bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
MRI
Authors: Das Mahashweta , Amer-Yahia Sihem , Das Gautam , Yu Cong
Published: June 2020

Collaborative rating sites have become essential resources that many users consult to make purchasing decisions on various items. Ideally, a user wants to quickly decide whether an item is desirable, especially when many choices are available. In practice, however, a user either spends a lot of time examining reviews before making an informed decision, or simply trusts overall rating aggregations associated with an item. In this paper, we argue that neither option is satisfactory and propose a novel and powerful third option,
Meaningful Ratings Interpretation (MRI)
, that automatically provides a meaningful interpretation of ratings associated with the input items. As a simple example, given the movie "Usual Suspects," instead of simply showing the average rating of 8.7 from all reviewers, MRI produces a set of
meaningful
factoids such as "male reviewers under 30 from NYC love this movie". We define the notion of meaningful interpretation based on the idea of data cube, and formalize two important sub-problems,
meaningful description mining
and
meaningful difference mining.
We show that these problems are NP-hard and design randomized hill exploration algorithms to solve them efficiently. We conduct user studies to show that MRI provides more helpful information to users than simple average ratings. Performance evaluation over real data shows that our algorithms perform much faster and generate equally good interpretations as brute-force algorithms.
Storing matrices on disk
Authors: Zhang Yi , Munagala Kamesh , Yang Jun
Published: June 2020

We consider the problem of storing arrays on disk to support scalable data analysis involving linear algebra. We propose
Linearized Array B-tree
, or
LAB-tree
, which supports flexible array layouts and automatically adapts to varying sparsity across parts of an array and over time. We reexamine the B-tree splitting strategy for handling insertions and the flushing policy for batching updates, and show that common practices may in fact be suboptimal. Through theoretical and empirical studies, we propose alternatives with good theoretical guarantees and/or practical performance.
Profiling, what-if analysis, and cost-based optimization of MapReduce programs
Authors: Herodotou Herodotos , Babu Shivnath
Published: June 2020

MapReduce has emerged as a viable competitor to database systems in big data analytics. MapReduce programs are being written for a wide variety of application domains including business data processing, text analysis, natural language processing, Web graph and social network analysis, and computational science. However, MapReduce systems lack a feature that has been key to the historical success of database systems, namely, cost-based optimization. A major challenge here is that, to the MapReduce system, a program consists of black-box map and reduce functions written in some programming language like C++, Java, Python, or Ruby. We introduce, to our knowledge, the first Cost-based Optimizer for simple to arbitrarily complex MapReduce programs. We focus on the optimization opportunities presented by the large space of configuration parameters for these programs. We also introduce a Profiler to collect detailed statistical information from unmodified MapReduce programs, and a What-if Engine for fine-grained cost estimation. All components have been prototyped for the popular Hadoop MapReduce system. The effectiveness of each component is demonstrated through a comprehensive evaluation using representative MapReduce programs from various application domains.
Keyword search on form results
Authors: Ramesh Aditya , Sudarshan S. , Joshi Purva
Published: June 2020

In recent years there has been a good deal of research in the area of keyword search on structured and semi-structured data. Most of this body of work has a significant limitation in the context of enterprise data since it ignores the application code that has often been carefully designed to present data in a meaningful fashion to users. In this work, we consider how to perform keyword search on enterprise applications, which provide a number of forms that can take parameters; parameters may be explicit, or implicit such as the identifier of the user. In the context of such applications, the goal of keyword search is, given a set of keywords, to retrieve forms, along with parameter values, such that result of each retrieved form executed on the corresponding retrieved parameter values will contain the specified keywords. Some earlier work in this area was based on creating keyword indices on form results, but there are problems in maintaining such indices in the face of updates. In contrast, we propose techniques based on creating inverted SQL queries from the SQL queries in the forms. Unlike earlier work, our techniques do not require any special purpose indices, and instead make use of standard text indices supported by most database systems. We have implemented our techniques and show that keyword search can run at reasonable speeds even on large databases with a significant number of forms.
Evaluation strategies for top-k queries over memory-resident inverted indexes
Authors: Fontoura Marcus , Josifovski Vanja , Liu Jinhui , Venkatesan Srihari , Zhu Xiangfei , Zien Jason
Published: June 2020

Top-k retrieval over main-memory inverted indexes is at the core of many modern applications: from large scale web search and advertising platforms, to text extenders and content management systems. In these systems, queries are evaluated using two major families of algorithms:
document-at-a-time
(DAAT) and
term-at-a-time
(TAAT). DAAT and TAAT algorithms have been studied extensively in the research literature, but mostly in disk-based settings. In this paper, we present an analysis and comparison of several DAAT and TAAT algorithms used in Yahoo!'s production platform for online advertising. The low-latency requirements of online advertising systems mandate memory-resident indexes. We compare the performance of several query evaluation algorithms using two real-world ad selection datasets and query workloads. We show how some adaptations of the original algorithms for main memory setting have yielded significant performance improvement, reducing running time and cost of serving by 60% in some cases. In these results both the original and the adapted algorithms have been evaluated over memory-resident indexes, so the improvements are algorithmic and not due to the fact that the experiments used main memory indexes.
Consistent synchronization schemes for workload replay
Authors: Morfonios Konstantinos , Colle Romain , Galanis Leonidas , Buranawatanachoke Supiti , Dageville Benoît , Dias Karl , Wang Yujun
Published: June 2020

Oracle Database Replay has been recently introduced in Oracle 11g as a novel tool to test relational database systems [9]. It involves recording the workload running on the database server in a production system, and subsequently replaying it on the database server in a test system. A key feature of workload replay that enables realistic reproduction of a real workload is synchronization. It is a mechanism that enforces specific ordering on the replayed requests that comprise the workload. It affects the level of request concurrency and the consistency of the replay results when compared to the captured workload. In this paper, we define the class of consistent replay synchronization schemes and study, for the first time, the spectrum they cover and the tradeoffs they present. We place the only scheme proposed so far [9], the one implemented in Oracle 11g Release 1, within the aforementioned spectrum and show that it is coarse-grained and more restrictive than necessary, often enforcing dependencies between calls that are independent. By enforcing needless waits, it decreases the level of possible concurrency and degrades performance. To overcome these drawbacks, we identify the best scheme within the spectrum; it is finer-grained than its counterparts and strikes the right balance across different tradeoffs: it enforces a partial ordering on the replayed calls that minimizes the number of required waits and maximizes the level of concurrency, without compromising consistency of the replay results. We have implemented the new scheme in Oracle 11g Release 2. Our experiments indicate that it produces better quality replays than the pre-existing one for major classes of workload.
Jaql
Authors: Beyer Kevin S. , Ercegovac Vuk , Gemulla Rainer , Balmin Andrey , Eltabakh Mohamed , Kanne Carl-Christian , Ozcan Fatma , Shekita Eugene J.
Published: June 2020

This paper describes Jaql, a declarative scripting language for analyzing large semistructured datasets in parallel using Hadoop's MapReduce framework. Jaql is currently used in IBM's InfoSphere BigInsights [5] and Cognos Consumer Insight [9] products. Jaql's design features are: (1) a flexible data model, (2) reusability, (3) varying levels of abstraction, and (4) scalability. Jaql's data model is inspired by JSON and can be used to represent datasets that vary from flat, relational tables to collections of semistructured documents. A Jaql script can start without any schema and evolve over time from a partial to a rigid schema. Reusability is provided through the use of higher-order functions and by packaging related functions into modules. Most Jaql scripts work at a high level of abstraction for concise specification of logical operations (e.g., join), but Jaql's notion of
physical transparency
also provides a lower level of abstraction if necessary. This allows users to pin down the evaluation plan of a script for greater control or even add new operators. The Jaql compiler automatically rewrites Jaql scripts so they can run in parallel on Hadoop. In addition to describing Jaql's design, we present the results of scale-up experiments on Hadoop running Jaql scripts for intranet data analysis and log processing.
Bridging two worlds with RICE
Authors: Groß Philipp , Lehner Wolfgang , Weichert Thomas , Färber Franz , Li Wen-Syan
Published: June 2020

The growing need to use large amounts of data as the basis for sophisticated business analysis conflicts with the current capabilities of statistical software systems as well as the functions provided by most modern databases.

We developed two novel approaches towards a solution for this basic conflict, based on the widely-used statistical software package R and the SAP In-Memory Computing Engine (IMCE).

We thereby propose an alternative data exchange mechanism with R. Instead of using standard SQL interfaces like JDBC or ODBC we introduced SQL-SHM, a shared memory-based data exchange to incorporate R's vertical data structure. Furthermore, we extended this approach to R-Op introducing R scripts equivalent to native database operations like join or aggregation within the execution plans.

With the calculation engine, IMCE provides a framework to model logical execution plans and thereby offers a convenient way to use the full functionality of R via SQL interface. Moreover, this enables us to run R scripts in parallel without the necessity of extending the R interpreter itself.
Citrusleaf
Authors: Srinivasan V. , Bulkowski Brian
Published: June 2020

In this paper, we describe the Citrusleaf real-time distributed database platform that is built using the core principles of traditional database consistency and reliability while also being fast and flexible enough for use in high-performance applications like real-time bidding. In fact, Citrusleaf is unique among NoSQL databases for its ability to provide immediate consistency and ACID while still being able to consistently exceed the high performance and scalability standards required by demanding real-time applications. This paper describes how the Citrusleaf system achieves the marriage of traditional database reliability, including immediate consistency and ACID, with flexibility and operational efficiency.

Citrusleaf scales linearly at extremely high throughput while keeping response time in the sub-millisecond range as demonstrated by the test results presented here. This kind of performance has enabled Citrusleaf to become the underlying component of some of the world's largest real-time bidding networks.
Debugging data exchange with vagabond
Authors: Glavic Boris , Du Jiang , Miller Renée J. , Alonso Gustavo , Haas Laura M.
Published: June 2020

In this paper, we present
Vagabond
, a system that uses a novel holistic approach to help users to understand and debug data exchange scenarios. Developing such a scenario is a complex and labor-intensive process where errors are often only revealed in the target instance produced as the result of this process. This makes it very hard to debug such scenarios, especially for non-power users. Vagabond aides a user in debugging by automatically generating possible explanations for target instance errors identified by the user.
EIRENE
Authors: Alexe Bogdan , Cate Balder ten , Kolaitis Phokion G. , Tan Wang-Chiew
Published: June 2020

One of the first steps in the process of integrating information from multiple sources into a desired target format is to specify the relationships, called schema mappings, between the source schemas and the target schema. In this demonstration, we showcase a new methodology for designing schema mappings. Our system Eirene interactively solicits data examples from the mapping designer in order to design a schema mapping between a source schema and a target schema. A data example, in this context, is a pair consisting of a source instance and a target instance showing the desired outcome of performing data exchange using the schema mapping being designed. One of the central parts of the system is a module that, given a set of data examples, either returns a "best" fitting schema mapping, or reports that no fitting schema mapping exists.
From SPARQL to MapReduce
Authors: Kim HyeongSik , Ravindra Padmashree , Anyanwu Kemafor
Published: June 2020

MapReduce-based data processing platforms offer a promising approach for cost-effective and Web-scale processing of Semantic Web data. However, one major challenge is that this computational paradigm leads to high I/O and communication costs when processing tasks with several join operations typical in SPARQL queries. The goal of this demonstration is to show how a system RAPID+, an extension of Apache Pig, enables more efficient SPARQL query processing on MapReduce using an alternative query algebra called the Nested TripleGroup Algebra (NTGA). The demonstration will offer opportunities for users to explore NTGA-Hadoop query plans for different SPARQL query structures as well as explore relationships between query plans based on relational algebra operators and those using NTGA operators.
AIDA
Authors: Yosef Mohamed Amir , Hoffart Johannes , Bordino Ilaria , Spaniol Marc , Weikum Gerhard
Published: June 2020

We present AIDA, a framework and online tool for entity detection and disambiguation. Given a natural-language text or a Web table, we map mentions of ambiguous names onto canonical entities like people or places, registered in a knowledge base like DBpedia, Freebase, or YAGO. AIDA is a robust framework centred around collective disambiguation exploiting the prominence of entities, similarity between the context of the mention and its candidates, and the coherence among candidate entities for all mentions. We have developed a Web-based online interface for AIDA where different formats of inputs can be processed on the fly, returning proper entities and showing intermediate steps of the disambiguation process.
Data markets in the cloud
Authors: Balazinska Magdalena , Howe Bill , Suciu Dan
Published: June 2020

Cloud-computing is transforming many aspects of data management. Most recently, the cloud is seeing the emergence of digital markets for data and associated services. We observe that our community has a lot to offer in building successful cloud-based data markets. We outline some of the key challenges that such markets face and discuss the associated research problems that our community can help solve.
Exploring the coming repositories of reproducible experiments
Authors: Freire Juliana , Bonnet Philippe , Shasha Dennis
Published: June 2020

Computational reproducibility efforts in many communities will soon give rise to validated software and data repositories of high quality. A scientist in a field may want to query the components of such repositories to build new software workflows, perhaps after adding the scientist's own algorithms. This paper explores research challenges necessary to achieving this goal.
Graph data management systems for new application domains
Authors: Cudré-Mauroux Philippe , Elnikety Sameh
Published: June 2020

Graph data management has long been a topic of interest for database researchers. The topic gained renewed interest recently, motivated by the rapid emergence of new application domains including social networks and the Web of data. This tutorial characterizes graph data management techniques and categorizes recent graph data management systems. In this context, we focus on the management of very large graphs such as social networks or the Web of data, rather than on the management of many smaller graphs (which frequently appear in bioinformatics and cheminformatics). The first part of this tutorial describes the requirements imposed by new application domains, and provides a classification of recent systems according to their data and computation models. Our classification also highlights the main representations used to store the graph (dense/sparse native graphs, triple storage or relational layouts), and the access patterns and typical queries considered (reachability or neighborhood queries, updates versus reads, transactional requirements and graph consistency models). In the second part of this tutorial, we map the data and computation models to concrete graph management systems, highlighting target application domains, implementation techniques, scalability and workload requirements. We pay special attentions to declarative models that allow query optimization (as performed in Horton [1] and Neo4j [2]), and contrast them to procedural models (such as Pregel [3]), which are more general but severely limit optimizations.
Formation of laser-induced periodic surface structures on different materials: fundamentals, properties and applications
Authors: Gräf Stephan
Published: June 2020

The use of ultra-short pulsed lasers enables the fabrication of laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) on various materials following a single-step, direct-writing technique. These specific, well-ordered nanostructures with periodicities in the order of the utilised laser wavelength facilitate the engineering of surfaces with functional properties. This review paper discusses the physical background of LIPSS formation on substrates with different material properties. Using the examples of structural colours, specific wetting states and the reduction of friction and wear, this work presents experimental approaches that allow to deliberately influence the LIPSS formation process and thus tailor the surface properties. Finally, the review concludes with some future developments and perspectives related to forthcoming applications of LIPSS-based surfaces are discussed.
Ultrafast laser micro-nano structured superhydrophobic teflon surfaces for enhanced SERS detection via evaporation concentration
Authors: Hu Xinyu , Pan Rui , Cai Mingyong , Liu Weijian , Luo Xiao , Chen Changhao , Jiang Guochen , Zhong Minlin
Published: June 2020

Evaporation concentration of target analytes dissolved in a water droplet based on superhydrophobic surfaces could be able to break the limits for sensitive trace substance detection techniques (e.g. SERS) and it is promising in the fields such as food safety, eco-pollution, and bioscience. In the present study, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) surfaces were processed by femtosecond laser and the corresponding processing parameter combinations were optimised to obtain surfaces with excellent superhydrophobicity. The optimal parameter combination is: laser power: 6.4 W; scanning spacing: 40 μm; scanning number: 1; and scanning path: 90 degree. For trapping and localising droplets, a tiny square area in the middle of the surface remained unprocessed for each sample. The evaporation and concentration processes of droplets on the optimised surfaces were performed and analyzed, respectively. It is shown that the droplets with targeted solute can successfully collect all solute into the designed trapping areas during evaporation process on our laser fabricated superhydrophobic surface, resulting in detection domains with high solute concentration for SERS characterisation. It is shown that the detected peak intensity of rhodamine 6G with a concentration of 10−6
m in SERS characterisation can be obviously enhanced by one or two orders of magnitude on the laser fabricated surfaces compared with that of the unprocessed blank samples.
Laboratory practices to mitigate biohazard risks during the COVID-19 outbreak: an IFCC global survey
Authors: Loh Tze Ping , Horvath Andrea Rita , Wang Cheng-Bin , Koch David , Lippi Giuseppe , Mancini Nicasio , Ferrari Maurizio , Hawkins Robert , Sethi Sunil , Adeli Khosrow
Published: June 2020

Objectives

A global survey was conducted by the IFCC Task Force on COVID-19 to better understand how general biochemistry laboratories manage the pre-analytical, analytical and post-analytical processes to mitigate biohazard risks during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Methods

An electronic survey was developed to record the general characteristics of the laboratory, as well as the pre-analytical, analytical, post-analytical and operational practices of biochemistry laboratories that are managing clinical samples of patients with COVID-19.

Results

A total of 1210 submissions were included in the analysis. The majority of responses came from hospital central/core laboratories that serve hospital patient groups and handle moderate daily sample volumes. There has been a decrease in the use of pneumatic tube transport, increase in hand delivery and increase in number of layers of plastic bags for samples of patients with clinically suspected or confirmed COVID-19. Surgical face masks and gloves are the most commonly used personal protective equipment (PPE). Just >50% of the laboratories did not perform an additional decontamination step on the instrument after analysis of samples from patients with clinically suspected or confirmed COVID-19. A fifth of laboratories disallowed add-on testing on these samples. Less than a quarter of laboratories autoclaved their samples prior to disposal.

Conclusions

The survey responses showed wide variation in pre-analytical, analytical and post-analytical practices in terms of PPE adoption and biosafety processes. It is likely that many of the suboptimal biosafety practices are related to practical local factors, such as limited PPE availability and lack of automated instrumentation.
The economic research potentials of the German Socio-Economic Panel study
Authors: Schröder Carsten , König Johannes , Fedorets Alexandra , Goebel Jan , Grabka Markus M. , Lüthen Holger , Metzing Maria , Schikora Felicitas , Liebig Stefan
Published: June 2020

We provide a concise introduction to a household-panel data infrastructure that provides the international research community with longitudinal data of private households in Germany since 1984: the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP). We demonstrate the comparative strength of the SOEP data in answering economically-relevant questions by highlighting its diverse and impactful applications throughout the field.
Does soft tissue mobilization assist static stretching to improve hamstring flexibility? A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Nuhmani Shibili
Published: June 2020

Objectives

Objective of the study is to investigate whether Soft tissue mobilization (STM) can assist with static stretching to improve hamstring flexibly.

Methods

The design of the study was repeated measure design. The study was conducted at the physical therapy laboratory of Jamia Hamdard University, New Delhi. Participants included 78 healthy males with hamstring tightness, randomly assigned to either the control group (static stretching) or the experimental group (STM and static stretching). The experimental group received five sets of four different STM techniques, followed by two sets of 30-s static stretches 3 days per week over the course of 12 weeks. The control group received 5 min of sham ultrasound with an inactive probe prior to static stretching. Active knee extension test (AKE) was the outcome measure.

Results

Both groups showed significant improvement in AKE compared with the baseline measurements. With ingroup analysis showed a significant difference in AKE across all measured time periods (weeks 4, 8, and 12) with pre-test in both groups (p<0.05). No significant difference in AKE improvement was found between groups (p>0.05).

Conclusion

The results of this study show that STM prior to static stretching does not significantly improve hamstring flexibility among healthy individuals. Although this study cannot be generalized, the results may be useful for evidence-based practice in the management of hamstring tightness.
Metalearning approach for leukemia informative genes prioritization
Authors: Rodrigues Vânia , Deusdado Sérgio
Published: June 2020

The discovery of diagnostic or prognostic biomarkers is fundamental to optimize therapeutics for patients. By enhancing the interpretability of the prediction model, this work is aimed to optimize Leukemia diagnosis while retaining a high-performance evaluation in the identification of informative genes. For this purpose, we used an optimal parameterization of Kernel Logistic Regression method on Leukemia microarray gene expression data classification, applying metalearners to select attributes, reducing the data dimensionality before passing it to the classifier. Pearson correlation and chi-squared statistic were the attribute evaluators applied on metalearners, having information gain as single-attribute evaluator. The implemented models relied on 10-fold cross-validation. The metalearners approach identified 12 common genes, with highest average merit of 0.999. The practical work was developed using the public datamining software WEKA.
Two types of hypergeometric degenerate Cauchy numbers
Authors: Komatsu Takao
Published: June 2020

In 1985, Howard introduced degenerate Cauchy polynomials together with degenerate Bernoulli polynomials. His degenerate Bernoulli polynomials have been studied by many authors, but his degenerate Cauchy polynomials have been forgotten. In this paper, we introduce some kinds of hypergeometric degenerate Cauchy numbers and polynomials from the different viewpoints. By studying the properties of the first one, we give their expressions and determine the coefficients. Concerning the second one, called H-degenerate Cauchy polynomials, we show several identities and study zeta functions interpolating these polynomials.
miR-30a-3p participates in the development of asthma by targeting CCR3
Authors: Li Xiaobo , Wang Binliang , Huang Mao , Wang Xiaomi
Published: June 2020

This study aimed to investigate the role and relevant mechanism of miR-30a-3p action in asthma. The results of this study revealed that the expression levels of miR-30a-3p were significantly decreased in the peripheral blood of asthmatic patients. In addition, we found that the CC chemokine receptor (CCR3) was a target of miR-30a-3p. Subsequently, an asthma mouse model was established using ovalbumin (OVA). The results showed that the expression of miR-30a-3p and CCR3 was downregulated and upregulated, respectively, in the peripheral blood of asthmatic mice. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in asthmatic mouse serum demonstrated that miR-30a-3p mimic treatment significantly decreased the secretion of OVA-specific IgE, eotaxin-1, interleukin (IL)-5, and IL-4. These results suggested that miR-30a-3p inhibited CCR3 signaling pathway and relieved the inflammatory response against asthma in vivo. Eosinophils have also been implicated in the asthmatic inflammatory response. Therefore, the in vitro effects of miR-30a-3p on eosinophil activity were determined. Findings suggested that miR-30a-3p mimic significantly reduced eosinophil viability and migration and induced apoptosis. In addition, CCR3 and eotaxin-1 downregulation were observed. The aforementioned results were significantly reversed following CCR3 overexpression. This study suggested that miR-30a-3p was involved in asthma by regulating eosinophil activity and targeting CCR3.
One-pot synthesis of nano titanium dioxide in supercritical water
Authors: Sun Panpan , Wang Shuzhong , Li Yanhui , Zhang Tuo , Wang Dong , Zhang Baoquan , Yang Jianqiao , Xu Donghai
Published: June 2020

Supercritical hydrothermal synthesis of nanosized metal oxides is of great interest for scholars due to its one-pot and readily realizing commercial production process. Hydrothermal synthesis of nanosized TiO2 in subcritical and supercritical water was investigated with different reaction temperatures (250–450°C), time (3–10 min), precursor species (Ti(SO4)2, TiCl4), and the addition of a surfactant (CH3(CH2)5NH2). TiO2 synthesized under supercritical state has a higher degree of crystallinity when compared with TiO2 obtained from subcritical state, which is attributed to a higher reaction rate. Extending reaction time from 3 to 10 min leads to the growth of crystal and broader size distribution (36.66 ± 8.5 nm). More uniform products can be obtained when Ti(SO4)2 acting as the precursor compared with TiCl4 being the precursor. The application of surfactant CH3(CH2)5NH2 in the synthesis makes chemical bonding between the particle surface and organic ligand. It affects the growth direction of TiO2 crystal; as a result, rod-like TiO2 crystal is obtained.
The Roman Food System in Southern Pannonia (Croatia) From the 1st–4th Century A.D.
Authors: Reed Kelly , Roguljić Ivana Ožanić
Published: June 2020

Food is an excellent medium through which to explore trade, economies, migration and landscapes, yet little is known about food production and consumption in the Roman province of Pannonia. Here we explore the current evidence for agriculture, trade and diet in southern Pannonia (modern day eastern Croatia) and what this may say about life in the region. The influx of new ‘exotic’ foods and technologies had a profound influence on this region. The limited archaeobotanical data suggests complex trade and local agricultural systems that allowed large towns such as Mursa, Cibalae and Siscia to gain access to a wide range of food items. The large quantities of pottery found not only helps us understand traded goods but also the local tastes and fashions, as well as to infer the types of dishes that could have been cooked. More evidence is clearly needed in this region but what we can see so far is that urban centres along the Danube Limes were firmly integrated within the wider Roman food system and that diets were probably quite varied for many who lived there.
Negotiation of meaning in Chinese non-native speaker – Spanish native speaker communication in assessment context
Authors: Cordero Tatiana Pliego , Martín Leralta Susana
Published: June 2020

The article describes the characteristics of the negotiation of meaning (NOM) in oral interaction between native Spanish speakers and Chinese immigrant speakers of Spanish by assessing the context through 15 recordings, in which the candidates orally interacted with their interviewers. The goals of the research were to observe whether, in this context, NOM occurs; identify and classify the most frequent negotiation strategies of meaning in terms of their function; determine whether reactive negotiation strategies or preventive strategies predominate; establish which of the two interlocutors leads the negotiation; and determine whether this negotiation is effective. It has been observed that NOM is present in 11.21% of the total number of conversational turns (n= 4,379). The most frequently used strategies were confirmation check, comprehension check response, and confirmation. Of the strategies used (n= 491) by participants and interviewers to negotiate the meaning in this context, 64.95% was of a preventive nature. The NOM was effective in 90.02% of the cases.
The development of written expression in immigrant children from 6 to 9 years old
Authors: de las Fuentes Gutiérrez Elisa
Published: June 2020

This article presents the results of a pilot study carried out based on texts from 15 immigrant children aged 6 to 9 years, who are learning Spanish in situations of immersion in the Communities of Madrid and Castilla-La Mancha. The aim is to understand how these students try to integrate into the school context and especially to determine whether the development of written expression during the early years of primary education allows them to carry out more complex linguistic actions aimed at communication, such as expressing positive attitudes towards the recipient. These actions may reveal the need to communicate and, therefore, the need to learn the language in order to integrate. The texts were taken from the ESCONES Corpus and were collected in a prior study on lexical retrieval and auditory perception in the development of communicative skills in children aged 6 to 9. The analysis carried out considered the vocabulary used, syntactic complexity and the use of linguistic actions in the different grades and found that the development of written expression may allow students to better express actions related to manifesting positive feelings and attitudes towards their interlocutor.
On Music, Order, and Memory: Investigating Augustine’s Descriptive Method in the Confessions
Authors: Wiskus Jessica
Published: June 2020

Augustine’s account in the Confessions Book IX of his ecstasy at Ostia remains unsurpassed in its poetic force, yet unusual, as a description of religious experience, in two particular respects. First of all, what he describes is not a “vision” of God, but an experience of listening. Second, it is not a solitary but a shared experience (e.g., with his mother, Monica). This essay considers the significance of these two elements by analyzing the relation between his description in Book IX and the understanding of rhythm that he develops in De musica. Drawing also on Book X (on memory) and Book XI (on time-consciousness) in the Confessions, I investigate a particular type of flowing memory – what I call, “perfect” memory – that characterizes the temporally ordered movements of musical rhythm, showing that it is in this type of memory that Augustine finds God.
Noetic and Noematic Dimensions of Religious Experience
Authors: Barber Michael David
Published: June 2020

Phenomenologies of religious experience have been developed by Max Scheler and via Alfred Schutz’s frameworks of “multiple realities” and “finite provinces of meaning.” For both, religious experience resists the pragmatic imperatives of the mechanistic worldview or world of working. Schutz’s paradigm begins with a distinctive noetic religious epoché opening the religious province, in contrast with Scheler’s start with spheres of being (especially the absolute sphere) furnishing the noematic context for religious acts. Scheler’s religious act resembles the religious epoché, but his eidetic analysis highlights the act’s distinctiveness, irreducibility to non-religious acts, and immunity to psychological reductionism. Correlating the religious act with his value theory (the absolute sphere), Scheler better withstands the subordination of religion to the pragmatic imperatives and the absolute to lesser values than does a Schutzian ranking of purposes in the province’s form of spontaneity. Scheler’s absolute personal being, whose revelation one must respectfully wait, supports the Schutzian relaxed tension of consciousness. Respectfulness of persons, the social/communal/critical dimensions of religious experience, religion’s need for critique from theoretical provinces of meaning, and the wariness of idolatrously substituting one’s own finite goods for the absolute can all mitigate the religious imperialism and violence to which absolute commitments can lead.
Benefits of basic research from the Superfund Research Program
Authors: Suk William A. , Heacock Michelle L. , Trottier Brittany A. , Amolegbe Sara M. , Avakian Maureen D. , Carlin Danielle J. , Henry Heather F. , Lopez Adeline R. , Skalla Lesley A.
Published: June 2020

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Hazardous Substances Basic Research and Training Program [Superfund Research Program (SRP)] funds transdisciplinary research projects spanning the biomedical and environmental sciences to address issues related to potentially hazardous substances. We used a case study approach to identify how SRP-funded basic biomedical research has had an impact on society. We examined how transdisciplinary research projects from the SRP have advanced knowledge and led to additional clinical, public health, policy, and economic benefits. SRP basic biomedical research findings have contributed to the body of knowledge and influenced a broad range of scientific disciplines. It has informed the development of policies and interventions to reduce exposure to environmental contaminants to improve public health. Research investments by the SRP have had a significant impact on science, health, and society. Documenting the benefits of these investments provides insight into how basic research is translated to real-world applications.
Double randomization method for estimating the moments of solution to vehicular traffic problems with random parameters
Authors: Burmistrov Aleksandr , Korotchenko Mariya
Published: June 2020

In this paper we consider a Boltzmann type equation arising in the kinetic vehicle traffic flow model with an acceleration variable. The latter model is improved within the framework of the previously developed approach by introducing a set of random parameters. This enables us to take into account different types of interacting vehicles, as well as various parameters describing skills and behavior of particular drivers. We develop new Monte Carlo algorithms to evaluate probabilistic moments of linear functionals of the solution to the considered equation.
Randomized exponential transformation algorithm for solving the stochastic problems of gamma-ray transport theory
Authors: Medvedev Ilia N. , Mikhailov Gennadii A.
Published: June 2020

The paper presents a new algorithm of exponential transformation and its randomized modification with branching of a Markov chain trajectory for solving the problem of gamma-ray transport. Based on the example of radiation transfer in water, numerical study of presented algorithms is performed in comparison with standard simulation algorithms. The study of the influence of medium stochasticity on the probability of gamma-quanta passing through a thick layer of the substance is also carried out.
High order modified differential equation of the Beam–Warming method, II. The dissipative features
Authors: Shokin Yurii , Winnicki Ireneusz , Jasinski Janusz , Pietrek Slawomir
Published: June 2020

This paper is a continuation of [38]. The analysis of the modified partial differential equation (MDE) of the constant-wind-speed linear advection equation explicit difference scheme up to the eighth-order derivatives is presented. In this paper the authors focus on the dissipative features of the Beam–Warming scheme. The modified partial differential equation is presented in the so-calledΠ-form of the first differential approximation. The most important part of this form includes the coefficientsμ(p) at the space derivatives. Analysis of these coefficients provides indications of the nature of the dissipative errors. A fragment of the stencil for determining the modified differential equation for the Beam–Warming scheme is included. The derived and presented coefficientsμ(p) as well as the analysis of the dissipative features of this scheme on the basis of these coefficients have not been published so far.
Relation of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes mellitus to thyroid cancer
Authors: Grimmichova T , Haluzik M , Vondra K , Matucha P , Hill M
Published: June 2020

Objective

Patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) generally experience a higher incidence of cancer. However, the association between T2DM and thyroid cancer is inconclusive.

Methods

Case-control prospective study, where 722 patients were screened for T2DM and prediabetes (PDM) and underwent thyroid ultrasound and biochemical tests. The patients were assigned to groups of PDM (n = 55), T2DM (n = 79) or a non-diabetes group (NDM) (n = 588). Fine-needle aspiration biopsy was carried out in 263 patients. Histological examinations were done for 109 patients after surgery, with findings of 52 benign (BS) and 57 malignant tumors (MS).

Results

Thirty-three percent of patients with T2DM and especially PDM were newly diagnosed by our screening: 6.5% with T2DM and 72% with PDM, respectively. The percentage of thyroid cancers did not significantly differ between the groups (χ2 test = 0.461; P = 0.794). Relevant positive thyroid predictors for T2DM (t-statistic = 25.87; P < 0.01) and PDM (21.69; P < 0.01) contrary to NDM (−26.9; P < 0.01) were thyroid volume (4.79; P < 0.01), thyroid nodule volume (3.25; P < 0.01) and multinodular thyroid gland (4.83; P < 0.01), while negative relevant predictors included the occurrence of autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) (−2.01; P < 0.05).

Conclusion

In general, we did not observe an increased risk for thyroid cancer in the diabetic and prediabetic groups in comparison to controls, in spite of well-established increased risk for other malignancies. Structural and benign changes such as larger and multinodular thyroid glands, in comparison to autoimmune thyroid disease, are present more often in diabetics.
A registry for patients with chronic hypoparathyroidism in Russian adults
Authors: Gronskaia Sofya , Melnichenko Galina , Rozhinskaya Liudmila , Grebennikova Tatiana , Mamedova Elizaveta , Pigarova Ekaterina , Przhialkovskaya Elena , Dzeranova Larisa , Dedov Ivan , Fadeyev Valentin , Brandi Maria Luisa , Belaya Zhanna
Published: June 2020

Hypoparathyroidism and pseudohypoparathyroidism are rare endocrine disorders, characterized by low serum calcium due to inappropriate parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels or resistance to its action. There is little epidemiological information regarding chronic hypoparathyroidism in Russia. This study aims to build a registry database of Russian patients with chronic hypoparathyroidism who were referred for hospital treatment in order to conduct initial analysis of clinical presentations and hospital management. The Italian registry model was taken to be able to integrate our data in the future. Two hundred patients with hypoparathyroidism (n = 194) and pseudohypoparathyroidism (n = 6) were enrolled over 2 years (2017–2019). The most frequent cause of hypoparathyroidism was neck surgery (82.5%, mostly females), followed by idiopathic hypoparathyroidism (10%), syndromic forms of genetic hypoparathyroidism (4.5%) and forms of defective PTH action (3%). Calcium supplements and alfacalcidol were prescribed in most cases. However, a minority of patients (n = 6) needed to receive teriparatide as the only way to maintain calcium levels and to prevent symptoms of hypocalcemia. Consequently, substitution treatment with parathyroid hormone should be available in certain cases of hypoparathyroidism. This database will be useful to estimate the potential requirement for recombinant PTH in Russia and standards for clinical and therapeutic approaches.
High-Efficiency CRISPR/Cas9 Mutagenesis of the white Gene in the Milkweed Bug Oncopeltus fasciatus
Authors: Reding Katie , Pick Leslie
Published: June 2020

In this manuscript, we report that clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9 is highly efficient in the hemipteran Oncopeltus fasciatus. The white gene is well characterized in Drosophila where mutation causes loss of eye pigmentation; white is a reliable marker for transgenesis and other genetic manipulations. Accordingly, white has been targeted in a number of nonmodel insects to establish tools for genetic studies. Here, we generated mutations in the Of-white (Of-w) locus using CRISPR/Cas9. We found that Of-w is required for pigmentation throughout the body of Oncopeltus, not just the ommatidia. High rates of somatic mosaicism were observed in the injected generation, reflecting biallelic mutations, and a high rate of germline mutation was evidenced by the large proportion of heterozygous G1s. However, Of-w mutations are homozygous lethal; G2 homozygotes lacked pigment dispersion throughout the body and did not hatch, precluding the establishment of a stable mutant line. Embryonic and parental RNA interference (RNAi) were subsequently performed to rule out off-target mutations producing the observed phenotype and to evaluate the efficacy of RNAi in ablating gene function compared to a loss-of-function mutation. RNAi knockdowns phenocopied Of-w homozygotes, with an unusual accumulation of orange granules observed in unhatched embryos. This is, to our knowledge, the first CRISPR/Cas9-targeted mutation generated in Oncopeltus. While we were unable to establish white as a useful visible marker for Oncopeltus, these findings are instructive for the selection of visible markers in nonmodel species and reveal an unusual role for an ortholog of a classic Drosophila gene.
Updated Strategies for Pulse Oximetry Screening for Critical Congenital Heart Disease
Authors: Martin Gerard R. , Ewer Andrew K. , Gaviglio Amy , Hom Lisa A. , Saarinen Annamarie , Sontag Marci , Burns Kristin M. , Kemper Alex R. , Oster Matthew E.
Published: June 2020

Seven years after its addition to the US Recommended Uniform Screening Panel, newborn screening for critical congenital heart disease (CCHD) using pulse oximetry became mandatory in the United States. Although CCHD newborn screening reduces morbidity and mortality, there remain important opportunities to improve. An expert panel convened for a 1-day meeting in September 2018, including subject matter experts and representatives from stakeholder organizations. Presentations on CCHD outcomes, variations in approach to screening, and data and quality improvement helped identify improvement opportunities. The expert panel concluded that sufficient evidence exists to recommend modifying the current American Academy of Pediatrics algorithm by (1) requiring an oxygen saturation of at least 95% in both (formerly either) the upper and lower extremities to pass and (2) requiring only 1 repeat screen instead of 2 for cases that neither pass nor fail initially. The panel underscored the importance of improving public health reporting by further specifying the targets of screening and criteria for reporting outcomes (false-negative and false-positive cases). The panel also highlighted the need to ensure sufficient public health funding for CCHD newborn screening and opportunities for education and global implementation. Newborn screening for CCHD using pulse oximetry has led to significant improvements in child health outcomes. However, further important work is required to understand and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of screening.