bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Visualization of Droplet Dynamics in Cloud
Authors: Belgaonkar Shubham , Bamble Bhushan , Barve Amit , Kumar Bipin
Published: July 2020

Data visualization uses charts, graphs and maps to illustrate some information. Visualizing data helps us understand information faster. The study of droplet dynamics is a critical part of cloud physics and includes studying droplet properties. The aim of this work is to visualize the droplet dynamics obtained from DNS (Direct Numerical Simulation) data due to evaporation and condensation of the droplets. This simulation contains coupled Eulerian and Lagrangian frames. Animation is created for both Eulerian grid data and Lagrangian droplet movement. Scientific visualization provides a way to analyze these turbulent properties in a part of a cloud and learn about the nature of droplets and mixing process in such highly turbulent areas.
Preprocessing and Enhancement for Image Fusion using Composite Algorithm
Authors: Kulkarni Shirish , Digey Bhavesh
Published: July 2020

A technique of alignment and removal of noise is a prominent pre-processing part of biomedical image fusion. The purpose is to evaluate and analyze visually as well as parametric findings. However, considering practical execution still there is need for improvement in pre-processing for image processing applications. Therefore, the problem of blockage and variation in scans of patients, need to be overcome by properly align and denoise input images. Therefore to design the registration algorithm in such a way, it should cover all geometric motions of biomedical images, by which it is useful to the practitioner for the detection of medical defects. Herewith we have proposed a log-polar and phase correlation composite algorithm for the registration of all geometric motions. The proposed algorithm preserves the outline portion and surface information from the images, which yields perceptible effects. This will be useful in order to take out visual data from a noisy background. Since it is shown that the results with noisy and after denoised compared visually and also parametric analysis is carried out by calculating PSNR, MSE, contrast, structural content, entropy, etc
DROWSINESS DETECTION AND MONITORING SYSTEM
Authors: Ghole Uzair , Chavan Pravin , Gandhi Siddharth , Gawde Rohit , Fakir Kausar
Published: July 2020

Wakefulness of a driver is an extremely important factor that needs to be continuously monitored.. A drowsy driver can be a cause of several mishaps and accidents on highways which could lead to loss of money, physical injuries, and the most important, loss of human life. Drowsiness detection system is a car safety technology that helps to prevent and thus reduce accidents caused by the driver getting drowsy. The system is designed for four-wheeler vehicles (or more) wherein the driver’s fatigue or drowsiness is detected and alerts are generated. The proposed method will use a USB camera that captures the driver’s face and eyes and processes the images to detect the driver’s fatigue. On the detection of drowsiness, the programmed system cautions the driver through an alarm to ensure vigilance. The proposed method consists of various stages to determine the wakefulness of the driver.
Prediction of Fire Propagation in Forest Areas using Genetic Algorithm
Authors: Amol Dhumal Rashmi
Published: July 2020

Forest fire causes significant damages to environment and living organisms. It becomes troublesome to recover from the consequences of forest fire. The early and accurate prediction of forest fire propagation in forest area will help in fire management efforts. The models required for prediction of forest fire spread requires many parameters and which are not known precisely during the emergency. So there is a need of intelligent system to model and predict the propagation of forest fire to reduce the consequences of forest fire and minimize the management efforts. In this work, we have discussed different techniques available in literature for forest fire prediction. This paper also describes the implementation and analysis of prediction of forest fire propagation using Genetic Algorithm and Geometric Semantic Genetic Programming.
Hardware Implementation of Sobel Edge Detection Algorithm
Authors: Pujare Ankita , Sawant Priyanka , Sharma Hema , Pichhode Khushboo
Published: July 2020

In the fields of image processing, feature detection, the edge detection is an important aspect. For detection of sharp changes in the properties of an image, edges are recognized as important factors which provides more information or data regarding the analysis of an image. In this work coding of various edge detection algorithms such as Sobel, Canny, etc. have been done on the MATLAB software, also this work is implemented on the FPGA Nexys 4 DDR board. The results are then displayed on a VGA screen. The implementation of this work using Verilog language of FPGA has been executed on Vivado 18.2 software tool.
Evolution of non-metallic inclusions during heat treatment
Authors: Liu Chengsong , Webler Bryan
Published: July 2020

Isothermal heat treatment can not only modify steel microstructure, but also non-metallic inclusions. In this work, heat treatment experiments were conducted between 1373 and 1573 K (1100 and 1300 °C) to study the evolution of inclusion composition, morphology, and size distribution. Results showed that during the heat treatment at 1473 and 1573 K (1200 and 1300 °C), two main kinds of inclusions initially in the steel, CaS and MgO–Al2O3–CaO–CaS, gradually transformed to (Ca, Mn)S and MgO–Al2O3–(Ca, Mn)S inclusions, and some MgO–Al2O3–CaO inclusions also transformed to MgO–Al2O3–(Ca, Mn)S. At the lowest temperature studied, 1373 K (1100 °C), little change was observed. No significant changes in number density and area fraction of the measured inclusions were observed, while the average size of inclusions increased after the heat treatment. The extent of transformation of CaS, MgO–Al2O3–CaO–CaS and MgO–Al2O3–CaO inclusions increased with decreasing inclusion size and higher temperature.
Current and Future Perspectives on ADAMTS13 and Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura
Authors: Roose Elien , Joly Bérangère S.
Published: July 2020

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a rare, relapsing, and life-threatening disorder with an annual incidence of 10 cases per million people. TTP is a thrombotic microangiopathy characterized by severe thrombocytopenia, microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, and organ ischemia. The disease is caused by a severe deficiency of the enzyme ADAMTS13 (a disintegrin and metalloprotease with thrombospondin type 1 repeats, member 13), which can either be acquired, mainly by autoantibodies targeting ADAMTS13, or congenital due to mutations in the ADAMTS13 gene. Thanks to the establishment of national registries worldwide, fundamental and translational research, major advances have been made on the diagnosis, treatment, and fundamental understanding of TTP, since the description of the first TTP case almost 100 years ago. The introduction of therapeutic plasma exchange in the 1970s has significantly improved patient survival, but novel diagnostic assays, targeted treatments (rituximab, caplacizumab, recombinant ADAMTS13), and the unraveling of both ADAMTS13 function and TTP pathophysiology should help to further improve the patients' quality of life. However, differential diagnosis of TTP remains challenging and still a lot of questions remain unanswered to completely understand this rare and devastating disease.
The Evolution of Hemophilia Care: Clinical and Laboratory Advances, Opportunities, and Challenges
Authors: Trinchero Alice , Sholzberg Michelle , Matino Davide
Published: July 2020

Hemophilia A (HA) and B (HB) are X-linked bleeding disorders caused by mutations in the F8 or F9 gene that result in the absence, or reduced activity, of the corresponding clotting factor. The severity of bleeding and related complications is proportional to the amount of residual circulating functional factor. The development of a safe and effective hemophilia treatment lasted several decades and has been mainly based on clotting factor replacement. Advances in the engineering and manufacturing of clotting concentrates have led to the widespread availability of extended half-life products that reduced the number of intravenous infusions needed to achieve adequate trough levels. The recent development of new nonfactor replacement treatments and biotechnology techniques has offered therapeutic alternatives for hemophilia patients with and without inhibitors. These are characterized by an easier route of administration, low immunogenicity, and, regarding gene therapy and cell-based treatments, potential long-term protection from bleeding after a single treatment course. In this review, we analyze recent progresses in the management of hemophilia and discuss opportunities and challenges.
Role of Platelet Cytoskeleton in Platelet Biomechanics: Current and Emerging Methodologies and Their Potential Relevance for the Investigation of Inherited Platelet Disorders
Authors: Zaninetti Carlo , Sachs Laura , Palankar Raghavendra
Published: July 2020

Cytoskeleton is composed of more than 100 proteins and represents a dynamic network of the cellular cytoplasm. Cytoskeletal functions include spatial organization of cellular components, structural connection of the cell with external environment, and biomechanical force generation. Cytoskeleton takes part, at different levels, in all phases of platelet biogenesis: megakaryocyte (MK) differentiation, MK maturation, and platelet formation. In addition, it also plays a major role in each stage of platelet function. Inherited platelet disorders (IPDs) are a group of rare diseases featured by low platelet count and/or impaired platelet function. Over the past decade, the investigation of platelet biomechanics has become a major and highly relevant theme of research due to its implications at every stage of development of human life. The initial use of diverse biophysical techniques (e.g., micropipette aspiration, atomic force and scanning ion conductance microscopy, real-time deformability cytometry) started unraveling biomechanical features of platelets that are expected to provide new explanations for physiological and pathological mechanisms. Although the impact of cytoskeletal alterations has been largely elucidated in various IPDs' pathogenesis, the understanding of their impact on biomechanical properties of platelets represents an unmet need. Regarding IPDs, improving biomechanical studies seems promising for diagnostic and prognostic implications. Potentially, these characteristics of platelets may also be used for the prediction of bleeding risk. This review addresses the current available methods for biophysical investigations of platelets and the possible implementations in the field of IPDs.
Understanding and Preventing Placenta-Mediated Pregnancy Complications
Authors: Skeith Leslie , Blondon Marc , Ní Áinle Fionnuala
Published: July 2020

Placenta-mediated pregnancy complications are clinically important conditions and include preeclampsia, placental abruption, intrauterine growth restriction, and late fetal loss. Pathophysiology is complex, and may be linked to prothrombotic disorders such as antiphospholipid syndrome, whose understanding is still evolving. In this narrative review, we will present the latest evidence to better understand hemostatic mechanisms of preeclampsia, as well as in women with placenta-mediated pregnancy complications and inherited thrombophilia or antiphospholipid antibodies. Using four clinical scenarios, the mixed results of preventive efforts through the use of antithrombotic drugs (aspirin, heparin) will be discussed. We will also review knowledge gaps and ongoing research.
Welchen Einfluss hat die Dauer der Oberarzttätigkeit auf die Berufsausübung und Zufriedenheit urologischer OberärztInnen in Deutschland?
Authors: Necknig Ulrike H. , Wolff Ingmar , Bründl Johannes , Kriegmair Maximilian C. , Marghawal David , Wagener Nina , Hegemann Miriam , Eder Elisabeth , Wülfing Christian , Burger Maximilian , Leyh Herbert , May Matthias , Kiesewetter Jan , Weidenbusch Marc
Published: July 2020

Hintergrund Urologische OberärztInnen in Deutschland stellen eine heterogene Berufsgruppe mit verschiedenen klinischen Schwerpunkten und Karriereabsichten dar. Bisher gibt es keine gesicherten Kenntnisse darüber, welchen Einfluss die Anzahl der Berufsjahre in dieser Position auf die aktuelle Berufsausübung und Zufriedenheit hat.

Material und Methoden Ziel der vorliegenden Studie war die vergleichende Analyse der berufsbezogenen Sichtweisen, des privaten und beruflichen Umfelds, der konkreten Tätigkeiten und der fachlichen Zielvorstellungen urologischer OberärztInnen in Deutschland anhand der Anzahl der Berufsjahre in dieser Position (Dichotomisierung bei 8 Jahren Oberarzttätigkeit). Im Rahmen einer Querschnittsstudie wurde ein 55 Items umfassender, webbasierter Fragebogen entwickelt, der als Link über den E-Mail-Verteiler der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Urologie versendet wurde und zwischen Februar und April 2019 für urologische OberärztInnen geöffnet war. Unterschiede zwischen beiden Gruppen wurden mittels multivariater Regressionsmodelle geprüft.

Ergebnisse 192 Studienfragebögen urologischer OberärztInnen waren auswertbar, von denen 107 (55,7 %) und 85 (44,3 %) eine Oberarzttätigkeit < 8 Jahre (< 8J-OÄ) bzw. ≥ 8 Jahre (≥ 8J-OÄ) aufwiesen. In der Gruppe < 8J-OÄ arbeiteten signifikant mehr Teilnehmer an Universitätskliniken (42,1 % vs. 18,8 %, p = 0,002). Insgesamt gaben 82,4 % der Teilnehmer in der Gruppe ≥ 8J-OÄ an, die offen operative Chirurgie eigenständig sicher durchzuführen, während dies in der Gruppe < 8J-OÄ nur von 39,3 % so eingeschätzt wurde (p < 0,001). Keine signifikanten Unterschiede bez. des eigenen Kompetenzniveaus fanden sich bei endourologischen Verfahren (94,1 % vs. 87,9 %) sowie bez. der insgesamt eher niedrig eingeschätzten eigenen Kompetenz in der Laparoskopie (29,4 % vs. 20,6 %) und der robotischen Chirurgie (14,1 % vs. 10,3 %). Trotz der hohen organisatorischen Verantwortung als urologische OberärztInnen hat nur ungefähr ein Drittel der Teilnehmer (34,8 %) eine Weiterbildungsmaßnahme zur Vorbereitung auf Leitungs- und Führungsaufgaben erhalten.

Schlussfolgerung Die vorliegende Studie zeigt deutliche Unterschiede bez. der operativen Fertigkeiten in Abhängigkeit von der Dauer der bisherigen OA-Tätigkeit. Außerdem wird eine erhebliche Unzufriedenheit mit der Förderung von Führungsqualitäten und der Vorbereitung auf Führungsaufgaben deutlich. Um qualifiziertes Personal langfristig als urologische OberärztInnen an den Kliniken im Fach Urologie zu binden, erscheint es notwendig, die Bedürfnisse der Berufsgruppe zu berücksichtigen und Defizite durch strategische Förderungen zu beheben.
New Alkenylresorcinols with Cytotoxic and Antimicrobial Activities from the Leaves of Embelia schimperi
Authors: Togue Tatiana Arlette M. , Ndontsa Blanche Laure , Bitchagno Gabin Thierry M. , Schüffler Anja , Opatz Till , Tane Pierre , Tene Mathieu
Published: July 2020

A phytochemical study of the methanol extract of the leaves of Embelia schimperi resulted in the isolation of three new alkenylresorcinols, 1 – 3, together with the known analogs 4 – 7. Their structures were established by a combination of spectroscopic techniques. Compounds 1 – 7 exhibited moderate cytotoxic activity against human cervical cancer cells HeLa-S3 and more pronounced antimicrobial properties towards bacteria and filamentous fungi. The present study falls into an ongoing research project on the characterization of bioactive phenolic lipids from plants of the family Primulaceae.
A deep learning-based system for identifying differentiation status and delineating the margins of early gastric cancer in magnifying narrow-band imaging endoscopy
Authors: Ling Tingsheng , Wu Lianlian , Fu Yiwei , Xu Qinwei , An Ping , Zhang Jun , Hu Shan , Chen Yiyun , He Xinqi , Wang Jing , Chen Xi , Zhou Jie , Xu Youming , Zou Xiaoping , Yu Honggang
Published: July 2020

Background Accurate identification of the differentiation status and margins for early gastric cancer (EGC) is critical for determining the surgical strategy and achieving curative resection in EGC patients. The aim of this study was to develop a real-time system to accurately identify differentiation status and delineate the margins of EGC on magnifying narrow-band imaging (ME-NBI) endoscopy.

Methods 2217 images from 145 EGC patients and 1870 images from 139 EGC patients were retrospectively collected to train and test the first convolutional neural network (CNN1) to identify EGC differentiation status. The performance of CNN1 was then compared with that of experts using 882 images from 58 EGC patients. Finally, 928 images from 132 EGC patients and 742 images from 87 EGC patients were used to train and test CNN2 to delineate the EGC margins.

Results The system correctly predicted the differentiation status of EGCs with an accuracy of 83.3 % (95 % confidence interval [CI] 81.5 % – 84.9 %) in the testing dataset. In the man – machine contest, CNN1 performed significantly better than the five experts (86.2 %, 95 %CI 75.1 % – 92.8 % vs. 69.7 %, 95 %CI 64.1 % – 74.7 %). For delineating EGC margins, the system achieved an accuracy of 82.7 % (95 %CI 78.6 % – 86.1 %) in differentiated EGC and 88.1 % (95 %CI 84.2 % – 91.1 %) in undifferentiated EGC under an overlap ratio of 0.80. In unprocessed EGC videos, the system achieved real-time diagnosis of EGC differentiation status and EGC margin delineation in ME-NBI endoscopy.

Conclusion We developed a deep learning-based system to accurately identify differentiation status and delineate the margins of EGC in ME-NBI endoscopy. This system achieved superior performance when compared with experts and was successfully tested in real EGC videos.
Unconventional Transformations of Morita–Baylis–Hillman Adducts
Authors: Companyó Xavier , Calcatelli Alessio , Cherubini-Celli Alessio , Carletti Edoardo
Published: July 2020

Morita–Baylis–Hillman (MBH) adducts are versatile starting materials widely employed in Lewis base catalysis. A myriad of different transformations have been reported based on either allylic alkylations with stabilised nucleophiles or annulations with diverse dipolarophiles. Apart from these two conventional types of reactivity, MBH adducts have recently been implemented in alternative and complementary catalytic strategies, including: (i) one-pot and cascade transformations, where additional chemical bonds are formed following the asymmetric allylic alkylation event in a single synthetic operation; (ii) regioselective α-allylations for the synthesis of trisubstituted alkenes; and (iii) dual activation strategies, involving Lewis base catalysis together with transition metal complexes or light, enabling allylic alkylations with nonstabilised nucleophiles and cascade processes. The present Short Review summarises the most significant unconventional catalytic transformations of racemic MBH adducts reported within the last decade.

1 Introduction

2 Multi-Step Single-Vessel Transformations (path iii)

2.1 One-Pot Transformations

2.2 Cascade Transformations

3 α-Allylations (path iv)

3.1 SN2′ Mechanism

3.2 SN2′–SN2 Mechanism

3.3 Miscellaneous Mechanisms

4 Dual Activation (path v)

4.1 MBH Adduct as Electrophile

4.2 MBH Adduct as Nucleophile

5 Summary and Outlook
A New Concept for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Patients with Pathologic Comorbidities Using Cutting-Edge Digital Technologies in Dental Orthopaedics
Authors: Yumashev Alexey V. , Mikhailova Maria V. , Fomin Igor V. , Li Jiaqi , Yang Bowen
Published: July 2020

Objectives This article investigates the specific aspects of overactive or exaggerated vomiting reflexes affecting the procedure of dental examination and impression in patients with complete secondary adentia, who need orthopaedic dental treatment.

Materials and Methods The prevailing manifestation degree of exaggerated vomiting reflex was diagnosed among patients with complete secondary adentia and exaggerated vomiting reflex.

Statistical Analysis Exaggerated vomiting reflexes occur when a patient suffers from dentophobia, the term, which is otherwise known as the fear of dentists. The study was performed using methods of mathematical statistics, including the Pearson χ2 criterion and the statistical probability criterion (p).

Results The role of an exaggerated vomiting reflex was revealed in the development of patients’ dentophobic experiences, and the nature of such experiences was established. Variations in dentophobic reactions were distinguished and management strategies were studied for patients with complete secondary adentia and exaggerated vomiting reflex.

Conclusions These studies were aimed at preventing the development of vomiting reflex during dental procedures and at identifying an optimal strategy for stopping exaggerated vomiting reflex. The role of the vomiting reflex in the orthopaedic treatment of dental patients was determined.
Bilateral Proptosis in a Child—A Rare Manifestation of Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt Obstruction
Authors: Verma Deepti , Low David Chyi Yeu , Lim Joel Kian Boon
Published: July 2020

Ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) obstruction may have a myriad of presentations. We reported a case of an 11-year-old girl presenting with acute, bilateral proptosis secondary to VPS obstruction. While neuroimaging was interpreted as unremarkable, fundoscopy revealed bilateral papilledema and lumbar puncture showed elevated intracranial pressure. Neurosurgical exploration demonstrated VPS valve obstruction and a new VPS was inserted. Postoperatively, she developed a recurrent extradural hematoma, which was initially evacuated and later managed conservatively. To our knowledge, this is the first report of bilateral proptosis secondary to VPS obstruction. This case highlights the value of key clinical findings and limitations of neuroimaging.
Predicting Lipid-Lowering Medication Persistence after the First Cardiovascular Disease Hospitalization
Authors: Hu Feiyu , Warren Jim , Exeter Daniel J.
Published: July 2020

Objectives This study analyzed patient factors in medication persistence after discharge from the first hospitalization for cardiovascular disease (CVD) with the aim of predicting persistence to lipid-lowering therapy for 1 to 2 years.

Methods A subcohort having a first CVD hospitalization was selected from 313,207 patients for proportional hazard model analysis. Logistic regression, support vector machine, artificial neural networks, and boosted regression tree (BRT) models were used to predict 1- and 2-year medication persistence.

Results Proportional hazard modeling found significant association of persistence with age, diabetes history, complication and comorbidity level, days stayed in hospital, CVD diagnosis type, in-patient procedures, and being new to therapy. BRT had the best predictive performance with c-statistic of 0.811 (0.799–0.824) for 1-year and 0.793 (0.772–0.814) for 2-year prediction using variables potentially available shortly after discharge.

Conclusion The results suggest that development of a machine learning-based clinical decision support tool to focus improvements in secondary prevention of CVD is feasible.
Effect of Hydrogel-Based Antibiotic Intracanal Medicaments on Push-Out Bond Strength
Authors: Yaghmoor Rayan B. , Platt Jeffrey A. , Spolnik Kenneth J. , Chu Tien Min Gabriel , Yassen Ghaeth H.
Published: July 2020

Objective This study aimed to evaluate the effects of typical clinical concentration (1,000 mg/mL), low concentration (1 mg/mL) triple antibiotic pastes (TAP), and double antibiotic pastes (DAP) on the bond strength between various root cements and radicular dentin.

Materials and Methods Intact single-rooted human teeth (n = 144) were horizontally decoronated and canals instrumented. The roots were treated for 4 weeks with Ca(OH)2, 1,000 mg/mL of TAP or DAP, and 1 mg/mL of TAP or DAP. Untreated roots served as a control. After treatment, the medicaments were irrigated and each group was divided into three subgroups receiving MTA, Biodentine, or Endosequence putty cement. After 2 weeks, coronal and middle root cylinders were obtained from each root. Push-out bond strength test and failure analysis were performed for all root cylinders.

Statistical Analysis  Three-way ANOVA, pairwise comparisons and logistic regression were used for statistical analyses. A significance level of 5% was used.

Results  For MTA applied in the coronal part of the roots, 1 mg/mL DAP and TAP and Ca(OH)2 demonstrated significantly higher bond strength compared with the typical clinical concentration and the control groups. For Biodentine applied coronally in the roots, 1 mg/mL of DAP resulted in significantly higher bond strength than all other groups. For Endosequence putty cement applied coronally in the roots, 1 mg/mL of DAP offered significantly higher bond strength than all groups except for Ca(OH)2.

Conclusion The use of 1 mg/mL DAP resulted in significantly higher push-out bond strength compared with the typical clinical concentration of TAP and DAP regardless of the type of the root cement used.
GATA4 Deletions Associated with Congenital Heart Diseases in South Brazil
Authors: Floriani Maiara A. , Glaeser Andressa B. , Dorfman Luiza E. , Agnes Grasiela , Rosa Rafael F. M. , Zen Paulo R. G.
Published: July 2020

The normal development of the heart comprises a highly regulated machinery of genetic events, involving transcriptional factors. Congenital heart disease (CHD), have been associated with chromosomal abnormalities and copy number variants (CNVs). Our goal was to investigate through the multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) technique, the presence of CNVs in reference genes for normal cardiac development in patients with CHD. GATA4, NKX2–5, TBX5, BMP4, and CRELD1 genes and 22q11.2 chromosome region were analyzed in 207 children with CHD admitted for the first time in a cardiac intensive care unit from a pediatric hospital. CNVs were detected in seven patients (3.4%): four had a 22q11.2 deletion (22q11DS) (1.9%), two had a GATA4 deletion (1%) and one had a 22q11.2 duplication (0.5%). No patients with CNVs in the NKX2–5, TBX5, BMP4, and CRELD1 genes were identified. GATA4 deletions appear to be present in a significant number of CHD patients, especially those with septal defects, persistent left superior vena cava, pulmonary artery abnormalities, and extracardiac findings. GATA4 screening seems to be more effective when directed to these CHDs. The investigation of CNVs in GATA4 and 22q11 chromosome region in patients with CHD is important to anticipating the diagnosis, and to contributing to family planning.
Large Mesenteric Gaucheroma Responds to Substrate Reduction Therapy: A New Management of Gaucheromas
Authors: Yano Shoji , Moseley Kathryn , Mahajan Neha , Warren Mikako , Vachon Linda
Published: July 2020

Gaucheromas, which are pseudotumors consisting of a cluster of Gaucher cells, are rare complications in Gaucher's disease (GD) and reported in patients treated with enzyme replacement therapy (ERT). Gaucheromas commonly develop in the lymph nodes in the mesenteric and mediastinal regions and can cause serious complications including protein-losing enteropathy. A large mesenteric Gaucheroma showed a significant reduction in size after initiation of substrate reduction therapy (SRT) with eliglustat in an adult patient with GD type 3. Combination therapy with ERT and SRT should be considered to prevent Gaucheromas in patients with GD.
Two Novel Compound Heterozygous ADGRG1/GPR56 Mutations Associated with Diffuse Cerebral Polymicrogyria
Authors: Jha Ruchika , Kovilapu Uday B. , Devgan Amit , Sondhi Vishal
Published: July 2020

Background Polymicrogyria (PMG) has environmental or genetic etiologies. We report a 8-year-old boy with diffuse PMG and two novel adhesion G protein-coupled receptor G1 (ADGRG1)/G protein-coupled receptor 56 (GPR56) mutations.

Case Report The proband has intellectual disability, spastic quadriparesis, and intractable epilepsy without antenatal or perinatal insults. Brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed PMG involving fronto-polar, parietal and occipital lobes with decreasing antero-posterior gradient, and a thinned-out brain stem. Targeted exome sequencing identified two novel compound heterozygote ADGRG1/GPR56 mutations (c.C209T and c.1010dupT), and each parent carries one of these mutations. Subsequent pregnancy was terminated because the fetus had the same mutations.

Conclusion The detected mutations expanded the genetic etiology of PMG and helped the family to avoid another child with this devastating condition.
Feature engineering of material structure for AI-based materials knowledge systems
Authors: Kalidindi Surya R.
Published: July 2020

This tutorial introduces systematically the foundational concepts undergirding the recently formulated AI (artificial intelligence)-based materials knowledge system (AI-MKS) framework. More specifically, these concepts deal with features engineering the heterogeneous material internal structure to obtain low-dimensional representations that can then be combined with machine learning models to establish low-computational cost surrogate models for capturing the process–structure–property linkages over a hierarchy of material structure/lengths scales. Generally referred to as materials knowledge systems (MKS), this framework synergistically leverages the emergent AI/ML (machine learning) toolsets in conjunction with the modern experimental and physics-based simulation toolsets employed currently by the domain experts in the materials field. The primary goal of this tutorial is to present to the domain expert the foundations needed to understand and take advantage of the impending opportunities arising from a synergistic integration of AI/ML tools into the current materials innovation efforts while identifying a specific path forward for accomplishing this goal.
Scanning magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) measurement with element-selectivity by using a soft x-ray free-electron laser and an ellipsoidal mirror
Authors: Kubota Yuya , Motoyama Hiroto , Yamaguchi Gota , Egawa Satoru , Takeo Yoko , Mizuguchi Masaki , Sharma Himanshu , Owada Shigeki , Tono Kensuke , Mimura Hidekazu , Matsuda Iwao , Yabashi Makina
Published: July 2020

The scanning magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) method was developed by using a soft x-ray free-electron laser to visualize magnetic microstructures with element-selectivity. For focusing optics of soft x-rays, an ellipsoidal mirror with an achromatic property was utilized to obtain resonant MOKE spectra for various elements with a simple experimental setup. We performed a scanning MOKE experiment at Fe M-edge with a spatial resolution of 7 μm. This system is readily applicable to ultrafast MOKE experiments combined with a synchronized optical laser for spintronics research.
Infrared signatures of isomer selectivity and symmetry breaking in the Cs+(H2O)3 complex using many-body potential energy functions
Authors: Riera Marc , Talbot Justin J. , Steele Ryan P. , Paesani Francesco
Published: July 2020

A quantitative description of the interactions between ions and water is key to characterizing the role played by ions in mediating fundamental processes that take place in aqueous environments. At the molecular level, vibrational spectroscopy provides a unique means to probe the multidimensional potential energy surface of small ion–water clusters. In this study, we combine the MB-nrg potential energy functions recently developed for ion–water interactions with perturbative corrections to vibrational self-consistent field theory and the local-monomer approximation to disentangle many-body effects on the stability and vibrational structure of the Cs+(H2O)3 cluster. Since several low-energy, thermodynamically accessible isomers exist for Cs+(H2O)3, even small changes in the description of the underlying potential energy surface can result in large differences in the relative stability of the various isomers. Our analysis demonstrates that a quantitative account for three-body energies and explicit treatment of cross-monomer vibrational couplings are required to reproduce the experimental spectrum.
Sampling mobility profiles of confined fluids with equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations
Authors: Mangaud Etienne , Rotenberg Benjamin
Published: July 2020

We show how to evaluate mobility profiles, characterizing the transport of confined fluids under a perturbation, from equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations. The correlation functions derived with the Green–Kubo formalism are difficult to sample accurately, and we consider two complementary strategies: improving the spatial sampling, thanks to a new estimator of the local fluxes involving the forces acting on the particles in addition to their positions and velocities, and improving the temporal sampling, thanks to the Einstein–Helfand approach instead of the Green–Kubo one. We illustrate this method in the case of a binary mixture confined between parallel walls, under a pressure or chemical potential gradient. All equilibrium methods are compared to standard non-equilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD) and provide the correct mobility profiles. We recover quantitatively fluid viscosity and diffusio-osmotic mobility in the bulk part of the pore. Interestingly, the matrix of mobility profiles for local fluxes is not symmetric, unlike the Onsager matrix for the total fluxes. Even the most computationally efficient equilibrium method (the Einstein–Helfand approach combined with the force-based estimator) remains less efficient than NEMD to determine a specific mobility profile. However, the equilibrium approach provides all responses to all perturbations simultaneously, whereas NEMD requires the simulation of several types of perturbations to determine the various responses, each with different magnitudes to check the validity of the linear regime. While NEMD seems more competitive for the present example, the balance should be different for more complex systems, in particular for electrolyte solutions for the responses to pressure, salt concentration, and electric potential gradients.
Classification of biomass reactions and predictions of reaction energies through machine learning
Authors: Chang Chaoyi , Medford Andrew J.
Published: July 2020

Elementary steps and intermediate species of linearly structured biomass compounds are studied. Specifically, possible intermediates and elementary reactions of 15 key biomass compounds and 33 small molecules are obtained from a recursive bond-breaking algorithm. These are used as inputs to the unsupervised Mol2Vec algorithm to generate vector representations of all intermediates and elementary reactions. The vector descriptors are used to identify sub-classes of elementary steps, and linear discriminant analysis is used to accurately identify the reaction type and reduce the dimension of the vectors. The resulting descriptors are applied to predict gas-phase reaction energies using linear regression with accuracies that exceed the commonly employed group additivity approach. They are also applied to quantitatively assess model compound similarity, and the results are consistent with chemical intuition. This workflow for creating vector representations of complex molecular systems requires no input from electronic structure calculations, and it is expected to be applicable to other similar systems where vector representations are needed.
Temperature-dependent resistivity of alternative metal thin films
Authors: Siniscalchi Marco , Tierno Davide , Moors Kristof , Tőkei Zsolt , Adelmann Christoph
Published: July 2020

The temperature coefficients of the resistivity (TCR) of Cu, Ru, Co, Ir, and W thin films have been investigated as a function of film thickness below 10 nm. Ru, Co, and Ir show bulk-like TCR values that are rather independent of the thickness, whereas the TCR of Cu increases strongly with the decreasing thickness. Thin W films show negative TCR values, which can be linked to high disorder. The results are qualitatively consistent with a temperature-dependent semiclassical thin-film resistivity model that takes into account phonon, surface, and grain boundary scattering. The results indicate that the thin-film resistivity of Ru, Co, and Ir is dominated by grain boundary scattering, whereas that of Cu is strongly influenced by surface scattering.
Broadband terahertz wave emission from liquid metal
Authors: Cao Yuqi , E Yiwen , Huang Pingjie , Zhang X.-C.
Published: July 2020

Metals have been studied as terahertz sources for decades. Recent research has shown the potential of metals in generating extremely high THz pulse energy excited by intense laser pulses. To avoid the metal surface debris caused by laser pulses, here, we report the results of the broadband terahertz wave emission from a flowing liquid metal line excited by subpicosecond laser pulses. The THz signal emitted from the liquid gallium line shows the stronger field with the broader bandwidth compared to the signal from water under the identical optical excitation conditions. Our preliminary study suggests that the liquid metals have the potential to serve as efficient and powerful THz sources for the intense lasers with a high repetition rate.
Interplay of reactive interference and crowding effects in the diffusion-influenced reaction kinetics
Authors: Lee Kyusup , Lee Sangyoub
Published: July 2020

We investigate the interplay of reactive interference and crowding effects in the irreversible diffusion-influenced bimolecular reactions of the type A+B→P+B by using the Brownian dynamics simulation method. It is known that the presence of nonreactive crowding agents retards the reaction rate when the volume fraction of the crowding agents is large enough. On the other hand, a high concentration of B is known to increase the reaction rate more than expected from the mass action law, although the B’s may also act as crowders. Therefore, it would be interesting to see which effect dominates when the number density of B as well as the number density of the crowders increases. We will present an approximate theory that provides a reasonable account for the Brownian dynamics simulation results.
The role of seed water content for the perception of temperature signals that drive dormancy changes in Polygonum aviculare buried seeds
Authors: Malavert Cristian , Batlla Diego , Benech-Arnold Roberto L.
Published: July 2020

Seedling emergence in the field is strongly related to the dynamics of dormancy release and induction of the seed bank, which is mainly regulated by soil temperature. However, there is limited information on how temperature-driven effects on dormancy changes are modulated by the seed hydration-level. We investigated the effect of seed water content (SWC) on the dormancy release and dormancy induction in Polygonum aviculare L. seeds. We characterised quantitatively the interaction between seed water content (SWC) and temperature through the measurement of changes in the lower limit temperature for seed germination (Tl) during dormancy changes for seeds with different SWC. These relationships were inserted in existing population-based threshold models and were run against field obtained data. The model considering SWC was able to predict P. aviculare field emergence patterns. However, failure to consider SWC led to overestimations in the emergence size and timing. Our results show that in humid temperate habitats, the occurrence of eventual water shortages during late-winter or spring (i.e. short periods of water content below 31% SWC) can affect soil temperature effects on seed dormancy, and might lead reductions in the emergence size rather than to significant temporal displacements in the emergence window. In conclusion, SWC plays an important role for the perception of temperature signals that drive dormancy changes in buried seeds.
Soil macrofauna diversity and population dynamics in Indian Himalayan agroecosystems
Authors: Pant Madhuri , Negi G. C. S. , Kumar Pramod
Published: July 2020

Soil macrofauna diversity in Himalayan mountain agroecosystems has received negligible attention despite people’s dependence on soil fertility that determines crop yield for their sustenance. This study was carried out with the objective to determine differences in soil macrofauna taxonomic groups and abundance with soil depth (0–30 cm) in irrigated and non-irrigated wheat and rice crops of two dominant Himalayan mountain agroecosystems. At both the sites, a total of 11 macrofauna groups and 23 families were recorded. Macrofauna population across both crop seasons for non-irrigated fields was significantly greater (P < 0.05) than in irrigated fields. Macrofauna population significantly differed (P < 0.001) with soil depth and significantly declined with increasing soil depth (P < 0.001). The top soil (0–10 cm depth) contributed over 80% of the total macrofauna population. Macrofauna diversity in non-irrigated fields (H′ = 2.10) was greater than in irrigated fields (H′ = 1.86), but β diversity was greater in irrigated fields (1.67 vs 1.76). The two agroecosystem types significantly differed (P < 0.05) with soil depth and crop season. On the basis of presence or absence, the macrofauna groups were categorised as (i) present in soil year-round but exhibiting high density during warm and wet rainy season and (ii) present in soil only during the warm and wet rainy season. The non-irrigated fields had greater abundance of Coleoptera, Dermaptera, Hemiptera and Isoptera than the irrigated fields. This study highlights that the Himalayan mountain crop fields host a rather diverse and abundant macro-invertebrate community that should be efficiently used to promote soil fertility.
A spatial minimum spanning tree filter
Authors: Jin Yusheng , Zhao Hong , Gu Feifei , Bu Penghui , Na Mulun
Published: July 2020

It is well-known that the minimum spanning tree (MST) is widely used in image segment, edge-preserving filtering, and stereo matching. However, the non-local (NL) filter based on the MST generally results in overly smooth images, since it ignores spatial affinity. In this paper, we propose a new spatial minimum spanning tree filter (SMSTF) to improve the performance of the NL filter by designing a spatial MST to avoid over-smoothing problems, by introducing recursive techniques to implement the filtering process. The SMSTF has the advantages that: (1) the kernel of our filter considers spatial affinity and similarity of intensity; (2) The size of the filter kernel is the entire image domain; (3) the complexity of the SMSTF is linear to the number of image pixels. For these reasons, our filter achieves excellent edge-preserving results. Extensive experiments demonstrate the versatility of the proposed method in a variety of image processing and computer vision tasks, including edge-preserving smoothing, stylization, colorization, and stereo matching.
A deep neural network for estimating the bladder boundary using electrical impedance tomography
Authors: Konki S K , Khambampati A K , Sharma S K , Kim K Y
Published: July 2020

Objective: Accurate bladder size estimation is an important clinical parameter that assists physicians, enabling them to provide better treatment for patients who are suffering from urinary incontinence. Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is a non-invasive medical imaging method that estimates organ boundaries assuming that the electrical conductivity values of the background, bladder, and adjacent tissues inside the pelvic domain are known a priori. However, the performance of a traditional EIT inverse algorithm such as the modified Newton–Raphson (mNR) for shape estimation exhibits severe convergence problems as it heavily depends on the initial guess and often fails to estimate complex boundaries that require greater numbers of Fourier coefficients to approximate the boundary shape. Therefore, in this study a deep neural network (DNN) is introduced to estimate the urinary bladder boundary inside the pelvic domain. Approach: We designed a five-layer DNN which was trained with a dataset of 15 subjects that had different pelvic boundaries, bladder shapes, and conductivity. The boundary voltage measurements of the pelvic domain are defined as input and the corresponding Fourier coefficients that describe the bladder boundary as output data. To evaluate the DNN, we tested with three different sizes of urinary bladder. Main results: Numerical simulations and phantom experiments were performed to validate the performance of the proposed DNN model. The proposed DNN algorithm is compared with the radial basis function (RBF) and mNR method for bladder shape estimation. The results show that the DNN has a low root mean square error for estimated boundary coefficients and better estimation of bladder size when compared to the mNR and RBF. Significance: We apply the first DNN algorithm to estimate the complex boundaries such as the urinary bladder using EIT. Our work provides a novel efficient EIT inverse solver to estimate the bladder boundary and size accurately. The proposed DNN algorithm has advantages in that it is simple to implement, and has better accuracy and fast estimation.
Multilevel memristive non-volatile look-up table using two transmission gates one memristor memory cells
Authors: Ian Wong C W , Ho Patrick W C
Published: July 2020

Memory structures can be found in most electronic devices ranging from field programmable gate arrays to smart devices. There is an increasing demand for these devices to be energy efficient, small, fast and have high density for storage. Memory devices such as the static random access memory (SRAM) are widely used in many electronic devices, however SRAMs have a volatile memory architecture. A memristor is a unique electronic component with binary memory capabilities that are non-volatile which could replace the conventional memory cell architectures. This paper proposes the use of memristors in a quaternary 2-bit multileveled memory cell as a non-volatile look-up table (MNVLUT). The MNVLUT uses a dynamic ground with two transmission gates one memristor architecture with Schmitt triggers for the read and write operations. The proposed MNVLUT achieves lower energy consumption and writing time when compared to other existing memory architectures.
Experimental validation of solar panel integrated modified three-port active clamp flyback converter fed micro-inverter
Authors: Kumarasabapathy N , Manoharan P S , Ramasamy M
Published: July 2020

In this paper, a photovoltaic (PV) tied modified three-port active flyback converter (MTPACFC) operated three-phase micro-inverter is presented to provide enhanced voltage gain with fewer components. The proposed micro-inverter transfers the power generated on the 12 V PV power generation system to 400 V, AC grid. Generally, the DC-DC converter designed with an active clamp circuit provides improved power transfer capability to transfer the power from the PV array. The conventional active clamp flyback converters are designed to offer a limited boost factor for the input voltage. The recommended three-port altered flyback converter is intended to offer double boosting for the input voltage with extended performance. Besides, a synchronous reference frame theory with an artificial neural network based grid side controller is adapted to provide low total harmonic distortion at the point of common coupling. The outcomes of the simulated and test models are introduced to approve the boosting capacity and performance of the proposed MTPACFC.