bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Quality of Guava Seed (Psidium guajava L.) White and Red Varieties on Different Substrates
Authors: Silva Calebe Oliveira Crispim da , Barros Daniella Inácio , Nunes Helber Véras , Nunes Bruno Henrique Di Napoli , Dias João Lucas Aires , Cavalcante Vitória Alves , Rezende Higor Silva , Silva Igor Fayder de Souza e , Souza Dhenys Miller Jorge de , Rezende Victor Hugo Silva
Published: January 2020

The guava tree is the fruit of the guava tree of the species Psidium guajava L. belonging to the family of Myrtaceae a rustic fruit and adapts to the most varied types of soils. It is a fleshy fruit, thin-skinned, green, or when mature yellowish and very rich in soluble fibers. Seed germination is influenced by factors such as substrate, which can improve germination, resulting in the acquisition of more vigorous seedlings. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse at the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Tocantins, Gurupi/TO, in 2017. The seeds of guava Kumagai and Paluma (Psidium guajava L.) used in the experiment were taken directly from the fruit, which was collected in the urban region of Gurupi in March 2017. For the two varieties evaluated, both for the first emergence count and seedling emergence, the substrates stood out: organic compound + black earth + commercial substrate (55% and 37%) (67% and 49%), washed sand + rice straw + black earth (52% and 36%) (52% and 36 %) lower substrates: washed sand (46% and 10%) (66% and 35%) and rice straw + sawdust + black ground (47% and 7%) (59% and 31%), respectively. The substrates: organic compound + black earth + commercial substrate and washed sand + rice straw + black earth provided the highest values of viability and vigour in white and red pulp guava seeds.
Noticing Hypothesis
Authors: Leow Ronald P.
Published: December 2019

Since the 1990s, Schmidt's noticing hypothesis has been viewed as one of the most influential theoretical underpinnings in the SLA field for its contribution to the centralization of the roles of both attention and awareness (consciousness) in the L2 learning process. This entry provides a concise review of the major tenets of Schmidt's noticing hypothesis and, based on his hypothesis, the subsequent empirical findings on learners' cognitive processes involved during the early (intake) and later (knowledge) stages of the L2 learning process, as revealed by two online data‐elicitation procedures (think‐aloud protocols and eye‐trackers) employed to operationalize and measure the constructs of attention and awareness. Samples of psycholinguistics‐based classroom tasks and activities premised on the roles of attention, noticing, and depth of processing are provided, with pedagogical implications that warrant a renewed view of explicit learning, that is, learning with awareness, in the classroom setting.
Graduate Student Writing
Authors: Paltridge Brian
Published: December 2019

There are many different kinds of writing that graduate students need to undertake in their studies. While students for whom English is an additional language require a high level of language proficiency in order to do this writing, they also need knowledge of the expectations and requirements of their academic disciplines to accomplish this successfully. The writing students are required to do often requires understanding the values that are shared by people working in their discipline and expectations of the particular genres they are required to produce. This includes taking account of the particular audience for their text, the background knowledge and understandings it is assumed students will share with their readers, and the ways in which they can demonstrate this through their use of language.
L2
Students' Engagement with Written Corrective Feedback
Authors: MA J. J.
Published: December 2019

While second language writing teachers devote much attention to language accuracy in providing feedback, the effectiveness of their written corrective feedback depends largely on learners' engagement with it. This entry examines the multifaceted construct of learner engagement from cognitive, behavioral, and affective dimensions. It also explores contextual and individual differences factors affecting second language students' engagement with written corrective feedback. Based on research findings, this entry provides pedagogical implications that enable writing teachers to adopt feedback and classroom practices that facilitate learners' appropriate engagement with written corrective feedback.
The Shifting Paradigm: Blended Learning a Transformative Approach in Teacher Education
Authors: Kaufman Dorit
Published: December 2019

The fast‐evolving digital landscape has dramatically transformed education practices worldwide introducing new frontiers and alternative approaches for innovative course design, instruction, and learning processes. The blended‐learning approach has continued to evolve and has provided infinite opportunities for teacher education with a kaleidoscope of audio, visual, and interactive virtual media for multidimensional pedagogy in the preparation of teacher candidates for elementary and secondary schools. Rooted in a constructivist, learner‐focused approach, blended learning offers myriad opportunities for reformulating courses to fuse online and classroom‐based sessions to enhance learner autonomy and ownership of learning processes, exploration, and discovery. Recent development of digital competencies standards for teacher education underscores the importance of teacher education programs to be at the forefront of this transformation, to develop blended‐learning courses, and to ensure that teacher candidates are best prepared for effectively teaching in schools using the digital frontier with its infinite multimodal opportunities.
Test Item Writers
Authors: Rossi Olena , Brunfaut Tineke
Published: December 2019

The quality of test items is crucial for test validity and for the interpretation of test scores with reference to learners' language ability. Providing item writers with adequate item writing documentation and formal training can substantially improve the quality of the items they produce. This entry provides practical item writing suggestions such as improving teachers' knowledge of language assessment, producing test specifications, writing test items in teams, peer‐reviewing items, and analysing test taker responses.
Operational Landscapes: Hinterlands of the Capitalocene
Authors: Brenner Neil , Katsikis Nikos
Published: January 2020

In recent decades, the field of urban studies has neglected the question of the hinterland: the city's complex, changing relations to the diverse noncity landscapes that support urban life. Neil Brenner and Nikos Katsikis of the Urban Theory Lab at the Harvard Graduate School of Design argue that this ‘hinterland question’ remains essential, but must also be radically reimagined under contemporary conditions.
Trash Peaks: A Terrarium of the Anthropocene
Authors: Ghosn Rania , Jazairy El Hadi
Published: January 2020

DESIGN EARTH's speculative projects make waste visible, creating public awareness of its huge ecological impact. Co‐founders Rania Ghosn, associate professor of architecture and urbanism at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and El Hadi Jazairy, associate professor of architecture at the University of Michigan, liken their approach to shifting our attention away from just the stage to the whole theatrical machine.
Charge Transport Characteristics of Surface‐Complexed Quantum Dot in a Thin Film Transistor
Authors: Gogoi Kasturi , Pramanik Sabyasachi , Chattopadhyay Arun
Published: January 2020

Ambipolar transport characteristics of thin film transistors fabricated from nontoxic white light emitting quantum dot complexes (QDCs) are herein reported to exhibit efficient carrier mobilities. The QDCs are synthesized by forming bluish green emitting zinc quinolate complex on the surface of orange emitting Mn2+‐doped ZnS quantum dots (Qdots) using 8‐hydroxyquinoline 5‐sulfonic acid as the chelating ligand. The device exhibits efficient ambipolar transport characteristics with high ION/IOFF ratio of 104 and electron mobility and hole mobility of 2.95 × 10−02 and 1.06 × 10−02 cm2 V−1 s−1, respectively. The subthreshold slope of Qdot complex–integrated thin film transistor increases from that of Mn2+‐doped ZnS Qdot–integrated thin film transistor from 0.35 to 0.79 V dec−1 in p‐field effect transistor (FET) and from 0.59 to 0.97 V dec−1 in n‐FET operations, which annotates an increase in trap state density due to surface complexation of the Qdot. These results suggest that white light emitting QDC can be used as an efficient transport as well as an emissive material, which open up new paradigm for advanced optoelectronic applications.
Oxalyl‐CoA Decarboxylase katalysiert die nukleophile ein‐Kohlenstoff‐Verlängerung von Aldehyden zu chiralen α‐Hydroxysäuren
Authors: Burgener Simon , Cortina Niña Socorro , Erb Tobias J.
Published: January 2020

Die Synthese komplexer Moleküle aus erneuerbaren Kohlenstoffbausteinen ist ein zentrales Ziel einer nachhaltigen Wirtschaft. Hier untersuchten wir das biokatalytische Potential Thiamindiphosphat (ThDP)‐abhängiger Oxalyl‐CoA Decarboxylasen (OXC)/2‐Hydroxyacyl‐CoA Lyasen (HACL). Diese Enzyme katalysieren den Abbau von Acyl‐CoA‐Thioestern unter Bildung des C1‐Moleküls Formyl‐CoA. In der OXC/HACL Superfamilie kommen aber auch unspezifische Enzymvarianten vor, die C1‐Bausteine mit verschiedenen Aldehyden kondensieren und so 2‐Hydroxyacyl‐CoA‐Thioester bilden. Eine verbesserte OXC‐Variante mit zwei neu beschriebenen Enzymen – einer spezifischen Oxalyl‐CoA Synthetase und einer 2‐Hydroxyacyl‐CoA Thioesterase — wurde zu einer Kaskade kombiniert, die die Umsetzung von Oxalat und aromatischen Aldehyden zu (S)‐α‐Hydroxysäuren mit einem Enantiomerenüberschuss (ee) bis zu 99 % ermöglicht. Unsere Studie zeigt das Potential ThDP‐katalysierter C1‐Erweiterungsreaktionen in der nachhaltigen Synthese chiraler Bausteine.
The relationships among MAOA, COMT Val158Met, and 5‐HTTLPR polymorphisms, newborn stress reactivity, and infant temperament
Authors: Bajgarova Zdenka , Bajgar Adam
Published: December 2019

Introduction

Variance in hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis reactivity is considered to be one of the sources of differences in infant temperament. The cortisol enters into interactions with dopamine and serotonin, so it is expected that polymorphisms in genes coding monoamine metabolism influence both HPA axis reactivity and temperament.

Methods

We therefore explore the relationship among 5‐HTTLPR S/L, MAOA H/L, and COMT Val158Met polymorphisms, the stress reaction of newborn infants after a heel stick blood draw (measured by determining salivary cortisol at three time points), and temperament assessed at the age of 3 months using Rothbart's Infant Behavior Questionnaire—Revised (IBQ‐R) with a sample of 84 infants.

Results

The decrease in the salivary cortisol correlated with nine primary scales and all three secondary scales of IBQ‐R. Children with a greater cortisol decrease were assessed as less susceptible to negative emotions, more extraverted, and more regulated. The polymorphisms that were observed were related both to the course of the stress reaction and to temperament. The 5‐HTTLPR S allele was connected to higher scores for Negative Emotionality and lower scores for Orienting/Regulatory Capacity. The presence of the MAOA L allele predisposed its carriers to higher scores for Negative Emotionality, lower scores for Orienting/Regulatory Capacity, and a lower decrease in cortisol. The Met allele of COMT Val158Met polymorphism was connected to a higher Positive Affectivity/Surgency and Orienting/Regulatory Capacity and a greater cortisol decrease.

Conclusions

Contrary to previous studies referring mainly basal cortisol and its increase, the results of our study emphasize the importance of cortisol elimination in infant temperament. Another interesting finding was a higher cortisol increase, higher Distress to Limitations, Negative Emotionality, and Approach in MAOA LL homozygotes which are traditionally understood as more vulnerable toward early stress in developing later externalizing behavior.
The superficial temporal artery: A meta‐analysis of its prevalence and morphology
Authors: Koziej Mateusz , Wnuk Jakub , Polak Jakub , Trybus Marek , Pękala Przemysław , Pękala Jakub , Hołda Mateusz , Antoszewski Bogusław , Tomaszewski Krzysztof
Published: January 2020

Introduction

The superficial temporal artery (STA) is a terminal branch of the external carotid artery. It supplies the regions of scalp and face. The morphometrical data concerning STAs are not consistent; therefore, in this systemic review and meta‐analysis, we aimed in this to provide an up‐to‐date data on its anatomic features.

Material and methods

In order to do this, PubMed, Embase, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science were searched. We followed the Preferred Reporting Items and Review and Meta‐Analyses guidelines for the meta‐analysis. Studies that reported the prevalence and anatomical data regarding STA were included in further analyses.

Results

Out of 1,446 studies initially evaluated, 21 were included in the meta‐analysis (874 patients/donors). The STA diameter was 1.5 mm (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.47–1.53 mm). The frontal and parietal branches of the STA were present in 97.6% (95% CIs: 94.6–99.5%) and 96.4% (95% CIs: 93.5–98.5%) of the cases, respectively. The STA bifurcation point was located above the zygomatic arch in 79.1% (95% CI: 68.0–84.3), below the zygomatic arch in 6.7% (95% CI: 2.4–12.1), and on the zygomatic arch in 11.1% of the cases (95% CI: 5.4–17.5). There was no bifurcation of the STA in 3.1% of the cases (95% CI: 0.4–7.3).

Conclusion

The most comprehensive analysis of STA morphological features is presented. The results from this evidence‐based anatomical study will improve understanding of the clinical STA anatomy, which in turn has major implications for understanding the STA in clinical practice.
Efficient Modulation of TP53 Expression in Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Authors: Uhlmann Constanze , Kuhn Lisa‐Maria , Tigges Julia , Fritsche Ellen , Kahlert Ulf Dietrich
Published: December 2019

TP53 point mutations are found in 50% of all cancers and seem to play an important role in cancer pathogenesis. Thus, human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) overexpressing mutant TP53 are a valuable tool for the generation of in vitro models of cancer stem cells or for in vivo xenograft models. Here, we describe a protocol for the alteration of gene expression in hiPSCs via overexpression of a mutant form of the TP53 (R249S) gene using lentiviral transduction. A high amount of TP53 protein is detected 1 week after transduction and antibiotic selection. Differentiation of transduced hiPSCs gives insight into better understanding cancer formation in different tissues and may be a useful tool for genetic or pharmacologic screening assays. © 2019 The Authors.

Basic Protocol 1: Production and concentration of third‐generation lentivirus

Support Protocol 1: Cloning of gene of interest into modulation vector

Support Protocol 2: Preparation of DMEM GlutaMAX™ with 10% fetal bovine serum and 1% penicillin‐streptomycin

Basic Protocol 2: Transduction of human induced pluripotent stem cells and selection of positively transfected cells

Support Protocol 3: Preparation of Matrigel®‐coated plates

Support Protocol 4: Preparation of mTeSR™1 medium
Recent advances in cardio‐oncology: a report from the ‘Heart Failure Association 2019 and World Congress on Acute Heart Failure 2019’
Authors: Anker Markus S. , Hadzibegovic Sara , Lena Alessia , Belenkov Yury , Bergler‐Klein Jutta , de Boer Rudolf A. , Farmakis Dimitrios , von Haehling Stephan , Iakobishvili Zaza , Maack Christoph , Pudil Radek , Skouri Hadi , Cohen‐Solal Alain , Tocchetti Carlo G. , Coats Andrew J.S. , Seferović Petar M. , Lyon Alexander R. ,   for the Heart Failure Association Cardio‐Oncology Study Group of the European Society of Cardiology
Published: December 2019

While anti‐cancer therapies, including chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiotherapy, and targeted therapy, are constantly advancing, cardiovascular toxicity has become a major challenge for cardiologists and oncologists. This has led to an increasing demand of cardio‐oncology units in Europe and a growing interest of clinicians and researchers. The Heart Failure 2019 meeting of the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology in Athens has therefore created a scientific programme that included four dedicated sessions on the topic along with several additional lectures. The major points that were discussed at the congress included the implementation and delivery of a cardio‐oncology service, the collaboration among cardio‐oncology experts, and the risk stratification, prevention, and early recognition of cardiotoxicity. Furthermore, sessions addressed the numerous different anti‐cancer therapies associated with cardiotoxic effects and provided guidance on how to treat cancer patients who develop cardiovascular disease before, during, and after treatment.
Recent Progress in Steroid Synthesis Triggered by the Emergence of New Catalytic Methods
Authors: Khatri Hem Raj , Carney Nolan , Rutkoski Ryan , Bhattarai Bijay , Nagorny Pavel
Published: January 2020

The rich biology associated with steroids dictates a growing demand for the new synthetic strategies that would improve the access to natural and unnatural representatives of this family. The recent advances in the field of catalysis have greatly impacted the field of natural product synthesis including the synthesis of steroids. This article provides a short overview of the recent progress in the synthesis of steroids that was enabled by the advances in catalysis.
Validation of a statistical toolkit based on the ten‐group Robson Classification of cesarean delivery
Authors: Khan Mohammad A.Z. , Chehab Muhannad H. , Al Hamwi Hassan M. , Alloub Mohamed I.A.
Published: January 2020

Objective

To assess the validity of a statistical toolkit based on the original ten‐group Robson Classification of cesarean delivery.

Methods

A retrospective pilot study at Al Wakra Hospital in Doha, Qatar, was conducted from June 1 to June 30, 2017, involving consecutive women undergoing cesarean delivery, using a three‐stage approach. A Microsoft Excel‐based toolkit was developed by dividing each of the 10 groups of the original Robson Classification into clinical groups and subgroups. A critical review of the toolkit was then undertaken by four independent physicians based on different potential clinical scenarios that could culminate in cesarean delivery in each Robson group. The toolkit was validated by populating it with the data of the cesarean deliveries of the women involved in the study.

Results

The data from cesarean deliveries of 153 women were utilized in the pilot study. The toolkit catered for and successfully accommodated 94.8% of the cases without any need for change. The remaining 5.2% of cases required additional adjustments in the toolkit. The toolkit provided instant access to important data about the labor and delivery which could be used for audit and research purposes and ultimately for service improvement.

Conclusion

The toolkit significantly improved the clinical efficacy of the Robson Classification as a potential statistical tool for comparison of local and international data.
Production and evaluation of decellularized extracellular matrix hydrogel for cartilage regeneration derived from knee cartilage
Authors: Bordbar Sima , Lotfi Bakhshaiesh Nasrin , Khanmohammadi Mehdi , Sayahpour Forough Azam , Alini Mauro , Baghaban Eslaminejad Mohamadreza
Published: January 2020

Cartilage tissue engineering is the interdisciplinary science that will help to improve cartilage afflictions, such as arthrosis, arthritis, or following joints traumatic injuries. In the present work, we developed an injectable hydrogel which derived from decellularized extracellular matrix of sheep cartilage. Successful decellularization was evaluated by measuring the DNA, glycosaminoglycans (GAG), collagen contents, and histological analyses. There was a minor difference in GAG and collagen contents among natural cartilage and decellularized tissue as well as ultimate hydrogel. Rheological analysis showed that the temperature and gelation time of prepared hydrogel were 37°C and between 5 and 7 min, respectively. Mechanical properties evaluation indicated a storage modulus of 20 kPa. The results show that prepared hydrogel possessed cell‐friendly microenvironment as confirmed via calcein staining and MTT assay. Also, cells were able to proliferate which observed by H&E and alcian blue staining. Cell attachment and proliferation at the surface of the decellularized hydrogel was apparent by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images and microphotographs. Furthermore, the cells embedded within the hydrogel were able to differentiate into chondrocyte with limited evidence of hypertrophy and osteogenesis in utilized cells which proved by SOX9, CoL2, ACAN, and also CoL1 and CoL10 gene expression levels. In summary, the results suggest that developed novel injectable hydrogel from decellularized cartilage could be utilized as a promising substrate for cartilage tissue engineering applications.
Fabrication of novel Ag/g‐C3N4 electrode for resveratrol sensors
Authors: Zhu Zhen , Pan Tzu‐Ying , Hsieh Chia‐Ying , Wu Ren‐Jang
Published: December 2019

Ag/g‐C3N4 is fabricated and used as an electrode for determining trans‐resveratrol concentration. The compositional and structural characteristics of the as‐fabricated Ag/g‐C3N4 are studied through X‐ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and energy dispersive spectroscopy. Additionally, the electrochemical behavior of Ag/g‐C3N4 is investigated using cyclic voltammetry. According to the experimental results, 1 wt%Ag/g‐C3N4 exhibits an oxidation peak at 0.48 V, with a low detection limit (1.88 × 10−7 M) and satisfactory correlation coefficient (0.9975), suggesting that the proposed Ag/g‐C3N4 electrode can be successfully used for detecting trans‐resveratrol.
Physiological and histopathological responses of Porcellio laevis (Isopoda, Crustacea) as indicators of metal trace element contamination
Authors: Ghemari Chedliya , Jelassi Raja , Khemaissia Hajer , Waterlot Christophe , Raimond Maryline , Souty‐Grosset Catherine , Douay Francis , Nasri‐Ammar Karima
Published: January 2020

This study was designed to assess the impact of the mixture of cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn) on the bioaccumulation and the ultrastructural changes in the hepatopancreas of Porcellio laevis (Latreille, 1804) after 4 weeks of exposure to contaminated Quercus leaves under laboratory conditions. For each metal, four concentrations were used with four replicates for each concentration. Metal concentrations in the hepatopancreas and the rest of the body were determined using atomic absorption spectrometry. From the first week until the end of the experiment, a weight gain in P. laevis was observed particularly between the first and the end of exposure from 93.3 ± 18.22 mg fw to 105.22 ± 16.16 mg fw and from 106.4 ± 22.67 mg fw to 125.9 ± 23.9 mg fw for Mix1 and Mix4, respectively. Additionally, the determined metal trace elements (MTE) concentrations in the hepatopancreas were considerably higher compared to those in the rest of the body and seem to be dose‐dependent. Using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), some alterations were highlighted in the hepatopancreas. The main observed alterations were (a) the destruction of the microvilli border in a considerable portion of cells, (b) the increase of the lipid droplets with different shapes and sizes, (c) the increase in the number of the mitochondria, and (d) the appearance of TE in the form of B‐type granules. The obtained results confirmed the ability of P. laevis to deal with high amounts of MTE, suggesting its possible use in future soil's biomonitoring programs.
Regret and nonredemption of daily deals: Individual differences and contextual influences
Authors: Scheinbaum Angeline C. , Shah Pratik , Kukar‐Kinney Monika , Copple Jacob
Published: January 2020

The growth of online daily deal price promotions and the resulting consumer nonredemption of daily deal coupons is worthy of understanding from a psychological lens of nonconsumption. Whereas there is an emerging literature on daily deals and established literature on barriers to redemption, there exists a gap in where this scholarship intersects. This study provides a conceptual model explaining why consumers purchase daily deal coupons and do not redeem them. We explain consumers’ reasons for buying a daily deal upfront along with their reasons for not using it from theoretical lenses of reasons theory and social motivations theory. On testing the model empirically with qualitative and deepening insight via quantitative methods, the findings reveal that reasons for purchasing daily deals are rooted in individual consumer‐level factors (i.e., price‐consciousness, buying impulsiveness, and susceptibility to interpersonal normative influence). Further, reasons for nonredemption are explained by contextual elements of the daily deal (i.e., offer distinctiveness, the total number of daily deals sold, restrictions on using the deal, and low discount size). Our findings suggest that post‐purchase regret ultimately explains a key reason deals go unused. Marketing implications are offered in the areas of characteristics of daily deal offers.
Mini‐Luftqualitätssensoren
Authors: Tomann Rebecca
Published: January 2020

Das Start‐up Breeze Technologies entwickelt kompakte Sensoren, welche die Luftqualität großflächig und in Echtzeit messen.
Spektroelektrochemie – Reaktion, Farbe und Licht
Authors: Habekost Achim
Published: January 2020

Redoxreaktionen an Elektroden lassen sich elektrochemisch mit Cyclovoltammetrie und gleichzeitig spektroskopisch durch Absorptions‐ oder Lumineszenzmessungen verfolgen. Die Experimente können Lernenden elektrochemische Vorgänge anschaulich machen.
Biomimetic Optical Nanostructures
Authors: Weishaupt Klaus , Diao Zhaolu , Brunner Robert , Spatz Joachim
Published: January 2020

Optical nanostructures have evolved successfully in nature over millions of years. For example, such nanostructures are found on the compound eyes of night active insects. These “moth‐eye” structures offer extraordinary anti‐reflective (AR) properties and therefore allow the insects to hide from their predators. This concept has been transferred to technical applications and enables artificial AR characteristics on high‐end optical elements with performance advantages not possible with classical layer‐based AR coatings. An appropriate manufacturing technology combines self‐organization of nano‐particles with a reactive ion‐etching process.
Hyperbolic‐singular‐value‐decomposition‐based square‐root accurate continuous‐discrete extended‐unscented Kalman filters for estimating continuous‐time stochastic models with discrete measurements
Authors: Kulikov G. Yu. , Kulikova M. V.
Published: December 2019

This paper presents novel square‐root accurate continuous‐discrete extended‐unscented Kalman filtering (ACD‐EUKF) algorithms for treating continuous‐time stochastic systems with discrete measurements. The time updates in such methods are fulfilled as those in the extended Kalman filter whereas their measurement updates are copied from the unscented Kalman filter. All this allows accurate predictions of the state mean and covariance to be combined with accurate measurement updates. The main weakness of this technique is the need for the Cholesky decomposition of predicted covariances derived in time‐update steps. Such a factorization is highly sensitive to numerical integration and round‐off errors committed, which may result in losing the covariance's positivity and, hence, failing the Cholesky decomposition. The latter problem is usually solved in the form of square‐root filtering implementations, which propagate not the covariance matrix but its square root instead. Here, we devise square‐root ACD‐EUKF methods grounded in the singular value decomposition (SVD). The SVD rooted in orthogonal transforms is applicable to any ACD‐EUKF with nonnegative weights, whereas the remaining ones, which can enjoy negative weights as well, are treated by means of the hyperbolic SVD based on J‐orthogonal transforms. The filters constructed are presented in a concise algorithmic form, which is convenient for practical use. Their two particular versions grounded in the classical and cubature unscented Kalman filtering parameterizations are examined in severe conditions of tackling a radar tracking problem, where an aircraft executes a coordinated turn. These are also compared to their non‐square‐root predecessor and other methods within the target tracking scenario with ill‐conditioned measurements.
Epigenetics in age-related macular degeneration: new discoveries and future perspectives
Authors: Gemenetzi M. , Lotery A. J.
Published: January 2020

The study of epigenetics has explained some of the ‘missing heritability’ of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The epigenome also provides a substantial contribution to the organisation of the functional retina. There is emerging evidence of specific epigenetic mechanisms associated with AMD. This ‘AMD epigenome’ may offer the chance to develop novel AMD treatments.
Attentional Reinforcement Learning in the Brain
Authors: Yamakawa Hiroshi
Published: January 2020

Recently, attention mechanisms have significantly boosted the performance of natural language processing using deep learning. An attention mechanism can select the information to be used, such as by conducting a dictionary lookup; this information is then used, for example, to select the next utterance word in a sentence. In neuroscience, the basis of the function of sequentially selecting words is considered to be the cortico-basal ganglia-thalamocortical loop. Here, we first show that the attention mechanism used in deep learning corresponds to the mechanism in which the cerebral basal ganglia suppress thalamic relay cells in the brain. Next, we demonstrate that, in neuroscience, the output of the basal ganglia is associated with the action output in the actor of reinforcement learning. Based on these, we show that the aforementioned loop can be generalized as reinforcement learning that controls the transmission of the prediction signal so as to maximize the prediction reward. We call this attentional reinforcement learning (ARL). In ARL, the actor selects the information transmission route according to the attention, and the prediction signal changes according to the context detected by the information source of the route. Hence, ARL enables flexible action selection that depends on the situation, unlike traditional reinforcement learning, wherein the actor must directly select an action.
Cost-effectiveness and budget impact of the microprocessor-controlled knee C-Leg in transfemoral amputees with and without diabetes mellitus
Authors: Kuhlmann Alexander , Krüger Henning , Seidinger Susanne , Hahn Andreas
Published: January 2020

Background

The safe use of a prosthesis in activities of daily living is key for transfemoral amputees. However, the number of falls varies significantly between different prosthetic device types. This study aims to compare medical and economic consequences of falls in transfemoral amputees who use the microprocessor-controlled knee joint C-Leg with patients who use non-microprocessor-controlled (mechanical) knee joints (NMPK). The main objectives of the analysis are to investigate the cost-effectiveness and budget impact of C-Legs in transfemoral amputees with diabetes mellitus (DM) and without DM in Germany.

Methods

A decision-analytic model was developed that took into account the effects of prosthesis type on the risk of falling and fall-related medical events. Cost-effectiveness and budget impact analyses were performed separately for transfemoral amputees with and without DM. The study took the perspective of the statutory health insurance (SHI). Input parameters were derived from the published literature. Univariate and probabilistic sensitivity analyses (PSA) were performed to investigate the impact of changes in individual input parameter values on model outcomes and to explore parameter uncertainty.

Results

C-Legs reduced the rate of fall-related hospitalizations from 134 to 20 per 1000 person years (PY) in amputees without DM and from 146 to 23 per 1000 PY in amputees with DM. In addition, the C-Leg prevented 15 or 14 fall-related death per 1000 PY. Over a time horizon of 25 years, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was 16,123 Euro per quality-adjusted life years gained (QALY) for amputees without DM and 20,332 Euro per QALY gained for amputees with DM. For the period of 2020–2024, the model predicted an increase in SHI expenditures of 98 Mio Euro (53 Mio Euro in prosthesis users without DM and 45 Mio Euro in prosthesis users with DM) when all new prosthesis users received C-Legs instead of NMPKs and 50% of NMPK user whose prosthesis wore out switched to C-Legs. Results of the PSA showed moderate uncertainty and a probability of 97–99% that C-Legs are cost-effective at an ICER threshold of 40,000 Euro (≈ German GDP per capita in 2018) per QALY gained.

Conclusion

Results of the study suggest that the C-Leg provides substantial additional health benefits compared with NMPKs and is likely to be cost-effective in transfemoral amputees with DM as well as in amputees without DM at an ICER threshold of 40,000 Euro per QALY gained.
Morally Permissible Risk Imposition and Liability to Defensive Harm
Authors: Burri Susanne
Published: January 2020

This paper examines whether an agent becomes liable to defensive harm by engaging in a morally permissible but foreseeably risk-imposing activity that subsequently threatens objectively unjustified harm. It first clarifies the notion of a foreseeably risk-imposing activity by proposing that an activity should count as foreseeably risk-imposing if an agent may morally permissibly perform it only if she abides by certain duties of care. Those who argue that engaging in such an activity can render an agent liable to defensive harm ground this liability in the luck egalitarian thought that we may justly hold individuals responsible for the consequences of their voluntary choices. Against this, I argue that a luck egalitarian commitment to holding people responsible cannot, by itself, ground liability to defensive harm. It can help ground such liability only against the backdrop of a distributively just society, and only if further considerations speak morally in favour of attaching certain well-defined costs to individuals’ risk-imposing choices. I conclude by suggesting that if an account of liability applies robustly across distributively just and unjust contexts alike, then what grounds an agent’s liability is plausibly not her responsibility for threatening objectively unjustified harm, but her culpability for doing so.
The role of shocks in the determination of empirical abundances for type-I PNe
Authors: Costa Roberto D. D. , Lago Paulo J. A.
Published: January 2020

We investigate, in the light of new diagnostic diagrams, the role of shocks in the ionization profile of type-I planetary nebulae, and their relation to the empirical derivation of chemical abundances. We apply our technique to two well-known type-I objects: NGC 2440 and NGC 6302. Our results indicate that shocks play a very important role in the spectra of both nebulae and, since the presence of shocks reinforces the flux of low ionization lines, this artificial reinforcement can lead to incorrect chemical abundances, when they are derived through Ionization Correction Factors, at least for type-I PNe.
The composition of Barium stars and the s-process in AGB stars
Authors: Cseh Borbála , Lugaro Maria , D’Orazi Valentina , de Castro Denise B. , Pereira Claudio B. , Karakas Amanda I. , Molnár László , Plachy Emese , Szabó Róbert , Pignatari Marco , Cristallo Sergio
Published: January 2020

Using abundances from the available largest, homogeneous sample of high resolution Barium (Ba) star spectra we calculated the ratios of different hs-like to ls-like elemental ratios and compared to different AGB nucleosynthesis models. The Ba star data show an incontestable increase of the hs-type/ls-type element ratio (for example, [Ce/Y]) with decreasing metallicity. This trend in the Ba star observations is predicted by low mass, non-rotating AGB models where 13C is the main neutron source and is in agreement with Kepler asteroseismology observations.
Circumstellar dust, IR spectroscopy, and mineralogy
Authors: Suh Kyung-Won
Published: January 2020

We review the mineralogy of circumstellar dust grains around AGB stars as investigated through infrared spectroscopic studies. The expanding envelopes of AGB stars are chemically fresh because of the strong binding force of CO molecules. O-rich dust grains (silicates and oxides) form in O-rich envelopes and C-rich dust grains (amorphous carbon and SiC) form in C-rich envelopes. Amorphous silicate grains can be crystallized by annealing processes in various environments of AGB stars. We also discuss dust mineralogy for objects that have undergone chemical transition processes.
Probing stellar evolution with S stars and Gaia
Authors: Shetye S. , Van Eck S. , Jorissen A. , Van Winckel H. , Siess L. , Goriely S.
Published: January 2020

S-type stars are late-type giants enhanced with s-process elements originating either from nucleosynthesis during the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) or from a pollution by a binary companion. The former are called intrinsic S stars, and the latter extrinsic S stars. The intrinsic S stars are on the AGB and have undergone third dredge-up events. The atmospheric parameters of S stars are more numerous than those of M-type giants (C/O ratio and s-process abundances affect the thermal structure and spectral synthesis), and hence they are more difficult to derive. These atmospheric parameters are also entangled within each other. Nevertheless, high-resolution spectroscopic data of S stars combined with the Gaia Data Release 2 (GDR2) parallaxes and with the MARCS model atmospheres for S-type stars were used to derive effective temperatures, surface gravities, and luminosities. These parameters not only allow to locate the intrinsic and extrinsic S stars in the Hertzsprung-Russell (HR) diagram but also allow the accurate abundance analysis of the s-process elements.
AGB star atmospheres modeling as feedback to stellar evolutionary and galaxy models
Authors: Rau Gioia , Wittkowski M. , Chiavassa A. , Carpenter K. , Nielsen K. , Airapetian V. S.
Published: January 2020

The chemical enrichment of the Universe is considerably affected by the contribution of cool evolved stars. We studied the O-rich star R Peg and the C-rich star V Oph, using respectively the VLTI/GRAVITY and VLTI/MIDI instruments. We interpret the data using grids of 1-D and 3-D dynamic model atmospheres.
The role of asymptotic giant branch stars in the chemical evolution of the Galaxy
Authors: Tautvaišienė G. , Viscasillas Vázquez C. , Bagdonas V. , Smiljanic R. , Drazdauskas A. , Mikolaitis Š. , Minkevičiėūtėė R. , Stonkutė E.
Published: January 2020

Asymptotic giant branch stars play an important role in enriching galaxies by s-process elements. Recent studies have shown that their role in producing s-process elements in the Galactic disc was underestimated and should be reconsidered. Based on high-resolution spectra we have determined abundances of neutron-capture elements in a sample of 310 stars located in the field and open clusters and investigated elemental enrichment patterns according to their age and mean galactocentric distances.
WD+AGB star systems as the progenitors of type Ia supernovae
Authors: Wang Bo
Published: January 2020

WD+AGB star systems have been suggested as an alternative way for producing type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), known as the core-degenerate (CD) scenario. In the CD scenario, SNe Ia are produced at the final phase during the evolution of common-envelope through a merger between a carbon-oxygen (CO) WD and the CO core of an AGB secondary. However, the rates of SNe Ia from this scenario are still uncertain. In this work, I carried out a detailed investigation on the CD scenario based on a binary population synthesis approach. I found that the Galactic rates of SNe Ia from this scenario are not more than 20% of total SNe Ia due to more careful treatment of mass transfer, and that their delay times are in the range of ∼90 − 2500 Myr, mainly contributing to the observed SNe Ia with short and intermediate delay times.
The onset of mass loss in AGB stars
Authors: McDonald Iain
Published: January 2020

The factors controlling strong mass loss from evolved stars remain elusive, frustrating efforts to parameterise mass loss in models of evolved stars. We herein describe evidence we have collected to show that the mass-loss rate of stars is controlled by stellar pulsations, and that we are close to providing improved prescriptions for mass-loss rates from many kinds of evolved stars.
The Impact of Dust/Gas Ratios on Chromospheric Activity in Red Giant and Supergiant Stars
Authors: Carpenter Kenneth G. , Rau Gioia
Published: January 2020

Stencel et al. (1986) analyzed IUE spectra of a modest set of cool stars and found that they continue to produce chromospheres even in the presence of high dust levels in their outer atmospheres. This reversed the previous results of Jennings (1973) and Jennings & Dyck (1972). We describe an on-going extension of these studies to a sample of stars representing a broader range in dust/gas ratios, using archival IUE and archival and new HST data on both RGB and AGB stars. Surface fluxes in emission lines will be analyzed to assess the chromospheric activity and obscuration by dust in each star, as those fluxes will follow a different pattern for reduced activity (temperature/density dependent) vs. dust obscuration (wavelength dependent). Wind characteristics will be measured by modeling of wind-reversed chromospheric emission lines.
Signs of rotating equatorial density enhancements around SRb pulsators
Authors: Homan W. , Decin L. , Richards A. , Kervella P.
Published: January 2020

We observed the circumstellar environments (CSEs) of the semiregular AGB stars L2 Puppis, R Doradus and EP Aquarii with ALMA. (1) The molecular emission in the L2 Pup nebula reveals an edge-on rotating disk. (2) PV diagrams of the 28SiO emission in the inner CSE of R Dor expose a pattern pointing to an inclined rotating disk. (3) The CO emission in the CSE of EP Aqr reveals a nearly face-on equatorial density enhancement (EDE). The inner EDE strongly resembles theoretical wind-Roche-lobe-overflow models. The SiO emission points to a potential companion. The combination of (1), (2) and (3) suggests that a link may exist between the type of AGB pulsations and the morphological nature of the CSE.
Binary interaction along the RGB: The Barium Star perspective
Authors: Escorza A. , Siess L. , Karinkuzhi D. , Boffin H. M. J. , Jorissen A. , van Winckel H.
Published: January 2020

Barium (Ba) stars form via mass-transfer in binary systems, and can subsequently interact with their white dwarf companion in a second stage of binary interaction. We used observations of main-sequence Ba systems as input for our evolutionary models, and try to reproduce the orbits of the Ba giants. We show that to explain short and sometimes eccentric orbits, additional interaction mechanisms are needed along the RGB.
Nucleosynthesis in stars: The Origin of the Heaviest Elements
Authors: Karakas Amanda I.
Published: January 2020

The chemical evolution of the Universe is governed by the nucleosynthesis contribution from stars, which in turn is determined primarily by the initial stellar mass. The heaviest elements are primarily produced through neutron capture nucleosynthesis. Two main neutron capture processes identified are the slow and rapid neutron capture processes (s and r processes, respectively). The sites of the r and s-process are discussed, along with recent progress and their associated uncertainties. This review is mostly focused on the s-process which occurs in low and intermediate-mass stars which have masses up to about 8 solar masses (M⊙). We also discuss the intermediate-neutron capture process (or i-process), which may occur in AGB stars, accreting white dwarfs, and massive stars. The contribution of the i-process to the chemical evolution of elements in galaxies is as yet uncertain.
To Be or Not to Be: EHB Stars and AGB Stars
Authors: Brown David A.
Published: January 2020

The formation of EHB stars is linked to the lives of AGB stars by indications that such EHB/sdB stars might form in globular clusters with multiple populations linked to AGB evolution. Observations of massive globular clusters, such as ω-Centauri (Bedin et al.2004, Piotto et al.2005) suggest that single EHB stars might form from He-enhanced progenitors (D’Antona et al.2005, D’Antona & Caloi 2008, Lee et al.2005) in environments enriched by AGB ejecta. The studies conducted by Han et al. (2002), Han et al. (2003), and Han et al. (2007) have been able to provide a strong case for the binary formation of EHB/sdB stars in the Galactic field, though binary formation channels in globular clusters is uncertain. Simulations presented here are an extension of the simulations of Han et al. (2002) and Han et al. (2003), for low metallicities to examine the binary EHB population in globular clusters.
Orbital properties of binary post-AGB stars
Authors: Oomen Glenn-Michael , Van Winckel Hans , Pols Onno
Published: January 2020

We present the results of a decade-long radial velocity monitoring campaign of post-AGB binaries. We derived the orbital elements of 33 post-AGB binaries. We find a companion mass distribution centred around 1.09 M⊙ with a very large spread. All the post-AGB binaries in our sample are expected to have filled their Roche lobes while at giant dimensions. Current binary evolution models are unable to explain the observed distribution of orbits.
Planetary Nebulae Detected in the AKARI Far-IR All-Sky Survey Maps
Authors: Ueta Toshiya , Szczerba Ryszard , Fullard Andrew G. , Takita Satoshi
Published: January 2020

The AKARI Far-IR All-Sky Survey (AFASS) maps produced by the AKARI Infrared Astronomical Satellite enabled us to probe the far-IR sky for objects having surface brightnesses greater than a few to a couple of dozen MJy sr−1. Recently, we have verified that, if AFASS-measured fluxes are properly corrected for using the aperture correction method based on the empirical point-spread-function templates derived directly from the AFASS maps, point-source photometry measured from the AFASS maps reproduces fluxes in the AKARI bright source catalogue (BSC). We have surveyed the far-IR sky in the AFASS for Galactic planetary nebulae (PNe) based on the University of Hong Kong/Australian Astronomical Observatory/Strasbourg Observatory Hα Planetary Nebula database (HASHPNDB), preliminarily yielding far-IR fluxes for roughly 1000 Galactic PNe including a few hundreds of PNe not listed in the AKARI/BSC.
Imaging Red Supergiants with VLT/SPHERE/ZIMPOL
Authors: Cannon E. , Montargès M. , Decin L. , de Koter A.
Published: January 2020

Using the VLT-SPHERE/ZIMPOL adaptive optics imaging polarimeter, images of a sample of nearby red supergiants (RSGs) were obtained in multiple filters. From these data, we obtain information on geometrical structures in the inner wind, the onset radius and spatial distribution of dust grains as well as dust properties such as grain size. As dust grains may play a role in initiating and/or driving the outflow, this could provide us with clues as to the wind driving mechanism.