bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Stability of polymer jets in extension: physicochemical and rheological mechanisms
Authors: Malkin Alexander Ya. , Subbotin Andrey V. , Kulichikhin Valery G.
Published: March 2020

The review is devoted to the fundamental problems of physical chemistry and rheology posed in the analysis of stability loss of polymer jets in extension. Studies of phenomena occurring in deformation of polymeric fluids are of considerable applied interest because extension of polymeric fluids underlies many industrial processes, first of all, fibre spinning. Studies of critical conditions of deformation are based on general principles of fluid mechanics, which are applicable to all fluids and various phenomena in nature and technology. First we discuss solutions to classical problems of instability of liquid jets as the basis for further analysis of the behaviour of polymeric fluids in particular situations. Next, specific features of the deformation mechanisms and appearance of instabilities of polymeric fluid jets are considered as consequences of their physicochemical and rheological properties.

The bibliography includes 162 references.
Effect of preweaning diet on performance, blood metabolites and rumen fermentation around weaning in calves of two beef breeds
Authors: Yuste S. , Amanzougarene Z. , de Vega A. , Fondevila M. , Blanco M. , Casasús I.
Published: March 2020

Context
Good transition from suckling to high-concentrate diets is essential to avoid nutritional disorders during the fattening period of beef calves.

Aims
Assessing the optimal feeding strategies during the preweaning period of beef calves for an adequate adaptation to high-concentrate diets.

Methods
A total of 30 female beef calves (15 Parda de Montaña and 15 Pirenaica), managed under restricted suckling, were assigned to three preweaning diets (milk only [MO], milk plus hay [MH], milk plus concentrate [MC]), fed from the third month until weaning at 5 months. During the subsequent transition period (1 month), all animals received a fattening concentrate plus wheat straw ad libitum.

Key results
Milk intake did not differ among diets; solids intake was similar for MH and MC calves. Preweaning supplementation improved performance at the end of the suckling period (MC > MH > MO). During transition, concentrate intake was lower for MO calves; MH calves showed the lowest feed efficiency. At the end of transition, MC calves showed the highest liveweight and average daily gain (MC > MH = MO). Rumen pH at weaning did not differ from that at the end of transition in MC calves, whereas MH and MO animals showed lower values at the latter. Supplemented calves showed higher volatile fatty acids concentration than MO calves at weaning; MC calves showed the lowest values at the end of the transition period. Ammonia and lactic acid concentration at weaning was the highest for MO and MC calves respectively, with no differences between diets at the end of transition. Glucose and non-esterified fatty acids concentrations were only affected by age; urea and β-hydroxybutyrate were affected by the interaction between diet and age. Economic profitability at weaning was higher for supplemented calves (MH = MC > MO), and ranked MC > MO > MH at the end of the transition. Gains during the suckling period, and hence the economic margin, were higher for Parda de Montaña than for Pirenaica calves; during transition the economic margin was similar.

Conclusions
Preweaning supplementation with concentrates is the most interesting option in terms of performance and profitability.

Implications
Preweaning solid supplementation increases calf performance and provides better rumen development, essential for a smooth transition to fattening diets.
Towards Peptide and Protein Recognition by Antibody Mimicking Synthetic Polymers – Background, State of the Art, and Future Outlook
Authors: Nicholls Ian A. , Wiklander Jesper G.
Published: March 2020

Antibody–peptide/protein interactions are instrumental for many processes in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries and as tools for biomedical and biochemical research. The recent development of molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles displaying antibody-like recognition of peptides and proteins offers the possibility for substituting antibodies with these robust materials for applications where the structural integrity and function of antibodies is compromised by temperature, pH, solvent, etc. The background to the development of this class of antibody-mimicking material and the state-of-the-art in their synthesis and application is presented in this review.
Naive physics vs compositionality in evaluating the Lexical Aspect Hypothesis
Authors: Verkuyl Henk J.
Published: March 2020

It will be argued that the LAH suffers from being based on the naive physics originating from ordinary language philosophers, who practiced ontology rather than doing semantics. Their metaphysics turns out to be incompatible with the principle of compositionality. Due to them a verb has been taken as a predicate rather than as a linguistic unit with its own lexical meaning. Therefore the leniency of a verb in the sense of being available for a wide variety of arguments has been underestimated.
A ‘mixed methods’ approach for investigating aspect in a second language
Authors: Domínguez Laura
Published: March 2020

A leading hypothesis in the study of the L2 acquisition of aspect-related verbal morphemes is the Lexical Aspect Hypothesis (LAH) (Andersen, 1989,1991;Andersen & Shirai, 1994) which claims that learners’ use of these forms is determined by the lexical properties of events. Reviews of major studies reveal that data from one single task, usually an open-ended oral task, have often been used to support this hypothesis. I discuss copious evidence from the acquisition of Spanish to argue that when studies use a ‘mixed methods’ approach (e.g. combining oral production and experimentally elicited data) they are able to test existing hypotheses such as the LAH more reliably and can offer more valuable insights. Existing evidence from the SPLLOC project (Domínguez, Tracy-Ventura, Arche, Mitchell, & Myles, 2013;Mitchell, Domínguez, Arche, Myles, & Marsden, 2008) is used as supporting evidence for this approach and to raise questions about the appropriateness of some research methods widely used in our field.
Structures in Crisis: A Narrative Approach to Asghar Farhadi’s Films
Authors: Rodríguez Serrano Aarón
Published: March 2020

This paper proposes an exploration of the films of Iranian director Asghar Farhadi. It employs a methodology based on textual analysis, focusing specifically on the structural design of his films and the focalization processes of his scripts. It shows how Farhadi’s work can be understood as a coherent research project with a uniquely solid model based on chronological linearity as a way to explore the violent breakdown of different emotional communities: families, marriages, groups of friends, etc. At the same time, it considers how all the focalization processes in his films are oriented toward two main concepts:knowledge(of the characters, but also of the audience) andpain(of living in a [narrative] world afflicted by meaninglessness).
High-performance inverters based on ambipolar organic-inorganic heterojunction thin-film transistors*
Authors: Sun Sheng , Li Yuzhi , Zhang Shengdong
Published: March 2020

This work reports on the integration of organic and inorganic semiconductors as heterojunction active layers for high-performance ambipolar transistors and complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS)-like inverters. Pentacene is employed as a p-type organic semiconductor for its stable electrical performance, while the solution-processed scandium (Sc) substituted indium oxide (ScInO) is employed as an n-type inorganic semiconductor. It is observed that by regulating the doping concentration of Sc, the electrical performance of the n-type semiconductor could be well controlled to obtain a balance with the electrical performance of the p-type semiconductor, which is vital for achieving high-performance inverters. When the doping concentration of Sc is 10 at.%, the CMOS-like logic inverters exhibit a voltage gain larger than 80 and a wide noise margin (53% of the theoretical value). The inverters also respond well to the input signal with frequency up to 500 Hz.
Selective excitation of multipolar surface plasmon in a graphene-coated dielectric particle by Laguerre Gaussian beam
Authors: Yang Yang , Zhang Guanghua , Dai Xiaoyu
Published: March 2020

Localized surface plasmonic resonance has attracted extensive attention since it allows for great enhancement of local field intensity on the nanoparticle surface. In this paper, we make a systematic study on the excitation of localized surface plasmons of a graphene coated dielectric particle. Theoretical results show that both the intensity and frequency of the plasmonic resonant peak can be tuned effectively through modifying the graphene layer. Furthermore, high order localized surface plasmons could be excited and tuned selectively by the Laguerre Gaussian beam, which is induced by the optical angular orbital momentum transfer through the mutual interaction between the particle and the helical wavefront. Moreover, the profiles of the multipolar localized surface plasmons are illustrated in detail. The study provides rich potential applications in the plasmonic devices and the wavefront engineering nano-optics.
Fast achievement of quantum state transfer and distributed quantum entanglement by dressed states*
Authors: Tian Liang , Sun Li-Li , Zhu Xiao-Yu , Song Xue-Ke , Yan Lei-Lei , Liang Er-Jun , Su Shi-Lei , Feng Mang
Published: March 2020

We propose schemes to realize quantum state transfer and prepare quantum entanglement in coupled cavity and cavity–fiber–cavity systems, respectively, by using the dressed state method. We first give the expression of pulses shape by using dressed states and then find a group of Gaussian pulses that are easy to realize in experiment to replace the ideal pulses by curve fitting. We also study the influence of some parameters fluctuation, atomic spontaneous emission, and photon leakage on fidelity. The results show that our schemes have good robustness. Because the atoms are trapped in different cavities, it is easy to perform different operations on different atoms. The proposed schemes have the potential applications in dressed states for distributed quantum information processing tasks.
Experimental demonstration of tight duality relation in three-path interferometer*
Authors: Ke Zhi-Jin , Meng Yu , Wang Yi-Tao , Yu Shang , Liu Wei , Li Zhi-Peng , Wang Hang , Li Qiang , Xu Jin-Shi , Tang Jian-Shun , Li Chuan-Feng , Guang-Can Guo
Published: March 2020

Bohr’s principle of complementarity has a long history and it is an important topic in quantum theory, among which the famous example is the duality relation. The relation between visibility C and distinguishability D,

C

2

+

D

2

≤
1

, has long been recognized as the only representative of the duality relation. However, recent researches have shown that this inequality is not good enough because it is not tight for multipath interferometers. Meanwhile, a tight bound for the multipath interferometer has been put forward. Here we design and experimentally implement a three-path interferometer coupling with path indicator states. The wave property of photons is characterized by l
1-norm coherence measure, and the particle property is based on distinguishability of the indicator states. The new duality relation of the three-path interferometer is demonstrated in our experiment, which bounds the union of a right triangle and a part of elliptical area inside the quadrant of a unit circle. Data analysis confirms that the new bound is tight for photons in three-path interferometers.
Kaskus Smilies Application as an Alternative Instructional Media in BIPA (Indonesian Language For Foreign Speakers) Teaching
Authors: Arvianto Faizal
Published: March 2020

Through the utilization of appropriate learning resources, learning process will be effectively and efficiently. The type of learning resource that can be used by teachers is instructional media. One of the instructional media in the present paradigm is using an emoticon characters in BIPA (Indonesian Language for Foreign Speakers) teaching where teachers can use emoticon that was adjusted with the principles of selection and function of instructional media to support their teaching. Kaskus Smilies that have become “visual languages” among the Kaskus network users can be used as an alternative instructional media in BIPA teaching that will be very helpfull if it is adapted with teaching media. By applying it in BIPA teaching, foreign speakers who want to study or explore Indonesian language are increasingly facilitated and also enable them to learn better and able to improve their Indonesian language skills in accordance with the goals to be achieved.
Information Retrieval System to Find Articles and Clauses in UUD 1945 Using Vector Space Model Method
Authors: Sulaeman O R , Gata W , Wahyudi E , Hakim M J , Subandi R , Setiyawan R , Pratama B
Published: March 2020

This study aims to find articles and clauses from the 1945 Constitution (UUD 1945) using the Vector Space Model method that calculates the similarity of many documents. One document is represented by one clause from each article of the 1945 Constitution. The next step is pre-processing by deleting unnecessary words (stopwords) and changing it into basic words (stemmer) in the Indonesian language. Each document will be indexed to speed up query and simplify the weighting. Words weighting in documents is performed using the TF-IDF (Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency) algorithm by calculating the frequency of words in documents and all documents. The document search results will be presented in the ranking with the largest number of scoring appears at the top (descend sorting). The word search in this system more or less takes 90-100 milliseconds in 73 documents.
Teaching Aids In Learning Communication: The Introduction Of The Animals Concept To Students With Visual Impairment In Biology Lesson
Authors: Nurzaman Mohammad , Hafiar Hanny , Dewi Retasari , Budiana Heru Ryanto , Silvana Hana
Published: March 2020

Teaching aids are needed in an effort to explain biology material in order to be able to provide an overview, so students can develop concepts to form a comprehensive understanding. Concepts in biology learning materials are difficult to obtain by students with visual impairments without the support of teaching aids. The purpose of this study was to identify ways to introduce animals as living things to students with visual impairments. The method used in this research is a descriptive case study, with qualitative data types. The introduction of the concept of diversity of animals as living things, to students with visually impairment requires the complete teaching aids which include miniatures, for the introduction of shapes and structures; prototype textures, for the introduction of textures, feathers, scales, muscle tissue; audio, to recognize the distinctive sound of animals; An explanation of the description of the size, nature, character, usefulness in life, and behavior that needs to be developed. Constraints encountered in learning biology by using teaching aids for students with visual impairment, including among others: The unavailability of certain teaching aids that are sold and can be bought in the market; The teaching aids available have not been able to help students get an overall picture; The teaching aids available are not in accordance with the special conditions of students with visual impairments; The complexity of the system in some biology subject matter requires visual experience to understand it; In discussing a particular subject matter, the student with visual impairment requires several teaching aids that are operated simultaneously.
Humidity Analysis Using 808H5V5 by Mean Formula
Authors: Kartika Wisnu , Geraldo Muhammad , Sulaimi Kholid Al , Supriyadi Kuat
Published: March 2020

Humidity and noise in the baby incubator are parameters that must be maintained according to the BPFK (Health Facility Security Center) standard, which is fifty to sixty percent for humidity. Moisture needs to be maintained to keep the stability of the baby’s body temperature. Therefore, the authors intend to make a calibration tool for baby incubators (incubator analyzers) with moisture parameters. To measure the moisture content, the 808H5V5 sensor was used, while the minimum system used was Arduino Uno. The test method used to see the performance of this tool were to compare the values in the humidity of the TA module, the incubator analyzer with a comparison (Temperature Humidity Meter). At the humidity reading, the error value was below two percent, where the biggest error in the measurement value of 37 Celcius degree is 1,56 percent. The tool is functioning properly as incubator analyzer because it has an error below tolerance of approximately five percent.
Dosimeter Co-Card Alarm X-ray Radiation Dosage Monitoring Instrument
Authors: Loniza Erika , Fasai S Amukti , Bariton Subhan , Rughaisyiah Nahdhatur
Published: March 2020

One type of radiation which is widely used in the field of radiodiagnostic is ionizing radiation. This radiation is a type of radiation with the source of radiation from X-ray devices used in many medical purposes such as Roentgen. Besides giving benefits, radiation has an adverse effect on health when it exceeds specified dose limit. Monitoring radiation doses for most hospitals in Indonesia use passive dosimeters that monitored every month. Dosimeter Co-Card Alarm (DOSCA) is an innovative instrument that combines the application of surveymeter as a gage of dose velocity and dose meter as a gage of radiation dose simultaneously and directly with component advanced electronic in occupational safety and health efforts in the radiation field. At function test in radiology of RSI PDHI Yogyakarta use comparison instrument brand BliT made in China, which is controlled by voltage that starts from 50kV until 90kV, 65mA and 0,08s. The average result of the difference in value obtained between BliT and DOSCA is 0.03μSv. Then the function test in CV. Sehat Sejahtera using voltage 60kV with 5mAs and 10mAs showed the average result of the difference by 0,0μSv. The results of testing instrument showed that DOSCA were able to detect X-ray radiation well.
The Waste Management Program Of 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) By Economic Incentive And Facility Support
Authors: Zamroni M. , Prahara Rahma Sandhi , Kartiko Ari , Purnawati Dia , Kusuma Dedi Wijaya
Published: March 2020

Waste management in the city of Mojokerto formerly used open dumping method at TPA Mojokerto. Once Law No.18 of 2008 issued on waste management, the garbage in the city of Mojokerto dumped into the area of Randegan. The research aims is to explore and to describe economic incentive and facility support of 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) waste management program in Mojokerto. This is a descriptive qualitative research. The sample in this study of a random sampling of 106 RW in the city of Mojokerto. The results showed high support and community willingness to play active role in 3R waste management concept. It is showed that 96,3% of respondents are expecting 3R waste management method. They gave support toward collecting, processing and recycling of waste. To improve the quality of waste management 83% the respondents is not hesitate to pay higher 3R waste management services. The adequacy of financial support both from local government and community volunteer are important to make the program successful. There is also a desire for reward and incentives from the community to trigger the program runs well. The study also reveals some actions that have been doing by community dealing with 3R management method: bringing shopping bag, buying recycling products, fixing and reusing old products, separating organic and unorganic garbage and making handicraft from wasted materials. However, there are still lack facility support to improve the program. The research showed 86% respondents didn’t have garbage bin to recycle waste. Furthermore,75% respondents are expecting government to support facility of 3R waste management concept as as well 55% respondent are wanting accessibility to 3R waste management centre in each region in Mojokerto City. Here, several tasks must be take for considerations by the local government and support of community is obviously needed
The Effect of Processing Route Parameters on Tensile Properties of Pandanus Tectorius Fibers
Authors: Sudarisman  , Rahman M B N , Ridho M
Published: March 2020

The effect of temperature and time duration of degumming process on tensile properties of Pandanus Tectorius fibers has just been studied. While degumming temperature and soaking time for alkali treatment were kept constant at 80 °C and 2 hours, respectively, degumming time was varied at 1, 2, 3 and 4 hours, and sodium hydroxide solution content was varied at 2.5 and 5 wt%. A bundle of fiber was placed in an O-shape cardboard holder for being tensile tested until fracture occurred. Cross sectional areas and fracture modes of representative fibers were captured under optical microscope. Whilst the cross section image areas were then measured by means of an open source software, the imageJ, the fracture images were closely evaluated to determine their respective fracture modes. The result showed that tensile strength, tensile failure strain and elastic modulus increase with the increase of degumming time up to 3 hours, then decrease for 4 hours degumming time. The highest values were found being 614.5 MPa, 0.11 mm/mm and 1.07 GPa, respectively.
Design, Frame Analysis and Manufacture of Handcycle Prototype
Authors: Himarosa Rela Adi , Sunardi
Published: March 2020

Handcycle is a transportation tool for individuals with lower limb disabilities. This study designed a handcycle as a mode of transportation to facilitate the accessibility of persons with disabilities. The design of the handcycle was designed on a prototype scale. It referred to recumbent and synchronous frame geometry types for arm crank set up to do finite element analysis studies using Autodesk Fusion 360 software to find the value of the strength of the handcycle frame design. A decent frame at 160 kg loading with a critical value of 330 MPa was designed and became a reference for the handcycle production process.
Student Oriented Learning In Floating and Drowning Concept
Authors: Ayub S , Gunawan G , Ramdani A , Afifah G
Published: March 2020

Teaching is a teacher’s daily job. Nevertheless, it turns out that teaching students about how they should study is not easy. This research is included as Research and Development—also known as RnD—which aims to give an actual example of how to teach and to floating and drowned concept in a simple way through Curriculum 2013. The result of the research, which is a student-oriented learning design and leraning structure which in turn is an implementation of scientific approach, is the output resulted from a long term study, development and experience obtained by the writer team through teaching and training a number of supervisors, school principals, and teachers in various areas of Indonesia. The responses for this teaching model obtained from the teachers have been very positive, whereby 95% teachers claimed that they are very interested in the design, and only 5% claimed that they are mildly interested. This thus indicates that this teaching model can become a model to be referred to in teaching using scientific approach in Curriculum 2013.
Digital Image Processing For Detecting Yellow Lines (Patch Yellow) In Palm Oil Plant Using Sobel Algorithm
Authors: Wahyuni Sri , Zarlis Muhammad , Sembiring Rahmat Widia
Published: March 2020

Through computer hardware, digital images can manipulate and analyze data is the process and purpose of processing digital images. Where the data from the Digital Image used is edge detection. The use of visual techniques such as image processing can simplify the process of analyzing an object without dealing directly with the object to be observed. Image of palm oil leaves through image processing can be analyzed through the level of the greenness of the leaves and the patterns that exist on the leaves to determine the fertility of oil palm plants. This research uses descriptive analysis method, by collecting leaf samples that need to be analyzed using image processing software, then detected to determine the pattern of the shape of the leaf being attacked. The process of this research goes through the Preprocessing stage of palm oil leaf image, Feature Extraction, System Implementation, System Testing, documentation and report preparation. The difference from the leaves that are attacked by yellow patch yellow, on the surface of the affected leaves there are patterns such as patches, the more patterns, the more severe the disease attack. Spots at each stage of the disease were successfully obtained through image processing based on a single filter.
On the topology of the space of Ricci-positive metrics
Authors: Botvinnik Boris , Ebert Johannes , Wraith David
Published: March 2020

We show that the space

R

p
R
c

(

W
g

2
n

)

\mathcal {R}^{\mathrm {pRc}}(W_g^{2n})

of metrics with positive Ricci curvature on the manifold

W
g

2
n

≔

♯
g

(

S
n

×

S
n

)

W^{2n}_g \coloneq \sharp ^g (S^n \times S^n)

has nontrivial rational homology if

n
≢
3

(
mod

4
)

n \not \equiv 3 \pmod 4

and

g
g

are both sufficiently large. The same argument applies to

R

p
R
c

(

W
g

2
n

♯
N
)

\mathcal {R}^{\mathrm {pRc}}(W_g^{2n} \sharp N)

provided that

N
N

is spin and

W
g

2
n

♯
N

W_g^{2n} \sharp N

admits a Ricci positive metric.
Tate module and bad reduction
Authors: Dokchitser Tim , Dokchitser Vladimir , Morgan Adam
Published: March 2020

Let

C

/

K

C/K

be a curve over a local field. We study the natural semilinear action of Galois on the minimal regular model of

C
C

over a field

F
F

where it becomes semistable. This allows us to describe the Galois action on the

l
l

-adic Tate module of the Jacobian of

C

/

K

C/K

in terms of the special fibre of this model over

F
F

.
The climatic association of population divergence and future extinction risk of Solanum pimpinellifolium
Authors: Lin Ya-Ping , Lu Cheng-Yueh , Lee Cheng-Ruei
Published: March 2020

Under intraspecific differentiation driven by differential climatic adaptation, it may be expected that intraspecific genetic groups occur at distinct environments. Populations occupying different niches may therefore differ in their ability to cope with climate change. Here, we addressed this hypothesis with a wild tomato, Solanum pimpinellifolium. This species is distributed from the west side of Andes to the coastal region in Peru and Ecuador and occupies a wide environmental diversity. This environmental diversity is related to the genetic structure of the species providing an ideal material to investigate the isolation by environment hypothesis. While previous hypothesis stated that S. pimpinellifolium originated from northern Peru and migrated northwards and southwards, our results support that S. pimpinellifolium originated from Ecuador and expanded to northern and southern Peru, and during this process, the niche space of S. pimpinellifolium became more associated with cold and drought. We further predicted its fate under anthropogenic climate change. According to our predictions, the northern group will maintain its current extent or even expand to the entire western region of Ecuador. In contrast, we predicted low habitat suitability for the southern group which could potentially lead to the shrinkage of its distribution. In conclusion, we revealed the distinct fates among the differentiated populations driven by environment under global warming conditions.
CodAn: predictive models for precise identification of coding regions in eukaryotic transcripts
Authors: Nachtigall Pedro G , Kashiwabara Andre Y , Durham Alan M
Published: March 2020

Motivation

Characterization of the coding sequences (CDSs) is an essential step in transcriptome annotation. Incorrect identification of CDSs can lead to the prediction of non-existent proteins that can eventually compromise knowledge if databases are populated with similar incorrect predictions made in different genomes. Also, the correct identification of CDSs is important for the characterization of the untranslated regions (UTRs), which are known to be important regulators of the mRNA translation process. Considering this, we present CodAn (Coding sequence Annotator), a new approach to predict confident CDS and UTR regions in full or partial transcriptome sequences in eukaryote species.

Results

Our analysis revealed that CodAn performs confident predictions on full-length and partial transcripts with the strand sense of the CDS known or unknown. The comparative analysis showed that CodAn presents better overall performance than other approaches, mainly when considering the correct identification of the full CDS (i.e. correct identification of the start and stop codons). In this sense, CodAn is the best tool to be used in projects involving transcriptomic data.

Availability

CodAn is freely available at https://github.com/pedronachtigall/CodAn.

Contact

aland@usp.br

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Briefings in Bioinformatics online.
Crime, Order and the Two Faces of Conservatism: an Encounter with Criminology’s other
Authors: Loader Ian
Published: March 2020

Over the past half century, conservatism has been a powerful force in shaping public and political responses to crime in Britain. But within criminology, conservative ideology remains curiously neglected and poorly understood. In this paper, I develop an interpretive reconstruction of conservative thinking about crime that seeks to make good this inattention. My central contention is that one finds in conservative ideology both an emotionally and culturally resonant case for making police authority and penal control central to the production of order and arguments for sceptical penal restraint and non-penal modes of socialization. But from which aspects of its conceptual morphology do these two faces of conservatism arise? In answering this question, my encounter identifies the claims that conservatism brings to contests over a better politics of crime (claims with which non-conservatives are required to reckon), as well as pinpointing certain shortcomings and blind spots of conservative ideology.
How Long Do We Need to Treat an Invasive Mold Disease in Hematology Patients? Factors Influencing Duration of Therapy and Future Questions
Authors: Fernández-Cruz Ana , Lewis Russell E , Kontoyiannis Dimitrios P
Published: March 2020

Treatment duration for invasive mold disease (IMD) in patients with hematological malignancy is not standardized and is a challenging subject in antifungal stewardship. Concerns for IMD relapse during subsequent reinduction or consolidation chemotherapy or graft versus host disease treatment in hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients often results in prolonged or indefinite antifungal treatment. There are no validated criteria that predict when it is safe to stop antifungals. Decisions are individualized and depend on the offending fungus, site and extent of IMD, comorbidities, hematologic disease prognosis, and future plans for chemotherapy or transplantation. Recent studies suggest that FDG-PET/CT could help discriminate between active and residual fungal lesions to support decisions for safely stopping antifungals. Validation of noninvasive biomarkers for monitoring treatment response, tests for quantifying the “net state of immunosuppression,” and genetic polymorphisms associated with poor fungal immunity could lead to a personalized assessment for the continued need for antifungal therapy.
Linearly Homomorphic Signatures from Lattices
Authors: Lin Cheng-Jun , Xue Rui , Yang Shao-Jun , Huang Xinyi , Li Shimin
Published: March 2020

Linearly homomorphic signatures (LHSs) allow any entity to linearly combine a set of signatures and to provide authentication service for the corresponding (combined) data. The public key of the current known LHSs from lattices in the standard model requires $O(l)$ matrices and $O(k)$ vectors, where $l$ is the length of file identifier and $k$ is the maximum data set size that linear functions support. In this paper, we construct two lattice-based LHS schemes with provable security in the standard model and both schemes can authenticate vectors defined over finite field. First, we present a basic LHS scheme satisfying selective security, based on the full-rank difference hash functions. Second, we modify the chameleon hash function constructed by (Cash, D., Hofheinz, D., Kiltz, E. and Peikert, C. (2010) Bonsai Trees, or How to Delegate a Lattice Basis. In Proc. EUROCRYPT 10, Monaco/French Riviera, May 30 to June 3, pp. 523–552. Springer, Berlin) to construct a linearly homomorphic chameleon hash function (LHCHF), which can be applied to all transformations from selectively secure LHS scheme that authenticates vectors defined over finite field $\mathbb{F}_{p}$ ($p=poly(n)$) to fully secure one, except for a new one that authenticates vectors defined over a small field. Starting from LHCFH and the basic scheme as above, we obtain a fully secure LHS scheme. Both schemes can be used to sign multiple files and have relatively short public keys consisting of $O(1)$ matrices and $O(k)$ vectors.
Ustekinumab Successfully Treats and Maintains Remission of Pyostomatitis Vegetans Associated with Crohn’s Disease
Authors: Abi Doumeth Sarah , Abbas Ossama , Hashash Jana G
Published: March 2020

Pyostomatitis vegetans (PV) is a rare inflammatory stomatitis often associated with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Treatment of PV depends on the presence of coexisting IBD. To date, there have been no reports on the use of ustekinumab for PV. There have been recent cases on the use of ustekinumab for treatment of pyoderma gangrenosum and uveitis. We report the case of a 26-year-old female with moderately severe Crohn’s disease (CD) and PV who was successfully treated with ustekinumab monotherapy. Since initiation of ustekinumab, she has been in clinical and biochemical remission from a CD and PV standpoint for the last 12 months.
Efficacy of Granulocyte and Monocyte Adsorptive Apheresis in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease Showing Lost Response to Infliximab
Authors: Yokoyama Yoko , Sawada Koji , Aoyama Nobuo , Yoshimura Naoki , Sako Minako , Hirai Fumihito , Kashiwagi Nobuhito , Suzuki Yasuo
Published: March 2020

Background and Aims

In inflammatory bowel disease [IBD] patients, antibody-to-infliximab [ATI] generation is responsible for loss of response [LOR] and infusion reaction [IR] to infliximab. An immuno-therapeutic approach is considered an option to overcome LOR. Granulocyte/monocyte adsorptive apheresis [GMA] using an Adacolumn has been shown to have clinical efficacy together with immunomodulatory effects in IBD patients.

Methods

We developed an ATI-CAI assay utilizing a C1q immobilized plate and applied it to measure ATI in patients who were receiving infliximab, including 56 with sustained response, 76 with LOR and six with IR. Furthermore, 14 patients with LOR and two with paradoxical skin reactions who received infliximab + GMA combination therapy were analysed.

Results

Fourteen patients with LOR, seven with Crohn’s disease and seven with ulcerative colitis, showed significantly improved clinical indices [p = 0.0009], and decreased ATI [p = 0.0171] and interleukin-6 [p = 0.0537] levels at week 8 following initiation of infliximab + GMA therapy. Nine patients who received combination therapy achieved remission, which was maintained to week 24 with infliximab alone. Additionally, cutaneous lesions in two patients with IR were improved. ATI-CAI assay efficiency was not influenced by infliximab concentration during the test. Pre- and post-infliximab infusion ATI levels were not different. Patients with ATI greater than the 0.153 μg/mL cut-off value were likely to experience LOR [odds ratio 3.0].

Conclusions

Patients who received infliximab + GMA therapy appeared to regain clinical response to infliximab by a decrease in ATI level. Furthermore, the concentration of infliximab in the test did not influence ATI measurement, but was associated with clinical response.
The Historical Role and Contemporary Use of Corticosteroids in Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Authors: Dorrington Alexander M , Selinger Christian P , Parkes Gareth C , Smith Melissa , Pollok Richard C , Raine Tim
Published: March 2020

The use of corticosteroids to treat patients with inflammatory bowel disease [IBD] has been the bedrock of IBD therapeutics since the pioneering work of Truelove and Witts in the UK in the 1950s and subsequent large cohort studies in the USA and Europe. Nevertheless, although effective for induction of remission, these agents do not maintain remission and are associated with a long list of recognised side effects, including a risk of increased mortality. With the arrival of an increasing number of therapies for patients with IBD, the question arises as to whether we are using these agents appropriately in contemporary practice. This review discusses the historical background to steroid usage in IBD, and also provides a brief review of the literature on side effects of corticosteroid treatment as relevant to IBD patients. Data on licensed medications are presented with specific reference to the achievement of corticosteroid-free remission. We review available international data on the incidence of corticosteroid exposure and excess, and discuss some of the observations we and others have made concerning health care and patient-level factors associated with the risk of corticosteroid exposure, including identification of ‘at-risk’ populations.
Artificial intelligence as structural estimation: Deep Blue, Bonanza, and AlphaGo
Authors: Igami Mitsuru
Published: March 2020

This article clarifies the connections between certain algorithms to develop artificial intelligence (AI) and the econometrics of dynamic structural models, with concrete examples of three 'game AIs'. Chess-playing Deep Blue is a calibrated value function, whereas shogi-playing Bonanza is an estimated value function via Rust’s nested fixed-point (NFXP) method. AlphaGo’s 'supervised-learning policy network' is a deep-neural-network implementation of the conditional-choice-probability (CCP) estimation reminiscent of Hotz and Miller's first step; the construction of its 'reinforcement-learning value network' is analogous to their conditional choice simulation (CCS). I then explain the similarities and differences between AI-related methods and structural estimation more generally, and suggest areas of potential cross-fertilization.
Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation with high vs. low arrhythmia burden: atrial remodelling and ablation outcome
Authors: Strisciuglio T , El Haddad M , Debonnaire P , De Pooter J , Demolder Anthony , Wolf M , Phlips T , Kyriakopoulou M , Almorad A , Knecht S , Tavernier R , Vandekerckhove Y , Duytschaever Mattias
Published: March 2020

Aims

The relation between atrial tachyarrhythmia (ATA) burden in paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF), atrial remodelling, and efficacy of catheter ablation (CA) is unknown. We investigated whether high vs. low-burden paroxysmal AF patients have distinct clinical characteristics or electro-mechanical properties of the left atrium (LA) and whether burden impacts outcome of CA.

Methods and results

Atrial tachyarrhythmia burden, defined as the percentage of time spent in ATA, was assessed by insertable cardiac monitors in 105 patients before and after CA. Clinical characteristics and electro-mechanical properties of LA were compared between patients with high vs. low ATA burden. Catheter ablation efficacy was assessed by reduction in ATA burden and 1-year freedom from any ATA. Median ATA burden was 2.7% (highest tertile 9.3%). Clinical characteristics and electrical properties of LA (refractoriness, conduction velocity, low voltage) did not differ between high (≥9.3%) vs. low ATA burden (<9.3%) patients. High ATA burden patients had larger LA diameter (46.5 ± 6 vs. 42.5 ± 6mm, P < 0.01), volume (93.8 ± 22 vs. 80.4 ± 21mL, P = 0.01), and lower LA reservoir and contractile strain (19.7 ± 6 vs. 24.7 ± 6%, P < 0.01; 10.3 ± 3 vs. 12.8 ± 4%, P = 0.01). Catheter ablation reduced ATA burden by 100% (100–100) in both groups (P = 1.0). Freedom from ATA after CA was equally high (83% vs. 89%, P = 0.38).

Conclusion

Paroxysmal AF patients with high ATA burden have altered LA mechanical properties, reflected by larger size and impaired function. Despite mechanical remodelling of the atria, they are excellent responders to CA. Most likely the lack of fibrosis and/or advanced electrical remodelling explain why pulmonary veins remain the dominant trigger for AF in this patient cohort.
Utility of serial measurement of biomarkers of cardiovascular stress and inflammation in systolic dysfunction
Authors: Morin Daniel P , Chong-Yik Ronald , Thihalolipavan Sudarone , Krauthammer Yoaav S , Bernard Michael L , Khatib Sammy , Polin Glenn M , Rogers Paul A
Published: March 2020

Aims

Evidence links markers of systemic inflammation and heart failure (HF) with ventricular arrhythmias (VA) and/or death. Biomarker levels, and the risk they indicate, may vary over time. We evaluated the utility of serial laboratory measurements of inflammatory biomarkers and HF, using time-dependent analysis.

Methods and results

We prospectively enrolled ambulatory patients with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤35% and a primary-prevention implanted cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). Levels of established inflammatory biomarkers [C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), suppression of tumourigenicity 2 (ST2), tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α)] and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) were assessed at 3-month intervals for 1 year. We assessed relationships between biomarkers modelled as time-dependent variables, VA, and death. Among 196 patients (66±14 years, LVEF 23±8%), 33 experienced VA, and 18 died. Using only baseline values, BNP predicted VA, and both BNP and ST2 predicted death. Using serial measurements at 3-month intervals, time-varying BNP independently predicted VA, and time-varying ST2 independently predicted death. C-statistic analysis revealed no significant benefit to repeated testing compared with baseline-only measurement. C-reactive protein, ESR, and TNF-α, either at baseline or over time, did not predict either endpoint.

Conclusion

In stable ambulatory patients with systolic cardiomyopathy and an ICD, BNP predicts ventricular tachyarrhythmia, and ST2 predicts death. Repeated laboratory measurements over a year’s time do not improve risk stratification beyond baseline measurement alone.

Clinical Trial Registration

Clinicaltrials.gov NCT01892462 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01892462).
Projective Compactification of Dolbeault Moduli Spaces
Authors: de Cataldo Mark Andrea A
Published: March 2020

We construct a relative projective compactification of Dolbeault moduli spaces of Higgs bundles for reductive algebraic groups on families of projective manifolds that is compatible with the Hitchin morphism.
A systematic review of patient-reported outcome measurement (PROM) and provider assessment in mental health: goals, implementation, setting, measurement characteristics and barriers
Authors: Gelkopf Marc , Mazor Yael , Roe David
Published: March 2020

Purpose

To review and integrate the literature on mental-health-related patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and routine outcome measures (ROMs), namely in the domains of goals, characteristics, implementation, settings, measurements and barriers. PROM/ROM aims mainly to ascertain treatment impact in routine clinical practice through systematic service users’ health assessment using standardized self-report, caretaker and/or provider assessment.

Data sources

Psych INFO and PubMed including Medline, Biomed Central, EMBASE Psychiatry and Elsevier Science’s Direct.

Study selection

Systemized review of literature (2000–2018) on implementation and sustainability of PROMs/ROMs in adult mental health settings (MHS).

Data extraction and synthesis

Systemized review of literature (2000–2018) on numerous aspects of PROM/ROM implementation and sustainability in adult MHS worldwide.

Results

Based on 103 articles, PROMs/ROMs were implemented mostly in outpatient settings for people with assorted mental health disorders receiving a diversity of services. Frequency of assessments and completion rates varied: one-third of projects had provider assessments; about half had both provider and self-assessments. Barriers to implementation: perceptions that PROM/ROM is intrusive to clinical practice, lack of infrastructure, fear that results may be used for cost containment and service eligibility instead of service quality improvement, difficulties with measures, ethical and confidentiality regulations and web security data management regulations.

Conclusion

Improving data input systems, sufficient training, regular feedback, measures to increase administrative and logistic support to improve implementation, acceptability, feasibility and sustainability, follow-up assessments and client attrition rate reduction efforts are only some measures needed to enhance PROM/ROM efficiency and efficacy.
Where is my infusion pump? Harnessing network dynamics for improved hospital equipment fleet management
Authors: Martinez Diego A , Cai Jiarui , Oke Jimi B , Jarrell Andrew S , Feijoo Felipe , Appelbaum Jeffrey , Klein Eili , Barnes Sean , Levin Scott R ,   for the AHRQ Patient Safety Learning Laboratory Program and the CDC MinD Healthcare Program
Published: March 2020

Objective

Timely availability of intravenous infusion pumps is critical for high-quality care delivery. Pumps are shared among hospital units, often without central management of their distribution. This study seeks to characterize unit-to-unit pump sharing and its impact on shortages, and to evaluate a system-control tool that balances inventory across all care areas, enabling increased availability of pumps.

Materials and Methods

A retrospective study of 3832 pumps moving in a network of 5292 radiofrequency and infrared sensors from January to November 2017 at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. We used network analysis to determine whether pump inventory in one unit was associated with inventory fluctuations in others. We used a quasi-experimental design and segmented regressions to evaluate the effect of the system-control tool on enabling safe inventory levels in all care areas.

Results

We found 93 care areas connected through 67,111 pump transactions and 4 discernible clusters of pump sharing. Up to 17% (95% confidence interval, 7%-27%) of a unit’s pump inventory was explained by the inventory of other units within its cluster. The network analysis supported design and deployment of a hospital-wide inventory balancing system, which resulted in a 44% (95% confidence interval, 36%-53%) increase in the number of care areas above safe inventory levels.

Conclusions

Network phenomena are essential inputs to hospital equipment fleet management. Consequently, benefits of improved inventory management in strategic unit(s) are capable of spreading safer inventory levels throughout the hospital.