bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Keeping time in the dark: Potato diel and circadian rhythmic gene expression reveals tissue‐specific circadian clocks
Authors: Hoopes Genevieve M. , Zarka Daniel , Feke Ann , Acheson Kaitlyn , Hamilton John P. , Douches David , Buell C. Robin , Farré Eva M.
Published: July 2022

The circadian clock is an internal molecular oscillator and coordinates numerous physiological processes through regulation of molecular pathways. Tissue‐specific clocks connected by mobile signals have previously been found to run at different speeds in Arabidopsis thaliana tissues. However, tissue variation in circadian clocks in crop species is unknown. In this study, leaf and tuber global gene expression in cultivated potato under cycling and constant environmental conditions was profiled. In addition, we used a circadian‐regulated luciferase reporter construct to study tuber gene expression rhythms. Diel and circadian expression patterns were present among 17.9% and 5.6% of the expressed genes in the tuber. Over 500 genes displayed differential tissue specific diel phases. Intriguingly, few core circadian clock genes had circadian expression patterns, while all such genes were circadian rhythmic in cultivated tomato leaves. Furthermore, robust diel and circadian transcriptional rhythms were observed among detached tubers. Our results suggest alternative regulatory mechanisms and/or clock composition is present in potato, as well as the presence of tissue‐specific independent circadian clocks. We have provided the first evidence of a functional circadian clock in below‐ground storage organs, holding important implications for other storage root and tuberous crops.
Prevalence of potential drug–drug interactions with disease‐specific treatments in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension or chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension: A registry study
Authors: Norell Puck N. , Ivarsson Bodil , Selin Maria , Kjellström Barbro
Published: July 2022

Polypharmacy increases the risk of drug–drug interactions that may disturb treatment effects. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of codispensing of potentially interacting or contraindicated drugs related to PH‐specific treatment in the Swedish pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) population. All prescribed drugs, on an individual level, dispensed 2016–2017 at pharmacies to patients with PAH or CTEPH were obtained from The National Board of Health and Welfare's pharmaceutical registry. Potential drug–drug interactions were investigated using the Drug Interaction tool in the IBM Micromedex® database. There were 4785 different dispensed drugs from 572 patients (mean age 61 ± 16 years, 61% female, mean number of drugs per patient 8.4 ± 4.2) resulting in 1842 different drug combinations involving a PH‐specific treatment. Of these drug combinations, 67 (3.5%) had a potential drug–drug interaction considered clinically relevant and it affected 232 patients (41%). The PH‐specific drugs with the highest number of potential drug–drug interactions was bosentan (n = 23, affected patients = 171) while the most commonly codispensed, potentially interacting drug combination was sildenafil/furosemide (119 patients affected). Other common codispensed and potentially interacting drugs were anticoagulants (n = 11, affected patients = 100) and antibiotic treatment (n = 12, affected patients = 26). In conclusion, codispensing of PH‐specific therapy and potentially interacting drugs was common, but codispensing of potentially contraindicated drugs was rare.
Electrospray ionization in‐source decay of N‐glycans and the effects on N‐glycan structural identification
Authors: Liew Chia Yen , Chen Jien‐Lian , Ni Chi‐Kung
Published: July 2022

Rational

Electrospray ionization (ESI) and matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) are soft ionization techniques commonly used in mass spectrometry. Although in‐source and post‐source decays of MALDI have been investigated extensively, the analogous decays of ESI have received little attention. Previous studies regarding the analogous decays of ESI focus on the dissociation of multiply charged proteins and peptides. The decay of carbohydrates in ESI has not been investigated yet, and it may have interference in carbohydrate structural determination.

Methods

Commercial apparatus, including a high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), an ESI source, and a linear ion trap mass spectrometer, were used to investigate the fragmentation of several N‐glycans during the ESI process.

Results

About 0.2%–3% of neutral N‐glycans and more than 50% of N‐glycans consisting of a sialic acid are dissociated into small N‐glycans by ESI in‐source decay in typical ESI operating conditions. The efficiencies of most dissociation channels increase as the temperature of ion transfer capillary increases, indicating that part of the energy deposited into the precursor ions for cracking is from the heated capillary. The cracking patterns of ESI in‐source decay are slightly different from those of gaseous phase collision‐induced dissociation.

Conclusions

Large N‐glycans are dissociated into small N‐glycans in ESI in‐source decay that may result in the interference of the structural identification of small N‐glycans. Separation of large N‐glycans from small N‐glycans, for example, using HPLC, prior to ESI ionization is necessary to eliminate the interference. This is particularly important when N‐glycans consist of sialic acid or large N‐glycans have much higher concentration than that of small N‐glycans in ESI solution.
Intercomparison study of fragmentation pathways and fragment ion structures for screening of illegal drugs and their novel analogues used to adulterate dietary supplements using liquid chromatography/quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry
Authors: Kim Nam Sook , Choi Hwan Seong , Lim Na Young , Lee Ji Hyun , Kim Hyungil , Baek Sun Young
Published: July 2022

Rationale

As public interest in health and immunity has increased in recent years, so has the demand for dietary supplements. However, supplements adulterated with illegal drugs and their novel analogues are being sold even as the pharmacological efficacies of these drugs are being advertised. Since the use of these illegal compounds can have serious side effects, they pose a risk to public health. Hence, in this study, we propose a strategy for proactively testing drugs and novel analogues that may be added to dietary supplements illegally.

Methods

The optimal conditions for liquid chromatography/quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry were explored to determine the fragmentation patterns for 60 compounds. The optimal conditions were established by comparing the areas and heights of the precursor ion peaks at a fragmentor voltage of 125 or 175 V. Furthermore, the optimized spectra were acquired using collision energies of 1 to 50 eV. The energy value was selected based on the condition that the mass error of the precursor ions is 10 ppm or lower.

Results

The fragmentation pathway of each product ion and its chemical structure were predicted and determined. In addition, the obtained structural information was used to screen 18 seized samples. Based on the precursor ions and the corresponding fragmentation patterns, the unknown compounds present in the samples were identified as desulfonylchlorosildenafil and propoxyphenylthiohydroxy homosildenafil.

Conclusions

We obtained mass spectrometry‐based information for various compounds by predicting the fragmentation pathways and chemical structures of their fragment ions. Subsequently, based on the obtained structural information, we tested several seized samples and were able to detect two novel analogues in four of the samples. Therefore, the proposed approach is suitable for quickly and accurately identifying the unknown compounds detected in real‐world samples.
Parechovirus A infection and risk of gastroenteritis in children: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Zhang Minyi , Wu Fei , Liang Minyi , Xian Juxian , Zheng Liting , Li Qiushuang , Chen Qing
Published: July 2022

Parechovirus A (PeV‐A) belongs to the genus Parechovirus in the family Picornaviridae associated with gastroenteritis illness, particularly in children, but prior studies have produced ambiguous results. This study aimed to provide a systematic review of the PeV‐A prevalence in paediatric patients with gastroenteritis and the association between PeV‐A infection and the risk of gastroenteritis. A systematic search of the literature was conducted in Embase, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, in combination with the reference lists of potentially relevant articles. A random effect‐based model was applied to analyse data from included studies. The pooled odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were used for assessing the risk between PeV‐A and gastroenteritis. A total of 41 studies assessing 21,850 cases and 1746 healthy controls were analysed. The overall prevalence of PeV‐A among paediatric patients with gastroenteritis was 10.4% (95% CI: 7.9%–13.2%), while it was estimated at 8.1% (95% CI: 5.1%–11.7%) based on studies only investigating children without gastroenteritis. The pooled OR for all eight case‐control studies was 1.079 (95% CI: 0.730–1.597), indicating there was no statistically significant association. PeV‐A genotype 1 was the most frequent genotype of PeV‐A infection in children with gastroenteritis. The PeV‐A prevalence in cases of gastroenteritis is higher than that in children without gastroenteritis. However, the present meta‐analysis did not indicate a statistically significant association between PeV‐A infection and risk of gastroenteritis. Given the considerable heterogeneity and various sample sizes among the included studies, relevant investigations in the future should be carried out based on a large‐scale population.
Evaluation of Wound‐Healing Activity ofSecuridaca longepedunculataRoot Extract in Male Wistar Rats
Authors: Oluwaniyi Omolara O. , Adesibikan Ademidun A. , Emmanuel Stephen S.
Published: July 2022

Wound‐healing is a complex series of well‐coordinated cellular and biochemical happenings that reinstates the skin‘s integrity. Medicinal herbs offer a promising alternative than synthetic medications for wound‐healing because they have fewer adverse effects. This present study aims to evaluate wound‐healing potential of methanol extract ofS. longepedunculataroot (MESLR) in male rats. Some biological activities as well as phytochemical analysis were also carried out to elucidate the rationale of its wound‐healing potency. Alkaloids, flavonoids and terpenoids were found to be present amongst others with the saponin content being the chief [(22.80±0.87) g/100 g]. MESLR had a greater potential inhibiting the DPPH radicals at IC50of 5.5 μg/ml and % free radical inhibition of 86.03 % as well as the highest inhibiting potential 54.34 % in the anti‐inflammatory study. 100 % wound closure (p< 0.05) was observed with 2.0 g/10 g MESLR based‐ointment as against the negative control group before the 21stday while the subsequent groups and the standard treatment showed complete closure on the last day of the experiment. The histological examination showed more collagen formation, less inflammatory cell, increased fibroblast distribution, and keratin synthesis in all the groups except for the negative control group, which on the 21stday of the study demonstrated epithelial necrosis and severe epidermal deterioration. The foundational information presented from this study suggests the efficacy ofS. longepedunculatafor topical management and treatment of wounds in traditional medicine and this report is the earliest study of the use ofS. longepedunculataroot for wound‐healing.
High‐Crystalline Regioregular Polymer Semiconductor by Thermal Treatment for Thickness Tolerance Organic Photovoltaics
Authors: Yeop Jiwoo , Park Kwang Hun , Jeon Seungju , Kim Gayoung , Lee Woojin , Song Seyeong , Jung Seo-Hyun , Kim Yejin , Hwang Do-Hoon , Lim Bogyu , Kim Jin Young
Published: July 2022

To successfully develop a regioregular polymer, poly[4,8‐bis(5‐(2‐hexyldecyl)thiophen‐2‐yl)benzo[1,2‐b:4,5‐b′]dithiophene][5,5′‐bis(7‐(4‐(2‐butyloctyl)thiophen‐2‐yl)‐6‐fluorobenzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazol‐4‐yl)‐2,2′‐bithiophene] (PDBD‐FBT), a symmetric monomer synthesized in high yield by tin homo‐coupling reactions. PDBD‐FBT is suitable as a donor material in organic photovoltaics (OPVs) because it shows high crystallinity and strong face‐on packing properties. These properties were amplified by thermal annealing (TA). This causes a power conversion efficiency (PCE) enhancement in PDBD‐FBT‐based OPVs. Using PDBD‐FBT as a polymer donor and 2,2′‐((2Z,2′Z)‐((12,13‐bis(2‐heptylundecyl)‐3,9‐diundecyl‐12,13‐dihydro‐[1,2,5]thiadiazolo[3,4‐e]thieno[2″,3″:4′,5′]thieno[2′,3′:4,5]pyrrolo[3,2‐g]thieno[2′,3′:4,5]thieno[3,2‐b]indole‐2,10‐diyl)bis(methanylylidene))bis(5,6‐difluoro‐3‐oxo‐2,3‐dihydro‐1H‐indene‐2,1‐diylidene))dimalononitrile (Y6‐HU) as an electron acceptor, a PCE of 7.91% was achieved without any additive and TA at optimized active layer film thickness of approximately 100 nm. After TA, a PCE of 12.53% was achieved with a 58% increase compared with the reference devices. Owing to the strong crystallinities, trap‐assisted recombination occurs by excessively formed grain boundaries; however, efficient exciton dissociation sufficiently covers these drawbacks. Even in the approximately 340 nm‐thick film condition, this tendency is more pronounced (73% PCE enhancement is observed from 6.17% to 10.69% of PCE in the without and with TA devices, respectively). Our study demonstrates that it is possible to manufacture thickness‐insensitive OPVs based on regioregular polymers with strong crystallinity and face‐on characteristics, thereby providing a solution to the thickness variation of large‐area organic solar cell modules.
Examining space, silence, and agency in language socialization of an international student in the EAP and mainstream courses
Authors: Soltani Behnam , Tran Ly
Published: July 2022

This article draws on the concept of the Production of Space (Lefebvre, 1991) to interpret the silence of one female international student from Japan in two semesters of study in a New Zealand Tertiary institution. Data from an English for Academic Purposes course and mainstream courses, and from various sources including video/audio recordings of classroom interactions, interviews, diaries, field notes, institutional documents are presented. The findings show that silence is produced by the academic social space in three aspects of perceived, conceived, and lived. The new perceived space of learning positioned the focal student as unfamiliar in her new habitat. The conceived space also silenced the focal student because the conceived space exerted socio‐academic norms in which the individual was not invested. Finally, the lived space produced a silent individual in the sense that she appeared as less powerful in her interactions with other peers because her sociocultural and linguistic capabilities were not on a par with those of other peers. The study concludes that space is an active, dynamic, and social being that regulates the individual's interactions and that silence should be understood in relation to one's positioning by the social space, and the appropriation of space by the individual in social space. Notably, despite being positioned as a silent individual by the academic social space, the international student exercised agency both to respond to her specific temporal needs in the host learning context and to realize her future aspirations.
3 Temporary workers and COVID‐19: Currents below a calm sea
Authors: Horne Richard , Soares Sergei Suarez Dillon
Published: July 2022

Chapter 3 provides an overview of the context of temporary employment, including long‐term trends, before considering the experience of temporary work during the COVID‐19 crisis and what may be expected in the recovery phase. All of which have important implications for workers, enterprises and economies. The chapter demonstrates that temporary employment has served as a buffer against the shock caused by the pandemic, as it has done in previous crises. Employers have scaled back the use of temporary workers, causing significant gross job loss among this category of workers. At the same time, many permanent employees who lost their jobs have found new opportunities in temporary employment. The net effect is that the share of temporary workers among all employees has remained fairly constant in countries with available annual data, concealing the significant labour market churn.
Getting your leadership game on in virtual environments
Authors: Jenkins Daniel M. , Pickett Meghan L.
Published: July 2022

This chapter explores strategies for using virtual games in leadership education. Pedagogical practices, examples, and connections to leadership learning frameworks, learning goals, and competencies are also included. Implications for practice such as intentional design, pairing with other instructional strategies, and debriefing are also discussed with an emphasis on purposeful utilization.
Role‐playing games in leadership learning
Authors: Lasley Joe
Published: July 2022

This article describes a developmental framework for the application of role‐playing games (RPGs) in leadership learning. RPGs relate to leadership learning on a range of levels from individual development, to team building, to parallel group processes. The variety and depth of learning and development potential in RPGs is very exciting, particularly the potential for collective creativity associated with the need for leadership that transforms communities. Many established learning frameworks used for leadership/adult learning are included and an original framework for adopting a developmental understanding is explained.
Single‐player videogames in leadership learning
Authors: Bezio Kristin M. S.
Published: July 2022

This article offers an overview and analysis of the ways in which first‐person videogames can be effectively used in the leadership classroom. Specifically, videogames can be used to encourage students to develop the skills necessary both to analyze leadership and to begin to consider the ramifications of leadership decisions from the varying positions of leaders, followers, and collaborative team members. This article discusses videogames as artifacts of popular culture and leadership and offers an example‐driven discussion of how specific games have been used in a leadership studies classroom to teach about and for leadership.
Some analytical solutions to peridynamic beam equations
Authors: Yang Zhenghao , Naumenko Konstantin , Altenbach Holm , Ma Chien‐Ching , Oterkus Erkan , Oterkus Selda
Published: July 2022

Peridynamics (PD) has been introduced to account for long range internal force/moment interactions and to extend the classical continuum mechanics (CCM). PD equations of motion are derived in the form of integro‐differential equations and only few analytical solutions to these equations are presented in the literature. The aim of this paper is to present analytical solutions to PD beam equations for both static and dynamic loading conditions. Applying trigonometric series, general solutions for the deflection function are derived. For several examples in the static case including simply supported beam and cantilever beam, the coefficients in the series are presented in a closed analytical form. For the dynamic case, the solution is derived for a simply supported beam applying the variable separation with respect to the time and the axial coordinate. Several numerical cases are presented to illustrate the derived solutions. Furthermore, PD results are compared against results obtained from the classical beam theory (CBT). A very good agreement between these two different approaches is observed for the case of the small horizon sizes (HSs), which shows the capability of the current approach.
Lifetimes of singly charmed hadrons
Authors: Gratrex James , Melić Blaženka , Nišandžić Ivan
Published: July 2022

Abstract

We provide an extensive study of the lifetimes of singly charmed baryons and mesons, within the heavy quark expansion with all known corrections included. A special attention is devoted to the choice of the charm mass and wavefunctions of heavy baryons. We give our predictions for lifetimes, lifetime ratios, and semileptonic branching ratios of singly charmed baryons. Our results accommodate the experimentally-favoured hierarchy of singly charmed baryon lifetimes$$ \tau \left({\Xi}_c^0\right)<\tau \left({\Lambda}_c^{+}\right)<\tau \left({\Omega}_c^0\right)<\tau \left({\Xi}_c^{+}\right), $$
τ

Ξ
c
0

<
τ

Λ
c
+

<
τ

Ω
c
0

<
τ

Ξ
c
+

,

in contrast to earlier theoretical findings. Predictions for charmed meson lifetimes and semileptonic decay rates are in agreement with a recent comprehensive study and experimental results within uncertainties.
Baikov representations, intersection theory, and canonical Feynman integrals
Authors: Chen Jiaqi , Jiang Xuhang , Ma Chichuan , Xu Xiaofeng , Yang Li Lin
Published: July 2022

Abstract

The method of canonical differential equations is an important tool in the calculation of Feynman integrals in quantum field theories. It has been realized that the canonical bases are closely related to d-dimensional d log-form integrands. In this work, we explore the generalized loop-by-loop Baikov representation, and clarify its relation and difference with Feynman integrals using the language of intersection theory. We then utilize the generalized Baikov representation to construct d-dimensional d log-form integrands, and discuss how to convert them to Feynman integrals. We describe the technical details of our method, in particular how to deal with the difficulties encountered in the construction procedure. Our method provides a constructive approach to the problem of finding canonical bases of Feynman integrals, and we demonstrate its applicability to complicated scattering amplitudes involving multiple physical scales.
Probing axion-like particles coupling to gluons at the LHC
Authors: Ghebretinsae Filmon Andom , Wang Zeren Simon , Wang Kechen
Published: July 2022

Abstract

Assuming ALPs couple to gluons only, they can be produced via the pp → aj process and decay into two jets at the LHC. When the coupling parameter, $$ {C}_{\overset{\sim }{G}} $$

C

G
~

/fa, is small, the lifetime of ALPs can be long enough leading to displaced final state jets. In this paper, we consider the signal including both the prompt and long-lived cases of ALPs by employing a specialized Delphes module to handle displaced jets. Relevant background processes are generated and simulated at the detector level, and multivariate analyses based on machine-learning are performed to discriminate signal and background events and achieve the best sensitivities. Based on the data accumulated for this study, we forecast the expected upper limits on $$ {C}_{\overset{\sim }{G}} $$

C

G
~

/fa for ALP mass ma in the range 5–2300 GeV at 2-, 3- and 5-σ significances at the High Luminosity-LHC with 14 TeV center-of-mass energy and 3 ab−1 integrated luminosity. Vast previously unprobed regions in the parameter space spanned by $$ {C}_{\overset{\sim }{G}} $$

C

G
~

/fa and ma are probed and the best upper limits on $$ {C}_{\overset{\sim }{G}} $$

C

G
~

/fa at 2-σ significance are found to be around 1.0 × 10−2 TeV−1 for ma∼ 500 GeV. The ALP mass is reconstructed from the kinematics of final state jets and we find that it is measurable with this method when ma is below about 1 TeV at the HL-LHC. The effects of systematic uncertainties and validation of the EFT framework are also checked and discussed.
Searching for Kerr in the 2PM amplitude
Authors: Aoude Rafael , Haddad Kays , Helset Andreas
Published: July 2022

Abstract

The classical scattering of spinning objects is well described by the spinor-helicity formalism for heavy particles. Using these variables, we derive spurious-pole-free, all-spin opposite-helicity Compton amplitudes (factorizing on physical poles to the minimal, all-spin three-point amplitudes) in the classical limit for QED, QCD, and gravity. The cured amplitudes are subject to deformations by contact terms, the vast majority of whose contributions we can fix by imposing a relation between spin structures — motivated by lower spin multipoles of black hole scattering — at the second post-Minkowskian (2PM) order. For QED and gravity, this leaves a modest number of unfixed coefficients parametrizing contact-term deformations, while the QCD amplitude is uniquely determined. Our gravitational Compton amplitude allows us to push the state-of-the-art of spinning-2PM scattering to any order in the spin vectors of both objects; we present results here and in the supplementary material file 2PMSpin8Aux.nb up to eighth order in the spin vectors. Interestingly, despite leftover coefficients in the Compton amplitude, imposing the aforementioned relation between spin structures uniquely fixes some higher-spin parts of the 2PM amplitude.
The volume of the black hole interior at late times
Authors: Iliesiu Luca V. , Mezei Márk , Sárosi Gábor
Published: July 2022

Abstract

Understanding the fate of semi-classical black hole solutions at very late times is one of the most important open questions in quantum gravity. In this paper, we provide a path integral definition of the volume of the black hole interior and study it at arbitrarily late times for black holes in various models of two-dimensional gravity. Because of a novel universal cancellation between the contributions of the semi-classical black hole spectrum and some of its non-perturbative corrections, we find that, after a linear growth at early times, the length of the interior saturates at a time, and towards a value, that is exponentially large in the entropy of the black hole. This provides a non-perturbative test of the complexity equals volume proposal since complexity is also expected to plateau at the same value and at the same time.
Scale setting for large-N SUSY Yang-Mills on the lattice
Authors: Butti Pietro , Pérez Margarita García , González-Arroyo Antonio , Ishikawa Ken-Ichi , Okawa Masanori
Published: July 2022

Abstract

In this paper we study the large N limit of four-dimensional Supersymmetric Yang-Mills on the lattice using twisted reduced models. We have generated configurations with dynamical massive gluinos and various lattice ’t Hooft couplings, and verified that the Pfaffian remains positive. We have determined the lattice spacing in terms of various observables obtaining compatible results. Extrapolating to the massless gluino limit we obtain the lattice spacing dependence on the bare couplings for the supersymmetric theory. The observed dependence goes along the expected behaviour predicted by perturbation theory.
Gravitating spinning strings in AdS3
Authors: Maxfield Henry , Wang Zhencheng
Published: July 2022

Abstract

In the AdS/CFT correspondence, single trace operators of large-N gauge theories at large spin J can be described by classical spinning strings, giving a geometric and classical description of their spectrum at strong coupling. We observe that in AdS3 these strings have significant gravitational back-reaction at sufficiently large spin, since the gravitational force does not decay at long distances. We construct solutions for folded spinning strings coupled to gravity in AdS3 and compute their spectrum, corresponding to the leading Regge trajectory of Virasroro primary operators. These solutions exist only below a maximal spin J < Jmax, and as J → Jmax the solution approaches an extremal rotating BTZ black hole.
Eigenvalue repulsions and quasinormal mode spectra of Kerr-Newman: an extended study
Authors: Dias Óscar J. C. , Godazgar Mahdi , Santos Jorge E.
Published: July 2022

Abstract

The frequency spectra of the gravito-electromagnetic perturbations of the Kerr-Newman (KN) black hole with the slowest decay rate have been computed recently. It has been found that KN has two families — the photon sphere and the near-horizon families — of quasinormal modes (QNMs), which display the interesting phenomenon of eigenvalue repulsion. The perturbation equations, in spite of being a coupled system of two PDEs, are amenable to an analytic solution using the method of separation of variables in a near-horizon expansion around the extremal KN black hole. This leads to an analytical formula for the QNM frequencies that provides an excellent approximation to the numerical data near-extremality. In the present manuscript we provide an extended study of these properties that were not detailed in the original studies. This includes: 1) a full derivation of a gauge invariant system of two coupled PDEs that describes the perturbation equations [1], 2) a derivation of the eikonal frequency approximation [2, 3] and its comparison with the numerical QNM data, 3) a derivation of the near-horizon frequency approximation [3] and its comparison with the numerical QNMs, and 4) more details on the phenomenon of eigenvalue repulsion (also known as level repulsion, avoided crossing or Wigner-Teller effect) and a first principles understanding of it that was missing in the previous studies. Moreover, we provide the frequency spectra of other KN QNM families of interest to demonstrate that they are more damped than the ones we discuss in full detail.
Climatological Study of SPEI Drought Index Using Observed and CRU Gridded Dataset over Ethiopia
Authors: Morsy Mostafa , Moursy Fawzia Ibrahim , Sayad Tarek , Shaban Shouk
Published: July 2022

This study aims to investigate the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) using the monthly observed and gridded Climate Research Unit (CRU) dataset across 13 stations in Ethiopia during the period 1970–2005. SPEI is computed at a 4-month timescale to represent drought during the Belg (February–May) and Kirmet (June–September) seasons separately, and at an 8-month timescale to represent the drought during these two seasons together (February–September). The results show that there are extremely strong correlations (R ≥ 0.8) between the estimated precipitation values from CRU and the observed values, with root mean square error (RMSE) of 4–99 mm and mean percentage error (MPE%) of −30 to 73% at most stations. For temperature and SPEI, the CRU shows almost strong correlations (0.6 ≤ R < 0.8), while the dominant values of RMSE and MPE are 0.7–5 °C and −22 to 26%, respectively, for temperature and 0.28–0.96 and −49 to 55%, respectively, for SPEI during the three seasons. It is also found that each of the SPEI clusters (dry, normal, and wet) estimated from CRU has a high success percentage (≥ 60%) at more than 50% of the stations, while the general accuracy exceeds 60% for the three SPEI clusters together at more than 75% of the stations. Finally, the correct hits for the estimated SPEI clusters from CRU are often within the corresponding observed cluster but may shift into another category (extreme, severe, and moderate) except for a few events.
Welchen Anteil hat die Infektiologie am Fachgebiet Urologie?
Authors: Schneidewind Laila , Stangl Fabian P. , Dräger Desiree L. , Wagenlehner Florian M. E. , Hakenberg Oliver W. , Kranz Jennifer
Published: July 2022

Hintergrund

Harnwegsinfektionen gehören weltweit zu den häufigsten bakteriellen Infektionskrankheiten, sowohl im ambulanten als auch stationären Setting.

Fragestellung

Mit diesem Pilotprojekt soll primär die Frage beantwortet werden, welchen relativen Anteil der Antibiotikaeinsatz zur Therapie bakterieller Infektionen in einer universitären Urologie hat, um Antibiotic-Stewardship(ABS)-Programme besser implementieren zu können.

Material und Methoden

Es handelt sich um ein epidemiologisches Pilotprojekt. Über einen Zeitraum von insgesamt drei Monaten wurde systematisch erhoben, wie viele Patientinnen und Patienten relativ im Verhältnis zur Gesamtanzahl der Patientinnen und Patienten eine Antibiotikagabe erhielten.

Ergebnisse

Bei rund 40 % der urologischen Patientinnen und Patienten einer universitären Einrichtung wurde eine antimikrobielle Therapie bei bakterieller Harnwegsinfektion bzw. eine perioperative Antibiotikaprophylaxe zur Vermeidung bakterieller Komplikationen im Operationssaal eingesetzt. Insgesamt ist der Antibiotikaeinsatz im stationären Bereich am höchsten.

Diskussion

Infektiologische Aspekte haben am Fachgebiet Urologie einen signifikanten Anteil. Dieses Wissen ist essentiell um ABS-Programme erfolgreich zu implementieren und der Resistenzentwicklung entgegen zu wirken. Detailliierte Folgeuntersuchungen sind notwendig, um die Antibiotikaverordnungspraxis in der Urologie genau zu verstehen und daraus gezielte ABS-Interventionen entwickeln zu können.
Small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements, with or without added zinc, do not cause excessive fat deposition in Burkinabe children: results from a cluster-randomized community trial
Authors: Abbeddou Souheila , Jimenez Elizabeth Yakes , Hess Sonja Y. , Somé Jérome W. , Ouédraogo Jean Bosco , Brown Kenneth H.
Published: July 2022

Purpose

Public health interventions to address stunting and wasting should be evaluated for possibly contributing to obesity risk. The present study tested the hypothesis that small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements (SQ-LNS) might increase fat deposition, and that additional zinc provided via SQ-LNS or in the form of dispersible tablets would increase fat-free mass (FFM) accretion.

Methods

Using a two-stage, cluster-randomized trial design, 34 communities were randomly assigned to the intervention cohort (IC) or non-intervention cohort (NIC), and family compounds within the IC were randomly assigned to receive different amounts of zinc (0, 5 or 10 mg zinc) incorporated in SQ-LNS or 5 mg zinc in the form of dispersible tablets along with treatment for diarrhea, malaria and fever. Body composition was assessed in a subset of IC (n = 201) and NIC (n = 74) children at 9 and 18 months using the deuterium dilution method. A mixed linear model was used to examine average change in FFM and % fat mass (%FM) among intervention groups and by cohort.

Results

Children in the IC had significantly greater change in FFM (Mean (95% Confidence Interval)) (1.57 (1.49, 1.64) kg) compared to the NIC (1.35 (1.23, 1.46) kg; p = 0.005). There were no significant differences in the change in %FM between the NIC and IC or among the intervention groups.

Conclusion

SQ-LNS, along with morbidity treatment increased weight gain and FFM in young children from 9 to 18 months of age without increasing FM deposition. Additional zinc supplementation did not affect changes in FFM or %FM.

Trial registration

The study was registered as a clinical trial with the US National Institute of Health (www.ClinicalTrials.gov; NCT00944281).
Amitriptyline for post-COVID headache: effectiveness, tolerability, and response predictors
Authors: Gonzalez-Martinez Alicia , Guerrero-Peral Ángel Luis , Arias-Rivas Susana , Silva Lorenzo , Sierra Álvaro , Gago-Veiga Ana Beatriz , García-Azorín David
Published: July 2022

Background

Headache is one of the most frequently reported symptoms in post-COVID patients. The clinical phenotype of COVID-19 headache combines phenotypic features of both tension-type headache (TTH) and migraine. We aimed to assess the effectiveness, side effects and predictors of amitriptyline (AMT) response in a real-world study setting.

Methods

We performed an observational multicentric study with a retrospective cohort. All consecutive patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection who received AMT for post-COVID headache from March 2020 to May 2021 were included. Response was evaluated by the reduction in the number of headache days per month (HDM) between weeks 8 and 12, compared with the baseline. We explored which variables were associated with a higher probability of response to AMT.

Results

Forty-eight patients were eligible for the study, 40/48 (83.3%) females, aged 46.85 (SD: 13.59) years. Patients had history of migraine 15/48 (31.3%) or TTH 5/48 (10.4%). The mean reduction of HDM was 9.6 (SD: 10.9; 95% CI 6.5, 12.7) days. Only 2/48 (5%) of patients discontinued AMT due to poor tolerability. History of TTH (10.9, 95% CI 1.3, 20.6) and nausea (− 8.5, 95% CI − 14.6, − 2.5) were associated with AMT response.

Conclusions

This study provides real-world evidence of the potential benefit of AMT in patients with post-COVID-19 headache, especially in patients with history of TTH and without concomitant nausea.
Minimal matchings of point processes
Authors: Holroyd Alexander E. , Janson Svante , Wästlund Johan
Published: July 2022

Suppose that red and blue points form independent homogeneous Poisson processes of equal intensity in $${{\mathbb {R}}}^d$$

R

d

. For a positive (respectively, negative) parameter $$\gamma $$
γ
we consider red-blue matchings that locally minimize (respectively, maximize) the sum of $$\gamma $$
γ
th powers of the edge lengths, subject to locally minimizing the number of unmatched points. The parameter can be viewed as a measure of fairness. The limit $$\gamma \rightarrow -\infty $$

γ
→
-
∞

is equivalent to Gale-Shapley stable matching. We also consider limits as $$\gamma $$
γ
approaches 0, $$1-$$

1
-

, $$1+$$

1
+

and $$\infty $$
∞
. We focus on dimension $$d=1$$

d
=
1

. We prove that almost surely no such matching has unmatched points. (This question is open for higher d). For each $$\gamma <1$$

γ
<
1

we establish that there is almost surely a unique such matching, and that it can be expressed as a finitary factor of the points. Moreover, its typical edge length has finite rth moment if and only if $$r<1/2$$

r
<
1
/
2

. In contrast, for $$\gamma =1$$

γ
=
1

there are uncountably many matchings, while for $$\gamma >1$$

γ
>
1

there are countably many, but it is impossible to choose one in a translation-invariant way. We obtain existence results in higher dimensions (covering many but not all cases). We address analogous questions for one-colour matchings also.
An efficient hardware implementation of CNN-based object trackers for real-time applications
Authors: El-Shafie Al-Hussein A. , Zaki Mohamed , Habib S. E. D.
Published: July 2022

The object tracking field continues to evolve as an important application of computer vision. Real-time performance is typically required in most applications of object tracking. The recent introduction of Convolutional Neural network (CNN) techniques to the object tracking field enabled the attainment of significant performance gains. However, the heavy computational load required for CNNs conflicts with the real-time requirements required for object tracking. In this paper, we address these computational limitations on the algorithm-side and the circuit-side. On the algorithm side, we adopt interpolation schemes which can significantly reduce the processing time and the memory storage requirements. We also evaluate the approximation of the hardware-expensive computations to attain an efficient hardware design. Moreover, we modify the online-training scheme in order to achieve a constant processing time across all video frames. On the circuit side, we developed a hardware accelerator of the online training stage. We avoid transposed reading from the external memory to speed-up the data movement with no performance degradation. Our proposed hardware accelerator achieves 44 frames-per-second in training the fully connected layers.
ANS-based compression and encryption with 128-bit security
Authors: Camtepe Seyit , Duda Jarek , Mahboubi Arash , Morawiecki Paweł , Nepal Surya , Pawłowski Marcin , Pieprzyk Josef
Published: July 2022

The bulk of Internet interactions is highly redundant and also security sensitive. To reduce communication bandwidth and provide a desired level of security, a data stream is first compressed to squeeze out redundant bits and then encrypted using authenticated encryption. This generic solution is very flexible and works well for any pair of (compression, encryption) algorithms. Its downside, however, is the fact that the two algorithms are designed independently. One would expect that designing a single algorithm that compresses and encrypts (called compcrypt) should produce benefits in terms of efficiency and security. The work investigates how to design a compcrypt algorithm using the ANS entropy coding. First, we examine basic properties of ANS and show that a plain ANS with a hidden encoding table can be broken by statistical attacks. Next, we study ANS behavior when its states are chosen at random. Our compcrypt algorithm is built using ANS with randomized state jumps and a sponge MonkeyDuplex encryption. Its security and efficiency are discussed. The design provides 128-bit security for both confidentiality and integrity/authentication. Our implementation experiments show that our compcrypt algorithm processes symbols with a rate up to 269 MB/s (with a slight loss of compression rate) 178 MB/s.
Bacteria related to tick-borne pathogen assemblages in Ornithodoros cf. hasei (Acari: Argasidae) and blood of the wild mammal hosts in the Orinoquia region, Colombia
Authors: Carvajal-Agudelo Juan D. , Ramírez-Chaves Héctor E. , Ossa-López Paula A. , Rivera-Páez Fredy A.
Published: July 2022

Interest in research on soft ticks has increased in recent decades, leading to valuable insight into their role as disease vectors. The use of metagenomics-based analyses have helped to elucidate ecological factors involved in pathogen, vector, and host dynamics. To understand the main bacterial assemblages present in Ornithodoros cf. hasei and its mammalian hosts, 84 ticks and 13 blood samples from bat hosts (Chiroptera) were selected, and the 16S rRNA gene V4 region was sequenced in five pools (each one related to each host-tick pairing). Bacterial taxonomic assignment analyses were performed by comparing operational taxonomic units (OTUs) shared between ticks and their host blood. This analysis showed the presence of Proteobacteria (38.8%), Enterobacteriaceae (25%), Firmicutes (12.3%), and Actinobacteria (10.9%) within blood samples, and Rickettsiaceae (39%), Firmicutes (25%), Actinobacteria (13.1%), and Proteobacteria (9%) within ticks. Species related to potentially pathogenic genera were detected in ticks, such as Borrelia sp., Bartonella tamiae, Ehrlichia sp. and Rickettsia-like endosymbiont, and the presence of these organisms was found in all analyzed bat species (Cynomops planirostris, Molossus pretiosus, Noctilio albiventris), and O. cf. hasei. About 41–48.6% of bacterial OTUs (genera and species) were shared between ticks and the blood of bat hosts. Targeted metagenomic screening techniques allowed the detection of tick-associated pathogens for O. cf. hasei and small mammals for the first time, enabling future research on many of these pathogens.
Development and psychometric properties of a brief generic cancer knowledge scale for patients (BCKS-10)
Authors: Klein J. , Kofahl C. , Ziegler E.
Published: July 2022

Purpose

This study aims to introduce the development and psychometric properties of a brief generic cancer knowledge scale for patients (BCKS-10) that includes different elements of knowledge and skills (terminology, diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and numeracy). Although cancer knowledge is a central dimension of cancer literacy, most previous studies either investigated cancer knowledge among the general population, or among patients with a specific cancer diagnosis.

Methods

Qualitative interviews (n = 11) and a quantitative survey (n = 267) among peer support group leaders were conducted to further develop the BCKS-10 after literature screening. n = 500 patients with cancer were recruited across Germany between October 2020 and February 2021. Construct validity, item discrimination and reliability were tested.

Results

ANOVA revealed no significant differences of the knowledge score between various cancer sites, a significant positive association with education, and a negative association with migration background by trend supporting construct validity. In terms of item discrimination, the corrected item-total correlation of 8 out of 10 items were above the threshold of 0.3. Cronbach’s alpha of about 0.68 revealed an acceptable internal consistency as the tool is brief and consists of different dimensions.

Conclusion

Overall, the findings show that the BCKS-10 is a suitable tool to briefly assess cancer knowledge among patients independent of cancer site. However, further surveys have to be conducted to validate the psychometric properties and enhance the BCKS-10.
Influence of hydroxyethyl and carboxymethyl celluloses on the rheology, water retention and surface tension of water-suspended microfibrillated cellulose
Authors: Kokol Vanja
Published: July 2022

Water-soluble polymers have been shown to improve the flow rigidity and water retention ability of highly-branched (flocculated) and polydisperse water-suspended MFC, thereby also modifying and controlling their rheological behaviour. The addition of hydroxyethyl (HEC) and carboxymethyl (CMC) celluloses of different content (5–10–20 w/w%), molecular weights (MW, 90.000–1.300.000 g/mol) and degrees of substitutions (DS, 0.7–1.2) to 1.5 wt% MFC suspension, have thus been studied by evaluating their microstructure (SEM imaging), strength and rheological properties, i.e. the yield stress and flow under rotational (viscosity vs. shear rate) and oscillatory (viscoelastic) regime, using cone-plate measuring geometry at a rather low truncation gap. The pure MFC suspension showed high-viscosity at lower shear stress and shear-thinning behaviour at higher rates, with two yielding zones, indicating a secondary deflocculation of smaller and more stiffly packed fibril structures and their orientation/aligning in the direction of flow. This behaviour was reduced substantially by the addition of high-MWHEC, or almost eliminated completely by medium-MWCMCs with higher DS, yielding suspensions with higher and stability-prolonged zero-shear viscosity, as well as a more linearly decreased and irreversible viscosity profile after the shear load removal at higher shear stresses. The carboxylic groups at CMC additionally decreased the interactions between the fibrils, and subsequently reduced the fibrils’ flocks, or formed larger aggregates with their integrations, while increasing the MFC suspension gel-strength, improving its flow and viscoelastic behaviour through higher water retention ability and surface tension properties, and also its recovery after deformation.
Universality in Anisotropic Linear Anelasticity
Authors: Yavari Arash , Goriely Alain
Published: July 2022

In linear elasticity, universal displacements for a given symmetry class are those displacements that can be maintained by only applying boundary tractions (no body forces) and for arbitrary elastic constants in the symmetry class. In a previous work, we showed that the larger the symmetry group, the larger the space of universal displacements. Here, we generalize these ideas to the case of anelasticity. In linear anelasticity, the total strain is additively decomposed into elastic strain and anelastic strain, often referred to as an eigenstrain. We show that the universality constraints (equilibrium equations and arbitrariness of the elastic constants) completely specify the universal elastic strains for each of the eight anisotropy symmetry classes. The corresponding universal eigenstrains are the set of solutions to a system of second-order linear PDEs that ensure compatibility of the total strains. We show that for three symmetry classes, namely triclinic, monoclinic, and trigonal, only compatible (impotent) eigenstrains are universal. For the remaining five classes universal eigenstrains (up to the impotent ones) are the set of solutions to a system of linear second-order PDEs with certain arbitrary forcing terms that depend on the symmetry class.