bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Systems Aliveness Approach—Shifting Mindsets from Navigating Emergency to Stewarding Wellbeing on a Healthy Planet
Authors: Kuenkel Petra
Published: March 2022

This chapter suggests that humankind needs to reconsider its relationship with the planet’s amazing miracle:Life. Shifts in mindsets need to reflect this emerging new view of reality. COVID-19 as a global pandemic has alerted many people not only to the need to realign humankind’s relationship with nature, but also highlighted the global interconnectedness and the vulnerability of people. The increasing concern for the future of humanity and our life-support system needs reflections about the underlying view of reality that informs approaches to transformations. If humanity wants to rise up to collective stewardship towards stabilizing the trajectories of our planet, transformation actors need to become humble partners of life’s potential to renew and replenish. The chapter introduces the concept ofsystems alivenessas a guiding compass for transformative change. It emphasizes that understanding what gives life to systems needs to be at the centre of emerging transformation literacy. Drawing from multiple, interdisciplinary sources of the systems aliveness approach offers an avenue to reorientate transformation efforts around six generic principles. Using these principles as a lens to designing transformation initiatives and translating them into a stewardship architecture provides creative pathways for the long journey to regenerative civilizations.
Quantum mechanism of extremely high energy processes at neutron star collapse and of quasar luminosity
Authors: Jacak Janusz Edward
Published: March 2022

Abstract

Using the braid group topological approach to quantum statistics we demonstrate that for strong gravitational field occurring in neutron star merger with mass exceeding the Tolman, Oppenheimer and Volkoff limit the quantum statistics of particles beneath the photon sphere decays, which results in an instant relief of quantum degeneracy pressure in the star. This causes a rapid shrink of the matter to a black hole with quite different quantum collective character of particles. The scheme of neutron Fermi sphere collapse is proposed as the possible isotropic source of short giant gamma-ray bursts. The similar quantum mechanism of collapse of Fermi spheres of electrons and protons in plasma of accretion disc in vicinity of the Schwarzschild horizon of galactic black hole is able to elucidate the giant luminosity of remote quasars. The efficiency of the mass to energy conversion via collapse of the Fermi sphere is ca. 30 %, not reachable for any other known physical process except of the matter-antimatter annihilation.
Searches for new physics at SND@LHC
Authors: Boyarsky Alexey , Mikulenko Oleksii , Ovchynnikov Maksym , Shchutska Lesya
Published: March 2022

Abstract

SND@LHC is an approved experiment equipped to detect scatterings of neutrinos produced in the far-forward direction at the LHC, and aimed to measure their properties. In addition, the detector has a potential to search for new feebly interacting particles (FIPs) that may be produced in proton-proton collisions. In this paper, we discuss signatures of new physics at SND@LHC for two classes of particles: stable FIPs that may be detected via their scattering, and unstable FIPs that decay inside the detector. We estimate the sensitivity of SND@LHC to probe scatterings of leptophobic dark matter and decays of neutrino, scalar, and vector portal particles. Finally, we also compare and qualitatively analyze the potential of SND@LHC and FASER/FASERν experiments for these searches.
Brane/flux annihilation in double-throat system
Authors: Seo Min-Seok
Published: March 2022

Abstract

We study the brane/flux annihilation in the double-throat system in which the corresponding cycles of two throats are homologically equivalent. When we put$$ \overline{\mathrm{D}3} $$D3¯-branes at only one of throat tips, two throats are no longer identical. Then the brane/flux annihilation can be interpreted as the process for reducing the difference between two throat geometries through the transition to the supersymmetric vacuum. To see this, we describe the changes in the amounts of the NSNS 3-form flux supporting the B-cycle contained in two throat regions during the brane/flux annihilation. We also compare our analysis with the recently proposed thraxion scenario, which also describes the inequivalence of two throats caused by the different NSNS 3-form flux distributions in two throat regions.
Leptonic CP violation from a vector-like lepton
Authors: Cherchiglia A. L. , De Conto G. , Nishi C. C.
Published: March 2022

Abstract

Leptonic CP violation is yet to be confirmed as an additional source of CP violation in fundamental interactions. We study the case where leptonic CP violation is spontaneous and is induced by the mixing with a heavy charged vector-like lepton (VLL). We show that the non-decoupling of this VLL is linked with the presence of CP violation and its coupling with the SM leptons are partly fixed from the SM Yukawas. Due to the large leptonic mixing angles, these couplings are typically of the same order and there is no flavor preference. Strong but not definitive constraints come from charged lepton flavor violating processes because the VLL can decouple from one or two leptonic flavors in very special points of parameter space. These special points are very sensitive to the neutrino Majorana phases.
Patient-reported outcome measures for pain in women with pelvic floor disorders: a systematic review
Authors: Ralphsmith Maisie , Ahern Susannah , Dean Joanne , Ruseckaite Rasa
Published: March 2022

Introduction and hypothesis

Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are helpful instruments when measuring and reporting changes in patient health status (Al Sayah et al. J Patient Rep Outcomes 5 (Suppl 2):99, 2021) such as the health-related quality of life (HrQoL) of women with pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and stress urinary incontinence (SUI). The Australasian Pelvic Floor Procedure Registry (APFPR) aims to increase capacity for women to report surgical outcomes through the collection of HrQoL data (Ruseckaite et al. Qual Life Res. 2021) but currently lacks a pain-specific PROM for women with pelvic floor disorders (PFDs), particularly POP and SUI. This review aims to systematically review the existing literature and identify instruments that measure pain in women with POP and SUI for inclusion within the APFPR, which reports on complications from these conditions.

Methods

We conducted a literature search on OVID MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO and EMCARE databases in addition to Google Scholar and grey literature to identify studies from inception to April 2021. Full-text studies were included if they used PROMs to measure pain in women with POP and SUI. Two authors independently screened articles, extracted data and assessed methodological quality.

Results

From 2001 studies, 23 publications describing 19 different PROMs were included for analysis. Eight of these instruments were specific to the pelvic floor; four were only specific to pain and used across multiple disorders; three were generic quality of life instruments and four were other non-validated instruments such as focus group interviews. These instruments were not specific to pain in women with POP or SUI, as they did not identify all relevant domains such as the sensation, region and duration of pain, or incidents where onset of pain occurs.

Conclusions

The findings of this review suggest there are no current PROMs that are suitable pain-specific instruments for women with POP or SUI. This knowledge may inform and assist in the development of a new PROM to be implemented into the APFPR.
A subcellular cookie cutter for spatial genomics in human tissue
Authors: Bury Alexander G. , Pyle Angela , Marcuccio Fabio , Turnbull Doug M. , Vincent Amy E. , Hudson Gavin , Actis Paolo
Published: March 2022

Intracellular heterogeneity contributes significantly to cellular physiology and, in a number of debilitating diseases, cellular pathophysiology. This is greatly influenced by distinct organelle populations and to understand the aetiology of disease, it is important to have tools able to isolate and differentially analyse organelles from precise location within tissues. Here, we report the development of a subcellular biopsy technology that facilitates the isolation of organelles, such as mitochondria, from human tissue. We compared the subcellular biopsy technology to laser capture microdissection (LCM) that is the state-of-the-art technique for the isolation of cells from their surrounding tissues. We demonstrate an operational limit of  >20 µm for LCM and then, for the first time in human tissue, show that subcellular biopsy can be used to isolate mitochondria beyond this limit.

Graphical abstract
Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure ionization-tandem mass spectrometry method for the migration studies of primary aromatic amines from food contact materials
Authors: Arrizabalaga-Larrañaga Ane , de Juan-de Juan Pedro , Bressan Claudia , Vázquez-Espinosa Mercedes , González-de-Peredo Ana V. , Santos F. Javier , Moyano Encarnación
Published: March 2022

This work describes the development of an ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method for the determination of 23 primary aromatic amines (PAAs) that can potentially migrate from food contact materials. The chromatographic separation was performed in a pentafluorophenylpropyl (PFPP) column achieving the separation of all PAAs in less than 6.5 min using water to acetonitrile (0.1% acetic acid in both solvents) as mobile phase and a gradient elution. The feasibility of atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) and atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) was evaluated as alternative to electrospray ionization (ESI) for the analysis of PAAs. Results showed that for most of the compounds, better responses were obtained with APCI, which shows the advantage of being less susceptible to matrix effects. Tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) fragmentation studies of [M + H]+ allowed for the selection of the two most characteristic and abundant product ions of the 23 PAAs which led to the development of a selective and sensitive UHPLC-APCI-MS/MS method with limits of detection ranging from 0.2 to 2 μg kg−1. Moreover, intra-day and inter-day precisions of the method in terms of relative standard deviation (RSD%) were lower than 10% and 15%, while trueness as relative error was <15% for most of the compounds. The UHPLC-APCI-MS/MS method was applied to the analysis of twenty black Nylon kitchenware samples that were submitted to migration tests using food simulant B (3% acetic acid, w/v), and the presence of PAAs were detected in eighteen samples at concentrations above the legislated limit (2 μg kg−1 of food or food simulants).

Graphical abstract
Three-dimensional static-fluid MR urography with gradient- and spin-echo (GRASE) at 3.0T: comparison of image quality and diagnostic performance with respiratory-triggered fast spin-echo (FSE)
Authors: Wang Wei , Yang Junzhe , Liu Jing , Li Wei , Zhao Kai , Xue Ke , Dai Yongming , Qiu Jianxing
Published: March 2022

Purpose

To compare the performance of 3D MRU based on a breath-hold gradient- and spin-echo (BH-GRASE) technique with conventional 3D respiratory-triggered FSE (RT-FSE) sequence in patients with urinary tract dilation.

Methods

We prospectively included 90 patients with urinary tract dilation who underwent both 3D BH-GRASE and RT-FSE MRU at 3T. The acquisition time of two MRU sequences was recorded. Three readers blinded to the protocols reviewed the image quality using a five-point scale and assessed the diagnostic performance related to urinary tract dilation. The relative contrast ratio (CR) between the urinary tract and adjacent area was measured quantitatively.

Results

Acquisition time was 14.8 s for BH-GRASE MRU and 213.6 ± 52.2 s for RT-FSE MRU. The qualitative image analysis demonstrated significant equivalence between the two MRU protocols. 3D BH-GRASE MRU better depicted bilateral renal calyces than RT-FSE MRU (p < 0.05). The CR values of the urinary tract were lower on BH-GRASE MRU compared with RT-FSE MRU (p < 0.05). There were excellent agreements in the assessment of urinary tract dilation between BH-GRASE and RT-FSE MRU, including the dilated degree, obstructive level, and obstructive imaging features (inter-sequence κ = 0.924–1).

Conclusion

3D BH-GRASE MRU significantly decreased the acquisition time and achieved comparable image quality, urinary tract visualization, and diagnostic performance with conventional 3D RT-FSE MRU. Breath-hold 3D MRU with GRASE may provide a feasible evaluation of urinary tract dilation.

Graphical abstract
Agricultural resources in the Bronze Age city of Tel Lachish
Authors: Nicolì Marco , Riehl Simone , Webster Lyndelle , Streit Katharina , Höflmayer Felix
Published: March 2022

In this paper, we present the results of the plant macrofossil analyses from the site of Tel Lachish, Israel with focus on the botanical assemblage of the Middle and Late Bronze Age layers collected in two different areas of the tell: Area S, a trench on the western edge of the site, whose samples belong to Late Bronze Age deposits, and Area P, the palace area on the top of the mound with samples ranging from the Middle to Late Bronze Age. Systematic sampling of these areas and analysis of the remains have extended our knowledge of the agricultural resources of one of the most influential Late Bronze Age cities in the southern Levant. Multivariate statistics have been applied to gain insight into regional patterns of crop growing. Fruit crops account for the majority of the identified remains from this site, which also included large quantities of Hordeum vulgare (barley) and Triticum dicoccum (emmer wheat) grains. The virtual lack of chaff remains is not solely a matter of preservation, since the Late Bronze Age assemblage preserved fragile small seeds. Rather, this finding suggests that cereal processing took place some distance from the area of deposition. Overall high diversity, ubiquity and proportions of fruit crops indicate that these played a fundamental role in their cultivation and probably also in cultural life at Lachish throughout the 15th–12th centuries bce.
Acute, isolated fractures of the metatarsal bones: an epidemiologic study
Authors: Herterich Viktoria , Hofmann Luzie , Böcker Wolfgang , Polzer Hans , Baumbach Sebastian Felix
Published: March 2022

Introduction

Although metatarsal fractures are common, the significance of previous epidemiologic studies is limited to specific fracture entities, subpopulations, or heterogeneous fracture aetiologies. The aim of the study was to assess the epidemiology of isolated metatarsal fractures in an adult population at a level-1 trauma centre.

Materials and methods

Radiological and clinical databases were searched for a five-year period. Eligible were all patients with acute isolated metatarsal fractures over the age of 18 years with radiographs in two planes available. Stress fractures, injuries affecting Lisfranc joint stability, and concomitant injuries to other regions than the metatarsals were excluded. Data collection included general demographics, mechanism of injury, season of the trauma and fracture details.

Results

Out of 3259 patients, 642 patients met the inclusion criteria and were included for the analysis. The patients’ mean age was 44.5 ± 18.9 years, 50.6% were female. 83.3% suffered an isolated, 16.7% multiple metatarsal fractures. Single metatarsal fractures occurred predominantly at the fifth metatarsal bone (81.3%), their frequency decreased with increasing age, with a seasonal peak during the summer. Patients suffering multiple metatarsal fractures were significantly older (51.6 ± 21.2 vs. 43.0 ± 18.1 years;p < 0.001) and the injury resulted significantly more often from a high-energy trauma (6.7% vs. 23.4%;p < 0.001). Multiple metatarsal fractures occurred evenly throughout all metatarsals but revealed a focus on female population with no seasonal differences.

Conclusion

Single metatarsal fractures predominantly occurred at the fifth metatarsal bone and showed a seasonal, gender and age dependency. Multiple metatarsal fractures were homogeneously distributed between the different metatarsals with distinct age-dependent gender differences.

Level of evidence

Level III.
A disaster victim identification workshop focused on forensic odontology using embalmed human remains
Authors: Zwirner Johann , Duncan Warwick
Published: March 2022

A high number of victims of mass casualty incidences are identified through their teeth. While forensic odontologists need to have a complex skillset during a disaster victim identification (DVI) response, hands-on training opportunities are rare. In countries with very limited forensic casework, such as New Zealand, many forensic odontologists find it difficult to achieve the number of annual forensic dental identifications required to maintain their credentialling. This report details the development of a hands-on forensic odontology-focused DVI workshop using human Crosado-embalmed remains. Anonymous participant evaluations, including five-point Likert and open-ended items, were performed in both years the workshop was held. A total of 10 and 17 participants, predominantly dentists, attended the workshop in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Participant feedback was extremely positive. Likert items were statistically similar between participants in both years. Open-ended items revealed positive feedback regarding the use of cadaveric remains, the gained hands-on experience, or the teamwork aspect. Participants who attended the workshop in both years commented on the positive aspect of repetition to cement their skills. As areas of improvement, participants named (for example) time management and the number of portable X-ray devices, leading to changes that were implemented in 2021. Moreover, the participants expressed interest to further their skills on decomposed, burnt, and fragmented human remains, which for ethical reasons has yet to be implemented. The DVI workshop described here, using embalmed human remains, provides an opportunity to add dental identifications toward annual credentialling requirements for forensic odontologists. Participants rated the course to be excellent overall and highly relevant for their role. For future workshops, there is an interest to include further aspects of the DVI response such as fingerprinting or police work as well as remains, which are altered due to natural or physical reasons.
Optical tissue clearing associated with 3D imaging: application in preclinical and clinical studies
Authors: Brenna Cinzia , Simioni Carolina , Varano Gabriele , Conti Ilaria , Costanzi Eva , Melloni Mattia , Neri Luca Maria
Published: March 2022

Understanding the inner morphology of intact tissues is one of the most competitive challenges in modern biology. Since the beginning of the twentieth century, optical tissue clearing (OTC) has provided solutions for volumetric imaging, allowing the microscopic visualization of thick sections of tissue, organoids, up to whole organs and organisms (for example, mouse or rat). Recently, tissue clearing has also been introduced in clinical settings to achieve a more accurate diagnosis with the support of 3D imaging. This review aims to give an overview of the most recent developments in OTC and 3D imaging and to illustrate their role in the field of medical diagnosis, with a specific focus on clinical applications.

Graphical abstract
Effects of vision on energy expenditure and kinematics during level walking
Authors: Eiken Ola , Mekjavic Igor B. , Babič Jan , Danielsson Ulf , Hallberg Magnus , Kounalakis Stylianos N.
Published: March 2022

Purpose

We have previously observed substantially higher oxygen uptake in soldiers walking on terrain at night than when performing the same walk in bright daylight. The aims of the present study were to investigate the influence of vision on mechanical efficiency during slow, horizontal, constant-speed walking, and to determine whether any vision influence is modified by load carriage.

Methods

Each subject (n = 15) walked (3.3 km/h) for 10 min on a treadmill in four different conditions: (1) full vision, no carried load, (2) no vision, no carried load, (3) full vision with a 25.5-kg rucksack, (4) no vision with a 25.5-kg rucksack.

Results

Oxygen uptake was 0.94 ± 0.12 l/min in condition (1), 1.15 ± 0.20 l/min in (2), 1.15 ± 0.12 l/min in (3) and 1.35 ± 0.19 l/min in (4). Thus, lack of vision increased oxygen uptake by about 19%. Analyses of movement pattern, by use of optical markers attached to the limbs and torso, revealed considerably shorter step length (12 and 10%) in the no vision (2 and 4) than full vision conditions (1 and 3). No vision conditions (2 and 4) increased step width by 6 and 6%, and increased vertical foot clearance by 20 and 16% compared to full vision conditions (1 and 3).

Conclusion

The results suggest that vision has a marked influence on mechanical efficiency even during entrained, repetitive movements performed on an obstacle-free horizontal surface under highly predictable conditions.
Hydroxycinnamoyltransferase and CYP98 in phenolic metabolism in the rosmarinic acid-producing hornwort Anthoceros agrestis
Authors: Ernst Lucien , Wohl Julia , Bauerbach Elke , Petersen Maike
Published: March 2022

Main conclusion

Anthoceros agrestis hydroxycinnamoyltransferase accepts shikimic and 3-hydroxyanthranilic acids while hydroxycinnamoylester/amide 3-hydroxylase (CYP98A147) preferred p-coumaroyl-(3-hydroxy)anthranilic acid compared to the shikimic acid derivative. Alternative pathways towards rosmarinic acid have to be considered.

Rosmarinic acid (RA) is a well-known ester of caffeic acid and 3,4-dihydroxyphenyllactic acid. In the search for enzymes involved in RA biosynthesis in the hornwort Anthoceros agrestis, the hydroxycinnamoyltransferase sequence with the highest similarity to rosmarinic acid synthase from Lamiaceae has been amplified and heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli. In parallel, the single cytochrome P450 sequence belonging to the CYP98 group in Anthoceros agrestis was isolated and expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae which did not result in protein formation. Codon optimization and co-expression with NADPH:cytochrome P450 reductase (CPR) from Coleus blumei resulted in the formation of active enzymes. Both, the hydroxycinnamoyltransferase and CYP98 were characterized with respect to their temperature and pH optimum as well as their substrate acceptance. The hydroxycinnamoyltransferase (AaHCT6) readily accepted p-coumaroyl- and caffeoyl-CoA with a slightly higher affinity towards p-coumaroyl-CoA. The best acceptor substrate was shikimic acid (Km 25 µM with p-coumaroyl-CoA) followed by 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid (Km 153 µM with p-coumaroyl-CoA). Another accepted substrate was 2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid. Anthranilic acid and 4-hydroxyphenyllactic acid (as precursor for RA) were not used as substrates. p-Coumaroylesters and -amides are substrates hydroxylated by CYP98 hydroxylases. The only CYP98 sequence from Anthoceros agrestis is CYP98A147. The best substrates for the NADPH-dependent hydroxylation were p-coumaroylanthranilic and p-coumaroyl-3-hydroxyanthranilic acids while p-coumaroylshikimic and p-coumaroyl-4-hydroxyphenyllactic acids were poor substrates. The biosynthetic pathway towards rosmarinic acid thus still remains open and other enzyme classes as well as an earlier introduction of the 3-hydroxyl group to afford the caffeic acid substitution pattern must be taken into consideration.
Burden of hospitalizations and outpatient visits associated with moderate and severe acute graft-versus-host disease in Finland and Sweden: a real-world data study
Authors: Sabatelli Lorenzo , Keränen Mikko , Viayna Elisabet , Roset Montserrat , Lara Nuria , Thunström Daniel , Pfeiffer Minja , Nicklasson Malin , Itälä-Remes Maija
Published: March 2022

Purpose

The aim of this study was to describe patient characteristics and quantify hospital stays and outpatient visits (H&OV) following diagnosis with moderate-to-severe acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) in Finland and Sweden.

Methods

A retrospective chart audit collected data from patient medical records of 3 specialized centers performing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT; Finland, n = 2; Sweden, n = 1). Eligible patients received allogeneic HSCT (January 1, 2016–June 30, 2017) from any donor source, were diagnosed with grade II–IV aGVHD (MAGIC or modified Glucksberg criteria) at any time from transplantation to 12 months before data collection, and were ≥ 18 years old at diagnosis. Criteria for comparing patients graded with modified Glucksberg and MAGIC severity scales were defined.

Results

Fifty-five patients (Finland, n = 45; Sweden, n = 10) were included. Myeloablative conditioning was the most common conditioning regimen (81.8%); immunosuppression regimens were based on combinations of methotrexate (96.4%), in vivo T-cell depletion (80.0%), cyclosporine (63.6%), mycophenolate (40.0%), and tacrolimus (34.5%). Sixteen patients (29.1%) developed grade III/IV aGVHD; skin was the most common organ involved (80.0%). Most patients required ≥ 1 hospital stay (89.1%; median of 2 hospitalizations per patient); 7 patients (14.3%) required admission to an intensive care unit. Median hospitalization duration from HSCT to discharge was 26 days. Most patients also required outpatient or emergency department visits (90.9%). Subgroup analyses showed longer hospital stays for patients receiving multiple treatment lines; no clear differences in H&OV were observed between prophylactic regimens.

Conclusion

Based on this retrospective study, moderate-to-severe aGVHD is associated with considerable healthcare resource utilization in Finland and Sweden, particularly in patients who received multiple lines of therapy.
A novel deep ordinal classification approach for aesthetic quality control classification
Authors: Rosati Riccardo , Romeo Luca , Vargas Víctor Manuel , Gutiérrez Pedro Antonio , Hervás-Martínez César , Frontoni Emanuele
Published: March 2022

Nowadays, decision support systems (DSSs) are widely used in several application domains, from industrial to healthcare and medicine fields. Concerning the industrial scenario, we propose a DSS oriented to the aesthetic quality control (AQC) task, which has quickly established itself as one of the most crucial challenges of Industry 4.0. Taking into account the increasing amount of data in this domain, the application of machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) techniques offers great opportunities to automatize the overall AQC process. State-of-the-art is mainly oriented to approach this problem with a nominal DL classification method which does not exploit the ordinal structure of the AQC task, thus not penalizing the error among distant AQC classes (which is a relevant aspect for the real use case). The paper introduces a DL ordinal methodology for the AQC classification. Differently from other deep ordinal methods, we combined the standard categorical cross-entropy with the cumulative link model and we imposed the ordinal constraint via the thresholds and slope parameters. Experimental results were performed for solving an AQC task on a novel image dataset originated from a specific company’s demand (i.e., aesthetic assessment of wooden stocks). We demonstrated how the proposed methodology is able to reduce misclassification errors (up to 0.937 quadratic weight kappa loss) among distant classes while overcoming other state-of-the-art deep ordinal models and reducing the bias factor related to the item geometry. The proposed DL approach was integrated as the main core of a DSS supported by Internet of Things (IoT) architecture that can support the human operator by reducing up to 90% the time needed for the qualitative analysis carried out manually in this specific domain.
Chronic Nitrogen Deposition Induces Phosphorus Limitation of Aquatic, But Not Terrestrial, Decomposition
Authors: Simon Kevin S. , Anderson Dennis S. , Fernandez Ivan J. , Norton Stephen A.
Published: March 2022

Elevated deposition of atmospheric nitrogen (N) has shifted nutrient availability in terrestrial and aquatic habitats of ecosystems, but rarely are ecosystem processes in those components examined simultaneously. We used a multi-decadal, whole, paired watershed experiment to determine how chronic N enrichment with (NH4)2SO4 alters litter decomposition in terrestrial and stream systems. We also used short-term phosphorus (P) enrichment experiments within both watersheds to determine whether chronic N enrichment enhances P limitation of decomposition. Leaves from N-treated and reference watersheds were used in a reciprocal design to parse effects of altered nutrient availability in leaves and in the environment. We found divergent responses of terrestrial and stream decomposition to altered nutrient regimes. Chronic experimental N enrichment increased N and P concentrations in post-abscission leaves which decayed faster than leaves from the reference watershed in the terrestrial environment. Experimental N enrichment also did not induce P limitation of terrestrial decomposition. In contrast, litter decomposition rate in the two streams was not enhanced by elevated N in stream water or by altered leaf chemistry. Instead, chronic experimental N enrichment shifted decomposition in streams from co-limitation to strong P limitation. Microbial respiration and extracellular enzyme production responded to altered nutrient availability in a manner consistent with resource allocation models. Divergent responses of terrestrial and aquatic decomposition to elevated N deposition likely arise from differences in water bioavailability. Our work highlights the value of simultaneously considering ecosystem processes in terrestrial and aquatic systems to understand the consequences of integrated landscape processes operating on large spatial scales.
Preliminary report of de novo adipogenesis using novel bioabsorbable implants and image evaluation using a porcine model
Authors: Ogino Shuichi , Yamada Atsushi , Kambe Yusuke , Nakano Takashi , Lee Sunghee , Sakamoto Michiharu , Kato Yuki , Okumura Saki , Okano Junko , Yamauchi Koji , Suzuki Yoshihisa , Yamaoka Tetsuji , Morimoto Naoki
Published: March 2022

Our bioabsorbable poly-l-lactic acid (PLLA) mesh implants containing collagen sponge are replaced with adipose tissue after implantation, and this is an innovative method for breast reconstruction. In this preliminary study, we investigated the formation of adipose tissue and evaluated the process via multimodal images in a porcine model using an implant aggregate to generate the larger adipose tissue. The implant aggregate consists of PLLA mesh implants containing collagen sponge and a poly-glycolic acid woven bag covering them. We inserted the implant aggregates under the porcine mammary glands. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasonography (USG), and 3-dimensional (3D) surface imaging and histological evaluations were performed to evaluate the formation of adipose tissue over time. The volume of the implant aggregate and the formed adipose tissue inside the implant aggregate could be evaluated over time via MRI. The space within the implant aggregate was not confirmed on USG due to the acoustic shadow of the PLLA threads. The change in volume was not confirmed precisely using 3D surface imaging. Histologically, the newly formed adipose tissue was confirmed on the skin side of the implant aggregate. This implant aggregate has the ability to regenerate adipose tissue, and MRI is an appropriate method for the evaluation of the volume of the implant aggregation and the formation of adipose tissue.
Sustainable alkali-activated binders with municipal solid waste incineration ashes as sand or fly ash replacement
Authors: Irshidat Mohammad R. , Al-Nuaimi Nasser , Rabie Mohamed
Published: March 2022

The present study investigates the feasibility of using two types of municipality solid wastes incineration ashes, namely, fly ash and bottom ash in the production of sustainable alkali-activated binder. The ashes are collected from the incineration plant and characterized to determine their particle size distribution, specific gravity, chemical composition, and heavy metals content. The ashes are then used as either fly ash or sand replacement with five replacement ratios 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% to produce the binder. The produced binder are characterized in terms of strength, workability, density, water absorption, thermal conductivity and stability, chemical composition, and heavy metals content. The results reflect the ability of producing sustainable alkali-activated binder with small dosage of MSWI ashes as either fly ash or sand replacement without negatively affecting its strength, workability, density, and water absorption. The ashes enhance the thermal insulation capability of the binder.
The future direction of pit lakes: part 1, Research needs
Authors: Schultze Martin , Vandenberg Jerry , McCullough Cherie D. , Castendyk Devin
Published: March 2022

Pit lakes are common features of open pit mining and can present significant risks, and yet can also provide beneficial end use opportunities. Many processes that influence the magnitude of these risks and opportunities remains poorly understood, which presents a challenge to pit lake closure and management. In this two-part manuscript, four pit lake subject matter experts from Germany, Canada, Australia, and the USA recommend focus areas for researchers (Part 1) and strategies to structurally improve the practice of pit lake closure for mining industry regulators and corporate sustainability officers (Part 2). In this Part 1, we recommend nine research areas, organized by order of physico-chemical and ecological complexity, where greater understanding of fundamental pit lake processes would lead to improved pit lake management and reuse. Our intent is to guide the direction of emerging and future pit lake research by academic and industry research teams, with funding and oversight from industry and government.
Regulatory reform and banking diversity: reassessing Basel  3
Authors: Birindelli Giuliana , Ferretti Paola , Ferri Giovanni , Savioli Marco
Published: March 2022

We investigate whether and how strongly Basel 3 chief innovations jointly affected in different ways individual Eurozone banks’ stability (z-score) across six business models (BMs). We study this issue in the initial years when adaptation was most intense (2011–2014) and the Eurozone underwent a phase with sovereign crises abated by ECB policies easing financial conditions. In parallel, we run this exercise over 2000–2010 data, a time frame over which Basel 3 did not apply yet to see through the eyes of the regulator. Irrespective of BMs, we identify the leverage ratio as the most effective driver of banks’ stability. However, the impact on z-score of Basel 3 chief drivers does not seem to differ significantly on 2011–2014 vs. 2000–2010. Next, interactions with banks’ BMs suggest that Basel 3 innovations improve z-scores the most at traditionally focused banks (cooperative and savings banks), vis-à-vis diversified banks. Our results suggest Basel regulatory decisions were questionable. First, the front loading of the increased minimum capital requirements vs. the backloading of the leverage ratio phasing in may have lured banks from credit to financial assets. Second, our findings support the desirability of revising the current “one-size-fits-all” European prudential framework, which disregards BMs.
Generalised Bianchi permutability for isothermic surfaces
Authors: Cho Joseph , Leschke Katrin , Ogata Yuta
Published: March 2022

Isothermic surfaces are surfaces which allow a conformal curvature line parametrisation. They form an integrable system, and Darboux transforms of isothermic surfaces obey Bianchi permutability: for two distinct spectral parameters, the corresponding Darboux transforms have a common Darboux transform which can be computed algebraically. In this paper, we discuss two-step Darboux transforms with the same spectral parameter, and show that these are obtained by a Sym-type construction: All two-step Darboux transforms of an isothermic surface are given, without further integration, by parallel sections of the associated family of the isothermic surface, either algebraically or by differentiation against the spectral parameter.
Ranking the direct threats to biodiversity in sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Leisher Craig , Robinson Nathaniel , Brown Matthew , Kujirakwinja Deo , Schmitz Mauricio Castro , Wieland Michelle , Wilkie David
Published: March 2022

Sub-Saharan Africa receives large investments in biodiversity conservation, and if these investments can be concentrated on the highest threats to biodiversity, the benefits to conservation from the investments would increase. Yet there is no available prioritization of the many direct threats to biodiversity to inform organizations developing sub-Saharan or sub-regional conservation strategies. Consequently, regional investments by funders of biodiversity conservation such as international conservation organizations, foundations, and bilateral and multilateral donors may be suboptimal. The objective of this study was to determine what are the highest direct threats to biodiversity in sub-Saharan Africa and its sub-regions. To do this, we collected threat data using standardized IUCN threat categories from a Delphi consensus of sub-Saharan Africa biodiversity experts, known threats to IUCN Red-listed sub-Saharan African species, and National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans from 40 sub-Saharan African countries. After averaging the threat ranking from the three sources, the highest threats were: (1) annual and perennial crops (non-timber); (2) fishing and harvesting aquatic resources in marine and freshwater areas; (3) logging and wood harvesting in natural forests; and (4) hunting and collecting terrestrial animals. The highest-ranked sub-regional threats were hunting in Central Africa and agriculture in East Africa, Southern Africa, and West Africa. Aligning biodiversity investments to address these threats and tailoring activities to reflect local socio-ecological contexts would increase the conservation of biodiversity in sub-Saharan Africa.
A comparative evaluation and analysis of three generations of Distributional Semantic Models
Authors: Lenci Alessandro , Sahlgren Magnus , Jeuniaux Patrick , Cuba Gyllensten Amaru , Miliani Martina
Published: March 2022

Distributional semantics has deeply changed in the last decades. First, predict models stole the thunder from traditional count ones, and more recently both of them were replaced in many NLP applications by contextualized vectors produced by neural language models. Although an extensive body of research has been devoted to Distributional Semantic Model (DSM) evaluation, we still lack a thorough comparison with respect to tested models, semantic tasks, and benchmark datasets. Moreover, previous work has mostly focused on task-driven evaluation, instead of exploring the differences between the way models represent the lexical semantic space. In this paper, we perform a large-scale evaluation of type distributional vectors, either produced by static DSMs or obtained by averaging the contextualized vectors generated by BERT. First of all, we investigate the performance of embeddings in several semantic tasks, carrying out an in-depth statistical analysis to identify the major factors influencing the behavior of DSMs. The results show that (i) the alleged superiority of predict based models is more apparent than real, and surely not ubiquitous and (ii) static DSMs surpass BERT representations in most out-of-context semantic tasks and datasets. Furthermore, we borrow from cognitive neuroscience the methodology of Representational Similarity Analysis (RSA) to inspect the semantic spaces generated by distributional models. RSA reveals important differences related to the frequency and part-of-speech of lexical items.
In vitro behaviour of human gingival fibroblasts cultured on 3D-printed titanium alloy with hydrogenated TiO2 nanotubes
Authors: Guo Yatong , Wang Xin , Wang Caiyun , Chen Su
Published: March 2022

Selective laser melting (SLM), as one of the most common 3D-printed technologies, can form personalized implants, which after further surface modification can obtain excellent osseointegration. To study the surface properties of SLM titanium alloy (Ti6Al4V) with hydrogenated titanium dioxide (TiO2)nanotubes (TNTs) and its influence on the biological behaviour of human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs), we used SLM to prepare 3D-printed titanium alloy samples (3D-Ti), which were electrochemically anodizing to fabricate 3D-TNTs and then further hydrogenated at high temperature to obtain 3D-H2-TNTs. Polished cast titanium alloy (MP-Ti) was used as the control group. The surface morphology, hydrophilicity and roughness of MP-Ti, 3D-Ti, 3D-TNTs and 3D-H2-TNTs were measured and analysed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), contact angle metre, surface roughness measuring instrument and atomic force microscope, respectively. HGFs were cultured on the four groups of samples, and the cell morphology was observed by SEM. Fluorescence staining (DAPI) was used to observe the number of adhered cell nuclei, while a cell counting kit (CCK-8) was used to detect the early adhesion and proliferation of HGFs. Fluorescence quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (RT–qPCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were used to detect the expression of adhesion-related genes and fibronectin (FN), respectively. The results of this in vitro comparison study indicated that electrochemical anodic oxidation and high-temperature hydrogenation can form a superhydrophilic micro-nano composite morphology on the surface of SLM titanium alloy, which can promote both the early adhesion and proliferation of human gingival fibroblasts and improve the expression of cell adhesion-related genes and fibronectin.
On Self-Similar Bernstein Functions and Corresponding Generalized Fractional Derivatives
Authors: Kern Peter , Lage Svenja
Published: March 2022

We use the theory of Bernstein functions to analyze power law tail behavior with log-periodic perturbations which corresponds to self-similarity of the Bernstein functions. Such tail behavior appears in the context of semistable Lévy processes. The Bernstein approach enables us to solve some open questions concerning semi-fractional derivatives recently introduced in Kern et al. (Fract Calc Appl Anal 22(2):326–357, 2019) by means of the generators of certain semistable Lévy processes. In particular, it is shown that semi-fractional derivatives can be seen as generalized fractional derivatives in the sense of Kochubei (Integr Equ Oper Theory 71:583–600, 2011) and generalized fractional derivatives can be constructed by means of arbitrary Bernstein functions vanishing at the origin.
Procedural modeling of plant ecosystems maximizing vegetation cover
Authors: Gasch Cristina , Sotoca José Martínez , Chover Miguel , Remolar Inmaculada , Rebollo Cristina
Published: March 2022

Vegetation plays a major role in the realistic display of outdoor scenes. However, manual plant placement can be tedious. For this reason this paper presents a new proposal in the field of procedural modeling of natural scenes. This method creates plant ecosystems that maximizes the covered space by optimizing an objective function subject to a series of constraints defined by a system of inequalities. This system includes the constraints of the environment taking into account characteristics of the terrain and the plant species involved. Once the inequality system has been defined, a solution will be obtained that tries to maximize the radius of the projected area of the trees and therefore the extension of the vegetation cover on the ground. The technique eliminates the trees that do not achieve a minimum growth radius, simulating the typical competitive process of nature. Results show the good performance and the high visual quality of the ecosystems obtained by the proposed technique. The use of this kind of optimization techniques could be used to solve other procedural modeling problems in other fields of application.
Sky Brightness Evaluation at Concordia Station, Dome C, Antarctica, for Ground-Based Observations of the Solar Corona
Authors: Liberatore Alessandro , Capobianco Gerardo , Fineschi Silvano , Massone Giuseppe , Zangrilli Luca , Susino Roberto , Nicolini Gianalfredo
Published: March 2022

The evaluation of sky characteristics plays a fundamental role for many astrophysical experiments and ground-based observations. In solar physics, the main requirement for such observations is a very low sky brightness value, less than $10^{-6}$

10

−
6

of the solar disk brightness ($\mathrm{B}_{\odot }$

B
⊙

). Few places match such a requirement for ground-based, out-of-eclipse coronagraphic measurements. One of these places is, for instance, the Mauna Loa Observatory ($\approx 3400~\mbox{m}$
≈
3400

m
a.s.l.). Another candidate coronagraphic site is the Dome C plateau in Antarctica. In this article, we show the first results of the sky brightness measurements at Dome C with the Extreme Solar Coronagraphy Antarctic Program Experiment (ESCAPE) at the Italian–French Concordia Station, on Dome C, Antarctica ($\approx 3300~\mbox{m}$
≈
3300

m
a.s.l.) during the 34th and 35th summer Campaigns of the Italian Piano Nazionale Ricerche Antartiche (PNRA). The sky brightness measurements were carried out with the internally occulted Antarctic coronagraph AntarctiCor. In optimal atmospheric conditions the sky brightness of Dome C has reached values of the order of 1.0 – $0.7 \times 10^{-6}~\mathrm{B}_{\odot }$
0.7
×

10

−
6

B
⊙

.
The OCR-Vx experience: lessons learned from designing and implementing a task-based runtime system
Authors: Dokulil Jiri , Benkner Siegfried
Published: March 2022

Task-based runtime systems are an important branch of parallel programming research, since tasks decouple computation from the compute units, giving the runtime systems greater flexibility than a thread-based solution. This makes it easier to deal with the ever-increasing complexity of parallel architectures by providing a separation of concerns—the specification of parallelism is separated from the implementation of the parallel computations on a specific architecture. The Open Community Runtime is one such system, aimed at large-scale parallel systems. Unlike many other task-based runtime systems, the creators not only provided an implementation but there is also a comprehensive specification document. This has allowed us to create an independent implementation, called OCR-Vx. In this article, we present our experience of developing the runtime system, put our work in the context of the specification and the other implementations, and describe key lessons that we have learned during our work. We discuss the design and implementation issues of task-based runtime systems and applications including task synchronization and scheduling, data management, memory consistency, the relation between shared-memory and distributed-memory runtime systems, NUMA architectures, and heterogeneous systems. The article is aimed at audiences not familiar with OCR, since we believe these lessons could be valuable for developers working on other task-based runtime systems or designing new ones.