bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Brillouin scattering-based fast temperature measurement method for ADSS of distribution IoT in electricity
Authors: Yang Qingsheng , Chen Zhiming
Published: April 2022

In order to decrease time of temperature measurement for optical fiber in ADSS (all-dielectric self-supporting cable) of distribution IoT (Internet of Things) in electricity, the slope-assisted method is applied to its temperature demodulation. According to the introduction of the Brillouin scattering-based optical fiber temperature measurement method, the basic principle of Brillouin frequency shift measurement method based on the spectra fitting algorithm and the slope-assisted method is analyzed. Based on simulated Brillouin spectra with different signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs), the measurement time and accuracy of the spectra fitting algorithm and the slope-assisted method are compared. The results indicate that when if the SNR of Brillouin spectra is not less than 35 dB, the mean error of temperature measurement by the slope-assisted method is less than 0.5°C, which is slightly larger than the error of the spectra fitting algorithm, but the spectra measurement time is only 1/17 of that of the latter.
An External Quantum Efficiency Model Toward Photoelectric Conversion Current of Organic Phototransistors
Authors: Li Yao , Wang Fenqiang , Wang Ailing , Lan Jun , Pan Miao , Liu Hu
Published: April 2022

Traditional external quantum efficiency (EQE) of organic phototransistors (OPTs) is defined as a ration of “the quantity of electrons (holes) devoting to output photocurrent” to “that of incident photons”, and is extensively used by researchers. Experiments show that the EQE values obtained thus are always much greater than 100%, surpass the limiting efficiency of photo-electrical conversion (PEC) in general circumstances, and thus can’t mirror the true PEC capacity and efficiency of OPTs. This is because there are the PEC and non-PEC currents in operating OPTs, and the non-PEC current arises from the non-PEC effects (e.g., injection barrier lowering, trap-assisted tunnelling, etc.) occurring in OPTs. In order to clarify the PEC process of OPTs and acquire the EQE value towards PEC current of OPTs, the PEC process of single organic layer OPTs is studied and an EQE model towards PEC current of them is built, and the EQE values of them are calculated by this model.
Progress in ITER ECE diagnostic design and integration
Authors: Liu Y. , Udintsev V.S. , Danani S. , Paraiso G. , Taylor G. , Austin M.E. , Basile A. , Beno J.H. , Bunkowski B. , Feder R. , Giacomin T. , Guirao J. , Houshmandyar S. , Huang H. , Hubbard A.E. , Hughes S. , Jha S. , Khodak A. , Kumar R. , Kumar S. , Kumar V. , Maquet P. , Nazare C. , Neilson H. , Ouroua A. , Pak S. , Pandya H.K.B. , Penney C. , Phillips P.E. , Pish S. , Poissy J. , Rowan W.L. , Saxena A. , Schneider M. , Strank S.M. , Thomas S. , Vayakis G. , Waelbroeck F.L. , Walsh M.J. , Worth L.
Published: April 2022

The ITER electron cyclotron emission (ECE) diagnostic system has primary roles in providing measurements of the core electron temperature profile and the electron temperature fluctuation associated with the neoclassical tearing modes. The ITER ECE system includes a radial and oblique line-of-sight. Four 43-meter long low-loss transmission lines (TLs) are designed to transmit millimeter wave power in the frequency range of 70–1000 GHz in both X- and O-mode polarization from the port plug to the ECE instrumentation room in the diagnostic building. The measurement instrumentation includes two Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) systems and two radiometer systems. The Indian Domestic Agency (IN-DA) and United States Domestic Agency share the responsibility. The IN-DA scope excluding instrumentation and control has passed its preliminary design review and is progressing towards the final design review (FDR). In parallel, the diagnostic integration in different areas is ongoing. Several captive components for the TLs have passed FDR and will be manufactured for installation in the tokamak building soon. A peer review meeting has been held on the prototype hot calibration source, and its integration and new thermal analysis in the diagnostic shield module are continuing. A prototype TL is being tested. A prototype polarizing Martin-Puplett type FTS, operating in the frequency range 70–1000 GHz, features an in-vacuo fast scanning mechanism and a cryo-cooled dual-channel THz detector system. Its performance has been assessed in detail against ITER requirements.
Versatile free-running ADC-based data acquisition system for particle detectors
Authors: Jokhovets L. , Kulessa P. , Erven A. , Grewing C. , Hahnraths von der Gracht T. , Harff M. , Ohm H. , Pysz K. , Ritman J. , Roth C. , Schlösser M. , Sefzick T. , Serdyuk V. , Waasen S.v. , Wintz P.
Published: April 2022

A high-density and low-power (<300 mW/channel) data acquisition (DAQ) system integrating 2240 readout channels inside a single OpenVPX crate is presented. It is intended to be used in various applications, e.g. gaseous or scintillator-based particle detectors. 14 payload slots, controller and data concentrator communicate via a multi-gigabit backplane. Each payload slot consists of a front module for digital and a rear transition module for analog processing. A pair of modules implements 160 full readout chains including amplification/shaping, sampling, and feature extraction. The sampling rate and ADC resolution are configurable for 100–1000 MS/s and 14–8 bit, respectively. To extract the pulse arrival time we used a proper shaping of signals and a timing algorithm based on a non-linear rise approximation, which strongly reduces the sampling phase error, thus providing a good performance at moderate (100–250 MS/s) sampling rates. This allows raw data acquisition, arrival time extraction, energy calculation, and pile-up reconstruction for all 160 channels to be implemented in a single FPGA. It occupies less than 30% of its processing resources. The system was tested using the proton beam at COSY (Cooler Synchrotron) at Juelich Research Center (Germany). An off-detector DAQ with a 12-m long cabling was investigated. It introduces considerable additional thermal noise and crosstalk affecting the timing performance. For a sampling rate of 150 MS/s, the time resolution was found to be about 270 ps.
Double link sensor for mitigating tilt- horizontal coupling
Authors: G Nair V. , Collette C.
Published: April 2022

The sensitivity of inertial sensors, intended for horizontal motion detection, to tilt due to gravity at low frequency is known as tilt horizontal coupling. This is crucial for numerous seismological studies and seismic isolation applications such as gravitational wave detection. This paper presents a new sensor architecture for mitigating tilt horizontal coupling when exposed to pure translation or tilt. The proposed Double Link (DL) sensor does not need any additional mechanisms and is only sensitive to the translation and negligibly sensitive to tilt. The sensor is in the form of a double pendulum hanging from a platform and the measured output is the relative motion between the two links. The simulations are carried out in Simscape environment and the results confirms the efficiency of the system. The study was carried out as a part of the ETEST project which is aimed at developing a prototype for the future Einstein Telescope Gravitational Wave detector.
Fluid-structure interaction of bio-inspired flexible slender structures: a review of selected topics
Authors: Wang Chenglei , Tang Hui , Zhang Xing
Published: April 2022

Flexible slender structures are ubiquitous in biological systems and engineering applications. Fluid-structure interaction (FSI) plays a key role in the dynamics of such structures immersed in fluids. Here, we survey recent studies on highly simplified bio-inspired models (either mathematical or mechanical) that aim to revealthe flow physics associated with FSI. Various models from different sources of biological inspiration are included, namely flexible flapping foil inspired by fish and insects, deformable membrane inspired by jellyfish and cephalopods, beating filaments inspired by flagella and cilia of microorganisms, and flexible wall-mounted filaments inspired by terrestrial and aquatic plants. Suggestions on directions for future research are also provided.
On the robust autorotation of a samara-inspired rotor in gusty environments
Authors: El Makdah Adnan M , Zhang Kai , Rival David E
Published: April 2022

Autorotating samaras have evolved to propagate successfully to their germination sites with the help of wind. This wind, in turn, is inherently unsteady across an extensive range of scales in the atmospheric boundary layer. To generate lift, samaras rely on the formation of a stably-attached leading-edge vortex (LEV) on the suction side of their wings. The kinematics of autorotating samaras experiencing gusts were examined experimentally in order to provide insights into the aerodynamic mechanisms responsible for successful propagation. The gust response of seven mature Boxelder Maple (Acer negundo) samaras was investigated using a small unsteady wind tunnel able to create vertical gusts. Interestingly, the samaras were found to have a stable tip-speed ratio (λ) during the gust phase, thus suggesting that the LEV remained stably-attached. Inspired by samaras, we designed a three-bladed rotor that incorporates key aerodynamic and geometric properties of samaras so as to exhibit a stably-attached LEV. The gust response of the samara-inspired rotor was examined using a towing-tank facility. The gust was emulated in the towing tank by accelerating the rotor from an initial steady speed to a final steady speed. Different gust intensities were tested by varying the rotor’s normalized inertia number (I*) by systematically increasing the rotor moment of inertia (I). Similar to the natural samaras, the rotor exhibited a robust tip-speed ratio during all simulated gusts. The rotor’s tip-speed ratio increased by a maximum of 11% and 6% during the slowest and fastest simulated gusts, respectively. By maintaining a stable tip-speed ratio during the gust, the samara-inspired rotor is thought to maintain stable LEVs resulting in stable autorotation. Therefore, by learning from the samara-inspired rotor, we suggest that samaras propagate successfully from their parent trees in unsteady (realistic) environments in part due to their robust autorotation properties.
MSC-derived sEV-loaded hyaluronan hydrogel promotes scarless skin healing by immunomodulation in a large skin wound model
Authors: Yang Sen , Jiang Huan , Qian Meng , Ji Guangbo , Wei Yongzhen , He Ju , Tian Hongyan , Zhao Qiang
Published: April 2022

Designing hydrogel-based constructs capable of adjusting immune cell functions holds promise for skin tissue regeneration. Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-derived small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) have attracted increasing attention owing to their anti-inflammatory and proangiogenic effects. Herein, we constructed a biofunctional hydrogel in which MSC-derived sEVs were incorporated into the injectable hyaluronic acid hydrogel, thus endowing the hydrogel with immunomodulatory effects. When implanted onto the wound site in a mouse large skin injury model, this functional hydrogel facilitates wound healing and inhibits scar tissue formation by driving macrophages towards an anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic (M2c) phenotype. Further investigation showed that the M2c-like phenotype induced by MSC-derived sEVs markedly inhibited the activation of fibroblasts, which could result in scarless skin wound healing. Taken together, these results suggest that modulation of the immune response is a promising and efficient approach to prevent fibrotic scar formation.
Topological aspects of the critical three-state Potts model
Authors: Vanhove Robijn , Lootens Laurens , Tu Hong-Hao , Verstraete Frank
Published: April 2022

We explore the topological defects of the critical three-state Potts spin system on the torus, Klein bottle and cylinder. A complete characterization is obtained by breaking down the Fuchs–Runkel–Schweigert construction of 2D rational CFT to the lattice setting. This is done by applying the strange correlator prescription to the recently obtained tensor network descriptions of string-net ground states in terms of bimodule categories (Lootens et al 2021 SciPost Phys.
10 053). The symmetries are represented by matrix product operators (MPO), as well as intertwiners between the diagonal tetracritical Ising model and the non-diagonal three-state Potts model. Our categorical construction lifts the global transfer matrix symmetries and intertwiners, previously obtained by solving Yang–Baxter equations, to MPO symmetries and intertwiners that can be locally deformed, fused and split. This enables the extraction of conformal characters from partition functions and yields a comprehensive picture of all boundary conditions.
Some aspects of Skyrme–Chern–Simons densities
Authors: Tchrakian D H
Published: April 2022

The gauge transformation properties of the Skyrme–Chern–Simons (SCS) densities is studied. Two types of SCS actions are identified, typeI in which the gauge group is smaller than the largest possible one, and typeII which are gauged with the largest allowed gauge group. TypeI SCS feature only one power of the gauge connection and no curvature, while typeII feature both the gauge connection and the curvature. The abelian typeI SCS turn out to be explicitly gauge invariant while non-abelian typeI and all typeII SCS are gauge invariant only up to a total divergence term, and hence lead to gauge covariant equations of motion. SCS actions are the gauged Skyrmion analogues of the usual Chern–Simons (CS) actions, except that unlike the CS which are defined only in odd dimensions, the SCS are defined also in even dimensions. Some areas of application in the construction of solitons are pointed out.
Fluorescent cysteine probe based on a signal amplification unit, a catalyzed hairpin assembly reaction and Förster resonance energy transfer
Authors: Ouiganon Sirirat , Thammakhet-Buranachai Chongdee , Thavarungkul Panote , Kanatharana Proespichaya , Buranachai Chittanon
Published: April 2022

This work developed a sensitive DNA-based fluorescent probe comprising a cysteine binding unit and a signal amplification unit based on a catalyzed hairpin assembly (CHA) reaction. The cysteine binding unit comprises a homodimer of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) rich in cytosine and held together by silver ions. In the presence of cysteine, the homodimer is disintegrated because of cysteine-silver binding that liberates the ssDNA, which drives the CHA reaction in the signal amplification unit. Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) was used to report the generation of the amplified double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) product. Under the optimal conditions, the probe provided a good linearity (100–1200 nM), a good detection limit (47.8 ± 2.7 nM) and quantification limit (159.3 ± 5.3 nM), and a good sensitivity (1.900 ± 0.045 μM−1). The probe was then used to detect cysteine in nine real food supplement samples. All results provided good recoveries that are acceptable by the AOAC, indicating that it has potential for practical applications.
Effect of fiber on early strength and interface stiffness of cemented tailings backfill
Authors: Jin Jiaxu , Li Chengju , Yuan Shihao , Sun Qi , Yang Hui
Published: April 2022

This paper studies the early mechanical properties of fiber-reinforced cemented tailings backfill (CTB) and discuss its modification mechanism. The effects of fiber types and addition (polypropylene fiber, basalt fiber and glass fiber) on unconfined compressive strength of CTB were studied by unconfined compressive strength test (UCS). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to investigate the microstructure of fiber-reinforced CTB. Based on the theory of interface mechanics and the contact mechanism of fiber interface, the evolution mechanism of fiber-reinforced CTB interface characteristic stiffness was further explored. The results show that the fiber type and content have a significant effect on the strength of CTB, and the optimum addition of fibers is 0.4%. The strength of fiber-reinforced CTB samples increased first and then decreased with the increase of fiber content. The stress of CTB sample without fibers reaches the maximum value when the strain is 1.01%, while introduction of basalt fiber increases that value to 3.74%. In addition, the microstructure characteristics show that the hydration products around the fiber make the CTB sample have better compactness, and fibers can effectively inhibit the crack development of the CTB samples. Finally, using the theory of interface mechanics, it is found that the interface stiffness of CTB sample with basalt fibers is the largest, but the interface contact stiffness increases first and then decreases with the increase of fiber content, which is consistent with the law of macroscopic strength change.
Lagrangian geometry of matroids
Authors: Ardila Federico , Denham Graham , Huh June
Published: April 2022

We introduce the conormal fan of a matroid

M
\operatorname {M}

, which is a Lagrangian analog of the Bergman fan of

M
\operatorname {M}

. We use the conormal fan to give a Lagrangian interpretation of the Chern–Schwartz–MacPherson cycle of

M
\operatorname {M}

. This allows us to express the

h
h

-vector of the broken circuit complex of

M
\operatorname {M}

in terms of the intersection theory of the conormal fan of

M
\operatorname {M}

. We also develop general tools for tropical Hodge theory to prove that the conormal fan satisfies Poincaré duality, the hard Lefschetz theorem, and the Hodge–Riemann relations. The Lagrangian interpretation of the Chern–Schwartz–MacPherson cycle of

M
\operatorname {M}

, when combined with the Hodge–Riemann relations for the conormal fan of

M
\operatorname {M}

, implies Brylawski’s and Dawson’s conjectures that the

h
h

-vectors of the broken circuit complex and the independence complex of

M
\operatorname {M}

are log-concave sequences.
Brown-York mass and positive scalar curvature I: First eigenvalue problem and its applications
Authors: Yuan Wei
Published: April 2022

In this article, we investigate the connection between scalar curvature and first eigenfunctions via positive mass theorem for Brown-York mass. For compact manifolds with nice boundary, we show that a sharp inequality holds for first eigenfunctions when posing appropriate assumptions on scalar curvature and first eigenvalue. This inequality implies that for a compact

n
n

-dimensional manifold with boundary, its first eigenvalue is no less than

n
n

, if its scalar curvature is at least

n
(
n
−
1
)

n(n-1)

with appropriate boundary conditions posed, where equality holds if and only the manifold is isometric to the canonical upper hemisphere. As an application, we derive an estimate for the area of event horizon in a vacuum static space with positive cosmological constant, which reveals an interesting connection between the area of event horizon and Brown-York mass. This estimate generalizes a similar result of Shen [Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 125 (1997), pp. 901–905] for three dimensional vacuum static spaces and also improves the uniqueness result of de Sitter space-time due to Hizagi-Montiel-Raulot.
Lyubeznik numbers, 𝐹-modules and modules of generalized fractions
Authors: Katzman Mordechai , Sharp Rodney
Published: April 2022

This paper presents an algorithm for calculation of the Lyubeznik numbers of a local ring which is a homomorphic image of a regular local ring

R
R

of prime characteristic. The methods used employ Lyubeznik’s

F
F

-modules over

R
R

, particularly his

F
F

-finite

F
F

-modules, and also the modules of generalized fractions of Sharp and Zakeri [Mathematika 29 (1982), pp. 32–41]. It is shown that many modules of generalized fractions over

R
R

have natural structures as

F
F

-modules; these lead to

F
F

-module structures on certain local cohomology modules over

R
R

, which are exploited, in conjunction with

F
F

-module structures on injective

R
R

-modules that result from work of Huneke and Sharp [Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 339 (1993), pp. 765–779], to compute Lyubeznik numbers. The resulting algorithm has been implemented in Macaulay2.
Feller’s upper-lower class test in Euclidean space
Authors: Einmahl Uwe
Published: April 2022

We provide an extension of Feller’s upper-lower class test for the Hartman-Wintner LIL to the LIL in Euclidean space. We obtain this result as a corollary to a general upper-lower class test for

Γ
n

T
n

\Gamma _n T_n

where

T
n

=

∑

j
=
1

n

Z
j

T_n=\sum _{j=1}^n Z_j

is a sum of i.i.d. d-dimensional standard normal random vectors and

Γ
n

\Gamma _n

is a convergent sequence of symmetric non-negative definite

(
d
,
d
)

(d,d)

-matrices. In the process we derive new bounds for the tail probabilities of

d
d

-dimensional normally distributed random vectors.
3. The theory behind CBT
Authors: McManus Freda
Published: April 2022

‘The theory behind CBT’ recognizes that the way people interpret events influences their emotional reactions to them. The fundamental idea behind cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) suggests that how a person perceives a situation influences how that person feels. CBT is an approach based on an underlying theoretical rationale that an individual’s affect and behaviour are determined by how that person structures the world. Understanding people’s distress opens the possibility of being able to reduce that distress by modifying their interpretations. Formulation is a theoretical understanding of how emotional problems develop and are maintained.
4. The style and structure of CBT
Authors: McManus Freda
Published: April 2022

‘The style and structure of CBT’ describes the style of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), which is considered problem-focused, structured, and brief. Certain elements of CBT’s style and structure are common to most forms of therapy, such as weekly meetings of an hour’s duration. Carl Rogers highlighted the importance of empathy, genuineness, and unconditional positive regard in forming therapeutic relationships. The theoretical basis of CBT emphasizes that change is achieved by breaking the maintaining cycles of thoughts, feelings, physiology, and behaviour.
5. CBT methods
Authors: McManus Freda
Published: April 2022

‘CBT methods’ outlines some of the main methods that cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) uses to achieve its aims. CBT is used to understand the individual’s idiosyncratic meaning when an emotional reaction seems out of proportion to the situation. CBT reduces distress by helping a person find an alternative and less distressing perspective. The primary purpose of cognitive techniques is to re-evaluate cognitive factors and not rid the individual of all irrational thoughts. There are different stages of re-evaluating thoughts, which begin with eliciting what the relevant thoughts are before choosing what to change.
6. Applications of CBT
Authors: McManus Freda
Published: April 2022

‘Applications of CBT’ looks at the areas that the core methods used in standard cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) have been applied to and reviews the application of CBT since the development of integrated cognitive and behavioural interventions in the 1960s and 1970s. There are a range of problems and patient groups that CBT has been used with and a broad range of areas that CBT has been applied to, such as anxiety disorders, trauma, addictions, eating disorders, and serious mental illnesses. CBT has been used in areas that are not considered disorders or illnesses, such as anger and relationship difficulties.
7. Future directions and challenges
Authors: McManus Freda
Published: April 2022

‘Future directions and challenges’ looks at first and second wave versions of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), which suggest that thoughts, feelings, physiological states, and behaviour are interlinked. Dismantling trials and component analyses can be used to investigate whether cognitive change is necessary for CBT’s success in symptom relief. CBT interventions have been known to incorporate multiple components and considering this helps analysts to separate and compare the effect of the different components of cognitive change. Third wave CBT approaches emphasize contextual and experiential change strategies. Steven Hayes proposed relational frame theory, a behavioural analysis of language and cognition.
Preservation Rhinoplasty: Open or Closed?
Authors: Kosins Aaron M
Published: April 2022

Background

Preservation rhinoplasty (PR) is an evolving philosophy.

Objectives

The open approach was initially utilized, but the author felt a closed approach might be of benefit in certain patients.

Methods

A total 162 primary rhinoplasty cases were studied retrospectively between May and November 2020. One hundred cases had at least 1 year of follow-up. Patients had follow-up at 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, and 1 year after surgery. Technical details were recorded, including dissection planes, preservation of the dorsum (DP) vs component reductions, surface vs foundational DP techniques, and open vs closed approach.

Results

One hundred patients had at least 1 year of follow-up. Fifty-six patients underwent an open approach and 44 a closed approach. Eighty-three patients had preservation of the dorsal soft tissue envelope. All patients who underwent a closed approach had preservation of the dorsal soft tissue envelope. Sixty-seven patients underwent DP, with 38 receiving surface techniques and 29 undergoing impaction techniques. Thirty-three patients underwent structural rhinoplasty with piezoelectric osteotomies and mid-vault reconstruction. All structural cases were performed employing an open approach. Four revision surgeries were necessary.

Conclusions

Open and closed approaches have indications depending on the tip and dorsal deformities. A closed PR is favored with thin skin, minimal dorsal modification, osseocartilaginous preservation (foundation techniques), less complex tip deformities, and overprojected noses. An open PR is favored for extensive dorsal modification, S-shaped nasal bones, complex tip deformities, and tip augmentation. Structural dorsal rhinoplasty is always conducted open and preferred for complex dorsal deformities and severe septal deviations.

Level of Evidence: 4
scESI: evolutionary sparse imputation for single-cell transcriptomes from nearest neighbor cells
Authors: Liu Qiaoming , Luo Ximei , Li Jie , Wang Guohua
Published: April 2022

The ubiquitous dropout problem in single-cell RNA sequencing technology causes a large amount of data noise in the gene expression profile. For this reason, we propose an evolutionary sparse imputation (ESI) algorithm for single-cell transcriptomes, which constructs a sparse representation model based on gene regulation relationships between cells. To solve this model, we design an optimization framework based on nondominated sorting genetics. This framework takes into account the topological relationship between cells and the variety of gene expression to iteratively search the global optimal solution, thereby learning the Pareto optimal cell–cell affinity matrix. Finally, we use the learned sparse relationship model between cells to improve data quality and reduce data noise. In simulated datasets, scESI performed significantly better than benchmark methods with various metrics. By applying scESI to real scRNA-seq datasets, we discovered scESI can not only further classify the cell types and separate cells in visualization successfully but also improve the performance in reconstructing trajectories differentiation and identifying differentially expressed genes. In addition, scESI successfully recovered the expression trends of marker genes in stem cell differentiation and can discover new cell types and putative pathways regulating biological processes.
Structural landscapes of PPI interfaces
Authors: Rodrigues Carlos H M , Pires Douglas E V , Blundell Tom L , Ascher David B
Published: April 2022

Proteins are capable of highly specific interactions and are responsible for a wide range of functions, making them attractive in the pursuit of new therapeutic options. Previous studies focusing on overall geometry of protein–protein interfaces, however, concluded that PPI interfaces were generally flat. More recently, this idea has been challenged by their structural and thermodynamic characterisation, suggesting the existence of concave binding sites that are closer in character to traditional small-molecule binding sites, rather than exhibiting complete flatness. Here, we present a large-scale analysis of binding geometry and physicochemical properties of all protein–protein interfaces available in the Protein Data Bank. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the protein–protein interface landscape, including evidence that even for overall larger, more flat interfaces that utilize discontinuous interacting regions, small and potentially druggable pockets are utilized at binding sites.
DeepHisCoM: deep learning pathway analysis using hierarchical structural component models
Authors: Park Chanwoo , Kim Boram , Park Taesung
Published: April 2022

Many statistical methods for pathway analysis have been used to identify pathways associated with the disease along with biological factors such as genes and proteins. However, most pathway analysis methods neglect the complex nonlinear relationship between biological factors and pathways. In this study, we propose a Deep-learning pathway analysis using Hierarchical structured CoMponent models (DeepHisCoM) that utilize deep learning to consider a nonlinear complex contribution of biological factors to pathways by constructing a multilayered model which accounts for hierarchical biological structure. Through simulation studies, DeepHisCoM was shown to have a higher power in the nonlinear pathway effect and comparable power for the linear pathway effect when compared to the conventional pathway methods. Application to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) omics datasets, including metabolomic, transcriptomic and metagenomic datasets, demonstrated that DeepHisCoM successfully identified three well-known pathways that are highly associated with HCC, such as lysine degradation, valine, leucine and isoleucine biosynthesis and phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan. Application to the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) dataset also showed that DeepHisCoM identified four pathways that are highly associated with the severity of COVID-19, such as mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway, gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) signaling pathway, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and dilated cardiomyopathy. Codes are available at https://github.com/chanwoo-park-official/DeepHisCoM.
VIPPID: a gene-specific single nucleotide variant pathogenicity prediction tool for primary immunodeficiency diseases
Authors: Fang Mingyan , Su Zheng , Abolhassani Hassan , Itan Yuval , Jin Xin , Hammarström Lennart
Published: April 2022

Distinguishing pathogenic variants from non-pathogenic ones remains a major challenge in clinical genetic testing of primary immunodeficiency (PID) patients. Most of the existing mutation pathogenicity prediction tools treat all mutations as homogeneous entities, ignoring the differences in characteristics of different genes, and use the same model for genes in different diseases. In this study, we developed a single nucleotide variant (SNV) pathogenicity prediction tool, Variant Impact Predictor for PIDs (VIPPID; https://mylab.shinyapps.io/VIPPID/), which was tailored for PIDs genes and used a specific model for each of the most prevalent PID known genes. It employed a Conditional Inference Forest model and utilized information of 85 features of SNVs and scores from 20 existing prediction tools. Evaluation of VIPPID showed that it had superior performance (area under the curve = 0.91) over non-specific conventional tools. In addition, we also showed that the gene-specific model outperformed the non-gene-specific models. Our study demonstrated that disease-specific and gene-specific models can improve SNV pathogenicity prediction performance. This observation supports the notion that each feature of mutations in the model can be potentially used, in a new algorithm, to investigate the characteristics and function of the encoded proteins.
Long-Term Ecological Research on Ecosystem Responses to Climate Change
Authors: Jones Julia A , Driscoll Charles T
Published: April 2022

abstract

In this article marking the 40th anniversary of the US National Science Foundation's Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network, we describe how a long-term ecological research perspective facilitates insights into an ecosystem's response to climate change. At all 28 LTER sites, from the Arctic to Antarctica, air temperature and moisture variability have increased since 1930, with increased disturbance frequency and severity and unprecedented disturbance types. LTER research documents the responses to these changes, including altered primary production, enhanced cycling of organic and inorganic matter, and changes in populations and communities. Although some responses are shared among diverse ecosystems, most are unique, involving region-specific drivers of change, interactions among multiple climate change drivers, and interactions with other human activities. Ecosystem responses to climate change are just beginning to emerge, and as climate change accelerates, long-term ecological research is crucial to understand, mitigate, and adapt to ecosystem responses to climate change.
Female Teachers’ Effect on Their Pupils’ Voting Behavior and Views on Female Labor Force Participation
Authors: Yamamura Eiji
Published: April 2022

Using independently collected individual-level data, this study examines the influence of learning in a female teacher homeroom class in elementary school on pupils’ future voting behavior. Furthermore, it evaluates the female teacher’s effect on their preference for women’s participation in the workplace in adulthood. We find that having a female teacher in the first year of school makes individuals more likely to vote for female candidates and prefer female labor participation policies in adulthood. However, this effect is only observed among male pupils. These findings offer new evidence for the female socialization hypothesis. (JEL codes: D72, D78, J16, and I21)
Can Monetary Policy Affect Bank Behaviour? Evidence from Bank Credit Standards
Authors: Michail Nektarios , Koursaros Demetris
Published: April 2022

We examine whether conventional monetary policy has an impact on bank credit standards (CS) through the manipulation of interest rates. Using three distinct methodologies, to provide more insights and perspectives to this relationship, the results confirm that the policy rate appears to have a positive relationship with CS, that is an increase in interest rates would, ceteris paribus, lead to a tightening of CS. However, this effect is not found to be large and, most importantly, it is likely to be outweighed by the presence of counteracting factors, the most notable of which is private consumption. Other macroeconomic factors such as inflation, investment, and housing prices also have an impact on bank CS, the size of which varies across specifications. The empirical results suggest that while the interest rate can cool off banking behaviour, ceteris paribus, that is if no change in the economy takes place, this is not likely a realistic scenario. (JEL codes: E51, E52, E58, and G21)
Neutralization of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Omicron and Other Variants in Serum From Children With Vaccination-Induced Myocarditis
Authors: Zahra Fatema Tuz , Grubbs Gabrielle , Dummer Kirsten , Tremoulet Adriana H , Shimizu Chisato , Burns Jane C , Khurana Surender
Published: April 2022

Our study demonstrates that children who developed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccination-induced myocarditis and may not receive another vaccination, could be susceptible to infection with Omicron and emerging variants. We observed higher neutralizing antibody titers in myocarditis patients vs. healthy vaccinated children, but significantly lower neutralization titers against Omicron in both groups.
Evaluation of Organic, Food-Grade Hydrophobic Coatings for Suppressing Oviposition and Increasing Mortality of Western Cherry Fruit Fly (Diptera: Tephritidae)
Authors: Yee Wee L , Kaiser Clive
Published: April 2022

Newer organic options for protecting fruit from tephritid fruit fly attack are needed to reduce extensive insecticide use. Here, we evaluated organic, food-grade hydrophobic coatings that help protect sweet cherries (Prunus avium L.) from water-induced cracking for suppressing attack on cherries by western cherry fruit fly, Rhagoletis indifferens Curran (Diptera: Tephtitidae), as well as for their effects on fly mortality. Three formulations of coatings called HydroShield 13.20, 13.22, and 13.28 that form invisible elastic barriers on cherries and that consist of complex carbohydrates, fatty acids and occlusive agents, solvents, emulsifiers, emollients, surfactants, and other ingredients were tested. In the laboratory, fly visits on and oviposition in HydroShield-coated cherries were 66.1–92.8% and 59.1–99.5% lower, respectively, than in controls. The mean number of dead female flies exposed to HydroShield-coated cherries was 69.4–94.6% greater than of females exposed to control cherries. In the field, three sprays of HydroShield 13.22 and 13.20 on sweet cherry trees in 2020, when fly densities were high, reduced larval infestations in cherries by 32.1% and 31.8%, respectively. In the field in 2021, when fly densities were lower, three sprays of HydroShield 13.22 and 13.28 reduced infestations in cherries by 90.5% and 86.8%, respectively, but sprays also reduced cherry size and toughened cherries. HydroShield formulations show promise in protecting sweet cherry from attack by R. indifferens, but further testing is needed to improve formulations so that they suppress fly oviposition without affecting cherry quality.
Seasonal Phenology of Velvet Longhorned Beetle, Trichoferus campestris (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) in Minnesota
Authors: Haynes A Grace , Streifel Marissa A , Ambourn Angie K , Aukema Brian H
Published: April 2022

Knowledge of a species’ phenology can assist with timing accurate surveys to detect presence and density in a novel environment. Trichoferus campestris (Faldermann) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) has been found in the United States since the 1990s, but its biology and behavior remain poorly understood. This study investigated the phenology of T. campestris in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, USA, based on local temperature data. In the summers of 2019 and 2020, 30 and 40 pheromone-baited traps, respectively, were deployed in trees in suburban parks to monitor capture of local individuals. Traps were suspended from branches of mature trees selected at random, with nine genera of trees selected over both years. Early, peak, and late adult abundance were characterized, and the impact of tree genus in which each trap was hung was evaluated. Abundance was found to be unimodal both summers with a peak around 650 degree days (base 10°C) in early July. Significantly more adult T. campestris were caught in traps hung in trees of the genus Tilia than in trees of the genus Quercus. These findings are important first steps to improving monitoring of T. campestris presence and conducting risk assessments.
‘This is not what I want for my children’: agency and parenting in Danish asylum centres
Authors: Barghadouch Amina , Skovdal Morten , Norredam Marie , Vitus Kathrine
Published: April 2022

Background

Children of asylum-seeking families constitute a particularly vulnerable group, and there is growing interest in understanding how asylum-seeking parents can be supported to safeguard the health, wellbeing and growth of their children. In this study, we examine the capabilities of asylum-seeking parents to act on the support and advice provided by child health nurses in Danish asylum centres.

Methods

We draw on semi-structured qualitative interviews with 11 asylum-seeking families (corresponding to 15 parents) living in two asylum centres run by the Danish Red Cross.

Results

The findings illustrate that asylum-seeking parents’ agentic capabilities to take care of their children are tightly constrained by their housing constrictions and living conditions, insufficient money allowances, regular relocations and juridical status as asylum-seekers. These physical and organizational structures and the pervasive uncertainty related to being asylum-seekers inhibited parents from acting on advice from child health nurses, and from providing their children with a safe, healthy and stable environment.

Conclusions

Asylum-seeking parents face the task of taking care of their children within particular physical, organizational and juridical structures, which tightly constrain their ability to parent their children well, or to follow advice provided by child health nurses.
Hepatic arterial infusion of oxaliplatin plus raltitrexed in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma with or without portal vein tumour thrombosis
Authors: Chen Shiguang , Yu Wenchang , Zhang Kongzhi , Liu Weifu , Wang Xiaolong , Chen Chuanben
Published: April 2022

Background

Unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has a poor prognosis. According to the HCC management guidelines in China, the standard treatment of Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage B or C HCC with portal vein tumour thrombosis (PVTT) is chemoembolization. However, some patients with BCLC stage B or C HCC with PVTT respond poorly to chemoembolization. We aimed to compare tumour responses and survival benefits between patients with unresectable HCC with or without PVTT.

Methods

We reviewed 119 consecutive patients with unresectable HCC with PVTT (n = 67) and without PVTT (n = 52) who underwent hepatic arterial infusion of oxaliplatin plus raltitrexed between January 2018 and April 2021. Overall survival, progression-free survival, tumour responses, and adverse events were compared between the groups.

Results

There were no significant between-group differences in the objective response rates and median progression-free survival. The median overall survival was significantly longer in the group without PVTT than in that with PVTT (17.0 vs 10.4 months, respectively; P = 0.024).

Conclusion

Hepatic arterial infusion of oxaliplatin plus raltitrexed may be efficacious in patients with unresectable HCC with or without PVTT.
Effects of laboratory salmon louse infection on mortality, growth, and sexual maturation in Atlantic salmon
Authors: Fjelldal Per Gunnar , Fraser Thomas W K , Hansen Tom J , Karlsen Ørjan , Bui Samantha
Published: April 2022

Elevated salmon louse infection pressure generated by salmon farming represents a major threat for wild Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). This study explored the effect of salmon lice on mortality, and body and gonad growth in F1 wild Atlantic salmon. Mature males (jacks) and immature fish were either infected with two different louse infection intensities (LIIs, 0.08 or 0.35 lice g−1) or kept as uninfected controls. Fish maturation was thereafter environmentally stimulated in seawater, followed by transfer to freshwater for 38 d to simulate river ascendance. No females matured, while 99% of the initially immature males started puberty. Jacks had high, and immature and maturing fish low, seawater mortality, independent of lice. The parasites had an LII-dependent negative effect on growth in length, weight, and condition factor in seawater. In freshwater, after the lice had detached, fish that were previously infected in seawater had reduced growth in length but not weight when compared to the uninfected control. The parasites did not affect relative gonad size in any fish phenotypes. The present results show that Atlantic salmon has a complex, and unexplored, regulation of growth when recovering from lice infection under laboratory settings. Further, the results suggest that possible negative effects of salmon louse on reproductive success in Atlantic salmon is most likely governed by the reduced body size and condition. However, further work on possible effects of salmon louse on semen quality is encouraged.
Rousseau’s illiberal constitutionalism: Austerity, domination, and the circumstances of politics
Authors: Daly Eoin
Published: April 2022

While contemporary commentary on illiberal constitutionalism has focused on questions of democratic procedure—highlighting populist attacks on constitutional structures—a rather different dimension or tradition of illiberal constitutionalism is found in the constitutional projects of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. While the illiberalism of Rousseau’s theory of political freedom is well understood in abstract terms, the illiberalism of his substantive constitutional proposals has not been commented upon to the same extent. In this article, I argue that the illiberal constitutional devices he prescribes for specific eighteenth-century societies help shed some light not only on the foundations of Rousseau’s antiliberal philosophy, but also, relatedly, on certain weaknesses or blind spots of liberal constitutionalism, particularly in its orientation towards questions of freedom and domination. While Rousseau aims to foster social and economic austerity using constitutional devices, this not only illustrates an alternative dimension of illiberal constitutionalism, but also speaks to a dimension of freedom and domination—especially in the symbolic and cultural realms—that liberal constitutionalism tends to ignore.
Human–machine interaction in self-driving vehicles: a perspective on product liability
Authors: Schellekens Maurice
Published: April 2022

Cars are increasingly being automated, with the ultimate goal of creating a completely self-driving car. The interaction between the human driver or user of an automated vehicle and the driving automation will radically change from the interaction drivers now have with their vehicles. This article classifies the various new interactions that will occur as automation progresses through the six levels of automation discerned by the Society of Automotive Engineers. Smooth interaction between man and machine is critical for safety. A breakdown in interaction can easily give rise to accidents. The ensuing liability questions are difficult to solve: who is responsible for a breakdown in interaction? This article looks through the lens of EU product liability law as harmonized in directive 85/374/EC and asks whether failed man–machine interactions may be qualified as defects.
The factorization method for a mixed inverse elastic scattering problem
Authors: Xiang Jianli , Yan Guozheng
Published: April 2022

This paper is concerned with the extension of the factorization method to the inverse elastic scattering problem by a mixed scatterer which is the union of a penetrable obstacle and an impenetrable object. Having established the well-posedness of the direct problem by the boundary integral equation method, we study the factorization method to reconstruct the shape of the mixed obstacle, that is, recovering the shape of the mixed scatterer from a knowledge of the far-field pattern at a fixed frequency. Some numerical examples are also presented to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the factorization method.
Band Width and the Rosenberg Index
Authors: Kubota Yosuke
Published: April 2022

A Riemannian manifold is said to have infinite $\mathcal {K}\mathcal {O}$-width if it admits an isometric immersion of an arbitrarily wide Riemannian band whose inward boundary has non-trivial higher index. In this paper, we prove that if a closed spin manifold has infinite $\mathcal {K}\mathcal {O}$-width, then its Rosenberg index does not vanish. This gives a positive answer to a conjecture by Zeidler. We also prove its “multi-dimensional” generalization; if a closed spin manifold admits an isometric immersion of an arbitrarily wide cube-like domain whose lowest dimensional corner has non-trivial higher index, then the Rosenberg index of $M$ does not vanish.