bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Two birds with one stone.–Addressing depressive symptoms, emotional tension and worry improves tinnitus-related distress and affective pain perceptions in patients with chronic tinnitus
Authors: Boecking Benjamin , Rose Matthias , Brueggemann Petra , Mazurek Birgit
Published: March 2021

Background

Psychological factors link the co-occurrence of tinnitus-related distress and pain perceptions in patients with chronic tinnitus.

Objective

This study examines, if treatment-related changes in these factors ameliorate both tinnitus-related distress and pain perceptions in a sample of patients with chronic tinnitus.

Methods

N = 1238 patients with chronic tinnitus provided pre- and post-treatment ratings of tinnitus-related distress and affective or sensory pain perceptions alongside measures of depressive symptoms and perceived stress. Treatment comprised an intensive tinnitus-specific multimodal treatment program. Using serial indirect-effects analyses, we examined association patterns between baseline values and change rates of those variables that were found to respond to treatment.

Results

Small effect sizes emerged for changes in tinnitus-related distress, affective (but not sensory) pain perceptions, depressive symptoms, emotional tension and worry. At pre- or post-treatment respectively, baseline values and change rates intercorrelated. Across timepoints, (1) baseline tinnitus-related distress and affective pain perceptions were positively associated with improvements in tinnitus-related distress, affective pain perceptions and depressive symptoms. (2) Baseline depressive symptoms or emotional tension mediated positive associations between baseline tinnitus-related distress and improvement in affective pain perceptions. (3) Change in depressive symptoms mediated the effect of baseline tinnitus-related distress on change in affective pain perceptions–partly through associated change in emotional tension or worry. Mood-independent aspects of emotional tension were negatively associated with improvement in affective pain perceptions.

Conclusions

Depressive symptoms, emotional tension and worry emerge as key predictors of treatment response and transdiagnostic treatment targets for alleviating tinnitus-related distress and functionally associated affective pain perceptions.
Prophylactic efficacy against Mycobacterium tuberculosis using ID93 and lipid-based adjuvant formulations in the mouse model
Authors: Baldwin Susan L. , Reese Valerie A. , Larsen Sasha E. , Beebe Elyse , Guderian Jeff , Orr Mark T. , Fox Christopher B. , Reed Steven G. , Coler Rhea N.
Published: March 2021

An estimated 10 million people developed tuberculosis (TB) disease in 2019 which underscores the need for a vaccine that prevents disease and reduces transmission. The aim of our current studies is to characterize and test a prophylactic tuberculosis vaccine comprised of ID93, a polyprotein fusion antigen, and a liposomal formulation [including a synthetic TLR4 agonist (glucopyranosyl lipid adjuvant, GLA) and QS-21] in a preclinical mouse model of TB disease. Comparisons of the ID93+GLA-LSQ vaccines are also made to the highly characterized ID93+GLA-SE oil-in-water emulsion adjuvant, which are also included these studies. The recent success of vaccine candidate M72 combined with adjuvant AS01E (GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals) in reducing progression to active disease is promising and has renewed excitement for experimental vaccines currently in the TB vaccine pipeline. The AS01E adjuvant contains monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL) and QS-21 (a saponin) in a liposomal formulation. While AS01E has demonstrated potent adjuvant activity as a component of both approved and experimental vaccines, developing alternatives to this adjuvant system will become important to fill the high demand envisioned for future vaccine needs. Furthermore, replacement sources of potent adjuvants will help to supply the demand of a TB vaccine [almost one-quarter of the world’s population are estimated to have latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) according to the WHO 2019 global TB report], addressing (a) cost of goods, (b) supply of goods, and (c) improved efficacy of subunit vaccines against Mtb. We show that both ID93+GLA-SE (containing an emulsion adjuvant) and ID93+GLA-LSQ (containing a liposomal adjuvant) induce ID93-specific TH1 cellular immunity including CD4+CD44+ T cells expressing IFNγ, TNF, and IL-2 (using flow cytometry and intracellular cytokine staining) and vaccine-specific IgG2 antibody responses (using an ELISA). In addition, both ID93+GLA-SE and ID93+GLA-LSQ effectively decrease the bacterial load within the lungs of mice infected with Mtb. Formulations based on this liposomal adjuvant formulation may provide an alternative to AS01 adjuvant systems.
Using Point of Care Testing to estimate influenza vaccine effectiveness in the English primary care sentinel surveillance network
Authors: de Lusignan Simon , Hoang Uy , Liyanage Harshana , Tripathy Manasa , Sherlock Julian , Joy Mark , Ferreira Filipa , Diez-Domingo Javier , Clark Tristan
Published: March 2021

Introduction

Rapid Point of Care Testing (POCT) for influenza could be used to provide information on influenza vaccine effectiveness (IVE) as well as influencing clinical decision-making in primary care.

Methods

We undertook a test negative case control study to estimate the overall and age-specific (6 months-17 years, 18–64 years, ≥65 years old) IVE against medically attended POCT-confirmed influenza. The study took place over the winter of 2019–2020 and was nested within twelve general practices that are part of the Oxford-Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) Research and Surveillance Centre (RSC), the English sentinel surveillance network.

Results

648 POCT were conducted. 193 (29.7%) of those who were swabbed had received the seasonal influenza vaccine. The crude unadjusted overall IVE was 46.1% (95% CI: 13.9–66.3). After adjusting for confounders the overall IVE was 26.0% (95% CI: 0–65.5). In total 211 patients were prescribed an antimicrobial after swab testing. Given a positive influenza POCT result, the odds ratio (OR) of receiving an antiviral was 21.1 (95%CI: 2.4–182.2, p = <0.01) and the OR of being prescribed an antibiotic was 0.6 (95%CI: 0.4–0.9, p = <0.01).

Discussion

Using influenza POCT in a primary care sentinel surveillance network to estimate IVE is feasible and provides comparable results to published IVE estimates. A further advantage is that near patient testing of influenza is associated with improvements in appropriate antiviral and antibiotic use. Larger, randomised studies are needed in primary care to see if these trends are still present and to explore their impact on outcomes.
Direct interaction of HIV gp120 with neuronal CXCR4 and CCR5 receptors induces cofilin-actin rod pathology via a cellular prion protein- and NOX-dependent mechanism
Authors: Smith Lisa K. , Babcock Isaac W. , Minamide Laurie S. , Shaw Alisa E. , Bamburg James R. , Kuhn Thomas B.
Published: March 2021

Nearly 50% of individuals with long-term HIV infection are affected by the onset of progressive HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND). HIV infiltrates the central nervous system (CNS) early during primary infection where it establishes persistent infection in microglia (resident macrophages) and astrocytes that in turn release inflammatory cytokines, small neurotoxic mediators, and viral proteins. While the molecular mechanisms underlying pathology in HAND remain poorly understood, synaptodendritic damage has emerged as a hallmark of HIV infection of the CNS. Here, we report that the HIV viral envelope glycoprotein gp120 induces the formation of aberrant, rod-shaped cofilin-actin inclusions (rods) in cultured mouse hippocampal neurons via a signaling pathway common to other neurodegenerative stimuli including oligomeric, soluble amyloid-β and proinflammatory cytokines. Previous studies showed that synaptic function is impaired preferentially in the distal proximity of rods within dendrites. Our studies demonstrate gp120 binding to either chemokine co-receptor CCR5 or CXCR4 is capable of inducing rod formation, and signaling through this pathway requires active NADPH oxidase presumably through the formation of superoxide (O2-) and the expression of cellular prion protein (PrPC). These findings link gp120-mediated oxidative stress to the generation of rods, which may underlie early synaptic dysfunction observed in HAND.
Tet1 is not required for myeloid leukemogenesis by MLL-ENL in novel mouse models
Authors: Ono Ryoichi , Masuya Masahiro , Inoue Naokazu , Shinmei Makoto , Ishii Satomi , Maegawa Yuri , Maharjan Bishnu Devi , Katayama Naoyuki , Nosaka Tetsuya
Published: March 2021

The Ten Eleven Translocation 1 (TET1) gene encodes an epigenetic modifying molecule that is involved in demethylation of 5-methylcytosine. In hematological malignancies, loss-of-function mutations of TET2, which is one of the TET family genes including TET1, are frequently found, while the mutations of TET1 are not. However, clinical studies have revealed that TET1 is highly expressed in some cases of the hematological malignancies including acute myeloid leukemia. Indeed, studies by mouse models using conventional Tet1 knockout mice demonstrated that Tet1 is involved in myeloid leukemogenesis by Mixed Lineage Leukemia (MLL) fusion gene or TET2 mutant. Meanwhile, the other study showed that Tet1 is highly expressed in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), and that deletion of Tet1 in HSCs enhances potential self-renewal capacity, which is potentially associated with myeloid leukemogenesis. To examine the role of Tet1 in myeloid leukemogenesis more precisely, we generated novel conditional Tet1-knockout mice, which were used to generate the compound mutant mice by crossing with the inducible MLL-ENL transgenic mice that we developed previously. The leukemic immortalization in vitro was not critically affected by conditional ablation of Tet1 in HSCs with the induced expression of MLL-ENL or in hematopoietic progenitor cells retrovirally transduced with MLL-ENL. In addition, the leukemic phenotypes caused by the induced expression of MLL-ENL in vivo was not also critically affected in the compound mutant mouse model by conditional ablation of Tet1, although we found that the expression of Evi1, which is one of critical target genes of MLL fusion gene, in tumor cells was remarkably low under Tet1-ablated condition. These results revealed that Tet1 was dispensable for the myeloid leukemogenesis by MLL-ENL, suggesting that the therapeutic application of Tet1 inhibition may need careful assessment.
Investigating the white matter correlates of reading performance: Evidence from Chinese children with reading difficulties
Authors: Wang Natalie Yu-Hsien , Wang Hsiao-Lan Sharon , Liu Yi-Chun , Chang Yi-Peng Eve , Weng Jun-Cheng
Published: March 2021

Purpose

Reading comprehension is closely associated with word recognition, particularly at the early stage of reading development. This association is reflected in children with reading difficulties (RD) who demonstrate poor reading comprehension along with delayed word recognition or reduced recognition accuracy. Although the neural mechanisms underlying reading comprehension and word recognition are well studied, few has investigated the white matter (WM) structures that the two processes potentially share.

Methods

To explore the issue, behavioral scores (word recognition & reading comprehension) and diffusion spectrum imaging (DSI) were acquired from Chinese-speaking children with RD and their age-matched typically developing children. WM structures were measured with generalized fractional anisotropy and normalized quantitative anisotropy to optimize fiber tracking precision.

Results

The children with RD performed significantly poorer than the typically developing children in both behavioral tasks. Between group differences of WM structure were found in the right superior temporal gyrus, the left medial frontal gyrus, the left medial frontal gyrus, and the left caudate body. A significant association between reading comprehension and Chinese character recognition and the DSI indices were found in the corpus callosum. The findings demonstrated the microstructural difference between children with and without reading difficulties go beyond the well-established reading network. Further, the association between the WM integrity of the corpus callosum and the behavioral scores reveals the involvement of the WM structure in both tasks.

Conclusion

It suggests the two reading-related skills have partially overlapped neural mechanism. Associating the corpus callosum with the reading skills leads to the reconsideration of the right hemisphere role in the typical reading process and, potentially, how it compensates for children with reading difficulties.
‘The living hand gives birth to the painter’: Selected writings on painting by Lee Ufan
Authors: Morley Simon
Published: March 2021

Alongside his studio practice, the Korean artist Lee Ufan (b.1936) has consistently published writings that are intended to both elucidate his own practice and to address much broader issues relating to art and culture. Through his writing and art, Lee has sought the grounds from which to both assimilate and challenge Westernizing hegemony, based on a deep understanding of both East Asian and Western art and philosophy. Lees work maps the conventions of modernist Western abstraction onto traditional East Asian concepts of painting, most especially in relation to the role of the body, circulating energy, void and the ‘untouched’. The selection below is a small sample of his writings, and they are preceded by an introduction to Lee Ufan, and a brief interview with the artist conducted by email with Simon Morley in 2017.
Xiong HongGang:1 A continent of aesthetic excess
Authors: Miles Jonathan
Published: March 2021

Rather than a review of recent work, a process of being-with was enacted so the resulting text recorded or paid attention to the performative investments of both the act of painting and the imaginary it was immersed within rather than the completed aesthetic image. The writing dwells in the indirect or in between spaces that are invariably passed over because they lack or are in lack of conceptual ideation. Given the language barrier there was little by way of contextual discussion so the writing process started to follow the very same gestures that were witnessed within the unfolding encounter that traced the passage between there being nothing to there being something.
Analysis of Water Treatment Plant Operation in Ilijaš Municipality
Authors: Lakusic Stjepan
Published: March 2021

The operation of the Karašnica Water Treatment Plant, forming part of the water system in Ilijaš Municipality, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, is analysed in the paper. Two distinct water treatment lines are described and analysed. The first line consists of an internal circular settling tank and rapid sand gravity filters, while the second line consists of an external circular settling tank and pressure filters. In order to evaluate operating efficiency, a tour of the system facilities was made, interviews with the employees were conducted, the existing documentation was examined, and additional physicochemical and bacteriological analyses of appropriate water samples were conducted. Following analysis of all available data, appropriate conclusions and significant recommendations were made toward more efficient operation of the water treatment plant.
Kerékpáros turizmus újragondolva – a kerékpáros túraútvonalak és -szolgáltatások iránti kereslet felmérése a Balaton kiemelt turisztikai fejlesztési térségbenCycling tourism rethought – a survey on demand for cycling routes and services in the Balaton Tourism Development Region
Authors: Lőrincz Katalin , Banász Zsuzsanna , Zsuzsanna István György , Princzinger Péter
Published: March 2021

A tanulmány célja a kerékpáros turizmus háttérterületeken való fejlesztésének megalapozása a Balaton turisztikai térségben; továbbá ennek kapcsán a kerékpározás iránti kereslet, a kerékpáros motivációk és attitűdök feltérképezése. A 2019 novembere és 2020 januárja között lezajlott felmérés részeként – online kérdőív segítségével – 1 087 fős értékelhető minta állt elő a rendszeresen kerékpározók, illetve aktív életmódot folytatók köréből. Ezen felül a célcsoportban érintettekkel, illetve kerékpáros szolgáltatókkal és döntéshozókkal 6 fókuszcsoportos, valamint 23 strukturált interjúra került sor. Az eredmények iránymutatásként szolgálhatnak nemcsak a már létező kerékpáros utak fejlesztéséhez (Balatoni Bringakör), hanem a „Balatoni kerékpáros turisztikai szolgáltatás fejlesztése” megnevezésű projekt keretében kijelölésre kerülő, a parttól távolabb eső, összesen mintegy 600 km hosszú kerékpáros túraútvonalak és a hozzájuk kapcsolódó szolgáltatások kialakításához is. A fejlesztés alapvetően a térség turizmusának területi és időbeli koncentrációját csökkenti, valamint hozzájárul a balatoni turizmus fenntartható fejlesztéséhez.
DESIGN OPTIMIZATION OF MOVEABLE MOMENT STABILIZATION SYSTEM FOR ACCESS CRANE PLATFORMS
Authors: Ermis Kemal , Caliskan Mehmet , Tanriverdi Muammer
Published: March 2021

The popularity of aerial work platforms is rapidly increasing in the mechanization industry. As a result, the safety and structural strength of aerial work platforms should be prioritized.In this study, the mathematical model of a reconstructed aerial work platform was developed and a 3D model was created using the Solidworks software. A dynamic analysis was then performed to improve various structural parameters of the aerial work platform. The analysis was carried out using solid modelling, finite elements, and dynamic transient analysis. In compliance with international structural standards, the weight distribution was reconstructed after placing a mass behind the turret.The results of the dynamic transient analysis were compared with the mathematical model and validated. Then, the effect of the mass placed behind the turret on the machine was examined. The lateral tipping distance of the static work platform was found to have increased from 15.9m to 17.08 m. The structure of the aerial work platform was improved using a structural and dynamic analysis approach. It was also discovered that the machine efficiency could be further increased by ensuring that the balancing weight is moved further away from the tower centre by a hydraulic-based system and controller.
APPLICATION OF GLOBAL OPTIMIZATION TO PREDICT STRAINS IN RC COMPRESSED COLUMNS
Authors: Lechman Marek , Stachurski Andrzej
Published: March 2021

In this paper, the results of an application of global and local optimization methods to solve a problem of determination of strains in RC compressed structure members are presented. Solutions of appropriate sets of nonlinear equations in the presence of box constraints have to be found. The use of the least squares method leads to finding global solutions of optimization problems with box constraints. Numerical examples illustrate the effects of the loading value and the loading eccentricity on the strains in concrete and reinforcing steel in the a cross-section.Three different minimization methods were applied to compute them: trust region reflective, genetic algorithm tailored to problems with real double variables and particle swarm method. Numerical results on practical data are presented. In some cases, several solutions were found. Their existence has been detected by the local search with multistart, while the genetic and particle swarm methods failed to recognize their presence.
STRESS ANALYSIS AND TOPOLOGY OPTIMIZATION OF A CHAIN BUCKET ELEVATOR USING ANSYS
Authors: Yin Edward , Seckley Emmanuel M. , Asiedu Evans Kesse , Cobbinah Stephen
Published: March 2021

A failure of conveyor chain links in a production process can cause unscheduled shutdowns, which increase the throughput time coupled with damaged buckets and chain links, which increase maintenance and repair costs. Since failures of conveyor chains are inevitable, this research aims to modify the design of the chain bucket elevator by incorporating a ratchet mechanism, which will prevent the chain bucket assembly from dropping to the bottom of the chain bucket elevator whenever there is a chain-link failure and also avoid the jamming of the bucket chain assembly against one another when dropping to the bottom of the elevator during failure. The number of damaged buckets and chains will be minimal, thereby reducing the maintenance and repair costs. Also, the time required for replacing the failed chain link will be reduced, which in turn, will reduce the down-time, thereby increasing the production rate. The ratchet mechanism, which can withstand a maximum load of 38.10 kN, comprises a toothed wheel, a pawl, and a spring. An analytical method was employed for the initial analysis and the results were verified using the FEM. Topology Optimization was carried out on the beam and lever with results showing a 20% and 26% weight reduction from the original, respectively. The stresses induced in the beam and lever increased significantly by 36% and 47 %, respectively, because of the optimization, however, they remained within the acceptable limits.
Functional and environmental impacts of the use of reclaimed asphalt pavement materials and of foamed asphalt
Authors: Saleh Ali , Gáspár László
Published: March 2021

Environmental safety related to asphalt mixing plants has been a growing concern due to the high temperature of asphalt mixture production resulting in a lot of energy used and much air pollutants released. Asphalt mixtures with foamed bitumen and RAP can reduce this problem. This paper deals with their functional and environmental effects. In the paper, it was introduced that the hot mix asphalt mixtures bound by foamed bitumen and containing RAP materials provides a good workability, in comparison to “traditional” hot mix asphalt mixtures. However, producing foamed bitumen needs special technological steps before using it as asphalt binder. The use of RAP materials reduces environmental harm and construction costs, besides it preserves the limited resources of stone, sand and gravel.
Optimal operation of a rail lubrication device with respect to noise reduction and wheel/rail friction coefficient
Authors: Csortos Gabriella , Augusztinovicz Fülöp , Bocz Péter
Published: March 2021

During research work, three series of studies were performed to support the importance of using rail lubrication at tramway tracks in Budapest. The first task was to determine the noise reduction efficiency of automated rail lubrication: noise measurements were performed in case of lubricated rails with corrugations, non-lubricated rails with corrugations, grinded rails as well as grinded and lubricated rails. Once the conformity was determined, an additional task was to find the right lubricant. After the noise and braking effect tests of various lubricants, it was a legitimate need to determine the optimum lubricant application because the setting of the devices is based only on the experience of the Operator. Finally, the noise mitigation effect and the friction coefficient affecting the wheel/rail contact with different lubricant application settings were investigated simultaneously. It is important that the lubricant be applied in appropriate amount such that even the safe movement of the trams is guaranteed, but at the same time the noise reduction is satisfactory too. Based on the results, the authors make recommendations for the application of the rail lubrication devices.
¿Beneficia el deporte de alto rendimiento a las personas con esclerosis múltiple? Estudio de caso en ciclismo adaptado
Authors: Moreno-Tenas Antonio
Published: March 2021

La esclerosis múltiple (EM), por sus síntomas, es un problema de salud aceptado por la Unión Ciclista Internacional como una de las causas de diversidad funcional permanente elegible para poder competir en ciclismo adaptado. La EM se caracteriza por producir trastornos sensitivos-motores, neuritis óptica, diplopía, ataxia, vejiga neurogénica, fatiga, disartria, síntomas paroxísticos, y en menor medida afasia, apraxia, convulsiones, demencias y signos extrapiramidales como corea y rigidez. La actividad física reduce el número de recaídas clínicas y se correlaciona con menores limitaciones funcionales y menos síntomas de la enfermedad. En el presente estudio de caso, que muestra la intervención psicológica realizada sobre un deportista con EM que participa en las principales competiciones nacionales de ciclismo adaptado, se sugiere que el ejercicio de alto rendimiento podría producir efectos similares a los de la actividad física, reduciendo el número de recaídas, mejorando los síntomas de la enfermedad y produciendo mejoras en el organismo.
Evaluación de las Prioridades de Personalidad: primeros datos psicométricos
Authors: Oberst Ursula , Checa Esquiva Irene
Published: March 2021

Las cuatro prioridades de la personalidad (superioridad, control, complacencia, comodidad) se basan en la Psicología Adleriana y representan la estrategia preferida que usan los individuos para perseguir pertenencia y significancia en sus vidas y su forma de entenderse a si mismos, los demás y la vida. Este trabajo presenta los primeros resultados psicométricos de la adaptación al castellano del Adlerian Personality Priority Assessment, instrumento de 30 ítems que evalúa las cuatro prioridades. Utilizando dos muestras de 50 y 359 personas mayores de edad, los resultados reproducen la estructura original de cuatro factores con buenos valores de fiabilidad. En cuanto a las evidencias de validez relacionadas con otras variables, las prioridades control y superioridad mostraron correlaciones positivas con indicadores de bienestar y logro, y negativa con afabilidad. Comodidad y complacencia estuvieron negativamente asociadas con satisfacción con la vida y extraversión, mientras comodidad correlacionó negativamente con responsabilidad. Todas las prioridades presentaron correlaciones negativas con estabilidad emocional. El cuestionario adaptado muestra propiedades psicométricas suficientemente buenas como para garantizar su uso en estudios posteriores. Además, el constructo de prioridades de la Personalidad presenta algunas implicaciones interesantes, ya que los indicadores de bienestar y de personalidad Cinco Grandes diferencian bien entre ellas.
COVID-19 infection causes a reduction in neutrophil counts in patients taking clozapine
Authors: Gee Siobhan , Taylor David
Published: March 2021

Background: Monitoring of white cell counts during clozapine treatment leads to cessation of therapy if levels fall below predetermined values. Reductions in white cell counts, driven by lower levels of lymphocytes, have been observed with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Neutropenia during COVID-19 has not been reported. We present data for 56 patients who were taking clozapine and had COVID-19. Methods: We included patients who were taking clozapine at the time they tested positive for COVID-19. We compared absolute neutrophil counts, lymphocyte counts and white cell counts between baseline and the first week of infection, and baseline and the second week of infection. Results: We observed reductions in absolute neutrophil counts (p = 0.005), lymphocyte counts (p = 0.003) and white cell counts (p < 0.001) between baseline and the first 7 days of COVID-19. All cell counts had returned to baseline levels by days 8 to 14. Six patients experienced neutropenia (absolute neutrophil counts < 2.0 × 109/L) and of those, 4 underwent mandatory cessation of clozapine. For 3 patients, clozapine treatment had been established for more than 6 months with no previous neutropenia, neutrophil levels returned to baseline within 2 weeks and no further neutropenia was observed on restarting treatment. Limitations: This was a retrospective chart review; larger cohorts are required. Clozapine plasma levels were largely not measured by clinicians. Conclusion: These data strongly suggest that mild neutropenia in the acute phase of COVID-19 in patients who are well established on clozapine is more likely to be a consequence of the virus than of clozapine treatment.
Non-stationary Navier–Stokes equations in 2D power cusp domain
Authors: Pileckas Konstantin , Raciene Alicija
Published: March 2021

The initial boundary value problem for the non-stationary Navier-Stokes equations is studied in 2D bounded domain with a power cusp singular point O on the boundary. We consider the case where the boundary value has a nonzero flux over the boundary. In this case there is a source/sink in O and the solution necessary has infinite energy integral. In the first part of the paper the formal asymptotic expansion of the solution near the singular point was constructed. In this, second part, the constructed asymptotic decomposition is justified, i.e., existence of the solution which is represented as the sum of the constructed asymptotic expansion and a term with finite energy norm is proved. Moreover, it is proved that the solution represented in this form is unique.
ctDNA from body fluids is an adequate source for EGFR biomarker testing in advanced lung adenocarcinoma
Authors: Pérez-Barrios Clara , Sánchez-Herrero Estela , Garcia-Simón Natalia , Barquín Miguel , Clemente Mariola Blanco , Provencio Mariano , Romero Atocha
Published: March 2021

Objectives

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) biomarker testing using blood-based liquid biopsies remains challenging due to the low concentration of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in certain plasma samples. The aim of this study is to evaluate the usefulness for EGFR biomarker testing of ctDNA from pleural effusions, cerebrospinal fluids, ascites and pericardial effusions obtained during the clinical management of lung adenocarcinoma patients.

Methods

For comparison purposes, 23 paired plasma and body fluid samples were collected from 17 patients with EGFR-positive lung adenocarcinoma. After circulating free DNA (cfDNA) isolation, samples were evaluated for the initial EGFR-sensitizing mutation and the p.T790M resistance mutation by array-based digital PCR (dPCR).

Results

Body fluids had more cfDNA than plasma samples (1.90 vs. 0.36 ng/µL; p=0.0130), and more samples tested positive for EGFR mutations (21 vs. 16 samples), with a total of 28 vs. 22 variants detected. Furthermore, mutant allele frequencies (MAFs) observed in body fluids were significantly higher than those assessed in the paired plasma samples for EGFR-sensitizing mutations (median MAFs = 15.8 vs. 0.8%; p=0.0004) as well as for the p.T790M resistance mutation (median MAFs = 8.69 vs. 0.16%; p=0.0390). Importantly, two patients who had progressed on first-generation EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors with a dubious result for p.T790M plasma (MAFs = 0.11%) had an indisputably positive result in their respective body fluid samples (MAFs = 10.25 and 9.66%).

Conclusions

ctDNA derived from body fluids is an informative source for EGFR biomarker testing, with greater sensitivity than plasma samples.
A Priori and a Posteriori Error Analysis of the Crouzeix–Raviart and Morley FEM with Original and Modified Right-Hand Sides
Authors: Carstensen Carsten , Nataraj Neela
Published: March 2021

This article on nonconforming schemes for m harmonic problems
simultaneously treats the Crouzeix–Raviart (

m
=
1

{m=1}

) and the
Morley finite elements (

m
=
2

{m=2}

) for the original and for modified right-hand side F
in the dual space

V
*

:=

H

-
m

⁢

(
Ω
)

{V^{*}:=H^{-m}(\Omega)}

to the energy space

V
:=

H
0
m

⁢

(
Ω
)

{V:=H^{m}_{0}(\Omega)}

.
The smoother

J
:

V
nc

→
V

{J:V_{\mathrm{nc}}\to V}

in this paper is a companion operator, that is a
linear and bounded right-inverse to the nonconforming interpolation operator

I
nc

:

V
→

V
nc

{I_{\mathrm{nc}}:V\to V_{\mathrm{nc}}}

, and modifies the discrete right-hand side

F
h

:=

F
∘
J

∈

V
nc
*

{F_{h}:=F\circ J\in V_{\mathrm{nc}}^{*}}

. The
best-approximation property of the modified scheme from Veeser et al. (2018)
is recovered and complemented with an analysis of the convergence rates
in weaker Sobolev norms. Examples with oscillating data
show that the original method may fail to
enjoy the best-approximation property but can also be better than the
modified scheme. The a posteriori analysis of this paper concerns data oscillations
of various types in a class of right-hand sides

F
∈

V
*

{F\in V^{*}}

. The reliable error estimates
involve explicit constants and can be recommended for explicit error control of the piecewise energy norm. The efficiency follows solely up to data oscillations and examples
illustrate this can be problematic.
Riesz means on homogeneous trees
Authors: Papageorgiou Effie
Published: March 2021

Let 𝕋 be a homogeneous tree. We prove that if f ∈ Lp
(𝕋), 1 ≤ p ≤ 2, then the Riesz means Sz
R
(f) converge to f everywhere as R → ∞, whenever Re z > 0.
Im Treibhaus der Polarisierung Amerikanische Zivilgesellschaft und Demokratie in der Präsidentschaft Donald J. Trumps
Authors: Ruß-Sattar Sabine
Published: March 2021

Die Präsidentschaft Trumps war zweifellos ein Stresstest für das Verfassungsgefüge der amerikanischen Demokratie. Der Beitrag geht der Frage nach, wie sich die nicht formal organisierte Seite der Demokratie, nämlich die Zivilgesellschaft, unter der Rahmenbedingung der starken politischen Polarisierung entwickelt hat und nimmt dabei die wichtigsten sozialen Bewegungen dieses Zeitraums in den Fokus.
Lewis acid / Base-free Strategy for the Synthesis of 2-Arylthio and Selenyl Benzothiazole / Thiazole and Imidazole
Authors: Balakishan Guniganti , Kumaraswamy Gullapalli , Narayanarao Vykunthapu , Shankaraiah Pagilla
Published: March 2021

A Cu(II)-catalyzed Csp2-Se and Csp2-Sulfur bond formation was achieved with moderate to good yields without the aid of Lewis acid and base. The reaction is compatible with a wide range of heterocycles such as benzothiazole, thiazole, and imidazole. Also, this typical protocol is found to be active in thio-selenation via S-H activation. Additionally, we proposed a plausible mechanistic pathway involving Cu(III) putative intermediate.
Hypergeometric fractional derivatives formula of shifted Chebyshev polynomials: tau algorithm for a type of fractional delay differential equations
Authors: Abd-Elhameed Waleed M. , Machado José A. Tenreiro , Youssri Youssri H.
Published: March 2021

This paper presents an explicit formula that approximates the fractional derivatives of Chebyshev polynomials of the first-kind in the Caputo sense. The new expression is given in terms of a terminating hypergeometric function of the type 4
F
3(1). The integer derivatives of Chebyshev polynomials of the first-kind are deduced as a special case of the fractional ones. The formula will be applied for obtaining a spectral solution of a certain type of fractional delay differential equations with the aid of an explicit Chebyshev tau method. The shifted Chebyshev polynomials of the first-kind are selected as basis functions and the spectral tau method is employed for obtaining the desired approximate solutions. The convergence and error analysis are discussed. Numerical results are presented illustrating the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed algorithm.
A gendered academy – women’s experiences from higher education in Cameroon
Authors: Atanga Lilian Lem
Published: March 2021

Women make up less than 20% of the faculty in Cameroon and continue to work in male-dominated workplaces against a context of patriarchal gendered ideologies. This paper explores women’s experiences in the academy in Cameroon, highlighting the way they navigate these challenges to position themselves in higher education. Through autoethnography and critical discourse analysis, it examines literature within the area of gendered discourse and texts on higher education, and the author’s personal experiences as a female academic in Cameroon. It is argued in this paper that the challenges of women are higher and include rendering content of teaching and research gendered, appropriating gendered identities as women, and asserting themselves in research, publication, and administration. Language is considered as the vehicle for disempowering women in the academy. Thus, women are called upon to demystify stereotypes about femininity and women’s place in the academy through language use. That deconstruction of roles must start with gender-sensitive language use.
Obstacles to Using Chinese Film to Promote China’s Soft Power: Some Evidence from the North American Market
Authors: Rosen Stanley
Published: March 2021

China’s use of film to project soft power has been unsuccessful. However, the generation of soft power through its film industry is not China’s highest priority. The pursuit of soft power, including through film, is much more directed toward the domestic audience in China, reflecting the greater importance of political and social stability, along with ensuring the patriotism of youth. Moreover, given the origins of the soft power concept and the methodologies used to evaluate countries on a soft power scale, countries that are not liberal democracies will never be able to score high on any soft power ranking. Using empirical data such as box office figures, and Chinese and Western media sources, it will be shown that the lack of success of Chinese films in overseas markets stems in part from structural reasons beyond China’s control, but also in part because of decisions made by Chinese state officials and the filmmakers themselves.
Three is a Crowd: Using Reciprocity to Explain Involvement in Ongoing Disputes
Authors: Rudkevich Gennady
Published: March 2021

I investigate the determinants of interstate political alignment, examining why states take part in ongoing conflicts and which side they take in them. The puzzle I seek to address is why some states are much more likely to gain support than others, and whether the likelihood of such support varies on the basis of the issue under dispute and the characteristics of the state itself. I emphasize the interests of rulers, particularly their need to obtain support on issues of high salience to them. The desire for future reciprocity lies at the heart of these alignment decisions. First, leaders consistently reciprocate positive and negative alignments. Second, rulers avoid positively aligning with leaders of unstable or politically unrepresentative states, as the latter are less likely to be in a position to return the favor. In order to test this alignment explanation, I compile a dataset of interventions into existing wars, MIDs, and sanctions regimes, covering the 1816–1999 time period. The results show that not all types of states are likely to enter an ongoing conflict. When those states do join a dispute, they do so on the side of those who helped them in the past.
Axial and lateral stiffness of spherical self-balancing fiber reinforced rubber pipes under internal pressure
Authors: Xu Guo-min , Shuai Chang-geng
Published: March 2021

Fiber reinforced rubber pipes are widely used to transport fluid at locations requiring flexible connections in pipeline systems. The spherical self-balancing fiber reinforced rubber pipes with low stiffness are drawing attention because of their vibration suppression performance under high internal pressure. In this paper, a theoretical model is proposed to calculate the axial stiffness and lateral stiffness of spherical self-balancing fiber reinforced rubber pipes. The inhomogeneous anisotropy of the reinforced layer and the nonlinear stress-strain relationship of the reinforced fiber are considered in the model. The accuracy of the model is verified by experimental results. Theoretical calculation finds that both the axial and lateral stiffness are influenced significantly by the key structural parameters of the pipe (the axial length, the circumferential radius at the end, the meridional radius, and the initial winding angle). The stiffness can be reduced remarkably with optimal meridional radius and initial winding angle, without any side effect on the self-balance of the pipe. The investigation methods and results presented in this paper will provide guidance for design of fiber reinforced rubber pipes in the future.
Iconografías en prensa digital sobre la pandemia de COVID-19: un retrato cultural del coronavirus en España en abril de 2020
Authors: García-Manso Angélica
Published: March 2021

La pandemia que ha afectado en el año 2020 a un mundo globalizado como el contemporáneo posee una vertiente comunicativa que es, fundamentalmente, gráfica, de representación o ilustración, la cual es objeto de análisis a partir de las cabeceras digitales de periódicos españoles. En estos, se muestra la importancia de los vínculos tipo “app”, del recurso al “isotipo” y de una concepción visual que se adapta a la iconografía clásica de la gorgona Medusa. Tales caracterizaciones aportan claves no sólo estéticas, sino sociopolíticas y de su exposición o comunicación pública, en dos direcciones: la amenaza y la protección.
Análisis sobre el impacto del aula invertida y la tecnología en el proceso educativo sobre el diseño de la comunicación gráfica
Authors: Salas-Rueda Ricardo-Adán , Eslava-Cervantes Ana-Libia , Prieto-Larios Estefanía
Published: March 2021

El objetivo de esta investigación mixta es analizar el impacto del aula invertida en el proceso educativo sobre el Diseño de la Comunicación Gráfica. La muestra está compuesta por 20 alumnos que cursaron la asignatura Expresión Formal I en una universidad pública de la Ciudad de México durante el ciclo escolar 2020. Esta investigación propone la consulta de videos antes de la clase y el uso de la aplicación Sketchbook durante la sesión presencial por medio de los dispositivos móviles. La aplicación Sketchbook permite analizar las imágenes del rostro humano, dibujar y comprobar las dimensiones de los objetos por medio de los dispositivos móviles. En la casa, los estudiantes consultaron los videos sobre la aplicación Sketchbook con la finalidad de aprender el uso de esta herramienta tecnológica. Los resultados del aprendizaje automático (regresión lineal) indican que el uso de la aplicación Sketchbook y los dispositivos móviles en el proceso de aprendizaje influyen positivamente el rol activo de los estudiantes. El aula invertida permite la construcción de nuevos espacios educativos donde los alumnos participan activamente durante el proceso educativo. Por último, el aula invertida es un modelo pedagógico que está transformando la organización y realización de las actividades en el Siglo XXI con el apoyo de la tecnología.
Evaluating Moisture Damage Using Impact Resonance Test
Authors: Yadav Shivpal , Kusam Abhilash , Tayebali Akhtarhusein A.
Published: March 2021

Moisture damage in asphalt mixtures has been a major cause for premature failure of asphalt pavements for decades. Although a lot of research has been done and many test methods have been developed to evaluate moisture damage in asphalt mixtures, not much research has been done on the use of nondestructive testing techniques to evaluate moisture damage in asphalt mixtures. The impact resonance (IR) test is a nondestructive test that is used to determine material properties like dynamic elastic modulus. The IR test on asphalt mixtures is done on a thin-disk specimen (150-mm diameter and 25-mm thickness). In this study, the IR test was used to assess moisture damage in asphalt mixtures by determining the resonant frequency of asphalt mixture samples in the unconditioned and moisture conditioned state. The relative reduction (ER) in dynamic elastic modulus was calculated as the ratio of the resonant frequency of conditioned and unconditioned specimens from the IR test, which was used to evaluate moisture damage. Moisture sensitivity of the asphalt mixtures was also determined by the tensile strength ratio (TSR) test. Two different moisture conditioning procedures were used for both the IR test and TSR test—modified AASHTO T 283 (Standard Method of Test for Resistance of Compacted Asphalt Mixtures to Moisture-Induced Damage) and Moisture Induced Stress Tester (MIST) conditioning. Six different mixtures from three different aggregate sources were used in this study. A good correlation was observed between TSR values from the TSR test using both conditioning procedures and the ER values from the IR test using both conditioning procedures for the asphalt mixtures used in this study. This study shows that the IR test can be used to evaluate moisture damage in asphalt mixtures. This study also explored the effects of various parameters such as support condition, impact source, and impact location on the resonant frequency from the IR test.
Evaluation of Antimicrobial, Antioxidant, and Cytotoxicity Activities of CuO Nanopellets Synthesized by Surfactant-Free Hydrothermal Method
Authors: Sathyananda H. M. , Prashanth P. A. , Prashanth G. K. , Nagabhushana B. M. , Krishnaiah G. M. , Nagendra H. G. , Dileep M. S. , Ananda S. , Boselin Prabhu S. R.
Published: March 2021

Copper oxide nanopellets (CONPs) were produced by hydrothermal strategy. The particles were characterized by distinctive techniques. The synthesized particles were found to have pellet morphology with nonuniform thickness and varying sizes extending between 200 and 550 nm. Studies revealed their microbial nature against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative microscopic organisms, specifically Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas fluorescens, and Escherichia coli and a plant parasitic pathogen Fusarium oxysporum. Studies demonstrated the antioxidant ability of CONPs at higher concentrations. In this paper, cytotoxicity was measured by blood hemolysis. Anticancer activity of CONPs tested against PC-3, HCT116, A549 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines after 24 hours exhibited IC50 values of 72.27, 144.2, 173.9, and 13.07 μg/mL, respectively. Although these phenomena have been determined in other reports, this report is indeed of significance for CONPs within the particle length of 200–550 nm.
Experimental Proof of Reverse Bending Technique for Modifying Weld Residual Stress in Weld CTOD Specimen and Comparison of Effect with Other Techniques
Authors: Tagawa Tetsuya , Morikage Yasushi , Kubo Takahiro , Handa Tsunehisa , Mikami Yoshiki , Kawabata Tomoya
Published: March 2021

In fracture toughness testing of welds, weld residual stress often makes it difficult to obtain a straight precrack front. Therefore, BS 7448-2, Fracture Mechanics Toughness Tests. Method for Determination of KIc, Critical CTOD and Critical J Values of Welds in Metallic Materials, and ISO 15653, Metallic Materials – Method of Test for the Determination of Quasistatic Fracture Toughness of Welds, recommend techniques for modifying weld residual stress to achieve a straight precrack front. BS 7448-2 prescribes three techniques: local compression, reverse bending, and a stepwise high stress ratio (R-ratio) technique. However, in ISO 15653, which was newly published in 2010, the reverse bending technique was rejected because detailed conditions for obtaining a reliable effect were not provided. In the revision of ISO 15653 in 2018, the reverse bending technique was revived with a proposal of appropriate conditions. The present paper reviews the conditions of reverse bending proposed in the revision of ISO 15653, together with the technical background. The effectiveness of the proposed reverse bending conditions is demonstrated experimentally by precracking in weld specimens with a thickness of 127 mm (5 inches). The effects of the two other techniques, i.e., the local compression and stepwise high R-ratio techniques, are also examined, and the effects of each technique on crack front straightness and the required fatigue cycles to finalize precracking are discussed.