [57 males, 34 females, median age 64.5 (range: 21–88) years]. The SSI rate within 30 day post-index surgery revealed a 64% relative risk reduction in SSI rate in the D-PLEX100 plus standard of care (SOC) group [n = 7/88 (8%)] vs SOC alone [n = 20/91 (22%)]; p = 0.0115. There was no significant difference in treatment-emergent adverse events.

Conclusions

D-PLEX100 application leads to a statistically significant reduction in superficial and deep surgical site infections in this colorectal clinical model without any associated increase in adverse events.
Computer Simulation of the Electrical Stimulation of the Human Vestibular System: Effects of the Reactive Component of Impedance on Voltage Waveform and Nerve Selectivity
Authors: D’Alessandro Simone , Handler Michael , Saba Rami , Garnham Carolyn , Baumgarten Daniel
Published: September 2022

The vestibular system is responsible for our sense of balance and spatial orientation. Recent studies have shown the possibility of partially restoring the function of this system using vestibular implants. Electrical modeling is a valuable tool in assisting the development of these implants by analyzing stimulation effects. However, previous modeling approaches of the vestibular system assumed quasi-static conditions. In this work, an extended modeling approach is presented that considers the reactive component of impedance and the electrode-tissue interface and their effects are investigated in a 3D human vestibular computer model. The Fourier finite element method was employed considering the frequency-dependent electrical properties of the different tissues. The electrode-tissue interface was integrated by an instrumental electrode model. A neuron model of myelinated fibers was employed to predict the nerve responses to the electrical stimulus. Morphological changes of the predicted voltage waveforms considering the dielectric tissue properties were found compared to quasi-static simulations, particularly during monopolar electrode configuration. Introducing the polarization capacitance and the scar tissue around the electrode in combination with a power limitation leads to a considerable current reduction applied through the active electrode and, consequently, to reduced voltage amplitudes of the stimulus waveforms. The reactive component of impedance resulted in better selectivity for the excitation of target nerves compared to the quasi-static simulation at the expense of slightly increased stimulus current amplitudes. We conclude that tissue permittivity and effects of the electrode-tissue interface should be considered to improve the accuracy of the simulations.