bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Understanding sex differences in long-term outcomes after a first episode of psychosis
Authors: Ayesa-Arriola Rosa , de la Foz Víctor Ortíz-García , Setién-Suero Esther , Ramírez-Bonilla María Luz , Suárez-Pinilla Paula , Son Jacqueline Mayoral-van , Vázquez-Bourgon Javier , Juncal-Ruiz María , Gómez-Revuelta Marcos , Tordesillas-Gutiérrez Diana , Crespo-Facorro Benedicto
Published: November 2020

While sex differences in schizophrenia have long been reported and discussed, long-term sex differences in outcomes among first episode of psychosis (FEP) patients in terms of the efficacy of Early Intervention Services (EIS) has been an under-explored area. A total of 209 FEP patients (95 females and 114 males) were reassessed after a time window ranging from 8 to 16 years after their first contact with an EIS program (PAFIP) that we will call the 10-year PAFIP cohort. Multiple clinical, cognitive, functioning, premorbid, and sociodemographic variables were explored at 1-year, 3-year and 10-year follow-ups. At first contact, females were older at illness onset, had higher premorbid adjustment and IQ, and were more frequently employed, living independently, and accompanied by a partner and/or children. Existence of a schizophrenia diagnosis, and cannabis and alcohol consumption were more probable among men. During the first 3 years, women showed a significantly better response to minimal antipsychotic dosages and higher rates of recovery than men (50% vs. 30.8%). Ten years later, more females continued living independently and had partners, while schizophrenia diagnoses and cannabis consumption continued to be more frequent among men. Females also presented a lower severity of negative symptoms; however, functionality and recovery differences did not show significant differences (46.7% vs. 34.4%). Between the 3- and 10-year follow-up sessions, an increase in dosage of antipsychotics was observed. These results suggest that the better outcomes seen among women during the first 3 years (while they were treated in an EIS) were in the presence of more favourable premorbid and baseline characteristics. After an average period of 10 years, with the only difference being in negative symptoms course, outcomes for women approximated those of men, drawing particular attention to the increase in dosage of antipsychotic medication once FEP patients were discharged from the EIS program towards community-based services. These findings help to pose the question of whether it is advisable to target sexes and lengthen EIS interventions.
Induction of TOC and TIC genes during photomorphogenesis is mediated primarily by cryptochrome 1 in Arabidopsis
Authors: Fukazawa Hitoshi , Tada Akari , Richardson Lynn G. L. , Kakizaki Tomohiro , Uehara Susumu , Ito-Inaba Yasuko , Inaba Takehito
Published: November 2020

The majority of genes encoding photosynthesis-associated proteins in the nucleus are induced by light during photomorphogenesis, allowing plants to establish photoautotrophic growth. Therefore, optimizing the protein import apparatus of plastids, designated as the translocon at the outer and inner envelope membranes of chloroplast (TOC–TIC) complex, upon light exposure is a prerequisite to the import of abundant nuclear-encoded photosynthesis-associated proteins. However, the mechanism that coordinates the optimization of the TOC–TIC complex with the expression of nuclear-encoded photosynthesis-associated genes remains to be characterized in detail. To address this question, we investigated the mechanism by which plastid protein import is regulated by light during photomorphogenesis in Arabidopsis. We found that the albino plastid protein import2 (ppi2) mutant lacking Toc159 protein import receptors have active photoreceptors, even though the mutant fails to induce the expression of photosynthesis-associated nuclear genes upon light illumination. In contrast, many TOC and TIC genes are rapidly induced by blue light in both WT and the ppi2 mutant. We uncovered that this regulation is mediated primarily by cryptochrome 1 (CRY1). Furthermore, deficiency of CRY1 resulted in the decrease of some TOC proteins in vivo. Our results suggest that CRY1 plays key roles in optimizing the content of the TOC–TIC apparatus to accommodate the import of abundant photosynthesis-associated proteins during photomorphogenesis.
Comparing the permeability of human and porcine small intestinal mucus for particle transport studies
Authors: Krupa Lukasz , Bajka Balazs , Staroń Robert , Dupont Didier , Singh Harjinder , Gutkowski Krzysztof , Macierzanka Adam
Published: November 2020

The gastrointestinal mucus layer represents the last barrier between ingested food or orally administered pharmaceuticals and the mucosal epithelium. This complex gel structure plays an important role in the process of small intestinal absorption. It provides protection against hazardous particles such as bacteria but allows the passage of nutrients and drug molecules towards the intestinal epithelium. In scientific research, mucus from animal sources is usually used to simulate difficult-to-obtain human small intestinal mucus for investigating the intramucus transport of drug delivery systems or food nanoparticles. However, there is a lack of evidence the human mucus can be reliably substituted by animal counterparts for human-relevant transport models. In this report, a procedure for collecting human mucus has been described. More importantly, the permeability characteristics of human and porcine small intestinal mucus secretions to sub-micron sized particles have been compared under simulated intestinal conditions. Negatively charged, 500 nm latex beads were used in multiple-particle tracking experiments to examine the heterogeneity and penetrability of mucus from different sources. Diffusion of the probe particles in adult human ileal mucus and adult pig jejunal and ileal mucus revealed no significant differences in microstructural organisation or microviscosity between the three mucus types (P > 0.05). In contrast to this interspecies similarity, the intraspecies comparison of particle diffusivity in the mucus obtained from adult pigs vs. 2-week old piglets showed better penetrability of the piglet mucus. The mean Stokes–Einstein viscosity of the piglet jejunal mucus was approx. two times lower than the viscosity of the pig jejunal mucus (P < 0.05). All mucus structures were also visualised by scanning electron microscopy. This work validates the use of porcine small intestinal mucus collected from fully-grown pigs for studying colloidal transport of sub-micron sized particles in mucus under conditions mimicking the adult human small intestinal environment.
Lesions in the right Rolandic operculum are associated with self-rating affective and apathetic depressive symptoms for post-stroke patients
Authors: Sutoko Stephanie , Atsumori Hirokazu , Obata Akiko , Funane Tsukasa , Kandori Akihiko , Shimonaga Koji , Hama Seiji , Yamawaki Shigeto , Tsuji Toshio
Published: November 2020

Stroke survivors majorly suffered from post-stroke depression (PSD). The PSD diagnosis is commonly performed based on the clinical cut-off for psychometric inventories. However, we hypothesized that PSD involves spectrum symptoms (e.g., apathy, depression, anxiety, and stress domains) and severity levels. Therefore, instead of using the clinical cut-off, we suggested a data-driven analysis to interpret patient spectrum conditions. The patients’ psychological conditions were categorized in an unsupervised manner using the k-means clustering method, and the relationships between psychological conditions and quantitative lesion degrees were evaluated. This study involved one hundred sixty-five patient data; all patients were able to understand and perform self-rating psychological conditions (i.e., no aphasia). Four severity levels—low, low-to-moderate, moderate-to-high, and high—were observed for each combination of two psychological domains. Patients with worse conditions showed the significantly greater lesion degree at the right Rolandic operculum (part of Brodmann area 43). The dissimilarities between stress and other domains were also suggested. Patients with high stress were specifically associated with lesions in the left thalamus. Impaired emotion processing and stress-affected functions have been frequently related to those lesion regions. Those lesions were also robust and localized, suggesting the possibility of an objective for predicting psychological conditions from brain lesions.
Quantitative optimization of drainage strategy of coalbed methane well based on the dynamic behavior of coal reservoir permeability
Authors: Yan Xinlu , Zhang Songhang , Tang Shuheng , Li Zhongcheng , Zhang Qian , Wang Jingyu , Deng Zhiyu
Published: November 2020

The development of coalbed methane (CBM) is not only affected by geological factors, but also by engineering factors, such as artificial fracturing and drainage strategies. In order to optimize drainage strategies for wells in unique geological conditions, the characteristics of different stages of CBM production are accurately described based on the dynamic behavior of the pressure drop funnel and coal reservoir permeability. Effective depressurization is achieved by extending the pressure propagation radius and gas desorption radius to the well-controlled boundary, in the single-phase water flow stage and the gas–water flow stage, respectively, with inter-well pressure interference accomplished in the single-phase gas flow stage. A mathematic model was developed to quantitatively optimize drainage strategies for each stage, with the maximum bottom hole flow pressure (BHFP) drop rate and the maximum daily gas production calculated to guide the optimization of CBM production. Finally, six wells from the Shizhuangnan Block in the southern Qinshui Basin of China were used as a case study to verify the practical applicability of the model. Calculation results clearly indicate the differences in production characteristics as a result of different drainage strategies. Overall, if the applied drainage strategies do not achieve optimal drainage results, the coal reservoir could be irreversibly damaged, which is not conducive to expansion of the pressure drop funnel. Therefore, this optimization model provides valuable guidance for rational CBM drainage strategy development and efficient CBM production.
Robust alternative to the righting reflex to assess arousal in rodents
Authors: Gao Sijia , Calderon Diany Paola
Published: November 2020

The righting reflex (RR) is frequently used to assess level of arousal and applied to animal models of a range of neurological disorders. RR produces a binary result that, when positive, is used to infer restoration of consciousness, often without further behavioral corroboration. We find that RR is an unreliable metric for arousal/recovery of consciousness. Instead, cortical activity and motor behavior that accompany RR are a non-binary, superior criterion that accurately calibrates and establishes level of arousal in rodents.
Plant health status effects on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi associated with Lavandula angustifolia and Lavandula intermedia infected by Phytoplasma in France
Authors: Binet Marie- Noëlle , Marchal Camille , Lipuma Justine , Geremia Roberto A. , Bagarri Olivier , Candaele Bert , Fraty Delphine , David Benjamin , Perigon Sophie , Barbreau Viviane , Mouhamadou Bello
Published: November 2020

We investigated root communities of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in relation to lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) and lavandin (Lavandula intermedia) health status from organic and conventional fields affected by Phytoplasma infection. The intensity of root mycorrhizal colonization was significantly different between diseased and healthy plants and was higher in the latter regardless of agricultural practice. This difference was more pronounced in lavender. The root AMF diversity was influenced by the plant health status solely in lavender and only under the conventional practice resulting in an increase in the AMF abundance and richness. The plant health status did not influence the distribution of root AMF communities in lavandin unlike its strong impact in lavender in both agricultural practices. Finally, among the most abundant molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs), four different MOTUs for each plant species were significantly abundant in the roots of healthy lavender and lavandin in either agricultural practice. Our study demonstrated that the plant health status influences root colonization and can influence the diversity and distribution of root AMF communities. Its effects vary according to plant species, can be modified by agricultural practices and allow plants to establish symbiosis with specific AMF species.
Serum pentraxin 3 as a biomarker of hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic hepatitis B virus infection
Authors: Deng Huan , Fan Xiude , Wang Xiaoyun , Zeng Lu , Zhang Kun , Zhang Xiaoge , Li Na , Han Qunying , Lv Yi , Liu Zhengwen
Published: November 2020

Biomarkers for early diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are needed in chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, a leading cause of HCC. We evaluated whether measurement of serum pentraxin 3 (PTX3) could improve diagnosis of HCC in chronic HBV infection. Data from patients with HBV-related chronic hepatitis (n = 159), cirrhosis (n = 99) and HCC (n = 107), and healthy controls (n = 151) were analyzed. Serum PTX3 concentration was measured by immunoassay. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was applied to assess diagnostic accuracy. PTX3 levels were significantly higher in HBV patients than in healthy controls (P < 0.001) and in HCC than in chronic hepatitis (P < 0.001) or cirrhosis patients (P < 0.001). PTX3 was an independent risk factor of HCC [odds ratio (OR) 1.617,P < 0.001] and could distinguish HCC in chronic HBV infection [cutoff 9.231 ng/mL, AUC 0.929 with 95% confidence interval (CI) of 0.898–0.953], including α-fetoprotein (AFP) negative [cutoff 8.985 ng/mL, AUC (95%CI) 0.947 (0.908–0.973)] and early-stage HCC [cutoff 9.359 ng/mL, AUC (95%CI) 0.920 (0.885–0.947)]. Combination of PTX3 with AFP improved the discrimination of early HCC from chronic HBV infection [AUC (95%CI) 0.948 (0.918–0.970)]. In short, PTX3 measurement could identify HCC, including AFP-negative and early-stage HCC, in chronic HBV infection.
Identification and quantification of target metabolites combined with transcriptome of two rheum species focused on anthraquinone and flavonoids biosynthesis
Authors: Liu Jing , Leng Liang , Liu Yan , Gao Han , Yang Wei , Chen Sha , Liu An
Published: November 2020

Rheum emodi is a perennial herb and an important medicinal plant, with anthraquinones and flavonoids as its main bioactive compounds. However, there is little knowledge about the biosynthetic pathway of anthraquinones in rhubarbs. In this study, we qualitatively and quantitatively assessed 62 pharmacological metabolites in rhubarb using dynamic multiple reaction monitoring (dMRM) of triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry (QqQ-MS), including 21 anthraquinones, 17 flavonoids, 6 stilbenes, 12 gallate esters, 3 tannins, and 3 others. Besides, the metabolomics results showed significant differences among all the 60 metabolites, except for gallic acid and piceatannol-O-β-glucoside. The combined transcriptome data of R. palmatum L. (RPL) and R. officinale Baill. (ROB) showed that 21,691 unigenes were annotated in the metabolic pathways. Taken together, 17 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were associated with the anthraquinone biosynthetic pathway. Additionally, a significant correlation between anthraquinone peak intensity and DEG expression level existed, validating that DEGs contribute to the anthraquinone biosynthetic pathway. RT-qPCR results showed that the cluster-14354.38156 gene may catalyze the O-methylation of emodin to produce physcion. This study provides a useful resource for further studies on secondary metabolism in rhubarb and the combination analysis of transcriptome and metabolome, which can help with the discovery of enzyme genes involved in metabolite biosynthesis.
Computer-aided diagnosis of pectus excavatum using CT images and deep learning methods
Authors: Lai Lixuan , Cai Siqi , Huang Luyu , Zhou Haiyu , Xie Longhan
Published: November 2020

Pectus excavatum (PE) is one of the most common chest wall defects. Accurate assessment of PE deformities is critical for effective surgical intervention. Index-based evaluations have become the standard for objectively estimating PE, however, these indexes cannot represent the whole information of chest CT images and may associated with significant error due to the individual differences. To overcome these limitations, this paper developed a computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system based on the convolutional neural network (CNN) to automatically learn discriminative features and classify PE images. We also adopted block-wise fine-tuning methods based on the transfer learning strategy to reduce the potential risk of overfitting caused by limited data and experimentally explored the best fine-tuning degree. Our method achieved a high level of classification accuracy with 94.76% for PE diagnosis. Furthermore, we proposed a majority rule-based voting method to provide a comprehensively diagnostic results for each patient, which integrated the classification results of the whole thorax. The promising results support the feasibility of our proposed CNN-based CAD system for automatic PE diagnosis, which paves a way for comprehensive assessments of PE in clinics.
Blackbody-cavity ideal absorbers for solar energy harvesting
Authors: Tian Yanpei , Liu Xiaojie , Ghanekar Alok , Chen Fangqi , Caratenuto Andrew , Zheng Yi
Published: November 2020

Spectrally selective solar absorbers (SSAs), which harvest heat from sunlight, are the key to concentrated solar thermal systems. An ideal SSA must have an absorptivity of unity in the solar irradiance wavelength region (0.3–2.5 $$\upmu $$
μ
m), and its infrared thermal emissivity must be zero to depress spontaneous blackbody irradiation (2.5–25 $$\upmu $$
μ
m). Current SSA designs which utilize photonic crystals, metamaterials, or cermets are either cost-inefficient due to the complexity of the required nanofabrication methods, or have limited applicability due to poor thermal stability at high temperatures. We conceptually present blackbody-cavity solar absorber designs with nearly ideal spectrally selective properties, capable of being manufactured at scale. The theoretical analyses show that the unity solar absorptivity of the blackbody cavity and nearly zero infrared emissivity of the SSA’s outer surface allow for a stagnation temperature of 880 $$^\circ $$

∘

C under 10 suns. The performance surpasses state-of-the-art SSAs manufactured using nanofabrication methods. This design relies only on traditional fabrication methods, such as machining, casting, and polishing. This makes it suitable for large-scale industrial applications, and the “blackbody cavity” feature enables easy integration with existing concentrated solar thermal systems using the parabolic reflector and Fresnel lens as optical concentrators.
DC-SIGN signalling induced by Trichinella spiralis products contributes to the tolerogenic signatures of human dendritic cells
Authors: Cvetkovic Jelena , Ilic Nataša , Gruden-Movsesijan Alisa , Tomic Sergej , Mitic Ninoslav , Pinelli Elena , Sofronic-Milosavljevic Ljiljana
Published: November 2020

Tolerogenic dendritic cells (tolDCs) are central players in the maintenance of immune tolerance and thereby have been identified as the most favourable candidates for cell therapy of autoimmune diseases. We have recently shown that excretory-secretory products (ES L1) released by Trichinella spiralis larvae induce stable human tolDCs in vitro via Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and TLR4. However, engagement of these receptors did not fully explain the tolerogenic profile of DCs. Here, we observed for the first time that dendritic cell-specific ICAM-3 grabbing non-integrin (DC-SIGN) interacts with highly glycosylated ES L1 and contributes to the generation of ES L1-induced tolDCs. Blocking DC-SIGN interfered with the ES L1-induced higher expression of CD40 and CCR7 and the production of IL-10 and TGF-β by DCs. The cooperation of TLR2, TLR4 and DC-SIGN receptors is of importance for the capacity of DCs to prime T cell response toward Th2 and to induce expansion of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ T cells, as well as for the production of IL-10 and TGF-β by these cells. Overall, these results indicate that induction of tolDCs by ES L1 involves engagement of multiple pattern recognition receptors namely, TLR2, TLR4 and DC-SIGN.
Application in Single-cell Functional Analysis
Authors: Chen Xiaoming , Zhao Weian
Published: November 2020

Decades of research and clinical trials have proven that cancer immunotherapy has become the most promising treatment for cancer since the first development of chemotherapy and radiation. High throughput screening of rare antigen-specific B cells or T cells from millions to billions of cell repertoires is essential to accelerate drug discovery for immunotherapeutic applications. This chapter reviews applications of droplet microfluidic technology in single-cell functional analysis to speed up rare target cell screening, its unique advantages compared to traditional single-cell analysis tools, and the challenges that remain to be overcome to facilitate the commercialization of this technology.
Tissue Engineering and Analysis in Droplet Microfluidics
Authors: Shi Nan , Moniruzzaman Md , Easley Christopher J.
Published: November 2020

Tissue engineering technology has continuously developed through improved understanding of the principles of the growth, functions and mechanisms of tissues, and the field strives to produce functional replacements of tissue for clinical use. Compared to traditional techniques, microfluidics has garnered value in this area as an automated, cost-effective, precise tool for the investigation of such engineered tissues. Among the varieties of microfluidics, droplet-based microfluidics has promised particular advantages in the field of tissue engineering, such as preserving temporal resolution, revealing nuanced single-cell properties, screening independent nano/picolitre reactions at high-throughput, etc. This chapter mainly focuses on applications of droplet-based microfluidics for tissue engineering and for bioanalysis of such tissues. These developments in materials science, microengineering and analysis should position droplet-based microfluidic technology for continued future impact on tissue engineering.
pH-Dependent peptide bond formation by the selective coupling of α-amino acids in water
Authors: Wu Long-Fei , Liu Ziwei , Sutherland John D.
Published: November 2020

Selective peptide elongation chemistry by coupling α-amino acids via mixed anhydride intermediates in water.
Palladium-catalysed annulative allylic alkylation for the synthesis of benzannulated heteroarenes
Authors: Yadav Sonu , Ramasastry S. S. V.
Published: November 2020

A conceptually novel intramolecular allylic alkylation strategy is developed for the synthesis of carbazoles and dibenzothiophenes.
Protein-recruiting synthetic molecules targeting the Golgi surface
Authors: Sawada Shunsuke , Nakamura Akinobu , Yoshii Tatsuyuki , Kuwata Keiko , Nakatsu Fubito , Tsukiji Shinya
Published: November 2020

Synthetic molecules consisting of a small-molecule ligand and a tri-N-methylated myristoyl-Gly-Cys lipopeptide serve as chemical tools to rapidly recruit their target proteins from the cytoplasm to the Golgi surface in living cells.
Transforming glycerol and CO2 into glycerol carbonate over La2O2CO3–ZnO catalyst — a case study of the photo-thermal synergism
Authors: Li Yajin , Liu Huimin , Ma Lan , Liu Jiaxiong , He Dehua
Published: November 2020

La2O2CO3–ZnO was investigated as an efficient photo-thermal catalyst for transforming glycerol and CO2 into glycerol carbonate.
Topotactic desolvation and condensation reactions of 3D Zn3TiF7(H2O)2(taz)3·S (S = 3H2O or C2H5OH)
Authors: Albino M. , Lhoste J. , Body M. , Legein C. , Hémon-Ribaud A. , Maisonneuve V. , Leblanc M.
Published: November 2020

Thermodiffraction, IR, DFT calculations, and1H and19F NMR characterizations of the desolvatation and reversible condensation reactions of Zn3TiF7(taz)3family.
Thermodynamic origin of dendrite growth in metal anode batteries
Authors: Hagopian Arthur , Doublet Marie-Liesse , Filhol Jean-Sébastien
Published: November 2020

The whiskers/dendrites-growth phenomenon observed on metal anode-surfaces in batteries is shown to have a thermodynamic origin taking its root from negative surface tensions associated with a symmetry breaking of the crystal shape.
Coupled effects of Mn(ii), pH and anionic ligands on the reactivity of nanostructured birnessite
Authors: Li Qinzhi , Pokharel Rasesh , Zhou Lian , Pasturel Mathieu , Hanna Khalil
Published: November 2020

Dissolved Mn(ii), pH and naturally occurring anions exhibit combined suppressive effects on the reactivity of nanostructured birnessite.
Encapsulation technology to improve biological resource recovery: recent advancements and research opportunities
Authors: Chen Siming , Arnold William A. , Novak Paige J.
Published: November 2020

Encapsulation technology has been extensively investigated for various microbiological applications for decades.
Impact of acidity regulator and excipient nutrients on digestive solubility and intestinal transport of calcium from calcium phosphate and carbonate
Authors: Lee Da-Yeon , Oh Jeong-Ho , Uhm Joo-Tae , Kim Il-Hwan , Park Mi-Ji , Moon Sun-Hwa , Park Jae W. , Kim Won-Suk , Shim Soon-Mi
Published: November 2020

Co-consumption of SPORIX®, lactose, and vitamin D3 with FB could enhance the calcium bioavailability by lowering pH as well as improving calcium intestinal transport.
A novel colorimetric and ratiometric fluoride ion sensor derived from gallic acid
Authors: Shi Heng , Li Xiangguo , Chen Hongjin , Xing Jieni , Zhang Rui , Liu Jian
Published: November 2020

We report a novel colorimetric and ratiometric fluoride ion sensor derived from gallic acid.
Chelerythrine as a fluorescent light-up ligand for an i-motif DNA structure
Authors: Chen Hongbo , Sun Hongxia , Zhang Wende , Zhang Qin , Ma Jun , Li Qian , Guo Xiaomeng , Xu Kanyan , Tang Yalin
Published: November 2020

A fluorescent light-up ligand for an i-motif structure has been reported in this study.
Hyperbranched polymers with step-growth chemistries from transfer-dominated branching radical telomerisation (TBRT) of divinyl monomers
Authors: Cassin Savannah R. , Chambon Pierre , Rannard Steve P.
Published: November 2020

The commercially relevant synthesis of novel materials with step-growth backbones has been achieved by applying conventional chemistries to the radical telomerisation of divinyl monomers leading to high molecular weight branched polymers.
Influence of the heteroatom introduction on the physicochemical properties of 5-heterotruxenes containing nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur atom
Authors: Górski Krzysztof , Noworyta Krzysztof , Mech-Piskorz Justyna
Published: November 2020

Insertion of one heteroatom into the truxene scaffold results in modulation of the selected physicochemical properties and improves the photoelectrochemical stability.
The influence of motility on bacterial accumulation in a microporous channel
Authors: Lee Miru , Lohrmann Christoph , Szuttor Kai , Auradou Harold , Holm Christian
Published: November 2020

We study the transport of bacteria in a porous media modeled by a square channel containing one cylindrical obstacleviamolecular dynamics simulations coupled to a lattice Boltzmann fluid.
Carbon nanotube transmembrane channel formation and single-stranded DNA spontaneous internalization: a dissipative particle dynamics study
Authors: Valdivia Aitor , Jaime Carlos
Published: November 2020

Single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) transmembrane channel formation in a pure 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphorylcholine (DMPC) bilayer, and the spontaneous internalization of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) into the formed pore were simulated.
Purveyors of fine halos
Authors: Koch-Hansen Andreas J. , Hansen Camilla Juul , Lombardo Linda , Bonifacio Piercarlo , Hanke Michael , Caffau Elisabetta
Published: November 2020

Globular clusters (GCs) are important donors to the build-up of the Milky Way (MW) stellar halo, having contributed at the ten percent level over the Galactic history. Stars that originated from the second generation of dissolved or dissolving clusters can be readily identified via distinct light-element signatures such as enhanced N and Na and simultaneously depleted C and O abundances. In this paper we present an extensive chemical abundance analysis of the halo star J110842, which was previously kinematically associated with the massive MW GC ω Centauri (ωCen), and we discuss viable scenarios from escape to encounter. Based on a high-resolution, high signal-to-noise spectrum of this star using the UVES spectrograph, we were able to measure 33 species of 31 elements across all nucleosynthetic channels. The star’s low metallicity of [Fe II/H] = −2.10 ± 0.02(stat.) ± 0.07(sys.) dex places it in the lower sixth percentile of ωCen’s metallicity distribution. We find that all of the heavier-element abundances, from α- and Fe-peak elements to neutron-capture elements are closely compatible with ωCen’s broad abundance distribution. However, given the major overlap of this object’s abundances with the bulk of all of the MW components, this does not allow for a clear-cut distinction of the star’s origin. In contrast, our measurements of an enhancement in CN and its position on the Na-strong locus of the Na-O anticorrelation render it conceivable that it originally formed as a second-generation GC star, lending support to a former association of this halo star with the massive GC ωCen.
Weighted Sobolev inequalities in CD(0,N) spaces
Authors: Tewodrose David
Published: November 2020

In this note, we prove global weighted Sobolev inequalities on non-compact CD(0,N) spaces satisfying a suitable growth condition, extending to possibly non-smooth and non-Riemannian structures a previous result from [V. Minerbe,G.A.F.A.18(2009) 1696–1749] stated for Riemannian manifolds with non-negative Ricci curvature. We use this result in the context of RCD(0,N) spaces to get a uniform bound of the corresponding weighted heat kernelviaa weighted Nash inequality.
Stochastic linear quadratic optimal control problems for mean-field stochastic evolution equations
Authors: Lü Qi
Published: November 2020

We study a linear quadratic optimal control problem for mean-field stochastic evolution equation with the assumption that all the coefficients concerned in the problem are deterministic. We show that the existence of optimal feedback operators is equivalent to that of regular solution to the system which is coupled by two Riccati equations and an explicit formula of the optimal feedback control operator is given via the regular solution. We also show that the mentioned Riccati equations admit a unique strongly regular solution when the cost functional is uniformly convex.
Sign-changing solutions of the nonlinear heat equation with persistent singularities
Authors: Cazenave Thierry , Dickstein Flávio , Naumkin Ivan , Weissler Fred B.
Published: November 2020

We study the existence of sign-changing solutions to the nonlinear heat equation ∂tu = Δu + |u|αu on ℝN, N ≥ 3, with 2/N−2 <α<α0, where α0=4/N−4+2√N−1 ∈ (2/N−2,4/N−2), which are singular at x = 0 on an interval of time. In particular, for certain μ > 0 that can be arbitrarily large, we prove that for any u0 ∈ Lloc∞(ℝN\{0}) which is bounded at infinity and equals μ|x|−2/α in a neighborhood of 0, there exists a local (in time) solution u of the nonlinear heat equation with initial value u0, which is sign-changing, bounded at infinity and has the singularity β|x|−2/α at the origin in the sense that for t > 0, |x|2/αu(t,x) → β as |x|→ 0, where β=2/α(N−2−2/α). These solutions in general are neither stationary nor self-similar.
Protein nanomechanics: The power of stretching
Authors: Mora Marc , Garcia-Manyes Sergi
Published: November 2020

Protein nanomechanics is a rapidly evolving field at the intersection of physics, chemistry and biology focused on the characterisation of the conformational dynamics of proteins under force, of common occurrence in vivo.
On the importance of being critical
Authors: Marsili Matteo
Published: November 2020

Being critical, i.e. able to process and distill relevant information, is crucial for living systems. Learning distinguishes living from inanimate matter. Quantifying this distinction may provide a “life meter” [1] that, for example, can allow us to detect alien life forms in astrobiology. Living systems also respond in an anomalous manner to perturbations, as compared to inanimate matter, unless the latter is poised at a critical state (in the statistical physics sense). I argue below that these two notions of criticality are only apparently different, because a system that learns is inherently critical, also in the statistical physics sense.
Estimating fast mean-reverting jumps in electricity market models
Authors: Deschatre Thomas , Féron Olivier , Hoffmann Marc
Published: November 2020

Based on empirical evidence of fast mean-reverting spikes, electricity spot prices are often modeledX+Zβas the sum of a continuous Itô semimartingaleXand a mean-reverting compound Poisson processZtβ=∫0t∫ℝxe−β(t−s)p̲(ds,dt) wherep̲(ds,dt) is Poisson random measure with intensityλds⊗dt. In a first part, we investigate the estimation of (λ,β) from discrete observations and establish asymptotic efficiency in various asymptotic settings. In a second part, we discuss the use of our inference results for correcting the value of forward contracts on electricity markets in presence of spikes. We implement our method on real data in the French, German and Australian market over 2015 and 2016 and show in particular the effect of spike modelling on the valuation of certain strip options. In particular, we show that some out-of-the-money options have a significant value if we incorporate spikes in our modelling, while having a value close to 0 otherwise.
Erratum to “Optimality conditions for nonsmooth interval-valued and multiobjective semi-infinite programming”
Authors: Jennane Mohsine , Kalmoun El Mostafa , Lafhim Lahoussine
Published: November 2020

This note corrects an error in our paper [RAIRO: OR 55 (2021) 1–11] as we should drop the expression “with at least one strict inequality” in the definition of interval order in Section 2. Instead of proposing this short amendment, the authors of [RAIRO: OR 55 (2021) 13–22] gave a proposition that requires an additional condition on the constraint functions. However, we claim that all the results of our paper are correct once the modification above is done.
Revitalization Model of Balai Latihan Kerja (Blk) For Improving Knowledge, Education, And Skills Of Migrant Worker Based On Link And Match
Authors: Wispandono RM. Moch. , Sri Rahayu Ningsih Eni , Yuherawan Deni S.B , Dyah Netty
Published: November 2020

The vocational training center (Balai Latihan Kerja/BLK) has great potential to improve the quality of Indonesian workers. The existence of this BLK is increasingly strategic with the support of the government. This can be seen from the large number of BLKs scattered in each regency city in Indonesia. However, now the conditions of the BLK are very concerning, both in terms of the effectiveness of the use, the quality of the Training Center and the use of the BLK function. On the other hand, the condition and quality of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BMI) is very alarming. Based on research by the Center for Regional Studies of the University of Brawijaya, it was found that the majority of them did not have the skills needed in the destination country. This is compounded by their lack of knowledge about market analysis of needs (skills) in the destination country. From this fact, there is no link and match between migrant workers and the BLK of each region. This study aims to find a model that can minimize the weakness of handling migrant workers and increase their work productivity
Financial Literacy of Economics and non-Economics Student
Authors: Rafinda Ascaryan , Gal Timea
Published: November 2020

The aim of this research is to identify the level of financial literacy of students in economic faculties and non-economic faculties in Indonesia. This research was conducted to determine the understanding of students in the economic and non-economic faculties on the level of personal financial literacy. The survey was conducted to test the level of student financial literacy in various University in Indonesia. In total there were 206 participants from students in Indonesia who took the survey. An independent sample T-Test was conducted to determine differences in the level of understanding of students in the two groups. The results of this research indicate that there are no differences in the level of financial literacy in economic and non-economic students. This result shows that economics student does not guarantee they have higher personal financial knowledge.
The Effect of Profitability Ratio, Liquidity Ratio, Leverage Ratio, and Company Size on Sukuk Rating Corporation During 2014-2017 Periods
Authors: Suratmi  , Yustina Rahmawati Ika
Published: November 2020

The purpose of this study was to destermine the effect of profitability ratios, liquidity ratios, leverage ratios, and company size toward sukuk ratings in Indonesia during 2014-2017. The independent variables in this study is profitability ratios, liquidity ratios, leverage ratios, and company size, while the dependent variable is sukuk rating. The object of this study is Corporations for the period 2014-2017, this study used 78 samples. The technique sampling method in this study used purposive sampling. The data analysis techniques used in this study is descriptive statistical tests, and logistic regression tests. The results of the analysis show that simultaneously profitability ratios, liquidity ratios, leverage ratios and company size have a significant effect on sukuk ratings. Partially the size of the company has a significant positive effect on the sukuk rating, while the profitability ratio, liquidity ratio, and leverage ratio have no significant positive effect on the sukuk rating.
Productive Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage Based on the Theory of Involvement: A Case Study on the Farmers’ Paintings of XinJi County, Hebei Province, China
Authors: Xuhong Kong , Jingjing Hong
Published: November 2020

The productive protection of intangible cultural heritages, always in the form of tourism development under the present context, is put forward by Chinese scholars, which are beneficial to both the protection of the heritage and the economy development of the locals. While not all intangible cultural heritages can be understood and accepted by tourists due to the reasons that the living circumstances and contexts of these heritages are changing and disappearing that it’s hard for tourists to understand, neither do they desire to pay for it. Therefore, how to make tourists even including some craftsmen understand and accept the heritage means a lot to the protection and inheritance of these heritages. The paper argues that the Involvement Theory can be referred to analyze settle the problems. A case study of the farmers’ painting in Xinji County, Hebei Province was carried out as the example, which is one of the most representative intangible cultural heritage of folk art in Hebei Province, China, with a long history of development, rich cultural connotation and high artistic value. A field investigation and deep-interview was carried out to gather the information of its status quo, problems of its inheriting and developing were analyzed, the paper found that with the development of the times and society, farmers’ painting is losing its survival environment, the income of farmers’ painting is not proportional to their putting-in and cost, the value of farmers painting can not be reflected, and the productive protection is seriously hindered. Therefore, based on the perspective of involvement theory, this study analyzed the bottleneck of productive protection of Xinji Farmers’ Painting, suggested how to stimulate the involvement of tourists into the understanding and producing and creation of the paintings in order to promote the inheritance of the heritage.
Is the F10.7cm – Sunspot Number relation linear and stable?
Authors: Clette Frédéric
Published: November 2020

The F10.7cm radio flux and the Sunspot Number are the most widely used long-term indices of solar activity. They are strongly correlated, which led to the publication of many proxy relations allowing to convert one index onto the other. However, those existing proxies show significant disagreements, in particular at low solar activity. Moreover, a temporal drift was recently found in the relative scale of those two solar indices. Our aim is to bring a global clarification of those many issues. We compute new polynomial regressions up to degree 4, in order to obtain a more accurate proxy over the whole range of solar activity. We also study the role of temporal averaging on the regression, and we investigate the issue of the all-quiet F10.7 background flux. Finally, we check for any change in the F10.7–Sunspot Number relation over the entire period 1947–2015. We find that, with a 4th-degree polynomial, we obtain a more accurate proxy relation than all previous published ones, and we derive a formula giving standard errors. The relation is different for daily, monthly and yearly mean values, and it proves to be fully linear for raw non-averaged daily data. By a simple two-component model for daily values, we show how temporal averaging leads to non-linear proxy relations. We also show that the quiet-Sun F10.7 background is not absolute and actually depends on the duration of the spotless periods. Finally, we find that the F10.7cm time series is inhomogeneous, with an abrupt 10.5% upward jump occurring between 1980 and 1981, and splitting the series in two stable intervals. Our new proxy relations bring a strong improvement and show the importance of temporal scale for choosing the appropriate proxy and the F10.7 quiet-Sun background level. From historical evidence, we conclude that the 1981 jump is most likely due to a unique change in the F10.7 scientific team and the data processing, and that the newly re-calibrated sunspot number (version 2) will probably provide the only possible reference to correct this inhomogeneity.
Lung Cancer Screening by Low-Dose Computed Tomography – Part 1: Expected Benefits, Possible Harms, and Criteria for Eligibility and Population Targeting
Authors: Kaaks Rudolf , Delorme Stefan
Published: November 2020

Background Trials in the USA and Europe have convincingly demonstrated the efficacy of screening by low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) as a means to lower lung cancer mortality, but also document potential harms related to radiation, psychosocial stress, and invasive examinations triggered by false-positive screening tests and overdiagnosis. To ensure that benefits (lung cancer deaths averted; life years gained) outweigh the risk of harm, lung cancer screening should be targeted exclusively to individuals who have an elevated risk of lung cancer, plus sufficient residual life expectancy.

Methods and Conclusions Overall, randomized screening trials show an approximate 20 % reduction in lung cancer mortality by LDCT screening. In view of declining residual life expectancy, especially among continuing long-term smokers, risk of being over-diagnosed is likely to increase rapidly above the age of 75. In contrast, before age 50, the incidence of LC may be generally too low for screening to provide a positive balance of benefits to harms and financial costs. Concise criteria as used in the NLST or NELSON trials may provide a basic guideline for screening eligibility. An alternative would be the use of risk prediction models based on smoking history, sex, and age as a continuous risk factor. Compared to concise criteria, such models have been found to identify a 10 % to 20 % larger number of LC patients for an equivalent number of individuals to be screened, and additionally may help provide security that screening participants will all have a high-enough LC risk to balance out harm potentially caused by radiation or false-positive screening tests.

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Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and Early Onset Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy associated with Mutations in Dystrophin and Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy-Associated Genes
Authors: Aspit Liam , Arwas Noga , Levitas Aviva , Krymko Hanna , Etzion Yoram , Parvari Ruti
Published: November 2020

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a progressive muscular damage disorder caused by mutations in dystrophin gene. Cardiomyopathy may first be evident after 10 years of age and increases in incidence with age. We present a boy diagnosed at 18 months with a rare phenotype of DMD in association with early-onset hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). The cause of DMD is a deletion of exons 51–54 of dystrophin gene. The cause of HCM was verified by whole exome sequencing. Novel missense variations in two genes: MAP2K5 inherited from the mother and ACTN2 inherited from the father, or de novo. The combination of MAP2K5, ACTN2, and dystrophin mutations, could be causing the HCM in our patient. This is the second patient diagnosed, at relatively young age, with DMD and HCM, with novel variations in genes known to cause HCM. This study demonstrates the need for genetic diagnosis to elucidate the underlying pathology of HCM.
Percutaneous Hepatobiliary Endoscopy in the Interventional Radiology Suite
Authors: Anderson Drew , Plotnik Adam N. , Chick Jeffrey Forris Beecham , Srinivasa Ravi N.
Published: November 2020

Percutaneous transhepatic choledochoscopy and cholecystoscopy have a growing place in the interventional radiology suite. Patients with indwelling tubes who may have once been left with limited options for stone extraction, targeted biopsy, and/or chronic biliary stricture can now have comprehensive care of their disease process by an interventional radiologist. There are a variety of low-profile and large-profile devices available in the hospital that can be repurposed for use in the biliary system and gallbladder. In many situations, these tools can be used to render patients with limited transoral endoscopic options and chronic indwelling tubes, tube free. This article provides an introduction to biliary endoscopy and cholecystoscopy and their role for the interventional radiologist.
Emerging Ablative and Transarterial Therapies for Pancreatic Cancer
Authors: Narayanan Govindarajan , Ucar Antonio , Gandhi Ripal T. , Nasiri Arian , Inampudi Prasuna , Wilson Nicole M. , Asbun Horacio Jose
Published: November 2020

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is a highly aggressive malignancy with a poor prognosis secondary to late presentation with metastases, challenging resection, and limited alternative therapies. Standard treatment strategies for pancreatic cancer include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. These options can extend survival and/or relieve symptoms but are seldom curative. Thermal ablative therapies have been utilized in pancreatic cancer mostly in an open surgical setting. Irreversible electroporation (IRE) is a nonthermal ablative option for pancreatic cancer that uses high voltage, low energy direct current to induce cell death. IRE technology has been shown to spare critical structures such as blood vessels and bile ducts. The safety and efficacy of the percutaneous IRE in Stage 3 pancreas cancer has been studied and there is currently a Food and Drug Administration approved, randomized, controlled trial, and registry enrolling patients in the United States. Recent animal studies have also demonstrated that the advantages of IRE may extend beyond the local tumor effect. In addition to this local ablative option, a phase 3 trial is studying a transarterial option in the management of pancreatic cancer.
Using DNA labels gives biological assays an edge
Authors: Fore Meredith
Published: November 2020

Fluorescence-based DNA bioanalyses have many advantages, as long as you let the reaction run to completion.