bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Diagnostic accuracy of positron emission tomography/computed tomography-driven biopsy for the diagnosis of lymphoma
Authors: Broccoli Alessandro , Nanni Cristina , Cappelli Alberta , Bacci Francesco , Gasbarrini Alessandro , Tabacchi Elena , Piovani Carlo , Argnani Lisa , Ghermandi Riccardo , Sabattini Elena , Golfieri Rita , Fanti Stefano , Zinzani Pier Luigi
Published: June 2020

Introduction

Biopsy of affected tissue is required for lymphoma diagnosis and to plan treatment. Open incisional biopsy is traditionally the method of choice. Nevertheless, it requires hospitalization, availability of an operating room, and sometimes general anesthesia, and it is associated with several drawbacks. Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) can be potentially used to drive biopsy to the most metabolically active area within a lymph node or extranodal masses.

Methods

A study of diagnostic accuracy was conducted to assess the performance of a PET-driven needle biopsy in patients with suspect active lymphoma.

Results

Overall, 99 procedures have been performed: three (3.0%) were interrupted because of pain but were successfully repeated in two cases. Median SUVmax of target lesions was 10.7. In 84/96 cases, the tissue was considered adequate to formulate a diagnosis (diagnostic yield of 87.5%) and to guide the following clinical decision. The target specimen was a lymph node in 60 cases and an extranodal site in 36. No serious adverse events occurred. The sensitivity of this procedure was 96%, with a specificity of 100%, a positive predictive value of 100%, and a negative predictive value of 75%.

Conclusion

Patients can benefit from a minimally invasive procedure which allows a timely and accurate diagnosis of lymphoma at onset or relapse.
3D modelling of beach topography changes caused by the tombolo phenomenon using terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) photogrammetry on the example of the city of Sopot
Authors: Specht Cezary , Dabrowski Pawel S. , Specht Mariusz
Published: June 2020

In 2011, a yacht marina was built in Sopot (the largest holiday resort in Poland), which initiated the formation of a local shallowing of the bottom related to the tombolo effect. The building of the marina led to disturbances in the transmission of bottom deposits along the coast, which resulted from waves and the shift of the beach coastline by approx. 50 m towards the sea. Its effects include progressive morphological changes in the shore and the sea bottom, which will lead to the formation of a peninsula between the shore and the marina in the future. This paper presents the results of a comparative analysis of the accuracy of 3D modelling of the tombolo phenomenon in the onshore part of the beach using both point clouds obtained by terrestrial laser scanning methods and photogrammetric methods based on unmanned aerial vehicle photographs. The methods subjected to assessment include both those for land modelling and for determining the coastline course and its changes. The analysis results prove the existence of sub-metre differences in the imaged relief and the coastline course, which were demonstrated using an analysis of land cross-sections. The possibilities and limitations of both methods are demonstrated as well.
Explainability as a non-functional requirement: challenges and recommendations
Authors: Chazette Larissa , Schneider Kurt
Published: June 2020

Software systems are becoming increasingly complex. Their ubiquitous presence makes users more dependent on their correctness in many aspects of daily life. As a result, there is a growing need to make software systems and their decisions more comprehensible, with more transparency in software-based decision making. Transparency is therefore becoming increasingly important as a non-functional requirement. However, the abstract quality aspect of transparency needs to be better understood and related to mechanisms that can foster it. The integration of explanations into software has often been discussed as a solution to mitigate system opacity. Yet, an important first step is to understand user requirements in terms of explainable software behavior: Are users really interested in software transparency and are explanations considered an appropriate way to achieve it? We conducted a survey with 107 end users to assess their opinion on the current level of transparency in software systems and what they consider to be the main advantages and disadvantages of embedded explanations. We assess the relationship between explanations and transparency and analyze its potential impact on software quality. As explainability has become an important issue, researchers and professionals have been discussing how to deal with it in practice. While there are differences of opinion on the need for built-in explanations, understanding this concept and its impact on software is a key step for requirements engineering. Based on our research results and on the study of existing literature, we offer recommendations for the elicitation and analysis of explainability and discuss strategies for the practice.
A secure and extensible blockchain-based data provenance framework for the Internet of Things
Authors: Sigwart Marten , Borkowski Michael , Peise Marco , Schulte Stefan , Tai Stefan
Published: June 2020

As data collected and provided by Internet of Things (IoT) devices power an ever-growing number of applications and services, it is crucial that this data can be trusted. Data provenance solutions combined with blockchain technology are one way to make data more trustworthy by providing tamper-proof information about the origin and history of data records. However, current blockchain-based solutions for data provenance fail to take the heterogeneous nature of IoT applications and their data into account. In this work, we identify functional and non-functional requirements for a secure and extensible IoT data provenance framework, and conceptualise the framework as a layered architecture. Evaluating the framework using a proof-of-concept implementation based on Ethereum smart contracts, we conclude that our framework can be used to realise data provenance concepts for a wide range of IoT use cases. While blockchain technology generally poses constraints on scalability and privacy, we discuss multiple solutions aiming to overcome these issues.
The obstacle problem for degenerate doubly nonlinear equations of porous medium type
Authors: Schätzler Leah
Published: June 2020

We prove the existence of nonnegative variational solutions to the obstacle problem associated with the degenerate doubly nonlinear equation $$\begin{aligned} \partial _t b(u) - {{\,\mathrm{div}\,}}(Df(Du)) = 0, \end{aligned}$$

∂
t

b

(
u
)

-

div

(
D
f

(
D
u
)

)

=
0
,

where the nonlinearity $$b :\mathbb {R}_{\ge 0} \rightarrow \mathbb {R}_{\ge 0}$$

b
:

R

≥
0

→

R

≥
0

is increasing, piecewise $$C^1$$

C
1

and satisfies a polynomial growth condition. The prototype is $$b(u) := u^m$$

b

(
u
)

:
=

u
m

with $$m \in (0,1)$$

m
∈
(
0
,
1
)

. Further, $$f :\mathbb {R}^n \rightarrow \mathbb {R}_{\ge 0}$$

f
:

R

n

→

R

≥
0

is convex and fulfills a standard p-growth condition. The proof relies on a nonlinear version of the method of minimizing movements.
Runtime revision of sanctions in normative multi-agent systems
Authors: Dell’Anna Davide , Dastani Mehdi , Dalpiaz Fabiano
Published: June 2020

To achieve system-level properties of a multiagent system, the behavior of individual agents should be controlled and coordinated. One way to control agents without limiting their autonomy is to enforce norms by means of sanctions. The dynamicity and unpredictability of the agents’ interactions in uncertain environments, however, make it hard for designers to specify norms that will guarantee the achievement of the system-level objectives in every operating context. In this paper, we propose a runtime mechanism for the automated revision of norms by altering their sanctions. We use a Bayesian Network to learn, from system execution data, the relationship between the obedience/violation of the norms and the achievement of the system-level objectives. By combining the knowledge acquired at runtime with an estimation of the preferences of rational agents, we devise heuristic strategies that automatically revise the sanctions of the enforced norms. We evaluate our heuristics using a traffic simulator and we show that our mechanism is able to quickly identify optimal revisions of the initially enforced norms.
Business models innovation in investment banks: a resilience perspective
Authors: Ramdani Boumediene , Binsaif Ahmed , Boukrami Elias , Guermat Cherif
Published: June 2020

Firms frequently change their business models in order to respond to internal and external challenges. This study aims to explore how investments banks adjust their business models in response to internal and external challenges. Based on a qualitative data from ten major investment banks operating in the largest financial market in the Middle East, we show that investment banks can achieve resilience by adjusting their business models through continuous activity changes in response to internal and external challenges. Specifically, investment banks adjust their business models through deploying alternative combinations of activities from a broad repertoire of activities. Within the same bank, divisions that respond to external challenges tend to sustain their performance, whereas resilient divisions that respond to both internal and external challenges tend to bounce back or achieve substantial increase in performance levels. This study contributes to the literature by proposing resilience as an alternative approach to business model innovation and by providing insight into how firms adjust their business models by altering specific activities in response to both internal and external challenges.
Influence of Rotating Wheels and Moving Ground Use on the Unsteady Wake of a Small-Scale Road Vehicle
Authors: Rejniak Aleksandra Anna , Gatto Alvin
Published: June 2020

New insights into how different ground simulation methods affect road vehicle aerodynamics are presented. Experiments are conducted on a 1/24th-scale model, representative of a Heavy Goods Vehicle, at a Reynolds number, based on width of 2.3 × 105. Particular focus lay in characterising differences in unsteady wake development, with mean drag, base pressures, and wake velocities quantified, compared, and evaluated. Distinctly, these tests include the effects of elevated blockage ratio and wheel rotation. Results show moving ground use can have a substantial influence under these conditions, with increases in wake length and average base pressure coefficient of 17% and 9%, respectively. The dominant wake dynamics, characterised by a global streamwise oscillation commonly referenced as the bubble pumping mode, was also found dependent with asymmetric shedding frequencies from both vertical and horizontal base edges higher with static ground use. For these conditions, development of a low-frequency turbulence source, near omni-directional in nature, positioned behind the model, further contaminates the flow-field. This feature disappears with moving ground use. Both the nature and characteristics of the turbulence generated behind the wheels were also found to evolve differently, with a moving ground promoting stronger and more defined oscillatory behaviour up to model mid-height, two-and-a-half widths downstream. Overall, these results highlight that while variations in time-independent quantities to differing ground simulation can often be very subtle, prompting the interpretation of negligible overall effects, in-depth consideration from a time-dependent perspective may lead to a different conclusion.
Caps and progression-free sets in $${{\mathbb {Z}}}_m^n$$
Authors: Elsholtz Christian , Pach Péter Pál
Published: June 2020

We study progression-free sets in the abelian groups $$G=({{\mathbb {Z}}}_m^n,+)$$

G
=
(

Z
m
n

,
+
)

. Let $$r_k({{\mathbb {Z}}}_m^n)$$

r
k

(

Z
m
n

)

denote the maximal size of a set $$S \subset {{\mathbb {Z}}}_m^n$$

S
⊂

Z
m
n

that does not contain a proper arithmetic progression of length k. We give lower bound constructions, which e.g. include that $$r_3({{\mathbb {Z}}}_m^n) \ge C_m \frac{((m+2)/2)^n}{\sqrt{n}}$$

r
3

(

Z
m
n

)

≥

C
m

(

(
m
+
2
)

/
2
)

n

n

, when m is even. When $$m=4$$

m
=
4

this is of order at least $$3^n/\sqrt{n}\gg \vert G \vert ^{0.7924}$$

3
n

/

n

≫

|
G
|

0.7924

. Moreover, if the progression-free set $$S\subset {{\mathbb {Z}}}_4^n$$

S
⊂

Z
4
n

satisfies a technical condition, which dominates the problem at least in low dimension, then $$|S|\le 3^n$$

|
S
|

≤

3
n

holds. We present a number of new methods which cover lower bounds for several infinite families of parameters m, k, n, which includes for example: $$r_6({{\mathbb {Z}}}_{125}^n) \ge (85-o(1))^n$$

r
6

(

Z

125

n

)

≥

(
85
-
o

(
1
)

)

n

. For $$r_3({{\mathbb {Z}}}_4^n)$$

r
3

(

Z
4
n

)

we determine the exact values, when $$n \le 5$$

n
≤
5

, e.g. $$r_3({{\mathbb {Z}}}_4^5)=124$$

r
3

(

Z
4
5

)

=
124

, and for $$r_4({{\mathbb {Z}}}_4^n)$$

r
4

(

Z
4
n

)

we determine the exact values, when $$n \le 4$$

n
≤
4

, e.g. $$r_4({{\mathbb {Z}}}_4^4)=128$$

r
4

(

Z
4
4

)

=
128

. With regard to affine caps, i.e. sets without 3 points on a line, the new methods asymptotically improve the known lower bounds, when $$m=4$$

m
=
4

and $$m=5$$

m
=
5

: in $${{\mathbb {Z}}}_4^n$$

Z
4
n

from $$2.519^n$$

2
.

519
n

to $$(3-o(1))^n$$

(
3
-
o

(
1
)

)

n

, and when $$m=5$$

m
=
5

from $$2.942^n$$

2
.

942
n

to $$(3-o(1))^n$$

(
3
-
o

(
1
)

)

n

. This last improvement modulo 5 appears to be the first asymptotic improvement of any cap in AG(n, m), when $$m \ge 5$$

m
≥
5

over a tensor lifting from dimension 6 (see Edel, in Des Codes Crytogr 31:5–14, 2004).
Thermal Response of Timber Slabs Exposed to Travelling Fires and Traditional Design Fires
Authors: Richter Franz , Kotsovinos Panagiotis , Rackauskaite Egle , Rein Guillermo
Published: June 2020

Engineered timber is an innovative and sustainable construction material, but its uptake has been hindered by concerns about its performance in fire. Current building regulations measure the fire performance of timber using fire resistance tests. In these tests, the charring rate is measured under a series of heat exposures (design fires) and from this the structural performance is deduced. Charring rates are currently only properly understood for the heat exposure of a standard fire, not for other exposures, which restricts the use of performance-based design. This paper studies the charring rates under a range of design fires. We used a multiscale charring model at the microscale (mg-samples), mesoscale (g-samples), and macroscale (kg-samples) for several wood species exposed to different heating regimes and boundary conditions. At the macroscale, the model blindly predicts in-depth temperatures and char depths during standard and parametric fires with an error between 5% and 22%. Comparing simulations of charring under travelling fires, parametric fires, and the standard fire revealed two findings. Firstly, their charring rates significantly differ, with maximum char depths of 42 mm (travelling), 46 mm (parametric), and 59 mm (standard fire), and one (standard fire) to four (travelling fire) charring stages (no charring, slow growth, fast growth, steady-state). Secondly, we observed zero-strength layers (depth between the 200 °C and 300 °C isotherm) of 7 to 12 mm from the exposed surface in travelling fires compared to 5 to 11 mm in parametric fires, and 7 mm in the standard fire. Both traditional design fires and travelling fires, therefore, need to be considered in structural calculations. These results help engineers to move towards performance-based design by allowing the calculation of charring rates for a wide range of design fires. In turn, this will help engineers to build more sustainable and safe structures with timber.
The evolution of rural areas influenced by large-scale farming: four case studies from Hungary
Authors: Mikle György , Randelli Filippo
Published: June 2020

In order to study complex transformation of rural areas in the long term, our paper aims to integrate the concepts of rural restructuring and evolutionary economic geography. We argue that these approaches can complement each other to understand the mechanisms shaping rural evolutionary paths. We apply our theoretical framework to the case of rural areas evolving under the influence of large-scale farms in Hungary, namely the so-called manorial settlements. Tracing the processes on three different scales (global, national and local) we claim that during the last one hundred years the rural configuration in these areas shows a number of continuities despite the significant political-economic transitions throughout this period. The global dependency and semi-peripheral position of Hungary is apparent, and also the role of global agri-food regimes can be observed. Political transitions on the national scale appear primarily as ‘external shocks’. Despite the strong path dependency in terms of powerlessness and passivity of local societies at manorial settlements, the role of certain local actors in path creation should not be ignored.
Implementing programming in school mathematics and technology: teachers’ intrinsic and extrinsic challenges
Authors: Vinnervik Peter
Published: June 2020

The 2017 reform of the Swedish national curriculum requires that all compulsory school mathematics and technology teachers integrate programming into their teaching. The new programming policy poses a particular challenge since a majority of the affected teachers have little or no previous programming experience. This paper reports on a study of teachers preparing to implement the new policy. Insight into the preparation process was made possible through recorded group conversations and data were collected in March 2018, less than 4 months before the formal enactment of the new curriculum. The results, conceptualised by using a framework for intrinsic and extrinsic challenges, reveal several challenges that can potentially affect the uptake of the programming policy and the quality of implementation such as uncertainty about the subject content, unequal professional development opportunities, lack of teaching materials and recurring problems with school IT infrastructure. This study seeks to provide knowledge about teachers’ concerns and expressed needs while negotiating programming as new curriculum content and thus aims to contribute to the understanding of teachers’ strategies to approach the 2017 Swedish educational reform that introduces programming. Such knowledge is valuable for the possibilities to better understand under what circumstances programming is included in school mathematics and technology. The results illustrate the complexity of curriculum reform implementation and may be of value for decision makers at all levels of school policy and also for providers of both in-service and preservice teacher training.
Callous-Unemotional Traits and Antisocial Behavior in South Korean Children: Links with Academic Motivation, School Engagement, and Teachers’ Use of Reward and Discipline
Authors: Hwang Suhlim , Waller Rebecca , Hawes David J. , Allen Jennifer L.
Published: June 2020

Callous-unemotional (CU) traits have been associated with atypical responses to reward and punishment cues, with evidence suggesting that such traits may shape caregiver use of reward and punishment practices over time. To date, research has predominantly focused on parental rewards and discipline, with far less attention paid to teacher behavior management strategies. The first aim of the current study was to investigate the potential moderating effect of CU traits on the relationship between teacher classroom management strategies (rewards and discipline) and two important school-related outcomes: student engagement and academic motivation. The second aim was to examine whether CU traits were related to teachers’ use of discipline and reward strategies over time. Children attending South Korean primary schools (N = 218; aged 10–12 years; 52% boys) reported on CU traits, antisocial behavior, teacher classroom management strategies, school engagement and academic motivation at two time points (the beginning and end of a single academic year). First, harsh teacher discipline predicted lower school engagement, but only for children low in CU traits. Second, cross-lagged longitudinal models showed that CU traits predicted decreased use of teacher rewards, over and above associations with antisocial behavior. CU traits were not related to harsh discipline cross-sectionally or longitudinally in models that accounted for antisocial behavior. Findings show that CU traits are related to reduced sensitivity to teacher discipline, suggesting that teachers may need additional support to implement both discipline and reward-based strategies with children high in these traits.
Heart-rate tuned comb filters for processing photoplethysmogram (PPG) signals in pulse oximetry
Authors: Alkhoury Ludvik , Choi Ji-won , Wang Chizhong , Rajasekar Arjun , Acharya Sayandeep , Mahoney Sean , Shender Barry S. , Hrebien Leonid , Kam Moshe
Published: June 2020

Calculation of peripheral capillary oxygen saturation $${\text{(SpO}}_{{\text{2}}} {\text{)}}$$

(SpO
2

)

levels in humans is often made with a pulse oximeter, using photoplethysmography (PPG) waveforms. However, measurements of PPG waveforms are susceptible to motion noise due to subject and sensor movements. In this study, we compare two $${\text{SpO}}_{{\text{2}}}$$

SpO
2

-level calculation techniques, and measure the effect of pre-filtering by a heart-rate tuned comb peak filter on their performance. These techniques are: (1) “Red over Infrared,” calculating the ratios of AC and DC components of the red and infrared PPG signals,$$\frac{(AC/DC)_{red}}{(AC/DC)_{infrared}}$$

(
A
C
/
D
C
)

red

(
A
C
/
D
C
)

infrared

, followed by the use of a calibration curve to determine the $${\text{SpO}}_{{\text{2}}}$$

SpO
2

level Webster (in: Design of pulse oximeters, CRC Press, Boca Raton, 1997); and (2) a motion-resistant algorithm which uses the Discrete Saturation Transform (DST) (Goldman in J Clin Monit Comput 16:475–83, 2000). The DST algorithm isolates individual “saturation components” in the optical pathway, which allows separation of components corresponding to the $${\text{SpO}}_{{\text{2}}}$$

SpO
2

level from components corresponding to noise and interference, including motion artifacts. The comparison we provide here (employing the two techniques with and without pre-filtering) addresses two aspects: (1) accuracy of the $${\text{SpO}}_{{\text{2}}}$$

SpO
2

calculations; and (2) computational complexity. We used both synthetic data and experimental data collected from human subjects. The human subjects were tested at rest and while exercising; while exercising, their measurements were subject to the impacts of motion. Our main conclusion is that if an uninterrupted high-quality heart rate measurement is available, then the “Red over Infrared” approach preceded by a heart-rate tuned comb filter provides the preferred trade-off between $${\text{SpO}}_{{\text{2}}}$$

SpO
2

-level accuracy and computational complexity. A modest improvement in $${\text{SpO}}_{{\text{2}}}$$

SpO
2

estimate accuracy at very low SNR environments may be achieved by switching to the pre-filtered DST-based algorithm (up to 6% improvement in $${\text{SpO}}_{{\text{2}}}$$

SpO
2

level accuracy at −10 dB over unfiltered DST algorithm and the filtered “Red over Infrared” approach). However, this improvement comes at a significant computational cost.
Gestational Weight Gain by Maternal Pre-pregnancy BMI and Childhood Problem Behaviours in School-Age Years: A Pooled Analysis of Two European Birth Cohorts
Authors: Tore Elena C. , Antoniou Evangelia E. , de Groot Renate H. M. , Gielen Marij , Godschalk Roger W. L. , Roumeliotaki Theano , Smits Luc , Southwood Taunton R. , Spaanderman Marc E. A. , Stratakis Nikos , Vafeiadi Marina , Chatzi Vaia L. , Zeegers Maurice P.
Published: June 2020

Objectives

Maternal pre-pregnancy weight is known to affect foetal development. However, it has not yet been clarified if gestational weight gain is associated with childhood behavioural development.

Methods

We performed a pooled analysis of two prospective birth cohorts to investigate the association between gestational weight gain and childhood problem behaviours, and the effect modification of maternal pre-pregnancy BMI. In total, 378 mother–child pairs from the Maastricht Essential Fatty Acids Birth cohort (MEFAB) and 414 pairs from the Rhea Mother–Child cohort were followed up from early pregnancy to 6–7 years post-partum. At follow up, parents assessed their children’s behaviour, measured as total problems, internalizing and externalizing behaviours, with the Child Behaviour Checklist. We computed cohort- and subject-specific gestational weight gain trajectories using mixed-effect linear regression models. Fractional polynomial regressions, stratified by maternal pre-pregnancy BMI status, were then used to examine the association between gestational weight gain and childhood problem behaviours.

Results

In the pre-pregnancy overweight/obese group, greater gestational weight gain was associated with higher problem behaviours. On average, children of women with overweight/obesity who gained 0.5 kg/week scored 25 points higher (on a 0–100 scale) in total problems and internalizing behaviours, and about 18 points higher in externalizing behaviours than children whose mothers gained 0.2 kg/week. Inconsistent results were found in the pre-pregnancy normal weight group.

Conclusions for Practice

Excessive gestational weight gain in women with pre-pregnancy overweight/obesity might increase problem behaviours in school-age children. Particular attention should be granted to avoid excessive weight gain in women with a pre-pregnancy overweight or obesity.
Prediction of bifurcations by varying critical parameters of COVID-19
Authors: Nazarimehr Fahimeh , Pham Viet-Thanh , Kapitaniak Tomasz
Published: June 2020

Coronavirus disease 2019 is a recent strong challenge for the world. In this paper, an epidemiology model is investigated as a model for the development of COVID-19. The propagation of COVID-19 through various sub-groups of society is studied. Some critical parameters, such as the background of mortality without considering the disease state and the speed of moving people from infected to resistance, affect the conditions of society. In this paper, early warning indicators are used to predict the bifurcation points in the system. In the interaction of various sub-groups of society, each sub-group can have various parameters. Six cases of the sub-groups interactions are studied. By coupling these sub-groups, various dynamics of the whole society are investigated.
Life satisfaction in persons with mental disorders
Authors: Meule Adrian , Voderholzer Ulrich
Published: June 2020

Purpose

Life satisfaction refers to a cognitive and global evaluation of the quality of one’s life as a whole. The arguably most often used measure of life satisfaction is the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS). Persons with mental disorders generally report lower SWLS scores than healthy controls, yet there is a lack of studies that have compared different diagnostic groups, tested measurement invariance of the SWLS across these groups, and examined effects of treatment on life satisfaction.

Methods

Data of 9649 inpatients of seven diagnostic categories were analyzed: depressive episode, recurrent depressive disorder, phobic disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, trauma-related disorders, somatoform disorders, and eating disorders.

Results

The one-factor structure of the SWLS was replicated and full measurement invariance was demonstrated across groups. Patients with trauma-related disorders reported the lowest life satisfaction. Life satisfaction significantly increased during treatment across all groups and these changes were moderately related to changes in depressive symptoms.

Conclusions

Results support the excellent psychometric properties of the SWLS. They also demonstrate that although persons with mental disorder generally report lower life satisfaction than persons without mental disorders, life satisfaction also varies considerably between different diagnostic groups. Finally, results show that life satisfaction increases during inpatient treatment, although at discharge most patients have rarely reached levels of life satisfaction reported in non-clinical samples.
Severe COVID-19 and aging: are monocytes the key?
Authors: Pence Brandt D.
Published: June 2020

The ongoing pandemic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes a disproportionate number of severe cases and deaths in older adults. Severe SARS-CoV-2-associated disease (coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)) was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020 and is characterized by cytokine storm, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and in some cases by systemic inflammation–related pathology. Currently, our knowledge of the determinants of severe COVID-19 is primarily observational. Here, I review emerging evidence to argue that monocytes, a circulating innate immune cell, are principal players in cytokine storm and associated pathologies in COVID-19. I also describe changes in monocyte function and phenotype that are characteristic of both aging and severe COVID-19, which suggests a potential mechanism underlying increased morbidity and mortality due to SARS-CoV-2 infection in older adults. The innate immune system is therefore a potentially important target for therapeutic treatment of COVID-19, but experimental studies are needed, and SARS-CoV-2 presents unique challenges for pre-clinical and mechanistic studies in vivo. The immediate establishment of colonies of SARS-CoV-2-susceptible animal models for aging studies, as well as strong collaborative efforts in the geroscience community, will be required in order to develop the therapies needed to combat severe COVID-19 in older adult populations.
Elemental Status and Lipid Peroxidation in the Blood of Children with Endemic Fluorosis
Authors: Tkachenko Halyna , Kurhaluk Natalia , Skaletska Natalia , Maksin Viktor , Osadowski Zbigniew
Published: June 2020

The study aimed to assess the levels of trace elements, minerals, and toxic elements as well as lipid peroxidation biomarkers (lipid acyl hydroperoxides, 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS)) in the blood of children with chronic fluorosis from endemic fluorosis areas (Sosnivka village, Lviv region, western Ukraine). The results were compared with healthy children from Staryi Sambir (Lviv region, western Ukraine), whose drinking water contained permissible levels (< 1 ppm) of fluoride. Thirty-one children from the Sosnivka village in the Lviv region, including 16 females and 15 males aged 7–10 years, with clinically diagnosed fluorosis, were recruited for the study. The children had been exposed to fluoride (> 1.5 ppm) through drinking water for more than 5 years. In the blood, eight macro- and microelements (calcium, zinc, potassium, iron, copper, selenium, manganese, chromium), five additional elements (sulfur, bromine, chlorine, nickel, strontium), and four toxic elements (lead, mercury, cadmium, mercury) were assessed with the X-ray fluorescence method. The results of our study demonstrated a 14-fold decrease in the copper level, a 2.5-fold decrease in the calcium and zinc levels, and a 2-fold decrease in the selenium level in the blood of children with chronic fluorosis compared with the healthy children from the non-fluorosis area. In turn, a 1.7- and 1.4-fold increase in the strontium and lead content, respectively, was noted. The sulfur, chlorine, potassium, calcium, copper, zinc, and selenium levels in the blood samples of children with chronic fluorosis were lower than the reference value. The children had higher blood TBARS levels, while the acyl hydroperoxide levels were non-significantly increased in comparison with healthy children living in the non-fluorosis area. Additionally, the bromine level was correlated positively with the selenium level and acyl hydroperoxides. However, more studies are needed to clarify the relationship between blood mineral status, oxidative stress biomarkers, and chronic fluorosis.
Psychology’s Status as a Science: Peculiarities and Intrinsic Challenges. Moving Beyond its Current Deadlock Towards Conceptual Integration
Authors: Uher Jana
Published: June 2020

Psychology holds an exceptional position among the sciences. Yet even after 140 years as an independent discipline, psychology is still struggling with its most basic foundations. Its key phenomena, mind and behaviour, are poorly defined (and their definition instead often delegated to neuroscience or philosophy) while specific terms and constructs proliferate. A unified theoretical framework has not been developed and its categorisation as a ‘soft science’ ascribes to psychology a lower level of scientificity. The article traces these problems to the peculiarities of psychology’s study phenomena, their interrelations with and centrality to everyday knowledge and language (which may explain the proliferation and unclarity of terms and concepts), as well as to their complex relations with other study phenomena. It shows that adequate explorations of such diverse kinds of phenomena and their interrelations with the most elusive of all—immediate experience—inherently require a plurality of epistemologies, paradigms, theories, methodologies and methods that complement those developed for the natural sciences. Their systematic integration within just one discipline, made necessary by these phenomena’s joint emergence in the single individual as the basic unit of analysis, makes psychology in fact the hardest science of all. But Galtonian nomothetic methodology has turned much of today’s psychology into a science of populations rather than individuals, showing that blind adherence to natural-science principles has not advanced but impeded the development of psychology as a science. Finally, the article introduces paradigmatic frameworks that can provide solid foundations for conceptual integration and new developments.
How data can be the lingua franca for security and IT
Authors: Powell Leila
Published: June 2020

Stakeholder engagement, expectation management and cross-team communications are some of the most challenging aspects of business to navigate. And all of these come together in a unique confluence for security teams.

IT and security teams are both aiming for the same goal – secure and effective systems. But their priorities often differ. While they may be looking at the same raw information, their interpretations can be wildly different. Some form of automated data analysis can help get both teams on the same page, argues Dr Leila Powell of Panaseer.
Safeguarding against the insider threat
Authors: Bulpett Ben
Published: June 2020

In 2019, data breaches were deemed the ‘worst on record’, up 26% from 2015 according to research from Forrester. 1 But contrary to the popular image of hooded hackers hiding behind laptops, the survey also shows that 48% of these were actually down to workers.
Keep security top of mind when moving into the cloud
Authors: Deighton Thomas , Wakefield Michael
Published: June 2020

Anybody operating in the technology or IT space in recent years will be aware of the many benefits of moving to the cloud. Cloud adoption is soaring, with 88% of UK organisations already having adopted cloud services, and 67% of users expecting to increase their use of the cloud. 1 The multitude of reasons includes, among others, the lower costs of infrastructure and maintenance, increased flexibility and the ability to streamline operations.
Cyber security and the remote workforce
Authors: Curran Kevin
Published: June 2020

Current world events have forced a sudden remote-working economy that many businesses were simply not prepared for. According to a Gartner survey of 229 human resources (HR) managers, 81% or more are working remotely, and 41% are likely to do so at least some of the time even once a return to normal working is permitted. This sudden rise in remote working is not only challenging employees to work in a way they had not previously, but it has also impacted the cyber-risk profile of enterprises worldwide.

Organisations have built policies and procedures that protect individuals and the organisation's infrastructure. However, unless a significant percentage of employees had previous access to proper remote access technologies, there is a real risk of employees making bad choices. Organisations need to implement the correct tools to mitigate these threats, explains Kevin Curran of Ulster University.
A comparison of automated approaches to extracting englacial-layer geometry from radar data across ice sheets
Authors: Delf Richard , Schroeder Dustin M. , Curtis Andrew , Giannopoulos Antonios , Bingham Robert G.
Published: June 2020

Radar surveys across ice sheets typically measure numerous englacial layers that can often be regarded as isochrones. Such layers are valuable for extrapolating age–depth relationships away from ice-core locations, reconstructing palaeoaccumulation variability, and investigating past ice-sheet dynamics. However, the use of englacial layers in Antarctica has been hampered by underdeveloped techniques for characterising layer continuity and geometry over large distances, with techniques developed independently and little opportunity for inter-comparison of results. In this paper, we present a methodology to assess the performance of automated layer-tracking and layer-dip-estimation algorithms through their ability to propagate a correct age–depth model. We use this to assess isochrone-tracking techniques applied to two test case datasets, selected from CreSIS MCoRDS data over Antarctica from a range of environments including low-dip, continuous layers and layers with terminations. We find that dip-estimation techniques are generally successful in tracking englacial dip but break down in the upper and lower regions of the ice sheet. The results of testing two previously published layer-tracking algorithms show that further development is required to attain a good constraint of age–depth relationships away from dated ice cores. We recommend that auto-tracking techniques focus on improved linking of picked stratigraphy across signal disruptions to enable accurate determination of the Antarctic-wide age–depth structure.
RADIOCARBON DATING AND DIET: THE JIAOJIA SITE IN CHINA
Authors: Wang Fen , Yuan Chao , Yuan Shiling
Published: June 2020

The Jiaojia site is the earliest city in the Haidai area of China, about 5000 years old. To obtain more accurately the beginning and end of this site, radiocarbon accelerator mass spectrometry (14C AMS) measurements, along with stable carbon and nitrogen isotope data, were collected from 13 bone samples. According to the measured dates, human diet was dominated by C4-based plants, and the Jiaojia site appeared before 2900 BC.
LASER SCANNING SHIHRAZAD’S BATHS: 1001 TALES OF ZANZIBAR NIGHTS
Authors: Basell Laura , Ali Abdallah Khamis , Egberts Ella , Firoozi-Nejad Behnam , Mellor Nicholas , Horton Mark
Published: June 2020

This article presents the first archaeological survey of the ornate Kidichi baths on Zanzibar. The baths were built either for or by Shihrazad, a wife of Zanzibar’s nineteenth-century ruler Said bin Sultan (1806–56). Laser scanning the ornate plaster stucco clarified two inscriptions, the precise meaning of which had been lost. By combining archaeological survey results with historical research and a translation of the inscriptions, a new narrative is presented in which the main protagonist is, unusually, female. Her story raises a host of questions relating to heritage, gender, religion and politics in modern-day Africa and beyond.
The Many Voyages ofFateh Al-Khayr: Unfurling the Gulf in the Age of Oceanic History
Authors: Bishara Fahad Ahmad
Published: June 2020

In this article, I make the claim that the time has come to re-situate the Gulf historically as part of the Indian Ocean world rather than the terrestrial Middle East. I explore the historical potential of thinking “transregionally” – of what it means to more fully weave the history of the Gulf into that of the Indian Ocean, and what the ramifications are for orienting it away from the terrestrially-grounded literature in which it has long been situated. The promise of an oceanic history, I argue, is both academic and political: first, it opens up the possibilities of new narratives for the Gulf’s past, suggesting new periodizations, fruitful avenues of historical inquiry, and new readings of old sources. But more than that, an oceanic history of the Gulf allows historians to push against the discourses of nativism that have pervaded the public sphere in the Gulf States.
A NOTE ON THE UNIQUENESS OF STEADY-STATE EQUILIBRIUM UNDER STATE-DEPENDENT WAGE SETTING
Authors: Takahashi Shuhei
Published: June 2020

Does wage setting exhibit strategic complementarity and produce multiple equilibria? This study constructs a discrete-time New Keynesian model in which households choose the timing of their wage adjustments endogenously subject to fixed wage-setting costs. I explore steady-state equilibrium of the state-dependent wage-setting model both analytically and numerically. For reasonable parameter values, complementarity in wage setting is weak and the steady-state equilibrium is unique.
Inclusivity the Brazilian Way: The Road to Same-sex Marriage in the Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil
Authors: Coelho Filho Luiz Carlos Teixeira
Published: June 2020

In June 2018, the Igreja Episcopal Anglicana do Brasil’s (IEAB) General Synod voted, by an overwhelming majority, to amend its canons by redefining marriage as a ‘lifelong union between two people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity’.2 In this essay, I intend to describe the process that led to such decision both as the result of major changes that happened in Brazilian society and as a response to IEAB’s inner process of discernment and theology-making in parallel with other Anglican provinces. Rather than merely copying theological developments and discussions produced in the English-speaking world, IEAB creatively engaged foreign and local sources (Anglican and non-Anglican), thus producing a contextually based theology that led to its embracing of same-gender couples as full members, worthy of all sacraments and rites.
Modeling Fluid Migration in Subduction Zones
Authors: Wada Ikuko , Karlstrom Leif
Published: June 2020

Scientists from different disciplines are working together to identify common challenges in and techniques for modeling fluid migration associated with subduction zone processes.
Did Ozone Loss Cause the End Devonian Mass Extinction?
Authors: Thomasy Hannah
Published: June 2020

Ozone loss, perhaps as a consequence of a warming climate, may have been responsible for a catastrophic loss of biodiversity.
Intra-colony channels in E. coli function as a nutrient uptake system
Authors: Rooney Liam M , Amos William B , Hoskisson Paul A , McConnell Gail
Published: June 2020

The ability of microorganisms to grow as aggregated assemblages has been known for many years, however their structure has remained largely unexplored across multiple spatial scales. The development of the Mesolens, an optical system which uniquely allows simultaneous imaging of individual bacteria over a 36 mm2 field of view, has enabled the study of mature Escherichia coli macro-colony biofilm architecture like never before. The Mesolens enabled the discovery of intra-colony channels on the order of 10 μm in diameter, that are integral to E. coli macro-colony biofilms and form as an emergent property of biofilm growth. These channels have a characteristic structure and re-form after total mechanical disaggregation of the colony. We demonstrate that the channels are able to transport particles and play a role in the acquisition of and distribution of nutrients through the biofilm. These channels potentially offer a new route for the delivery of dispersal agents for antimicrobial drugs to biofilms, ultimately lowering their impact on public health and industry.
Nappe oscillations on free-overfall structures, data from laboratory experiments
Authors: Lodomez Maurine , Tullis Blake , Archambeau Pierre , Kitsikoudis Vasileios , Pirotton Michel , Dewals Benjamin , Erpicum Sébastien
Published: June 2020

This paper presents a dataset obtained from fifty-two laboratory experiments of nappe oscillations on free overfall structures. Data were collected on two complementary experimental setups, each consisting of a linear weir model. The dataset covers test configurations involving varied geometric parameters (i.e. weir crest shape, weir width, fall height and nappe confinement) and inflow discharges. The following experimental data were produced: assessment of nappe oscillation occurrence and associated frequencies. The later measurements were performed using characterization techniques (image and sound analysis) developed for this research. Reuse of the collected data will support efforts to improve the understanding of the physical processes underpinning nappe oscillation and to validate numerical modelling of the phenomenon.
Establishing magneto-structural relationships in the solid solutions of the skyrmion hosting family of materials: GaV4S8−ySey
Authors: Štefančič Aleš , Holt Samuel J. R. , Lees Martin R. , Ritter Clemens , Gutmann Matthias J. , Lancaster Tom , Balakrishnan Geetha
Published: June 2020

The GaV4S8−ySey (y = 0 to 8) family of materials have been synthesized in both polycrystalline and single crystal form, and their structural and magnetic properties thoroughly investigated. Each of these materials crystallizes in the F$$\bar{4}$$

4
ˉ

3m space group at ambient temperature. However, in contrast to the end members GaV4S8 and GaV4Se8, that undergo a structural transition to the R3m space group at 42 and 41 K respectively, the solid solutions (y = 1 to 7) retain cubic symmetry down to 1.5 K. In zero applied field the end members of the family order ferromagnetically at 13 K (GaV4S8) and 18 K (GaV4Se8), while the intermediate compounds exhibit a spin-glass-like ground state. We demonstrate that the magnetic structure of GaV4S8 shows localization of spins on the V cations, indicating that a charge ordering mechanism drives the structural phase transition. We conclude that the observation of both structural and ferromagnetic transitions in the end members of the series in zero field is a prerequisite for the stabilization of a skyrmion phase, and discuss how the absence of these transitions in the y = 1 to 7 materials can be explained by their structural properties.
Remotely sensed thermal decay rate: an index for vegetation monitoring
Authors: Kumar S. S. , Prihodko L. , Lind B. M. , Anchang J. , Ji W. , Ross C. W. , Kahiu M. N. , Velpuri N. M. , Hanan N. P.
Published: June 2020

Vegetation buffers local diurnal land surface temperatures, however, this effect has found limited applications for remote vegetation characterization. In this work, we parameterize diurnal temperature variations as the thermal decay rate derived by using satellite daytime and nighttime land surface temperatures and modeled using Newton’s law of cooling. The relationship between the thermal decay rate and vegetation depends on many factors including vegetation type, size, water content, location, and local conditions. The theoretical relationships are elucidated, and empirical relationships are presented. Results show that the decay rate summarizes both vegetation structure and function and exhibits a high correlation with other established vegetation-related observations. As proof of concept, we interpret 15-year spatially explicit trends in the annual thermal decay rates over Africa and discuss results. Given recent increases in availability of finer spatial resolution satellite thermal measurements, the thermal decay rate may be a useful index for monitoring vegetation.