bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Zur Berücksichtigung thermoviskoelastischer Einflüsse polymerer Komponenten bei der Modellierung der Dynamik von Schwenktraversen‐Dehnfugen
Authors: Köppl Johannes , Kraus Michael A.
Published: September 2020

Der vorliegende Beitrag fasst den aktuellen Stand der Forschung bez. der Modellierung von Schwenktraversen‐Dehnfugen (DS) und deren zugehöriger Komponenten zusammen. Ausgehend von den erarbeiteten Schwachstellen wird ein verbesserter Ansatz zur realitätsnahen Modellierung und Bemessung von DS hergeleitet. Dieser besteht aus zwei aufeinander aufbauenden Arbeitsschritten. Zunächst erfolgt eine korrekte experimentelle Ermittlung und Ableitung der Steifigkeits‐ und Dämpfungskoeffizienten der Elastomerkomponenten der Dehnfuge. Auf der Grundlage einer in diesem Beitrag vorgestellten Methode zur arbeitskonjugierten Linearisierung der viskoelastischen Materialeigenschaften der Lagerpolymere wird die Verwendung baupraktisch üblicher Finite‐Elemente‐Software zur Untersuchung von DS ermöglicht. Das Beispiel der numerischen Modellierung einer DS veranschaulicht das hier vorgestellte Näherungsverfahren und verdeutlicht die realitätsnahe und zutreffende Abbildung von DS mit dieser Methode.
Physik‐informierte Künstliche Intelligenz zur Berechnung und Bemessung im Stahlbau
Authors: Kraus Michael A. , Taras Andreas
Published: September 2020

Die Technologie der Künstlichen Intelligenz (KI) hält derzeit flächendeckend Einzug in Forschung und Praxis aller Branchen. Vorliegender Beitrag greift dies auf, um Hintergründe der KI allgemein sowie speziell für Physik‐informierte KI (PIKI) einzuführen. Ausgewählte Beispiele der Berechnungs‐ und Bemessungspraxis des Stahlbaus veranschaulichen die Anwendung von Physik‐informierten Neuronalen Netzen (PINN), wobei spezifische Anforderungen an die Formulierungen des Lernproblems herausgearbeitet werden. PINNs stellen somit eine Alternative zu etablierten numerischen Verfahren unter besonderer Berücksichtigung vorhandener Simulations‐ und Versuchsdaten dar. Dies erlaubt die Interpretation und Nutzung von PINNs als digitalen Zwilling eines Tragwerks über dessen Lebenszyklus. Die dargestellte PIKI bedingt nicht per se eine Big‐Data‐Situation und ist damit für die Ingenieurforschung und ‐praxis interessant. Ein Ausblick auf künftige Anwendungen der KI im Stahlbau rundet diesen Beitrag ab.
Activation of β-catenin by TGF-β1 promotes ligament-fibroblastic differentiation and inhibits cementoblastic differentiation of human periodontal ligament cells
Authors: Lim Jong-Chan , Bae Sang-Hoon , Lee Gyutae , Ryu Chun Jeih , Jang Young-Joo
Published: September 2020

TGF-β and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways are known to be essential for the development of periodontal tissue. In this study, we examined the crosstalk between TGF-β and Wnt/β-catenin signaling in ligament-fibroblastic differentiation of human periodontal ligament cells (hPDLCs). TGF-β1 treatment significantly increased the expression of ligament-fibroblastic markers, but such expression was preventing by treatment with SB431542, a TGF-β type I receptor inhibitor. As well as phosphorylation of Smad3, TGF-β1 increased β-catenin activation. The depletion of β-catenin reduced the expression of ligament-fibroblastic markers, suggesting that β-catenin is essential for ligament differentiation. The effect of TGF-β1 on β-catenin activation did not seem to be much correlated with Wnt stimuli, but endogenous DKK1 was suppressed by TGF-β1, indicating that β-catenin activation could be increased much more by TGF-β1. In addition to DKK1 suppression, Smad3 phosphorylation by TGF-β1 facilitated the nuclear translocation of cytoplasmic β-catenin. In contrast to ligament-fibroblastic differentiation, inhibition of TGF-β1 signaling was needed for cementoblastic differentiation of hPDLCs. BMP7 treatment accompanied by inhibition of TGF-β1 signaling had a synergistic effect on cementoblastic differentiation. In conclusion, β-catenin activation by TGF-β1 caused ligament-fibroblastic differentiation of hPDLCs, and the presence of TGF-β1 stimuli basically determined whether hPDLCs are differentiated into ligament progenitor or cementoblasts.
Perinatal mental health: a review of progress and challenges
Authors: Howard Louise M. , Khalifeh Hind
Published: September 2020

Perinatal mental health has become a significant focus of interest in recent years, with investment in new specialist mental health services in some high‐income countries, and inpatient psychiatric mother and baby units in diverse settings. In this paper, we summarize and critically examine the epidemiology and impact of perinatal mental disorders, including emerging evidence of an increase of their prevalence in young pregnant women. Perinatal mental disorders are among the commonest morbidities of pregnancy, and make an important contribution to maternal mortality, as well as to adverse neonatal, infant and child outcomes. We then review the current evidence base on interventions, including individual level and public health ones, as well as service delivery models. Randomized controlled trials provide evidence on the effectiveness of psychological and psychosocial interventions at the individual level, though it is not yet clear which women with perinatal mental disorders also need additional support for parenting. The evidence base on psychotropic use in pregnancy is almost exclusively observational. There is little research on the full range of perinatal mental disorders, on how to improve access to treatment for women with psychosocial difficulties, and on the effectiveness of different service delivery models. We conclude with research and clinical implications, which, we argue, highlight the need for an extension of generic psychiatric services to include preconception care, and further investment into public health interventions, in addition to perinatal mental health services, potentially for women and men, to reduce maternal and child morbidity and mortality.
Nature and prevalence of combinations of mental disorders and their association with excess mortality in a population‐based cohort study
Authors: Plana‐Ripoll Oleguer , Musliner Katherine L. , Dalsgaard Søren , Momen Natalie C. , Weye Nanna , Christensen Maria K. , Agerbo Esben , Iburg Kim Moesgaard , Laursen Thomas Munk , Mortensen Preben Bo , Pedersen Carsten Bøcker , Petersen Liselotte Vogdrup , Santomauro Damian F. , Vilhjálmsson Bjarni J. , Whiteford Harvey A. , McGrath John J.
Published: September 2020

The nature and prevalence of combinations of mental disorders and their associations with premature mortality have never been reported in a comprehensive way. We describe the most common combinations of mental disorders and estimate excess mortality associated with these combinations. We designed a population‐based cohort study including all 7,505,576 persons living in Denmark at some point between January 1, 1995 and December 31, 2016. Information on mental disorders and mortality was obtained from national registers. A total of 546,090 individuals (10.5%) living in Denmark on January 1, 1995 were diagnosed with at least one mental disorder during the 22‐year follow‐up period. The overall crude rate of diagnosis of mental disorders was 9.28 (95% CI: 9.26‐9.30) per 1,000 person‐years. The rate of diagnosis of additional mental disorders was 70.01 (95% CI: 69.80‐70.26) per 1,000 person‐years for individuals with one disorder already diagnosed. At the end of follow‐up, two out of five individuals with mental disorders were diagnosed with two or more disorder types. The most prevalent were neurotic/stress‐related/somatoform disorders (ICD‐10 F40‐F48) and mood disorders (ICD‐10 F30‐F39), which – alone or in combination with other disorders – were present in 64.8% of individuals diagnosed with any mental disorder. Mortality rates were higher for people with mental disorders compared to those without mental disorders. The highest mortality rate ratio was 5.97 (95% CI: 5.52‐6.45) for the combination of schizophrenia (ICD‐10 F20‐F29), neurotic/stress‐related/somatoform disorders and substance use disorders (ICD‐10 F10‐F19). Any combination of mental disorders was associated with a shorter life expectancy compared to the general Danish population, with differences in remaining life expectancy ranging from 5.06 years (95% CI: 5.01‐5.11) to 17.46 years (95% CI: 16.86‐18.03). The largest excess mortality was observed for combinations that included substance use disorders. This study reports novel estimates related to the “force of comorbidity” and provides new insights into the contribution of substance use disorders to premature mortality in those with comorbid mental disorders.
microRNA strand selection: Unwinding the rules
Authors: Medley Jeffrey C. , Panzade Ganesh , Zinovyeva Anna Y.
Published: September 2020

microRNAs (miRNAs) play a central role in the regulation of gene expression by targeting specific mRNAs for degradation or translational repression. Each miRNA is post‐transcriptionally processed into a duplex comprising two strands. One of the two miRNA strands is selectively loaded into an Argonaute protein to form the miRNA‐Induced Silencing Complex (miRISC) in a process referred to as miRNA strand selection. The other strand is ejected from the complex and is subject to degradation. The target gene specificity of miRISC is determined by sequence complementarity between the Argonaute‐loaded miRNA strand and target mRNA. Each strand of the miRNA duplex has the capacity to be loaded into miRISC and possesses a unique seed sequence. Therefore, miRNA strand selection plays a defining role in dictating the specificity of miRISC toward its targets and provides a mechanism to alter gene expression in a switch‐like fashion. Aberrant strand selection can lead to altered gene regulation by miRISC and is observed in several human diseases including cancer. Previous and emerging data shape the rules governing miRNA strand selection and shed light on how these rules can be circumvented in various physiological and pathological contexts.

This article is categorized under:

RNA Processing > Processing of Small RNAs

Regulatory RNAs/RNAi/Riboswitches > Regulatory RNAs

Regulatory RNAs/RNAi/Riboswitches > Biogenesis of Effector Small RNAs
Impacts of Climate Change to Poultry Production in Africa: Adaptation Options for Broiler Chickens
Authors: Abioja M. O. , Abiona J. A.
Published: September 2020

Global climate change poses a great threat to poultry production. Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are released through both natural and anthropogenic sources into the atmosphere. Though poultry production contributes little to the release of GHGs, the subsector has been shown to be greatly affected by climate change and global warming. Poultry production as a major subsector of agriculture has provided the teeming population with a supply of needed animal protein in terms of meat and egg production all over the world. It is yet a major global employer of labor. Though it occupies a vantage position in meeting human needs, it is being threatened by climate change, especially in Africa where necessary structure to tackle the menace is nonexistent. Broiler chickens that are reared mainly for chicken meat cannot tolerate the high ambient temperature that prevails mostly in the tropical environment. Chickens are homeotherms that homeostatically regulate core body temperature within a narrow range. Elevated ambient temperature above thermal comfort zone, such as envisaged in climate change scenarios, will trigger series of neuroendocrine modulations that are detrimental to the welfare and productivity in broiler chickens. Such birds are said to be undergoing heat stress (HS). Negative effects of HS include reduced feed consumption, growth rate, feed digestion and efficiency, immunity, welfare, and survivability. Various adaptive measures that could be harnessed by broiler farmers, ranging from housing, feeding, watering, stocking, breeding for thermo-tolerant strains, thermal conditioning, use of phytochemicals, and much more, are reviewed upon in this chapter.
Introduction
Authors: Alm Erika , Berg Linda , Lundahl Hero Mikela , Johansson Anna , Laskar Pia , Martinsson Lena , Mulinari Diana , Wasshede Cathrin
Published: September 2020

The focus of this book is on the many far from predictable transformative political processes on gender, sexuality and coloniality that grow out of the broad range of bodies and actors engaged in politics outside the hegemonic order and in everyday activities. These processes are not conducted by states, governments or transnational nongovernmental organisations; rather, they are examples of politics in-between states, organisations and national imagined communities. In this first chapter we will introduce some of the main themes, regarding these processes we in our joint research programme have worked on over the last couple of years.
Public Intimacy and ‘White Feminism’: On the Vain Trust in Scandinavian Equality
Authors: Lundahl Hero Mikela
Published: September 2020

This chapter addresses Islamophobia as it is expressed in and through discourses of feminism and gender inequality, in some recent debates about public appearances of Muslims in Sweden. In debates about whether or not we should open for a few hours of women only in the public swimming pools debaters use feminist arguments on equality, some writers argue that such an act would risk that Sweden turned into a ‘medieval’ situation, or becomes a version of Iran. Liberal debaters, who clearly restrict their liberalism to westernised individuals and practices, build these arguments upon a rationale of feminism and gender equality. How can we protect the feminist discourse from being used in Islamophobic contexts as these? In this chapter I argue that feminism has to strengthen its articulations of its critique against universalism, and white, western, secular, middle-class (as well as hetero- and cis-) values, if it wants to be relevant in a globalised world.
1 May: Muslim Women Talk Back—A Political Transformation of Secular Modernity on International Workers’ Day
Authors: Martinsson Lena
Published: September 2020

1 May 2017 hundreds of Muslim women wearing the veil took part in an International Workers’ Day demonstration in Gothenburg. The Swedish modernity project places a strong value on the idea of secularism. However, while secularism and Christianity become inseparable and part of the imagined Swedish community, Islam and Judaism are excluded from the Swedish and European centre. An EU verdict that sparked the idea of a 1 May demonstration is one example of this historical process. Muslim women wearing the veil are not counted in the modernist work of gender equality in Europe and Sweden. This example is especially serious, and violent, in Sweden, where gender equality is understood as a national quality. This version of modernity offers a bright future for the hegemonic centre and requires others to assimilate. The hundreds of Muslim women in the demonstration challenged the notions that modernity and Swedish gender equality must, by definition, be secular/Christian. The women—who addressed themselves as important historical political subjects—performed through the demonstration a decolonial alternative to the story of Swedish anti-religious modernity. The existence of more than one linear path to gender equality undermines the narrative of colonial modernity and Swedish white exceptionalism.
Introduction: Disordered Mood as Historical Problem
Authors: Jansson Åsa
Published: September 2020

The introduction situates the narrative of this book—the reconceptualisation of melancholia in nineteenth-century psychiatry—firstly in the context of current attempts to ‘resurrect’ melancholia as a psychiatric diagnosis, secondly in relation to the history of melancholia more broadly, and finally in the context of past and present debates about classification in psychiatry. The core argument of the book is briefly outlined: in the nineteenth century, melancholia was reconfigured as a modern biomedical disorder of emotion. Two developments in particular were foundational to this new model of melancholia. The first was the uptake of physiological language and concepts into psychological medicine. The second was the institutionalisation of medical statistics together with a standardisation of asylum recording practices.
The Scientific Foundation of Disordered Mood
Authors: Jansson Åsa
Published: September 2020

This chapter maps how early nineteenth-century experimental physiology provided a biological foundation for mental disorders in which no visible changes to brain tissue could be found. It charts the emergence of ‘psychological reflex action’, a key concept that facilitated a view of emotion as automated and involuntary, and thus prone to malfunction. The chapter follows the trajectory of psychological reflexion from internal scientific medicine to what became known as ‘physiological psychology’, where it provided mid-century British writers with the tools to create a biomedical framework for the phenomenon of disordered mood. The chapter ends by looking at how physiological psychology was gradually taken up by mid-century asylum physicians writing on mental disease.
Massive event-shape distributions at N2LL
Authors: Bris Alejandro , Mateu Vicent , Preisser Moritz
Published: September 2020

Abstract

In a recent paper we have shown how to optimally compute the differential and cumulative cross sections for massive event-shapes at $$ \mathcal{O}\left({\alpha}_s\right) $$
O

α
s

in full QCD. In the present article we complete our study by obtaining resummed expressions for non-recoil-sensitive observables to N2LL + $$ \mathcal{O}\left({\alpha}_s\right) $$
O

α
s

precision. Our results can be used for thrust, heavy jet mass and C-parameter distributions in any massive scheme, and are easily generalized to angularities and other event shapes. We show that the so-called E- and P-schemes coincide in the collinear limit, and compute the missing pieces to achieve this level of accuracy: the P-scheme massive jet function in Soft-Collinear Effective Theory (SCET) and boosted Heavy Quark Effective Theory (bHQET). The resummed expression is subsequently matched into fixed-order QCD to extend its validity towards the tail and far- tail of the distribution. The computation of the jet function cannot be cast as the dis- continuity of a forward-scattering matrix element, and involves phase space integrals in d = 4 − 2ε dimensions. We show how to analytically solve the renormalization group equation for the P-scheme SCET jet function, which is significantly more complicated than its 2-jettiness counterpart, and derive rapidly-convergent expansions in various kinematic regimes. Finally, we perform a numerical study to pin down when mass effects become more relevant.
Hawking-Moss transition with a black hole seed
Authors: Gregory Ruth , Moss Ian G. , Oshita Naritaka , Patrick Sam
Published: September 2020

Abstract

We extend the concept of Hawking-Moss, or up-tunnelling, transitions in the early universe to include black hole seeds. The black hole greatly enhances the decay amplitude, however, order to have physically consistent results, we need to impose a new condition (automatically satisfied for the original Hawking-Moss instanton) that the cosmological horizon area should not increase during tunnelling. We motivate this conjecture physically in two ways. First, we look at the energetics of the process, using the formalism of extended black hole thermodynamics; secondly, we extend the stochastic inflationary formalism to include primordial black holes. Both of these methods give a physical substantiation of our conjecture.
Shining light on the scotogenic model: interplay of colliders and cosmology
Authors: Baumholzer Sven , Brdar Vedran , Schwaller Pedro , Segner Alexander
Published: September 2020

Abstract

In the framework of the scotogenic model, which features radiative generation of neutrino masses, we explore light dark matter scenario. Throughout the paper we chiefly focus on keV-scale dark matter which can be produced either via freeze-in through the decays of the new scalars, or from the decays of next-to-lightest fermionic particle in the spectrum, which is produced through freeze-out. The latter mechanism is required to be suppressed as it typically produces a hot dark matter component. Constraints from BBN are also considered and in combination with the former production mechanism they impose the dark matter to be light. For this scenario we consider signatures at High Luminosity LHC and proposed future hadron and lepton colliders, namely FCC-hh and CLIC, focusing on searches with two leptons and missing energy as a final state. While a potential discovery at High Luminosity LHC is in tension with limits from cosmology, the situation greatly improves for future colliders.
Long-term plasticity of inhibitory synapses in the hippocampus and spatial learning depends on matrix metalloproteinase 3
Authors: Wiera Grzegorz , Lebida Katarzyna , Lech Anna Maria , Brzdąk Patrycja , Van Hove Inge , De Groef Lies , Moons Lieve , Petrini Enrica Maria , Barberis Andrea , Mozrzymas Jerzy W.
Published: September 2020

Learning and memory are known to depend on synaptic plasticity. Whereas the involvement of plastic changes at excitatory synapses is well established, plasticity mechanisms at inhibitory synapses only start to be discovered. Extracellular proteolysis is known to be a key factor in glutamatergic plasticity but nothing is known about its role at GABAergic synapses. We reveal that pharmacological inhibition of MMP3 activity or genetic knockout of theMmp3gene abolishes induction of postsynaptic iLTP. Moreover, the application of exogenous active MMP3 mimics major iLTP manifestations: increased mIPSCs amplitude, enlargement of synaptic gephyrin clusters, and a decrease in the diffusion coefficient of synaptic GABAAreceptors that favors their entrapment within the synapse. Finally, we found that MMP3 deficient mice show faster spatial learning in Morris water maze and enhanced contextual fear conditioning. We conclude that MMP3 plays a key role in iLTP mechanisms and in the behaviors that presumably in part depend on GABAergic plasticity.
Determination of Mercury Content in Surface Waters Using an Environmentally Non-Toxic Terminating Electrolyte
Authors: Jabłońska Joanna , Kluska Mariusz
Published: September 2020

The paper presents results of the research on the dynamics of changes in the concentration of mercury in surface waters. The importance of mercury as an environmental pollutant results from specific properties of this metal, many sources of contamination, volatility, mobility, stability and high toxicity of its specific chemical forms. Samples of surface water collected from three rivers: the Bug, the Liwiec and the Muchawka were analysed. The Muchawka River flows into the Liwiec River, which in turn is a tributary of the Bug River. The technique of isotachophoresis was employed, using a solution of a biodegradable and environmentally non-toxic derivative of electrostatically stabilised silanates as the terminating electrolyte. The highest average mercury concentration of 0.89 μg/dm3 was determined in water samples collected from the Bug River in January, whereas the lowest concentration of 0.42 μg/dm3 was recorded in water collected from the Muchawka River in September.
Cooling of motor spindles—a review
Authors: Denkena Berend , Bergmann Benjamin , Klemme Heinrich
Published: September 2020

Thermally induced loads in motor spindles can cause a number of undesired effects. As a result, the process capability of spindles, and thus, the productivity of a process can decrease. Future motor spindles will be exposed to higher mechanical and especially thermal loads due to trends aiming to increase power densities and maximum speeds. These trends are amplified by increasingly powerful drive concepts and developments in bearing technology. Therefore, researchers assume that it will not be possible to raise the performance potential of spindles due to insufficient cooling of its heat sources. A series of different cooling concepts have been researched and developed in recent decades. These developments have been made for different purposes. They also differ considerably in terms of their cooling principles and cooling performance. In this article, these cooling approaches and the motivations for their development are described. Firstly, the causes of heat development in motor spindles are described in a historical context. Subsequently, the effects of heat development on the manufacturing-relevant properties of motor spindles are revealed. Finally, current deficits in the area of spindle cooling and the need for the development and transfer into industrial practice of more efficient and cost-effective cooling concepts to overcome future challenges are discussed.
Clinical Application of Trans-Arterial Radioembolization in Hepatic Malignancies in Europe: First Results from the Prospective Multicentre Observational Study CIRSE Registry for SIR-Spheres Therapy (CIRT)
Authors: Helmberger Thomas , Golfieri Rita , Pech Maciej , Pfammatter Thomas , Arnold Dirk , Cianni Roberto , Maleux Geert , Munneke Graham , Pellerin Olivier , Peynircioglu Bora , Sangro Bruno , Schaefer Niklaus , de Jong Niels , Bilbao José Ignacio ,   On behalf of the CIRT Steering Committee, Pelage Jean-Pierre , Manas Derek M. , Kolligs Frank T. , Ezziddin Samer , Peters Ralph ,   On behalf of the CIRT Principal Investigators, Albrecht Thomas , D’Archambeau Olivier , Balli Tugsan , Bilgic Sadik , Bloom Alan , Cioni Roberto , Fischbach Roman , Flamen Patrick , Gerard Laurent , Grözinger Gerd , Katoh Marcus , Koehler Michael , Kröger Jan Robert , Kuhl Christiane , Orsi Franco , Ozgun Murat , Reimer Peter , Ronot Maxime , Schmid Axel , Vit Alessandro
Published: September 2020

Purpose

To address the lack of prospective data on the real-life clinical application of trans-arterial radioembolization (TARE) in Europe, the Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe (CIRSE) initiated the prospective observational study CIRSE Registry for SIR-Spheres® Therapy (CIRT).

Materials and Methods

Patients were enrolled from 1 January 2015 till 31 December 2017. Eligible patients were adult patients treated with TARE with Y90 resin microspheres for primary or metastatic liver tumours. Patients were followed up for 24 months after treatment, whereas data on the clinical context of TARE, overall survival (OS) and safety were collected.

Results

Totally, 1027 patients were analysed. 68.2% of the intention of treatment was palliative. Up to half of the patients received systemic therapy and/or locoregional treatments prior to TARE (53.1%; 38.3%). Median overall survival (OS) was reported per cohort and was 16.5 months (95% confidence interval (CI) 14.2–19.3) for hepatocellular carcinoma, 14.6 months (95% CI 10.9–17.9) for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. For liver metastases, median OS for colorectal cancer was 9.8 months (95% CI 8.3–12.9), 5.6 months for pancreatic cancer (95% CI 4.1–6.6), 10.6 months (95% CI 7.3–14.4) for breast cancer, 14.6 months (95% CI 7.3–21.4) for melanoma and 33.1 months (95% CI 22.1–nr) for neuroendocrine tumours. Statistically significant prognostic factors in terms of OS include the presence of ascites, cirrhosis, extra-hepatic disease, patient performance status (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group), number of chemotherapy lines prior to TARE and tumour burden. Thirty-day mortality rate was 1.0%. 2.5% experienced adverse events grade 3 or 4 within 30 days after TARE.

Conclusion

In the real-life clinical setting, TARE is largely considered to be a part of a palliative treatment strategy across indications and provides an excellent safety profile.

Level of evidence

Level 3.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02305459.
A continuation method for spatially discretized models with nonlocal interactions conserving size and shape of cells and lattices
Authors: Ei Shin-Ichiro , Ishii Hiroshi , Sato Makoto , Tanaka Yoshitaro , Wang Miaoxing , Yasugi Tetsuo
Published: September 2020

In this paper, we introduce a continuation method for the spatially discretized models, while conserving the size and shape of the cells and lattices. This proposed method is realized using the shift operators and nonlocal operators of convolution types. Through this method and using the shift operator, the nonlinear spatially discretized model on the uniform and nonuniform lattices can be systematically converted into a spatially continuous model; this renders both models point-wisely equivalent. Moreover, by the convolution with suitable kernels, we mollify the shift operator and approximate the spatially discretized models using the nonlocal evolution equations, rendering suitable for the application in both experimental and mathematical analyses. We also demonstrate that this approximation is supported by the singular limit analysis, and that the information of the lattice and cells is expressed in the shift and nonlocal operators. The continuous models designed using our method can successfully replicate the patterns corresponding to those of the original spatially discretized models obtained from the numerical simulations. Furthermore, from the observations of the isotropy of the Delta–Notch signaling system in a developing real fly brain, we propose a radially symmetric kernel for averaging the cell shape using our continuation method. We also apply our method for cell division and proliferation to spatially discretized models of the differentiation wave and describe the discrete models on the sphere surface. Finally, we demonstrate an application of our method in the linear stability analysis of the planar cell polarity model.
Last-mile delivery concepts: a survey from an operational research perspective
Authors: Boysen Nils , Fedtke Stefan , Schwerdfeger Stefan
Published: September 2020

In the wake of e-commerce and its successful diffusion in most commercial activities, last-mile distribution causes more and more trouble in urban areas all around the globe. Growing parcel volumes to be delivered toward customer homes increase the number of delivery vans entering the city centers and thus add to congestion, pollution, and negative health impact. Therefore, it is anything but surprising that in recent years many novel delivery concepts on the last mile have been innovated. Among the most prominent are unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) and autonomous delivery robots taking over parcel delivery. This paper surveys established and novel last-mile concepts and puts special emphasis on the decision problems to be solved when setting up and operating each concept. To do so, we systematically record the alternative delivery concepts in a compact notation scheme, discuss the most important decision problems, and survey existing research on operations research methods solving these problems. Furthermore, we elaborate promising future research avenues.
Posterolateral corner of the knee: a systematic literature review of current concepts of arthroscopic reconstruction
Authors: Weiss Sebastian , Krause Matthias , Frosch Karl-Heinz
Published: September 2020

Introduction

Injuries of the posterolateral corner (PLC) of the knee lead to chronic lateral and external rotational instability and are often associated with PCL injuries. Numerous surgical techniques for repair and reconstruction of the PLC are established. Recently, several arthroscopic techniques have been published in order to address different degrees of PLC injuries through reconstruction of one or more functional structures. The purpose of this systematic review is to give an overview about arthroscopic techniques of posterolateral corner reconstructions and to evaluate their safeness.

Materials and methods

A systematic review of the literature on arthroscopic reconstructions of the posterolateral corner of the knee according to the PRISMA guidelines was performed using PubMed MEDLINE and Web of Science Databases on June 15th, 2020. Inclusion criteria were descriptions of surgical techniques to reconstruct different aspects of the posterolateral corner either strictly arthroscopically or minimally-invasive with an arthroscopic assistance.

Results

Arthroscopic techniques differ with regard to the extent of reconstructed units (popliteus tendon, popliteofibular ligament, lateral collateral ligament), surgical approach (transseptal, lateral) and biomechanical results (anatomic vs. non-anatomic reconstruction, restoration of rotational instability and/or lateral instability).

Conclusion

Different approaches to arthroscopic PLC reconstruction are presented, yet clinical results are scarce. Up to now good and excellent clinical results are reported. No major complications are reported in the literature so far.
Role of periostin in ECRS
Authors: Yu Lei , Wang Jisheng , Liu Kai
Published: September 2020

Periostin, an extracelluar matrix protein belonging to the fasciclin family, has been reported to play a key role in the process of Th2-inflammation disease. As eoshinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis has a higher incident rate, studies show that periostin has participated in the process of inflammation and remodeling. This review mainly to summarize researches of periostin in ECRS and to investigate the clinical significance and expression of periostin.
An underutilized orphan tuber crop—Chinese yam : a review
Authors: Epping Janina , Laibach Natalie
Published: September 2020

Main conclusion

The diversification of food crops can improve our diets and address the effects of climate change, and in this context the orphan crop Chinese yam shows significant potential as a functional food.

As the effects of climate change become increasingly visible even in temperate regions, there is an urgent need to diversify our crops in order to address hunger and malnutrition. This has led to the re-evaluation of neglected species such as Chinese yam (Dioscorea polystachya Turcz.), which has been cultivated for centuries in East Asia as a food crop and as a widely-used ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine. The tubers are rich in nutrients, but also contain bioactive metabolites such as resistant starches, steroidal sapogenins (like diosgenin), the storage protein dioscorin, and mucilage polysaccharides. These health-promoting products can help to prevent cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and disorders of the gut microbiome.
Whereas most edible yams are tropical species, Chinese yam could be cultivated widely in Europe and other temperate regions to take advantage of its nutritional and bioactive properties. However, this is a laborious process and agronomic knowledge is fragmented. The underground tubers contain most of the starch, but are vulnerable to breaking and thus difficult to harvest. Breeding to improve tuber shape is complex given the dioecious nature of the species, the mostly vegetative reproduction via bulbils, and the presence of more than 100 chromosomes. Protocols have yet to be established for in vitro cultivation and genetic transformation, which limits the scope of research. This article summarizes the sparse research landscape and evaluates the nutritional and medical applications of Chinese yam. By highlighting the potential of Chinese yam tubers, we aim to encourage the adoption of this orphan crop as a novel functional food.
Value of serial echocardiography in diagnosing Kawasaki’s disease
Authors: Hörl Maria , Michel Holger , Döring Stephan , Dechant Markus-Johann , Zeman Florian , Melter Michael , Gerling Stephan
Published: September 2020

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute vasculitis predominantly affecting the small arteries of young children. Up to 25% of untreated patients suffer from coronary artery (CA) complications. Early diagnosis and treatment is mandatory in incomplete KD to reduce the risk of coronary involvement. Between 2002 and 2018, 124 patients have been diagnosed suffering from KD at the University Children’s Hospital Regensburg (KUNO). We assessed luminal diameters of both CAs normalized as Z-scores by 2D-echocardiography. A total of 94 patients were analyzed. Of them, 31 (33%) were affected by an incomplete form of KD. In 24 children (26%), serial echocardiography was necessary in order to confirm diagnosis. Mean Z-scores for the left main coronary artery (LMCA), right main coronary artery (RMCA), and left anterior descending artery increased significantly between the initial (LMCA 0.79z, RMCA 0.15z, LAD 0.49z) and second (LMCA 1.69z, RMCA 0.99z, LAD 1.69z) examination (p < 0.05).

Conclusion:To confirm diagnosis of KD, it might not be necessary to detect dilation or aneurysms. Our observation suggests that patients suspected having KD should be monitored with serial echocardiography in order to detect a possible enlargement of the CA diameters, even if Z-scores are within the normal range.

What is Known:• Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute vasculitis predominantly affecting the small arteries of young children. Up to 25% of untreated patients suffer from coronary artery (CA) complications.• Due to less classic clinical criteria in patients with incomplete KD, the risk for CA pathology is even higher.

What is New:• A significant progression of patients’ CA Z-scores in serial echocardiographic measurements may be helpful to ensure diagnosis of KD early even if Z-scores are within the normal range.• Twenty-seven patients (90%) with incomplete KD could be diagnosed within 10 days of fever, early enough to prevent significantly higher rates of CA aneurysm.
Volumetric spatial behaviour in rats reveals the anisotropic organisation of navigation
Authors: Jedidi-Ayoub Selim , Mishchanchuk Karyna , Liu Anyi , Renaudineau Sophie , Duvelle Éléonore , Grieves Roddy M.
Published: September 2020

We investigated how access to the vertical dimension influences the natural exploratory and foraging behaviour of rats. Using high-accuracy three-dimensional tracking of position in two- and three-dimensional environments, we sought to determine (i) how rats navigated through the environments with respect to gravity, (ii) where rats chose to form their home bases in volumetric space, and (iii) how they navigated to and from these home bases. To evaluate how horizontal biases may affect these behaviours, we compared a 3D maze where animals preferred to move horizontally to a different 3D configuration where all axes were equally energetically costly to traverse. Additionally, we compared home base formation in two-dimensional arenas with and without walls to the three-dimensional climbing mazes. We report that many behaviours exhibited by rats in horizontal spaces naturally extend to fully volumetric ones, such as home base formation and foraging excursions. We also provide further evidence for the strong differentiation of the horizontal and vertical axes: rats showed a horizontal movement bias, they formed home bases mainly in the bottom layers of both mazes and they generally solved the vertical component of return trajectories before and faster than the horizontal component. We explain the bias towards horizontal movements in terms of energy conservation, while the locations of home bases are explained from an information gathering view as a method for correcting self-localisation.
Mortality related to drug-resistant organisms in surgical sepsis-3: an 8-year time trend study using sequential organ failure assessment scores
Authors: Yoshida Junichi , Tamura Tetsuro , Otani Kazuhiro , Inoue Masaaki , Miyatake Eiji , Ishimitsu Toshiyuki , Nakahara Chihiro , Tanaka Masao
Published: September 2020

The difference in sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) scores from the baseline to sepsis is a known predictor of sepsis-3 outcome, but the prognostic value of drug-resistant organisms for mortality is unexplained. We employed sepsis stewardship and herein report an observational study. Study subjects were patients admitted to the Departments of Surgery/Chest Surgery from 2011 through 2018 with a diagnosis of sepsis and a SOFA score of 2 or more. Our sepsis stewardship methods included antimicrobial and diagnostic stewardship and infection control. We determined the primary endpoint as in-hospital death and the secondary endpoint as the annual trend of the risk-adjusted mortality ratio (RAMR). For mortality, we performed logistic regression analysis based on SOFA score, age, sex, comorbid disease, and the presence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase inhibitor–producing bacteria. In a total of 457 patients, two factors were significant predictors for fatality, i.e., SOFA score of 9 or more with an odds ratio (OR) 4.921 and 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.968–12.302 (P = 0.001) and presence of MRSA with an OR 1.83 and 95% CI 1.003–3.338 (P = 0.049). RAMR showed a decrease during the study years (P < 0.05). Early detection of MRSA may help patients survive surgical sepsis-3. Thus, MRSA-oriented diagnosis may play a role in expediting treatment with anti-MRSA antimicrobials.
High-dimensional Bayesian optimization using low-dimensional feature spaces
Authors: Moriconi Riccardo , Deisenroth Marc Peter , Sesh Kumar K. S.
Published: September 2020

Bayesian optimization (BO) is a powerful approach for seeking the global optimum of expensive black-box functions and has proven successful for fine tuning hyper-parameters of machine learning models. However, BO is practically limited to optimizing 10–20 parameters. To scale BO to high dimensions, we usually make structural assumptions on the decomposition of the objective and/or exploit the intrinsic lower dimensionality of the problem, e.g. by using linear projections. We could achieve a higher compression rate with nonlinear projections, but learning these nonlinear embeddings typically requires much data. This contradicts the BO objective of a relatively small evaluation budget. To address this challenge, we propose to learn a low-dimensional feature space jointly with (a) the response surface and (b) a reconstruction mapping. Our approach allows for optimization of BO’s acquisition function in the lower-dimensional subspace, which significantly simplifies the optimization problem. We reconstruct the original parameter space from the lower-dimensional subspace for evaluating the black-box function. For meaningful exploration, we solve a constrained optimization problem.
Green method of stemming the tide of invasive marine and freshwater organisms by natural filtration of shipping ballast water
Authors: Kumar Jebarathnam Prince Prakash Jeba , Ragumaran Shunmugavel , Nandagopal Ganesan , Ravichandran Vijaya , Mallavarapu Ramana Murthy , Missimer Thomas M.
Published: September 2020

Marine and freshwater pollution caused by transport of invasive species in shipping ballast water is a major global problem and will increase in magnitude as shipping of commodities increases in the future. An economical method to preclude biological organisms in the seawater used for ballast is to exclude them at the source port. Integrated natural filtration using onshore wells or seabed gallery systems has been thoroughly investigated for use as pretreatment for seawater desalination systems and has proven to be environmentally acceptable and economic. Thus, the use of this proven filtration technology to another issue, ballast water treatment, is an innovative method of providing marine organism free seawater by non-destructive means in port-based facilities. This method is ecosystem-friendly in that no chemicals or destructive processes are used. Design and construction of well or seabed gallery intake systems for production of ballast seawater are feasible in virtually all global port facilities.
Modal Dispositionalism and the (T) Axiom
Authors: Collier Matthew James
Published: September 2020

Yates has recently argued that modal dispositionalism invalidates the (T) axiom. Both Yates and Allen have advanced responses to the objection: Yates’s response proposes installing truth into the possibility biconditional, and Allen’s response requires that all properties be construed as being essentially dispositional. I argue that supporters of Borghini and Williams’s modal dispositionalist theory cannot accept these responses, given critical tenets of their theory. But, since these responses to the objection are the most plausible in the literature, I conclude that the threat that Borghini and Williams’s modal dispositionalist theory invalidates the (T) axiom still looms large.
Force quantification and simulation of pedicle screw tract palpation using direct visuo-haptic volume rendering
Authors: Zoller Esther I. , Faludi Balázs , Gerig Nicolas , Jost Gregory F. , Cattin Philippe C. , Rauter Georg
Published: September 2020

Purpose

We present a feasibility study for the visuo-haptic simulation of pedicle screw tract palpation in virtual reality, using an approach that requires no manual processing or segmentation of the volumetric medical data set.

Methods

In a first experiment, we quantified the forces and torques present during the palpation of a pedicle screw tract in a real boar vertebra. We equipped a ball-tipped pedicle probe with a 6-axis force/torque sensor and a motion capture marker cluster. We simultaneously recorded the pose of the probe relative to the vertebra and measured the generated forces and torques during palpation. This allowed us replaying the recorded palpation movements in our simulator and to fine-tune the haptic rendering to approximate the measured forces and torques. In a second experiment, we asked two neurosurgeons to palpate a virtual version of the same vertebra in our simulator, while we logged the forces and torques sent to the haptic device.

Results

In the experiments with the real vertebra, the maximum measured force along the longitudinal axis of the probe was 7.78 N and the maximum measured bending torque was 0.13 Nm. In an offline simulation of the motion of the pedicle probe recorded during the palpation of a real pedicle screw tract, our approach generated forces and torques that were similar in magnitude and progression to the measured ones. When surgeons tested our simulator, the distributions of the computed forces and torques were similar to the measured ones; however, higher forces and torques occurred more frequently.

Conclusions

We demonstrated the suitability of direct visual and haptic volume rendering to simulate a specific surgical procedure. Our approach of fine-tuning the simulation by measuring the forces and torques that are prevalent while palpating a real vertebra produced promising results.
Wood forming tissue-specific expression of PdSuSy and HCHL increases holocellulose content and improves saccharification in Populus
Authors: Zhang Yang , Xu Hua , Kong Yingzhen , Hua Jiawen , Tang Xianfeng , Zhuang Yamei , Bai Yue , Zhou Gongke , Chai Guohua
Published: September 2020

Development of strategies to deconstruct lignocellulosic biomass in tree species is essential for biofuels and biomaterials production. We applied a wood forming tissue-specific system in a hybrid poplar to express both PdSuSy (a sucrose synthase gene from Populus deltoides × P. euramericana that has not been functionally characterized) and HCHL (the hydroxycinnamoyl-CoA hydratase-lyase gene from Pseudomonas fluorescens, which inhibits lignin polymerization in Arabidopsis). The PdSuSy-HCHL overexpression poplars correspondingly driven by the promoters of Arabidopsis AtCesA7 and AtC4H resulted in a significant increase in cellulose (> 8%), xylan (> 12%) and glucose (> 29%) content, accompanying a reduction in galacturonic acid (> 36%) content, compared to control plants. The saccharification efficiency of these overexpression poplars was dramatically increased by up to 27%, but total lignin content was unaffected. These transgenic poplars showed inhibited growth characteristics, including > 16% reduced plant height, > 10% reduced number of internodes, and > 18% reduced fresh weight after growth of 4 months, possibly due to relatively low expression of HCHL in secondary xylem. Our results demonstrate the structural complexity and interaction of the cell wall polymers in wood tissue and outline a potential method to increase biomass saccharification in woody species.