bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Der querschnittgelähmte Patient – Besonderheiten der viszeralchirurgischen Diagnostik und Therapie
Authors: Seifert Julia , Böthig Ralf , Wolter Stefan , Izbicki Jakob R. , Thietje Roland , Tachezy Michael
Published: February 2021

Hintergrund

Patienten mit einer Querschnittlähmung entwickeln syndromspezifische, viszeralchirurgisch relevante Krankheitsbilder, die im Rahmen des akuten spinalen Schocks auftreten können oder Folge der zumeist progredienten neurogenen Darmfunktionsstörung (NBD) mit Ausbildung eines Colon elongatum und/oder Megakolons sind. Auch die akuten abdominalchirurgischen Notfälle, wie akute Appendizitis, Cholezystitis, Divertikultis oder Ileusbilder, stellen den Kliniker bei untypischer oder teils fehlender Klinik vor diagnostische und therapeutische Herausforderungen. Einen zunehmenden Stellenwert nimmt die Ausweitung adipositaschirurgischer Indikationen auf Patienten mit einer Querschnittlähmung ein

Ziel der Arbeit

Dieser Artikel soll einen Überblick über die speziellen Anforderungen und Aspekte in der Behandlung dieses speziellen Patientenkollektivs geben und die Evidenz querschnittspezifischer viszeralchirurgischer Behandlungen aufzeigen.

Material und Methoden

Es wurde eine selektive Literaturrecherche in den Datenbanken Medline und Cochrane Library in deutscher und englischer Sprache (1985–2020) durchgeführt.

Ergebnisse und Diskussion

Die klinische Behandlung querschnittgelähmter Patienten erfordert einen profunden Kenntnisstand über die pathophysiologischen Veränderungen bei unterschiedlicher Querschnitthöhe (oberes vs. unteres motorisches Neuron) und die Phasen der Erkrankung (spinaler Schock vs. Langzeitverlauf). Fehlende oder atypische klinische Symptome akuter Erkrankungen verzögern eine rasche Diagnosefindung und machen eine frühzeitige Durchführung gezielter Diagnostik unabdingbar. Die Evidenz der chirurgischen Behandlung der akuten und chronischen Folgen der NBD ist gering und basiert auf Fallserien und „case reports“ ebenso wie die für spezielle Indikationen wie adipositaschirurgische Eingriffe.
Management einer chronischen vorderen, verhakten Schulterluxation während des COVID-19-Lockdowns
Authors: Tenfelde Oliver , Imach Sebastian , Kappel Paola , Wafaisade Arasch
Published: February 2021

In diesem Beitrag wird der Fall einer chronisch verhakten vorderen Schulterluxation bei einem 25-jährigen, geistig retardierten Patienten geschildert, welcher während des ersten COVID-19-Lockdowns eine verspätete orthopädisch-fachärztliche Versorgung erhielt. Die Therapie bestand in der offenen Reposition mittels Tuberculum-minus-Osteotomie, einer Auffüllung des Hill-Sachs-Defekts sowie einer knöchernen Glenoidaugmentation, jeweils mit autologem trikortikalem Beckenkammspan. Die hierzulande seltene Verletzung zeigt in Ländern mit erschwertem Zugang zum Gesundheitssystem eine höhere Inzidenz mit hochgradiger Funktionseinschränkung.
Locally advanced pancreatic carcinoma with jaundice: the benefit of a sequential treatment with stenting followed by CT-guided 125I seeds implantation
Authors: Chen Chao , Wang Wei , Wang Wujie , Wang Yongzheng , Yu Zhe , Li Yuliang
Published: February 2021

Objectives

To evaluate the role of sequential therapy with percutaneous biliary stenting and CT-guided iodine-125 seed implantation for locally advanced pancreatic carcinoma with concomitant obstructive jaundice.

Methods

Between January 2016 and December 2018, 42 patients diagnosed with locally advanced pancreatic carcinoma with concomitant obstructive jaundice were enrolled retrospectively. All patients received biliary stenting via percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) to alleviate obstructive jaundice. Thereafter, twenty-two patients underwent CT-guided iodine-125 seed implantation (treatment group), and 20 did not (control group). The prescribed dose in the treatment group was 110–130 Gy. The clinical data, duration of biliary stent patency, and overall survival (OS) were evaluated.

Results

Overall, the total bilirubin level decreased from 275.89 ± 115.44 to 43.08 ± 43.35 μmol/L (p < 0.001) 1 month after percutaneous biliary stenting. In the treatment group, the postoperative median dose covering 90% of the target volume was 129.71 Gy. Compared with the control group, the treatment group had a long mean duration of biliary stent patency and median OS (11.42 vs. 8.57 months, p < 0.01; 11.67 vs. 9.40 months, p < 0.01, respectively). The overall positive response rates 6 months post-treatment in the treatment and control groups were 72.7% (16/22) and 30% (6/20), respectively. Adverse events of more than grade 3 were not observed during the follow-up.

Conclusion

Sequential therapy with percutaneous biliary stenting and CT-guided iodine-125 seed implantation is an effective and safe treatment alternative for locally advanced pancreatic carcinoma with concomitant obstructive jaundice, which is worthy of clinical application.

Key Points

• Obstructive jaundice was alleviated after biliary stent placement in all patients, and the total bilirubin level decreased.

• The overall positive response rates at 6 months post-treatment were higher in the treatment group than in the control group, and adverse events of more than grade 3 were not observed during the follow-up period.

• Sequential therapy with percutaneous biliary stenting and CT-guided iodine-125 seed implantation can prolong biliary stent patency and improve survival.
Correction to: Confidence intervals for robust estimates of measurement uncertainty
Authors: Rostron Peter D. , Fearn Tom , Ramsey Michael H.
Published: February 2021

The notations Fp,ν1,ν2 and χ2p,ν in Eqs. (1), (2) and (3)
Scale-invariant localization using quasi-semantic object landmarks
Authors: Holliday Andrew , Dudek Gregory
Published: February 2021

This work presentsObject Landmarks, a new type of visual feature designed for visual localization over major changes in distance and scale. AnObject Landmarkconsists of a bounding box$${\mathbf {b}}$$bdefining an object, a descriptor$${\mathbf {q}}$$qof that object produced by a Convolutional Neural Network, and a set of classical point features within$${\mathbf {b}}$$b. We evaluateObject Landmarkson visual odometry and place-recognition tasks, and compare them against several modern approaches. We find thatObject Landmarksenable superior localization over major scale changes, reducing error by as much as 18% and increasing robustness to failure by as much as 80% versus the state-of-the-art. They allow localization under scale change factors up to 6, where state-of-the-art approaches break down at factors of 3 or more.
Standard and Non-standard Suppositions and Presuppositions
Authors: Kasjanowicz Maja
Published: February 2021

In this paper, I argue that the distinction between standard and non-standard pragmatic implications, originally used to differentiate among types of conversational implicatures, applies to the family of contents—traditionally referred to as ‘presuppositions’—that exhibit projective behaviour. Following the scholars working within the Question Under Discussion model of communication, I distinguish between two types of projective implications: suppositions and presuppositions narrowly construed. Next, I identify two rules of appropriateness that govern the use of, respectively, supposition-triggering and presupposition-triggering expressions. Finally, I argue that the ostentatious violation of the rules in question gives rise to non-standard projective implications, whereas their observance results in standard suppositions and presuppositions; I also use the idea of discourse coherence to develop a sketchy account of the mechanisms underlying the functioning of non-standard projective implications.
The evolution of episodic-like memory: the importance of biological and ecological constraints
Authors: van Woerkum Bas
Published: February 2021

A persisting question in the philosophy of animal minds is which nonhuman animals share our capacity for episodic memory (EM). Many authors address this question by primarily defining EM, trying to capture its seemingly unconstrained flexibility and independence from environmental and bodily constraints. EM is therefore often opposed to clearly context-bound capacities like tracking environmental regularities and forming associations. The problem is that conceptualizing EM in humans first, and then reconstructing how humans evolved this capacity, provides little constraints for understanding the evolution of memory abilities in other species: it defines “genuine” EM as independent from animals’ evolved sensorimotor setup and learning abilities. In this paper, I define memory in terms of perceptual learning: remembering means “knowing (better) what to do in later situations because of past experience in similar earlier situations”. After that, I explain how episodic memory can likewise be explained in terms of perceptual learning. For this, we should consider that the information in animals’ ecological niches is much richer than has hitherto been presumed. Accordingly, instead of asking “given that environmental stimuli provide insufficient information about the cache, what kind of representation does the jay need?” we ask “given that the animal performs in this way, what kind of information is available in the environment?” My aim is not to give a complete alternative explanation of EM; rather, it is to provide conceptual and methodological tools for more zoocentric comparative EM-research.
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on quality of life and emotional wellbeing in patients with bone metastases treated with radiotherapy: a prospective cohort study
Authors: Bartels M. M. T. J. , Gal R. , van der Velden J. M. , Verhoeff J. J. C. , Verlaan J. J. , Verkooijen H. M.
Published: February 2021

Implementation of COVID-19 measures may have induced concerns about access and quality of health care for cancer patients with bone metastases, and it may have affected their quality of life. In this study, we evaluated the effect of the first COVID-19 lockdown on quality of life and emotional functioning of patients with stage IV cancer treated for painful bone metastases in the UMC Utrecht, the Netherlands. A COVID-19 specific questionnaire was sent to active participants in the Prospective Evaluation of interventional StudiEs on boNe meTastases (PRESENT) cohort, consisting of patients irradiated for metastatic bone disease. Patient reported outcomes (PROs) were compared with the last two PROs collected within the PRESENT cohort before the COVID-19 lockdown in the Netherlands on the 16th of March. For the 169 (53%) responders, median age at start of lockdown was 68 years (range 38–92) and 62% were male. Patients reported a statistically significant decrease in emotional functioning (83.6 to 79.2, P = 0.004) and in general quality of life score during the COVID-19 lockdown (72.4 to 68.7, P = 0.007). A steep increase in feeling isolated was reported (18% before and 67% during lockdown). This study has shown a strong increase in the experience of isolation and a decrease of emotional functioning and general quality of life during the COVID-19 lockdown in cancer patients with bone metastases. Due to the nature of the treatment of this patient population, efforts should be made to minimize these changes during future lockdowns.
R&D Investments in Markets with Network Effects
Authors: Knauff Małgorzata , Karbowski Adam
Published: February 2021

We consider process R&D investments of firms in markets with network effects and incomplete product compatibility. Our results indicate that network effects increase the firms’ individual investments in R&D. The presence of network effects weakens the positive impact of R&D cooperation on firms’ R&D investments. Further, we show that R&D competition can bring socially optimal level of investment, and this is not possible in markets without network effects. Finally, our results suggest that innovation policy oriented at promoting R&D cooperation between enterprises can be counterproductive in markets with network effects and incomplete product compatibility.
Nonlinear Young Differential Equations: A Review
Authors: Galeati Lucio
Published: February 2021

Nonlinear Young integrals have been first introduced in Catellier and Gubinelli (Stoch Process Appl 126(8):2323–2366, 2016) and provide a natural generalisation of classical Young ones, but also a versatile tool in the pathwise study of regularisation by noise phenomena. We present here a self-contained account of the theory, focusing on wellposedness results for abstract nonlinear Young differential equations, together with some new extensions; convergence of numerical schemes and nonlinear Young PDEs are also treated. Most results are presented for general (possibly infinite dimensional) Banach spaces and without using compactness assumptions, unless explicitly stated.
Preparation of multi-purpose radon emanation sources
Authors: Jobbágy Viktor , Marouli Maria , Stroh Heiko
Published: February 2021

The aim of this work was to prepare reference radon emanation sources traceable to primary standards to be used for radon-in-air as well as radon-in-water experiments. The feasibility of making stable radon emanation sources by drop deposition and chemisorption was studied. Experimental emanation coefficients for sources made by drop deposition and chemisorption ranged from 0.10 to 0.74 and from 0.18 to 0.25, respectively. These relatively low emanation coefficient values suggest that further method developments would be desirable. Proposals are made to improve chemisorption yield during source preparation and to obtain more accurate measurements on radon emanation coefficient.
Innate Immunity Communicates Using the Language of Extracellular Microvesicles
Authors: Ratajczak Mariusz Z. , Ratajczak Janina
Published: February 2021

The innate immunity system and extracellular microvesicles (ExMVs) both emerged early in the evolution of life, which is why its innate immunity cellular arm and its soluble-component arm learned, understood, and adapted to the “language” of ExMVs. This was most likely the first language of cell–cell communication during evolution, which existed before more specific intercellular crosstalk involving specific ligands and receptors emerged. ExMVs are involved in several processes in the body, including immune and coagulation responses, which are part of inflammation. In this review we will briefly highlight what is known about how ExMVs regulate the function of the cellular arm of innate immunity, including macrophages, monocytes, granulocytes, natural killer cells, and dendritic cells, and affect the soluble components of this system, which consists of the complement cascade (ComC) and soluble, circulating, pattern-recognition receptors (collectins, ficolins, and pentaxrins). These effects are direct, due to the fact that ExMVs affect the biological functions of innate immunity cells and may directly interact with soluble components of this system. Moreover, by activating coagulation proteases, ExMVs may also indirectly activate the ComC. In this review, we will use the term “extracellular microvesicles” (ExMVs) to refer to these small, spheroidal blebs of different sizes, which are surrounded by a membrane lipid layer. We will focus on the role of both ExMVs released during cell-surface membrane budding and smaller ExMVs, known as exosomes, which are derived from the budding of the endosomal membrane compartment. Finally, we will provide a brief update on the potential therapeutic applications of ExMVs, with a special emphasis on innate immunity.

Graphical Abstract
Digitalisation before and after the Covid-19 crisis
Authors: Härmand Kai
Published: February 2021

States all over the world have quickly amended legislation in order to help businesses conduct their activities remotely and online. In this article, we will see examples of existing rules concerning annual general meetings being better implemented (in Italy), of legislation being amended with temporary rules (in Germany) and of political momentum being used to bring about fundamental changes (in Estonia).This article provides a brief overview of how changes have been made in order to allow virtual annual general meetings in different countries and what kind of changes were made, and also provides a somewhat deeper look at Estonia’s new legislation concerning remote notarial transactions, online annual meetings and digital infrastructure.
Identification BCL6 and miR-30 family associating with Ibrutinib resistance in activated B-cell-like diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
Authors: Li Jiazheng , Huang Yan , Zhang Yun , Wen Jingjing , Chen Yanxin , Wang Lingyan , Jiang Peifang , Hu Jianda
Published: February 2021

Ibrutinib has clear efficacy for activated B-cell-like diffuse large B cell lymphoma (ABC-DLBCL) in previous clinical researches. However, the resistance of Ibrutinib has limited its therapeutic benefit and the potential mechanism remains unclear. This study was aimed to identify potential candidate genes and miRNA targets to overcome Ibrutinib resistance in ABC-DLBCL. First, two expression profiles were downloaded from the GEO database, which used to identify the DEGs related to Ibrutinib resistance in ABC-DLBCL cell lines by GEO2R analysis separately. And the common DEGs were obtained though Venn diagram. Then Gene ontology (GO) and pathway enrichment analysis were conducted by DAVID database. From STRING database,BCL6,IL10,IL2RB,IRF4,CD80,PRDM1andGZMBwere determined to be the hub genes by protein–protein interaction (PPI) network. Through miRNA-mRNA targeting network, we found thatBCL6,IRF4,CD80, andPRDM1were common target genes of miR-30 family. The cBioPortal database showed thatBCL6had the highest level of genetic alterations among DLBCL. In addition, another expression profile from GEO database showed thatBCL6was significantly high expression in no responsive patients after Ibrutinib treatment, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve which was used to evaluate the relationship betweenBCL6expression and its effect was 0.67. MTT assay showed that treatment with FX1 (aBCL6inhibitor) can enhance the sensitivity of Ibrutinib in C481S BTK HBL-1 cells. The results suggested thatBCL6and miR-30 family maybe associate with Ibrutinib resistance in ABC-DLBCL.
Sex Dolls in the Swedish Media Discourse: Intimacy, Sexuality, and Technology
Authors: Björkas Robin , Larsson Mariah
Published: February 2021

Sex dolls are a complex phenomenon with several diverse possible emotional, sexual and therapeutic uses. They can be part of a broad variety of sexual practices, and also function as a sexual aid. However, the media discourse on sex dolls first and foremost concerns how we perceive the relationship between intimacy and technology. A critical discourse analysis of the Swedish media discourse on sex dolls reveals six themes which dominate the discourse: (a) the definition of what a human being is; (b) a discourse on the (technological and existential) future; (c) a social effort; (d) a loveless phenomenon; (e) men’s violence against women; and (f) pedophilia. Accordingly, this discourse is very conservative and normative in its view of sexuality, technology, and humanity. Overall, the dominant themes do not provide any space for positive effects of technology on human sexuality, and if they do, it is usually as a substitute for something else.
Prognostic value of tumor-infiltrating B lymphocytes and plasma cells in triple-negative breast cancer
Authors: Kuroda Hajime , Jamiyan Tsengelmaa , Yamaguchi Rin , Kakumoto Akinari , Abe Akihito , Harada Oi , Enkhbat Bayarmaa , Masunaga Atsuko
Published: February 2021

Background

Recent investigations have demonstrated that the tumor microenvironment, including tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), is an important factor in tumor growth and development. While the prognostic correlation of tumor-infiltrating T cells has been widely studied in breast cancer, that of tumor-infiltrating B cells and plasma cells has not received so much attention, especially in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).

Methods

We investigated 114 patients with TNBC who had surgery between 2006 and 2019 at Dokkyo Medical University Hospital. Intratumoral (i) TILs were considered to be lymphocytes within cancer cell nests and directly infiltrating tumor cells. Similarly, stromal (s) TILs were considered to be lymphocytes within the tumor stroma, but not directly infiltrating tumor cells. CD20 + , CD38 + and CD138 + staining was determined by estimating the number of positive B cells.

Results

sCD20 + TILs had prognostic significance for relapse-free survival (RFS) (p = 0.043) and overall survival (OS) (p = 0.027). The sCD38 + TILs were significantly related to favorable RFS (p = 0.042). iCD38, iCD138, and sCD138 was not significantly correlated with RFS (p = 0.065, p = 0.719, p = 0.074) or OS (p = 0.071, p = 0.689, p = 0.082).

Conclusions

The present study demonstrated that a high density of sCD20 + TILs was significantly related to favorable prognosis in both RFS and OS. Increased sCD38 + TILs in TNBC were correlated with a significantly favorable prognosis in RFS. These results indicate that TILs–B may have a profound influence on the clinical outcome of TNBC.
Simulation of the ground water flow in Karbala Governorate, Iraq
Authors: Hussain Tariq Abed , Ismail Mueyad M. , Al-Ansari Nadhir
Published: February 2021

The investigation region is found in the central part of Iraq within the of Karbala Governorate, where it is located in the western part of the Governorate and Lake Razaza in the north of the region, while in the western and southern part of the region is Anbar Governorate and geographically (43° 10′ 25.7″, 43° 39″ 0.3″) longitude and (32° 10′ 25.7″, 32° 36′ 25.7″) latitude. The area of study is about 2400 Km2. The groundwater modeling system (GMS) v10.3 program was used for the modeling of ground water in the area containing about 22 wells distributed throughout the study area and the discharge of these wells ranges from 7 to 100 l/s and the rate of discharge of these wells up to 36 l/s. The model was initially operated within a steady state and after obtaining a match between the models results with the initial values of groundwater levels, the results of this case were adopted as inputs to run the model within the unsteady state. The model was worked within the sight of the above wells for 3 years and the results of the operation indicate a decrease in groundwater levels ranging from 2 to 21 m distributed uniformly throughout the study area.
Defining Rural Smartness and Its Impact: A Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Mukti Iqbal Yulizar , Iacob Maria E. , Aldea Adina , Govindaraju Rajesri , van Hillegersberg Jos
Published: February 2021

The utilisation of information technology to facilitate “smartness” is considered as a promising approach to improve the rural economy. However, the explanation of how the adoption of smartness in rural areas can lead to an improvement in the citizen’s economic welfare is still lacking in current studies. This paper aims to formulate a theoretical model that explains the causal mechanism of smartness adoption in rural areas to contribute to the improvement of rural citizen’s economic welfare. To achieve this, we conducted a systematic literature review based on three research questions resulting in 119 selected articles, which we used to formulate a theoretical model. The proposed model posits that rural smartness has a mediating effect on the citizen’s economic welfare through its positive impact on the competitiveness and innovativeness of rural business entities. Additionally, the proposed theoretical model highlights the necessity of adopting a smart service platform, representing the IT artefact for smartness. We argue that the adoption of such a platform would have a significant moderating effect on the competitiveness and innovativeness of rural business entities. We also contribute a comprehensive set of candidate measures we extracted from the selected literature as operationalisation of the proposed model. In terms of contribution to practice, the proposed theoretical model can be used as the starting point to guide the diffusion of smartness in rural areas.
Emotion classification from speech signal based on empirical mode decomposition and non-linear features
Authors: Krishnan Palani Thanaraj , Joseph Raj Alex Noel , Rajangam Vijayarajan
Published: February 2021

Emotion recognition system from speech signal is a widely researched topic in the design of the Human–Computer Interface (HCI) models, since it provides insights into the mental states of human beings. Often, it is required to identify the emotional condition of the humans as cognitive feedback in the HCI. In this paper, an attempt to recognize seven emotional states from speech signals, known as sad, angry, disgust, happy, surprise, pleasant, and neutral sentiment, is investigated. The proposed method employs a non-linear signal quantifying method based on randomness measure, known as the entropy feature, for the detection of emotions. Initially, the speech signals are decomposed into Intrinsic Mode Function (IMF), where the IMF signals are divided into dominant frequency bands such as the high frequency, mid-frequency , and base frequency. The entropy measures are computed directly from the high-frequency band in the IMF domain. However, for the mid- and base-band frequencies, the IMFs are averaged and their entropy measures are computed. A feature vector is formed from the computed entropy measures incorporating the randomness feature for all the emotional signals. Then, the feature vector is used to train a few state-of-the-art classifiers, such as Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA), Naïve Bayes, K-Nearest Neighbor, Support Vector Machine, Random Forest, and Gradient Boosting Machine. A tenfold cross-validation, performed on a publicly available Toronto Emotional Speech dataset, illustrates that the LDA classifier presents a peak balanced accuracy of 93.3%, F1 score of 87.9%, and an area under the curve value of 0.995 in the recognition of emotions from speech signals of native English speakers.
Zirconium alloyed tungsten borides synthesized by spark plasma sintering
Authors: Garbiec Dariusz , Wiśniewska Maria , Psiuk Rafał , Denis Piotr , Levintant-Zayonts Neonila , Leshchynsky Volf , Rubach Rafał , Mościcki Tomasz
Published: February 2021

Tungsten borides (WB
x
; x = 2.5 or 4.5) with an increasing substitution of tungsten by zirconium from 0 to 24 at.% were synthesized by spark plasma sintering (SPS) for the first time. The influence of the holding time (2.5–30 min) on the densification behavior, microstructure evolution and development of the properties of W–Zr–B compounds were studied. The samples were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for microstructure analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD) for phase identification, Vickers micro-indentation for microhardness measurements, tribological tests to determine the coefficient of friction and specific wear rate, as well as measurements of electrical conductivity. The XRD results confirm the presence of the WB4 phase in the microstructure, despite the high sintering temperature (1800 °C) and small overstoichiometric excess of boron (4.5) addition in the sintered samples. This is caused by the high heating rate (400 °C/min), short holding time (2.5 min) and addition of zirconium. The Vickers hardness (HV) values measured at 1 N are 24.8 ± 2.0 and 26.6 ± 1.8 GPa for 24 at.% zirconium in WB2.5 and for 0 at.% zirconium in WB4.5, respectively. In addition, the hardest sample (W0.76Zr0.24B2.5) showed electrical conductivity up to 3.961·106 S/m, which is similar to WC–Co cemented carbides. The friction and wear test results reveal the formation of a boron-based film which seems to play the role of a solid lubricant.
On a generalization of the Rényi–Srivastava characterization of the Poisson law
Authors: Pycke Jean-Renaud
Published: February 2021

We give a new method of proof for a result of D. Pierre-Loti-Viaud and P. Boulongne which can be seen as a generalization of a characterization of Poisson law due to Rényi and Srivastava. We also provide explicit formulas, in terms of Bell polynomials, for the moments of the compound distributions occurring in the extended collective model in non-life insurance.
Ergodic control of diffusions with random intervention times
Authors: Saarinen Harto , Lempa Jukka
Published: February 2021

We study an ergodic singular control problem with constraint of a regular one-dimensional linear diffusion. The constraint allows the agent to control the diffusion only at the jump times of an independent Poisson process. Under relatively weak assumptions, we characterize the optimal solution as an impulse-type control policy, where it is optimal to exert the exact amount of control needed to push the process to a unique threshold. Moreover, we discuss the connection of the present problem to ergodic singular control problems, and illustrate the results with different well-known cost and diffusion structures.
Diffusion approximations for randomly arriving expert opinions in a financial market with Gaussian drift
Authors: Sass Jörn , Westphal Dorothee , Wunderlich Ralf
Published: February 2021

This paper investigates a financial market where stock returns depend on an unobservable Gaussian mean reverting drift process. Information on the drift is obtained from returns and randomly arriving discrete-time expert opinions. Drift estimates are based on Kalman filter techniques. We study the asymptotic behavior of the filter for high-frequency experts with variances that grow linearly with the arrival intensity. The derived limit theorems state that the information provided by discrete-time expert opinions is asymptotically the same as that from observing a certain diffusion process. These diffusion approximations are extremely helpful for deriving simplified approximate solutions of utility maximization problems.
“Surplus Woman”: Female Sexuality and the Concept of Endogamy
Authors: Mitra Durba
Published: February 2021

This essay traces the colonial origins of the concept of endogamy and its history as a foundational idea in the modern study of society in South Asia. The history of the concept of endogamy reveals how the control of female sexuality shaped the overlapping fields of Indology and ethnology. The invention and deployment of endogamy in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is discussed in the writings of key colonial writers and British administrators, such as J. F. McLennan and H. H. Risley, and Indian intellectuals, including S. V. Ketkar and B. R. Ambedkar. It argues that the modern study of caste naturalized the control of female sexuality through the uncritical use of the concept of endogamy, which Ambedkar diagnosed as the irresolvable problem of the “Surplus Woman” in 1917. The essay reflects on the long life of endogamy and the enduring problem of nonconjugal sexuality in modern social theories of South Asia.
Socially Desirable Responding in Experience Sampling
Authors: Bäckström Martin , Björklund Fredrik
Published: February 2021

Abstract. Experience sampling often makes use of items that are similar to personality questionnaire items. Arguably, this opens up for item-popularity effects, where some respondents react to the items’ level of evaluative phrasing, causing a separate factor. Gauging the risk of item popularity effects in experience sampling is important since the multifactorial aspect of the responses to the items may cause spurious correlations. We investigate this in one original study and two existing datasets. The results reveal that evaluativeness in experience sampling items creates the same type of problems as in self-rating inventories. We conclude that personality researchers need to be aware that the experience sampling method is not vaccinated against socially desirable responding, and that careful phrasing of items promotes purer personality measures. This allows for more optimal testing of theoretical models of personality, as the fit between data and model will not concern variance in socially desirable responding but in the relevant constructs.
SSP‐Based Land‐Use Change Scenarios: A Critical Uncertainty in Future Regional Climate Change Projections
Authors: Bukovsky Melissa S. , Gao Jing , Mearns Linda O. , O'Neill Brian C.
Published: February 2021

To better understand the role projected land‐use changes (LUCs) may play in future regional climate projections, we assess the combined effects of greenhouse‐gas (GHG)‐forced climate change and LUCs in regional climate model (RCM) simulations. To do so, we produced RCM simulations that are complementary to the North‐American Coordinated Regional Downscaling Experiment (NA‐CORDEX) simulations, but with future LUCs that are consistent with particular Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) and related to a specific Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP). We examine the state of the climate at the end of the 21st century with and without two urban and agricultural LUC scenarios that follow SSP3 and SSP5 using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model forced by one global climate model, the MPI‐ESM, under the RCP8.5 scenario. We find that LUCs following different societal trends under the SSPs can significantly affect climate projections in different ways. In regions of significant cropland expansion over previously forested area, projected annual mean temperature increases are diminished by around 0.5°C–1.0°C. Across all seasons, where urbanization is high, projected temperature increases are magnified. In particular, summer mean temperature projections are up to 4°C–5°C greater and minimum and maximum temperature projections are increased by 2.5°C–6°C, amounts that are on par with the warming due to GHG‐forced climate change. Warming is also enhanced in the urban surroundings. Future urbanization also has a large influence on precipitation projections during summer, increasing storm intensity, event length, and the overall amount over urbanized areas, and decreasing precipitation in surrounding areas.
First Observation of Magnetic Flux Rope Inside Electron Diffusion Region
Authors: Chen Z. Z. , Fu H. S. , Wang Z. , Guo Z. Z. , Xu Y. , Liu C. M.
Published: February 2021

Magnetic flux ropes (MFRs) play a crucial role during magnetic reconnection. They are believed to be primarily generated by tearing mode instabilities in the electron diffusion region (EDR). However, they have never been observed inside the EDR. Here, we present the first observation of an MFR inside an EDR. The bifurcated nonforce‐free MFR, with a width of ∼27.5 de in the L direction and ∼4.8 de in the N direction, was moving away from the X‐line. Inside the MFR, strong energy dissipation was detected. The MFR can modulate the electric field in the EDR. We reconstructed magnetic topology of the electron‐scale MFR. Our study promotes understanding of MRFs’ initial state and its role in electron‐scale processes during magnetic reconnection.
Tropical Cyclone Integrated Kinetic Energy in an Ensemble of HighResMIP Simulations
Authors: Kreussler Philip , Caron Louis‐Philippe , Wild Simon , Loosveldt Tomas Saskia , Chauvin Fabrice , Moine Marie‐Pierre , Roberts Malcolm J. , Ruprich‐Robert Yohan , Seddon Jon , Valcke Sophie , Vannière Benoît , Vidale Pier Luigi
Published: February 2021

This study investigates tropical cyclone integrated kinetic energy, a measure which takes into account the intensity and the size of the storms and which is closely associated with their damage potential, in three different global climate models integrated following the HighResMIP protocol. In particular, the impact of horizontal resolution and of the ocean coupling are assessed. We find that, while the increase in resolution results in smaller and more intense storms, the integrated kinetic energy of individual cyclones remains relatively similar between the two configurations. On the other hand, atmosphere‐ocean coupling tends to reduce the size and the intensity of the storms, resulting in lower integrated kinetic energy in that configuration. Comparing cyclone integrated kinetic energy between a present and a future scenario did not reveal significant differences between the two periods.
Amplified Increases of Compound Hot Extremes Over Urban Land in China
Authors: Liao Weilin , Li Dan , Malyshev Sergey , Shevliakova Elena , Zhang Honghui , Liu Xiaoping
Published: February 2021

Consecutive hot periods without nighttime heat relief significantly increase mortality and morbidity rates. Using the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory land model coupled with a newly developed and validated urban canopy model, changes in three types of summertime hot extremes, that is, independent hot days, independent hot nights, and compound hot events (CHEs), in the 21st century are quantified in China. Results indicate that all three types of hot extremes become more frequent, and CHEs are projected to be the dominant type at the end of this century under the representative concentration pathway 8.5 scenario. Furthermore, compared to the rural land, the urban land experiences even stronger increases in CHEs in terms of frequency, duration, and intensity. These faster increases of CHEs in urban areas highlight the urgency of developing and implementing mitigation and adaptation strategies to combat the adverse health effects of global warming and urban heat islands.
Mesospheric Q2DW Interactions With Four Migrating Tides at 53°N Latitude: Zonal Wavenumber Identification Through Dual‐Station Approaches
Authors: He Maosheng , Forbes Jeffrey M. , Li Guozhu , Jacobi Christoph , Hoffmann Peter
Published: February 2021

Mesospheric winds from two longitudinal sectors at 53°N latitude are combined to investigate quasi‐two‐day waves (Q2DWs) and their nonlinear interactions with tides. In a summer 2019 case study, we diagnose the zonal wavenumber m of spectral peaks at expected frequencies through two dual‐station approaches, a phase differencing technique (PDT) on individual spectral peaks and a least squares procedure on family batched peaks. Consistent results from the approaches verify the occurrences of Rossby‐gravity modes (m = 3 and 4 at periods T = 2.1  and 1.7 days), and their secondary waves (SWs) generated from interactions with diurnal, semi‐diurnal, ter‐diurnal, and quatra‐diurnal migrating tides. We further extend the PDT to 2012–2019, illustrating that Q2DWs exhibit significant interannual variability. Composite analysis reveals seasonal and altitude variations of the Rossby‐gravity modes and their SWs. The Rossby‐gravity modes maximize in local summer, whereas their 16‐ and 9.6‐h SWs appear more in winter.
Earthquake Swarm Detection Along the Hikurangi Trench, New Zealand: Insights Into the Relationship Between Seismicity and Slow Slip Events
Authors: Nishikawa Tomoaki , Nishimura Takuya , Okada Yutaro
Published: February 2021

Earthquake swarms, which are anomalous increases in the seismicity rate without a distinguishable mainshock, often accompany transient aseismic processes, such as fluid migration and episodic aseismic slip along faults. Investigations of earthquake swarm activity can provide insights into the causal relationship between aseismic processes and seismicity. Slow slip events (SSEs) along the plate interface in the Hikurangi Trench, New Zealand, are often accompanied by intensive earthquake swarms. However, the detailed spatiotemporal distribution of these earthquake swarms is still unclear. Here, we use the epidemic‐type aftershock‐sequence (ETAS) model to detect earthquake swarms (M ≥ 3) and create a new earthquake swarm catalog (1997–2015) along the Hikurangi Trench. We compare the earthquake swarm catalog with Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) time series data, and existing SSE and tectonic tremor catalogs. Most of the detected (119) earthquake swarm sequences were intraplate events, and their epicenters were mainly concentrated along the east coast of the North Island, whereas many tectonic tremors were located inland. Twenty‐five of the detected earthquake swarms occurred within 25 days before and after transient eastward GNSS displacements due to known or newly detected SSEs. We find that the earthquake swarms sometimes preceded the GNSS displacements by more than several days. SSE‐induced stress loading is therefore not a plausible triggering mechanism for these pre‐SSE earthquake swarms. We propose that high fluid pressure within the slab, which accumulated before the SSEs, may have caused intraplate fluid migration, which in turn triggered the pre‐SSE earthquake swarms.
Can the Topography of Tibetan Plateau Affect the Antarctic Bottom Water?
Authors: Wen Qin , Zhu Chenyu , Han Zixuan , Liu Zhengyu , Yang Haijun
Published: February 2021

The Tibetan Plateau (TP) plays a vital role in shaping global climate. So far, however, few studies have focused on the impact of the TP on Southern Ocean (SO) circulation. Through fully coupled model experiments with and without the TP, we find that removing the TP could eventually enhance Antarctic bottom water (AABW) circulation by generating Rossby wave trains that propagate from the tropical Indo‐Pacific to Amundsen‐Bellingshausen Sea. The surface air temperature (SAT) cools over the Antarctic Peninsula, which then leads to increased brine injection and thus the initial enhancement of AABW. Later on, the increased horizontal salinity transport and oceanic vertical mixing over Bellingshausen Sea further strengthen the AABW. These findings imply that long term changes of AABW can be affected by not only local process but also remote forcing, including those from the Asian highland regions.
ArchR is a scalable software package for integrative single-cell chromatin accessibility analysis
Authors: Granja Jeffrey M. , Corces M. Ryan , Pierce Sarah E. , Bagdatli S. Tansu , Choudhry Hani , Chang Howard Y. , Greenleaf William J.
Published: February 2021

The advent of single-cell chromatin accessibility profiling has accelerated the ability to map gene regulatory landscapes but has outpaced the development of scalable software to rapidly extract biological meaning from these data. Here we present a software suite for single-cell analysis of regulatory chromatin in R (ArchR; https://www.archrproject.com/) that enables fast and comprehensive analysis of single-cell chromatin accessibility data. ArchR provides an intuitive, user-focused interface for complex single-cell analyses, including doublet removal, single-cell clustering and cell type identification, unified peak set generation, cellular trajectory identification, DNA element-to-gene linkage, transcription factor footprinting, mRNA expression level prediction from chromatin accessibility and multi-omic integration with single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq). Enabling the analysis of over 1.2 million single cells within 8 h on a standard Unix laptop, ArchR is a comprehensive software suite for end-to-end analysis of single-cell chromatin accessibility that will accelerate the understanding of gene regulation at the resolution of individual cells.
Computer-assisted catalyst development via automated modelling of conformationally complex molecules: application to diphosphinoamine ligands
Authors: Lin Sibo , Fromer Jenna C. , Ghosh Yagnaseni , Hanna Brian , Elanany Mohamed , Xu Wei
Published: February 2021

Simulation of conformationally complicated molecules requires multiple levels of theory to obtain accurate thermodynamics, requiring significant researcher time to implement. We automate this workflow using all open-source code (XTBDFT) and apply it toward a practical challenge: diphosphinoamine (PNP) ligands used for ethylene tetramerization catalysis may isomerize (with deleterious effects) to iminobisphosphines (PPNs), and a computational method to evaluate PNP ligand candidates would save significant experimental effort. We use XTBDFT to calculate the thermodynamic stability of a wide range of conformationally complex PNP ligands against isomeriation to PPN (ΔGPPN), and establish a strong correlation between ΔGPPN and catalyst performance. Finally, we apply our method to screen novel PNP candidates, saving significant time by ruling out candidates with non-trivial synthetic routes and poor expected catalytic performance.
Elevation in viral entry genes and innate immunity compromise underlying increased infectivity and severity of COVID-19 in cancer patients
Authors: Kwan Jennifer Yin Yee , Lin Liang-Tzung , Bell Rachel , Bruce Jeffrey P. , Richardson Christopher , Pugh Trevor J. , Liu Fei-Fei
Published: February 2021

Multiple studies have reported a doubling in risk of Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) among cancer patients. Here, we examine the potential biological rationale behind this recurrent epidemiological observation. By leveraging large-scale genome-wide transcriptional data of normal and malignant tissues from adults and children, we found evidence of increased expression of SARS-CoV-2 viral entry genes in the cancer state, particularly in respiratory, gastrointestinal, and genitourinary tract tissues, with decreased expression in pediatricvs. adult samples. Additionally, by interrogating the temporal effects of radiotherapy on human peripheral blood mononuclear and mucosal cells, we observed important treatment-related alterations in host innate immunity, specifically type I interferon responses. Overall, cancers enhance expression of critical viral entry genes, and innate viral defenses can be dysregulated transiently during radiation treatments. These factors may contribute to the observed increased susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 entry and severity of COVID-19 in cancer patients.
Insecticide resistance and underlying targets-site and metabolic mechanisms in Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus from Lahore, Pakistan
Authors: Rahman Rafi Ur , Souza Barbara , Uddin Iftikhar , Carrara Luana , Brito Luiz Paulo , Costa Monique Melo , Mahmood Muhammad Asif , Khan Sozaina , Lima Jose Bento Pereira , Martins Ademir Jesus
Published: February 2021

Insecticide resistant Aedes populations have recently been reported in Pakistan, imposing a threat to their control. We aimed to evaluate the susceptibility of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus populations from Lahore to WHO-recommended insecticides and to investigate metabolic and target-site resistance mechanisms. For this purpose, we first carried out bioassays with the larvicides temephos and pyriproxyfen, and the adulticides malathion, permethrin, deltamethrin, alpha-cypermethrin, and etofenprox. We looked for Knockdown resistance mutations (kdr) by qPCR, High-Resolution Melt (HRM), and sequencing. In order to explore the role of detoxifying enzymes in resistance, we carried out synergist bioassay with both species and then checked the expression of CYP9M6, CYP9J10, CYP9J28, CYP6BB2, CCAe3a, and SAP2 genes in Ae. aegypti. Both species were susceptible to organophosphates and the insect growth regulator, however resistant to all pyrethroids. We are reporting the kdr haplotypes 1520Ile + 1534Cys and T1520 + 1534Cys in high frequencies in Ae. aegypti while Ae. albopictus only exhibited the alteration L882M. PBO increased the sensitivity to permethrin in Ae. aegypti, suggesting the participation of P450 genes in conferring resistance, and indeed, CYP928 was highly expressed. We presume that dengue vectors in Lahore city are resistant to pyrethroids, probably due to multiple mechanisms, such as kdr mutations and P450 overexpression.