bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bayesian Criterion-Based Variable Selection
Authors: Maity Arnab Kumar , Basu Sanjib , Ghosh Santu
Published: April 2021

Bayesian approaches for criterion based selection include the marginal likelihood based highest posterior model (HPM) and the deviance information criterion (DIC). The DIC is popular in practice as it can often be estimated from sampling-based methods with relative ease and DIC is readily available in various Bayesian software. We find that sensitivity of DIC-based selection can be high, in the range of 90–100%. However, correct selection by DIC can be in the range of 0–2%. These performances persist consistently with increase in sample size. We establish that both marginal likelihood and DIC asymptotically disfavour under-fitted models, explaining the high sensitivities of both criteria. However, mis-selection probability of DIC remains bounded below by a positive constant in linear models with g-priors whereas mis-selection probability by marginal likelihood converges to 0 under certain conditions. A consequence of our results is that not only the DIC cannot asymptotically differentiate between the data-generating and an over-fitted model, but, in fact, it cannot asymptotically differentiate between two over-fitted models as well. We illustrate these results in multiple simulation studies and in a biomarker selection problem on cancer cachexia of non-small cell lung cancer patients. We further study the performances of HPM and DIC in generalized linear model as practitioners often choose to use DIC that is readily available in software in such non-conjugate settings.
Cool deltas: Sedimentological, geomorphological and geophysical characterization of ice‐contact deltas and implications for their reservoir properties (Salpausselkä, Finland)
Authors: KurjaŃski Bartosz , Rea Brice R. , Spagnolo Matteo , Cornwell David G. , Howell John , Comte Jean‐Christophe , GonzÁlez QuirÓs AndrÉs , Palmu Jukka‐Pekka , Oien Rachel P. , Gibbard Philip L.
Published: April 2021

Sediments deposited by glacial meltwaters (for example, ice‐contact delta deposits) form permeable packages in the subsurface that can act as reservoirs for both water and hydrocarbons. They are also an important source of aggregate for the construction industry. As reservoirs they are challenging to characterize in terms of their structure, flow and storage properties due to their complex depositional history. In this study, ice‐contact deltas of Salpausselkä I and II end moraines in Southern Finland are studied using a combination of geomorphological mapping, sedimentological studies and near surface geophysical methods. Sedimentary logs from isolated outcrops were correlated to ground penetrating radar (GPR) profiles to unravel the internal structure and depositional history of these ice‐contact deltas. Subsequently, electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and gravity data were analysed to estimate the depth to bedrock and to model porosity distribution within the sediments. Results of the study suggest that the delta deposits have a broad range of porosities (10 to 42%) with lowest values found in the bottomset beds. The most variable porosities are in the subaqueous ice‐contact–fan zone, and consistently high porosities occur in delta foreset/topset facies. Detailed sedimentary logging linked to the GPR data shows heterogeneities such as mud drapes on foresets and kettle holes which are below the resolution of ERT and gravity methods but significantly affect reservoir properties of the deltas. Moreover, oscillation of the ice‐margin may have introduced larger heterogeneities (for example, buried ice marginal ridges, or eskers) into the sedimentary sequence which are atypical for other Gilbert‐type deltas. Finally, subglacially sculpted, highly variable bedrock topography exerts a major control on sediment distribution within the delta making reservoir volume and quality less predictable. This work has implications for present‐day freshwater aquifers and low enthalpy geothermal energy in southern Finland and other deglaciated regions, as well as hydrocarbon exploration of analogous deposits in the subsurface from Pleistocene and pre‐Pleistocene glaciogenic sequences.
Emergence of continents above sea‐level influences sediment melt composition
Authors: Liebmann Janne , Spencer Christopher J. , Kirkland Christopher L. , E. Bucholz Claire , He Xiao‐Fang , Santosh M. , Xia Xiaoping P. , Martin Laure , Evans Noreen J.
Published: April 2021

The Archean‐Proterozoic transition heralded a number of fundamental changes on Earth, including the oxygenation of the atmosphere, a marked emergence of continents above sea‐level, and an increase in δ18O of felsic magmas. The potential drivers for the latter are changes in the composition of supracrustal material or increased crustal reworking. Although the onset of subduction‐induced continental collision and associated enhanced crustal recycling could produce high‐δ18O felsic magmas, temporally constrained zircon δ18O reveals an increase in δ18O at ~2.35 Ga that predates the oldest widely recognized supercontinent. In this work, we use the O and Hf isotope ratios of magmatic zircon crystals in Archean and Proterozoic sediment‐derived granitoids of the North China Craton to track the incorporation of supracrustal material into magmas. The results are consistent with a Paleoproterozoic increase of continental freeboard producing sedimentary reservoirs with comparatively elevated δ18O that subsequently partially melted to generate the granitoids.
Determinants of switch to paediatric second‐line antiretroviral therapy after first‐line failure in Cameroon
Authors: Njom‐Nlend Anne‐Esther , Efouba Nadège , Brunelle Sandie Arsène , Fokam Joseph
Published: April 2021

Objective

With scale‐up of antiretroviral therapy (ART) children, treatment failure and switch to subsequent ART regimens are common. Our objectives were to evaluate switching practices and identify factors associated among children and adolescents failing their first‐line ART.

Methods

A facility‐based survey study was conducted in a cohort of children living with HIV experiencing virological failure (VF) at the Essos Hospital Centre of Yaounde, Cameroon. Data were collected using a standard questionnaire, and key variables were as follows: (a) VF defined as viral load (VL) > 1000 copies/ml, (b) rate of switch to second‐line and (c) reason(s) for switching ART. Odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to assess the association between study variables, and P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results

A total of 106 children experiencing VF were enrolled: median age was 8 [interquartile range (IQR): 3–15] years; 60.38% were boys and 39.62% were orphans of one/both parents. A proportion of 69% were at the WHO clinical stage III/IV, and 13.21% were experiencing immunological failure (CD4 < 200 cells/mm3). The median duration on first‐line ART was 36 [IQR: 7–157] months prior to detecting VF, and the rate of switch to second‐line ART was 70.75% (75/106). Delay in switching ART after a confirmed VF was 11 [IQR: 7–16] months. After switch to second‐line ART, the median time to achieve undetectable VL (<40 copies/ml) was 14 [IQR: 9–21] months. Multivariate analysis revealed that only children with viral rebound (aOR = 0.09; 95% CI = 0.03–0.24) were less likely to be switched. Of note, being orphaned (aOR = 0.35, CI = 0.11–1.11), biological sex (aOR = 1.77, CI = 0.60–5.29) and immune status (aOR = 0.19, CI = 0.03–1.31, 0.09) had no significant effect on switching to second‐line ART.

Conclusion

In this paediatric population experiencing VF after about 3–4 years from ART initiation, the majority are switched to second‐line ART after a delay of almost one year. Delayed switch to second‐line was driven essentially by viral rebound, underscoring the need for close viral monitoring.
Effect of drought stress on herbicide performance and photosynthetic activity of Avena sterilis subsp. ludoviciana (winter wild oat) and Hordeum spontaneum (wild barley)
Authors: Alizade Saeid , Keshtkar Eshagh , Mokhtassi‐Bidgoli Ali , Sasanfar Hamidreza , Streibig Jens C.
Published: April 2021

The severity of drought is increasing owing to global climate change. Knowledge about the influence of drought on weeds and herbicide performance is necessary for optimising herbicide applications. Therefore, dose‐response trials were conducted to investigate the influence of drought stress on the efficacy of four herbicides. Drought‐stressed and non‐stressed Hordeum spontaneum seedlings were exposed to nine doses of sulfosulfuron and sulfosulfuron + metsulfuron‐methyl. Clodinafop‐propargyl and mesosulfuron‐methyl + iodosulfuron‐methyl sodium were applied to drought‐stressed and non‐stressed seedlings of Avena sterilis subsp. ludoviciana. Leaf greenness index (SPAD), total chlorophyll content, stomatal conductance and photosynthesis rate of both species were measured. The efficacy of herbicides on H. spontaneum was not influenced by drought stress. In contrast, the performance of herbicides on A. sterilis subsp. ludoviciana was reduced under drought stress, where the ED50 increased by 1.5‐fold. The low doses (<2.2 g a.i. ha−1) of mesosulfuron‐methyl + iodosulfuron‐methyl‐sodium caused hormesis on A. sterilis subsp. ludoviciana. Total chlorophyll content and SPAD index of both species increased due to drought stress. The stomatal conductance and photosynthesis rate of A. sterilis subsp. ludoviciana decreased under drought stress, while H. spontaneum was not influenced. The lack of detrimental effect of drought stress on sulfosulfuron and sulfosulfuron + metsulfuron‐methyl performance might be attributed to similar stomatal conductance and photosynthesis rate of the drought‐stressed and non‐stressed H. spontaneum. The performance reduction in herbicides on drought‐stressed A. sterilis subsp. ludoviciana might be owing to the reduction in stomatal conductance and photosynthesis rate. Using adjuvants, diverse formulations and early application of herbicides were suggested for future research to hamper the negative effect of drought on herbicides.
An Analysis of the Anti-Japanese National United Front and Its Formation Process from the Perspective of Game Theory
Authors: Zhao Liu , Xiaoyi Huang
Published: April 2021

The united front is a magic weapon for the victory of the revolution, construction and reform of the Communist Party of China. The formation process of the united front is a kind of game, starting from the perspective of game theory, using the assets exclusiveness theory of economics, combining the Nash equilibrium and historical events, building a game model, analyzing the Anti-Japanese National United Front and its formation process, are of great significance to improve the scientific cognition level of historical research work and united front work.
A Cost-Efficient Data-Driven Approach to Design Space Exploration for Personalized Geometric Design in Additive Manufacturing
Authors: Kang SungKu , Deng Xinwei , Jin Ran
Published: April 2021

Additive manufacturing (AM) is considered as a key to personalized product realization as it provides great design flexibility. As the flexibility radically expands the design space, current design space exploration methods for personalized geometric designs become time-consuming due to the use of physically based computer simulations (e.g., finite element analysis or computational fluid dynamics). This poses a significant challenge in design for an efficient personalized product realization cycle, which imposes a tight computation cost constraint to timely respond to every new requirement. To address the challenge, we propose a cost-efficient data-driven design space exploration method for personalized geometric design in AM, enabling feasible design regions under the computation constraint. Specifically, the proposed method adopts surrogate modeling of efficient voxel model-based design rules to identify feasible design regions considering both manufacturability and personalized needs. Since design rules take much less time for evaluation than physically based simulations, the proposed method can contribute to timely providing feasible design regions for an efficient personalized product realization cycle. Moreover, we develop a cost-based experimental design for surrogate modeling, which enables the evaluation of additional design points to provide more precise feasible design regions under the computation cost constraint. The merits of the proposed method are elaborated via additively manufactured microbial fuel cell (MFC) anode design.
Revisiting Failure of Brittle Materials
Authors: Kwon Y. W.
Published: April 2021

Failures of isotropic brittle materials were revisited to find out whether there are unified failure criteria, which can be applied to a load-carrying structural component made of a brittle material regardless of whether the component has a crack, a circular notch, or neither of these. To this end, a set of failure criteria were considered to determine failure of a local point which may be located at the crack tip, a notch tip, or any other location. The proposed criteria consist of two conditions, of which both must be satisfied for failure to occur. The first condition is that the local stress must not be lower than the failure strength of the material. The second condition is the stress-gradient condition. Even if the stress at a local point far exceeds the failure strength of the material, failure will not initiate until the stress gradient condition is satisfied. Four different examples cases were presented to explain the proposed failure concept.
Numerical Simulation of Thermal Diffusivity Measurements With the Laser-Flash Method to Evaluate the Effective Property of Composite Materials
Authors: Potenza M. , Coppa P. , Corasaniti S. , Bovesecchi G.
Published: April 2021

The laser-flash method (LFM) is a technique commonly used to measure thermal diffusivity of homogeneous and isotropic materials, but can also be applied to macroscopically inhomogeneous materials, such as composites. When composites present thermal anisotropy, as fiber-reinforced, LFM can be used to measure the effective thermal diffusivity (αeff) in the direction of heat flux. In this work, the thermal behavior of composites during thermal diffusivity measurements with the LFM was simulated with a finite element model (FEM) using a commercial software. Three composite structures were considered: sandwich layered (layers arranged in series or parallel), fiber-reinforced composites, and particle composite (spheres). Numerical data were processed through a nonlinear least-square fitting (NL-LSF) to obtain the effective thermal diffusivity of the composite. This value has the meaning of “dynamic effective thermal diffusivity.” Afterward, the effective thermal conductivity (λeff) is calculated from the dynamic effective thermal diffusivity, equivalent heat capacity, and density of the composite. The results of this methodology are compared with the analytically calculated values of the same quantity. This last assumes the meaning of “static effective thermal conductivity.” The comparison of the dynamic and static property values is so related to the inhomogeneity of the samples, and a deviation of the temperature versus time trend from the analytical solution for the perfectly homogeneous sample gives information about the lack of uniformity of the sample.
Age-Related Differences in Hip Flexion Maximal and Rapid Strength and Rectus Femoris Muscle Size and Composition
Authors: Farrow Ahalee C. , Palmer Ty B.
Published: April 2021

This study aimed to examine the effects of age on hip flexion maximal and rapid strength and rectus femoris (RF) muscle size and composition in men. Fifteen young (25 [3] y) and 15 older (73 [4] y) men performed isometric hip flexion contractions to examine peak torque and absolute and normalized rate of torque development (RTD) at time intervals of 0 to 100 and 100 to 200 milliseconds. Ultrasonography was used to examine RF muscle cross-sectional area and echo intensity. Peak torque, absolute RTD at 0 to 100 milliseconds, and absolute and normalized RTD at 100 to 200 milliseconds were significantly lower (P = .004–.045) in the old compared with the young men. The older men exhibited lower cross-sectional area (P = .015) and higher echo intensity (P = .007) than the young men. Moreover, there were positive relationships between cross-sectional area and absolute RTD at 0 to 100 milliseconds (r = .400) and absolute RTD at 100 to 200 milliseconds (r = .450) and negative relationships between echo intensity and absolute RTD at 100 to 200 milliseconds (r = −.457) and normalized RTD at 100 to 200 milliseconds (r = −.373). These findings indicate that hip flexion maximal and rapid strength and RF muscle size and composition decrease in old age. The relationships observed between ultrasound-derived RF parameters and measurements of RTD suggest that these age-related declines in muscle size and composition may be relevant to hip flexion rapid torque production.
Comparison of Microorganism Detection and Time to Positivity in Pediatric and Standard Media from Three Major Commercial Continuously Monitored Blood Culture Systems
Authors: Yarbrough Melanie L. , Wallace Meghan A. , Burnham Carey-Ann D.
Published: April 2021

New blood culture instrumentation and media formulations have led to improved time to positivity (TTP) for positive blood cultures. Data regarding the necessity of pediatric blood culture bottles with contemporary blood culture systems are sparse.
Vibrio cholerae Sialidase-Specific Immune Responses Are Associated with Protection against Cholera
Authors: Kaisar M. Hasanul , Bhuiyan Mohammed Saruar , Akter Aklima , Saleem Danial , Iyer Anita S. , Dash Pinki , Hakim Al , Chowdhury Fahima , Khan Ashraful Islam , Calderwood Stephen B. , Harris Jason B. , Ryan Edward T. , Qadri Firdausi , Charles Richelle C. , Bhuiyan Taufiqur Rahman
Published: April 2021

Cholera infection can result in severe dehydration that may lead to death within a short period of time if not treated immediately. Vaccination is an important strategy to prevent the disease.
Detrital zircons from Late Paleozoic Ice Age sequences in Victoria Land (Antarctica): New constraints on the glaciation of southern Gondwana
Authors: Zurli Luca , Cornamusini Gianluca , Woo Jusun , Liberato Giovanni Pio , Han Seunghee , Kim Yoonsup , Talarico Franco Maria
Published: April 2021

The Lower Permian tillites of the Beacon Supergroup, cropping out in Victoria Land (Antarctica), record climatic history during one of the Earth's coldest periods: the Late Paleozoic Ice Age. Reconstruction of ice-extent and paleo-flow directions, as well as geochronological and petrographic data, are poorly constrained in this sector of Gondwana. Here, we provide the first detrital zircon U-Pb age analyses of both the Metschel Tillite in southern Victoria Land and some tillites correlatable with the Lanterman Formation in northern Victoria Land to identify the source regions of these glaciogenic deposits. Six-hundred detrital zircon grains from four diamictite samples were analyzed using laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry. Geochronological and petrographic compositional data of the Metschel Tillite indicate a widespread reworking of older Devonian Beacon Supergroup sedimentary strata, with minor contribution from Cambro-Ordovician granitoids and meta-sedimentary units as well as Neoproterozoic metamorphic rocks. Euhedral to subhedral Carboniferous–Devonian zircon grains match coeval magmatic units of northern Victoria Land and Marie Byrd Land. This implies, in accordance with published paleo-ice directions, a provenance from the east-southeast sectors. In contrast, the two samples from northern Victoria Land tillite reflect the local basement provenance; their geochronological age and petrographic composition indicates a restricted catchment area with multiple ice centers. This shows that numerous ice centers were present in southern Gondwana during the Late Paleozoic Ice Age. While northern Victoria Land hosted discrete glaciers closely linked with the northern Victoria Land-Tasmania ice cap, the west-northwestward flowing southern Victoria Land ice cap contributed most of the sediments comprising the Metschel Tillite.
Supplemental Material: A tale of two Tweefonteins: What physical correlation, geochronology, magnetic polarity stratigraphy, and palynology reveal about the end-Permian terrestrial extinction paradigm in South Africa
Authors: Gastaldo Robert A. , al. et
Published: April 2021

(1) U-Pb CA-ID-TIMS Analytical Methods and Analyses, (2) Magnetic Polarity Methods and Stratigraphic Results, and (3) Descriptions of Fine-grained Lithofacies.
Blood enterovirus polymerase chain reaction testing in young febrile infants
Authors: Pintos Carla , Mintegi Santiago , Benito Javier , Aranzamendi Maitane , Bonilla Leire , Gomez Borja
Published: April 2021

Objective

To analyse the impact of blood enterovirus and human parechovirus PCR (ev-PCR) testing in young infants with fever without a source (FWS).

Design

Observational study, subanalysis of a prospective registry.

Setting

Paediatric emergency department.

Patients

Infants ≤90 days of age with FWS seen between September 2015 and August 2019 with blood ev-PCR, blood and urine cultures and urine dipstick test performed.

Main outcome measures

Prevalence of invasive bacterial infection (IBI: bacterial pathogen in blood or cerebrospinal fluid) in infants with positive or negative ev-PCR test results. Secondarily, we also compared length of stay and antibiotic treatment in hospitalised infants.

Results

Of 703 infants, 174 (24.7%) had a positive blood ev-PCR and none of them were diagnosed with an IBI (vs 2.6% (95% CI 1.3% to 4.0%) of those with a negative result, p=0.02). Prevalence of non-IBI (mainly urinary tract infection) was also lower among infants with a positive blood ev-PCR (2.3% (95% CI 0.1% to 4.5%) vs 17.6% (95% CI 14.3% to 20.8%), p<0.01).

Overall, 258 infants were hospitalised (36.6%) and 193 (74.8%) of them received antibiotics. Length of hospital stay and antibiotic treatment were shorter in those with a positive blood ev-PCR (median: 3 days vs 5 days and 1 day vs 5 days, respectively; p<0.01). Differences remained statistically significant among well-appearing infants >21 days old with normal urine dipstick.

Conclusion

Blood ev-PCR identifies a group of infants under 90 days of age with FWS at very low risk of IBI. This test may help to guide clinical decision making in young febrile infants.
EML4-ALK positive lung adenocarcinoma with skeletal muscle metastasis in the right calf which was treatable with lorlatinib after resistance to treatment with alectinib
Authors: Matsuda Hironari , Hara Munechika , Iwakami Shin-Ichiro , Takahashi Kazuhisa
Published: April 2021

This report concerns a patient with skeletal muscle metastases due to lung adenocarcinoma harbouring an echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like-4 (EML4)-anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangement, who was successfully treated with lorlatinib after resistance to alectinib. A right lower lobectomy based on a diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma was performed on a 77-year-old Japanese woman. After 7 months of surgical resection, a mass in the right calf was observed. A fine-needle aspiration biopsy from the mass was performed and the mass was diagnosed as metastatic adenocarcinoma harbouring EML4-ALK rearrangement. Alectinib was administered for 10 months. Then, administration of lorlatinib, an ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitor classified as third generation, was initiated after resistance to treatment with alectinib. After starting treatment with lorlatinib, the gastrocnemius tumour diminished and has maintained a stable condition. Our case suggests that EML4-ALK positive lung adenocarcinoma is treatable with lorlatinib after resistance to treatment with alectinib.
Sarcomatoid urothelial carcinoma of the bladder with osseous metaplasia: bone in urinary bladder
Authors: Varshney Bharti , Choudhary Gautam Ram , Yadav Taruna , Nalwa Aasma
Published: April 2021

Sarcomatoid urothelial carcinoma is a rare aggressive malignant neoplasm of the urinary bladder. It usually presents at an advanced stage and thus carries a poor prognosis. These tumours are usually managed with multimodal therapies such as cystectomy and chemotherapy. In the present case, a 72-year-old man presented with gross haematuria and was diagnosed as sarcomatoid urothelial carcinoma with chondrosarcomatous differentiation and extensive stromal osseous metaplasia. The patient was managed with transurethral resection of bladder tumour (TURBT), followed by intravesical chemotherapy. The patient is doing well post 14 months follow-up. Hence, complete TURBT with chemotherapy is also a viable option for patients who prefer to preserve bladder.
Nivolumab with radiation therapy in a glioblastoma patient with Lynch syndrome
Authors: Sherman Wendy Joyce , Vitaz Todd W
Published: April 2021

Lynch syndrome is an autosomal dominant disorder leading to cancer predisposition caused by mutations in mismatch repair genes. There is minimal published experience treating glioblastoma in patients with Lynch syndrome. We report a patient with Lynch syndrome who was initially diagnosed with a left occipital isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) wild-type glioblastoma. After resection, she was treated with chemoradiation, followed by tumour treating fields. Three years after diagnosis, recurrence was resected. After refusing cytotoxic chemotherapy, decision was made to treat with off-label nivolumab concurrently with radiation. She has been maintained on nivolumab without recurrence of her glioblastoma now over 5 years out from her initial diagnosis. This case provides the first report of glioblastoma in a patient with Lynch syndrome responding to nivolumab and concurrent radiation. In patients with Lynch syndrome and glioblastoma, immunotherapy in the form of nivolumab may be an alternative option to standard cytotoxic chemotherapy.
Resolution of an enlarging subdural haematoma after contralateral middle meningeal artery embolisation
Authors: Rutledge Caleb , Baranoski Jacob F , Catapano Joshua S , Jadhav Ashutosh P , Albuquerque Felipe C , Ducruet Andrew F
Published: April 2021

A man in his 50s presented 1 month after an automobile accident with worsening headaches and an enlarging chronic left subdural haematoma (SDH). He underwent left middle meningeal artery (MMA) embolisation. Due to tortuosity at its origin, we were unable to catheterise the MMA distally. Only proximal coil occlusion at the origin was performed. Follow-up interval head CT showed an increase in the size of the SDH with new haemorrhage, worsening mass effect and midline shift. However, he remained neurologically intact. Contralateral embolisation of the right MMA was performed with a liquid embolic agent. His headaches improved, and a follow-up head CT 3 months later showed near-complete resolution of the SDH.
‘That is the skin of my brother’: alterity, hybridity and media representations of facial transplantation
Authors: Lafrance Marc
Published: April 2021

In this paper, I explore the 2012 face transplant performed on US recipient Richard Norris and how it was represented by the media as a ‘makeover story’. Informed by press coverage from the date of the transplant to the present day, I examine a widely viewed and critically acclaimed investigative report that aired on CBS’s60 Minutesentitled ‘My Brother’s Keeper’. Through a close reading of both its form and content, I claim that the report’s makeover story consists of four key themes: heroic medicine and miraculous science; appearance-based stigma and social alienation; appearance-based conformity and social assimilation; and subjective alterity and embodied hybridity. In doing so, I contend that the report’s themes contain the widespread ambivalence about facial transplantation by confirming prevailing assumptions about medical science and how it creates normal people who live good lives. That said, I also contend that the report’s themes complicate these assumptions by highlighting how facial transplantation invariably involves immediate encounters with otherness and corporeal interconnectedness. I conclude that the report’s makeover story—characterised as it is by the constraints of the before-and-after format—must be rethought and, ultimately, reworked if we wish to do justice to face transplant recipients.
Validation of the soft-embalmed Thiel cadaver as a high-fidelity simulator of pressure during targeted nerve injection
Authors: McLeod Graeme , Zihang Shengli , Sadler Amy , Chandra Anu , Qiao Panpan , Huang Zhihong , Demore Christine
Published: April 2021

Introduction

Although administration of regional anesthesia nerve blocks has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, training opportunities in regional anesthesia have reduced. Simulation training may enhance skills, but simulators must be accurate enough for trainees to engage in a realistic way—for example, detection of excessive injection pressure. The soft-embalmed Thiel cadaver is a life-like, durable simulator that is used for dedicated practice and mastery learning training in regional anesthesia. We hypothesized that injection opening pressure in perineural tissue, at epineurium and in subepineurium were similar to opening pressures measured in experimental animals, fresh frozen cadavers, glycol soft-fix cadavers and patients.

Methods

We systematically reviewed historical data, then conducted three validation studies delivering a 0.5 mL hydrolocation bolus of embalming fluid and recording injection pressure. First, we delivered the bolus at 12 mL/min at epimysium, perineural tissue, epineurium and in subepineurium at 48 peripheral nerve sites on three cadavers. Second, we delivered the bolus at using three infusion rates: 1 mL/min, 6 mL/min and 12 mL/min on epineurium at 70 peripheral nerve sites on five cadavers. Third, we repeated three injections (12 mL/min) at 24 epineural sites over the median and sciatic nerves of three cadavers.

Results

Mean (95%) injection pressure was greater at epineurium compared with subepineurium (geometric ratio 1.2 (95% CI: 0.9 to 1.6)), p=0.04, and perineural tissue (geometric ratio 5.1 (95% CI: 3.7 to 7.0)), p<0.0001. Mean (95%) injection pressure was greater at 12 mL/min compared with 1 mL/min (geometric ratio 1.6 (95% CI: 1.2 to 2.1), p=0.005). Pressure measurements were similar in study 3 (p>0.05 for all comparisons).

Discussion

We conclude that the soft-embalmed Thiel cadaver is a realistic simulator of injection opening pressure.
Pullout behaviour of inclined shallow plate anchors in sand
Authors: Zhuang Pei-Zhi , Yue Hong-Ya , Song Xiu-Guang , Yang He , Zhang Hong-bo , Yu Hai-Sui
Published: April 2021

This paper presents an experimental study on the pullout behaviour of inclined shallow plate anchors subjected to axial pull in sand. The 1g model tests were performed to examine the effects of anchor inclination and sand–anchor interface conditions on the load–displacement response and the associated failure and deformation mechanisms of plate anchors at various embedment ratios and sand densities. The anchor pullout capacity was found to increase continuously with the load inclination angle to the vertical (α), and the increase was more significant for α from 45° to 90°. The effect of sand–anchor interface conditions was negligible for horizontal plate anchors (α = 0°), but it became increasingly significant at larger inclination angles. The effects of these two factors both decreased with an increasing embedment ratio. Their influences on the failure and deformation mechanisms were measured and analysed using a digital image correlation (DIC) technique. Based on the test data and results available in the literature, a simple empirical method for the prediction of pullout resistance of inclined plate anchors in sand is calibrated and recommended.
Molecular analyses of the diversity and function of the family 1 β-glucosidase-producing microbial community in compost
Authors: Zhang Xinyue , Su Erlie , Li Shanshan , Chen Xiehui , Fan Zhihua , Liu Meiting , Ma Bo , Li Hongtao
Published: April 2021

The diversity and transcription efficiency of GH1 family β-glucosidase genes were investigated in natural and inoculated composts using a DNA clone library and real-time qPCR. Compositional differences were observed in the functional communities between the two composting processes. Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Chloroflexi were the dominant phyla. Twenty representative β-glucosidase genes were quantitatively analyzed from the DNA and RNA pools. Principal component analysis and Pearson’s correlation analysis showed that cellulose degradation is correlated with the composition and succession of functional microbial communities, and this correlation was mainly observed in Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria. Compared with inoculated compost, the functional microbial communities in natural compost with a low diversity index exhibited a weak buffering capacity for function in response to environmental changes. This may explain the consistency and dysfunction of cellulose degradation and transcriptional regulation by dominant β-glucosidase genes. Except for the β-glucosidase genes encoding constitutive enzymes, individual β-glucosidase genes responded to environmental changes more drastically than the group β-glucosidase genes. The correlation results suggested that β-glucosidase genes belonging to Micrococcales play an important role in the regulation of intracellular β-glucosidase. These results indicated that the responses of functional microorganisms were different during both composting processes and were reflected at both the individual and group levels.
Erratum to: Particles, conformal invariance and criticality in pure and disordered systems
Authors: Delfino Gesualdo
Published: April 2021

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/s10051-021-00076-0
Study of muon-induced background in MMC detector arrays for the ECHo experiment
Authors: Göggelmann A. , Jochum J. , Gastaldo L. , Velte C. , Mantegazzini F.
Published: April 2021

For above ground particle physics experiments, cosmic muons are common source of background, not only for direct detector hits, but also for secondary radiation created in neighboring materials. The ECHo experiment has been designed for the determination of the effective electron neutrino mass by the analysis of the endpoint region of the $$^{163}\text {Ho}$$

163

Ho

electron capture spectrum. The fraction of events occurring in the region of interest of 10 eV below the $$Q_{\mathrm {EC}}$$

Q
EC

value of about 2.8 keV is only of the order of $$10^{-9}$$

10

-
9

. This means that the background in that region need to be studied, characterized and methods to suppress it need to be developed. We expect a major background contribution to be due to cosmic muons and radiation produced by muons traveling through material around the detectors. To determine the muon-related background in metallic magnetic calorimeters (MMCs) used in the ECHo experiment, we have performed an experiment in which a muon veto was installed around the cryostat used for the operation of the detectors. We analysed the acquired events to investigate the pulse shape of MMC events in coincidence with the muon veto and the rate of multiple coincidences among detector array pixels. With different methods used for identification of muon related events, we studied events generated by muons and secondary radiation depositing energy in the substrate close to the ECHo pixels. In addition, energy depositions of muons and secondary radiation in the detectors was studied via Monte Carlo simulation. At the present status of investigation, we conclude that muon related events will be a negligible background in the region of interest of the $$^{163}\text {Ho}$$

163

Ho

spectrum.
Nonrelativistic treatment of fully-heavy tetraquarks as diquark-antidiquark states
Authors: Mutuk Halil
Published: April 2021

The goal of the present work is to obtain a reliable estimate of the masses of the ground and radially excited states of fully-heavy tetraquark systems. In order to do this, we use a nonrelativistic model of tetraquarks which are assumed to be compact and consist of diquark-antidiquark pairs. This nonrelativistic model is composed of Hulthen potential, a linear confining potential and spin-spin interaction. We computed ground, first, and second radially excited $$cc{\bar{c}}{\bar{c}}$$

c
c

c

¯

c

¯

and $$bb{\bar{b}}{\bar{b}}$$

b
b

b

¯

b

¯

tetraquark masses. It was found that predicted masses of ground states of $$cc{\bar{c}}{\bar{c}}$$

c
c

c

¯

c

¯

and $$bb{\bar{b}}{\bar{b}}$$

b
b

b

¯

b

¯

tetraquarks are significantly higher than the thresholds of the fall-apart decays to the lowest allowed two-meson states. These states should be broad and are thus difficult to observe experimentally. First radially excited states are considerably lower than their corresponding (2S-2S) two-meson thresholds. We hope that our study may be helpful to the experimental search for ground and excited $$cc{\bar{c}}{\bar{c}}$$

c
c

c

¯

c

¯

and $$bb{\bar{b}}{\bar{b}}$$

b
b

b

¯

b

¯

tetraquark states.
The r-Extra Diagnosability of Hyper Petersen Graphs
Authors: Wang Shiying
Published: April 2021

The diagnosability of a multiprocessor system or an interconnection network plays an important role in measuring the fault tolerance of the network. In 2016, Zhang et al. proposed a new measure for fault diagnosis of the system, namely, the [Formula: see text]-extra diagnosability, which restrains that every fault-free component has at least [Formula: see text] fault-free nodes. As a famous topology structure of interconnection networks, the hyper Petersen graph [Formula: see text] has many good properties. It is difficult to prove the [Formula: see text]-extra diagnosability of an interconnection network. In this paper, we show that the [Formula: see text]-extra diagnosability of [Formula: see text] is [Formula: see text] for [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] in the PMC model and for [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] in the MM[Formula: see text] model.
Analytical Review of Biometric Technology Employing Vivid Modalities
Authors: Vandana  , Kaur Navdeep
Published: April 2021

The digitalization has been challenged with the security and privacy aspects in each and every field. In addition to numerous authentication methods, biometrics has been popularized as it relies on one’s individual behavioral and physical characters. In this context, numerous unimodal and multimodal biometrics have been proposed and tested in the last decade. In this paper, authors have presented a comprehensive survey of the existing biometric systems while highlighting their respective challenges, advantage and limitations. The paper also discusses the present biometric technology market value, its scope, and practical applications in vivid sectors. The goal of this review is to offer a compact outline of various advances in biometrics technology with potential applications using unimodal and multimodal bioinformatics are discussed that would prove to offer a base for any biometric-based future research.
Spatial Data Management in IoT Systems: Solutions and Evaluation
Authors: Krommyda Maria , Kantere Verena
Published: April 2021

As the Internet of Things (IoT) systems gain in popularity, an increasing number of Big Data sources are available. Ranging from small sensor networks designed for household use to large fully automated industrial environments, the IoT systems create billions of measurements each second making traditional storage and indexing solutions obsolete. While research around Big Data has focused on scalable solutions that can support the datasets produced by these systems, the focus has been mainly on managing the volume and velocity of these data, rather than providing efficient solutions for their retrieval and analysis. A key characteristic of these data, which is, more often than not, overlooked, is the spatial information that can be used to integrate data from multiple sources and conduct multi-dimensional analysis of the collected information. We present here the solutions currently available for the storage and indexing of spatial datasets produced by the IoT systems and we discuss their applicability in real-world scenarios.
Lending Relationship in the Traditional Credit Market — Implications for Credit Risk Management Strategy in Micro Credit Institutions
Authors: Suryani Embun , Hermanto  , Hidayati Siti Aisyah , Putra I Nyoman Nugraha Ardana , Syah Donny Oktavian
Published: April 2021

Asymmetric information increases the credit rationing of micro-enterprises. Lender–borrower relationships help to provide this information, thereby increasing the availability of loans. This study aims to investigate the relationship between micro-lenders and micro clients. It is accomplished by describing how such relationships are developed, and analyzing these relationships’ impact on the availability and credit term using multivariate regression. The results showed that the strength of lender–borrower relationships positively impacted credit access, but it did not significantly impact the credit term. Furthermore, the amount of income and loan purpose, as the proxies of business characteristics, negatively impacted credit access. These results highlight the critical role of the lender–borrower relationship and business characteristics in the risk management strategy and the sustainability of microfinance institutions.
EXPERIENCE: Algorithms and Case Study for Explaining Repairs with Uniform Profiles over IoT Data
Authors: Liu Zhicheng , Zhang Yang , Huang Ruihong , Chen Zhiwei , Song Shaoxu , Wang Jianmin
Published: April 2021

IoT data with timestamps are often found with outliers, such as GPS trajectories or sensor readings. While existing systems mostly focus on detecting temporal outliers without explanations and repairs, a decision maker may be more interested in the cause of the outlier appearance such that subsequent actions would be taken, e.g., cleaning unreliable readings or repairing broken devices or adopting a strategy for data repairs. Such outlier detection, explanation, and repairs are expected to be performed in either offline (batch) or online modes (over streaming IoT data with timestamps). In this work, we present TsClean, a new prototype system for detecting and repairing outliers with explanations over IoT data. The framework defines uniform profiles to explain the outliers detected by various algorithms, including the outliers with variant time intervals, and take approaches to repair outliers. Both batch and streaming processing are supported in a uniform framework. In particular, by varying the block size, it provides a tradeoff between computing the accurate results and approximating with efficient incremental computation. In this article, we present several case studies of applying TsClean in industry, e.g., how this framework works in detecting and repairing outliers over excavator water temperature data, and how to get reasonable explanations and repairs for the detected outliers in tracking excavators.
GPU Accelerated Path Tracing of Massive Scenes
Authors: Jaroš Milan , Říha Lubomír , Strakoš Petr , Špeťko Matěj
Published: April 2021

This article presents a solution to path tracing of massive scenes on multiple GPUs. Our approach analyzes the memory access pattern of a path tracer and defines how the scene data should be distributed across up to 16 GPUs with minimal effect on performance. The key concept is that the parts of the scene that have the highest amount of memory accesses are replicated on all GPUs.

We propose two methods for maximizing the performance of path tracing when working with partially distributed scene data. Both methods work on the memory management level and therefore path tracer data structures do not have to be redesigned, making our approach applicable to other path tracers with only minor changes in their code. As a proof of concept, we have enhanced the open-source Blender Cycles path tracer.

The approach was validated on scenes of sizes up to 169 GB. We show that only 1–5% of the scene data needs to be replicated to all machines for such large scenes. On smaller scenes we have verified that the performance is very close to rendering a fully replicated scene. In terms of scalability we have achieved a parallel efficiency of over 94% using up to 16 GPUs.
The elusive promise of AI
Authors: Riley Jeff
Published: April 2021

A 2006 Ubiquity article titled "The Elusive Promise of AI" contended that the field of artificial intelligence (AI) promised much but had not yet delivered on its promises. This follow-up article reviews some of the more significant events and progress in AI over the intervening decade-and-a-half since the original article, describes roughly where we are today, and speculates as to what might be ahead of us.
A Label-Free Electrochemical Immunosensor Based on AuAgPt NDs Functionalized MoO2 Nanosheets for Highly Sensitive Detection of AFP
Authors: Yang Qingshan , Wang Ping , Tang Feng , Wang Shujun , Zhao Zhe , Wang Yao , Li Yueyun , Liu Qing , Dong Yunhui
Published: April 2021

In this work, a label-free electrochemical immunosensor was structured for detecting alpha fetal protein (AFP) effectively. The proposed electrochemical immunosensor was structured by gold silver platinum nanodendrites loaded on amino-functionalized MoO2 nanosheets (AuAgPt NDs/NH2-MoO2 NSs). The AuAgPt NDs with rich dendrite structure provided abundant specific surface area for effective capture antibody. MoO2 possessed the satisfactory catalytic ability in terms of H2O2 reduction and charge transfer capacity. AuAgPt NDs possessed favourable catalytic performance to H2O2 reduction. Therefore, the prepared AuAgPt NDs/NH2-MoO2 NSs was better than AuAgPt NDs and NH2-MoO2 NSs in H2O2 reduction on account of a synergistic effect. The constructed electrochemical immunosensor possessed a satisfying detection limit of 3.3 fg ml−1 and a broad detection range which was from 10 fg ml−1 to 100 ng ml−1 (S/N = 3) for the AFP detection under optimal conditions. The constructed electrochemical immunosensor possessed favourable detection performance in sensitivity, stability, selectivity and reproducibility, which indicated that it possessed a practical application in the aspect of clinical detection.
Compressive Covariance Sensing-Based Power Spectrum Estimation of Real-Valued Signals Subject to Sub-Nyquist Sampling
Authors: Alwan Nuha A. S.
Published: April 2021

In this work, an estimate of the power spectrum of a real-valued wide-sense stationary autoregressive signal is computed from sub-Nyquist or compressed measurements in additive white Gaussian noise. The problem is formulated using the concepts of compressive covariance sensing and Blackman-Tukey nonparametric spectrum estimation. Only the second-order statistics of the original signal, rather than the signal itself, need to be recovered from the compressed signal. This is achieved by solving the resulting overdetermined system of equations by application of least squares, thereby circumventing the need for applying the complicated

ℓ

1

-minimization otherwise required for the reconstruction of the original signal. Moreover, the signal need not be spectrally sparse. A study of the performance of the power spectral estimator is conducted taking into account the properties of the different bases of the covariance subspace needed for compressive covariance sensing, as well as different linear sparse rulers by which compression is achieved. A method is proposed to benefit from the possible computational efficiency resulting from the use of the Fourier basis of the covariance subspace without considerably affecting the spectrum estimation performance.