bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Chronic neutrophilic leukemia complicated with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance: A case report and literature review
Authors: Gao Jia‐Pei , Zhai Li‐Jia , Gao Xiao‐Hui , Min Feng‐Ling
Published: February 2022

Background

Study of the molecular biological characteristics of chronic neutrophilic leukemia complicated with plasma cell disorder (CNL‐PCD) and lymphocytic proliferative disease (CNL‐LPD).

Methods

The clinical data of a patient with chronic neutrophilic leukemia complicated with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (CNL‐MGUS) in our hospital were reviewed, and the Chinese and/or English literature about CNL‐PCD and CNL‐LPD in PubMed and the Chinese database CNKI in the past 10 years was searched to analyze the molecular biological characteristics of this disease.

Results

A 73‐year‐old male had persistent leukocytosis for 18 months. The white blood cell count was 46.77 × 109/L and primarily composed of mature neutrophils; hemoglobin: 77 g/L; platelet count: 189 × 109/L. Serum immunofixation electrophoresis showed IgG‐λ monoclonal M protein. A CT scan showed splenomegaly. Next‐generation sequencing (NGS) showed that CSF3R T618I, ASXL1 and RUNX1 mutations were positive. It was diagnosed as CNL‐MGUS. We summarized 10 cases of CNL‐PCD and 1 case of CNL‐LPD who underwent genetic mutation detection reported in the literature. The CSF3R mutational frequency (7/11, 63.6%) was lower than that of isolated CNL. The ASXL1 mutations were all positive (3/3), which may represent a poor prognostic factor. The SETBP1 mutation may promote the progression of CNL‐PCD. We also found JAK2, RUNX1, NRAS, etc. in CNL‐PCD.

Conclusions

Chronic neutrophilic leukemia may be more inclined to coexist with plasma cell disorder. The CSF3R mutation in CNL‐PCD is still the most common mutated gene compared with isolated CNL. Mutations in SETBP1 and ASXL1 may be poor prognostic factors for CNL‐PCD.
Serum creatinine to cystatin C ratio reflects preoperative and early postoperative walking ability in older patients with hip fracture
Authors: Okubo Naoki , Yoshida Takashi , Tanaka Kazuya , Okada Naoya , Hosoi Kunihiko , Ohara Masato , Takahashi Kenji
Published: February 2022

Background

The sarcopenia index (SI), calculated as the ratio of serum creatinine to cystatin C levels, reflects skeletal muscle mass and strength. Patients with hip fracture (HF) and sarcopenia have poor functional outcomes, and many require long‐term care after surgery. We hypothesized that the SI can predict preoperative and early postoperative functional outcomes.

Methods

Preoperative serum creatinine and cystatin C were measured to calculate the SI for patients with surgically treated HF (n = 130, mean age: 87.8 ± 6.9 years). Walking ability before and 2 weeks after surgery was assessed, and patients were dichotomized into independent and assistance groups. To assess the validity of the SI, we examined its correlation with the quality [computed tomography (CT) value] and quantity (cross‐sectional area) of the muscles around the hip on the non‐operated side, which were preoperatively measured using CT. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to evaluate the prognostic value of the SI.

Results

The SI of the preoperative independent (n = 77) and assistance groups (n = 53) significantly differed (70.2 ± 12.4 and 60.1 ± 9.8, respectively, P < 0.000001). At 2 weeks after surgery, the SI was significantly higher in the independent group (n = 31, 73.0 ± 14.9) than in the assistance group (n = 99, 64.0 ± 10.7, P = 0.0003). In the preoperative independent group, 28 could walk independently after surgery (SI: 74.8 ± 14.0) while 49 required assistance (SI: 67.7 ± 10.6, P = 0.01). For patients with femoral neck fracture (FNF), the SIs were significantly higher in the postoperative independent group (78.6 ± 15.7) than in the postoperative assistance group (63.2 ± 10.9, P = 0.002). Logistic regression analysis showed that the odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of the SI for postoperative walking ability was 0.95 (0.91–0.99, P = 0.03). The correlations of SIs with CT values and cross‐sectional areas were as follows: iliopsoas at the apex of the femoral head, r = 0.40, P < 0.001 and r = 0.49, P < 0.001, respectively; rectus femoris at the level of the lessor trochanter, r = 0.26, P = 0.007 and r = 0.37, P < 0.001, respectively. ROC analysis for predicting postoperative walking ability in preoperative independent patients with HF and FNF revealed areas under the curve (95% confidence interval) of 0.63 (0.50–0.76) and 0.80 (0.65–0.96), respectively.

Conclusions

In patients with HF, the SI correlated with preoperative walking ability and could predict postoperative walking ability. Among patients who could walk independently before surgery, those with high SIs could walk independently early in the postoperative period. The SI is beneficial for estimating walking ability in patients with HF.
Background factors associated with academic motivation for attending medical school immediately after admission in Japan: A single‐center study
Authors: Watari Takashi , Nagai Nobuhiro , Kono Kaori , Onigata Kazumichi
Published: February 2022

Background

To become a doctor with a high level of professionalism and ethical standards, it is important to have and maintain a high level of motivation right from medical school. However, studies in Japan have not quantitatively investigated the factors related to motivation immediately after enrollment. This study aimed to identify the demographic factors that influence the motivation of medical students immediately after admission.

Methods

A cross‐sectional single‐center study was conducted. First‐year medical students answered our questionnaire three weeks after the admission. The questionnaire comprised 16 demographic items and the 28‐item Academic Motivation Scale, which was used to quantify motivation.

Results

Our analysis showed that amotivation, representing low levels of self‐determinant motivation, was significantly higher in students whose parents were medical professionals and in students who did not talk about their problems than in those whose parents were not medical professionals and those who did talk about their problems. Intrinsic motivation, which indicates the level of self‐determinant motivation, was significantly lower in students who belonged to a sports club.

Conclusions

We suggest that having parents who are medical professionals may be associated with an individual's decreased motivation when entering medical school in Japan. Though this is a novel finding, further research is needed to analyze this relationship.
Colon injury and gastrocolocutaneous fistula complication of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy
Authors: Imbeth‐Acosta Pedro Luis , Martínez‐Ávila María Cristina , Pineda Paternina Mario Andrés , Mondol Almeida Zulay Margarita , Llanos Almario Kevin , de Jesús Blanquicett Diaz Alejandro , Meza Gamarra Kelly Carolina
Published: February 2022

Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) insertion is an effective endoscopic procedure for enteral feeding in patients with difficulty swallowing. Many postprocedural complications have been reported after the PEG procedure. The displacement of the transverse colon over the anterior gastric wall can predispose the patient to colonic injury and fistulae during PEG placement. Gastrocolonic fistulas represent a serious but rare complication post PEG placement. We report a 90 year old man with a background of multiple comorbidities and high preoperative risk who developed a gastrocolocutaneous fistula post PEG placement due to a colonic injury. He was successfully treated with nonoperative management.
Transcriptome analysis revealed accumulation‐assimilation of selenium and physio‐biochemical changes in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) leaves
Authors: Hu Huafeng , Hu Jinke , Wang Qingdong , Xiang Meiling , Zhang Yaru
Published: February 2022

BACKGROUND

Selenium (Se) is an increasing concern for investigators predominantly because of its consumption in the human body mainly from crops. As the fourth largest plant crop globally, alfalfa is one of the most important forages. Alfalfa was fertilized with selenium(IV) (Se(IV)) under field conditions to study the accumulation and assimilation of Se(IV) and to assess the impact of Se fertilization.

RESULTS

It was analyzed that the physio‐biochemistry, Se species, combined with transcriptome after spraying Se(IV) at different times (0, 12, and 48 h). 9402 and 12 607 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified at 12 h (versus 0 h) and 48 h (versus 12 h). DEG functional enrichments proposed two time‐specific biological processes: Se(IV) accumulation was the primary process at 0–12 h, and its assimilation mainly occurred during 12–48 h. This was further proved by the separation of various Se speciation at different times. It showed that Se‐supplementation also affected the soluble protein, soluble sugar, pigment contents and antioxidant capacity. Selenium‐biofortification could improve the stress resistance of alfalfa by enhancing antioxidant system to scavenge reactive oxygen species (e.g. hydrogen peroxide) and boosting carbohydrate metabolism.

CONCLUSION

By integrating physio‐biochemistry, Se‐related metabolites, and transcriptome under Se(IV) treatment, this study provides data to guide further work on Se‐fortification in alfalfa. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.
Zeolitic imidazolate framework‐8 as a dispersive solid phase extraction sorbent for simultaneous determination of 145 pesticide residues in polyphenol‐rich plants
Authors: Zhu Telin , Qi Peipei , Wang Jiao , Di Shanshan , Wang Zhiwei , Xu Hao , Zhao Huiyu , Wang Qiang , Wang Xinquan , Zhang Chenghui
Published: February 2022

Many plants have a high polyphenol content, which causes the matrix effect and makes the analysis of trace pesticide residues highly challenging. A common approach to improving matrix effects is to purify pesticides through the use of sorbents, but this requires a combination of multiple sorbents and extensive use. Zeolitic imidazolate framework‐8 is widely used for pesticide analysis due to its high porosity, large specific surface area, and versatility. Here, we established and validated a modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe method based on a zeolitic imidazolate framework‐8 that was used to test the removal ability for polyphenols. To this end, 145 pesticide residues in peppermint, perilla, fennel, and mulberry leaves were analyzed by the modified method coupled with liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. The mean recoveries of all pesticide residues were in the range of 74.3–103.7%, with mean relative standard deviations ≤9.1% at spiked concentrations of 1, 10, 50, and 100 μg/kg for mulberry leaves. The limits of quantitation of the method ranged from 1 to 50 μg/kg. This study offers a reliable approach for the accurate quantitative analysis of various trace substances in the polyphenol‐rich plants.
Ultrasound Examination of the Ligament Complex Within the Medial Aspect of the Ankle and Foot
Authors: Martinez‐Franco Alfonso , Gijon‐Nogueron Gabriel , Franco‐Romero Alberto‐German , Tejero Sergio , Torrontegui‐Duarte Marcelino , Jiménez‐Díaz Fernando
Published: February 2022

To properly diagnose and treat injuries to the ankle or foot, the physician must have good anatomical knowledge of the ligaments involved. The bundles can be distinguished and identified by ultrasound examination of the medial aspect, but this may be a challenging task. In the present illustrated study, we discuss how a detailed ultrasound examination can be made of the different ligaments within the medial aspect of the ankle and foot.
Springtime phytoplankton responses to light and iron availability along the western Antarctic Peninsula
Authors: Joy‐Warren Hannah L. , Alderkamp Anne‐Carlijn , van Dijken Gert L. , J. Jabre Loay , Bertrand Erin M. , Baldonado Evan N. , Glickman Molly W. , Lewis Kate M. , Middag Rob , Seyitmuhammedov Kyyas , Lowry Kate E. , van de Poll Willem , Arrigo Kevin R.
Published: February 2022

Light and iron availability are intertwined in controlling Southern Ocean primary production because several photosynthetic proteins require iron. Changes in light and iron availability can also affect phytoplankton species composition, which impacts nutrient cycling, carbon drawdown, and food web structure. To investigate the interactive effects of light and iron on phytoplankton growth, photosynthesis, photoacclimation strategy, micronutrient stress‐induced protein expression, and species composition, we conducted five bioassay experiments during spring in waters along the western Antarctic Peninsula with four treatments: low light (LL) or high light (HL) combined with or without iron addition. This region has rarely been studied in spring. We found that light limits growth while iron does not, despite overall low iron concentrations. Our results demonstrate that phytoplankton were LL acclimated in situ but photosynthetically optimized for higher light than they were experiencing, likely due to a highly dynamic light regime. Expression patterns of micronutrient stress‐induced proteins were consistent with iron stress in off‐shelf regions, but remarkably this iron stress did not result in lower carbon fixation and growth rates. Notably, manganese drawdown was highest under elevated light, suggesting a possible role in managing HL, although high flavodoxin expression indicated that Phaeocystis antarctica may not have been manganese‐limited. Although light and iron treatments did not impact species composition, high methionine synthase indicated that diatoms could have experienced stress induced by low vitamin B12, potentially contributing to P. antarctica's general dominance throughout the experiments. Our results indicate that P. antarctica may be better adapted to spring conditions than diatoms.
Spatiotemporal Differentiators Generating Optical Vortices with Transverse Orbital Angular Momentum and Detecting Sharp Change of Pulse Envelope
Authors: Huang Junyi , Zhang Jiahao , Zhu Tengfeng , Ruan Zhichao
Published: February 2022

As a new degree of freedom for optical manipulation, recently, spatiotemporal optical vortices (STOVs) carrying transverse orbital angular momentums have been experimentally demonstrated with pulse shapers. Here, a spatiotemporal differentiator is proposed to generate STOVs with transverse orbital angular momentum. In order to create phase singularity in the spatiotemporal domain, the spatiotemporal differentiator is designed by breaking spatial mirror symmetry. In contrast to pulse shapers, the device proposed here is a simple one‐dimensional periodic nanostructure and thus it is much more compact. For a normal incident pulse, the differentiator generates a transmitted STOV pulse with transverse orbital angular momentum. Furthermore, the interference of the generated STOVs can be used to detect the sharp changes of pulse envelopes, in both spatial and temporal dimensions.
Developing a network data envelopment analysis model to measure the efficiency of banking with the governance, innovation, and operations
Authors: Yeh Li‐Ting , Chang Dong‐Shang , Li Huei‐Min
Published: February 2022

The bank's integrity culture is critical to the public's trust and long‐term development. However, previous literature on the efficiency evaluation of the banking merely focuses on operational efficiency. Therefore, this study measures the efficiency of Taiwanese banks through Network Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) from the perspectives of banking integrity, environment, social, government (ESG), and Fintech. The results indicate the main reason for the difference in bank efficiency comes from the governance and innovation stage. Financial holding company's banks are more efficient than independent banks in each stage. The overall efficiency of state‐owned banks is lower than privately‐owned banks, mainly due to the lower efficiency score in the innovation stage.
Utility of the Huntington's Disease Prognostic Index Score for a Perimanifest Clinical Trial
Authors: Langbehn Douglas R. , Fine Elisabeth M. , Meier Andreas , Hersch Steven
Published: February 2022

Background

Subtle neurodegenerative motor and cognitive impairments accumulate over a prodromal period several years before clinical diagnosis of Huntington's disease (HD). The inclusion of prodromal individuals in therapeutic trials would facilitate testing of therapies early in the disease course and the development of treatments intended to prevent or delay disability.

Objectives

We evaluate the normalized prognostic index (PIN) score as a tool to select participants for a perimanifest trial. We explore anticipated PIN‐based inclusion rates from the preHD screening population and estimate sample‐size requirements based on PIN threshold, trial duration, and outcome measure.

Methods

Individual participant data from ENROLL‐HD were used to fit mixed effect linear models to assess longitudinal changes in clinical metrics for participants with early‐manifest HD and PIN‐stratified preHD subcohorts.

Results

A PIN threshold of 0.0 was met by 40% of the preHD participants in ENROLL‐HD; 39.4% and 55.2% progressed to new diagnoses of early‐manifest HD within 2 and 3 years, respectively. Various PIN thresholds also enabled the selection of specified ratios of prodromal preHD to early manifest HD participants for a perimanifest trial. Estimated sample sizes for a trial enrolling prodromal preHD (PIN > 0.0) and stage 1 and 2 motor‐diagnosed participants varied depending on the composition of the screening pool, the length of follow‐up (1, 2, or 3 years), and outcome measure.

Conclusions

The composition of a perimanifest clinical trial population can be defined using preselected PIN thresholds, facilitating the assessment of potential disease‐modifying therapies in HD. © 2022 Voyager Therapeutics, Inc. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson Movement Disorder Society.
Quantized optimal output feedback control and optimal triggering signal co‐design for unknown discrete‐time nonlinear systems
Authors: Han Xiumei , Hao Mengnan , Li Peng , Zhao Xudong , Xu Ning
Published: February 2022

A problem of optimizing the cost function incorporated into the transmission cost is proposed for completely unknown discrete‐time systems in this article. At first, a switched system containing two modes is formulated based on whether the triggering is executed or not, and the corresponding cost function and output feedback control law are also derived. By giving the formulated switched system, the triggering signal turns into the switching signal and the proposed problem is converted into an optimal control problem for the formulated discrete‐time switched system. Secondly, a model network is presented to approximate the system dynamic since the dynamic model is completely unknown. Thirdly, in view of ADP‐based optimal control methods of switched systems, critic and actor networks are applied respectively to approximate the optimal cost function and the optimal output feedback control law, and a PI‐based online learning method is proposed. When weights of critic and actor networks are obtained and implemented through the proposed online learning method, the optimal triggering signal is derived. Fourthly, the convergent property is given to guarantee the obtained results are optimal. At last, the validity of the proposed method is shown by simulation results of two examples.
Biologic characterization of ABCA3 variants in lung tissue from infants and children with ABCA3 deficiency
Authors: Xu Kathryn K. , Wegner Daniel J. , Geurts Lucille C. , Heins Hillary B. , Yang Ping , Hamvas Aaron , Eghtesady Pirooz , Sweet Stuart C. , Sessions Cole F. , Wambach Jennifer A.
Published: February 2022

ABCA3 is a phospholipid transporter protein required for surfactant assembly in lamellar bodies of alveolar type II cells. Biallelic pathogenic ABCA3 variants cause severe neonatal respiratory distress syndrome or childhood interstitial lung disease. However, ABCA3 genotype alone does not explain the diversity in disease presentation, severity, and progression. Additionally, monoallelic ABCA3 variants have been reported in infants and children with ABCA3‐deficient phenotypes. The effects of most ABCA3 variants identified in patients have not been characterized at the RNA level. ABCA3 allele‐specific expression occurs in some cell types due to epigenetic regulation. We obtained lung tissue at transplant or autopsy from 16 infants and children with ABCA3 deficiency due to compound heterozygous ABCA3 variants for biologic characterization of the predicted effects of ABCA3 variants at the RNA level and determination of ABCA3 allele expression. We extracted DNA and RNA from frozen lung tissue and reverse‐transcribed cDNA from mRNA. We performed Sanger sequencing to assess allele‐specific expression by comparing the heights of variant nucleotide peaks in amplicons from genomic DNA and cDNA. We found similar genomic and cDNA variant nucleotide peak heights and no evidence of allele‐specific expression among explant or autopsy samples with biallelic missense ABCA3 variants (n = 6). We observed allele‐specific expression of missense alleles in trans with frameshift (n = 4) or nonsense (n = 1) variants, attributable to nonsense‐mediated decay. The missense variant c.53 A > G;p.Gln18Arg, located near an exon‐intron junction, encoded abnormal splicing with skipping of exon 4. Biologic characterization of ABCA3 variants can inform discovery of variant‐specific disease mechanisms.
Predicting resilience and stability of early second‐growth forests
Authors: Maure Lucas Andrigo , Diniz Milena Fiuza , Coelho Marco Túlio Pacheco , Souza de Oliveira Marina P. , Ribeiro Milton Cezar , da Silva Fernando Rodrigues , Hasui Érica
Published: February 2022

Identifying deforested areas with high potential for natural forest recovery can be used as an aid for ecological restoration projects at large‐scale. However, accurate predictions that infer the resilience (i.e. recovery rate after deforestation) and stability (i.e. the ability of the ecosystem to maintain its functions) of early second‐growth forests are scarce at a regional scale. Here, we investigated the effect of climate, soil and topography on the resilience and stability of 165 early second‐growth forests throughout the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. We also built prediction maps of potential resilience and stability to identify where reforestation could be optimized in the early stages of forest succession. We assessed the resilience and stability through an interannual plant primary productivity time series using a normalized difference vegetation index. Our analysis reveals that resilience was mainly associated with isothermality (i.e. diurnal temperature oscillation relative to the annual temperature oscillation) and precipitation of the warmest quarter. In turn, stability was mainly associated with the probability of bedrock occurrence, annual precipitation and precipitation seasonality. The prediction maps show a spatial pattern in which potential resilience and stability increase from north to south of the Atlantic Forest. Forest restoration can be optimized in regions with high potential resilience and stability, such as an isolated area on the north coast in the Bahia state and the southern region. However, restoration may require active practices and management in regions with low potential for both ecosystem properties, such as the north inland in the Bahia and Minas Gerais states. This ecosystemic approach can help achieve Atlantic Forest restoration commitments.
Break on Through: The Role of Innate Immunity and Barrier Defence in Atopic Dermatitis and Psoriasis
Authors: Hawerkamp H. C. , Fahy C. M. R. , Fallon P. G. , Schwartz C.
Published: February 2022

The human skin can be affected by a multitude of diseases including inflammatory conditions such as atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. Here, we describe how skin barrier integrity and immunity become dysregulated during these two most common inflammatory skin conditions. We summarise recent advances made in the field of the skin innate immune system and its interaction with adaptive immunity. We review gene variants associated with atopic dermatitis and psoriasis that affect innate immune mechanisms and skin barrier integrity. Finally, we discuss how current and future therapies may affect innate immune responses and skin barrier integrity in a generalized or more targeted approach in order to ameliorate disease in patients.
Chaos as a Software Product Line—A platform for improving open hybrid‐cloud systems resiliency
Authors: Camacho Carlos , Cañizares Pablo C. , Llana Luis , Núñez Alberto
Published: February 2022

Nowadays, cloud‐native software architectures have a significant relevance due to the speed and agility they provide. These properties lead relevant organizations in different industries, like video streaming (Netflix), car‐sharing (Uber, Cabify), banking (BBVA, HSBC), and governmental agencies (NASA, FBI, CERN, ESA) to heavily rely on cloud‐native software to run their business‐critical applications. Additionally, including fault injection actions in the production infrastructure allows companies to have consistent environments, to improve applications dependability against unexpected failures, to provide better user experience, and to improve the overall system quality. Thus, cloud computing technologies allow development teams to rapidly create complex systems and to continuously deploy them, at a global scale. This work describes Pystol, a novel fault injection platform—represented as a Software Product Line—to analyze the effects caused by a wide spectrum of adverse conditions. Pystol is designed to be executed on top of cloud‐native environments, either in private or public clouds. The proposed architecture shows a way for representing feature models based on Unified Model Language (in short, UML) component diagrams. Furthermore, we present a thorough empirical study carried out in real‐world environments, providing promising results.
Improving test automation maturity: A multivocal literature review
Authors: Wang Yuqing , Mäntylä Mika V. , Liu Zihao , Markkula Jouni , Raulamo‐jurvanen Päivi
Published: February 2022

Mature test automation is key for achieving software quality at speed. In this paper, we present a multivocal literature review with the objective to survey and synthesize the guidelines given in the literature for improving test automation maturity. We selected and reviewed 81 primary studies, consisting of 26 academic literature and 55 grey literature sources. From primary studies, we extracted 26 test automation best practices (e.g., Define an effective test automation strategy, Set up good test environments, and Develop high‐quality test scripts) and collected many pieces of advice (e.g., in forms of implementation/improvement approaches, technical techniques, concepts, and experience‐based heuristics) on how to conduct these best practices. We made main observations: (1) There are only six best practices whose positive effect on maturity improvement have been evaluated by academic studies using formal empirical methods; (2) several technical related best practices in this MLR were not presented in test maturity models; (3) some best practices can be linked to success factors and maturity impediments proposed by other scholars; (4) most pieces of advice on how to conduct proposed best practices were identified from experience studies and their effectiveness need to be further evaluated with cross‐site empirical evidence using formal empirical methods; (5) in the literature, some advice on how to conduct certain best practices are conflicting, and some advice on how to conduct certain best practices still need further qualitative analysis.
Inequality, Rules of Irrelevance, and Recognition in Broken Friendships
Authors: Eramian Laura , Mallory Peter
Published: February 2022

Friendship depends on equality, yet friends are seldom fully equal. In this article, we investigate failed and difficult friendships through attention to the relationship between (in)equality, recognition, and “rules of irrelevance.” Based on interviews in an Atlantic Canadian city, we argue that since friendship offers the chance to develop an identity and be recognized as a whole person, it encounters difficulty when friends will not or cannot enact rules of irrelevance around their inequalities. We identify four flashpoints that may undermine those rules of irrelevance: authority over a friend, unequal cultural capital, suffusion of work relations and friendship, and complexities of cross‐gender friendships.
Selected physico-chemical properties of composite scaffolds of sintered submicrocrystalline corundum and bioglass
Authors: Staniewicz-Brudnik Barbara , Karolus Małgorzata , Cholewa-Kowalska Katarzyna , Skrabalak Grzegorz , Laszkiewicz-Łukasik Jolanta , Drukała Justyna , Stalińska Joanna , Dziedzic Katarzyna
Published: February 2022

Presented paper contains description and interpretation of the results of selected physicochemical and structural properties of two types of composite sinters. They were constituted of a mixture of sintered microcrystalline corundum and bioglass CaO-P2O5-SiO2-Na2O system intended for scaffolds to cell culture of human chondrocytes. The composites contained a mixture of both above-mentioned components in the volumetric proportion of 50:50 (W5) and 30:70 (W7). They were obtained using powder metallurgy by free sintering in air atmosphere. Phase analysis of composites and verification of theoretical identification using X-ray diffraction were performed. The same phases were found in both cases (Al2O3SiO2CaAl2Si2O8, Ca3(PO4)2, Ca2Al4O7and NaAlSiO4). Microscopic tests of composite surfaces were performed and some differences were found. W5 sample was not completely covered with bioglass, whilst W7 sample was completely covered with bioglass with few fine pores. Tests of surface topography confirmed the presence of large and small pores. Composite surfaces immersed for 30 days in artificial blood plasma were tested and then electron microscopy analysis was performed. It was found that no significant changes occurred on the surface of the W5 composite, probably partial corrosion of the glass happened. Spherical forms characteristic of HA-hydroxyapatites were observed on the surface of sample W7. Human articular chondrocyte cells were seeded on both types of sinters and proliferation assay was performed. Results indicate that tested scaffolds support cellular attachment and proliferation of chondrocytes.
Untersuchung der FRT-Fähigkeit eines Hydrogenerators unter besonderer Berücksichtigung des Back-Swing-Effekts
Authors: Brankovic Darko , Schürhuber Robert , Renner Herwig
Published: February 2022

Stabilitätsuntersuchungen sind seit Langem ein wichtiges Thema im Netzbetrieb und helfen, einen sicheren Betrieb des Netzes zu gewährleisten. Methoden zur Verifikation der Stabilität sind in den Netzanschlussbedingungen [1–7] definiert und umfassen unter anderem die Überprüfung der Fault Ride Through(FRT)-Fähigkeit von Stromerzeugungsanlagen, d. h. die Fähigkeit der Anlagen, bei definierten Spannungseinbrüchen ohne Verlust ihrer Stabilität mit dem Netz verbunden zu bleiben. Diese Verifikation geschieht oft durch Simulation, bei größeren Anlagen (rund > 10 MW) ist dies stets der Fall. Bei kleineren Anlagen ist es vor allem dann die übliche Vorgehensweise, wenn es sich um eine projektspezifisch ausgelegte Anlage handelt, was etwa bei Wasserkraftanlagen den Regelfall darstellt. In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden verschiedene Methoden zur Untersuchung der FRT-Fähigkeit analysiert. Es werden zwei verschiedene Ansätze zum Erzeugen eines Spannungseinbruches überprüft, welche den FRT wesentlich beeinflussen und damit auch zu einem unterschiedlichen Anlagenverhalten führen. Einerseits wird der Spannungseinbruch durch eine geregelte Fehlerimpedanz am Netzanschlusspunkt verursacht, andererseits erfolgt die Simulation eines Spannungseinbruches durch die Modifikation der das Netz darstellenden Ersatzspannungsquelle. Schließlich werden im Artikel auch die Parameter der Ersatzschaltung identifiziert und analysiert, welche einen maßgeblichen Einfluss auf die FRT-Fähigkeit haben.
SARS-CoV-2-related mortality and treatment delays for cancer patients in Austria
Authors: Berger Julia M. , Wohlfarth Phillipp , Königsbrügge Oliver , Knaus Hanna A. , Porpaczy Edit , Kaufmann Hannes , Schreiber Johanna , Mrva-Ghukasyan Tatevik , Winder Thomas , Severgnini Luciano , Wolf Dominik , Petzer Verena , Nguyen Van Anh , Weinlich Georg , Öhler Leopold , Wonnerth Anna , Miksovsky Aurelia , Engelhart Bert , Preusser Matthias , Berghoff Anna S.
Published: February 2022

Background

Cancer patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have an increased risk of mortality. Here, we investigated predictive factors for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) associated mortality in patients with neoplastic diseases treated throughout Austria.

Methods

In this multicentric nationwide cohort study, data on patients with active or previous malignant diseases and SARS-CoV‑2 infections diagnosed between 13 March 2020 and 06 April 2021 were collected. Collected data included the stage of the malignant disease and outcome parameters 30 days after the diagnosis of SARS-CoV‑2 infection.

Results

The cohort consisted of 230 individuals of which 75 (32.6%) patients were diagnosed with hematologic malignancies and 155 (67.4%) with solid tumors. At a median follow-up of 31 days after COVID-19 diagnosis, 38 (16.5%) patients had died due to COVID-19. Compared to survivors, patients who died were older (62.4 vs. 71.4 years, p < 0.001) and had a higher ECOG performance status (0.7 vs. 2.43, p < 0.001). Furthermore, higher neutrophil counts (64.9% vs. 73.8%, p = 0.03), lower lymphocyte counts (21.4% vs. 14%, p = 0.006) and lower albumin levels (32.5 g/l vs. 21.6 g/l, p < 0.001) were observed to be independent risk factors for adverse outcomes. No association between mortality and systemic antineoplastic therapy was found (p > 0.05). In 60.6% of the patients, therapy was postponed due to quarantine requirements or hospital admission.

Conclusion

Mortality of Austrian cancer patients infected with SARS-CoV‑2 is comparable to that of other countries. Furthermore, risk factors associated with higher mortality were evident and similar to the general population. Treatment delays were frequently observed.
Bevacizumab and sunitinib mediate osteogenic and pro-inflammatory molecular changes in primary human alveolar osteoblasts in vitro
Authors: Hofmann Elena , Eggers Benedikt , Heim Nils , Kramer Franz-Josef , Nokhbehsaim Marjan , Götz Werner
Published: February 2022

Antiangiogenic medications target the de novo blood vessel formation in tumorigenesis. However, these novel drugs have been linked to the onset of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ). The aim of this in vitro study was to examine the effects of the vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) antibody bevacizumab (BEV) and the receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (RTKI) sunitinib (SUN) on primary human osteoblasts derived from the alveolar bone. Primary human alveolar osteoblasts (HAOBs) were treated with BEV or SUN for 48 h. Cellular metabolic activity was examined by XTT assay. Differentially regulated genes were identified by screening of 22 selected osteogenic and angiogenic markers by quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT2-PCR). Protein levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), collagen type 1, α1 (COL1A1) and secreted protein acidic and cysteine rich (SPARC) were examined by enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA). Treatment with BEV and SUN did not exhibit direct cytotoxic effects in HAOBs as confirmed by XTT assay. Of the 22 genes examined by qRT2-PCR, four genes were significantly regulated after BEV treatment and eight genes in the SUN group as compared to the control group. Gene expression levels of ALPL, COL1A1 and SPARC were significantly downregulated by both drugs. Further analysis by ELISA indicated the downregulation of protein levels of ALP, COL1A1 and SPARC in the BEV and SUN groups. The effects of BEV and SUN in HAOBs may be mediated by alterations to osteogenic and catabolic markers. Therapeutic or preventive strategies in MRONJ may address drug-induced depression of osteoblast differentiation.
Proxying credit curves via Wasserstein distances
Authors: Michielon Matteo , Khedher Asma , Spreij Peter
Published: February 2022

Credit risk plays a key role in financial modeling, and financial institutions are required to incorporate it in their pricing, as well as in capital requirement calculations. A common manner to extract credit worthiness information for existing and potential counterparties is based on the Credit Default Swap (CDS) market. Nonetheless, not all counterparties of a financial institution have (liquid) CDSs traded in the market. In this case, financial institutions shall employ a proxy methodology to estimate the default probabilities of these counterparties. Starting from the intersection methodology for credit curves, in this article we investigate whether it is possible to construct proxy credit curves from CDS quotes by means of (weighted) Wasserstein barycenters. We show how, under simple and common assumptions, this revised methodology leads to elementary and intuitive formulae to calculate distances between CDS-implied default probability distributions. Further, we illustrate how to use this information to construct proxy CDS quotes.
Analysing a built-in advantage in asymmetric darts contests using causal machine learning
Authors: Goller Daniel
Published: February 2022

We analyse a sequential contest with two players in darts where one of the contestants enjoys a technical advantage. Using methods from the causal machine learning literature, we analyse the built-in advantage, which is the first-mover having potentially more but never less moves. Our empirical findings suggest that the first-mover has an 8.6% points higher probability to win the match induced by the technical advantage. Contestants with low performance measures and little experience have the highest built-in advantage. With regard to the fairness principle that contestants with equal abilities should have equal winning probabilities, this contest is ex-ante fair in the case of equal built-in advantages for both competitors and a randomized starting right. Nevertheless, the contest design produces unequal probabilities of winning for equally skilled contestants because of asymmetries in the built-in advantage associated with social pressure for contestants competing at home and away.
Compressive performance of circular hollow section brace with eccentrically installed rib-stiffened splice plates
Authors: Tagawa Hiroshi , Akiyama Makoto , Chen Xingchen
Published: February 2022

Hollow section braces are often adopted in steel frame structures because of their superior performance. To connect tubular members with framing elements, field-bolted connections of the slotted-in single splice plate and gusset plate are majorly used because of their ease of construction. However, the eccentricity between the splice and gusset plate axes reduces the compressive strength of the brace and induces local connection failures under seismic excitations. To improve the compressive strength, this paper proposes a new connection configuration for circular hollow section braces in which cruciform rib-stiffened splice plates are eccentrically installed such that the gusset plate axis coincides with the brace axis. The concept of the proposed connection was first described with theoretical considerations. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed connections, compressive loading tests and subsequent cyclic loading tests were conducted for four test specimens. Furthermore, finite element analyses with long-brace models were performed to demonstrate the good performance of the proposed connection for a wide range of slenderness ratios.
The Impact of Community Mental Health Programs for Australian Youth: A Systematic Review
Authors: Savaglio Melissa , O’Donnell Renee , Hatzikiriakidis Kostas , Vicary Dave , Skouteris Helen
Published: February 2022

Australia has undergone significant youth mental health reform over the past 10 years, leading to numerous studies examining the effects of community-based mental health care programs for Australian youth. However, no synthesis of this literature currently exists. Therefore, this systematic review aimed to: (1) describe the types of community-based mental health programs that have been delivered to Australian youth in the past 10 years; and (2) examine their impact in improving young people’s mental health symptomology and psychosocial functioning. A systematic search of the peer-reviewed literature was conducted. Studies were included if they evaluated the extent to which such programs improved mental health symptomology (e.g., depression, anxiety, substance use) and/or psychosocial outcomes (e.g., social functioning, school engagement, employment) for Australian youth aged 10–25 years. Thirty-seven studies were included. Four types of community-based youth mental health care programs were identified: therapy (n = 16), case management (n = 9), integrated ‘one-stop-shop’ (n = 6) and lifestyle (n = 6) programs. The majority of therapeutic programs were effective in reducing mental health symptomology. Case management and integrated approaches consistently yielded significant improvements in both symptomology and psychosocial outcomes. Lifestyle programs were effective in alleviating depressive symptoms, but inconclusive for other outcomes. This review provides support for youth-friendly, systemic, multidisciplinary and integrated assertive outreach models of community mental health care to improve outcomes for young Australians experiencing mental health concerns. Several recommendations for future research are provided to strengthen the local evidence-base supporting community mental health programs to ultimately enhance young people’s life trajectory.
Heavy-tailed phase-type distributions: a unified approach
Authors: Bladt Martin , Yslas Jorge
Published: February 2022

A phase-type distribution is the distribution of the time until absorption in a finite state-space time-homogeneous Markov jump process, with one absorbing state and the rest being transient. These distributions are mathematically tractable and conceptually attractive to model physical phenomena due to their interpretation in terms of a hidden Markov structure. Three recent extensions of regular phase-type distributions give rise to models which allow for heavy tails: discrete- or continuous-scaling; fractional-time semi-Markov extensions; and inhomogeneous time-change of the underlying Markov process. In this paper, we present a unifying theory for heavy-tailed phase-type distributions for which all three approaches are particular cases. Our main objective is to provide useful models for heavy-tailed phase-type distributions, but any other tail behavior is also captured by our specification. We provide relevant new examples and also show how existing approaches are naturally embedded. Subsequently, two multivariate extensions are presented, inspired by the univariate construction which can be considered as a matrix version of a frailty model. We provide fully explicit EM-algorithms for all models and illustrate them using synthetic and real-life data.
The antioxidant responses of gills, intestines and livers and blood immunity of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) exposed to salinity and temperature stressors
Authors: Dawood Mahmoud A. O. , Alkafafy Mohamed , Sewilam Hani
Published: February 2022

Aquaculture activity is affected by various environmental factors, including water salinity and high temperatures. The present study investigated the impact of using varying water salinity (0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 ppt) on the growth behavior, immune responses and antioxidative responses of common carp. Fish were raised under optimal conditions except for water salinity for 8 weeks; fish were then subjected to high-temperature stress (32 °C) for 48 h. The results indicated a reduced final weight (FBW), weight gain (WG), specific growth rate (SGR), condition factor (CF), feed intake and feed efficiency ratio (FER) in common carp reared in 15 and 20 ppt (p < 0.05). The lowest FBW, WG, SGR, CF, feed intake and FER values were observed in fish reared in 20 ppt water salinity (p < 0.05). In gills, the superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were markedly decreased, but malondialdehyde (MDA) levels increased in fish challenged with 15 and 20 ppt before they were subjected to heat stress (p < 0.05). After heat stress, the SOD, CAT and GPx were decreased, and the MDA increased in fish reared in varying salinity levels (p < 0.05). Before heat stress, the intestinal SOD, CAT and GPx markers were decreased by 15 and 20 ppt, while the MDA level was increased by 15 and 20 ppt (p < 0.05). Generally, heat stress lowered the SOD, CAT and GPx activity in the intestines and liver tissues but increased MDA levels in common carp stressed by varying salinity levels (p < 0.05). The most decreased lysozyme activity, SOD, CAT and GPx and increased MDA levels were observed in common carp exposed to 20 ppt before and after heat stress (p < 0.05). After heat stress, fish exposed to 15 and 20 ppt had lower NBT than the remaining groups, and fish exposed to 20 ppt had the lowest values (p < 0.05). Overall, the heat stress markedly suppressed the antioxidant and immune responses of common carp reared in hypersalinity conditions.
Application of Digital Twins in multiple fields
Authors: Guo Jinkang , Lv Zhihan
Published: February 2022

With the development of science and technology, the high-tech industry is developing rapidly, and various new-age technologies continue to appear, and Digital Twins (DT) is one of them. As a brand-new interactive technology, DT technology can handle the interaction between the real world and the virtual world well. It has become a hot spot in the academic circles of all countries in the world. DT have developed rapidly in recent years result from centrality, integrity and dynamics. It is integrated with other technologies and has been applied in many fields, such as smart factory in industrial production, digital model of life in medical field, construction of smart city, security guarantee in aerospace field, immersive shopping in commercial field and so on. The introduction of DT is mostly a summary of concepts, and few practical applications of Digital Twins are introduced. The purpose of this paper is to enable people to understand the application status of DT technology. At the same time, the introduction of core technologies related to DT is interspersed in the application introduction. Finally, combined with the current development status of DT, predict the future development trend of DT and make a summary.