bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
COVID-19-Pandemiekrisenstäbe: Organisation, Befugnisse und Herausforderungen – Strukturelle Gegebenheiten verstehen und nutzen
Authors: Klinger Isabell , Heckel Maria , Shahda Sophie , Krisen Ursula , Stellmacher Silke , Kurkowski Sandra , Junghanß Christian , Ostgathe Christoph
Published: May 2022

Hintergrund und Ziel

Im föderalen Deutschland sind Krisenstäbe zentrale Instrumente der Pandemiebewältigung. Das Ziel dieses Artikels ist es, Strukturen und Befugnisse von COVID-19-Pandemiekrisenstäben zu beschreiben, die während einer Studie zur Versorgung Schwerkranker und Sterbender in Pandemiezeiten (PallPan) exploriert wurden. Der Schwerpunkt liegt auf gesundheitsbezogenen Krisenstäben von Bund und Ländern (Makroebene), von Landkreisen, kreisfreien Städten und Kommunen (Mesoebene) sowie auf den Krisenstäben einzelner Einrichtungen der Gesundheitsversorgung (Mikroebene).

Methoden

Die Mitglieder der Krisenstäbe wurden mittels qualitativer semistrukturierter Interviews (10/2020–02/2021) befragt. Die Auswertung erfolgte mittels qualitativ strukturierender Inhaltsanalyse.

Ergebnisse

42 Personen berichteten über 43 Krisenstäbe in 14 Bundesländern. Einheitliche Regelungen hinsichtlich der Initiierung, personellen Zusammenstellung, Aufgaben, Zuständigkeiten und Befugnisse von Krisenstäben gibt es in Deutschland nicht. Auf Makroebene werden rechtliche und finanzielle Voraussetzungen zur Pandemiebewältigung geschaffen. Die Hauptverantwortung für die Umsetzung von Maßnahmen zum Schutz der Gesundheit liegt bei den Krisenstäben der Meso- und Mikroebene selbst. Die Vorgaben der Gesundheitsämter sind dabei maßgeblich für die Krisenstabsarbeit. Zentrale Aufgaben und Maßnahmen bezogen sich auf die Informationsbereitstellung und die Beschaffung und Verteilung von Ressourcen.

Diskussion

Die gewonnenen Erkenntnisse zu Strukturen und Befugnissen von Krisenstäben können Interessenvertretungen dabei helfen, die Anliegen zur Aufrechterhaltung der Gesundheitsversorgung spezifischer Bevölkerungsgruppen, wie beispielsweise schwerkranker und sterbender Menschen, in Pandemiezeiten gezielter zu adressieren.
Artificial intelligence in local governments: perceptions of city managers on prospects, constraints and choices
Authors: Yigitcanlar Tan , Agdas Duzgun , Degirmenci Kenan
Published: May 2022

Highly sophisticated capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI) have skyrocketed its popularity across many industry sectors globally. The public sector is one of these. Many cities around the world are trying to position themselves as leaders of urban innovation through the development and deployment of AI systems. Likewise, increasing numbers of local government agencies are attempting to utilise AI technologies in their operations to deliver policy and generate efficiencies in highly uncertain and complex urban environments. While the popularity of AI is on the rise in urban policy circles, there is limited understanding and lack of empirical studies on the city manager perceptions concerning urban AI systems. Bridging this gap is the rationale of this study. The methodological approach adopted in this study is twofold. First, the study collects data through semi-structured interviews with city managers from Australia and the US. Then, the study analyses the data using the summative content analysis technique with two data analysis software. The analysis identifies the following themes and generates insights into local government services: AI adoption areas, cautionary areas, challenges, effects, impacts, knowledge basis, plans, preparedness, roadblocks, technologies, deployment timeframes, and usefulness. The study findings inform city managers in their efforts to deploy AI in their local government operations, and offer directions for prospective research.
Equations of state of α-SiC (6H) and βʹ-Mg2Si1.1 from single-crystal X-ray diffraction data and novel high-pressure magnesium silicide Mg2Si7
Authors: Koemets Iuliia , Ishii Takayuki , Hanfland Michael , Dubrovinsky Leonid
Published: May 2022

SiC and (Fe, Mg)-silicide are candidate phases forming under reducing conditions in the Earth and planetary interiors. However, structural studies of SiC and Mg2Si at high pressure and their thermal stability are presently lacking. In this work, we applied single-crystal X-ray diffraction in a diamond anvil cell at high pressure and determined the equations of state of α-SiC (6H) and βʹ-Mg2Si1.1 up to 60 and 40 GPa, respectively, yielding bulk moduli of 226.0(4) and 56(1) GPa. We also report the formation of a novel orthorhombic Mg2Si7 phase upon laser heating βʹ-Mg2Si1.1 at ~ 45 GPa and 2000 °C [Pbam, a = 7.16(1) Å, b = 12.490(3) Å, c = 2.6545(3) Å, V = 237.5(3) Å3]. The structure of this compound contains layers formed by irregular 12-member silicon rings, which are arranged in channels filled with both Mg and Si atoms. No signs of the Mg2Si7 phase were detected upon releasing the pressure in the DAC, which suggests that this phase is unstable under ambient conditions.
Neonatal injury models: integral tools to decipher the molecular basis of cardiac regeneration
Authors: Costa Alessia , Cushman Sarah , Haubner Bernhard J. , Derda Anselm A. , Thum Thomas , Bär Christian
Published: May 2022

Myocardial injury often leads to heart failure due to the loss and insufficient regeneration of resident cardiomyocytes. The low regenerative potential of the mammalian heart is one of the main drivers of heart failure progression, especially after myocardial infarction accompanied by large contractile muscle loss. Preclinical therapies for cardiac regeneration are promising, but clinically still missing. Mammalian models represent an excellent translational in vivo platform to test drugs and treatments for the promotion of cardiac regeneration. Particularly, short-lived mice offer the possibility to monitor the outcome of such treatments throughout the life span. Importantly, there is a short period of time in newborn mice in which the heart retains full regenerative capacity after cardiac injury, which potentially also holds true for the neonatal human heart. Thus, in vivo neonatal mouse models of cardiac injury are crucial to gain insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the cardiac regenerative processes and to devise novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of diseased adult hearts. Here, we provide an overview of the established injury models to study cardiac regeneration. We summarize pioneering studies that demonstrate the potential of using neonatal cardiac injury models to identify factors that may stimulate heart regeneration by inducing endogenous cardiomyocyte proliferation in the adult heart. To conclude, we briefly summarize studies in large animal models and the insights gained in humans, which may pave the way toward the development of novel approaches in regenerative medicine.
Telehealth cancer care consultations during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study of the experiences of Australians affected by cancer
Authors: White Victoria , Bastable Alice , Solo Ilana , Sherwell Seleena , Thomas Sangeetha , Blum Rob , Torres Javier , Maxwell-Davis Natalie , Alexander Kathy , Piper Amanda
Published: May 2022

Background

In response to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth was rapidly rolled out in health services across Australia including those delivering cancer care. This study aimed to understand people with cancer and carers’ experiences with telehealth for cancer care during the COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions.

Method

Semi-structured interviews conducted with people with cancer and carers via telephone or online video link between December 2020 and May 2021. Participants were recruited through cancer networks and social media. Interviews were transcribed and thematic analysis undertaken.

Results

Twenty-three patients and 5 carers were interviewed. Telephone-based appointments were most common. Responses to telehealth were influenced by existing relationships with doctors, treatment/cancer stage and type of appointment. Four themes were derived: (i) benefits, (ii) quality of care concerns, (iii) involving carers, and (iv) optimising use of telehealth. Benefits included efficiency and reduced travel. Quality of care concerns identified subthemes: transactional feel to appointments; difficulties for rapport; suitability for appointment type and adequacy for monitoring. Both patients and carers noted a lack of opportunity for carers to participate in telephone-based appointments. Aligning appointment mode (i.e. telehealth or in person) with appointment purpose and ensuring telehealth was the patient’s choice were seen as essential for its ongoing use.

Discussion and conclusions

While telehealth has benefits, its potential to reduce the quality of interactions with clinicians made it less attractive for cancer patients. Patient-centred guidelines that ensure patient choice, quality communication, and alignment with appointment purpose may help to increase telehealth’s utility for people affected by cancer.
School climate and academic performance of Italian students: the role of disciplinary behaviour and parental involvement
Authors: Longobardi Sergio , Pagliuca Margherita Maria , Regoli Andrea
Published: May 2022

Educational researchers have increasingly recognised the importance of school climate as a malleable factor for improving academic performance. In this perspective, we exploit the data collected by the Italian Institute for the Evaluation of the Education System (INVALSI) to assess the effect of some school climate related factors on academic performance of tenth-grade Italian students. A Multilevel Bayesian Structural Equation Model (MBSEM) is adopted to highlight the effect of some relevant dimensions of school climate (students’ disciplinary behaviour and parents’ involvement) on academic performance and their role on the relationships between student socioeconomic status and achievement. The main findings show that disciplinary behaviour, on the one hand, directly influences the level of competence of the students, and, on the other hand, it partly mediates the effect of socioeconomic background whereas parents’ involvement does not appear to exert any significant effect on students’ performance.
Effects on clients' daily functioning and common features of reablement interventions: a systematic literature review
Authors: Buma Lise E. , Vluggen Stan , Zwakhalen Sandra , Kempen Gertrudis I. J. M. , Metzelthin Silke F.
Published: May 2022

This systematic review aimed to provide an overview of reablement interventions according to the recently published ReAble definition and their effect on Activities of Daily Living (ADL). In addition, the most common and promising features of these reablement interventions were identified. Four electronic bibliographic databases were searched. Articles were included when published between 2002 and 2020, which described a Randomised or Clinical Controlled Trial of a reablement intervention matching the criteria of the ReAble definition, and had ADL functioning as an outcome. Snowball sampling and expert completion were used to detect additional publications. Two researchers screened and extracted the identified articles and assessed methodological quality; discrepancies were resolved by discussion and arbitration by a third researcher. Twenty relevant studies from eight countries were included. Ten of these studies were effective in improving ADL functioning. Identifying promising features was challenging as an equal amount of effective and non-effective interventions were included, content descriptions were often lacking, and study quality was moderate to low. However, there are indications that the use of more diverse interdisciplinary teams, a standardised assessment and goal-setting method and four or more intervention components (i.e. ADL-training, physical and/or functional exercise, education, management of functional disorders) can improve daily functioning. No conclusions could be drawn concerning the effectiveness on ADL functioning. The common elements identified can provide guidance when developing reablement programmes. Intervention protocols and process evaluations should be published more often using reporting guidelines. Collecting additional data from reablement experts could help to unpack the black box of reablement.
Effects of 8-week oral splint usage on body flexibility and muscle strength-endurance performance in Pilates practitioners
Authors: Rampichini Susanna , Coratella Giuseppe , Cè Emiliano , Longo Stefano , Doria Christian , Borrelli Marta , Padulo Johnny , Shokohyar Sheida , Michielon Giovanni , Limonta Eloisa , Esposito Fabio
Published: May 2022

Purpose

We investigated the acute and chronic effects of oral splint on muscle strength-endurance performance and body flexibility.

Methods

Twelve Pilates practitioners (age 49.5 ± 5.8 years; mass 58.6 ± 6.5 kg) were evaluated with (OS) and without (CTRL) oral splint. Before (PRE) and after (POST) 8 weeks of oral splint usage during Pilates activity, muscle strength-endurance and body flexibility were evaluated through a frontal plank exercise and a Toe-touch test in OS and CTRL. Before each test, the highest electrical activation (EMG) of masseter and temporal muscles during maximal occlusion was determined. During frontal plank, the time-to-exhaustion, the maximum voluntary activation of masticatory muscles and the time of muscles activation have been determined.

Results

No OS vs CTRL and PRE vs POST differences were found in the maximum voluntary activation of temporal and masseter muscles. The time-to-exhaustion in OS was longer than CTRL in both PRE (P = 0.049) and POST sessions (P = 0.043). Time of masticatory muscles activation during plank was moderately greater in OS at PRE (P = 0.020) and POST (P = 0.022), while no difference between PRE and POST emerged in both conditions. Higher muscular activation was found in OS than CTRL at PRE (P = 0.031) and POST (P = 0.031), whereas no difference between PRE and POST appeared. No effect on flexibility emerged neither acutely nor chronically.

Conclusion

Acute and chronic oral splint usage improved strength-endurance performance but not body flexibility. These findings suggest biomechanical and neural mechanisms influencing the muscle length and the concurrent activation potentiation, but not muscle tone and stiffness.
Environmental, nutritional and social assessment of nuts
Authors: Cap Stephanie , Bots Pieter , Scherer Laura
Published: May 2022

Nuts are considered an important protein source in sustainable dietary patterns but are seldom studied in detail. Here a multi-criteria decision analysis was used to rank 10 nuts and seeds against 11 environmental, nutritional, and social criteria and provide greater insight into the sustainability impacts of this food group. Weights were defined based on correlation and variance between indicator values, and values were aggregated with a partially non-compensatory method. Several sensitivity analyses tested various sources of uncertainty through the use of country-level data, the use of a fully compensatory aggregation method, and changes to criteria weights. Walnuts and sunflower seeds performed consistently well across sustainability criteria and were ranked in the top two positions in the baseline assessment and most sensitivity analyses. In contrast, cashews performed relatively poorly across most criteria, and were ranked last. Dietary shifts in favor of more sustainable nuts can improve the overall environmental, nutritional and social impacts of nut production and consumption by an average of 23%. Although increasing consumption of walnuts and sunflower seeds may lead to improved sustainability outcomes for total global nut consumption, more research is needed to deepen the understanding of the complex socio-economic factors impacting nut and seed sustainability. The social risk assessment method used in this study can also inform future social impact measurement methods for other food groups.
Effects of Laser Surface Remelting on Microstructure and Corrosion Properties of Mg-12Dy-1.1Ni Alloy
Authors: Bi Guangli , Chen Siqi , Jiang Jing , Li Yuandong , Chen Tijun , Chen Xiao-Bo , Zhang Duyao , Qiu Dong , Easton Mark
Published: May 2022

Effects of laser surface remelting (LSR) on microstructure and corrosion properties of as-cast Mg-12Dy-1.1Ni (wt.%) alloy were investigated. The as-cast alloy was mainly composed of α-Mg, lamellar Mg12DyNi phase with an 18R-long period stacking order (LPSO) structure and Mg24Dy5. After LSR treatment, fine and compact 18R-LPSO phase reprecipitated on dendrite boundaries as a continuous network. In addition, the volume fraction of the LPSO phase remarkably increased to 34.9% and the grain size of as-cast alloy was refined to ca. 4 μm. Electrochemical and immersion tests indicated that the LSR-treated alloy exhibited a lower weight loss rate (2.8 ± 0.2 mg/cm2/h) and corrosion current density (160.1 ± 20.7 μA/cm2, and of 37% reduction after LSR) than the as-cast alloy in 0.1 M NaCl solution. The improved corrosion resistance of the LSR alloy was mainly ascribed to the grain refinement and continuous distribution of 18R-LPSO phase on dendrite boundaries.
Development and evaluation of an inertial measurement unit (IMU) system for jump detection and jump height estimation in beach volleyball
Authors: Schleitzer Samuel , Wirtz Svenja , Julian Ross , Eils Eric
Published: May 2022

Wearables are commonly used in practice for measuring and monitoring performance in high-level sports. That being said, they are often designed and intended for use during sports conducted on rigid surfaces. As such, sports that are conducted on sand, e.g. beach volleyball, lack equipment that can be specifically applied in the field. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop and validate an inertial measurement unit (IMU)-based system for automatic jump detection and jump height measurement in sand. The system consists of two IMUs, which were attached to different parts of the athletes’ bodies. For validation under laboratory conditions, 20 subjects each performed five jumps on two consecutive days in a sandbox placed on force plates. Afterwards, five beach volleyball athletes performed complex combinations of beach volleyball-specific movements and jumps wearing the IMUs whilst being video recorded simultaneously. This was conducted in an ecologically valid setting to determine the validity of the IMU to correctly detect jumping actions. The results of the laboratory tests show excellent day-to-day reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] = 0.937, two-way mixed effects, single measurement, consistency) and excellent concurrent validity (ICC = 0.946, two-way mixed effects, single rater, absolute agreement) compared to the gold standard (force plates). The accuracy in jump detection of the IMU was 100 and 97.5% in the laboratory and ecologically valid settings, respectively. Although there are still some aspects to consider when using such devices, the current findings provide recommendations regarding best practice when using such a device on a variable and unstable surface. Collectively, such a device could be applied in the field to provide coaches and practitioners with direct feedback to monitor training or match play.
An Active Inference Account of Skilled Anticipation in Sport: Using Computational Models to Formalise Theory and Generate New Hypotheses
Authors: Harris David J. , Arthur Tom , Broadbent David P. , Wilson Mark R. , Vine Samuel J. , Runswick Oliver R.
Published: May 2022

Optimal performance in time-constrained and dynamically changing environments depends on making reliable predictions about future outcomes. In sporting tasks, performers have been found to employ multiple information sources to maximise the accuracy of their predictions, but questions remain about how different information sources are weighted and integrated to guide anticipation. In this paper, we outline how predictive processing approaches, and active inference in particular, provide a unifying account of perception and action that explains many of the prominent findings in the sports anticipation literature. Active inference proposes that perception and action are underpinned by the organism’s need to remain within certain stable states. To this end, decision making approximates Bayesian inference and actions are used to minimise future prediction errors during brain–body–environment interactions. Using a series of Bayesian neurocomputational models based on a partially observable Markov process, we demonstrate that key findings from the literature can be recreated from the first principles of active inference. In doing so, we formulate a number of novel and empirically falsifiable hypotheses about human anticipation capabilities that could guide future investigations in the field.
A two-stage infill strategy and surrogate-ensemble assisted expensive many-objective optimization
Authors: Zhao Yi , Zhao Jian , Zeng Jianchao , Tan Ying
Published: May 2022

Many optimization problems are expensive in practical applications. The surrogate-assisted optimization methods have attracted extensive attention as they can get satisfyingly optimal solutions in a limited computing resource. In this paper, we propose a two-stage infill strategy and surrogate-ensemble assisted optimization algorithm for solving expensive many-objective optimization problems. In this method, the population is optimized by a surrogate ensemble. Then a two-stage infill strategy is proposed to select individuals for real evaluations. The infill strategy considers individuals with better convergence or greater uncertainty. To calculate the uncertainty, we consider two aspects. One is the approximate variance of the current surrogate ensemble and the other one is the approximate variance of the historical surrogate ensemble. Finally, the population is revised by the recently updated surrogate ensemble. In experiments, we testify our method on two sets of many-objective benchmark problems. The results demonstrate the superiority of our proposed algorithm compared with the state-of-the-art algorithms for solving computationally expensive many-objective optimization problems.
Numerical and theoretical investigations of the effect of the gangue-coal density ratio on the drawing mechanism in longwall top-coal caving
Authors: Zhang Jinwang , Cheng Dongliang , Yang Yinchao , Wei Weijie , Li Zhaolong , Song Zhengyang
Published: May 2022

Discrete element calculations of the top-coal drawing process for different gangue-coal density ratios were conducted to investigate the effect of the gangue-coal density ratio on the drawing mechanism in longwall top-coal caving. The effects were analyzed for the drawing body, the top-coal boundary, and the recovery of top coal. The results show that for increasing density ratio, the initial drawing body on the goaf side is farther away from the drawing support and its width and volume gradually increase. The upper part of the sickle-shaped drawing body extends near the initial drawing body with increasing density ratio in the normal cycling stage, and the distance from the drawing body to the initial drawing body is its maximum width. The larger the density ratio, the smaller the height of the top coal above the goaf at the end of the initial drawing process. The height of the top-coal boundary decreases with increasing density ratio, until it reaches a limit. In a normal cycle, due to hysteretic development, the top-coal boundary moves toward the goaf until the density ratio is approximately 2.0, which is consistent with the physical experiment results. Finally, increasing the advance length of the working face is beneficial for increasing the overall recovery of top coal.
Interface Engineering of NixSy@MnOxHy Nanorods to Efficiently Enhance Overall-Water-Splitting Activity and Stability
Authors: Wang Pan , Luo Yuanzhi , Zhang Gaixia , Chen Zhangsen , Ranganathan Hariprasad , Sun Shuhui , Shi Zhicong
Published: May 2022

Highlights

Three-dimensional (3D) core‐shell heterostructured NixSy@MnOxHy nanorods grown on nickel foam (NixSy@MnOxHy/NF) were successfully fabricated via a simple hydrothermal reaction and a subsequent electrodeposition process.

The fabricated NixSy@MnOxHy/NF shows outstanding bifunctional activity and stability for hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen evolution reaction, as well as overall‐water‐splitting performance.

The main origins are the interface engineering of NixSy@MnOxHy, the shell‐protection characteristic of MnOxHy, and the 3D open nanorod structure, which remarkably endow the electrocatalyst with high activity and stability.

Exploring highly active and stable transition metal-based bifunctional electrocatalysts has recently attracted extensive research interests for achieving high inherent activity, abundant exposed active sites, rapid mass transfer, and strong structure stability for overall water splitting. Herein, an interface engineering coupled with shell-protection strategy was applied to construct three-dimensional (3D) core‐shell NixSy@MnOxHy heterostructure nanorods grown on nickel foam (NixSy@MnOxHy/NF) as a bifunctional electrocatalyst. NixSy@MnOxHy/NF was synthesized via a facile hydrothermal reaction followed by an electrodeposition process. The X-ray absorption fine structure spectra reveal that abundant Mn‐S bonds connect the heterostructure interfaces of NixSy@MnOxHy, leading to a strong electronic interaction, which improves the intrinsic activities of hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Besides, as an efficient protective shell, the MnOxHy dramatically inhibits the electrochemical corrosion of the electrocatalyst at high current densities, which remarkably enhances the stability at high potentials. Furthermore, the 3D nanorod structure not only exposes enriched active sites, but also accelerates the electrolyte diffusion and bubble desorption. Therefore, NixSy@MnOxHy/NF exhibits exceptional bifunctional activity and stability for overall water splitting, with low overpotentials of 326 and 356 mV for OER at 100 and 500 mA cm–2, respectively, along with high stability of 150 h at 100 mA cm–2. Furthermore, for overall water splitting, it presents a low cell voltage of 1.529 V at 10 mA cm–2, accompanied by excellent stability at 100 mA cm–2 for 100 h. This work sheds a light on exploring highly active and stable bifunctional electrocatalysts by the interface engineering coupled with shell-protection strategy.
Manager gender, entrepreneurial orientation and SMEs export and import propensities: evidence for Spanish businesses
Authors: Expósito Alfonso , Sanchis-Llopis Amparo , Sanchis-Llopis Juan A.
Published: May 2022

This paper investigates the role of manager gender in SMEs’ decisions to get involved in exporting and importing activities, using a sample of 1,405 Spanish SMEs. We borrow insights from international entrepreneurship theories and feminist theories to set testable hypotheses regarding how managerial gender and entrepreneurial orientation (proactiveness, risk-taking and innovativeness) may influence SMEs export and import propensities. Using abivariate probitmodel and controlling for other managerial and business characteristics, results reveal that there are not significant disparities in exporting propensities between men- and women-run businesses. However, female-led SMEs show a lower importing propensity, in comparison to male-led counterparts. In addition, the three entrepreneurial orientation dimensions (proactiveness, risk-taking and innovativeness) are important drivers for participating in overseas markets, and do not depend upon the manager gender. This work provides new empirical evidence on the comparison between men- and women-run SMEs as regards export/import behavior and thus, it contributes to improve our knowledge on the role of gender in SMEs internationalization. The role of manager’s gender in SMEs import propensity has not been investigated so far, and this is the main novelty of our research.
On standing waves and gradient-flow for the Landau–De Gennes model of nematic liquid crystals
Authors: Barbera Daniele , Georgiev Vladimir
Published: May 2022

The article treats the existence of standing waves and solutions to gradient-flow equation for the Landau–De Gennes models of liquid crystals, a state of matter intermediate between the solid state and the liquid one. The variables of the general problem are the velocity field of the particles and theQ-tensor, a symmetric traceless matrix which measures the anisotropy of the material. In particular, we consider the system without the velocity field and with an energy functional unbounded from below. At the beginning we focus on the stationary problem. We outline two variational approaches to get a critical point for the relative energy functional: by the Mountain Pass Theorem and by proving the existence of a least energy solution. Next we describe a relationship between these solutions. Finally we consider the evolution problem and provide some Strichartz-type estimates for the linear problem. By several applications of these results to our problem, we prove via contraction arguments the existence of local solutions and, moreover, global existence for initial data with small$$L^2$$L2-norm.
“Islam Says We Are All Equal”: The Islamic Turn in Soviet Propaganda in Iran, 1921–25
Authors: Shablovskaia Alisa
Published: May 2022

The early 1920s witnessed an upsurge in Soviet interest in Islam on an international scale. This interest was to a large extent guided by Great Game logic, at a time when the idea of Islamic jihad against the British was extremely popular all over the Middle East. Contrary to the common assumption that the Marxist rationale of the Bolsheviks excluded any possibility of integrating religion into Soviet policy, the highest authorities in Moscow adopted a rather opportunistic position with regard to Islam both at home and abroad. Drawing mainly on Russian archival sources, this study questions the origins and nature of the Islamic turn in Soviet discourse, diplomacy, and propaganda in Iran. The article concludes that although the Soviet rapprochement with some members of the Iranian clergy and the integration of religious elements into communist propaganda were carried out for the sake of short-term geopolitical goals, these maneuvers were much conditioned by Soviet domestic policy and post–World War I regional interdependencies.
A driving mechanism of near-wall turbulence subject to adverse pressure gradient in a plane Couette flow
Authors: Jiao Yuxin , Chernyshenko Sergei I. , Hwang Yongyun
Published: May 2022

The effect of adverse pressure gradient (APG) on near-wall turbulence is studied, with a particular attention to the turbulence production mechanism. A plane turbulent Couette flow is considered for several values of constant APG in the lower wall region. A direct numerical simulation (DNS) in a large computational domain shows that turbulence near the lower wall continues to exist even at sufficiently large APGs. On increasing the APG, the cross-streamwise turbulence intensities increase, and the near-wall streaks gradually disappear. A linear analysis using the optimal transient growth indicates that the APG inhibits the generation of near-wall streaks due to the significant reduction of the mean shear in the region near the lower wall. The turbulent fluctuation dynamics beyond the linear regime is studied with a DNS in a minimal flow unit. The near-wall self-sustaining process involving streaks is significantly weakened or destroyed as APG increases, while the turbulent fluctuations become more isotropic and localised. Using a conditional averaging analysis, a new mechanism of near-wall turbulence production under strong APG is uncovered. This mechanism is initiated by the wall-normal nonlinear transport of an outer wall-normal velocity fluctuation to the near-wall region. The transported wall-normal velocity fluctuation is subsequently amplified via the Orr mechanism, resulting in the non-zero turbulence production involving spatially localised vortical structures. This mechanism is also confirmed by DNS of the flow in a large computational domain, where strong correlation between the wall-normal nonlinear transport and turbulence production is observed.
MDMA treatment paired with a trauma-cue promotes adaptive stress responses in a translational model of PTSD in rats
Authors: Arluk Shira , Matar Michael A. , Carmi Lior , Arbel Oded , Zohar Joseph , Todder Doron , Cohen Hagit
Published: May 2022

MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine), a synthetic ring-substituted amphetamine, combined with psychotherapy has demonstrated efficacy for the treatment of chronic posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patients. This controlled prospective study aimed to assess the bio-behavioral underpinnings of MDMA in a translational model of PTSD. Rats exposed to predator-scent stress (PSS) were subjected to a trauma-cue at day 7 shortly after single-dose MDMA injection (5 mg/kg). The elevated plus maze and acoustic startle response tests were assessed on day 14 and served for classification into behavioral response groups. Freezing response to a further trauma-reminder was assessed on Day 15. The morphological characteristics of the dentate gyrus (DG) and basolateral amygdala (BLA) were subsequently examined. Hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis and 5-hydroxytryptamine involvement were evaluated using: (1) corticosterone measurements at 2 h and 4 h after MDMA treatment, (2) Lewis strain rats with blunted HPA-response and (3) pharmacological receptor-blockade. MDMA treatment was effective in attenuating stress behavioral responses only when paired with memory reactivation by a trauma-cue. The effects of the treatment on behavior were associated with a commensurate normalization of the dendritic cytoarchitecture of DG and BLA neurons. Pretreatment with RU486, Ketanserin, or Pindolol prevented the above improvement in anxiety-like behavioral responses. MDMA treatment paired with memory reactivation reduced the prevalence rate of PTSD-phenotype 14 days later and normalized the cytoarchitecture changes induced by PSS (in dendritic complexities) compared to saline control. MDMA treatment paired with a trauma-cue may modify or update the original traumatic memory trace through reconsolidation processes. These anxiolytic-like effects seem to involve the HPA axis and 5-HT systems.
Anti-epileptic drugs and prostate cancer-specific mortality compared to non-users of anti-epileptic drugs in the Finnish Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer
Authors: Salminen Jukka K. , Mehtola Aino , Talala Kirsi , Taari Kimmo , Mäkinen Jussi , Peltola Jukka , Tammela Teuvo L. J. , Auvinen Anssi , Murtola Teemu J.
Published: May 2022

Background

Drugs with histone deacetylase inhibitory (HDACi) properties have shown to decrease prostate cancer (PCa) cell growth in vitro.

Methods

A cohort of 9261 PCa cases from the Finnish Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (FinRSPC) was used to evaluate prostate cancer-specific mortality in men using anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs). A national subscription database was used to obtain information on medication use. Cox regression with AED use as a time-dependent variable was used to analyse prostate cancer mortality in men using AEDs compared to non-users, and in men using HDACi AEDs compared to users of other AEDs. The analysis was adjusted for age, screening trial arm, PCa risk group, primary treatment of PCa, Charlson co-morbidity score and concomitant use of other drugs.

Results

The use of AEDs, in general, was associated with an increased risk of PCa death. The use of HDACi AEDs was not significantly associated with decreased PCa mortality compared to use of other AEDs (HR 0.61, 95% CI 0.31–1.23).

Conclusions

AED usage is associated with elevated PCa mortality compared to non-users, likely reflecting the differences between men with epilepsy and those without. No benefit was observed from HDACi drugs compared to other AEDs.
Non-drug efflux function of ABCC5 promotes enzalutamide resistance in castration-resistant prostate cancer via upregulation of P65/AR-V7
Authors: Chen Haojie , Luo Jia , Chen Shaojun , Shi Bowen , Zheng Xiaocui , Ji Haiying , Zhang Xiaoqian , Yin Yujia , Du Kun , Ding Jie , Yu Yongjiang
Published: May 2022

Drug resistance is responsible for castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC)-associated mortality. While ATP binding cassette subfamily C member 5 (ABCC5) has been reported to regulate multiple drug resistance, its drug-efflux function may not be the main reason underlying resistance to enzalutamide, an androgen receptor inhibitor. Here, we aimed to determine whether the non-drug efflux function of ABCC5 affects enzalutamide resistance. The ABCC5 expression data in patients with prostate cancer (PCa) were retrieved from The Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus, and their correlation with disease prognosis was analyzed. Immunohistochemical staining was performed on a cohort of 80 patient samples. Proliferation of enzalutamide-resistant 22RV1 and C4-2B cells was investigated using CCK-8, EdU, and colony formation assays. The effect of ABCC5 silencing on enzalutamide resensitization was evaluated in vitro and in vivo. Functional assays indicated that ABCC5 depletion resensitized enzalutamide-resistant cells to inhibit cell growth and impeded xenograft tumor proliferation. Mechanistically, luciferase and ChIP assays confirmed that P65 regulated AR expression and activity by binding to its promoter, while ABCC5-mediated resistance effected by AR-V7 (one of the widely studied AR splicing variants that meditate AR antagonist resistance) upregulation could be reversed by P65 knockdown. Furthermore, activation of the NF-κB pathway reversed the effects of ABCC5 knockdown by extra AR-V7 expression. Thus, ABCC5 might be a novel target for enzalutamide-resistant CRPC treatment.
Diagnostic accuracy of different keratoconus detection indices of pentacam in paediatric eyes
Authors: Hashem Ahmed Osama , Aziz Bassem Fayez , Wahba Sherine Shafik , Roshdy Maged Maher , Elawamry Amr Ismail
Published: May 2022

Objective

No diagnostic gold standard for keratoconus in children and adolescents exists. Our objective was investigating the diagnostic accuracy of various indices for keratoconus (KC) detection in paediatric eyes.

Methods

All retrievable data of significance from 432 normal right paediatric eyes and 48 eyes of paediatric KC and forme fruste KC (FFKC), imaged by use of a rotating Scheimpflug camera (Oculyzer II, Pentacam HR) between December 2013 and October 2018 at Watany Eye Hospitals, Cairo, Egypt, including Scheimpflug images data, were collected. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) was calculated for different indices in this retrospective descriptive study.

Results

All 36 tested indices showed discriminative power differentiating KC and FFKC from normal corneas (AUROCP-value <0.05), except AC volume, AC angle, and horizontal decentrations of the steepest and thinnest points. The 32 indices showed variable degrees of diagnostic accuracy. The highest AUROC was that of the corneal assessment index from the relational thickness and other OCULUS values (CAIRO 8). Only 8 indices showed non-inferiority to it, namely, Ambrosio’s relational thickness maximum (ART max) and avg, the pachymetric progression index maximum (PPI max) and avg, the back elevation from the best-fit toric ellipsoid (BE BFTE), the KC index (KI), the topographic KC indices (TKC), and the index of height decentration (IHD) (P > 0.05).

Conclusions

The 8 most useful rotating Scheimpflug imaging indices for KC detection in paediatric eyes are CAIRO 8 followed by ART max and avg, PPI max and avg, BE BFTE, KI, TKC, and IHD.
Alterations in homologous recombination repair genes in prostate cancer brain metastases
Authors: Rodriguez-Calero Antonio , Gallon John , Akhoundova Dilara , Maletti Sina , Ferguson Alison , Cyrta Joanna , Amstutz Ursula , Garofoli Andrea , Paradiso Viola , Tomlins Scott A. , Hewer Ekkehard , Genitsch Vera , Fleischmann Achim , Vassella Erik , Rushing Elisabeth J. , Grobholz Rainer , Fischer Ingeborg , Jochum Wolfram , Cathomas Gieri , Osunkoya Adeboye O. , Bubendorf Lukas , Moch Holger , Thalmann George , Ng Charlotte K. Y. , Gillessen Silke , Piscuoglio Salvatore , Rubin Mark A.
Published: May 2022

Improved survival rates for prostate cancer through more effective therapies have also led to an increase in the diagnosis of metastases to infrequent locations such as the brain. Here we investigate the repertoire of somatic genetic alterations present in brain metastases from 51 patients with prostate cancer brain metastases (PCBM). We highlight the clonal evolution occurring in PCBM and demonstrate an increased mutational burden, concomitant with an enrichment of the homologous recombination deficiency mutational signature in PCBM compared to non-brain metastases. Focusing on known pathogenic alterations within homologous recombination repair genes, we find 10 patients (19.6%) fulfilling the inclusion criteria used in the PROfound clinical trial, which assessed the efficacy of PARP inhibitors (PARPi) in homologous recombination deficient prostate cancer. Eight (15.7%) patients show biallelic loss of one of the 15 genes included in the trial, while 5 patients (9.8%) harbor pathogenic alterations in BRCA1/2 specifically. Uncovering these molecular features of PCBM may have therapeutic implications, suggesting the need of clinical trial enrollment of PCBM patients when evaluating potential benefit from PARPi.
Pytheas: a software package for the automated analysis of RNA sequences and modifications via tandem mass spectrometry
Authors: D’Ascenzo Luigi , Popova Anna M. , Abernathy Scott , Sheng Kai , Limbach Patrick A. , Williamson James R.
Published: May 2022

Mass spectrometry is an important method for analysis of modified nucleosides ubiquitously present in cellular RNAs, in particular for ribosomal and transfer RNAs that play crucial roles in mRNA translation and decoding. Furthermore, modifications have effect on the lifetimes of nucleic acids in plasma and cells and are consequently incorporated into RNA therapeutics. To provide an analytical tool for sequence characterization of modified RNAs, we developed Pytheas, an open-source software package for automated analysis of tandem MS data for RNA. The main features of Pytheas are flexible handling of isotope labeling and RNA modifications, with false discovery rate statistical validation based on sequence decoys. We demonstrate bottom-up mass spectrometry characterization of diverse RNA sequences, with broad applications in the biology of stable RNAs, and quality control of RNA therapeutics and mRNA vaccines.
Crystal structures of BMPRII extracellular domain in binary and ternary receptor complexes with BMP10
Authors: Guo Jingxu , Liu Bin , Thorikay Midory , Yu Minmin , Li Xiaoyan , Tong Zhen , Salmon Richard M. , Read Randy J. , ten Dijke Peter , Morrell Nicholas W. , Li Wei
Published: May 2022

Heterozygous mutations in BMPR2 (bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) receptor type II) cause pulmonary arterial hypertension. BMPRII is a receptor for over 15 BMP ligands, but why BMPR2 mutations cause lung-specific pathology is unknown. To elucidate the molecular basis of BMP:BMPRII interactions, we report crystal structures of binary and ternary BMPRII receptor complexes with BMP10, which contain an ensemble of seven different BMP10:BMPRII 1:1 complexes. BMPRII binds BMP10 at the knuckle epitope, with the A-loop and β4 strand making BMPRII-specific interactions. The BMPRII binding surface on BMP10 is dynamic, and the affinity is weaker in the ternary complex than in the binary complex. Hydrophobic core and A-loop interactions are important in BMPRII-mediated signalling. Our data reveal how BMPRII is a low affinity receptor, implying that forming a signalling complex requires high concentrations of BMPRII, hence mutations will impact on tissues with highest BMPR2 expression such as the lung vasculature.
Auto-generated database of semiconductor band gaps using ChemDataExtractor
Authors: Dong Qingyang , Cole Jacqueline M.
Published: May 2022

Large-scale databases of band gap information about semiconductors that are curated from the scientific literature have significant usefulness for computational databases and general semiconductor materials research. This work presents an auto-generated database of 100,236 semiconductor band gap records, extracted from 128,776 journal articles with their associated temperature information. The database was produced using ChemDataExtractor version 2.0, a ‘chemistry-aware’ software toolkit that uses Natural Language Processing (NLP) and machine-learning methods to extract chemical data from scientific documents. The modified Snowball algorithm of ChemDataExtractor has been extended to incorporate nested models, optimized by hyperparameter analysis, and used together with the default NLP parsers to achieve optimal quality of the database. Evaluation of the database shows a weighted precision of 84% and a weighted recall of 65%. To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest open-source non-computational band gap database to date. Database records are available in CSV, JSON, and MongoDB formats, which are machine readable and can assist data mining and semiconductor materials discovery.
A database of refractive indices and dielectric constants auto-generated using ChemDataExtractor
Authors: Zhao Jiuyang , Cole Jacqueline M.
Published: May 2022

The ability to auto-generate databases of optical properties holds great potential for advancing optical research, especially with regards to the data-driven discovery of optical materials. An optical property database of refractive indices and dielectric constants is presented, which comprises a total of 49,076 refractive index and 60,804 dielectric constant data records on 11,054 unique chemicals. The database was auto-generated using the state-of-the-art natural language processing software, ChemDataExtractor, using a corpus of 388,461 scientific papers. The data repository offers a representative overview of the information on linear optical properties that resides in scientific papers from the past 30 years. Public availability of these data will enable a quick search for the optical property of certain materials. The large size of this repository will accelerate data-driven research on the design and prediction of optical materials and their properties. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first auto-generated database of optical properties from a large number of scientific papers. We provide a web interface to aid the use of our database.
A critical period for learning and plastic changes at hippocampal CA1 synapses
Authors: Sakimoto Yuya , Shintani Ako , Yoshiura Daiki , Goshima Makoto , Kida Hiroyuki , Mitsushima Dai
Published: May 2022

Postnatal development of hippocampal function has been reported in many mammalian species, including humans. To obtain synaptic evidence, we analyzed developmental changes in plasticity after an inhibitory avoidance task in rats. Learning performance was low in infants (postnatal 2 weeks) but clearly improved from the juvenile period (3–4 weeks) to adulthood (8 weeks). One hour after the training, we prepared brain slices and sequentially recorded miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (mEPSCs) and inhibitory postsynaptic currents (mIPSCs) from the same hippocampal CA1 neuron. Although the training failed to affect the amplitude of either mEPSCs or mIPSCs at 2 weeks, it increased mEPSC, but not mIPSC, amplitude at 3 weeks. At 4 weeks, the training had increased the amplitude of both mEPSCs and mIPSCs, whereas mIPSC, but not mEPSC, amplitude was increased at 8 weeks. Because early-life physiological functions can affect performance, we also evaluated sensory–motor functions together with emotional state and found adequate sensory/motor functions from infancy to adulthood. Moreover, by analyzing performance of rats in multiple hippocampal-dependent tasks, we found that the developmental changes in the performance are task dependent. Taken together, these findings delineate a critical period for learning and plastic changes at hippocampal CA1 synapses.