bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The uncertainty spillovers of China's economic policy: Evidence from time and frequency domains
Authors: Liu Tangyong , Gong Xu , Tang Lizhi
Published: December 2020

In this paper, we investigate the uncertainty spillovers among China's four important economic policies (i.e., fiscal, monetary, trade and exchange rate policy) during the period 2000–2020, based on the spillover framework of Diebold and Yilmaz, The Economic Journal, 2009, 119, 158–171 and Diebold and Yilmaz, International Journal of Forecasting, 2012, 28, 57–66. Considering the heterogeneity of shocks in frequency domain, we also use the frequency methodology of Baruník and Křehlík, Journal of Financial Econometrics, 2018, 16, 271–296. Our results are summarized as follows: (a) the uncertainty spillover between China's different economic policies is high (46.11%) and the low‐frequency spillover (24.90%) is higher than the high‐frequency spillover (19.65%); (b) fiscal policy acts as the mainly uncertainty transmitter on high‐frequency, while monetary policy on low‐frequency; (c) the uncertainty spillover increased in the global financial crisis (2007–2009) and the European debt crisis (2010–2011) and (d) we found that the increase in the former is due to long‐term shocks, while the latter is due to short‐term shocks.
Continuous ropivacaine subfascial wound infusion after cesarean delivery in pain management: A prospective randomized controlled double‐blind study
Authors: Rosetti Jérôme , Francotte Jacques , Noel Emmanuel , Drakopoulos Panagiotis , Rabbachin Nelson , de Brucker Michael
Published: December 2020

Objective

The aim of this study is to analyze post‐cesarean morphine consumption using continuous ropivacaine subfascial wound infusion.

Methods

After standardized spinal anesthesia (0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine 8–10 mg combined with sufentanil 2–2.5 μg), women undergoing cesarean section (n = 69) were randomly allocated to receive either ropivacaine 0.2% (n = 35) or NaCl 0.9% (n = 34) infused through a subfascial wound catheter during 48 h in a multimodal analgesic approach. As primary outcome, opioid use by intravenous patient‐controlled analgesia was analyzed. Secondary outcomes were intensity of pain on visual analog scale at rest and at mobilization, postoperative nausea/vomiting, pruritus and time of first ambulation. Independent t test or Mann–Whitney U test, and Pearson's χ2 test or Fisher's exact test were used as appropriate.

Results

Morphine consumption was significantly lower in the ropivacaine group (21.52 ± 21.56 mg) compared with the placebo group (29.57 ± 22.38 mg; 95% confidence interval −18.8 to 2.76; p = 0.047). No significant differences were observed in pain evaluated by visual analog scale, except for pain at mobilization 6 h after surgery (ropivacaine versus placebo: 3.90 ± 2.66 versus 5.36 ± 2.55; p = 0.030). No significant differences were observed in the incidence of postoperative nausea/vomiting, pruritus, and time of first ambulation.

Conclusion

Continuous ropivacaine subfascial wound infusion results in less post‐cesarean morphine consumption.

EudraCT trail registration number: 2017‐004797‐33.

EudraCT link: https://www.clinicaltrialsregister.eu/ctr‐search/trial/2017‐004797‐33/BE#A
Burosumab for the Treatment of Tumor-Induced Osteomalacia
Authors: Jan de Beur Suzanne M , Miller Paul D , Weber Thomas J , Peacock Munro , Insogna Karl , Kumar Rajiv , Rauch Frank , Luca Diana , Cimms Tricia , Roberts Mary Scott , San Martin Javier , Carpenter Thomas O
Published: December 2020

Tumor-induced osteomalacia (TIO) is caused by phosphaturic mesenchymal tumors producing fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) and is characterized by impaired phosphate metabolism, skeletal health, and quality of life. UX023T-CL201 is an ongoing, open-label, phase 2 study investigating the safety and efficacy of burosumab, a fully human monoclonal antibody that inhibits FGF23, in adults with TIO or cutaneous skeletal hypophosphatemia syndrome (CSHS). Key endpoints were changes in serum phosphorus and osteomalacia assessed by transiliac bone biopsies at week 48. This report focuses on 14 patients with TIO, excluding two diagnosed with X-linked hypophosphatemia post-enrollment and one with CSHS. Serum phosphorus increased from baseline (0.52 mmol/L) and was maintained after dose titration from week 22 (0.91 mmol/L) to week 144 (0.82 mmol/L, p < 0.0001). Most measures of osteomalacia were improved at week 48: osteoid volume/bone, osteoid thickness, and mineralization lag time decreased; osteoid surface/bone surface showed no change. Of 249 fractures/pseudofractures detected across 14 patients at baseline, 33% were fully healed and 13% were partially healed at week 144. Patients reported a reduction in pain and fatigue and an increase in physical health. Two patients discontinued: one to treat an adverse event (AE) of neoplasm progression and one failed to meet dosing criteria (receiving minimal burosumab). Sixteen serious AEs occurred in seven patients, and there was one death; all serious AEs were considered unrelated to treatment. Nine patients had 16 treatment-related AEs; all were mild to moderate in severity. In adults with TIO, burosumab exhibited an acceptable safety profile and was associated with improvements in phosphate metabolism and osteomalacia. © 2020 The Authors. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research published by American Society for Bone and Mineral Research..
Tp‐e and (Tp‐e)/QT ratio as a non‐invasive risk factors for malignant ventricular arrhythmia in patients with idiopathic ventricular premature complexes
Authors: Zhao Donghua , Liang Bo , Peng Jian , Tang Liangyu , Su Rongbin , Luo Lingli , Deng Bin , Wang Shuyuan
Published: December 2020

Background

To evaluate the role of Tp‐e and (Tp‐e)/QT ratio in differentiating benign ventricular premature complex (VPC) and malignant polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (PVT).

Methods

From January 2017 to December 2017, patients with documented polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (PVT) or ventricular fibrillation (VF) were consecutive included and classified as PVT/VF group. Sixty age‐ and sex‐matched healthy individuals were recruited as comparative control and subdivided into non‐VPC and VPC group. Clinical characteristics and Tp‐e and Tp‐e/QT ratio between the three groups were compared.

Results

Tp‐e and (Tp‐e)/QT ratio were significantly higher in patients of PVT/VF group compared with the other two groups (P < .001). Episodes of syncope were more frequent in patients with PVT/VF (P < .05). The sensitivity and specificity of a Tp‐e interval ≥86 ms for malignant arrhythmias triggered by VPCs were 88% and 66%, respectively, while the sensitivity and specificity of the Tp‐e/QT ratio ≥0.24 were 82% and 70%, respectively. Five patients complained recurrence of syncope in the PVT/VF group and 1 patient died with mean follow‐up of 18 months.

Conclusion

Tp‐e interval and the Tp‐Te/QT ratio is significantly increased in patients with PVT/VF and may be used as a novel non‐invasive marker of differentiating malignant and benign VPC.
Photocatalytic and electrocatalytic CO2 conversion: from fundamental principles to design of catalysts
Authors: Sun Zhuo , Dong Jiayu , Chen Chunguang , Zhang Shuping , Zhu Yuanzheng
Published: December 2020

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is regarded as a major contributor to global warming and the climate crisis. To mitigate its negative impacts, a potential strategy is adopted, namely converting CO2 into renewable fuels or valuable chemicals. Because of the sluggish thermodynamic and kinetic processes, catalysts (photocatalysts or electrocatalysts) are essential during CO2 reduction. In this review, fundamental concepts, catalytic principles and reaction pathways related to photocatalysis and electrocatalysis for CO2 reduction are provided, along with a survey of the progress in the rational design of new photocatalysts and electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction. Discussions in the field are mainly focused on the design strategies of catalysts that have been introduced to increase visible light excitation, improve charge separation and enhance CO2 adsorption of photocatalysts and alter electronic and geometric properties of electrocatalysts. Finally, recommendations and outlook for improving the selectivity of CO2 reduction and in achieving efficient, stable and selective CO2 photocatalysts or electrocatalysts are pointed out. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry
Prenatal diagnosis of fibular aplasia‐tibial campomelia‐oligosyndactyly syndrome: Two case reports and review of the literature
Authors: Marinho Márcia , Nunes Sara , Lourenço Cátia , Melo Mónica , Godinho Cristina , Nogueira Rosete
Published: December 2020

Fibular aplasia‐tibial campomelia‐oligosyndactyly also known as FATCO syndrome is a rare condition characterized by fibular aplasia, shortening and anterior bowing of the lower limb at the tibia with overlying soft tissue dimpling and oligosyndactyly. Its etiology is currently unknown, but there is a male predominance. There are less than 30 cases reported in the literature but only three with prenatal diagnosis. We report two cases of FATCO syndrome with prenatal lower limb malformation diagnosis. Identification of the ultrasound findings of this condition in the prenatal stages allows an adequate parental counselling regarding the clinical features, prognosis, and potential treatments.
The effects of warned loss magnitude and timeout duration on human avoidance behavior
Authors: Ono Koichi , Koshitsuka Yuko , Kubo Naoya
Published: December 2020

This study experimentally investigated the determinants of avoidance behavior when participants are forewarned of aversive outcomes. The effects of 3 variables on avoidance behavior were examined: point‐loss amount (5 levels, from 20 to 100 points), duration of timeout from positive reinforcement (5 levels, 20 to 100 s), and 3 predictive accuracy levels (100%, 50%, and 0%) of warning stimuli. Twelve participants completed 3 sessions, each comprising 25 discrete trials, that differed in predictive accuracy level. Throughout a session, a participant engaged in button press responses that were reinforced by points under a conjunctive fixed‐ratio fixed‐interval schedule. During each trial, a warning stimulus that indicated a loss amount and a timeout duration was presented. If the participant pressed the avoidance button, then the timeout started, otherwise the loss occurred. The trial ended with termination of timeout or an occurrence of the loss. Results showed that avoidance responses increased when the loss amount increased and decreased when the timeout duration increased. The frequency of avoidance responses was lowest when the predictive accuracy of warning stimuli was 0%. These findings demonstrated that this experimental procedure could be useful for investigating human avoidance behavior outside the laboratory.
Phytofabrication of cobalt oxide nanoparticles from Rhamnus virgata leaves extract and investigation of different bioactivities
Authors: Abbasi Banzeer Ahsan , Iqbal Javed , Khan Zaibunisa , Ahmad Riaz , Uddin Siraj , Shahbaz Amir , Zahra Syeda Anber , Shaukat Muzzafar , Kiran Farmeen , Kanwal Sobia , Mahmood Tariq
Published: December 2020

The tunable cobalt oxide nanoparticles (CoONPs) are produced due to the phytochemicals present in Rhamnus virgata (RhV) leaf extract which functions as reducing and stabilization agents. The synthesis of CoONPs was confirmed using different analytical techniques: UV–Vis spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dynamics light scatterings (DLS), Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), energy dispersive X‐ray, and Raman spectroscopy analyses. Furthermore, multiple biological activities were performed. Significant antifungal and antibacterial potentials have been reported. The in vitro cytotoxic assays of CoONPs revealed strong anticancer activity against human hepatoma HUH‐7 (IC50: 33.25 μg/ml) and hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 (IC50: 11.62 μg/ml) cancer cells. Dose‐dependent cytotoxicity potency was confirmed against Leishmania tropica (KMH23); amastigotes (IC50: 58.63 μg/ml) and promastigotes (IC50: 32.64 μg/ml). The biocompatibility assay using red blood cells (RBCs; IC50: 4,636 μg/ml) has confirmed the bio‐safe nature of CoONPs. On the whole, results revealed nontoxic nature of RhV‐CoONPs with promising biological potentials.
Connection between the November snow cover over northeast Asia and the following January precipitation in southern China
Authors: Han Shuangze , Sun Jianqi
Published: December 2020

In this paper, the connection between the November northeast Asian snow cover and the following winter precipitation over southern China is studied for the period of 1979–2014. The results indicate that, when there is more November snow cover over northeast Asia, the precipitation in southern China is depressed during the following January, and vice versa. Mechanism analysis suggests that the troposphere‐stratosphere interaction may play an important role in the delayed connection between the two. The more November snow cover over northeast Asia could enhance the vertical propagation of the wave activity, and it could also weaken the westerly winds over northern Asia in the troposphere by decreasing the meridional temperature gradient over the region. The persistent weakening of the tropospheric westerly winds is in favour of the upward propagation of the wave activity into the stratosphere in November and December, and the associated convergence anomalies of the E‐P flux in the stratosphere induce the weakened stratospheric polar vortex. Thereafter, the abnormal polar vortex propagates downward to the lower troposphere and produces a low pressure anomaly to the east of Lake Baikal during January. Such a low pressure anomaly tends to strengthen the southward invasion of the cold air to southern China, which is unfavourable for the precipitation there. This leading signal of the November snow cover over northeast Asia provides a potential source for the prediction of the January precipitation over southern China.
Physicochemical properties of dihydromyricetin and the effects of ascorbic acid on its stability and bioavailability
Authors: Sun Cui‐Cui , Li Ying , Yin Zhong‐Ping , Zhang Qing‐Feng
Published: December 2020

BACKGROUND

Dihydromyricetin (DMY) is a natural dihydroflavonol with many bioactive effects. However, the physicochemical properties of DMY related to its bioavailability, especially its stability, are unclear.

RESULTS

The effects of pH, temperature, metal ions and ascorbic acid (AA) on the stability of DMY were studied using high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The bioavailability of DMY in the presence and absence of AA was compared. Dihydromyricetin was unstable in weak alkaline solutions, and the degradation was significantly accelerated in the presence of Cu2+ and Fe3+. The degradation process followed the first‐order kinetic model. The degradation rate constant (k) increased with increasing pH and temperature. The remaining DMY was only 49% of its initial concnentration after 4 h in simulated intestinal fluid (SIF) at 37 °C. However, by supplementing with AA, the degradation of DMY was rarely occured within 6 h. The solubility of DMY at pH 3–5 was about 750 μg mL−1, slightly increasing to 853 μg mL−1 at pH 6. Pharmacokinetic studies showed that the bioavailability of DMY increased from 0.122% to 0.341% by supplementing with AA (10% of DMY).

CONCLUSION

The degradation of DMY is one reason for its poor bioavailability. The presence of AA could significantly improve the stability of DMY, and further improve its bioavailability in rats. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry
Land use types and topographic position affect soil aggregation and carbon management in the mountain agro‐ecosystems of the Indian Himalayas
Authors: Meena Vijay Singh , Ghosh Birendra Nath , Singh Raman Jeet , Bhattacharyya Ranjan , Sharma N. K. , Alam N. M. , Meena Sunita Kumari , Mishra P. K.
Published: December 2020

The impacts of land use and topographic position can be evaluated through the carbon management index (CMI) that conceptualizes the carbon lability and soil aggregation. Soil aggregation patterns, carbon pools, and carbon management of the soil system not only affect the distribution of the mineral fraction of the soil but also the organic components. This study was conducted with the objectives of investigating soil carbon pools, soil aggregation, and CMI under seven land use types (dense forest, mixed forest, scrub forest, horticulture, agri‐horticulture, irrigated, and rainfed cropping systems) under three topographic positions (summit, slope, and gully) in the mountain agro‐ecosystem, of the Indian Himalayas. A total of 405 composite soil samples [7 land use types and 3 topographic positions and 21, 18, 33, 9, 12, 24, and 18 replications for the dense forest, mixed forest, scrub forest, horticulture, agri‐horticulture, irrigated, and rainfed cropping systems, respectively] were collected for laboratory analyses. It was observed that the dense forest land use type has the highest Walkley–Black carbon (WBC), soil aggregation, total carbon (TC), and CMI values, while significantly (p < .05) lowest amount was observed with rainfed land use system. Land use type had minimum effect on nonlabile carbon (NLC), lability of carbon (LC), lability index (LI), and carbon pool index (CPI) of the agro‐ecosystem. We conclude that the CMI value was in the range of ~31 to 88%, 24 to 82%, and 23 to 74% for summit, slope, and gully topographic positions of land use types, respectively. An average CMI was significantly (p < .05) the highest in the dense forest (~48%) followed by scrub forest and mixed forest (~43 and 40%, respectively). Meanwhile, irrigated land use had significant (p < .05) lowest CMI (~25%). Overall, results indicated that land use types and topographic positions significantly influenced with lability of the carbon. These results suggest that restoration of degraded rainfed and irrigated agriculture lands to agri‐horticulture, dense, mixed, and scrub forest lands decrease in intensity of land use could increase carbon and soil aggregation sustainability in the study area as well as other similar mountainous agro‐ecosystems.
Apathy Induced by Subthalamic Nucleus Deep Brain Stimulation in Parkinson's Disease: A Meta‐Analysis
Authors: Zoon Thomas J.C. , van Rooijen Geeske , Balm Georgina M.F.C. , Bergfeld Isidoor O. , Daams Joost G. , Krack Paul , Denys Damiaan A.J.P. , de Bie Rob M.A.
Published: December 2020

Apathy, the loss of motivation, is a common problem in Parkinson's disease (PD) and often observed following deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN). The aim of this meta‐analysis was to determine the occurrence of apathy following STN DBS in literature. Relevant articles were searched in PubMed/Medline, SCOPUS, EMBASE, and Web of Sciences electronic databases. Studies were included if they reported apathy scores pre‐ and post‐DBS or the cross‐sectional difference between PD patients receiving STN DBS and patients receiving medication only. Thirty‐three articles were included in the meta‐analyses from 6,658 screened articles by two authors independently. A total of 1,286 patients were included with a mean age (±standard deviation [SD]) of 58.4 ± 8.5 years and a disease duration of 11.0 ± 5.8 years. The apathy score measured by means of the Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES), Starkstein Apathy Scale (SAS), and the Lille Apathy Rating Scale (LARS) was significantly higher after DBS than pre‐operatively (g = 0.34, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.19–0.48, P < 0.001). An equal, significant difference in severity of apathy was found between STN DBS and medication only (g = 0.36, 95% CI = 0.03–0.65; P = 0.004). Statistical heterogeneity was moderately high, but the effects stood strong after multiple analyses and were independent of tapering off dopaminergic medication. The findings of this meta‐analysis indicate that apathy is increased after STN DBS compared to the pre‐operative state and to medication only (systematic review registration number: PROSPERO CRD42019133932). © 2020 Universiteit van Amsterdam. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Alternating unbalanced SSFP for 3D mapping of the human brain
Authors: Lee Hyunyeol , Wehrli Felix W.
Published: December 2020

Purpose

Measuring the transverse‐relaxation rate provides valuable information in quantitative evaluation of tissue microstructure, for example, in terms of oxygenation levels. Here, we propose an alternating unbalanced SSFP pulse sequence for rapid whole‐brain 3D mapping.

Methods

Unlike currently practiced, spin echo–based measurement techniques, the proposed method alternates between SSFP‐FID and SSFP‐ECHO modes for rapid 3D encoding of transverse relaxation rates expressed as R2 + and R2. Z‐shimming gradients embedded into multi‐echo trains of each SSFP module are designed to achieve relative immunity to large‐scale magnetic‐field variations (ΔB0). Appropriate models for the temporal evolution of the two groups of SSFP signals were constructed with ΔB0‐induced modulations accounted for, leading to ΔB0‐corrected estimation of R2, , and (= R2 + ). Additionally, relative magnetic susceptibility (Δχ) maps were obtained by quantitative susceptibility mapping of the phase data. Numerical simulations were performed to optimize scan parameters, followed by in vivo studies at 3 T in 7 healthy subjects. Measured parameters were evaluated in six brain regions, and subjected to interparameter correlation analysis.

Results

The resultant maps of and additionally derived R2, , and Δχ all demonstrated the expected contrast across brain territories (eg, deep brain structures versus cortex), with the measured values in good agreement with previous reports. Furthermore, regression analyses yielded strong linear relationships for the transverse relaxation parameters (, R2, and ) against Δχ.

Conclusion

Results suggest feasibility of the proposed method as a practical and reliable means for measuring , R2, , and Δχ across the entire brain.
In situ TPU/graphene nanocomposites: Correlation between filler aspect ratio and phase morphology
Authors: Rohm Kristen , Solouki Bonab Vahab , Manas‐Zloczower Ica
Published: December 2020

An in situ polymerization method to prepare thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU)/graphene and TPU/graphite composites have been studied to clarify the influence of intrinsic filler properties and dispersion level on the morphology and properties of the TPU. Two types of graphene, one high‐aspect ratio and one low, and graphite flake at various loadings were studied. Rotational rheology experiments on the suspensions of filler in polyol were used to characterize the agglomeration level of the filler after the dispersive mixing step and an effective aspect ratio reflective of the dispersion level was obtained. Variations in the glass transition temperature and thermal transitions of the TPU composites were related to the agglomeration level and intrinsic filler properties.
Variability in care for children with severe acute asthma in Latin America
Authors: Monteverde‐Fernandez Nicolas , Diaz‐Rubio Franco , Vásquez‐Hoyos Pablo , Rotta Alexandre T. , González‐Dambrauskas Sebastián ,   for the LARed Network
Published: December 2020

Background

Care variability for children with severe acute asthma has been well documented in high‐income countries, yet data from low‐ and middle‐income regions are lacking. We sought to characterize the magnitude of practice variability in the care of Latin American children to identify opportunities for standardization of care.

Methods

A cross‐sectional study performed through a retrospective analysis of contemporaneously collected data of children with severe acute asthma admitted to a center contributing to the LARed Network registry between May 2017 and May 2019. Centers were grouped by geographic location: Atlantic (AT), South Pacific (SP), and North Central (NC).

Results

Among 434 children, most received care in hospitals in the AT group (54% [235/434]), followed by the NC (23% [101/434]) and SP (23% [98/434]) groups. The majority of children in the AT (92% [215/235]) and SP (91% [89/98]) groups received nebulized salbutamol/albuterol, while metered‐dose inhalers were preferred in the NC group (72% [73/101]). There was a wide variation in the use of antibiotics: AT (57% [135/235]), SP (48% [47/98]), and NC (14% [14/101]). The same was true for ipratropium bromide: AT (67% [157/235]), SP (90% [88/98]), and NC (17% [17/101]), and aminophylline: AT (57% [135/235]), NC (5% [5/101]), and SP (0% [0/98]). High‐flow nasal cannula was the preferred respiratory support modality in the AT (60% [141/235]) and NC (40% [40/101]) groups, while bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP) use was more common in the SP group (80% [78/98]).

Conclusion

We identified significant variability in care for severe acute asthma. Our findings will help to inform the design of future studies, quality improvement initiatives, and development of practice guidelines within Latin America.
A confidence function‐based posterior probability design for phase II cancer trials
Authors: Shan Minghua
Published: December 2020

Single‐arm one‐ or multi‐stage study designs are commonly used in phase II oncology development when the primary outcome of interest is tumor response, a binary variable. Both two‐ and three‐outcome designs are available. Simon two‐stage design is a well‐known example of two‐outcome designs. The objective of a two‐outcome trial is to reject either the null hypothesis that the objective response rate (ORR) is less than or equal to a pre‐specified low uninteresting rate or to reject the alternative hypothesis that the ORR is greater than or equal to some target rate. Three‐outcome designs proposed by Sargent et al. allow a middle gray decision zone which rejects neither hypothesis in order to reduce the required study size. We propose new two‐ and three‐outcome designs with continual monitoring based on Bayesian posterior probability that meet frequentist specifications such as type I and II error rates. Futility and/or efficacy boundaries are based on confidence functions, which can require higher levels of evidence for early versus late stopping and have clear and intuitive interpretations. We search in a class of such procedures for optimal designs that minimize a given loss function such as average sample size under the null hypothesis. We present several examples and compare our design with other procedures in the literature and show that our design has good operating characteristics.
Proteomic profile of bone “collagen” extracted for stable isotopes: Implications for bulk and single amino acid analyses
Authors: Cleland Timothy P. , Sarancha Julianne J. , France Christine A.M.
Published: December 2020

Rationale

Protein studies in archaeology and paleontology have been dominated by stable isotope studies to understand diet and trophic levels, but recent applications of proteomic techniques have resulted in a more complete understanding of protein diagenesis than stable isotopes alone. In stable isotope analyses, samples are retained or discarded based on their properties. Proteomics can directly determine what proteins are present within the sample and may be able to allow previously discarded samples to be analyzed.

Methods

Protein samples that had been previously analyzed for stable isotopes, including those with marginal and poor sample quality, were characterized by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry using an LTQ Orbitrap Velos mass spectrometer after separation on a Dionex Ultimate 3000 LC system. Data were analyzed using MetaMorpheus and custom R scripts.

Results

We found a variety of proteins in addition to collagen, although collagen I was found in the majority of the samples (most samples >80%). We also found a positive correlation between total deamidation and wt% N, suggesting that deamidation may impact the overall nitrogen signal in bulk analyses. The amino acid profiles of samples, including those of marginal or poor stable isotope quality, reflect the expected collagen I percentages, allowing their use in single amino acid stable isotope analyses.

Conclusions

All the samples regardless of quality were found to have high concentrations of collagen I, making interpretations of dietary routing based on collagen I reasonably valid. The amino acid profiles on the marginal and poor samples reflect an expected collagen I profile and allow these samples to be recovered for single amino acid analyses.
Adaptive sampling with an autonomous underwater vehicle in static marine environments
Authors: Stankiewicz Paul , Tan Yew T. , Kobilarov Marin
Published: December 2020

This paper explores the use of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) equipped with sensors to construct water quality models to aid in the assessment of important environmental hazards, for instance related to point‐source pollutants or localized hypoxic regions. Our focus is on problems requiring the autonomous discovery and dense sampling of critical areas of interest in real‐time, for which standard (e.g., grid‐based) strategies are not practical due to AUV power and computing constraints that limit mission duration. To this end, we consider adaptive sampling strategies on Gaussian process (GP) stochastic models of the measured scalar field to focus sampling on the most promising and informative regions. Specifically, this study employs the GP upper confidence bound as the optimization criteria to adaptively plan sampling paths that balance a trade‐off between exploration and exploitation. Two informative path planning algorithms based on (i) branch‐and‐bound techniques and (ii) cross‐entropy optimization are presented for choosing future sampling locations while considering the motion constraints of the sampling platform. The effectiveness of the proposed methods are explored in simulated scalar fields for identifying multiple regions of interest within a three‐dimensional environment. Field experiments with an AUV using both virtual measurements on a known scalar field and in situ dissolved oxygen measurements for studying hypoxic zones validate the approach's capability to quickly explore the given area, and then subsequently increase the sampling density around regions of interest without sacrificing model fidelity of the full sampling area.
Spatial process decomposition for quantitative imaging biomarkers using multiple images of varying shapes
Authors: Tzeng ShengLi , Zhu Jun , Weisman Amy J. , Bradshaw Tyler J. , Jeraj Robert
Published: December 2020

Quantitative imaging biomarkers (QIB) are extracted from medical images in radiomics for a variety of purposes including noninvasive disease detection, cancer monitoring, and precision medicine. The existing methods for QIB extraction tend to be ad hoc and not reproducible. In this article, a general and flexible statistical approach is proposed for handling up to three‐dimensional medical images and reasonably capturing features with respect to specific spatial patterns. In particular, a model‐based spatial process decomposition is developed where the random weights are unique to individual patients for component functions common across patients. Model fitting and selection are based on maximum likelihood, while feature extractions are via optimal prediction of the underlying true image. Simulation studies are conducted to investigate the properties of the proposed methodology. For illustration, a cancer image data set is analyzed and QIBs are extracted in association with a clinical endpoint.
Low‐Energy Pathways Found for the NH3 Activation and H2 Elimination by the Werner‐Type Complexes M(NH3)4+ (M=Fe, Ru and Os).
Authors: Avilés Alejandro , Torres Ana E. , Colmenares Fernando
Published: December 2020

The interactions of NH3 with the transition metal complexes M(NH3)n+ (M=Fe, Ru, Os; n=0−4) were investigated theoretically with the aim of analyzing the factors that determine their reactivity patterns and product distributions. The reactions of ammonia with the low‐coordination complexes of the three metallic ions (n=1−3) lead only to the addition product M(NH3)n+1+. However, once the highest‐coordinated complex M(NH3)4+ is reached, each of the reactions evolves to metal‐inserted species through low energy channels. For osmium, the hydrogen abstraction from an additional NH3 molecule by the inserted intermediate H−Os(NH3)4‐NH2+ leads to H2 elimination products along a favorable pathway. The facile breaking of the strong N−H bond of ammonia by these Werner‐type complexes is by far the most striking finding emerging from this study. Hopefully, this could inspire future contributions in the areas of chemical and bioinorganic catalysis.
S8 Additive Enables CsPbI2Br Perovskite with Reduced Defects and Improved Hydrophobicity for Inverted Solar Cells
Authors: Yuan Quan , Yi Siwei , Han Dongwei , Wang Feng , Li Qiaoyan , Huang Rong , Cui Yi , Zheng Ruyue , Zhou Dong-Ying , Feng Lai
Published: December 2020

Though prized for excellent thermal stability, inorganic perovskites are still behind organic/inorganic hybrid perovskites due to their high‐density defects and poor hydrophobicity. Herein, trace hydrophobic S8 is used as additive to optimize the solution‐processed CsPbI2Br perovskite film. A series of characterizations reveal that S8 additive not only leads to retarded crystallization of α‐CsPbI2Br perovskite at low temperature (<150 °C) via self‐formed Pb(S8)x2+ intermediate but also induces efficient grain‐boundary passivation via distinctive PbS coordination interaction and reduced wettability on perovskite surface, which all point to the formation of the perovskite film with reduced defects and improved hydrophobicity. As a result, the inverted perovskite solar cells (PSCs) based on the optimized all‐inorganic perovskite of CsPbI2Br:S8 deliver an increased power conversion efficiency (PCE) from 12.76% to 14.46% as well as remarkably enhanced device stability under thermal or ambient condition. This work thus provides a simple way as well as new insights for boosting the performance of solution‐processed all‐inorganic perovskite.
Edge‐adaptable serverless acceleration for machine learning Internet of Things applications
Authors: Zhang Michael , Krintz Chandra , Wolski Rich
Published: December 2020

Serverless computing is an emerging event‐driven programming model that accelerates the development and deployment of scalable web services on cloud computing systems. Though widely integrated with the public cloud, serverless computing use is nascent for edge‐based, Internet of Things (IoT) deployments. In this work, we present STOIC (serverless teleoperable hybrid cloud), an IoT application deployment and offloading system that extends the serverless model in three ways. First, STOIC adopts a dynamic feedback control mechanism to precisely predict latency and dispatch workloads uniformly across edge and cloud systems using a distributed serverless framework. Second, STOIC leverages hardware acceleration (e.g., GPU resources) for serverless function execution when available from the underlying cloud system. Third, STOIC can be configured in multiple ways to overcome deployment variability associated with public cloud use. We overview the design and implementation of STOIC and empirically evaluate it using real‐world machine learning applications and multitier IoT deployments (edge and cloud). Specifically, we show that STOIC can be used fortrainingimage processing workloads (for object recognition)—once thought too resource‐intensive for edge deployments. We find that STOIC reduces overall execution time (response latency) and achieves placement accuracy that ranges from 92% to 97%.
In Cellulo Analysis of Huntingtin Inclusion Bodies by Cryogenic Nanoprobe SAXS
Authors: Rumancev Christoph , Vöpel Tobias , Stuhr Susan , von Gundlach Andreas R. , Senkbeil Tobias , Osterhoff Markus , Sprung Michael , Garamus Vasil M. , Ebbinghaus Simon , Rosenhahn Axel
Published: December 2020

Huntington's disease (HD) is one of nine neurodegenerative disorders associated with an extension of polyglutamine (polyQ) in proteins. In HD, the polyQ tract in the huntingtin protein is extended beyond a threshold of 38 amino acids leading to the formation of amyloidal structures in the cytoplasm and nucleus. We investigated here the structure of Htt (Huntingtin) amyloid fibrils in cellulo with nanoprobe small angle X‐ray scattering. As these measurements were performed under cryogenic conditions, the information is obtained on the aggregates in their natural, hydrated environment without the need of staining and chemical fixation. We also could show the presence of oligomer structures not visible in fluorescence microscopy. Structural information on repetitive units inside of Htt inclusion bodies was determined from the SAXS data and compared to electron microscopy images. The results suggest that nanoprobe cryo‐SAXS can serve as powerful tool to investigate the kinetics of amyloid aggregate formation inside cells and to understand how fibril formation can be influenced by drugs and other external stimuli.
Biochemical study on the protective effect of curcumin on acetaminophen and gamma‐irradiation induced hepatic toxicity in rats
Authors: Eassawy Mamdouh M. T. , Salem Asmaa A. , Ismail Amel F. M.
Published: December 2020

Acetaminophen (APAP) is one of the few recommended analgesic and antipyretic drugs in some critical cases such as viral disease COVID‐19. However, the unrestricted use of APAP develops liver disorders. Hepatotoxicity and liver injury can also be induced by ionizing radiation (IR) during radiotherapy. The data of the current study represents that treatment of rats with either APAP‐overdose, or gamma‐irradiation (R) induces hepatotoxicity, results in significant increases of the hepatic‐enzymes activities (ALT, AST, ALP, GGT, LDH, and MDH), as well as enhancement of triglycerides, total cholesterol levels, combined with declines in albumin and total protein contents. An enhancement of the lipid peroxides (malondialdehyde; MDA), and nitric oxide levels along with a decline of reduced glutathione contents and suppression of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase activities are also observed within the liver tissues of intoxicated animals. TNF‐α, IL‐1β, IL‐6, iNOS, Cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1), miR‐802 gene expression, NF‐κB, and calcium levels are up‐regulated, while Nuclear factor erythroid‐related factor‐2 (Nrf2), Hemoxygenase‐1 (HO‐1) protein and gene expressions, as well as, glutamate‐cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLC), NAD(P)H‐Quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1), and miR‐122 gene expressions are down‐regulated in the livers of intoxicated animals. All these parameters show significant improvement in R/APAP intoxicated animals. Curcumin pretreatment develops an amelioration of these effects in APAP‐overdose, R‐exposure, or R/APAP treatments. In conclusion, oral administration of curcumin shows hepatoprotective effects against APAP‐overdose induced hepatic damage in normal and gamma‐irradiated rats through prospective regulation of the therapeutic targets CYP2E1, Nrf2, and NF‐κB, via organizing the miR‐122 and miR‐802 gene expression.
Implement co‐curricular assessments to gauge, boost student success
Authors: Jurkowski Odin
Published: December 2020

Everyone in academe understands the importance of assessment for continuous improvement. Faculty are especially well versed in developing and implementing formative and summative assessments for their individual courses and collaboratively for an entire degree program. The data from these assessments can then be utilized for improvement of courses, programs, colleges, and the entire institution. However, offices outside of academic programs, such as Career Services or the Registrar's Office, for example, have not typically had the same focus nor accreditation requirements. While staff in these offices may collect data, it usually is not as structured as the assessment for academic programs, nor do they typically consider the same connection to student learning or outcomes. But with a recent push from regional accrediting bodies, this is changing.
Revamp resources, processes to better recruit, retain online students
Authors: Pavlik Amelia
Published: December 2020

The needs of online students are not the same as on‐campus students’ needs — just ask Rhonda Moll and Rich Simpson of California Baptist University.
Zero‐inflatedmodeling partII:Zero‐inflatedmodels for complex data structures
Authors: Young Derek S. , Roemmele Eric S. , Shi Xuan
Published: December 2020

The prequel to this review provided an extensive treatment of classic zero‐inflated count regression models where a univariate discrete distribution is used for the count regression component of the model. The treatment of zero inflation beyond the classic univariate count regression setting has seen a substantial increase in recent years. This second review paper surveys some of this recent literature and focuses on important developments in handling zero inflation for correlated count settings, discrete time series models, spatial models, and multivariate models. We discuss some of the available computational tools for performing estimation in these settings, while again highlighting the diverse data problems that have been addressed using these methods.

This article is categorized under:

Statistical Models > Multivariate Models

Statistical Models > Generalized Linear Models

Statistical and Graphical Methods of Data Analysis > Bayesian Methods and Theory
Synthesis, Crystal and Electronic Structure of La2SiP4
Authors: Akopov Georgiy , Viswanathan Gayatri , Kovnir Kirill
Published: December 2020

La2SiP4 (mP‐28, Z=4, Wyckoff sequence e7, space group P21/c (No. 14), a=10.8230(6) Å, b=7.5208(4) Å, c=7.9189(4) Å, and β=105.389(2)°) which crystallizes in the La2CuS4 structure type is reported. Instead of isolated CuS3 triangles bridged by disulfide anions, in the crystal structure of La2SiP4, one‐dimensional zig‐zag chains composed of SiP4 tetrahedra connected by P−P bonds are present. Lanthanum cations fill the voids between the chains and are coordinated by either 9P or 8P+Si atoms. La2SiP4 is a narrow bandgap semiconductor with calculated and measured optical bandgaps of 0.35 eV and 0.85(1) eV, respectively.
Regge amplitudes in generalized fishnet and chiral fishnet theories
Authors: Chowdhury Subham Dutta , Haldar Parthiv , Sen Kallol
Published: December 2020

Abstract

We extend the analysis of [1] to study the Regge trajectories of the Mellin amplitudes of the 0- and 1-magnon correlators of the generalized Fishnet theory in d dimensions and one type of correlators of chiral fishnet theory in 4 dimensions. We develop a systematic procedure to perturbatively study the Regge trajectories and subsequently perform the spectral integral. Our perturbative method is very generic and in principle can be applied to correlators whose perturbative Regge trajectories obey some structural conditions which we list down. Our d dimensional results reduce to previously known results in d = 4 for 0-magnon and 1-magnon. As a non-trivial check, we show that the results for 1-magnon correlator in d = 8, when evaluated using the exact techniques in [1, 2] are in perfect agreement with our d dimensional perturbative results. We also perturbatively compute the Regge trajectories and Regge-Mellin amplitudes of the chiral fishnet correlator $$ \left\langle \mathrm{Tr}\left[{\phi}_1\left({x}_1\right){\phi}_1\left({x}_2\right)\right]\mathrm{Tr}\left[{\phi}_1^{\dagger}\left({x}_3\right){\phi}_1^{\dagger}\left({x}_4\right)\right]\right\rangle $$

Tr

ϕ
1

x
1

ϕ
1

x
2

Tr

ϕ
1
†

x
3

ϕ
1
†

x
4

using the techniques developed in this paper. Since this correlator has two couplings κ and ω, we have obtained closed-form results in the limit κ → 0, ω → 0 with κ/ω held constant. We verify this computation with an independent method of computing the same and obtain perfect agreement.
Bosonization based on Clifford algebras and its gauge theoretic interpretation
Authors: Bochniak A. , Ruba B.
Published: December 2020

Abstract

We study the properties of a bosonization procedure based on Clifford algebra valued degrees of freedom, valid for spaces of any dimension. We present its interpretation in terms of fermions in presence of ℤ2 gauge fields satisfying a modified Gauss’ law, resembling Chern-Simons-like theories. Our bosonization prescription involves constraints, which are interpreted as a flatness condition for the gauge field. Solution of the constraints is presented for toroidal geometries of dimension two. Duality between our model and (d − 1)- form ℤ2 gauge theory is derived, which elucidates the relation between the approach taken here with another bosonization map proposed recently.
On the stochastic Dullin–Gottwald–Holm equation: global existence and wave-breaking phenomena
Authors: Rohde Christian , Tang Hao
Published: December 2020

We consider a class of stochastic evolution equations that include in particular the stochastic Camassa–Holm equation. For the initial value problem on a torus, we first establish the local existence and uniqueness of pathwise solutions in the Sobolev spaces$$H^s$$Hswith$$s>3/2$$s>3/2. Then we show that strong enough nonlinear noise can prevent blow-up almost surely. To analyze the effects of weaker noise, we consider a linearly multiplicative noise with non-autonomous pre-factor. Then, we formulate precise conditions on the initial data that lead to global existence of strong solutions or to blow-up. The blow-up occurs as wave breaking. For blow-up with positive probability, we derive lower bounds for these probabilities. Finally, the blow-up rate of these solutions is precisely analyzed.
Identification of characteristics, risk factors, and predictors of recurrent LVAD thrombosis: conditions in HeartWare devices
Authors: Gyoten Takayuki , Morshuis Michiel , Rojas Sebastian V. , Deutsch Marcus-André , Schramm René , Gummert Jan F. , Fox Henrik
Published: December 2020

Background

Redictors of repetitive left-ventricular assist device (LVAD)-thrombosis have not been studied yet.

Methods

We identified predictors of recurrent LVAD thrombosis in HeartWare (HVAD) patients in a long-term study from 2010 until 2020. We included all patients with two or more thrombolysis treatments for repetitive HVAD thrombosis and effectiveness of thrombolytic therapy was defined as freedom from stroke, death, another HVAD thrombosis, or surgical device exchange within 30 days after the event. Study endpoints also include all-cause mortality and heart transplantation.

Results

A total of 534 HVAD implantations have been screened, and 73 patients (13.7%) developed first HVAD thrombosis after a median of 10 months (IQR; 6–21 months). 46 of these patients had effective thrombolysis in 71.7% (n = 33/46). After a median of 14 months (IQR 4–32 months) follow-up, 17 patients (51.5%) had developed a second HVAD thrombosis and all were treated with t-PA therapy again, resulting in effectiveness in 76.5% (n = 13/17). The four patients with ineffective t-PA therapy underwent subsequent surgical HVAD exchange. Multiple Cox regression model analysis revealed time interval between HVAD implantation and first thrombosis as an independent risk factor of recurrent thrombosis (HR, 0.93, 95% CI 0.87–0.99, p = 0.031). Kaplan–Meier analysis at 3 year follow-up showed no significant difference in overall survival for recurrent vs non-recurrent thrombosis groups (log-rank test, p = 0.959).

Conclusion

Recurrent HVAD thrombosis mostly appears within 12 months after first thrombosis. Systemic t-PA therapy for recurrent pump thrombosis seems safe, achieving comparable effectiveness rates to initial t-PA therapy. Survival does not differ between patients with or without recurrent HVAD thrombosis.