bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Phosphorus limitation determines the quality of dissolved organic matter released by marine heterotrophic prokaryotes
Authors: Bouchachi Nawal , Obernosterer Ingrid , Marie Barbara , Crispi Olivier , Ortega‐Retuerta Eva
Published: November 2022

We determined phosphorus (P) limitation effect on the quantity and quality of dissolved organic matter (DOM) released by heterotrophic prokaryotes (HP). We grew two single‐bacterial strains from different lifestyles, the copiotrophic Photobacterium angustum and the oligotrophic Sphingopyxis alaskensis, and natural HP communities collected in fall and spring from the Mediterranean Sea, on glucose under two treatments: P‐replete versus P‐limiting. DOM release by HP comprised up to 30% of the initial carbon provided for growth. P‐availability influenced carbon allocation to different cellular processes (respiration vs. growth), but did not significantly affect the net quantity of DOM released by HP. However, using fluorescence spectroscopy, we demonstrated an effect of P‐limitation on DOM quality, with a predominance of humic‐like compounds under P‐limitation but protein‐like compounds under P‐repletion. Our results suggest that P‐limitation could determine the fate of HP‐derived DOM in the ocean, thus affecting the microbial carbon pump.
Electrochemical polarization behavior and superelastic properties of a Fe–Mn–Al–Ni–Cr shape memory alloy
Authors: Frenck Johanna‐Maria , Vollmer Malte , Niendorf Thomas
Published: November 2022

The present study investigates the corrosion behavior of a Fe–Mn–Al–Ni–Cr shape memory alloy in a 5.0 wt% NaCl solution in combination with the functional properties. In a single crystalline condition, the investigated alloy shows a superior superelastic response with a maximum recovery strain of 5.2%. Furthermore, the results of the potentiodynamic polarization and impedance spectroscopy show that the addition of chromium generally improves corrosion resistance by increasing the resistance to localized corrosion. The single crystalline condition, which is characterized by an austenitic matrix and scattered martensite plates, shows an enhanced, however, still unstable passive behavior due to the formation of corrosion pits along the martensite plates.
Closed‐form solutions of second‐order linear difference equations close to the self‐adjoint Euler type
Authors: Jekl Jan
Published: November 2022

This paper is dedicated to obtaining closed‐form solutions of linear difference equations which are asymptotically close to the self‐adjoint Euler‐type difference equation. In this sense, the equation is related to the Euler–Cauchy differential equation
. Throughout the paper, we consider a system of sequences which behave asymptotically as an iterated logarithm.
Perceptions of arthritis glove wear of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and persistent hand pain: A nested questionnaire study within the A‐Gloves trial
Authors: Hammond Alison , Prior Yeliz , Adams Jo , Firth Jill , O’Neill Terence , Hough Yvonne
Published: November 2022

Introduction

Arthritis gloves are prescribed in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to reduce hand pain, stiffness, and improve hand function. As part of a randomised controlled trial, this study investigated participants' perceptions of wearing arthritis gloves.

Method

Participants with RA and persistent hand pain (n = 206) were randomly assigned and prescribed either loose‐fitting gloves (control) or arthritis gloves (intervention), for day and/or night wear (as per individual need). At 12‐weeks, the trial follow‐up questionnaire also included items about whether the gloves prescribed were: beneficial or not; if yes, the benefits experienced; any problems encountered; if they stopped wearing gloves day and/or night, and why.

Results

The questionnaire response rate was 154/206 (75%). In both groups, 73% reported gloves were beneficial (p = 0.97). There were no differences in types of benefits reported. The most common were: warmth (59% control: 54% intervention; p = 0.53); and comfort (54%: 62%; p = 0.29). Fewer reported problems with glove wear in the control group (33%), compared to the intervention group (49%); p = 0.05. In both groups, the most common daytime problem was inability to wear gloves for wet or dirty activities; and at night, gloves being too hot. Similar numbers in the control and intervention groups stopped wearing gloves either day or night (23%: 31%; p = 0.26), primarily for these reasons.

Discussion

Participants' perceptions about wearing arthritis or loose‐fitting gloves were very similar. Wearing ordinary gloves could result in similar perceived benefits to arthritis gloves.
MIST: multiple instance learning network based on Swin Transformer for whole slide image classification of colorectal adenomas
Authors: Cai Hongbin , Feng Xiaobing , Yin Ruomeng , Zhao Youcai , Guo Lingchuan , Fan Xiangshan , Liao Jun
Published: November 2022

Colorectal adenoma is a recognized precancerous lesion of colorectal cancer (CRC), and at least 80% of colorectal cancers are malignantly transformed from it. Therefore, it is essential to distinguish benign from malignant adenomas in the early screening of colorectal cancer. Many deep learning computational pathology studies based on whole slide images (WSIs) have been proposed. Most approaches require manual annotation of lesion regions on WSIs, which is time‐consuming and labor‐intensive. This study proposes a new approach, MIST – Multiple Instance learning network based on the Swin Transformer, which can accurately classify colorectal adenoma WSIs only with slide‐level labels. MIST uses the Swin Transformer as the backbone to extract features of images through self‐supervised contrastive learning and uses a dual‐stream multiple instance learning network to predict the class of slides. We trained and validated MIST on 666 WSIs collected from 480 colorectal adenoma patients in the Department of Pathology, The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School. These slides contained six common types of colorectal adenomas. The accuracy of external validation on 273 newly collected WSIs from Nanjing First Hospital was 0.784, which was superior to the existing methods and reached a level comparable to that of the local pathologist's accuracy of 0.806. Finally, we analyzed the interpretability of MIST and observed that the lesion areas of interest in MIST were generally consistent with those of interest to local pathologists. In conclusion, MIST is a low‐burden, interpretable, and effective approach that can be used in colorectal cancer screening and may lead to a potential reduction in the mortality of CRC patients by assisting clinicians in the decision‐making process. © 2022 The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
Prenatal diagnosis of sex chromosome aneuploidy—What do we tell the prospective parents?
Authors: Reimers Rebecca , High Frances , Kremen Jessica , Wilkins‐Haug Louise
Published: November 2022

Sex chromosome aneuploidy (SCA) can be detected on prenatal diagnostic testing and cell free DNA screening (cfDNA). High risk cfDNA results should be confirmed with diagnostic testing. This summary article serves as an update for prenatal providers and assimilates data from neurodevelopmental, epidemiologic, and registry studies on the most common SCA. This information can be helpful for counseling after prenatal diagnosis of sex chromosome aneuploidy. Incidence estimates may be influenced by ascertainment bias and this article is not a substitute for interdisciplinary consultation and counseling.
Improvement of the surface quality of foam injection molded products from a material property perspective
Authors: Lin Weiyuan , Hamamoto Yoshiki , Hikima Yuta , Ohshima Masahiro
Published: November 2022

Microcellular injection molding is an attractive method. However, their surface imperfections have been a major problem hindering wide industrial applications. Several methods have been proposed to improve the surface appearance of foams. In this study, we proposed a method to improve the surface appearance of polypropylene (PP) foams from the material property perspective, especially with regard to crystallization and viscosity. The basic idea of the surface improvement is to reduce the size of bubbles generated at the flow front, delay the solidification behavior of the polymer at the mold interface, squeeze the bubbles existing at the mold–polymer interface, and redissolve the bubbles into the polymer by holding pressure. Blending a low‐modulus PP delays the crystallization of the polymers at the skin layer and solidification, taking enough time to squeeze the bubbles smaller. A sorbitol‐based gelling agent, bis‐O‐([4 methylphenyl]methylene)‐D‐Glucitol, was used to increase the viscosity at a low strain rate to reduce the size of the bubbles generated at the flow front during the filling stage. The foam injection molding experiments demonstrated that the proposed method effectively improved the surface appearance of the foams. In particular, the surface appearance of the foams became almost equivalent to that of solid samples using low‐modulus PP.
Selection of a PD‐1 blocking antibody from a novel fully human phage display library
Authors: Peissert Frederik , Plüss Louis , Giudice Anna Maria , Ongaro Tiziano , Villa Alessandra , Elsayed Abdullah , Nadal Lisa , Dakhel Plaza Sheila , Scietti Luigi , Puca Emanuele , De Luca Roberto , Forneris Federico , Neri Dario
Published: November 2022

Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD‐1) is an immunoregulatory target which is recognized by different monoclonal antibodies, approved for the therapy of multiple types of cancer. Different anti‐PD‐1 antibodies display different therapeutic properties and there is a pharmaceutical interest to generate and characterize novel anti‐PD‐1 antibodies. We screened multiple human antibody phage display libraries to target novel epitopes on the PD‐1 surface and we discovered a unique and previously undescribed binding specificity (termed D12) from a new antibody library (termed AMG). The library featured antibody fragments in single‐chain fragment variable (scFv) format, based on the IGHV3‐23*03 (VH) and IGKV1‐39*01 (Vκ) genes. The D12 antibody was characterized by surface plasmon resonance (SPR), cross‐reacted with the Cynomolgus monkey antigen and bound to primary human T cells, as shown by flow cytometry. The antibody blocked the PD‐1/PD‐L1 interaction in vitro with an EC50 value which was comparable to the one of nivolumab, a clinically approved antibody. The fine details of the interaction between D12 and PD‐1 were elucidated by x‐ray crystallography of the complex at a 3.5 Å resolution, revealing an unprecedented conformational change at the N‐terminus of PD‐1 following D12 binding, as well as partial overlap with the binding site for the cognate PD‐L1 and PD‐L2 ligands which prevents their binding. The results of the study suggest that the expansion of antibody library repertoires may facilitate the discovery of novel binding specificities with unique properties that hold promises for the modulation of PD‐1 activity in vitro and in vivo.
The impact of salvage radiotherapy initiation at PSA ≤ 0.5 ng/ml on metastasis‐free survival in patients with relapsed prostate cancer following prostatectomy
Authors: Lee Emerson E. , Singh Tanmay , Hu Chen , Han Misop , Deville Curtiland Jr. , Halthore Aditya , Greco Stephen , Tran Phuoc , DeWeese Theodore , Song Daniel Y.
Published: November 2022

Background and Purpose

Salvage radiation therapy (SRT) is indicated for biochemical failure after radical prostatectomy. Prior data have shown that initiation of SRT at lower PSA levels improves subsequent biochemical control, yet given the long natural history of prostate cancer questions remain regarding optimal timing of SRT. We analyzed the impact of prostate specific antigen (PSA) level at time of salvage radiotherapy with regard to both biochemical relapse‐free (bRFS) as well as metastasis‐free survival (MFS) in patients with biochemically recurrent prostate cancer.

Methods

Using prospective institutional tumor registry data, univariate and multivariable‐adjusted Cox proportional hazards models were constructed to assess association between outcomes and clinical and pathologic prognostic features, including pre‐SRT PSA, interval from prostatectomy to SRT, androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), and adverse pathologic features.

Results

We identified 397 patients who received salvage RT between 1985 and 2016: 187 (45.8%) received SRT initiated when pre‐RT PSA was ≤0.5 ng/ml; 212 (52.0%) patients had pre‐SRT PSA > 0.5 ng/ml. Independent of pathologic risk status and ADT use, pre‐SRT PSA ≤ 0.5 ng/ml was the most significant predictor of bRFS (HR 0.39, 95% CI [0.27, 0.56]) as well as MFS (HR = 0.58, 95% CI [0.37, 0.91]). Seminal vesicle invasion was also associated with shorter interval to biochemical failure, HR = 1.79, 95% CI [1.07, 2.98], and eventual metastases, HR = 2.07, 95% CI [1.14, 3.740].

Conclusions

Initiation of salvage RT while PSA levels remain ≤0.5 ng/ml was associated with improved MFS. Consideration for salvage RT initiation while PSA levels remain low is warranted to minimize risk of future prostate cancer metastasis.
Effect of the Surface Activation Parameter on the Fabrication Process of 4H–SiC Film on SiO2/Si Using the Crystal‐Ion‐Slicing Technique
Authors: Zhu Dailei , Luo Wenbo , Wang Kaibiao , Xu Jintao , Huang Shitian , Shuai Yao , Wu Chuangui , Zhang Wanli
Published: November 2022

4H–silicon carbide on silicon (4H–SiC on Si) fabricated by crystal‐ion‐slicing (CIS) technology can be served as an integration platform for optoelectronic devices and composite substrate for gallium nitride heteroepitaxy. The bonding strength of 4H–SiC on Si is closely related to the surface activation parameter, which finally impacts the fabrication process. Herein, 1.2 μm thick 4H–SiC single crystal film has been successfully transferred onto Si substrate by CIS technology. The mechanism of bonding strength enhanced by plasma activation is studied, and the effect of bonding strength on the exfoliating process of film is analyzed. High bonding strength obtained under the O2 90 s activation condition makes the film have a more compact interface, and the characterizations of morphology and structure confirm the smooth surface and single crystal quality. These results provide a possibility for optoelectronic integration and growth of gallium nitride on the heterogeneous substrate.
Pulmonary IgG4‐related disease with favourable response to rituximab: A case report
Authors: Muller Romain , Ebbo Mikael , Habert Paul , Torrents Julia , Gaubert Jean Yves , Schleinitz Nicolas
Published: November 2022

Pulmonary involvement of IgG4‐associated disease is a rare condition with no codified treatment apart from steroid administration. We report here the case of a patient with pulmonary involvement of IgG4‐RD successfully managed with Rituximab, in induction and maintenance therapy. This original case could support the use of Rituximab in rare situations of steroid‐resistant or steroid‐dependent pulmonary IgG4‐RD.
The AI ESG protocol: Evaluating and disclosing the environment, social, and governance implications of artificial intelligence capabilities, assets, and activities
Authors: Sætra Henrik Skaug
Published: November 2022

AI and data are key strategic resources and enablers of the digital transition. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data are also intimately related to a company's environment, social, and governance (ESG) performance and the generation of sustainability related impacts. These impacts are increasingly scrutinized by markets and other stakeholders, as ESG performance impacts both valuation and risk assessments. It impacts an entity's potential to contribute to good, but it also relates to risks concerning, for example, alignment with current and coming regulations and frameworks. There is currently limited information on and a lack of a unified approach to AI and ESG and a need for tools for systematically assessing and disclosing the ESG related impacts of AI and data capabilities. I here propose the AI ESG protocol, which is a flexible high‐level tool for evaluating and disclosing such impacts, engendering increased awareness of impacts, better AI governance, and stakeholder communication.
The scale transformed power prior for use with historical data from a different outcome model
Authors: Alt Ethan M. , Nifong Brady , Chen Xinxin , Psioda Matthew A. , Ibrahim Joseph G.
Published: November 2022

We develop the scale transformed power prior for settings where historical and current data involve different data types, such as binary and continuous data. This situation arises often in clinical trials, for example, when historical data involve binary responses and the current data involve some other type of continuous or discrete outcome. The power prior, proposed by Ibrahim and Chen, does not address the issue of different data types. Herein, we develop a new type of power prior, which we call the scale transformed power prior (straPP). The straPP is constructed by transforming the power prior for the historical data by rescaling the parameter using a function of the Fisher information matrices for the historical and current data models, thereby shifting the scale of the parameter vector from that of the historical to that of the current data. Examples are presented to motivate the need for such a transformation, and simulation studies are presented to illustrate the performance advantages of the straPP over the power prior and other informative and noninformative priors. A real dataset from a clinical trial undertaken to study a novel transitional care model for stroke survivors is used to illustrate the methodology.
Osteosarcoma‐Derived Exosomes as Potential PET Imaging Nanocarriers for Lung Metastasis
Authors: Almeida Sara F.F. , Fonseca Alexandra , Sereno José , Ferreira Hugo R. S. , Lapo‐Pais Mariana , Martins‐Marques Tânia , Rodrigues Teresa , Oliveira Rui C. , Miranda Catarina , Almeida Luís P. , Girão Henrique , Falcão Amílcar , Abrunhosa Antero J. , Gomes Célia M.
Published: November 2022

Lung metastases represent the most adverse clinical factor and rank as the leading cause of osteosarcoma‐related death. Nearly 80% of patients present lung micrometastasis at diagnosis not detected with current clinical tools. Herein, an exosome (EX)‐based imaging tool is developed for lung micrometastasis by positron emission tomography (PET) using osteosarcoma‐derived EXs as natural nanocarriers of the positron‐emitter copper‐64 (64Cu). Exosomes are isolated from metastatic osteosarcoma cells and functionalized with the macrocyclic chelator NODAGA for complexation with 64Cu. Surface functionalization has no effect on the physicochemical properties of EXs, or affinity for donor cells and endows them with favorable pharmacokinetics for in vivo studies. Whole‐body PET/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images in xenografted models show a specific accumulation of 64Cu‐NODAGA‐EXs in metastatic lesions as small as 2–3 mm or in a primary tumor, demonstrating the exquisite tropism of EXs for homotypic donor cells. The targetability for lung metastasis is also observed by optical imaging using indocyanine green (ICG)‐labeled EXs and D‐luciferin‐loaded EXs. These findings show that tumor‐derived EXs hold great potential as targeted imaging agents for the noninvasive detection of small lung metastasis by PET. This represents a step forward in the biomedical application of EXs in imaging diagnosis with increased translational potential.
A Multiple Remotely Controlled Platform from Recyclable Polyurethane Composite Network with Shape‐Memory Effect and Self‐Healing Ability
Authors: Chen Xiaohu , Zeng Xiyang , Luo Kun , Chen Tao , Zhang Ting , Yan Guilong , Wang Li
Published: November 2022

Stimuli‐responsive materials can transform from temporary to permanent shapes by specific external triggers. However, the damage might inevitably occur to them when exposed to complex environments, causing a significant reduction in their lifetime and quality. In this study, recyclable remotely controlled shape‐changing polyurethane composite with self‐healing compacity is developed from polyethylene glycol, polytetrahydrofuran diol using isophorone diisocyanate as crosslinker. After the incorporation of magnetite nanoparticles (MNPs), remote heating could be generated by near‐infrared irradiation and alternating magnetic fields. The results show that MNPs are uniformly distributed in the smart networks, resulting in tunable temperature changes of the polymer composite material under various direct/indirect triggering in bending experiments, presenting different shape recovery rates. Moreover, to enhance the self‐healing capability, a disulfide bond is introduced into the polymer networks, and the results show that highly efficient and rapid healing could be achieved from tensile tests, scanning electron microscopy as well as optical microscopy. Additionally, the synergistic effect of transesterification and the dynamic exchange of disulfide bonds brin the networks reproducibility for recycling use. The obtained material is promising to be an alternative material for soft robots and smart sensors.
Immobilised TiO2 Mesocrystals with Exposed {001} Facets for Efficient Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells
Authors: Lei Bingyu , Robertson Neil
Published: November 2022

The immobilization of titanium dioxide is necessary for several energy and environmental applications such as dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). A two‐step fabrication route has been developed in this work including a near room temperature hydrolysis reaction to produce immobilized (NH4)2TiOF4 arrays, followed by successive topotactic transformations to immobilised TiO2 mesocrystals (imcTiO2). Hierarchical mesocrystal structure has thereby been successfully introduced to immobilised TiO2 without the use of expensive equipment or complex strategies. Thanks to the features of the nano‐building blocks such as high surface area and high active {001} facets; collective properties including the common orientation of nanoparticles; and strong adhesion to the substrate inherited from the immobilized (NH4)2TiOF4 precursor, the imcTiO2 possesses a high dye pickup capability and optimal electron transport ability. The average power conversion efficiency from imcTiO2 based DSSCs is comparable to devices with two layers of printed commercial TiO2 under the same sintering condition, with the balanced short circuit current densities, similar open‐circuit voltages, and outstanding fill factors.
Effect of Permanent Magnet Stirring on Solidification of High‐Sulfur Micro‐Alloyed Steel under Different Magnetic Flux Densities
Authors: Peng Jianfei , Wang Wanlin , Zhou Wenhao , Zeng Jie
Published: November 2022

The effects of permanent magnet stirring (PMS) with different center magnetic flux densities (0, 850, 1450, and 1800 Gs) on the solidification process of high‐sulfur micro‐alloyed 49MnVS3 steel are investigated by analyzing the MnS precipitation, microstructure, and tensile properties. The results indicate that with an increase in the magnetic flux density, an enhanced turbulent flow is introduced to the melt, and the MnS precipitates are not limited by grain boundary and distributed randomly and uniformly in the steel. When the magnetic flux density of PMS increases from 0 to 1800 Gs, the mean length of MnS decreases from 6.8 to 2.9 μm, and the number density of MnS increases from 1562 to 2293 n mm−2. Meanwhile, the content of the intragranular ferrite (IGF) increases from 0.4% to 3.1%, and the ratio of IGF in the total ferrite increases significantly from 4.2% to 30.1%, due to the growing precipitation of finer MnS‐ (Nb, V, Ti) (C, N) complex inclusions after PMS that induces the formation of IGF. In addition, both the tensile strength and toughness of the steel are improved under PMS with enhanced magnetic flux densities, which is attributed to the increased small‐sized MnS precipitates and promotes the formation of IGF.
Surveillance Capitalism
Authors: Stahl Bernd Carsten , Schroeder Doris , Rodrigues Rowena
Published: November 2022

Surveillance capitalism hinges on the appropriationand commercialisationof personal datafor profit-making. This chapter spotlights three cases connected to surveillance capitalism: data appropriation, monetisationof health data and the unfair commercial practice when “free” isn’t “free”. It discusses related ethical concerns of powerinequality, privacy and data protection, and lack of transparencyand explainability. The chapter identifies responses to address concerns about surveillance capitalism and discusses three key responses put forward in policy and academic literature and advocated for their impact and implementation potential in the current socio-economicsystem: antitrustregulation, data sharingand access, and strengthening of data ownership claims of consumers/individuals. A combination of active, working governance measures is required to stem the growth and ill-effects of surveillance capitalism and protect democracy.
Right to Life, Liberty and Security of Persons
Authors: Stahl Bernd Carsten , Schroeder Doris , Rodrigues Rowena
Published: November 2022

Artificial intelligence(AI) cansupport individuals’ enjoyment of life, libertyand security, but it can also have adverse effects on them in a variety of ways. This chapter covers three cases affecting human life, liberty and security: one in transportation(self-driving cars), one in the home (smart security systems) and one in healthcareservices (adversarial attacks). The chapter discusses ethical questions and three potential solutions to address AIhuman rights issues related to life, liberty and security of persons: defining and strengthening liability regimes, implementing quality management systems and adversarial robustness. AI developers, deployers and users must respect the sanctity of human life and embed, value and respect this principle in the design, development and use of their products and/or services. Critically, AI systems should not be programmed to kill or injure humans.
European Language Grid: Introduction
Authors: Rehm Georg
Published: November 2022

Europe is a multilingual society with 24 European Union Member State languages and dozens of additional languages including regional and minority languages as well as languages spoken by immigrants, trade partners and tourists. While languages are an essential part of our cultural heritage, language barriers continue to be unbreachable in many situations. The only option to enable and to benefit from multilingualism is through Language Technologies (LTs) including Natural Language Processing (NLP), Natural Language Understanding (NLU) and Speech Technologies. The commercial European LT landscape is dominated by hundreds of SMEs that develop many different kinds of LTs. While the industrial and also the academic European LT community is world-class, it is also massively fragmented. This chapter is an introduction to the present volume, which describes the European Language Grid (ELG) cloud platform, initiative and EU project. The ELG system is targeted to evolve into the primary platform and marketplace for LT in Europe by providing one umbrella platform for the entire European LT community, including research and industry, enabling all stakeholders to showcase, share and distribute their services, tools, products, datasets and other resources. At the time of writing, the ELG platform provides access to more than 13,000 commercial and non-commercial language resources and technologies covering all official EU languages and many national, co-official, regional and minority languages.
European Language Technology Landscape: Communication and Collaborations
Authors: Rehm Georg , Marheinecke Katrin , Kückens Jens-Peter
Published: November 2022

The European Language Technology community is a diverse group of stakeholders that is characterised by severe fragmentation. This chapter provides an overview of the stakeholders that are relevant for the European Language Grid. We also briefly describe our communication channels and strategies with regard to the promotion of ELG. Furthermore, we highlight a few of the current projects and initiatives and their relationship to and relevance for ELG, especially with regard to collaborations. The overall goal of the target group-specific communication strategy we developed is to create more and more uptake of ELG in the European LT community, eventually creating a snowball effect.
CEFR Labelling and Assessment Services
Authors: Breuker Mark
Published: November 2022

Our pilot project aims to develop a set of text collections and annotation tools to facilitate the creation of datasets (corpora) for the development of AI classification models. These classification models can automatically assess a text’s reading difficulty on the levels described by the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). The ability to accurately and consistently assess the readability level of texts is crucial to authors and (language) teachers. It allows them to more easily create and discover content that meets the needs of students with different backgrounds and skill levels. Also, in the public sector using plain language in written communication is becoming increasingly important to ensure citizens can easily access and comprehend government information. EDIA already provides automated readability assessment services (available as APIs and an online authoring tool) for the CEFR in English. Support for Dutch, German and Spanish are added as part of this project. Using the infrastructure developed in this project the effort for creating high quality datasets for additional languages is lowered significantly. The tools and datasets are deployed through the European Language Grid. The project is scheduled to be completed in the second quarter of 2022.
Multilingual Image Corpus
Authors: Koeva Svetla
Published: November 2022

The ELG pilot project Multilingual Image Corpus (MIC 21) provides a large image dataset with annotated objects and multilingual descriptions in 25 languages. Our main contributions are: the provision of a large collection of highquality, copyright-free images; the formulation of an ontology of visual objects based on WordNet noun hierarchies; precise manual correction of automatic image segmentation and annotation of object classes; and association of objects and images with extended multilingual descriptions. The dataset is designed for image classification, object detection and semantic segmentation. It can be also used for multilingual image caption generation, image-to-text alignment and automatic question answering for images and videos.
Interoperable Metadata Bridges to the wider Language Technology Ecosystem
Authors: Labropoulou Penny , Piperidis Stelios , Deligiannis Miltos , Voukoutis Leon , Giagkou Maria , Košarko Ondřej , Hajič Jan , Rehm Georg
Published: November 2022

One of the objectives of the European Language Grid is to help overcome the fragmentation of the European Language Technology community by bringing together language resources and technologies, information about them, Language Technology consumers, providers and the wider public. This chapter describes the mechanisms ELG has put in place to build interoperable bridges to related initiatives, infrastructures, platforms and repositories in the wider Language Technology landscape. We focus on the different approaches implemented for the exchange of metadata records about, in a generic sense, resources and exemplify them with the help of four use cases through which the ELG catalogue has been further populated. The chapter presents the protocols used for the population processes as well as the adaptations of the ELG metadata schema and platform policies that proved necessary to be able to ingest these new records.
Language Technology Tools and Services
Authors: Roberts Ian , Silva Andres Garcia , Aroca Cristian Berrìo , Gómez-Pérez Jose Manuel , Jánoší Miroslav , Galanis Dimitris , Calizzano Rémi , Lagzdiņš Andis , Straka Milan , Germann Ulrich
Published: November 2022

At the time of writing, the European Language Grid includes more than 800 LT services of varied types, including machine translation (MT), automatic speech recognition (ASR), text-to-speech synthesis (TTS), and text analysis ranging from simple tokenisers and part-of-speech taggers through to complete named entity recognition and sentiment analysis systems. This chapter gives a high-level summary of the development of the ELG service catalogue over time and digs deeper to discuss the process of service integration by looking at a few example services.
Algebraic foliations and derived geometry: the Riemann–Hilbert correspondence
Authors: Toën Bertrand , Vezzosi Gabriele
Published: November 2022

This is the first in a series of papers about foliations in derived geometry. After introducing derived foliations on arbitrary derived stacks, we concentrate on quasi-smooth and rigid derived foliations on smooth complex algebraic varieties and on their associated formal and analytic versions. Their truncations are classical singular foliations defined in terms of differential ideals in the algebra of forms. We prove that a quasi-smooth rigid derived foliation on a smooth complex variety X is formally integrable at any point, and, if we suppose that its singular locus has codimension $$\ge 2$$

≥
2

, its analytification is a locally integrable singular foliation on the associated complex manifold $$X^h$$

X
h

. We then introduce the derived category of perfect crystals on a quasi-smooth rigid derived foliation on X, and prove a Riemann-Hilbert correspondence for them when X is proper. We discuss several examples and applications.
Error estimates for total-variation regularized minimization problems with singular dual solutions
Authors: Bartels Sören , Kaltenbach Alex
Published: November 2022

Recent quasi-optimal error estimates for the finite element approximation of total-variation regularized minimization problems using the Crouzeix–Raviart element require the existence of a Lipschitz continuous dual solution, which is not generally given. We provide analytic proofs showing that the Lipschitz continuity of a dual solution is not necessary, in general. Using the Lipschitz truncation technique, we, in addition, derive error estimates that depend directly on the Sobolev regularity of a given dual solution.
The damped wave equation with acoustic boundary conditions and non-locally reacting surfaces
Authors: Barbieri Alessio , Vitillaro Enzo
Published: November 2022

The aim of the paper is to study the problem$$\begin{aligned} {\left\{ \begin{array}{ll} u_{tt}+du_t-c^2\Delta u=0 \qquad &{}\text {in}\, {\mathbb {R}}\times \Omega ,\\ \mu v_{tt}- \textrm{div}_\Gamma (\sigma \nabla _\Gamma v)+\delta v_t+\kappa v+\rho u_t =0\qquad &{}\text {on}\, {\mathbb {R}}\times \Gamma _1,\\ v_t =\partial _\nu u\qquad &{}\text {on}\, {\mathbb {R}}\times \Gamma _1,\\ \partial _\nu u=0 &{}\text {on}\, {\mathbb {R}}\times \Gamma _0,\\ u(0,x)=u_0(x),\quad u_t(0,x)=u_1(x) &{} \text {in}\, \Omega ,\\ v(0,x)=v_0(x),\quad v_t(0,x)=v_1(x) &{} \text {on}\, \Gamma _1, \end{array}\right. } \end{aligned}$$utt+dut-c2Δu=0inR×Ω,μvtt-divΓ(σ∇Γv)+δvt+κv+ρut=0onR×Γ1,vt=∂νuonR×Γ1,∂νu=0onR×Γ0,u(0,x)=u0(x),ut(0,x)=u1(x)inΩ,v(0,x)=v0(x),vt(0,x)=v1(x)onΓ1,where$$\Omega $$Ωis a open domain of$${\mathbb {R}}^N$$RNwith uniformly$$C^r$$Crboundary ($$N\ge 2$$N≥2,$$r\ge 1$$r≥1),$$\Gamma =\partial \Omega $$Γ=∂Ω,$$(\Gamma _0,\Gamma _1)$$(Γ0,Γ1)is a relatively open partition of$$\Gamma $$Γwith$$\Gamma _0$$Γ0(but not$$\Gamma _1$$Γ1) possibly empty. Here$$\textrm{div}_\Gamma $$divΓand$$\nabla _\Gamma $$∇Γdenote the Riemannian divergence and gradient operators on$$\Gamma $$Γ,$$\nu $$νis the outward normal to$$\Omega $$Ω, the coefficients$$\mu ,\sigma ,\delta , \kappa , \rho $$μ,σ,δ,κ,ρare suitably regular functions on$$\Gamma _1$$Γ1with$$\rho ,\sigma $$ρ,σand$$\mu $$μuniformly positive,dis a suitably regular function in$$\Omega $$Ωandcis a positive constant. In this paper we first study well-posedness in the natural energy space and give regularity results. Hence we study asymptotic stability for solutions when$$\Omega $$Ωis bounded,$$\Gamma _1$$Γ1is connected,$$r=2$$r=2,$$\rho $$ρis constant and$$\kappa ,\delta ,d\ge 0$$κ,δ,d≥0.
Immune markers and microbial factors are related with periodontitis severity in people with HIV
Authors: Groenewegen Hester , Delli Konstantina , Vissink Arjan , Spijkervet Frederik K. L. , Bierman Wouter F. W.
Published: November 2022

Objective

The objective of the study is to assess systemic immune markers and microbial factors related to periodontitis severity in people living with HIV.

Methods

Eighty people living with HIV (PLWH), who exhibited in the last two viral load measurements < 40 copies/mL, underwent full-mouth periodontal examinations and sub-gingival plaque sampling. Periodontitis was classified according to the CDC-AAP case definition. Inflammation, immune-activation, and immunosenescence markers were assessed, microbiological analyses were performed, and oral care routines and HIV characteristics were noted.

Results

From our group of PLWH, 42.5% and 57.5% suffered from moderate and severe periodontitis, respectively. Oral care habits did not differ between PLWH with moderate and severe periodontitis. Bacterial subgingival plaque loads were higher, and Porphyromonas gingivalis was more prevalent in PLWH with severe periodontitis than with moderate periodontitis (53% vs 7%, respectively). Mean C-reactive protein levels [CRP, 1.6 mg/L versus 0.8 mg/L, p = 0.020] and percentages of senescent CD28-CD57 + CD8 + T-cells in peripheral blood [16.5 versus 8.9, p = 0.035] were higher with severe periodontitis. Infection duration, CD4 count, CD4/CD8 ratio and type of antiretroviral therapy did not differ between both groups.

Conclusions

Periodontitis severity is related to increased prevalence of Porphyromonas gingivalis, elevated CRP levels, and higher frequencies of circulating CD8 + senescent cells in PLWH.
Effect of temperature on survival of Australian entomopathogenic nematodes and their virulence against the Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni
Authors: Aryal Sitaram , Nielsen Uffe N. , Sumaya Nanette H. , Wilson Craig , Riegler Markus
Published: November 2022

Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) are commonly used biocontrol agents of insect pests, with a wide range of commercially available isolates targeting specific pests. New isolates are, however, required to improve pest control across a wider range of environmental conditions for target pests, including emerging threats. We assessed the effect of temperature on survival and virulence of 17 Australian isolates of five EPN species (Heterorhabditis bacteriophora, Heterorhabditis indica, Heterorhabditis marelatus, Heterorhabditis zealandica and Steinernema feltiae) against larvae and pupae of the Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni. All isolates still infected and killed larvae after infective juveniles (IJ) had been kept without insect hosts at 15 °C, 25 °C or 30 °C for two weeks, indicating their potential to remain viable under field conditions. However, the mean LD50 value ranged from 35 to 150 and was generally lower at 15 °C than at 25 °C and 30 °C. Similarly, after IJs had been kept at 25 °C for 1–3 weeks without insect hosts, all isolates infected B. tryoni larvae, with mean LD50 values ranging from 25 to 144. Interestingly, 15 isolates infected and killed B. tryoni pupae after one week, with a mean LD50 value between 130 and 209, but only two isolates after two weeks, with a mean LD50 value between 229 to 209. No pupal mortality was seen after three weeks. In absence of hosts, EPNs survived longer at 15 °C and 25 °C than at 30 °C. Complete EPN mortality occurred after nine weeks at 30 °C, and after 18 weeks at 15 °C and 25 °C, except for some survival in one S. feltiae isolate (Sf.ECCS). Overall, six isolates of H. indica (Hi.HRN2, Hi.LMI2, Hi.QF6), H. bacteriophora (Hb.HIE), H. zealandica (Hz.NAR1) and S. feltiae (Sf.ECCS) performed best and need further testing as potential biocontrol agents against B. tryoni under semi-field and field conditions.
Censorship and Suppression of Covid-19 Heterodoxy: Tactics and Counter-Tactics
Authors: Shir-Raz Yaffa , Elisha Ety , Martin Brian , Ronel Natti , Guetzkow Josh
Published: November 2022

The emergence of COVID-19 has led to numerous controversies over COVID-related knowledge and policy. To counter the perceived threat from doctors and scientists who challenge the official position of governmental and intergovernmental health authorities, some supporters of this orthodoxy have moved to censor those who promote dissenting views. The aim of the present study is to explore the experiences and responses of highly accomplished doctors and research scientists from different countries who have been targets of suppression and/or censorship following their publications and statements in relation to COVID-19 that challenge official views. Our findings point to the central role played by media organizations, and especially by information technology companies, in attempting to stifle debate over COVID-19 policy and measures. In the effort to silence alternative voices, widespread use was made not only of censorship, but of tactics of suppression that damaged the reputations and careers of dissenting doctors and scientists, regardless of their academic or medical status and regardless of their stature prior to expressing a contrary position. In place of open and fair discussion, censorship and suppression of scientific dissent has deleterious and far-reaching implications for medicine, science, and public health.
TAVR: nemesis of NOACs?
Authors: Polzin Amin , Helten Carolin , Metzen Daniel , Zako Saif , Veulemans Verena , Kelm Malte , Zeus Tobias
Published: November 2022

Data on non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) patients are controversial. In patients without atrial fibrillation (AF), rivaroxaban showed enhanced ischemia and bleeding as compared to standard of care. ENVISAGE showed enhanced bleeding in AF patients as compared to vitamin K antagonist (VKA). Only apixaban was non-inferior but failed superiority regarding bleeding in AF patients after TAVR. One could hypothesize that this might be due to pharmacokinetics of NOACs. Therefore, we compared outcome in rivaroxaban/edoxaban (once-daily) and apixaban (twice-daily) treated patients. 568 patients with indication for permanent oral anticoagulation due to AF undergoing TAVR were analyzed via inverse probability of treatment weighting. Valve academic research consortium complications during 30-day follow-up were assessed. Bleeding complications were similar in once-daily and twice-daily NOACs (major: 22 (7.5%) vs. 14 (5.3%), p = 0.285; minor: 66 (22.4%) vs. 46 (17.4%), p = 0.133). Complications did not change when splitting the cohort in the different agents apixaban, rivaroxaban and edoxaban. These findings remained robust after multivariate analysis. In summary, twice-daily and once-daily NOACs did not differ regarding bleeding complications in a hypothesis generating real-world cohort of TAVR patients with AF.
Lang zullen we leven!
Authors: Slager David
Published: November 2022

Samenvatting

De zorgkosten verdrievoudigen in veertig jaar tijd, bij ongewijzigd beleid. We durven de oorzaken van die kostenstijgingen niet in de ogen te kijken. Het is tijd om eerlijk te ontleden waar het werkelijke probleem zit: we hebben het leven heilig verklaard, waardoor we té oud worden.
Are Fear Campaigns Effective for Increasing Adherence to COVID-Related Mitigation Measures?
Authors: Richmond Bethany , Sharpe Louise , Menzies Rachel E.
Published: November 2022

Background

Using fear to increase the uptake of preventative health behaviours is a longstanding practice, which could be useful in mitigating the spread of COVID-19. However, the impact of fear campaigns beyond behavioural outcomes has rarely been considered. It is possible that these threatening health messages could heighten health-related anxiety by inducing a tendency to interpret ambiguous stimuli in a threatening manner. This research aimed to evaluate the effects of fear-based articles about COVID-19, on intentions to adhere to mitigation measures and interpretation bias—a core maintenance factor in health anxiety.

Method

Two pilot studies were conducted with the aim of validating our novel COVID-related measures and assessing engagement with the threat manipulation. Following this, 375 community members were recruited through social media for the main study. Participants were then randomly allocated to read an article about COVID which was manipulated on both threat and efficacy. After reading the article, participants then completed measures of interpretation bias and intentions to engage in COVID-19 mitigation measures.

Results

Although the threatening articles consistently produced greater COVID-related threat, they only generated a stronger interpretation bias in the first pilot study. Importantly, threat-based communications failed to enhance intentions to perform mitigation measures in any of the studies. Likewise, reading an article which bolstered self-efficacy did not increase intentions, compared to reading a low efficacy article.

Conclusion

This research suggests that fear appeals are unlikely to increase intentions to perform COVID-related mitigation measures.
Recurrence After Colectomy for Locally Advanced Colon Cancer: Experience from a Developing Country
Authors: Sahakyan Artur M. , Aleksanyan Andranik , Batikyan Hovhannes , Petrosyan Hmayak , Yesayan Shushan , Sahakyan Mushegh A.
Published: November 2022

Risk factors for disease recurrence following curative resection for locally advanced colon cancer (LACC) remain unclear as conflicting results have been reported in the literature. The aim of this study was to examine these factors in the setting of developing country’s health care system affected by limited accessibility to the multimodal cancer treatment. Patients who had undergone curative colon resection for LACC between 2004 and 2018 were included. Data were obtained from a prospectively maintained database. Factors associated with disease recurrence, types of recurrence and recurrence-free survival were studied. A total of 118 patients with LACC were operated within the study period. Median follow-up was 36 (2-147) months. Adjuvant therapy was used in 41 (34.7%) patients and 62 (52.5%) were diagnosed with recurrence. In the multivariable analysis, disease recurrence was associated with tumor and nodal stages, as well as with the lymph node yield. Local recurrence, distant metastases, and peritoneal carcinomatosis were observed in 8 (6.8%), 30 (25.4%), and 24 (20.3%) patients, respectively. Early recurrence was diagnosed in 27 (22.9%) cases with peritoneal carcinomatosis being its most common type. Preoperative serum CA 19–9 levels, tumor, and nodal stages were linked to recurrence-free survival in the univariable analysis. Only tumor stage remained such in the multivariable model. Our findings suggest that lymph node yield, tumor, and nodal stages are associated with recurrence following curative resection for LACC.