bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Role of maternal COVID‐19 vaccination in providing immunological protection to the newborn
Authors: Jorgensen Sarah C. J. , Burry Lisa , Tabbara Najla
Published: November 2021

Pregnant and postpartum individuals are known to have an elevated risk of severe COVID‐19 compared with their non‐pregnant counterparts. Vaccination is the most important intervention to protect these populations from COVID‐19‐related morbidity and mortality. An added benefit of maternal COVID‐19 vaccination is transfer of maternal immunity to newborns and infants, for whom a vaccine is not (yet) approved. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2)‐specific binding and neutralizing antibodies are present in infant cord blood and breast milk following natural maternal infection and transfer of maternal immunity following COVID‐19 vaccination is an area of active research. In this review, we synthesize the available research, discuss knowledge gaps, and outline factors that should be evaluated and reported when studying the transfer of maternal immunity following COVID‐19 vaccination. The data reviewed herein suggest that maternal SARS‐CoV‐2‐specific binding antibodies are efficiently transferred via the placenta and breast milk following maternal mRNA COVID‐19 vaccination. Moreover, antibodies retain strong neutralizing capacity. Antibody concentrations appear to be at least as high in infant cord blood as in the maternal serum, but lower in breast milk. Breast milk IgA rises rapidly following maternal vaccination, whereas IgG rises later but may persist longer. At least two COVID‐19 vaccine doses appear to be required to reach maximal antibody concentrations in cord blood and breast milk. There is no indication that infants consuming breast milk from vaccinated mothers experience serious adverse effects, although follow‐up is limited. No clear pattern has emerged regarding changes in milk supply following maternal vaccination. The heterogeneity in important methodological aspects of reviewed studies underscores the need to establish standard best practices related to research on the transfer of maternal COVID‐19 vaccine‐induced immunity.
Reference gene selection for real‐time quantitative PCR assays in different tissues of Huperzia serrata based on full‐length transcriptome sequencing
Authors: Fu Yanping , Niu Fei , Jia Hui , Wang Yanli , Guo Bin , Wei Yahui
Published: November 2021

Huperzia serrata (H. serrata) produces various types of effective lycopodium alkaloids, especially Huperzine A (HupA), which is a promising drug for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Numerous studies focused on the chemistry, bioactivities, toxicology, and clinical trials of HupA; however, the public genomic and transcriptomic resources are very limited for H. serrata research, especially for the selection of optimum reference genes. Based on the full‐length transcriptome datasets and previous studies, 10 traditional and three new candidate reference genes were selected in different tissue of H. serrata. Then, two optimal reference genes GAPDHB and HisH2A were confirmed by four analysis methods. In order to further verify the accuracy of the two reference genes, they were used to analyze the expression patterns of four HupA‐biosynthetic genes (lysine decarboxylas, RS‐norcoclaurine 6‐O‐methyltransferase, cytochrome P45072A1, and copper amine oxidase). The data suggested that the expression pattern of HupA‐biosynthetic genes was consistent with them in transcriptome sequencing in different tissue of H. serrata. This study identified that GAPDHB and HisH2A provides the reliable normalization for analyzing the HupA biosynthetic gene expression in different tissues of H. serrata on the transcriptional level.
A comparison of artificial intelligence techniques for predicting hyperforin content in Hypericum perforatum L. in different ecological habitats
Authors: Saffariha Maryam , Jahani Ali , Jahani Reza
Published: November 2021

Hyperforin, a major bioactive constituent of Hypericum concentration, is impacted by various phenological phases and soil characteristics. We aimed to design a model predicting hyperforin content in Hypericum perforatum based on different ecological and phenological conditions. We employed artificial intelligence modeling techniques including multilayer perceptron (MLP), radial basis function (RBF), and support vector machine (SVM) to examine the factors critical in predicting hyperforin content. We found that the MLP model (R2 = .9) is the most suitable and precise model compared with RBF (R2 = .81) and SVM (R2 = .74) in predicting hyperforin in H. perforatum based on ecological conditions, plant growth, and soil features. Moreover, phenological stages, organic carbon, altitude, and total N are detected in sensitivity analysis as the main factors that have a considerable impact on hyperforin content. We also report that the developed graphical user interface would be adaptable for key stakeholders including producers, manufacturers, analytical laboratory managers, and pharmacognosists.
The effects of halogen substituents on structure, stability, and electronic properties of bicyclo[1.1.1]pentanylene at density functional theory
Authors: Abedini Nastaran , Kassaee Mohamad Z.
Published: November 2021

In a quest to identify novel bicyclic carbenes, the effects of halogen substituents on the stability and reactivity of singlet (s) and triplet (t) forms of carbenes with one, two, and three carbenic centers (1‐15) are compared and contrasted, at B3LYP/6‐311++G** level of theory. All carbene scrutinized turn out as minima for showing no negative force constant on their energy surfaces. The highest stability (ΔEs‐t) and band gap (ΔEHOMO–LUMO) belongs to carbene 11 (37.36 and 133.45 kcal/mol, respectively) with three carbenic centers. Such higher stabilization attributed to three coordinate covalent bonds with their carbenic centers. The nucleophilicity (N) for each series (1‐5, 6‐10, and 11‐15) appears inverse correlation with our results of chemical potential (μ) values. Also, the N of the carbenic center is decreased due to the higher electronegativity of substituted halogens. In addition, the electrostatic potential (ESP) maps qualitatively confirm the relative N for our bicyclic carbenes.

The aim of the present work was to assess the effects of halogen substituents on the stability (ΔEs‐t), ΔΕHOMO–LUMO, N, electrophilicity (ω), and proton affinity (ΔEPA). Finally, our investigation introduces carbene 1s with high stability (ΔEs‐t = 30.38 kcal/mol), N (3.438 eV), and negative ΔEPA (−244.94 kcal/mol) that can be applied as accumulated multidentate ligands.
Hybrid gain performance‐based random event‐triggered filter of positive semi‐Markovian jump systems with intermittent sensor faults
Authors: Zhang Suhuan , Zhang Junfeng , Zheng Gang
Published: November 2021

This article proposes a new random event‐triggering scheme to design filter of positive semi‐Markovian jump systems with intermittent sensor faults. To obtain a balance of saving network resources and improving system performance, a random event‐triggering mechanism consisting of time‐ and event‐triggering modes is constructed. A Bernoulli distribution‐based stochastic variable is introduced to orchestrate the switching of two triggering modes. A concept of hybrid gain performance is presented to guarantee that the filter can attenuate the affect from the disturbance and sensor faults. Then, a random event‐triggered filter is designed for positive semi‐Markovian jump systems subject to intermittent sensor faults. Under the designed filter, hybrid gain performance is achieved. Furthermore, the proposed approach is extended to the systems with stochastically incorrect sensor measurement. A linear programming method is employed for describing and computing the presented conditions. Finally, the validity of the results is verified via two examples.
Structures and electronic properties of functional molecules on metal substrates: From single molecule to self‐assemblies
Authors: Tao Lei , Zhang Yu‐yang , Du Shixuan
Published: November 2021

Functional molecules and their assemblies have attracted considerable attention arising from not only diverse structures with novel properties but also potential applications in molecular devices. The novel properties, which determine their applications, are strongly related to their structures. In recent years, benefiting from the development of atomically precise control technique of the structures, a lot of new materials constructing from molecules with novel properties emerged. Their novel properties enable them to be potentially applied in molecular spintronics, high‐density data storage, selective reaction and quantum topological devices, and so on. The present review focuses on new progress in predicting and controlling the structures and properties of functional molecules and their assemblies on metal surfaces by combining first‐principle calculations with scanning tunneling microscopy experiments. We aim at understanding the key factors which affect the physical and chemical properties of the metal–organic systems, especially from a theoretical perspective.

This article is categorized under:

Structure and Mechanism > Molecular Structures

Electronic Structure Theory > Density Functional Theory
Strategies to counter disinformation for healthcare practitioners and policymakers
Authors: Neylan Julian H. , Patel Sonny S. , Erickson Timothy B.
Published: November 2021

Medical disinformation has interfered with healthcare workers' ability to communicate with the general population in a wide variety of public health contexts globally. This has limited the effectiveness of evidence‐based medicine and healthcare capacity. Disinformation campaigns often try to integrate or co‐opt healthcare workers in their practices which hinders effective health communication. We describe a critical overview of issues health practitioners and communicators have experienced when dealing with medical disinformation online and offline as well as best practices to overcome these issues when disseminating health information. This article lists disinformation techniques that have yet to be used against the medical community but need to be considered in future communication planning as they may be highly effective. We also present broad policy recommendations and considerations designed to mitigate the effectiveness of medical disinformation campaigns.
Using social network analysis to inform on the process of one‐male‐unit formation of hamadryas baboons (Papio hamadryas) in captivity
Authors: Molinaro Holly G. , Minier Darren , Jaffe Karin E.
Published: November 2021

Hamadryas baboons (Papio hamadryas) live in a complex multilevel social system with the one‐male‐unit (OMU) at the core. OMUs consist of an adult alpha male with one or several adult females, their dependent offspring and, sometimes a few follower males. Previous research has documented that OMUs form in four distinct ways in wild populations. In December 2015, Oakland Zoo introduced two juvenile males into the hamadryas baboon exhibit. At the time of this study, these males were approaching sexual maturity. The complex social structure of this species and the changing social dynamics that might result as they reach sexual maturity provide a unique opportunity to utilize social network analysis (SNA) methods to examine OMU formation in a captive setting with an eye toward potential management strategies. SNA is a visualization method of looking at social data that allows researchers to understand sociality in terms of the importance of each individual, any subgroups, as well as the larger overall group dynamic. Behavioral and proximity data were collected over 6 months (July–December 2019). These data were then transformed into networks to analyze the two now subadult males’ behavior over time. We found that one of the subadult males began the formation of his first OMU following one of the four pathways found in wild studies. Despite changing group dynamics, overall group cohesion remained unchanged. This study reveals hamadryas OMU formation patterns in captivity following the initial unit pathway as well as suggests potential welfare management issues that might arise.
The Emergence of Healthcare Systems
Authors: Polte Alexander , Haunss Sebastian , Schmid Achim , de Carvalho Gabriela , Rothgang Heinz
Published: November 2021

Some sort of medical infrastructure has existed in all modern states and dependent territories. However, healthcare systems that provide legal entitlements to medical care at least for specific groups of the population, and that regulate access to and provision of healthcare on a national level only came into existence at the end of the nineteenth century. In our chapter, we trace the global emergence of healthcare systems and test whether their introduction date is related to a diffusion process through networks of trade, culture or health-related cooperation, or whether it is mainly influenced by domestic medical needs, capabilities, and wealth.
From Geneva to the World? Global Network Diffusion of Antidiscrimination Legislation in Employment and Occupation: The ILO’s C111
Authors: Hahs Jenny
Published: November 2021

The adoption of the Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111) marked ILO’s first endorsement to universal non-discrimination and an early equal opportunity approach at work. Albeit considered to be premised upon “a traditional, formal-equality and formal-workplace vision of antidiscrimination law,” the convention marked a genuine new strand in international standard-setting in the Post-World War II and Philadelphia Declaration time. However, due to the implicit formal vision, it is assumed that ratification was more attractive and more feasible for countries of the Global North first. Following, this behavior diffused through colonial ties time-varying toward the Global South. Whether this assumption holds will also be studied regarding the moderating effects of networks of culture, trade, and regional proximity.
The Diffusion of Workplace Antidiscrimination Regulations for the LGBTQ+ Community
Authors: Seitzer Helen
Published: November 2021

Inclusion and protection of the LGBTQ+ community is a newly rising topic in the debate regarding the generosity of social policies worldwide. The adoption of regulations giving LGBTQ+ community the same rights and protections in regard to work- and social life is tied to local and global culture. The contribution of this chapter is to test, if culture, economic ties, spatial proximity, or colonial rule have any influence on the diffusion of antidiscrimination regulations in the workplace for the LGBTQ+ community. The results show, that local conditions have a greater impact on the implementation of these laws than transnational networks.
Die Aufmerksamkeitsdefizit‑/Hyperaktivitätsstörung (ADHS) bei Erwachsenen in den klinischen Beschreibungen und klassifikatorischen Reflexionen von Gustav Specht (1905) und Hermann Paul Nitsche (1910)
Authors: Steinberg Holger , Strauß Maria
Published: November 2021

Es verstetigt sich die Ansicht, dass die adulte Form der Aufmerksamkeitsdefizit‑/Hyperaktivitätsstörung (ADHS) kein Konstrukt der modernen Psychiatrie ist. Die Geschichte der Psychiatrie kann hier einen aufklärenden Beitrag leisten. Diesem Anspruch und konkret Literaturverweisen Emil Kraepelins (1856–1926) folgend, wird hier jeweils eine Studie von Gustav Specht (1860–1940) und dem späteren NS-Psychiater Hermann Paul Nitsche (1876–1948) aus den Jahren 1905 bzw. 1910 zum Themenfeld chronische Manie inhaltlich analysiert. Wir gelangen zu dem Schluss, dass beide Autoren in mehreren Kasuistiken Kranke schildern und in ihre klinischen Erörterungen Aspekte einfließen lassen, die die heute so definierten Kernsymptome der adulten ADHS berühren oder in denen sich aktuell diskutierte Forschungsfragen wiederfinden. Beide Autoren drücken ihre Unzufriedenheit mit der klassifikatorischen Situation dieser Kranken in ihrer Zeit aus. Specht postuliert die „chronische Manie“, unter der er die adulten ADHS-Patienten einfasst, sogar als eine „völlig selbständige Geisteskrankheit“, die von den Psychiatern aber kaum als vollwertige Krankheitsform anerkannt, sondern eher als Verlegenheitsdiagnose verwendet werde. Nitsche sieht die von ihm sog. „chronisch-manischen Zustände“ zwar als „klinische Eigenart“, rechnet sie aber der großen Gruppe des „manisch-depressiven Irreseins“ zu. In Zukunft erst werde diese feiner aufzuteilen sein.
A refinement-based development of a distributed signalling system
Authors: Stankaitis Paulius , Iliasov Alexei , Kobayashi Tsutomu , Aït-Ameur Yamine , Ishikawa Fuyuki , Romanovsky Alexander
Published: November 2021

The decentralised railway signalling systems have a potential to
increase capacity, availability and reduce maintenance costs of
railway networks. However, given the safety-critical nature of
railway signalling and the complexity of novel distributed
signalling solutions, their safety should be guaranteed by using
thorough system validation methods. To achieve such a high-level of
safety assurance of these complex signalling systems, scenario-based
testing methods are far from being sufficient despite that they are
still widely used in the industry. Formal verification is an
alternative approach which provides a rigorous approach to verifying
complex systems and has been successfully used in the railway
domain. Despite the successes, little work has been done in applying
formal methods for distributed railway systems. In our research we
are working towards a multifaceted formal development methodology of
complex railway signalling systems. The methodology is based on the
Event-B modelling language which provides an expressive modelling
language, a stepwise development and a proof-based model
verification. In this paper, we present the application of the
methodology for the development and verification of a distributed
protocol for reservation of railway sections. The main challenge of
this work is developing a distributed protocol which ensures safety
and liveness of the distributed railway system when message delays
are allowed in the model.
Does genetic differentiation underlie behavioral divergence in response to migration barriers in sticklebacks? A common garden experiment
Authors: Ramesh A. , Domingues M. M. , Stamhuis E. J. , Groothuis T. G. G. , Weissing F. J. , Nicolaus M.
Published: November 2021

Water management measures in the 1970s in the Netherlands have produced a large number of “resident” populations of three-spined sticklebacks that are no longer able to migrate to the sea. This may be viewed as a replicated field experiment, allowing us to study how the resident populations are coping with human-induced barriers to migration. We have previously shown that residents are smaller, bolder, more exploratory, more active, and more aggressive and exhibited lower shoaling and lower migratory tendencies compared to their ancestral “migrant” counterparts. However, it is not clear if these differences in wild-caught residents and migrants reflect genetic differentiation, rather than different developmental conditions. To investigate this, we raised offspring of four crosses (migrant ♂ × migrant ♀, resident ♂ × resident ♀, migrant ♂ × resident ♀, resident ♂ × migrant ♀) under similar controlled conditions and tested for differences in morphology and behavior as adults. We found that lab-raised resident sticklebacks exhibited lower shoaling and migratory tendencies as compared to lab-raised migrants, retaining the differences in their wild-caught parents. This indicates genetic differentiation of these traits. For all other traits, the lab-raised sticklebacks of the various crosses did not differ significantly, suggesting that the earlier-found contrast between wild-caught fish reflects differences in their environment. Our study shows that barriers to migration can lead to rapid differentiation in behavioral tendencies over contemporary timescales (~ 50 generations) and that part of these differences reflects genetic differentiation.

Significance statement

Many organisms face changes to their habitats due to human activities. Much research is therefore dedicated to the question whether and how organisms are able to adapt to novel conditions. We address this question in three-spined sticklebacks, where water management measures cut off some populations, prohibiting their seasonal migration to the North Sea. In a previous study, we showed that wild-caught “resident” fish exhibited markedly different behavior than migrants. To disentangle whether these differences reflect genetic differentiation or differences in the conditions under which the wild-caught fish grew up, we conducted crosses, raising the F1 offspring under identical conditions. As their wild-caught parents, the F1 of resident × resident crosses exhibited lower migratory and shoaling tendencies than the F1 of migrant × migrant crosses, while the F1 of hybrid crosses were intermediate. This suggests that ~ 50 years of isolation are sufficient to induce behaviorally relevant genetic differentiation.
National Trends in Cholecystectomy and Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography During Index Hospitalization for Mild Gallstone Pancreatitis
Authors: Aziz Hassan , Segalini Nicole , Ahmed Zubair , Ahmad Shahzaib , Goodman Martin D. , Hertl Martin
Published: November 2021

Background

Guidelines call for cholecystectomy during the index hospitalization for patients with gallstone pancreatitis. Therefore, the study sought to determine the trends for cholecystectomy and Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) for mild gallstone pancreatitis.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of the 2010–2018 Nationwide Readmission Database (NRD) was performed to identify patients with mild gallstone pancreatitis. The primary aim was to identify the trends in the use of cholecystectomy in these patients, and the secondary aim was to assess if ERCP alone was protective against readmission.

Results

A total of 510,470 patients with mild gallstone pancreatitis were identified. There has been an increasing trend in ERCP use (25% in 2018 vs. 22% in 2010; p‐0.001) and a decline in cholecystectomy (37% in 2018 vs. 46% in 2010; p‐0.001) prior to discharge. Multivariate analysis revealed higher 30‐day readmission for patients who underwent ERCP without cholecystectomy (odds ratio1.3; 95% confidence interval, 1.1–3.5) during the index admission.

Conclusions

There has been a decline in the use of cholecystectomy during index hospitalization for mild gallstone pancreatitis. In addition, ERCP was not protective against 30‐day readmission from mild gallstone pancreatitis.
Cryptosporidium spp. in wild murids (Rodentia) from Corsica, France
Authors: García-Livia Katherine , Fernández-Álvarez Ángela , Feliu Carlos , Miquel Jordi , Quilichini Yann , Foronda Pilar
Published: November 2021

Cryptosporidium spp. are worldwide protozoan parasites that can affect to a broad range of vertebrate hosts, including rodents. In the island of Corsica (France), there are no previous data about these protozoa infecting wild rodents. To estimate the distribution and occurrence, a total of 117 wild murine rodents of the species Rattus rattus (84), Mus musculus domesticus (21), Apodemus sylvaticus (11), and Rattus norvegicus (1) were captured in 24 different biotopes. Fecal samples were screened for Cryptosporidium spp. by nested PCR to amplify an 830 bp fragment of the 18S rRNA gene. As general occurrence, 15.4% of the rodents analyzed were positive for Cryptosporidium spp., being detected widely distributed along the island in R. rattus (17.6%) and M. m. domesticus (14.3%). Cryptosporidium viatorum, Cryptosporidium sp. rat genotype II, and Cryptosporidium sp. rat genotype III were successfully identified in R. rattus. The results herein reported provide the first data on Cryptosporidium spp. in wild murine species from a Mediterranean island and constitute the first report of the zoonotic species C. viatorum in R. rattus. Although a low occurrence of Cryptosporidium spp. in murids was obtained and only in one animal the zoonotic species C. viatorum was identified, our results highlight that wild murine rodents from Corsica could mediate in the maintenance and transmission of this protozoan to the environment and other hosts including humans and animals. Further studies are required to better understand the epidemiology of Cryptosporidium spp. in wild rodents from Corsica and their possible public health repercussions.
Sufficient Conditions for the Global Rigidity of Periodic Graphs
Authors: Kaszanitzky Viktória E. , Király Csaba , Schulze Bernd
Published: November 2021

Tanigawa (2016) showed that vertex-redundant rigidity of a graph implies its global rigidity in arbitrary dimension. We extend this result to periodic frameworks under fixed lattice representations. That is, we show that if a generic periodic framework is vertex-redundantly rigid, in the sense that the deletion of a single vertex orbit under the periodicity results in a periodically rigid framework, then it is also periodically globally rigid. Our proof is similar to the one of Tanigawa, but there are some added difficulties. First, it is not known whether periodic global rigidity is a generic property in dimension $$d>2$$

d
>
2

. We work around this issue by using slight modifications of recent results of Kaszanitzky et al. (2021). Secondly, while the rigidity of finite frameworks in $${\mathbb {R}}^d$$

R

d

on at most d vertices obviously implies their global rigidity, it is non-trivial to prove a similar result for periodic frameworks. This is accomplished by extending a result of Bezdek and Connelly (2002) on the existence of a continuous motion between two equivalent d-dimensional realisations of a single graph in $${\mathbb {R}}^{2d}$$

R

2
d

to periodic frameworks. As an application of our result, we give a necessary and sufficient condition for the global rigidity of generic periodic body-bar frameworks in arbitrary dimension. This provides a periodic counterpart to a result of Connelly et al. (2013) regarding the global rigidity of generic finite body-bar frameworks.
LINC01087 indicates a poor prognosis of glioma patients with preoperative MRI
Authors: Chen Wangsheng , Wang Fei , Zhang Jianhua , Li Changqing , Hong Lan
Published: November 2021

Long intergenic non-coding RNA 01,087 (LINC01087) has been concerned as an oncogene in breast cancer, while its mechanism in glioma has been little surveyed. Thus, we searched the prognostic value and functional action of LINC01087 in glioma. Glioma patients after preoperative MRI diagnosis were enrolled, and LINC01087, microRNA (miR)-1277-5p, and alkaline ceramidase 3 (ACER3) levels were tested in glioma cancer tissue. The correlation between LINC01087 expression and the survival of patients were analyzed. LINC01087, miR-1277-5p, and ACER3 levels in U251 cells were altered via transfection, and cell malignant phenotypes were monitored. The relationship between miR-1277-5p and LINC01087 or ACER3 was detected. The LINC01087 and ACER3 expression was in up-regulation and the miR-1277-5p expression was in down-regulation in clinical glioma samples. High expression of LINC01087 was associated with poor prognosis of glioma patients with preoperative MRI. LINC01087 silencing restrained tumor malignancy in glioma cells. Mechanistically, LINC01087 directly interacted with miR-1277-5p. ACER3 was a known target of miR-1277-5p. Moreover, rescue assays reveal that miR-1277-5p overexpression (or ACER3 overexpression) reversed the effects of LINC01087 upregulation (or miR-1277-5p upregulation) on glioma cells. LINC01087 has prognostic significance in glioma and silencing LINC01087 deters glioma development through elevating miR-1277-5p to reduce ACER3 expression.
Optical Material Characterisation of Prepreg CFRP for Improved Composite Inspection
Authors: Meister Sebastian , Stüve Jan , Groves Roger M.
Published: November 2021

Automated fibre layup techniques are often applied for the production of complex structural components. In order to ensure a sufficient component quality, a subsequent visual inspection is necessary, especially in the aerospace industry. The use of automated optical inspection systems can reduce the inspection effort by up to 50 %. Laser line scan sensors, which capture the topology of the surface, are particularly advantageous for this purpose. These sensors project a laser beam at an angle onto the surface and detect its position via a camera. The optical properties of the observed surface potentially have a great influence on the quality of the recorded data. This is especially relevant for dark or highly scattering materials such as Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics (CFRP). For this reason, in this study we investigate the optical reflection and transmission properties of the commonly used Hexel HexPly 8552 IM7 prepreg CFRP in detail. Therefore, we utilise a Gonioreflectometer to investigate such optical characteristics of the material with respect to different fibre orientations, illumination directions and detection angles. In this way, specific scattering information of the material in the hemispherical space are recorded. The major novelty of this research are the findings about the scattering behaviour of the fibre composite material which can be used as a more precise input for the methods of image data quality assessment from our previous research and thus is particularly valuable for developers and users of camera based inspection systems for CFRP components.
Effectiveness of using nest boxes as a form of bird protection after building modernization
Authors: Dulisz Beata , Stawicka Anna Maria , Knozowski Paweł , Diserens Tom A. , Nowakowski Jacek J.
Published: November 2021

Modernization of urban buildings can decrease the availability of nesting sites in buildings, leading to sudden decreases in the density of avifauna. In this study, we investigated the use of nest boxes as a bird conservation measure after buildings were thermally modernized. In a 10 ha experimental area we mounted five types of nest boxes of different sizes and dimensions (a total of 132). Nest boxes were dedicated to species that lost access to their previous nesting sites. All species associated with the buildings significantly declined or disappeared. In the first year after the modernization, the House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) decreased by 66% compared with the period before the modernization, Eurasian Jackdaw (Corvus monedula) by 68%, Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) by 70%, and Common Swift (Apus apus) by 100%. In the first two years after the modernization, the birds nested only in nest boxes. Five years of monitoring showed that using nest boxes as compensation for bird nesting sites lost during the renovation of buildings can cause a population to recover to ca. 50% of its original level. To optimize deployments of nest boxes, wildlife managers should consider target species’ preferences for the dimensions and placement of boxes and limit the time boxes are used if a species prefers nesting outside nest-boxes, but in buildings (e. g. the House Sparrow) and does not require additional support.
Differences in breast cancer-risk factors between screen-detected and non-screen-detected cases (MCC-Spain study)
Authors: Hernández-García Marta , Molina-Barceló Ana , Vanaclocha-Espi Mercedes , Zurriaga Óscar , Pérez-Gómez Beatriz , Aragonés Nuria , Amiano Pilar , Altzibar Jone M. , Castaño-Vinyals Gemma , Sala María , Ederra María , Martín Vicente , Gómez-Acebo Inés , Vidal Carmen , Tardón Adonina , Marcos-Gragera Rafael , Pollán Marina , Kogevinas Manolis , Salas Dolores
Published: November 2021

Purpose

The variation in breast cancer (BC)-risk factor associations between screen-detected (SD) and non-screen-detected (NSD) tumors has been poorly studied, despite the interest of this aspect in risk assessment and prevention. This study analyzes the differences in breast cancer-risk factor associations according to detection method and tumor phenotype in Spanish women aged between 50 and 69.

Methods

We examined 900 BC cases and 896 controls aged between 50 and 69, recruited in the multicase–control MCC-Spain study. With regard to the cases, 460 were detected by screening mammography, whereas 144 were diagnosed by other means. By tumor phenotype, 591 were HR+, 153 were HER2+, and 58 were TN. Lifestyle, reproductive factors, family history of BC, and tumor characteristics were analyzed. Logistic regression models were used to compare cases vs. controls and SD vs. NSD cases. Multinomial regression models (controls used as a reference) were adjusted for case analysis according to phenotype and detection method.

Results

TN was associated with a lower risk of SD BC (OR 0.30 IC 0.10–0.89), as were intermediate (OR 0.18 IC 0.07–0.44) and advanced stages at diagnosis (OR 0.11 IC 0.03–0.34). Nulliparity in postmenopausal women and age at menopause were related to an increased risk of SD BC (OR 1.60 IC 1.08–2.36; OR 1.48 IC 1.09–2.00, respectively). Nulliparity in postmenopausal women was associated with a higher risk of HR+ (OR 1.66 IC 1.15–2.40). Age at menopause was related to a greater risk of HR+ (OR 1.60 IC 1.22–2.11) and HER2+ (OR 1.59 IC 1.03–2.45) tumors.

Conclusion

Reproductive risk factors are associated with SD BC, as are HR+ tumors. Differences in BC-risk factor associations according to detection method may be related to prevailing phenotypes among categories.
Why is Generative Grammar Recursive?
Authors: Mallory Fintan
Published: November 2021

A familiar argument goes as follows: natural languages have infinitely many sentences, finite representation of infinite sets requires recursion; therefore any adequate account of linguistic competence will require some kind of recursive device. The first part of this paper argues that this argument is not convincing. The second part argues that it was not the original reason recursive devices were introduced into generative linguistics. The real basis for the use of recursive devices stems from a deeper philosophical concern; a grammar that functions merely as a metalanguage would not be explanatorily adequate as it would merely push the problem of explaining linguistic competence back to another level. The paper traces this concern from Zellig Harris and Chomsky’s early work in generative linguistics and presents some implications.
Simplified, interpretable graph convolutional neural networks for small molecule activity prediction
Authors: Weber Jeffrey K. , Morrone Joseph A. , Bagchi Sugato , Pabon Jan D. Estrada , Kang Seung-gu , Zhang Leili , Cornell Wendy D.
Published: November 2021

We here present a streamlined, explainable graph convolutional neural network (gCNN) architecture for small molecule activity prediction. We first conduct a hyperparameter optimization across nearly 800 protein targets that produces a simplified gCNN QSAR architecture, and we observe that such a model can yield performance improvements over both standard gCNN and RF methods on difficult-to-classify test sets. Additionally, we discuss how reductions in convolutional layer dimensions potentially speak to the “anatomical” needs of gCNNs with respect to radial coarse graining of molecular substructure. We augment this simplified architecture with saliency map technology that highlights molecular substructures relevant to activity, and we perform saliency analysis on nearly 100 data-rich protein targets. We show that resultant substructural clusters are useful visualization tools for understanding substructure-activity relationships. We go on to highlight connections between our models’ saliency predictions and observations made in the medicinal chemistry literature, focusing on four case studies of past lead finding and lead optimization campaigns.
Housing developers’ perceived barriers to implementing municipal sustainability requirements in Swedish sustainability-profiled districts
Authors: Candel Melissa , Törnå Niklas
Published: November 2021

Swedish municipalities are taking an active role in shaping and implementing sustainability-related policies in urban development by initiating and governing sustainability-profiled district developments on municipally owned land. To drive sustainable development and innovation in these districts and develop future policies, municipalities use land allocation agreements to set project-specific sustainability requirements on housing development projects that go beyond the current national building regulations. Developers play a key role in implementing these municipal sustainability requirements. The purpose of this paper is to explore housing developers’ perceived barriers to implementing municipal sustainability requirements in their projects, which ultimately constrain possibilities for municipalities to drive sustainable development. Findings are based on case studies of two sustainability-profiled district developments in different Swedish municipalities. Main barriers perceived by the developers could be categorized into: (1) increased costs when adapting to unforeseen changes that constrain project budgets and (2) conflicting interests and objectives between interdependent actors. These barriers are contextualised within the relationship between the developers and municipalities. Contributions are made to literature on developers’ roles and perspectives in sustainability-oriented urban development. We illustrate how conflicting short-term and long-term interests between developers and municipalities complicate and impede problem solving in housing development projects. This calls for more research on these actors’ interests, and how they align and conflict in these types of projects. Findings also illustrate how developers resolve issues through interactions with municipalities, indicating collaborative problem solving processes to investigate further.
How to Prove Hume’s Law
Authors: Russell Gillian
Published: November 2021

This paper proves a precisification of Hume’s Law—the thesis that one cannot get an ought from an is—as an instance of a more general theorem which establishes several other philosophically interesting, though less controversial, barriers to logical consequence.
Reinforcement learning for robotic manipulation using simulated locomotion demonstrations
Authors: Kilinc Ozsel , Montana Giovanni
Published: November 2021

Mastering robotic manipulation skills through reinforcement learning (RL) typically requires the design of shaped reward functions. Recent developments in this area have demonstrated that using sparse rewards, i.e. rewarding the agent only when the task has been successfully completed, can lead to better policies. However, state-action space exploration is more difficult in this case. Recent RL approaches to learning with sparse rewards have leveraged high-quality human demonstrations for the task, but these can be costly, time consuming or even impossible to obtain. In this paper, we propose a novel and effective approach that does not require human demonstrations. We observe that every robotic manipulation task could be seen as involving a locomotion task from the perspective of the object being manipulated, i.e. the object could learn how to reach a target state on its own. In order to exploit this idea, we introduce a framework whereby an object locomotion policy is initially obtained using a realistic physics simulator. This policy is then used to generate auxiliary rewards, called simulated locomotion demonstration rewards (SLDRs), which enable us to learn the robot manipulation policy. The proposed approach has been evaluated on 13 tasks of increasing complexity, and can achieve higher success rate and faster learning rates compared to alternative algorithms. SLDRs are especially beneficial for tasks like multi-object stacking and non-rigid object manipulation.
A New Class of Revealed Comparative Advantage Indexes
Authors: Danna-Buitrago Jenny P. , Stellian Rémi
Published: November 2021

This paper draws upon a critical analysis of the three RCA indexes in Vollrath (1991) to propose a new class of RCA indexes. The baseline RCA index in this new class rests on the overall structure of trade, is symmetric, avoids size bias and is compatible with the Kunimoto-Vollrath principle. Possible modifications of the baseline RCA index are subsequently suggested to take into account GDP per capita data and to use adjusted trade data with the aim of better measuring comparative advantages. These modified versions together with the baseline RCA index give rise to a whole new class of RCA indexes. An application to the Euro area indicates that this new class is able to rank countries according to their respective levels of comparative advantages in a more consistent way than alternative RCA indexes. Furthermore, the new class of RCA indexes provides second-best solutions for time stationarity and the desirable distributional characteristics of an RCA index.
“I don’t take for granted that I am doing well today”: a mixed methods study on well-being, impact of cancer, and supportive needs in long-term childhood cancer survivors
Authors: Hendriks Manya Jerina , Hartmann Nathalie , Harju Erika , Roser Katharina , Michel Gisela
Published: November 2021

Purpose

With increasing numbers of childhood cancer survivors (CCS), it is important to identify the impact of cancer and CCS’ needs for support services that can mitigate the long-term impact on psychosocial wellbeing, including health-related quality of life (HRQOL). We aimed (1) to describe survivors’ wellbeing, impact of cancer, and supportive care needs and (2) to determine how socio-demographic or clinical characteristics and impact of cancer relate to survivors’ unmet needs.

Method

In this mixed methods study, a quantitative survey was used to assess HRQOL, psychological distress, impact of cancer, and supportive care needs. Qualitative interviews were conducted to explore the meaning of wellbeing, health, and impact of cancer.

Results

Overall, 69 CCS participated in the survey of which 28 participated in qualitative interviews (aged ≥ 18 years, diagnosed with cancer ≤ 18 years). Few CCS (13%) reported poor physical HRQOL, but almost half reported poor mental HRQOL (49%) and psychological distress (42%). Health was considered to encompass both: physical and emotional aspects of wellbeing. Cancer positively impacted CCS’ ability to care and attitude towards life, whereas relationships and insurance were negatively impacted. Risks for unmet needs increased in CCS with self-reported low health status, late effects, psychological distress, with older age at study or longer time since end of treatment.

Conclusion

In our study, many CCS experienced various psychosocial, psychological and informational unmet needs, indicating that survivors’ needs are currently not duly addressed. Current efforts to provide supportive psychosocial care in Switzerland should be further operationalized to provide adequate support.
Józef M. Bocheński and the categorial reconstruction of concepts in the Lvov–Warsaw School
Authors: Brożek Anna
Published: November 2021

In this article, Józef M. Bocheński is presented as a representative of the methodological tendencies of the Lvov–Warsaw School (LWS). Special attention is given to the reconstructive analysis of concepts, the categorial trait of this procedure, and examples of its application by Bocheński. First, some historical and substantial arguments are presented for including Bocheński in the LWS. Secondly, the procedure of the reconstruction of concepts applied in the LWS is characterized. Then the attention turns to the categorial trait of the analysis as indicated by Bocheński. Finally, two examples of Bocheński’s categorial reconstruction of concepts are presented. The article ends with a recapitulation and general remarks.
Emulation-accelerated Hamiltonian Monte Carlo algorithms for parameter estimation and uncertainty quantification in differential equation models
Authors: Paun L. Mihaela , Husmeier Dirk
Published: November 2021

We propose to accelerate Hamiltonian and Lagrangian Monte Carlo algorithms by coupling them with Gaussian processes for emulation of the log unnormalised posterior distribution. We provide proofs of detailed balance with respect to the exact posterior distribution for these algorithms, and validate the correctness of the samplers’ implementation by Geweke consistency tests. We implement these algorithms in a delayed acceptance (DA) framework, and investigate whether the DA scheme can offer computational gains over the standard algorithms. A comparative evaluation study is carried out to assess the performance of the methods on a series of models described by differential equations, including a real-world application of a 1D fluid-dynamics model of the pulmonary blood circulation. The aim is to identify the algorithm which gives the best trade-off between accuracy and computational efficiency, to be used in nonlinear DE models, which are computationally onerous due to repeated numerical integrations in a Bayesian analysis. Results showed no advantage of the DA scheme over the standard algorithms with respect to several efficiency measures based on the effective sample size for most methods and DE models considered. These gradient-driven algorithms register a high acceptance rate, thus the number of expensive forward model evaluations is not significantly reduced by the first emulator-based stage of DA. Additionally, the Lagrangian Dynamical Monte Carlo and Riemann Manifold Hamiltonian Monte Carlo tended to register the highest efficiency (in terms of effective sample size normalised by the number of forward model evaluations), followed by the Hamiltonian Monte Carlo, and the No U-turn sampler tended to be the least efficient.
Constrained parsimonious model-based clustering
Authors: García-Escudero Luis A. , Mayo-Iscar Agustín , Riani Marco
Published: November 2021

A new methodology for constrained parsimonious model-based clustering is introduced, where some tuning parameter allows to control the strength of these constraints. The methodology includes the 14 parsimonious models that are often applied in model-based clustering when assuming normal components as limit cases. This is done in a natural way by filling the gap among models and providing a smooth transition among them. The methodology provides mathematically well-defined problems and is also useful to prevent us from obtaining spurious solutions. Novel information criteria are proposed to help the user in choosing parameters. The interest of the proposed methodology is illustrated through simulation studies and a real-data application on COVID data.