bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
IDO1‐mediated Trp‐kynurenine‐AhR signal activation induces stemness and tumor dormancy in oral squamous cell carcinomas
Authors: Anzai Hiromasa , Yoshimoto Shohei , Okamura Kazuhiko , Hiraki Akimitsu , Hashimoto Shuichi
Published: April 2021

The non‐proliferative residual tumor cells in cancer therapeutics are considered tumor‐repopulating cells (TRCs) and a major issue for tumor recurrences and distant metastases. TRCs are stem cell‐like cancer cells repopulating tumors and associating with immune‐mediated tumor dormancy. Cell cycle arrest is also coupled to a tumor‐initiating or pluripotent capacity. INF‐γ, a cytokine with an anti‐tumor effect, also acts as an inhibitory effect on the cancer immune response via the induction of PD‐L1 on the surface of cancer cells. The anti‐tumor immune response may shift TRCs from proliferation to dormancy by a specific mechanism. Indoleamine 2, 3‐dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) is a metabolic enzyme to produce kynurenine (KYN) from tryptophan (Trp) and is expressed in cancer cells and dendritic cells in the immune system. IDO1 plays an important role for cancer cells to evade the attack from the activated CTLs. Recently, the signaling from the interaction between KYN and aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a dioxin receptor, has been reported to induce cancer cell dormancy. However, it is currently unclear what is the immune mechanism for the entry of tumor into dormancy and how stemness is coupled to the tumor cell arrest. In this study, we revealed that IDO1 induced by IFN‐γ activated Trp‐KYN‐AhR signaling and induced stemness in OSCC cells contributing to the entry of tumor into dormancy. In this mechanism, it was suggested that STAT1 was a key regulator between tumor differentiation and tumor dormancy. The regulation of IDO1‐mediated Trp‐KYN‐AhR signal activation could provide a new strategy for the cancer treatment.
Effects of flame retardants integrated with citrate and ammonium polyphosphate on thermal stability and flame retardancy of thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer
Authors: Chen Xilei , Wang Ke , Li Shaoxiang , Jiao Chuanmei
Published: April 2021

Three citrates, which incorporate cobalt citrate (CoC), copper citrate (CuC), and yttrium citrate (YC), were combined with ammonium polyphosphate (APP) as a flame retardant to improve the flame retardancy and thermal stability of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). The cone calorimeter test (CCT) results demonstrated that the PHRR (peak heat release rate) values of TPU‐2, TPU‐3, and TPU‐4 were decreased from 271.4 kW/m2 for TPU‐1 to 188.0, 256.9, and 219.0 kW/m2, respectively. Besides, compared with TPU‐1, the release of CO and CO2 of TPU composites that containing citrate were decreased. The limiting oxygen index (LOI) value for TPU‐1 (containing 8.0 wt% APP) was 26.5% while that of TPU‐4 was increased to 27.5% and reached to V‐0 rating on the vertical burning test. Thermogravimetric analysis (TG) indicated that containing both APP and citrate accelerated the degradation of TPU composites but increased the char residue. In detail, the char residue of TPU‐0 was 6.3 wt% at 685°C, while that of TPU‐3 was reached to 45.2 wt% at N2 atmosphere. Laser Raman spectroscopy (LRS) showed that the degree of graphitization of TPU composites had been increased after adding the citrates. X‐ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC‐MS) illustrated that citrate and APP exerted barriers effect in the condensed phase. This work provided a new way of flame retardant that integrated with citrate and APP for TPU composites.
Advances in radiotherapy technology for pediatric cancer patients and roles of medical physicists: COG and SIOP Europe perspectives
Authors: Hua Chia‐ho , Mascia Anthony E. , Seravalli Enrica , Lomax Antony J. , Seiersen Klaus , Ulin Kenneth
Published: April 2021

Over the last two decades, rapid technological advances have dramatically changed radiation delivery to children with cancer, enabling improved normal‐tissue sparing. This article describes recent advances in photon and proton therapy technologies, image‐guided patient positioning, motion management, and adaptive therapy that are relevant to pediatric cancer patients. For medical physicists who are at the forefront of realizing the promise of technology, challenges remain with respect to ensuring patient safety as new technologies are implemented with increasing treatment complexity. The contributions of medical physicists to meeting these challenges in daily practice, in the conduct of clinical trials, and in pediatric oncology cooperative groups are highlighted. Representing the perspective of the physics committees of the Children's Oncology Group (COG) and the European Society for Paediatric Oncology (SIOP Europe), this paper provides recommendations regarding the safe delivery of pediatric radiotherapy. Emerging innovations are highlighted to encourage pediatric applications with a view to maximizing the therapeutic ratio.
Pediatric classical Hodgkin lymphoma
Authors: Lo Andrea C. , Dieckmann Karin , Pelz Tanja , Gallop‐Evans Eve , Engenhart‐Cabillic Rita , Vordermark Dirk , Kelly Kara M. , Schwartz Cindy L. , Constine Louis S. , Roberts Kenneth , Hodgson David
Published: April 2021

Over the past century, classical Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) has been transformed from a uniformly fatal disease to one of the most curable cancers. Given the high cure rate, a major focus of classical HL management is reducing the use of radiation therapy (RT) and chemotherapy agents such as procarbazine and doxorubicin to minimize long‐term toxicities. In both North America and Europe, an important philosophy in the management of classical HL is to guide the intensity of treatment according to the risk category of the disease. The main factors used for risk classification are tumor stage, bulk of disease, and the presence of B symptoms. Response to chemotherapy is an important factor guiding the utilization of RT in ongoing Children's Oncology Group (COG) and European Network Pediatric Hodgkin Lymphoma (EuroNet‐PHL) trials. Both trial groups have transitioned to reduced RT volumes that target the highest risk sites using highly conformal techniques, along with standard or intensified chemotherapy regimens to improve outcomes in higher risk patients. However, given the potential acute toxicities of intensified chemotherapy, immunoregulatory drugs are being investigated in upcoming trials. The purpose of this review is to summarize current approaches to treating pediatric classical HL according to the COG and EuroNet‐PHL.
Semi‐structured interview for personality functioning DSM‐5 (STiP‐5.1): Psychometric evaluation of the Czech version
Authors: Heissler Radek , Doubková Nikola , Hutsebaut Joost , Preiss Marek
Published: April 2021

The DSM‐5 Alternative Model for Personality Disorders introduced a dimensional perspective on personality disorders and their assessment by measuring personality functioning in the following domains: Identity, Self‐Direction, Empathy, and Intimacy. This study provides a replication of the psychometric evaluation of the Semi‐Structured Interview for Personality Functioning DSM‐5 (STiP‐5.1) within a mixed clinical sample and a community sample. The sample consisted of 188 adults: 86 participants from the general population and 102 people from a mixed clinical sample. All participants completed the STiP‐5.1 and Level of Personality Functioning Scale–Brief Form (LPFS‐BF 2.0). Results showed good internal consistency (McDonald's ω = 0.89–0.94) and promising convergent validity (correlations with LPFS‐BF 2.0 above 0.6) of the STiP‐5.1. Its scores differentiated participants within the community sample from those in the mixed clinical sample with large effect sizes (rrb = 0.77–0.88). Moreover, the impairment in personality functioning was more pronounced in people with personality disorders than in other psychiatric disorders (medium effect size, rrb = 0.46–0.57), supporting the notion of a continuum of personality functioning impairment. The STiP‐5.1 therefore offers an instrument with satisfactory psychometric properties for the assessment of personality functioning both for research and clinical practice.
Respiratory outcomes in the first 10 years of life in children with gastroschisis: A retrospective cohort study
Authors: Asemota Osamuyi , Derraugh Gabrielle , Levesque Matthew , Iqbal Shaikh , Balshaw Robert , Lum Min Suyin A. , Keijzer Richard
Published: April 2021

Background

Little attention has been given to the long‐term respiratory outcomes of children with gastroschisis. The purpose of this study was to determine if gastroschisis survivors have more respiratory illnesses in their first 10 years of life compared with age‐matched controls.

Methods

We performed a retrospective cohort study of all gastroschisis children born in Manitoba between 1991 and 2017. Gastroschisis cases were identified from a clinical database, and a date of birth‐matched control cohort was constructed from a population‐based data repository. International Classification of Disease codes were used to compare the risk and frequency of respiratory diagnoses for children with gastroschisis to date of birth‐matched controls from 0–5 years of age and 5–10 years of age.

Results

The 0–5 years of age analysis included 117 gastroschisis cases and 1205 date of birth‐matched controls; children with gastroschisis had a higher risk of asthma (relative risk [RR] = 1.46; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.03, 2.55; p = .029), acute bronchitis/bronchiolitis (RR = 1.61; 95% CI: 1.27, 2.03; p < .001), pneumonia (RR = 1.99; 95% CI: 1.45, 2.72; p < .001), viral pneumonia (RR = 5.15; 95% CI: 1.79, 14.81; p = .007), and pneumonia due to unspecified organism (RR = 2.06; 95% CI: 1.45, 2.92; p < .001). Gastroschisis children 0–5 years of age were also diagnosed more frequently with bronchitis/bronchiolitis (RR = 2.14; 95% CI: 1.79, 2.57; p < .001) and viral pneumonia (RR = 8.10; 95% CI: 3.79, 17.31; p < .001). The 5–10 years of age analysis included 73 cases and 738 controls; no difference in the risk of respiratory illness was found for gastroschisis cases and controls in this age group. However, gastroschisis cases were more frequently diagnosed with bacterial pneumonia (RR = 3.03; 95% CI: 1.67, 5.51; p < .001) and influenza (RR = 3.03; 95% CI: 1.67, 5.51; p < .001).

Conclusion

Our study shows that children with gastroschisis have an increased risk of asthma and respiratory infections compared with children without gastroschisis, most noticeably in the first 5 years of life.
Tumor growth inhibition modeling of individual lesion dynamics and interorgan variability in HER2‐negative breast cancer patients treated with docetaxel
Authors: Krishnan Sreenath M. , Laarif Sofiene S. , Bender Brendan C. , Quartino Angelica L. , Friberg Lena E.
Published: April 2021

Information on individual lesion dynamics and organ location are often ignored in pharmacometric modeling analyses of tumor response. Typically, the sum of their longest diameters is utilized. Herein, a tumor growth inhibition model was developed for describing the individual lesion time‐course data from 183 patients with metastatic HER2‐negative breast cancer receiving docetaxel. The interindividual variability (IIV), interlesion variability (ILV), and interorgan variability of parameters describing the lesion time‐courses were evaluated. Additionally, a model describing the probability of new lesion appearance and a time‐to‐event model for overall survival (OS), were developed. Before treatment initiation, the lesions were largest in the soft tissues and smallest in the lungs, and associated with a significant IIV and ILV. The tumor growth rate was 2.6 times higher in the breasts and liver, compared with other metastatic sites. The docetaxel drug effect in the liver, breasts, and soft tissues was greater than or equal to 1.2 times higher compared with other organs. The time‐course of the largest lesion, the presence of at least 3 liver lesions, and the time since study enrollment, increased the probability of new lesion appearance. New lesion appearance, along with the time to growth and time‐course of the largest lesion at baseline, were identified as the best predictors of OS. This tumor modeling approach, incorporating individual lesion dynamics, provided a more complete understanding of heterogeneity in tumor growth and drug effect in different organs. Thus, there may be potential to tailor treatments based on lesion location, lesion size, and early lesion response to provide better clinical outcomes.
Photochromic Response of Encapsulated Oxygen‐Containing Yttrium Hydride Thin Films
Authors: Moro Marcos V. , Aðalsteinsson Sigurbjörn M. , Tran Tuan. T. , Moldarev Dmitrii , Samanta Ayan , Wolff Max , Primetzhofer Daniel
Published: April 2021

Photochromic oxygen‐containing yttrium‐hydride thin films are synthesized by argon magnetron sputtering on microscope slides. Some of them are encapsulated with a thin, transparent, and nonphotochromic diffusion‐barrier layer of either Al2O3 or Si3N4. Ion‐beam‐based methods prove that these protective diffusion barriers are stable and free from pinholes, with thicknesses of only a few tens of nanometers. Optical spectrophotometry reveals that the photochromic response and relaxation time for both protected and unprotected samples are almost identical. Ageing effects in the unprotected films lead to degradation of the photochromic performance (self‐delamination), whereas the photochromic response for the encapsulated films is stable. The results show that the environment does not play a decisive role for the photochromic process and the encapsulation of oxygen‐containing rare‐earth hydride films with transparent and nonorganic thin diffusion‐barrier layers provides long‐time stability of the films, mandatory for applications as photochromic coatings on, e.g., smart windows.
A large‐deviations principle for all the cluster sizes of a sparse Erdős–Rényi graph
Authors: Andreis Luisa , König Wolfgang , Patterson Robert I. A.
Published: April 2021

Let be the Erdős–Rényi graph with connection probability as N → ∞ for a fixed t ∈ (0, ∞). We derive a large‐deviations principle for the empirical measure of the sizes of all the connected components of , registered according to microscopic sizes (i.e., of finite order), macroscopic ones (i.e., of order N), and mesoscopic ones (everything in between). The rate function explicitly describes the microscopic and macroscopic components and the fraction of vertices in components of mesoscopic sizes. Moreover, it clearly captures the well known phase transition at t = 1 as part of a comprehensive picture. The proofs rely on elementary combinatorics and on known estimates and asymptotics for the probability that subgraphs are connected. We also draw conclusions for the strongly related model of the multiplicative coalescent, the Marcus–Lushnikov coagulation model with monodisperse initial condition, and its gelation phase transition.
Inferring latent heterogeneity using many feature variables supervised by survival outcome
Authors: Jia Beilin , Zeng Donglin , Liao Jason J. Z. , Liu Guanghan F. , Tan Xianming , Diao Guoqing , Ibrahim Joseph G.
Published: April 2021

In cancer studies, it is important to understand disease heterogeneity among patients so that precision medicine can particularly target high‐risk patients at the right time. Many feature variables such as demographic variables and biomarkers, combined with a patient's survival outcome, can be used to infer such latent heterogeneity. In this work, we propose a mixture model to model each patient's latent survival pattern, where the mixing probabilities for latent groups are modeled through a multinomial distribution. The Bayesian information criterion is used for selecting the number of latent groups. Furthermore, we incorporate variable selection with the adaptive lasso into inference so that only a few feature variables will be selected to characterize the latent heterogeneity. We show that our adaptive lasso estimator has oracle properties when the number of parameters diverges with the sample size. The finite sample performance is evaluated by the simulation study, and the proposed method is illustrated by two datasets.
A Transparent Nanopatterned Chemiresistor: Visible‐Light Plasmonic Sensor for Trace‐Level NO2 Detection at Room Temperature
Authors: Lim Kyeorei , Jo Young‐Moo , Yoon Ji‐Wook , Kim Jun‐Sik , Lee Dong‐Jae , Moon Young Kook , Yoon Ji Won , Kim Jae‐Hyeok , Choi Hun Ji , Lee Jong‐Heun
Published: April 2021

The highly selective detection of trace gases using transparent sensors at room temperature remains challenging. Herein, transparent nanopatterned chemiresistors composed of aligned 1D Au–SnO2 nanofibers, which can detect toxic NO2 gas at room temperature under visible light illumination is reported. Ten straight Au–SnO2 nanofibers are patterned on a glass substrate with transparent electrodes assisted by direct‐write, near‐field electrospinning, whose extremely low coverage of sensing materials (≈0.3%) lead to the high transparency (≈93%) of the sensor. The sensor exhibits a highly selective, sensitive, and reproducible response to sub‐ppm levels of NO2, and its detection limit is as low as 6 ppb. The unique room‐temperature NO2 sensing under visible light emanates from the localized surface plasmonic resonance effect of Au nanoparticles, thereby enabling the design of new transparent oxide‐based gas sensors without external heaters or light sources. The patterning of nanofibers with extremely low coverage provides a general strategy to design diverse compositions of gas sensors, which can facilitate the development of a wide range of new applications in transparent electronics and smart windows wirelessly connected to the Internet of Things.
The μTOSCA toolchain: Mining, analyzing, and refactoring microservice‐based architectures
Authors: Soldani Jacopo , Muntoni Giuseppe , Neri Davide , Brogi Antonio
Published: April 2021

Exploiting microservices to architect enterprise applications is becoming commonplace. This makes it crucial to provide some support for designing and analyzing microservice‐based applications, for example, for understanding whether a microservice‐based application adheres to the main design principles of microservices and for choosing how to refactor it when this is not the case. To provide such support, in this article we present the TOSCA toolchain. More precisely, we first introduce the TOSCA model to represent the architecture of microservice‐based applications with the OASIS standard TOSCA. We then describe a technique to automatically mine the architecture of a microservice‐based application and represent it with TOSCA, given the Kubernetes deployment of the application. We also present a methodology to analyze the TOSCA representation of a microservice‐based architecture to systematically identify the architectural smells potentially affecting the corresponding application and to resolve them. Finally, we present two prototype tools, Miner and Freshener, implementing our mining solution and the support for identifying and resolving architectural smells in microservice‐based applications, respectively. We then assess —by discussing some case studies— how effectively Miner, Freshener, and the TOSCA toolchain can support researchers and practitioners working with microservices.
A Reconstruction Algorithm for Wide‐Area Protection Communication Network
Authors: Li Zhenxing , Cheng Zhaolin , Gong Yang , Wang Lu , Wang Pengfei
Published: April 2021

The communication network of wide‐area protection may be interrupted because of the severe environment or artificial damage. The delay of communication will increase so much that the wide‐area protection cannot work normally in some severe cases mentioned above. That is one of the factors which affect the application of wide‐area protection. A reconstruction algorithm including different circuitous modes for different situations is proposed to maintain the transmission of the data on the interrupted channel. On the one hand, a single‐path circuitous mode is proposed when the data in the shut path is small. In this situation, the best circuitous path can be found out by Floyd considering the several reference factors affection. On the other hand, a multi‐paths circuitous model is proposed to solve the congestion which is caused by detouring under single‐path circuitous mode. The available margin of the bandwidth of the weakest channel called the short‐board channel in each circuitous path is the focus of the algorithm. In this situation, the optimal shunt coefficients are determined according to the bandwidth margin ratio of the short‐board channel. Then the data on the interrupted channel is divided into several streams based on the shunt coefficients. Therefore, the balance of the communication network can be ensured after the interrupted channel is divided. Finally, with OPNET communication simulation software, the IEEE14 nodes network is built. Delay and balance of system based on this reconstruction algorithm are tested. © 2021 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Study on Near‐Adiabatic Performance of Electric Vehicles' Lithium Battery at Low Temperature
Authors: Wenhua Li , Zihe Yuan , Fangxu Shao , Mingze He , Yangyang Wang
Published: April 2021

In recent years, electric vehicles have developed rapidly. However, as the power source of electric vehicles, lithium battery has poor performance at low temperature, and has some problems such as reduced capacity and increased internal resistance. In this paper, two thermal environments, including natural convection condition and near‐adiabatic condition, are established, and discharge capacity test and cyclic dynamic stress test (DST) are conducted for lithium iron phosphate batteries. The actual effect of near‐adiabatic conditions is analyzed from three perspectives: battery surface temperature, terminal voltage and EIS. The results show that the near‐adiabatic working condition has almost no effect on the discharge capacity at the standard discharge current (0.5 °C) under the same temperature conditions, ranging from −15 to 25 °C. In the low‐temperature − 10 and − 15 °C cyclic dynamic stress test, compared with the natural convection working condition, the near‐adiabatic condition has a rapid rise in terminal voltage one cycle earlier, causing the cycle to stop. Also, the polarization impedance increases at least twice after the cycle under the near‐adiabatic condition. Finally, according to the analysis of variance (ANOVA), the near‐adiabatic condition has a significant effect on voltage and polarization resistance at low temperatures. Still, it has almost no effect on ohmic resistance and discharge capacity. © 2021 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Mechanisms underlying protective effects of vitamin E against mycotoxin deoxynivalenol‐induced oxidative stress and its related cytotoxicity in primary human brain endothelial cells
Authors: Shieh Pochuen , Hsu Shu‐Shong , Liang Wei‐Zhe
Published: April 2021

Fusarium mycotoxins are one of the largest families of mycotoxins. Among these mycotoxins, deoxynivalenol is the most widespread pollutant of grains. However, the mechanism underlying the effect of deoxynivalenol on cytotoxicity in human brain endothelial cells was still unclear. This study examined whether deoxynivalenol induced oxidative stress‐associated cytotoxicity in primary human brain endothelial cells (HBEC‐5i), and explored whether Vitamin E (VE), a selective antioxidant, had protective effects on deoxynivalenol‐treated cells. Deoxynivalenol (10‐50 μM) concentration‐dependently induced cytotoxicity in HBEC‐5i cells. Deoxynivalenol (IC50 = 20 μM) activated mitochondrial apoptotic pathway by modulating antioxidant protein expressions (Nrf2, HO‐1 and NQO1). More significantly, pre‐treatment with VE (20 μM) attenuated the deoxynivalenol‐induced cytotoxicity in this cell model. Together, VE significantly alleviated the apoptotic effects of deoxynivalenol in HBEC‐5i cells suggesting that it protected the cells against deoxynivalenol‐induced oxidative damage. Our findings provided new insight that VE had the potential to ameliorate neurotoxicity of deoxynivalenol.
Transgressive resistance to Heterodera glycines in chromosome segment substitution lines derived from susceptible soybean parents
Authors: Huang Minghui , Qin Ruifeng , Li Chunjie , Liu Chunyan , Jiang Ye , Yu Jinyao , Chang Doudou , Roberts Philip A. , Chen Qingshan , Wang Congli
Published: April 2021

Chromosome segment substitution lines (CSSLs) are valuable genetic resources for quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping of complex agronomic traits especially suitable for minor effect QTL. Here, 162 BC3F7–BC7F3 CSSLs derived from crossing two susceptible parent lines, soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] ‘Suinong14’ (recurrent parent) × wild soybean (G. soja Siebold & Zucc.) ZYD00006, were used for QTL mapping of soybean cyst nematode (SCN, Heterodera glycine Ichinohe) resistance based on female index (FI) and cysts per gram root (CGR) through phenotypic screening and whole‐genome resequencing of CSSLs. Phenotypic results displayed a wide range of distribution and transgressive lines in both HG Type 2.5.7 FI and CGR and demonstrated a higher correlation between CGR and root weight (R2 = .5424) compared with than between FI and CGR (R2 = .0018). Using the single‐marker analysis nonparametric mapping test, 33 significant QTL were detected on 18 chromosomes contributing resistance to FI and CGR. Fourteen QTL contributing 5.6–15.5% phenotypic variance (PVE) to FI were revealed on 11 chromosomes, and 16 QTL accounting for 6.1–36.2% PVE in CGR were detected on 14 chromosomes with strong additive effect by multiple‐QTL model (MQM) mapping. Twenty‐five and 13 out of all 38 QTL identified for FI and CGR on 20 chromosomes were from ZYD00006 and Suinong14, respectively. The CSSLs with the combination of positive alleles for FI, CGR, and root weight exhibited low nematode reproduction. For the first time, QTL associated with CGR have been detected, and both FI and CGR should be considered for breeding purposes in the absence of strong resistance genes such as rhg1 and Rhg4.
A 5‐year retrospective study of canine and feline patients referred to an isolation unit for infectious diseases
Authors: Paulo Catarina , Machado Inês , Carvalho Helena , Gomes Joana , Deodato Mota Ana , Tavares Luís , Almeida Virgílio , Gil Solange
Published: April 2021

Background

Referral of cases is becoming more and more frequent in companion animal practice. The Infectious Diseases Isolation Unit (IDIU) admits first opinion, second opinion and referred patients with a confirmed infectious disease (ID) or a clinically suspected ID that is awaiting laboratory diagnosis. The primary aims of this study were to describe the annual number and characteristics of patients referred to the IDIU and identify the most frequent IDs in referred dogs and cats. A secondary aim was to investigate possible differences in the length of the hospitalisation and the clinical outcome among referred cases and those admitted to the IDIU after first and second opinion appointments.

Methods

A retrospective study was carried out on patients hospitalised at the unit over 5 years from 9th October 2013 to 31st December 2018.

Results

The study population consisted of 365 dogs and 515 cats to give a total of 880 patients hospitalised at the IDIU from October 2013 to December 2018. Among the 96 referred dogs, parvovirosis (37.7%) and leptospirosis (31.1%) were the most frequent IDs. Feline upper respiratory tract infection (38.2%) and feline leukaemia virus infections (36.4%) were the main causes in the 80 referred cats. Worrying noncompliance rates of dog (51.0%) and cat (52.5%) vaccination schedules were identified. The analysis of the length of hospitalisation in the three groups of patients was not statistically different. In both animal species there were statistically significant higher clinical discharge rates on the first opinion patients’ group in comparison to referred patients and the second opinion group.

Conclusions

Parvovirosis and leptospirosis in dogs and upper respiratory disease and feline leukaemia virus infection in cats were the most common diagnoses for patients admitted to the IDIU, reinforcing the need for accurate vaccination. Discharge rates results pinpoint the need for timely accurate reference.
Holographic duality for Ising CFT with boundary
Authors: Karch Andreas , Luo Zhu-Xi , Sun Hao-Yu
Published: April 2021

Abstract

We extend the holographic duality between 3d pure gravity and 2d Ising CFT proposed in ref. [1] to CFTs with boundaries. Besides the usual asymptotic boundary, the dual bulk spacetime now has a real cutoff, on which live branes with finite tension, giving Neumann boundary condition on the metric tensor. The strongly coupled bulk theory requires that we dress the well-known semiclassical AdS/BCFT answer with boundary gravitons, turning the partition function into the form of Virasoro characters. Using this duality, we relate the brane tensions to the modularS-matrix elements of the dual BCFT and derive the transformation between gravitational solutions with different brane tensions under modularSaction.
F-theory with worldvolume sectioning
Authors: Linch William D. , Siegel Warren
Published: April 2021

Abstract

We describe the worldvolume for the bosonic sector of the lower-dimensional F-theory that embeds 5D, N=1 M-theory and the 4D type II superstring. This theory is a complexification of the fundamental 5-brane theory that embeds the 4D, N=1 M-theory of the 3D type II string in a sense that we make explicit at the level of the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formulations. We find three types of section condition: in spacetime, on the worldvolume, and one tying them together. The 5-brane theory is recovered from the new theory by a double dimensional reduction.
The upper bound of the second Higgs boson mass in minimal gauge mediation with the gravitino warm dark matter
Authors: Choi Gong jun , Yanagida Tsutomu T. , Yokozaki Norimi
Published: April 2021

Abstract

A keV-scale gravitino arising from a minimal supersymmetric (SUSY) Standard Model (MSSM) is an interesting possibility since the small scale problems that the ΛCDM model encounters in the modern cosmology could be alleviated with the keV-scale gravitino serving as the warm dark matter (WDM). Such a light gravitino asks for a low scale supersymmetry (SUSY) breaking for which the gauge mediation (GM) is required as a consistent SUSY-breaking mediation mechanism. In this paper, we show upper bounds of the masses of the second CP-even Higgs boson H and the CP-odd Higgs boson A, assuming the keV-scale gravitino to be responsible for the current DM relic abundance: the upper bound on the mass of H/A is found to be ∼ 4 TeV for the gravitino mass of $$ \mathcal{O}\left(10-100\right) $$
O

10
−
100

keV. Interestingly, the mass of H/A can be as small as 2–3 TeV and the predicted tan β is as large as 55–60 for the gravitino mass of $$ \mathcal{O}(10) $$
O

10

keV. This will be tested in the near future Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiments.
Stringy tachyonic instabilities of non-supersymmetric Ricci flat backgrounds
Authors: Acharya Bobby Samir , Aldazabal Gerardo , Andrés Eduardo , Font Anamaría , Narain Kumar , Zadeh Ida G.
Published: April 2021

Abstract

Superstring/M-theory compactified on compact Ricci flat manifolds have recently been conjectured to exhibit instabilities whenever the metrics do not have special holonomy. We use worldsheet conformal field theory to investigate instabilities of Type II superstring theories on compact, Ricci flat, spin 3-manifolds including a worldsheet description of their spin structures. The instabilities are signalled by the appearance of stringy tachyons at small radius and a negative (1-loop) vacuum energy density at large radius. We briefly discuss the extension to higher dimensions.
Curvature squared action in four dimensional N = 2 supergravity using the dilaton Weyl multiplet
Authors: Mishra Madhu , Sahoo Bindusar
Published: April 2021

Abstract

In this paper we derive the most general curvature squared action coupled to an arbitrary number of vector multiplets in four dimensional N = 2 supergravity using the dilaton Weyl multiplet. The action that we derive is encoded in a single holomorphic prepotential.
Homoclinics for singular strong force Lagrangian systems in $${\mathbb {R}}^N$$
Authors: Izydorek Marek , Janczewska Joanna , Waterstraat Nils
Published: April 2021

We will be concerned with the existence of homoclinics for Lagrangian systems in $${\mathbb {R}}^N$$

R

N

($$N\ge 3 $$

N
≥
3

) of the form $$\frac{d}{dt}\left( \nabla \Phi (\dot{u}(t))\right) +\nabla _{u}V(t,u(t))=0$$

d

dt

∇
Φ
(

u
˙

(
t
)

)

+

∇
u

V

(
t
,
u

(
t
)

)

=
0

, where $$t\in {\mathbb {R}}$$

t
∈
R

, $$\Phi {:}\,{\mathbb {R}}^N\rightarrow [0,\infty )$$

Φ
:

R

N

→

[
0
,
∞
)

is a G-function in the sense of Trudinger, $$V{:}\,{\mathbb {R}}\times \left( {\mathbb {R}}^N{\setminus }\{\xi \} \right) \rightarrow {\mathbb {R}}$$

V
:

R
×

R

N

\

{
ξ
}

→
R

is a $$C^2$$

C
2

-smooth potential with a single well of infinite depth at a point $$\xi \in {\mathbb {R}}^N{\setminus }\{0\}$$

ξ
∈

R

N

\

{
0
}

and a unique strict global maximum 0 at the origin. Under a strong force type condition around the singular point $$\xi $$
ξ
, we prove the existence of a homoclinic solution $$u{:}\,{\mathbb {R}}\rightarrow {\mathbb {R}}^N{\setminus }\{\xi \}$$

u
:

R
→

R

N

\

{
ξ
}

via minimization of an action integral.
High-resolution ultrasound changes of the vagus nerve in idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (IPD): a possible additional index of disease
Authors: Sartucci F. , Bocci T. , Santin M. , Bongioanni P. , Orlandi G.
Published: April 2021

Background and rationale

Histopathological studies revealed degeneration of the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus nerve (VN) early in the course of idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (IPD). Degeneration of VN axons should be detectable by high-resolution ultrasound (HRUS) as a thinning of the nerve trunk. In order to establish if the VN exhibits sonographic signs of atrophy in IPD, we examined patients with IPD compared with age-matched controls.

Material and methods

We measured the caliber (cross-sectional area, CSA) and perimeter of the VN in 20 outpatients with IPD (8 females and 12 males; mean age 73.0 + 8.6 years) and in age-matched controls using HRUS. Evaluation was performed by blinded raters using an Esaote MyLab Gamma device in conventional B-Mode with an 8–19 MHz probe.

Results

In both sides, the VN CSA was significantly smaller in IPD outpatients than in controls (right 2.37 + 0.91, left 1.87 + 1.35 mm2 versus 6.0 + 1.33, 5.6 + 1.26 mm2; p <0.001), as well as the perimeter (right 5.06 + 0.85, left 4.78 + 1.74 mm versus 8.87 + 0.86, 8.58 + 0.97 mm; p <0.001). There were no significant correlations between VN CSA and age, the Hoehn and Yahr scale, L-dopa therapy, and disease duration.

Conclusion

Our findings provide evidence of atrophy of the VNs in IPD patients by HRUS. Moreover, HRUS of the VN represent a non-invasive easy imaging modality of screening in IPD patients independent of disease stage and duration and an interesting possible additional index of disease.
Optical clock technologies for global navigation satellite systems
Authors: Schuldt Thilo , Gohlke Martin , Oswald Markus , Wüst Jan , Blomberg Tim , Döringshoff Klaus , Bawamia Ahmad , Wicht Andreas , Lezius Matthias , Voss Kai , Krutzik Markus , Herrmann Sven , Kovalchuk Evgeny , Peters Achim , Braxmaier Claus
Published: April 2021

Future generations of global navigation satellite systems (GNSSs) can benefit from optical technologies. Especially optical clocks could back-up or replace the currently used microwave clocks, having the potential to improve GNSS position determination enabled by their lower frequency instabilities. Furthermore, optical clock technologies—in combination with optical inter-satellite links—enable new GNSS architectures, e.g., by synchronization of distant optical frequency references within the constellation using time and frequency transfer techniques. Optical frequency references based on Doppler-free spectroscopy of molecular iodine are seen as a promising candidate for a future GNSS optical clock. Compact and ruggedized setups have been developed, showing frequency instabilities at the 10–15 level for averaging times between 1 s and 10,000 s. We introduce optical clock technologies for applications in future GNSS and present the current status of our developments of iodine-based optical frequency references.
First-person dimensions of mental agency in visual counting of moving objects
Authors: Wagemann Johannes , Raggatz Jonas
Published: April 2021

Counting objects, especially moving ones, is an important capacity that has been intensively explored in experimental psychology and related disciplines. The common approach is to trace the three counting principles (estimating, subitizing, serial counting) back to functional constructs like the Approximate Number System and the Object Tracking System. While usually attempts are made to explain these competing models by computational processes at the neural level, their first-person dimensions have been hardly investigated so far. However, explanatory gaps in both psychological and philosophical terms may suggest a methodologically complementary approach that systematically incorporates introspective data. For example, the mental-action debate raises the question of whether mental activity plays only a marginal role in otherwise automatic cognitive processes or if it can be developed in such a way that it can count as genuine mental action. To address this question not only theoretically, we conducted an exploratory study with a moving-dots task and analyze the self-report data qualitatively and quantitatively on different levels. Building on this, a multi-layered, consciousness-immanent model of counting is presented, which integrates the various counting principles and concretizes mental agency as developing from pre-reflective to increasingly conscious mental activity.
Reeves’ muntjac populations continue to grow and spread across Great Britain and are invading continental Europe
Authors: Ward Alastair I. , Richardson Suzanne , Mergeay Joachim
Published: April 2021

The appropriate response for controlling an invasive non-native species depends on the extent to which its invasion has progressed, which can be revealed by information on its distribution and abundance. Reeves’ muntjac is a native deer to China and Taiwan, but has been introduced and become well-established in Great Britain. Moreover, in recent years, reports and verified records in the wild from other European countries have become more frequent. We reviewed the status of Reeves’ muntjac in Britain and evaluated its national range expansion from 2002 to 2016. While the British population appears to have tripled in size since 1995, the rate at which it has expanded its range seems to have peaked at approximately 12% per year between 2002 and 2005 and has since declined. We also consolidated observations on its international distribution, including a conservative evaluation of its presence in zoological collections. We predict that this species could expand its range to include every European country, although the availability of suitable landcover and climate is likely to vary substantially between countries. To prevent the significant impacts to conservation interests that have been observed in Great Britain from extending across Europe, national administrations should consider eradicating Reeves’ muntjac while that is still feasible.
Geographic Density and Uptake of Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Among Young Gay, Bisexual and Other Sexual Minority Men: A Global Positioning System (GPS) Study
Authors: Kim Byoungjun , Chaix Basile , Chen Yen-Tyng , Callander Denton , Regan Seann D. , Duncan Dustin T.
Published: April 2021

The geographic availability of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) providers is one important factor that significantly affects PrEP uptake. While most previous studies have employed spatial accessibility in static residential neighborhood definitions or self-reported healthcare accessibility, we examined the associations of the objectively measured geographic density of PrEP services with current PrEP use, using global positioning system (GPS) among sexual minority men (SMM) in New York City. 250 HIV-negative SMM participated in a 2-week GPS monitoring (January 2017–January 2018). Geographic PrEP density was measured as total numbers of PrEP providers in (1) individual activity space defined as daily path area of GPS points, (2) residential street network buffers and (3) census tract and ZIP code of residential locations. Geographic PrEP density within GPS-based activity space was positively associated with current PrEP use (prevalence ratio for 50-m activity space = 1.10, 95% confidence interval: [1.02, 1.18]). PrEP provider counts in residential buffer areas and administrative neighborhoods were not associated with PrEP use. Although it is not generalizable beyond New York City, our finding suggests the importance of daily mobility pattern in HIV prevention and PrEP implementation strategies.
Exiting the COVID-19 pandemic: after-shock risks and avoidance of disruption tails in supply chains
Authors: Ivanov Dmitry
Published: April 2021

Entering the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on supply chains. Reacting to the pandemic and adaptation in the “new normal” have been challenging tasks. Exiting the pandemic can lead to some after-shock effects such as “disruption tails.” While the research community has undertaken considerable efforts to predict the pandemic’s impacts and examine supply chain adaptive behaviors during the pandemic, little is known about supply chain management in the course of pandemic elimination and post-disruption recovery. If capacity and inventory management are unaware of the after-shock risks, this can result in highly destabilized production–inventory dynamics and decreased performance in the post-disruption period causing product deficits in the markets and high inventory costs in the supply chains. In this paper, we use a discrete-event simulation model to investigate some exit strategies for a supply chain in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our model can inform managers about the existence and risk of disruption tails in their supply chains and guide the selection of post-pandemic recovery strategies. Our results show that supply chains with postponed demand and shutdown capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic are particularly prone to disruption tails. We then developed and examined two strategies to avoid these disruption tails. First, we observed a conjunction of recovery and supply chain coordination which mitigates the impact of disruption tails by demand smoothing over time in the post-disruption period. Second, we found a gradual capacity ramp-up prior to expected peaks of postponed demand to be an effective strategy for disruption tail control.
Measuring Men’s Gender Norm Beliefs Related to Contraception: Development of the Masculine Norms and Family Planning Acceptance Scale
Authors: Newmann Sara J. , Zakaras Jennifer Monroe , Dworkin Shari L. , Withers Mellissa , Ndunyu Louisa , Gitome Serah , Gorrindo Phillip , Bukusi Elizabeth A. , Rocca Corinne H.
Published: April 2021

Male partner resistance is identified as a key factor that influences women’s contraceptive use. Examination of the masculine norms that shape men’s resistance to contraception—and how to intervene on these norms—is needed. To assess a gender-transformative intervention in Kenya, we developed and evaluated a masculinity-informed instrument to measure men’s contraceptive acceptance—the Masculine Norms and Family Planning Acceptance (MNFPA) scale. We developed draft scale items based on qualitative research and administered them to partnered Kenyan men (n = 150). Item response theory-based methods were used to reduce and psychometrically evaluate final scale items. The MNFPA scale had a Cronbach’s α of 0.68 and loaded onto a single factor. MNFPA scores were associated with self-efficacy and intention to accept a female partner’s use of contraception; scores were not associated with current contraceptive use. The MNFPA scale is the first rigorously developed and psychometrically evaluated tool to assess men’s contraceptive acceptance as a function of male gender norms. Future work is needed to test the MNFPA measure in larger samples and across different contexts. The scale can be used to evaluate interventions that seek to shift gender norms to increase men’s positive engagement in pregnancy spacing and prevention.
Coupling levels of abstraction in understanding meaningful human control of autonomous weapons: a two-tiered approach
Authors: Umbrello Steven
Published: April 2021

The international debate on the ethics and legality of autonomous weapon systems (AWS), along with the call for a ban, primarily focus on the nebulous concept of fully autonomous AWS. These are AWS capable of target selection and engagement absent human supervision or control. This paper argues that such a conception of autonomy is divorced from both military planning and decision-making operations; it also ignores the design requirements that govern AWS engineering and the subsequent tracking and tracing of moral responsibility. To show how military operations can be coupled with design ethics, this paper marries two different kinds of meaningful human control (MHC) termed levels of abstraction. Under this two-tiered understanding of MHC, the contentious notion of ‘full’ autonomy becomes unproblematic.
Environmental determinants of fish abundance in the littoral zone of gravel pit lakes
Authors: Matern S. , Klefoth T. , Wolter C. , Arlinghaus R.
Published: April 2021

The type and extent of habitats along the shoreline specify the distribution of fish in the littoral zone of lakes, but effects are likely species and size-specific and might be overwhelmed by lake-level environmental factors that drive fish abundance (e.g. trophic state). We applied a replicated transect-sampling design by electrofishing assessing fish abundance and distribution along the banks of 20 gravel pit lakes in Lower Saxony (Germany). Boosted regression trees were used to analyse the impact of different characteristic habitat types (e.g. vegetated, woody or open water zones), shoreline water depth and lake-level environmental variables on species-specific fish abundances. In contrast to earlier studies, lake-level environment and transect-level habitat type similarly influenced the abundances of differently sized fish species in the littoral zone of gravel pit lakes. The abundance of almost all fish species increased with lake productivity and extent of structured littoral habitats, mostly following non-linear relationships. Our work suggests that investments into the quality of littoral habitat, and not merely the control of nutrient inputs or other lake-level environmental factors, can promote abundance of most gravel pit lake fish species, in particular those who depend on the littoral zone for at least part of their life-cycle.
On forms, cohomology and BV Laplacians in odd symplectic geometry
Authors: Catenacci R. , Cremonini C. A. , Grassi P. A. , Noja S.
Published: April 2021

We study the cohomology of the complexes of differential, integral and a particular class of pseudo-forms on odd symplectic manifolds taking the wedge product with the symplectic form as a differential. We thus extend the result of Ševera and the related results of Khudaverdian–Voronov on interpreting the BV odd Laplacian acting on half-densities on an odd symplectic supermanifold. We show that the cohomology classes are in correspondence with inequivalent Lagrangian submanifolds and that they all define semidensities on them. Further, we introduce new operators that move from one Lagragian submanifold to another and we investigate their relation with the so-called picture changing operators for the de Rham differential. Finally, we prove the isomorphism between the cohomology of the de Rham differential and the cohomology of BV Laplacian in the extended framework of differential, integral and a particular class of pseudo-forms.