bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Absence of hydrothermal oxygen isotope variations in host rocks supports magmatic origin of the giant Grängesberg iron oxide–apatite (IOA) deposit, Central Sweden
Authors: Weis Franz , Troll Valentin R. , Jonsson Erik , Högdahl Karin , Harris Chris , Sun Weian , Nilsson Katarina P. , Dahrén Börje
Published: November 2021

The origin of Kiruna-type iron oxide–apatite ores is controversial, and debate presently centres on a ‘magmatic’ versus a ‘hydrothermal’ mode of formation. To complement recent investigations on the Grängesberg iron oxide–apatite ore deposit in the northwestern part of the Palaeoproterozoic Bergslagen ore province in central Sweden, we investigated the oxygen isotope composition of the host rocks of this large iron oxide–apatite ore body. As the metavolcanic and metagranitoid country rocks around the Grängesberg ore body either pre-date or are coeval with ore formation, they would be expected to record an extensive isotopic imprint if the ore body had formed by large-scale hydrothermal processes involving an externally sourced fluid. A direct magmatic formation process, in turn, would have produced localized alteration only, concentrated on the immediate vicinity of the ore body. Here, we test these two hypotheses by assessing the oxygen isotope variations in the host rocks around the main Grängesberg iron oxide–apatite ore body. We analysed oxygen isotopes in quartz from metavolcanic (n = 17) and metagranitoid host rocks (n = 14) from the vicinity of the ore body, and up to 2 km distance along and across the strike of the ore body. Remarkably, we find no significant variation in δ18O values with distance from the ore body, or any deviations in country rock δ18O from common magmatic and/or regional values. Only two samples show shifts to values more negative than the common magmatic range, indicating highly localized hydrothermal overprint only. As a large-scale, low-temperature hydrothermal origin of the ore body through voluminous fluid percolation would be expected to have left a distinct imprint on the oxygen isotope values of the country rocks, our results are more consistent with an ortho-magmatic origin for the Grängesberg iron oxide–apatite ore.
The effect of posterior compression of the facet joints for initial stability and sagittal profile in the treatment of thoracolumbar fractures: a biomechanical study
Authors: Ruf Michael , Pitzen Tobias , Nennstiel Ivo , Volkheimer David , Drumm Jörg , Püschel Klaus , Wilke Hans-Joachim
Published: November 2021

Purpose

Surgical treatment of thoracolumbar A3-fractures usually comprises posterior fixation—in neutral position or distraction—potentially followed by subsequent anterior support. We hypothesized that additional posterior compression in circumferential stabilization may increase stability by locking the facets, and better restore the sagittal profile.

Methods

Burst fractures Type A3 were created in six fresh frozen cadaver spine segments (T12–L2). Testing was performed in a custom-made spinal loading simulator. Loads were applied as pure bending moments of ± 3.75 Nm in all six movement axes. We checked range of motion, neutral zone and Cobb’s angle over the injured/treated segment within the following conditions: Intact, fractured, instrumented in neutral alignment, instrumented in distraction, with cage left in posterior distraction, with cage with posterior compression.

Results

We found that both types of instrumentation with cage stabilized the segment compared to the fractured state in all motion planes. For flexion/extension and lateral bending, flexibility was decreased even compared to the intact state, however, not in axial rotation, being the most critical movement axis. Additional posterior compression in the presence of a cage significantly decreased flexibility in axial rotation, thus achieving stability comparable to the intact state even in this movement axis. In addition, posterior compression with cage significantly increased lordosis compared to the distracted state.

Conclusion

Among different surgical modifications tested, circumferential fixation with final posterior compression as the last step resulted in superior stability and improved sagittal alignment. Thus, posterior compression as the last step is recommended in these pathologies.
Outcomes of long-term nivolumab and subsequent chemotherapy in Japanese patients with head and neck cancer: 2-year follow-up from a multicenter real-world study
Authors: Yasumatsu Ryuji , Shimizu Yasushi , Hanai Nobuhiro , Kariya Shin , Yokota Tomoya , Fujii Takashi , Tsukahara Kiyoaki , Ando Mizuo , Hanyu Kenji , Ueda Tsutomu , Hirakawa Hitoshi , Takahashi Shunji , Ono Takeharu , Sano Daisuke , Yamauchi Moriyasu , Watanabe Akihito , Omori Koichi , Yamazaki Tomoko , Monden Nobuya , Kudo Naomi , Arai Makoto , Yonekura Syuji , Asakage Takahiro , Nekado Takahiro , Yamada Takayuki , Homma Akihiro
Published: November 2021

Background

We have previously reported the effectiveness and safety of nivolumab in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) in real-world clinical practice in Japan. Here, we report long-term outcomes from this study in the overall population and subgroups stratified by subsequent chemotherapy.

Methods

In this multicenter, retrospective observational study, Japanese patients with recurrent or metastatic (R/M) HNC receiving nivolumab were followed up for 2 years. Effectiveness endpoints included overall survival (OS), OS rate, progression-free survival (PFS), and PFS rate. Safety endpoints included the incidence of immune-related adverse events (irAEs).

Results

Overall, 256 patients received a median of 6.0 doses (range: 1–52) of nivolumab over a median duration of 72.5 days (range: 1–736). Median OS was 9.5 months [95% confidence interval (CI) 8.2–12.0] and median PFS was 2.1 months (95% CI 1.8–2.7). A significant difference between 2-year survivors (n = 62) and non-2-year survivors was observed by median age (P = 0.0227) and ECOG PS (P = 0.0001). Of 95 patients who received subsequent chemotherapy, 54.7% received paclitaxel ± cetuximab. The median OS and PFS from the start of paclitaxel ± cetuximab were 6.9 months (95% CI 5.9–11.9) and 3.5 months (95% CI 2.3–5.5), respectively. IrAEs were reported in 17.2% of patients. Endocrine (7.0%) and lung (4.3%) disorders were the most common irAEs; kidney disorder (n = 1) was newly identified in this follow-up analysis.

Conclusions

Results demonstrated the long-term effectiveness of nivolumab and potential effectiveness of subsequent chemotherapy in patients with R/M HNC in the real-world setting. Safety was consistent with that over the 1-year follow-up.
Seasonal dynamics on nutritive value, chemical estimates and in vitro dry matter degradability of some woody species found in rangelands of South Africa
Authors: Ravhuhali Khuliso Emmanuel , Msiza Ntokozo Happy , Mudau Humbelani Silas
Published: November 2021

Unlocking browse species in semi-arid regions can be a key to improving the livestock productivity. The research was conducted to assess the browse species variation in chemical composition and in vitro dry matter degradability as influenced by seasonal (summer and winter) changes. Leaves from ten randomly selected browsable trees from sixteen species (Vachellia karroo, Senegalia nigrescens, Vachellia nilotica, Balanites maughamii, Berchemia discolor, Berchemia zeyheri, Bridelia mollis, Combretum collinum, Combretum imberbe, Dalbergia melanoxylon, Dichrostachys cinerea, Grewia monticola, Grewia occidentalis, Melia azedarach, Ormocarpum kirkii and Ziziphus mucronata) were harvested before defoliation from the site in two seasons (summer and winter) and dried at room temperature and then ground for analysis. Two-way analysis was used to analyse chemical composition and in vitro ruminal dry matter degradability. Melia azedarach (343.7 g/kg DM) had the highest (p < 0.0001) CP content in summer. In winter, B. maughamii (210.3 g/kg DM) had the highest (p < 0.05) crude protein content. Combretum collinum (2.90 Mcal/kg) had a highest (p < 0.0001) metabolizable energy value in summer. Bridelia mollis, B. maughamii, B. discolor, C. collinum, C. imberbe, O. kirkii, S. nigrescens, V. nilotica, G. occidentalis and B. zeyheri had the same (p > 0.0001) dry matter degradability (DMD) 48 values across two seasons. In both seasons, most of these browse species have the potential to supplement low quality natural grasses because they go beyond the minimum requirement of protein and have coherent amounts of fibre concentration. There is a need to assess the bioactive compounds found in these browse species for the amelioration and also to maximize browsing of these species.
Modified Traces and the Nakayama Functor
Authors: Shibata Taiki , Shimizu Kenichi
Published: November 2021

We organize the modified trace theory with the use of the Nakayama functor of finite abelian categories. For a linear right exact functor Σ on a finite abelian category ${\mathscr{M}}$
M
, we introduce the notion of a Σ-twisted trace on the class $\text {Proj}({\mathscr{M}})$
Proj
(
M
)
of projective objects of ${\mathscr{M}}$
M
. In our framework, there is a one-to-one correspondence between the set of Σ-twisted traces on $\text {Proj}({\mathscr{M}})$
Proj
(
M
)
and the set of natural transformations from Σ to the Nakayama functor of ${\mathscr{M}}$
M
. Non-degeneracy and compatibility with the module structure (when ${\mathscr{M}}$
M
is a module category over a finite tensor category) of a Σ-twisted trace can be written down in terms of the corresponding natural transformation. As an application of this principal, we give existence and uniqueness criteria for modified traces. In particular, a unimodular pivotal finite tensor category admits a non-zero two-sided modified trace if and only if it is spherical. Also, a ribbon finite tensor category admits such a trace if and only if it is unimodular.
Reliability and efficiency of corneal thickness measurements using sterile donor tomography in the eye bank
Authors: Hamon Loïc , Quintin Adrien , Mäurer Stephanie , Weinstein Isabel , Langenbucher Achim , Seitz Berthold , Daas Loay
Published: November 2021

To evaluate the reliability and efficiency of sterile pachymetric measurements of donor corneas based on tomographic data using two different methods: a “manual” and a “(semi-)automated” method. Twenty-five (25) donor corneas (50%) stored in MI and 25 (50%) in MII were imaged 5 times consecutively using an anterior segment OCT (AS-OCT). The central corneal thickness (CCT) was measured both with the manual measurement tool of the AS-OCT (= CCTm) and with a MATLAB self-programmed software allowing (semi-)automated analysis (= CCTa). We analyzed the reliability of CCTm and CCTa using Cronbach´s alpha (α) and Wilcoxon signed-Rank Test.
Concerning CCTm, 68 measurements (54.4%) in MI and 46 (36.8%) in MII presented distortions in the imaged 3D-volumes and were discarded. Concerning CCTa, 5 (4%) in MI and 1 (0.8%) in MII were not analyzable. The mean (± SD) CCTm was 1129 ± 6.8 in MI and 820 ± 5.1 µm in MII. The mean CCTa was 1149 ± 2.7 and 811 ± 2.4 µm, respectively. Both methods showed a high reliability with a Cronbach´s α for CCTm of 1.0 (MI/MII) and for CCTa of 0.99 (MI) and 1.0 (MII). Nevertheless, the mean SD of the 5 measurements was significantly higher for CCTm compared to CCTa in MI (p = 0.03), but not in MII (p = 0.92).
Sterile donor tomography proves to be highly reliable for assessment of CCT with both methods. However, due to frequent distortions regarding the manual method, the (semi-)automated method is more efficient and should be preferred.
Introducing Statistical Inference: Design of a Theoretically and Empirically Based Learning Trajectory
Authors: van Dijke-Droogers Marianne , Drijvers Paul , Bakker Arthur
Published: November 2021

This paper comprises the results of a design study that aims at developing a theoretically and empirically based learning trajectory on statistical inference for 9th-grade students. Based on theories of informal statistical inference, an 8-step learning trajectory was designed. The trajectory consisted of two similar four step sequences: (1) experimenting with a physical black box, (2) visualizing distributions, (3) examining sampling distributions using simulation software, and (4) interpreting sampling distributions to make inferences in real -life contexts. Sequence I included only categorical data and Sequence II regarded numerical data. The learning trajectory was implemented in an intervention among 267 students. To examine the effects of the trajectory on students’ understanding of statistical inference, we analyzed their posttest results after the intervention. To investigate how the stepwise trajectory fostered the learning process, students’ worksheets during each learning step were analyzed. The posttest results showed that students who followed the learning trajectory scored significantly higher on statistical inference and on concepts related to each step than students of a comparison group (n = 217) who followed the regular curriculum. Worksheet analysis demonstrated that the 8-step trajectory was beneficial to students’ learning processes. We conclude that ideas of repeated sampling with a black box and statistical modeling seem fruitful for introducing statistical inference. Both ideas invite more advanced follow-up activities, such as hypothesis testing and comparing groups. This suggests that statistics curricula with a descriptive focus can be transformed to a more inferential focus, to anticipate on subsequent steps in students’ statistics education.
Genetic Testing in Patients with Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Experience of 511 Patients at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
Authors: Du Xiaoli , Glass Jennifer Elaine , Balow Stephanie , Dyer Lisa M. , Rathbun Pamela A. , Guan Qiaoning , Liu Jie , Wu Yaning , Dawson D. Brian , Walters-Sen Lauren , Smolarek Teresa A. , Zhang Wenying
Published: November 2021

Our institution developed and continuously improved a Neurodevelopmental Reflex (NDR) algorithm to help physicians with genetic test ordering for neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). To assess its performance, we performed a retrospective study of 511 patients tested through NDR from 2018 to 2019. SNP Microarray identified pathogenic/likely pathogenic copy number variations in 27/511 cases (5.28%). Among the 484 patients tested for Fragile X FMR1 CGG repeats, a diagnosis (0.20%) was established for one male mosaic for a full mutation, a premutation, and a one-CGG allele. Within the 101 normocephalic female patients tested for MECP2, two patients were found to carry pathogenic variants (1.98%). This retrospective study suggested the NDR algorithm effectively established diagnoses for patients with NDDs with a yield of 5.87%.
Performance of a machine-learning algorithm to predict hypotension in mechanically ventilated patients with COVID-19 admitted to the intensive care unit: a cohort study
Authors: van der Ven Ward H. , Terwindt Lotte E. , Risvanoglu Nurseda , Ie Evy L. K. , Wijnberge Marije , Veelo Denise P. , Geerts Bart F. , Vlaar Alexander P. J. , van der Ster Björn J. P.
Published: November 2021

The Hypotension Prediction Index (HPI) is a commercially available machine-learning algorithm that provides warnings for impending hypotension, based on real-time arterial waveform analysis. The HPI was developed with arterial waveform data of surgical and intensive care unit (ICU) patients, but has never been externally validated in the latter group. In this study, we evaluated diagnostic ability of the HPI with invasively collected arterial blood pressure data in 41 patients with COVID-19 admitted to the ICU for mechanical ventilation. Predictive ability was evaluated at HPI thresholds from 0 to 100, at incremental intervals of 5. After exceeding the studied threshold, the next 20 min were screened for positive (mean arterial pressure (MAP) < 65 mmHg for at least 1 min) or negative (absence of MAP < 65 mmHg for at least 1 min) events. Subsequently, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and time to event were determined for every threshold. Almost all patients (93%) experienced at least one hypotensive event. Median number of events was 21 [7–54] and time spent in hypotension was 114 min [20–303]. The optimal threshold was 90, with a sensitivity of 0.91 (95% confidence interval 0.81–0.98), specificity of 0.87 (0.81–0.92), PPV of 0.69 (0.61–0.77), NPV of 0.99 (0.97–1.00), and median time to event of 3.93 min (3.72–4.15). Discrimination ability of the HPI was excellent, with an area under the curve of 0.95 (0.93–0.97). This validation study shows that the HPI correctly predicts hypotension in mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients in the ICU, and provides a basis for future studies to assess whether hypotension can be reduced in ICU patients using this algorithm.
Student Primary Teachers’ Knowledge and Attitudes Towards Biotechnology—Are They Prepared to Teach Biotechnological Literacy?
Authors: de la Hoz Marina Casanoves , Solé-Llussà Anna , Haro Juan , Gericke Niklas , Valls Cristina
Published: November 2021

The speed of development of biotechnology within agriculture, industry, and medicine has changed our lives, and we need a biotechnological literacy to understand it. This implies that teachers in primary schools need to be biotechnologically literate in order to educate future generations. The aim of this study was to investigate Swedish pre-service primary school teachers’ knowledge of and attitudes towards biotechnology and contextualize the results by comparing them with a corresponding group of Spanish teachers. Data was collected using the established questionnaire instrument Biotech XXI and analyzed statistically. The findings demonstrate that Swedish pre-service primary school teachers have knowledge gaps relating to the basic genetic concepts that underpin biotechnology, although they are aware of biotechnological applications. Their attitudes are quite positive towards biotechnological applications in health, but less so to buying and using genetically modified products. Higher levels of knowledge were correlated with more positive attitudes, indicating an attitudinal basis for expanding the knowledge of and teaching practices for biotechnology among primary teachers. The level of knowledge and attitudes in the Swedish sample were similar to those of the Spanish teachers, suggesting a similar situation may be prevalent in many countries. The results indicate a need to reconsider the science curricula within pre-service primary school teacher training programs in order to better prepare primary teachers for teaching biotechnological literacy.
Kinematic Control of Manipulator with Remote Center of Motion Constraints Synthesised by a Simplified Recurrent Neural Network
Authors: Li Zhan , Li Shuai
Published: November 2021

Redundancy manipulators need favorable redundancy resolution to obtain suitable control actions to guarantee accurate kinematic control. Among numerous kinematic control applications, some specific tasks such as minimally invasive manipulation/surgery require the distal link of a manipulator to translate along such fixed point. Such a point is known as remote center of motion (RCM) to constrain motion planning and kinematic control of manipulators. Recurrent neural network (RNN) which possesses parallel processing ability, is a powerful alternative and has achieved success in conventional redundancy resolution and kinematic control with physical constraints of joint limits. However, up to now, there still is few related works on the RNNs for redundancy resolution and kinematic control of manipulators with RCM constraints considered yet. In this paper, for the first time, an RNN-based approach with a simplified neural network architecture is proposed to solve the redundancy resolution issue with RCM constraints, with a new and general dynamic optimization formulation containing the RCM constraints investigated. Theoretical results analyze and convergence properties of the proposed simplified RNN for redundancy resolution of manipulators with RCM constraints. Simulation results further demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed method in end-effector path tracking control under RCM constraints based on a redundant manipulator.
Grammars of “Onlife” Identities: Educational Re-significations
Authors: Sánchez-Rojo Alberto , García del Dujo Ángel , Muñoz-Rodríguez José Manuel , Dacosta Arsenio
Published: November 2021

Identity has been widely understood in Western societies as a specular construction that operates simultaneously both from within and from outside oneself. However, this process is fiercely changing in a world in which almost every human action is mediated by information and communication technologies. This paper, from a theoretical perspective, aims to discover the main educational implications of this change. For that purpose, we first consider the traditional meaning and process of forming the self in Western culture. Afterwards, we identify and describe the mechanisms for the construction of the self in our current context, highlighting the fact that technologies, in themselves and regardless of the use we make of them, hide implications. Taking this into account, we show to what extent the current development of the self presents shades, conflicts and tangible risks from an educational perspective. We finally conclude that it is essential to promote an education on technology that goes beyond the use regulation in which, up to now, it has been solely focused on.
Investigation of the Interaction, Rheological and Tribological Properties of Bis(pinacolato)diboron with Lithium Grease
Authors: Ren J. , Gong K. L. , Zhao G. Q. , Wu X. H. , Wang X. B.
Published: November 2021

In this article, Lewis acid–base complex of lithium 12-hydroxystearate (LHS) with diboron compound is formed by the introduction of bis(pinacolato)diboron (B2Pin2) into lithium grease. The interaction between Lewis acid B2Pin2 and Lewis base RCO2− of LHS is characterized by various techniques. Moreover, the rheological and tribological behaviors of the base grease are evaluated at low and moderate temperature. The results indicate that the addition of B2Pin2 can noticeably enhance the rheological property of the base grease because the formation of Lewis acid–base complex is beneficial for improving the soap fiber structure strength, and B2Pin2 could also help reduce the friction and wear of the grease during the sliding process, which likely owing to the boundary lubrication film generated by B2Pin2 adsorption on the rubbing surface and tribochemical reaction between borate esters and steel surfaces. The improvement of mechanical stability and tribological properties is beneficial to increasing the grease service life.

Graphical Abstract
Development of a Protective Coating for Evaluating the Sub-surface Microstructure of a Worn Material
Authors: Nayak U. Pranav , Webel Johannes , Pesnel Valentin , Mücklich Frank , Guitar María Agustina
Published: November 2021

In the current study, electrolytic deposition using two different electrodes, copper (Cu) and nickel (Ni) was investigated with the aim of protecting the worn surface during mechanical sectioning and polishing, for a posterior examination of the sub-surface microstructure. The efficacies of the two coatings were visually assessed based on its adhesivity and the ability to protect the wear tracks of an as-cast 26% Cr high chromium cast iron (HCCI) alloy. It was observed that electrodeposition using Cu as the electrode was ineffective owing to a poor adhesivity of the coating on the HCCI surface. The coating had peeled off at several regions across the cross-section during the mechanical sectioning. On the other hand, Ni electroplating using Ni strike as the electrolyte was successfully able to protect the wear track, and the sub-surface characteristics of the wear track could be clearly visualized. A uniform coating thickness of about 8 µm was deposited after 30–40 min with the current density maintained between 1 and 5 A/dm2. The presence of the Ni coating also acted as a protective barrier preventing the ejection of the broken carbide fragments underneath the wear track.
Multi-robot task allocation problem with multiple nonlinear criteria using branch and bound and genetic algorithms
Authors: Martin J. G. , Frejo J. R. D. , García R. A. , Camacho E. F.
Published: November 2021

The paper proposes the formulation of a single-task robot (ST), single-robot task (SR), time-extended assignment (TA), multi-robot task allocation (MRTA) problem with multiple, nonlinear criteria using discrete variables that drastically reduce the computation burden. Obtaining an allocation is addressed by a Branch and Bound (B&B) algorithm in low scale problems and by a genetic algorithm (GA) specifically developed for the proposed formulation in larger scale problems. The GA crossover and mutation strategies design ensure that the descendant allocations of each generation will maintain a certain level of feasibility, reducing greatly the range of possible descendants, and accelerating their convergence to a sub-optimal allocation. The proposed MRTA algorithms are simulated and analyzed in the context of a thermosolar power plant, for which the spatially distributed Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI) is estimated using a heterogeneous fleet composed of both aerial and ground unmanned vehicles. Three optimization criteria are simultaneously considered: distance traveled, time required to complete the task and energetic feasibility. Even though this paper uses a thermosolar power plant as a case study, the proposed algorithms can be applied to any MRTA problem that uses a multi-criteria and nonlinear cost function in an equivalent way. The performance and response of the proposed algorithms are compared for four different scenarios. The results show that the B&B algorithm can find the global optimal solution in a reasonable time for a case with four robots and six tasks. For larger problems, the genetic algorithm approaches the global optimal solution in much less computation time. Moreover, the trade-off between computation time and accuracy can be easily carried out by tuning the parameters of the genetic algorithm according to the available computational power.
How Local Interactions Impact the Dynamics of an Epidemic
Authors: Wren Lydia , Best Alex
Published: November 2021

Susceptible–Infected–Recovered (SIR) models have long formed the basis for exploring epidemiological dynamics in a range of contexts, including infectious disease spread in human populations. Classic SIR models take a mean-field assumption, such that a susceptible individual has an equal chance of catching the disease from any infected individual in the population. In reality, spatial and social structure will drive most instances of disease transmission. Here we explore the impacts of including spatial structure in a simple SIR model. We combine an approximate mathematical model (using a pair approximation) and stochastic simulations to consider the impact of increasingly local interactions on the epidemic. Our key development is to allow not just extremes of ‘local’ (neighbour-to-neighbour) or ‘global’ (random) transmission, but all points in between. We find that even medium degrees of local interactions produce epidemics highly similar to those with entirely global interactions, and only once interactions are predominantly local do epidemics become substantially lower and later. We also show how intervention strategies to impose local interactions on a population must be introduced early if significant impacts are to be seen.
Nanostructuring of Nb-Si-Cr Alloys by Electron Beam Melting to Improve the Mechanical Properties and the Oxidation Behavior
Authors: Förner A. , Vollhüter J. , Hausmann D. , Arnold C. , Felfer P. , Neumeier S. , Göken M.
Published: November 2021

Materials processed by additive manufacturing often exhibit a very fine-scaled microstructures due to high cooling rates in the process. In this study, single-layer surface electron beam melting is used to create very high cooling rates similar to additive manufacturing processes to investigate the resulting microstructure. In the case of Nb-Si-Cr in-situ composites, a nano-scaled eutectic microstructure is beneficial for improving the mechanical and oxidational properties. Fast solidification results in the formation of supersaturated phases of Nbss and Cr2Nb with phase diameters down to 10 nm as well as in the stabilization of the metastable Nb9(Cr,Si)5 phase at room temperature. After processing with different solidification rates, the decomposition of the Nb9(Cr,Si)5 phase has been studied in detail with atom probe microscopy. The stabilization of mixed silicide phases by electron beam melting shows a new pathway for improving hardness and enhancing oxidation resistance of nanostructured eutectic in-situ composites, by which the inherent weaknesses of Nb-Si-Cr can be overcome without further alloying elements.

Graphical Abstract
Statistical Shape and Appearance Models: Development Towards Improved Osteoporosis Care
Authors: Grassi Lorenzo , Väänänen Sami P. , Isaksson Hanna
Published: November 2021

Purpose of Review

Statistical models of shape and appearance have increased their popularity since the 1990s and are today highly prevalent in the field of medical image analysis. In this article, we review the recent literature about how statistical models have been applied in the context of osteoporosis and fracture risk estimation.

Recent Findings

Recent developments have increased their ability to accurately segment bones, as well as to perform 3D reconstruction and classify bone anatomies, all features of high interest in the field of osteoporosis and fragility fractures diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. An increasing number of studies used statistical models to estimate fracture risk in retrospective case-control cohorts, which is a promising step towards future clinical application.

All the reviewed application areas made considerable steps forward in the past 5–6 years. Heterogeneities in validation hinder a thorough comparison between the different methods and represent one of the future challenges to be addressed to reach clinical implementation.
Accessing Investigational Products Outside of a Trial: Considerations for Neuromuscular Providers
Authors: Bedlack R. S. , Cudkowicz M. E. , Paganoni S. , Khan-Tareen H. , Andrews J. A.
Published: November 2021

Purpose of Review

People with fatal neuromuscular diseases such as ALS want to access investigational products. Trials are our preferred pathway for this, but most people with these diseases will not be able to participate due to restrictive inclusion criteria, travel burdens, or design features they will not accept. This leaves FDA Expanded Access Programs (EAPs), the Right To Try (RTT) pathway, and self-purchase of alternative and off-label treatments (AOTs).

Recent Findings

A recent survey highlighted physician barriers to the above pathways, including lack of knowledge and concerns about time burdens and risks. Emerging resources are highlighted that can mitigate some of these concerns.

With the information in this chapter, we hope that neuromuscular clinicians will feel more knowledgeable and confident in supporting patient request for investigational products.
Potential impact of additive manufacturing and topology optimization inspired lightweight design on vehicle track performance
Authors: Tschorn Jan A. , Fuchs Daniel , Vietor Thomas
Published: November 2021

This paper describes an interactive approach for analyzing the impact of the enhanced design freedom in additive manufacturing (AM) combined with topology optimization. The main goal is to identify weight saving potentials on a holistic vehicle level and evaluate the influence on vehicle performance by means of lap time savings. Therefore lightweight use cases enabled by AM are gathered in a database. Projecting the weight reduction rates of this database to a sports car as reference vehicle by means of a weight list, CAD data and a part relation analysis leads to an overall weight saving potential. This analysis shows significant weight saving potentials for each technical section of an already lightweight design focused sports car, namely the Bugatti Chiron. The improvement in track performance considering the weight savings is put into perspective by means of lap time simulation on the Nürburgring Nordschleife and corroborate the identified weight saving potentials.
How to show empathy as a coach: The effects of coaches’ imagine-self versus imagine-other empathy on the client’s self-change and coaching outcome
Authors: Diller Sandra J. , Mühlberger Christina , Löhlau Nele , Jonas Eva
Published: November 2021

Cognitive empathy, expressed as either imagine-self (imagining oneself in the other’s situation) or imagine-other (imagining the other person in his/her situation) empathy, is essential for self-change and satisfaction in coaching. In two studies, we investigated the difference between coaches’ imagine-self versus imagine-other empathy. In a survey study (N1 = 242), we found that the more important coaches perceived the client’s self-change, the more valuable they not only rated empathy in general but also imagine-other (but not imagine-self) empathy in particular. In an experimental study (N2 = 57), we manipulated the coaches’ imagine-self versus imagine-other empathy and examined the effect on the clients’ self-change and coaching satisfaction. The results revealed a positive effect of imagine-other (but not imagine-self) empathy on these coaching outcome factors. Thus, one main practical implication is the relevance of showing imagine-other instead of imagine-self empathy as a coach. However, future research should investigate other personnel development approaches like mentoring or training with regard to imagine-self versus imagine-other empathy.
A multipopulation evolutionary framework with Steffensen’s method for dynamic multiobjective optimization problems
Authors: Liu Tianyu , Cao Lei , Wang Zhu
Published: November 2021

Dynamic multiobjective optimization problems (DMOPs) require the evolutionary algorithms that can track the moving Pareto-optimal fronts efficiently. This paper presents a dynamic multiobjective evolutionary framework (DMOEF-MS), which adopts a novel multipopulation structure and Steffensen’s method to solve DMOPs. In DMOEF-MS, only one population deals with the original DMOP, while the others focus on single-objective problems that are generated by the weighted summation of the original DMOP. Then, Steffensen’s method is used to control the evolving process in two ways: prediction and diversity-maintenance. Particularly, the prediction strategy is devised to predict the next promising positions for the individuals that handle single-objective problems, and the diversity-maintenance strategy is used to increase population diversity before the environment changes and reinitialize the multiple populations after the environment changes. This paper gives a comprehensive comparison of DMOEF-MS with some state-of-the-art DMOEAs on 14 DMOPs and the experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
EvolveCluster: an evolutionary clustering algorithm for streaming data
Authors: Nordahl Christian , Boeva Veselka , Grahn Håkan , Persson Netz Marie
Published: November 2021

Data has become an integral part of our society in the past years, arriving faster and in larger quantities than before. Traditional clustering algorithms rely on the availability of entire datasets to model them correctly and efficiently. Such requirements are not possible in the data stream clustering scenario, where data arrives and needs to be analyzed continuously. This paper proposes a novel evolutionary clustering algorithm, entitled EvolveCluster, capable of modeling evolving data streams. We compare EvolveCluster against two other evolutionary clustering algorithms, PivotBiCluster and Split-Merge Evolutionary Clustering, by conducting experiments on three different datasets. Furthermore, we perform additional experiments on EvolveCluster to further evaluate its capabilities on clustering evolving data streams. Our results show that EvolveCluster manages to capture evolving data stream behaviors and adapts accordingly.
Inhibition of FOSL2 aggravates the apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells by promoting the formation of inflammasomes
Authors: Li Jie , Zhou Li , Jiang Hongye , Lin Lin , Li Yinguang
Published: November 2021

Background

Ovarian cancer is a common gynecological malignancy among female patients and poses a serious threat to women’s health. Although it has been established that Fos-like antigen 2 (FOSL2) is linked to ovarian cancer (OC), its exact role in the development of OC remains unknown.

Objective

This article aims to investigate the role of FOSL2 in ovarian cancer development.

Methods

FOSL2 expression in ovarian carcinoma and adjacent tissues was assessed using real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR and western blot. We constructed OE/sh-FOSL2 plasmids and Caspase-1 specific inhibitors (Yvad-CMK) and transfected A 2780 cells with them to identify the relevant cell functions. Furthermore, we used western blot assay to determine the changes in expression of apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD (ASC), cysteine aspartate-specific proteasezymogen procaspase 1 (pro-caspase-1), cysteinyl aspartate-specific proteinase-1 (caspase-1), interleukin-1β precursor (pro-IL-1β), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-18 precursor (pro-IL-18), and interleukin-18 (IL-18). In addition, we measured the concentration of IL-1β and IL-18 using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Moreover, Tthe level of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in the cell supernatant was measured by LDH release assay kit.

Results

The expression of FOSL2 was significantly higher compared with the surrounding tissues. The proliferation, migration, and invasion of A2780 cells were enhanced after transfection with OE-FOSL2 plasmids; however, the cell apoptosis was significantly decreased. When FOSL2 was overexpressed, the inflammasome-associated proteins such as ASC, caspase-1, IL-1β, and IL-18 were downregulated. Furthermore, FOSL2 induced apoptosis and activated the production of inflammasomes in A2780 cells. Co-therapy with Yvad-CMK and substantially inhibited apoptosis and activation of inflammasomes.

Conclusions

Inhibition of FOSL2 promotes the apoptosis of OC cells by mediating the formation of an inflammasome.
Kinetic and thermal simulation of water droplets in icing wind tunnels
Authors: Fallast A. , Rapf A. R. , Tramposch A. , Hassler W.
Published: November 2021

Within the certification process of aircraft, tests under specific icing conditions are required. For such safety relevant tests—which are performed under defined and repeatable test conditions—specially equipped Icing Wind Tunnels (IWT) are required. In such IWTs, supercooled water droplets are created with the aid of a spray system injecting pre-tempered water droplets of specific diameters into the free stream air flow. Especially tests with a droplet size up to 2mm (Supercooled Large Droplets - SLDs) are of great importance. SLDs are difficult to generate under laboratory conditions in IWT since usually the available droplet flight time from the injection location to the impact position on the test object is insufficient to reliably cool down a droplet at least to freezing temperature. To investigate the limitations associated with the application of SLD, the current work provides a method to allow detailed insight into the behavior of droplets on the path from the injection spray nozzle to the test section. In this work a state space model of a single droplet is derived that combines the kinetic aspects, thermal properties as well as the governing differential equations for motion, convective heat transfer at the droplet surface and heat conduction inside the droplet. Beside the states for the droplet’s position and velocity in space, the state space vector comprises various fluid and thermodynamic parameters. The droplet-internal temperature distribution is modelled by a discrete one-dimensional spherical shell model that also incorporates the aggregate phase (freezing mass fraction) at each shell node. This approach allows, therefore, the simulation of potential droplet phase change processes (freezing/melting) as well. With the model at hand, the influence of various boundary conditions (initial droplet temperature, flow field, ambient air temperature, etc.) can be determined and evaluated. As a result, concrete measures to achieve a desired operating condition (e.g. droplet temperature at the test object) for various model assumptions can be derived. In addition, the simulation model facilitates the prediction of the droplet diameter threshold for ensuring a supercooled state upon the impact on the test object. The governing theoretical influences are described, and various simulation results for representative test conditions that occur at the Rail-Tec-Arsenal (RTA) in Vienna are presented.
Interest of researchers in ultrasound systems for risk stratification of thyroid nodules (TIRADS): a systematic review
Authors: Trimboli Pierpaolo , Ferrarazzo Giulia , Deandrea Maurilio , Camponovo Chiara , Romanelli Francesco , Piccardo Arnoldo , Durante Cosimo
Published: November 2021

Background

A number of ultrasound risk stratification systems (RSSs) of thyroid nodule, often labeled as TIRADS (Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System), have been proposed. As a consequence, an increasing number of studies have been published on this topic. This systematic review was undertaken to answer specific questions in this field: how many articles and what type of studies have been published, which TIRADSs/RSSs have preferably been discussed, and what is the geographic distribution of the publications.

Methods

The study was conducted according to PRISMA. A specific search algorithm was used. Defined selection criteria were applied.

Results

502 studies were finally included. The number of publications about TIRADSs/RSSs has increased over the time, being the Horvath TIRADS the most evaluated one. The first author of the article was from China in one fourth of cases.

Conclusions

The number of scientific articles focused on TIRADSs/RSSs is high and it has been importantly increased over the time.
Contraceptive use among women with kidney transplants in the United States
Authors: Shah Silvi , Christianson Annette L. , Bumb Shalini , Verma Prasoon
Published: November 2021

Background

Kidney transplant improves reproductive function in women with end-stage kidney disease. Little is known about contraceptive use in women with history of kidney transplants.

Methods

Using data from the United States Renal Data System, we evaluated for each calendar year women with kidney transplantation between 1/1/2005 and 12/31/2013 who were aged 15–44 years with Medicare as the primary payer and linked data from the United Network for Organ Sharing, for up to three entire years after the date of transplantation. We determined rates of contraceptive use and used multivariable logistic regression to identify factors associated with contraceptive use.

Results

The study cohort included 13,150 women and represented 26,624 person-years. The rate of contraceptive use was 9.5%. Compared to women aged 15–24 years, contraceptive use was lower in women aged 30–34 years (OR 0.67; CI 0.58–0.78), 35–39 years (OR 0.36; CI 0.31–0.43), and 40–44 years (OR 0.23; CI 0.19–0.28). Compared to white women, contraceptive use was higher both in black women (OR 1.26; CI 1.10–1.43) and Native American women (OR 1.52; CI 1.02–2.26). Women had lower rates of contraceptive use in the second-year post-transplant (OR 0.87; CI 0.79–0.94) and the third-year post-transplant (OR0.69; CI 0.62–0.76) than in the first-year post-transplant. Women with a history of diabetes had a lower likelihood of contraceptive use (OR 0.80; CI 0.65–0.99).

Conclusion

Among women with kidney transplants, contraceptive use remains low at 9.5%. Factors associated with a higher likelihood of contraceptive use include younger age and black and Native American race/ethnicity; and second- and third-year post-transplant. The history of diabetes is associated with a lower likelihood of contraceptive use. The study highlights the need of increasing awareness for safe and effective contraceptive use in women with kidney transplants.
Optimal keyframe selection-based lossless video-watermarking technique using IGSA in LWT domain for copyright protection
Authors: Singh Roop , Mittal Himanshu , Pal Raju
Published: November 2021

Video piracy is a challenging issue in the modern world. Approximately $$90\%$$

90
%

of newly released films were illegally distributed around the world via the Internet. To overcome this issue, video watermarking is an effective process that integrates a logo in video frames as a watermark. Therefore, this paper presents an efficient lossless video-watermarking scheme based on optimal keyframe selection using an intelligent gravitational search algorithm in linear wavelet transform. This technique obtains color motion and motionless frames from the cover video by the histogram difference method. One-level linear wavelet transform is performed on the chrominance channel of motion frames and a low-frequency sub-band LL opts for watermark embedding. The performance of the proposed technique has been evaluated against 12 video processing attacks in terms of imperceptibility and robustness. Experiments demonstrate that the proposed technique outperforms five state-of-the-art schemes on the considered attacks.
A multi-modal and multi-scale emotion-enhanced inference model based on fuzzy recognition
Authors: Yu Yan , Qiu Dong , Yan Ruiteng
Published: November 2021

Only the label corresponding to the maximum value of the fully connected layer is used as the output category when a neural network performs classification tasks. When the maximum value of the fully connected layer is close to the sub-maximum value, the classification obtained by considering only the maximum value and ignoring the sub-maximum value is not completely accurate. To reduce the noise and improve classification accuracy, combining the principles of fuzzy reasoning, this paper integrates all the output results of the fully connected layer with the emotional tendency of the text based on the dictionary to establish a multi-modal fuzzy recognition emotion enhancement model. The provided model considers the enhancement effect of negative words, degree adverbs, exclamation marks, and question marks based on the smallest subtree on the emotion of emotional words, and defines the global emotional membership function of emojis based on the corpus. Through comparing the results of CNN, LSTM, BiLSTM and GRU on Weibo and Douyin, it is shown that the provided model can effectively improve the text emotion recognition when the neural network output result is not clear, especially for long texts.
Face masks increase compliance with physical distancing recommendations during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Seres Gyula , Balleyer Anna Helen , Cerutti Nicola , Danilov Anastasia , Friedrichsen Jana , Liu Yiming , Süer Müge
Published: November 2021

Governments across the world have implemented restrictive policies to slow the spread of COVID-19. Recommended face mask use has been a controversially discussed policy, among others, due to potential adverse effects on physical distancing. Using a randomized field experiment (N = 300), we show that individuals kept a significantly larger distance from someone wearing a face mask than from an unmasked person during the early days of the pandemic. According to an additional survey experiment (N = 456) conducted at the time, masked individuals were not perceived as being more infectious than unmasked ones, but they were believed to prefer more distancing. This result suggests that wearing a mask served as a social signal that led others to increase the distance they kept. Our findings provide evidence against the claim that mask use creates a false sense of security that would negatively affect physical distancing. Furthermore, our results suggest that behavior has informational content that may be affected by policies.