bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Long‐term resilience in microcrustacean communities despite environmental changes
Authors: Eie M. , Jensen T. C. , Walseng B. , Eie A. J. , Hessen D. O.
Published: July 2021

The ability of communities to withstand stress or maintain their species composition over extended periods of environmental changes is a matter of major concern. Here, we utilize a dataset where microcrustacean communities were related to water chemistry in 82 boreal‐alpine lakes over a 50‐yr time span (1968 and 2016), with the same person involved in sampling both times ensuring identical sites and sampling protocols. Over this time span, there has been a 1–2°C increase in mean annual temperatures and prolonged growing seasons. Also, the strong changes in SO4 deposition and acidification, peaking in the early 1980s, followed by a recovery period, have caused not only an increase in pH but also a pronounced browning (elevated DOC) and reduced levels of Ca over the past three decades. Despite this, the microcrustacean diversity and community composition have remained remarkably stable, and this holds both for the species‐rich larger, boreal sites and the species‐poor alpine sites. While likely there are interannual fluctuations in species abundance, and perhaps species may also be missing for certain periods, a combination of local refugia, resting egg seed‐banks and a regional recolonization that may occur at the meta‐population level, aims at maintaining a strong stability in community composition.
Nitrogen addition amplifies the nonlinear drought response of grassland productivity to extended growing‐season droughts
Authors: Meng Bo , Li Junqin , Maurer Gregory E. , Zhong Shangzhi , Yao Yuan , Yang Xuechen , Collins Scott L. , Sun Wei
Published: July 2021

Understanding the response of grassland production and carbon exchange to intra‐annual variation in precipitation and nitrogen addition is critical for sustainable grassland management and ecosystem restoration. We introduced growing‐season drought treatments of different lengths (15, 30, 45 and 60 d drought) by delaying growing‐season precipitation in a long‐term nitrogen addition experiment in a low diversity meadow steppe in northeast China. Response variables included aboveground biomass (AGB), ecosystem net carbon exchange (NEE), and leaf net carbon assimilation rate (A). In unfertilized plots drought decreased AGB by 13.7% after a 45‐d drought and 31.7% after a 60‐d drought (47.6% in fertilized plots). Progressive increases in the drought response of NEE were also observed. The effects of N addition on the drought response of productivity increased as drought duration increased, and these responses were a function of changes in AGB and biomass allocation, particularly root to shoot ratio. However, no significant effects of drought occurred in fertilized or unfertilized plots in the growing season a year after the experiment, N addition did limit the recovery of AGB from severe drought during the remainder of the current growing season. Our results imply that chronic N enrichment could exacerbate the effects of growing‐season drought on grassland productivity caused by altered precipitation seasonality under climate change, but that these effects do not carry over to the next growing season.
As the Arctic becomes boreal: ongoing shifts in a high‐Arctic seabird community
Authors: Descamps Sébastien , Strøm Hallvard
Published: July 2021

The Arctic is currently experiencing the most rapid warming on Earth. Arctic species communities are expected to be restructured with species adapted to warmer conditions spreading poleward and, if already present, becoming more abundant. We tested this prediction using long‐term monitoring data (2009–2018) from nine of the most common seabird species breeding in the High Arctic Svalbard archipelago. This region is characterized by rapidly warming ocean temperatures, declining sea‐ice concentrations and an increasing influence of Atlantic waters. Concurrent with these environmental changes, we found a shift in the Svalbard seabird community, with an increase in abundance of boreal species (defined here as species breeding commonly in temperate environments) and a decline in Arctic species (species breeding predominantly in the Arctic). Combined with previous observations from lower trophic levels, our results confirmed that part of the Arctic fauna is moving from an arctic to a boreal (or north temperate) state, a process referred to as a “borealization.” Spatial variations exist among colonies for some species, indicating that local conditions may affect the trajectories of specific populations and potentially counterbalance the consequences of large‐scale climate warming.
The spatial synchrony of species richness and its relationship to ecosystem stability
Authors: Walter Jonathan A. , Shoemaker Lauren G. , Lany Nina K. , Castorani Max C. N. , Fey Samuel B. , Dudney Joan C. , Gherardi Laureano , Portales‐Reyes Cristina , Rypel Andrew L. , Cottingham Kathryn L. , Suding Katharine N. , Reuman Daniel C. , Hallett Lauren M.
Published: July 2021

Synchrony is broadly important to population and community dynamics due to its ubiquity and implications for extinction dynamics, system stability, and species diversity. Investigations of synchrony in community ecology have tended to focus on covariance in the abundances of multiple species in a single location. Yet, the importance of regional environmental variation and spatial processes in community dynamics suggests that community properties, such as species richness, could fluctuate synchronously across patches in a metacommunity, in an analog of population spatial synchrony. Here, we test the prevalence of this phenomenon and the conditions under which it may occur using theoretical simulations and empirical data from 20 marine and terrestrial metacommunities. Additionally, given the importance of biodiversity for stability of ecosystem function, we posit that spatial synchrony in species richness is strongly related to stability. Our findings show that metacommunities often exhibit spatial synchrony in species richness. We also found that richness synchrony can be driven by environmental stochasticity and dispersal, two mechanisms of population spatial synchrony. Richness synchrony also depended on community structure, including species evenness and beta diversity. Strikingly, ecosystem stability was more strongly related to richness synchrony than to species richness itself, likely because richness synchrony integrates information about community processes and environmental forcing. Our study highlights a new approach for studying spatiotemporal community dynamics and emphasizes the spatial dimensions of community dynamics and stability.
Novel fumed silica/g‐C3N4 composites for highly efficient removal of rhodamine B under visible light emitting diodes light irradiation
Authors: Wang Xiaowei , Zhang Junkai , Wu Fengmin , Cai Junqing , Luo Jie , Zhou Erpeng , Niu Yongping
Published: July 2021

Graphitic carbon nitride (g‐C3N4) is a fascinating nonmetallic photocatalyst for the removal of environmental pollutants. The fumed silica/g‐C3N4 (gCN‐FS) composite photocatalysts were successfully fabricated by a combination of solvent volatilization and post‐annealing methods. The introduction of SiO2 not only widens the absorption range of visible light, but also enhances the specific surface area of g‐C3N4. The gCN‐FS‐3 composite has a BET surface area of 129.89 m2/g, which is ~3.3 times as much as that of g‐C3N4 (39.54 m2/g). The gCN‐FS composites have markedly improved rhodamine B (RhB) photodegradation activity in comparison to pure g‐C3N4, bulk g‐C3N4 and P25 under 557 nm yellow‐green light emitting diode light irradiation. The gCN‐FS‐3 has the highest RhB photodegradation rate, which is ~9.67‐, 11.81‐folds as compared to bare g‐C3N4 and bulk g‐C3N4, respectively. The coupling effect between the increase in specific surface areas and the inhibition effect of SiO2 on photogenerated electron/hole pairs recombination is responsible for the enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity of gCN‐FS composite. Superoxide and holes are responsible for the RhB photocatalytic degradation. Furthermore, no apparent loss of photocatalytic activity over five cycles is observed, which indicates that the gCN‐FS composites have considerable stability and reusability in the photodegradation process. The gCN‐FS composites show great promise in visible light driven photocatalysis for environmental applications.
Thermal tolerance and preference are both consistent with the clinal distribution of house fly proto-Y chromosomes
Authors: Delclos Pablo J. , Adhikari Kiran , Hassan Oluwatomi , Cambric Jessica E. , Matuk Anna G. , Presley Rebecca I. , Tran Jessica , Sriskantharajah Vyshnika , Meisel Richard P.
Published: July 2021

Selection pressures can vary within localized areas and across massive geographical scales. Temperature is one of the best studied ecologically variable abiotic factors that can affect selection pressures across multiple spatial scales. Organisms rely on physiological (thermal tolerance) and behavioral (thermal preference) mechanisms to thermoregulate in response to environmental temperature. In addition, spatial heterogeneity in temperatures can select for local adaptation in thermal tolerance, thermal preference, or both. However, the concordance between thermal tolerance and preference across genotypes and sexes within species and across populations is greatly understudied. The house fly, Musca domestica, is a well-suited system to examine how genotype and environment interact to affect thermal tolerance and preference. Across multiple continents, house fly males from higher latitudes tend to carry the male-determining gene on the Y chromosome, whereas those from lower latitudes usually have the male determiner on the third chromosome. We tested whether these two male-determining chromosomes differentially affect thermal tolerance and preference as predicted by their geographical distributions. We identify effects of genotype and developmental temperature on male thermal tolerance and preference that are concordant with the natural distributions of the chromosomes, suggesting that temperature variation across the species range contributes to the maintenance of the polymorphism. In contrast, female thermal preference is bimodal and largely independent of congener male genotypes. These sexually dimorphic thermal preferences suggest that temperature-dependent mating dynamics within populations could further affect the distribution of the two chromosomes. Together, the differences in thermal tolerance and preference across sexes and male genotypes suggest that different selection pressures may affect the frequencies of the male-determining chromosomes across different spatial scales.
New perspectives for data‐supported foresight: The hybrid AI‐expert approach
Authors: Geurts Amber , Gutknecht Ralph , Warnke Philine , Goetheer Arjen , Schirrmeister Elna , Bakker Babette , Meissner Svetlana
Published: July 2021

This paper outlines new perspectives for data‐supported foresight by combining participatory expert‐based futures dialogues with the power of artificial intelligence (AI) in what we call the hybrid AI‐expert‐based foresight approach. To this end, we present a framework of five typical steps in a fully fledged foresight process ranging from scoping to strategizing and show how AI can be integrated into each of the steps to enable the hybrid AI‐expert foresight approach. Building on this, we present experiences gained from two recent research projects of TNO and Fraunhofer ISI that deal with aspects of the hybrid AI‐expert foresight approach and give insights into the opportunities and challenges of the new perspectives for data‐supported foresight that this approach enables. Finally, we summarize open questions and challenges for future research.
Analysis of the sol and gel structures of potato starch over a wide spatial scale
Authors: Nagasaki Akane , Matsuba Go , Ikemoto Yuka , Moriwaki Taro , Ohta Noboru , Osaka Keiichi
Published: July 2021

We analyzed edible potato starch and observed the interaction between its granular structure and water molecules. We studied the changes caused by gelatinization during heating and stirring using microscopy, micro‐FT‐IR spectroscopy, and X‐ray scattering techniques. A wide range of spatial scales was revealed using these various techniques. The rate of gelatinization varied significantly and was dependent on the starch concentration. The process of adsorption of water on starch molecules was studied using the humidity‐controlled FT‐IR spectroscopy technique. Furthermore, by comparing the X‐ray scattering profiles of dry and wet granules, the 9‐nm repeat “cluster” structure was studied. A gradual collapse of the granules occurred during the processes of heating and stirring. A clustered smectic structure and a smectic‐like structure were observed in the opaque gel after gelatinization. Upon further heating, a transparent gel was obtained after the melting of the cluster.
When two worlds collide: Using particle physics tools to visualize the limit order book
Authors: Verhulst Marjolein E. , Debie Philippe , Hageboeck Stephan , Pennings Joost M. E. , Gardebroek Cornelis , Naumann Axel , van Leeuwen Paul , Trujillo‐Barrera Andres A. , Moneta Lorenzo
Published: July 2021

We introduce a methodology to visualize the limit order book (LOB) using a particle physics lens. Open‐source data‐analysis tool ROOT, developed by CERN, is used to reconstruct and visualize futures markets. Message‐based data is used, rather than snapshots, as it offers numerous visualization advantages. The visualization method can include multiple variables and markets simultaneously and is not necessarily time dependent. Stakeholders can use it to visualize high‐velocity data to gain a better understanding of markets or effectively monitor markets. In addition, the method is easily adjustable to user specifications to examine various LOB research topics, thereby complementing existing methods.
Independent Predictors of Mortality Among Patients With NAFLD Hospitalized With COVID‐19 Infection
Authors: Younossi Zobair M. , Stepanova Maria , Lam Brian , Cable Rebecca , Felix Sean , Jeffers Thomas , Younossi Elena , Pham Huong , Srishord Manirath , Austin Patrick , Estep Michael , Terra Kathy , Escheik Carey , de Avila Leyla , Golabi Pegah , Kolacevski Andrej , Racila Andrei , Henry Linda , Gerber Lynn
Published: July 2021

The impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic among patients with chronic liver disease is unknown. Given the high prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), we determined the predictors of mortality and hospital resource use among patients with NAFLD admitted with COVID‐19 by using electronic medical records data for adult patients with COVID‐19 hospitalized in a multihospital health system who were discharged between March and December 2020. NAFLD was diagnosed by imaging or liver biopsy without other liver diseases. Charlson’s comorbidity index (CCI) and Elixhauser comorbidity index (ECI) scores were calculated. In the study sample, among the 4,835 patients hospitalized for COVID‐19, 553 had NAFLD (age: 55 ± 16 years, 51% male, 17% White, 11% Black, 58% Hispanic, 8% Asian, 5% from congregated living, 58% obese, 15% morbid obesity [body mass index ≥ 40], 51% type 2 diabetes, 63% hypertension, mean [SD] baseline CCI of 3.9 [3.2], and baseline ECI of 13.4 [11.3]). On admission, patients with NAFLD had more respiratory symptoms, higher body temperature and heart rate, higher alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase than non‐NAFLD controls (n = 2,736; P < 0.05). Of the patients with NAFLD infected with COVID‐19, 3.9% experienced acute liver injury. The NAFLD group had significantly longer length of stay, intensive care unit use, and mechanical ventilation, with a crude inpatient mortality rate of 11%. In multivariate analysis, independent predictors of inpatient mortality among patients with NAFLD infected with COVID‐19 were older age, morbid obesity, ECI score ≥ 11, higher Fibrosis‐4 Index (FIB‐4) score, and oxygen saturation <90% (all P < 0.05), but not sex, race/ethnicity, or any individual comorbidity (all P > 0.05). Conclusion: Patients with NAFLD infected with COVID‐19 tend to be sicker on admission and require more hospital resource use. Independent predictors of mortality included higher FIB‐4 and multimorbidity scores, morbid obesity, older age, and hypoxemia on admission.
Falling film evaporation of ternary mixture under three different modes of heating
Authors: Nait Alla Abderrahman , Feddaoui M'barek , Najim Monssif
Published: July 2021

This numerical study deals with heat and mass transfer by evaporation under mixed convection in three different configurations of a ternary liquid film in a vertical channel. The ternary liquid mixture water‐methanol‐benzene falls along the right plate of channel while the other plate is kept thermally insulated. In the first configuration, a heat flux density is applied to the wall carrying the trickle film, while in the other configurations this same amount of heat is used to preheat the liquid film or the air at the inlet of the channel. The implicit finite difference scheme is used to solve the system of equations in both liquid and vapor phases. According to this study, it was observed that the evaporation efficiency is high when the mass fraction of volatile components is high or in the preheating state of ternary film.
A novel and efficient deep learning approach for COVID‐19 detection using X‐ray imaging modality
Authors: Bhardwaj Prashant , Kaur Amanpreet
Published: July 2021

With the exponential growth of COVID‐19 cases, medical practitioners are searching for accurate and quick automated detection methods to prevent Covid from spreading while trying to reduce the computational requirement of devices. In this research article, a deep learning Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) based accurate and efficient ensemble model using deep learning is being proposed with 2161 COVID‐19, 2022 pneumonia, and 5863 normal chest X‐ray images that has been collected from previous publications and other online resources. To improve the detection accuracy contrast enhancement and image normalization have been done to produce better quality images at the pre‐processing level. Further data augmentation methods are used by creating modified versions of images in the dataset to train the four efficient CNN models (Inceptionv3, DenseNet121, Xception, InceptionResNetv2) Experimental results provide 98.33% accuracy for binary class and 92.36% for multiclass. The performance evaluation metrics reveal that this tool can be very helpful for early disease diagnosis.
Zu Problemen des Nachweises organischer Spurenstoffe im Wasser
Authors: Koch R.
Published: July 2021

Auf Grund der zunehmenden Verunreinigungsmöglichkeiten des Wassers mit organischen Spurenstoffen gewinnt die Einzelsubstanzanalyse auf toxikologisch relevante Verbindungen an Bedeutung. Voraussetzungen für die Durchführung eines analytischen Screenings werden diskutiert. Dabei wird zu angewandten Methoden der Substanzanreicherung, der Trennung von Substanzgemischen sowie des Nachweises und der Identifizierung von Einzelverbindungen und zu Fragen der Systematisierung und Standardisierung von Untersuchungsmethoden und der Datenerfassung Stellung genommen.
Halogenkohlenwasserstoffe als toxikologisch relevante Substanzen im Trinkwasser
Authors: Koch R. , Strobel K.
Published: July 2021

Auf der Grundlage einer Literaturstudie werden das Vorkommen, die Bildung und Probleme des analytischen Nachweises von Trihalogenmethanen und anderer Organohalogene im Trinkwasser behandelt und diskutiert. Im Zusammenhang mit der für verschiedene Verbindungen nachgewiesenen bzw. vermuteten toxischen Wirkung wird zu hygienisch‐gesundheitlichen Problemen der Kontamination von Trinkwasser Stellung genommen und entsprechende Aufgaben werden abgeleitet.
Methods of Analyzing Quinones in Water and Their Application in Studying the Effects of Hydrophytes on Phenols. Part 4: Accumulation of Exogenic Phenols, Localization of Endogenic Phenols and o‐Diphenol Oxidase in Nitella Cells
Authors: Stom D. J. , Timofeeva S. S. , Kasina N. F. , Bielykh L. J. , Souslov S. N. , Boutokov V. V. , Apartzin M. S.
Published: July 2021

By using Nitella, with the aid of a technique which is described in detail the uptake of resorcinol by the cytoplasm was demonstrated and quantitatively determined under different test conditions. In contrast to the phenol oxidation products of hydroquinone and pyrocatechol, the further “fate” of the resorcinol taken up by the cell substance is not yet fully clear. The rate of resorcinol absorption has been defined with a permeability constant.
Ein Algizidtest unter Laboratoriumsbedingungen
Authors: Krienitz L. , Wenzel W. , Böhm H.
Published: July 2021

Vorgestellt wird cine Algizidtestvariante, die es erlaubt, unter laboratoriumsmäßig standardisierten Bedingungen ein repräsentatives Sortiment von Vertretern aus den Gruppen der Cyanophyceen, Diatomeen sowie monadaler, kokkaler und ulotrichaler Chlorophyceen zur Überprüfung der Wirksamkeit neu entwiekelter Substanzen einzusetzen. Die Testergebnisse liegen bereits nach 10 bzw. 24 h vor. Die elf Algenreinkulturstämme werden asynchron in Suspensionen bei 30 °C unter Dauerlicht kultiviert.

Die Überprüfung der Wirksamkeit der Herbizide Amitrol, Paraquat, Atrazin, Fenuron und 2,4‐D‐Säure sowie der Algizide Quartolan, Cumasina ,,aktiv“ und Dimanin A zeigte, daß sich der als Bezugsorganismus eingesetzte Reinkulturstamm der Species Chlorella vulgaris (A 6) in seiner Empfindlichkeit gegenüber algiziden Substanzen als repräsentativ für einen großen Teil der übrigen Testorganismen erwies.

Abweichungen in der Algizidempfindlichkeit einzelner Vertreter haben ihre Ursache vorwiegend in physiologischen und anatomisehen Besonderheiten bzw. im jeweiligen Volumen‐Oberflächenverhältnis und der Bildung von Coenobien.

Deshalb kann ein Test mit den ausgewählten Organismen in kurzer Zeit eine umfassende Aussage über den Wirkungsgrad algizider Substanzen ermöglichen.
Zur mikrobiologischen Beurteilung der Wasserqualität in Fließgewässern zur Trinkwassergewinnung
Authors: Mašínová L.
Published: July 2021

Der vorliegende Beitrag befaßt sich mit der Frage der Beurteilung von mikrobiologischen Befunden bei langfristiger (1976 … 1979) Überwachung der Wasserqualität eines kleinen, zur Trinkwasserversorgung genutzten Flusses.

Als mikrobiologische Indikatoren werden die coliformen Bakterien und Enterokokken gewählt. Bei Beurteilung der Befunde von coliformen Bakterien im Sinne der gültigen Verordnung wurde festgestellt, daß die maximal zulässige Zahl dieser Bakterien an der Entnahmestelle von Rohwasser für die Wasseraufbereitungsanlage um 81,88%, an entfernteren Stellen um 27% bzw. 33,3% überschritten wird.

Nach diesen Ergebnissen könnte der Fluß nicht als Trinkwasserquelle genutzt werden. Dieser Schlußfolgerung widersprechen jedoch Enterokokkenbefunde und Werte, die für Indikatoren der biologischen und chemischen Zusammensetzung des Rohwassers festgestellt wurden. Daraus geht hervor, daß eine zuverlässige Beurteilung des für die Trinkwassergewinnung bestimmten Oberflächenwassers nicht auf der Basis eines einzigen Indikators der mikrobiellen Verunreinigung wie der Koliformenkeimzahl erfolgen kann.
Druckluft‐Tiefenwasserbelüfter mit Multidiffusor
Authors: Liepe F. , Wieting J.
Published: July 2021

Zur Belüftung von stehenden Oberflächengewässern wird ein neues Verfahren vorgestellt. Das Verfahren ist sowohl zur Sauerstoffanreicherung sauerstoffarmer Schichten in Standgewässern als auch in vereinfachter Form in flachen Gewässern bei Destratifikation geeignet. Bei einem erheblichen Bedarf an Belüftern in der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik in naher Zukunft sind unter weitgehender Verwendung der Einzelteile des gegenwärtig produzierten Belüft ungsaggregates eine strömungstechnisch günstig gestaltete Einrichtung mit einem optimalen Sauerstoffeintrag im Gewässser einzusetzen. Nach dieser Konzeption könnte gegenüber herkömmlichen Anlagen der Materialaufwand um 20% gesenkt und der Sauerstoffeintrag um 60% gesteigert werden. Das Verfahren bedarf der praktischen Anwendung.
Organohalogene als Karzinogene im Trinkwasser
Authors: Koch R. , Strobel K.
Published: July 2021

Ausgehend von bekannten Untersuchungsergebnissen über die Belastung von Trinkwässern mit Organohalogenen und den Ergebnissen tierexperimenteller Untersuchungen sowie epidemiologischen Studien wird versucht, den gegenwärtigen Kenntnisstand hinsichtlich eines Zusammenhanges zwischen Krebshäufigkeit und Belastung von Trinkwasser mit Organohalogenen darzustellen. Es ist nicht Ziel dieser Literaturstudie, eine Risikoeinschätzung für spezifische Karzinogene oder karzinogen suspekte Verbindungen zu geben, bzw. eine endgültige Bewertung der Substanzen unter den Aspekten der Umweltkarzinogenese vorzunehmen.
Zum Einsatz optoelektronischer Halbleiterelemente in der photometrischen Laboratoriumstechnik
Authors: Kubin S. , Borns E. , Böhm H.
Published: July 2021

Dargestellt werden Möglichkeiten für den Einsatz optoelektronischer Bauelemente in der Laboratoriumstechnik. Bauelemente, die in der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik und in der Tschechoslowakei lieferbar sind, werden behandelt. Die technischen Parameter Wurden überprüft und ihre Eignung für photometrische Messungen in Suspensionskulturen getestet. Neben diesen grundlegenden Untersuchungen zur Eignung der Bauelemente werden mehrere Beispiele für den Einsatz in der Laboratoriumspraxis als Meßzellensystem und als Meßfühler im Kultivierungsgefäß vorgestellt.
Gewinnung biokinetischer Daten von Altwässern mit dem Respirationsfermentor. Teil 1: Methodische Grundlagen und die Bestimmung der spezifischen Wachstumsund Sauerstoffaufnahmerate
Authors: Behrens U. , Bürger G. , Stottmeister U. , Hoh M. , Franz B.
Published: July 2021

Es wird eine Fermentationsvorrichtung für die Messung des Sauerstoffverbrauchs bei wählbaren Sauerstoffpartialdrucken vorgestellt, die in einem geschlossenen Gaskreislauf einen Laboratoriumsfermentor mit Meß‐ und Regeleinrichtungen sowie Möglichkeiten der Probenahme aufweist. Die Druckregression durch die Kohlendioxidadsorption steuert die synchron registrierte Nachlieferung von Sauerstoffgas. Durch diskontinuierliche Kultivation eines adaptierten Belebtschlammes wurden von einem Braunkohlenpyrolyseabwasser die Sauerstoffverbrauchskurven aufgenommen. Es wurde ein polyauxischer Kurvenverlauf erhalten, wobei auf den Abbau der niederen Fettsauren, im wesentlichen Azetat, 70 … 80% des Gesamtsauerstoffverbrauchs entfielen. Hierfür werden biokinetische Daten bestimmt; ; ; μmax = 0,56 h–1 (ausgewählte Werte). Die bei der Erfassung und Errechnung der Daten auftretenden Probleme wurden diskutiert.
Microtubule affinity regulating kinase 4: A promising target in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis
Authors: Qin Yu‐Sheng , Li Heng , Wang Shu‐Zhi , Wang Zong‐Bao , Tang Chao‐Ke
Published: July 2021

Microtubule affinity regulating kinase 4 (MARK4), an important member of the serine/threonine kinase family, regulates the phosphorylation of microtubule‐associated proteins and thus modulates microtubule dynamics. In human atherosclerotic lesions, the expression of MARK4 is significantly increased. Recently, accumulating evidence suggests that MARK4 exerts a proatherogenic effect via regulation of lipid metabolism (cholesterol, fatty acid, and triglyceride), inflammation, cell cycle progression and proliferation, insulin signaling, and glucose homeostasis, white adipocyte browning, and oxidative stress. In this review, we summarize the latest findings regarding the role of MARK4 in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis to provide a rationale for future investigation and therapeutic intervention.
Emerging roles of angiopoietin‐like proteins in inflammation: Mechanisms and potential as pharmacological targets
Authors: Yang Jing , Song Qiu‐yi , Niu Shu‐xuan , Chen Hui‐jing , Petersen Robert B. , Zhang Yu , Huang Kun
Published: July 2021

Angiopoietin‐like proteins (ANGPTLs), a family of eight secreted glycoproteins termed ANGTPL1‐8, are involved in angiogenesis, lipid metabolism, cancer progression, and inflammation. Their roles in regulating lipid metabolism have been intensively studied, as some ANGPTLs are promising pharmacological targets for hypertriglyceridemia and associated cardiovascular disease. Recently, the emerging roles of ANGPTLs in inflammation have attracted great attention. First, elevated levels of multiple circulating ANGPTLs in inflammatory diseases make them potential disease biomarkers. Second, multiple ANGPTLs regulate acute or chronic inflammation via various mechanisms, including triggering inflammatory signaling through their action as ligands for integrin or forming homo‐ /hetero‐oligomers to regulate signal transduction via extra‐ or intracellular mechanisms. As dysregulation of the inflammatory response is a critical trigger in many diseases, understanding the roles of ANGPTLs in inflammation will aid in drug/therapy development. Here, we summarize the roles, mechanisms, and potential therapeutic values for ANGPTLs in inflammation and inflammatory diseases.
Magnetically separable NiFe2O4/Ag3VO4/Ag2VO2PO4 direct Z‐scheme heterostructure with enhanced visible‐light photoactivity
Authors: Su Changhua , Zhang Dafeng , Pu Xipeng , He Zhuang , Hu Xun , Li Lei , Hu Guangzhi
Published: July 2021

BACKGROUND

The occurrence of organic contaminants in surface water has drawn great concern in recent years. The construction of a heterostructure has been shown to improve photoactivity by boosting the separation of photogenerated charge carriers. In this work, magnetically separable NiFe2O4/Ag3VO4/Ag2VO2PO4 (NFO/AVO/AVPO) heterojunction photocatalysts were synthesized via a chemical etching method in ammonia solution of different concentrations, using NFO/AVPO as the source material. The magnetic NFO/AVO/AVPO not only endows magnetic recoverability using an external magnetic field, but also possesses a heterojunction, boosting the separation of photoinduced charges.

RESULTS

Compared with NFO, AVPO and NFO/AVPO, NFO/AVO/AVPO composites as synthesized show improved visible‐light photoactivities. At the optimum concentration (0.15 mol L−1) of ammonia solution, the NFO/AVO/AVPO shows 8.5 and 10.7 times improved photodegradation efficiency for methylene blue and imidacloprid than that of pristine NFO/AVPO, respectively. Due to the presence of magnetic NiFe2O4, the NFO/AVO/AVPO can be magnetically separated easily from the photoreaction system using a magnet. The improved photoactivity can be attributed to the formation of a direct Z‐scheme heterojunction, which boosts the separation of photoinduced electron–hole pairs.

CONCLUSION

This work not only opens up a new method to fabricate heterojunction photocatalysts, but also paves the way for designing advanced magnetically separable photocatalysts with improved photoactivity. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).
Decomposing subcubic graphs into claws, paths or triangles
Authors: Bulteau Laurent , Fertin Guillaume , Labarre Anthony , Rizzi Romeo , Rusu Irena
Published: July 2021

Let be the set of connected graphs of size 3. We study the problem of partitioning the edge set of a graph into graphs taken from any nonempty . The problem is known to be ‐complete for any possible choice of in general graphs. In this paper, we assume that the input graph is subcubic (i.e., all its vertices have degree at most 3), and study the computational complexity of the problem of partitioning its edge set for any choice of . We identify all polynomial and ‐complete problems in that setting.
Maker Breaker on digraphs
Authors: Frieze Alan , Pegden Wesley
Published: July 2021

We study two biased Maker–Breaker games played on the complete digraph . In the strong connectivity game, Maker wants to build a strongly connected subgraph. We determine the asymptotic optimal bias for this game viz. . In the Hamiltonian game, Maker wants to build a Hamiltonian subgraph. We determine the asymptotic optimal bias for this game up to a constant factor.
Berge–Fulkerson coloring for C(12)‐linked permutation graphs
Authors: Liu Siyan , Hao Rong‐Xia , Zhang Cun‐Quan , Zhang Zhang
Published: July 2021

It is conjectured by Berge and Fulkerson that every bridgeless cubic graph has six perfect matchings such that each edge is contained in exactly two of them. Let be a permutation graph with a 2‐factor . A circuit is ‐alternating if is a perfect matching of . A permutation graph with a 2‐factor is ‐linked if it contains an ‐alternating circuit of length at most 12. It is proved in this paper that every‐linked permutation graph is Berge–Fulkerson colorable. As an application, the conjecture is verified for some families of snarks constructed by Abreu et al., Brinkmann et al., and Hägglund et al.
Identification of altered cell signaling pathways using proteomic profiling in stable and progressive chronic lymphocytic leukemia
Authors: Bagacean Cristina , Iuga Cristina Adela , Bordron Anne , Tempescul Adrian , Pralea Ioana-Ecaterina , Bernard Delphine , Cornen Melanie , Bergot Tiffany , Le Dantec Christelle , Brooks Wesley , Saad Hussam , Ianotto Jean-Christophe , Pers Jacques-Olivier , Zdrenghea Mihnea , Berthou Christian , Renaudineau Yves
Published: July 2021

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is characterized by significant biologic and clinical heterogeneity. This study was designed to explore CLL B-cells’ proteomic profile in order to identify biologic processes affected at an early stage and during disease evolution as stable or progressive. Purified B cells from 11 untreated CLL patients were tested at two time points by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Patients included in the study evolved to either progressive (n = 6) or stable disease (n = 5). First, at an early stage of the disease (Binet stage A), based on the relative abundance levels of 389 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs), samples were separated into stable and progressive clusters with the main differentiating factor being the RNA splicing pathway. Next, in order to test how the DEPs affect RNA splicing, a RNA-Seq study was conducted showing 4217 differentially spliced genes between the two clusters. Distinct longitudinal evolutions were observed with predominantly proteomic modifications in the stable CLL group and spliced genes in the progressive CLL group. Splicing events were shown to be six times more frequent in the progressive CLL group. The main aberrant biologic processes controlled by DEPs and spliced genes in the progressive group were cytoskeletal organization, Wnt/β-catenin signaling, and mitochondrial and inositol phosphate metabolism with a downstream impact on CLL B-cell survival and migration. This study suggests that proteomic profiles at the early stage of CLL can discriminate progressive from stable disease and that RNA splicing dysregulation underlies CLL evolution, which opens new perspectives in terms of biomarkers and therapy.
Lassa fever amidst the COVID‐19 pandemic in Africa: A rising concern, efforts, challenges, and future recommendations
Authors: Uwishema Olivier , Alshareif Baha A. A. , Yousif Mohamed Y. E. , Omer Mohammed E. A. , Sablay Alfredo L. R. , Tariq Rabeet , Zahabioun Amirsaman , Mwazighe Rehema M. , Onyeaka Helen
Published: July 2021

Lassa fever, caused by the Lassa virus of the Arenaviruses family, is a re‐emerging public health concern that has led to 300,000 infections and 5000 deaths annually in Africa. Highly prevalent in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, Nigeria, Côte d'lvoire, Ghana, Togo, and Benin, patients infected with the virus can manifest with cough, sore throat, headache, nausea, and vomiting among other symptoms. Coexisting with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic and its impacts, cases of Lassa fever in the African population have been reported to decrease due to hesitancy in visiting clinics that leads to unreported cases—all contributing to a silent outbreak in West Africa. Thus, to overcome current burdens, gaps, and challenges caused by Lassa fever amidst COVID‐19 in Africa, various recommendations for efficient control of transmission, measures for disease containment, and strategies to correct misperceptions were made.
Evaluation of a rapid antigen detection test (Panbio™ COVID‐19 Ag Rapid Test Device) as a point‐of‐care diagnostic tool for COVID‐19 in a pediatric emergency department
Authors: Carbonell‐Sahuquillo Silvia , Lázaro‐Carreño María I. , Camacho Jorge , Barrés‐Fernández Ana , Albert Eliseo , Torres Ignacio , Bretón‐Martínez José R. , Martínez‐Costa Cecilia , Navarro David
Published: July 2021

We evaluated the Panbio™ COVID‐19 Ag Rapid Test Device as a point‐of‐care diagnostic tool for COVID‐19 in 357 patients at a pediatric emergency department. Thirty‐four patients tested positive by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, of which 24 were positive by the antigen assay. The sensitivity and specificity of the assay were 70.5% and 100%, respectively.
Acute and long‐term efficacy of ablation index‐guided higher power shorter duration ablation in patients with atrial fibrillation: A prospective registry
Authors: Lee So‐Ryoung , Park Hyoung‐Seob , Choi Eue‐Keun , Lee Euijae , Oh Seil
Published: July 2021

Background

Theoretically, targeting the same ablation index (AI) using higher power may achieve the same lesion size with a shorter ablation time. We evaluated the acute and long‐term efficacy of higher‐powered ablation guided by ablation index (HPAI) compared with conventional‐powered ablation guided by AI (CPAI) for pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF).

Methods

Drug refractory symptomatic AF patients who had been ablated with 40 W on the anterior/roof segments and 30 W on the posterior/inferior/carina segments were enrolled (HPAI group). We compared the HPAI group with the CPAI group who were ablated with 30 W on the anterior/roof segments and 25 W on the posterior/inferior/carina segments. The same AI was targeted (≥450 on the anterior/roof segments and ≥350 on the posterior/inferior/carina segments). We compared ablation time, acute pulmonary vein reconnection (PVR) and 1‐year AF recurrence between the two groups.

Results

A total of 118 patients were included (86 in the HPAI group and 32 in the CPAI group, paroxysmal AF, 73%). There was no significant difference in the acute PVR rate between the HPAI and the CPAI groups (3.7% vs. 4.2%, P = .580) with a 41% reduction in ablation time for PVI (38.7 ± 8.3 vs. 65.8 ± 13.7 minutes, P < .001). The 1‐year AF recurrence rate was not significantly different between HPAI and CPAI groups (12.8% vs. 21.9%, Log‐rank P = .242). There were no major complications in either group.

Conclusions

Increased power during AF ablation, using the same AI targets, reduced the procedure and ablation times, and showed a comparable acute and long‐term outcome without compromising safety.

Clinical Trial Registration

https://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT 04379557.
ASPEN definitions in pediatric intestinal failure
Authors: Modi Biren P. , Galloway David P. , Gura Kathleen , Nucci Anita , Plogsted Steven , Tucker Alyssa , Wales Paul W.
Published: July 2021

Pediatric intestinal failure (PIF) is a relatively rare disease entity that requires focused interdisciplinary care and specialized nutrition management. There has long been a lack of consensus in the definition of key terms related to PIF because of its rarity and a plethora of small studies rather than large trials. As such, the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN) PIF Section, composed of clinicians from a variety of disciplines caring for children with intestinal failure, is uniquely poised to provide insight into this definition void. This document is the product of an effort by the Section to create evidence‐based consensus definitions, with the goal of allowing for appropriate comparisons between clinical studies and measurement of long‐term patient outcomes. This paper has been approved by the ASPEN Board of Directors.
Prenatal Diagnosis of Fetal Lymphangioma: A Case Series
Authors: Diaz‐Primera Ramiro , Sánchez‐Jimenez Raúl , Marin‐Concha Julio , Mena Rafael , Garrido‐Mendez Jose , Mariñez Manuel , Mena‐Rivas Ramon , Lopez Ashley , Diaz‐Rodriguez Agustin , Mogena‐Sanchez Orlando , Almanzar Rafael , Soto‐Ravelo Rodolfo
Published: July 2021

Fetal lymphangioma is an uncommon congenital malformation that is mainly comprised of the subcutaneous tissue of the neck. This malformation can develop in other areas like the thoracic and axillary regions, though rarely. We report 6 consecutive cases of lymphatic malformation in a fetal center in Dominican Republic. In our case series fetal chest lymphangiomas were present in 2 fetuses. In addition, 2 cases of axillary lymphangiomas also involved the thoracic region. Adequate management by a multidiciplinary team is necessary to provide a better approach to delivery.
An active surveillance program in oral preneoplasia and translational oncology benefit
Authors: Archibald Hunter , Buryska Seth , Ondrey Frank G.
Published: July 2021

Objective

We desired to establish an active surveillance clinic for head and neck cancer. In this review we examined.

Methods

We examined the natural history of human oral carcinogenesis, the types of preneoplastic lesions, and efforts at oral chemoprevention over the past decades for presentation here.

Results

We established a clinic and program for patients with oral premalignant lesions approximately over 15 years ago based on an unmetneed for this service. We have completed over 4000 outpatient visits for this cohort and have a place for referrals of difficult oral lesions. We have leveraged this population for multiple federally funded trials on oral cancer prevention as well as specimen banking.

Conclusion

There is need for routine active surveillance for oral preneoplastic conditions in patients at high risk for conversion to cancer. There are no effective durable treatment or preventions for these individuals and we have attempted to fill this unmet need with our program.
Overconfidence and welfare in a differentiated duopoly
Authors: Tondji Jean‐Baptiste
Published: July 2021

We examine whether owners' decisions to delegate corporate responsibilities to overconfident managers improve welfare. We develop a dynamic model with product differentiation, where firms compete in cost‐reducing research and development (R&D) and output. Before firms compete, each owner makes a strategic decision whether to hire an overconfident manager. The results reveal that when R&D technology is less productive, owners hire overconfident managers who overinvest in cost‐reducing R&D. These strategic decisions improve welfare when spillovers are small and R&D productivity is low, or spillovers are large, or product differentiation is strong.
Temperature sensing technique by using a microwave photonics filter based on an actively mode‐locked fiber laser
Authors: Luo Jian , Cai Xun , Wang Haoran , Fu Hongyan
Published: July 2021

In this article, a temperature‐sensing scheme by using a microwave photonics filter (MPF) based on an actively mode‐locked fiber laser (MLFL) has been proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The MPF is formed by the MLFL and a photodetector (PD). Single‐mode fibers with different lengths in the laser cavity acts as the sensing head. The experimental results show good linearity between the frequency shift of the MPF's passband and temperature variation. The sensitivity of the sensor reaches −17.17236 kHz/°C with 100 m sensing fiber in the laser cavity when the passband with central frequency of 2.985 GHz is utilized for measurement. The proposed temperature sensor has the advantages of high resolution, good reliability, and tailorable sensitivity and shows good potential in practical applications.
Classification of focal liver lesions in CT images using convolutional neural networks with lesion information augmented patches and synthetic data augmentation
Authors: Lee Hansang , Lee Haeil , Hong Helen , Bae Heejin , Lim Joon Seok , Kim Junmo
Published: July 2021

Purpose

We propose a deep learning method that classifies focal liver lesions (FLLs) into cysts, hemangiomas, and metastases from portal phase abdominal CT images. We propose a synthetic data augmentation process to alleviate the class imbalance and the Lesion INformation Augmented (LINA) patch to improve the learning efficiency.

Methods

A dataset of 502 portal phase CT scans of 1,290 FLLs was used. First, to alleviate the class imbalance and to diversify the training data patterns, we suggest synthetic training data augmentation using DCGAN‐based lesion mask synthesis and pix2pix‐based mask‐to‐image translation. Second, to improve the learning efficiency of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for the small lesions, we propose a novel type of input patch termed the LINA patch to emphasize the lesion texture information while also maintaining the lesion boundary information in the patches. Third, we construct a multi‐scale CNN through a model ensemble of ResNet‐18 CNNs trained on LINA patches of various mini‐patch sizes.

Results

The experiments demonstrate that (a) synthetic data augmentation method shows characteristics different but complementary to those in conventional real data augmentation in augmenting data distributions, (b) the proposed LINA patches improve classification performance compared to those by existing types of CNN input patches due to the enhanced texture and boundary information in the small lesions, and (c) through an ensemble of LINA patch‐trained CNNs with different mini‐patch sizes, the multi‐scale CNN further improves overall classification performance. As a result, the proposed method achieved an accuracy of 87.30%, showing improvements of 10.81%p and 15.0%p compared to the conventional image patch‐trained CNN and texture feature‐trained SVM, respectively.

Conclusions

The proposed synthetic data augmentation method shows promising results in improving the data diversity and class imbalance, and the proposed LINA patches enhance the learning efficiency compared to the existing input image patches.
Household air pollution during COVID‐19 pandemic: A concern in India
Authors: Rani Ritu , Arokiasamy Perianayagam , Sikarwar Ankit
Published: July 2021

Household air pollution is a serious public health concern in India with more than half of the Indian households relying on solid fuel use. The long periods of lockdown related measures to control COVID‐19 pandemic in India further aggravated the adverse health effects of household air pollution as millions Indians were exposed to high level of health‐damaging air pollutants inside their homes. This commentary discusses the vulnerability of the socioeconomically disadvantaged population forced to stay indoors during the pandemic. Exposure to household air pollution has detrimental effects on health, which might put individuals at higher risk for complications related to COVID‐19. A large proportion of socioeconomically disadvantaged section of the population were exposed to critical levels of household air pollution and more vulnerable to severe health effects of COVID‐19. There is a pressing need to understand the aggravated health consequences of household air pollution in association with COVID‐19.